Tomato Rice Soup and Grilled Cheese à la Melanie

What makes the grilled cheese special? Well, first it's on the best kind of bread - thick, caraway-laced rye. It also uses Daiya cheese and dill pickles. Yes, pickles! I don't know why I started doing this, but I started adding pickles to my grilled cheeses when I was a picky child who considered grilled cheese to be a food group. Add them when you add the cheese  - it's good, I promise! Do not use bread and butter pickles or any other sweet pickle; I have tried it and it's not something I would repeat.

Hey look, it's another recipe with tomatoes! 

This tomato rice soup is very good - it was rated a 5/5!

Ingredients:

2 TBS olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 medium carrots, chopped
1 stalk of celery, diced
5 cloves of garlic, minced
4 large tomatoes (about 2 lbs) peeled*, cored, and chopped
1 tsp Parisien Bonnes Herbes
1/2 tsp ground pepper
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1 bay leaf
6 cups of broth (I used 6 cups of water,  1 cube of mushroom bouillon and 1.5 cubes of not-beef bouillon, but pretty much anything should work)
1/2 cup uncooked jasmine rice

*Peeling tomatoes is easy! Boil enough water to cover them, make a little X on the bottom, put them in the water for 90 seconds, then drop them into an ice water bath. The skins peel off very easily!

Instructions:

Heat the oil and add the onion, carrots, and celery. Cook on medium for about 10 minutes, until the vegetables are softened.  Add the garlic, spices, and tomatoes and cook for 10 more minutes, stirring regularly. Add the broth, stir well, and cook for 20 minutes on low, stirring occasionally. Add the rice and cook for another 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Take an immersion blender and blend the soup briefly (you can also add about 2 cups to a blender if you don't have an immersion blender). You want to leave most of the texture, but blending it a little makes it thick. I served with black pepper and a sprinkle of dill weed.

Makes 6 1-cup servings

Nutrition (per cup):

Calories 131

Calories from Fat 46

Total Fat 5.1 g

Potassium 395 mg

Carbohydrates 20 g

Dietary Fiber 4.8 g

Sugars 4.9 g

Protein 6.2 g

Vitamin A 77%  

Vitamin C 36%

Calcium 1%

Iron 12%

Tropical Black Beans

I waited too long to start dinner, so I decided to make something really quick and easy. This fits the bill!

I served it over pressure cooker polenta. If you have a pressure cooker, start it before you even cut a vegetable. Just add 4 cups water or broth (broth is more flavorful, but water keeps it totally neutral if you want to make a big batch for other uses) to 1 cup dry polenta, stir, and cook for 9 minutes on high pressure. Let the pressure release naturally while you're cooking the rest of the meal.

Ingredients:

1 medium red bell pepper, diced

1 small onion, diced

1 TBS olive oil

1 cup mango chunks (I used frozen, but fresh would be wonderful)

1 cup pineapple tidbits (I used frozen, but canned or fresh would work well)

1 can (~16 oz) of black beans, drained

2 teaspoons minced ginger

3 cloves garlic, crushed

2 tsp lime zest

1 pinch saffron

1 tsp crushed red pepper (optional - to taste)

1/4 cup lime juice

1/2 cup orange juice

Pan fry the pepper and onion in the olive oil until softened. Add in the mango and pineapple and cook for a few minutes over medium-high heat. Add in the rest of the ingredients and cook, stirring occasionally, until the liquid is reduced and the flavors start to come together (about 10 minutes). Serve on polenta, rice, or quinoa and dinner is done!  

I sprinkled extra lime zest and crushed pepper on top and added a generous bit of hot sauce (Pukka scotch bonnet sauce is REALLY nice here if you like spicy stuff). 

Nutritional Information for 1/4 of the recipe of tropical beans:

186 calories

36 g carbs

7 g protein

4.1 g fat

7.4 g fiber

13 g sugar

9% Vitamin A

168% Vitamin C

5% Calcium

14% Iron

1/4 of the polenta adds:

130 calories

 27 g carbs

 3 g protein

 0 g fat

 2 g fiber

7% Iron

Creamy Cauliflower Soup

This soup sounds a little boring,  but I assure you it is not! It is my new favorite soup and you should definitely make this. Definitely! Make it! It is so good! We all loved it and it got a 4.75/5 rating!! I will double it next time.

1 cauliflower head, washed, cored, and broken into florets.

1 onion, diced

1 TBS coconut oil (yeah, the solid stuff)

1.5 cups frozen butternut squash cubes

3 cloves of garlic, pressed or minced

2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup water

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup coconut milk (the stuff from the can, mixed well)

1 TBS nutritional yeast (optional)

Heat up the coconut oil in a large pot, then add the onion and cook until golden. Add in the butternut squash and garlic and cook for about 4 minutes, then add in the cauliflower pieces and cook for another 5 minutes, until they've softened somewhat. Add in the broth and water and cook for about 30 minutes or until the vegetables are very soft. Take half of the mix and put it in a blender, blend until smooth, then add it back to the pot. Add the salt, coconut milk, and nutritional yeast (if using). Serve! It makes 3 servings, but we all wished I'd doubled it. :)

Calories: 221

Fat: 11.7 g

Carbohydrates: 25.4 g

Fiber: 8.8 g

Sugars: 10.3 g

Protein: 7.1 g

Vitamin A: 110%

Vitamin C: 176%

Calcium: 9%

Iron: 11%

Spicy Scrambled Tofu

I wanted something spicy and heavy on the protein today, so I opted for a double-whammy of vegan protein: tofu & seitan. You have surely heard of tofu, but seitan may be new to you. It is a high-protein item that comes in various formats (slices, crumbles, chunks, you name it) and is wheat gluten based. Sounds weird if you haven't had it, but it really makes some of the best meat substitutes out there, if you're into that sort of thing. I am! This was easy and SO FILLING.

It wasn't very pretty, but my stomach didn't care one bit.The picture's colors are a little off, but I can't seem to adjust them in a way that makes the salsa on top red without making the tortilla look like it fell into a bowl of turmeric.

1 block extra firm regular tofu, drained and broken up
1 package Upton's Naturals Chorizo-Style Seitan
1/2 TBS olive oil
3/4 cup salsa (as spicy as you'd like!)
2 TBS nutritional yeast**
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp turmeric
1/2 tsp sharp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Fajita Seasoning
1/2 tsp cumin

Add olive oil to the pan, then add the tofu to the pan and cook for 5 minutes, stirring regularly. Add the chorizo-style seitan and cook for another 5 minutes, then add the salsa and spices and cook until nicely combined. Serve with toast or tortillas (I shoved it into the tortilla after I took the picture; it's nice like that) and add a dollop of salsa to the top.

**Nutritional yeast is one of those ingredients that's you probably haven't heard of if you're not vegan or vegetarian. It adds an incredible depth to things while adding tons of vitamin B12. It's worth looking for, since even my local Kroger sells it in the natural foods section nowadays. Do not try to use any other kind of yeast (baking, brewer's, etc) these are nothing like this stuff!

Makes 4 extremely filling servings! We rated it a 4/5.

Nutritional Information, per serving:

Calories: 224
Fat: 8.9 g
Carbs: 11 g
Fiber: 2.1 g
Sugars: 1 g
Protein: 26 g
Vitamin A: 3%
Vitamin C: 11%
Calcium: 6%
Iron: 52%

Mac & Cheese

I think the holy grail of vegan food is mac & cheese. It's something that nearly everybody loves and misses. I've made many versions of it - nutritional yeast-based, fake cheese-based, and others, but this is the stuff that I've served to my daughter's friends knowing it would pass as the real thing. Vegan cheese is an acquired taste, but this is pretty darn good. It's not health food, so it's not intended to be made daily, but then neither is regular mac & cheese (no matter what your kids tell you)!

Recipe:

9 ounces of uncooked pasta

2 TBS margarine

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1/4 tsp salt

1/2 tsp ground mustard (the dry powder spice version, not the wet kind)

1/4 tsp vegan Worcestershire sauce (Annie's and Wizard are both good, most other brands contain fish.)

2 cups plain soy milk

1 block of Follow Your Heart cheddar, shredded (I do not like their shreds as well as their block - the shreds have a chemical taste - and my boyfriend hates Daiya's texture, so this is our favorite option).

1/2 cup seasoned bread crumbs (I used panko with a generous helping of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, dill, and some sea salt).

Ground pepper, to taste

Boil the pasta in one pan, then get to making the sauce in another. Oh, and heat the oven to 350. Melt the margarine in a big saucepan, then whisk in the flour, salt, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce.Very gradually add the soy milk, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Once it is all added, boil while continuously whisking for about a minute, then add the cheese. Cook and stir frequently until it is melted. 

Drain the cooked pasta, then add it to the cheese mix and make sure everything is nicely coated. Pour it into a 9 x 13 baking dish and sprinkle the breadcrumbs evenly over the top. Cook uncovered for about 20 minutes, until nice and bubbly. Makes 8 servings and is best served with broccoli, because then you can mix them together and have cheesy broccoli too. :)

It gets a 4.5 out of 5 rating.

Calories: 281

Fat: 13 g

Carbs: 33.4 g

Fiber: 3 g

Sugars: 2.9 g

Protein: 7.7 g

Vitamin A: 2%

Calcium: 10%

Iron: 11%

Pumpkin Curry Soup

Many, many years ago, when I was a teenager, I went to a wedding and they were serving pumpkin curry. I thought this sounded pretty terrible, but once I tried it, I was hooked! This version is pretty close to the other, though as an adult I feel like I'd prefer it to have some texture. Still, we gave it a 4 overall because it was nice in spite of its smoothness!

Pumpkin Curry Soup

I used the recipe here, but with a few changes: http://dairyfreecooking.about.com/od/hotsoups/r/crmpmpknsp.htm

My version:

1 T. olive oil

1 mediucm chopped onion

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 medium-sized leek, white parts only, chopped

1 cup peeled and chopped apple

2 T. sugar

1 TBS curry powder

¾ t. ground cinnamon

½ t. ground ginger

¼ t. ground mace

½ t. salt, plus more to taste

2 cups vegetable broth

2 cups water

2 15-ounce cans pumpkin puree

½ cup coconut milk

½ cup plain soy milk

Pepper, to taste

Cayenne, for garnishing

In a large pot, lightly brown the onions in the olive oil. Add the garlic, leek, and apple, plus the sugar and spices and cook until the leek is tender, about 5 minutes. Add the broth and water and cook for 15 minutes, then transfer to the blender and puree until smooth. Add back to the pot, then add the rest of the ingredients and cook for about 5 more minutes on medium heat, until flavors have come together.

Serve with bread - I used the cornbread biscuit recipe from the Vegan Brunch cookbook (Moskowitz) because it's slightly sweet, so it went with the sweet/savory theme.

I garnished the adult bowls with cayenne (this is nice!) and the teenager's bowl with some coconut milk to make it creamier.

I decided this made 4 large servings - about 2 cups each. So, for 1/4 of the recipe, the nutritional information is:

Calories: 255
Fat: 12 g
Carbs: 37.1 g
Fiber: 11.5 g
Sugars: 23 g
Protein: 5.4 g
Vitamin A: 526% CRAZY!
Vitamin C: 15%
Calcium: 10%
Iron: 13%

Unchicken, Kale & Butternut Squash

My workout was a test of my endurance yesterday, which meant I burned lots of calories. This meant I was extra hungry today. So I ate! When dinner rolled around, I didn't have many calories to work with (I get 1400/day), so I went with something quick, filling, and relatively low in calories. It also has crazy high vitamin values!

The unchicken is a Gardein variant we buy from Canada whenever we go there. Since Canada is really nearby (we're in metro Detroit), we go there often enough to keep a good number on hand. Any unchicken would work here. I just pan fried it (after misting the pan with olive oil), then added some Bavarian Seasoning (it's a spice blend from Penzeys - it has crushed brown mustard, rosemary, garlic, thyme, bay leaf, and sage), a splash of lime juice, and a few teaspoons of dilly mustard. Whole grain mustard and a pinch of dill would be equally nice. 

The kale is my new favorite preparation of kale. I got one of those big 16 oz bags and just ripped the stems out, then set the leafy bits aside. I added 2 TBS of olive oil to a big stock pot, then added 8 cloves of garlic (I love the stuff). Once the garlic browned, I added in the kale, then 1 cup of broth, a teaspoon of red wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons of dilly mustard (again, whole grain mustard would be tasty here, too). I cooked for only about 5 minutes until it was nicely softened.

The butternut squash is a zero-effort sort of thing. I like to buy it frozen for the convenience. I cook the bag (1 lb) in the pan until soft, then add 1/2 TBS of margarine to the whole thing for creaminess. It's easy. You can add cinnamon if you're into that, too. 

Nutritional information

For one unchicken, 1/6 of the greens, and 1/4 of the butternut squash:

Calories: 326

Carbs: 32 g

Protein: 28 g

Fat: 12.5 g

Fiber: 9.5 g

Sugars: 6.5 g

Vitamin A: 395%

Vitamin C: 250%

Calcium: 23%

Iron: 96%

Accidental Ethiopian Soup

I intended to make Ethiopian split peas tonight, but ended up making Ethiopian soup instead. What went wrong? Probably water ratios and pressure cooker experimentation. Still, the flavor was good, albeit mild, and the stuff is nutritious and SUPER filling. It does contain 91% of your daily value of fiber, so that's probably why it's so filling.

I served it with some pita bread we had left from eating at a Middle Eastern restaurant earlier in the week. Here's a good tip to reheating delicious bread without losing the texture: stick it in a pan over low-med heat and flip repeatedly until it's warm.

1.5 cups of split peas - I used half green and half yellow, but it really doesn't matter
1 onion, diced
1 TBS olive oil
1 chunk of ginger, peeled and grated
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4.5 cups of broth
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp berbere

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp cayenne
Salt & pepper to taste

Stick everything in the pressure cooker and put it on high pressure for 15 minutes, then release naturally. I thought it would take less time based on some pressure cooker timer charts I found, but for some reason it wasn't the 6 minutes I hoped it'd be. Still 15 minutes to soup is not bad!

We all rated it a 4/5.

Nutritional information for 2 cups (1/3 of the recipe):

Calories: 281
Fat: 4.7 g
Carbs: 58.7 g
Fiber: 22.8 g
Sugars: 4.4 g
Protein: 22.6 g
Vitamin A: 16%
Vitamin C: 5%
Calcium: 5%
Iron: 30%

Peaches & Cream Oatmeal

Growing up, my favorite flavor of oatmeal was always peaches & cream. Sadly, they don't make it without the dried milk powder, so I haven't had it in MANY years! This morning, I decided I'd try to make some, since I had some freeze-dried peaches on hand. It was pretty good (but not very pretty, sorry).

1 cup rolled oats
.5 oz freeze-dried peaches, broken into little pieces.
1 cup water
1 cup Very Vanilla soy milk (regular will work too, it just won't be as sweet. Coconut milk would be amazing, but calorically dense).
1 TBS sugar
1 pinch salt

Boil the water and add the oats and peaches once boiling. Cook for 3 minutes, then add the soy milk, sugar, and salt and cook until thickened.

Makes 2 servings. We rated it a 3.75.

Nutrition per serving:

Calories: 262
Protein: 8.2 g
Fat: 4.3 g
Fiber: 5.3 g
Sugars: 19.8 g
Vitamin A: 2%
Vitamin C: 30%
Calcium: 23%
Iron: 29%

Slawwiches

This is an odd-sounding meal, for sure, but it's quick, easy, and filling and is fairly nutritious for something so creamy and rich. I served it with little side salads.

For 3 sandwiches:

First, make the slaw:

Add these ingredients together:
1/4 cup reduced fat Vegenaise
1.5 TBS apple cider vinegar
1 tsp agave nectar (you can use sugar instead)
1/2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp caraway seed
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
Then toss with 10 ounces of chopped cabbage (it's easy to use the prepared packages or about 1/2 head of cabbage).

Then pan-fry some vegan lunch meat. I like peppered Tofurky slices, but I think anything could work here. You don't need oil, just cook it to warm it up a bit. 15 slices = 3 sandwiches.

Finally, toast some bread. I used an onion rye. You can add a little spicy brown mustard to the bread, then heap on 1/3 of the coleslaw and 1/3 of the Tofurky for each sandwich. I ended up serving some of the slaw on the side because it was massive!

We gave these a 4.

Nutrition, per sandwich:
Calories: 315
Protein: 19.2 g
Carbs: 41 g
Fat: 13.3 g
Fiber: 8.3 g
Sugar: 9.2 g
Vitamin C: 136%
Calcium: 8%
Iron: 29%

Crock Pot Cabbage Soup

You may have noticed that I haven't posted in awhile... sorry about that! I had too many nights in a row where it got to be too late to blog or I forgot to write down spice quantities or something. Anyway, I think I am back on track now!

This soup is, as most soups are, easy! If you have a crock pot it is even easier. Just toss the ingredients in, wait 5 hours as your house fills with a wonderful fragrance, then eat!

5 cups savoy or regular green cabbage, chopped (One medium head = ~5 cups after coring)

1 red bell pepper, diced

2 carrots, peeled and cut into rounds

1 onion, diced

2 can tomatoes, diced

9 mushrooms, quartered            

1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, rinsed & drained

4 cups broth (I used Edward & Sons "not beef" flavor bouillon cubes in hot water)

4 cloves garlic

1 TBS olive oil

1 tsp paprika (sweet)

1 tsp paprika (smoked)

½ tsp caraway

½ tsp crushed peppers

½ tsp dill weed

Salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients in a crock pot and cook on low heat for 5 hours. You can cook it over the stove, too, cooking until the vegetables have reached the desired tenderness. 

A serving is 1.75 cups and is pretty filling and healthy! We gave it a 4 out of 5 overall.

Nutritional Info:

Calories: 335

Fat: 3.2 g

Carbs: 58.9 g
Fiber: 22.4 g (that's 90% of what you need for the day, hence why it is so filling!)

Sugars: 9.6 g 

Protein: 20.3 g

Vitamin A: 103%

Vitamin C: 106%

Calcium: 18%
Iron: 46%

Pasta Bar

My mom came to hang out last night, which was very nice! She's not vegetarian and doesn't care for many substitutes, so when hosting her, I keep the food pretty simple. Last night, I went for a pasta bar where everyone could assemble their own dish.  I boiled cavatappi and served that with a few toppings. We had a marinara sauce, some soy burger crumbles (for the vegetarians), freshly-chopped basil, and garlic mushrooms.

There really isn't much of a recipe to speak of here, since the preparation for most of it was simply to prepare as directed by the packaging, however, the mushrooms were something I altered.

I made the mushrooms by cleaning and slicing 16 oz of mushrooms and sticking those in a pan with 3 cloves of garlic and 4 TBS melted Earth Balance margarine. Once they cooked down, I added 2 TBS of Merlot and 1 tsp onion powder, and cooked off the alcohol and let the sauce thicken until it was only very slightly saucy. It was a tasty topping for pasta, though it wasn't a particularly healthy one.

Mushrooms, per 1/4:
Calories: 134
Fat: 11 g
Protein: 3.7 g
Carbs: 4.7 g
Fiber: 1.5 g
Sugars: 2 g
Vitamin C: 7%
Iron: 18%

Kid-Friendly Channa Masala

My daughter pretty much hates tomatoes and onions, so it's weird that she loves this recipe. But love it she does, and that makes me happy!

Ingredients:

3 tomatoes, chopped roughly

1 small onion, chopped

4 clove garlic, peeled

1 TBS olive oil

1 tsp salt

1 tsp chili powder

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp garam masala

1 tsp coriander

1/2 tsp turmeric

2 cans chickpeas

1/2 cup coconut milk

Place tomatoes, onions, and garlic in the blender and blend until frothy. Set aside.

Heat up oil in the pan, then add spices. Warm those spices up, then pour in the tomato mixture. Cook for 5 minutes, covered, then add the chickpeas and cook for another 10-15 minutes until they are nice and tender. While that's happening, whip up some basmati rice, because it's nice to serve with the channa masala. Any long-grain rice will work, if you don't have basmati on hand. Add coconut milk to the pan, then cook until warmed through. Makes 6 servings.

We all rate it a 4, because it's good! It's not the most authentic channa masala you'll ever eat, but we dig it. :)

Nutritional Info (1/6 of the recipe):

Calories: 275

Fat: 9.3 g

Carbs: 36 g

Fiber: 7.4 g

Sugars: 2.9 g

Protein: 12.7 g

Vitamin A: 15%

Vitamin C: 34%

Calcium: 8%

Iron: 17%

Triple-Decker Mexican Pizzas

Since it was just me and the teenager, we decided to have a night in with a chick flick and a quick dinner. Based on what I had in the fridge, I went for triple-decker Mexican pizzas.

One pizza is quite filling, so you can size this recipe however you'd like. It's not really much of a recipe, honestly. It gets a 4.25 overall rating. 

Ingredients (per pizza)

3 corn tortillas

4 whole black olives, sliced

3 TBS salsa

1.5 TBS guacamole

1/2 cup vegetarian refried beans

1/2 tsp liquid smoke

1/4 tsp Mexican oregano

1/4 tsp Smoked paprika

2 slices of Daiya cheddar, torn into strips

1 TBS Tofutti sour cream

a little bit o' shredded lettuce

hot sauce (optional)

Add the refried beans, liquid smoke, oregano, and paprika to a small saucepan and warm up. Keep it warm.

Pan fry the tortillas until softened, about 90 seconds per side. Place the Daiya on top two tortillas, and melt the cheese slightly, about 1 minute more.

Put one tortilla on the plate, cheese side-up. Spread 1/2 of the beans on this, add lettuce, and add 1/2 of the olive slices. Place the other tortilla on top of the layer you just made. Add the rest of the beans, the salsa, guacamole, and hot sauce on this layer. Spread the sour cream on the cheesy side of the last tortilla, and place that messy-side-down on top of the existing two layers. Cut into 4 pieces and eat it like a pizza. I served it with lettuce and a simple lime dressing that I made out of lime juice, garlic, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

Nutrition, per pizza:

Calories: 467

Carbs: 64 g

Protein: 13 g

Fat: 19.9 g

Fiber: 10.5 g 

Sugar: 2.7 g

Vitamin A: 12%

Vitamin C: 4%

Calcium: 4%

Iron: 8%

Portobello Mushrooms, Polenta, and Butternut Squash

Tonight was pretty much a no-fuss sort of night. I made portobello mushrooms in the oven, polenta in the pressure cooker, and butternut squash on the stovetop. I didn't do anything terribly fancy, and my plating is horrible (sorry, it tastes better than it looks!), but it was a nice, satisfying meal anyway.

Mushrooms: 

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

1/4 cup water

6 cloves of garlic

3 TBS olive oil

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp cracked rosemary (or 1/5 tsp whole rosemary)

1/2 tsp salt

Pinch sharp paprika or cayenne

5 portobello caps, cleaned and with stem and gills removed (use a spoon to take out the gills, it's the easiest way!)

Mix all of the ingredients except the mushrooms in a bowl. Place mushroom caps upside down in a baking dish (the place the gills used to be should face upward) and pour the marinade over the mushrooms, making sure every shroom is covered. Let sit for 20 minutes (or however long you have) and heat the oven to 375.  bake until they look ready, flipping about 10 minutes in, and spooning marinade over the tops. It took about 20 minutes for them to get a little flatter and wrinkly. 

While all of that is happening in the background, make the polenta. I made it in the pressure cooker by putting 3/4 cups of polenta, 3 cups of hot water, and a pinch of salt into the cooker. I whisked vigorously for a minute, then cooked it at high pressure for 10 minutes, with a natural release. You can make this stuff on the stovetop, but it's all stirring, all the time. Once it was done, I added a generous bit of a low sodium garlic and spice salt blend called Garli Garni by Garlic Festival. It needed me to be more generous; I've learned that polenta can take pretty intense flavors! Next time, I'll add some crushed garlic after cooking, to make it nice and strong.

As the pressure cooker was releasing pressure, I made the squash. I bought frozen cubed butternut, and dumped that whole bag (theoretically 5 servings, ha!) into a pan with some water. When it was hot, I added a tablespoon of coconut margarine and a tablespoon of brown sugar to give it sweetness and depth.

Remember that polenta starts out runny, but firms up once it hits the plate, so put it on the plate first. Serve with steak sauce for the shrooms and more garlic salt for the polenta.  

It gets a 3.5/5 from us.

Nutritional info for the plate, which is half of all of the recipes ^:

Calories: 497

Carbohydrates: 90

Protein: 15.3

Fat: 11.6

Fiber: 5.7

Sugars: 12.9

Vitamin A: 686%

Vitamin C: 87%

Calcium: 15%

Iron: 28%

Quinoawesome

What the heck is quinoawesome and how do you say it? Quinoawesome is a dish that my daughter and I invented a few years ago and it's been a staple since. You say key-noah-awesome.  I served it with delicata squash rings (not pictured now, since I replaced the terrible picture that was here before). I love delicata because it's easy to work with, easy to cook, and wholly edible; you can eat the skin once cooked!

Quinoawesome Recipe:

2 tsp olive oil
1 small onion, minced
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup quinoa
1/4 cup white rice (uncooked)
2 cups water
1 large faux chicken bouillon cube
2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp cayenne
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano, crushed in your fingers
1 cup corn
2 cans black beans, drained and rinsed (red beans, kidney beans, and northern beans all work here, too)

Warm up the olive oil in a large pan, then add the onion and cook over medium heat until lightly browned. Add the garlic and cook for about 1 minute. Add everything else except the beans and corn and cook about 20 minutes, stirring frequently, until liquid is absorbed and grains are soft. I usually add up to another cup of water to get the grains softened nicely. Add beans and corn, cook for 5 minutes to let the flavors mix. Serve with a dollop of Tofutti sour cream and a squirt of Sriracha.

Overall, we rate it about a 4.

Delicata Recipe:

3 delicata squashes
1 TBS olive oil
Cinnamon & sugar to taste

Heat oven to 450. Wash squash, then cut each into rings, pushing out the seeds from the middle. Place the rings on a baking sheet and put the oil on the sheet, rubbing it around to cover each piece. Cook for about 30 minutes, flipping every 10. Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar OR brown sugar (or both!)

Nutrition for 1/6 of the quinoawesome:

250 calories
4 g fat
12 g protein
43.8 g carbohydrates
8.5 g fiber
2 g sugars
337 mg sodium
2% Vitamin A
6% Vitamin C
8% Calcium
21% Iron

1 whole delicata + 1/3 TBS olive oil:

100 calories
4.6 g fat
2 g protein

7 g carbohydrates

2 g fiber
6 g sugar
0 mg sodium
140% Vitamin A
30% Vitamin C
4% Calcium
4% Iron

Fajita Bowl

Tonight I decided to make fajita bowls since I had bell peppers on the brain and was quite hungry to boot!

This meal was a pretty simple one, and while the bowl was an attractive vessel, it wasn't the ideal one. Next time, I'll serve it on a plate so it's easier to mix everything up!

2 cups of cooked rice
1 red bell pepper, julienned
1 green bell pepper, julienned
1 yellow onion, julienned
2 large cloves of garlic, minced
2 servings of Beyond Meat Southwest Style (or 2 servings of any faux chicken of your choice)
1.5 TBS olive oil
1 TBS Fajita Seasoning (I use Penzey's)
1 TBS lime juice, plus extra as needed
2 TBS Tofutti sour cream
2 TBS salsa
2 TBS guacamole

Cook the bell peppers and onions in 1 TBS of the olive oil until very soft - about 20 minutes. Stir frequently, spritzing lime as needed to keep the bits from sticking. After 15 minutes, add the garlic to the pan and cook until it is browned.

While all that is happening, whisk together the rest of the olive oil, the fajita seasoning, and the tablespoon of lime juice. Then get another pan and add the Beyond Meat and the sauce you just made. Cook it over medium-high heat until it looks somewhat blackened and all of the liquid has been absorbed. Serve with hot sauce.

Serve in two bowls (or plates if you want it to work better!) with half of the rice, the pepper/onion blend, and the Beyond Meat. Top with 1 TBS each of the sour cream, salsa, and guacamole. This is a huge meal; I couldn't finish mine.

We rated it about a 3.75 - the lack of ability to mix stuff made some bites a little too homogeneous.

Nutritional Info:

527 calories
66 g carbs
27 g protein
19 g fat
488 mg sodium
6.1 g fiber
6.8 g sugar
7% Vitamin A
244% Vitamin C
10% Calcium
37% Iron

Pressure Cooker Curry

I love, love, love having a pressure cooker. I never knew what I was really missing until I got one, but it does magical things in very little time. If you don't have one, you're probably thinking you don't need one or shouldn't get one. Maybe you worry it'll take up too much counter space or that it'll get used once a year like your food processor. The one I have ensures that won't happen, because it takes the place of 3 different gadgets: a rice cooker, a slow cooker, and a pressure cooker. It's called the Fagor Multi-Cooker. If you're considering getting a pressure cooker, I highly recommend it!

This dish is tasty, but not photogenic. It doesn't help that it's a primarily yellow food in a yellow bowl. A photographer I am not! It's somewhat spicy, but I like things to be very spicy, so next time I'll add some fresh peppers or more cayenne or something.

We rated it a 4.

Recipe:
1 head cauliflower, chopped into florets
3 large carrots, peeled and diced
3 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
1 onion, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1.5 TBS olive oil
1 8 oz can tomato sauce
1 TBS fresh ginger, peeled and minced
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp cumin
2 dried chili piquin peppers
1 tsp dried jalapenos (optional, if you like it spicy)
1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional, if you like it spicy)
2 cups vegetable stock
Salt to taste

Cook cauliflower, carrots, potatoes, onion, and garlic in olive oil for five minutes, stirring frequently. Place in pressure cooker with the rest of the ingredients, and cook on high pressure for 7 minutes. Serve on top of rice. Makes 4 servings (1.5 cups each)

Nutritional Information:

Calories 209
Fat: 5.6 g
Sodium 364 mg
Carbs 35.8 g
Fiber 8 g
Sugars 9.6 g
Protein 6 g
Vitamin A 116%
Vitamin C 174%
Calcium 7%
Iron 13%

Lentil Soup with Garlic Drop Biscuits

It's been alternating between cold and hot weather here in Southeast Michigan. Yesterday was a cold one, so it was the right day for a hearty bowl of lentil soup and fresh biscuits.

I've been playing with lentil soups, and I now have the perfect recipe that gets about a 4.5 overall on my family's scale. 

Lentil Soup Recipe

1 TBS olive oil

1 large sweet yellow onion, diced

2 carrots, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 tsp cardamom

1/2 tsp coriander

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground turmeric

1/4 tsp smoked paprika

6 cups water

2 large bouillon cubes, crumbled (I used Edward & Sons Not-Chick'n)

1 1/2 cups red lentils (picked over and rinsed)

Heat the oil in the pan over medium-high heat and add the onion and carrot.Cook until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and cook briefly, then add all of the spices and stir until fragrant. 

Put the mix into the pressure cooker, then add the water, bouillon, and rinsed lentils.Cook at high pressure for 8 minutes, and allow for a natural release. I am sure you can do this over the stovetop, too, if you don't have a pressure cooker, but if you have one, use it here! On the stovetop, just keep everything in the same pan and cook, covered and stirring occasionally, until lentils are tender. This makes 6 servings.

While the cooker is doing its magic, you can make the biscuits. Drop biscuits are THE way to get fresh bread on the table with minimal effort.

Drop Biscuit Recipe

1/2 cup vegetable shortening (I use Spectrum)

2 cups all purpose flour

1 TBS sugar

1 TBS baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp garlic powder

1 cup plain soy milk

Preheat the oven to 450. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and garlic powder and mix well. Cut in the shortening using a pastry blender (easiest) or forks, until it looks like crumbs. Stir in soy milk until everything is just combined. Over-mixing will make terrible biscuits, so don't do that.  

Drop 12 equal portions of dough onto a non-stick (or greased) cookie sheet, then cook for 9-12 minutes on the middle rack. I told you it was easy!! The garlic flavor isn't very strong, so if you're not counting calories, you could melt some margarine and add in fresh garlic and parsley, then brush the tops of cooked biscuits with that. But they're really rich and don't need butter at all.

Nutrition Info:

Soup (1.25 cups)          Biscuits (each)
                                                         
Calories 207                  Calories 152
Fat 3.4g                         Fat 8.3g
Carbs 33 g                     Carbs 16 g
Fiber 8.5 g                     Fiber 1 g
Sugars 5.3 g                   Sugars 2.2 g
Protein 11.9 g                Protein 2.6 g
Vitamin A 72%              Vitamin A 1%
Vitamin C 8%                Vitamin C 0%
Calcium 6%                   Calcium 3%
Iron 18%                       Iron 4%

Taco night!

I always try to plan one or two easy meals into the week's menu, because I find it helps me stick to the menu much  more. That stops me from wasting food and money, which is a good thing! Last night, the plan was to eat a quick dinner and then go to the local fair, so I decided it was a good taco night. While I was cooking the crumbles, the rain began, so the plans were canceled, but we still had a quick, easy dinner.

I add faux beef crumbles and 1/2 TBS vegetable oil to a pan and cook until nearly done, then I add taco seasoning (to taste). Then it's all about chopping vegetables and assembly! Everyone likes them to be a little bit different. Mine have the crumbles, lettuce, guacamole, salsa, hot sauce, and Tofutti sour cream. It's not fancy, but it is easy and tasty!

Nutritional Info (for my 3 tacos)

Calories: 383

Carbs: 40 g 

Protein: 20 g

Fat: 16.8 g

Sodium: 777mg

Fiber: 5 g
Sugar: 4.7 g

Vitamin A: 9%

Vitamin C: 6% 

Calcium: 11%

Iron: 16%