Eggs and Greens

Tags

Easy, eggs, Kale, leftovers, Quick, Vegetarian

Usually when I’m home alone I get pretty creative for my meals. Especially if there are leftovers in the fridge. Today I had leftover Cardamom Scented Quinoa from my African Peanut Stew and stewed kale with onions (which is the same recipe as here, just with a different green). I’d had oatmeal for breakfast, so I opted to have eggs for lunch. I heated up the leftovers, fried up a couple of eggs, layered it all up and voila! Eggs and Greens.

African Peanut Stew with Quinoa

Tags

Canned Tomatoes, cilantro, peanuts, recipes, Smokey, spicy, sweet potato, vegan, Vegetarian

Fair warning, this dish has a good amount of prep. It’s easy prep, but there’s a lot of chopping going on. Unfortunately that may prevent it from being on your weeknight dinner list. The good news is, it makes quite a lot and get’s better as it sits. So make it on a Sunday afternoon and have it in the fridge for later in the week.

All that said, this is one of the most delightful meals I’ve had in a long time. Also, having just finished vacation, I was craving some good home-made vegetarian food . There’s something about this stew that sort of warms you to the bone. It’s got a deep, smokey heat within creamy sweet potatoes and the rich nuttiness of fresh peanut butter.

The best thing about this stew is how incredibly healthy it is, while being deeply satisfying. I only used 1 tbsp. of olive oil in the whole dish. That combined with the 1/4 cup of peanut butter or almond butter, if you prefer, makes this stew low in fat. Also, I only added a few grinds of sea salt and black pepper at the end, so it’s really low in sodium too. I do tend to use salt free nut butters though, so be sure to taste and adjust according to your personal tastes. It’s also LOADED with vegetables.

The quinoa also had a special twist. I added cardamom and cinnamon to the quinoa for a flowery, spiciness that went perfectly with the flavors of the stew. I picked up this recipe somewhere along the way and have adjusted it to my tastes over time. It’s nearly my default recipe for quinoa, whether I’m having Indian or African flavors or just grilled vegetables.

Recipe

• Olive Oil, 1 tbsp.
• Purple Onion, 2, medium sized, diced
• Green Pepper, 1, large, diced
• Carrot, Medium, diced
• Celery, 2 stalks, diced
• Garlic, 6 cloves, minced
• Ginger, 2 tbsp., minced
• Chipotle Pepper Sauce, in sauce, 1 tbsp.
• Curry Powder, Yellow, 1 tbsp.
• Diced Tomatoes, 14 oz.
• Vegetable Stock, 1 qt.
• Sweet Potato, 1, large, diced large
• Peanut or Almond Butter, 1/2 cup, chunky or coarse
• Edamame, 10 oz., shelled, frozen or fresh
• Cilantro, 1/4 cup, chopped roughly
• Baby Spinach, 4 oz.
• Sea Salt
• Black Pepper
• Green Onion, 2, sliced in rounds
• Cardamom Scented Quinoa

Heat oil in a large pot or dutch over, over medium heat. Add onions, peppers, carrots and celery and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, ginger, chipotle pepper sauce and curry powder and mix to combine everything well. Add tomatoes and stir to combine. Let this simmer until slightly thickened, 2-4 minutes.

Add the vegetable stock and sweet potatoes and bring to a hard simmer. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low, cooking until the sweet potatoes are just tender.

Stir in the peanut butter and mix well. Remove from heat and add the edamame, cilantro, spinach, salt and pepper, stirring to combine. Serve over a bed of quinoa topped with green onions.

*This recipe was inspired by Relish.

Cardamom Scented Quinoa

Tags

cardamom, cinnamon, quinoa, scented, side dish

This is my go to recipe for quinoa. I use it for nearly all of my quinoa needs. Quinoa is fabulous on it’s own too, but there’s just something about the flowery, spicy aroma of this quinoa that blow’s my mind, and so, I make. A lot.

It’s really, really easy. To a medium pot add 1 1/3 cups water, 3 crushed cardamom pods, a pinch of salt and a pinch of cinnamon. Bring this to a boil and add 3/4 cup of quinoa. Cover and lower heat to medium-low. Cook for about 10 minutes or until all of the moisture has been absorbed.

Staples: Chipotle Pepper Sauce

Tags

Easy, Smokey, spicy, Vegetarian

One thing I always have in my freezer is chipotle pepper sauce. I add it to all kinds of things so I love to have it on hand. I add it to chili, tomato based sauces, soups and even tempeh and tofu marinades.

All you have to do is buy a can of chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, throw it in your food chopper and puree. Once it’s pureed, put in a jar or freezer safe tupperware, or even ice cube trays, and it’s ready whenever you need it.

I find that pureeing my chipotle peppers provides me with a lot more usable product that has a balanced flavor from the first spoonful to the last. There’s still plenty of heat going on too. Just a tablespoon worth is enough to add a subtle smokey heat and two tablespoons gives you a nice spicy chili.

Great Find: 3-Tier Dessert Holder/Produce Basket

Tags

creative, equipment, organization, produce

I was at Target the other day, wandering around as I do, and came across this 3-Tier Dessert Holder. I don’t really need such a thing, but I wouldn’t mind having one around as long as I can use it for something else in the meantime. I’d been looking for a produce basket for sometime and using an extra large stainless steel bowl. So when I saw this dessert tray and that it was rather large I thought it would make a perfect produce basket. Just as a point of reference, the yellow onions on the bottom are nearly softball sized, so it’s got space. I also love that I can separate different types of produce and that the bananas work perfectly on the top. It just goes to show you that sometimes, you have to look in unexpected places to find something that works for your kitchen. Be creative and think outside the box.

 

*Please note that this blog post is in no way attempting to promote any specific product or store.

Vegan Creole Stew

Tags

Easy, farmer's market, Quick, recipes, Smokey, spicy, tomatoes, vegan, Vegetarian

I am all about easy one pot meals, especially on a weeknight. And though I am pretty good at just throwing ingredients together and coming up with something, I do like to have some go to recipes that save me when my brain is too tired to function.

This vegan creole stew combines a ton of veggies with the smoky, spicy flavors of a gumbo. It’s also fairly quick and once everything is in the pot, you can practically ignore it for about an hour.

I had some okra from the farmer’s market in the freezer waiting to get used, which is why tonight was the night for this stew. You could also use frozen okra from the store, whatever you’ve got is fine. I went all out and made my own creole seasoning too, the recipe is below.

Enjoy!

Recipe

• Olive Oil, 2 tbsp.
• Onion, 1 large, diced
• Celery, 2 ribs, diced
• Green Pepper, 1 large, diced
• Garlic, 4 cloves, minced
• Creole Seasoning, 2 to 3 tbsp. (see below)
• Diced Tomatoes, 1 1/2 cups
• Okra, 2 cups sliced
• Collard Greens, about 8 oz, chopped
• Kidney Beans, 1 can rinsed and drained
• Vegetable Stock, 2 cups
• Green Onion, 2, sliced in rings
• Polenta, 1 box Instant
• Vegan Butter, 2 generous tbsp. (for Polenta)

Creole Seasoning Blend
(This filled up about 1/3 of a 16 oz. almond butter jar)

• 1 tablespoons onion powder
• 1 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoons dried oregano
• 1 tablespoons dried basil
• 1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1/2 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons salt

Heat olive oil in an extra large skillet, dutch over or sauce pot over medium heat. Add onions, peppers and celery and cook until translucent, about 10 minutes. Add garlic and cook another two minutes.

Next, add your creole seasoning, tomatoes, okra, beans, collards and stock. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover pot. Let simmer for about an hour.

About 15 minutes before your stew is done, prepare your polenta according to package directions. I tend to use instant polenta. It’s really, really quick and comes together perfectly.

Serve stew over polenta, garnished with green onions.

Pilgrim Pie, a Thanksgiving Leftover Casserole

Tags

Easy, leftovers, Quick, recipes, Thanksgiving, vegan, Vegetarian

This dish uses the last of our Thanksgiving leftovers. Actually, I do have a fair amount of stuffing in the freezer but other than that our kitchen is free from Thanksgiving leftovers.

I through it together when I was doing my post-Thanksgiving refrigerator cleaning. It was a quick meal for later in the week when I would likely be too tired to cook. It turned our really great and waiting a few days to enjoy it gave my stomach and taste buds a bit of time to re-calibrate after the initial Thanksgiving feast. There was a small amount of extra prep to make this happen, but it was well worth it.

I realize it’s a little late for Thanksgiving leftovers at this point, but as many of my recipes show, it is a lesson of creativity on how to use leftovers.

The first thing I did was put about three cups of my Vegan Apple Pecan Cornbread Stuffing into the food processor and turn it into crumbs to line the baking dish with.

The next step was to crumble up some of my Vegan Thanksgiving Loaf and brown it. I did this for caramelization and to cook out some of the excess moisture. I thought this would lend best to a nice texture in the finished Pilgrim Pie.

I then began to layer everything up in the baking dish. So, once the stuffing crumbs were in, I layered on about 2 cups of the crumbled, caramelized loaf. After that I added the leftover Vegan Green Bean Casserole, about a cup of mixed frozen vegetables, Vegan Mushroom Gravy, crispy onions and Vegan Mashed Potatoes. I topped that off with the last of the crispy onions and voila, I had Pilgrim Pie!

At this point, I wrapped it up and stuck in the refrigerator for later in the week. When it was time to cook it, I set the oven to 350 degrees and baked it, covered, for about an hour. I then removed the covering and baked it for about 5 more minutes for the crispy onions to get even more golden and delicious.

Add the last precious spoonfuls of the most incredible Roasted Cranberry Chutney and some Vegan Mushroom Gravy and you’re ready to eat.

Banana and Cranberry Bread Pudding

Tags

baked, banana, cranberries, custard, Easy, Quick, recipes, Vegetarian

This recipe is all about the baguette that was slowly dying on my counter. And though I love a good baguette (smeared with butter), I wasn’t really in the mood. The baguette in question had been on my counter for a couple of days now and likely would have made it to my garbage at some point tomorrow. But I didn’t want to throw it away, so I got to thinking and looking around my kitchen and this is what came of it.

I should also note that I didn’t have all of the ingredients necessary for a typical bread pudding, so I improvised. I didn’t have milk or enough soy milk, so as I’ve done so many times before, I used half and half cut with water. I didn’t have enough sugar so I added a banana and some dried cranberries along with some sugar. I also didn’t have any vanilla, but I’m hoping that the flavor from the banana will suffice on that front as well. So, this recipe is a lesson about using what you have on hand and making something beautiful and delicious.

I hope you enjoy.

Recipe

• Baguette or bread, 3 1/2 cups, stale and cubed (about 2/3 of a baguette)
• Dried Cranberries, 1/4 cup
• Banana, 1, chopped
• Half and Half, 1 cup
• Water, 1 cup
• Eggs, 2
• Sugar, 1/2 cup
• Cinnamon, 1/4 tsp.
• Nutmeg, a pinch
• Butter, 3 tbsp. divided
• Pecans, 1/4 cup, chopped and toasted
• Maple Syrup for dressing (optional)

Pre-heat your oven to 325 degrees.

Melt two tablespoons of butter and set aside to cool.

Add your bread, banana’s and cranberries to a medium sized baking dish. I don’t have many mid-sized baking vessels, but I do have a nice variety of cast iron, so I decided to use cast iron. This is an 8 inch skillet and worked perfectly. Toss ingredients together so that everything is distributed throughout. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, add your milk, eggs, sugar, cinnamon and nutmeg and combine well with a whisk. Whisk in your cooled butter.

Pour the milk mixture over the top of the bread mixture and gently smoosh the bread down with a spatula or spoon. You don’t want to stir, your just helping the bread on top get it’s fair share of custard. Let this sit for about 5 minutes so the bread can drink up some of the liquid.

Once the bread has had a nice drink of custard, top it with the pecans. Take the last tablespoon of butter and chop it into small cubes and distribute evenly over the top of the custard. Bake for about an hour, checking around the 50 minute mark. When checking the custard should be firm and no longer soupy and the top will be golden.

*I’ve also made this with gluten free baguettes from the Whole Foods frozen section. It was absolutely delicious!

Camp Chili, veggie style

Tags

camping, Canned Tomatoes, Easy, Quick, recipes, spicy, tomatoes, Vegetarian

This is really a paired down version of my basic chili recipe, but done over a campfire. Now I know that campfire chili is nothing new, but I didn’t find many campfire chili recipes out there with fresh vegetables and no meat. So I post this recipe for two reasons, the first is to add an easily accessible vegetarian campfire chili recipe to the mix and the other is to help people realize that you don’t have to rely on the old traditional camping food loaded with meat when spending time outdoors.

Recipe

• Vegetable Oil, 1 tbsp.
• Onion, 1/2 medium, chopped
• Peppers, 1/2 medium, chopped
• Sweet Potato, 1 small, diced
• Zucchini, 1/2 medium chopped
• 1 can kidney beans
• 1 can diced tomato
• 1 can vegetable stock
• Chili Powder, 1 tbsp.
• Ground Cumin, 1/4 tsp.
• Garlic Powder, 1/4 tsp.
• Shredded Cheese, optional

You’ll want to get your cast iron on the fire about 30 minutes before you’re ready to cook. This is to insure that it is sufficiently hot when your ready to add your ingredients. The amount of heat you actually get when cooking over a campfire can be deceiving. In this situation you’re going to essentially want to saute your vegetables as opposed them being enclosed in a dutch oven or foil and cooking directly in the fire. That said, you’ll want to be sure that your pan is over the warmest part of the fire so that you get enough heat to actually saute.

Once your pan is hot, add the oil and heat for a moment, then add the onions, peppers and sweet potato. Cook until the sweet potato begins to soften and is nearly al dente. Add the zucchini, beans, tomatoes, stock and seasonings, stir well and let simmer for about half an hour or until the sweet potato is tender.

Serve up this tasty and hardy chili sprinkled with some shredded cheese or along side some crusty bread.

P.S. One of the most important things to keep in mind when planning a camping menu is plan recipes that use the same ingredients. This will help to insure that you have use for any leftovers and can buy and pack less. For instance, this chili recipe was used on a camping trip where I also made huevos campos, breakfast burritos and vegetarian sausage and peppers. Since all of these meals use the same or similar ingredients, I was able to buy and pack less than if all of our meals used different ingredients.

Apple Hand Pies

Tags

Easy, Quick, recipes, Thanksgiving, Vegetarian

And yet another recipe for Thanksgiving leftovers has emerged. I had some leftover apples from my apple tart so thought I’d make some apple hand pies. I used a pre-made pie crust for these so they were quick and easy. I also cooked my apple filling before assembling these hand pies. I wanted the sauce to be at it’s thickened point to avoid the potential mess.

These are really easy to make and you can throw them in the freezer for weeknight desserts too!

Recipe

• Granny Smith Apples, 4 medium
• Sugar, 1/4 cup
• Cinnamon, pinch
• Lemon Juice, 1/2 lemon worth, about 1 1/2 tsps.
• Cornstarch, 2 tbsp.
• Water, 1/4 cup
• Pie Dough, 1 pre-made/store bought

Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees.

Peel, core and chop your apples and add to a medium bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon, lemon juice and cornstarch and combine well. Set the bowl aside for about half an hour, stirring occasionally. I do this because I’m usually doing something else and this gives me the opportunity to walk away as needed. I also think it helps all of the flavors blend together.

After half an hour or so, heat a skillet over medium heat and add the apple mixture. Cook until the apple’s are tender and the sauce is thickened, adding a little water as needed. Once the apples are tender and the sauce nice and thick, remove from heat and let cool thoroughly.

Once the apple mixture has cooled thoroughly, prepare your pie dough by quartering a full size 9 inch pie crust into 4 large triangles. You’ll want to wait until the apples cool first because you’ll need to work fairly quickly in order to keep the pie dough as cold as possible. A cold pie dough bakes up lighter and flakier. Next, spoon about 2 tablespoons worth into the center of each triangle being careful to stay at least a half an inch away from the edges.

Carefully fold the pie dough over, lengthwise, so that the edges connect. Crimp the edges on the two open sides with a fork or your fingers, sealing completely. Place the hand pies on an ungreased cookie sheet and gently cut 3 slits in the top of each for ventilation. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden.

Remove from oven and let cool about 15 minutes before devouring!