Greetings from Ohio!

Well, it's been a while since I've blogged, but I have good reason! In early April, we found out my husband was accepted into a residency program to become an Orthopedic Physician Extender.... in Boise, Idaho. It's a very small, selective field and position, so we jumped at the chance.

We immediately listed our house, and in just a few days were faced with two offers! We spent the past 5 weeks packing up and loading everything into storage. Because our house sold so fast, we're homeless! So Violet and I are now living in Cincinnati with my parents for 6 weeks until we move to Boise, and my husband is still in Florida, working and living with his parents.

I don't think I'll do much blogging until we're settled in Boise, and even then, things may be limited, I was only able to take 2 small boxes of kitchen supplies! I even had to leave my kitchen aid in storage!

So send us some good luck thoughts in a few weeks, as we make the 29 hour drive to Boise with a toddler and the dogs :)

Zesty White Bean Burgers

In my never ending search for the perfect veggie burger I came across this one from The Sweets Life, and immediately put it on the menu. It can be hard to get a good texture when making a bean-only burger, but this one was crisp on the outside and full of flavor on the inside. The thick layer of cheese made it decadent, and the cool avocado toned down the heat. I topped it with a little chipotle ranch and served sweet potato wedges on the side. I will definitely be making a big batch to form and freeze for quick, weeknight dinners!

Zesty White Bean Burgers

slightly adapted from The Sweets Life

2 c. cooked great northern beans

1 4.5 oz. can chopped green chilies, undrained

1/4 large red onion, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 c. old fashioned oats

1 egg, beaten

Salt and pepper

1 tsp. ground cumin

1/2 c. cornmeal

2 tbsp. canola oil

Sliced pepper jack cheese

1 avocado, sliced

Toasted buns, if desired (we omitted)

Place beans in the bowl of a food processor and pulse until chunky and slightly mashed.

Transfer to a large bowl, add chilies, onion, oats, egg, salt, pepper and cumin.

Shape into 4 patties, then place in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to firm up.

Heat a large skillet over medium-high, and preheat oven to 400*

Add oil, bring to temperatre, then add patties. 

Cook until golden brown on the first side, about 4-5 minutes, then flip.

Transfer to the oven and allow patties to cook for 15 minutes, or until cooked through.

Top with cheese, turn the oven off and allow cheese to melt.

Remove from the oven, top with avocado and place in buns, serve. 

Apple Passion Mango Champagne Punch

This past weekend I had the most wonderful time co-hosting a baby shower with two of my best friends for our friend Kate. She is due with a baby girl in early June, so we planned a springy yellow and gray themed shower. We spent some time together brainstorming and found that each one of us could take the lead on one thing, but we all worked so well together to execute it.  

I was finally able to do the dessert bar I've been wanting to do for a shower, and it was a big hit! I'll be posting some of the recipes in the future, but most are on the blog already. What I am going to post is the amazing punch recipe we kind of just made up as we went along. I've made plenty of champagne punches, and my general mix is a bottle of champagne, a concentrate, club soda and ginger ale. The other two co-hosts and I went grocery shopping the night before the shower and decided to just see what the store had. We were intrigued by an Apple Passion Mango concentrate, so we went with it. This was far and away the best punch I've ever had, refreshing, sweet, and full of flavor! It was simple to make, and makes a ton! 

Apple Passion Mango Champagne Punch

a Veggie by Season original

2 cans of Old Orchard Apple Passion Mango concentrate 

3 bottles of extra dry champagne (cheap stuff!)

1 2 liter of ginger ale

1 2 liter of club soda

1-2 packages of frozen mango chunks (may want to start with one, refresh with another later on)

Chill all liquid ingredients, mix together in a large punch bowl.

Float frozen mango chunks on top, serve over ice.

Bulgur and Kale Casserole with Yogurt Topping

It's so hard to believe that next Thursday will be the last day of my CSA share. It's funny because I mentioned it to my mom, and it reminded her that theirs (in Ohio) starts in a few weeks! Although the CSA is ending, the Farmer's Market just opened, so don't you worry about me, I'll still have my fresh produce... and I hear Georgia peaches have made their way to the market!

Now that I've got one full CSA season under my belt, I feel like I can share some of my likes and dislikes. For the most part, I liked all of the vegetables, I'm not picky when it comes to veggies. However, it did get to be a bit monotonous. I could expect a hearty green like collards or kale (sometimes both!) every week. I did struggle to make recipes with them, there's only so much you can do with kale. However, through searching for kale recipes, I found quite a few keepers, like this casserole! I was forced out of my comfort zone a bit with ingredients, but also found some treasures (like Romesco Cauliflower and Watermelon Radishes). It also forced me to seek out new recipes using the ingredients, or put on my thinking cap and create some!

Vegetarian casseroles can be hard to come by, but this was both healthy and hearty, full of vegetables and protein. Since the photos never come out well, I did snap quite a few photos of the process. I actually made this dish twice recently, the photos in the initial attempt were awful. I made it exactly as written the first time with bulgur, the second time I only had quinoa, so I used that, but I have to say I MUCH preferred the bulgar (even though I love quinoa!)

It's another one of Joanne's Best of 2012 gems, and seriously, I can see why it was the best. The spices are delicious, it's warm and comforting, and was made with basic pantry staples!

Bulgur and Kale Casserole with Yogurt Topping

adapted from Eats Well With Others (originally from the NY Times)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 onion, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 28 oz. can crushed tomatoes

Salt and fresh black pepper

1/2 tsp. sugar

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1/4 tsp. ground cloves

1 lb. kale, stemmed and washed

1 c. coarse bulgur

1/4 c. finely chopped dill (I used 1 tbsp. dried)

1/2 c. grated parmesan

2 eggs

1 c. plain Greek Yogurt

Make tomato sauce: heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add onion and garlic, stir and cook until tender, add tomatoes, salt, pepper, sugar, cinnamon, paprika and cloves.
Turn heat to medium-high and cook until tomatoes are bubbling, bring down to low and simmer, partly covered until thick and fragrant, about 30 minutes.
Taste and adjust seasonings.
To cook bulgur: Bring 2 c. water (I added a vegetable stock cube) to a boil, add bulgur, when water comes back to a boil, turn to low, cover and simmer for 15-20 minutes, until liquid is absorbed.
Remove from heat and set aside.
Blanch kale in coiling water for 4 minutes, pour into a colander, rinse with cold water and squeeze dry, chop into thin strips.
Preheat oven to 350*
Oil a 3-quart baking dish, spoon tomato mixture into the bottom, add a layer of bulgur then a layer of kale, repeat.
Beat together eggs, yogurt and parmesan in a dish, spread over the casserole.
Bake for 35-40 minutes on a baking sheet (in case it bubbles over!)
Remove from oven, let casserole rest for 5 minutes, then serve.

Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake

This year Easter was a quiet one, my Popie was here visiting for the first time since Grandma passed away, my husband was out of town for most of the weekend working, and Violet had her first ear infection along with pink eye. I never had a chance to go buy Easter basket fillers, never made it to the grocery store for Easter dinner ingredients, and had a big birthday cake to finish up, it was a little stressful!

  But luckily, "dada!!!" was home Easter morning, the little sicky rallied, and we ended up having a really nice day. Violet participated in the Easter egg hunt at church, we skyped family all around the country, went out for a nice dinner at J Alexanders, and when Oma and Pops arrived the next day, we got our Easter baskets.

This cake was a last minute, what do I have in my pantry to make something type situation. I made it a month earlier for a friend, and when all I could find at home were apples, I made it again! I love bundt cakes because they are so easy to make, but look a little more special with minimal decoration. I had a small problem with the apples sticking to the bundt pan and sinking, so next time I'd dredge them in flour before mixing them into the batter. Other than that, I'd make this recipe as is for Martha Stewart's Apple Cinnamon Bundt Cake (sorry for just the link and no post, I'm short on time this morning!)

Homemade Sushi - No special gadgets necessary!

I have been wanting to try homemade sushi for a very long time, but I was always intimidated. Having a sushi place on every corner here in Jacksonville made it so much easier to just call in an order than try. As I browsed the aisles while grocery shopping last weekend, sushi rice and nori were on sale at Whole Foods. I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. I spent the next three days trying to find a bamboo rolling mat, but had zero luck. I did a youtube search on how to make sushi without a bamboo mat, and it seemed easy enough. By the time I purchased the rice, vinegar, nori and all the various fillings, it did get a little pricey, but it was probably still cheaper than eating out, plus I could make custom rolls! 

I decided to try making brown rice sushi as well as white rice. I used Whole Foods short grain brown rice and prepared it the same way as the sushi rice, but I definitely preferred the white rice. I could have eaten the whole bowl full! The seasonings make it a little tangy and delicious. My only complaint about the sushi was I left it uncovered in the refrigerator, in roll form to set before I cut it, and then for the next few days, it stunk of seaweed! 

For my rolls, I used about 1/3 c. (dry) rice per roll, so the amount of rice you make compared to how many rolls you want can be multiplied that way. 

Vegetarian Sushi Rolls

1 package of nori, dried seaweed (I used this) - 3 sheets needed for 1 c. rice

1 c. sushi rice

1 1/3 c. water

1/4 c. rice wine vinegar

1 tbsp. sugar

1 tsp. salt

Optional fillings:

-Beet, Scallion and Goat Cheese

-Avocado, Cucumber, Carrot and Tofu

-Sweet Potato and Scallion (I used a few baked sweet potato fries!)

-Avocado and Mango

-Avocado and Peanut

-Avocado, Asparagus and Cucumber

To make the rice:

Rinse rice in a fine mesh sieve until it runs clear.

Add water and rice to a pot, bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low, stirring every few minutes.

Turn heat off after 15 minutes, and let rice sit until water is absorbed.

Add rice to a mixing bowl, season with vinegar, sugar and salt, stir well, cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

To roll:

Wet a dishtowel, ring dry. 

Lay flat on a counter top, add one sheet of nori.

Spoon rice over nori, using a plastic spatula, press into nori in an even, thin layer.

Add ingredients to center, fold nori over the fillings and press, then continue the roll and squeeze.

Unroll and place on a plate, seam side down.

Refrigerate until ready to slice and serve.

Coconut Quinoa and Kale Salad with Tropical Pesto

Back in this blog's heyday (if there ever was such a thing?) I'd average 5-6 comments on each post. These days, I can always count on Joanne, and then maybe 1 other person, if I'm lucky. I know, it's true that if you're a heavy commenter on other blogs, people will reciprocate... and I'm not. It's not that I don't read a lot of blogs, because I do, but I so rarely leave the comfort of google reader. I have so many posts of delicious recipes from people's blogs starred, and many times I do make them, but then again, I never go back and leave a comment. Shame on me! (Also, what the heck do we do when google reader ends in July?!)

If it wasn't for Janet at the Taste Space commenting on one of my posts a few weeks ago, I never would have gone to her blog and found this recipe! So thank you, Janet. And please, if you're a reader, don't be shy, I'd love to follow you, too. The more e-friends, the merrier!

This recipe was literally right up my alley. Not only did it look delicious but it landed in my reader the week my CSA had kale and cilantro! The flavors were great to kick off the warm weather we've finally got here in Florida (80's! Yay!) and it was quick and healthy, two of my favorite things in a dinner.

Coconut Quinoa and Kale Salad with Cilantro-Cashew Pesto

slightly adapted from The Taste Space

salad:

1/2 c. quinoa, rinsed well

1 c. vegetable stock

4 c. chopped kale

Juice of 1 lime

1 scallion, sliced

1/4 c. shredded coconut

pesto:

2 c. cilantro, packed

1/2 c. cashews, toasted

2 garlic cloves, smashed

2 tbsp. fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp. olive oil, or more as needed

salt and black pepper

Bring stock to a simmer in a pot, add quinoa, reduce heat to low, cover and stir occasionally. Once all liquid is absorbed, turn heat off and set aside.

Thinly slice kale, add lime juice and a sprinkle of salt, gently massage kale to help it soften.

In the bowl of a food processor, pulse together cilantro, cashews and garlic.

Once all ingredients are in small pieces, turn food processor on and stream in lemon juice and olive oil, run until it forms a thick pesto, season with salt and pepper.

Add half of pesto to the kale, mix in quinoa.

Top with additional pesto, if desired, and garnish with coconut and cashews. Serve at room temperature or chilled. 

Jerk Tempeh Pitas

One of my favorite casual restaurants to dine in is Mellow Mushroom. The pizzas are great, but the sandwiches and salads are just as good, if not better. And the calzones, well they're just at another level of delicious! The other thing that makes Mellow so appealing is they have tofu and tempeh available as a substitute for meat in any entree. We typically go on Monday nights when they have trivia, but I love dropping in for lunch as well (Greek salad with tofu and Esperenza dressing is my choice at lunch!) JJ ordered this dish first time we ever went, and it's been hard for him to get anything else since.

The tempeh is seasoed with their jerk seasoning, then sauteed with onions, green pepper, mushrooms and pineapple. It's stuffed into a sub or pita, topped with spinach and tomatoes, and drizzled with pesto mayo. To recreate it at home, I just left off the spinach and turned the pesto mayo into a pesto-greek yogurt sauce. It was just as tasty, and less calories and fat, I'm sure!

Jerk Tempeh Pitas

inspired by Mellow Mushroom

4 whole wheat pita pockets, warmed and split

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, minced

6 oz. button or cremini mushrooms, chopped

1 green bell pepper, finely diced

1 8 oz. package tempeh

1-2 tbsp. Jerk seasoning (I use Penzeys)

1 small (4-6) oz. can pineapple tidbits in juice

Black pepper

Sliced roma tomatoes

1/4 c. Greek yogurt

2 tbsp. prepared pesto

In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat.

Add onion, garlic, mushrooms and bell pepper.

Saute' for 10 minutes, or until water has cooked out and vegetables begin to caramelize.

Crumble in tempeh, add jerk seasoning, stir well.

Loosely drain excess juice from pineapples into a dish, reserve.

Add pineapple to skillet, stir well, taste and season with pepper or more jerk seasoning (if your jerk seasoning is salt free, you may need to add salt)

If mixture is dry, add a bit of reserved juice.

Spoon mixture into pita pockets, top with tomato slices.

In a small dish, mix yogurt and pesto, drizzle over pitas and serve immediately.

Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake/Blue Shower for Baby Benjamin!

Last month, I hosted a baby shower for one of my friends who was pregnant with her first child, a baby boy! Yesterday was his birthday, so I'm sharing this post today in honor of the most adorable baby Ben! I asked Leah for some suggestions on the food, and more importantly, the cake. She told me that it's not dessert unless there's chocolate involved, so I tried my best to deliver! I made a basic chocolate cake, filled it with white and dark chocolate ganache, then iced it in dark chocolate buttercream, and decorated with ombre blue gumpaste flowers. The cake felt like it weighed 20 lbs., and there was enough to send the whole top tier home with the expectant Mama. I feel like that far outweighs any gift she got that day, am I right pregnant ladies?! 

When planning the shower, I knew it would be an intimate group of just a dozen or so, so I tried to make it a classy luncheon. I didn't want a theme, necessarily, but incorporated soft blues with gray and silver.  I tried a few new DIY projects, and then stuck with the party essentials, like flowers and candles. 

I'm not on pinterest, but I've seen blogs link to the yarn wreaths that seems to be sweeping the craft world. I made this one very simply using a straw wreath (though, next time I'd use styrofoam) wrapped in wool yarn. I looked at a few blogs for directions on making the felt flowers, and sewed a few petal flowers and then winded felt roses. The invitations were from http://www.tinyprints.com/, and then a simple white baby's breath bouquet filled the foyer.

The mantle was simply decorated with a deep blue vase with more baby's breath and white hydrangeas. I had an Anthropologie candle on hand that matched the glass color, and smells divine, so I also placed it up there. The favor for the day was chocolate chip M&M cookies with blue and grey M&M's (I found these at Party City).

I know games can be overdone when it comes to showers, so I just made one simple game, Baby Price is Right. I tried to pick higher priced items and told guests to round to the nearest $10, which made adding up the difference easy. I used stock photos of each item, hooked my laptop up to the TV and showed the photo of each item so the guests had a better idea of what they were pricing. Of course, the mom-to-be and another pregnant guest were the winners, they each got a gourmet chocolate bar.

For drinks, I kept it simple but added variety by purchasing a few types of Italian Sodas from World Market. I also had champagne for mixing, as well as soda water, and garnishes like marischino cherries, blood oranges and limes. I found cute paper straws at Michaels for just $1

I don't have wine charms, so I printed each guests name and tied it to their glass. 

 For the table decor, I found some silver and blue Christmas bulb ornaments on clearance at Target, and just filled a hurricane vase with them and added a silver tape candle to the center.

While I didn't blog all of the food, I will share the menu (non-vegetarian):

Chicken and Artichoke Melt Crescents 

Crabcake Sliders with Avocado and Chipotle Aioli

Warm Spinach Salad with Bacon Vinaigrette

Mini Caramelized Onion and Cheddar Twice Baked Potatoes

Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Feta and Pepitas

This cake is 2 tiers, with 4 layers of cake and 3 layers of ganache in each tier. It's chocolate to the extreme! I made the cake layers somewhat thin rather than bake fat layers and slice them, I think it's just easier to bake off thinner layers. I also used 2 layers of white and 1 dark ganache on the bottom, and reversed the top, but you can also just use all dark or all white. I served it with coffee, but you might also want to offer milk! 

Chocolate Truffle Layer Cake

cake slightly changed from Hershey's, Truffle filling from Food and Wine, Buttercream is standard

Dark Chocolate Cake (doubled)

2 c. granulated sugar

1 3/4 c. all purpose flour

3/4 c. dark cocoa powder

1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

2 eggs

1/2 c. vegetable oil

1 c. buttermilk

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1 c. hot coffee

Preheat oven to 350*

Line 2-11" pans and and 2-8" pan with parchment paper.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together eggs, oil, buttermilk and vanilla.

Stop the mixer and sift in sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, salt and baking soda.

Turn mixer back on low and mix for 10 seconds, slowly add the hot coffee while the mixer runs.

Once all the flour is absorbed, turn mixer off, scape down the sides and turn the mixer back on for another 10 seconds, do not overmix! 

Pour batter into pans until it is equally distributed.

Bake for 25-27 minutes, until puffed and center is set. 

Cool on a wire rack for 10 minutes, then invert and remove from pan, cooling to room temperature.

Repeat process until you have 4 cakes in each of the 2 sizes.

Truffle Ganache:

white chocolate:

1 lb. white chocolate, chopped

3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream

2 tbsp. unsalted butter

dark chocolate:

3/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. heavy cream

1 lb. bittersweet chocolate, chopped

In a medium glass bowl over simmering water, melt white chocolate, stirring frequently.

In a small saucepan, heat cream and butter until it bubbles at the edges, slowly pour into melted white chocolate, whisking at the same time.

Set aside to cool for 1-2 hours, until ganache holds its shape.

Chop dark chocolate and place in a mixing bowl.

Heat the cream until it bubbles around the edges, pour directly on chocolate, stir slowly and melt chocolate, whisk as it becomes incorporated, then set aside and cool for 1-2 hours, until ganache holds its shape.

Chocolate Buttercream:

1/2 lb. butter, at room temperature

8 oz. melted semi-sweet chocolate, melted and cooled

2 lbs. confections sugar, sifted

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. vanilla extract

1/4-1/2 c. heavy cream

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream butter and chocolate.

Slowly add half of the confections sugar, then the salt and vanilla extract.

If icing is already too thick, add a splash of cream.

Add the remaining confectioners sugar, and more cream if necessary.

Keep the icing covered well in a cool place until you ice the cake, refrigerate if it will be more than a few hours, then bring to room temperature before using. 

Basil Summer Rolls

 One of my favorite quick service restaurants is Mama Fu's, we just call it the Fu, and whenever we're thinking about where to go for lunch, the Fu is always mentioned. It is very healthy (if you order the right thing - steamed veggies, brown rice, sauce on the side), there are tons of vegetarian options, and it's fast. When dining with a temper-tantrum prone one and a half year old, getting food on the table as fast as possible is key. The basil summer rolls are one of my favorite dishes there because they're so fresh tasting, full of herbs and peanuts, and they hit the table in a minute or less after you order. The only downside is the price, $8 for 4 rolls, which isn't terrible, but I can make them at home for pennies. So I did!

Rather than just use rice noodles in the filling, I sliced up some napa cabbage from the CSA to bulk up the noodles and add even more veggies to the dish. The combination of fresh mint, basil and cilantro gives these rolls a ton of flavor, the bean sprouts and peanuts add some crunch, and the peanut dipping sauce takes them over the top. I like to give my peanut sauce a hefty squirt of sriracha for spice!

Basil Summer Rolls

inspired by Mama Fu's, sauce from chow.com

rolls:

12 rice paper rolls

1 oz. cellophane rice noodles

2 c. thinly sliced napa cabbage

1 c. fresh bean sprouts

1 large carrot, shredded

2 tbsp. fresh chopped mint

2 tbsp. fresh basil, julienne

2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbsp. sesame oil

2 tbsp. chopped peanuts

2 tbsp. peanut dipping sauce (recipe follows)

peanut sauce (I quartered this)

3/4 c. creamy peanut butter

1/4 c. plus 2 tbsp. water

3 tbsp. hoisin sauce

2 tbsp. fresh lime juice

2 tbsp. soy sauce

1 tbsp. sugar

2 tsp. chile-garlic paste

1 garlic clove, pasted (I used 1 tsp. dried garlic)

1/2 tsp. sesame oil (omitted)

First, make the sauce by whisking together all ingredients.

Next, make rice noodles according to package, drain, roughly chop and toss in a large bowl with sesame oil.

Chill noodles, toss with remaining ingredients except rice paper rolls.

Dip rolls in warm water for 10 seconds, place on a cutting board, fill with 1/4 c. noodle mixture, roll. 

Continue until you run out of rice paper wrappers or filling, it should be close! 

Serve with dipping sauce and sriracha on the side.

Smoky Lentil-Tomato Soup

There are very few 'soup' days living here in Florida. Something about 80* and sweat doesn't make me want to dip into a warm bowl of beans and vegetables, so I have to wait for the few days it dips into the 70's! This winter was very mild, I can only think of a few nights where we had a freeze! Just last weekend it was over 80* so I went and bought Violet a new summer wardrobe, but this morning I woke up to a freeze! I have been craving lentils lately, so when I stumbled across this soup it sounded like a winner.

The base to make it smoky is bacon, which is obviously out for me. Instead, I used smoked paprika rather than regular, and added a whole can of fire-roasted tomatoes instead of the original 1/4  c. the recipe calls for. It ended up being a lot more tomato-y than I usually like, but it was delicious! The Williams-Sonoma website suggests serving this soup with their Grown-Up Grilled Cheese, so the extra tomato-y sop ended up pairing even better with grilled cheese, in my opinion!

Smoky Lentil Soup

adapted from Williams-Sonoma

1 tbsp. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 carrots, peeled and diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tbsp. tomato paste

1 tbsp. smoked paprika

1 28 oz. can fire roasted crushed tomatoes

3/4 c. lentils (they recommend red, I used green, they just take a bit longer to cook)

3 c. vegetable stock

Kosher salt and black pepper

Sour cream, for garnish

Heat a dutch oven over medium heat, add olive oil, onion, carrot, garlic, tomato paste and paprika.

Season with salt and pepper, cook until vegetables soften, about 10 minutes.

Add tomatoes, lentils and broth, cover and cook for 30-40 minutes, until lentils are tender.

Taste and adjust seasonings.

Ladle into bowls, serve with sour cream and a dash of paprika.

Crisp and Crunchy Brussels Sprout Salad

After the recent roasted fall salad I made was a hit with both my husband and daughter, I decided to make another variation this past week. Again, I began with roasted Brussels sprouts from the CSA as my base, and used one of my favorite flavor combinations to compliment them, apples, blue cheese and walnuts. I made a simple maple-dijon dressing, and used it as a marinade for some pan seared tempeh strips. This salad was equally delicious, but had a lot more crunch and a fresher flavor due to the raw apples. We ate it warm/room temperature, but I'm sure cold leftovers would taste great. I just saw I've got another stalk of Brussels in this week's share, so I'm sure in another week, you'll see another Brussels sprout salad!

Crisp and Crunchy Brussels Sprout Salad

Veggie by Season original

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed

1 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 apple, any variety, cored and diced

1/4 c. crumbled blue cheese

1/4 c. toasted walnut pieces

1 8oz. package of tempeh

dressing/marinade:

2 tbsp. maple syrup

2 tbsp. dijon mustard

2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp. olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper

1/4 c. sliced scallions

Preheat oven to 400*

Add toss Brussels sprouts in olive oil, salt and pepper on a cookie sheet, roast for 25-35 minutes, tossing occasionally, until browned.

Whisk together all dressing ingredients, add half to a bowl and toss with sliced tempeh.

Preheat a nonstick skillet to medium heat, add tempeh slices and sear on each side for 2-3 minutes.

Add Brussels sprouts to a serving bowl, toss in apples and nuts, top with tempeh strips, blue cheese, and drizzle with remaining dressing.

Serve warm or refrigerate and serve chilled later. 

Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Feta and Pepitas

Last weekend I hosted a baby shower for one of my friends who is expecting a baby boy in just a few weeks! The shower was at 11am, so I tried to create a menu that was substantial enough for lunch, but still light since it was earlier. I've been doing brunch so often lately, it was a nice change of pace to not have an egg-heavy menu! I tried to incorporate some of Leah's favorites, and then selfishly made something I knew I'd love. 

I literally can't get enough of grain based salads. They're so simple, but such a crowd pleaser. My standard formula is grain, fruit, cheese, nut, vegetable and dressing with fresh herbs. I took a chance with this one as the flavors didn't seem like they'd perfectly match, but this salad was fantastic. The feta's saltiness balanced out the sweet cranberries, the tangy lemon was cut with the bright mint, and the pepitas added crunch. I made a huge batch of this salad, so it might be necessary to halve or third it for a smaller meal, but leftovers aren't a bad thing either! 

Quinoa Salad with Cranberries, Feta and Pepitas

Veggie by Season original

1 lb. quinoa

4 c. vegetable stock

1/2 c. dried cranberries

1/2 c. pepitas

8 oz. feta, cubed or crumbled

2 scallions, thinly sliced

1/4 c. lemon juice

1/4 c. olive oil

1 tsp. sugar/honey/sweetener of choice

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 tbsp. fresh minced mint leaves

Place quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse under cold water until it runs clear.

Bring stock to a boil in a large pot, add quinoa, turn to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 15-20 minutes until quinoa has plumped and 'tails' spring out.

Pour into mesh strainer, drain and cool for 10 minutes, then add to a mixing bowl and place in the refrigerator until thoroughly cooled (can be done a day in advance).

Add cranberries, pepitas, feta and scallions to quinoa, toss.

Add lemon juice, olive oil, sugar, salt, pepper and mint to a dish, whisk, taste and season as necessary.

Pour dressing over salad and toss. 

Pour into a serving dish, garnish with extra mint and serve chilled.

Bean and Kale Ragout over Parmesan Polenta

So you may have noticed the recipes here since Christmas have been pretty "healthy" and vegetable-heavy. It's partly because of the CSA, and mostly because I've really been trying to lose more weight. I am so proud of how far I've come, but I also have these last 15-ish nagging pounds on me that I'd like to get rid of. I decided to make a goal of losing it before my birthday (May 14) and so far, so good! I hit a big milestone on Sunday of -90 lbs. and it's given me some great motivation to finally hit that magical -100lb. mark!

I am trying to lose the last 10 as I lost the first 90, slow, steady, diet and exercise, but I'm not going to lie and say crash dieting and restricting for a few weeks hasn't crossed my mind. But I want this to last, and I want it to be my lifestyle, so I'll keep plugging along. Dinners like this make me remember that I can eat healthy, but also eat delicious food and still stay within my calorie bank for the day.

I tried to find big, beautiful heirloom beans at Whole Foods, World Market, and another specialty shop, but the only thing I could find was large lima beans at Publix. While I'm not a lima bean lover or hater, I never would have guessed these were lima beans had I not prepared the meal. The kale was from the CSA, of course. I got this idea of cooking beans and kale in tomatoes from browsing recipes for kale, but didn't print out the recipe, and don't exactly remember what was in that recipe, so I guess I'll call this one an original!

Bean and Kale Ragout over Parmesan Polenta

Veggie by Season original

1 c. dry large lima beans, or any bean 

1 bunch of kale, any variety, stemmed and chopped

1 tsp. olive oil

1 small yellow onion, minced

2 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 c. dry red wine

2 c. diced tomatoes in juice

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. fennel seeds

Kosher salt and black pepper

3 c. vegetable stock

1 c. quick cooking polenta

Milk, as needed

1/4 c. Parmesan cheese, plus extra for garnish

Crushed red pepper flakes

Soak beans overnight in the refrigerator, drain and set aside.

Bring a pot of water to a boil, add kale and blanch of 2-3 minutes, until slightly wilted, drain and set aside.

Add oil to a pot over medium heat.

Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, saute' for 5 minutes.

Add wine, tomatoes, oregano, fennel and beans, stir well, cover, turn to low and simmer for 20 minutes.

Add vegetable stock to a small pot, bring to a boil.

Add polenta and whisk continuously, add milk if necessary to thin. Turn heat to low and cook for 5 minutes, add Parmesan cheese, turn heat off and cover.

Add kale to bean mixture, stir and heat through.

Add polenta to a dish, spoon in bean mixture, top with Parmesan and crushed red pepper flakes, serve. 

Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas

Every week for the past few weeks, I come home from the CSA with 3 lbs. of carrots. Literally, I'm turning orange. Most of the time I peel, slice and pop them in the fridge for snacking, but I still have a surplus. I did a little googling for carrot soup, and found this recent entry from Smitten Kitchen. Her photographs are beautiful, and put mine to shame! 

The soup is flavorful from the super fresh carrots, the tahini, some spice, and of course the floating crisped chickpeas are a nice little treat. I used quite a bit more spice than her original recipe, I like things extra flavorful! Rather than use her tahini cream swirl method, I crumbled in some feta and added the tahini directly to the soup. We enjoyed this soup with some pita wedges (sprinkled with za'atar and baked) and tabbouli. While we both loved the soup, it was the snack-able, addictive chickpeas that stole the show! 

Carrot Soup with Tahini and Crisped Chickpeas

slightly adapted from Smitten Kitchen 

Soup:
2 tbsp. olive oil
2 lbs. carrots, peeled and diced
1 onion, finely chopped
4-6 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed
1 tsp. ground corriander
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. salt
Pinch of red pepper flakes
4 c. vegetable stock
1/4 c. tahini
1/2 c. Feta, crumbled
4 pitas, cut into wedges
1 tbsp. Za'atar

Chickpeas:
2 c. cooked chickpeas (I use dried, canned are fine, too)
1 tbsp. olive oil (I used cilantro-onion from The Olive Leaf)
1/2 tsp. coarse salt
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

Heat olive oil in a dutch oven over medium heat.
Add carrots, onion, garlic, coriander, cumin, salt and red pepper flakes. Saute' until they begin to brown, about 15 minutes.
Toss chickpeas with olive oil, salt and cumin on a baking sheet, roast at 425* until crisp, stir occasionally.
Once vegetables have browned, add stock, and scrape up bits stuck to the bottom. Cover and simmer until carrots are tender, about 15 more minutes.
Remove chickpeas from the oven, place pita wedges on another baking sheet, sprinkle with za'atar and bake until crisp.
Puree soup using an immersion blender or by transferring to a blender, blend until smooth.
Turn heat off and stir in tahini, taste and adjust seasonings.
Ladle into bowls, top with feta, chickpeas and serve with pita.

Roasted Cauliflower Pizza with Garlic Goat Cheese

Lately I've seen a few recipes for pizza come up in my google reader with cauliflower as the crust. Seriously?  Why in the world would anyone replace delicious carby crust with cauliflower?! I know carbs are the enemy and whatnot, but let me tell you as an 85 lb. (and counting!) weight loser, it's not! Diet and exercise, counting calories, and a colorful, plant based diet at the answer! I have my pizza, and eat it too.

After receiving 3 heads of cauliflower in the CSA share last week, I decided to take the cauliflower pizza idea, and make it the topping. To make it flavorful and healthy, I used a 50/50 unbleached white flour/whole wheat flour pizza crust, and roasted garlic infused goat cheese as my base. Roasting vegetables gives them so much flavor, the cauliflower turns a little nutty and the garlic becomes sweeter and less pungent. A sprinkle of parmesan, some fresh thyme and scallions finished the pizza and let me tell you it was phenominal! I paired it with a garden salad and it was a healthy (but delicious) pizza night! For Christmas, we received a pizza stone, and it really does make a huge difference. This is the first time my homemade pizza has bubbled up like the best pizzaria's pizzas do, and yes, that's a life "win" for me!

Roasted Cauliflower Pizza with Garlic Goat Cheese

Veggie by Season original

Crust:

3/4 c. warm water (about 110*)

1 packet instant yeast

1 tsp. sugar

1 c. unbleached all purpose flour

1 c. whole wheat pastry flour

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. olive oil

Toppings:

1 head of garlic

2 tsp. olive oil, divided

1 large or 2 small heads of cauliflower, cut into florets

Kosher salt

Black pepper

4 oz. goat cheese

1/4 c. grated Parmesan

2 fresh sprigs of thyme

2 scallions, thinly sliced

Crushed red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 400*

Cut top 1/3 of garlic bulb off, place garlic on a square of tin foil, drizzle with 1 tsp. olive oil.

Pinch up sides and create an ball around garlic. 

Place in the oven and roast for 1 hour.

While garlic roasts, prepare crust.

Add water, yeast and sugar to the bowl of a stand mixer, swirl around to gently mix.

After yeast begins to bubble, attach dough hook to the mixer and add flour, salt and oil.

Turn mixer on low and knead dough for 8-10 minutes, add additional flour if necessary, dough should be slightly sticky, but pull away from sides of the mixer. 

Flour surface, form dough into a ball and rest, cover with a damp towel.

Add cauliflower to a baking sheet, toss with 1 tsp. olive oil, kosher salt and black pepper, place in the oven with the garlic and roast for 20 minutes.

When garlic is finished, cool and squeeze out 4-5 cloves into a dish, add goat cheese and mix well. 

Remove cauliflower from the oven and set aside while you prepare the crust, Raise oven temperature to 475*.

Stretch dough out and form a circle, top with goat cheese mixture, cauliflower, Parmesan, thyme, scallions and crushed red pepper flakes.

Place on a pizza stone and bake for 20-24 minutes, until crisp on the bottom and golden brown on top. 

Serve.

Warm Millet Salad with Brussels Sprouts and Creamed Mushrooms

I feel so behind the times admitting this, but this was my first time cooking with millet. It reminded me very much of cous cous, but it's a grain, so it's popular in the world of gluten-free diets. In the little research I did, I found that it's mostly used as bird feed, so... yum! Another CSA box, another stalk of Brussels sprouts to work with. While I occasionally get stressed about finding new and exciting recipes to feature using them, and yes I realize this is totally a First World Problem, it's awesome when I finally find something I know we'll love!

I used the Whole Foods recipe bank search and stumbled upon this salad. It's very hearty and filling, I just added a few strips of dijon grilled tempeh for some protein (they're not pictured). This did seem quite dry at the end with just 1/4 c. half and half, so I added a bit of vegetable stock to moisten it. I also subbed fresh thyme for the sage as it's what I had on hand, and finally, a large handful of shredded Swiss cheese, because everything's better when it's topped with cheese!

Warm Millet salad with Brussels Sprouts and Creamed Mushrooms

adapted from Whole Foods

1 c. dry millet

2 c. vegetable stock

1 tsp. butter or olive oil

1 lb. Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved or quatered

1/2 red onion, thickly sliced

3 c. sliced mushrooms (I used cremini)

1/4 c. half and half

1/4 c. vegetable stock

2 tbsp. lemon juice

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1/2 c. shredded Swiss or Gruyere cheese

Kosher salt and black pepper

Heat a medium pot over medium-low, add millet and toast for 2-3 minutes.

Add 2 c. stock, turn to high, bring to a simmer then reduce heat to low, cover and cook millet until all liquid is absorbed, about 15 minutes. 

Turn heat off and leave covered on the stove.

Add butter to a large saute' pan over medium-high, add Brussels sprouts and onions, season with salt and pepper.

Saute' for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add mushrooms and continue to stir, after mushrooms have let go of their liquid and begin to caramelize, add half and half and thyme, stir and turn heat off, taste and adjust seasonings. 

Transfer millet to a serving bowl, toss with lemon juice and fluff with a fork, add up to 1/4 c. stock if millet seems too dry.

Add vegetable mixture, stir gently to combine.

Top with shredded cheese. 

French Onion Soup Risotto

After thoroughly enjoying the Dirty Cauliflower Risotto I made a few weeks ago, I've been dying to make another red wine based risotto. Once again it was a Friday night, the eve of grocery shopping, and I had to scrounge around the fridge and pantry to make dinner. I was in the mood for French Onion Soup, but we had no bread in the house. I contemplated making bread, but it was already seven o'clock and I was hungry! I had pasta, rice and potatoes on hand, and decided risotto would be fantastic.

This risotto was absolutely delicious, very creamy and flavorful. If you're not vegetarian, you could certainly use beef stock as that's a more traditional way to make French Onion Soup, but I love the Rapunzel vegetable stock cubes with herbs. This would be a great side dish for a dinner party, but it's quite substantial on it's own. To make it a complete meal, I'd serve it with a nice salad, some crusty bread and add cannelini beans to the risotto (stir in just before serving). But for a smaller meal, it's perfect as is.

French Onion Soup Risotto

Veggie by Season original

2 tbsp. butter

2 small or 1 large yellow onion, peeled, quartered and sliced

Kosher salt and black pepper

1 c. arborio rice

1 tbsp. cognac

1 c. dry red wine

1 bay leaf

2 fresh sprigs or 1/2 tsp. dried thyme

2-3 c. vegetable stock

1/2 c. shredded Gruyere cheese

Heat a deep skillet over medium-low, melt butter and add onion.

Stir occasionally, and allow onions to caramelize for about 10 minutes.

Add rice, stir and allow rice to toast.

Season with kosher salt and black pepper.

Add cognac and red wine, turn heat to medium-high and allow wine to reduce by half, stirring as it reduces. 

Turn heat back to medium-low, add bay leaf and thyme.

Add ladles full of stock every few minutes as it is absorbed by rice, stirring well after each addition. 

After the rice is plump and isn't absorbing stock, turn heat off, stir in 1/4 c. of the Gruyere.

Dish into individual bowls, sprinkle with remaining cheese and serve.

Israeli Cous Cous and Acorn Squash Salad

Just when I thought I was finished with Acorn Squash recipe research, the CSA email came announcing I'd get two in my share. Again, I browsed a few of my favorite recipe banks and found this salad. As I said in a previous post, I love grain based salads with veggies, herbs, dried fruit, nuts, you name it! So When I found this salad, it looked like it would be great.

The ingredient list is a bit lengthy for a simple salad, but many of the ingredients are herbs and spices that you'll likely have on hand. I used basil rather than mint because I have it growing in my garden, but other than that I made no substitutions. (I did forget to add the almonds for the photo, but added them just before we ate this, oops!). The cous cous was a bit sticky, and I didn't want to add a ton of olive oil, so I added a few splashes of balsamic vinegar, and it worked really well, adding just enough extra flavor and moisture without compromising the original recipe's flavors. If you can't find Israeli cous cous, or don't want a white pasta, you can easily sub in wheat berries, barley, quinoa, millet, or regular wheat cous cous.

Israeli Cous Cous with Acorn Squash, Feta and Almonds

slightly adapted from Williams-Sonoma

3/4 c. slivered almonds

1 tbsp. chopped fresh sage

Kosher salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon

1 tsp. chili powder

1 tsp. fresh ground black pepper

2 acorn squash (about 2.5 lbs)

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 c. Israeli cous cous

6 oz. feta cheese, crumbled 

1/4 c. basil leaves, torn

2 tbsp. balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 350*

Place almonds on a baking sheet, toast until fragrant and browned, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Transfer to a plate and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine sage, 1 tsp. salt, cinnamon, chili powder and pepper, stir well.

Peel squash, cut into 1/2" cubes. 

Toss with 1 tbsp. olive oil, add to a baking sheet and toss with seasoning mixture.

Roast for an hour, until lightly browned and easily pierced with a knife. 

Bring large pot of water to a boil, add cous cous and cook for 5 minutes, until softened, drain in a mesh colander and rinse with cool water.

Transfer the cous cous to a platter, fluff, add squash, almonds, feta and basil (or mint), drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve warmed to room temperature.

Southern Stacks

Almost two years ago (really?!) I made this recipe for BBQ Tempeh and Fried Green Tomato stacks. They were so good, I've made them several times since. After picking up my CSA share with 2 lbs. of green tomatoes, I considered making the recipe again... but for the blog's sake, decided to try something new. I wasn't in the mood to fry the tomatoes, and decided to try to make a healthier stack. I had sprouts on hand, and a surplus of datil pepper sauce I made over the summer with the datil peppers I grew, so a Southern stack sounded perfect. I whipped up tiny corn pancakes as the base, then seasoned and crisped some tempeh and finally made a sort of pimento cheese to top it all off. These stacks were absolutely delicious! Hot and cold, healthy and full of flavor.

They should be made to order though, as the tomatoes did make the corn cakes a bit soggy at the end, but you could also re-work your stack so the tomato isn't directly on the corn cake, and problem solved! If you can't find or make datil pepper sauce, chili sauce will do. I believe the sauce at Firehouse subs is a datil pepper sauce, so you can always pick some up there!

Southern Stacks

Veggie by Season original, makes 8 stacks

Corn cakes:

1 egg

1 c. milk

1/4 c. frozen (thawed) corn kernels

1 tbsp. canola oil

3/4 c. all purpose flour

1/2 c. cornmeal

1 tsp. granulated sugar

1/2 tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

In a medium sized bowl, whisk together egg, milk, corn and oil.

Add flour, cornmeal, sugar, salt and baking powder, gently whisk until all dry ingredients are incorporated.

Preheat griddle to medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and ladle 1/4  c. of batter at a time. 

Cook for 3 minutes, until bubbles appear, then flip and cook the other side for 2 minutes. 

Continue until all pancakes are finished. Keep warm in a 250* oven.

Tempeh:

1 package of tempeh

1 tbsp. brown sugar

1 tbsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. cumin

1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

1 tbsp. olive oil

Slice tempeh into 16 pieces.

Add olive oil and spices to a shallow bowl, whisk together to form a paste, slather on tempeh pieces.

Preheat a skillet to medium heat, spray with nonstick spray and cook tempeh for 2 minutes per side, place on a baking sheet and keep warm in the oven with corncakes.

Pimento Cheese:

1 c. fresh grated colby-jack cheese

1/4 c. minced pimentos

1/4 c. plain nonfat greek yogurt

Salt and pepper

Add all ingredients to a small bowl, mix well. Taste and adjust seasonings.

Pan Fried Tomatoes:

2 lbs. green tomatoes

Kosher Salt

Black pepper

2 tbsp. olive oil

Heat saute' pan over medium, add olive oil.

Slice tomatoes into 1/4" disks, you'll need 16 slices.

Season both sides with salt and pepper.

Place in pan, cook until seared brown, about 2 minutes, flip and sear the other side.

Remove from pan and cook remaining slices. 

Additional Ingredients:
Sprouts
Datil pepper sauce

Prepare all stack components (tomatoes last) and create stacks, corn cakes on bottom, tempeh (cut each slice into thirds), tomato, sprouts, tempeh, tomato, pimento cheese and datil pepper sauce. Serve immediately.