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By Emily, February 21, 2010 2:16 pm

Two weeks ago, I made meatloaf and Brian and I spent pretty much all week eating it (it didn’t occur to me until we’d finished it that I could’ve frozen some).  Last week we were on vacation and so I didn’t cook.  I felt like I hadn’t been in the kitchen in forever.  And I missed it.

I made up for my absence last night with a surprisingly delicious casserole I adapted from a recipe for Polenta and Onion Casserole with Fennel Seed and Soy Mozzarella that was in The Complete Vegan Cookbook: Over 200 Tantalizing Recipes, Plus Plenty of Kitchen Wisdom for Beginners and Experienced Cooks by Susann Geiskopf-Hadler and Mindy Toomay.

Things you should know before making this recipe:

1) It’s from a vegan cookbook, but my adaptation is not vegan.  Simple solution: substitute soy mozzarella for the regular mozzarella cheese (that’s what the original recipe called for, but I had the cheese already and I can’t bring myself to eat soy cheese yet).

2) Making this dish requires 2 burners and the oven.  But it’s worth it.  So worth it.

3) As incredibly delicious as this dish is, it’s not the prettiest thing ever once you serve it.  I served it with a spoon and ate it out of a bowl–it’s pretty much mush.  But the flavor is amazing and comforting.

Tomato, Onion and Polenta Casserole
Adapted from The Complete Vegan Cookbook

2 teaspoons fennel seed
1/4 teaspoon dried red chili flakes
Olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 red onions, chopped
1/8 teaspoon salt
28 oz can whole tomatoes (do not drain!)
2 tablespoons capers, drained
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper
1 and 1/2 cups uncooked polenta (coarse ground cornmeal)
1 cup grated mozzarella cheese, or more to taste

1. Use a spice grinder to combine the fennel seed and chili flakes.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil.  Add the fennel seed and chili flake mixture and minced garlic to the oil and stir to combine for about a minute.
3. Add the onions and salt to the skillet.  Cook, stirring frequently for about 5 minutes, until the onions are soft.
4. Add the capers and the tomatoes with their juice to the skillet.  After the mixture reaches a simmer, reduce the heat to medium-low and cook for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and breaking up large pieces of tomato.
5. While that cooks, preheat the oven to 375º.  Grease a 3 quart casserole dish with olive oil.
6. In a saucepan, combine 4 cups of water, garlic powder and a sprinkle of black pepper.  Bring to a boil.
7. Reduce the temperature to medium and add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly.  Continue to whisk until the polenta is thick (normal polenta consistency, this takes a few minutes).  Whisk in 1/2 cup of cold water and return the polenta to bubbling.
8. Stir in a 1/2 cup of the mozzarella cheese to the polenta.  Next, pour the polenta into the greased casserole dish.  Distribute the polenta evenly in the dish.  Pour the onion and tomato mixture on top and cover with the remaining mozzarella.
9. Bake for 20 minutes and cool before serving.

On a unrelated note for my local readers, I just found about about this cool event happening in Williamstown and North Adams, Massachusetts next month.  The Farm Film Feast is March 10-14 and will feature showings and discussion on “a dozen documentary films about our food: Who produces it, how it reaches us, and how it affects our health, our environment, and our local and global communities.”  I’m not sure which events we’ll be attending (March still seems so far away!) but I’m really excited about it.

Enjoy what remains of the weekend!

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By Emily, January 27, 2010 8:46 pm

I’m a big fan of the idea of veggie burgers, but the price and taste of the ones at the supermarket, not so much.   As a result, I’ve been keeping an eye out for veggie burger recipes that I could make myself.  I tried a recipe from A Food Coma a few months back, but they didn’t stay together very well.  I have good intentions of trying them again and making them work, however.

This week I tried a burger recipe from Cheap, Healthy, Good.  Brian and I were both pleasantly surprised by how well they came out.  These burgers taste good, stay together, actually get a little crispy and have a texture more similar to hamburgers then some meat substitute creations I’ve tried.  They also hold up great in the fridge for a couple days (or, according to Cheap, Healthy, Good, in the freezer)

Veggie Burgers

Adapted from Cheap Healthy Good, Makes about 12 small (3″ diameter) burgers
15 oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
15 oz can kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 small onion, minced
2 cloves garlic
1 cup rolled oats
1 cup cooked brown rice
1 tbsp adobo spice mix (<–well worth following CHG’s directions to make!)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Put the beans, minced onion, garlic cloves and oats into your food processor.  Pulse until just blended.
2. Add the rice and spices.  Use the food processor to blend, but not puree.  (Though some of my mix was pretty pureed and they still came out great!)
3. Add water or more rice to thin or thicken the burger mixture as needed.  It should be about the consistency of meatloaf mix.
4. Let the burger mixture rest for 15-20 minutes.  Form into balls and flatten into patties about 1/2 an inch thick.
5. Bake burgers on a parchment lined baking sheet for 30 minutes at 350°.  Flip burgers after 15 minutes.
6. Enjoy!

We topped our rolls with 2-3 burgers and ricotta cheese.  And Brian added ketchup to his, but we know how I feel about ketchup.

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By Emily, January 14, 2010 5:01 pm

I made my first quiche the other night.  Granted, a quiche without crust, which  Brian was a bit skepitical of (can you have a quiche without crust?)  It made a perfect make-ahead meal for 2 of our dinners this week.  Despite the fact that, for some reason, the idea of making quiche seemed a little scary to me, this one was so easy I may try making “real” quiche some day.  Plus, when the recipe for appeared in this month’s issue of Food Network Magazine and I liked all of the ingredients and it was vegetarian and I could get two nights of dinner out of it during a rather busy week, I decided I needed to try it.

This quiche is less dense than many quiches I have had, to the point of being a bit crumbly.  But it tastes really, really great.   Even without the crust.

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Adapted from Food Network Magazine-Serves 4 as a main course

• Olive oil
• 4 ounces smoked Gouda cheese
• 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry
• 2 large eggs plus 2 egg whites
• 1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped
• 1 tablespoon (or more) grated Parmesan cheese

1. Position a rack in the upper third of the oven, place a baking sheet on the rack and preheat to 450º.
2. Lightly grease a 9-inch round or 8-inch square baking dish with olive oil.
3. Shred the Gouda in your food processor.  Remove the cheese, put the standard blade in your food processor, add the cheese back to the food processor.*
4. Add the spinach, whole eggs and egg whites, ricotta, flour and nutmeg and process until well combined, about 30 seconds. Add the onions and pulse to mix.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared dish and sprinkle with the Parmesan.
6. Place the quiche on the preheated baking sheet and bake 25 to 30 minutes, until the center is just set.
7. Enjoy!

*FNM recommends just chopping the cheese with the standard blade, not the shredding disk.  It probably works, but that’s not what I did so I can’t say for sure.  But it would save time and dishes, so feel free to give it a shot.

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By Emily, January 11, 2010 5:25 am

So…work is still kicking my butt.  I started a new (full time, rest of the year!) teaching job last  Monday and I had this fantasy that I was going to have more time for me (aka this blog, the gym, cooking cool recipes, hanging out with Brian, etc) than I did with my last position.  Keyword being fantasy.  I’m still getting my bearings and getting settled in the new job, so, posting schedule still sucks :)

Nevertheless, I’m chipping away at my New Years Resolutions.  Here I am, posting (again!).  Tuesday and Saturday we went to the gym (must be the beginning of January–that place was busy!)  And last Sunday I made soup –and biscuits, which fall under the category of “learning to make things I normally buy”.

The soup was really satisfying.  It’s really thick and using fresh produce made it even better.  Minestrone is one of those soups that’s easy to alter and update based on what you’ve got in the fridge…this is what I had or remembered to buy and it turned out great.  You know you need another soup recipe :)

Sticking with the above and previously mentioned goal of learning to make things instead of buying pre-made processed foods, I made biscuits to go with the soup.  In short: easy, fast, and really, really delicious.  We may never eat sliced bread with soup again.

Dill, Red onion and Cheese Drop Biscuits
from Everybody Likes Sandwiches
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup red onions, finely diced
1 Tablespoon dried dill
a hearty grind of black pepper
a large handful of old cheddar cheese
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 cup buttermilk or milk with 1 Tablespoon vinegar or yogurt with a bit of milk mixed in

1. Preheat oven to 450F.
2. In a large bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, salt, red onions, dill, black pepper and cheese.
3. Stir in the milk and oil and mix lightly until combined.
4. Using a tablespoon, drop blobs of dough on a parchment covered or silpat lined cookie sheet. Bake for 12 – 14 minutes or until lightly golden. Makes about 6 – 9 (really delicious) biscuits.
5. Enjoy!

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By Emily, December 10, 2009 2:13 pm

Included in my list of favorite things:

• Dishes that can be made in under half an hour
• Dishes that are vegetarian
• Chinese food, on occasion
• Pasta
• The Pioneer Woman
• Recipes that turn out better than I expect

All that to say that, once again, The Pioneer Woman has outdone herself.  Her Sesame Noodles are all of the above and I can hardly wait to make them again.

From time to time I make “stir-fry”.  My stir-fry generally consists of frozen vegetables cooked in soy sauce and served over rice.  Impressive, I know.  But it was always missing something.

Thanks to the Pioneer Woman, I now know what that something was: sesame oil.  Get some, it smells like Chinese food.  No joke.  I did have to shell out a little money for it, but it was totally worth it.

Vegetable “Lo Mein”

(Adapted from The Pioneer Woman’s Simple Sesame Noodles)

You’ll Need:

• 12 ounces whole wheat spaghetti (or whatever thin pasta or rice noodles you have on hand)
• ¼ cups soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 4 cloves garlic, pressed or  minced
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 2 tablespoons sesame oil
• Several drops of Tabasco sauce
• 4 tablespoons of vegetable oil
• 2 tablespoons hot tap water
• 1 lb. frozen mixed vegetables
• Optional: 4 green onions, sliced

1.  Cook the pasta/noodles according to package directions.  Drain.

2. While the pasta cooks, whisk the soy sauce, sugar, garlic, rice vinegar, sesame oil, Tabasco sauce, vegetable oil and water together in a bowl.  Adjust to taste.  Smell the Chinese food-y smell.  Get excited.

3.  In a skillet, heat the mixed vegetables until defrosted and cooked through.

4.  In a large bowl, or the pasta cooking pot, combine the pasta and mixed vegetables.  Mix.  Add the sauce and mix until combined.  Serve warm.  Enjoy your fake, fast Chinese food.

Disclaimer:  Vegetarian it may be, but this dish, sadly, isn’t exactly good for you.  The sesame oil is very high (14 g in just 1 tablespoon!) and the soy sauce has 920 mg of sodium per tablespoon.  So, as with everything, this dish should only be consumed in moderation–but it’s really really good!  And, clearly, restaurant Chinese food probably isn’t great for you either

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By Emily, November 14, 2009 11:35 am

Brian and I have been eating homemade pizza every couple weeks or so, but I wanted to mix it up a little.  I decided to try making a calzone.  Granted, that isn’t really much of a feat, but I get a little scared whenever I’m not working with a recipe.  Well, miracles do happen, because the calzone turned out great (better, Brian says, than the calzones at one of my favorite restaurants…but that’s another story).  Anyway, one of the great things about pizza and calzones is that they’re so easy to make healthy (or healthier, depending on how you want to look at it.  I could never give up cheese and choose to ignore it’s flaws) and/or vegetarian.

So, without further ado…

Broccoli and Mushroom Calzone

You’ll need:

For the dough:

1 envelope active dry yeast
1/2 tablespoon honey
1 and 1/8 cups warm water (105 to 115°)
2 and 1/8 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons (1/8 cup) whole wheat flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
cornmeal

For the filling (all measurements are estimates…it’s your calzone, do what will taste good to you!):

1 medium head of broccoli
2 button mushrooms
2 cloves garlic
olive oil
1.5 cups shredded mozzarella
1 cup ricotta cheese

1.  Prep the dough:

• Combine the yeast, honey and water in a 2 cup measuring cup.  Let stand for 5 minutes while the yeast does its thing.
• When the 5 minutes are over, combine the yeast mixture, flours, salt and oil in a mixing bowl (or the bowl of your standing mixer).  Beat at low speed until the dough forms a ball.
• Cover the dough and let rise in a warm place (our apartment is cold, so I turn the oven on “warm” and set the bowl of dough on top of it).  Let rise for 1 and a 1/2 hours, or until the ball of dough has about doubled in size.

2.  Prep the filling:

• When the dough has about a half hour left to rise, begin prepping fillings.  Cut the florets off the broccoli and slice the mushrooms.  Mince or press the garlic cloves.
• Also, this is a good time to preheat the pizza stone, with a sprinkling of corn meal on top, in the oven at 450°.
• In a large skillet, combine the vegetables and garlic, along with a drizzle of olive oil.  Cook until the vegetables are soft.

• Combine the cheeses and vegetable fillings in a bowl.  Mix to combine evenly.

3.  Finish the dough:

• Use your hands and a rolling pin to make the dough as round and thin as possible.  When you’re satisfied (it’s dinner–it just has to taste good, not look perfect!), pierce the dough with a fork.   Otherwise, the dough gets big bubbles in it when it cooks.  Trust me.

• Move the dough to the preheated pizza stone.  Neat trick: fold the dough into quarters for easier transportation–also works for pie crusts (thanks mom!)

4.  Make the calzone:

• Cover half the dough with the cheese and vegetable filling.
• Fold over the rest of the dough and pinch closed.  Brush the top with olive oil so it will brown nicely.

• Return the pizza stone and calzone to the oven and Bake at 450° for about 15 minutes.

5.  Enjoy!

Notes:

*If you don’t have a pizza stone, you can cook your calzone on a baking sheet. You don’t even have to preheat it!

*The dough recipe is what Brian and I always use for pizza.  Try it, it’s yummy!

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By Emily, November 11, 2009 7:54 pm

So…theoretically, this is a blog about eating well, cooking things instead of buying them, avoiding preservatives and packaged foods and the like.  I appreciate all of those ideas and adhere to them whenever possible.

However, anyone who knows me knows that, in addition to good nutrition, I’m a stickler for making my sister happy.  Birthday presents, visits, random gifts.  If I can do it and my sister wants it, chances are she’s gonna get it from me.  Perhaps I spoil her.  But she’s my baby sister…my only baby sister.

So when I asked “the baby” what she wanted for her 22nd birthday, she requested her “favorite” cake.  Who am I to say no?  I made cupcakes instead of the recipe-suggested Bundt cake, because everyone knows cupcakes are more fun (and easier for my sister to eat and share at college).  However, Brian also needed something to bring to an event, so I made a cake for that too.  This was the beautiful result:

Tell me that doesn’t look good.

So, why is this cake my sister’s favorite?  Because it tastes amazing.  Several college students say so.  And even though it breaks a lot of my “rules” about what I should be eating, its nice to have the occasional treat (and I only had a couple cupcakes)  Why is it now my go-to chocolate cake recipe?  Because it’s amazingly easy to make, despite using packaged cake and pudding mix, plus 4 eggs and alcohol.

Need I say more?

Triple Chocolate Cake

1 package devil’s food cake mix
1 package instant chocolate pudding
1 cup sour cream
½ cup brewed coffee
½ cup dark rum
½ cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 cups chocolate chips

Beat all ingredients except chocolate chips together 2 minutes.
Fold in chocolate chips.
Pour into greased and floured 12 cup Bundt pan.  (I told you it was easy!!!!)

Bake at 350° for 55-60 mins for bundt cake.
18-22 minutes for cupcakes.

Cool 10 mins. Remove from pan, cool on wire rack.

Enjoy!

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By Emily, October 27, 2009 3:08 pm

I’ve already made 2 pumpkin soups, but I couldn’t say no to the Pumpkin Turkey Chili recipe posted on Serious Eats a few weeks ago.  To me, it sounds like a bowl of fall.  I can’t count the number of times I’ve thought to myself “I should just do a blog about soup, I love it that much.”  But I won’t, because I love other things too.  Just not as much.

Anyway, this chili was exactly what I hoped it would be.  As the original recipe notes, it’s  ”healthy and delicious”: vegetables, beans, spices and lean ground turkey.  The pumpkin flavor doesn’t overwhelm, but provides a nice base for the dish.  I added some additional vegetables to the Serious Eats recipe and adjusted the seasonings to my taste.  This time around, I left the chili pretty mild.  Clearly, you should go for as much or as little spice as you want.

Pumpkin Turkey Chili

adapted from Serious Eats, serves about 6

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 onion, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
1 4oz can chopped green chilies
1 garlic clove, minced
1 pound ground turkey
1 14.5 oz can kidney beans (and liquid)
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 14.5 oz can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 tablespoon cumin

1.  Over medium-high heat, heat the oil in a large sauce pot.  Saute the onion, green pepper, celery, carrot, chilies and garlic for about 10 minutes, or until tender.

2.  Add the ground turkey and brown, about 10 minutes.

3.  Add the canned tomatoes, kidney beans (with the canning liquid) and pumpkin puree.  Add chili powder (and/or other seasonings, to taste).  Stir.

4.  Reduce the heat and simmer for at least 20 minutes.  Serve with cheddar cheese or sour cream and a side of corn bread.

5.  Enjoy!

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By Emily, September 30, 2009 8:35 am

Growing up story #1: My family never used a slow cooker.  Ever.  So when Brian and I were putting stuff on our registry, we added one.  Why?  Because all the registry check lists say to.  And we got one (two, actually, but now we’re down to one).  Initially it made me a little nervous–to leave something cooking for so long, especially when there’s no one in the house–but I’m quickly becoming a Crockpot convert.

Growing up story #2: As I’ve mentioned before, my  family (aka my dad) does not eat beans.  When I was a kid, our chili recipe had no beans in it.  Yes, I typed that correctly.  Not “it had meat and beans”, it was just ground beef and spices and such.  It’s the only chili my dad will eat.  Last week I decided I wanted to make vegetarian chili.  Clearly, I didn’t have a recipe, but I hunted one down (love the internet!), adapted it and was really, really pleased with the result.  It tasted exactly the way chili should.

Halfway through my first bowl, I realized something.  I turned to Brian and asked, “Do you even miss the meat in here?”.  Nope, he didn’t.  Neither did I (sometimes I’m acutely aware of the fact that I’ve chosen a non-meat based diet).  Which just goes to prove, again, that vegetarian food can be as good as non-vegetarian food, if not better.

“Who Needs Meat?” Crockpot Chili

Adapted from Allrecipes.com, Serves about 6

1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes
1 (15 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, drained
1 zucchini, thinly sliced
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, sliced
2 stalks celery, sliced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 cup vegetable broth
2-3 Tbsp chili powder
1 (4 ounce) can chopped green chile peppers
1 jalapeño pepper, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon dried oregano
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt

1.  Combine all the ingredients in a slow cooker.

2.  Cover and cook on low for 6 to 8 hours OR on high for 3 to 4 hours.

3.  Enjoy!

Comments (1)

By Emily, September 28, 2009 7:53 am

Somehow my husband made it through the first 24 years of his life without going apple picking.  At least, that’s what he tells me.  I can’t imagine a fall without apple picking, so last weekend we had our first (but definitely not last!) apple picking date.  Now I’m in the midst of brainstorming all the apple recipes I can because we picked way more apples than we need!

This recipe is one of my favorites.  What is with me and baking lately?  Anyway, if you also picked way more apples than you need, remember: you can freeze this bread after you’ve baked it and defrost it later when you’re craving apples again!

Apple Bread

You’ll need:

For bread:

1/2 cup butter
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp. vinegar
2 Tbsp. milk
1 3/4 cups apples
1/2 cup nuts (I prefer walnuts)
For topping:
2 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 Tbsp. butter

1.  Preheat oven to 350°

2.  Cream butter and sugar using a hand mixer or stand mixer

3.  Add the eggs to the mixture and beat well.

4.  Peel, pare and chop apples until you have 1 3/4 cups (I used 1 large Golden Delicious, but use as many of any kind of apple as it takes)

5. Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a separate bowl.

6. Mix vinegar and milk in another bowl.  The mixture will curdle a bit!  Don’t worry, it’s supposed to.  If you have buttermilk on hand, you can use that instead.

7. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter and sugar alternately with the milk mixture.  Start and end with the dry ingredients.  (In other words, add 1/3 of the dry ingredients to the creamed mixture.  Mix.  Add 1/2 the milk mixture. Mix.  Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients.  Mix.  Add the rest of the milk mixture.  Mix.  Add the last of the dry ingredients.  Mix until fully combined.)

8.  Stir in apples and nuts and combine with a spoon or spatula, not your mixer.

9.  Pour batter into a greased loaf pan.

10.  Create the topping by combining the flour, sugar, cinnamon and butter (melted)

11.  Spread the topping over the batter (it doesn’t have to be perfect!

12.  Bake at 350° for about 1 hour, or until cooked through.

13.  Enjoy!