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Entries Tagged as 'yellow'

Citrus Thyme Cocktail

4.03.2013

I usually post in the mornings but a happy hour post seemed appropriate with this cocktail recipe. I reserve the winters for beer and baileys and mulled wine. But as the sun starts to show itself and the days are taking their time to set, I’m getting anxious for warm weather cocktails. You know – those cocktails loaded with so many fresh herbs and smashed fruit that you can almost convince yourself it’s healthy.

Well, I know it’s a little early for summer rituals but I had this ginger citrus infused rum to use up somehow! So over the weekend, I talked my boyfriend into firing up the grill, whipped up some pasta salad, and picked out the healthiest looking herb I could find at the co-op (which, surprisingly, happened to be thyme). We enjoyed an early dinner filled with veggie hot dogs, this citrus thyme cocktail, and watching our dog chase the birds out of our [new] bird feeder. It didn’t have the lingering warmth that summer grill outs tend to have but it sure felt closer than we’ve been in six months.

I may be jumping the gun on summer with the thyme but this cocktail is a perfect spring drink. The winter citrus is still lingering (you may even still be able to find blood oranges for this recipe!) and the soda water keeps this drink light compared to all those lagers you’ve been sucking down in these winter months.

Also, don’t forget to check out my post on how to infuse the rum with ginger and citrus!

Citrus Thyme Cocktail

1 1/2 ounces of Ginger Citrus Infused Rum
1 teaspoon lime juice (orange or lemon would be wonderful too)
1/2 teaspoon honey
Sparkling Water (I used about 5 ounces but use more or less depending on how strong you like your cocktail)
Sprigs of Thyme
Slices of citrus

In a shaker, mix the rum, lime juice, honey, and water. Place in a cocktail glass with ice. Garnish with citrus and thyme.

Music Pairing:

Quick & Easy Lentil Soup

1.01.2013

Did you have a wonderful New Year?! Did you get to kiss that special someone at midnight and maybe drink a little too much bubbly? Yeah, me too. Ah well. How about we start off the new year right with this super healthy and delicious lentil soup?

I usually make dinner for Wyatt pretty much every night and this has been going on for well over a year now. However, I just recently found out his favorite soup is lentil soup. That means all this time I’ve been making these elaborate and time consuming (and delicious… see Curried Butternut Squash Soup with Goat Cheese Croutons and Rosemary Soup with Rustic Bread) when I could have just made this simple lentil stew. Go figure!

This soup is not only easy but it’s packed full of vegetables and protein. Not bad, eh? And this recipe made enough for us to enjoy for two meals plus some for me to freeze for later! It’s dairy free so it freezes super well and will go perfect with a big salad or crusty bread or grilled cheese.

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Cheddar Corn Biscuits

12.05.2012

How has your week been going? Mine has been fine but I know it’s been a little quite around here. I’ve done a bit of traveling this week and have more to go which is a nice change of pace but can also be exhausting. It’s the type of exhausting that makes me want to just curl up on the couch with my leftover chili and watch Veronica Mars (corniest 90s show ever but we are addicted) all night. Sorry VV, you take up too much energy for me right now.

But I promised and I usually like to be a girl of my word. So here I am! And as I promised, here is the buttery and addictive biscuit recipe that complaints that healthy Black Bean & Wheatberry Chili recipe perfectly. If you missed the chili recipe, it’s featured on The Kitchn today so hop on over and check it out!

We even used leftover biscuits to make biscuits and gravy with Wyatt’s favorite Sage Gravy! Mmmmm. And I have a feeling that breakfast sandwiches are in our very VERY near future. Breakfast for dinner? Well hello evening plans!

Cheddar Corn Biscuits

2 cups all purpose flour
1/2 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup frozen corn (or fresh!)
1/2 cup cheddar cheese, grated
2 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup butter (1 stick), cubed
1 cup buttermilk (I made my own out of the milk I had on hand)

Grease a baking sheet (it may take 2 sheets depending on how thick you make the biscuits). In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, cornmeal, salt, sugar, black pepper, baking powder, and baking soda. Next, add in the butter and use your hands to incorporate the butter into the dough until it resembles a coarse meal.

Next, fold in the cheese, onions, and corn. Finally, add the buttermilk and mix until just combined (don’t over mix or the dough will become tough).

Transfer dough to a slightly floured surface and roll out to about an inch thick (more or less depending on how you like your biscuits) and use a cookie cutter or glass to circle cut outs. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and repeat with the rest of the dough.

Stick the cookie sheet (with the prepared dough) into the fridge and preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Let the biscuits chill while it is preheating because the cold butter will help to make the biscuits flakier.

Bake for about 25 minutes (mine took 30 but my oven ALWAYS takes longer than what a recipe recommends so check often).

Serve warm with soup or gravy or by themselves with a little butter!

Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Tomatoes

10.22.2012

Morning, Morning, Morning! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Mine was filled [again] with all my favorite things: friends, hiking, yoga[ing], cooking, and exploring. It’s been so beautiful here with the leaves changing that I’ve felt the need to get outside as much as possible before the cold comes in! We are going to Denver this weekend so I’ve been trying to get my Midwest Fall crammed into 3 weekends this year instead of 4. Here are a few pictures from the hiking /// Fire Tower adventure yesterday:

This weekend was also great because it felt like a bit of a staycation. On Saturday night, Wyatt and I skipped out on our usual bar spot and went drinking at a small Irish pub instead. I had never really drank there before and it was such a wonderful, new experience. The place is full of great lighting, has a rustic pub feel, and delicious cocktail combinations! Definitely my new favorite “date spot”.

And then on Sunday we spent most of the day hiking with some friends. On the way back from the hike, we went out to eat at this little touristy restaurant called ‘The View’. This place is down by the lake so it’s a ways away from Bloomington and we have passed it dozens of times but never thought to stop. It was a pretty good experience [minus some terrible music playing]. The atmosphere was laid back and they had some delicious homemade veggie burgers and ginger sprinter.

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And now let’s talk about food! I have a very love//hate relationship with tofu. I can make an amazing General Tao Tofu dish like no one’s business but then there are often times that my tofu comes out crumbly//mushy//sad when I step out of my comfort zone with it. And thus, I have decided that I love [when things go right] tofu too much to be discouraged about trying a new recipe out of fear it won’t come out. I am planning to try a new tofu dish at least one a week for the next month to hone in on my skills and figure out what works/does not work for me when it comes to this protein packed beast [and perhaps I'll try tempeh next month...and then seitan...etc].

I started my new ‘Tofu Journey’ [can we call it that?] with this scramble. I’ve made many tofu scrambles before and sometimes they turn out just right…but other times they turn out watery or dry or bland. I wasn’t going to let some bad attempts discourage me this time though. I thought about failed attempts in the past and what went wrong…the final verdict to making a good tofu scramble [I decided] was 1. watch it closely to make sure it doesn’t get dried out 2. Pick a flavor combination and stick to it so that it doesn’t end up bland or have too much going on 3. Don’t get impatient…make sure you let it get to the right consistency before taking it off the stove top.

Pesto Tofu Scramble with Roasted Tomatoes

Serve 3 (or a hungry 2!)

1 pint cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
1 block firm (or extra firm) tofu
1/4 cup prepared pesto (I used my frozen pesto)
1 small onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
olive oil
salt / pepper

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Toss the tomatoes in olive oil and salt / pepper and place onto a baking sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes (I like my tomatoes to still have a bit of shape but feel free to roast for longer if you like them to be broken down).

In the meantime, heat a tablespoon of olive oil in a pan over medium. Add the chopped onions and cook for about 5 minutes; add the garlic and cook for another two. Next, squeeze the tofu over the sink and try to ring out some of the water. Crumble the tofu over the pan and saute for about ten minutes (this will depend on how moist the tofu is so this is the part where you watch it very closely…cook longer if it’s still mushy and add a tablespoon or so of water if it dries out). Add in the prepared pesto and cook for another two minutes. Remove from heat and top with roasted tomatoes.

Serve with soy yogurt and blueberries. Or with a big side of home fries.

Summer Squash Gratin

7.19.2012

Here is a spectacular example of why the weekly CSA box is perfect for me. I never buy yellow squash- I am a total zucchini nut and don’t usually stray. However, we received five summer squashes in our box last week so I was forced to whip up a yummy recipe with them. And let me tell you, this was such a surprising and wonderful dish! Mmmm. (Although, let’s be honest- when is anything lathered in cheese and buttery crackers bad?)

You can easily enjoy this as a filling main or have it as a side to a bbq. It’s also super versatile so feel free to subsitute any kind of cheese you would like!

Not much other news here- it’s my Ma’s bday (so glad I remembered…unlike for my brother’s birthday last week…) but I won’t be spending it with her (4 hour difference is just enough to keep us from getting together on a regular basis). But they will be coming down to see our new house next weekend which I am oh so excited about!

Summer Squash Gratin

4 medium yellow squash, thinly sliced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
1 Tablespoon olive oil
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 cup Parmesan, grated
1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
1/2 cup sour cream
1 sleeve of ritz crackers, crushed
salt/pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil and butter over medium. Add the squash and onions and saute until soft (about 10 minutes or so).

Remove from heat and stir in the cheeses and sour cream. Season with salt and pepper.

Transfer to a casserole dish (I used a 2 gallon dish) and top with crushed crackers.

Bake for 25 minutes or until the top is browned.

Serve warm as a side to your grilled goods or as a filling main dish.

Samosa Patties

1.14.2012

Here in Bloomington, we have an entire street dedicated to ethnic restaurants. It’s really an amazing experience…it’s like walking into another country and it’s just down the street. They’ve got Thai, Indian, Turkish, Mediterranean, and so much more. I had never even had good Indian food before I moved to this town four years ago but this street has certainly allowed me to make up for lost time. My boyfriend use to work at one of the Indian places so he can make a mean curry and I myself have become pretty addicted to this cuisine.

We’ve gone through phases of making curries every weekend and homemade naan and homemade hummus. However, we’ve never managed to master samosas which is suuuuch a shame because they are so dayuuum good. It’s just such a tedious process that it’s fun for a special occasion but not something you’d wanna whip up every weekend. Anyways, so I came across this recipe in my Vegan Brunch cookbook and this solved all of our samosa problems.

These patties literally taste like the inside of a samosa and are half the hassle of making real ones. These are great to serve as a side with some curry or eat as a main with some sweet sauce. They are chocked full of veggies and spices that will fill you’re palette with amazing Indian aromas.

Samosa Patties

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and cut into cubes
1/8 cup canola oil + 2 Tablespoons
dash of turmeric
dash of salt
1 teaspoon yellow mustard seeds
1/2 onion, diced
1/2 cup carrots, grated
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 inch of fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon cumin
dash of red pepper flakes
1/2 cup frozen peas
1/8 cup flour
extra oil for pan frying

First, add the potatoes to a large pot of water and bring to a boil. Simmer for 20 minutes or until you can stick a fork through the cubes and they are soft. Drain and return to pot. Mash well and add the 1/8 cup canola oil, turmeric, and dash of salt.

Preheat a large skillet (with a lid) over medium heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of canola oil and the mustard seeds. Cover with the lid and let the seeds pop for about a minute. Once the popping has settled, add the carrots and onions. Saute for about ten minutes and then add the garlic, ginger, cumin, and red pepper flakes. Cook for another few minutes and add water if it’s dry.

Back to the potatoes, add the onions, peas, and veggie mixture. Lastly, add in the flour and season with salt.

Now for the disappointing part (the waiting game- one of the worst games ever). You’ve gotta let the mixture cool completely or else it will fall apart. So I reccommend sticking it in the freezer for 20 minutes but feel free to pop it in the fridge for hours (if you prepare it in advance).

Once cooled, take chunks of the batter, roll them into golf ball size balls, and then flatten slightly. Heat a heavy skillet over medium heat and saute the patties on each side for three minutes or until they have browned. Repeat with the rest of the batter.

Serve warm and with other yummy Indian dishes.

Oh and these are my roommates trying to tell me what they have in their hands is much more interesting than taking photos of my pancakes.