Olive Oil

Entries Tagged as 'olive oil'

Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese Croutons

10.09.2012

And here I am again with more butternut squash in my life (as if that amazing Galette was not enough!). What can I say? Eating in season has been so easy since our bodies were made to adjust to the seasons. All I’ve been craving for the past two weeks have been soups loaded with winter squash and apple-coated everything.

And I am excited to share with you goat cheese croutons! Have you ever had croutons made out of cheese? OH MY GOD. I cannot believe it took 23 years on this planet to discover these little things! They bring shame to that stale old bread that you use to call “croutons”. For real, image this: gooey, breaded chunks of cheese hidden in your bowl of already delicious soup. It’s like a cheese stick in your soup! But even better because it’s homemade and filled with GOAT CHEESE. Not so bad…am I right? I’m excited to experiment with this more as the winter progresses….perhaps try other cheeses? They will need to low in fat content so that they don’t melt in the cooking process. Hmmm…perhaps feta or Parmesan chunks ? Or maybe even find a better technique for sealing the cheese in the breadcrumbs and branch out to Gruyere or brie. Oh man, the options are endless!

Anyhow, regardless of the croutons, this soup is really yummy. Flavored with curry powder and roasted butternut squash, this recipe is a keeper! I recommend roasting the squash ahead of time since it takes an hour and then you can prep the rest in 20 minutes.

Lastly, you should know that I adapted this recipe from SpoonForkBacon. It’s one of my new favorite food blogs and although I don’t eat bacon (thank goodness that I don’t have to worry about that bacon shortage coming!), I do find the food photography incredibly inspiring and highly suggest that you all hop on over and check it out!

Curried Butternut Squash with Goat Cheese Croutons

adapted from SpoonForkBacon

1 large butternut squash, sliced in half with seeds removed
2 Tablespoons butter
2 Tablespoons brown sugar
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 teaspoons chives, chopped
2 Tablespoons curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
dash of cinnamon
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2/3 cup coconut milk (you can use regular as well if that is what you have on hand)

For the croutons:

3 ounces goat cheese,
1/8 cup flour
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
salt/pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place the butternut squash on a baking sheet with the cut sides up. Stick 1 tablespoon of the butter and brown sugar in the cavity of each side. Roast for 1 hour or until the flesh has softened all the way through. Remove from heat and let cool enough to handle. Remove skin and discard.

Heat the olive oil in a large saucepan over medium. Add the onions and saute for about five minutes or until softened. Add in the chives, curry powder, cumin, cinnamon, and squash. Stir until combined.

Next, pour in the broth and let simmer for 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove from heat and use an immersion blender (or let cool enough to stick in the regular blender) and puree. Return to the stove top and simmer over medium low for another 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the coconut milk.

To make the croutons:

Leave oven preheated at 375 degrees.

Make 12 (or 15 if you want them smaller) balls of goat cheese. Place the flour, breadcrumbs, and egg all in separate bowls. Roll the balls into the flour, egg, and then the breadcrumbs. Place onto a greased baking sheet and cook for about 15 minutes (flipping halfway through). Make sure to keep your eye on them and remove when browned (some will take more or less time depending on how big your croutons are).

Serve the soup with croutons or crispy bread.

Chickpea Magazine // Stuffed Peppers with Goat Cheese & Corn

9.20.2012

I have some very exciting news for you guys! I am excited to announce that the new Chickpea Fall issue came out online today! I am even more excited to tell you guys that I have a 6 page spread in it! My article is about the lack of veganism in the United States Midwest and how Bloomington, Indiana is an exception to that. In addition, this issue is filled with mouth-watering fall recipes and gorgeous beach picnics. I don’t think I’ve ever fell in love with a magazine as much as I always seem to fall for Chickpea. They have such a hip aesthetic and beautiful photography that I wish my whole life could be lived through this magazine. Don’t believe me? Go check out a preview of the issue for free online or purchase a physical copy on their website.

___________

And now, back to business! Okay, remember yesterday when I made a deal with you that I get the rest of the week to still talk about yummy summer recipes? Well, today is not an exception and these delicious stuffed peppers are everything you want your beautiful {late} summer afternoons to be filled with. They are fresh, flavorful, and just the right amount of filling. I’d suggest to serve them with a grilled veggie burger or along side a stack of quesadillas.

Stuffed Peppers with Goat Cheese & Corn

2 bell peppers, sliced in half with the seeds removed
4 ounces of goat cheese
1 small onion, diced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon unsalted butter
2 cups sweet corn kernels
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon lime juice
1 Tablespoon cilantro, chopped

First, we must roast the peppers! You can either do this over a gas grill if you have one handy or in the oven under the broiler setting. I opted to do the broiler setting and just put them under the broiler on each side for about 5 minutes (but check often because broilers are tricky things and we don’t want your peppers burning to a crisp just because my broiler doesn’t get as hot as yours!). You want them to have blackened spots on both side. Remove from heat and stick in a plastic bag until they cool. Once cooled, remove and peel the burnt outer skin. Set aside.

While waiting for the peppers to cool, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium. Add the onions and saute for about 5 to 7 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add the garlic and saute for another minute. Then add the butter, corn, salt, and pepper. Saute for another 5 minutes or until the corn is cooked all the way through. Remove from heat and stir in the lime juice.

Divide the goat cheese evenly between the 4 pieces and spread along the inside. Top with the corn mixture and garnish with cilantro.

Serve warm and enjoy with a delicious beergarita!

Panzanella

9.19.2012

Okay, so I feel a bit behind the times posting a {gasp} tomato-themed recipe while the rest of the blog sphere is bustling with pumpkin flavored baked goods and spiced ciders. I guess this probably tells a lot about my character. I spent all summer dragging my feet and then the crisp, fall-feeling air kicked in last week was a slap in the face. It was a reminder that there are still plenty of summer produce recipes I wanted to conquer. So…here we are…scrambling at the last minute trying to fit every last possible heirloom tomato, sliver of basil, and piece of zucchini bread into my diet before the first frost comes. And thus, I am asking you to stick with me…give me THIS week (and maybe weekend) to get summer out of my system and I promise I will start fresh next week with pumpkin infused everything. Cool? Cool.

Anyhow, the main reason I probably took so long to make these recipe was coming to terms with using my day old bread in a salad. Don’t get me wrong….I loooove salads but old bread is meant for french toast. Everyone knows that! And the struggle between making a salad and french toast…was well not really a struggle for most of the summer. Sorry arugula but cinnamon and butter win every time. Well…every time up until now. After making this last week, I wish I had been more open to sharing my stale bread all summer long…maybe stocking up on twice as much bread to distribute evenly between sweet and savory. We could have come to some compromise had I known this was going to be pretty much the best salad ever to exist.

This recipe reminds me of a salad form of bruschetta (probably for good reason…you smart smart Italian chefs!). This is a huge relief for me because I LOVE the flavors of bruschetta but am not allowed to make it myself. I can’t make it myself because my old roommate and very very good friend makes the best bruschetta ever to exist. And this is probably due to the fact that she lived in Italy for a short period (and Belgium and South Africa and Jordan…sheesh, putting my cultural experiences to shame). Sooo… it’s awesome having a friend who can make pretty much the best summer dish ever but it means that my attempts are just pointless. And thus, this is a great alternative to trying to get my bruschetta fix without having to actually compete with Ella’s bruschetta.

Panzanella

1/2 loaf of old bread, sliced into 1 inch cubes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 pepper, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 cucumber, cut into 1 inch cubes
1/2 red onion, cut into 1 inch cubes and soaked in cold water for 10 minutes
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1 Tablespoon capers
1/3 cup basil, roughly chopped

dressing:

1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
3 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
salt/pepper, to taste

To make the dressing: whisk all the ingredient together in a small bowl and set aside.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a skillet over medium. Add the bread and toss until it is completely coated. Saute until browned and crispy on all sides. Add salt and toss to coat. Remove from heat.

In a large salad bowl, combine the pepper, onion, cucumber, tomatoes, capers, and toasted bread. Fold in the capers and salad dressing right before serving.

Munch down.

How easy was that?

Eggplant Involtini

9.11.2012

Really…this dish’s name is just a fancy word for ‘stuffed eggplant’. Image stuffed shells with eggplant instead of pasta. Or pasta-less lasagna but rolled up. Or cheesy stuffed eggplant but styled differently. Anyhow, I think you get the idea. These stuff is delicious and surprisingly easy to whip up.

I really really really really wish I had taken the time to make homemade ricotta but it didn’t happen. Oh well…next time. And then I will tell you guys all about it! But either way, this dish was delicious (despite not having instantly fresh ricotta for it) and I recommend serving with some yummy crusty bread or a loaded salad.

Eggplant Involtini

adapted from Big Girl, Small Kitchen

2 small eggplants, cut int0 1/4″ thick slices
Tablespoon olive oil
8 ounces of ricotta
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon salt
16 ounces of tomato sauce
1/4 cup milk
Parmesan cheese, to sprinkle on top

Sprinkle eggplant slices with salt and let sit for 20 minutes. Rinse and let out any extra moisture.

Place eggplant slices on a large cooking sheet and drizzle with olive oil. Broil for about 2 minutes on each side or until they begin to soften. Remove from oven and turn oven temperature to 425 degrees.

In a small bowl, combine the ricotta, salt, and thyme. Set aside.

In a small 9×9 pan, spread the tomato sauce on the bottom. Use a spoon to scoop a tablespoon of the ricotta filling onto the thick part of the eggplant piece. Roll the eggplant up and put the it with the seams down into the tomato sauce. Repeat with the rest of the eggplant.

Pour the milk over the eggplant pieces so that they don’t dry out while cooking. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until the cheese has melted and the eggplants are golden brown.

Season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!

Not your thing? Here are a few other eggplant dishes to try: Baba Ganoush or BBQ Eggplant Tacos with Peach Salsa

Moody Monday: Lake Michigan Bound // Preserving Pesto

9.10.2012

Hey all! Hope everyone had a fantastic weekend! You may be seeing me post less and less ‘Moody Monday’ posts as we move forward because I’ve been trying to incorporate more day-to-day things into regular posts. This means that a regrouping at the beginning of the week is starting to feel a bit unnecessary. But either way, I do enjoy posting about my weekend so today I am going to!

Wyatt and I ended up taking our spontaneous road trip up to Lake Michigan and went camping for the weekend. It was a much needed adventure! We were so back and forth on going because we have been so busy lately that taking the weekend away from our house just did not seem like it was be a de-stresser. Instead, I felt like I should probably stay home and that I would find relief in cleaning up around the house, being lazy with some tea and a magazine, and watching movies with my boyfriend. However, these are things I’ve been doing for the past month so making myself get out of my comfort zone was a perfect change of pace. There is something about listening to the waves crash along the shore and gazing out into endless water that is so soothing. The perfect cure to a stressful month!

I am so glad we took this trip because it may be our last camping trip of the season. And the weather was cool which meant all weekend long flannel wearing and crisp evenings by the fire. Helllloooooo, Fall!

Oh…and here are a few pictures from the weekend!

_________________________________

Anyhow, shifting gears…am I the only one who seems to have mounds and mounds of basil taking over my backyard? Well, I’m guessing not and although I currently loathe the flavor of basil because it has been in pretty much every dish I’ve made for the past 3 months… I know come February I will be missing summer bounty like woahh. So, in attempt to spare my future self of the winter blues, I whipped up some pesto and froze it in ice cube trays for the cooling months ahead.

These cubes will be perfect come winter when you want to add a bit of pesto to stews, pasta, or pretty much anything that comes to mind! Just remember to top the cubes with olive oil because it will prevent the pesto from getting freezer burnt. Also, I omitted the Parmesan so that my pesto will be more versatile but feel free to play around with it! And lastly, feel free to double or triple this batch if you have a ton ton ton of basil on hand.

Preserving Pesto in Ice Trays

4 cups basil
2/3 cup nuts of choice (I used cashews that were soaked but feel free to experiment)
1/2 cup + 1 Tablespoon olive oil
Ice tray

In a food processor or blender, pulse the basil, nuts, and 1/2 cup olive oil together until a thick pesto has formed. Pour evenly into an ice tray. Drizzle the extra tablespoon of olive on top of the prepared pesto. Stick in the freezer overnight and then transfer to an airtight bag. Store in the freezer for up to 6 month.

Veggie Fritters with Tomato-Corn Relish

9.07.2012

This has been a very stressful Friday. Wyatt and I were suppose to go camping last weekend for my birthday but the weather forecast had other plans for us (in the form of lazy days consisting of DIY projects and Game of Thrones). Although our weekend ended up different from we had planned…it was still fantastic. Plus, we figured we would just try camping again this weekend. So as of Monday, we were thinking we would go camping this weekend. And then Thursday rolled around and no planning still had been done. And when we realized this…we decided it was just too much work to try to bother with. And then we packed the car today on our lunch break. And then on the way back to work from our lunch break we discussed maybe not going. So now…it’s an hour until Wyatt gets off work and we will have no idea if we are going away for the weekend or not. Ah well…either way, it was be a spontaneous adventure or a productive weekend at home..both win, wins!

Anyhow, as a way to avoid thinking about the inevitable “no, you pick” conversation that is in my very near future, I am going to write to you guys about these delicious veggie fritters I whipped up for dinner the other night. These were a great way to use up a bunch of produce I had in my CSA box and I was able to only fried up half the batch (which was the perfect amount for two) and saved the rest for the next day.

We ate these as a main course but these would be great as an appetizer if you are having a party!

Veggie Fritters with Tomato- Corn Relish

Veggie Fritters:

2 russet potatoes, grated
2 large carrots, grated
1 large zucchini, grated
1 cup onion, chopped
1/4 cup all purpose flour
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 large eggs, light beaten

Olive oil

For the Relish:

3 cups corn
1 1/2 cups chopped tomato
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/4 cup chopped onion
3 teaspoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
salt/pepper

To make the relish: Mix all ingredients in a bowl and refrigerate until ready to use (make sure to do this first so that it has time to absorb all the flavors).

Wrap a towel around the grated potato, carrots, and zucchini and squeeze out any excess water. Transfer vegetables to a bowl and add in the onion, flour, eggs, and garlic. Season with salt and pepper.

Heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a large skillet over medium. Use a 1/4 cup measure to scoop patties onto skillet. Cook for 3 to 4 minutes on each side (or until browned). Remove from skillet and let drain on paper towel while you prepare the rest of the mixture.

Serve with delicious relish on top!

Vegan Chickpea Gravy

4.24.2012

So I have this loooong list of things I’d like to do to make my eating lifestyle better (only eating organic, making homemade condiments, etc) but all these things take just a little bit of extra effort so I’ve been slowly trying to incorporate them into my kitchen habits.

Along those lines, I finally conquered cooking beans from scratch instead of using old canned bean. I’ve seen my roommate do this dozens of times but it always seemed so time consuming (soaking the beans over night and then cooking them on the stove top for houuurs). However, I found a super easy trick and the secret is using a crock pot! All you have to do is wash the beans, put them in the crock pot with a few extra inches of water, and let it cook while you are sleeping or at work! And then you can come home to yummy, fresh beans waiting to be eaten/cooked with.

And with these fresh cooked beans I made some yummy gravy to go on mashed potatoes. I don’t know what has been up with my gravy addiction lately but it’s bad…I guess at least I’m been making my gravies as healthy as possible, right?

Crockpot Chickpeas

1 cup of dried chickpeas
water

Wash the chickpeas thoroughly. Place in your crockpot and cover with water. Make sure the water goes up about 2 to 3 inches past the beans.

Cook on low for six to seven hours.

Drain and enjoy the beans fresh or add to yummy recipes!

Vegan Chickpea Gravy

Adapted from Isa’s Vegan with a Vengence

1/4 cup flour
2 cups water
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 teaspoons mustard seeds
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 cups cooked chickpeas
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1 teaspoon dried thyme
3 Tablespoons soy sauce
1 Tablespoon lime juice
1/8 cup nutritional yeast

Start by heating up the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and mustard seed and saute for about ten minutes or until the onions start to brown.

While those cook, whisk together the 2 cups of water and flour and set aside.

Add in the minced garlic to the skillet and saute for another 30 seconds. Next, put in the chickpeas and use a masher to mash they into small pieces. Then mix in the spices, lime juice, and soy sauce. Turn the heat down to low and add in the flour mixture. Stir until a thick gravy forms. Sprinkle in the nutritional yeast and add a tiny bit more water if it’s still runny.

Whisk until it has reached a thick and desirable consistency.

Remove from heat and lather on mashed potatoes, egg sandwiches, vegetarian “meat”, or whatever you are feeling.

Carrot Slaw

4.14.2012

So I got some adorable carrots at Bloomingfoods this morning. I realize that seems weird for a type of food to be “adorable” but I think it’s possible. If it’s in miniature form…or colorful. And these carrots are bursting with color, to say the least.

See, aren’t they? Well anyways, I’ve been determined to start ‘Saucy Saturday’s’ and something keeps coming up. Like these carrots. How could I not immediately make a recipe with them instead? And I decided on a slaw so two condiments in one day just is too much. Oh well, I shall try again next week.

I’ve only eaten this by itself so far and it is delicious! To be honest, I don’t ususually think of carrots being able to hold their own but they manage to shine in this yummy recipe. The citrus and cranberries give it a great sweet kick as well so I think I will be putting these on some veggie dogs later this week (and for sure on my usual veggie sandwiches). I hope to post a picture of them as condiments as soon as I try it out! Until then, they can handle themselves on their own.

PS psssssst, substitute the honey for agave nectar to make it vegan!

Carrot Slaw

1 pound carrots (or about 10 medium carrots), grated
Juice of half an orange
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup crushed pecans
2 Tablespoons honey
2 Tablespoons olive oil
Salt/pepper, to taste
garnish with cilantro

Wash and grate the carrots.

Combine all ingredients together. Refridgerate for at least a half an hour so the flavors can blend.

Eat by itself or in a sandwich!

Homemade Pierogies

1.06.2012

My family is German…both sets of my Grandparents are German and their parent’s are German and so on. But for some reason, my mother and I make this Polish tradition every year. I’m not sure how it started but homemade, fresh pierogies are so amazing that we make sure to take time to whip these up during the holidays. I’m a student who has two jobs so I can’t say that I get home very much but when I go, I do make sure to make time for these guys.

We’ve tackled this recipe for so many years that we are able to whip several dozen of these out in less than two hours but you should plan on spending a few hours on this recipe (or do half the recipe and only make a few dozen which should just take over an hour). We always make the 4 dozen and freeze most of them for a later date.

Every August, a nearby town hosts ‘Pierogi Fest’ which is exactly what it sounds: a weekend long food festival dedicated to these tasty dumplings. They have dumplings filled with cheese, sauerkraut, veggies, blueberries, raspberries, and so on. Basically, it’s amazing. And is probably what originally inspired us so many years ago to start making these things.

I suggest you saute them in some olive oil with some onions and peppers. Or in butter with Swiss cheese and shallots. So the next time you have a relaxing, rainy (or snowy) Saturday, take the afternoon to make these with a friend or your Ma or your boyfriend. Whip up some mimosas, turn that vinyl player on, and enjoy the cooking process.

Homemade Pierogies

Dough:

6 cups flour
2 Tablespoons salt
1 cup milk
3/4 cup butter
2 eggs

Filling:

8 medium russet potatoes
1 cup sharp cheddar
3 garlic cloves, minced

Start by preparing the filling. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and peel and chop the potatoes into 1 inch chunks. Boil the potatoes until they are soft and a fork can easily pierce them. Drain and then mash the potatoes with a masher or hand mixer until smooth. Then fold in the cheddar and garlic until they are well incorporated. Set aside to cool while you prepare the dough.

Now it’s time to prep the dough! Doing it in two batches, add all dough ingredients into a food processor and pulse until well combined.

If the dough is super sticky, add a bit more flour and if it’s too crumbly, add more milk.

Next, you are going to roll the dough on a floured surface. We take chunks of the dough (just like my Ma is doing in the picture below) and roll it in parts but feel free to do whatever works best for you. Also, you can definetely use a rolling pin to roll out the dough but we’ve discovered the amazing cooking secrets of the pasta maker. If you do use a pasta maker, I recommend keeping it on the 7 setting and just running it through two times to achieve a smooth texture.

Resist the cute begging dog (with the ridiculous joker collar. Poor guy- what are my parent’s thinking?)

Next, place the dough on a pierogi mold which looks like this:

Fill the pierogies with a tablespoon each of the filling and then place another thin layer of dough on top of the filling and roll a rolling pin over to seal the dumplings.

Repeat with the rest of the filling/dough. Should make around 4 dozen pierogies. Bring a large pot to a boil with salted water. Drop the dumpling in the water for about 3 minutes or until they are floating in the water.

Enjoyed boiled or saute them in butter with onions and bell peppers. Feel free to freeze a couple dozen of them for later use. And don’t forget to share with that begging puppy.

Margherita Pizza

9.16.2011

As I’ve mentioned 100 billion times previously, the tomatoes at the farmer’s market right now are spectacular and this is by far one of my favorite pizza recipes (which works out great since it’s so simple!). This recipe is also a great way to show off the beautiful color and size of these heirlooms. Mmmmmm.

Yup. This recipe is so simple that I’m going to keep this whole post simple and not ramble. I will say that you should never bother buying delivery (OR FROZEN-EWWW) ever again because this is faster, cheaper, and soooo much better.

2 colorful and big heirloom tomatoes, sliced
1 pizza dough (you could make it by hand but we used Trader Joe’s herb pizza crust and it was scrumptious)
1 package of miniature fresh mozzarella balls
3 cloves garlic, mined
olive oil
handful of fresh basil, torn into small chunks

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Roll out pizza dough and place on a oiled baking sheet.

Spread olive oil on the first layer instead of pizza sauce. Next top with fresh garlic, mozzarella, tomato pieces, and the basil.

Cook for 12 to 15 minutes.

Damn. That’s it. Eat quickly before the roommates get it. Or share with your dog. Whichever.

Oh and please enjoy with yummy, cold beer.

Preferably this one: