Making the Best of a Bad Situation

Remember last week when I said Mother Nature was in a bad mood and it was snowing - well this week she is PISSED.  Not sure why but we’ve got one hell of a storm heading our way with predictions of 12 inches of snow, ice, sleet - well you name it, it’s coming. 

So I guess the only thing to do is cook right? In anticipation of Snowmageddon I took a trip to the grocery store yesterday and got some groceries and this afternoon I cooked up a batch of vegetarian tortilla soup and vegan gluten free sweet potato flat bread - nom nom nom delicious. 

Before I get into recipes, what is it about bad weather that drives people to the grocery store - because honestly if you are like me you have enough food in your freezer/pantry to get you through weeks or the zombie apocalypse (which ever comes first). 

I was talking to my friend Irene (who lives in Texas) today and she said they were looking at tornados and bad storms, which she says always empties out the bread, milk and eggs out of the store - we both had a good laugh.  

So back to food and recipes :-) 

The tortilla soup was easy to prepare, chopping and dicing took about 15 minutes and the rest was crock pot magic. To be honest I broke my number one rule - saute onions in a pan before putting them into the crock pot - and at 5pm I was annoyed. I ended up pouring the soup into a stock pot, putting it on the stove and cooking it until it was done. Next time - do not skip the golden rule - saute onions first!

The sweet potato bread was an experiment - while we are not gluten free - the recipe looked interesting and it did not disappoint. While Dan likes his fluffy bread I love the dense texture and the flavor of the sweet potato and spices. I will definitely make this again.

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:

2 cans pinto beans (if you are a purist you can make them from scratch in your nifty  instant pot)

1 onion - diced

3 - 4 cloves of garlic - thinly sliced

3 cups tomatoes - diced

1 -2 jalepeno peppers - thinly sliced

4 - 5 cups veggie broth 

1 T chili powder

1 tsp cumin

tortilla chips (optional)

avocados (optional)

Instructions:

Saute onion in a pan with 1 T of olive oil until translucent. Add onion and all ingredients into a crock pot and cook on high for 3 - 4 hours. Serve with tortilla chips and avocado

Sweet Potato Flatbread

First, thanks to The Healthy Apple for the recipe, you can find the full version with totally awesome photos here

Ingredients:

1 large sweet potato peeled and diced

1 Tbsp. ground flaxseeds

3 Tbsp. water

2 1/2 cups almond flour

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. fresh chopped rosemary

1/2 tsp. sea salt plus an extra pinch

2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.Steam the sweet potato in a steamer basket in a pot on the stove top until tender, about 10 minutes over medium high heat.

Combine the flaxseeds and water in a small bowl and set aside for 10 minutes or until the mixture becomes gel-like then mix well.

In a large bowl, mash the cooked sweet potatoes. Add the remaining ingredients and mix well to form a 'dough'. Transfer the 'dough' to a parchment lined rimmed baking sheet and flatten with your hands into a ½ inch thickness.

Bake for 35 minutes or until the flatbread is golden brown and the edges turn golden brown. Remove from the oven and set aside to cool for 20 minutes.

Cut into rectangle pieces and serve.

Braving the Cold with A Vegetarian for One Year

Mother Nature is obviously in a very bad mood; it’s April 8th and snowing in Minnesota. A few minutes ago a snow plow went down the street - the plow was up but at the ready should it be needed. I need Spring SOON!

We had a great hike with Dan’s sister Sue and her husband Brian today. We walked for a little more than an hour and then headed over to the falls. They were beautiful (see below), the falls were free flowing but there were beautiful what I will call stalactites and stalagmites on either side. There was a beautiful blue hue to the ice; - the photos do not do it justice. 

Cold weather always makes me crave something warm with a bit of spice, soups and stews are the ticket. I’d been saving a head of cauliflower for either a curry or buffalo wings but opted for a Thai oriented dish - it was a good choice. 

Dan was at a meeting so I had lots of time to pour myself a glass of wine and spend some quality time in the kitchen alone. I put on some music and chopped, sautéed and simmered. 

Cauliflower, Sweet Potato and Peanut Stew

Ingredients:

1 medium yellow onion, roughly chopped

1 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic sliced

1 tsp ground cumin 

1 tsp turmeric

6 tomatoes chopped

1 can coconut milk

1 cup water

1 sweet potato peeled and cubed

1 small cauliflower chopped

1 tsp sea salt

3 tbsp crunchy peanut butter

Juice 1/2 lime

1 tsp soy sauce

Chilli flakes

Fresh cilantro

Directions

Add the oil to a large pan with a lid and heat to a medium heat then add in the onion. Fry for approximately 8-10 minutes until soft and browning. Add in the garlic, cumin & turmeric and stir for 30 seconds.

Add in the chopped tomatoes and cook for 5-6 minutes then add in the water, coconut milk, sweet potatoes and cauliflower. Simmer for 20 minutes covered until the sweet potatoes and cauliflower are tender.

Stir in the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, a healthy sprinkle of red pepper flakes, salt and pepper. Simmer for a 5 - 10 minutes. Serve in bowls and top with fresh cilantro. 

We served this with avocado toast and a glass of wine - it was relish. 

Baba Ganoush Sans Tahini

We did it - we hired a contractor to remodel our kitchen. It’s exciting, a bit freaky and unnerving and of course there is the construction. To be honest, I never realized how dated our kitchen was until I saw it on the big screen at the remodelers office - yikes. In May that will all change - new kitchen here we come. I’ll start with a little preview of color and materials that we picked out. 

If you know me, you know that navigating through any kind of remodel/construction is not something I do well - I hate a mess, especially one I have little to no control over. We’ll have to take it one day at a time and hope for the best - as Dan says “Let’s hope we’re still married at the end” ever the optimist I say!

We’re planning to move our microwave, toaster oven and hotplate to the basement, where we have a wet bar and we hope to do a fair amount of grilling - with luck we’ll be good. I’m envisioning 6 weeks of interesting and creative blog posts. If you have suggestions/recipes for cooking in limited circumstances please send them my way. 

I love eggplant and Dan is a huge fan of Baba Ghanoush - which is tasty but for me the tahini takes over the entire dish. In my opinion a little tahini goes a long way. I was a the grocery store the other day and noticed a brand of hummus I hadn’t seen before; Lantana - they had some delicious flavors such as Siracha Carrot and Spicy Black Bean all sans tahini. It got me thinking; what if I made Baba Ghanoush without tahini? So I gave it a shot and it’s delicious and I don’t miss the tahini. Actually the smoky eggplant flavor comes through in a delicious way - I encourage you to give it a try!

This recipe makes about 1 cup has 6 ingredients and after you roast the eggplant it takes minutes to put together. 

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds of eggplant

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

1 T. fresh lemon juice

2 - 3 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 t. coarse sea salt

A few grinds of pepper

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400 F. Wash and dry eggplant before pricking several times all over with a sharp knife. Place on a baking sheet and place in oven to roast for about 45 minutes or until eggplants are soft to the touch and look deflated.

Allow roasted eggplants to cool completely.  You can even roast them the day before and store them in plastic wrap at room temperature until ready to use. Cut off the stems, slice lengthwise and remove the flesh and place in a blender.

Add the oil, lemon juice, garlic, salt and pepper.  Blend on high until smooth and creamy.  Serve at room temperature or chilled with wedges of pita bread. Also good as a spread for sandwiches.   

Enjoy!

There Once Was a Noodle Called Buckwheat

Happy Tuesday - I hope everyone survived St. Paddy’s Day. Every St Pat’s day in my youth was celebrated by family with corned beef and cabbage - by me a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. I was  never a fan. To celebrate the day I baked a couple loaves of bread; Irish soda and Guinness and honey. They were both good but I have to say the Guinness was my favorite. We went to a St Paddy's Day, 60th Birthday, 34th wedding anniversary party where, as luck would have it for Dan, there was plenty of corned beef and cabbage. He was in heaven.

Fast forward to Sunday and it’s time for another cooking adventure - Sesame soba noodles with broccoli and tofu - it was so delicious. If you are looking for a gluten free version substitute tamarin for the soy sauce and be sure to use 100 pure buckwheat noodles. Buckwheat is not a wheat but a plant in the carrot family (who knew), it is the seed kernels of the flowers, and is low in fat, high in iron, and gluten free. 

This recipe took approximately 35 - 40 minutes to prepare. It’s great as a main dish or you can leave out the tofu and serve it as a side. You can mix up other vegetables like carrots, peppers or zucchini - you are only limited by your imagination. 

Ingredients:

6.5 ounces of 100% buckwheat noodles

1 - 2 Tbsp of oil of choice - I used chili oil

1 head of broccoli - broken into florets

1/4 onion thinly sliced

1 - 2 tbsp white sesame seeds

1 package of extra firm tofu

Cilantro 

For Dressing:

1 tbsp maple syrup

1 tbsp sesame oil 

4 tsp rice vinegar or lime juice

3-4 tbsp tamari (for GF version) or soy sauce

1-2 tsp freshly grated ginger, adjust to taste

Instructions:

Prepare the noodles according to the instructions, stirring them a few times during cooking to avoid clumps. When the noodles are cooked refresh them in cold tap water and drain.

Drain the tofu and remove excess moisture with paper towels. Cut into 1 inch cubes and stir fry until the outside is lightly crisp. 

Divide broccoli into similar size florets. Heat up 1-2 tbsp of chili oil (or other stir-frying oil) and stir-fry the broccoli florets until tender yet still crunchy – about 3-5 minutes depending on the size. Add the onion and stir fry another minute or two.

Gently roast the sesame seeds on a dry frying pan. Remove them from the heat when they are fragrant and a golden brown.

In a separate bowl, mix all the dressing ingredients together, taste and adjust the amount of ginger to your liking. Place the cold noodles in a large bowl. Mix the dressing through it. Add broccoli/onion mixture and tofu; sprinkle with sesame seeds and cilantro. 

Thanks for stopping by!

St Urho, Patrick, Eggplant!

Happy Friday and Happy St Urho’s day! If you are not familiar with the legend, St. Urho chased the grasshoppers out of ancient Finland, thus saving the grape crop and the jobs of Finnish vineyard workers. He did this by uttering the phrase: "Heinäsirkka, heinäsirkka, mene täältä hiiteen" (roughly translated: "Grasshopper, grasshopper, go to Hell!”). Catchy don’t you think?

The St. Urho legend originated in Minnesota in the 1950’s  - although there is some debate as to who is responsible for the legend. So what does St. Urho have to do with this blog post - ABSOLUTELY NOTHING - well except that I am posting it on his day and I feel like if I don’t mention him the grasshoppers that show up in my yard later this summer may never leave and honestly I hate grasshoppers.

Eggplant the other hand, is one of my favorite vegetables and we happened to have 2 of them in the crisper that were begging to be used in a dish. I was also looking for a curry, and eggplant is the perfect vegetable to curry as it soaks up the spices and sauce - even better. And in my ongoing attempt to make tasty recipes in about 30 minutes this recipe fit - I had all the ingredients in my pantry/fridge - can’t really ask for more than that. 

So in honor of Thursday's dinner I give you: Eggplant, onion, mushroom and spinach dal :-)

Ingredients

1 cup dried red lentils

1 medium eggplant, cubed

1 - 2 handfuls of spinach

Mushrooms - I had/used enoki 

4 Tbsps oil of choice (I used olive oil)

1 small bunch of scallions, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 1/2 tsp ginger powder

3 garlic cloves, crushed

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsps turmeric

2 tsps curry powder

2 - 3 cups water (you may need more for the lentils to completely cook) 

sea salt, to taste

chopped cilantro, for garnish

Instructions

Heat oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and scallions and lightly fry them over medium heat, stirring frequently for 1-2 minutes. Add all spices, lentils and water. Add eggplant and cook on low heat for 20 minutes then add mushrooms and cook for another 15 - 20 minutes.

When lentils are tender, add salt to taste toss in spinach and mix gently. Top with fresh chopped cilantro.

Whether you celebrate St. Urho or St. Patrick (he's my hero cuz I hate snakes more than grasshoppers), have a wonderful weekend. 

Ballad of St. Urho (because one can never be too careful)

St. Urho was a Finnish lad,

A blue eyed, blond hair poika,

St. Urho, bashful suomalainen

Ate grapes and kala mojakkaa.

He chased those big green bugs away,

"Heinäsirkka, mene pois!"

He said it loudly, just one time ---

Tose 'hoppers had no choice!

And so the Finns are here right now,

To celebrate Dear Urho,

And sing and dance in temperatures…..

It's always way 'plo zero!

Then in snowbanks deep and rivers iced,

To our saunas we will go, oh!

Cuz' Urho is our hero, now,

As all good Finns must know!

An Elegant Mushroom

Life is back to normal; I’m spending time with my girlfriends, hanging out at the Guthrie with my sweetie, cleaning, shopping and cooking - did I say shopping?

Every week I try to put together a menu - not that we end up eating something off of a list but, rather, to organize my shopping - sometimes it works and sometimes well not so much - but today it was awesome!

I’ve been hungry for veggie loaf lately - I know there are those of you who are scrunching up your nose at this very minute - but stick with me. I’ve not had great results with my lentil loaf lately so I’ve been searching for a new recipe and I’ve found a couple that look promising but haven’t tried them yet - Saturday was going to be the day. 

In my shopping travels I stopped at our local Asian market to get sesame oil and buckwheat noodles for a broccoli and tempeh salad I was pondering and i spied a package of beautiful oyster mushrooms at a ridiculously good price so they went in the basket too - I had no idea what I would use them for but I knew we would figure it out. 

Fast forward - it’s 5pm just unloading groceries and starving - veggie loaf takes too long so plan B it is (except there was no plan B). But wait I have beautiful mushrooms, fresh broccoli - stir fry - not just your ordinary stir fry but this one:

Ingredients:

2 tbsp peanut oil (or other high smoke point oil)

3 - 4 scallions - sliced

1″ knob of ginger, grated

4 garlic cloves, finely sliced

9 oz broccoli florets

7 oz oyster mushrooms

fresh coriander, to garnish

chopped roasted peanuts, to garnish (optional)

Marinade

2 tbsp soy sauce, divided

4 tsp rice wine vinegar, divided

3 tsp maple syrup, divided

3 tsp toasted sesame oil, divided

1 tsp chili oil

Instructions

Mix the marinade ingredients: 1 tbsp soy, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 2 tsp maple syrup, 1 tsp sesame oil and 1 tsp chili oil in a medium mixing bowl. If your mushrooms are on the large side, slice them lengthwise into smaller pieces. Place them in the marinade and mix well so that they get evenly coated. Set aside for at least 30 minutes for the mushrooms to soften and absorb the flavors.

Mix the remaining ingredients: 1 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tsp rice vinegar, 1 tsp maple syrup and 2 tsp sesame oil in a bowl and set aside. This will be used to season the broccoli.

Heat 2 tsp of peanut oil. Add spring onion, garlic and ginger and stir-fry on a medium heat until softened and fragrant, for about 1-2 minutes. Transfer to a large plate and set aside.

Heat up another 2 tsp of oil. Once hot, add marinated mushrooms. Stir-fry for 4-5 minutes, until lightly browned and softened. Transfer to the plate with the onion mixture and set aside.

Finally, heat up another 2 tsp of oil and add the broccoli florets. Stir-fry for 5 minutes until cooked yet still crunchy. Season the broccoli with the mixture you prepared earlier.

Return the onions and mushrooms and heat them until warm. Serve with rice and sprinkled with crunched peanuts and fresh coriander.

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!