Brussel Sprout, Cauliflower & Mushroom Hash

January 11, 2017 · by ·

 

Can I let you in on a little secret? I’m a little bit obsessed with brussel sprouts. These little cabbage-like balls of goodness are so tasty and so surprisingly versatile. As soon as brussel sprouts are in season, I pounce. Brussel sprouts tend to appear at the local markets sometime in November and I totally dance a little jig when I see that bucket at my favorite market stand for the first time in the seaons. And sometimes, during the fall and winter holidays, I get all silly and buy them on the stalk. Because I am fancy like that. But really, on most days, I toss them with olive oil, garlic, salt and pepper and just let them roast. But not this time. I went all out with my brussel sprouts.

A lunch with my mom this past fall inspired this dish. We went to this funky pub near her hotel where I had a simple brussel sprout hash with eggs and creme fraiche. The lunch was a perfect treat, and its’ simplicity made me really happy. I knew I had to create a dinner inspired by this dish. I knew that cauliflower would work well with brussel sprouts. And well, mushrooms, because mushrooms. I always add mushrooms to everything. Or so it seems.

I started by caramelizing some diced onion and garlic while I shredded up the brussel sprouts. I like buying my brussel sprouts whole and chopping myself, but I wouldn’t hold it against you if you picked up a bag of already shredded brussel sprouts over at Trader Joe’s.

Once the onions were done, I added the shredded sprouts to my cast iron skillet. I let those cook a bit while I chopped up my cauliflower. If you wanted a shortcut here, you could also use a bag of that riced cauliflower. I quickly chopped half a head of cauliflower – stalks and crowns. I added that to the pan and let that cook a few minutes before adding in the chopped mushrooms. I continued to let it cook in the skillet for another 7-10 minutes or so, stirring every so often.

I served this brussel sprout hash over some baby spinach and then topped it with a gloriously fried egg. You can also go for a poached egg, if fried isn’t your style. If you’re vegan or just not in the mood for an egg, you can certainly leave it out. It’s all good. This was dinner in our house, but I could totally see this being served again as breakfast, brunch or lunch as well.

Enjoy!


Brussel Sprout, Cauliflower & Mushroom Hash
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter
  • 1 onion, dice
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil or butter (additional)
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 1.5 pounds of brussel sprouts, washed and trimmed
  • 4 cups chopped or riced cauliflower
  • 8 oz. cremini or baby bella mushrooms, diced
  • Additional salt and pepper to taste
  • Eggs (optional)
  • Butter for frying the eggs
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oil or butter in a large, deep skillet. I like using my cast iron pan for this.
  2. Turn the heat down to medium-low and add in the onion and garlic let it soften and caramelize.
  3. While the onion cooks, shred the brussel sprouts by halving and slicing thinly.
  4. Add the salt and pepper to the onions.
  5. After about 7 minutes, add in the brussel sprouts. Stir a bit and turn the heat to medium.
  6. Let the brussel sprouts cook down for 3-5 minutes and then stir in the cauliflower and chopped mushrooms.
  7. Mix everything well and let the mixture cook for about 10 minutes.
  8. Taste and adjust seasoning.
  9. Fry up some eggs, sunny side up if you like.
  10. Serve the hash with some fried eggs or salad, or even with some meat - if that's your speed.
  11. Enjoy!

 

 

Filed Under: Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, low carb, Lunch · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Swiss Chard & Chickpea Curry

January 5, 2017 · by ·

 

So I peeked in my fridge the other night and was saddened by the dire vegetable situation in my kitchen after a long holiday weekend. So I headed out to Trader Joe’s in search of some hope for my cooking situation. Lo’ and behold, the shelves were bare. So I headed down the block to the trusty local kosher grocery store, and amazingly, there was some beautiful fresh swiss chard. It being the beginning of the new year and time for healthy new year’s resolutions and better eating plans, swiss chard is the perfect healthy green to be that representative to ease us into this special moment.

Swiss chard is a fabulous, hearty green that can adapt to any situation. It’s somewhere in between kale and spinach in terms of durability? Can greens be durable? I say, yes. Anyhow, they cook down nicely and pair well with most flavors. It also cooks up quickly, so it’s great for those evenings where you get home at 6pm and dinner needs to be ready before the half hour episode of The Simpsons is over. Am I the only crazy busy mom who does that? I try not to, but to be honest, the occasional park the kid in front of a show moment is the only way that dinner will be cooked and bellies will get filled.

Curry is the perfect wintery dish. It’s comforting, warm, spicy and pretty healthy. And if you follow some of my other recipes on here and also my instagram, you’ve probably seen a fair amount of similar dishes. It’s such an easy meal to turn to as I usually have all of the base ingredients at home already.

I quickly set up some basmati rice to cook. Basmati rice also mostly babysits itself while it cooks.

I sauteed up some onions, garlic and ginger and curry spices. Next, I added in the chopped swiss chard and let that cook down a little bit. I then added some chickpeas, a small amount of broth and some diced tomatoes. I added in a small amount of salt. I let everything simmer for a little bit – five to seven minutes and I was ready to go. By the time the curry was ready, so was the rice.

I tried to keep the heat level on this dish more mild so my kids would eat it, and eat it they did! Hope you enjoy this as well!


Swiss Chard & Chickpea Curry
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. vegetable oil
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and chopped
  • 2 tbsp. ginger paste
  • 1 tbsp. curry powder
  • 1 tsp. salt
  • half teaspoon turmeric powder
  • 2 tsp teaspoon ground cumin
  • 1 tsp teaspoon ground coriander
  • 1 large bunch of green swiss chard, washed and chopped
  • 1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained
  • 1 can diced tomatoes
  • ¼ cup vegetable broth
  • additional salt to taste
Instructions
  1. Heat up the oil in a large pan.
  2. Add in the onions, ginger and garlic and let soften for a couple minutes.
  3. Stir in the spices and cook another minute.
  4. Add in the swiss chard and let it cook down for a few minutes, stirring well.
  5. Add in the drained chickpeas, tomatoes and broth. Stir everything well.
  6. Let simmer for five to seven minutes, stirring every so often.
  7. Taste and add salt as necessary. If you'd like some heat, add in some cayenne or red pepper flakes.
  8. Serve with warm Basmati rice.
  9. Enjoy!

Filed Under: curry, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Italian Sausage & Monterey Jack Grilled Cheese

April 12, 2016 · by ·

grilled-cheese

Happy National Grilled Cheese Day! Now this is a holiday I can get behind every year. Grilled cheese is definitely one of my all-time favorite comfort foods out there. From my loaded grilled cheese to my grilled cheese with pears and caramelized onions, this is one sandwich that truly has a place in my heart. So when the folks over at Rumiano Cheese sent me some coupons for this momentous foodie holiday, I had to oblige.

Cheese-bricks

When I was out picking up the cheese at Whole Foods, I picked up some Upton’s Italian Sausage seitan. I had a hunch that the cheese would pair well with the seitan and I was right.

I set out to make this amazing sandwich. It’s a special occasion, so I had to go full steam ahead, right?

I sautéed up some onions and cremini mushrooms along with the seitan.

I then buttered up a skillet and also buttered two slices of bread. I piled the bread with cheese and then the onion/seitan mixture and then more cheese. Topped with a piece of bread, and then in to the pan it went.

Whoa Nelly. I birthed a grilled cheese baby. And it was good.

The Monterey Jack from Rumiano was the perfect match for the onions, mushrooms and seitan. I love how all the flavors stand out in the sandwich.

Hope you enjoy it too!

Italian Sausage & Monterey Jack Grilled Cheese
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 8 oz cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 1 package of Italian Sausage flavored seitan
  • Butter
  • Bread (2 slices per sandwich)
  • 1 brick of Monterey Jack Cheese, sliced up
Instructions
  1. Heat up some olive oil in a pan.
  2. Add in the onions and cook a few minutes. Add in the mushrooms and seitan and cook until cooked through and liquid has evaporated. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. In a separate pan, heat up some butter.
  4. Butter Slices of bread and make sandwiches, piling cheese then filling then more cheese.
  5. Grill in pan until brown on each side and cheese has melted.
  6. Serve.
  7. Enjoy!

Grilled Cheese Vertical

Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, product review, sandwich, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , ,

Rosemary, Fig & Goat Cheese Latkes

December 15, 2014 · by ·

latkes-main

Chanukah starts tomorrow night. It only hit me when I glanced at my calendar on Outlook and it told me that I had to light the first candle on Tuesday.  I stifled a gasp. I’m totally not caught up with holiday preparations. I need to buy Chanukah and Christmas presents. Need to buy presents for my kid’s teachers and therapists. I need to sort out a chanukah party menu. The list goes on. I will breathe after December 23. That’s when I start my staycation.

Chanukah is already in the air though. Even if it hasn’t begun. The Chanukah spirit arrived last week when I made those delicious golden beet latkes. Today, I have another fun Chanukah treat and I’m sure I’ll have some more goodies for you through the holiday.

I’m so excited to share these latkes with you. The idea for these latkes came about one evening when I had some people over for a wine and cheese night. I served an appetizer that had some roasted figs with rosemary and goat cheese on them. As I worked through the flavors, and loved them, I knew these flavors had to become a latke! So here we are today!

I soaked some dried figs in some port wine and brought some goat cheese to room temperature. You can let the figs soak for about 20 minutes, or you can get distracted like I did and keep them soaking for an hour. You want them to soften and plump up. I chopped up the figs along with some shallots and mixed them with the goat cheese. I set that bowl aside.

goat-cheese-and-figs

filling

The potato process needs to happen fast as you want them to keep their light color. I washed and peeled the potatoes. I shredded the potatoes, along with some onion, garlic and more shallots in the food processor using the shredding disc. Next, I rinsed the grated potato mixture and squeezed out all of the liquid.

I placed the mixture in to a large mixing bowl and stirred in some eggs, almond flour, salt, pepper and fresh chopped rosemary.

potato-mixture

Next, I heated up some oil in a large fry pan.

I placed a thin layer of potato mixture in my hand and then placed some fig and goat cheese layer on top of it. You want a decent amount of goat cheese, but make sure that there’s an edge of potato around it. I topped the goat cheese with another thin layer of potatoes. You want the latke to be thin so that it gets crispy and cooked through, but you also want the cheese to shine through. The cheese should be completely covered by the potato mixture.

stuffed-latkes

I fried the latkes until crisp on both sides. The trick with latkes is to place them in the pan and leave them alone until you see the shredded potatoes begin to brown at the edges. The browning will poke through. But don’t peek and don’t flip until you can see that it’s very crisp.

frying-latkes

Drain the finished latkes on a cooling rack over a paper towel lined cookie sheet.

drain-latkes

It’s best to serve fresh. But if you have to make these ahead of time, you can keep them warm in a 250-degree oven.

These latkes are out of this world. Because of the creamy goat cheese with figs inside, you don’t need any sauce or sour cream on top. There’s a huge amount of flavor all packed in to the latke! It’s amazing! My first thought as I sunk my teeth in to the latke was that it was “off the hook!” And I never say that! It was that good though. I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!




Rosemary, Fig & Goat Cheese Latkes
 
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Ingredients
Fig & Goat Cheese Filling
  • 7 dried figs
  • 1 cup of port wine or other semi dry red wine
  • 1 shallot, chopped
  • 4 oz. goat cheese (chevre)
Latke Blend
  • 4 large red potatoes, washed and peeled nand quartered
  • 1 medium onion
  • 1 shallot
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3 tablespoons fresh rosemary, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. salt
  • 4 tsp. fresh ground pepper
  • additional salt and pepper to taste
  • 8 tbsp. almond flour or all-purpose flour
  • 2 eggs
  • Oil for frying
Instructions
  1. Soak the figs in the wine for at least 20 minutes.
  2. Drain the figs and chop them finely. In a small bowl, mix the figs with the chopped shallot and goat cheese. Set the bowl aside.
  3. In a food processor fitted with a shredding disc, grate the potatoes, onions, garlic and shallot.
  4. Rinse and drain the grated potato mixture. Squeeze out all of the liquid.
  5. Transfer to a large mixing bowl.
  6. Mix the rosemary, salt, pepper, egg and flour into the potato mixture.
  7. Heat about a ½ an inch of oil in a large frying pan.
  8. Form the potato mixture in to a small thin patty in your hand and place a tablespoon or so of goat cheese filling in the middle. Cover it with a small thin layer of potato mixture and seal along the edges.
  9. Fry in the oil until browned and crisp on both sides.
  10. Drain on a cooling rack or paper towels.
  11. Enjoy!

latkes-tower


Filed Under: Appetizers, Chanukah, Gluten Free, hanukkah, Kosher Connection Challenge, latke, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

#BeyondMeat Vegan Lettuce Tacos + Giveaway!

August 10, 2014 · by ·


vegan-lettuce-tacosm

I am excited to have the opportunity to cook with and talk about the Beyond Meat line of vegan beef crumbles.

You all know that I’m a fan of the various vegan meat products out there. Whenever a new product is released, I’m first in line to try it. So I’ve definitely been watching Beyond Meat. Ever since they showed up at Whole Foods, I was there. First their mock chicken products, and now the beef crumbles. They’re not only vegan, they are also kosher and gluten free. It’s the absolute trifecta in my book. The fact that they taste good. Perfecto!

I’d already tried the beefy variety of the crumbles, so I decided to get a little crazy and try their Feisty crumbles.

vegan feisty crumbles

An idea immediately popped in to my head. I some amazing fresh lettuce and corn from my CSA. I decided I needed to make tacos out of these Feisty crumbles. It would be a perfect light, vegan and gluten free dinner. Since the Feisty crumbles already had some seasoning in there, I had a hunch that with just a bit of adaptation, they would be perfect for my tacos.

I chopped up some onion and garlic and added it to a hot pan. I added the frozen Beyond Meat crumbles to the pan and cooked for a few minutes, breaking up the pieces. I added some cumin, salt and pepper to the mix. I then added some corn that I cut off the cob. I cooked another five minutes.

cooking-crumbles

I washed and prepped some lettuce leaves. Romaine or Butter Lettuce are perfect for this. I also chopped up some peppers and avocado.

I scooped some of the meat mixture in to the lettuce pieces and then sprinkled over some peppers and avocado. You could also add some cheddar cheese for the ultimate taco experience.

This was the perfect summer dinner!

Don’t forget to enter the amazing giveaway below!

*Please note that this was a sponsored post. While the product was provided to me, the recipe and opinions are my own.



 

Vegan Lettuce Tacos
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 tbsp. olive oil
  • 1 onion
  • 3 cloves garlic
  • 1 package of Beyond Meat Feisty Crumbles
  • 1 tbsp. cumin
  • 2 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp. black pepper
  • Corn from 2 ears of corn
  • Lettuce Leaves
  • 1 Red pepper, chopped
  • 1 Avocado, diced
  • Vegan or Dairy Cheddar (optional)
  • Additional salt and pepper as necessary
Instructions
  1. Heat up the olive oil in a large pan
  2. Add in the onions, garlic and spices. Cook for a few minutes.
  3. Add in the vegan beef crumbles and the corn. Cook for about 5-7 minutes. Remove from heat.
  4. Clean the lettuce leaves.
  5. Scoop the meat mixture in to the lettuce leaves and garnish with the remaining chopped veggies and optional cheese.
  6. Serve and enjoy!

  vertical-tacos

Filed Under: avocado, Dinner, giveaway, Gluten Free, low carb, Main Course, product review, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Butternut Squash and Kale Hash

April 7, 2014 · by ·

Butternut-Squash-Hash

I find myself craving protein lately. By the end of the day, I need a pick-me-up boost of energy. I’m not sure if it’s a cold weather or just a me thing, but my dinner planning tends to be fueled by my energy level at 5:30 in the evening when I get home.

I had half of a butternut squash sitting in my fridge and a bunch of kale. I knew that I needed to use it up. I’m trying to be better about using all of my leftover vegetables and not letting so much go to waste. I was tempted to use some of the squash in a soup, or even just make some simple cubed roasted butternut squash. I still needed a main dish though, and I really wasn’t in the mood for too many dirty pots and pans. Maybe I could get away with just one or two pans? A one-pot meal would be a huge accomplishment.

This dinner kind of just came together. I didn’t know what it would be when I started out, but it turned out to be a sort of hash.

I cubed and peeled my leftover butternut squash and added it to a hot pan. I added some olive oil, onion, garlic and sage as well.

I threw in some vegan beef crumbles to the pan. If you’re not a vegetarian, feel free to add beef or bacon or some other meat product.

I let everything cook. I wanted the butternut squash to get brown and caramelize a bit.

I then poached some eggs in a separate sauce pan and served the eggs on top of the vegetable hash.

The creaminess of the poached egg was the perfect addition to this warm vegetable hash. I will definitely be making this “accidental meal” over again.

Butternut Squash and Kale Hash
 
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Ingredients
  • 4 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash (1-inch cubes)
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 tbsp. fresh sage
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp. salt
  • 1 lb. vegan beef crumbles
  • 3 cups chopped and stemmed kale
  • eggs for poaching
Instructions
  1. Heat up a large pan with some olive oil.
  2. Add in the butternut squash and the onion and cook for several minutes. Let the squash soften and caramelize.
  3. Add in the garlic, sage, salt, pepper and vegetarian meat crumbles. Let cook for around 5 minutes or so.
  4. Once the mixture is soft, and in the kale and cook a few more minutes.
  5. In a separate pan, heap up some water with a splash of vinegar. Poach the eggs for a few minutes in the water and remove with slotted spoon.
  6. Serve the hash with a poached egg on top.
  7. Enjoy!

squash-hash

Filed Under: Brunch, Dinner, kale, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , ,

Kosher BBQ Tofu Sandwiches

February 16, 2014 · by ·

 

So the weekend is here. Thank goodness. I love the weekends. Time to get stuff done. Time to have fun and relax with my family. Time to eat good food.

We’re in the thick of winter right now on the East Coast. We’ve had snow non-stop. It’s getting a bit ridiculous. Feeling like I’ve been stuck inside way too long. So I’ve been trying to come up with foods that remind me of summer.

bbq-tofu-sandwich

When I think of summer, I think of grilling. I love eating food from the grill.  My father has always been the master of the barbecue. Even in the winter, he heads out to the grill. I thought I’d share with you a fabulous Kosher BBQ Tofu Sandwich that even my father would be proud of. Since it’s vegetarian, the whole family will enjoy it! In the summer, I make this on the grilled, but in the winter, I stay inside with my trusty grill pan.

grilled tofu

Kosher BBQ Tofu Sandwiches
 
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Ingredients
  • 1 (12 ounce) package extra firm Tofu
  • 3 tbsp. Vegetable Oil
  • 1 Onion, thinly sliced
  • Cole Slaw
  • 1 ½ cups BBQ sauce
  • 6 Hamburger buns
Instructions
  1. Start by draining the tofu. To effectively drain it, place tofu on a plate lined with two layers of paper towel. Put two additional paper towels atop the tofu. Afterwards, place a plate with something heavy on it to slowly weigh it all down without crumbling the tofu. Allow it to set for 30 minutes and once all the water has been squeezed out, you can proceed to cutting the tofu. Make sure they are about ¼ inch thick so they would be easier to cook. To ensure that the tofu would be meaty and chewy rather than soft and gooey, it is best to freeze them for an hour. You would notice that the edges would be frozen. Do not thaw them before placing in the skillet.
  2. Heat the vegetable oil in a skillet or non-stick pan. Once hot enough, place the tofu slices and fry until both sides are golden brown; 3-4 minutes is good enough. It is recommended that you shake the pan while cooking so the tofu won’t stick to the pan. Add onions. Pour in BBQ sauce to desired taste. Make sure BBQ sauce is enough to coat the tofu. When you notice that the sauce is setting on the tofu, you’re done. Top with coleslaw and serve on toasted wheat buns.
  3. If you are thinking of pairing this with wine, Chris Murphy, resident wine expert from M&S advises that “The rule of thumb when finding an excellent wine pairing is to try and match the textures of food with the wine, and this works for all cuisines, vegetarian or not.” In this case, the most dominant ingredient is the tofu and sparkling wine like Desroches Champagne (labelled suitable for vegetarians) allows the flavor of tofu to come through.

 

Filed Under: Dinner, Lunch, Main Course, sandwich, tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , ,

Pan-Seared Tofu with Harissa Chickpeas

January 16, 2014 · by ·

Pan-Seared-Tofu-Harissa

I think this month’s Bon Appétit Magazine may be one of my favorites. They focused on healthful foods this  month. Page after page, I was just blown away and inspired by the ideas and photos. Their cover photo inspired my recent miso soup. When I paged through and landed on their Pan-Roasted Chicken with Harissa Chickpeas, my mouth began to water some more. Harissa. I love the spice paste and I have always wanted to make it myself. I knew right then that I had to veganize this dish. I also knew that I wasn’t going to use store-bought harissa. I had to make it my own.

Harissa is a North African chili paste. It’s spicy and fragrant – so full of flavor. I often buy it to spread on challah for Shabbat, or I sometimes spread it on fish. I knew from past research that Harissa uses freshly toasted spices and would be the perfect opportunity to break out my new mortar and pestle.

The amazing folks at Core Bamboo recently sent me a beautiful mortar and pestle that would be perfect for this Harissa job. Core Bamboo is also amazingly generous and sponsoring a giveaway for a mortar and pestle just like mine. So check out the end of this blog post if you are interested in winning a set for your own kitchen. Core Bamboo produces an amazing array of kitchen products. I think I have a cutting board addiction, and several in my collection are made by Core, as are several of my bowls. I may also hoard serving bowls. I’m a kitchen stuff hoarder. Plain and simple.

Anyhow, back to the dish.

First, I made the Harissa. I soaked some dried chile peppers in boiling water.

peppers

While the peppers soaked, I toasted the spices in a hot pan. I then ground up the toasted spices in my mortar and pestle.

mortar-and-pestle

Once the peppers were soft, I seeded and stemmed them and then I transferred everything to my Cuisinart food processor and blended the mixture. Everything came together quickly.

Cuisinart

Once the harissa is ready, transfer the mixture to a clean jar and add some extra olive oil to cover the paste.

harissa

I then set out to make the rest of the meal.

Next, I sliced my tofu and spiced it with salt, pepper and cumin. I seared the sliced tofu in a hot pan and then transferred the tofu to a plate.

I sautéed some onion, garlic and additional spices. I added my chickpeas to the pan, along with some harissa, tomato paste and vegetable broth.  I let the mixture cook for a few minutes. I then added the tofu back to the pan so that it gets coated with the Harissa.

Chickpeas

I served the tofu and chickpeas with some lemon wedges.

Pan-Seared-Tofu-Harissa

Dinner was amazing. It was super easy to make and everyone walked away with full, happy bellies. I hope you enjoy!

Don’t forget to enter the amazing giveaway for a Core Bamboo Mortar & Pestle!

Pan-Seared Tofu with Harissa Chickpeas
 
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Adapted from Bon Appetit Magazine, January 2014 Issue
Author:
Ingredients
  • ½ tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 lb extra-firm tofu, drained and sliced
  • 1-2 tsp. salt
  • 2 tsp. ground black pepper
  • 2 tsp. cumin
  • 1 medium onion, chopped
  • 4 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 3 tbsp. tomato paste
  • 3 cups cooked or canned chickpeas
  • ⅓ cup Harissa (see recipe below) or use store-bought
  • ½ cup vegetable broth
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ¼ chopped parsley
  • Lemon wedges, for serving
Instructions
  1. Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat.
  2. Season the tofu slices with the salt, pepper and cumin and sear the tofu until browned on both sides. Transfer to a plate when done.
  3. Add onion and garlic to the pan and saute for a few minutes until softened.
  4. Stir in the tomato paste and add in the chickpeas and the harissa.
  5. Stir in the vegetable broth and let the mixture simmer.
  6. Let it cook for about 5-10 minutes and then add the tofu back to the pan. Ensure that the tofu is coated with the harissa mixture.
  7. Serve the dish with lemon wedges for squeezing over the dish. You may also like rice along side the dish.
  8. Enjoy!

 
Homemade Harissa
 
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Adapted from Saveur
Author:
Recipe type: sauce, dip, paste
Cuisine: Moroccan, Tunisian
Ingredients
  • 6 Dried Guajillo Chiles
  • 3 Dried Pasilla Chiles
  • 2 Dried Chiles de Arbol
  • 1⁄2 tsp. Caraway seeds
  • 1⁄4 tsp. Coriander seeds
  • 1⁄4 tsp. Cumin seeds
  • 1 tsp. Dried Mint Leaves
  • 3 tbsp. Extra-Virgin Olive Oil, plus more as needed
  • 1 1⁄2 tsp. kosher salt
  • 5 cloves garlic
  • Juice of 1 lemon
  • 2 tbsp. tomato paste
Instructions
  1. Put the chilies in a bowl and pour bowling water over the chiles to allow them to soften. Let them sit for about 20-30 minutes.
  2. In a dry pan, toast the caraway, coriander and cumin seeds over medium heat. Toast them for a few minutes until they begin to become fragrant.
  3. Transfer the spices to a mortar and pestle and grind them so that they become a powder.
  4. Drain the chiles and remove the stems and the seeds. Transfer them to your food processor.
  5. Add the rest of the ingredients to the food processor, including the ground spices, and puree until everything is well integrated and smooth.
  6. Store the mixture in a sterile glass jar. Add some olive oil to the top of the harissa paste and seal the jar. Store in the fridge for up to a few weeks.

Pan-Seared-Tofu

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Filed Under: Dinner, Gluten Free, legumes, Main Course, product review, recipes, tofu, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Sriracha Chex Mix

January 8, 2014 · by ·

Sriracha Chex Mix

I love Chex Mix. Chex Mix is one of my favorite snacks. Only homemade Chex Mix though. I stock up on Chex Cereals whenever I see them on sale at the grocery store. I’m always trying to come up with new flavor options for the wonderful snack mix.

I’ve made it with Creole seasoning, I loved it with curry seasoning and just recently, I decided I needed to make a Sriracha Chex Mix. Who doesn’t like sriracha? It seemed like it would be the perfect addition to this snack mix. I was right.

In a giant mixing bowl, I mixed up the Rice Chex, Corn Chex, cashews, almonds and peanuts.

I mixed up some melted butter, sriracha, sesame oil,  and tamari.

mixing-chex-mix-

I processed some garlic and ginger in my Cuisinart Mini-Prep so it became a paste and then added it to the bowl with the butter and the sriracha.

I poured the mixture over the Chex and nut mixture. I stirred everything well.

mixing-chexk-mix

I placed everything on a rimmed baking sheet and then I baked it in the oven at a low heat for an hour. I stirred it up every 15 minutes or so.

I then let the mixture cool and then sampled a bit. Oh yeah.

This Chex Mix came with us to our New Year’s Eve party. It’s perfect for any party or just for casual snacking. I love the kick of the sriracha!

Hope you enjoy!


Sriracha Chex Mix
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Snack, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • 6 cups Rice Chex
  • 6 cups Corn Chex
  • 1 cup roasted unsalted cashews
  • 1 cup roasted peanutes
  • 1 cup toasted almonds slivers
  • 1 stick of butter, melted
  • ⅓ cup Sriracha
  • ¼ cup tamari or soy sauce
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • 3-4 inch piece ginger, peeled
Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 250
  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry cereals and the nuts.
  3. In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, tamari, sriracha and the sesame oil.
  4. Puree the garlic and ginger in a food processor and then mix in to the sriracha mixture.
  5. Stir the melted butter and sriracha mixture in to the cereal mixture and stir well, making sure that all nuts and cereal pieces are coated well.
  6. Transfer to rimmed baking sheets.
  7. Bake in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
  8. Remove from oven and allow to cool.
  9. Enjoy!

Sriracha Chex Mix

Filed Under: asian, Gluten Free, munchies, recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

Spicy Miso Ginger Soup with Mushrooms & Spinach

January 6, 2014 · by ·

miso-ginger-soup

We were having a get-together with some friends and I offered to bring something over. They suggested soup. I initially thought I would do something simple like my Cardamom Cauliflower Soup or perhaps my French Onion Soup. I wanted to change things up a bit though. It’s been pretty cold around here and I’ve been craving spicy Asian noodle soups. My Bon Appétit Magazine had just arrived and I was drooling over the rice noodle soup on the cover.

Having looked through various recipes for inspiration, I decided to come up with my own vegan soup recipe. I had some miso on hand as well as shiitake mushrooms. I knew I could pull something together.

I began by sautéing up some shallots, garlic and ginger in a little bit of sesame and canola oil. As they softened, I added some cubed extra firm tofu and some sliced shiitake mushrooms, along with the whites of the scallions. I let everything sear and soften. The smell coming off the pot was amazing.

I stirred in some chili garlic paste and added some vegetable broth to the pot. I then added a strip of Kombu to the broth mixture. Kombu is a type of seaweed that adds amazing flavor to soups.

Next, I stirred in some miso and tamari to the mix. I tasted the broth a bit to see if it needed additional spice. I like heat, so I added a couple of squirts of Sriracha.

Next, I added some spinach, shredded daikon and shredded carrots. The spinach cooks up fast. At that point, the soup smelled amazing and I really wanted to dig in. I let the soup simmer for about a half hour. I then ladled in to a bowl over some gluten free soba noodles.

This soup is perfect. It’s great for these cold winter days. Add some extra sriracha if you want an extra kick.

ladled-miso-ginger-soup

Spicy Miso Ginger Soup with Mushrooms & Spinach
 
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Author:
Recipe type: Soup
Cuisine: Asian, Gluten Free
Ingredients
  • ½ tbsp. rice bran oil
  • 2 tsp. sesame oil
  • 2 shallots, chopped
  • 4 inch piece of ginger, peeled
  • 4 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 2 scallions, chopped (whites and light green only)
  • ½ pound extra firm tofu, drained and cubed
  • 10 oz. shiitake mushrooms, sliced
  • 2 tsp. chili garlic paste
  • 10 cups vegetable or imitation chicken broth
  • 1 6-inch strip of kombu
  • 2 tbsp. white miso paste
  • 1 tbsp. tamari or soy sauce (can adjust taste)
  • 1-2 tbsp. sriracha (optional, to taste)
  • red pepper flakes (optional, to taste)
  • 1.5 cups shredded carrot
  • 1.5 cups shredded daikon
  • 2-3 cups packed spinach leaves (could also use kale or mustard greens)
  • Soba noodles (optional, to serve)
Instructions
  1. Process the garlic and ginger in to a paste in the food processor.
  2. Heat up the oils in a heavy bottom soup pot.
  3. Add in the garlic, ginger and scallions and saute for a few minutes to soften.
  4. Add in the mushrooms and the tofu and saute for several minutes.
  5. Stir in the chili paste and add in the broth.
  6. Mix in the miso paste and tamari and taste the soup a bit. Add additional sriracha or red pepper flakes for extra heat.
  7. Add in the shredded veggies and spinach and cover the pot. Let the soup simmer for about a half hour.
  8. Serve over soba noodles.
  9. Enjoy!

Spicy-Miso-Ginger-Soup

Filed Under: asian, Dinner, Gluten Free, Lunch, noodles, Soups, Vegan, Vegetarian · Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , ,
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