Rhubarb Crisp

Rhubarb is one of those vegetables I would always bypass in the grocery store because, really, I had no clue what to do with it.  I had never even tasted it before and neither had my husband.  Apparently, his mom used to make rhubarb pies when he was growing up but he would never try it because, well, it's rhubarb - gross.  Turns out, it's pretty good. 

This recipe yields two 6oz. ramekins:

1 1/4c rhubarb, diced

2 tsp. all-purpose flour

4 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/4 tsp. lemon zest

1/4 tsp. salt

3 TBSP rolled oats

1 TBSP brown sugar, packed

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 TBSP butter, melted

1/8 tsp. allspice

1/8 tsp. salt

1.  Preheat oven to 400*.

2.  In a medium bowl, combine the rhubarb, 2 tsp. flour, sugar, vanilla extract, 1/8 tsp. allspice, lemon zest, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Pour into prepared ramekins.

3.  For the topping, combine the oats, brown sugar, 1 TBSP flour, butter, 1/8 tsp. allspice, and 1/8 tsp. salt.  Sprinkle over rhubarb mixture and press gently to make it stick.

4.  Place on cookie sheet and bake approximately 25 minutes, or until bubbly and topping is a pretty golden brown.

This has inspired me to keep experimenting with rhubarb. :)

Bang Bang Cauliflower

The weather here has just been too perfect to not sit outside at dinnertime so that's what we did again yesterday.  I never noticed before but it's true that the taste and texture of cooked cauliflower is very similar to that of shrimp.  I've made this style cauliflower twice now, once as an appetizer and again as an entrée salad last night.  The meal wasn't originally planned as a salad but I had some lettuce I needed to use or lose so... Bang Bang Salads for everyone!

1/2 head cauliflower, chopped into florets

1/4c cornstarch

1 1/2 TBSP flaxseed

1/4c + 1 1/2 tsp. water

1/2c Panko breadcrumbs

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1/2 tsp. sea salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

1/2c coconut oil

1/3c mayonnaise

1/4 tsp. chili sauce

1 TBSP rice vinegar

1 tsp. agave sweetener

2 green onions, chopped

1.  Preheat oven to 400*

2.  In a small bowl, combine cornstarch, flaxseed, and water.  Whisk to thicken and set aside.

3.  In another small bowl, combine breadcrumbs, garlic powder, salt, and pepper.  Set aside.

4.  In a large skillet, heat the coconut oil over medium high heat.

5.  Dip each cauliflower floret first in the cornstarch mixture, then in the breadcrumb mixture, to coat.

6.  Add the cauliflower to the hot oil and cook until browned on all sides.  (Use tongs to flip the cauliflower.  Stirring will only knock the breading loose.)

7.  Remove to a paper towel-lined plate.  Then, toss in the mayonnaise mixture, to coat.

8.  Place in a prepared 8x8 dish and bake for approximately, 10-15 minutes, or until desired crispiness.

9.  Top with green onions and serve.

For serving, I tossed the lettuce with just a tiny amount

of chipotle ranch dressing before topping with the cauliflower. 

Tuscan Bean Pasta

This is one of those recipes that started out as one thing and morphed into something else in the process.  This was originally going to be a salad, of sorts and you could still serve it that way (just drain the tomatoes really well, or use fresh).  I didn't do that though.  Instead, I kept it saucy and served over Pasta e Olio.

2 cans cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can diced tomatoes, undrained

1 TBSP olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning

1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes

1/4c ricotta salata cheese

1/4c Italian parsley, chopped

1.  In a medium saucepan, over medium heat, combine the beans, tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, Italian seasoning, and red pepper flakes.
 

2.  Cook and stir until bubbly and heated through.

3.  Remove from heat and top with the cheese and parsley. 

Very nice dinner outside on the deck!



My Bacon and Bleu Burgers

These guys were originally on the menu for Memorial Day but we ended up going out so I didn't actually get around to making them until Tuesday.  We've eaten and loved these burgers before but, as usual these days, I made a vegetarian version using a good quality meat substitute, vegan Worcestershire, and fake bacon.  It was a very tasty, almost-summertime dinner.

1lb. ground beef

1 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

2 TBSP Dijon mustard, creamy

1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves

3 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled

salt and pepper, to taste

Bleu cheese, crumbled, to taste 

 

1.  In a large bowl, combine the meat, Worcestershire sauce, mustard, thyme, bacon, salt, and pepper. 

 

2.  Form mixture into patties and cook/grill over medium heat until cooked through.  Mine were done in about 8-10 min. per side. 

Smeared guacamole on both sides of the bun and added

with Bleu cheese, lettuce, tomato, and red onion. 

Served with garlic fries.

Baked Artichoke Bites

Last night's dinner consisted of gnocchi in a tomato basil sauce, topped with mozzarella and served with a side of French bread.  That was pretty good but the appetizer is what really stood out for me.  Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best.  The flavors here were uncomplicated and really quite delicious. 

You will need to allow a good hour to drain the artichoke hearts though.  I realize that might sound a bit excessive, but it's not at all.  Those little things harbor a surprising amount of liquid.

1 can artichoke hearts (most contain 6)

salt and pepper, to taste

2 TBSP Panko breadcrumbs

1/4c Parmesan cheese

1 TBSP olive oil
 

1.  Slice each artichoke in half and place on paper towel to drain. (I had to change the paper towel several times due to the ridiculous amount of liquid.)
 

2.  Meanwhile, turn on the broiler, move the top rack to about 6" from the heat, and put some parchment paper down on a baking sheet.
 

3.  Place the artichoke hearts on the pan, cut side up.  Top with salt, pepper, breadcrumbs, and cheese.  Drizzle with olive oil.
 

4.  Broil for about 5 minutes.  Could be more, could be less depending on your oven so watch it.

 

These were good straight out of the oven but they were also still
tasty after sitting there awhile so, no worries if you can't serve them right away.



DIY Cream of Chicken* Soup

I don't eat chicken so, when a recipe calls for canned cream of chicken soup, I make my own vegetarian version.  It's so easy and I just feel better knowing I made it myself.  This recipe makes the equivalent of one can:

3 TBSP butter  (use Earth Balance to make it vegan)

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1/2c unsweetened almond milk

1/2c chicken broth (I like Better Than Bouillon's No-Chicken Base)

salt and pepper, to taste

1.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter.  Add flour and whisk until smooth.

2.  Whisk in the milk, broth, salt, and pepper.

3.  Bring to a boil and whisk occasionally until it thickens (about 2 minutes).

Easy!

White Chili

It's a snowy Spring day here and I am planning to serve leftovers fantastic chili/soup for dinner.  I say, "chili/soup" because you can control the consistency.  We like it more soupy, so I simmer it with a lid.  If you prefer something thicker, leave the lid off.  It's good either way. 

1 TBSP olive oil

3/4c yellow onion, chopped

6 cloves garlic, minced

4oz. can Fire Roasted green chiles, diced and drained

1/2 tsp. black pepper

1 green bell pepper, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/2 pkg. mushrooms, sliced and chopped

1 can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

1 can Great Northern beans, rinsed and drained

1 can light pinto beans, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped

3/4c Italian parsley, rough chopped

1c white wine

3 1/2c vegetarian chicken broth

2 tsp. vegetarian chicken bouillon

1 tsp. dried rosemary

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 TBSP dried oregano

1 1/2 TBSP ground cumin

2 bay leaves

1.  Heat olive oil in a large pot, over Medium heat.  Add the onions, garlic, chiles, and pepper.  Cook and stir until onions soften, about 2-3 minutes.

2.  Add the bell peppers, mushrooms, beans, green onions, and parsley.  Cook and stir another 1-2 minutes.

3.  Add the wine, broth, bouillon, rosemary, thyme, oregano, cumin, and bay leaves.

4.  Cover, reduce heat to Low, and allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, for approximately 90 minutes.  Adjust seasoning to taste and serve.

Serving this with cornbread tonight!

Make-Ahead Muffins for Baby

I've been talking about making and freezing meals for our littlest one for quite some time and, since we're having a Snow Day here, I decided today would be the day I finally started on that project and I'm so glad I did it. 

These muffins are perfect for little hands, packed with flavor, and fill the house with a wonderful aroma while they're baking!  For the baby food puree called for, I used a pouch of bananas, peaches, and mangoes.  I think I'll try blueberries and quinoa next time, or maybe pumpkin...or squash...this recipe is so easy to adjust to what's on hand:

1/2c butter, softened

1/2c brown sugar

2 large bananas, mashed

4oz. baby food puree

1/4c carrots, shredded

2 eggs, beaten

1c all-purpose flour

1/2c rolled oats

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 tsp. salt

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

 

2.  In a medium bowl, cream together the butter and brown sugar until smooth.

 

3.  Add the mashed bananas, baby food puree, carrots, and eggs. Continue mixing to blend.

 

4.  Stir in the flour, oats, baking soda, pumpkin pie spice, and salt until just combined.

 

5.  Spoon the batter equally into 36 prepared mini muffin cups.

 

6.  Bake approximately 15 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack and serve. 

 

Freeze the leftovers!

Corn Chowder

I had actually planned on making something completely different for dinner but the weather that afternoon changed my mind.  There is just something about freezing rain that makes me want a good, hearty bowl of goodness and this definitely hit the spot:

1/4c butter

1/2c yellow onion, chopped

2 TBSP all-purpose flour

salt and pepper, to taste

1 TBSP dry sherry

1/4 tsp. ground cayenne pepper

1/2 tsp. dried parsley

1c milk (I use almond and it works great)

1 16oz. bag frozen corn

1 small-medium Russett potato, diced

1 4oz. can green chiles, diced

1/4c red pepper, chopped

1/2c Monterrey Jack cheese, shredded

1/2 Cheddar cheese, shredded

1/4c green onions, sliced

1.  In a medium size pot, melt butter over medium heat.

2.  Add onion and saute until slightly soft and fragrant, about 2-3 minutes.

3.  Add flour, salt, pepper, sherry, cayenne, and parsley.  Whisk to form a roux.

4.  Add milk and continue whisking until thickened.

5.  Add corn, potato, green chiles, red pepper, and cheese.  Cover and simmer over Low heat, stirring occasionally, for 1 hour.

6.  To serve, ladle into bowls and top with Cheddar cheese and green onions.

The leftovers were really good the next day!

Sloppy Joes

When I think, "Man Food", sloppy joes are definitely on the list.  Every time I make them, they are practically inhaled by my guys and they always go back for more!  I've been making these sandwiches like this for years and finally remembered to snap a photo before they were devoured at dinner recently:

1lb. ground beef substitute

1/4c onion, chopped

1/4c green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. yellow mustard

3/4c ketchup

1 TBSP brown sugar

salt and pepper, to taste

 

1.  In a large skillet over Medium heat, brown the meat, adding the onions and peppers toward the end so they don't get too soft.

 

2.  Stir in the garlic powder, mustard, ketchup, brown sugar, salt and pepper.

 

3.  Reduce heat to Low and allow to simmer 20-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

Served with the easiest green beans ever.  I threw some cooked beans in a skillet with a little butter, onion, garlic, salt, and pepper - done.



Lentil Curry

My husband and I are big fans of Indian food so I knew he would be happy to find this curry in the works when he came home yesterday.  I served it over a blend of wild rices and all the flavors together, with just the right amount of heat, were really quite fantastic.  This recipe (when served over rice) yields three hearty bowls:

1/2c red lentils, rinsed well

1 TBSP red curry paste

1 1/2 tsp. curry powder

1/2 tsp. ground turmeric

1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. white sugar

2 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 tsp. ginger root, minced

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/2c yellow onion, diced

2 large roma tomatoes, diced

1/4c cilantro, chopped

1.  In a medium saucepan, add lentils to approximately 3 cups of water and simmer on Low until tender (but don't let them get mushy or the texture will be all wrong!).  Mine cooked in about 10 minutes.  Drain and set aside.

2.  In a small mixing bowl, combine the curry paste, curry powder, turmeric, cumin, chili powder, salt, sugar, garlic, and ginger; set aside.

3.  In a medium size skillet over Medium High, heat the oil and cook onions until tender and slightly caramelized.

4.  Stir in the curry mixture and tomatoes.  Reduce heat to Low and allow to simmer 5-10 minutes.

5.  Add the lentils and continue cooking another 5 minutes or so until heated through.  Top with cilantro and serve immediately.

 Served with naan and tzatziki sauce.

Garden Tomato Soup

I love this tomato soup because it's not thin and watery like so make others I've eaten in the past.  Also, there is no dairy in this soup!  Sure, you could use the dairy-based stuff in here, but it's not necessary for flavor.

I used my food processor to get the vegetables really finely chopped but you could easily accomplish the same thing with an immersion blender.

15 roma tomatoes, seeded and lightly pureed

1c carrots, finely chopped

3/4c onion, finely chopped

3 TBSP vegan butter

3 TBSP all-purpose flour

1c almond milk

1 3/4c vegetable broth

1 TBSP white sugar

2 tsp. sea salt

2 tsp. dried basil (or 2 TBSP fresh, chopped)

1/2 tsp. celery salt

3/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1.  In a large pot, combine the tomatoes, carrots, amd onions.  Bring to a boil then reduce to Low and simmer about 30 minutes.

2.  In a small saucepan, melt the butter and add the flour.  Whisk until thick and well blended.  Add milk and continue whisking until consistencey is smooth.  Add this to the soup pot.

3.  To the soup mixture, add the vegetable broth, sugar, sea salt, basil, celery salt, black pepper, and garlic powder.

4.  Allow everything to continue simmering about 45 minutes, stirring occasionally.

This paired really well with sourdough and Havarti paninis.

Black-Eyed Pea and Cabbage Stew

It is well known and understood in this house that everyone is required to eat the black-eyed peas and cabbage served on New Year's Day.  In previous years, I have served the peas and cabbage as two separate side dishes and watched as both boys put just the very teensiest amount they thought would be acceptable on their plates. 

So, this year I tried a new approach by putting everything in one big pot and the resulting stew was delicious!

1 TBSP olive oil

3/4c onion, chopped

1/2 large green bell pepper, chopped

1/2 large red bell pepper, chopped

3 stalks celery, sliced

2c chicken broth (I used a vegan no-chicken broth)

3/4c brown rice

2 cans black-eyed peas with liquid

1 can diced tomatoes with green chiles with liquid

2 cloves garlic, minced

1c cooked cabbage

1.  In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat.

2.  Add the onion, green pepper, red pepper, and celery; cook and stir until tender.

3.  Add the broth, rice, black-eyed peas, tomatoes, and garlic.

4.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer approximately 1 hour.  Add the cabbage during the last 15 min.

 

Served with cornbread.  Happy New Year!

Shepherd's Pie

Whenever I make mashed potatoes, I always make way more than we can actually eat in one meal.  I don't know why.  Seems like I would learn to scale back a bit but I haven't done that.  Instead, I've just accepted the fact that there will be leftovers, which is not necessarily a bad thing.

Last night, I decided to use the mashed potatoes leftover from the Thanksgiving feast for this super yummy, surprisingly easy shepherd's pie.  You'll need your potatoes already prepared as this recipe is just for the meaty filling part of the pie:

 

1 TBSP vegetable oil

1/2c onion, chopped

1 carrot, sliced

1 clove garlic, minced

3/4 ground beef

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 tsp. pepper

1 TBSP all-purpose flour

1 tsp. tomato paste

1/2c chicken broth

1/2 Worchestershire sauce

1/2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/3 tsp. dried thyme leaves

1/4c frozen corn

1/4c frozen peas

 

1.  Preheat oven to 400*

 

2.  In a large skillet, heat oil on medium-high.  Add the onions and carrot slices; saute 3-4 minutes.

 

3.  Add the garlic and continue cooking another minute or so.

 

4.  Add the meat, salt, and pepper.  Cook and stir until nicely browned and cooked through.

 

5.  Sprinkle flour over the top.  Toss to evenly coat the mixture.

 

6.  Add the tomato paste, Worchestershire sauce, rosemary, and thyme.  Cover, reduce heat, and allow to simmer about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

 

7.  Add the corn and peas, stirring to combine.

 

8.  Spoon everything into a prepared 8x8 baking dish.

 

9.  Top with your mashed potatoes and spread to completely cover the meat filling.

 

10.  Bake, uncovered, for 25 minutes.

 

*I made my shepherd's pie vegetarian by using good quality substitutes for the meat, broth, and Worchestershire sauce.  This could be made even healthier by using vegan mashed potatoes.

I totally forgot to snap a photo of the shepherd's pie so you'll just have to take my word that it looked amazing.  I'll remember next time.  For now here's a photo of the mashed potatoes from Thanksgiving:

Served with rosemary biscuits on the side.

Spicy Rosemary Roasted Cashews

Our pre-Thanksgiving feast snacks consisted of a tray of Mediterranean-style marinated olives, an assortment of cheeses, and these yummy cashews. 

 

1lb. whole cashews

2 tsp. dried rosemary

1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

2 tsp. brown sugar

2 tsp. sea salt

1 TBSP butter, melted

 

 

1.  Preheat oven to 375*

 

2.  In a small bowl, combine the rosemary, cayenne, brown sugar, and salt.  Set aside.

 

3.  Spread cashews out on a baking sheet and bake about 10 min.

 

4.  Place cashews in a medium-size bowl, pour melted butter over the top, and stir to coat.

 

5.  Sprinkle the seasoning mixture over the cashews and mix together.  Serve immediately.

 

 

You could make them ahead of time (they do keep really well) but I think they're particularly fabulous served warm.