We're Still Here!

Yikes my last post was over a month ago - life seems to have gotten away from me a bit. I’ve joined another book club at the local library, we spent a lovely week in Mexico, visited family in Wisconsin, we’ve been searching for a kitchen remodeler and in between all that there has been stuff - not good or bad - daily stuff. 

If I would have written this post 4 days ago I’d tell you Spring was just around the corner but as I look out my window at the 5+ inches of snow we got on Monday night I think I’ll hold off on that prediction. The weather has been beautiful - off and on that is and we are now in March and you know that old adage “In like a lion out like a lamb.”

As always Mexico was beautiful, we stayed at the Hotel Irma in Zihuatanejo (same place we always stay) the views are beautiful, the water in the bay warm, great restaurants near by, and people are friendly. My only complaint - the hotel needs someTLC. They need some additional lounge chairs by the pool and the cushions need to be replaced. And the beach towels - well don’t get me started let’s say next year I’ll bring my own. 

Mexico is not a “vegetarian friendly” place unless you are looking to subsist on rice and beans. I did have a couple surprises - one place offered me vegetarian fajitas and they did not disappoint. Peppers, squash, carrots, broccoli and onions teamed up with corn tortillas, fresh guacamole and salsa - it was delicious. 

My second surprise was a delicious grilled eggplant appetizer at a new restaurant. It came with a delicious sauce and fresh shaved parmesan again delicious. 

My lazy days consisted of margaritas and reading books, this year I finished 7 - I view that as a successful vacation. We met a lovely couple from Canada who we spent time with on the beach and we attended an all woman art opening - there were some pretty amazing works. 

Before we left for vacation I was on my usual “we are not purchasing groceries” kick - I hate coming home to a stinky fridge because someone forgot to clean it out before he/she left on vacation. That of course means no food in the house when we return - but honestly we could eat out of the freezer and pantry for a long time - maybe even survive the zombie apocalypse. 

If you recall our garden harvest last year you’ll remember that I made some collard green wraps filled with veggie crumbles, onion, carrots … and froze them for a rainy day. Coming home from vacation was that “rainy” day. I teamed it up with a vodka tomato sauce (from last year’s harvest), tossed it in a pan and baked it for about 30 minutes - dinner. 

The kitchen remodel is on the horizon - just in time for grilling and salads - stay tuned for pictures and recipes. 

Thanks for stopping by!

A Stick to Your Ribs Breakfast

Did you ever have Cream of Wheat? It was one of my go to breakfasts as a kid I loved the texture (and I’m all about texture) and the taste. I would top it with fruit and a little splash of maple syrup - perfection. 

Somewhere along the line it fell off my radar do they even still make it? I’ve not seen it in the store in ages - although I’ve not been looking for it either. In the warmer months I’m a big fan of soaked oats; 1/2 to 2/3 cup of oatmeal (not quick oat and not steel cut oats), 1 cup of almond milk in a container overnight in the fridge. In the morning, top it with fresh fruit, toasted coconuts, walnuts or pecans and a splash of agave or maple syrup - it’s a great way to start the day.

For those of you who are in Minnesota for the Super Bowl - welcome I hope you brought a hat and gloves - it’s gonna be cold today. Not the searing cold that makes your nostrils stick together when you go outside but cold enough. If you don’t own a hat and gloves make a stop at Target they’ll have what you need. 

I woke up to light snow yesterday and it triggered the oatmeal part of my brain, (and yes I do have a sweet potato, avocado, blueberry and black bean section as well) which sent me directly to the pantry. We have a selection; steel cut oats, instant oats (not sure why we have these) and regular oats. Steel cut seemed like more energy than I was willing to exert (yes I know if I had an instant pot it would take a fraction of the time) so I opted for regular oats. 

I won’t tell you how to cook oatmeal because I’m pretty sure you’ve all done it at least once and if not the directions are on the side of the container. What I will tell you is what I added to them:

blueberries

dried apricots

dates

dried cranberries

chopped walnuts

maple syrup 

It was a great way to start the day the combination of fruits and nuts added the right amount of sweetness and crunch. And since oats are full of fiber (good for digestion) and provide you with energy (whole grains are absorbed slowly, which gives you energy that lasts) it gave me enough fuel to do all those Saturday morning things people do - and I got a “Thanks for making breakfast” from my sweetie.

If you’re lucky enough to have tickets (did I tell you I had a dream that I won 12 tickets to the Super Bowl?) to the Big game today - enjoy, if you’re going to a party enjoy that too. If you are like me - enjoy that book. 

A Quick and Delicious Coconut Curry Soup

It’s the kick off to the MN Superbowl event, which means for those of us living here we stay home and try to avoid the madness, although I doubt that will be possible it’s everywhere.

I’m not a football or any other organized sports fan but I appreciate when people get excited about “their team.” I did go to a playoff game party but I brought a book. No one seemed to notice they were too busy bemoaning the Viking’s loss. It was a nice opportunity to catch up with friends and family and this time the weather cooperated so we were not driving home on snow covered roads. With that being said Mother Nature dumped over a foot of snow on us the next day - go figure. 

I’ve been in a cooking mood lately. Earlier this week I made an eggplant and chickpea curry, baked a batch of blueberry muffins and last night a delicious coconut curry soup with sweet potato noodles. My focus lately has been on meals that take approximately 30 minutes to make without owning an instant pot. 

The curry soup was a simple yet flavorful dish with onions, peppers, peas and a nice helping of sweet potato noodles. I opted to eliminate any oils from the dish to keep it “fresh” and cut down on the calories. I cooked the onions with just a little bit of water and roasted the spiralized sweet potato on my seasoned Pampered Chef stone sans oil as well - both turned out perfectly. 

The original recipe came from the Veggie Inspired blog. I made a few spice adjustments because I was looking for something with a bit more heat but the end result was delicious - this one definitely goes onto the favorites list. 

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato spiralized 

1 medium onion diced 

3 cloves of garlic - minced

1 Tbsp of fresh minced ginger

1 bell pepper - seeded and cut into thin strips

2 Tbsp curry powder

3 cups veggie broth - you can buy it or make your own with veggie scraps

1 can coconut milk

2/3 cup frozen green peas

juice of 1/2 lime

Cilantro

Cayenne pepper to taste - I used somewhere between 1/2 and 1 tsp

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooking Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place sweet potatoes on a large rimmed baking pan (I used the Pampered Chef large bar stone) in a single layer and bake until soft but not browned.

In a soup pot, saute the onions in 3 Tbsp water for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened. Add garlic, ginger and red bell pepper and cook for an additional 2 minutes. Mix in the curry powder, veggie broth, coconut milk and cayenne, stir to combine and simmer on medium heat for 15 - 20 minutes. 

When the veggies are cooked through add the green peas and lime juice and stir to combine. Add a few grinds of sea salt and pepper to taste. Check seasonings and adjust per your taste. 

To serve, place sweet potatoes in a large bowl and top with coconut curry soup. Sprinkle with chopped cilantro and lime wedges (if desired). 

A Quick and Delicious Curry

Sometimes after a long day cooking isn’t what you have in mind but you still need to eat and man cannot live on veggie burgers alone - that’s where curry comes into play - who does not love curry?

One of my resolutions is to find more ways to make vegetarian dinners in under 30 minutes so that I can spend my evenings reading, gardening and hanging out with friends and family. Tonight I made a vegetarian curry in about 30 minutes - it was simple, flavorful and delicious; actually it’s going in the regular rotation. 

One of my favorite things from the garden last year was the Japanese eggplant; we used the long, skinny and bright purple produce for so many delicious dishes - our favorite was an appetizer that marinated the eggplant with balsamic vinegar and spices and then roasted it - it was hands down the best preparation I’ve had in a long time. 

Unfortunately we don’t get those amazing little eggplants here in Minnesota in the winter but we do get the beautiful large, deep purple variety that we can turn into so many dishes. Tonight I was feeling like a simple curry; onions, eggplant, chick peas, coconut milk and spices over a bed of nutty basmati rice - yum. 

Ingredients

1 can chickpeas

1 large eggplant

1 medium onion 

3 cloves garlic - minced

1 can coconut milk

2 T curry powder

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp tumeric

1/2 tsp paprika 

1/4 - 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

Cooked basmati rice

Chopped cilantro 

Instructions

Chop the eggplant and onions into small pieces and put them in a large pan sprayed with olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes and add garlic. 

Drain and rise chickpeas and add them to the pan then add coconut milk, spices and salt and pepper - cover and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes until eggplant and onions are tender. 

Serve curry over rice and enjoy! 

A Tasty Vegan Mushroom Pie

Happy New Year one week late. We’ve been sick here - since the Saturday before New Year’s Eve. If you’ve had it - I’m sorry if not, be grateful. The bright side is that we are on the mend. The cold has trickled to some light coughing and nose blowing, actually it was so nice out today that I bundled up and went for a walk - it was nice to breath fresh air for a change. 

We’ve been subsisting on Netflix, soup, scrambled eggs, water and juice with an occasional Cara Cara orange. I’m finally ready for some real food and I just happened to be feeling like a tasty mushroom pie with carrots, onions, celery and peas in a flaky crust served with a cabbage salad with oranges, apples and pomegranates. 

Pampered Chef has a new pie pan set - the pan bakes up 6 mini pies and you can totally cover or not cover the filling - I went with partial covering. 

Vegan Pie filling:

9 ounces portabella mushrooms quartered

2 medium carrots 1/2 inch dice

2 stalks celery - sliced 

1 large red onion - 1/2 dice

1 cup frozen peas

5 cloves garlic minced

1/4 cup flour

1 tsp dried rosemary

1 tsp dried sage

1 tsp dried oregano

Salt and pepper to taste

Pie crust - standard 2 crust

Instructions

Place mushrooms in a bowl and add ground black pepper, salt to taste, and the all purpose flour. Toss well to mix. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large saucepan. Add the mushrooms to the pan and saute for a couple of minutes, or until the mushrooms start to soften and brown slightly. Remove to a bowl.

In the same pan, add 1 tsp of olive oil, the garlic, onions, carrots and celery. Add a pinch of salt and stir-fry, scraping the bottom of the pan for any bits of mushrooms or flour left behind. They will add wonderful flavor.

When the onions and carrots start to soften but not brown, add the mushrooms back into the pot along with the peas, the herbs and 1 cup hot water.

Stir well, bring to a boil, cover and cook for 20 minutes or until the carrots are tender. Add more herbs (if desired) and stir well to mix. The stew should have thickened because of the flour you dredged the mushrooms in, if it is getting too thick, add some water to thin it out. Add salt and ground black pepper to taste and turn off the heat.

Assemble the Pies

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Roll out the pie crust and, using the Pampered Chef large pie cutter, cut out 6 circles and place each one of the lightly oiled pie wells. Spoon the mushroom filling into each pie and then cover the tops with 2 small circles of pie dough. Place the pie pan in the oven and bake 15 minutes at 425, turn down the heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for an additional 10 minutes until the crust is golden brown.

Remove from the oven, let stand 15 minutes before serving and enjoy!

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Christmas is in the air - I love the sights, smells and sounds that remind me of the holidays. Gifts are purchased (not wrapped yet), tree is up and decorated and the turkey is purchased and quietly sleeping in the freezer until it is time for him to make his debut. 

I had a baking bug this morning so I decided to make my grandmothers molasses cookies with lemon butter cream frosting. If you’ve been reading my blog you know these cookies were my favorite as a kid and I guess I was looking for a little trip down memory lane today. 

I recall asking my mom about the recipe when I was in my 20’s and what she could recall was that things were added in 1 cup increments - which wasn’t overly helpful. After asking at a family reunion - my Aunt Kay (my mom’s oldest sister) gave me the recipe. Incidentally my mom was right things do come in 1 cup increments - go figure. 

Ingredients

1 cup crisco  - melted (in the old days I suspect Grandma used lard)

1 cup molasses

1 cup sugar

1 cup hot water with 1 level tsp baking soda

4 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

Cooking Instructions

Add sugar and molasses to the melted shorting. Alternately add water/soda mixture and flour to the shortening/sugar/molasses mixture. Add vanilla. Let dough stand in a cool place until easy to handle - the dough will be sticky. Drop dough by tablespoon on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat (or a Pampered Chef silicone mat) and bake at 350 degrees approximately 10 - 12 minutes. Cool and frost with lemon buttercream frosting.

For the frosting I used a little butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice - frost and add sprinkles - they are delicious :-) and I am feeling the family love as I eat these!

I couldn’t just make MY favorite cookies without making something for my sweetie. Knowing anything with nuts is his favorite I decided to make him a batch of date and nut pinwheels. I didn’t realize how labor intensive they were until I got half way through the process but the end result was worth it. 

Kudos to A Taste of Home for the recipe. Today no substitutions - with the exception of only making a 1/2 batch because Dan and I don’t need 100+ cookies sitting in the house calling our name while we are trying to work :-). To be honest we’ll be putting many of the cookies in the freezer to use over the holidays and beyond!

They are delicious, see for yourself!

If you are baking at home - let me know about favorite cookies/dishes! Thanks for stopping by!

Good friends, good food and fun

Friday night I hosted my annual Pampered Chef Holiday Kick-off. I’ve been a Pampered Chef consultant for about 7 years and even though I’m at the place where I don’t do a lot of shows, I still enjoy an annual get together with friends and family. We cook, we laugh and we shop and in the end I give 1/2 of the rewards away because one only needs 1 set of knives with a lifetime warranty.

In my holiday shows, I try to focus on quick and healthy recipes that my friends can put together in 30 minutes or less. Last night we made a Chickpea Shawarma dip it was health, spicy and delicious. I served it up with veggies and flatbread crackers - it was a hit!  Thanks to Minimalist Baker for the original recipe.

This holiday season will be different. It's the first without my Dad and the tree somehow doesn't seem complete without Camille sleeping underneath it on her favorite velvet tree skirt. We do have a lot to be thankful for and a joyful event on the horizon; Dan's daughter Alona is getting married in June - everyone is very excited.

CHICKPEA SHAWARMA DIP

CHICKPEAS

1 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, well drained - if you are a bean purest you can make your own from scratch  

1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive or avocado oil

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

GARLIC HERB SAUCE

1/4 cup (60 g) hummus (store-bought or DIY)

1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

3/4 - 1 tsp dried dill

3 cloves garlic, minced 

Water 

PARSLEY SALAD 

1 cup packed (75 g) finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup (75 g) diced cherry or roma tomatoes

1/4 cup (35 g) diced red onion

1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

Pinch each sea salt and black pepper

HUMMUS

16 ounces (453 g) hummus (store-bought or DIY)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and add well-drained chickpeas to a mixing bowl.

Top with oil, sugar, and spices and toss to combine. Then spread on a bare or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until deep golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.

In the meantime, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more garlic for more zing, salt for savoriness, lemon juice for freshness, and dill for a more intense herb flavor. I found mine didn’t need anything else.

Prepare parsley-tomato salad by adding parsley, tomato and onion to a small mixing bowl and dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss and set aside.

Assemble 

Spread hummus on a serving platter and top with roasted chickpeas, parsley salad, and garlic dill sauce. Serve with chips, or veggies of choice.

I think of the holiday season as a time for reflection and to plan for the new year. I take stock of the goals I set and how well I met them - this year I had a goal of walking 2017 miles and barring any craziness I am on track to meet that goal. Looking forward I want to do more writing, maybe even take one of my NaNoWriMo's and self publish it - still pondering that one. I'd like to spend more time with friends, volunteer at the Arboretum and take classes to become a Master Gardener. I'd say my plate looks pretty full - which is a good thing. 

Thanks for stopping by!