Vegetarian

Spicy Asian Roasted Broccoli & Snap Peas

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My plan for dinner was a ginger sesame marinated pork tenderloin, basmati rice and steamed broccoli.  Isn’t that awfully easy…and awfully boring?  I found this recipe for roasted broccoli and snap peas made extra delicious with a light sauce of sesame oil, orange zest, cilantro, honey, fresh ginger, garlic and sambal oelek.  So glad I took the extra time to make this side dish.

Living where we do there are limitations on the ingredients I can get my hands on.  I couldn’t find bird chiles, so I didn’t use them and as a result this wasn’t too spicy even with the sambal oelek.  If you really have a problem with spice, then you can leave that out as well.  I also didn’t use the miso, mostly because I was too lazy to look for it!  Since it’s just Ben and I eating dinner, I also like to make just enough for the two of us unless it’s something I know is wonderful left over.  So I changed parts of this recipe to better suit our lifestyle.  Here is the link to the original recipe.

There is something so very special about roasted veggies, and this recipe is no exception.  This is a perfect side for an Asian flavored meal.  Enjoy!

Spicy Asian Roasted Broccoli & Snap Peas

Adapted from finecooking.com

Ingredients

  • 2 heads of broccoli, cut into florets
  • 8 ounces snap peas (1 bag)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
  • 1 tablespoon plus 1 1/2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
  • 1 tablespoon honey
  • 1 teaspoon sambal oelek
  • 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon fresh grated ginger
  • 1 teaspoon minced garlic

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F
  2. Combine broccoli and snap peas in a 9×13 glass dish and drizzle 1 tablespoon of olive oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil over vegetables, toss together to coat and sprinkle with salt.
  3. Roast for 20 minutes, checking and stirring about half way through.  Vegetable are done when slightly browned.
  4. While vegetable are cooking whisk the rest of the ingredients together.
  5. When vegetables are done pour sauce over and toss to coat.

 

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Tomato Pie

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You may not have a great reaction to this combination; tomato and pie.  Ben didn’t either when I told him what we were having for dinner.  When all was said and done though, he had three helpings last night and we finished off the rest of this today for lunch.

This recipe is from Simply Recipes.  Here is the link. Her picture is so much prettier than what came out of my oven, but it still tasted great.  I will admit to being a little impatient when it comes to eating these days, so maybe if I had let it cool a bit longer I would have had better luck in removing whole pieces instead of chunks of pie.

I get really hungry and excited about eating, and I just cannot wait to eat sometimes!  I’m pregnant, so I’m using that as my excuse.  Only 6 more weeks to use that one.

While Ben was slightly disappointed that there was no meat in our meal, he put on a happy face and eat it anyway.  If you wanted to add meat, I think some crumbled cooked bacon on top of the sautéed onions would be nice.

I will make this simple meal again and I would definitely think about serving it at a ladies lunch or brunch as a whole pie or in little tart shells.

The fresh basil with the tomatoes is a lovely match as always.  I used 2 cups of chopped red tomatoes and 1 cup of chopped yellow tomatoes from the rest of my tomato plant’s crop.  I used a combination of mozzarella and swiss cheese with good results, but some nice sharp cheddar in there would also be tasty.  The Tabasco gives a nice spicy punch, but you could leave it out if you are not a fan of that kick.  Enjoy!

Tomato Pie

Courtesy of Simply Recipes

Ingredients

  • 1 9-inch pie shell
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped and sautéed in olive oil or butter
  • 3-4 tomatoes, cut in half horizontally, squeezed to remove excess juice, roughly chopped, to yield approximately 3 cups chopped tomatoes
  • 1/2 cup sliced basil
  • 2 cups grated cheese (any combination you choose)
  • 3/4 cup mayonnaise (light or regular)
  • 1 teaspoon (or more to taste) of Frank’s Hot Sauce (or Tabasco)
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Place pie shell in oven and cook for 8-10 minutes or longer until lightly golden. If you are starting with a frozen crust, you’ll need to cook it a little longer. If you are using a homemade crust, freeze the crust first, then line the crust with aluminum foil and pre-bake it for 20 minutes, then remove the foil and bake an additional 10 minutes.
  2. Squeeze as much moisture as you can out of the chopped tomatoes, using either paper towels, a clean dish towel, or a potato ricer.
  3. Sprinkle the bottom of the pre-cooked pie shell with onion. Spread the chopped tomatoes over the onions. Sprinkle the sliced basil over the tomatoes.
  4. In a medium bowl, mix together the grated cheese, mayonnaise, Tabasco, a sprinkling of salt and freshly ground black pepper. The mixture should be the consistency of a gooey snow ball. Spread the cheese mixture over the tomatoes.
  5. Place in oven and bake until browned and bubbly, anywhere from 25 to 45 minutes.
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Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomato and Edamame Salad

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Finding tasty, refreshing vegetable side dishes can be difficult.  I am all for a nice salad, but sometimes that just doesn’t cut it.  Steamed or roasted veggies are delicious, but when the weather is warm I want something cool.  This salad is the perfect solution to all these problems!  Using seasonal ingredients like fresh corn and juicy tomatoes is a great way to celebrate summer.  The fresh basil and mint in the salad make it even more delicious.

I only made one slight change to this recipe.  Since I am not a huge fan of drowning a salad in dressing, I simply drizzled the dressing over each individual serving of salad.  You don’t need much to add a nice zesty, and tangy flavor to this salad.  I left one serving completely naked except for a light sprinkling of salt and thought it was great.  The herbs provide so much flavor alone that you could do without the dressing completely.  It is up to you.

I served this with Quick Tandoori Chicken, here is the link.  I used chicken breasts instead of thighs.  The flavors were robust and yummy, but I wouldn’t serve these two things together again.  Serving this salad with a simple grilled steak or simple flavored grilled chicken would be wonderful so that you don’t have competing flavors.

Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomato and Edamame Salad

Courtesy of Fine Cooking (Here is the link)

Ingredients

  • 1 cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 5 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2-1/4 cups fresh corn kernels (from about 3 medium ears)
  • 2 Tbs. plain low-fat yogurt
  • 2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. clover honey
  • 1/2 tsp. minced garlic
  • Kosher salt
  • Freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 heaping cup quartered cherry tomatoes (about 15)
  • 1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh mint
  • 1/4 cup very thinly sliced fresh basil

Directions

  1. Cook the edamame according to package directions. Drain and set aside to cool completely.
  2. Heat 1 Tbs. of the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the corn and cook, stirring occasionally, until the kernels are golden brown in patches, about 9 minutes. Transfer to a bowl to cool.
  3. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the yogurt, lemon juice, honey, garlic, and 1/4 tsp. salt. Slowly pour in the remaining 4 Tbs. olive oil, whisking constantly until blended. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  4. In a medium serving bowl, combine the cooled edamame and corn, the tomatoes, and the herbs. Gently toss. Add half of the vinaigrette and gently toss. Add more vinaigrette and salt and pepper to taste. Serve at room temperature.
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Asian Vegetable Slaw

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To go with Pioneer Woman’s flank steak, I was in search of a side dish.  Rice would have been fine, and then maybe a salad or some steamed asparagus.  But that just seemed kinda boring and not the perfect summer side.

Thankfully, I came across a perfect summer side dish recipe from Erin at vittles for the voracious.  This salad would a great accompaniment to the grilled steak and the Asian flavors.

The salad has tons of yummy, crisp vegetables.  It tastes fresh but still has a great rich flavor thanks to the dressing.  You can change this recipe to fit your likes and needs.  Add any other vegetables that you like.  Erin suggests water chestnuts, broccoli florets, snow peas, and asparagus pieces.  Along with the recipe required broccoli slaw and edamame, I added extra purple cabbage and snow peas.

For the dressing I used Brianna’s Ginger Mandarin dressing, 1 tablespoon of peanut butter and 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce.  I don’t like a dressing-drenched salad, so this was just enough to get the flavor without losing the vegetables.

Here is Vittles link, and here is my variation.  This is a great salad.  Thanks, Erin!

Asian Vegetable Slaw

Ingredients

Salad:

  • 1 package (10 oz) broccoli slaw mix
  • 1 cup red cabbage, chopped
  • 1 can mandarin oranges, drained
  • 2 cups shelled edamame
  • 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup blanched snap peas

Dressing:

  • 1/3 cup Asian dressing (I used Brianna’s Ginger Mandarin)
  • 1 tablespoon creamy peanut butter
  • 1 teaspoon hot chili sauce

Directions

  1. Combine all vegetables (and mandarins) in a large bowl and toss together.
  2. In a small bowl, whisk dressing, peanut butter and chili sauce.
  3. Pour sauce over the vegetables and toss well.
  4. Chill until ready to serve.
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Basil Guacamole

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Glorious guacamole.  It is one of my favorite foods not just because of its deliciousness, but because it is so very versatile.  You can enjoy it as a dip for chips, as a spread for a sandwich, in a wrap, on a taco, on fajitas and on top of a salad.  Guacamole is also good for you thanks to the avocado!  Avocados provide many essential nutrients, including fiber, potassium, Vitamin E, B-vitamins and folic acid.  High is good fats, avocados give you a great excuse to indulge in guacamole.  Now, the chips…they’re not quite so nutrient packed, but they are tasty.

This recipe is from epicurious.com.  Here is the link. The recipe recommends serving this “Italian take on the classic” guacamole with toasted ciabatta bread and crudités.  I served the guacamole with plain tortilla chips and some spicy flax seed chips that I found at World Market.  I think they’re called Sweet and Spicy Flax Seed Chips.  If you see them, you should try a bag.  I really liked how they tasted more substantial than a normal chip and had that great sweet and spicy combination.

I also bought a jar of roasted salsa from World Market.  It packed quite a punch in the heat department, but wasn’t unbearable.  We used some of it the next morning in our migas.

The guacamole was definitely different than your everyday avocado, cilantro, tomato, jalapeno, onion and lime guacamole.  The basil is detectable, as are the shallot and lemon juice.  The flavors are perfect together and I really enjoyed it.  I think it would be really tasty on the toasted ciabatta as the recipe suggested.  Next time I will try it that way, or maybe with plain pita chips.  Yum.

Basil Guacamole

Ingredients

  • 6 medium avocados, halved, pitted, peeled, diced
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup chopped fresh basil plus leaves for garnish
  • ½ cup finely chopped shallots

Directions

  1. Place avocados in large bowl; add lemon juice.
  2. Using fork or potato masher, crush avocados coarsely.
  3. Mix in 1/2 cup chopped basil and shallots.
  4. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  5. Can be made 1 hour ahead. Cover and chill.

Photos courtesy of Carrie Hartman

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Mexican Layered Salad

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This salad was a big hit at the Superbowl party I brought it to last weekend.  It is technically a salad, but a lot of us ate it like a dip with tortilla chips instead.  I ate mine over a little mound of crushed chips.  The chips add a nice crunch and saltiness.  The flavors in this salad are very refreshing.  It was a good complement to the heavy chili and queso at the party.  The black beans and avocados are healthy and substantial and give the salad some weight that makes it an appealing thing to even the manliest of men.  I made mine a few hours before serving and it was great; not soggy at all.  I ate some the next day after it had been sitting in the fridge all night, and it was still delicious.  The avocado was still green and creamy without any nasty, slimy, brown spots.  I really liked the dressing.  The addition of lime juice, cilantro and cumin makes the ranch dressing so much tastier.  I am thinking about mixing some more of it up just to have on hand.  Adding some minced jalapeno might be nice too.

I combined many different recipes to come up with this salad.  A lot that I looked at use chips or cornbread as a layer in the salad, but I am not a fan of soggy bread in anything besides stuffing at Thanksgiving.  So, I left the chips out, and served them on the side instead.  If you want to add chips, cruch up about 2 cups and use half as a layer in between the corn and lettuce layers.

Mexican Layered Salad
Ingredients
  • 2 – 3 heads of romaine, chopped
  • 1/2 cup shredded red cabbage
  • 3 grated carrots
  • 3 – 4 roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 2 avocados, cut into 1/4 inch chunks and tossed with about 1 tablespoon of lemon juice
  • 6 – 8 green onions, chopped
  • 1 large can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 cans whole kernel corn, drained
  • 2 cups shredded cheese, a combination of cheddar and monterey jack is great
  • 1 1/2 cups ranch dressing
  • 3/4 teaspoon cumin
  • 3 – 5 tablespoons lime juice
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
  • Tortilla chips for serving
Directions
  1. In a small bowl combine tomatoes and scallions.
  2. Combine romaine, cabbage and carrots in a large bowl.
  3. In a separate bowl, combine dressing, cumin, lime juice and cilantro.  Whisk to combine.  Set aside.
  4. In a trifle dish, layer half of the beans, then half of the corn.
  5. Top half of the lettuce mixture and press down.
  6. Top with half of the  tomato mixture, then half of the avocado.
  7. Sprinkle with half of the cheese, then drizzle with dressing.
  8. Repeat layers again, pressing down as needed.
  9. Top with cheese, then cover with plastic wrap and let sit for at least 1 hour.  Can prepare 1 day ahead.
  10. Serve with tortilla chips.
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Artichoke and Mushroom Lasagna

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There are so many reasons to love lasagna.

  1. It can be simple or fancy.
  2. It can be a meat lovers delight, a vegetarians dream, or you can combine your meat and veggies and create an omnivores dilemma!  Get it?  Anyway…I know Sarah does.
  3. It can be made with a red pasta sauce, a creamy white bechamel, or a fresh basil pesto sauce, and others.
  4. It can be prepared in advance, frozen and baked later.
  5. It can feed a crowd, or it can feed a couple for days and days!
  6. It can be enjoyed warm with oozing cheese, or cold from the fridge.

I love lasagna.  This lasagna is a delicious veggie combination of mushrooms and artichokes in a rich bechamel sauce.  Ben and I really enjoyed it, and brought a plate to our neighbor who also was pretty complimentary of the dish.  The only criticism he gave was that it should have had a garnish of cilantro instead of parsley.  He puts cilantro on everything.  I think he might eat it on his cereal…

My iPhone is incredible.  Epicurious has an app that I just love.  I am able to search for a recipe while at the grocery store, get a shopping list, email the recipe to myself and have it waiting for me when I get home to cook.  Modern technology is one of my best friends.  That is how I found this recipe.  Here is the link. I made a few changes to the recipe based on the time I had to make this meal and what I had at home.  I used canned artichoke hearts instead of frozen since I did not have time to let them thaw.  I also used regular lasagna noodles because I had some in the pantry.  I used shredded mozzarella instead of sliced.  I substituted vermouth with dry white wine that I had left over from another recipe.  Despite the substitutions this lasagna was delicious and we enjoyed it for a few days.  It was great reheated, and cold as well.  This is something I would make again and serve at a dinner party or bring to a pot-luck.

Mushroom and Artichoke Lasagna

Bon Appetit, February 2002

Ingredients

Filling

  • 2 tablespoons (1/4 stick) butter
  • 1 pound mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 2 cans of artichoke hearts, drained, coarsely chopped
  • 1 cup dry white wine

Béchamel sauce

  • 4 1/2 tablespoons butter
  • 4 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 4 1/2 cups whole milk
  • 2 1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese (about 7 1/2 ounces)
  • Ground nutmeg
  • 1 package lasagna noodles, prepared according to package directions to al dente
  • 1 pound (4 cups) part skim mozzarella cheese, shredded
Directions

For filling:

  1. Melt butter in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and garlic; sauté until mushrooms release juices and begin to brown, about 7 minutes. Add artichokes and wine. Cook until liquid is absorbed, stirring occasionally, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

For béchamel sauce:

  1. Melt butter in heavy medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour; stir 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until sauce thickens and lightly coats spoon, stirring occasionally, about 20 minutes. Stir in 1 1/2 cups Parmesan. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and ground nutmeg.
  2. Spread 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over bottom of 13x9x2-inch glass baking dish. Top with enough noodles to cover bottom of dish. Spread 1/4 of artichoke mixture over. Spoon 2/3 cup béchamel sauce over. Top béchamel with 1/4 of mozzarella.
  3. Sprinkle with 3 tablespoons Parmesan. Top with enough noodles to cover. Repeat layering 3 more times, finishing with a layer of noodles, then remaining béchamel. Sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. (Can be prepared 1 day ahead. Cover with foil and refrigerate.)
  4. Preheat oven to 350°F. Bake lasagna covered with foil 1 hour (or 1 hour 15 minutes if chilled). Remove foil. Increase temperature to 450°F. Bake lasagna until golden on top, about 10 minutes longer.
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Green Chile Mac and Cheese

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There is something wonderful about the unnatural orange color and flavor of Kraft mac and cheese, but I have become quite a fan of mac and cheese from scratch.  Simple is terrific.  Cute elbow macaroni surrounded by smooth and creamy cheddar cheese sauce.  However, dressing it up can be so much fun!  Roasted tomatoes are a nice addition to mac and cheese as is bacon or ham.  This recipe caught my eye because Ben absolutely LOVES green chiles and would put them on his cereal if it were socially acceptable…well, maybe he’s not that extreme.

This recipe came from the Southern Food section on about.com and I found it easy and delicious.  The end product is a cross between creamy mac and cheese and a casserole.  I loved the green chile flavor and the toasty breadcrumbs on top.  I served this with a little sour cream on the side and sprinkled it with some chopped cilantro.

I used half cheddar and half queso quesadilla in this macaroni with great results.  Creamy, cheesy, a bit spicy and incredibly yummy.  If you have fresh roasted green chiles, then you must used them in this dish.  I used canned and it was good, so fresh would be crazy good.  I also used a 7-ounce can of chopped green chiles instead of the measly 4 ounces called for in this recipe.

mac1Green Chile Macaroni and Cheese

  • 8 ounces elbow macaroni
  • 4 tablespoons butter
  • 4 tablespoons flour
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 1/2 cups milk
  • 1/2 cup green jalapeno salsa
  • 1 can (4 ounces) mild chopped green chile peppers
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons finely chopped jalapeno peppers, canned or fresh, optional
  • 8 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, about 2 cups
  • salt, to taste
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons chopped cilantro, optional
  • 1 cup fresh finely ground bread crumbs
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • paprika
  1. Heat oven to 350°. Grease a 2-quart baking dish.
  2. Cook macaroni in boiling salted water following package directions. Drain and rinse well.
  3. In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the 4 tablespoons of butter. Stir in flour and pepper until well blended and bubbly. Gradually add the milk, stirring constantly. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened. Stir in salsa, chile peppers, and cheese. Cook, stirring, until cheese is melted. Taste and add salt, as needed. Combine with the drained macaroni; stir in cilantro, if using. Spoon into the prepared baking dish.
  4. Combine 2 tablespoons melted butter with the bread crumbs and sprinkle over the macaroni and cheese. Sprinkle lightly with paprika.
  5. Bake for 25 minutes, or until lightly browned and bubbly.
    Serves 4 to 6.
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Monster Zucchini Part II: Zucchini Fritters

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With the mound of shredded zucchini I could have made 3 batches (6 loaves) of zucchini bread.  I could have done this and frozen loves, or given them to friends.  But lets face it, I just don’t have that many friends and my freezer just couldn’t take the load!

fritter3

If I would have been thinking more clearly I would have shredded half of the ginormous squash and then sliced the rest and grilled them or sauteed them to serve with the leftover mac and cheese.  We cannot change the past, so I decided to make zucchini fritters.  I looked at a few recipes.  All used shredded zucchini, at least one egg, flour, and salt and pepper.  From that base I found that the possibilities are endless.  Some recipes used Parmesan or other cheeses in the mix, some used panko or some type of bread crumbs, some used onions (scallions or red), and the seasonings that were used ranged from simple S&P to 6 different herbs in one recipe.  I mixed and matched based on what I had at home.

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Dinner Rush: Shrimp with Mango Sauce and Quinoa Salad

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The school year is about to begin!  My first day of teacher prep began today, so my casual lifestyle with tons of free time is about to come to an abrupt and unpleasant end.  Taking 8 months off from work to take a couple of part time jobs was pretty great.  It enabled me to move in to our new house and spend time getting things organized and just like I wanted them, running errands as needed, going to the gym whenever I wanted to, playing with the dog, baking and cooking without time restraints, perusing the Internet at my leisure and blogging whenever I pleased!  These days are sadly over.  I will miss you, my lazy life.

I must somehow move on to my new life with a positive attitude and a determination to somehow manage a full time job and the rest of the things I need and want to do.  Hold on, there are women who have more demanding jobs than I do, AND they have children, AND they’re members of groups and clubs, AND they take care of their house, AND they cook dinner, AND do laundry, AND blog!  If they can do it, then measly little me can do it!

I will not allow my new Monday thru Friday, 8-5 (or 6 some days) job keep me from making dinner on the weeknights.  I will also not stoop to macaroni and cheese from a box or putting a frozen pizza in the oven.  I WILL make real dinner!  So, every week I will make, review and blog about quick and easy dinner recipes that can be accomplished by a full time working woman…like I will be as of August 24.

shrimp2

These recipes come from Epicurious Dinner Rush from issues of Gourmet and SELF.  They are both quite delicious.  The most time consuming thing about them is the chopping and prep.  I modified the quinoa recipe quite a bit after speaking with my wiser and younger sister, Sarah, who told me that the preparation of the quinoa in the actual recipe was a bit ridiculous.  I hadn’t ever used quinoa before, so I thought the process of washing it 5 times in cold water, cooking for 10 minutes in boiling water and then steaming it in a sieve for 10 minutes above the boiling water was normal!  Turns out, all you have to do is cook the quinoa as you would rice.  Hooray!  That little change made this dish much faster.

There is a recipe for lime and cumin dressing that goes with the salad, but I didn’t use it.  Instead of the olive oil based dressing, I simply tossed the salad with lime juice, cumin and some kosher salt.  I found the salad to be incredibly light and refreshing.  I thought about adding chopped tomatoes, but opted not to this time.  It would be delicious, though, so I may try it next time.  Here is the original recipe.

Shrimp is always a good choice for a quick meal.  Shrimp cooks quickly, just 2-3 per side, in a hot skillet.  The mango sauce has a great combination of flavors.  Sweet, spicy and perfect with the shrimp.  I served the sauce warm, but it would be good chilled also.  Here is the recipe from epicurious.

I served this meal with a few warmed corn tortillas, so Ben made shrimp tacos.  I liked it better without the tortillas, Ben liked his taco version better.  I think he likes when all the components of a meal come together in a nice little package.  He likes burritos, sandwiches, pizza, stromboli, lasagna, enchiladas, chimichangas and always seems to mix the food on his plate into a new casserole type dish.

This is a fairly quick recipe, and definitely a good choice for a weeknight dinner.

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