Category Archives: Vegetarian

Mushroom Lovers Dream – Zucchini Mushroom Soup

I’m back!  I huge apology for being MIA the past week.  I usually get extremely busy around this time in the semester and this spring is no exception!  But I have a few great posts for you so keep checking back.  This soup turned out amazingly good.  I got the recipe out of my Hungry for Change cookbook but I did a few things differently.  First, I used Japanese mushrooms instead of wild mushrooms because I LOVE them! Also, this soup is supposed to be pureed but I left it chunky because I love the consistency of Japanese mushrooms so much.

IMG_1731

2 tablespoons coconut oil

6 cups roughly chopped mushrooms

1 medium-size yellow onion, roughly chopped

2 garlic cloves, chopped

1 large zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons

1 bay leaf

Water

2 cups chopped cauliflower

Unrefined sea salt

Freshly ground black pepper

IMG_1732

 

Heat the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Saute the mushrooms in the oil with a sprinkle of sea salt until they are lightly browned, 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in the onion, garlic, and zucchini and cook an additional 3 to 4 minutes.  Add the bay leaf and enough water to cover the vegetables.  Cover the pot, bring to a gentle boil, lower the heat to medium-low and simmer for 12 minutes.  Add the cauliflower and let everything continue to simmer until the cauliflower is soft.    At this point you can puree it in a blender if you want to go that route but I really loved it chunky!

IMG_1734

 

I made a double batch of this and I ate it all week.  If you like mushrooms then this is definitely the dish for you!  Happy cooking!

Colorful Healthy Side Dish – Lemon-Garlic Rainbow Chard

I’ve been getting bunches of rainbow chard in my CSA and last month I totally forgot about it and had to throw it out.  I was not about to do that this month.  So I served it for Easter.  I though it’s colorfulness made it appropriate.  This is a really great way to use all of your chard bunch, instead of throwing away the stems and it’s very easy and quick.

1 bunch rainbow chard

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 cloves garlic, sliced

1 pinch crushed red pepper

1 tablespoon lemon juice

IMG_1727Separate the steps of the chard from the leaves.  Cut the leaves into thin strips and set aside.  Thinly slice the stems.

Heat the coconut oil in a large skillet or pot over medium heat.  Stir in the sliced garlic, red pepper flakes, and chard stems, and cook for 3 minutes until the flavor of the garlic mellows and the stems begin to soften.  Stir in the shredded chard leaves, cover, and cook for 5 minutes over medium-low heat.  Stir, recover, and continue cooking until the chard is tender.  Toss with lemon juice and serve.

IMG_1730This is a great side dish for just about any protein.  I’ll be using this again!  Happy cooking!

 

 

Slow Cooker Wednesday – Granny Butternut Soup

Have you ever been running around in the morning trying to get out the door and in your car on your way to work you realize you forgot to start the slow cooker?  Not with this recipe!  This soup cooks for EIGHTEEN hours!  You can put it on the night before and pretty much forget about it (except for a temperature change in the morning).  It turned out crazy good but very spicy so watch the cayenne if you’re sensitive.

2 tablespoons coconut oil

2 large red onions, sliced

6 cups of butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cut into cubes

4 celery stalks, sliced

2 large Granny Smith apples, chopped

4 cups chicken broth

1 tablespoon sea salt

2 teaspoons black pepper

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper

IMG_1659

Turn the slow cooker on high while you get your ingredients ready.  On the stove top, use a large saucepan and melt the coconut oil.  Place the onions, squash, and celery into the pan and cook until vegetables begin to soften, about 10-15 minutes.  Transfer veggies to the slow cooker.  Add the chopped apples, chicken broth, salt, pepper, nutmeg, cinnamon, and cayenne pepper.  Cook on high for 7 to 8 hours and low for 10 hours.

Turn your slow cooker to the warm setting.  Using a blender, puree the soup in batches until it is all the desired consistence (or if you have a stick blender you can use that in the actual slow cooker).  Taste and add seasonings as desired.

IMG_1661

This is definitely different than other butternut soup I’ve made.  It’s very good though and super filling!  Happy cooking!

 

Basic Side Dish- Baked New Potatoes

This is post two in the Valentine’s Day dinner meal series.  Rob loves potatoes, so I made some for him!  These are super easy and will go with pretty much any type of protein.

1 pound medium red potatoes

1/2 tablespoon olive oil

2 tablespoons sea salt

Freshly ground pepper

Leaves from 2 fresh rosemary sprigs

IMG_1641Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  In a large sauce pan, cover potatoes with two inches of cold water and bring to a boil.  Cook over high heat until almost tender when pierced with a fork, about 20 minutes.

Drain the potatoes and cut in half (careful, they’re hot!).  Spread potato halves on a large roasting pan and drizzle with olive oil.  Sprinkle with salt, a few grinds of pepper, and rosemary, and toss well to coat.

Roast for 25 minutes, until golden and completely tender.  Serve!

IMG_1642You could serve these with some sort of topping but I just kept them plain and they were still yummy.  Stay tuned for the main entree tomorrow!  Happy cooking!

 

 

The Perfect Party Salad – Roasted Cherry Tomatoes and Arugula Salad

My next couple of posts will feature dishes that I served for Rob and my Valentine’s Day dinner.  We stayed in and cooked since restaurants on Valentine’s day are just ridiculous.  This salad would work great for any party or summer BBQ.

2 pints red or yellow cherry tomatoes

Olive oil for drizzling

Salt and freshly ground pepper

Leaves from 6 thyme sprigs

1 bag (10 oz) washed arugula

3 Belgian endives, thickly sliced

DRESSING

1/2 shallot, finely chopped

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

Juice of 1 lemon

1/3 cup olive oil

IMG_1635

 

Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Spread the tomatoes on a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil, and drizzle with olive oil.  Season with salt, pepper, and thyme; toss gently to coat.

Roast the tomatoes for 15 minutes, or until almost bursting.  Remove from the oven and let cool.

While the tomatoes are roasting, prepare the dressing: In a small bowl, combine the shallot, mustard, and lemon juice, and add a little salt and pepper.  Whisk in the olive oil in a steady slow stream.

In a salad bowl, combine the arugula, endives and roasted tomatoes.  Add the dressing and toss gently.  If you’re a cheese person (neither Rob nor I can eat it) add 6 oz of Gorgonzola or another blue cheese at this step.

IMG_1639I will admit that I didn’t prep for this dinner the way I should have and I had to cook the tomatoes for about 20-25 minutes at 350 degrees.  It still turned out good but I’m curious what it would be like if I had done it the way it was supposed to be done!  I’ll probably try this salad again with spinach to see how it goes.  Happy cooking!

 

You asked, I made! – Squash Rounds with Shallot-Cider Sauce

A few weeks ago I posted the link to the recipe for this and asked people to like it if they thought I should make it.  It got a few likes so I went ahead with it.  Good thing I did too because it turned out great!  This is a great little twist on butternut squash if you’re not feeling the usual puree or soup.  You’ll note that I’ve switched out some of the not so healthy ingredients for their healthy counterpart.

IMG_16261 3-pound butternut squash with a 6-inch neck

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups thinly sliced shallots (8-10 medium)

1 teaspoon rapadura (or succanat if you cant find rapadura.  Rapunzel is labeled as whole cane sugar but it’s real rapadura)

1/2 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup apple cider

1 tablespoon cider vinegar

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

IMG_1628

 

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a large baking sheet with olive oil.

Cut the neck off the squash and peel it.  Slice into 1/2 inch thick rounds; remove any stray fibrous threads or seeds in the centers.  (Reserve the  rest of the squash for another use, such as squash puree).  Place the rounds on the baking sheet.  Cover with foil.

Bake for 20 minutes.  Remove the foil and continue baking until the squash is tender, about 20 more minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add shallots, rapadura, and salt and reduce heat to medium-low; cook, stirring often, until the shallots are softened and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cider and vinegar and cook until most of the liquid is evaporated, 6-10 minutes.

IMG_1629

To serve, place 1 squash round on a small plate and top with about 2 tablespoons shallot sauce.  Place a second round on top and finish with another 2 tablespoons of the sauce and a sprinkling of walnuts.  Repeat with the remaining rounds and sauce.

IMG_1631This was SO yummy.  I served it as a main dish because we had a late lunch and weren’t starving but you could also serve it as a side dish.  Happy cooking!

 

 

Veggie post! – Red Lentil and Coconut Curry Dahl

I’ve been MIA for a bit and I apologize.  In the past 10 days I’ve had two weddings, my anniversary, the Super Bowl, layoffs at work (I’m still employed yay!) and several events for school.  I’m pooped!  But I did whip up this soup last week and I’m finally getting around to posting it.  It’s a little something different for lunch.  My camera has been taking pictures very dark for some reason.  I’m not sure whats up so apologies for the less than stellar photos.

IMG_16222 tablespoons coconut oil

1 large onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely minced

3 tablespoons finely minced ginger root

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon red curry paste

2 cups coconut milk

12 oz tomato sauce

2 cups dried red lentils

2 quarts chicken or vegetable stock

IMG_1623

 

Melt the oil in a large soup pot over medium-high heat.  Stir in the onion and saute slowly until it is translucent and soft.  Then stir in the garlic and ginger, cooking until fragrant. Add the cumin, coriander, and curry paste, mixing everything together well.  Add the coconut milk, reduce the heat, and let mixture simmer for 2 to 3 minutes covered before adding the tomato sauce, lentils and stock.

Remove the lid and simmer for about 30 minutes, stirring often to keep the lentils from sticking to the bottom.  As the lentils cook, they will break down and thicken the soup.  Add more liquid as needed.

When ready, add additional seasoning to taste and serve.

IMG_1625

This is a pretty easy soup to throw together if you don’t have a lot of time and it’s different than your every day lentil soup.  Happy cooking!

 

On a Quinoa Binge – Asian-Inspired Quinoa Salad

I liked the quinoa salad I made last week so much that I decided to make a different variation of it this week.  The first couple of steps are the same but I was smart this time and bought already sprouted quinoa so I’ll omit the directions on how to sprout quinoa.

IMG_1583

 

1 1/2 cups quinoa

1 tablespoon ground turmeric

1 cup wakame seaweed, soaked for 20 minutes, strained and rinsed

1 cup grated carrots

3/4 cup thinly slices zucchini rounds

1 red bell pepper, seeded and stemmed, cut into medium sized chunks

1/4 cup fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1/4 cup sesame seeds, toasted

FOR THE DRESSING:

1 tablespoon minced ginger root

1/8 cup extra-virgin olive oil

1/4 cup rice vinegar

Wheat-free tamari

IMG_1584

Bring 3 cups of water to a boil in a sauce pot, then pour in the quinoa and lower the heat.  Simmer covered for 12 to 15 minutes.  Around 5 minutes into cooking, add the turmeric to the water.  Once done cooking, turn off the heat and let sit, covered, for 5 minutes before emptying the quinoa into a bowl.

While the cooked quinoa is still warm, stir in the wakame, carrots, zucchini, bell pepper, cilantro, and sesame seeds.

To make the dressing, gently whisk all of the dressing ingredients until well incorporated.  Stir enough dressing into the quinoa mixture to evenly coat everything, then serve.

IMG_1586

 

I don’t think this one is as good as the one I made last week but it’s still quite tasty.  These photos are shown without the sesame seeds cause I forgot to add them until the last minute.  This is a great lunch salad and it’s veggie and super easy.  Happy cooking!

Something for breakfast tomorrow – Perfect Scrambled Eggs

I haven’t done a breakfast post here yet, mostly because I don’t usually cook anything for breakfast.  I’m a smoothie or sleep through breakfast kinda girl 🙂  But I did this one this weekend cause I was feeling breakfasty and it turned out yum-o!

IMG_15802 medium organic pasture-raised eggs, plus 1 additional yolk

Pinch of unrefined sea salt

Handful of fresh parsley, chopped

1 tablespoon organic coconut milk

1 teaspoon organic raw butter

IMG_1581In a bowl, whisk with some water the eggs, salt, parsley, and coconut milk.    Melt the butter in a skillet set over low heat.  Pour in the egg mixture and, with a spatula, gently move it around to keep it from firming up at the base and sides.  When the eggs are still slightly runny, dish the mixture onto a serving plate.  Let stand for a minute or two.  Then serve.   I served mine with fresh organic tomato slices but you could do fresh or steamed greens too.

IMG_1582

 

And there you have my first breakfast post.  Super quick and easy.  This recipe only serves one so double and triple, etc according to how many people are eating.  Happy cooking!

 

 

For my veggie followers – Roasted Tempeh with Shiitake and Sweet Potato

I am by  no means a vegetarian but every once in a while its interesting to try a veggie recipe.  I am completely against tofu because its so processed but tempeh is okay in my book.   I haven’t cooked with it in years so when I came across this recipe in Hungry for Change I decided to try it.  I’m pretty impressed with the results.  It smelled so good baking and tasted even better!

IMG_15671 12 oz block of organic – non-GMO tempeh, cut into 4 equal pieces

For the Marinade:

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons whole grain mustard

2 tablespoons raw honey or maple syrup

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons raw apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil

For the Shiitake and Sweet Potato:

2 tablespoons coconut oil

1 sweet potato, washed (and peeled, if desired), cut into 1/2-inch dice (not to be confused with a yam, sweet potatoes are white on the inside)

1 medium red onion, cut into 1/2-inch dice

8-10 shiitake mushrooms, stems removed

2 garlic cloves, minced

4 kale leaves, stems removes, torn into bite-size pieces

Unrefined sea salt

IMG_1569To prepare the tempeh, place the cut pieces into a non-reactive glass baking dish.  Blend all the marinade ingredients together in a blender for 30 seconds, them pour over the tempeh.  Allow tempeh to marinate for at lease 1 hour or, ideally, overnight.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Bake the marinated tempeh in its baking dish for 30 minutes.  Tempeh is baked sitting in its marinade. While the tempeh is cooking, make the hash. Melt oil in a heavy-bottomed pan, preferably cast-iron, over medium-high heat.  When the oil is hot, add the sweet potato and onion.  Saute, stirring often to prevent sticking, until the sweet potatoes are just about fork tender.  Stir in the shiitake caps, garlic, and kale leaves.  Saute all until the kale is wilted and tender.  Season with salt to taste, then divide the mixture between two serving plates.  Top with pieces of the tempeh and serve.

IMG_1571This was as super easy, quick meal that left me wanting to eat the whole pan of it.  Super yummy!  Happy cooking!