Dinner – Page 7 – Lollipopsicle

October 3, 2013November 13, 2014

Mummy Calzone with bloody Bolognese

I love Halloween! I always have, and one of the best parts of it for me is creepy food! I remember going to Halloween parties and drinking dry ice root beer and bobbing for apples. Halloween is the holiday that was always made a “big deal” of in my family growing up, when we had our restaurant my mom would make sloppy joe’s (which I never liked much, but I would call them brains) for fifty and her famous pasta salad. My sisters and I between sips of apple cider would spread those spider web decorations over the whole house and hang scary paper cut outs of witches, ghosts, and Dracula. I remember many a cool October night in Northern Utah, hopping from house to house trick or treating before we went home to do some candy swap out negotiations. My mom always has great Halloween parties, but now being a few states away I must carry out traditions for my kids. I am really not much of a decorator, but I definitely like to do some fun food! This one was inspired by a “Halloween party ideas” book from the 90’s, thinking it was some sort of marketing for Pillsbury or something, my sister and I made one of these about a decade or so ago, but I think I found a way to make one that will suit everyone’s personal tastes.
You will need:
1 package pizza dough, I used Trader Joe’s it makes one 12 inch pizza, so if you are making your own, most recipes make enough for two mummies.
2 cups pizza toppings of choice, I used ¼ Cup pesto, ½ cup sautéed spinach, 1 shallot, sautéed, 2 oz mozzarella, 1 oz feta, one green olive with pimento cut in half (eyes), one pepperoni cut in half (mouth), one cheddar stick cracker (Egyptian Crook that mummies hold) . You can use anything you like and personalize your mummy.
2 cups Bolognese, or any recipe you like.
Pre-heat oven to 400. Roll dough out with a little flour if needed into a rectangle about 12 x 9 inches, prep a baking sheet with parchment or cooking spray, place dough on sheet. Cut dough rectangle into 10 strips as shown in photo:

Spread topping out evenly:

Weave strips of dough over each other and ingredients:

Make sure you shape your head with dough and place desired facial features and crook (cracker), bake twenty minutes, serve with a bowl of heated Bolognese and enjoy at your next monster mash!

Kids love them!

October 3, 2013

Mu Shu Vegetables (Vegan but you would never know it!)

Awww, Chinese food! I probably ate more Americanized Chinese as a kid then at home, so for me Chinese take-out or eat in is total comfort food. My mom worked at a restaurant called “China Nite” in my hometown, and even though it had been decades since she worked there, we would eat there often. It has since been knocked down, and the giant Hoi Toi statue is sitting in a junk pile somewhere. After “Nite” closed, we started to venture out to other local options, one being “Golden Dynasty”, in high school my bestie Holly and myself would go there for hot and sour soup and Mu shu pork. Mu shu is my favorite order and I have had it many places, a great veggie option as it is full of flavor and super easy to recreate at home. So I am going to share my no fail, easy, plant based version of this comfort classic.

You will need for six wraps:
6 flour tortillas, or rice flour wrappers (Asian market), I used the Tortilla land brand that you cook at home. Use whatever you like, you can also healthify even more with whole grain varieties.
1 small head of cabbage, shredded or if you need to be super duper fast use a good quality bagged “coleslaw” variety, it will work fine.
1 carrot, shredded (if you are using bagged slaw you can omit this)
5 green onions, white parts cut lengthwise, green parts sliced.
8 shitake mushrooms, stems removed, tops sliced.
1 Tablespoon, fresh ginger, grated.
2 cloves garlic, minced.
1 Tablespoon vinegar, I used red wine, but rice wine is optimal, use what you have, but not balsamic.
1 Tablespoon soy sauce
2 Tablespoons, plus a bit extra for the wrappers, Hoisin sauce.
2 teaspoons, toasted sesame oil.
Sesame seeds for garnish.
Asian Micro greens for garnish, totally optional.
1 block of tofu, sliced, I baked ours but you can fry or choose your own method, you can also substitute whipped eggs if you prefer, but if you are new to tofu this is a great way to introduce your family to it.
A few tablespoons of cooking oil.
In a large skillet or wok over high heat oil till shimmering, add ginger and garlic, add white parts of green onions, add mushrooms, cook a few minutes till mushrooms brown a bit, add sesame oil, cabbage, carrots, cook a few minutes, add vinegar and soy, stir, add tofu and 2 T of hoisin sauce, combine, add green parts of onions, test for seasoning adjust with salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat. Warm your wrappers of choice, divide filling evenly into wrappers and top with a bit of sesame seeds and hoisin. Rock and roll em’ up…gobble em’ up!
You won’t ever need to order take-out again! These are fast, easy, and full of veggies and flavor!

October 1, 2013

Southern style pasta bake with broccoli and cheesy, curry cream.

Ok, well the outlook is cloudy, with an outstanding chance of rain….for the next six months! So on that note I think this calls for a month of comfort foods. I will be putting my own spin on them and sharing many of my family’s favorites. I will sneak our veggie friends into as many as possible, don’t get me wrong these are not low fat, or anything, but I think the way to get folks into veg is to place them in something they already love and show them that veggies have a sultry side. Comfort foods is by far my best category, as I first started with these types of recipes when I started cooking independently (Age 8), and I love the non-pretentious joy that it brings to diners. Cooking for me is about love, it is a hand crafted way I can make people happy with media I understand. So try this out, if you can boil water and stir, you can easily recreate this for your loved ones, or whoever shows up…haha! Easy!
Serves 4 as main 6-8 as a side dish
• ½ of a 16oz package dried small shell pasta, or macaroni
• 3 cups broccoli florets, I used frozen from trader joes and cut them a bit smaller
• 2 cups shredded or grated cheese, use your favorite or a blend of several! Cheddar should be a player.
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup of milk
• ½ cup of sour cream
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• ½ tsp. salt
• ½ tsp. pepper
• Dash hot sauce
• ¼ cup parmesan or other salty hard cheese
• A dash or two of smoked paprika
• 2 tbsp. chopped parsley
Pre-heat oven to 350. Prep a casserole dish by greasing it with butter, or use cooking spray. Boil salted water, add pasta cook 6 minutes, add broccoli cook 1 more minute, drain. In a large bowl, add hot pasta and broccoli to 2 cups of cheese, stir, and place in casserole dish. In a mixing bowl add milk, eggs, sour cream, salt, pepper, hot sauce, and curry. Whip up omelet style, we are in essence making a soufflé of sort, and pour over pasta mixture, top with parm, paprika and ½ the parsley, bake 45 minutes, top with rest of parsley and serve! This is a really fast, easy, and tasty way to make mac and cheese as there is no béchamel to make. I read in the South this is a popular Thanksgiving side dish (regular mac and cheese variety) so it would be a great vegetarian option and mine is kicked up with some curry, hot sauce, and veggies to boot!

September 25, 2013

20 minute Wild Mushroom couscous

With fall officially in full swing, and mushrooms being at their peak, I figured why not a fast and seasonal recipe? This side dish is quick, easy, and impressive. I found amazing Chanterelles but you can use what mushrooms look best in your area. This serves four as a side dish or 2-3 as a main, the ingredients are easy to find, and it can be easily adjusted to fit any taste. I love using couscous, it is fast, easy, and has great texture, awesome if you are in a hurry as it only take 5 minutes to prepare. A quick sauté on the mushrooms and a dash or two of wine, and you have a five star dish at home for a fraction of the price!
You will need:
1 cup couscous
A palm full of dried porcini
2 cups stock
3 tsp. olive oil
Pinch of salt

2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 shallot, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. Ponzu or soy
¼ cup dry white wine, or stock
1 tbsp. Butter or butter substitute
2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley, I’ve been loving the “curly” variety lately, its very mid town Manhattan in the 80’s haha!
Fresh ground black pepper
Boil two cups of stock with dried porcini, salt and 1 tsp. olive oil, remove from heat and pour over cous cous in a medium mixing bowl, cover with plastic wrap, after five minutes, remove wrap, fluff with a fork, and set aside.
Over medium high heat in a skillet heat 2 tsp. olive oil till shimmering, add shallot and garlic, cook a 2 minutes, add mushrooms in one layer, add butter, cook 4 minutes, flip, cook 2 more minutes add ponzu and white wine, reduce a few minutes, toss with parsley and pepper, serve over cous cous. Fungi heaven!

September 19, 2013

Autumn Rotini

I really like pasta salad, although it isn’t really salad is it? Well either way today’s recipe is a simple plant based pasta that is as tasty as it is festive. I still had a beet and a bunch of gorgeous chard from the bounty given to me by my friend Heidi, so I decided to make a healthy pasta that would reflect the color change that accompanies the season and also tastes great. I used roasted garlic as a base for the sauce, and quickly cooked the chard with the pasta, I utilized some pantry staples and fancied it up with some organic micro greens, instead of the parsley I would normally use. I think it turned out great, and the kids wanted seconds, so that is usually a good sign.

You will need:

1 lb. dried rotini pasta

1 medium beet

1 bunch of chard,

1 handful micro greens if you can’t find these substitute with your favorite fresh herb or even shredded lettuce

1 can of chickpeas drained, rinsed and dried well

1 tsp. smoked paprika

1 head garlic, sounds like a lot but it totally mellows when roasted

2 tbsp. Olive oil

Splash of balsamic

Salt and pepper

Pre-heat your oven to 375, wrap your beet in foil, place in oven. Chop the top off of your garlic then wrap in foil and set it next to your friend Mr. Beet. On a sheet pan place chickpeas, paprika and a pinch of salt, toss them together till the chickpeas are coated with spice, place in oven. Chickpeas will be done after about 30 minutes, they should have a crispy outside and soft inside, check them after 20 minutes to get desired doneness. Garlic should take about 45 minutes, set aside. After about an hour your beet should be done. When they have cooled enough to handle squeeze garlic out of its shell, and dice beet.

Cook rotini in salted, boiling water, for 5 minutes, then add chard, cook another 5 or so minutes, drain. In a large bowl place roasted garlic, oil, balsamic and a pinch of salt and pepper, mix. Add hot pasta and chard, stir well, add chickpeas and micro greens. Serve! Great hot or cold.

September 18, 2013

Zuppa Toscana…Healthified!

Well it’s been a while since I blogged a recipe with meat in it….but I am doing so today. I am plant based 5 days of the week, but occasionally I like to indulge in a bit of high quality, sustainable, meat. Fall is in the air, and so is SOUP SEASON! Oh man, I love making soup, my friend Heidi came by on Monday and gave me the most amazing harvest of leafy greens and other things from her garden, I was at Wholefoods today and found that they had some great local hot Italian sausage and decided I would make this soup since I was suddenly wealthy in all its main players. Zuppa Toscana is a popular menu item at Italian American restaurants (a large chain one in particular), and a total food fav for me. It apparently is for many people as I have seen numerous versions on pinterest; the good, the bad, and the ugly…haha! I wonder sometimes if some of these bloggers are really good at food photography, but not so hot on the actual product….I am very visually inspired and one of the photos that caught my eye had the most horrific recipe attached to it! This blogger used a roux and a slurry to thicken the soup instead of cream….hmmm…that is working harder not smarter…and to top it off she added two cans of evaporated milk at the end….probably should’ve done the cream at that point. I am not saying this to be bratty, I just don’t want anyone to have to over complicate or over fat a recipe. How do you feel good about feeding your family something that has as much fat in one portion as a slice of cheesecake. So I have healthified this soup, yes it has sausage, but I have removed all the other animal products (you don’t need them when the sausage provides so much condensed flavor and richness), I have included large amount of garden fresh veggies, and thickened with cauliflower puree! It was better than then the originaI! The recipe made probably 12 servings, so you only get a small amount of the meat, with loads of veggies! It may be a few days before I need to cook again though, as this makes enough to feed an army! If you like Zuppa Toscana, try this version, you will love it and no one will know it isn’t the decadent original.

Veggies from my friend Heidi's garden!! — Veggies from my friend Heidi’s garden!!

You will need
1 pound good quality sausage of choice, you can use whatever type you like, even soyrizo (you may just need to add a little extra oil), I used classic Italian Hot pork sausage.
2 medium russet potatoes, scrubbed well and sliced as thin as possible, I use them skin and all
1 bunch lactinato Kale, chopped
1 bunch Chard
2 ribs celery, medium dice
2 carrots, medium dice
1 zucchini, sliced thin, same as potatoes.
1 large onion, diced
4 cloves garlic smashed, and chopped
Pinch of red pepper flakes, if your sausage is quite spicy you can omit this
8 Cups stock, I used veggie
1 head of cauliflower, stem removed, and chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
Over medium heat, in a large Dutch oven or soup pot place sausage and begin to render it of its fat. After five minutes or so add onions, garlic, carrots, celery, and pepper flakes if you are using them, cook five or so more minutes, spoon off any visible oil,add potatoes and kale. Add stock, turn heat up to medium high till it is at a low boil, reduce heat, add chard and zucchini, and cover, turn heat to low. While your soup simmers, in a medium sauce pan, place cauliflower and 2 cups lightly salted water, boil for 20 minutes until very soft, then blend until smooth and creamy. Add cauliflower puree to soup, sprinkle with some fresh parsley and cracked pepper, serve! This makes a huge amount so it is perfect for freezing.

September 17, 2013

Fava falafel

Well after my third attempt at getting a falafel at the pod by our house and being rejected by Mr. Clean’s agro twin brother, (if you can’t stand talking to the general public, service is probably not your calling in life) I’ve decided to make my own. This cart, makes their falafel with fava’s opposed to chickpeas, and it was amazing the one time I got one, after a twenty-five minute wait, even with the bagged, pre-shredded Dole iceberg lettuce, the falafel itself was divine. I nearly did a Yelp review about this last interaction, but instead of making a negative experience, more negative (which is Yelp’s calling card, watch Real actors doing yelp reviews on youtube, hilarious!) I decided I would make my own and blog it. My husband loves this cart’s falafel, and on Friday when I tried to order at 6:30 pm, Mr. Clean just spun and and barked “WE ARE OUT!” then Yosmite Sammed his way back to packing pre-fab lettuce into plastic cambros, my husband was quite disappointed when I returned empty handed. I decided then, that I would figure this thing out….so I started to research and it really isn’t all that difficult! The cart has a sign explaining the “three day process” of falafel making….I do appreciate the pomp and circumstance of it all, but as with most advertising this process isn’t really three days of slavery, you have to soak your dried fava’s overnight, but aside from that, it’s not bad at all. Finding the favas was a bit tricky, as it isn’t fresh fava season, so I had to buy the dry variety, which are the usual ingredient for this process anyway, I finally found some at Zupan’s on Belmont, Bob’s red mill is the brand so probably wherever they stock those products in your local store would be a good bet. They are a bit expensive compared to garbanzos, but if you like falafel it’s totally worth it!

You will need:

1 ½ Cup dried favas, soaked overnight, drained.

1 small red onion, chopped

½ bunch green onions, chopped

½ bunch parsley, stems removed

½ bunch cilantro, stems removed

A pinch of cayenne pepper

1 tsp, salt and pepper

3 cloves garlic, smashed

½ tsp. each coriander and cumin, ground

½ baking powder

Pinch baking soda

1 tbsp. flour, and a bit for dusting

1 tbsp. sesame seeds

Oil of choice for frying

In a food processor or blender, pulse all ingredients expect oil, and flour reserved for dusting, until it forms a thick paste. Form into 12 portions, I did discs, you can form them how you like. Dust a sheet pan with flour, place falafels onto flour, dust top with flour. Refrigerate at least an hour, the mixture is rather loose so it will be more manageable if cold, you could even freeze these and fry straight from the freezer, they may just take a bit longer to cook.

To cook:

I like to use a medium sauce pan, that way I don’t have to use as much oil, and it’s a little safer if you have little one’s running around the kitchen while you are trying to cook, like I do! It takes a little longer since you can only do two at a time, but it keeps the oil from losing temperature. So put a couple inches of oil in your pan over medium high heat, when the oil is shimmering, add falafel, two at time, cook 2 minutes flip over and cook another minute or so. Place on a plate lined with napkins or paper towels to drain any excess oil, repeat till all twelve are done. Of course if you have a fryer, by all means use that, due to nature of the mix, baking is not a good option.

I served ours with some tahini sauce, hummus, pita, and some fresh seasonal veggies, pick your favorites!

September 4, 2013

End of Summer Roasted vegetables Thai style “Pra Ram” with Tofu

First day of 1st grade for Ava today, gotta say I think we were both ready for school to be back in! Haha! Yesterday we took a trip to the Lloyd farmer’s market, we had never been and I wanted to see what it was all about and I also heard that Mixteca catering tamales had an amazing vegan tamales with mole so I wanted to see how they did that (yeah the chef behind those tamales should probably be granted sainthood). The market was small but the vendors that were there were all exceptional, I found some outrageously gorgeous baby eggplants, zucchini, cabbage, and basil! One of my favorite Thai dishes is “Pra Ram tofu” basically steamed veggies, and tofu in peanut sauce, so with all my gorgeous seasonal produce I figured this was a winner. I did roast my veg instead of steaming, I love roasted veggies and I wanted to see if I could put my own signature on this classic.
You will need:
Veggies! I used 4 baby eggplants, sliced length wise, so I could fan them out for presentation.
3 small zucchini, sliced lengthwise, same as eggplant
1 red bell pepper, chopped into large pieces
1 small cabbage or half a larger one, cut into eights (if you want to see an early post with awful photos about my love of roasted cabbage click here
1 medium onion sliced
2 tsp. cooking oil of choice, I’m still totally in love with camelina, I think I’m ready to commit haha!
1 tsp. salt
Pinch red pepper flakes
Pre-heat oven to 375, rub sheet pan with 1 tsp of oil or use cooking spray, add the rest of your oil to the veggies and toss with salt and pepper flakes, roast 30 minutes, check for doneness, some take longer than others to cook, remove any that are done, flip the rest over and continue roasted for 15 or 20 minutes.
The vegetables are all interchangeable, use what is seasonal and fresh in your area, other choices are broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, or mushroom. Another potential opportunity to make it your own!
1 14 oz package of tofu, baked, check out the method here I left off the hoison on this one and cut it into triangles, but you can again choose your own adventure and swap in any protein source you want, but this is a great way to introduce tofu to your family and friends.
For the nectar of the gods, aka Peanut sauce you will need:
1 13.5 oz can of coconut milk
½ cup natural peanut butter, I used chunky cuz I like a lil’ cushion for the pushin…hehe.
1 Tbsp. Red curry paste, I use Mae ploy, find it at the Asian market…great stuff. If you have a bunch of time or you are Martha Stewart feel free to make your own.
2 tsp. sugar of choice, I used palm (coconut) sugar (here again this is a preference thing, you can add more if you like your sauce sweeter, and you can add less curry paste if you don’t like spicy)
2 tsp. Bragg’s, soy or fish sauce depending on dietary preference, I used Bragg’s
A few Tbsp. of water to thin out to get the consistency you want.
In a small sauce pan, add coconut milk, peanut butter, and curry paste, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add the other stuff, cook a few more minutes on low and tada! Tastietime express is ready for you to take a ride (was that a lil’ Guy Fieri? Sorry.)
Serve with your choice of starch, I used brown rice, but the classic is Jasmine, of course you can use this as an opportunity to branch out and pick your favorite starch, cous cous, quinoa, even noodles! I topped ours with some gorgeous organic basil from the market, mine was the regular variety, but opal basil is more traditional, you can add more peanuts, lime juice, cilantro, I used some black sesame seeds cuz they are pretty, and we eat with our eyes first, right? Then serve! What a wonderful way to welcome fall, and eat your veggies all at the same time. Makes 4 dinner sized servings, and you will have extra sauce that keeps well in the fridge!

August 28, 2013

One pan oven roasted fajitas

Some days you just need easy, and tasty! Well this right here is both, this is what “fast food” should be! My family loves fajitas and this is a way to cut down on the aftermath (mess) and get to sit down and enjoy the meal with the fam. Fajitas are a great choice for plant based meals, as they already highlight our veggie friends, I used tofu in ours, but seitan would also be great, of course you could use shrimp or any other meat in this and it would be great, also great for a group you could make a few pans with different proteins to please everyone’s taste!
1 lb. firm tofu sliced into strips (or sub protein of choice)
2 hatch green chilies, seeded and cut into strips, feel free to sub green bell pepper
2 sweet tooth red peppers, cut into strips, same as chilies, again sub red bell pepper if you like
2 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. dried oregano
2 cloves garlic, sliced
2 Tbsp. Bragg’s liquid aminos, or soy sauce
Juice of one lime
1 Tbsp. cooking oil, I used raw camelina
2 Tbsp. Cilantro, chopped
Salt and pepper to taste.
Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees. In a 13 by 9 inch pan place all of your ingredients, mix with your hands, until all veggies and protein evenly coated. Bake for 20-25 minutes. Serve with tortillas of choice, I used whole wheat…..but corn would be great. Serve yours with your favorite toppings, I for one recently have been obsessed with Valentina, it’s a red chili sauce from Mexico that is mildly spicy and packs some serious flavor, find it in your international food aisle or at a Mexican market. I think the ease of preparation and minimalist appeal of this recipe will make it a favorite, whether you are a bachelor in a hurry or a busy mom of six (in that case make double…haha!) I think this recipe will become a weeknight staple that is tasty enough to serve at a dinner party.

August 24, 2013

Scallion ginger noodles

So this recipe is slightly more indulgent then my recent recipes (but lighter still then the original), just finished week four of plant based eating and I must admit at times it has been a bit hard, but one thing about a challenge is that is has forced a whole new level of creativity for me. Today’s recipe is a homage to the scallion noodles that David Chang serves at Momofuku (Pork lovers heaven) it is basically the only vegetarian item on his menu, my version is reduced in salt and oil and I add a few little things that I like. I have felt a bit like indulging so I thought this would be a good one! This sauce would probably make tree bark taste good, and would be a great addition to most anything, rice, salad, fish, whatever! I chose to pair it up with some fresh, yakisoba noodles, and some tofu.
Sauce:
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1 Tbsp. toasted sesame oil
2 Tbsp. neutral tasting oil, I used camelina
2 Tbsp. Ponzu (citrus flavored soy sauce) or Soy sauce
4 Tbsp. finely minced ginger (must be fresh, powdered would be a BIG mistake)
2 tsp. Vinegar, I used red wine cause that is what I had….choose your favorite.
Juice of one lime
2 Tbsp. cilantro, chopped.
1 tsp. black pepper
Stir it up real good, you can blend if you want, but I broke my immersion blender today….so I uh, just stirred it with fork. Check salt level, mine didn’t need extra….but this all depends on personal preference.
I used some fresh yakisoba noodles, it was a 12 oz package, and you can use whole wheat spaghetti, rice noodles, ramen, chow mein noodles, noodles made out of veggies or buckwheat soba. Serve hot or cold!

I topped ours with some orange bell pepper, black sesame seeds, and some delicious baked tofu which you can find a recipe here! These are very good, and you can double the recipe and keep in the fridge for quick meals. Try this simple sauce on some of your favorites, my kids gobbled these up! Ginger is also a beneficial part of any diet as it has numerous health benefits, and aids in digestion!