Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetarian. Show all posts
Tuesday, 6 October 2015
GardenFresh Tomato Sauce!
My neighbour has gifted me with several pounds of fresh tomatoes from her garden, so I'm going to make a boatload of fresh tomato sauce! Woot! Plus! It was National Vegetarian Day! Done!
Friday, 14 August 2015
Broccoli MiniQuiches
This crustless mini quiche recipe is a new one I saw on MyFitnessPal; I switched it up somewhat, added this, changed this out, but kept the broccoli. These are yummy high protein breakfast (or not - fly in the face of convention: DO YOU!!) bites at a super low 29 calories each, check it oot!
You will need:
2 1/2 c broccoli florets (measure in a glass measuring cup. Trust me, I lub you!)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c red onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced finely
Salt, pepper
4 eggs
1 c egg whites
30g (1 oz) low-fat old cheddar cheese (go for old, older is always wiser. and tastier)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and prep!
Chop your onion, mince your garlic, grate your cheese and de-floret the broccoli should you not have bought them in conveniently floretted 8 pound Costco-size bags. Put in a glass measuring cup. Spray a mini-muffin tin well with oil. Then spray it again. And some more. Right around the edges. There you go. Oil that mofo like it's your birthday present.
Add some water to the broccoli, about an inch or so, and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Does anyone ever microwave on medium? I'm curious. Those settings seem superfluous to me: I don't cook in a microwave because I want to gently raise the temperature, I WANNA EAT NOW. But I digress.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan and add the onions over med-low heat. Cook, gently stirring, for 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, saute for one more minute. Just until you can smell it!
Drain the smoking hot broccoli carefully and add to the pan for one more minute.
Dump all this in a bowl and smush the broccoli with a fork. Ish. It doesn't have to be perfect. Stir in the salt and pepper to taste; divide between the 24 mini muffin cups. That you oiled. You oiled, right? Good!
In a pourable vessel, like a big measuring cup, whisk the eggs and egg whites together and then pour evenly into the muffin cups on top of the broccoli. Top with the cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, leave in the pan for 5 minutes after and then remove and cool on a wire rack.
Enjoy!
You will need:
2 1/2 c broccoli florets (measure in a glass measuring cup. Trust me, I lub you!)
1 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 c red onion, chopped finely
1 clove garlic, minced finely
Salt, pepper
4 eggs
1 c egg whites
30g (1 oz) low-fat old cheddar cheese (go for old, older is always wiser. and tastier)
Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit, and prep!
Chop your onion, mince your garlic, grate your cheese and de-floret the broccoli should you not have bought them in conveniently floretted 8 pound Costco-size bags. Put in a glass measuring cup. Spray a mini-muffin tin well with oil. Then spray it again. And some more. Right around the edges. There you go. Oil that mofo like it's your birthday present.
Add some water to the broccoli, about an inch or so, and microwave on high for 4 minutes. Does anyone ever microwave on medium? I'm curious. Those settings seem superfluous to me: I don't cook in a microwave because I want to gently raise the temperature, I WANNA EAT NOW. But I digress.
Meanwhile, melt the butter in a non-stick saucepan and add the onions over med-low heat. Cook, gently stirring, for 3 minutes. Add in the garlic, saute for one more minute. Just until you can smell it!
Drain the smoking hot broccoli carefully and add to the pan for one more minute.
Dump all this in a bowl and smush the broccoli with a fork. Ish. It doesn't have to be perfect. Stir in the salt and pepper to taste; divide between the 24 mini muffin cups. That you oiled. You oiled, right? Good!
In a pourable vessel, like a big measuring cup, whisk the eggs and egg whites together and then pour evenly into the muffin cups on top of the broccoli. Top with the cheese.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, leave in the pan for 5 minutes after and then remove and cool on a wire rack.
 |
| Look at em!! |
 |
| No, I mean, REALLY look at them! |
 |
| Sooooo close |
 |
| Wee thought they were the prettiest cupcakes EVAH. Disappointment, thy name is Wee |
Tuesday, 7 January 2014
Black Bean Soup
We are still in the deep freeze, but at least it feels more season-appropriate. Totally fine for -40 AFTER Christmas. Okay, not really, but when we make up rules like that, we feel more in control. Canadians! Masters of self-delusion! At any rate, a friend mentioned black bean soup the other day and I haven't been able to get it oot of my head. Here's what I came up with.
You will need:
1 tsp butter
2 leeks
1 small carrot
1 celery stalk
3 garlic cloves
2 cans black beans (540 ml each) - rinsed, for the love of all that is holy
6-ish stalks cilantro
3 c chicken stock (or vegetable stock, should you want to make this vegetarian)
28 oz can diced tomatoes
Salt, pepper, ground cumin
Prep! Dice your carrots and celery, mince your garlic. Separate the stems from the leaves on the cilantro stalks, set leaves aside. Mince the stems.
Leeks are a little different. Cut off the dark green tops, set aside for stock (haven't tried them yet in there, totally going to!) and rinse the insides of the white / light green parts. You would not believe how dirty it is in there. Guh-ross. Cut the ends off, then slice lengthwise. Rinse under running water, pulling apart the layers. Then slice lengthwise into three pieces, then crosswise. You know, make them smaller. Exactly how is not important.
Heat the butter in a large Dutch oven, add in the leeks, carrot, minced cilantro stems and celery. Cook until somewhat softened, about 4-6 minutes. Add in the garlic, cook for only one more minute. Just one! Or until you can smell it, so maybe 30 seconds.
Add in the (rinsed, right?? don't skip this step, for reals) beans, chicken stock, tomatoes, salt, pepper and about a teaspoon of ground cumin. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and cover. Let simmer for 20 minutes, tasting about halfway through. Probably needs more pepper. And cumin. Maybe even some salt.
Remove the lid, let simmer for five more minutes while you chop up the cilantro leaves into thin slivers. My old cooking instructor would insist that I call this en chiffonade, but it really isn't that fancy. Slivers! Add in the cilantro leaves, cook for five more minutes, done!
This also came out to 6 big cup and a half servings, at 243 calories each, with an unreal amount of fibre and protein. Hey! I just realised this could also be vegetarian! And it's not even Wednesday!
Enjoy!
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Vegetarian Wednesday is Back! Slow Cooker Dal
I love pretty much all the East Asian food I have tried, and was so happy when I found this super easy slow cooker recipe for dal (or daal). The fact that it coincides with having Wednesday nights to myself again is just one big bonus.
You will need:
A large-ish slow cooker or crockpot
1/2 head cauliflower
1 large parsnip
1 apple (preferably Granny Smith)
1/2 small onion
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
1 1/2 c lentils (I am using a combination of red and green, but whatever ya got)
1/2 c barley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 dried chilies or 1 fresh hot pepper - I am using ancho chillies because I would really like to see what they taste like and I've had them forever
Salt
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp ghee
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
And for equipment:
First, as always, is prep! I am totally doing this all the night before because it gets a little rushy in our house in the am. You want to start with the veggies, and here is a trick someone taught me for breaking up cauliflower. Holding the head firmly, raise it up and then whack it on the floor, ensuring that the stem is what hits. I have also found you can do this on a nice firm counter, like granite or marble. It falls apart really nicely; you want to break up half of the head into florets.
You want to peel, core and cut up the apple into 1/2 inch pieces. I mean, don't get out a ruler or anything, just keep them bite-size-ish looking. Same for the parsnip, peel and chop it. Peel the ginger and mince it finely and dice your onion. Rinse your lentils and barley and you are good to get started!
Put the everything from cauliflower to chilies in the slow cooker; add five cups of water and turn the slow cooker on to low for 6 to 7 hours.
Check the lentils, they should be almost creamy and the veggies should just be starting to soften. Add salt and check the seasoning. Add more salt. Stir in the lemon juice and re-cover.
Melt the ghee in a non-stick saucepan at medium-high heat, add in the cumin and mustard seeds. It's going to get messy, you should probably resign yourself to that at this point. They will pop around, just stir them for 20-30 seconds and then scrape the works of it into the crockpot.
Give it a good stir and serve with: roti! Or rice! Or the fresh bread you maybe made this afternoon. That may be just me.
This makes 8 large servings at 216 calories each; I am adding a high-fibre pita and a salad and bam! Under 500 calories and it is crazy healthy.
Enjoy!
You will need:
A large-ish slow cooker or crockpot
1/2 head cauliflower
1 large parsnip
1 apple (preferably Granny Smith)
1/2 small onion
1 inch piece of fresh ginger
1 1/2 c lentils (I am using a combination of red and green, but whatever ya got)
1/2 c barley
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
2 dried chilies or 1 fresh hot pepper - I am using ancho chillies because I would really like to see what they taste like and I've had them forever
Salt
Juice from one lemon
1 tsp ghee
1 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
1 1/2 tsp black mustard seeds
And for equipment:
First, as always, is prep! I am totally doing this all the night before because it gets a little rushy in our house in the am. You want to start with the veggies, and here is a trick someone taught me for breaking up cauliflower. Holding the head firmly, raise it up and then whack it on the floor, ensuring that the stem is what hits. I have also found you can do this on a nice firm counter, like granite or marble. It falls apart really nicely; you want to break up half of the head into florets.
You want to peel, core and cut up the apple into 1/2 inch pieces. I mean, don't get out a ruler or anything, just keep them bite-size-ish looking. Same for the parsnip, peel and chop it. Peel the ginger and mince it finely and dice your onion. Rinse your lentils and barley and you are good to get started!
Put the everything from cauliflower to chilies in the slow cooker; add five cups of water and turn the slow cooker on to low for 6 to 7 hours.
Check the lentils, they should be almost creamy and the veggies should just be starting to soften. Add salt and check the seasoning. Add more salt. Stir in the lemon juice and re-cover.
Melt the ghee in a non-stick saucepan at medium-high heat, add in the cumin and mustard seeds. It's going to get messy, you should probably resign yourself to that at this point. They will pop around, just stir them for 20-30 seconds and then scrape the works of it into the crockpot.
Give it a good stir and serve with: roti! Or rice! Or the fresh bread you maybe made this afternoon. That may be just me.
This makes 8 large servings at 216 calories each; I am adding a high-fibre pita and a salad and bam! Under 500 calories and it is crazy healthy.
Enjoy!
Tuesday, 24 September 2013
Curried Beets: Sounds Weird, Trying Anyway
You may remember my awesome neighbour? Not only is she an amazing photographer, she has a lovely garden that she lets me pillage on occasion. I was a little leery of the beets she gifted me with, but I found a recipe (in an old Chatelaine cookbook) that sounds interesting: Curried Beets. If anything can get me to love beets, it is a combination of Chatelaine and curry. What I really liked about this recipe is that it got rid of the "dirt" taste that I always associate with beets but kept the nice firm texture and undertones.
Also, me big seester gave me a metric tonne of spices and a spice encyclopedia back on my birthday, so I am going to make a different kind of curry, just for kicks. And on!
For the curry (massale), you will need:
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 piece cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground chili (or flakes)
1 tsp grated nutmeg
I like this curry blend because it tastes very similar to the Rogan Josh mixture, without the crazy Thai chili heat. It is super easy: dry roast the whole spices - coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom (normally I would advocate for removing the seeds from the pods, otherwise it gets a little bark-y up in there, but dry roasting them makes them brittle and they break right down) in a frying pan at medium heat until they smell and gain a little bit of colour, set aside to cool. When cool, process in a spice grinder then stir in the chili and nutmeg. If you are using chili flakes as I am, throw them in the bottom of the spice grinder and add in the roasted spices on top before processing. Done!
For the curried beets, you will need:
1 1/2 lbs beets, unpeeled and stems trimmed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp butter
1 tsp curry powder (see above!)
1/2 tsp cumin
Cinnamon, salt & pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Not much prep here, just slice your onions and trim the stems of the beets. You can use the beet greens as you would spinach, they wilt about the same and have lots of nutritive benefits. Do NOT use them the same way you would kale, nooo bueno.
Back to the beets themselves! Place the trimmed beets in a pot full of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, until slightly underdone. That is a super lame descriptor, but it's all I got. Time it! Set aside and run some cold water over.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in the sliced onion and cook until almost soft, about 3 minutes.
Sprinkle on the curry and cumin, cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off and set aside.
The beet skins should just rub right off, fingers crossed, then cut them into a small-ish dice.
Return the pan to heat, add the beets and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to coat the beets in the buttery, curry-y goodness. Serve!
Since I pretty much followed the recipe in the book, I will use their calcs for calories, minus a teaspoon of butter (a whole tablespoon seemed obscene): 45 calories per serving, six servings total.
Enjoy!
Also, me big seester gave me a metric tonne of spices and a spice encyclopedia back on my birthday, so I am going to make a different kind of curry, just for kicks. And on!
For the curry (massale), you will need:
2 Tbsp coriander seeds
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp cardamom pods
1 tsp whole cloves
1/2 piece cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground chili (or flakes)
1 tsp grated nutmeg
I like this curry blend because it tastes very similar to the Rogan Josh mixture, without the crazy Thai chili heat. It is super easy: dry roast the whole spices - coriander, cumin, peppercorns, cloves, cinnamon and cardamom (normally I would advocate for removing the seeds from the pods, otherwise it gets a little bark-y up in there, but dry roasting them makes them brittle and they break right down) in a frying pan at medium heat until they smell and gain a little bit of colour, set aside to cool. When cool, process in a spice grinder then stir in the chili and nutmeg. If you are using chili flakes as I am, throw them in the bottom of the spice grinder and add in the roasted spices on top before processing. Done!
 |
| Measure |
 |
| So pretty |
 |
| Just in the warm pan, about 30 seconds to a minute is enough |
 |
| Little bit of colour... |
 |
| Grate the nutmeg |
 |
| Grind cooled spices then add to nutmeg |
For the curried beets, you will need:
1 1/2 lbs beets, unpeeled and stems trimmed
1 medium onion, sliced
2 tsp butter
1 tsp curry powder (see above!)
1/2 tsp cumin
Cinnamon, salt & pepper
1 Tbsp red wine vinegar
Not much prep here, just slice your onions and trim the stems of the beets. You can use the beet greens as you would spinach, they wilt about the same and have lots of nutritive benefits. Do NOT use them the same way you would kale, nooo bueno.
Back to the beets themselves! Place the trimmed beets in a pot full of cold water, bring to a boil and cook for 20 minutes, until slightly underdone. That is a super lame descriptor, but it's all I got. Time it! Set aside and run some cold water over.
Melt the butter in a saucepan, add in the sliced onion and cook until almost soft, about 3 minutes.
 |
| I'm using my new sauté pan so that it knows what it's in for |
Sprinkle on the curry and cumin, cook for 2 more minutes. Turn off and set aside.
The beet skins should just rub right off, fingers crossed, then cut them into a small-ish dice.
Return the pan to heat, add the beets and cook for 2 more minutes, stirring to coat the beets in the buttery, curry-y goodness. Serve!
Since I pretty much followed the recipe in the book, I will use their calcs for calories, minus a teaspoon of butter (a whole tablespoon seemed obscene): 45 calories per serving, six servings total.
 |
| Neaaaarrrrr |
|
| Far! |
Enjoy!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)