August, 2011

Entries from August 17th, 2011

Goat Cheese Stuffed Cannelloni with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

8.31.2011

I am a bit of a plan freak when it comes to food (which I’d assume is alittle abnormal for a 21 year old college student) but I usually plan out 3 dinner recipes that I am going to do in a week and get all the ingredients when I work on Sunday nights. This week I had planned homemade pizza (for the day I come home feeling braindead and want to kick into automatic mode), Sweet n Sour Tempeh (I’ve had this tempeh laying around my fridge eyeing me for weeks), and Goat cheese stuffed cannelloni (for when I was feeling up to a in depth meal).

Anyways, so yesterday was my first day of the fall semester which meant it was twice as long as I’ve been use to; this also means that I spent the whole day wondering what I was going to make when I got done with all my responsibilities. I had it all planned out: I wanted something quick and easy but delicious and set my mind on that sweet n’ sour tempeh.

But when I got home that night I realized that the tempeh that had been glaring at me all this time was hanging in the fridge just a little too long and had spoiled a few weeks ago (Sad times, I know). This meant that in order to satisfy my cravings, I was going to have to go above and beyond what they had been anticipating and had to conquer the cannelloni. And dayyyyuum did they satisfy them.

This recipe wasn’t as time consuming as I had expected (as long as you get the tomatoes in the oven right away than the rest can be prepped while they are cooking). Also, I used a mix of red and yellow cherry tomatoes from the farmers market and I dont mean to be pushy but get those sweet yellow cherry tomatoes that are everywhere right now. No red tomato will EVER compare to the melt-in-your-mouth flavor that bursts when these yellow guys are roasted.

Anyways, too much babbling. Lets cook.

Goat Cheese Stuffed Cannelloni with Roasted Cherry Tomatoes

(Adapted from The Accidental Vegetarian by Simon Rimmer)

12 oz of yellow cherry tomatoes
6 sprigs of fresh thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
drizzle of balsamic vinegar
lasagna noodles, cut into squares and prepared according to package
12 oz ricotta cheese
5 oz goat cheese
1 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
4 1/2 cups fresh spinach
oil
salt/pepper

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat pan with a thin layer of oil, dump tomatoes in, and roast for about 10 minutes (shaking every few minutes so they cook on several sides). Add thyme, vinegar, garlic, salt, and pepper and cook for another 15 minutes (with a reduced heat of 350).

Coat the bottom of an oven-safe casserole dish with olive oil. While they are cooking, make the filling by combining all the cheeses and spinach. Season with the salt and pepper. Lay out the pasta, make a line of filling along the edge, and roll them up into a cannelloni shape. Place in the oven-safe pan and repeat with the rest of the noodles/filling.

Pour tomatoes over the pasta rolls and cook for 15 minutes. Top with Parmesan.

Share with your Ma to impress her. Or get a dog by bribing your roommates with it. Or devour the whole thing over a relaxing episode of Seinfield. Whatever.

Jalapeno Cheddar Grits topped with Sunny Side Up Eggs

8.28.2011

This hardy and filling recipe was inspired by my hungover roommates. Everyone knows that the best cure for a hangover is a cup of coffee and greasy breakfast so we decided a savory yet effortless Sunday brunch was in order.

For the grits I used corn grits (polenta) since that is what I had on hand but feel free to use any kind you have. Also, grits are only as good as what you put in it so don’t be sparing when adding the cheese and butter and anything else yummy you find in your fridge. [I'm sure you already know this but] Don’t hesitate to adjust to your liking…if you like spicy then add more jalapeno or if you like buttery than throw half the stick in for all I care!

Jalapeno Cheddar [Corn] Grits (Polenta)

Serves 4

I cup of dry grits (I used polenta)
1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese
1 jalapeno, chopped very fine
1 Tablespoon of butter
Salt and Pepper

4 eggs

Follow the directions for the grits according to the package (I used Bob’s Red Mills brand and it literally took 5 minutes on the stove top). When you get to the end it will ask you to let it sit for a few minutes to absorb the extra water and this is when you had in the butter, cheese, jalapenos, salt and pepper. Let the cheese melt and it absorb the flavors for at least 5 more minutes (the longer you wait, the more the flavor will saturate the grits for a bolder punch to the mouth). As you let it sit, make the eggs over the stove top any way you like them (preferably a way with the yolks still runny so they can blend with the grits). Divide the grits in 4 bowls and top with an egg each.

Serve with pulpy orange juice. Enjoy on the porch. Cure your hangover.

DIY Ketchup with Crispy Sweet Potato Fries

8.28.2011

So as you’ve heard (if you’ve read DIY Soymilk ) my homemade soy milk was a brilliant success so with that I’ve decided that I’d like to incorporate more homemade staple items into my life since they are so easy and useful. Because of this, today I conquered homemade ketchup and daaaaaayummm it is like no other ketchup you have ever had before!

To be 100 percent completely honest, I don’t even really like ketchup. I am an all out barbecue girl and the only reason I wanted to try this was because the ketchup is a base for the barbecue sauce in the cook book I was going off of. But now I am eating my worlds because this stuff is like no store bought ketchup I’ve ever tasted; you can actually taste the tomatoes in it and it’s sweet (not oversalted like the store bought stuff) with a hint of tang from the vinegar. I really can’t describe it any other way so you should probably just try it for yourself to get the whole effect.

Keep in mind that this recipe looks a lot more taunting than it is. A lot of the time spend is letting it simmer so that gives you a lot of time to prep and cook the sweet potatoes and you just have to check on it every once and awhile.

One last thing to note is this is a great recipe when you have a bulk section at your disposal. There are quite a few spices that wouldn’t come up in your everyday cooking in which you only need a teaspoon (or so) of so get them in the bulk section at your local co-op (Bloomingfoods-nudge-nudge) grocery store! It seriously cost me around a dollar for all the spices in this recipe.

And as for the sweet potato fries… After I finally learned the trick of making them crispy instead of ending up with a mushy half french fry half mashed potato mess, they became one of my favorite (and healthy) snacks. The simple secret is an egg; when I first started making them i just used oil and stuck them in the oven (which just consisted of waiting two hours with them in the oven and still having them come out soggy) but the egg coating crisps them right up!

DIY Ketchup

(Adapted from DIY Delicious by Vanessa Barrington)

2 28 ounce cans of whole peeled tomatoes
1/2 onion, chopped in chunks
2 whole (but peeled) garlic cloves
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup sugar
1 cinnamon stick
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 teaspoon whole cloes
1/2 teaspoon celery seeds
6 black peppercorn
1/2 teaspoon dry mustard
dash of cayenne pepper (amount depends on personal preference)
couple dashes of salt

Start by pureeing the tomatoes (and their juices), garlic, and onion in a blender. Strain the mixture and discard of the solids. Pour the liquid into a large sauce pan and heat up over medium-low heat. Once at a simmer, lower the heat and let cook for an hour (stir it every now and then to make sure it’s not sticking). You are looking to have the sauce reduce to about half of what it was when you started.

While this is cooking, make the vinegar mixture in a little guy (sauce pan) by mixing in the apple cider vinegar, sugar, cinnamon stick, mustard seeds, cloves, celery seeds, cumin seeds, peppercorn, mustard, pepper, and salt. Let this come to a boil over medium heat and then immidetely remove from stove. Have it sit and absorb the flavors in the pan while you finish cooking the tomato mixture.

Once the tomato mixture has reduced, strain the spices from the vinegar (I used a coffee filter but you maybe have something more handy) and add the vinegar to the ketchup. Let this come to a boil for 20 more minutes.

Lather over everything.

Sweet Potato Fries

Large Sweet Potato
Egg (or equivalent to 1 egg replacer)
Salt/Pepper/Garlic Powder/any other seasoning you like.

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Slice potatoes in equal chunks and let sit in water for 30 minutes to remove the starch. Pat the potatoes dry with a paper towel.

Beat the egg and then coat the the potato wedges in the egg and all the seasonings you like. Spread out on a parchment lined cookie sheet and roast for 20 minutes on each side.

Dip in homemade ketchup. Eat as a side with veggie corn dogs or ice cream. Yup.

Minauture Nutella Strawberry Pies

8.26.2011

Okay, I realize I’ve been on this crazy strawberry kick lately but they have been ridiculously cheap and huuuuge lately so how can I resist? Plus, anything smothered in Nutella is going to be heavenly so no need to complain about the strawberry overload.

So my German instinct told me immediately that I must make these when I stumbled upon the idea of mixing strawberries and hazelnut chocolate goodness (I stumbled upon the original recipe at peotinthepantry.com) in a buttery crust.

As with alot of recipes I’ve posted, it’s such a simple idea and a perfect example of how you can make a yummy snack (or desert) with minimal ingredients. It’ll hit the spot for those late night munchies while you curl under the covers with your new puppy or it would be perfect to bring on a [waterfall] picnic with your David Bowie tapes (don’t forget the tape player if you do this!).

Also, keep in mind that it doesnt have to be exact and if you prefer more strawberries than Nutella or vise versa than do it [that's what it's all about, right?]. Anyways, so here’s the recipe and I promise it’ll maybe a half an hour all together.

Miniature Strawberry Nutella Pies

1 package of rollable pie crust (thawed) or rolled
6 tablespoons Nutella
6 strawberries, diced
1 tablespoon sugar
1 egg
Pure cane sugar (for sprinklings)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees and grease a cooking sheet using spray or oil. Put the diced strawberries in a bowl with the tablespoon of sugar and let them sit so they absorb the sugar and become slightly syrupy.

roll out the pie crust and use a round cup with a large top as a cookie cutter to make circular cut-outs of the dough [the size of them will determine how many individual pies you make and it really doesnt matter it as long as you keep it consistent].

Spread a tablespoon of Nutella on the pie cut out piece, top with a few strawberry slices, and top with another dough cut out. Use a fork to seal around the edges [make sure it's sealed really well so it doesnt leak in the oven!]. Repeat the filling and sealing process with the rest of your dough and filling.

Beat the egg in a small coffee cup (or bowl or whatever you’ve got handy) and dabble it on top of the pies just enough to get them wet so that the sugar will stick. Lightly drizzle the cane sugar over the pies and place them on the baking sheet.

Put in the oven for 8 to 10 minutes.

Let cool and then you are good to go. Decorate with more nutella and strawberries and just eat immediately with a big class of Almond milk.

MMMMM.

That is all.

Restaurant Review: Naughty Dog

8.24.2011

I just moved into a new house (with four other college girls- wish me luck!) and the last tenants left it in a bit of a disaster state. Because of this, my kitchen has been under major cleaning construction for the past three days and has left me with no appropriate place to bake. This has also led to lots of eating out and gave me the idea to try out doing the whole review thing.

A couple disclaimers: I should start off by saying that I hardly ever don’t like food so this whole concept could end up rather flat in the long run but we’ll try it out. Also, I’m a college student in Bloomington Indiana so we have to realize most of this will be aimed at cheap Midwestern eateries [although you would be shocked at how much international cuisine we have in this tiny Midwestern sphere).

Naughty Dog

http://www.naughtydoghotdogs.com/

There are some comfort foods that are just too tempting not to miss after becoming a vegetarian and this place really manages to fill that void. They have such a variety that it's impossible not to find something that fits your fancy. And although this is straight up fast food, its such a creative (yet simple) concept and local favorite that you can't help but splurge on some grease at this place from time to time.

Naughty dog has a long list of traditional style hot dogs (Coney dog, Chicago style, New York dog) to a variety of new creations (this month's speical was smothered with cream cheese and jalapenos). With this kind of variety (they also have 5 different types of ways to cook the dog, 6 different types of dogs, and 4 bun selections) this is the perfect place to take your cheap[ass] meat-loving friend so that you both are pleased.

For around five dollars I got the chili cheese with a veggie dog on a whole wheat bun and a mound of salty fries. Although this was really good, the Chicago style veggie dog I had last time blew it out of the water.

Okay, so since this is a review or what not I probably have to say someting negative about it too. Well, other than obvious things (like this isn’t the place to take your new woman on a first date) the location of this place is a bit obnoxious. This place is cheap and fits perfectly in a college town but they put it in a strip mall along with all the other chain stores (like Big Lots and Kohls) when they should have placed it along side the other local shops and restaurants where people who appreciate supporting local adventure to. This place must take 15 minutes of sitting in traffic to get to from the center of downtown [which is alittle much when it takes 30 seconds to cook your meal]. Plus, (not to sound like a close minded college kid) but this would be great munch food after a night at the bars, so they could grab a whole new market with a location in walking distance.

Their location has nothing to do with their food though so when it comes down to it this place is amazing and next time you are craving something greasy but different, spend 5 dollars on this meal.

DIY Soy Milk with Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

8.20.2011

Okay so I’m posting two recipes in this one because what’s the point of milk if you don’t have cookies to dip in it?

You would think that making your own milk would be hard but it’s actually a really straight forward process that MAYBE takes an hour at the most AND half of that time is leaving it to simmer which makes the perfect window to whip up some homemade cookies to accompany it. Plus it’s ridiculously cheap if you buy the soybeans in a bulk section at the grocery store (Mine ran me back about 50 cents).

Making this household staple was so simple I wonder why people don’t do it more often (I think I’m gonna tackle homemade ketchup next!).

On a completely different note, I will warn finding good vegan chocolate chips is not always an easy task. I usually stock up on them when I go to whole foods because the 365 brand is super cheap and super delicious so that is what I’d recommend. Also, these cookies turned out super thin [probably because I substituted corn starch from the tapioca flour like the original recipe had] but made for a deliciously crispy texture (hopefully that’s what you’re into. Yes, that is what you’re into).

DIY Soy Milk

1/2 cup dried yellow soybeans
5 1/2 cups water
dash of salt
1/8 cup sugar (more if you like it sweeter)
cheese cloth

Rinse the soybeans and let them soak in cold water overnight.

Drain the soybeans (the next morning, duhhhh) and liquefy them in a blender with 2 1/2 cups of water until they are a milky texture. Add them to a pot with the rest of the water (3 cups) and bring to a boil on high while stirring constantly [foam will start to form on the top so skim it off as this happens]. Once boiling, drop heat to low and let it simmer for 25 while just stirring occasionally.

Take off heat and strain out the leftover beans using a cheesecloth and/or strainer [with very small holes]. Add the salt and sugar to your liking and refrigerate until cold.

That’s it.

Proceed to dip warm cookies in it, make green smoothies, and share with your kitty.

Vegan Chocolate Chip Cookies

(Adapted from Isa Moskowitz’s Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar)

1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup white sugar
2/3 cup canola oil
1/4 cup almond milk
1 tablespoon of corn starch
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 and spray two cookie sheets.

Whisk together the sugar, oil, milk, vanilla and corn starch until it is thick and mixed (this should take a minute or so sooo be patient!). Add the baking soda, salt, and the flour (in parts. 1/2 cup at a time and mix and repeat). Mix in chocolate chips with your hands so they dont get smashed (or a spoon if you are that much of a clean freak).

Use a big spoon to scoop them onto a cookie sheet (size doesnt matter as long as they are all consistent. I made huge ones but that’s just my personal preference). Cook for 7 to 10 minutes.

Enjoy with your DIY milk.

Sicilian Style Quiche

8.19.2011

Okay, so two posts in one day is a little excessive but I was just too excited about our dinner this evening not to write about it. There is no background story to this other than it is straight up amazing. It’s so simple and light for a humid [and rainy] evening that you don’t even have to wait until Sunday brunch to whip it up.

Yup. Even your cat will like it. [I mean it is dairy based]

Sicilian Style Quiche

1 prepared pie crust (get it out of the frozen section in the store)
6 eggs
2/3 heavy cream
1 cup whole milk
1/3 cup grated Gouda
4 oz fresh baby spinach
dollap of olive oil
1/4 cup chopped or sliced sun dried tomatoes
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
Salt/Pepper for flavor

Preheat oven to 425.

Heat oil in a skillet on medium and add the spinach for only a minute or so; you are just trying to wet it down and make it wilt slightly. Set aside.

Whisk together the milk, cream, eggs, and grated Gouda.

Put the following things into pie crust in this order: spinach/tomatoes, egg mixture, crumbled feta, and top with salt and pepper. Cook for 30 minutes or until the egg mixture has set.

Munch down. with your cat. or boyfriend. or something.

Oh and this recipe was adapted from yummymummykitchen.com

Plaintain Chips with Guacomole

8.18.2011

So we all have something that we constantly crave and mine is that salty, fatty green fiesta food that we all know as guac. It’s crazy how I’ve become so obsessed with eating it that almost everything in my daily routine triggers the desire for a taste. Doing my homework reminds me of guacamole. going to the store. showering. laying in bed. etc etc. You get the point. So, as usual, late night munchies [not so surprisingly] snuck up on me the other evening and immediately craved some more avocado in my life.

Also, I’ve been into this thing where I’m determined to add new ingredients into my usual cooking routine (flax seed, jicama, lavender) so I picked up a plantain [at the most amazing foodie store ever to exist - Jungle Jim's] (http://www.junglejims.com/) and I nabbed my inspiration for this recipe from the cutest and most creative blog ever- veganstoner.com (I can only strive to be like this site in the hopes that I will one day be able to draw my food in my own adorable-cartoon-character form).

Side note: munchie food is meant to be as simple as possible so it seems ridiculous that I should even have to post a recipe for these since they are pretty self explanatory (and completely adjustable to what you have around the kitchen!) but I’m here to add my own little tid-bits and suggestions.

Plantain Chips with Guac

Plaintain
oil
salt

Guacomole

Avocado
tomato OR salsa

Mix-ins (whatever you prefer, however you like it, what you have on hand- just free form it):

chopped onion
[lots of] salt
pepper
garlic [minced, prepackaged, fresh, however you like it]
canned corn [or even that Mexican canned corn that comes with pepper chunks!]
chopped jalapenos
dash of cumin

Okay. So everything is pretty simple. Set your oven to 400 and slice the plantain chips to your liking [big chunks if you like to taste the hint of plantain or thin if you would prefer them to be more crispy-chip like]. Put them on a greased baking sheet and drizzle/paintbrush [love oil brushes- you should invest in one..they are cheap] oil over them and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 3-5 minutes (depending on how thick you made them), flip, reapply the oil/salt on the other side, and put back in the oven for 3-5 more minutes.

While those are cooking prepare the guacamole. Guac is so easy that it is almost insulting to post or attempt to tell you how to make it. My friend taught me the ridiculous simple idea of taking already prepared salsa and mixing it with a mashed avocado (I work at a co-op grocery/deli store and they put a layer of mashed avocado and then a layer of salsa for visual appeal but it all gets combined in the end so it’s whatever you prefer) and than you just add in any mix ins you’d like (more salt, chopped onion, minced garlic, etc).

AND that’s it. Enjoy. Eat while watching The OC. or drawing unicorn pictures. whichever you’d prefer.

Vegan Strawberry Chocolate Cupcakes

8.17.2011

This is usually the part of the blog that I ignore and go straight to the recipe so feel free to skip the next few paragraphs. Oh also, I decided to start a food blog so we’ll see how that goes.

My baking adventures today were provoked by a co-worker’s birthday. I’m still rather new at the record label and if nothing else than people will know me by my baking. Also, If you don’t already know than you will soon after reading a few of my posts, I love my vegan baking but I especially thrive on cupcakes (who wouldn’t when they were introduced to vegan baking by chai latte cupcakes with cinnamon swirl frosting?). Anyways, so after raiding my fridge and discovering some ginormous strawberries I knew I had to make a strawberry shortcake cupcake for my co-worker. I’ve been in the process of moving and have seemed to misplaced my Isa’s cupcake cookbook that I always turn to (I know. I know. This is the point where you roll your eyes because she is still trying to do that whole ‘punk rock independent girl’ type image that we all got over in the late 90′s/early 2000′s but shhhh because that woman knows how to make a damn fine cupcake). I ended up having to turn to the internet and found a recipe by some food network nominee or something and they turned out pretty damn fine.

So all in all, the cupcakes were scrumptious, they are super basic and easy, everyone at work ate all of them, and I had a perfect excuse to make a first post.

Chocolate Strawberry Yumcakes

Chocolate Cupcakes

1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
1 cup coconut milk
½ cup canola oil
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

Frostin‘

1 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 to 5 tablespoons soy, almond, or rice milk
perhaps some red sprinkles or neon green food coloring (optional, obviously)
A few sliced fresh strawberries

Procedures (The break down):

Set oven to 350 degrees. Fill cupcake pan with [wolf] liners.

Mix all the dry ingredients for the cupcake portion in a bowl and blend the wet ingredients in another. Combine the wet with the dry and mix until well combined. Fill the liners with the batter until about 2/3s full and bake for 15-20 minutes. BAM. THAT’S IT.

And while those are baking make the frosting. Combine everything in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer. Once light and fluffy, use a spatula for any mix ins you might have (sprinkles, food coloring, chocolate chips, whatever).Oh and slice some strawberries while you are waiting for the timer to go off too.

Assemble as you please. Then Mow down. Share with your cat. Stare at them. Whatever you’d like.

Okay. That’s all I’ve got.

Oh and a real quick side note. Please please please bare with me as I figure out how the hell to take good food pictures. Food blogs are straight up stupid without mouth watering pictures but it maybe be a few weeks before I find the right lighting and back drop (my old orange VF vinyl player will have to do for a back drop for now).

Yup.