BLAT and Chipotle-Ancho Lime Sweet Potatoes

to accompany our easy stand-by dinner, the BLAT (think BLT and add avocado), i made the most amazing sweet potatoes.  If i don't write it down, i will never forgive myself.  They are a little spicy and very tangy!

Ancho-Chipotle Lime Sweet Potatoes

1 dried chipotle pepper, stemmed and seeded
1 dried ancho chili, stemmed and seeded
2 tsp cumin seed
1 tsp kosher salt
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 limes
~1/3 cup olive oil
3 medium sweet potatoes, peeled, and diced evenly
1 medium sweet onion

pre-heat oven to 375

in a dry skillet over medium high heat, toast the chili peppers, turning once until toasty and pliable, and the cumin seeds, until fragrant and beginning to brown.  grind in coffee mill with salt.

in a small bowl, combine 1/2 pepper powder, garlic, juice of one lime, and equal amount olive oil
spread sweet potatoes and onion on lined baking sheet or large baking dish.  mix dressing and toss with potatoes/onion.  If more is needed, mix more pepper powder, lime juice, and olive oil and repeat.

bake in oven, stirring every 10 minutes until edges are chewy-sweet (40-60 minutes depending on size of chunks).

serve over a bed of arugula is desired.

The "Big" Salad

After spending a few days with miss amanda rotella in New orleans, i have been thinking about my diet.  it's not bad, but it could be better.  She recommended i take a few weeks and cut a bunch of foods from my diet to help kick start my metabolism.  these foods to be omitted include lactose/dairy, soy, gluten, sugar, pretty much anything white and starchy.  I've been researching cleansing diets but havent had much luck finding the diet plan outlining her advice.

well i digress.  by researching all these healthy diets and cleanses, i have seen some commonalities.  these include greens, lots of greens.  especially bitter greens.  also includes fiber, and citrus.  lots of veggies.  so this inspired my dinner i made for alex and me sunday night, the Big Salad.  it was too delicious to be forgotten!

Big Salad, serves 2

Ingredients:
Juice of two lemons
6 garlic cloves
1 scallion
olive oil, divided
honey to taste
salt and pepper to taste
dash of cayenne
2 cups cooked garbanzo beans
balsamic, divided
pint cherry tomatoes
half red onion
arugula
half roasted pepper, sliced
1 carrot, shaved, grated, or julienned
sunflower seeds

Directions:
in a small food processor combine first seven ingredients.  my lemons were quite sour so i needed a lot of honey to balance it out.  Soak beans in dressing while preparing rest of ingredients.
half cherry tomatoes.  toss with olive oil, balsamic, salt and pepper.  slow roast on rack at about 300-350 degrees, depending on time.
dice red onion and saute on medium heat until beginning to brown.  add salt and splash of balsamic, lower heat and saute until beginning to caramelize.
divide arugula between two bowls.  top with tomatoes, beans/dressing, onions, carrots, roasted pepper, sunflower seeds.  Serve and enjoy!

Bulgur Salad with Chickpeas, Roasted Peppers, and Spiced Cumin

I used Jack Bishop's A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen again to find this recipe (pg. 268). I discovered bulgur in a Peter Berley Recipe and love its chewy texture! It reminds me of quinoa, but seems to be more fail-proof and has a more consistent texture. Again I made the whole recipe to yield leftovers, which seems it will work much better than the pasta from earlier this week.

Bulgur Salad with Chickpeas, Roasted Peppers, and Spiced Cumin Dressing

serves 4 as a main course

Fine-grain bulgur, sometimes labeled "good for tabbouleh," is essential to this recipe, because coarsely ground bulgur will not soften when soaked in boiling water. A late season tomato salad or Sauteed Cherry Tomatoes with Indian Flavors (page 212) complete this meal.

1 1/2 cups bulgur

3 cups boiling water

3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon honey

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

salt

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

6 ounces drained jarred roasted red peppers, diced (about 1 cup)

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley leaves

1 medium head Bibb lettuce, leaves separated

4 pita breads, warmed and cut into wedges

1. Place the bulgur in a large bowl. Add the boiling water and set aside, stirring occasionally, until the bulgur has softened, 15 to 20 minutes. Drain the bulgur, shaking the strainer and gently pressing out excess moisture. Return the bulgur to the bowl.

2. Meanwhile, whisk the lemon, honey, cumin, cayenne, and 1/2 teaspoon salt together in a small bowl. Whisk in the oil until the dressing is smooth.

3. Add the chickpeas, roasted peppers, and parsley to the bow with the drained bulgur and stir to combine. Drizzle the dressing over the bulgur mixture and toss to combine.

4. Line each individual plate with several lettuce leaves. Mound some bulgur salad over the lettuce and tuck some pita wedges into the salad at several laces around the plate. Serve.

We found this recipe to have plenty of spice! I would make extra dressing next time, maybe increase it by 50%. The ratio of beans and peppers to bulgur seemed satisfactory. Instead of serving atop cold lettuce, I would stir spinach in while the mixture is hot to wilt the spinach. A few substitutions I made was I used two peppers I roasted myself, 1 1/2 cups of beans I cooked myself, spinach instead of the Bibb lettuce, and I negated the pita. A tomato salad or the addition of oven dried tomatoes to the bulgur mixture would definitely complete this meal!

Boxty Party! - Roasted Succotash and Caprese Salad

Gruber and his roommate, Mark were making boxties and chicken wings last night. I wanted to bring some veggies to the table, so I made Caprese Salad, featured in a previous blog post, and Roasted Vegetable Succotash. I melded a few different recipes I found together to create the succotash I envisioned. Here is the recipe I came up with:

Roasted Vegetable Succotash

2 small/medium or 1 large sweet potato, peeled and cut into 1/2" cubes

1 medium red onion, diced

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 thyme sprigs

1 oregano sprig

scant 1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

4 ears corn, kernels removed from cob

1 cup shelled edamame

3 tbsp basil

3 tbsp parsley

1 lemon, juiced

Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix sweet potato, onion, pepper, garlic, thyme, and oregano on rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil until coated and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. Roast in oven for 45 minutes until sweet potato is tender; stir every 10 minutes.

Add corn and edamame to baking sheet and roast for another 5-10 minutes, until corn is roasted and sweet.

Remove from oven. Transfer ingredients to serving bowl. Mix in lemon juice, parsley, and basil. Taste and add seasoning if needed.

This smelled delicious while cooking! It tasted delicious too! The garlic added a lot of flavor to the sweet potato. I would consider added some red pepper flakes at the beginning of the roasting step, and adding spinach at the end and roast/stir until wilted. Alex thought it was fine how it was and said I would ruin it with those additions. I didn't think it was a big hit at the party, but when it came time to leave, the bowl was empty! Gruber was able to taste the caprese salad and loved it. I left the remainder for him and he enjoyed it for breakfast the next day.

Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange, Crock Pot Black Bean Soup, and Maple Cornbread Muffins

We needed to use up the Cornbread Muffins I made for a different Black bean soup, Vegetarian Black Bean Chili with Orange and Cumin. I followed both recipes for the most part. In the cornbread muffins, since we didn't make the maple butter, we put some maple syrup in the batter to add sweetness. Also, fresh corn is available at the market, so we added the kernels from an ear to the batter too. The recommended cooking time is not quite long enough. The edges browned and got crispier the second time I reheated in the oven. I would recommend making muffins ahead of time, then crisping up right before dinner. For the black bean chili, I substituted chipotle powder for the chili powder and added 1 tbsp cocoa powder with the other spices, for more of a deeper, mole flavor. I substituted 1 1/2 lbs diced plum tomatoes for the canned tomatoes. the soup didn't need the hot sauce because the chipotle powder added enough spice. This was super delicious, but only fed 3 of us perfectly, not exactly 4 servings plus leftovers! I did misread how many cans of black beans and only put the equivalent of 2 cans, not 3. This could potentially make up for the missing servings.

The second black bean recipe, Crock Pot Black Bean Soup with Chipotle was really easy and really good. Alex thought it was more of a chili, but i thought it was more of a traditional black bean soup. We followed the recipe exactly but halved it because we didn't have a 6-quart slow cooker. That must have been a typo, because there was plenty of room for more than double the half recipe we used. Next time I will make the entire recipe, as the two of us easily finished the half. I followed every direction except we used 1 whole chipotle and the juice of one lime. I also added 2 sprigs of oregano and a bay leaf to the mixture. After 7 hours it wasn't quite as thick as I expected, so we put it on a bit longer since we weren't overly hungry yet. We topped it with shredded white cheddar and sour cream. I forgot the cilantro and do not care for raw tomato. This was sooo easy and we will make the other half sometime this weekend! I will use veggie stock instead of water next time since i will have it on hand. A great easy recipe for when I don't want to spend a lot of time in the kitchen, just need to plan ahead. The beans were perfect too, easy way to cook beans from dried, and only need to plan ahead the morning of, not the night before! I will definitely try more bean recipes this way!

Scarborough Fair Stew - AKA White Bean and Escarole Soup With Herb Swirl

For dinner last night I combined the recipes Kale and White Bean Stew with Chicken and White Bean Soup with Herb Swirl. I would call the soup Scarborough Fair Stew as it includes the herbs parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme.

I made the herb oil per the recipe but used less herbs only because I harvested what I could from my herbs and bought the sage. I didn't want to spend $10 on just herbs at the grocery, and the grocery was out of parsley. Next time I won't skimp on the herbs because I think it would have added more flavor to the recipe.

I blended the recipes by using 1 small onion, 1 shallot, 3 carrots, 3 celery stalks, 3 garlic cloves, 1 cup pureed roasted tomatoes (3 big plum tomatoes), 2 bags of frozen white beans, 1 cup wine, veggie broth, cup of jasmine rice, handful of spinach, and half a bunch of escarole, and sherry vinegar, and LOTs of salt and pepper.

I would add the entire bunch of escarole next time. It seemed like a ton at first, but then wilted way down. Also the soup seemed very thick so I added 2 more cups of veggie broth, and it still thickened a lot when it cooled down! 1 cup of rice seemed adaquate, but maybe I would cut it down to save on broth next time. 2 bags of frozen beans was a lot, next time I might just add 1 bag.

The soup didn't have as much flavor as I had hoped, but it was really good. We garnished with leftover garlic croutons (from the caesar salad sunday) and several dashes of hot sauce (cholula).

*addendum

The soup became a lot more flavorful (and thick) from sitting overnight.

Easter Dinner

Taren made lamb and Ann and Buzz brought scalloped potatoes and greens. Greens turned out to be asparagus with sesame oil and broccoli with almonds. I brought the following

Mac and Two Cheeses with Caramelized Onions

My favorite mac and cheese recipe (probably the goat cheese). I doubled the recipe. I substituted onions for the shallots($$) and added oven dried tomatoes before baking in the oven. It turned out a bit dry, I would add more cheese sauce or less pasta next time.

The Oven-Dried Tomato recipe I got from Jack Bishop's book, The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook. It is probably the recipe I use most often from this book. They may be time consuming, and one needs to plan ahead, but they are super delicious and packed with flavor! I never use sun-dried tomatoes anymore! The recipe and intro are as follows:

Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Makes 1 1/2 cups

Oven-dried tomatoes are quite different from sun-dried ones. Sun-dried tomatoes, even those packed in olive oil, tend to be a bit leathery and have a strong, sometimes harsh flavor. Oven-drying removes much but not all of the moisture, so the tomato halves become very wrinkled but still have some juice in them. The tomatoes can be marinated in olive oil, herbs and/or hot red pepper flakes. If packed in olive oil and refrigerated, they will last about a week.

10 medium plum tomatoes (about 2 lbs)

1/2 tsp of salt

1. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees F. Set a large cross-woven wire rack over a large baking sheet. trim a thin slice from the stem end of each tomato to remove the core. Slice the tomatoes in half lengthwise. Place them cut side up on the rack and sprinkle with salt.

2. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Oven-dry the tomatoes until they are wrinkled and greatly reduced in size, 6 to 7 hours. Do not dry them completely; some moisture should remain.

3. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and cool the tomatoes completely. Transfer to an airtight container and refrigerate. (Dried tomatoes can be refrigerated for several days. Bring the tomatoes to room temperature before using.)

I used 3 lbs of tomatoes and then quartered them once dried and cooled for the mac and cheese. I also use them in my dijon alfredo pasta and any other recipe i might use sun-dried tomatoes.

Eggplant Salad with Basil Dressing
This turned out delicious! I layered some roasted peppers with the eggplant when I plated. This added nice color contrast and sweet flavor. Next time I might take a reviewer's advice and add some crumbled goat cheese on top and serve with a crusty bread for a main course.

Here is the recipe with all my modifications:

Ingredients:

• 
  
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 garlic clove, chopped and mashed to a paste with 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup packed fresh basil leaves, washed well and spun dry
• 2 large eggplants (about 1 1/2 pounds each), cut crosswise into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• 3 bell peppers (i used one red, one yellow, and one orange), cut in half through core, cored and seeded (can substitute jarred roasted peppers)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation:

Preheat broiler.

In a blender, blend oil, lemon juice, mustard, garlic paste, and half of basil until smooth.

Arrange bell pepper halves on cookie sheet and place under broiler until skin is charred, about 15 minutes. Place in covered bowl or paper bag and allow to steam and cool. Peel skin from peppers and cut into strips.

Arrange eggplant slices in a single layer on cookie sheets. Reserve 1/4 cup dressing. Brush eggplant slices with remaining dressing on both sides. Broil about 4 inches from heat until golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Turn slices and broil until golden, 5 to 7 minutes more. Transfer eggplant slices to a plate to cool and broil remaining eggplant slices in same manner.

Arrange eggplant, bell pepper strips, and remaining basil on a platter. Drizzle salad with reserved dressing and sprinkle with pine nuts.

Orange Molasses Sweet Potatoes

For these I used only 2 lbs of sweet potatoes but made the normal amount of orange molasses sauce. They turned out pretty mushy but when i reheated in Taren's oven at 350 for about 30 minutes, they got nice and chewy and caramelized.

Chocolate Strawberry Tart with Walnut Crust
This turned out very rich and delicious! It definitely didn't need 2 pints of strawberries to top tart with! Only about a cup or 2. I would use more jam next time and would like to add a peanut butter layer.

and I made Strawberry Jam from scratch.

Alex brought Deviled Eggs

The recipe is from my mom, who I think got it from my aunt. Per my request, Alex doubled the mustard and used the low end of the horseradish. I am not a huge horseradish fan but these are ok with the extra mustard.

Veggie Tacos

Veggie Taco

This healthy recipe I have made before. I remember it took a long time to cook a lot of ingredients individually. It seems almost like a Tex-Mex ratatouille. This time I decided to start with sauteing the garlic, onion and red pepper until translucent, then I added the spices, sauteed another minute, then the salted drained eggplant. Once the eggplant started to soften, I added the tomatoes, beans and parsley. Then I brought to a simmer and waited for most of the water to evaporate (this took a looong time! 30 min+). I seasoned at the end (since the eggplant had already been salted), then added juice of a lime and a few tbsps of cilantro. This added the acidity and herbs needed to round out the flavors. It turned out very similar to my black bean dip with the only differences of addition of pepper, eggplant, extra tomatoes, and lack of corn.

I substituted several ingredients in order to avoid canned foods and for personal taste. To begin with i used 2 lbs of tomatoes instead of the canned. Next time I will remove pulp and excess liquid from tomatoes to cut down on the simmering time. I substituted the chickpeas and pinto beans for 3 cups of black beans. I remembered the previous time it seemed to be a low bean ratio. Next time I will add a hot pepper (seeded habanero) to the onions to bring up the spice level.

I served the tacos with grated cheese, sour cream (omit both to keep vegan), diced avocado, shredded lettuce, and the most amazing Cholula chipotle hot sauce ever. These were very delicious and messy, but not very filling. I ate 3! I had two for lunch a few days later, and was hungry all afternoon. The softness of the filling goes very well with the crunchy taco. It would also be delicious as a dip with tortilla chips. Because the filling is so soft, I would not recommend to eat with soft tortillas. Maybe next time I will serve in lettuce cups to keep fat and calories down (since the cheese, avocado, and sour cream has enough). I also won't feel so guilty to eat 3!

The recipe says to rewarm for 1 1/2 hours. I think this is a little ridiculous. 2 servings reheat in the microwave in about 2 minutes just fine.

Barbecue Bean Soup

I continued cooking after lunch and made a scrumptious dinner.

Barbecue Bean Soup

This turned out super filling and delicious. It made the whole house smell wonderful. Supposedly it gets even more flavorful the next day. The recipe is true to its serving size. 4 of us ate it for dinner tonight, and there is 3-4 servings leftover.

In order to avoid canned goods, I substituted 3lbs Roma tomatoes for the canned, 4 bell peppers roasted, 7 cups of pinto beans, and homemade veggie stock for the beef. The tomatoes took a while to prep. In all, the recipe is a little time consuming, 2 hours+. The ingredients are very voluminous. It filled the entire 6 quart to the brim, but after simmering for an hour and a half, it ended up being only 2/3 full. The lengthy simmering is needed to develop the barbecue flavors since there is no pre-made sauce and to break down the tomatoes. I also subbed cholula chipotle hot sauce for the tabasco. The smokey flavor goes great with the dish. We all think it could have used more heat. Next time I will use 2 tbsp. Everything seemed spot-on taste-wise. The cider vinegar really adds dimension to the dish.

I served the soup with a salad and cornbread. The cornbread turned out great!

Sage and Honey Skillet Cornbread

It went well with the soup. Since it includes butter (1/2 cup!) and milk (i substituted 2/% for whole), it is not vegan. I have made a vegan recipe, but it didn't impress me.

For the salad I tossed spinach, julienned carrots, and cabbage with

CIlantro-Lime Vinaigrette

It's not the best dressing I've made. I accidently over-salted, so to compensate I doubled the recipe and added a splash of tequila. I probably won't make this vinaigrette again.

Spaghetti Squash with Pomodoro Sauce

Happy equinox. It is now officially fall and the grocery is filled with fall squash. With my wedding being 32 days away, I stumbled upon this healthy low-calorie recipe to use fall's great harvest. What better way to celebrate fall than with a delicious healthy lunch?

Spaghetti Squash with Pomodoro Sauce

I could not find a spaghetti squash as small as 1 1/2 lbs. The one i bought was almost 3 pounds! Being only $0.79/lb I couldn't complain.

Instead of using canned tomatoes for the pomodoro sauce, I used Emeril's oven-roasted tomato sauce method.

Emeril's Oven-Roasted Tomato Sauce

I used 3lbs of Roma tomatoes ($1.79/lb) and 12 cloves of garlic. I ended up roasting the tomatoes for 45 minutes until caramelized.

While the tomatoes cooled, I prepped onion and sauteed. While the onion was sauteing, I blended tomatoes and garlic in the blender and added to onion mixture. I followed another reviewer's advice and reduced 1/2 cup red wine in the tomato sauce while the squash cooked. I also used only fresh oregano and basil in lieu of dried. Because I added the wine, I did not add the wine vinegar.

The 3lb squash took about 40 minutes to roast, but i think i might have over-cooked it slightly. After adding the sauce, i springkled with freshly grated parmesan (omit to keep vegan). The 3lb squash only 3 servings! Next time I will buy a bigger squash, as I have 1 1/2 cups leftover pomodoro sauce! The sauce turned out delicious, but mixed with the squash it was a little watery. All in all a healthy delicious lunch and a great way to kick off fall! After my sister and I ate, I have 1 serving left for lunch tomorrow.