Zuppa Osso Buco October 31, 2009

Now that it is getting a little chilly outside I just LOVE to make soups. The following recipe is from Rachael Ray and is one of my favorites. She actually calls it is a “Stoup” because this soup is almost as hearty as a stew. The flavors are amazing!

 

Now if you have a problem with veal, you can use ground chicken or turkey. If you want to make this a vegetarian soup just delete the little meatballs all together and use vegetable broth instead of chicken; you’ll find it is still super yummy (I have done this a few times as well). What you don’t want to skip is the “gremolata” topping. I make my gremolata without anchovies because they honestly gross me out but the effect is still wonderfully tasty!

 

Just copy and paste the link below into your web browser.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/rachael-ray/zuppa-osso-buco-recipe/index.html

 

This “Stoup” is a real crowd pleaser!

 

Recipe Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars! 

Perfect Pumpkin Muffins October 29, 2009

My vegan brother John forwarded this recipe to me from the VegNews Recipe Club (http://www.vegnews.com). ‘Tis the season for pumpkin so I thought I would give these a whirl. There are no animal products in these tasty muffins whatsoever so you don’t even have to wonder if it is safe to lick the spoon! The texture is a little bit denser than a typical muffin but I still think they are YUMMY!

Perfect Pumpkin Muffins

Makes 12 muffins (Note: I had way more mix than just 12 muffins, so I made 24 more additional mini-muffins to take with me to work!)

What You Need:

1 15-ounce can pumpkin purée
1/2 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup firm tofu, mashed
1-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1-1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 cup dried cranberries

What You Do:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin tin, or line with paper liners.

2. In a large bowl, mix pumpkin purée, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla, and tofu. In a separate bowl, sift all-purpose flour, whole-wheat flour, baking powder, cinnamon, sea salt, and cloves. Add dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and stir until just combined. Fold in dried cranberries.

3. Spoon mixture into prepared muffin tin. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, or until toothpick inserted comes out clean.

Chili Roasted Potatoes October 29, 2009

I found the following recipe on Real Simple and it was a super easy and tasty side dish. I think it would also be good with sweet potatoes.

 

Ingredients

1 1/2 lbs. Yukon gold or new potatoes, cut into 1-inch pieces

3 tbsp. Olive Oil

1 tsp. Chili powder

1 tsp. Kosher salt and 1/4 tsp. black pepper

8 sprigs fresh Thyme

 

Directions

Heat oven to 425 degrees.

Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl.

Transfer to a roasting pan and cook, stirring once until crisp and golden brown, about 35-40 minutes. I sprinkled with a little more kosher salt after they were cooked.

 

Easy Breezy!

Lemon Pepper Rice w/ Spinach & Feta September 2, 2009

This really isn’t much of a recipe and all the ingredients are listed in the title but I thought I would blog about it anyway since it has been a recent side dish staple for me. I make a large serving double serving of it at the beginning of the week and I use it for my lunches and dinners throughout the week.

Cook 1 serving of brown rice (Usually 1 cup, dry).

Defrost 1 cup of chopped frozen spinach.

Mix the rice and spinach together.

Add 1tbsp. olive oil.

Season liberally with lemon pepper.

When ready to serve I top with a sprinkle of fat free feta cheese (If you are vegetarian, just don’t add the cheese).

Easy! See I told you, not much of a recipe but it sure does spice up what can become the  same ol’ boring brown rice. Plus you get extra vitamin & mineral goodness with the addition of spinach!

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa July 12, 2009

 

A client of mine gave me the following recipe from Sunflower Farmers Market. I added a few more vegetables to the original recipe because I had them on hand and who can’t use a little more veggie love in their life? I am a big fan of grain based salads; they are hearty and filling while still refreshing. They also keep well in the refrigerator for a few days and provide for quick and easy lunches. 

 

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa a la’ Sunflower Farmers Market 

Ingredients 

1 cup quinoa, dry 

1 can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 small container of sweet cherry tomatoes, diced

1 bunch green onions, chopped

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

1/4 cup fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped

1 cup chopped carrots (my addition) 

1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and diced (my addition)

1 lemon

1 lime

Extra Virgin Olive Oil, to taste

Sea Salt and Pepper, to taste 

Directions

1. Prepare quinoa according to package directions.

2. Place cooked quinoa in a large bowl and add the black beans and chopped vegetables.

3. Squeeze the juice of the lemon and lime into  the bowl. Pour in the olive oil to coat the ingredients or to your desired amount.

4. Season with sea salt and pepper to taste. Mix together and enjoy. 

 

Recipe rating: 3 out of 5 stars

Quinoa with Butternut Squash & Cranberries April 27, 2009

The following is dish is something that I whipped up the other evening based on some of the items I had in my pantry and freezer. The flavors are more fall than spring but hey… it worked and was quite yummy. 

 

1 cup quinoa cooked according to the directions

1 cup cooked & chopped butternut squash (I had some cooked squash in my freezer so I just reheated it and chopped it up)

2 tbsp. chopped Italian parsley

1/4 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup cranberries (add the cranberries to the quinoa just before it is finished cooking and it will soften them up a tad)

1 tbsp. olive oil

2 tbsp. white wine vinegar 

Salt n’ Pepper to taste 

Mix all ingredients together while the quinoa is still warm. Serve.

 

 

I know; nothing too brilliant but it was easy, healthy and yummy.

Cranberry-Walnut Power Bars April 9, 2009

I have been holding onto the following recipe from Food & Wine for over 2 years now. I figured it was time to give them a go! These bars are nutrient packed but be mindful of the serving size ( because of calorie & fat content). They are in line calorically with most granola bars but the biggest benefit here is that you are not getting all the preservatives and processed sugars as you do in store bought brands; not to mention these bars are way more cost effective. I could not find brown rice syrup anywhere (even at Whole Foods! Ugh!) so I substituted all natural maple syrup which I’m sure changed the recipe some. Next time I plan to use brown rice syrup per the recipe ; I just need to order it online. Still they were quite tasty! Healthy, gingery and nutty goodness!  

http://www.foodandwine.com/recipes/cranberry-walnut-power-bars

(If the link does not work, just copy and paste into your browser)

Edamame Veggie Burger November 20, 2008

I found the following recipe on the Food Network website. I think these patties turned out pretty tasty though I think they lacked seasoning. The lack of flavor is probably my fault as I never really measure the amount of seasonings in a recipe; I might have underestimated.

Revisions

- I made the patties a lot smaller than they recommended (about the size of my palm). They cooked quicker and held together better (my first batch was per the recommended size and they kind of fell apart). 

- I cooked the patties for 4-5 minutes per side instead of 3.

- I served the patties in whole wheat pita with field greens, cucumber, tomato and light caesar dressing. Originally I planned to serve them with homemade tzaziki but let’s just say I messed that up and had to revert to another option…

 

Recipe Rating: 3.5 out of 5 stars 

*Note, I tagged this as a vegetarian option although there are 2 egg whites used to help the patties bind. You could always use an egg substitute if you do not eat egg products.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/edamame-veggie-burger-recipe/index.html

White Cheddar Shells with Peas and Baked Tofu November 12, 2008

I have written about Annie’s Homegrown Organic Macaroni & Cheese before ( http://www.annies.com/organicmacandcheese#jump131 ). I buy it at Trader Joe’s and I use it every now and then as a side dish. But last night when the desire to make a labor intensive meal escaped me I created a dish that I think turned out really tasty and is super flexible. I used frozen peas but you could add a plethora of other veggies; peas are just what I had on hand.

 

Prepare the pasta per the instructions on the box. When there is one minute left to cook the pasta, add 1 cup of frozen peas. Although there is already organic cheese in the dish, I used reduced fat coconut milk instead of regular milk and I used vegan margarine instead of butter mixed with the sauce packet. Drain the pasta and peas and mix with 1/2 package of savory baked tofu sliced into 1/2 inch cubes. And there you have it. Super quick, super easy and super yummy.

Indian Style Black Bean Burrito November 12, 2008

My vegan brother forwarded me the following recipe from The World’s Healthiest Foods website (http://whfoods.org/ ).

This recipe is totally vegetarian. It is incredibly filling and full of flavor. I served the bean mixture in whole wheat tortillas with chopped lettuce, fresh salsa, sliced avocado and a dollop of vegan sour cream.

Super yummy! There were a lot of leftovers. You could either freeze them or maybe put the mixture on top of brown rice and serve with some sliced baked tofu (or grilled chicken) for an evolved meal.  

 

Recipe Rating: 3.5 out 5 stars

http://whfoods.org/genpage.php?tname=recipe&dbid=71