Roasted Butternut Squash Mole Enchiladas
Posted: October 30, 2013 Filed under: Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Mexican Dishes, Toddler-Approved, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies | Tags: Gluten-Fre, mole sauce, raisins, Roasted Butternut Squash Enchiladas, vegan, vegetarian 2 CommentsPeople often ask me how I cook with Jackson around. In We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook, I wrote about how cooking with him was kind of like cooking on an obstacle course. For a long time, that was what it felt like. But recently, I realized at this stage–the two’s–cooking with him is one of the easiest things on my to-do list to accomplish with him around. Not easy…but it’s something he’s come to feel at ease around. It’s kind of “our” thing.
I left him with a friend the other day for a few minutes and when I returned she shared this little conversation they had.
Sarah: Do you have a dog?
Jackson: No, I have a mommy.
Sarah: Oh, well that’s almost as good as a dog.
Jackson: Yeth, I cook with mommy.
Well, there you have it. Dogs don’t make very good cooking companions for kids, but mommies are very good for that.
My other to-dos don’t have the same smiley affect on him. Writing with him around. Yeah right. Phone calls. Let’s just say, the last conference call I was on with our editor, I had to muffle the phone while I hollered, “Jackson, don’t stick your head through the fence” and then again while he hollered, “Noooooo! Don’t wipe meeee!” as I was trying to discreetly potty train mid-call.
Cooking is mostly a piece of cake…because he can participate, he can be a helper. And even when he can’t help with something like chopping onions, he’s still content because we’re together and I’m talking to him, not somebody else on the phone or looking at a computer screen.
And with a little creativity, there’s almost always a way to get a child involved in the cooking if they want to be.
I don’t cook every day, but the days I do, the moments we are in the kitchen together, are often the moments we enjoy the most. The kitchen is a place where our lives intersect, where my almost 30-year old female joys and interests cross with my two-year old little boy’s interests. I don’t have to pretend that the lego tower we just built is the tallest most amazing piece of architecture I’ve ever seen. He doesn’t have to be patient with me as I make a quick call or pick up groceries. The smells of cloves and cinnamon, the colorful block puzzle from butternut squash, the sound of the blender engine purring excite us both. We don’t have to pretend. We just have to be. Together.
Roasted Butternut Squash Mole Enchiladas
Serves 4
5 cups diced butternut squash
1 tablespoon oil (canola, olive, grapeseed)
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
8-10 corn tortillas
1/2 cup raisins, soaked for 10 minutes in warm water and drained (optional)
2 cups Mole Sauce (I used this easy recipe from Vegetarian Times)*
Preheat oven to 400. Toss butternut sqaush with canola oil, brown sugar, chili powder, and cinnamon. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until tender and cooked through. Resist temptation to eat all the squash now.
Reduce oven temp to 350. Ladle 1/2 cup mole sauce into bottom of a 9×13 casserole dish. Wrap corn tortillas in a damp paper towel and heat in microwave for about 30 seconds, just enough to warm them up and make them pliable. Dip corn tortilla into mole sauce. Fill with about two tablespoons of butternut squash and a sprinkle of raisins. Roll up. Repeat. Ladle a generous amount of sauce on top. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.
I didn’t put the raisins in when I took pictures, but I should have! I added them to the top and it really made the dish, so I incorporated them into the final recipe.
Serve with black or wild rice. The nuttiness from the black rice went perfectly with this dish.
*I blended half of the sauce this time. I think I’d leave it unblended next time though, because it was a lot prettier unblended.
Same sauce unblended on spinach and mushroom enchiladas. Much much prettier, eh?
Stuffed Garden Zucchini with Spinach & Walnut Pesto
Posted: June 19, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Sides, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies | Tags: cherry tomatos, large squash recipes, large zucchini recipes, meatless main dish, recipes, stuffed zucchini, vegan, vegetarian 5 Comments
(Rachel – The Vegan-Eatin’ Daughter)
I have this dramatic little plant on my kitchen table. When she get’s a little parched (it’s most definitely a she), she goes from her perky upright position to draping her long thin limbs all the way over the side of the pot as if she’s fainted. I give her a little sip of water and within minutes the color returns to her cheeks, she brushes the dirt off her skirt, and gets back to work brightening up my kitchen.
As much as I would love to have a green thumb and to have the time, desire, and talent to have a garden, I’m just not there yet. My plants have to literally bend over backwards to get me to notice them. Every attempt at an herb garden has been a miserable failure. One day, when I grow up, I hope I find my inner plant whisperer. Until then, I’ll stick to dramatic plants that practically scream for my attention.
On the bright side, Jared’s Uncle Philip, we just call him Uncle, has an organic garden. Once or twice a year, when his harvest overfloweth, he spreads around the veggie love. This week, he sent us squash, zucchini, cucumbers, a big bag full of beautiful cherry tomatoes, okra, and green beans. Fresh, local, organic, free veggies make my heart go pitter patter!
Some of the zucchini and squash had grown a little too much. When it comes to produce, bigger is usually not better. I hate to waste any vegetable, so I decided to use the zucchini as a pretty vessel for a cherry tomato stuffing.
The zucchini was still a little bit bitter and took longer to bake than a smaller variety, but the stuffing of sweet cherry tomatoes and garlicky croutons was insanely delicious. Smaller zucchini would be perfect and tender enough that you could eat the whole thing, skin and all. If you’re looking for a way to make use of any summer squash that got a little too much time on the vine, though, this is a clever way to use them up.
I have more veggies from Uncle’s garden coming tomorrow and I’ve hardly made a dent in the first round. What’s your favorite way to use up garden veggies?
Rachel’s Stuffed Garden Zucchini with Spinach & Walnut Pesto
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 large zucchini or 4 normal sized zucchini, cut in half lengthwise & seeds scooped out
extra virgin olive oil
kosher salt
course ground pepper
2 slices of whole grain bread, cut into small cubes
1 t. extra virgin olive oil
1 t. garlic powder
1/2 small onion, diced
1 leek, dark green section removed, chopped into thin half moons & rinsed well
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 cups baby spinach
Pesto
1/2 c. spinach
1 T. walnuts
1 clove of garlic
1 t. extra virgin olive oil
3-4 t. water
1/2 t. salt
1/2 t. pepper
Look at all those pretty cherry tomatoes. That’s only about half of what we got from Uncle’s garden!
Directions
Preheat oven to 375. Place zucchini cut side up in a baking dish, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and course ground black pepper. Bake until fork tender. 20-35 minutes depending on the size of the zucchini.
Toss bread cubes with olive oil and garlic powder. Pour onto a baking sheet and bake in the same oven as zucchini until crispy, about 10 minutes.
In a skillet, heat a little olive oil on medium heat. Add onion and leeks and saute until transclucent, add garlic and tomatoes, continue sauteing for about five more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in spinach.
When the zucchini are fork tender, remove from the oven, stuff generously with the filling and put back in the oven for 15 more minutes.
Blend all of the pesto ingredients together, starting with 3 t. of water and adding more until the pesto is thin enough to drizzle easily.
Serve the stuffed squash on a big family platter, drizzled with pesto on top. Can be served as a main meatless dish or as a side.
The skin on the larger squash is too tough to eat, but the flesh did get tender while baking.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Stuffed Garden Zucchini with Spinach & Walnut Pesto
The URL: http://wp.me/p1UwM9-qP
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Pasta Arrabiata with Roasted Garbanzos & Kale Chips
Posted: June 5, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Pasta, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian, Veggies | Tags: arrabiata sauce, chickpeas, garbanzos, kale chips, motherhood, pasta, roasted chickpeas, roasted veggies, vegan, vegan entrees, vegetarian 3 Comments
One of our staple vegan meals: Roasted Garbanzo Beans and Kale and a Spicy Arrabiata Sauce served over whole wheat pasta with a side of extra roasted veggies and whole wheat garlic toast. Satisfies every time.
(Rachel – The Vegan-Eatin’ Daughter)
My husband had a few hours off this afternoon, so as I wrote a post for my literary agency’s blog, The Wordserve Water Cooler, Jared kept an eye on Jackson and helped out around the house. He was folding a load of laundry at the kitchen table with Jackson at his feet, and though Jackson can barely reach the table, he managed to grab a corner of one of the piles and pulled half of the folded clothes onto the floor. Looking up from my laptop, I knowingly grinned and said “I’m so glad you get to experience a little piece of my life every now and then.”
The other day, Jared came home and, for what seemed like the 100th day in a row, I was rocking our crying teething baby in the same clothes I was wearing when he left for work, the house a total mess, and no dinner on the table. I told him “Just once, I’d like for you to come home and me to be bathed & dressed, the house to be clean, blogs to be finished, my word-count to be completed, and dinner to be ready. I can usually get a couple of those done on any given day, but I think it would be a miracle to fit it all into one day and be present for our son.”
Here’s what cooking with Jackson looks like on a good night. Veggies are chopped, every piece of tupperware is on the floor. Next up, Arrabiata sauce and emptying the pots and pans drawer.
Never trust a tupperware container from the house of a toddler. It surely has been discarded onto an unswept floor, then thrown back into the cabinet without so much as a rinse.
I know Jared works VERY hard. In fact, I would probably cry every day if I had his job of taming teenagers in the classroom, followed by practice and games most nights and weekends. But it’s nice to know he understands that being a work-at-home mom is not all tickles and giggles either.
On this night, my house was a wreck and the closest I got to showering was sticking my feet in the tub while Jackson bathed and dotting my neck and wrists with a little “perfume” of coconut oil while I cooked. But dinner was on the table and it was delicious. And my husband kindly overlooked the yoga pants and tank top I was trying to pass off as an outfit and the ponytail I was trying to pass off as an intentionally messy updo.
I like to put the kale chips on the side and then crumble them into a tasty crunchy kale dust between every few bites. Jared loves his as chips and just eats them on the side. To each his own.
Pasta Arrabiata with Roasted Garbanzos
This makes a lot of sauce, enough to fill about 2 pasta sauce jars. You can easily freeze leftovers or store them in your refrigerator for up to a week.
Arrabiata Sauce
Ingredients
3 T. olive oil
1 onion, chopped
2 t. salt
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 T. Tomato Paste
1 28 oz can of whole peeled San Marzano Tomatoes
1 28 oz can of crushed tomatoes
1/2 cup red or white wine
2 T. brown sugar
1 T. Italian seasoning
1 T. crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 c. fresh parsley, chopped & divided
Directions
Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large sauce pan. Add onions and salt and saute until translucent. Add garlic, saute for 2 more minutes. Add tomato paste and stir. Add the whole peeled tomatoes and break them up with a fork until nice and chunky. Add crushed tomatoes, wine, brown sugar, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Bring to boil and simmer for 30 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Add 1/4 cup of fresh parsley before serving.
Roasted Garbanzos & Kale Chips
Makes enough to top 3-4 bowls of pasta
Ingredients
1 cans of garbanzo beans (also called chickpeas), drained and rinsed
2 c. kale, washed, dried very well, and torn into pieces
3-4 t. olive oil, divided
4 t. Italian seasoning, divided
1 t. crushed red pepper flakes, divided
Preheat oven to 325. Coat a large cookie sheet with a little olive oil or cooking spray. In a bowl, toss garbanzos in half the olive olive oil until all are lightly coated. Add half of the Italian Seasoning & crushed red pepper flakes and toss again. Pour onto half the cookie sheet. Repeat same steps with the kale, making sure to massage the olive oil into the leaves. Bake for 20 minutes, shaking the pan half way through. They are done when the kale chips are light and crispy and the garbanzo beans have a slight crunch.
Serve Arriabiata sauce over pasta and top with a sprinkle of fresh parsley, chickpeas and kale. I actually like to put the kale chips on the side and crush them over the top as I eat them.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Pasta Arrabiata with Roasted Garbanzos & Kale Chips
The URL: http://http://wp.me/p1UwM9-nm
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
No Bake Apricot Bars
Posted: May 2, 2012 Filed under: Breakfast Foods, Desserts, Vegan | Tags: apricots, breakfast, cashew apricot bars, cashews, dessert, freezer-friendly desserts, healthy desserts, no bake apricot bars, no bake date bars, vegan, vegan desserts, vegetarian 9 Comments
Some women nest when they are pregnant by obsessively organizing the nursery until every onesie is folded just so and all the outfits are color coordinated and sorted by size, some scrub the house obsessively. I did a little of those, but mostly I cooked. And when I say I cooked, I mean I cooked!
In the two weeks before Jackson arrived, I completely filled my freezer with everything from chili and cornbread, to pot pie, to muffins, to waffles, to cookies and hummus. I started with an empty freezer and when my nesting was over, I literally had to remove the ice basket to fit everything in.
One of the recipes I made, 5 Ingredient No Bake Date Bars, from the blog “Oh She Glows,” barely made it to my due date. My family and I could not keep out of them. They are like crack, but healthy crack. In fact, they could probably cure drug addiction.
Angela at Oh She Glows is a genius when it comes to making healthy vegan treats. I can’t wait for her cookbook to come out. These bars have no added sugar, only five ingredients and don’t even require turning on the oven. My favorite thing about them is that they are best eaten straight out of the freezer. When Jackson arrived and I was a new nursing mother, I would suddenly be ravenous, and could hardly think straight until I had food in me again. These were the perfect fuel for my sudden hunger attacks, high in protein and fiber, they were filling and healthy, but felt indulgent.
I’ve made different versions of the bars countless times now, but yesterday I tried a new combination that really rivaled it’s original counterpart. Instead of dates and almonds, I used dried apricots and toasted cashews. Wow! I don’t know which one I like more. I took them to the leader meeting for my MOPS (Mother’s of Preschoolers) group last night and several requested the recipe. So as promised, here you go ladies!
The sweet tangy pureed apricots sandwiched between layers of rich salty cashews hits three of the five taste bud senses and also combines creamy, chewy, and crunchy textures. It’s satisfying on every level.
5 Ingredient No-Bake Apricot Cashew Bars
Inspired by OhSheGlow’s 5 Ingredient No Bake Vegan Date Squares
Ingredients
Crust:
- 1.5 cups whole cashews (toasted, roasted, honey roasted – whatever you have)
- 1.5 cups regular oats (for Gluten-free, use GF oats)
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt (omit if cashews are salted)
- 10-15 dried apricots (~ 1/2 a cup), roughly chopped
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
Filling:
- 25-35 dried apricots roughly chopped (~2 cups)
- 1/2 – 1 cup water
Directions:
1. Spray a muffin tin (my preference) or 8×8 pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a food processor, process cashews, salt, and oats until a fine crumble forms. Add apricots and process until crumbly again. Add coconut oil and process until sticky. Remove from processor, set aside 3/4 cup of the mixture for later, press remaining into cupcake molds or pan to form a crust. For muffin tins I use a tablespoon and put a heaping tablespoons into each mold, then use the back of the tablespoon to press down and smooth out the layer.
2. Process the apricots and 1/2 cup water in the food processor (I’ve found a smaller work bowl works better than a large one if you have a full sized food processor–in fact I just used my mini one for this step) until a paste forms, stopping to scrape down the sides and adding a little more water as needed (don’t exceed 1 cup). Scoop out the apricot mixture into the pan or evenly into the muffin tins and gently spread out to cover the crust.
3. Sprinkle on the reserved crust and gently press down into the apricot mixture, just so it sticks. Freeze for at least an hour or until firm. Cut squares or pop out of muffin molds and wrap individually with saran wrap. Store in freezer. Enjoy straight from the freezer or slightly thawed as a delicious, guilt-free treat!
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: No Bake Apricot Bars
The URL: https://welaughwecrywecook.com/2012/05/02/no-bake-apricot-bars
Creamy Artichoke Basil Sauce
Posted: April 17, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Vegan | Tags: artichokes, basil, easy dinner, garlic, healthy, low fat, main dish, pasta, quick dinner, roasted bell peppers, side dish, vegan, vegetarian 5 Comments
Artichokes give this sauce its creamy factor without adding any fat.
Motherhood has changed me. We just spent an evening discussing life insurance and wills. I wake up before eight a.m. without an alarm. I no longer pee alone. I don’t shower until noon most days (if I shower at all). And I cook every meal while simultaneously pulling my child out of cabinets, trash cans, and the wash machine … or out from between my legs.
My mom snapped this picture of Jackson last time she was here. He pulls up on my pant legs right behind me and completely immobilizes me. I can’t turn around or squat down to get him or he’ll fall over. Cooking like this is challenging to say the least.
So I love a meal that is quick and easy, but tastes deliciously gourmet. This pasta sauce is exactly that. It takes about five minutes to make and if you pour it over hot pasta, you don’t even have to simmer it. As a bonus, Jackson likes it too, so I can give him little bites of my dinner without making a different meal for him. Mommy and baby approved!
Did I mention there is no cream in this creamy pasta? It’s almost guilt-free, minus the two tablespoons of olive oil. Another bonus for this post baby body!
Rachel’s
Creamy Artichoke Basil Sauce
Serves 2
Ingredients
2 garlic cloves, diced
2 T. olive oil
1 14 oz can of artichoke hearts, reserve liquid
1 1/2 roasted red bell peppers (jarred or make your own*)
A palm full of basil, roughly chopped
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/4 t. salt
1/4 t. pepper
1/2 t. Italian seasoning
8 oz pasta (I used whole wheat spiral pasta, but any kind you like would be fine)
Directions
In a small skillet, heat garlic and olive oil until garlic is just starting to brown. In a blender or food processor, blend all the ingredients including the sauteed garlic and olive oil. Add reserved liquid** from the artichokes (I think I used about a half a cup) to thin out sauce to desired consistency. Taste for seasoning and adjust if needed.
Toss with pasta immediately out of the boiling water. Garnish with a little chopped basil if desired.
*Making your own roasted peppers is easy. Just placing them directly on on a gas burner flame rotating it a few times (like this) or on a pan under the broiler until charred. Then put it in a bowl tightly covered with plastic wrap for a about five minutes. Rub off most of the skin with a damp paper towel. Voila, roasted peppers!
**Pasta water would work great too if you accidentally forget to reserve the liquid from the artichokes. Yes, I speak from experience.
Variations
Stir in chickpeas, sauteed veggies, chicken or Italian sausage (or the vegan versions of these)
Sesame-Pecan Salmon with “Avocado Goddess” Salad
Posted: March 30, 2012 Filed under: Fish, Gluten Free, Main Dishes, Salads, Uncategorized, Vegan Options | Tags: avocado, fish, salads, salmon, salmon salad, vegan, vegetarian 5 Comments
If I were to find out this morning that I had to host a dozen execs for lunch today, this is the recipe to which I’d turn. It makes a beautiful and amazing-tasting one-bowl dish. Served with some warm crusty bread, it is all you need to impress your guests.
I invented this recipe when I married my husband eight years ago. Greg is from the great Northwest and adores salmon. I grew up in Texas cattle country with a mother who thought all fish tasted like cat food. Needless to say, I never developed a fondness for food with fins. If I were served fish sticks as a kid at school, I’d peel the breading off, eat that, leaving the meat for the disposal. Sad, I know.
It was for the love of Greg, and Greg only, that I determined to figure out how to cook, eat, and hopefully, love fish. This is the recipe that started my love affair with salmon. I served it to my pastor, Hugh Halter, and he scraped his plate cleaning, calling it “praline fish.” The coating isn’t quite like candy, but it is just as hard to resist. Truly this recipe was my gateway drug to the pleasures of fish, and as I continue to blog my favorite recipes, you’ll discover this landlubber has come to embrace the fruit of the sea with gusto.
The salad is easy, too, with a dressing that just adds 3 ingredients (avocado, fresh lime juice, pepper) to your favorite Ranch salad dressing.
Becky's Sesame-Pecan Salad with "Avocado Goddess" Dressing
Becky’s Sesame-Pecan Salmon
Serves 2
2 pieces fresh salmon, skin removed
1/2 c. thick teriyaki sauce (teriyaki sauce often has soy sauce in it that is made from wheat. Gluten free folks may want to make their own. Here’s one gluten free recipe.)
2 T. sweet Thai chili sauce
1/4 c. toasted sesame seeds (these are cheaper and come in larger containers on the Asian aisles of most grocery stores)
1/4 c. pecans, chopped to about the consistency of Grapenuts in food processor or blender
1 T. olive oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In one shallow wide bowl mix teriyaki and Thai chili sauce. In other similar bowl, mix sesame seeds and ground pecans. Coat both pieces of fish with sauce on all sides, then do the same with the seed-nut mixture. Carefully lay in a square glass baking pan that has been generously coated with olive oil. Pour any left over sauce and nut-seeds over all.
Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until fish is done. (I prefer mine slightly opaque and moist in the middle.) I also like to broil the fish (watching carefully) for just few seconds to give the topping additional thickness and crunch.
Avocado Goddess Salad
Ingredients:
1 bunch Romaine lettuce, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and cut into thirds
1/2 c. Ranch dressing, any kind you like
1 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. pepper
Directions:
Put about 1 to 1 1/2 cups of chopped Romaine into each of two large salad bowls. (I use big wide pasta bowls.)
Take 2/3 of avocado and cut into slices, arranging evenly on top of the two salads.
Mash the other 1/3 avocado in a small bowl. Add Ranch dressing, lime juice and pepper to this and stir.
Avocado Goddess Dressing
Using a wide spatula, carefully lay one piece of the cooked salmon on top of each salad. Drizzle “Avocado Goddess” dressing over all.
Vegan Options: You could easily make sesame-pecan tofu with slices of pressed tofu marinated in the teriyaki Thai Chili sauce mixture instead of fish and simply substitute vegan ranch dressing to make the Avocado Goddess dressing. This is a great dish for serving both vegans and non-vegans since it wouldn’t take much extra work at all to make both versions.
Chicken Option: You can use this same technique with chicken tenders if you prefer.
Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Curry — Easy Enough for Curry Cowards Like Me
Posted: March 29, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: cauliflower, coconut, curry, kale, lentils, main dish, roasted garlic, vegan, vegetarian, veggies 2 Comments
I’m a curry coward. It’s exotic. It’s bright yellow. It has a long ingredient list.
So last night I decided to come up with a simple curry that even a curry coward like me can manage to make. I took the easy route and bought a can of curry powder instead of buying ten different spices and making my own. The first batch I made had lots of veggies and chickpeas, but I decided that three ingredients really stood out from the crowd — cauliflower, kale, and roasted garlic. So I made it again for breakfast this morning while the baby was napping. The life of a food blogging mama! This time I just used those two veggies and a whole bulb of roasted garlic. Much easier. Much better.
I don’t know if brown sugar is a classic addition, but I found it really balanced the strong curry flavors nicely. Curry powders can vary from brand to brand, so you may want to taste the seasoning as you go to see if it needs adjustments. Here’s the kind I used.
Roland Pure Indian Hot Madras Curry Powder (I didn't think it was spicy at all)
Are you intimidated about making your own curry too or was I the only curry coward?
What other dishes would you love to make but haven’t because they seem to complicated or overwhelming?
I watched Michael Symon on The Chew sharing tips on plating food and I thought I'd give it a try. Professional, eh?!
Rachel’s
Roasted Cauliflower and Kale Curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
1 bunch of Kale, ribs removed, washed & dried well
1 head of Cauliflower, chopped into “trees”
1 bulb of Garlic
3 tbs Olive Oil, divided
~ 4 tbs Curry Powder, divided
4 tsp Brown Sugar, divided
1 tsp Salt, divided
1 can of Coconut Milk
16 oz Lentils, prepared per package instructions
Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut off the top of the garlic to reveal the top of each clove. Put the bulb on a piece of foil, drizzle olive oil on top, and wrap the clove tight with the foil. Put in the oven (directly on the rack is fine until you get the cauliflower in).
In a large bowl, toss the cauliflower “trees” with about 1 tbs olive oil. Tossing as you go, gradually add 1 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt until evenly coated. Place on a large baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray and put in the oven. (Move the garlic onto the baking sheet at this time.) Set the timer for 20 minutes.
In the same large bowl, toss the kale with 1 tbs olive oil, using your hands to massage it into the leaves. Tossing as you go, gradually add 2 tsp curry powder, 1 tsp brown sugar, and 1/2 tsp salt. Put the kale on a large baking sheet sprayed with nonstick spray. It will be crowded, but that’s okay, we aren’t looking for crisp kale chips so it can be a little crowded. Add the kale to the oven, leaving the garlic and cauliflower in too. Cook everything for 20 more minutes. You might want to give the cauliflower and kale a shake every now and then.
In a small sauce pan, heat 1 tbs olive oil on medium heat and add 3 tbs of curry powder. Stir and cook for about 2 minutes. Add 2 tbs brown sugar and 1 can of coconut milk. Stir.
When the timer goes off, turn the oven off and remove the garlic. You can leave the kale and cauliflower in the oven to stay warm while you finish up the sauce. Carefully (it will be really hot) take the garlic out of the foil and squeeze it into the curry sauce. You can just stir it in if the garlic is really oozy or put it into the blender for a few seconds to evenly incorporate it.
Serve veggies on a bed of lentils and top with curry sauce.
And just like that I’m over my fear of curry and you can be too!
Killer Chipotle & Roasted Pepper Salsa (with a Side of Relational Advice)
Posted: March 28, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Uncategorized | Tags: chipolte, dips, hatch peppers, Mexican Food, picante sauce, roasted peppers, salsa, tortilla chips, vegan, vegetarian 2 Comments
Sometimes life is funny, and sometimes, not so much. “Mama said there’d be days like this,” and for days like this you need three things: a good friend, some good clear-the-air advice, and some comfort food. Then, before too long, life can be funny again.
A single girlfriend and I were talking this morning about toxic relationships. Particularly we were pondering the differences between normal friends who are in a temporary season of pain who deserve and need our empathy, patience and compassion; versus toxic friends whose problems are unending and sap all the energy and joy out of every minute we spend with them, like an Emotional Hoover.
We came up with the 3 B’s that signal it might be time to Back Away from a Relationship. Red flags, we decided, are:
1. Belittling — when a person makes you feel small, talks down to you, uses superior tones
2. Blaming — when the person’s default mode is always to blame someone else and never takes any responsibility for their part in bad situations. If someone is constantly blaming others or the universe or God for their problems, it won’t be long before they are blaming and attacking you.
3. Black-Hole — normal people have seasons of neediness and self-focus following tragedy or during illness or stress; but toxic people are walking black holes of ever-growing, never-ceasing, and always-changing need
Having discussed relationship sticky-wickets to our mutual satisfaction, we turned the conversation to comfort food. In fact, we discussed the perfect food for washin’ a crazy-making friend or a bad day right out of our mind. In her book, Eat, Pray, Love, Elizabeth Gilbert quoted someone’s grandmother as saying, “There’s no trouble in this world so serious that it can’t be cured with a hot bath, a glass of whiskey, and the Book of Common Prayer.” I agree with the hot bath and Book of Common Prayer, but my preferred comfort beverage would be a frosty margarita alongside a big bowl of spicy, chunky, smoky, colorful homemade salsa and chips.
And it just so happens that I make the best chunky smoky salsa in the universe. (Ditto on the margs… but that is for another post, another time.) When my daughter Rachel had her baby this past summer, I made salsa day after day because her husband Jared loves salsa and chips like only a Texas boy can. This gave me a chance to perfect my recipe, and this is the best of the best!
So come to Mama for the recipe, then whip up a quart of this brain-cleansing salsa, grab some chips and your fave margarita, find a spot in the sun, chill out and let the stress fall away.
Life is hard enough, your salsa should be easy. This version is oh so forgiving, allowing lots of variations to the basic recipe.
Everyone I serve this to asks for the recipe, so be prepared to share! (Also usually makes enough to send some home with your grateful guests.)
Becky’s Killer Chipotle & Roasted Pepper Salsa
Ingredients:
Makes about a Quart of Salsa
Into a food processor or blender put:
*I put three small peppers on my gas flame (set to high) and roast them while I’m tossing the rest of the ingredients into the blender, turning as they blacken. Simply scrape off most of the blackened skin (I use a damp paper towel for this job), seed them and pop in the blender. You can also halve them and broil them if you don’t have a gas burner.
Roasting small tri-colored peppers on a gas burner
** Here’s what a can of chipotle peppers in adobe sauce looks like. These babies are strong, and I often only use one or two, so I pop the rest (along with the sauce) in a small freezer bag and store them in the freezer. When I need one I just cut off what I need.
Marinated Portobello Burger
Posted: March 27, 2012 Filed under: Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: dairy-free, meatless, mushroom burger, mushrooms, onions, portobello burger, portobellos, sauteed veggies, spinach, vegan, vegetarian, veggie burger, veggies 3 Comments
Marinated Portobello Burgers
When I was about 12, I went on a ski trip with my family. While hanging out at the base, some older teens hollered out to me and my brothers “Hey, you want some shrooms?”
I giggled and naively said, “Those guys must be on drugs or something. Why would they think we want some mushrooms while we are skiing?”
My big brothers busted out laughing.
I didn’t know how right I had been until they finally stopped laughing to explain to me what the “shrooms” those dudes spoke of were.
Lucky for me, I didn’t like mushrooms and would have turned down the offer even if my big brothers hadn’t been there to fill me in.
Nowadays, I might be in trouble if someone hollers out and offers me some shrooms, though.
It turns out after more than 25 years of hating mushrooms, I’ve discovered I actually love a good shroom!
The first time I ordered a Portobello Burger was shortly after going vegan. It was the only thing on the menu I could eat, so I figured I’d give it a try. It was thick, chewy, flavorless and spongy. I stayed away from portobellos after that and eased my way into the land of shrooms with baby bellas sauteed in evoo and garlic.
Recently we were at the new plant-based cafe in Dallas, VSPot, and I decided to try their marinated portobello burger. Some people at the neighboring table were raving about it, so I thought I’d give the portobello one more go. It was so succulent it almost melted in my mouth. The mushroom was cooked down really thin so you would never have guessed you were biting into a thick spongy portobello cap.
Tonight I made my own portobello burger and I have to say, it was awesome. The flavors are quite different than the one we had at the VSpot and I didn’t manage to get it quite as thin, but it will definitely hold me over until our next visit!
Wanna shroom?
Rachel’s
Marinated Portobello Burger
Serves 4
Ingredients
4 Portobello Mushrooms, stems removed and gently wiped clean with a damp sponge
4 Buns (I used Whole Grain Ciabatta Sandwich Rolls from our store’s bakery)
1/4 cup Apple Cider Vinegar
1/2 cup of Braggs Aminos (or soy sauce)
1/4 cup Olive Oil
1/4 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper
Topping suggestions: sauteed spinach, caramelized red onions, roasted red peppers
Mix the marinade in a bowl. Pour into a gallon sized zip top bag and add the portobello caps. Shake it up to cover the mushrooms and place in the refrigerator. I let mine marinate for about 5 hours, but I think you could go as little as an hour if you’re short on time or as long as 8-10 if you want to marinate them while you’re at work.
Heat a skillet on medium heat with evoo covering the bottom. Put the mushroom caps in 1-2 at a time bottoms down and with a spatula or the bottom of a sauce pan, gently hold the mushrooms down. Don’t apply too much pressure at first or you’ll tear the edges. Turn the mushrooms over and continue applying gentle pressure. Repeat turning back and forth every few minutes for about 10 minutes until the mushroom cap is only a few centimeters thick.
I ate mine on ciabatta rolls that I smeared with Vegenaise (vegan mayo) mixed with minced garlic and toasted on a lightly oiled saute pan (this gives the bread a nice crunch), topped with sauteed spinach and garlic and caramelized red onions. I thought I was going to need a protein like some beans to add to this, but I was plenty full after one mushroom burger and a side of sauteed yellow squash and zucchini.
This was printed from: We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook
The site URL: http://welaughwecrywecook.com
The Title: Marinated Portobello Burger
The URL:https://welaughwecrywecook.com/2012/03/27/marinated-portobello-burger
© Copyright 2012 – All Rights Reserved
Pistachio and Caramelized Onion Pizza
Posted: March 26, 2012 Filed under: Appetizers, Breads, Main Dishes, Uncategorized | Tags: almond cheese, caramelized onions, flat bread, Naan bread, pistachios, pizza, vegan, vegetarian Leave a comment
I have been working out fairly consistently since last August, thanks to the encouragement of my good friend Ingrid. I get up by 7:00 am (a great feat for this non-morning person) and meet Ingrid at a local gym at 8:00 where we exercise while solving the world’s problems and…often talk about great food. (Perhaps this is why the pounds aren’t just dropping off of us?)
Here’s our conversation from last week, both of us huffing and puffing on ellipticals, side by side.
“Becky!” says Ingrid. “I was visiting my friend in California who is a vegan, like your daughter. And I came up with the best recipe for a pizza.”
“Let’s hear it.”
“Well, you start with a pizza crust and then sprinkle it with almond cheese.”
“Does almond cheese tastes good? Because I think soy cheese tastes like shredded rubber bands, and I’ve been looking for a good vegan cheese to use when I cook for Rachel.”
“It does! And it melts. Then you cook some garlic and onions in a pan with a little olive oil until they just start to brown and caramelize. Put these on top of the almond cheese, top with a few unsalted pistachios and — hey, Becky, why did you stop walking on your machine?”
I looked down and sure enough, I was so caught up in Ingrid’s description, that I’d completely frozen, thinking of nothing but how those flavors might taste together, my head in a pistachio-caramelized onion pizza cloud.
“Sorry,” I said, resuming my exercise. “What can I say? I brake for food. Even descriptions of it.”
After our gym session, I didn’t even change out of my gym clothes before heading to Whole Foods and gathering the ingredients. I chose garlic Naan bread instead of pizza dough because I was in a hurry to try this feast.
Let me just say, this new pizza recipe may cost me a few extra miles of exercise.
And it will be totally worth it. You have to try this!
Ingrid’s Pistachio and Caramelized Onion Pizza
Ingredients:
Serves Two
2 pieces Naan Bread (I love Whole Food’s Garlic Naan Bread. But it is not vegan, so if you want to be pure vegan here, you may want to use Whole Food’s pizza dough.)
1-2 T. olive oil, divided
1. c grated almond cheese (or Mozzerella cheese, but if you are a vegan and haven’t tried almond cheese, it is the best tasting vegan cheese I’ve tried thus far)
1 red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 c. roasted, unsalted pistachio nuts
Directions:
Using a grill pan and a little olive oil, grill the Naan bread on both sides until it is crispy and has light golden grill marks. Set aside on a heavy duty cookie sheet or clay pizza pan.
In a skillet, saute the onions and garlic in a tablespoon or so of olive oil until onions have started to caramelize but still have a little bite/crunch to them.
Put 1/3 cup grated cheese on each piece of Naan. Top each with half of the onion-garlic mixture. Sprinkle each pizza with 2 T. roasted, unsalted pistachios.
Bake at 375 until cheese melts. (The almond cheese takes a longer to melt than does “real cheese,” and I actually ended up nuking the pizza in the microwave a few seconds to get it to “melty” consistency. It is much better than soy cheese, very good –but not as yummy as the Real Mozerella McCoy.) Cut in wedges and serve alongside fresh fruits for a light supper or beautiful appetizer to go with your next wine party!
*Besides being handy behind a stove top, Ingrid is also a social media whiz, and serves as a social media consultant for my husband’s literary agency. (Click on her name to read her most recent article on blogging tips.)
Becky Johnson
Rachel Randolph
We Laugh, We Cry, We Cook 