Category Archives: Vegetarian

Dairy-Free / Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Soup / Vegan / Vegetarian

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Butternut Squash

February 24, 2014

This soup doesn’t need much of an intro from me — it’s crazy easy to make (and quick), and sooo delicious.  It’s smoky, a little spicy, and it will use up an entire butternut squash (which, if you get a CSA box like I do, you probably have like 1,000 of those laying around right now).

Seriously, just take my word on this one and make this soup.

But maybe plan a little bit better than I did and have some ripe avocados on hand…

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Butternut Squash

Vegetarian Tortilla Soup with Black Beans and Butternut Squash

serves 3-4

  • 1 small to medium butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced (about 3 cups)
  • 1/2 head of green cabbage, shredded (about 2 cups)
  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 3 cups vegetable stock
  • 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp cocoa powder
  • 1/8 tsp (a pinch, really) cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp chili powder
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  • corn tortillas (about 10)

Toppings (all are optional, but they all make this soup especially delicious):

  • crispy tortilla strips
  • minced cilantro
  • crumbled goat cheese (cotija cheese would also work well)
  • greek yogurt or sour cream
  • diced avocado
  • hot sauce (if you’re a spice fiend)
  1. Place a heavy bottomed soup pot over medium-high heat.  Add some olive oil and saute the onion and garlic until just softened and very fragrant.  Add squash, cabbage and vegetable stock (salt and pepper as you go).  Bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer and simmer, covered, for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are cooked through and tender.
  2. Add black beans and spices, then pass a hand blender through the mix to thicken the broth (the soup should still be very chunky, you’re just looking to break it up a bit to thicken things — a couple passes should do it).  Return to heat and simmer for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally so the bottom does not burn.
  3. Check for seasoning (add lots of black pepper to this!), then serve with any or all toppings.

Crispy Tortilla Strips

  1. Preheat oven to 375°.
  2. Stack tortillas (I used half a pack — about 10 tortillas) and slice into quarters, then into strips.  Toss strips with olive oil, plenty of salt, and a bit of pepper.  Arrange in a single layer on a baking sheet.
  3. Bake about 15 minutes (check these every couple minutes after 10 minutes — cooking time will vary based on your oven), until just browned and very crispy.

Dessert / Sweet / Vegetarian

36 Hour Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

February 17, 2014

Well, my 36 hour chocolate chip cookies did, in fact, turn out; so, as promised, I’ve got the recipe for you today.  Hooray!  Chocolate on a Monday!  What could be better?

Maybe it could not be Monday?  Well, I’m not adept at the art of manipulating space and time just yet, so these cookies will have to do.

chocolate chip cookie dough

Here’s a dirty little secret for your Monday, also: I… am not super into chocolate chip cookies.  I know — I hate birthday cake (blech), I’m not big on pie, and I can take or leave a chocolate chip cookie.  I should probably be deported for being un-American.  The thing is, while I pride myself on not being a picky eater when it comes to general foods, I am suuuper picky about dessert.

So, anyway, there’s that.  Basically, I’m the worst.

Despite my “whatever” attitude towards these cookies, others have informed me that these are “the best” chocolate chip cookies, so I will take their word for it.

And even for me (the “who really cares about chocolate chip cookies, let’s just eat the dough” person), these were pretty darn good.

So dust off your Kitchenaid mixer and prep these bad boys 36 hours before you actually want to eat them.  Oh, and try not to eat all the dough out of the fridge while you’re waiting for them to “cure.”

Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

36 Hour Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

originally by NYTimes and Jaques Torres

makes about 25 (giant) cookies

  • 2 cups minus 2 tbsp cake flour
  • 1 2/3 cups bread flour
  • 1 1/4 tsp baking soda
  • 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt (I used kosher, but sea salt would also work well)
  • 2 1/2 sticks (1 1/4 cups) room-temperature unsalted butter
  • 1 1/4 cups brown sugar (I used light brown)
  • 1 cup plus 2 tbsp sugar
  • 2 large eggs (at room temp)
  • 2 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 1/4 pounds chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao content — I used Ghirardelli 60% bittersweet chocolate chips)
  • sea salt (I used Maldon flake salt)
  1. Combine and whisk together flours, baking soda, baking powder and salt, then set aside.
  2. In a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together butter and sugars until very light and fluffy (about 3-5 minutes).
  3. Add in eggs, one at a time, then vanilla, beating well to incorporate between each.
  4. Scrape down sides of bowl, turn mixer to low and add dry ingredients until just incorporated.  (Make sure to scrape all sides of the bowl — the bottom of the mixing bowl tends to not become as well-incorporated as the rest.)
  5. Add chocolate chips (either fold these in by hand with a spatula — it’s a workout!  Or, add these in with the mixer on low, mixing just until combined.
  6. Turn out dough onto a large sheet of plastic wrap.  Shape into a large disk, cover with wrap and refrigerate 36 – 72 hours.
  7. When you’re ready to bake, remove dough from fridge and let soften slightly.  Preheat oven to 350°.
  8. Scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet (use parchment or a Silpat), making generous golf-ball sized mounds, 6 cookies to a sheet.  Sprinkle top with sea salt and bake until golden brown and just cracking on top, 15-20 minutes.  (If you’re doing more than one sheet of cookies at a time, rotate your pans halfway through).
  9. Let cool on a wire rack.

*If you’re a crazy person like me and like less chocolate chips in your chocolate chip cookies, I would use about half the recommended amount (10oz).

Cocktails / Dairy-Free / Date Night at Home / Drinks / Favorite Things / Gluten-Free / Happy Hour / Vegan / Vegetarian

Monk's Garden Copycat Cocktail

January 29, 2014

I have a ridiculously delicious, pink (!) cocktail for you today.  And don’t worry, this isn’t one of those grossly sweet, girly pink cocktails — it’s a well-balanced, citrusy-bitter type of cocktail.

I mean, KC was even singing the praises of this cocktail, so don’t rule it out just because you’re manly.

This cocktail came A. from my quest to use a pomelo which had shown up in our most recent CSA box, and B. from my desire to recreate the cocktail I’m obsessed with at one of my favorite eateries — Boot and Shoe Service.  The cocktail is called the Monk’s Garden (I have no idea why), and it’s bright, refreshing, a tad bitter, and, of course, pink (hello).  The traditional cocktail uses grapefruit and yellow chartreuse, but I didn’t have either of those (and yellow chartreuse is sort of absurdly expensive), so this copycat was born.

And y’know what?  It tasted spot-on to me.  Dead ringer for one of my favorite $10 beverages.

So next time you’re having a date night at home, or a fancy girls-night-in, whip up a couple of these (maybe even top it off with champagne..? OMG WHAT.)

Monks Garden Copycat Cocktail

Monk’s Garden Copycat Cocktail

makes 2 cocktails (feel free to cut in half to make just one — but why would you want to?)

Equipment:

Recipe:

  • 3 oz gin*
  • 1.5 oz St. Germaine
  • 3 oz fresh-squeezed pomelo** or grapefruit juice
  • 1.5 – 2 oz fresh-squeezed lime juice (depending on how tart/bitter you want your cocktail)
  • scant 1/2 oz simple syrup*** (optional — you won’t need this if your grapefruit is really ripe)
  • 7 dashes Peychaud’s Bitters
  • ice
  1. Add all ingredients into a cocktail shaker and shake vigorously for 60 seconds.
  2. Strain into two chilled cocktail glasses and enjoy!

Notes:

*Gin: I used Hendricks Gin in these.  I wouldn’t recommend Tanqueray for this cocktail (too piney for these, I think).

**If you use pomelo rather than grapefruit, you may need to add a little more simple syrup to balance out the bitterness.

***For the simple syrup, I prefer to start without it and then add a little if I feel like it needs it (remember: you can always add, but you can’t subtract!)

Dairy-Free / Dinner / Gluten-Free / Savory / Soup / Stay Healthy / Vegan / Vegetarian

Split Pea Soup

January 28, 2014

Ever since my beloved Bean Cuisine went out of business, I have been searching for a replacement for my favorite soup — the Thick As Fog Split Pea.  I’m happy to report that I think I have found my replacement.  A bit of tweaking on an old Ina Garten recipe, and this soup came to be.

This soup is super delicious (if you’re a split pea fan), and basically couldn’t be easier to make.  In case you need more convincing, here are some other pluses: it’s gluten free, dairy free, and it can be made to be vegan/vegetarian.  Plus, it makes a lot of soup, but not like the “OMG I’m eating the same soup for lunch and dinner for 4 days in a row because it makes 14 gallons” amount.  Because you best believe that KC and I do that on a semi-regular basis…

Winter Minestrone for dayyyysssss.

This recipe makes about 6 bowls; so, if you’re like KC and I, it will last you for 2 dinners and 1 lunch.

Only downside?  Trader Joe’s doesn’t carry split peas.

Rude.

Image

Split Pea Soup

serves 4-6

  • 1 large yellow onion, diced
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 4 medium to large carrots, diced
  • 3 small red potatoes, diced
  • 1 pound dried green split peas, rinsed (these can usually be found with other dried beans in the supermarket)
  • 8 cups chicken or vegetable stock
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
  • 1/4 tsp cumin
  • salt and pepper
  • olive oil
  1. In a large stockpot over medium heat, add some olive oil to the bottom of the pan, then add in onions, garlic, spices, salt (start with 1/2 tsp) and pepper.  Saute until softened and very fragrant (5-10 minutes).
  2. Add in the carrots, potatoes, chicken stock, and half of the split peas.  Bring to a boil, then simmer uncovered for 40 minutes.
  3. Add the remaining split peas and continue to simmer for 40 minutes.  Stir occasionally (especially at the end, to keep the bottom from burning).
  4. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Optional: I like my split pea less chunky, so I generally take a whisk to it at the end to help break up some of the bigger chunks of veggies and potatoes.  You could also take a hand blender to it if you like yours really smooth.  Totally not necessary, just personal preference!

Breakfast / Brunch / Dairy-Free / Gluten-Free / Savory / Stay Healthy / Vegetarian

Sweet Potato Vegetable Hash

January 15, 2014

hash3

Ugggghhhhhh…  You guys.  I’m on week 2 of “eating healthy” and it’s officially the worst.  I mean, it’s not — but it is.  I’m not even doing anything drastic like giving anything up.  I’m not eating “paleo,” or “gluten free” (God forbid), or “vegan,” or anything particularly even that limiting — I’m really just being conscious about what I’m eating — cooking at home, bringing my lunch, stopping before I’m full…

And it’s fine.  I think a week and a half from now it will be more than fine.  However, right now — a week and a half in — a week and a half after eating anything and everything whenever I wanted (an entire loaf of bread + beer + chocolate + treatsomgallthetime!), my brain is a little bit like, “this is way less fun than December was.”

Totes.

hash1

Anyway, I made this hash over the weekend as a stay-at-home lunch for KC and I, and it ended up being breakfast the next morning as well.  It was a means of using up a lot of veggies from our CSA box (I’m currently overloaded with sweet potatoes).  It’s very adaptable and you can sub in whatever veggies you have on hand.  Celeriac came in the CSA this week, hence why it’s making an appearance.  Feel free to sub in turnips, carrots, parsnips, or more potatoes in its place.

hash2

Sweet Potato Vegetable Hash

serves 4-6

  • 2 medium sweet potatoes, diced
  • handful of small potatoes (or 1 russet potato), diced
  • 1 head green cabbage, core removed, chopped
  • 1 small bunch green kale, stems removed, chopped
  • 1 head celeriac (celery root), peeled, diced
  • 2 leeks, white part trimmed and sliced
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 3 cloves garlic, minced
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • olive oil
  • 1/4 – 1/2 cup water
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • salt and pepper
  • optional: eggs for serving
  1. Place potatoes and sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with 1 inch of water.  Place over high heat and bring to a boil.  Boil, uncovered, until just cooked (5-8 minutes).
  2. Meanwhile, heat some olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat.  Add leeks, onion and celeriac and saute until softened and very fragrant.  Add in garlic and saute 1-2 minutes until very fragrant.  Add in cabbage, kale, red pepper flakes (to taste) and salt and pepper, turning to coat.  Add in water, then cover pan and heat through until cabbage and kale are wilted and cooked to your desired consistency (about 10 minutes — turning occasionally).
  3. Once the veggies are cooked, move them out of the pan into a large bowl.  Add some more olive oil to the pan and add the cooked (and drained) potatoes to the skillet, over medium heat.  Add salt and pepper to taste, plus 1 tbsp butter.  Stir until butter is melted and distributed and potatoes are just starting to break down (about 2 minutes).
  4. Add potatoes to the bowl with the vegetables and toss to combine.  Spoon into shallow bowls and top with an egg, if desired.  (Oh yeah, and hot sauce!)

eggs