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Category Archives: Vegetarian

Blasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Recipe

26 Monday Sep 2016

Posted by in Gluten Free, quick and easy, Recipe, Uncategorized, Vegetables, Vegetarian, whole30

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Blasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Recipe 3

A few days ago I had a large plate of blasted broccoli at one of Seattle’s restaurants. I couldn’t stop myself from eating the charred, salty, and slightly spicy florets. And so, I decided to recreate the dish adding my own twist of sesame oil, garlic, and ginger. Plus, I mixed in a bunch of cauliflower florets. Hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did.

Blasted Broccoli & Cauliflower

Ingredients

1 pound broccoli florets
1 pound cauliflower florets
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 tablespoon sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced ginger
1 tablespoon sesame seeds (I like the combination of white and black)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Blasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Recipe 4

Directions

1. Place a baking sheet on the middle oven rack and preheat the oven to 450F.

2. Mix broccoli, cauliflower, extra virgin olive oil, and salt in a large bowl. Spread on the preheated baking sheet and roast for 15 minutes.

3. Whisk sesame oil, garlic, ginger, sesame seeds, and pepper flakes in the bowl. Add in roasted broccoli and cauliflower and stir to coat.

4. Transfer back to the baking sheet and roast for additional 5-8 minutes.

Blasted Broccoli & Cauliflower Recipe

These are best when they are still hot, right out of the oven. If you do have leftovers, chop them up into salads or add into your morning omelets. And truth be told, I have snacked on some of them straight out of the fridge.

 

 

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How to Make Sweet Potato Toast with Pesto & Avocado

12 Friday Aug 2016

Posted by in Breakfast, Gluten Free, Recipe, Sweet Potatoes, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, whole30

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Just in time for my second round of whole30, sweet potato toast is sweeping the nation. Truth be told, I’ve been enjoying this culinary delight way ahead of its time in the headlines, but its sudden 5 minutes of fame (or will it be 15?) reminded me that I haven’t made it in some time. And so here it is, my version of the sweet potato toast.

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Let’s be honest. If you expect it to taste like toast, you’d be greatly disappointed. Because really, it doesn’t taste like toast. What it does taste is a perfectly balanced vegetarian breakfast or lunch entree that’s a bit sweet, savory, and stunningly beautiful.

Sweet Potato Toast with Pesto & Avocado

Ingredients

2 teaspoons olive oil
2 slices of sweet potato, 1/3″-thick
1/4 cup Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto
1/2 avocado, sliced
Balsamic Fig Vinegar
Kosher Salt
Arugula

Directions

1. Heat olive oil in a nonstick pan over medium-high heat. Add sweet potato slices and cook until tender, about 5 minutes per side.

2. Arrange slices of sweet potatoes over a bed of arugula. Spread pesto over each slice and top with slices of avocado. Drizzle with balsamic fig vinegar and sprinkle with salt.

This is just a beginning! Imagine these topped with a poached egg, or crispy prosciutto. Where would your imagination take you?

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Kale and Basil Vegan Pesto Recipe

08 Monday Aug 2016

Posted by in Cooking, Paleo, quick and easy, Recipe, Uncategorized, Vegan, Vegetarian

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Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto

I don’t often make my own pesto, but this year, the basil on my patio is out of control, and as I’m continuing my journey on whole30, I decided to add this bright, vibrant condiment into my kitchen collection. Since I had some kale hanging out in the refrigerator, approaching its death, I decided to save it and mix it in with the basil.

This pesto has no cheese in order to be whole30 compliant, so it’s perfect for those who keep to a vegan lifestyle as well. Since I was making the pesto in my Vitamix, I was able to combine all ingredients at once and blend together. If your mixer or blender is less powerful, pulse the basil and kale first with walnuts and garlic, before drizzling in the olive oil and lemon juice. And as always, be sure to taste and adjust to your liking.

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Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto

Kale  & Basil Vegan Pesto

Ingredients

2 cups basil leaves
1 cup kale leaves
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil, plus more if needed
1/3 cup walnuts
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-4 cloves of garlic
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. Combine all ingredients in the food processor or a blender. Pure until desired consistency. Adjust with extra oil for a thinner pesto.

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Kale & Basil Vegan Pesto

I’ve served this kale and basil pesto over sauteed sweet potatoes with the spiralized chicken and apple sausage. I can see it going into eggs, zucchini noodles, and salads during next week.

Enjoy!

Overnight Oatmeal with Chia Seeds, Walnuts, Blueberries, and Candied Ginger

28 Thursday Jul 2016

Posted by in Breakfast, Healthy, quick and easy, Recipe, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

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Try this fantastic recipe for overnight oatmeal made with yogurt, chia seeds, and water. You can top it with anything you’d  like, but I love a combination of walnuts, blueberries, and candied ginger.

Overnight Oatmeal with Walnuts and Blueberries

My breakfast routine has never been the same since I’ve discovered overnight oatmeal. For someone like me, who doesn’t like the taste of traditional hot oatmeal, this has been life changing. I usually make 5 individual containers on Sunday, grab one each morning and add my mix ins. Eat up!

Overnight Oatmeal with Chia Seeds, Walnuts, Blueberries, and Candied Ginger

Ingredients

1/3 cup oats
1/3 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/3-1/2 cup water
1 tsp chia seeds

Mix ins: blueberries, chopped walnuts, chopped candied ginger

Directions

Mix together and refrigerate overnight.

In the morning, mix in blueberries, walnuts, and candied ginger.
.

Enjoy!

Beet Hummus Recipe

26 Tuesday Jul 2016

Posted by in Appetizer, Beets, Gluten Free, quick and easy, Recipe, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

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Here’s a recipe for a homemade Beet Hummus spread with Za’atar. If you’re like me, and love beets and hummus, you might’ve seen and tried the combination of the two from your local restaurants and grocery stores. In fact, I’ve seen beet hummus on display at both Costco and Trader Joe’s within the last few weeks.

I came across the Shocking Pink Beet Hummus recipe in  The Picnic: Recipes and Inspiration from Basket to Blanket by Marnie Hanel, which was the latest selection for our Cookbook Club. This was the perfect recipe to use on my continued quest of converting everyone into beet lovers.

Here’s my adaptation of the recipe. Enjoy!

Beet Hummus Recipe (1)

Beet Hummus with Za’atar

Ingredients

2 medium beets
1 15-ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup tahini
1/4 cup water
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 cloves of garlic
1/2 tablespoon salt
1 teaspoon ground cumin

For serving

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon za’atar
pita chips

Beet Hummus Recipe (3)

Directions

1. Scrub beets and trim the ends. Place in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium, and simmer until beets are tender, 30-45 minutes. Drain beets and cool completely. Peel the beets, and reserve 1/4th of one of them. Chop the rest of the beets into about 1/2″ pieces.

2. Add chopped beets with the remaining ingredients into a blender and puree until completely smooth. Taste and adjust the seasoning with extra salt and lemon juice as needed.

3. Spread the hummus onto a serving plate or bowl and garnish with the reserved 1/4th of the beet (finely diced), olive oil, and za’atar.

Beet Hummus Recipe (4)

And that’s all! You get the most unbelievably gorgeous vibrant color of hummus. The addition of beets bumps up the nutrients and vitamins and cut down on the starchiness of the traditional hummus. Plus it’s fun and tastes awesome!

 

Loaded Avocado Toast

07 Monday Mar 2016

Posted by in Avocado, Bread, Breakfast, quick and easy, Uncategorized, Vegetarian

≈ 3 Comments

loaded avocado toast

Loaded Avocado Toast with Za’atar, Sumac, and Aleppo Pepper Flakes

Who was the genius who invented avocado toast? If I ever found him or her, I might just give them a hug. It seems like the popularity of avocado toasts has exploded overnight, and just like that, you were seeing pieces of toasted bread topped with mashed or sliced avocados all over social media.

Most of the toasts I’ve come across were simple, if not somewhat plain. Perhaps a sprinkling of salt, maybe a dash of lemon juice, and there it was, in all its glory for you to devour.

I’ve had my share of those for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and everything in between. And then I thought, “Why keep the toast simple? Why not add extra flavors and toppings? Don’t I like most everything loaded? (this includes baked potatoes, pizza, and tacos).” And that’s how this Loaded Avocado Toast was born.

It’s silly to write down a recipe for this, but my preference is for a deeply toasted piece of seeded whole grain bread, topped with mashed avocado and sprinkled with za’atar, sumac, Aleppo pepper, and salt. That’s all guys and girls! Call it a Mediterranean take on the traditional avocado toast. Call it genius. Or simply call it yours and make it for breakfast.

Enjoy!

Life Lessons in the Kitchen: Patience

26 Friday Feb 2016

Posted by in Cooking, Ideas, Uncategorized, Vegetarian, Writing/Publishing

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Caramelized Onions

Life has taken a few interesting turns in the last few months. With it, it brought a level of stress and anxiety. As much as I am trying to stay positive, I find it difficult. And so, I walk into the kitchen and turn to cooking, to feed, to soothe, to take a moment from thinking about everything that is happening and everything that is not. This sounds like one of those non-specific Facebook posts, does it not? But without going into details, I’ll just say that a lot of balls are up in the air right now and I’m failing at juggling.

But back to the kitchen. One onion, a few cloves of garlic, and thyme. And time. That night’s meal prep was an exercise in patience. Thin onion slices, mingled with minced garlic and a sprig of thyme with a bit of olive oil. Over medium heat, they softened up, sweetened up, and turned tender. There was no hurry, no cranking up the heat, no multitasking. Just the sweet and savory aroma filling the kitchen. At the end of the process, I splashed a little bit of rice vinegar and turned off the heat.

There are so many uses for this jam-like onion condiment. I spread the onions on a piece of sourdough bread, topped with sharp Cheddar, and thin slices of crispy pear. A second piece of bread went on top, lightly pressed, and transferred to a skillet. The end result was a perfectly crispy and gooey grilled cheese sandwich.

Happy stomach, happier heart.

Shishito Peppers – Culinary Memories from Spain

15 Tuesday Jul 2014

Posted by in Appetizer, Cooking, Five Ingredient Dish, Gluten Free, Grilling, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Mystery Ingredient, Peppers, Snacks, Spain, Spanish, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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The other day, I picked up a package of shishito peppers at a local Asian supermarket. It’s somewhat amusing, because to me, padron peppers are associated with Spain. That’s where I had them for the first time, on my first trip to the country. In fact, they were part of the first meal my sister and I enjoyed in Madrid. The memory has stuck, and I have often ordered these relatively small and mild green peppers at Spanish tapas restaurants.

Back to the pack I bought. It has been sitting in my refrigerator for a bit too long. Every time I’d see the green peppers staring at me, I thought I should roast them or perhaps broil, but preheating the oven on these hot summer days is just unbearable. And so, today I cooked them in my trustworthy cast iron skillet. Boy, were they delicious!  I could almost taste Spain as I ate one, by one, finishing up almost the entire skillet.

Note: the same could be done with padron peppers.

Padron Peppers from Spain

Ingredients

1 tablespoon avocado oil
1 pack shishito peppers, 2-3 cups
coarse sea salt, to taste

Directions

1. Preheat cast iron skillet to high. Add oil and wait for it to start shimmering.
2. Add peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring often, until the skins begins to char and blister, about 5 minutes.
3. Season immediately with salt and eat (seeds and all!)

My smoke alarm went off several times as the peppers were cooking and continued to sound off after the peppers were off. You might want to open your windows and turn on the exhaust fan (fair warning!).

Enjoy 🙂

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My Love Affair with Burrata Cheese

09 Wednesday Apr 2014

Posted by in Cheese, Farmers Market, Healthy, Meatless Monday, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Burrata Love Affair0

And so begins my love affair with Burrata. The what?  Burrata is Italian cheese made out of water buffalo or cow’s milk. Think of it as a sphere that holds a creamy, soft, decadent cheese inside that is encased in a fresh, stretched mozzarella.  Apart from calling it burrata, I prefer to refer to it as Angel Pillows.  I imagine angels resting their heads on burrata as they fall asleep.

The other day I went to DeLaurenti and Pike Place Market to pick up a few must-have items.  In my bag, I collected burrata, broccolini, tomatoes, olive roll, watermelon, rainbow olives, and Castelvetrano olives.

The fist night, I roasted broccolini and carrots (simply drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with salt and ground black pepper, broccolini got a healthy sprinkle of garlic).  Give this a try in a 425 F for 15 minutes.

I drizzled the broccolini with pomegranate molasses and added a few slices of burrata.  Once the plate was composed and photographed, I quickly moved burrata to a toasted olive bread and cheered my success with a glass of white wine.

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Two days later, I could hardly wait until breakfast.  The whole grain slice of bread was already getting warm and crisp in the toaster.  The tomatoes were sliced and lightly salted.  The olives scattered on the plate.  Then it came time to delicately slice a ball of burrata cheese.  Be gently, you don’t want the creamy filling to ooze out.  Once out of a toaster, I quickly topped the bread with slices of burrata and a drizzle of olive oil.  And then I inhaled and took a bite.

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And just for fun, here’s a shot of what some of my plates really look like, when they are not photographed.

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Your turn!  Are you having a love affair right now? Do share – keep it PG13 please 🙂

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Borscht ~ Russian Vegetarian Beet Soup Recipe

03 Monday Mar 2014

Posted by in Recipe, Russian, Soup, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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Borscht Russian Beet Soup Recipe

Before I begin with the recipe, I do admit to the Russian name of the soup not having a “t” at the end.  But this is in English, so we will stick with Borscht.  Now, I have grown up eating this hearty, ruby red soup prepared lovingly by my Dad.  In fact, I just ate a bowl at my parents’ house tonight, and it was as usual, the best.  But sometimes, I want to make borscht at home, and this is my quick, one-pot version of my dad’s recipe.

The are numerous of recipes for borscht out there, with each family using their own particular technique and a set of ingredients.  But for the most part, there are a few must-have ingredients: beets, cabbage, and carrots. The rest?  It’s up to you!  I was out of potatoes, but normally would put those in as well.  Celery, celery root, and even zucchini are great additions to the soup.

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Borscht ~ Russian Vegetarian Beet Soup

Ingredients

1 tablespoon sunflower oil
1 yellow onion, chopped
3 beets, peeled and sliced
4 cloves of garlic, chopped
3 carrots, diced
4-6 cups of water (can substitute vegetable broth or chicken/beef stock for a non-vegetarian version)
1 small head of cabbage, chopped
salt and ground black pepper to taste
juice of 1 lemon, about 2 tablespoons
1-2 teaspoons of sugar

Serve with: Russian black bread, dill, sour cream

Directions

1.  Heat oil in a large soup pot over medium high heat.  Add onion and cook for 10 minutes.

2.  Add beets to the onion and cook for another ten minutes.

3.  Add garlic and carrots and cook for another five minutes.  At this point, you can also add a few tablespoons of tomato paste.

4.  Pour in water (or stock), making sure the vegetables are covered by a few inches.  Bring to a boil.  If you were using potatoes, you’d add them now, and cook half way through.

5. Lower the heat to medium and stir in cabbage. Cook just until the cabbage is wilted.

6. Season with salt, pepper, lemon juice and sugar.

Soup is ready!  Add a dollop of sour cream and freshly chopped herbs (dill, parsley, even cilantro).  I often serve it with fresh grated garlic for an extra kick and a dash of hot sauce.

Borscht Russian Beet Soup Recipe13

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Curried Roasted Chickpeas

06 Monday Jan 2014

Posted by in Gluten Free, Healthy, Paleo, Snacks, Vegetarian

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Curried Roasted Chickpeas Hungry for a snack?  Give these Curried Roasted Chickpeas a try for a healthy, protein and fiber rich snack that works equally well as a garnish, a salad “crouton” and a pizza topping.

I first tried roasted chickpeas when my sister, the talent behind Mango Tomato was visiting and prepared a batch of these irresistible morsels.  A few years later, I create my own version.  Best part about it?  You get to play with your favorite spices and seasonings to create the best version for you.

Curried Roasted Chickpeas

Ingredients

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and dried
1 teaspoon grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon sweet paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

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Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

2.  Mix together all ingredients and transfer to a baking sheet.  Spread into a single layer.

3.  Roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes until chickpeas are crisp.

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You know what’s better than a single tray of these Curried Roasted Chickpeas?  How about two or three?  I’d recommend making multiple batches at the same time, perhaps playing with the spices for each batch.  You might just find these to be more addicting than potato chips.

Here’s a sneak pick of what I paired along with these chickpeas.

spiced butternut squash soup recipe3

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Olive Bread Crostini with Spicy Apricot Jam and Herb Cheese ~ Mystery Farmers’ Market Delight

10 Tuesday Sep 2013

Posted by in Appetizer, Bread, Cheese, Farmers Market, Vegetarian, You Buy I Cook

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Have you been to a farmers’ market lately?  Well, my friend Priya has, and she came back with a basket of market goods for me to cook with.  Lucky me!

I immediately reached out for a crusty loaf of olive-rosemary bread, amber-colored glass jar of spicy apricot jam, and soft, herb cheese.  Wouldn’t they make a perfect appetizer?

Olive Bread Crostini with Spicy Apricot Jam and Herb Cheese

Directions

1.  Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

2.  Slice bread into 1/3 inch slices and lightly drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt and ground black pepper.

3.  Toast bread on both sides until golden-brown and crusty, about 5 minutes.

4.  Rub garlic over both sides of toast.

5.  Spread cheese and jam over the bread and eat immediately.  I am thinking a glass of chilled sparkling wine would go well with the crostini.

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Roasted Tomato Caprese Pasta Salad ~ Recipe

26 Monday Aug 2013

Posted by in Cooking, Lunch, Pasta, Recipe, Salad, Vegetarian

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Summer perfect, Roasted Tomato Caprese Pasta Salad will make its appearance on your table time and time again.  On its own, this flavorful, vegetarian salad stands proudly.  Add grilled beef and zucchini, and serve it as a side.  Use up some the cherry tomatoes that are ripening on your plants at home, or pick up a pint from the local farmers market.

 
Here are a few tomatoes that came directly from our plant.  While at the garden, I picked a few sprigs of thyme and basil leaves.
 

Spread tomatoes on a parchment-lined baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil to coat.  Sprinkle with sea salt and tuck herbs and garlic cloves between the tomatoes.  Roast in the preheated 375 F oven until the tomatoes begin to pop.  Cool slightly.

You might have a hard time saving these sweet-like-candy roasted tomatoes for the salad.  The temptation to eat them right away is quite strong.  Resist!

Gently stir the tomatoes together with cooked and cooled linguine, fresh mozzarella balls, chopped kalamata olives, a handful of basil leaves, lemon zest and lemon juice.  Don’t forget the roasted garlic cloves!  If you have time, allow the salad flavors to mingle for an hour before serving.  Enjoy!

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Fried Green Tomato Recipe

22 Thursday Aug 2013

Posted by in Appetizer, Cooking, Recipe, Tomatoes, Vegetarian

≈ 1 Comment

This is the first year that I’m growing tomatoes!  We got two plants to start with – a small, cherry variety, and a larger one.  They are growing, almost like weeds, on the side of the house and are delivering a solid amount of fruit (yes, tomatoes are technically fruit!)

One day, as I was admiring the larger tomatoes, a green one, that hasn’t had the time to ripen yet, fell down.  I knocked it down, to be fair.

Not wanting to see it go to waste, I decided to rescue it and fry it up! 

Fried Green Tomato

Ingredients

1/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 green tomato, sliced 1/4″-thick
1 tablespoon vegetable oil

Directions

1.  Combine flour and seasonings.

2.  Dredge slices of tomatoes in seasoned flour.

3.  Heat oil over medium-high heat in a cast iron skillet.

4.  Fry tomato slices 2-3 minutes per side.

Next time, I’ll add cornmeal to the flour for extra crispness and fry more than just one tomato.  These were delicious!  Experiment with your favorite seasoning blend.  We ate ours with sour cream, but a buttercream-style ranch dressing will be equally delicious!

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Quinoa Tabbouleh Salad

23 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Cookbook, Cooking, Gluten Free, Quinoa, Recipe, Salad, Vegetarian

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I am part of the cookbook club!  This makes me very happy, and hungry, and excited.  I attended my first meeting on Sunday, bathed in the sunshine, met new people, shared food, and enjoyed.  The book selection for this month was The Picnic Cookbook by Annie Bell.

Here’s the recipe I selected ~ Quinoa Tabbouleh.  I stayed pretty true to the recipe, carefully measuring ingredients and following directions closely.

Quinoa Tabbouleh from The Picnic Cookbook

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups quinoa
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons water
sea salt and black pepper to taste
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup coarsely chopped fresh mint leaves
2 3/4 ounces young flat parsley leaves, coarsely chopped
1 2/3 cups cherry tomatoes, halves (I used cherry)
6 scallions, thinly sliced

Directions  (I adapted the directions slightly)

1.  Toast quinoa in a dry saucepan over medium heat until it lightly browns and begins to pop.

2.  Cover quinoa with boiling water and salt.  Lower the heat and simmer quinoa until tender, 15-20 minutes.  Drain and cool.

3.  Whisk together or shake in a jar lemon juice, water, salt, black pepper and olive oil.  Taste and season again, to taste.

4.  Combine the dressing with quinoa, tomatoes, herbs, and scallions.  Stir gently.  If you are making the salad ahead of time, add the dressing right before serving.  

This was quite easy to put together.  I have never toasted quinoa before cooking it and it really does bring out the flavor – try it the next time you cook quinoa.  I had salad leftovers today for lunch and it kept up pretty well – the herbs still tasted fresh and the quinoa had a nice bite to it. 
There are some things I would change when making the salad in the future.  More lemon juice, add garlic, use cilantro instead of mint, and add a diced cucumber.  

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Charred Avocado & Jalapeno Guacamole

20 Saturday Jul 2013

Posted by in Gluten Free, Lunch, Mexican, Recipe, Vegan, Vegetarian

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I am a big fan of guacamole and make it quite often.  I have made this versatile dip in the past chunky and creamy, with diced tomatoes or without, with different kinds of citrus juice and seasonings.  This time, I tried a new approach to guacamole – charred!

Charred Avocado and Jalapeno Guacamole

Ingredients

1 avocado, halved

1 jalapeno pepper

2 tablespoons minced onion

1 minced garlic clove

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

1-2 tablespoons lemon juice

salt and ground black pepper to taste

Directions

1.  Char avocado and jalapeno over a gas flame.  Hold avocado, cut side down, over a medium flame.  Check often, and remove with tongs as soon as the flesh begins to char.  You are not trying to cook the avocado.  Similarly, rotate the jalapeno over the flame, getting a nice, even char over the skin.

2.  Scoop avocado into a bowl.  Seed and finely chop the jalapeno.  Use only as much jalapeno as you prefer, depending on the heat.

3.  Mash avocado and jalapeno with the remaining ingredients.  Leave it chunky if you wish, or mash until smooth.  If you prefer a smooth consistency, I would advice adding cilantro right at the end.

And there you go! Charred Avocado and Jalapeno Guacamole.   This is perfect as a dip with corn chips.  If you would like more options, use the guacamole as a sandwich spread or thin it out with olive oil for a chunky dressing or marinade.

If you are not eating the guacamole right away, cover it directly with plastic wrap to prevent browning and store in the refrigerator until ready to eat.

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Peanut Butter and Roasted Marshmallow Sandwich with Potato Chips

09 Tuesday Jul 2013

Posted by in Cooking, Dessert, Potatoes, Recipe, recipe development, Sandwich, Vegetarian

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You might be puzzled by the title of this post: Peanut Butter and Roasted Marshmallow Sandwich with Potato Chips.  Let me explain.

I just came back from my first overnight camping trip with the Artist.  Let’s be honest, I was mostly excited about the food, the nature, and spending the time together away from the city.  The food came first though.

Camping to me is almost synonymous with fire –> marshmallows.  And so, a bag of marshmallows joined us on the ride to mountain Rainier.  The marshmallows were skewered and roasted over the fire on our first evening at the camp site.  There is something unexplainable delectable about charred marshmallows with warm, delicious, gooey inside.

Enjoying a few of those charred marshmallows, sandwiched in between two European-style butter cookies and high-end semisweet chocolate, I thought it’d be a pity to eat roasted marshmallows just once on this trip.  And that’s when the idea of the Peanut Butter and Roasted Marshmallow Sandwich with Potato Chips was born.

The next morning, we toasted four pieces of bread on the open camp fire.  We spread one side of two pieces with crunchy peanut butter and spread roasted marshmallows on top of the other two pieces of bread.  And then the two came together!

But wait… what about the potato chips?  Those joined in later.  As we set out to picnic overlooking the leftover snow and the sprouting blooms, I thought “wouldn’t the potato chips be delicious in between peanut butter and the marshmallows?”  And they surely were!  I used the Kettle black pepper and salt variety.  The salt and sweet came beautifully together creating the perfect sandwich.

Apparently we were too busy eating the sandwiches – there are no final photos.  So you will need to make the sandwich on your own and let me know what you think!

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Asian Cabbage Salad ~ Quick and Simple Vegetarian Recipe

27 Thursday Jun 2013

Posted by in Dinner, Lunch, Recipe, Salad, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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I love cabbage.  Pickled, fried, rolled around beef and rice.  I also love it thinly shredded in a salad.  Tonight, I chose a head of ruby red cabbage to make this quick and simple salad.  Just a few ingredients.  Mixed together.  Perfectly seasoned.  You will have a delicious, filling, bright cabbage salad.  Use as a side, on top of tacos or burgers, or added to spring rolls.

Quick and Simple Asian Cabbage Salad

Ingredients

1 small head red cabbage, cored and thinly sliced
1 lime, juiced
1/2 teaspoons of salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Directions

1.  Mix together cabbage, lime juice and salt.  Let stand for about 10 minutes.

2.  Stir in cilantro and sesame oil.  Serve immediately.  Optional: red pepper flakes, chopped roasted peanuts, sliced red onion.

We enjoyed this salad along with pulled pork and chunky guacamole.  


What’s your favorite way to eat cabbage?

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