harvest vegetable squares

This original recipe was found by my dear friend Bess on the Vegetarian Times food blog. It took us something like three or four hours to complete, but wine and vodka were involved, as well as a short business meeting and photoshoot, so I really don't think we're to blame? Anyway. The end results were absolutely amazing, and we had a few revelations, listed at the bottom of this post, that will make it easier on you if you decide to try this shit out. (Which, you should, because they're awesome.)

bess cooking stuff

• VIA VEGETARIAN TIMES
• 
  
• Ingredients:
• 1 large head cauliflower (2 ½–3 lb.), broken into small florets, divided
• 1 medium onion, sliced (1 ½ cups)
• 3 Tbs. plus ½ tsp. olive oil, divided
• 1 ¼ tsp. salt, divided
• 3/8 tsp. ground black pepper, divided
• 2 heads elephant garlic
• 2 tsp. vegetarian Worcestershire sauce, divided
• 3 Tbs. white wine
• 1 Tbs. cornstarch
• 1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (chopped if they look large or tough)
• 10 Brussels sprouts, halved
• 10 baby carrots, halved on the diagonal
• 10 small button mushrooms, halved
• 6 shallots, peeled and quartered, root end left intact
• 1 17.3-oz. pkg. frozen puff pastry, thawed (2 sheets)
• 1 large egg, beaten, for brushing dough, optional

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Set aside 20 cauliflower florets in bowl. Toss remaining florets and onion with 1 Tbs. oil; season with 1 tsp. salt and 1/4 tsp. pepper. Spread on large baking sheet. Cut tops off garlic heads, place on foil square, and drizzle with 1/2 tsp. oil. Close foil around garlic. Place foil-wrapped garlic and cauliflower-loaded baking sheet in oven, and roast 30 to 45 minutes, stirring cauliflower occasionally, until cauliflower and onion are browned and garlic feels soft.

2. While garlic is still warm, squeeze garlic pulp from each clove into bowl of food processor. Add cauliflower mixture and 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, and purée until smooth. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Set aside.

3. Combine wine, cornstarch, remaining 1 tsp. Worcestershire sauce, thyme, remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, remaining 1/8 tsp. pepper, and 1/2 cup water in small bowl until cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside.

4. Heat remaining 2 Tbs. oil in wok or large skillet over high heat. Add Brussels sprouts, carrots, reserved 20 cauliflower florets, mushrooms, and shallots, and stir-fry 5 to 7 minutes, or until vegetables begin to brown. Add cornstarch mixture, and stir-fry 1 to 2 minutes more, or until most of liquid has evaporated and vegetables are coated with sauce. Remove from heat, and cool.

5. Meanwhile, roll each sheet of puff pastry into 12-inch square on floured work surface. Cut each sheet into 4 squares, and place on 2 parchment-lined baking sheets. Chill 15 minutes.

6. Preheat oven to 425°F. Spread 1/4 cup cauliflower purée in circle in center of each pastry square. Stir cooled vegetable mixture to coat with sauce, then scoop 1/2 cup vegetables in center of square, making sure each portion contains a good mix of vegetables. Fold corners of pastry squares over vegetable filling and into center, pinching corners to seal. Brush each square with egg (if using), and chill 15 minutes. Bake 12 to 15 minutes, or until crisp and golden brown, checking bottoms of squares with spatula to make sure they are browned. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

pastries and boobs

NOTES:
Well, we followed this recipe pretty religiously except that we added a dash of sage along with the thyme, annnnd we totally forgot to brush the pastry squares with egg before putting them in the oven (blame vodka) but they still turned out great. Oh, also we realized that elephant garlic is fucking four dollars a head at the store, so we just used six heads of regular-sized garlic (compare at like $1.50, duh) and holy shit guys that is a lot of garlic, just in case you were wondering (that is to say, it was perfect).

sautéing the hell out of these veggies

POST SCRIPT
If the smoke alarm in the kitchen won't stop going off- because, most likely, there is something terribly old and crusty being set on fire in the bottom of your oven -you can always just take out the batteries. This also applies to smoke alarm #2 in the hallway.

boom

vegetarian sushi binge

I learned that, contrary to popular belief, the word sushi does not have anything to do with the raw fish most people associate with the word, but rather, it simply describes the rice used in 'sushi' items. Sushi rice appears to be the key to successfully making sushi, beyond that you can combine it with anything in the world that you think would be delicious and you'll probably have a decent meal. NOW YOU KNOW.

SUSHI RICE:

First remove starches from 4 cups of short-grain rice. Basically just soak and rinse off. Be sure to strain the rice for 10-15 minutes after rinsing. Bring the rice and 4 cups of water to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cover, stirring often, until the rice has soaked up the water and is a soft consistency.

Once you have your rice ready you must turn it into sticky rice. Combine 1/4 cup rice vinegar, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and one teaspoon of salt, pour over the rice and mix thoroughly. Some people add a squeeze of lemon but not me.

So now that I think I have perfected the art of sushi rice, I took it one step further and made sushi millet. It isn't as crazy as it sounds- it's actually healthier than rice and tastes delightful. You can find the recipe for it HERE. The sushi I prepared this particular evening was a happy variety of rice and millet (5 rolls each!).

VEGGIES:

Once you have your rice ready to go, the fun starts. You can put fucking anything in a sushi roll, given it is the right shape. We created a smorgasbord of vegetable strips so everyone could pick and choose what they wanted in their rolls. Things that are awesome raw include cucumber, asparagus, red peppers, avocado, jalapeno, and carrots. Throw some cream cheese on for good measure, if you're into that sort of thing. I boiled strips of sweet potato and shiitake mushrooms in a pan with water and soy sauce and once they cooled off they were PERFECT in the rolls.









ROLL:

Assembly is a snap once you get it down. Smooth a thin layer of rice (or millet!) over a nori sheet (that's seaweed, don't panic, they have that shit at Kroger) like in the picture I have so kindly provided you. Place assorted veggies lengthwise in strips, all the way across, and roll carefully, beginning with the side closest to you.

Once you've got your roll, you can slice it into lovely little pieces. Don't forget the sriracha, wasabi, ginger, and soy sauce on the side if you want to do it right.

no-pants-brunch coffeecake muffins

Yes, no-pants-brunch is a real thing. It was born from a hungover resolution among a few friends to only apply the bare-minimum (pun intended) amount of clothing for breakfast, regardless of out-of-town guests, and as it turned out said company was totally okay adhering to the new norm of my home. It is indeed freeing after a long night of partying to simply wake-up (kinda), enjoy a cup of coffee, and eat a ton of food all before restricting the nether-region to dreaded denim constraints. Regardless, pants or no pants, these coffee-cake style muffins were a delightful brunch treat, and BONUS they weren't very difficult to make- even in my weakened state I managed to succeed with this recipe.

apparently the attendees of said brunch will remain anonymous

YOU NEED:

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 cup flour

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

1 1/2 cup unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch squares and chilled

3 eggs

1/2 cup plain yogurt

DO THIS:

Preheat the oven to 350. You can grease a muffin-pan OR do what I did and just use the little paper cups. In a food processor, mix the regular sugar, 1/2 cup of the flour, and 1/4 of the brown sugar. Put 3/4 cup of this mix in a bowl and add the rest of the brown sugar and cinnamon. Set aside- this is the streusel topping! With the remaining sugar mixture, add the rest of the flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda and mix in the food processor. Add the butter to the mixture slowly and continue blending the mix. Add the eggs and yogurt and blend until everything is combined.

Portion a little more than a tablespoon of the batter into each muffin cup, add 1 1/2 tbsp of the streusel mix, and cover with another spoonful of batter. If there is any streusel left you can sprinkle the rest on top. Bake 20-24 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean- you know the drill.

If you want to make these muffins reeeeally pretty

part of a pretty balanced breakfast

you can sprinkle them with powdered sugar. But who are you trying to impress, anyway? Serve with copious amounts of coffee and do yourself a favor and drink a glass of water while you're at it. Enjoy!

heavenly breakfast strata

This meal takes a little extra effort but, LISTEN, it's all worth it in the end! It is so delicious, and will impress in any special-occasion brunch-situation. Unless you're like me and you just want to make something badass to eat on your day off. It's good for that too. Just plan ahead for chilling and what-not.

You need:

half a loaf of slightly-stale french bread, cubed
1/2 tsp butter
4 minced shallots (onions will do)
2 cups fresh spinach, shredded
1/2 cup dry white wine
1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (cheddar or gruyere)
6 eggs
1 cup cream
salt and pepper

Do this: bake the bread cubes at 225 in the oven until they start to crisp just a little- like 30 minutes. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet and saute the onions until they begin to brown. Add the spinach and cook for about two minutes. Mix in salt, pepper, and place it all in a separate bowl to cool. Add the wine to the same skillet, reducing over medium heat for a few minutes, and take it off the heat to cool as well.

 Now, get out an 8x8 baking dish and layer half the bread cubes in the bottom. Sprinkle with half the spinach mixture and a third of the cheese. Add another layer of bread, mixture, cheese.

Whisk the eggs, reduced wine, and cream together. You can add more salt and pepper as desired. Pour it evenly over the top of the baking dish. Wrap in saran wrap, weight it (I simply placed a bag of sugar on it), and refrigerate 12-24 hours.

When ready to bake, remove the saran wrap and add the last half cup of cheese to the top of the strata. Let the dish sit at room temp while the oven preheats (10-15 minutes) and bake at 325 for 50 minutes.

Congratulations- YOU JUST MADE A FREAKING STRATA.

cauliflower and quinoa tacos

What to do with that leftover quinoa? PUT IT IN A TACO!

Pick some vegetables. Saute them. Here I used cauliflower, fresh corn, jalapenos, onion, and fresh spinach.

Fill some flour tortillas and top with greek yogurt and salsa.

Food.

easy quinoa and veggies

Several months ago, for some reason, my mother sent me something like ten pounds of uncooked quinoa in the mail. (Why she spent $8 to ship it instead of sending me a check with a note that said "use this to buy quinoa," I'll never know.) So, it's time to eat a LOT of quinoa, and what better way to start than knowing simply how to cook it and a basic formula for adding good things to it.


You will need:
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cup water
1 head broccoli, chopped
assorted peppers, diced
1 yellow or zucchini squash, cubed
bragg's liquid aminos

Do this: Cook the quinoa. I let it soak in the 1.5 cups of water for a few minutes, put it in a pot with a lid, bring to a boil, and then simmer 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, saute the veggies in a frying pan. When the quinoa is ready, toss it all together with a few sprays of Bragg's and any other desired spices. THAT EASY.

[mostly-healthy] nacho casserole

Nacho casserole is as awesome as it sounds. Another very flexible recipe. Follow most of the steps, add the stuff you like, and it'll be delicious.

You need:
1 ear of corn, removed from cob
(one can will do, too)
1 medium onion, diced
1 package Smart Ground
(or other protein crumbles)
1 can black beans
tortilla chips
oil
chili powder
garlic salt
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup grated cheese
spinach or lettuce
jalapenos, to taste
sour cream
tomatoes, diced
salsa

Do this:
Saute the onion and corn in oil for about 10 minutes on medium heat. Add the Smart Ground and break it up, then add the chili powder, garlic salt (both to taste!), and black beans and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 350 and cover the bottom of a casserole dish with tortilla chips. Cover the chips with the crumble mixture. Add in layers the carrots, jalapenos, and cheese. Bake in the oven for 15 minutes, or until the cheese is totally melted. To serve, scoop the nachos onto a separate plate and top with generous helpings of lettuce and/or spinach, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream, and whatever else you can think to throw on them!

hungarian mushroom soup

I first had this soup in a bookstore cafe in Fairbanks. It blew my mind. I made it my goal to learn and perfect the crafting of such a soup. A word of advice: don't skimp on the mushrooms. By which I mean, if you just use the cheap white mushrooms, you will not get the maximum flavor this dish has to offer. Go all out- it's worth it! I usually use a blend of shiitake (necessary!), portabella, and button.

a crazy vegetarian

You need:
1 lb. mushrooms, coursely chopped
1 head garlic, diced
1 large onion, chopped
2 tbsp. butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1 cup milk
3 tbsp. dill weed
1 tbsp. paprika
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp. parsley
salt & pepper to taste
sour cream






Do this: In a large pot, saute the onions and garlic in butter until golden. Add the mushrooms and cook for about five minutes. Add the broth, soy sauce, and spices, bring to a boil, and turn down the stove to simmer. Simmer for fifteen minutes. Add milk and keep on heat for another five to ten minutes before serving. Serve with a generous helping of sour cream on top and a nice crusty bread!

vegetable masala

Ah, Indian food! Something I never dreamt I would be able to cook myself. And now I've got this spice-mixing thing down! You can really add any vegetables you'd like, I always enjoy the hearty standby of cauliflower and potatoes. Comfort food to the max. Conor wrote down the spice recipe as I was making it this time- it always turns out well, but this particular masala was the best yet! Our lovely friends Nikki and Natasha joined us for this delightful affair- Natasha loves Indian food, Nikki, bless her little heart, stuck to the naan, recipe also included.


Courtney's Masala Spice Mix:
2 tbsp. garam masala
2 tbsp. red pepper flakes
2 tbsp. chili powder
1 1/2 tsp. paprika
1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. turmeric
dash of clove

You also need:
2 tbsp. butter
one large yellow onion, diced
1 head garlic, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 jalapeno, chopped
1 head cauliflower, chopped
2 regular potatoes, skinned and cubed
2 large tomatoes, diced
1 can coconut milk
1 12-oz. can tomato paste
1 can garbanzo beans
1 cup water

happy diners!

This recipe, like most of my recipes, is pretty concise. You need to slightly brown the onions in the butter and add the garlic, cooking it for just a couple minutes before adding the rest of the vegetables. Saute the veggies for about eight minutes and begin to add the water, tomato paste, coconut milk, and spice mix. I usually add a little of each at a time, stirring constantly. Once everything else is in the pot, throw in the garbanzo beans and simmer for a good forty-five minutes before serving. Boom. Curry.

Here is the naan recipe I use. It's super simple, delicious, and can be made during the time your vegetable masala is simmering. All you need is flour, water, salt, and plain yogurt!

Enjoy!

butternut squash + goat cheese empanadas

A few of my friends have recently turned me on to a beautiful food blog called Sprouted Kitchen. Every recipe on this blog looks amazing!

My pal Alyssa and I made a pact to try a few of these recipes ourselves. The two recipes we used for these are the squash and goat cheese empanadas (<click for recipe!) and the fancy homemade dough, HERE, from a blog called Give Me Flour.

We've been craving these ever since.

creamy mushroom parmesan risotto

My buddy Cole makes the best damn risotto. It's a dish that always kind of intimidated me, so I'm happy to say that I am no longer scared to make it since braving it with him! Really, the key to this recipe is USE ALL THE MUSHROOMS. This is a RICH recipe and can probably feed 4-6 hungry friends. To get it just right, we referenced two recipes for risotto research, one from allrecipes and the other from Tyler Florence on food network.

You need:
1 package fresh shiitake mushrooms, chopped
1 package fresh portabella, chopped
1 package fresh white button mushrooms, chopped
3 tbsp. olive oil
6-7 cloves of garlic, diced
1 shallot, diced
6 cups vegetable broth
1 1/2 cup aborio rice
1/2 dry white wine
3-4 tbsp butter
3 tbsp fresh chopped chives
1/3 c grated parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper to taste




Do this: Warm the broth in a saucepan on the stove. Saute the mushrooms in a pan with some of the olive oil, cook them until they are soft (about 3-4 minutes) and set them aside in a bowl for later use.
In a larger pan or skillet (sometimes we even use a wok!) heat the rest of the oil and saute the shallots and garlic for one or two minutes. Add the rice and stir, coating with the oil and cooking/stirring until it gets a rich, golden color. Add the wine to the pan and stir it in until the wine is absorbed. Add a half a cup of broth and stir in until absorbed- continue to repeat this process until the broth is used up. Once the rice is al dente, add the butter, chives, most of the parmesan, salt & pepper, and, of course, the mushrooms. Top with a little parmesan and parsley.

We made a badass garlic bread too. Simply a nice sourdough with butter, chopped fresh garlic, and a little herbed cheese in the oven for a few minutes. It went so well with the risotto I forgot to count calories... haha.