the apologies of an absentee foodie.

dearest readers (all three of you): 

i'm sorry. i've been cooking and not sharing info. i made a garlic citrus risotto a few weeks ago. i have yet to post the recipe here.  i'm obsessed with salads now that it's spring. i haven't recorded a single thing about my foray into making my own salad dressing.  & heaven only knows when i'll post my new spring/ summer beverage recipes.

i'm working on getting better at this. i am.

be patient with me. :)

in the meantime, heidi swanson is still a beast! go to her site and behold the greatness.

awesome sauce.

no, really, that's what i call it. here's what it is:

1/2 can organic tomato paste

1 cup vegetable broth 

1 cup water

1 teaspoon ground cumin

2 garlic cloves, crushed

1/2 small red onion, diced

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

black pepper, to taste

sea salt -- just a pinch!

a healthy squeeze (if you have a squeeze bottle) of honey

enough olive oil to coat the pan you're cooking in

add the olive oil, onion and spices. when the onions turn translucent, add everything else with the honey being last. stir. bring to a simmer. once the sauce reaches your desired consistency, remove it from heat. 

this sauce tastes excellent as a base for lamb stew (i added squash and zucchini to mine), would probably be great with steak or a vegetarian steak-like protein (mushrooms! holla!), and just makes my tastebuds dance like the brand new day scene in the wiz. 

enjoy!

curried sweet potato soup: part 1.

the ingredients:

4 lbs sweet potatoes, boiled and peeled
2 medium yukon gold potatoes, skins on, boiled and diced
2 medium red bliss potatoes, skins on, boiled and diced
1 large red onion, diced
2 carrots, chopped (i leave the skins on; you don't have to)
1 shallot, diced
5 cloves of garlic, peeled and pressed
1 can coconut milk
2 tbsps olive oil
about 2 quarts of water or vegetable broth
curry powder
sea salt
black pepper
cayenne pepper
crushed red pepper flakes
garlic powder
fresh ginger, grated or sliced (to taste; ground ginger may be subbed)

combine shallot, garlic, onion, spices (all are to taste!), & olive oil in your stock pot.

cook until onions are translucent and the carrots are soft; add water or vegetable broth; bring to a rapid boil.

add all potatoes; lower the heat to a simmer.

cook for about 30-40 minutes, stirring occasionally.

** at this point i decided i had to go to bed. next post: coconut milk, pureeing the soup, last-minute tweaking, and what happens when you add a dollop of honey.

UPDATE: i pureed the soup, added a bit more veggie broth to thin it out, and left the coconut milk out. it was deliciously amazing. :)

super-green pesto!

if you know me, you know i love garlic and pepper. so, when you add basil and spinach to the mix, that's just cause for celebration. so, some time ago i made a LOT of basil-filled, spinach-tastic pesto and froze about half of it. because of the current economic climate, i've come to the conclusion that i must rely on my sense of creativity if i want to feel less like i'm eating the same thing over and over. i thawed the pesto out and was reminded that i should record my ingredients lest they be forgotten.

the recipe is loosey-goosey as there are no measurements (as per usual), so i say you do everything to taste and see what works for you.

baby spinach
frozen spinach (maybe 1/3 cup)
fresh basil (however much you like)
garlic ( a LOT)
pine nuts!
olive oil
salt
pepper
onion powder*

toast the pine nuts in olive oil; add basil, baby spinach, onion powder, salt and pepper. once the basil and baby spinach are slightly wilted, throw it all in a blender or food processor with frozen spinach. blend the ingredients. if the sauce is too thick, add a bit of water to change the consistency.

i had mine with rice noodles and chopped tomato. om nom nom.

eat up! leave your pesto ideas in the comments. cuz, you know, i believe strongly that 3949 people read this blog and have been waiting patiently for an update. :)

*you could probably use fresh onion, maybe half a shallot or something, but i didn't have any on hand.

the best grilled cheese sandwich ever.

a yummy honey whole wheat or pumpernickel
cooper sharp
roma tomato, sliced crazy thin
a little bit of fresh cracked black pepper

holy crap.

a good time will be had by all.

leave your recipes in the comments. :D

potato soup!

with kale
with turkey sage sausage
with corn
with cheese
with whatever you like!


take the mashed potato recipe, add extra veggie stock (i used a combo if that and homemade mushroom broth) and whatever seasoning you'd like (i even threw some horse radish mustard in).

mine has kale and WAY too much hot pepper in it. it's definitely great. there's a huge pot of it so i'll have plenty to eat on those broke/ lazy days . . .

autumn is coming!

i love hot chocolate. i am lactose intolerant. most just-add-water hot chocolate mixes have at least a bit of dairy stuff in them. so, i went from chocolate soy milk to vanilla almond milk with cocoa powder & lackluster results to almond milk with tj's mint cocoa powder & still lackluster results . . . then i remembered heidi swanson's recipe for coconut chocolate pudding. & i was like, "yoooooo, maybe i can pull this off."

no measurements, just ingredients & instructions:

1 bar of 70% scharffen berger chocolate
coconut milk (i used the cheapest brand they have in my supermarket, and it's totally FAT & tasty)
chocolate almond breeze
vanilla hemp milk
cayenne pepper
cinnamon
sea salt
fresh cracked black pepper
chili powder

liquids go into the saucepan, chocolate goes in after the liquids, completely optional spices go in (to taste)
the whole thing gets sexy and kinda boils, you remove the pot from heat (and turn the damn burner off, too)

you pour some into a mug and sip your life away.

mashed potatoes.

(what? in august? YES.)

i saw this recipe from heidi "i am secretly the devil because i want you to cook and eat all the time" swanson and had to try it for myself.

holy crap. it's delicious. my variations:

no scallions, just fried shallots
veggie broth instead of milk
garlic powder in addition to fresh garlic
a sprinkle of cayenne
smart balance instead of butter (it was all i had available)
no parmesan

it's awesome. i wanna add some more potatoes to it. such goodness.

getting ready for fall . . .

fire roasted salsa.

tomato. shallot. green pepper. lime juice. salt. pepper. garlic.

4 roma tomatoes, rinsed
1 large green pepper, seeded and halved
1/2 shallot, diced
lime juice, to taste
salt, pepper, garlic (crushed or powder) to taste

roast the tomatoes, one at a time, on your stovetop. when the skin is blackened and almost peeling, remove. dice the tomatoes and set them aside in a bowl w/ salt, pepper, garlic and lime juice.
roast the green pepper and dice it.
add the shallot and pepper to tomatoes.

serve room temperature or chilled. enjoy with eggs, toast, as a side to some home fries, with a tofu scramble for breakfast. yesterday it served as a topping for a vegetable tamale, and WOW was it delicious. :D

quorn porn.

quorn stir-fry. sort of. i hate the taste of most fake meats by themselves so enter the brilliant idea that spawned from my evil mind, inspired by omi's un-chicken salad recipe.


ingredients:
1 box quorn naked chik'n cutlets
3/4 cups water or veggie broth (about enough to cover the cutlets in a bowl)
1/4 cup bragg's liquid aminos, shoyu, soy sauce, or mushroom broth
1 large green pepper, seeded and sliced in half lengthwise
1/2 shallot, sliced
onion powder, to taste
garlic powder, to taste
olive oil

instructions:
sit the frozen cutlets in the liquid mixture and seasonings; set aside to thaw for about 30 minutes or defrost in the microwave and set aside for about 15 minutes
lay the sliced pepper pieces across one gas stove burner. turn the flame on; blacken the pepper on both sides and set aside to cool (this process depends on how high your flame is; i recommend medium as your setting)
drain the liquid off of the cutlets (save it or trash it, it's up to you) and slice them widthwise into strips; place in a bowl
slice the roasted pepper into strips
add the olive oil to the trustiest skillet you own (mine is cast iron. act like you know!)
when the oil is hot, throw in the scallions, peppers, and sliced quorn
heat that mug to your desired brownness and/ or texture

** PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS WHERE I DECIDED TO THROW MY SKILLET INTO THE OVEN TO GIVE THE QUORN THE LEGITIMATELY CHICKENY TEXTURE THAT I LOVE. DON'T DO THAT WITH YOUR NON-STICK JAWN. IT'LL IMPLODE. OR SOMETHING**

after you finish cooking, serve with rice or rice noodles or whatever you want. i served mine on a bun with spinach and fire-roasted veggie salsa on it. please see below:










what's that, you say?
yes, it's a white bun. it's a white onion bun, fresh from teixeira bakery (they get delivered to "ethnic" aka puerto rock-friendly supermarkets in the philly area).
fire roasted veggie salsa? i'll post the recipe later.
i just had to get this one on the blog before i forgot how i made it.