Archives for June 2012

Meatless Monday: Zucchini "Pasta" with Pesto

June 25, 2012 · by ·

I am almost ashamed to post such a ridiculously simple recipe. I don’t know why it never occurred to me to make this.

My husband came home on Friday with a massive bag of some very large zucchini. He explained to me that the farmer’s market was closing up and they offered them to him. He isn’t one to say no to free vegetables.

Of course, I do realize that we will be eating zucchini every day this week.

Like every night, I needed a fast dinner for the kids. I had some pesto in the freezer to use up. I thought I would test out this famed low-carb and gluten free pasta idea.

I have a julienne slicer taking up space in my drawer. I love playing with it, but don’t use it as often as I should. Since it only cost about $2 on Amazon, I am not too distraught. This slicer would be perfect for what I had planned with the zucchini.

The verdict? Two thumbs up. My 5-year-old kept asking for more. Will have to make again.

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Zucchini “Pasta” with Pesto
Ingredients:

1-2 large zucchini, washed – 1 large zucchini served 2 hungry kids
2 tsp. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 cup peas
1/2 cup pesto
pine nuts
Parmesan cheese
salt
pepper

With your julienne slicer, turn you zucchini in to long thin strips. I cut mine up over paper towels to drain the “pasta” a bit.

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Heat up the oil in a large pan.

Toss in the garlic cloves.

Add in the zucchini noodles and cook for two minutes.

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Add in the peas

Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook for another two minutes.

Sprinkle with some pine nuts and more Parmesan cheese.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Dinner, easy, Gluten Free, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , ,

Meatless Monday: Mushroom and Sage Pasta with Poached Egg

June 19, 2012 · by ·

I’m like a kid when it comes to my herb garden. Every day after work, I get a little excited as I run to the backyard to see how things are going. How much did my basil grow? What’s the sage doing  now? I love that I don’t have to run out and buy my herbs. I just take a little pair of kitchen shears out with me and make a few snips.

My sage plant is looking pretty impressive these days. Perfect for an easy dinner. I love the way sage pairs well with mushrooms. My mouth began to water as I thought about how dinner would turn out. 


Mushroom and Sage Pasta with Poached Egg (serves 3-4)
Ingredients:

1/2 box of thin spaghetti (cooked to al dente, reserve 1/2 cup cooking water)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 tbsp. butter
3 shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 cup chopped sage leaves
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1/2 container Cremini mushrooms, sliced
1/4 cup dry white wine
Parmesan cheese, grated
salt
ground pepper
2-3 tsp. red pepper flakes
3-4 eggs

In a large pan, heat up the butter and olive oil.

Toss in the shallots and the garlic. Let them get fragrant.

Add in the mushrooms and chopped sage and thyme and saute for a few minutes.

Deglaze the pan with some white wine.

Stir in about 1/4 cup of the Parmesan cheese and some of the cooking water.

Add in some salt and freshly ground pepper and the red pepper flakes.  Taste a noodle to see if it needs more seasoning.

Let the pasta cook in the mushroom sauce.

Now it’s time to poach your eggs.  They only need a couple of minutes.

While the eggs cook a bit, plate up your pasta. Make a small indentation and place the egg there.

You want the egg to be runny. Stir the runny yolk in to the pasta.

Serve with some additional Parmesan cheese and a twist of ground pepper.

Enjoy!

mushroom and sage pasta with poached egg
Filed Under: Dinner, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , ,

Homemade Corn Nuts

June 18, 2012 · by ·

I can’t remember how we came upon the topic of corn nuts, but it came up in conversation recently. I think it was the prospect of a field trip to Oh! Nuts, and finding the store closed. I was craving some fresh roasted corn nuts – still piping hot. So good.  I then began to reminisce about the mass produced corn nuts I used to buy at Chi’s Market down the street from my parent’s house. They were probably around 50 cents at the time, and we used to pour them in to our mouths. Crunch-Crunch-Crunch. Listening to people eat them was ever so annoying, but eating them myself – totally worth it! They even came in assorted flavors like ranch and barbecue! I used to love barbecue flavor anything.

My husband suggested that I attempt to make them. I was told that I would have to find the giant white Peruvian corn and soak it. It wouldn’t work with just any corn kernel. Was thrilled to find a bag of these special corn kernels on my first try. Goya offers a kosher-certified Maize Mote Pelado. Found a good sized bag at Food Basics. Score!

These corn nuts are prepared in a similar way to roasted chickpeas. You simply coat them in oil and salt and roast in the oven for around 30 minutes  – stirring for even browning. They have a very big crunch and a somewhat heady, corn taste. They don’t taste like the deep fried store bought stuff, but they are their own taste and pretty good.

Maize Mote Pelado





Homemade Corn Nuts
Ingredients

1 bag of Maize Mote Pelado – Giant White Corn
2 tbsp. Salt
1/4 cup vegetable oil
Additional spices as desired

Soak the corn in water for around 8-10 hours or so. If you soak any longer, it will start to smell pretty awful.

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Preheat oven to 400.

Drain the corn

In a large bowl, toss the corn in the oil and sprinkle salt over it.

Place the corn in a single layer on a baking sheet.

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Place in oven. Stir the corn around every 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven after around 25-30 minutes or when corn looks toasted. Don’t let them burn.

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Let cool a few minutes and then taste. Add more salt or other spices as necessary.

homemade corn nuts

Enjoy!

Homemade Corn Nuts
 
Save Print
Author:
Recipe type: Snacks
Ingredients
  • 1 bag of Maize Mote Pelado - Giant White Corn
  • 2 tbsp. Salt
  • ¼ cup vegetable oil
  • Additional spices as desired
Instructions
  1. Soak the corn in water for around 8-10 hours or so. If you soak any longer, it will start to smell pretty awful.
  2. Preheat oven to 400
  3. Drain the corn.
  4. In a large bowl, toss the corn in the oil and sprinkle salt over it.
  5. Place the corn in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  6. Place in oven. Stir the corn around every 5-7 minutes. Remove from the oven after around 25-30 minutes or when corn looks toasted. Don't let them burn.
  7. Let cool a few minutes and then taste. Add more salt or other spices as necessary.

 

Filed Under: baked, Gluten Free, Snacks, Vegan · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Honey Whole Wheat Bread with Oats and Flax Seed

June 14, 2012 · by ·

My daughter asked me to stop sending her yogurt for school lunches. Yogurt made things easy. She was happy with yogurt. She had a full belly from yogurt. She asked me to send in sandwiches instead.

Alrighty, then! Sandwiches it would be. I decided to whip up a batch of some sandwich bread to avoid running out to the bakery and spending unnecessary coinage. I figured that I could use this to my advantage. I have been wanting to make a whole wheat bread that has a somewhat nutty texture  – reminiscent of the awesomely nutty Great Harvest bread.. I didn’t want too much stuff in the bread. This kid is not a huge fan of texture. Great Harvest is a bit too much, but somewhere on the right path. This could be used as a transition bread. She is ready to graduate out of the whiter whole wheat soft breads that we tend to buy for her. I came up with this, which seems to be a happy medium for now.





Honey Whole Wheat Bread with Oats and Flax
Ingredients:


1 cup warm water
1 tbsp active dry yeast
1 cup soy milk
1/4 cup honey
1 tbsp. brown sugar
2 tbsp. vegetable oil
2.5 cups bread flour (plus more for kneading)
2.5 cups whole wheat flour
1/4 cup flax seed (I used Trader Joe’s Golden Roasted)
heaping 1/4 cup oats plus a bit more to sprinkle on top of bread

In the bowl of a mixer, dissolve the yeast in the warm water. Add in the honey and brown sugar. Let the mixture sit for a few minutes.

Stir in the soy milk and vegetable and half off the flour.

Slowly mix in the rest of the flours.

Mix in the flax seed and the oats. Dough should be coming together and pulling away from the bowl.

Sprinkle your work surface liberally with flour.

Turn the dough out on to the surface and knead for several minutes. Add flour as needed.

Form in to a big round ball.

Oil a large mixing bowl and place the dough in there to rise. Cover with a towel or saran wrap. Let it rise in a warm place for about an hour.

When risen, cut dough in half.

Shape the dough in to a loaf and place in sprayed loaf pan.

Cover and let rise for another 45 minutes.

While this is happening, preheat your oven to 375.

With a serrated knife, slash the top of the loaf.

Spritz with a bit of water on top and sprinkle on some oats.

Bake in the oven for 30-35 minutes.

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Let the bread cool completely before slicing.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: baked, bread, grain · Tagged: , , ,

Black Bean Burgers and Homemade Hamburger Buns

June 13, 2012 · by ·

When I think of summer, I think about backyard barbecues. The weather is usually just right at this time of year. It’s not too hot and humid yet. You can still enjoy the outdoors. Of course the day I pick for BBQ, is the day it pours all day.

When there are barbecues, there are burgers. In the past, I have just grilled some Morningstar Farms Grillers. I get annoyed with the cost, and how they are lacking in flavor. I have played with a variety of homemade veggie burgers. One version that was a success with some of my toughest critics, is a black bean burger.

I normally pair a black bean burger with a simple tortilla  – only because I have always have them around the house. As I was thinking about burgers though, I had juicy burgers on soft buns pictured in my head. As I strolled through my local store though, all I could find were some really pathetic looking, chemical filled, shelf-stable buns. Not what I wanted. As I walked home dejected, it occurred to me – how hard could it be to make my own homemade buns? It’s just a simple enriched dough.

I was right, it was easy – and totally worth the smidgen of effort.




Hamburger Buns (adapted from Taste of Home)
Ingredients:


2 tbsp. active dry yeast
1 cup warm water
2 tbsp. warm soy milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup sugar
1 egg
1 tsp. salt
3 3/4 cup flour
1 egg for egg wash
sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 425.

Dissolve yeast in warm water and milk. Add the sugar.

Let it sit for a few minutes.

Add the oil, egg, salt and half of the flour. Stir until it forms a loose dough

Turn dough on to a floured surface.

Knead more flour in to the dough until the dough becomes elastic. Dough should be smooth and shouldn’t be so sticky.

With a dough cutter, cut dough in to 12 pieces.

Spray 2 baking sheets with oil spray.

Shape each piece of dough in to a ball and place on baking sheets.

Let the dough balls rest for ten minutes – covered with a towel.

Brush the dough with egg and sprinkle with sesame seeds.
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Bake in the oven for around 10-12 minutes. Remove buns from baking sheet and transfer to cooling rack.

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Black Bean Veggie Burgers
Ingredients:

2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 container of baby bellas, chopped
1 medium onion, chopped
5 cloves of garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped parsley
1/2 medium red pepper, chopped
1/2 cup corn flake crumbs
2 eggs
1 tbsp. fresh thyme
1 tbsp. ketchup
2 tsp. cumin
3 tsp. salt
2 tsp. ground pepper

Place the beans in a large mixing bowl. Mash most of the beans with a potato masher. Keep some of the beans whole.

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Add the rest of the ingredients to the mixing bowl. Mix well.

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Form in to patties.

Grill on a barbecue or pan fry in a small amount of oil.

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Enjoy with as many or as few fixings as you’d like.

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Filed Under: baked, bread, Dinner, legumes, sandwich, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , ,

Vanilla Kipferl Cookies

June 12, 2012 · by ·

This happens a couple times a year. My lovely daughter volunteers me to make something for the class. In December, it was latkes. She wanted to teach her class about Chanukah. This time around, she offered a German baked good. Or rather – anything German and cooked. I had no idea what to prepare.

I researched German baked goods on the interwebz a bit – trying to find something that my grandmother used to make. So many things are variations on recipes most likely handed down in her family. I finally came upon an authentic German cookie that I remember her making. The buttery, almond & vanilla cookies shaped in a crescent shape. These were always among the bags of baked good that she would hand deliver to Minnesota. This seemed easy enough.

These turned out to be successful. The class enjoyed – several kids even asked for the recipe! Glad the 4th graders approve!







Vanilla Kipferl Cookies
Ingredients


2 cups of flour
2 sticks of butter, softened
1/3 cup of sugar
3/4 cup ground almonds
2 tsp. vanilla
vanilla scrapings from 1/2 vanilla bean
powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 365.

Mix all of the ingredients together except for the powdered sugar.

The mixture will be crumbly.

Use your hands to form some semblance of a dough.

Pinch of 1-2 tablespoon size pieces and shape in to a crescent or horn shape.

Place on a parchment paper lined baking sheet.

Bake for around 8-10 minutes or until lightly browned.

Cool for a few minutes on the baking sheet.

Roll in powdered sugar and cool on cooling rack.

Enjoy!

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Filed Under: baked, cookies, dairy, Dessert, sweets, tradition · Tagged: , , , , ,

Meatless Monday: Quinoa and Chickpea Loaf

June 11, 2012 · by ·

I am always in search of easy recipes for dinners that require as few steps as possible to execute. So…when I found this recipe, it was very unlike me to snag it as possible option. When I saw this recipe on the Whole Foods website, I balked a little. I like things that require one dirty dish, one baking pan (maybe) and wham-mo. It should be done. This dish requires the extra step of whirring it in the Cuisinart. On a day when I had no time. I thought about taking various shortcuts, and I’m glad I followed through on this one. It was worth it.

Quinoa Loaf with Mushrooms and Peas (adapted from Whole Foods Market)
Ingredients:

1 tbsp. olive oil
1 container of baby bella mushrooms, sliced
1 small zucchini, chopped
1 onion, chopped
5 cloves garlic, chopped
salt
ground pepper
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 cup oats
1/2 cup water
2 cups cooked quinoa
1 cup peas
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1 tbsp. fresh thyme, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh oregano, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh sage, chopped
1 tbsp. fresh marjoram, chopped
10 sun dried tomatoes, chopped
1 cup chopped red onion
1/2 head roasted garlic
1/2 cup ketchup
2 tbsp. mustard
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar

Preheat oven to 350.

Spray a loaf pan with some olive oil

Heat olive oil in skillet. Saute the mushrooms, zucchini, garlic and onions.

Add salt and pepper. Saute until onions begin to brown.

Process the chickpeas, oats, red onions and water in the food processor.

In a large mixing bowl, mix up the processed bean mixture, the roasted garlic, the fresh herbs, the quinoa, the sauteed veggies, the peas and tomatoes.

Press the mixture in to the loaf pan or shape in to a loaf shape and place in baking pan.

Make a glaze with the ketchup, mustard, soy sauce and brown sugar. Pour over the loaf.

Bake until firm and golden brown. Should take around an hour or so.

Cool a bit and transfer to a plate and slice.

It’s excellent when served with a mushroom gravy.  Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten Free, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Chinese Eggplant in Garlic Sauce

June 8, 2012 · by ·

I am the only eggplant eater in this house. No matter how much I try to experiment and offer different varieties – nobody seems to budge. They don’t like the texture or the taste. Still trying and I still love eggplant. Whenever I do want to make eggplant dishes, I prepare in small quantities or freeze in portions.

I picked up some Chinese eggplant recently. I have been craving some eggplant in garlic sauce. Haven’t had it in years. The other night, the kids had eaten and the hubster was out for the night. I finally had my chance. The house was quiet. Ahhh, peace. I should have probably taken a nap or something. Instead, I made a late dinner. It’s worth it though. I also made enough for lunch the next day. 

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Chinese Eggplant in Garlic Sauce
Ingredients:


3 Chinese Eggplants
Cubed, pressed tofu (I only added it because it was leftover – totally unnecessary)
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped ginger
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1/4 cup water
4 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1/2 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. chili garlic sauce
1 tbsp. brown sugar
1 tsp. cornstarch
1/4 cup vegetable broth
chopped scallions
red pepper flakes

Cube up the eggplant.

In a large pan, Saute the eggplant in the vegetable oil. Add in the garlic and ginger. Cook for around 5 minutes.

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Add in the water and cover the pan. Steam the eggplant for around 10 minutes.

Mix up the rest of the ingredients (except red pepper flakes and scallions).  Pour and mix in to eggplant mixture.

Add in the scallions and red pepper flakes.

Garnish with scallions and serve with rice. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: asian, Dinner, easy, Vegan, vegetables, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , ,

Braised Chinese Broccoli in Miso Sauce

June 6, 2012 · by ·

Chinese Broccoli or kai-lan is unlike our traditional broccoli. It’s more similar to kale or broccoli rabe in consistency and taste. It’s a wonderful and versatile green that goes well in many applications. One of my favorite dishes of all time – pad see ew – features this lovely vegetable.

When I saw it in the store the other day, I committed to trying something new with it. I really wanted to just do a simple braise on it. I decided to try it with a simple miso sauce.  This goes well as a side dish with any protein.

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Braised Chinese Broccoli (Kai-lan) in Miso Sauce
Ingredients:

1 pound of Chinese Broccoli – trim the bottoms
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. sesame oil
5 cloves garlic, chopped
2 tbsp. chopped ginger

2 tbsp. shiro miso paste
1 tbsp. mirin
1 tbsp. rice vinegar
1 tbsp. dark soy sauce
1/4 cup vegetable broth
red pepper flakes (optional)

Heat a large wok on high. Add the oil. When hot, add the chopped garlic and ginger.

Cook for two minutes until fragrant.

Add in the Chinese Broccoli. Cook for a few minutes.

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While cooking, mix up the rest of the ingredients in a bowl.

Pour sauce over the broccoli. Stir a bit. Cover wok for a couple of minutes.

The broccoli will cook quickly. You don’t want to overcook. Bottoms should be bright green.

Serve on platter. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: Side Dish, Vegan, vegetables · Tagged: , , , ,

Garlic Scapes and White Bean Hummus with Pita Chips

June 6, 2012 · by ·

I had some scapes leftover from the pesto I made the other day. As I ate the pesto with the pasta and white beans, I thought about how this flavor combo would make a good hummus. I had some leftover pita sitting in the freezer from a few weeks ago that was begging to be turned in to some pita chips. I figured it would be a good after-school snack for the kids when they got home from school.

I was right – it turned out to be perfect.


Garlic Scapes and White Bean Hummus
Ingredients:

5-6 garlic scapes
1 can white beans
1-2 tsp. sea salt
2 tsp. thyme
ground pepper
1.5 tbsp. lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Place everything in a food processor and go to town! It’s that easy! Seriously!

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Pita Chips
Ingredients:

Pita (I used around 10)
1/2 cup olive oil (approx.  – depends on amount of pita)
1 tsp. sea salt
fresh ground pepper
assorted herbs (half of mine were zaatar, half had a garlic/thyme mixture)

Preaheat oven to 400.

Cut pita in to wedges.

In a small bowl, mix the olive oil with the spices of your choosing.

Brush the pita triangles with the oil mixture. Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet

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Bake for around 7-8 minutes or so.

Cool pita chips for a few minutes and serve. Enjoy!

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Filed Under: easy, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , ,
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