Browsing Tag

vegetarian

Tasty

Soup and Salad

January 5, 2015

Kale Salad

This summer I wrote about my favorite “summer salad,” well today I am going to share my favorite “winter salad” – as well as one of the many soups I’ve whipped up this season.

Kale and Persimmon Salad

  • 5 cups kale, chopped/shredded
  • 2 Fuyu persimmons, cut into wedges
  • 1 cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup Gorgonzola crumbles
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1/4 cup Greek yogurt
  • 1/4 cup olive oil
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire
  • 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
  1. Massage kale with juice of half a lemon and let marinate in fridge for an hour or so.
  2. Prep dressing by blending remaining half of lemon juice, Greek yogurt, olive oil, garlic, Worcestershire, and Dijon in an airtight container.
  3. Drizzle dressing over kale (when ready) and gently fold in persimmons, walnuts and cheese.

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Leek, Fennel, Apple and Walnut Soup (dairy free, gluten free, vegan)

via The First Mess

  • 2 tablespoons grapeseed or olive oil
  • 3 leeks (I used 1 leek, 1 yellow onion and a few green onions)
    • white and light green parts chopped
  • 4 sprigs thyme, minced
  • 1 fennel bulb, cored and chopped
  • 1 medium apple, cored and chopped
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground tumeric
  • 1/2 cup walnut halves, toasted
  • 4 cups vegetable stock
  1. Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium and add chopped leeks (and onion) and thyme and stir. Saute until leeks are soft (about 4 minutes).
  2. Add chopped fennel and apples and stir.
  3. Add turmeric and stir until combined.
  4. Saute until fennel starts to soften (another 4 minutes).
  5. Add walnuts and stir.
  6. Season with salt and pepper and add vegetable stock and (guess what) stir.
  7. Bring the pot to a boil and simmer until all the produce is soft (about 15 minutes).
  8. Remove soup from heat and use an immersion blender to mix until smooth.
  9. Serve hot with drizzled maple, toasted walnuts and fennel fronds.

* I love adding sliced hot Italian sausage to it for an easy winter meal!

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Tasty

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Pomegranate Cranberry Salsa

November 17, 2014

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With the weather cooling down, I’m excited to jump into some more seasonally appropriate meals.  First up? This gorgeous recipe I scored on Pinterest that I can’t stop looking at.

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Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tacos with Pomegranate Cranberry Salsa 

Recipe via The Half Baked Harvest

Tacos

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1/2 sweet onion, diced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 canned chipotle chilies, minced
  • 1 tablespoon chipotle in adobo (from the chipotle chili can)
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon brown sugar
  • 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  • 1 cup cooked black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 lime, juiced
  • 1 small bunch cilantro
  • Tortillas (flour, corn or hard shell)
  • 1 avocado, sliced or diced
  • 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
  • cotija cheese, crumbled, for topping

Roasted Cranberry Pomegranate Salsa

  • 12 ounces fresh cranberries
  • 1/4 cup brown sugar (I used a little less)
  • 1 canned chipotle chili, chopped
  • 1 lime, zested + juiced
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/4 jalapeno, chopped and seeds removed
  • the seeds from 1 pomegranate
  1. Heat oven to 450 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil and lightly grease.
  2. Place the cranberries, brown sugar, chipotle chili, lime zest and juice, garlic, jalapeño and a pinch of salt and pepper on baking sheet.
  3. Use your hands to toss everything together until the cranberries are evenly coated.  Roast in the oven until the cranberries burst and release their juices, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove from the oven and and let cool (about 10 minutes).
  5. Add the pomegranate arils and toss well. Set aside at room temperature until ready to use.
  6. While the cranberries are roasting, start on the tacos… Heat the olive oil over a large skillet set over medium heat.
  7. Add the onions and sweet potatoes and toss to coat.
  8. Cover the skillet and let cook until the sweet potatoes are tender, but not mushy, stirring once or twice for about 10-15 minutes.
  9. Once the sweet potatoes are tender (easily pierced with a fork), add the garlic and saute 30 seconds.
  10. Turn heat to medium-high (adding more oil if needed) and add the quinoa.
  11. Let the quinoa get crispy and cook for about 5 minutes.
  12. Add 3/4 cup water, the chili powder, chipotle chilies, adobo sauce, smoked paprika, cumin, brown sugar and cayenne, stir to thoroughly combine and bring the mixture to a boil.
  13. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the water has completely evaporated.
  14. Remove from the heat and stir in the black beans, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro and the lime juice.
  15. To assemble the tacos, place some of the quinoa in a tortilla or shell. Top with shredded cheddar cheese, avocado, a large dollop the the roasted cranberry salsa, crumbled catija cheese and fresh chopped cilantro.

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Cranberry Salsa

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By the way, if you haven’t checked out Half Baked Harvest before… you definitely need to do so! Her photography is amazing, and her recipes are next level.  I’ve been eating off solely off of her site for the last week and I couldn’t have been more excited to stumble across her gem of a site.  Enjoy!

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Tasty

Zucchini Patty Pita

July 28, 2014

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As I wrote the title of this post I realized that while it may be catchy, it may not be the most appetizing option.   But if you make this dish, I promise you, it will more than make up for it…

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Zucchini Patty Pita

Patty:

  • 1 zucchini, grated
  • 1 15.5 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
  • 1 cup plain breadcrumbs
  • 1 small red onion, grated
  • 1 egg, lightly whisked
  • 1/4 cup EVOO
  • 1 teaspoon coarse salt

Fillings:

  • Whole wheat pitas
  • Tzatziki or Greek yogurt
  • Hummus
  • Chopped heirloom tomatoes
  • Cucumber slices
  • Lettuce leaves
  • Mint leaves
  • anything else you can think of!
  1. Mash chickpeas in a medium sized mixing bowl until smooth.
  2. Stir in zucchini, red onion, breadcrumbs, egg and salt.
  3. Form mixture into patties (the sized of a hamburger patty)
  4. Saute patties in olive oil until golden and crispy (about 3 minutes a side)
  5. Serve patties in pitas filled/topped with whatever your heart desires (I love lemon hummus, cucumber slices, chopped tomato, torn mint and a dollop of tzatziki -yum!)

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My favorite thing about this dish (aside from the taste) is how easy it is!  It’s turned into my go-to meal option for those nights where I just don’t feel like cooking (and don’t feel like figuring out takeout options).

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This fun spin on the Falafel helps to get your veggie intake in and use up your farmer’s market produce! The perfect option for your next Meatless Monday!

 

Party

Easter Brunch Recap

April 21, 2014

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After my parents 30th anniversary party, my sisters and I have been itching to have another party… while we couldn’t pull the funds for a 30 person sit down party, we COULD make it work for a fabulous Easter Brunch.  Here were some of the highlights:

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Menu

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We finally had a great reason to pop open my parent’s magnum of Veuve Clicquot, and nothing gets the party started more than a large format of champagne.  Once the bubbly is flowing, we set out the pickled eggs and caviar bites (PS we recommend omitting the sugar from the pickled egg recipe).  

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Champagne

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We spent a couple more hours snacking, sipping and putting some last minute touches on our meal. After opening our Easter baskets, we were able to enjoy the fruits of our labor and celebrate the real reason we were all together today. 

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