Forbidden Stew

I threw this together with what I had on hand at the time, and it turned out great.  Next time I think I'll add a can of diced tomatoes and maybe black beans.

Ingredients

• 1/2 onion - chopped
• 3 cloves garlic - minced
• 1/2 pound leftover hamburger - broken into small peices
• 8 cups water
• 1 can tomato paste
• 4 teaspoons beef bullion granules 
• chili powder and cayenne powder to your preference
• 1 bunch kale, rinsed, de-stemmed, and chopped
• 2 cups cooked forbidden rice (aka black rice)

Directions

• Saute chopped onions in large kettle
• Add leftover hamburger pieces and garlic, continue sauteing for a couple of minutes
• Add water, tomato paste, beef bullion granules, chili powder and cayenne powder
• Bring to a simmer
• Add kale and forbidden rice
• Return to a simmer and cook until kale is wilted

Danish Meatballs

I got most of this recipe from this one: Danish Meatballs.

Ingredients

• 10 oz (1/2 package) frozen No Name Steaks Wild Rice Meatballs (or, to make your own meatballs refer to the link above)
• 1/2 medium red onion - chopped
• 4 cloves garlic - minced
• 2 1/2 cups water
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1/2 teaspoon Essence*
• 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 8 oz (1/2 package) egg noodles
• 2 ounces dehydrated onion soup mix
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup dry sherry

Directions

• Saute chopped onions until translucent
• Add meatballs and continue frying, allow onions to continue cooking until they start to blacken
• Add garlic, water, flour, Essence, Worcestershire sauce, and dehydrated onion soup mix
• Cover and let simmer for 10 to 15 minutes
• Meanwhile, prepare egg noodles
• When the noodles are ready add the sour cream and sherry to the meatballs and sauce, heat through and serve

*That's Emeril's Essence (Creole Seasoning)

Ham and Egg Fried Quinoa

Inspiration: my mother's Ham and Egg Fried Rice.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry red quinoa - rinsed
• 2 cups water
• 3 eggs - scrambled
• 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
• hot pepper of choice - minced
• 1/2 cup onions
• 1 cup chopped ham
• 2 tablespoons hoisin sauce
• 1 cup frozen peas - thawed
• soy sauce to taste

Directions

• Combine quinoa and water, bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes or until moisture is absorbed.
• Scramble the eggs and set them aside.
• Heat the oil in a skillet, add the minced hot pepper and onions and fry them for a couple of minutes.
• Add the ham and the hoisin sauce to the skillet and continue frying for 5 minutes.
• Add the peas to the skillet and fry for a couple more minutes.
• Add the cooked quinoa to the skillet.
• Season to taste with soy sauce.
• Fold in the scrambled eggs.

Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew

For this stew I almost faithfully followed this recipe: Bean and Chicken Sausage Stew.  The changes I made include: adding onions and Creole seasoning, substituting with crushed tomatoes instead of diced, and adding 15 ounces of cannellini beans instead of 19 (that last one had to do with availability at my co-op).  I did serve this with bread, and I chose an Oatmeal Flax Seed loaf that complemented it nicely.  

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon sunflower oil
• 12 oz chicken sausage links
• Creole seasoning*
• 1/2 cup diced onion
• 2 cloves garlic - minced
• 15 oz can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 14.5 oz low-sodium chicken broth
• 14.5-ounce can fire roasted crushed tomatoes
• 1 bunch kale leaves, torn into 2-inch pieces
• several dashes of black pepper
• optional: 1 loaf country bread 

*Creole Seasoning

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Directions

• Cook the chicken sausage, seasoning with the Creole seasoning.
• Slice the chicken sausage.
• Saute onions in a kettle for a couple of minutes.
• Add cooked chicken sausage and continue sauteing for a few minutes.
• Add garlic and cook for 1 or 2 minutes.
• Add crushed tomatoes, cannellini beans, chicken broth, black pepper, season to taste with more Creole seasoning.
• Bring stew to a boil then add the kale.
• Cook for a couple of minutes, until kale wilts.
• Optional: serve with bread.

Amaranth Porridge

This is super simple and super good for you! I make a big batch ahead of time, divide it into single servings and store them in the fridge, and then I just heat up one of those servings for myself the morning.

Ingredients

• 1 cup dry amaranth
• 3 cups water
• optional: cinnamon
• milk of your choice

Directions

• bring amaranth and water to a boil (add cinnamon too if you like)
• reduce heat and simmer for 20 to 25 minutes
• serve in a bowl with some milk

Greek Style Summer Sausage Pasta Salad

This salad is based on this recipe I found online: Summer Sausage Pasta Salad Recipe.  The only differences are that I altered the proportions slightly, changed the black olives to kalamata olives, and I added cucumber and feta cheese.

Ingredients: 

• 10 oz summer sausage 
• 7 oz  pitted kalamata olives, drained and sliced in half lengthwise
• 1 small purple onion, diced
• 6 oz Italian dressing
• 12 oz spiral pasta
• 1 pint cherry tomatoes cut into quarters
• 1 medium or 2 small cucumbers, cut into small pieces
• 4 oz crumbled feta cheese

Combine all ingredients but the tomatoes and the pasta in a sealed container and let sit in the fridge over night.  Boil the pasta and rinse it with cold water, and combine that with everything else adding the tomatoes as well.  Enjoy right away, or let sit in the fridge for a while.

Stuffed Breakfast Peppers

Links: primary inspiration for this concoction, secondary inspiration, Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning).

Indredients

• 2 large bell peppers
• Several tablespoons of olive oil
• 1 medium potato - diced
• 1/8 cup onion - diced
• 1/2 clove garlic - minced
• 1/2 cup mushrooms - diced
• 6 large eggs
• 1 teaspoon plain yogurt
• 1 cup shredded cheese, divided
• 2 tablespoons Essence*

Directions

• Preheat the oven to 375.
• Prepare bell peppers by cutting them in half lengthwise, and then removing seeds and ribs being careful to leave the stem intact (this helps the pepper hold more).
• Roast the bell peppers, open side down, on an oiled baking pan.
• Saute the veggies, starting with the potatoes, and adding the mushrooms, onion, and garlic.  Season the potatoes with Essence.
• Whip up the eggs with the yogurt, then add the 1/2 cup of shredded cheese.
• Once the bell peppers come out of the oven flip them over, and then scoop 1/4 of the sauteed veggie mixture into each bell pepper half.
• Pour 1/4 of the egg and cheese mixture over the veggie mixture in each bell pepper half.
• Sprinkle 1/8 cup shredded cheese over top of each bell pepper half.
• Return to the oven, and bake for approximately 35 minutes.
• Let cool a little bit, and enjoy!

*Essence (Emeril's Creole Seasoning)

• 2 1/2 tablespoons paprika
• 2 tablespoons salt
• 2 tablespoons garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 tablespoon onion powder
• 1 tablespoon cayenne pepper
• 1 tablespoon dried leaf oregano
• 1 tablespoon dried thyme

Squash Blossom Salad

Ingredients needed for 1 salad:

• mixed spring greens
• sprouts
• 3 squash blossoms
• 1/2 small bell pepper sliced into 6 strips
• 9 cherry tomato halves
• 3 chicken tenders
• 1 stem of a green onion, thinly sliced
• slivered raw almonds
• dressing of choice

Directions:

• Make a bed of mixed spring greens and sprinkle a handful of sprouts all over it.
• Arrange the squash blossoms, bell pepper strips, and cherry tomato halves on the salad.
• Grill the chicken strips over medium heat using the salad dressing as a glaze.
• Arrange grilled chicken strips onto the salad.
• Sprinkle with green onion slices and slivered raw almonds.
• Serve with dressing of choice.

This recipe works quite well when making 2 salads, because then you can use the whole small green pepper, and the odd number of tomato halves can result in the two salads sharing one of the tomatoes.  How harmonious!  Not that you have to use my exact proportions, this is just the way this salad worked out for me today.

Special note:
Almost everything that went into this salad was purchased at the Good Earth Food Coop (except for the green onion, I grew that myself).  The squash blossoms were today's locally grown treat at the coop, and they are what I created this salad around.  The chicken I used was from Just BARE Chicken, and the dressing that I chose for today's salad was Drew's All Natural Rosemary Balsamic Vinaigrette.  Hooray for supporting small local shoppes and local growers, using organic and natural foods, and just plain eating healthy!

Chicken Fried Quinoa

• 1 1/2 cups prepared quinoa
• 4 oz cooked, cubed chicken
• 3 large rainbow chard leaves, washed and coarsely chopped
• 3/4 cup chopped onions
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic
• 3/4 cup small broccoli florets
• 3/4 cup chopped red bell pepper
• 1 jalapeno, minced
• 2 eggs, scrambled
• sunflower oil (or your oil of choice)
• coconut aminos (or soy sauce) to taste
• pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Scramble the eggs and set them aside.  
2. Saute the veggies in this order: 1) onions, 2) broccoli, 3) bell pepper, 4) garlic and jalapeno.  Take a couple of minutes in between adding each next veggie in order to make sure the last veggie has gotten enough time to start cooking.  
3. Add the chard and cook until it starts to wilt.
4. Add the quinoa and chicken and heat through.  
5. Splash in some coconut aminos (or soy sauce).  
6. Fold in the eggs.
7. Serve.

Chai Spice

• 5 teaspoons ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Shake well.

This recipe was taken from: 

http://www.thespicehouse.com/recipes/spicy-chai-recipe

The original recipe also has 1 can (14 oz) of sweetened condensed milk.  I decided to leave that out, and just add milk and sweetener later when I decide how I am going to use this.  I brewed up some black tea, added a generous amount of this seasoning along with some milk and a spoonful of sugar, and enjoyed a nice Chai tea.

B.E.T. Spinach Salad

Where the B.E.T. stands for Bacon, Egg, and Tomato

• baby spinach
• cucumber, chopped
• hard boiled eggs, chopped
• bacon, cooked and chopped
• cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• sunflower seeds (this was an after thought, but I think it would be good)

No measurements included because it all depends on your taste and how big you want your salad to be.  I served this with a bleu cheese dressing, but I'm sure it would also be good with a tomato & bacon vinaigrette.  And, it makes an excellent main dish salad.

Cottage Cheese and Tomatos

I love cottage cheese.  I love it even more when I put things in it.  For a savory cottage cheese snack try adding tomatoes, or perhaps cucumbers.  For a sweet snack add pineapple, kiwi, peaches, etc.  Not big words of wisdom, just a random thought.  What do you add to your cottage cheese?

Chicken Noodle Soup - Take Two

Ingredients:

• 1 pound boneless, skinless chicken breasts (or 2 pounds if you like)
• 16 cups water (divided)
• 1 sprig fresh rosemary
• 2 stems fresh parsley
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 small onion, diced
• several shakes of dried thyme leaves
• salt and pepper to taste
• chicken bullion to taste
• 3 nice sized carrots, chopped
• 4 celery stalks, chopped
• 1 small head of cabbage, chopped
• 1 package (8.8 oz) egg noodles

Instructions:

1. Add the chicken, rosemary, parsley, garlic, onion, thyme, salt and pepper to 8 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Simmer for about 35 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, peal and dice the carrots, chop the celery, and chop the cabbage.
3. Once the chicken is done simmering remove it from the water, and remove the parsley stems and rosemary sprig.  Do not discard the water.
4. Add 4 more cups of water as well as some chicken bullion and return to a boil.
5. Add the carrots and boil for a couple of minutes, add the celery and continue boiling for a couple of minutes.
6. While the carrots and celery are boiling shred the chicken and set it aside.
7. Add the noodles and cabbage and cook as long as the noodles say to cook.
8. Add back the chicken and heat through.
9. Taste the broth, if it needs salt or pepper add more.

This is how I made this soup this time, but I might change it up again next time.  Honestly, I used 4 cups of chicken broth instead of 4 of the cups of water and the chicken bullion.  I just thought it looked simpler this way, and I know that the way I have it listed works too.  And this time I tried taking the parsley and rosemary out after simmering the chicken.  Maybe next time I will chop those two herbs up and leave them in.  While eating this soup it was also apparent that these noodles were difficult to manage because they were so long, and they tended to splash broth all over the table.  Never fear, they did not hold their shape.  Although, next time I might experiment with different noodles.  Here is a picture of the soup after a day in the fridge:

Although I made vast modifications, and definitely improvements, the initial inspiration for this soup came from:

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/rosemary-chicken-noodle-soup/

Quinoa Tabouli

• 4 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
• 1 chopped cucumber
• 2 cups fresh parsley leaves
• 1 cup chopped green onion
• 1 huge tomato, chopped (or 2 medium tomatoes)
• 1/2 cup salted sunflower seeds
• 1 tablespoon dried basil
• 1 extra large garlic cloves, minced (or 3 regular cloves)
• 1/2 cup sunflower seed oil
• juice of 1 lemon
• pepper to taste

Make this ahead of time and keep it in the fridge for a quick snack or side dish.  It's yummy right away, but when you let it rest overnight the flavors get a chance to co-mingle.  This was a pretty big batch I made, so you might want to cut the portions in half.  Also, the better the ingredients the better the salad.  Almost everything in my batch was organic and came from the local co-op (save for the black pepper and dried basil).  In particular, the tomato that I used was phenomenal and I would recommend the same to you if you have the choice.  I used a giant pink Heirloom tomato.  It added a lot of flavor to the dish, and it was very meaty so it held together well when I chopped it.

The research for this recipe included these web sites:

http://www.lynnskitchenadventures.com/2011/07/quinoa-tabouli.html

http://sousstyle.com/2013/03/12/the-best-quinoa-tabouli-recipe-ever/

Crab Stuffed Portobellos with Oven Roasted Fiddleheads

Sorry about the quality of this picture!  Usually my phone cooperates with me better than that.  So, for this meal I primarily followed two recipes I found online and made a handful of modifications.
For the crab stuffed portobellos I used:
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/crab-stuffed-mushrooms-recipe/index.html
And for the oven roasted fiddleheads I used:
http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/2010/07/mmmcanada-roasted-fiddleheads.html

Crab Stuffed Portobellos:

• 1 cup crabmeat (Red Lobster leftovers work fantastically)
• 1/2 cup Neufchatel cheese (original recipe calls for cream cheese)
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
• 1/2 cup green onions, chopped
• 4 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (+ a little extra)
• salt, pepper, and garlic powder to taste
• 2 to 4 portobello mushroom caps or 10 or so white mushroom caps
• 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Prepare mushrooms of choice by cleaning and removing stems and ribs
3. Combine the crabmeat, Neufchatel cheese, parsley, green onions, 4 tablespoons of the Parmesan, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.
4. Combine melted butter and bread crumbs.
5. Stuff mushrooms with crab mixture.
6. Top with bread crumb mixture.
7. Sprinkle Parmesan cheese on top.
8. Bake stuffed mushrooms for 20 to 30 minutes (depending on the size of the mushrooms) until filling is hot and melted and tops turn golden brown.

Oven Roasted Fiddleheads:

• fiddleheads
• sunflower seed oil (or olive oil)
• salt and pepper to taste
• (balsamic vinegar and Parmesan cheese were also called for, I left them out)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Oil a 9" x 13" cake pan.
3. Toss the fiddleheads in oil.
4. Spread the fiddleheads out on the prepared cake pan.
5. Season with salt and pepper.
6. Roast fiddleheads for 20 to 30 minutes.
7. (I didn't do this step) Tumble into a serving dish and drizzle with balsamic vinegar and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese.

Quinoa and Kale with Oven Roasted Crispy Tofu - Vegan and Delicious

Credits:
This picture and this recipe (except for my alterations) were taken from:

http://www.gourmetveggiemama.com/2012/11/02/quinoa-and-kale-with-crispy-tofu/

These sites were used as inspiration in my tofu preparation process:

http://www.goodfoodstories.com/2010/09/08/crispy-baked-tofu/

http://www.food.com/recipe/oven-roasted-breaded-tofu-317544

And, just as a side note, this site looks interesting for something to try in the future (marinated tofu):

http://marymakesdinner.typepad.com/

Now, like I said, this recipe is primarily taken from the one I found online and mentioned above.  But, I am going to tell you how I made it.  And, I am going to update the photo with one of my own the next time I make this (and it was a big success so there will be a next time).  Okay, now I am about to get real wordy. If you don't want this much instruction just read the ingredient list and use your intuition.

• 1 cup unprepared quinoa
• 2 cups vegetable stock or vegetable broth
• 1 package extra-firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar + 1 splash rice vinegar (divided)
• 1 teaspoon corn starch
• 1 teaspoon + 1/4 cup rice flour (divided)
• 6 tablespoons sunflower seed oil (divided)
• sunflower seed oil is my personal preference, but other oils would work
• several drops pure sesame seed oil
• 1 small batch of kale
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions
• 1/8 cup sesame seeds, toasted

To prepare the tofu:

1. Take tofu out of package, discarding excess liquid and rinse tofu.
2. Wrap tofu in a clean, non terrycloth kitchen towel and press between cookie sheets with a couple of books stacked on top.  I got this idea from this site.
   
3. Let tofu sit and drain for between half an hour and one hour.
4. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
5. Prepare a 9" x 13" cake pan  by coating the bottom with two tablespoons sunflower seed oil.
6. Slice tofu into 1" cubes and place in a medium mixing bowl.
7. In a separate small bowl combine soy sauce, pepper, two tablespoons of sunflower seed oil, and a couple drops of pure sesame seed oil.
8. In a medium mixing bowl combine 1 tsp rice flower, corn starch, and vinegar.
9. Have the 1/4 cup of rice flower ready.
10. Pour the soy sauce mixture over the tofu cubes and toss with your hands to coat the tofu.
11. Scoop the coated tofu pieces out of that bowl with your hands and plop them into the other mixing bowl with the rice flower mixture.  Toss with your hands to coat.
12. Sprinkle the reserved 1/4 cup rice flower over the coated tofu pieces and toss with your hands to coat.
13. Evenly distribute the coated tofu pieces over the bottom of the prepared cake pan.
14. Place cake pan in preheated oven and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning tofu pieces every ten minutes with a spatula.  Tofu should be brown and crispy when it is done.  You can test for doneness by popping a piece in your mouth (just make sure it's not too hot first).
15. When the tofu is done, take it out of the oven and set it aside while you finish the kale (the quinoa should be done by now).

To prepare the quinoa (start this when the tofu goes into the oven):

1. Place dry quinoa in a medium pan and rinse by covering with cold water and then draining out the water by tightly holding a fine mesh strainer over the pan and pouring the water out (at least, this is how I did it, you could suggest a more efficient way).
2. Add vegetable stock or vegetable broth.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat and simmer for approximately 25 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
4. When the quinoa is done, remove from heat and let it rest until it's time to serve the meal.  Then, fluff it with a fork just before serving.

To prepare the kale (do this last):

1. To toast the sesame seeds, scatter them across the bottom of a pie pan and place the pan in the oven for approximately 5 minutes.  The oven should still be warm from the tofu that just came out.  You know the seeds are done when they are lightly brown and smell toasted.
2. Wash kale, cut off tough stems, and coarsely chop it.
3. Have the sliced green onions ready.
4. Heat up two tablespoons of sunflower seed oil and a couple of drops of pure sesame seed oil in a large skillet (I used a wok).
5. Add the chopped kale and saute for a couple of minutes.
6. Add the green onion and continue sauteing.
7. Just before the kale is done add the toasted sesame seeds.
8. The kale is done when it turns bright green and is wilted. You can test a piece to see if it is tender enough.  Once it has finished cooking splash in some rice vinegar for extra flavor.

Now you're done!  Serve your tasty vegan meal!

Why I'm blogging

As I learn more about cooking and discover, or create, new recipes I find that I need a place to keep track of what I am learning.  I also find myself wanting to post about food everyday on Facebook, but I'm afraid that my friends might not be interested.  So, I figured I should start a blog.  Please feel free to try my recipes, or the recipes that I share here that I come across online.  I hope they work out for you, and if they don't then I would love to hear your suggestions.

Berry Spinach Salad

• Baby Spinach
• Broccoli Sprouts
• Green Onion
• Cucumber
• Blueberries
• Raspberries
• Chopped Walnuts or Pecans
• Feta Cheese 
• Raspberry Vinaigrette

This is a very flavorful salad, and it makes a fantastic side dish.  I think I will try putting it on a dinner plate and serving it with cubed chicken as a main dish sometime.  Enjoy!