Fall into Spring

It’s been a hard week. My father passed away and we will soon be traveling to Fargo to celebrate his life. If I were to celebrate his life with his favorite food we would be having brats - he loved them. When I was a child we would go camping and he would cook them over the fire and serve them with beans. Later, he would do them on the grill - actually the last meal I shared with him included brats. 

I admit once in a while when I smell brats cooking on the grill I’m tempted to try one, but the urge only lasts a short time or it goes away after I try a bite. On the flip side I love baked beans (vegetarian that is). I’ll eat them warm or cold, alone or with a heavy grained bread, for breakfast, lunch or dinner - doesn’t really matter. 

All this talk about brats makes me think of Spring and grilling season. Spring has officially arrived in Minnesota; the garden is planted and the spinach, kale and collard greens are coming up! This year we’ve planted squash, cucumbers, tomatoes, herbs, broccoli, cauliflower, beans, peas, peppers, watermelon and eggplant. We’re skipping the carrots this year - too much real estate not enough return. 

I threw this salad together after looking in the fridge to see what we had. This salad is perfect for lunch or dinner and it’s vegan and gluten-free. I wanted to use lentils but realized half way through the chopping that we were out so I substituted navy beans. Next time I’ll use lentils I think they would pair better with the balsamic. With that being said it was delicious and hit the spot.

INGREDIENTS

1 large sweet potato, diced into ½ inch cubes

3 med carrots - 1/2 inch chop

2 tsp Herbs de Provence

2 Tbsp pure maple syrup

¼ cup extra virgin olive oil, divided

1 yellow onion, diced

16oz brussels sprouts, thinly sliced

1 can beans (lentils, white, black) your choice

¼ cup balsamic vinegar

⅓ cup pepitas

½ tsp salt + pepper to taste

INSTRUCTIONS

Preheat oven to 425F.

Combine sweet potato, carrots, Herbs de Provence, maple syrup, 1 tbsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt in a medium boil. Spread onto prepared baking sheet and roast for about 11-13 minutes. Toss and roast until golden, another 11-13 minutes.

Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes set aside. 

Heat ½ tbsp olive oil in a medium pan over medium heat. Add Brussels sprouts and cook until golden brown, 4-5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Add balsamic vinegar and remaining 2 tbsp olive oil to brussels sprouts and combine with onions, sweet potatoes and carrots. Adjust seasoning, top with pepitas and serve!

Vegetarian in 30 Minutes

Some days life has too many demands and dinner cannot take an hour to make. Last Tuesday was one of those days. I finished up late at work, was working on a Pampered Chef fundraiser, needed to make some phone calls and the bathroom was in dire need of cleaning. 

Now that Spring has arrived I want to spend time outside - on the deck, in the garden and walking in the neighborhood. Last week started a wonderful spate of beautiful weather; warm, sunny and pleasant. So when Tuesday rolled around I was searching for something healthy and fast - and this Buddha bowl was the ticket. 

The recipe serves 2 but you can easily double it and have leftovers for later in the week. This was so delicious, it will definitely go into the rotation and when the broccoli and spinach ripen in the garden - well let’s just say I can’t wait. 

Ingredients

Quinoa

1 Cup Quinoa rinsed

2 Cups Water

Roasted Chickpeas

1 can chickpeas

Drizzle Olive Oil or other neutral oil

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Smoked Paprika

1 Tsp Adobo Chili Powder

1/8 Tsp Turmeric

1/2 Tsp Oregano

Red Pepper Sauce

1 Red Bell Pepper ribs and seeds removed

2 Tbs Olive Oil or other neutral oil

Juice from 1 Lemon

1/2 Tsp Pepper

1/2 Tsp Salt

1/2 Tsp Paprika

1/4 Cup Fresh Cilantro 

Add In’s

Steamed broccoli - I used one crown

Fresh spinach - Dan added spinach to his but I opted out 

Avocado - 1/2 avocado per person

Sesame seed (black or white)

Instructions

Prepare the quinoa by bring 2 cups water to a boil, then add quinoa. Simmer for about 15 minutes until all water is absorbed. When done, remove from heat and keep covered for about 10 minutes so quinoa can absorb any excess water.

Preheat oven to 425. In a bowl, toss chickpeas, oil, and spices until chickpeas are evenly coated. Roast on a stoneware baking sheet for 15 minutes. When done, remove from oven and let cool.

To make red pepper sauce, add all dressing ingredients to a high speed blender and blend until smooth. 

Assemble the buddha bowls. 

In two bowls, divide quinoa, steamed broccoli, spinach, avocados and chickpeas. Drizzle everything with red pepper sauce, and sprinkle with sesame seeds.

To be honest we should have made a double batch of the red pepper sauce - It was so delicious and I wanted to lick the bowl (Ok the roasted chick peas were pretty awesome too!).

A Perfect Cheese!

I stay away from cheese not because it comes from an animal, I stay away because when I eat too much it makes me sick. I’ve often told Dan that if I was going to die from eating too much cheese I’d want it to be Havarti with dill. I love the creaminess of the cheese and anything with dill in it has to be good for you right?

Over the years I’ve tried making a number of nut based cheeses but until recently the end result has left me less than enthused. Like the Havarti, I want my cheese to have that creamy feel on my tongue and I want the flavors; the garlic and herbs to come through. 

For those of you who are Facebook friends you might recall that last week I was on a cooking spree, I made my own vegetable broth from veggie scraps, then I made rhubarb and apple crisp (yes together) and I topped off the weekend making a vegan cheese from cashews. The longest part of the cheese making process is in the soaking of the cashews and waiting that hour after it bakes before eating, everything else is pretty painless and quick. 

I started with a recipe from My Vibrant Kitchen’s blog post from last November and then I changed it up a bit to suit my taste. To be honest this is the best non dairy cheese I’ve made to date. It’s flavorful, creamy and has the right amount of spices and flavor. The only thing I would do differently next time is put it in a loaf pan (instead of a 8 x 8) and make more than one batch (ok that’s actually 2 things). 

Ingredients

1 ½ cups cashews, soaked

½ cup water

5 garlic cloves

juice of 1 lemon

½ tsp salt

½ cup olive oil

3 - 4 Tbsp nutritional yeast

1 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped

1 tsp fresh sage, chopped

1 tsp fresh oregano, chopped

Instructions

Soak the cashews overnight - if not overnight at least 8 hours but overnight produces the best results

Pre-heat the oven to 190˚C.

Drain the cashews and add them to a high-speed blender or food processor.

Peel the garlic cloves and juice the lemon and add both to the blender.

Add water, salt, olive oil and nutritional yeast and blend until the mixture is smooth and creamy.

Finely chop the herbs, add them to the blender and pulse until well combined.

Pour the mixture into an oven-save dish lined with baking paper and top with additional herbs.

Bake it for 40 minutes, then let it set in the fridge for 1 hour before slicing.

Enjoy on crackers, in a sandwich with avocado and tomato (this was my fav), or just slice it and eat the possibilities are endless. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Enchiladas for the Soul

It’s been an interesting few weeks. It all started with a tooth ache, which I thought was related to my head cold. Sometimes, when I have a cold all of my teeth hurt so I didn’t think much of it - until the cold was gone and at the tooth still hurt. 

I headed off to the dentist (who I’ve known forever and totally trust) only to find out she thought I needed a root canal. So I made an appointment with a specialist, dragged my sweaty palmed self there only to be told that the teeth were cracked and a root canal wouldn’t fix the problem. 

So back to the dentist, another referral and another week later and I am minus the offending teeth and starting the restoration journey - did I mention I hate going to the dentist - I do. I mean think about it, we can put a man on the moon, transplant organs from one body to another but we’re still practicing dentistry by putting sharp, shiny objects in people’s mouth - seems archaic. 

My diet this past week has generally consisted of applesauce, yogurt, scrambled eggs and pureed soups - because that’s what was on the list of items for the days following surgery. By Saturday I was totally ready for some real food - spicy real food. So I dragged out an old recipe, which I hadn’t made in forever and cooked up a batch of butternut squash enchiladas with a spicy peanut sauce. 

I’ll start by saying there is far more than meets the eye in these enchiladas, yes there is butternut squash but also, carrots, onions, jicama, apple and mushrooms all rolled in corn tortillas and topped with a spicy sauce made from veggie broth, peanut butter, chili powder, oregano and other spices. 

To be honest I’m not sure where I originally found this recipe but I’ve had it bookmarked for more than 10 years, across 3 computers - it’s a favorite. 

Ingredients:

Filling: 

1 tsp vegetable oil 

1/2 c diced carrots 

1 1/4 c sliced mushrooms 

1/2 c diced onions 

3/4 c diced jicama 

3/4 c diced Granny Smith apple 

1 pkg frozen butternut squash - thawed (12 ozs) 

1 T vinegar 

1/4 c chopped cilantro 

Spicy Peanut Sauce 

14.5 ozs veggie broth 

1/2 tsp cumin 

1 clove garlic, minced 

1 T flour 

3 T chili powder 

1/2 tsp dried oregano leaves 

1 T minced onion 

1/4 c reduced fat peanut butter 

12 corn tortillas 

1/2 c grated vegan cheddar cheese

Instructions:

Filling:

Heat oil in skillet and saute carrots, mushrooms, onions, jicama, and apple until tender. Add squash, vinegar and 2 T cilantro. Mix well and set aside

Peanut Sauce:

In a medium saucepan combine broth, cumin, garlic, flour, chili powder, oregano and onion. Bring to boil and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low, add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Set aside.

To assemble enchiladas:

Preheat oven to 350. Soften tortillas by wrapping in a damp paper towel and heat in microwave 1.5 mins. Place 1/4 c of squash mixture down the center of each tortilla. Roll up and place seam side down in a 9x13 greased pan. Pour peanut sauce over tortillas and cover with shredded cheese. Cover with foil and bake for 20 to 25 mins until is cheese is melted. Garnish with remaining cilantro.

These would make a delicious Cinco de Mayo feast!

Some Days the Dragon Wins

It’s been a crazy couple of weeks filled with opportunity. My sweetie's company did a sizable layoff and unfortunately he was part of that - it kind of puts a kink in the family machine. When a door closes a window opens. Dan has spent a large part of his career as an Independent Consultant so waking up on that side of the fence is not new - it’s familiar and even though he’s not where he thought he would be - he’s ok; we’re ok. Yes there are some annoying things like rearranging health insurance, signing new contracts and paying estimated quarterly taxes but none of those things are tragic. 

We’ve been doing a fair amount of curry lately and while I love it I was up for a change. Looking in the fridge and finding some tempeh reminded me that there was a recipe I wanted to try that had a maple glazed tempeh. I started with a list of impressive ingredients and then narrowed it down to what I had in the fridge, which you see below. 

Ingredients

8 ounces tempeh

1 1/2 Tbsp maple syrup

1 tsp olive oil or virgin coconut oil

2 tsp soy sauce

4 cups shredded carrots

1 small onion, diced

1 Tbsp curry powder

1/4 tsp turmeric powder (for added turmeric power, optional)

1/8 tsp black pepper

2 Tbsp hummus

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

1 handful of raisins

1/2 cup parsley - finely chopped 

A few shakes of cayenne - because Dan said it wasn’t spicy enough 

Salt and pepper to taste

Cube the tempeh and steam it for 10 minutes to eliminate the bitter taste. Then heat a skillet over high heat and add the olive oil.When oil is hot, add the tempeh, soy sauce and maple syrup. Flip the tempeh around a bit to allow it to absorb the liquid. Cook for about 5 minutes. When tempeh is browned and edges blackened a bit, and all liquid absorbed, turn off heat. Sprinkle some chopped walnut pieces and some black pepper over top the tempeh and set pan aside to keep warm in skillet.

In a large mixing bowl, add the carrots, hummus, lemon juice, spices, parsley, maple syrup, raisins and onion. Toss very well for a few minutes to marinate the carrots with the dressing. For a creamier salad, add another spoonful of hummus. To thin things out and make the salad zestier, add another splash of lemon juice or a teaspoon of apple cider vinegar. Finally, add salt and pepper to the carrot salad to taste.

Pour the carrot salad in a large serving bowl and top with the tempeh. Serve right away or place in the fridge to serve in a few hours or up to a day later. The carrots will soften the longer they set in the fridge.

We paired it with a fresh fruit salad and some steamed broccoli and cauliflower - it was indeed good. 

Spring into Flavors

We’ve done it! We’ve tipped our pints to St. Paddy’s Day, suffered through the Ides of March and landed squarely into Spring. Camille has once again developed a severe case of Spring fever, which drives her to sit at the back door and meow endlessly to go out and sit in the garden - the unplanted garden mind you. 

Perhaps she is psychic and senses the bounty that will come later this year or perhaps she just likes sitting in the dirt. Either way in her current aged state she seems happiest there and even though I get annoyed I find it hard to deny her this pleasure. 

I spent last weekend visiting my Dad and his wife in Fargo, we had a nice visit and I got caught up on the latest happenings and events. On my way home I stopped at a little cheese shop and purchased a wine soaked goat cheese, which I’ve been sampling since I got home - it is delicious. I even made myself a small sandwich on an earthy piece of stout bread, with a dab of merlot mustard (from the mustard museum in Madison, WI) and the cheese - it was heaven - actually I’ve been thinking another one of those for dessert would be perfect.

Our crisper was bare when I returned (why is it husbands cannot look in the refrigerator to see what you need?) so I headed off to the grocery store. I purchased onions, carrots, spinach, cucumbers, green beans, zucchini, broccoli and cauliflower, much of which found it’s way into our salad bowl. I enlisted Dan Dan the sauté man to cook up some mushrooms, onions and Quorn in olive oil and a wee bit of garlic and we put that on top of a quinoa pilaf (kale, peppers, chickpeas, salt and pepper). 

If you’ve never tried or heard of Quorn it’s a fungus based mycoprotein, which was popular  in the UK for more than a decade before it made its way to the US. It has the consistency of chicken (kind of) and easily absorbs the flavors it is exposed to (i.e garlic, ginger, etc.). We don’t eat a lot of it but it is a nice change of pace. 

We added a spinach salad to the mix that included peppers, cucumbers, celery, tomatoes, olives, and blueberries. I topped it with a pomegranate vinaigrette, which was a nice change from my standard balsamic vinaigrette and truth be told there were no leftovers.

I’ve started my squash seeds and am looking forward to tending garden 2017. Each year I try an experiment or two - this year will be Japanese eggplant and fava beans - wish me luck!

“Meatloaf” Heaven

As a kid I would have to say one of my favorite dinners was meatloaf, mashed potatoes and veggies. My mom combined beef and pork and later when I found out that beef made me sick I made mine with ground turkey and pork. These days it’s a totally different story. 

I’ve gone through a number of vegetarian loaves - one of my favorites is a carrot and seed loaf, which is not Dan’s favorite. I’ve also made and had intermittent success with a lentil and kidney bean loaf but my last few attempt were dismal. Lately I’ve been searching for a vegetarian loaf that is not mushy and filled with veggies. I found this one at Nadia’s Healthy Kitchen and decided to give it try (mostly because it has rosemary in it and I love rosemary!). Rosemary is one of my favorite herbs and it really adds a nice dimension to the dish. 

The recipe makes 10 servings, we sliced it a bit thicker but still got 3 meals out of it (so 6 - 7 servings), which was perfect because 2 nights of leftovers is generally my limit! The first night we served it with asparagus, the second roasted cauliflower and broccoli and some delicious cranberry walnut bread and tonight we finished it off with roasted sweet potato and a small green salad (ok it was not small but who can resist spinach, cukes, tomatoes, carrots, peppers, avocados, raisins, shaved onion and a red wine vinaigrette - not me!) 

If you want to view all the pretty pictures and a great blog post, go to the link below - if you want the down and dirty recipe keep reading :-) Oh and I have made a few changes (but of course)

1 can chickpea

1 can green lentils

1 medium onion, finely chopped

1 cup baby portabella mushrooms, thinly sliced

4 cloves garlic, crushed

3 medium carrots, grated

1 egg, beaten

1/4 cup ground almonds

1/4 cup wheat flour

1/2 cup oats

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1/4 cup tomato paste

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 tsp mustard

2 tbsp fresh chopped rosemary (you can also use thyme or sage)

salt & pepper to taste

Sauce

4 tbsp tomato paste

2 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1.5 tbsp honey

1/2 tsp mustard

1 tbsp water

Preheat your oven to 375*F

Sauté the chopped onions in a little bit of oil for 5 minutes then add in the crushed garlic and rosemary and cook for another minute. Take off the heat and leave to cool.

Drain and rinse the lentils and chickpeas. Transfer them to your food processor along with the mushrooms and blend. Depending on the size of your food processor you may need to blend in batches. We were able to blend everything at the same time in our Vitamix.

Transfer the blended lentils, chickpeas and mushrooms into a large bowl.

Add in the rest of the ingredients, including the sautéd onion and garlic. Mix everything well until you have an even, thick batter. Transfer the mixture into a loaf tin lined with parchment paper and 

bake for 30 minutes.

While the loaf is baking, mix together the sauce ingredients in a small bowl. I have to confess I didn’t read this part very well. I put all the sauce ingredients into the same pan I salted the onions and mushrooms in (it could have been that Friday night glass of wine :-)) When I realized the mistake, we simply mixed the ingredients over a low heat, removed it from the burner and then continued on with the recipe. 

Take the loaf out of the oven after 30 minutes. Spread the sauce mixture evenly on top. Return to the oven and bake for another 20-30 minutes. Let rest for 10 minutes and then slice. 

I’d have to say as it aged I liked it more, the texture became firm and the spices came together - it will definitely be on the regular rotation. 

If you have a veggie loaf that you like send the recipe along I’m always looking for new veggie adventures