RECIPE: Stuffed Pumpkin

I'm not sure if anyone else shares my unnatural affinity for pumpkins, but I can't get enough of them. Pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread, pumpkin spiced latte, and of course pumpkin pie....I'm all about the orange squash. I start getting excited about them in October, but I continue to bake with them all the way through the holidays.

I love this savory take on pumpkin, which is almost always featured in dessert dishes. I found this recipe on Dorie Greenspan's blog, and I've served it annually at my Halloween/birthday dinner party. The version that I do is fairly large, but this can easily be adapated for a weeknight meal for two. Besides the chopping and cooking time, it's really fairly easy. Try adding your own ingredients and see what happens! It's hard to go wrong with bread and cheese.

Finally, if you're making a large pumpkin like this, I'd really, REALLY recommend cooking it in an uncovered dutch oven. It gives the sides of the pumpkin some support, and it makes it much easier to take into and out of the oven. The one that we use is Le Cruset-style, and it works great. Any sturdy, oven-safe pot will do.

Stuffed Pumpkin
Serves 6-10, depending on portion size

Ingredients
1 pumpkin, about 10 inches in diameter. Make sure it fits into your oven!
16 oz. day-old bread, torn into1/2-inch chunks (I prefer sourdough)
12 oz. cheese, cut into small cubes, or coarsely shredded (I prefer swiss and smoked cheddar)
8 cloves garlic, minced (don't forget that I'm a garlic lover, so adjust accordingly)
1 granny smith apple, cut into small cubes
4 leaves kale, coarsely shredded
1/4 c. toasted almonds or pecans, chopped
approx 1/2 cup heavy cream or whole milk
1/2 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. salt 
1 t. sage

Directions
1. Prehead oven to 350 degrees. Adjust rack to fit pumpkin and dutch oven.
2. Wash pumpkin and cut off a lid, as you would to make a jack-o-lantern. Remove seeds and pulp, saving for future use if you like toasted seeds. Scrape insides of pumpkin with an ice cream scoop until you've removed all the squishy threads. Rub inside of pumpkin with olive oil, if desired.
3. Chop all ingredients down to cream and mix together inside pumpkin. Be sure to stir well so spices are distributed evenly.
4. Add cream until ingredients are just moistened. Stir again.
5. Place pumpkin top back on and bake for about two hours, or until flesh of the pumpkin can be gently pierced with a fork. Remove top and bake an additional 15-30 minutes, or until ingredients are golden brown. Be sure that flesh of the pumpkin doesn't get too soft!
6. Mix filling around with spoon, scraping some of the soft pumpkin and stirring into the mixture. Serve and impress everyone with your creative culinary presentation skills.

RECIPE: Acorn Squash with Thanksgiving-style Quinoa Stuffing

I know that Halloween has yet to pass and that Thanksgiving is still a month away (although by the look of every Santa-heavy department store, you'd swear it was late December). However, my love of sage- and thyme-flavored dishes lasts year-round, and recently I had a craving for Thanksgiving stuffing. As most vegetarians know, there's no possible way to eat stuffing that's not homemade around the holidays. Even if it wasn't crammed into a turkey cavity, getting meat juices all over it, the store-bought stuff contains chicken (or even beef) broth. So, if you want real stuffing, you have to make it yourself!

This version can be served as a main vegetarian dish at any holiday event, thanks to its quinoa-rich stuffing. Quinoa is a complete protein, with many amino acids that are rarely found in plant-based proteins, so eat up!

Acorn Squash with Thanksgiving-Style Quinoa Stuffing
Serves 4, or 2 with leftover stuffing for lunch tomorrow

Ingredients
1 or 2 acorn squash (each squash yields 2 servings)
1 c. quinoa (I prefer red)
2 1/2 c. vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. butter (sub in olive oil to make vegan)
2 t. thyme
1 t. sage
1/2 t. sea salt
1/2. roasted almonds, walnuts, or pecans, coarsely chopped
1/2 c. frozen yellow corn, thawed (optional)
2 T. parmesan cheese (optional)

Directions
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice squash in half and remove seeds and stringy parts. Rub with olive oil and arrange, cut side up, in a baking dish. Bake for 30 minutes or cover and microwave 7.5 minutes (baking yields a nicer texture, but microwaving is great to save time).
2. Heat butter on medium heat in a pan. Add onion and garlic and saute until onion becomes translucent. Add thyme, sage, salt, and almonds, and saute 1-2 minutes. Add corn, if desired, and cook until heated through.
3. Scoop a generous amount of the stuffing into the squash, sprinkle with parmesan cheese if desired, and bake for 5-10 minutes until golden. Remove carefully from pan and enjoy!

Fall Recipe Festival!

For those of you who know me personally, you know that the last few months have been a delicious whirlwind of new jobs, new schedules, new friends, and very few days home to play on the internet! To be clear, that's an explanation and NOT a justification for my shameful slacking in the blogosphere. To atone for my misdeeds, I'll be posting the best of my fall recipes over the new few weeks. Since I have a passion for pumpkins, squash, and anything that can be stuffed, you'll see a lot of stuffed such-and-such recipes that can be adapted to other vegetables or filling that can be eaten alone.

I'm also going to share the recipe for the Best Vegetarian Chili EVER. Yes, "EVER" must be written in all capital letter when you share this recipe.

So, enjoy, and stay warm!

RECIPE: Beet Soup with Potatoes and Beet Greens

When I received a farm box including beets, I wanted to find a recipe that would allow me to use not only the popular purple superstar but also the lesser-known leafy sidekick. I've always composted the greens (or, when possible, fed them to my awesome guinea pigs), but I know that they're rockstars nutritionally and are supposedly tasty. They're more tough than most greens that I'm familiar with, so I have to admit that I was a bit intimidated.

When I found Cooking Light's soup recipe, it seemed like a winner. I'm scarfing down my second bowl right now, and I'm impressed. I made a few modifications, but as always, customize away! I served it with lightly toasted sourdough and creamy goat cheese.

Beet Soup with Potatoes and Beet Greens
Serves 6 (or, in my case, 3 servings for one really hungry girl)

Ingredients 
1 T. olive oil 
1 c. chopped onion 
1 c. diagonally sliced carrot 
1 1/2 c. finely chopped peeled beets
1 1/2 c. finely chopped red or purple potatoes 
1 1/2 c. water 
2 T. tomato paste (Didn't have any, so I pureed one tomato in my food processor) 
1/8 t. black pepper (I hate black pepper, so I omitted it) 
21 oz. vegetable broth (the recipe calls for beef broth, which would give a heartier taste) 
1 14.5 oz. can diced tomatoes, undrained (I only had the kind with green chiles, which I liked) 
4 c. coarsely chopped beet greens
1 T. brown sugar

Directions
1. Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
2. Stir in beets and next 6 ingredients (beets through tomatoes). Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 35 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
3. Stir in beet greens and sugar; cook 5 minutes.

Slow-cooker directions
Complete Step 1 in a small frying pan. Transfer to slow-cooker, add all ingredients except sugar and greens, and cook on low 5-6 hours. Stir in greens and sugar, cover, and allow to cook until greens are tender (about 15 minutes).

Nutrition Information (per 1 1/3 c. serving): Calories: 135, Fat: 1g, Carbs: 22g, Fiber: 2.8, Protein: 6g

Zombie Blog

Question: how long must a blogger be away from his or her blog before said blog becomes officially dead? One month? One year? Well, in my case, I'll take my three-month hiatus and call it a temporary death of my blog. Work, play, and the increasingly beautiful San Francisco weather drew me away from my blog, and its youth was not enough to sustain it. Now that I've returned, I'm going to classify my blog as coming back to life, which would make a zombie. Sure, I know that zombies are all hip and stuff now, but I was totally into them before they became popular. Anyway.

My husband and I recently joined Eatwell Farms, a Bay Area-based CSA, or community-supported agriculture. Every week, we receive a box from the Sacramento farm containing a variety of fruit, vegetables, eggs from happy chickens, and the occasional bunch of lavender. For less than the price of a Safeway produce run, we get to experience fresh, organic produce from only a few miles away. For anyone who knows me and my affection for animals that can border on the absurd, it's important to me to only eat eggs that come from "happy" chickens. If I were a chicken, I wouldn't be happy being cooped up (pun actually not intended) in a sad little wire cage, cannibalisticly eating the remnants of my other fellow chickens (it's true, look it up).

The Eatwell chickens get to hang out and enjoy the beautiful sunshine, breeze, and fresh water as they commune with their brothers and sisters. Basically, they get to enjoy a 24/7 free-range chicken party. Knowing this makes me feel pretty darn good about buying their eggs and therefore fighting for the chicken's right to party. But I digress.

Each week, I'm going to find and post a recipe that I've never tried before that incorporates some of the produce that we receive. Some of the items I'm pretty familiar with (squash, strawberries), some I'm familiar with but haven't cooked with much before (beets, basil), and some I've never eaten or didn't even know you could cook (lavender, turnips). I'll stretch my culinary knowledge and share any triumphs (or failures) in the process.

So, I hope you enjoy this resurrection.

RECIPE: Amazing Veggie Quiche

In our apartment, brunch reigns supreme. I think I've already demonstrated my affection for lentils and passion for thick, chunky soups, but brunch ranks right there for me. One of my all-time favorite brunch dishes comes from Lakewinds Natural Foods in Minnetonka, Minnesota. The combination of spices and vegetables is delicious, and the smooth eggy custard base is decadent but not heavy.

I use a basic frozen pie crust when I make this, but you could easily substitute a homemade version (perhaps whole-wheat?).

Lakewinds Quiche
Serves 12, yield 2 quiches

Ingredients

2 pie crusts, uncooked
1/2 cup sun dried tomato
1 cup mushrooms, sliced
1/2 onion diced
1 15 oz. can artichoke hearts, quartered
1/4 teaspoon thyme
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup spinach leaves chopped
1 cup milk
3/4 teaspoon dried mustard
dash nutmeg
7 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 1/2 cups cheddar cheese shredded
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese shredded

Directions
1. Defrost, bring to room temperature, and unroll pie crusts. Place each crust in a 9" pie pan and crimp edges of dough.
2. Hydrate tomatoes in a bowl of hot water for 5 minutes or until soft. Drain, cool, and cut into mediium size pieces.
3. Sauté onion, mushrooms, and thyme in olive oil until onions are transparent. Add remaining vegetables and sauté 1-2 minutes. In a large bowl, combine milk, eggs, cheeses, and spices. Whisk smooth. Add vegetables and tomatoes.
4. Pour into crusts. Bake at 350°F for 30 - 40 minutes or until the middle of each quiche is set (doesn't wiggle). Cool slightly and serve.

Variation
To make mini quiches, use a muffin pan and cut dough into circles using a cookie cutter or rim of a water glass. Use 1 pie crust per 12 mini quiches, and you will need 3 crusts (36 mini quiches) to use all the filling.

RECIPE: Golden Gate Bridge Lasagna

I've had my share of tasty veggie lasagnas over the years, from my mom's butternut squash lasagna with a delicate cream sauce to a friend's gourmet vegetable lasagna. They're all worthy variations, and I'll post some in the future. However, I wanted to start out with a basic recipe that my husband and I created a few weeks ago. I'm sure that there are tons of similar recipes out there, but this one can be whipped up in a flash and contains a scant 280 calories per large piece (!!!). Keeping the red pepper raw before baking adds a nice texture and keeps it from becoming mushy.

The title of the lasagna comes from the day we made it. My husband and I were getting ready to make the chilly, foggy, 8-mile round-trip from our apartment across the Golden Gate Bridge and back, but we also wanted to cook something that we could eat throughout the week. So, we assembled the lasagna before our walk and popped it into the over when we got home. It was the perfect thing to scarf down after returning home!

Golden Gate Bridge Lasagna
Serves 12 (or 6 really hungry people)

Ingredients
1 package no-boil lasagna noodles (we like Trader Joe's)
2 jars of your favorite pasta sauce (we like Trader Joe's Arrabiata Sauce for a little spice)
1 15 oz. tub fat-free or low-fat ricotta cheese
2 c. shredded low-fat mozzarella cheese
1/2 c. + 2 T. shredded parmesan/asiago blend
1 heaping t. nutmeg
16 oz. frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3 c. chopped mushrooms, your favorite variety
2 red peppers, seeded and chopped
1 large yellow onion, peeled and finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
1 T. olive oil

Directions
1. Combine ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/2c. of the parmesan/asiago in a medium bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add onion, cook on medium heat 3 minutes. Add garlic and mushrooms, and cook until mushrooms are light golden brown and have just started to shrink. Remove from heat and place into a bowl. Set aside.
3. Spray the bottom of a lasagna pan with no-stick spray, and spread a thin layer of sauce over the bottom. Place a layer of lasagna noodles, breaking pieces if necessary to completely cover the layer. Spoon 1/3 of the cheese mixture over the noodles, then 1/3 of the vegetable mixture over the cheese. Sprinkle pieces of the raw red pepper over the cooked vegetable mixture.
4. Continue the sauce-noodles-cheese-veggies-red pepper layers until you run out, finishing with a layer of noodles with sauce on top. Sprinkle with the remaining 2 T. parmesan/asiago blend.
5. Bake uncovered at 350 degrees for 40 minutes or until the top is golden brown and sides are bubbly. Let cool 15 minutes, serve, and enjoy!

Bay Area restaurant-a-palooza

I know it's been far too long since I've posted a recipe, but in my defense, I've been eating up a storm in some of the Bay Area's best restaurants! My husband and I are living on a tight budget, so we've foregone dining out with the exception of a celebratory burrito in the Mission or a slice of pizza from Dino's on Fillmore. However, my wonderful in-laws were in town this weekend, and we wanted them to truly taste the town!

If you live in the area or are thinking of visiting, it's good to have a few places in mind that also have meat options in case your friends or relatives prefer a little carne with their meal. I'd love to take everybody I know to Greens in Fort Mason, but curried sweet potato souffles won't please everyone ;) So, here's a quick summary of the places we tried. I'll never be a food critic, but I can just share my opinions (and veggie option availability).

Fresca on Fillmore is an amazing Peruvian restaurant. I ordered the bell pepper stuffed with quinoa risotto, cheese, vegetables, and a spicy cream sauce. I was really excited to get a vegetarian option that wasn't pasta with tomato sauce, and this dish really was up to par. It was served a little bit cold, but I attribute it to the packed restaurant as opposed to the dish itself. The cream sauce is made without chicken broth, so it's a truly vegetarian dish. If you were to skip the sauce, it could be made vegan. My meat-eating compatriots were impressed by the cerviche as well as the sangria!

Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf is nationally famous for its seafood dishes, but I was interested to find out what the vegetarian options were (and how they tasted). They had the requisite pasta dishes on the menu ($28 for pasta with tomato and basil? Are you serious?), but they also had a vegetarian risotto that looked promising. Our server was happy to check with the kitchen to find out if it was made with vegetable broth, and it was! It was served with perfectly al dente rice, a cornucopia of vegetables, and no cream or cheese at all (I got some parmesan added on the top). A truly vegan risotto is almost impossible to find, but the creaminess inherent in the rice made it a rich dish nonetheless. It's not the highest-protein dish, but it was great for a single meal. Needless to say, the seafood dishes left everyone stunned and raving, especially the sea scallops.

Squat and Gobble in the Marina has always interested me because of its.... unique name. When I heard that it had the best patio brunch in San Francisco, I knew we had to go. Brunch is often a more veggie-friendly meal, but their diverse offering of vegetarian crepes, omelets, pancakes, and breakfast sandwiches gave me a huge smile. I loved how the different omelets are named after San Francisco neighborhoods. I got the Lower Haight and loved the veggies, mozzarella, and pesto (!!!). Although my father-in-law is a generally happy guy, he really couldn't stop raving about this place! Any restaurant that can satisfy a hippie veggie like me and a meat-and-potatoes guy like him gets my stamp of approval :)

That was just a sampling of restaurants we visited, and I have a few I've been meaning to write about (including a Chinese food place that actually lets you know which of their sauces can be made with vegetable broth!). Perhaps I'll post a part two soon :) Enjoy!

RECIPE: Peterson's Chocolate Zucchini Cake

Ok, I know what you're thinking. Zucchini? In a cake? Gross. Sarah's really gone off the deep end this time... Must've been all those soy products.

Not true. This cake has been my favorite since I was a little girl when my mom first got this recipe from the family-owned Peterson's Produce Stand in Delano, Minnesota. The zucchini adds luscious moisture to the cake without imparting any kind of odd vegetable flavor. Just don't tell people what they're eating until after they've already eaten it ;)

Peterson's Chocolate Zucchini Cake
Serves 10 people (or just me)

Ingredients:
2 c. sugar
3 eggs
1/2 c. milk
3/4 c. canola oil (substitute applesauce for a lower-fat recipe)
2 T. vanilla
1/2 c. cocoa powder
2 1/2 c. flour
2 c. grated zucchini1 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine sugar, eggs, vanilla, cocoa, oil, and milk in a large bowl.
2. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt.
3. Add dry ingredients to wet ingredients until just blended.
4. Stir in zucchini.
5. Pour into a 9"x12" baking dish sprayed with cooking spray, or if you're feeling especially Minnesotan, use a bundt pan.
6. Bake for 1 hour.

RECIPE: Mama Carrie's Baked Custard

This dish goes especially well with the split pea soup recipe below. It's simple, warming, filling, and delicious as a cold breakfast the next day. It can be helpful to have a second person on hand to help hold the bowl of scalded milk while you whisk it into the egg mixture, but my mom manages to do it by herself!

She uses 1% milk for the recipe, which works just fine, but use whole milk if you feel like being extra decadent ;) I've never tried it with skim, but I'd imagine it would work just fine.

Mama Carrie's Baked Custard
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
6 eggs
4 cups 1% milk
2/3 c. sugar
1 t. vanilla
grated nutmeg

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place a few inches of water into a pie pan or other glass baking dish and place in the oven to serve as the water bath.
2. Scald milk on stove top or microwave. Milk should be steaming but not boiling.
3. While milk is heating, whisk eggs in a casserole or baking dish (I use a round Corningware dish). Slowly whisk in scalded milk. Add sugar and vanilla, stirring well. Grate nutmeg on top.
4. Place custard dish in water bath. Bake 55-65 minutes or until knife inserted in the center of custard comes out clean.

RECIPE: Gingered Split Pea Soup

Split pea soup is a satisfying, healthy meal that can be as comforting as a warm blanket during cold winter months (or, if you're in San Francisco, temperate but gross and rainy winter months). It's a basic, simple recipe that takes very little skill but lends itself to endless variations.

The classic recipe has chopped up pieces of ham in it and is often cooked with a ham bone for flavor. Although not identical, adding liquid smoke (IMO, a vegetarian soup lover's cabinet staple) gives the soup depth and a tastier flavor. The optional butter is an addition that I borrowed from the Indian lentil soup dal, which adds clarified butter for richness.

The addition of ginger was a suggestion from my mom, who got the tip from an unknown Swedish couple in my family's small Minnesotan hometown. My mom made this recipe on many cold Minnesota nights, serving it with a side of garlic bread and a tasty egg custard for dessert. Although my husband has trouble with the wobbly texture of the custard, it compliments the soup well and is a decadent end to an almost entirely fat-free main dish.

Anyway, without futher fanfare, the recipe...

Gingered Split Pea Soup
Serves 4-6

Ingredients:
3 c. water
5 1/2 c. vegetable broth
2 c. green or yellow split peas (use a combo for a pretty soup)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 t. liquid smoke
3 carrots, finely chopped
1/4 t. salt
1/2-1 t. ground ginger
2 t. fresh lemon juice
1 T. butter (optional, omit to make vegan)

Directions:
1. Combine water, brother, split peas, liquid smoke, and onion in a large Dutch oven or stock pot over medium-high heat. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
2. Stir in carrots, salt, and ginger. Simmer, uncovered, 45 minutes.
3. Add butter and lemon juice, allowing butter to melt completely. Remove from heat, stir, and serve.

RECIPE: Mediterranean Yellow Lentil Soup

If you ever visit San Francisco, the Baladie Cafe is definitely worth a visit. Tucked amongst trendy lunch places in the Financial District, Baladie does a booming business straight through the lunch hour. Even though there are a few tables inside (and three small tables outside for sunny days), it's usually too crowded to find a seat. You can get gyros there, falafel pitas, and something called the Iron Bowl that involves your choice of meat or falafel, rice, and lentil soup, all mixed together. That soup is often my reason for being.
Although I haven't come close to duplicating it, I was inspired by the soup at Baladie. Its chunky consistency, awesome flavor, perfect balance of spiciness and saltiness, and deep-fried pita croutons have seduced and enchanted me. Once again, this is NOT an identical recipe, but it captures at least a portion of the awesome.


Mediterranean Yellow Lentil Soup
Serves 8

Ingredients: 
2 1/2 c. split yellow lentils, rinsed  
2 potatoes, sliced 1/2" thick (I prefer unpeeled) 
3 carrots, sliced 
2 t. salt
1 T. olive oil
1 large or two medium onions, chopped 
3 1/2 c. vegetable stock 
2 heaping t. cumin
1/2 t. dried chipotle chili pepper 
1 T. dried parsley (fresh works too)
1 t. liquid smoke (optional, but creates great flavor dimensions)
1 t. salt
2 pieces pita bread

Directions:

1. In a large Dutch over or stockpot, add lentils, chopped potato/carrot, and salt. Add enough water to cover the ingredients by 2-3 inches, and bring to boil. Cover, reduce heat to low/medium-low and simmer 30 minutes.

2. Drain. Place in a blender or food processor and add 1/2-1 c. hot water (just enough to make it blend well). Blend until ingredients are slightly smooth but still retain chunks of vegetables and lentils. Set aside.  

3. Wipe out pot with paper towel to remove majority of the cooking debris. Add olive oil, heat over meidum heat, and add onion. Cook 10 minutes or until translucent and beginning to brown. Add lentil mixture, veggie broth, and spices. Once warm, taste and add more salt and spices if desired. Cook 5-15 minutes, until ingredients are heated through and soup has thickened to the desired consistency.

4. While soup is cooking, spray pita bread with cooking spray and heat in a skillet until golden brown. Add more oil if a more fried texture is desired. Chop pita into 1/4" squares and sprinkle on top of the soup when served. If fresh parsley is used, sprinkle on as a garnish when serving as well.

RECIPE: Tofu and Broccoli with Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce

This is my little black dress of vegetarian dishes... I almost always serve this when I have guests over, especially if they're normally fans of meat. The whole "tofu" and "broccoli" thing might sound intimidating and gross to some, but the secret is truly in the sauce. Ladle enough of the magic on, and they'll forget about the veggie-friendly nutrition underneath. The original recipe calls for shredded carrot instead of broccoli, but I feel that the broc handles the sauce better and provides a better veggie representation.

I found this recipe in one of my mom's old Cooking Light magazines, and it still remains one of the magazine's most popular tofu dishes. I made a few changes, including doubling the sauce. It makes a LOT, but it's so amazing that it can be poured over salads or added to a stir-fry if you have extra.

This recipe can be served with brown rice (my husband prefers it that way), but I think that whole-grain fettuccine or spaghetti holds up better to the texture and intensity of the sauce. The rice tends to soak it up and get a bit soggy, but if you like it that way, I won't stop you!

Tofu and Broccolli with Finger-Licking Peanut Sauce
Vegetarian/Vegan
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 c. vegetable broth
2/3 c. chunky peanut butter (try to use natural, as processed versions are too sweet and glue-y)
1/2 c. reduced-sodium soy sauce
6 T. brown sugar
4 T. rice vinegar
4 T. powdered ginger (sub in fresh if you like)
4 t. Thai chile paste with garlic
12 garlic cloves, minced
10 oz. uncooked whole-grain pasta (I like fettuccine or spaghetti)
1-1 1/2 package extra-firm tofu, pressed* and cut into 1/2" cubes
2 heads fresh broccoli, chopped into bite-sized pieces

Directions:

 

1. Combine first eight ingredients in a small saucepan. Cook over medium heat for five minutes or until smooth, stirring frequently with a whisk. Remove from heat.2. Cook pasta in lightly salted boiling water.
3. While pasta and sauce are cooking, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add tofu and cook on high heat until tofu is golden, 8-12 minutes. Stir occasionally.
4. When pasta has finished, reserve pasta water and boil broccoli until tender-crisp and bright green, about 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse in cold water to stop the cooking process.

5. When serving, put pasta into bowls, followed by broccoli/tofu and then the sauce. Enjoy!

RECIPE: Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes

I adapted this famous recipe from Sunset magazine. If you're never heard of Sunset before, it's a treasure trove of recipes, ideas, and amazing things to do on the west coast. My parents have subscribed it for longer than I've been alive and kept their subscription even after moving to the snowy Midwest.

Sweet potatoes are (IMHO) one of the most unsung heroes of vegetarian cooking. They're flavorful, packed with more fiber and antioxidants than their russet/red/yukon gold fellows, and they can be prepared in numerous ways. They make themselves at home in sweet dishes as well as savory, and they're delicious when simply baked and sprinkled with cinnamon, nutmeg, and cloves.

This is an excellent weeknight recipe, as the prep time is minimal (mostly chopping) and it's a one-pot meal, which is especially appealing if you're without a dishwasher, like us. Increase or decrease the chipotle chili powder to meet your tastes, and feel free to swap in some coconut milk for the broth (add 2 T. brown sugar if you do) to make a sweeter and more Thai-style curry.


Curried Lentils and Sweet Potatoes
Vegetarian and Vegan
Makes 10 servings

Ingredients:

1 large onion, chopped

5-9 garlic cloves, minced

1  T. olive oil

2  cups dried lentils (I used brown, but you can use red for a creamier consistency)

4-6 sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4" pieces (I prefer unpeeled)

2 1/2 T. curry powder

1 1/2  T.  ground cumin

1 t. salt (use smoked if you have it)

1/2 t. chipotle chili powder (or 1 t. cayenne pepper)

6 c. vegetable broth

Directions:

1. Get out a large dutch oven or stock pot. Heat olive oil on medium and stir in onion and garlic. Saute 5 minutes.
2. Wash lentils in a colander until water runs clear. Add lentils, sweet potatoes, curry powder, cumin, salt, chipotle chili powder, and broth to the pan. Bring to a boil over high heat; reduce heat to low or medium-low, cover, and simmer until lentils are tender to bite and sweet potatoes are tender when pierced, 25 to 30 minutes.
3. Serve alone or with warm pita bread or rice.

In one serving (1 2/3 c.):

Calories: 401. Protein: 21g. Fat: 4.1g. Carbs: 73g. Fiber: 12g

RECIPE: Pad Thai

 Pad thai (sometimes spelled "phad thai") is to Thai food what plain cheese is to pizza, what palak paneer is to Indian food, what a bean burrito is to Mexican food... It's accessible, familiar, not always authentic, and much less intimidating to the general population than more exotic dishes. Chances are, you've eaten it, or at least heard of it. In most Thai restaurants (at least that I've been to), Pad Thai is one of the first entree choices on the menu. Apparently they decided to acknowledge the reality that many of their customers already know what they want before they even open the menu. I don't think that my husband has ever ordered anything other than Pad Thai, come to think of it.

At first blush, pad thai seems like a great vegetarian option. It's often served with tofu, and gets additional protein from the peanut garnish and optional scrambled egg. Although it's sometimes greasy, it can be made with less oil and appears relatively healthy. However, this deceptive little dish falls into the "meatless but not vegetarian" category. Kitchen contamination issues aside, the distinctive sauce calls for a liberal amount of fish sauce, which is made from exactly what it sounds like.

I've tried to make pad thai for years without fish sauce, trying everything from a recipe featuring ketchup (!!!) to another that called for maple syrup and peanut butter (I'm not trying to make pancakes here, guys). Nothing worked, and I was a sad panda.

Finally, I came across this recipe for "real" vegetarian pad thai. I was skeptical, until I started reading the reviews. My heart leapt as I considered finally being able to enjoy this dish again without compromising on the fish sauce. I tried it when a friend of mine was over watching a movie with my husband and me. We wanted Thai but didn't want to spend the cash. It was an effort well rewarded. I made a few changes and love it! The carrot isn't exactly traditional, but I like a little crunch beyond the crispness of the bean sprouts.

If you have it, this is the time to bust out your electric wok. I swear by the Breville Electric Wok, which gets searing hot and is great for everything from paella to pancakes. If you don't have one, grab the biggest skillet you own and get ready to rock.

Pad Thai
Vegetarian. Omit eggs to make vegan.
Serves 4

Ingredients
12 ounces noodles (rice noodles work best, but thin whole-wheat pasta can work in a pinch)
3 eggs, beaten
10 into thin cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, chopped
2 c. bean sprouts
3 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/4" disks
1 block extra-firm tofu, cut into 1" cubes
3 green onions, sliced
1/4 c. peanuts, chopped
2 tablespoons olive or grapeseed oil, for frying
3 tablespoons vegetable broth
1 1/2 tablespoons tamarind paste (find it at an Asian market or some larger supermarkets)
1/3 c. hot water
6 tablespoons soy sauce
2-4 teaspoons chili paste (to taste)
5 tablespoons brown sugar (more if desired, to taste)

Directions
1. Bring a medium-sized pot of water to a boil and turn off heat. Add noodles, cover, soak 6-10 minutes or until mostly done but still very al dente. Drain & rinse.
2. Dissolve tamarind in hot water and add soy sauce, chili paste, and brown sugar.
3. Heat wok on medium-high heat. Add 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and onion. Cook one minute. Add broth, carrots, and tofu, cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.
4. Scramble eggs in a separate pan, cut into small strips, and add to pan with noodles and one third of the sauce. Use two wooden spoons to toss like a salad for 1 minute.
5. Add half of the remaining sauce (leaving 1/3), continue to toss for 1-2 minutes. If the noodles start to stick, add another 1/2 tablespoon of oil and reduce heat slightly.
6. Add sprouts, the rest of the sauce, and toss for 1-3 minutes or until noodles are slightly soft but still pleasantly chewy.
7. Garnish liberally with green onions and peanuts. Serve with a side of chopped cucumber dressed with rice vinegar, if desired.

What do you think?

I'm LOVING Tastebook.com

My friend Judith introduced me to the wonders of Tastebook.com. This website is an amazing resource for recipes, searching through countless websites to find you the perfect recipe for you, based on ingredients you have on hand or a general feeling for the taste that you want to create. You can save recipes to your library, make notes, and share it with friends. It's much cooler (and tastier) than reading about your ex-roommate's boyfriends hangover on your Facebook Mini-Feed.

Here's a screenshot of my recipe box:

For dinner tonight, I've been wanting to try out the red lentils that we have in our cabinet, and we have a few sweet potatoes I'd like to use up. Here's what Tastebook recommends for me (ignore that annoying spyware doctor ad in the lower-right)...

Suggestions include "Sweet Potato and Curried Red Lentil Pizza," "Lentil and Roasted Garlic Soup," "Vegan Coconut, Pumpkin, and Red Lentil Soup," and several others, including "Ruth's Red Lentil and Potato Soup."

"Ruth's Red Lentil and Potato Soup" looks delicious, filling, and warming. Based on the ingredients, it looks like swapping sweet potatoes in for the red potatoes could work just fine. It calls for "file powder," which I've never heard of before. Upon clicking on the full recipe at AllRecipes.com (another one of my favorites), the author of the recipe mentions that you can omit the file powder (still curious about what it is).

Looks like we have a winner! I'll cook it up tonight and let you know how it goes.

Mmmmm.... Soooooup....

RECIPE: Delia's Cheesy Lentils

My friend Delia made this delicious dish for me when I first started grad school. I owe it so much, because it began my love affair with lentils. This is my #1 comfort food... It fills you up, takes two minutes of prep time, and is warm, cheesy, and generally fabulous. Give it a try... You might fall in love, too!


Delia's Cheesy Lentils
Vegetarian, skip cheese garnish to make vegan.

Ingredients:
2 14 oz cans or 1 32 oz. package of vegetable broth (I use Imagine Food's vegan No Chicken Broth)
1/2 cup brown rice
3/4 cup brown lentils (you can use other colors, but brown gives a nice consistency)
1/2 medium onion, finely chopped
1 teaspoon-ish of oregano
1 teaspoon-ish of basil
1 teaspoon garlic
1/4 teaspoon salt

Directions:
Mix together into medium pot. Bring to boil, then reduce heat to medium. Stir occasionally. Cover and simmer for 15 minutes. Remove lid and simmer for an additional 25 to 35 minutes, adding more liquid if necessary. Top with shredded sharp cheddar cheese or plain yogurt. Enjoy :)

Makes two GIANT servings or three regular servings.

Nutrition Information (for 1/2 of recipe, aka giant serving, with 1/8 cup 2% shredded cheese):
425 calories, 5g fat, 40g carbohydrates, 8g fiber, 14g protein

RECIPE: Healthy Restaurant-Style Spinach and Artichoke Dip

One of my all-time, absolute favorite dishes is creamy spinach-artichoke dip from restaurants. It's my silver bullet... Tasty, creamy, cheesy, salty, and absolutely horrific for you. It's also often made with chicken stock or chicken fat for flavor, so it's one of those sneak-attack non-veg dishes.

I wanted to find a way to enjoy my favorite guilty pleasure without sacrificing my lifestyle (or the circumference of my thighs). The key was switching to low-fat dairy products, roasting the garlic to add flavor without adding more cheese, and adding a block of tofu to add creaminess and protein without noticeably changing the favor. This dish has that delicious restaurant flavor without leaving you feeling sluggish afterwards.


Sarah's Spinach-Artichoke Dip

Ingredients
4 cloves garlic
1 (10 oz) package light alfredo sauce
1 oz package fat-free cream cheese
3/4 cup 2% mozzarella cheese
1/3 cup shredded parmesan/asiago cheese mix (just parmesan is fine)
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and drained
14 oz (1 can) artichoke hearts, chopped
1 pound silken tofu

Directions
1. Preheat over to 350 degrees. Place garlic cloves (in skins) in medium baking dish. Bake for 20 minutes or until soft.
2. Remove cloves, cool, then squeeze out of skins. Chop finely, and return to baking dish.
3. Mix garlic, alfredo sauce, mozzarella cheese, parmesan/asiago cheee, spinach, tofu, and artichoke hearts in the baking dish. Combine well.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes, until melted and golden brown on top.
5. Serve with lots of veggies, and enjoy!

Nutrition Information
12 small servings (as snack): 107 calories, 4g fat, 8g carbs, 1g fiber, 8.5g protein
4 hefty servings (as meal): 321 calories, 12.5g fat, 23g carbs, 2.5g fiber, 25g protein

I'm hungry.

Why am I joining the scrabbling hordes of food blogs, when I don't have any formal culinary training and regard the word "foodie" as something pretentious and cringe-worthy? (Sorry, but I do). Well, I haven't eaten meat for sixteen of my twenty-four years on this earth, and it's not always easy. Born in the Bay Area, I moved with my family into the heart of small-town Minnesota, a well-meaning place had seemed to have never heard the term "vegetarian" before. The midwest is a different place today than it was in 1994, but it's still not always easy to eat meat-free.

The daughter of a health-conscious working dad and stay-at-home-mom, I was blessed to grow up with a mother who had studied to become a nutritionist and who supported my desire to eat vegetarian, although the rest of my family did not. I grew up in a bubble of well-balanced meals and only had to deal with the dregs of main-stream "vegetarian" food whenever we went out to eat. At home, being a healthy vegetarian was easy. But out? That was an entirely different story.

The first time I darkened the doorstep of Applebee's, I was meeting friends for a quick meal before a movie at the suburban theater that we flocked to every Friday night in our high school years. Glancing at the menu, I searched for something that I could eat. And I kept searching. And searching. When the server came, I asked if the Fettuccine Alfredo was vegetarian.

"Well," she chirped, "You can just get it without the chicken." When I wanted to know if the sauce contained meat broth, she appeared stricken, and disappeared for a good fifteen minutes back to the kitchen. She came out and informed me that the sauce did, indeed, contain both beef and chicken stock.

"But it's still meatless, don't worry!"

She meant well; she really did. To the majority of America who assumes that meat will be a part of every meal, stock and broth doesn't seem to qualify as meat. For anyone who eschews meat products in their entirety, whether for religious, dietary, or any other reasons, becoming aware of meat's nearly constant presence in food is intimidating. Sometimes, it seems inescapable. After that night, I learned to eat before I met friends out for dinner, unless we were going somewhere that I knew I could eat at. When I go to a new restaurant with friends, I don't just grab my wallet and make sure I'm wearing something appropriate. I research the establishment online, checking their menu and finding their nutrition facts to make sure that a "vegetarian" meal isn't actually infused with meat by-products. It takes time, but it's worth it to have peace of mind.

When I went away to college in Colorado, I defined "cooking" as opening up a box of Taste of Thai's Yellow Curry Rice, dumping in some frozen mixed vegetables, and calling it a meal. It was half a step up from speed-dialing Hunan Springs or scarfing a hangover omelette in the dining hall, but it was all that I was up for in the middle of finals and volunteering. Looking back, it's no wonder that my "freshman fifteen" didn't stop there. My childhood metabolism was slowing, and the availability of college take-out and dining hall buffet pizza left me nutritionally bereft and unsatisfied. Apparently, I needed to shape up or ship out.

Since graduation day, I've slowly begun to appreciate the meaning of not just heating, but really cooking for myself and the ones I love. Preparing vegetarian meals can be complicated, if you're taking on the elusive masala dosa or a complex lasagna, but it can also be satisfying and simple in the form of split pea soup or cheesy lentils. I'm going to put in a disclaimer and say that I am far, far, FAR from an expert or skilled chef, but I've found that I love to cook. I also love to write, which is how this unlikely marriage of the two came about.

So, in this blog, I'll share my favorite recipes (quoting the source whenever relevant). Right now, my husband and I are eating in to save money, but I'll review any place I go to (and places I've been) from a veggie-friendly perspective. If a recipe is or can be made vegan, I'll include a note as well. I hope this blog makes you hungry! I know I am.