Potato, Broccoli and Peanut Casserole

My brother gave me a cookbook for my last birthday called "The Vegan Cookbook."  Every recipe I've tried out of it has been delicious.  Thank you Brother!  Today I just randomly picked the first recipe that the book opened up to and made it.

This is what resulted:  peanuty, potatoey goodness.  Yum....

I'm too lazy to copy the entire recipe on, so just enjoy the picture for now.  

Carrot, Bean and Radicchio Salad

I don't think I've ever made something with radicchio before.  It's quite interesting and flavorful.  This salad was pretty good, but a little too oniony.  Both Will and I suffered from heartburn after eating it.  The next day, I ate the leftovers, but picked out the onions.  The recipe is from Real Simple magazine.

Ingredients

• 1/4 small red onion, very thinly sliced
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 pound carrots, chopped
• 1 15.5-ounce can cannellini beans, rinsed
• 1 head radicchio, torn
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves

Directions

1. Combine the onion, oil, vinegar, 1 teaspoon salt, and ½ teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.
2. Steam the carrots in ½ inch of water until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain and let cool.
3. Add the carrots, beans, radicchio, and parsley to the onion and toss to combine.

Orecchiette with Rosemary Carrots

This delicious recipe comes from my Real Simple magazine.  I would never have thought of this mix, but it turned out great!  I love this pasta shape, and the rosemary carrots were amazing with it.

Here is the recipe straight from Real Simple:

Ingredients

• 3/4 pound orecchiette or other short pasta
• 4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) unsalted [vegan] butter
• 1 pound carrots, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh rosemary leaves
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

Directions

1. Cook the pasta according to the package directions; drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons of the butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the carrots, rosemary, and ¾ teaspoon each salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until tender, 12 to 15 minutes.
3. Add the pasta, lemon juice, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter to the carrots and toss to combine.
4. Serve the pasta

Mardis Gras Red Beans and Rice

 Impromptu Mardis Gras meal.  Happy Fat Tuesday!

Mac N Cheese 2014 Update

Life is pretty hectic in our household lately, but when I get the urge for my all time favorite comfort food, I have to indulge.  Mmm, Mac and Cheese... so delicious. 


This is a new recipe I just made up tonight, and I swear it's the best one yet.  But you know I say that every time.

And I didn't really measure out the ingredients specifically; just threw everything together.

First I made the cashew cream with 1 cup of raw cashews soaked over night.  Blended them with one cup of fresh water.

While the macaroni noodles were cooking, I heated the cashew cream on the stove with the rest of the following ingredients:

fresh garlic
nutritional yeast
garlic powder
onion powder
pink sea salt
rice milk
Daiya vegan cheddar

Mixed the creamy, cheesy mixture with the pasta, sprinkled some more Daiya on top and broiled for a about five minutes.

As you can see, I don't have time to bother with measurements, let alone write about them.

Start with the cashew cream and then go from there.  Good luck.

Kushari

Does anyone else actually make the recipes on the back of the food package?  I've done this several times, and they are always really good!  They're on the back of the package for a reason, right?  I bought a bag of Bob's Red Mill Kamut because I originally saw another recipe calling for the grain, but then I saw the recipe on the back and decided to make that one instead.  It says this dish is traditional Egyptian fare, so that's an added bonus.  Delicious and cultural! 

(From the Bob's Red Mill website)

Ingredients

• 1 cup Organic Kamut Berries
• 1 cup Lentils
• 1 cup Whole Grain Elbow Macaroni
• Water as needed
• 4 medium Onions, halved & thinly sliced
• 1/4 cup Olive Oil
• 4 Garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 tsp ground Cumin
• 1/2 tsp Red Pepper Flakes
• 29 oz canned Tomato Puree
• Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Step 1

Soak Kamut® berries in water overnight. Drain and rise berries.

Step 2

Place Kamut® berries and 3 cups water in a pot on bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low. Simmer until soft, about 1 hour. Drain off excess water.

Step 3

Rinse lentils and place in a pot with 3 cups of water. Cover and bring to a boil. Let boil for 2 – 3 minutes then reduce heat to low and simmer until tender, about 25 – 30 minutes. Drain off excess water.

Step 4

Cook macaroni in plenty of boiling salted water until tender, about 6 – 7 minutes. Drain.

Step 5

While grains are cooking, prepare onions and tomato sauce.

Heat oil in a pan to medium-high and cook sliced onions until brown and crispy, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and drain on paper towels. Season with salt.

Step 6

In the same pan, add garlic, cumin and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Add tomato puree and cook until heated through. Season with salt and pepper.

Step 7

To serve, combine cooked Kamut® , lentils and macaroni. Top with tomato sauce and crispy onions.

Makes 8 servings.

Dinkel Soup

Found this recipe on the package of Bob's Red Mill Spelt.

It called for chicken broth and sausage, but I just used vegetable broth and left out the sausage.  Pretty good for a cold(ish) winter night in San Diego.  Oh and I didn't put cabbage in it.

2 Tbsp Oil 1 cup diced Onion 1 tsp Celery Seed 1 tsp Caraway Seed 1 cup Organic Spelt Berries , soaked overnight 2 cups chopped Russet Potatoes 1 cup thickly sliced Carrots 6 to 10 cups Water or Stock 12 oz German Sausage, sliced 2 cups shredded Cabbage Salt and Pepper to taste Directions Step 1 Heat oil over medium heat in a soup pot. Add onions and cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add celery seeds and caraway seeds and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add spelt berries, potatoes, carrots and water or stock. (If using uncooked sausage, add at this time.) Bring to a gentle boil and cook 30 minutes. If liquid appears low, add additional water or stock. Step 2 If using pre-cooked sausage, add it now along with shredded cabbage and cook until sausage is heated through and cabbage has softened, about 10 minutes. Makes 6 - 8 servings.

Prep Time: 10 minutes Cook Time: 40 minutes Total Time: 50 minutes Servings: 6 - 8 Rating (Not yet rated)