Great Starts..

I'm fairly certain my husband and I fell in love over breakfast. Not a particular breakfast...just breakfasts in general.

You see, there are many people out there who skip breakfast. Maybe they are short on time, or cutting calories, or just can't eat a big meal first thing. My husband and I do NOT fall into that category. I will happily eat carrot sticks and salad for dinner and lunch, so long as I started the day with a hearty breakfast. While many couples start their relationship on fancy dinners, the husband and I found ourselves at Denny's. And no, this wasn't after some late-night rendezvous (get your head out of the gutter). It's just something about the meal that started a perfect day.

In the early period of our relationship and marriage, we also ate meat. A typical "good" breakfast usually included bacon or sausage. I learned to make a pretty mean gravy, too. You can imagine that breakfast lost some of the luster when we swore off meat over a year ago.

Several weekends back, I wanted to make something different for breakfast. Pancakes are great, but I was looking for hearty and savory. I got the idea to re-create a gravy using vegetarian ingredients - basically making a white sauce with the right herbs. As it turns out, it hit all the right notes.

The Biscuits.

I used the recipe here, but substituted butter for shortening. What I LOVE about this recipe is how quick and easy it is. No kneading, rolling and cutting. And really, if you're just smothering it with gravy - who cares how uniform it is?

The Gravy:

1/2 a stick of butter
3 heaping tablespoons of flour
about a 1/4 cup of finely chopped onion
2 cloves of garlic, finely minced or grated on a micro-plane
1 teaspoon dried sage
1 teaspoon dried thyme
Milk to thin
Salt and pepper to taste
If desired: Morning star crumbles (for a more "sausage like" consistency)

1. Melt butter in heavy bottomed pan, add onions, and saute until translucent

2. Add garlic, sage, and thyme and saute for about a minute more.

3. Add flour, and with a whisk, saute until it turns lightly golden and bubbly.

4. Add milk to desired consistency. Add crumbles (if desired) and heat. Salt and pepper to taste.

To serve - crack the biscuits in half and smother with gravy. If the potatoes look good to you, I just chopped up some red potatoes, tossed with some olive oil and grated garlic, and baked in the same oven as the biscuits (450 for 20-30 minutes). Salt when done.

One of the two kids has a birthday.

I am one of those lucky people who has exactly one boy and one girl. It is SO MUCH FUN to have one of each - as I get to experience the joys of raising both genders.

One of their most favorite things to do is pour through my cupcake cookbook: Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World. The bright pictures and mouth watering cupcakes are better than any Dr. Suess book we have. About a month ago, they had managed to find the book (again) and go through the pictures one-by-one. Knowing that little bit boy's birthday was coming, little bit girl told me that her brother wanted the "cookie cupcakes" for his birthday. What a nice older sister she is.

Sure enough, little bit boy agreed. However, he ALSO told me he wanted BLUE cupcakes. So, I settled on two batches: "cookie" cupcakes for the family and "blue" cupcakes for the kids where he plays during the day. Thankfully, with the most diverse and complete cupcake cookbook ever - I was covered!

All recipes from Vegan Cupcakes Take over The World.

Basic Vegan Fluffy Buttercream
You'll use this for both recipes

1/2 cup nonhydrogenated shortening
1/2 cup nonhydrogenated margarine
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 1/2 teaspoons extract (usually vanilla - but GO WILD!)
1/4 cup plain soy milk or soy creamer

1. Cream butter and shortening together.

2. Add in a cup of flower, beat steadily by hand - or even better with hand or stand mixer.

3. Add in the extract, beat well.

4. Add in the rest of the sugar, slowly, mix well.

5. Add in the soy milk or creamer, and beat until smooth and fluffy.

Golden Vanilla Cupcakes
For little bit boy's "blue" cupcakes

1 cup of soy milk

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

1 1/4 cups of all-purpose flour

2 tablespoons of cornstarch

3/4 teaspoon of baking powder

1/2 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/3 cup of canola oil

3/4 cups of granulated sugar

2 teaspoons of vanilla extract

1/4 teaspoon of almond extract

1. Mix soy milk and vinegar, set aside for curdling (basically, you're making butter milk)

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line cupcake tin with liners

3. Mix liquid ingredients and sugar together.

4. Place dry ingredients in sifter and sift into wet ingredients. Mix until just barely incorporated and no large clumps remain.

5. Divide into cupcake tin evenly, bake immediately for 20 - 22 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean.

6. Cool completely and top with butter cream. For "blue" I used cake decorator's coloring, but you can use food coloring or natural dyes (blueberry). I've made "pink" cupcakes using strawberries. I bought the Wall-E decorations at Target.


Chocolate Cookie Cupcakes

1 cup of soy milk

1 teaspoon of apple cider vinegar

3/4 cup of granulated sugar

1/3 cup of canola oil

1 teaspoon of vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon of almond extract

1 cup of all-purpose flour

1/3 cup of cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon of baking soda

1/2 teaspoon of baking powder

1/4 teaspoon of salt
1 cup coarsly chopped chocolate sandwich cookies (like Newman-Os)

1. Whisk soy milk and vinegar together, set aside (again, buttermilk)

2. Preheat oven to 350 and line the cupcake pan.

3. Add sugar, oil, and extract to milk mixture and whisk until foamy.

4. Sift cocoa powder, soda, baking powder, and salt. Stir into batter in two batches.

5. Fold in chopped cookies, pour into cupcake liners evenly, and bake for 20-25 minutes. Toothpick should come out clean.

6. After cooling completely, frost with the vegan butter cream frosting mixed with another 1/2 cup to one cup of crushed cookies (depending on taste). These sort of go on like clouds, so you can't expect even perfection. Top with 1/2 of a cookie for garnish.

How about an easy week night dinner?

Because that's what you've got here!
Take some French or Italian Bread, and place it in a 450 degree oven to toast. Sprinkle some Extra Virgin Olive Oil for added flavor and golden color.

Once all nice and toasty, "scrape" a peeled garlic clove across the top (the crusty consistency will grate the garlic for you). Layer with thinly sliced tomatoes, sprinkle with some basil, and then add the cheese on the top. Some salt for flavor, maybe some cracked pepper for oomph. Return to the oven, melt the cheese, and VOILA! Dinner! Make as much or as little as you need!

Sauteed Potatoes with or without eggs.

Psst...is anyone out there?

Another all too-long blog hiatus for me. I really don't have an excuse this time. Life has gotten easier as this time of year is generally more relaxed. No holidays to contend with, a break in the requirements of teaching, and a necessary hiatus in spending usually means more time at home. For whatever reason, however, I have not been feeling the blogging mojo. I think part of it was the fact that I've been eating really yummy healthy unprocessed stuff. But it's nothing gourmet. Carrots and hummus pretty much rock, but I don't want to do a blog post about it. Maybe I'll just start taking pictures of it all...and post the pictures! At least then you'd have something to drool over.

One thing we have been doing is planning our annual trip out to Portland, Oregon. This has got me thinking about Mother's Bistro, a fabulous little restauraunt right in downtown. Trust me when I say that this place is on the list of "must dos" while out west.

Until we get there, however, I wanted to share a recipe adapted from a dish at Mother's. It works wonderfully for breakfast or brunch, but has a stewy-feel that would work for dinner too.

Red Potatoes and "Gravy" (Serves a really hungry 2-3, maybe can be stretched to 4 with sides)
4- 5 red potatoes cut in bite-sized, even, pieces
1 medium onion
1 green pepper
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup Morning Star starters crumbles (can be omitted) - just makes it a bit more filling
pepper to taste
salt to taste
1 teaspoon seasoning salt
1/2 teaspoon thyme
1/2 teaspoon sage
1/4 cup nutritional yeas flakes
soy or regular milk. 1/2 cup.

In hot skillet, throw down around a tablespoon of EVOO. Sautee peppers and onions with 1-2 cloves of garlic (minced or crushed) and some salt.

When cooked and transluscent (don't burn the garlic!), toss in potatoes, thyme, seasoning salt, and sage, then cover. The extra liquid in the vegitables should help steam the potatoes. Turn down heat so has not to evaporate liquid.

When potatoes are nearly cooked through, add in the crumbles (if desired) and nutritional yeast flakes. When the crumbles are heated, add in the milk. If the "gravy" formed by the potatoes and milk looks too thick, feel free to add more milk.

In a new skillet (preferably non-stick), break eggs after oiling. When the whites turn opaque, add a tablespoon of water and cover. Let the eggs cook over, leaving the yokes looking opaque but still very runny. Remove from heat and plate: potatoes underneath the runny eggs.

This can be easily veganized, as the eggs aren't necessary. I also think it's better with soy milk!

A great weekend comes to a close...

... and I am exhausted. Happy, but exhausted. Much loved an appreciated family came into town this weekend, and in typical "me" style I planned menus and cooked up a storm. They left satisfied, so I guess I did my "job." I really didn't push myself too hard - the menu left itself open to socializing as well as working. And, lets be real here, I love making a fuss for people in the kitchen. I made tomato soup and panini on Friday night, pizza on the grill Saturday (Love that FL winter weather), and for breakfast this morning I made waffles and scrambled eggs.

Although we didn't have this today, it would have been a perfect addition to a guest brunch. Especially this time of year, people like to eat healthy. This is easily accomplished by eating fresh (versus processed). Today, we piled fresh, halved strawberries on top of our waffles - but a side of fruit salad would have been just as apropos.

I'm sorry that this one is short. We have had one HECK of a week over here, and the old blogging energy is a little low today. Next week is finals, but hopefully I'll be able to sneak in another post before the week's out. That is, unless, we have another unexpected drama pop up early.

Berry-Pom fruit salad

Blackberries (or any sort of berry, really)
"clementine" orange segments (readily available during winter)
banana
Pomegranates

Dressing: lemonade (enough to coat fruit), touch of honey (sweeten to desired taste and calorie level), and a couple of pinches of garam masala. Mix well, then pour over fruit. The Pomegranate idea came from a middle-eastern family that I used to tutor for, as did the garam masala. It adds an interesting complexity and depth to an otherwise predictable fruit salad!

It doesn't hurt that it's pretty too.

An easy spin on Miso...

So, to counter my devilish New Years recipe, I thought I would offer something lighter and healthier.

Ozoni is a traditional breakfast/brunch food fed to Japanese families on New Years Day. It has a history of being served to the elite in historic Japan - offered to Samurais and royalty alike. Today, commoners and elite share in the tradition as it is served in the hopes of bringing prosperity all year long. As a point of interest, many New Year's Day foods are served in Japan for reasons other than taste.

However, my reasons are found in the flavor. It's similar to miso, but has more vegetables. Moreover, it is often served with an un-sweet mochi that I just LOVE. I also have a bit of a confession - while I love the stuff on New Years, I usually get on a kick and make this throughout the colder months of January and February. It's simple, and fast. Now, I will admit that this is not traditional - but it is adopted from a family friend of Japanese ancestry. I say adopted because some of the "traditional" vegetables are hard for me to come by, and I don't add the chicken. Here's the "available in Florida" recipe (and I'll point out where the chicken comes in):

Ozoni Soup:

Per 3 cups of water in a pot (double and triple as necessary), add 1 teaspoon dashi, and one tablespoon of soy sauce. Bring to a boil in a pot big enough to add the following vegetables (pick and choose with your tastes) -

mushrooms (shittake - but I cheated and added baby portobellos)
scallions
julienned carrots
Daikon (Japanese radish)
Napa Cabbage
And really just about any other kind of vegetable that suits your fancy.

Now, if you want to add chicken, you should add and boil for about an hour BEFORE the vegetables - until the chicken is completely falling apart and easily broken up into pieces. If you're making this for a crowd,I see nothing wrong with making a whole chicken. But, if you're making it for a few, feel free to add a breast or a couple of thighs.

Let cook to desired tenderness (I let mine just barely Blanche, as I like crunchy veggies).

Serve as it is, or with savory mochi. To cook mochi, you can boil (my usual choice) or grill. I have to warn you, this is a very difficult ingredient to find online. You want to find a Japanese food store. The mochi pieces are shelf-stable, individually wrapped, and very hard. It has no bean paste inside, just plain mochi. If you're really stuck, and you want the full experience, ask the store owner for mochi used for ozoni. Otherwise, you can easily (and authentically) substitute tofu or serve with nothing at all!

I also should add that traditional ozoni is served with kamaboko, which is a difficult ingredient for me to find. If you can manage it - it should be included for authenticity!

And, just because I hate to leave you here without at least the knowledge of TRUE Ozoni (as in, made from someone who has had the recipe handed down to them), here are some links:

http://www.champuru.net/blog/2008/12/31/easy-ozoni-recipe/

http://1tess.wordpress.com/2009/01/02/ozoni-new-years-day-soup/

http://archives.cnn.com/2000/FOOD/news/12/29/ozoni.soup/

Happy and healthy 2009!

Happy 2009, everyone!

What does this old, beaten down, cookbook........and these bags of vegetables have in common?
Well, first you must need to know a little about my personal history.

I was born, what seems to be getting longer and longer ago, in Alaska. Around the age of 7 (which is when we relocated) my parents must have decided our family needed something besides what we were being afforded in this very cold state. They subsequently packed all our things, put them on a barge, and flew the whole family to our new home: Honolulu, Hawaii.

I lived there until I was 14 when my parents moved us to the "mainland" - Portland, Oregon. The years in Hawaii shaped my culinary attitude so much more than I am even aware of. Sashimi and sushi doesn't really seem like a delicacy - it seems like it should be part of an every day diet (although living in Florida, I have accepted the former). Words like poki and musubi peak my interest, and you haven't LIVED until you've tried local Ice Cream Mochi.

But I digress...

Those familiar with Japanese culture, know how important the New Year holiday is. Those of you that know Hawaii, know how integrated Japanese culture is (among others). With that said, I need to admit that my family didn't really celebrate the New Year until we moved to Oregon. That was when we became good friends with a family whose matriarch has Japanese Ancestry and was also relocated from the islands. For my entire high school career (and a bit beyond) I recall eating over there every New Years Day. When I moved to Florida, this same matriarch shared a few things with me so I could recreate the holiday in my own home.

In the past, New Years Day has included: shoyu chicken, chicken long rice, lomi lomi salmon, rice, sashimi, Kalua pork, sushi, ozoni, butter mochi, fermented black beans, and a few other items I know I am missing...and probably mispelling. At home in Florida, I did most of those same items - except for the black beans. But THIS year, trying to avoid meat as much as possible, I was stuck. Shoyu chicken can't be vegetarian - neither can chicken long rice, lomi salmon, or Kalua Pork. Those are some mainstays in the feast!

But sushi...well sushi can be anything I want it to be. And mochi is still safe. Thus our "new" New Years was invented:

Veggie, California, and Spicy Tempeh sushi rolls (last one is from Veganomicon)
Vegetarian Chop Chey (Korean noodle dish)
Salad with ginger dressing.
Butter and Regular Mochi
Coconut cupcakes adapted from Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World.

For breakfast, we do Okinawan doughnuts.

For lunch, we will still do a version of Onozi, made without the chicken. I still have to use Dashi, but as we did for Christmas, all land animals have been eliminated.

Now, none of this has answered the questions posed above.

The bags contain the vegetables I pre-chopped for tomorrow's holiday and pre-mixed dry ingredients. It took well over an hour, so I'm glad I got that done ahead of time.

The cookbook is from the elementary school I attended in Hawaii. My mother gave it to me a number of years ago, and it is very "local" in it's flavor. Recipes passed down from generations are in there, and as such, it is one of my most treasured cookbooks. You can't buy that thing in stores. I can't replace it - but when I need a recipe that is "local" in flavor and authenticity - THAT is where I turn. So naturally, that contains some of the recipes I plan on using tomorrow.

You will notice that I don't have any of them posted here, now. I can't give you EVERYTHING in one post, can I? Moreover, I don't have any yummy pictures to post right now either. So...hold tight. I will be sharing them. But I do need fodder for the blog in the coming month!

In the mean time, cuddle up next to someone you love tonight (I plan on doing so), and have a fantastic evening. From my kitchen to yours - I hope 2009 brings nothing but the best!

Happy Cow Cupcakes

So, I have been on the prowl for amazing cakes and cupcakes for a little while now. I had heard some great things about these Vegan Cupcakes, so one evening, I purchased the book.

While we don't practice strict veganism, I love the idea of being able to make cakes and cupcakes without the necessity of animal products. One, I love the idea of shelf stable foods. If they're shelf stable, I can always keep the ingredients on hand. Secondly, buying ethically reasonable animal products gets expensive, so why not just go without the animal?

I made these Mint Chocolate cupcakes along with some carrot cake ones. I didn't love the carrot cake variety - but these were amazing. I must say, the cake part was as good, if not better, than any other cupcake I have tried. I didn't miss the eggs or the milk. In fact, these cupcakes were far and away better than any traditional ones I had tried as of late. I will be turning to this cook book a lot in the future for wonderful, tasty, treats.

Chocolate Mint Cupcakes.

Chocolate cupcakes:
1 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon vinegar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup canola oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
1 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup cocoa powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Mint Icing:
1/4 cup shortening
3 cups confectioners sugar
1/4 cup soy milk
1.5 teaspoons mint extract
1.2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 drop green food coloring

Chocolate topping:
3 tablespoons soy milk
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Whisk the milk and vinegar together in a large bowl, and set aside to let curdle.

Preheat oven to 350 and line muffin tin with paper liners.

Back to the milk mixture: add sugar, oil, and extract. Beat until foam forms.

Sift dry ingredients together, and then add to the wet mixture. Start by adding half, mix, then add other half. Mix until all the large clumps are gone (small are okay). Fill cups 3/4 of the way, bake immediately for 18 to 20 (or until they test clean).

Cool a couple of minutes in the pan, and then on a rack.

When the cupcakes are cool, mash the shortening in a bowl for the frosting. Add the sugar one cup at a time. When all mixed together, add the rest of the ingredients and stir well. Frost with a knife, or add to a pastry bag for effects like the pictures.

Last step: nuke the soy milk for 30-45 seconds. Add in chocolate chips. Stir vigorously until all is melted. Let sit for 10 minutes before spooning over the top of the mint icing.

Garnish as desired. Eat with a smile.

Fresh Pico de Gallo and Black Bean Salad

You know the other day, when I had to apologize for being absent? Well, my promise has come to fruition. Here are the recipes. I made a wonderful, healthy, fresh dinner that night that completely knocked my socks off. AND, the salad tasted better the next day. And it was full of protein and good for me brain food.

And, it was Mexican food...so...how could you top that?


Black Bean Salad

1 cup chopped tomato (seeded)
1 can drained and rinsed black beans
1/2 a medium red onion, chopped
1 cucumber, seeded, peeled, and chopped
2 ears of corn, cobs thrown away after removing the corn.
1 Tablespoon fresh, chopped, cilantro

Dressing:

3 cloves of garlic
juice of one lime
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tablespoon honey
Smoked Chipotle Tabasco, to taste ( I liked 3 dashes).

Toss salad ingredients together.

To make dressing, pound garlic in a mortar and pestle, add salt and make into paste. Continue to pound in oil, lime, and honey until well incorporated. Add to salad and stir.

Season with Tabasco.

Fresh Pico de Gallo

1 cup finely diced tomato
1/4 cup sweet orange peppers, finely diced
2 scallions, thinly diced and separated out
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
Chipotle Tabasco, to taste (again, I liked a few dashes).

Add the vegetables

Smash the garlic and salt into a paste, add to Pico.

Season with Tabasco.

Serve with tortilla chips. Or, in absence of that - we ate it bruschetta style on bread.

My bread, in use.

If you scroll down to yesterday's post, you will see that I successfully modified a French Bread recipe for sandwich bread. However, how can I measure the success of a recipe until I use it? Sure it TASTED good, but what kind of sandwich did it make?

The first effort was the most important - Peanut Butter and Honey sandwich for my young (picky) children. I got this great set of cookie cutters that has about a zillion shapes. I wanted to try a larger one and a smaller one. My batch cut up as easily (if not a little easier than the sore bought bread). Moreover, from the bite that I grabbed, I thought it tasted better. The spongy nature of the bread gave lots of places for the honey and peanut butter to hide!
How did it go for the real judges - my children? Well, my son (who usually only picks at his PBJ's) DEVOURED it. My daughter ate it as quickly as she normally does.

Verdict: The sandwich bread works for the kiddos.

Now, onto a more "grown up" sandwich:
Chickpea Salad:
Mash up a scant 1/3 cup of chickpeas
add: 1/8 - 1/4 of a diced onion.
1 clove of ultra mashed/minced/grated garlic
1 teaspoon of DILL relish (or chopped up dill pickle)
1 teaspoon yellow mustard (or Dijon, if you prefer).
1 Tablespoon of mayo or mayo alternative.
Salt and pepper to taste

Mix together in bowl. It should clump together, but not be over done with mayo.

Spread over bread, put the other slice on top, cut, enjoy!

Verdict: The best chickpea salad sandwich, EVER.

If you're avoiding extra carbs, I have been known to put this salad over a bed of greens and enjoy that way too. It's really very versatile. But then again, why would one want to avoid carbs with this kind of bread hanging around?

When Tomato Met Orange.

They fell madly in love.

Or maybe I fell madly in love. Whatever. During our summer Portland trip, we went on a food tour, and on it visited a deli that served tomato soup. The first sip was one of those where an amateur foodie furrows their eyebrows. The taste was not a problem - it was divine. The problem was that I wanted to identify the flavor. It was something citrus, but I had a hard time pinpointing it. Thankfully, the tour guide knew, and directed me: Orange. I was told that the recipe was online, but could not find it. So, I did some research and found that it was as simple as adding some orange juice to a tomato soup recipe. I have an standby I use often, so I figured a variation wouldn't be difficult. My variety is a slight be different - improved for my palate. If you're after a knock-off, I would suggest flying out to Portland and getting some there.

Softly Spicy Tomato Orange Soup

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil.
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 pounds of tomatoes, diced
zest of one orange
1/2 teaspoon garam marsala
1/2 teaspoon cardamom
1 6 oz can of tomato paste.
1 carton of vegetable broth
1-1.5 cups FRESH SQUEEZED orange juice
1 Tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped into small pieces.

To cook, start by sauteing the onions and garlic in the olive oil over medium heat.

When the onions are softened, add the tomatoes. If you are feeling so inclined, and like a thicker soup, you can seed and juice the tomatoes. This will change the proportions of things like paste and broth, but you won't have any seeds in the soup. I never do this, but you certainly can.

Cook the tomatoes for around 5 minutes. Add zest, garam marsala, and cardamon. Let cook for another 5 minutes. Reduce heat if necessary.

Add broth and paste, Let cook together for around 10 minutes or so - you want the flavors to meld.

Add soup to a blender or use an immersion blender. When it comes together, add the cilantro and orange juice. Now, I know one question is "can I use store bought?" The answer is "I suppose," but I find store bought to be MUCH stronger. It makes it very easy to overdo the orange flavor in the soup. Even with the fresh, I would also suggest adding just a cup of the OJ. Then cook for a few minutes, and taste. Assess to see if you want to intensify the orange flavor or not. A fresh orange is not a standardized product - depending on the freshness, season, and ripeness, you could get an entirely different flavor. You can't un-add something you've added, so it's better to add slow, taste, and add again.

Simmer for as long as you want to reduce, thicken, and meld. Let sit in the pot for 10 minutes or so off the burner to continue the flavor union.
Season with salt and pepper, garnish with additional cilantro, if desired. Serve with crusty bread.

Curried Quinoa Pilaf

It has been a crazy week in our home. The storms pushed us out of school just two days after we started, which means Monday I had to start all over again. This week has been a real bear. Which means I've had limited time in the kitchen, and even more limited time to document and blog. In fact, I made another quinoa dish this week that I just couldn't get a photo of. So now I will have to re-create and document that later.

Today's dish is a quick, easy, skillet meal that you can make as big or small as you want. The first time I made it, it was good. The second time, I added honey which made it MUCH better, and the third time I traded the lemon for lime. The end result? Something truly tasty that can be made from leftovers in minutes.

Curried Quinoa Pilaf

1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion (or 1/2 medium), chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon garam marsala
1/2 teaspoon yellow curry powder
The juice of 1/2 of a lime
1/4 cup diced tomatoes (fresh or canned)
1/3 cup cooked chickpeas
1/4 cup milk
1 Tablespoon nuts (I used pine, but walnuts, peanuts, and pecans would all be good)
1 Teaspoon honey
1 to 1 1/2 cup Quinoa

Heat olive oil in pan over medium to medium high eat.

Add onions and garlic, saute for a moment, until they start to turn translucent.

Add spices and lime. Continue to cook for a minute.

Add tomatoes, cook until the tomatoes start to juice. Then add the chickpeas, and cook for several minutes more.

Once everything has started to release moisture, add the milk. Stir and blend until the milk has been well combined and the sauce starts to turn a little thick.

Add the quinoa, heat. Then add the pine nuts and honey, stir well and saute for another couple of minutes.

Plate and eat. Top with fresh cilantro, if you desire.

This would be just as good with rice, if that is what you had on hand. Since rice is a bit more bland, you might want to reduce the amount of garam marsala slightly.

Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta and Rustic Pan Fried Potatoes

Tomato Bruschetta and Caprese are two of my most favorite things in the world. There's just something about that balsamic and tomato combo that sets my taste buds on fire. The juiciness of the fruit, sweet undertones in the flesh, and then tartness of the balsamic blends indescribably well. Really, it's such a simple pleasure that packs an unbelievable punch. Bruschetta is one of those things that varies greatly between recipes. Meat or vegetarian, cheese or dairy free, crusty or soft bread, Balsamic Vinegar or reduction...the neat thing about bruschetta is that the sky is the limit in creativity.

I started experimenting with my own by creating a finely chopped caprese. Which was okay - but I felt it was lacking. I mean, if I wanted a caprese, I was going to make a caprese. To balance the bread I wanted a depth of flavor that I wasn't quite getting with the relatively bland mozzarella. I thought I had it licked when I discovered balsamic reduction in a restaurant - but that was a very difficult thing to replicate. I was about ready to give up on making the perfect bruschetta, aside from my Mexican Variety.

During our Portland trip, I managed to pick up a mortar and pestle at a cooking store. I'd wanted one for so long, and I was just dying to try it out. One Sunday after we came back home, I was faced with fresh tomatoes, basil, and an idea. What if I were to crush some spices in the mortar and pestle, make a sort of paste, and then form that into a dressing? My Bruschetta was born.
The neat thing about this recipe and method is that you get an even dispersement of garlic/onion/balsamic/salt in every bite. You pound the flavors into submission so every taste is balanced. The vinegar soaks into the garlic, and the olive oil coats throughout - so you don't get that oil/vinegar division you sometimes see in a caprese. The mushrooms add a heaviness to the dish that leaves you feeling completely satisfied - this is a suitable meal and a wonderful appetizer.

Portobello Mushroom Bruschetta for 2-3 (or a really hungry tomato loving one):
2-3 cloves of garlic
1 Tablespoon chopped yellow onion.
1 Tablespoon fresh basil (or I cheated and used this, and it was surprisingly WONDERFUL! In the ingredients, it lists basil, marjoram, parsley, oregano, and thyme as the herbs included)
1 teaspoon of salt (you can add more at the end if you need more).
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
2 Tablespoons good balsamic vinegar
5 small (vine ripened) tomatoes
3 portobello mushroom caps.

In the oven, bake the mushroom caps at 350 until soft. If desired, sprinkle olive oil and a pinch of salt over the top before baking. Be careful to use a baking dish with sides, as the mushrooms will release water and that will make a smoky mess! My alarm company was not impressed.

Take mushrooms out and set aside.

In mortar and pestle, crush the garlic and onion together. Add salt and blend/smoosh. Add basil. Continue blending and smooshing. That's a technical term. It's also an indie band (the things you learn about on wiki - I was just trying to be a smartie pants.)

When everything is nicely combined, add olive oil, and blend, then add balsamic, and stir/smoosh until everything is well combined. Let sit.

Chop mushrooms into small pieces and place into a separate bowl.

Seed tomatoes and chop, then add to the mushrooms.

Pour mixture out of the mortar and pestle into the mushrooms and tomatoes. TASTE! Add balsamic, salt, and course ground pepper to taste.

Now, the bruschetta was wonderful, but (as a typical woman) - I wanted more.

Rustic Pan Fried Potatoes for 2-3

4-5 Red potatoes
1 small onion
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 teaspoons dried rosemary
2 teaspoons rubbed sage
course salt and pepper to taste (this puppy takes a lot of salt).
Water as needed.

Dice onions, mince garlic, and chop potatoes.

Place the Olive Oil in a pan set at medium. Toss in onions and garlic and let sizzle for a minute or so.
Add potatoes. Let the potatoes get a nice, pretty, brown color to them.

Add in spices, a dash of water for steam, and cover. Turn down to low.

Let potatoes cook until desired softness. Add more water if vegetables begin to burn and stick undesirably to the bottom.

Add salt and pepper to taste. Optional: a little lemon juice would probably add a nice complexity.

I served this with the 15 Minute French bread, this time made with bread flour instead of all purpose. I liked this better. It was heartier and the loaf held up better. I think I will try this in a loaf pan to see if I can get a good sandwich bread.

One last thing -all of these dishes can be made with significantly less oil for the fat conscious. The bruschetta flavors are most intensely balsamic vinegar and salt - the olive oil just acts to balance it. You could skip part or all, but be aware that there will be very little counteracting the bitterness of the balsamic. Keep this in mind as you add it to the tomatoes. In the potatoes, since you use the water to steam, you could use a little organic spray oil to coat the pan and keep it from sticking. You could also use a non-stick pan and eliminate the need for the oil all together. However, without oil, you won't get the pretty and tasty brown crust on the potatoes. It's a tradeoff, and it depends on how strict your diet is.

A Vegan Alternative to Sloppy Joes.

I recently purchased the cookbook Veganomicon, and finally got around to trying one of the recipes - Snobby Joes. It is a vegan take on the beef favorite. I have to admit. It was excellent. Instead of using a "fake meat" - you create the substance with lentils. It is a fairly quick meal and reheats well. It's also VERY pantry friendly, as the only fresh veggies are onions and green peppers.

Lentil Sloppy Joes - Inspired from the very wonderful cookbook Veganomicon.

1 cup uncooked lentils
4 cups of water
1 medium yellow or white onion, chopped
1 green pepper, seeded and chopped
2 teaspoons garlic powder or 2 cloves garlic
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like heat)
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 teaspoon salt
1 small can of tomato paste
1/2 regular can tomato sauce.
2 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
1 Tablespoon yellow mustard
bread from French bread, toasted if made the day prior.

(1) Boil the water and add the lentils. Cook until soft, 20 minutes or so.

(2) Use a bit of oil and cook onions and peppers until they start to soften. Also cook garlic if using fresh.

(3) When vegetables start to soften, add oregano, salt, garlic if using powdered, and cayenne pepper. Stir for just a moment, then add the sauce and paste. Let simmer on low for 10 minutes.

(4) Add the cooked and drained lentils. Let simmer on low for 10 or so.

(5) Add the syrup and mustard, let heat through.

(6) Slice bread in chunks, and then through the middle to get the bread like the picture.

Tastes even better the next day!

The easiest party dish ever.

Now grab a tortilla chip and dig in. Yum.

I had to bring in a "covered dish" for a summer staff development. Because of my own dietary needs, it also had to be low fat, vegetarian, and hearty enough to hold me if everyone else brought a meat dish.

I immediately thought of the layered bean dip I adopted from my mother. Now, she got this from a friend in Hawaii, and you have to be aware that this is a dish you can make as fatty or as healthy as you want. In my opinion (and the discerning taste of my husband) - the lighter version is just as delicious. Considering that it was completely eaten up before I left - I'd say that my fellow teachers didn't mind it either.

Layered Bean Dip

1 can re fried beans or bean dip (I use Old El Paso Fat Free).
2-3 avocados smashed with lime juice
1 Package Taco Seasoning (make your own?)
1 16 oz-ish tub of sour cream (I use fat free - you can use Greek yogurt, but it's not as good)
Diced tomatoes
Shredded cheese (I use 2% Mexican generally, never go fat free - it's terrible)
1 small can of sliced olives
3 scallions, thinly sliced in rings
jalepeno if you like them.

(1) Mix the tub of sour cream and taco seasoning together. Let sit for a while. It's fine to whip it up the night before - the longer it sits the better. In fact, if you get going and realize that the tub is just "too much" for the plate that you are making - keep the rest and use it as a vegetable dip. It's wonderful!

(1) Grab a large plate. Any shape, varied sizes, you will make the dip to it! I get the smaller of the two pizza pans I have (maybe 20 inches in diameter?), put down some aluminum foil to cover the holes (and make for easy clean up), and use that. I always have a little rim of plate around. To make it pretty, you can push chips in the sides at serving time to give the dip a fun "border." Even prettier with colored chips.

(3) Spread the beans down first, then the avocado mixture, followed by the sour cream. I like to leave the avocados more chunky (I like big hunks of avocado on my chips), but this is to your taste. I suggest trying the three bottom layers to decide what flavor suits you, and decide on proportions for that. The sour cream mixture is salty, so I wouldn't make that layer TOO thick.

(4) Now comes the tomatoes. Again, to your taste. I love how the tomatoes balance the salty flavor of the sour cream, so I use a fair amount here.

(5) The cheese, more means more calories, so you adjust to what you need.

(6) The final ingredients on top, to taste. (7) Enjoy with a good corn chip. I love Kettle's or Garden of Eatin's

For us, this is a completely reasonable dinner - especially during football season!

Seitan Ribs, from the Fat Free Vegan

Yesterday, I wrote about a few new blogs. One of them was the fat free vegan, and that is the same blog that I got this recipe from.

As I said before, my husband is a meat substitute phobe. He raises an eyebrow at anything that is supposed to mimic meat. We've found a few good substitutes, but the default is always that he won't like it.

I had read bits and pieces about Seitan, and I was starting to feel pretty positive about it. Seitan is made from vital wheat gluten, which is the "binder" in breads. In fact, vital wheat gluten is something many bakers keep on hand for their baked goods. On one of the Weight Watcher boards, I followed a link for "ribz" and ended up at the Fat Free Vegan. She was writing about her Fourth of July feast, which included Seitan Riblets.

Let me start by saying that they really are quite tasty - and the husband did enjoy them! Let me give you a few tips that weren't clearly spelled out at the Fat Free Vegan's site:

(1) DO NO clean up vital wheat gluten with water. You know that rubber-cement like stuff on the back of tags taken off of magazines? That's sort of what VWG is like when wet. Dust it off, and just wipe off the residue. Oh...and be careful with your sink - I'm still trying to clean the sludge out.

(2) The instructions say "knead," but this doesn't mean "knead" like you would a loaf of bread. You can't stretch it out and pull it apart like you can bread dough. Instead, you want to keep the ball of Seitan together, just pressing down, then cupping the very spongy dough back together. Don't flatten and lop over like bread - Seitan doesn't worth that way.

(3) When you spread the Seitan into the pan, it takes some serious effort. I had to work the dough vigorously for quite some time to get it spread out in the pan. Don't give up - it will come together eventually.

Other than that, Seitan is amazingly simple and something we will be trying again! The whole pan is 20 points, so if you divide it into 4, that's 5 points a serving. It's a nice "go to" meal, as Vital Wheat Gluten is a shelf-stable ingredient that can be kept on hand for a substantive meal.

Two vegetarian finds.

My husband is a fake-meat phobe. Seriously. When we became vegetarians, his one stipulation was that I don't try to force "matrix meat" into him. Consequently, I mostly try to cook without it.

A good friend (vegetarian) had a super bowl party. She had this chili dip that I tasted (thinking that it had no meat), and found myself a little upset that I tasted hamburger. Later, I heard her say it had no meat, and that she used a Boca crumble. The husband and I enthusiastically agreed that we couldn't tell the difference.

A bit later, I read about how wonderful these frozen vegan riblets were. I got a little curious and bought them one day - and low and behold - they WERE good. They taste remarkably like meat, the sauce is wonderful, and they're way low in points weight watcher points (I want to say 3 or so, but double check if you're on weight watchers).

Well, the vegan riblets went over so well, I decided to try the meatballs. And you know what? They were really good too! And only two points per serving (6 whole meatballs)!

This has given me the gumption to try seitan, which is on the menu for this week (oh...I really should get back into doing that on here...mental note). My husband is definitely feeling more open to them, so I better capitalize.

As an aside, the Tofurky franks are pretty much awful. Don't even bother.

The worst thing to hit a food blogger...

A stomach bug!

I must apologize, dear readers, for neglecting you an entire week. Alas, life got BUSY and then I got SICK...and well...here we sit. Consequently, I have precious few tidbits to give you. However, I will try to scramble a couple of things together.

#1 - Right before the icky hit, I discovered a wonderful new mushroom dish. While vacationing in Minneapolis, MN, we once hit dinner at a great restaurant called Manny's. It is NOT a vegetarian's delight. In fact, it is quite the opposite. The husband and I suffered through, though. We're vegetarians from the health and political perspective, not moral, so cheating every now and again is allowed. I think ball and chain felt it was a good cheat, indeed. One of the family-style "side" dishes was a stewed mushroom that was phenomenal. I wanted to dive in and bathe in it. And, I was eating LIVE MAINE LOBSTER (well, it was dead when I ate it, clearly). So...for me to be impressed by mushrooms. Well...you get the idea!

Speed forward to this last week, when mushrooms went on sale. I found recipes, all the while actually forgetting about the heavenly mushrooms in Minnesota, until I whipped up these. Oh my goodness, they are SO close. I made them with whole baby portobello mushroom caps. Heaven. I served them over rice, but I really think they needed a good cous-cous, polenta, or maybe even a pasta. White rice just didn't meet the flavor and substance of the shrooms head on like I wanted.

#2 - I am spring cleaning and I simply MUST sing the praises of a grand household cleaner that ALL of you should have in your pantry right now: vinegar. Just plain 'ole white distilled. I keep it in a spray bottle, with a hefty amount of lavender oil (lavender is a natural anti-bacterial substance). I'd say about 15 drops or so. Vinegar dissolves oil and grime well. Trust me, with two little ones - I give it a WORK OUT. It also can double as a wonderful window and mirror cleaner - with no streaks. I used it on my TV, my kid's toys, everywhere! Once it's dry, the vinegar smell goes away, leaving the faint hint of lavender. Plus, I'm cleaning all the areas of the house with a kid-friendly substance that they can DRINK and will never be hurt. Really, it's a household miracle as far as I am concerned.

It's just one of the suggestions from a book I recommended ages ago. Seriously, give it a whirl. I adore that I spent a solid hour cleaning without any damage to my hands. AND, my house is a clean as it would have been with harsh chemicals. Cleaner even - that other junk always leaves some sort of residue somewhere. The vinegar does not!

Tomorrow I am making tomato soup. In double, triple, batches. I will post about that this weekend, tomorrow even. It's a date!

Oink, Oink (save the pigs)

My very Midwestern husband and I decided to dabble in vegetarianism shortly after the Christmas Holiday. His "bad" cholesterol was steadily rising, and his triglycerides were through the roof. Needing to bring these numbers down (um, hello, not about to be a single mom to two if I can avoid it), I suggested trying our hand at no meat. We had been doing the moderation thing for some time (little to no red meat, avoiding meat some nights of the week), but it just wasn't working like we needed to. So, I looked a few things up online, discovered some research supporting vegetarianism, and presented it to my husband. I asked him to give me a month, he obliged. Unhappily.

Although it was feared to be a painful transition, it turns out that it's not that hard to give up meat. I got really good at cooking up beans: black, red, pinto, and even black eyed peas. We realized that (in most things) we didn't miss the meat. In fact, we recently went to a favorite Japanese Steak House - the kind where they cook your meal in front of you. We ordered the vegetable dinner and found ourselves barely able to complete the meal. On our way out I asked "how did we ever finish all that food!?" Neither of us knew.

After a month, we both felt better. We had more energy, and found our digestive tracks working a bit cleaner. We went to a church function, ate pot roast, and it felt so heavy in our stomachs. If all that wasn't enough, we have the chemistry to prove this lifestyle is better for us. J's triglycerides went down by some 50 points, his "bad cholesterol" is down to normal, and his overall cholesterol is down to 159 (from 180). No meds, no increased exercise. All we did was cut out the meat.

The only problem in this whole plan is that I now have to "reinvent" holidays. We have created some yummy traditions here. This includes ham on Easter, and it's one of my husbands most favorite meals.

For Easter this year, I combed the web for a suitable alternative. Of course, it occurred to me that I could still make eggs (we eat animal products - just no meat). What's more Easter than eggs? So, I found a quiche recipe, cheesy potatoes, and a spring salad. I then planned on carrot cake for dessert, and deviled eggs for a tasty after-church snack (I only had...oh...two dozen brightly colored hard boiled eggs to find a use for).

The quiche recipe wasn't all that great. I'd never made a quiche before, so this was a first. I don't think I cared for it all that much. It was had too many flavors competing for the same palate. I think the pesto and goat cheese would have been plenty. Or the pesto and tomatoes. Or the goat cheese and tomatoes. Not all three. I also wanted something meaty - like mushrooms - to balance all the flavor. I will say that my crust turned out amazing. Light and flaky. At some point, I will give my pie 101 course, and I will detail the ins and outs of a fantastic crust. In the mean time, I have to go against the perfect 5 start rating at all recipes and say this will not be a return show for us. At least not in it's current form.

The potatoes were "eh" as well. I love a good cheesy potato, and this just didn't do it for me. It was done before the potatoes were, and when I eat potatoes I like them really cooked. I like more creamy, less oily, and got the opposite. It also needed a lot of salt to be tasty enough. The salty flavor just didn't add the depth that I wanted from that heavy of a dish.

The salad was really good. Who would have thought that a dressing from ketchup would have been so tasty? We left out the bacon bits and croutons. Not only is it healthier that way, but I think there are more than enough flavors to make that salad without those two additives.

Finally, the carrot cupcakes. These were really good - full of good ingredients and tasty morsels. You mix the dry ingredients, wet ingredients + sugar, and all the additives (pineapple, walnuts, carrots, raisins, and coconut) in separate bowls. The bowl with additives was as large as the other bowls. It was all "guts" and I feared they would be too much for the batter. I was wrong. I topped with a very basic cream cheese frosting: stick of butter, 8 oz brick of cream cheese, cream with mixer. Add 4 cups confectioner's sugar and one teaspoon of vanilla, blend with mixer until creamy. I added frosting to a piping bag and swirled it on the top of each cupcake. Tasty AND beautiful! When I make them for guests in the future, I will need to add some sort of garnish. A beautiful orange twirl of carrot anchored in the frosting would be perfect.

So, I think it will be "back" to the drawing board next year. On the plus side the egg salad sandwiches have been OH so tasty. I also have a last minute tip for using all those hard boiled eggs: to add zip to your potato salad, egg salad, or deviled eggs: Tabasco sauce. It really gave a nice "punch" to the flavors that I wasn't expecting.