Fun with Bok Choy

I'm still wading through my CSA box and have miraculously used up most of the lettuce, spinach, garlic scapes, and rhubarb. But today is Thurday - which is almost Friday - which means another CSA box to tackle!

Tonight (and lunch and dinner tomorrow) I'm endeavoring to use up all of the bok choy.

Of course I will be making a stir fry (typical and unimaginative, I know, but I really like stir fry for using up lots of veggies) and I'll also be making Spicy Thai Soup.

I wish I could give credit to whoever came up with the soup recipe, but it's one of those photo copies that has been lying around the house for eons. It may well have come from Alice (my step-mom, kinda) or it may have come from a Jane Brody or Moosewood cookbook. I really have no way of knowing.

In any case, I've had a summer cold that will not go away and soup sounds like a wonderful idea to me - even though it has been in the high 80s this week.

If you're looking to use up a little bok choy like I am or if you are in the mood for Thai, I hope you'll give this a try.

You will need:
1 TBSP finely chopped fresh ginger
(I just use a micro-plane because I'm too lazy to chop it)
4 cups vegetable broth
2 tsp minced garlic
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and finely chopped
(you could use just half if you don't like the heat)
1 cup sliced mushrooms of your choice
1 cup broccoli florets
(cut into bite-sized pieces...you don't want a knife with your soup)
1 cup finely chopped bok choy
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 TBSP finely chopped fresh cilantro

Place broth, ginger, garlic, and jalapeno in a pot and bring to a boil.

Add mushrooms and simmer for 2 minutes.

Add broccoli and bok choy. simmer until the broccoli is tender but still bright green and crisp - about 3 to 4 minutes. Do not overcook!

Stir in green onion and cilantro and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

Light, Bright, Citrus Dressing

Remember that CSA I talked about in my last post? 

Well, it has blessed me with an overabundance of lettuce.

Seriously, there is only so much you can do with lettuce!

I've tried pawning it off onto unsuspecting guests, I've made filling for numerous lettuce wraps, and I'm wading my way through troughs of salad.

The good news here is that having a truck load of salad greens means that I'm getting to try our a bunch of salad dressing recipes that I've been meaning to get around to.

Now I know that salad is the LAST thing you want to see on a vegan blog but I promise that I wouldn't share any salad with you if it weren't absolutely amazing...and this dressing truly is!

It's light and refreshing. It's bright and citrus-y. It's dressing but it blends in so well with your salad that it doesn't taste like you've covered it in dressing!

Because I have so much salad I made a giant amount of this dressing, stuck it in a canning jar, and popped it into the fridge for future use. Please feel free to half the recipe for smaller mountains of lettuce.

You will need:

1/2 cup orange marmalade

(I used organic orange preserves - my market didn't have orange marmalade)

1/4 cup lemon juice or 2 lemons, juiced

4 tsp Dijon mustard

2/3 cup extra virgin olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

(I used about 1 1/2 tsp salt and a generous amount of freshly ground black pepper)

Whisk all of your ingredients together using a fork and voila! Your dressing is ready.

I will warn you that if you use orange preserves like I did, the dressing looks completely unappetizing - it's lumpy and clumpy and kind of gross looking. Trust me - you want to get past this initial gross-out factor because it tastes marvelous!

Name That Produce

I am so stinkin' excited!

Friday was the first pick-up day of this year's CSA box.

WOO HOO!

For those of you who are new to the lingo, CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture. You buy a share of crops from a local farm and all throughout the summer and into the fall you get a giant box of produce every week.  

Price-wise, it's incredibly reasonable. I'm taking part in the CSA from Red Manse Farm this year and I'd highly recommend you check out their web site for info on joining in next year (or join your local CSA, if you're not in the area).

The fun thing about joining a CSA is that you never know exactly what you're going to get. It's exciting to know that you're getting the freshest veggies that are local and in season. You get to experience produce that you definitely will not find in the supermarket (there are no seasons in the grocery store) and it stretches your ability to cook using new ingredients. It also makes you hurry the heck up and use it all (or freeze it) since you know you'll be getting a bunch more in just a week! 

This week's CSA box included something I have never encountered and it had me playing a little game of "Name That Produce:"

A couple of Google searches for things like "long curly green vegetable" later and...

...voila! I discovered that what I had were garlic scapes. 

After several more internet searches I discovered that a LOT of people like to make pesto out of it...apparently I am not the only one with an over abundance of garlic scapes from my local CSA.

So I did what many others did and made a giant batch of Garlic Scape Pesto.

For the pesto, you will need:

2 1/2 cups roughly chopped garlic scapes

1 cup pine nuts, toasted

Zest and juice of one lemon

 1 1/2 tsp salt

3/4 cup vegan Parmesan cheese

1 1/2 cups extra virgin olive oil
freshly ground black pepper to taste

Place the pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium heat and toast until lightly brown and fragrant. Remove from heat and add the pine nuts and all other ingredients to a food processor.

Blend until mostly smooth. This will make a rather thick pesto, so if you want yours a little runnier, experiment by adding a little more liquid.

To see how I used the pesto, visit my friend Abby's blog, where I am the guest post today!

Cheesy Vegan Popcorn

 I have a sweet tooth like you would not believe. Even more pronounced, however, is my love for all things salty.

Since the chocolate chip cookies haven't been cutting it lately, I turned to my old standby: popcorn.

It's been kind of hectic the last few days and when that happens, I tend to snack or graze more than stop and have a full meal. 

To satisfy my grumbly belly the other day I popped up a bag of microwave popcorn (the kind with no butter).  Immediately upon finishing, I ripped open the steaming hot bag and tossed in a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Then, shake-n-bake style I shook it all together to coat.

The result was popcorn that was cheesy and salty without any guilt, animal products, or extra fat.

I highly suggest you try this for your next snack or movie night!

Citrus-Cilantro Pesto

In case I have not already expressed this, I have the best job ever. Not only because I love what I do, but because I have an office full of people who love to eat and share recipes!

My boss recently gave me this recipe for citrus-cilantro pesto over pasta and vegetables and it is as delicious as it is quick and easy to make! I have absolutely no idea where this recipe came from, so I can't site any source....although I should find out because I bet whichever cookbook it came from is pretty fantastic.

My favorite thing about this recipe is that the sauce and veggies all come together in the time it takes your pasta to cook, so the whole thing is ready and on the table in under 15 minutes.

You will need:
1 lb pasta, like whole wheat spaghetti
2 small zucchini
1 bag of shredded carrots
2 seedless oranges
2 cups cilantro (leaves only!)
2-3 cloves of garlic
2 tsp dry mustard
2 tsp red pepper flakes
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup pasta water from cooking your pasta
(I actually use about 1/4 cup because I like a thicker pesto, but you can do whatever you like)
salt and pepper to taste

To start, cook the pasta according to the package directions.

While your pasta is cooking, wash your zucchini and cut into lengthwise strips, as thin as you can get them and as long or short as you like. I like mine really thin and really long so they mimic the pasta.

when the pasta has just two minutes left to cook, toss in the zucchini and carrots. This will help to cook your veggies just enough so that they're not rock solid but not total mush, either.

Once your pasta is done, turn off the heat and remove 1/2 cup of water before straining the pasta and veggies. 

As your pasta is cooking, prep your pesto!

Cut the peels off of the two seedless oranges. Try not to lose too much of the orange flesh, just trim off the peel and the white pith. Cut them into quarters and place in your blender. Add the garlic, spices and salt, and the cilantro. Next add the pasta water and oil and blend until smooth. You'll see little flecks of green from the cilantro that just won't get any smaller or incorporate into the sauce like you want. This is totally normal. 

Return the cooked pasta and veggies to the hot pot. Pour the pesto over the pasta and veggies and mix to coat the pasta evenly.

I like to serve in white bowls, sprinkled with a little freshly ground black pepper and cilantro for garnish.

I have added pea pods, asparagus, and peppers to this and they're all wonderful. I hope you'll play with the recipe a bit and make it your own.

Breakfast Sandwich

Two things you should know about me:

1. Breakfast is my favorite meal and I could eat it three times a day

2. I will eat just about anything in sandwich form.

Now that we have that out of the way, let me introduce you to a delightful little breakfast sandwich. This has become one of the boyfriend's favorites and he requests it any time he comes over before we head to church. This is the kind of breakfast that makes you feel like you've spent a lot of time on it, but it is really quick and easy to whip together. It's so easy, in fact, that I usually indulge him and throw a sandwich together before we hit the road.

You will need:

2 slices of the bread of your choice

(I use Ezekiel 7 Sprouted Grain Bread)

1-2 TBSP Earth Balance margarine

2-3 slices of Smart Bacon

1/3 - 1/2 inch thick slice of tofu cut from 1 block of extra firm tofu

(cut it the long way and you can get 4 slices out of one block)

1 slice of dairy-free cheese

a few slices of tomato

First, melt the Earth Balance in your pan on medium heat. Salt and pepper your tofu on both sides and sautée the tofu in the Earth Balance until golden on one side. 

I know I have said before that tofu by itself has ZERO flavor, but trust me when I tell you that cooking it in Earth Balance with a little salt and pepper makes it taste so buttery and delicious that you'll think you're eating something seriously decadent and unhealthy!

In case you don't already have a mesh screen, you should really invest in one - it'll keep hot oil and margarine from splattering all over your kitchen and burning you while you tend to the pan.

After a few minutes, turn the tofu over. Add the bacon to the pan and continue to sautée until the tofu is golden on both sides and the bacon is crispy on the edges. The tofu only takes a few minutes so while your tofu and bacon cook, toast your bread so it'll be ready when the tofu is done.

Once cooked, remove the tofu and bacon from the pan and place on a plate covered with a few paper towels. Even though you're not using a ton of Earth Balance, you don't want to have slimy, greasy tofu.

Assemble your sandwich as you please, with toast, tofu, bacon, and dairy-free cheese. Sometimes I'll even spread a little hommus onto one of the slices of toast because I like the flavor and extra moisture it adds.

If you've recently decided against eating meat or are just looking for a low-cholesterol option, give this a shot. Between the bacon and the tofu smothered in Earth Balance, you won't feel for a moment like you're missing out on anything.

Happy eating!

Marinated Oranges in Grand Marnier Sauce

Did you ever wonder why it's a tradition to give citrus as a Christmas gift? 

It's because citrus fruits are in season in the winter.

This is one of my favorite desserts to make during the winter, when foods are so heavy. It is bright and fresh and the perfect sweet, light ending to a yummy stick-to-your-ribs winter meal.

You will need:

6 oranges (seedless are best)

1 tsp agave (or use honey, if you're into that)

1TBSP water

1/4 tsp cinnamon

2 slices of lemon peel (1-inch long each)

1/4 cup Grand Marnier

First, start by cutting the peel off of the oranges.

Then, while holding the orange over a bowl, cut out each  segment from the oranges.

You want to be sure to catch all of the juice from your oranges because you'll be using it for your sauce in a few minutes.

After you've cut all of the oranges into segments, squeeze what is left of the oranges (I refer to it as the carcass, but you can call it whatever you like) into the same bowl. You want to get as much juice as you can because the sauce is going to reduce quite a bit when you cook it.

Once you've completed your work with the oranges, drain out any juice so that you can use it in your sauce.

Now it's time for the best part - the sauce!

In a small saucepan, combine the water, Grand Marnier, honey or agave, cinnamon, and lemon peel. Add all of the juice you drained out of the oranges.

Be careful to only get the yellow part of the peel. The white pith is really bitter.

Boil over medium heat until the liquid reduces by half. This should take about 3 minutes and you'll know it's done because it will look syrupy.

As I mentioned above, this makes a great light dessert after a big winter meal. You can also make this with grapefruit or you can combine oranges and grapefruit together.

Chicken Fajita Pizza

In a recent post, I told you about making Sausage Sandwiches with the boyfriend.  I hope some of you ran right out and made them, because they're fantastic.

If you did, you probably noticed the same thing that we did - we had lots of peppers and onions left over.

Because I am a frugal New Englander at heart and hate to waste anything (especially food), we used the extra sauteed peppers and onions to make a quick dinner of Chicken Fajita Pizza.

Cooking with left overs is one of my  favorite things to do because it means I get to clean out the fridge and then plan for a week of all new food!

In addition to our left over peppers and onions, we used up half of a chicken breast I had grilled up for a salad earlier in the week, the last of a jar of salsa, and some sliced black olives I had around.

To make the crust of this pizza, we used store bought naan bread that I had in the freezer. They come in packs of two and I had used one previously and frozen the other for future use.

Assembling the pizza was as easy as: 

preheating the oven to 350 degrees, 

lining a cookie sheet with tin foil

placing the naan onto the cookie sheet

spooning on salsa in place of pizza sauce

adding cheese

and topping with chicken, peppers, onions, and black olives

And it was great! We split one naan pizza and it was more than enough for dinner.

I hope this inspires you to use up some of your own left overs to create a pizza this week! One quick tip, if you don't have naan you can use Syrian bread, tortillas, or a wrap in its place and it is just as good. Just be sure to toast the wrap and tortillas first or they don't hold up as well under all of the toppings.

Happy eating!

Breakfast Roll Up

In the spirit of fast and easy meals, here is one of my staple breakfasts: Breakfast Roll Up

You will need:

2 eggs

a splash of skim milk

1 whole wheat wrap

1 avocado

1 Roma (plum) tomato

 salt and pepper to taste

Start by cracking two eggs into a small bowl.

When you crack eggs, be sure to crack them using the counter. Never use the side of the bowl, this can cause little shards of egg shell to be driven up into the egg and they're really hard to get out.

Add a splash of skim milk to the eggs before scrambling.

This will help to make your eggs light and fluffy.

 

Next, add salt and pepper to taste.

Add your eggs to a skillet preheated over medium heat.

I prefer to use a spatula to scramble the eggs.  This also helps to keep the eggs fluffy.  My mother always used to use a fork to scramble her eggs but I think this breaks up the eggs too much and makes them too granular.

While your eggs are cooking, slice up some tomato and avocado...

...and get your whole wheat wrap ready.

Pile your eggs onto the wrap.

Next, place on your tomato and avocado.

Last, fold up your wrap and eat.

If you are eating for weight loss, try this with just egg whites, it's equally delicious.

I might also suggest spreading on a little hummus before adding your eggs to the wrap - it's delightful.

Happy eating!

Sausage Sandwiches

One of the simplest weeknight dinners I have ever made is also the one meal that my boyfriend has ever truly expressed any excitement over. My boyfriend, I may have stated in an earlier post, is a guy and, therefore, he does not gush (I gush about anything and everything, so it is amazing to me when he does not have an opinion on absolutely everything!).

This meal, though was totally different. It's quick, simple, and involves very little skill in the kitchen.

You will need:

A few bell peppers 

(I like the yellow and orange ones, they're sweeter)

One yellow onion

One package of chicken sausages 

(Not all sausages are created equal - I buy the Al Fresco garlic and/or the sweet Italian sausages)

Rolls, not hot dog buns

You will need two skillets going at once, which is the only tricky part if you're a beginner.

Start by cutting your chicken sausages in half the long way and cook them in one of the skillets - you may need a little vegetable oil so they don't stick. Cook until golden, flipping half way through so that they are browned on both sides.

While those heat on a low setting, cut the peppers into thin strips. 

Next, peel the skin off of the onion and cut it in half cross-wise so you get half-moons, not rings. Slice the onion into thin strips as well.

Place the peppers and the onions in the other skillet with a little bit of vegetable oil. Sautee until they are soft and slightly golden.

Serve with rolls and whatever condiments you like (we like spicy brown mustard).

This is also great tailgate or football party food.

Happy eating!

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