Our "Superbowl Sunday" Eats

I put "Superbowl Sunday" in quotes because our household isn't really sports oriented. I  used to be a die-hard hockey and basketball fan, but over the years the appeal of sports has dwindled for me. I guess I just don't really get it... a bunch of dudes earn millions of dollars for running up and down a field with a ball. Fans get all excited when the team who happens to practice and play in the city/ state where they live wins. But really none of it matters because next year a new season will start and every team will have a chance to win the big trophy again. I'm being a little flippant and nihilistic I suppose, but it seems like there are so many people more deserving of money and accolades than athletes. Teachers for example. Where are their six figure contracts and merchandising deals?  

Needless to say, the only parts of the Superbowl we watched were the halftime show (my curiosity always gets the best of me) and a few commercials here and there. Otherwise, we devoted our time to Puppy Bowl VIII on Animal Planet and I whined and moaned about how we don't have a canine companion in our lives. Those dogs are just so freaking cute! I kept hoping one would come through the screen and bound into my arms. (sigh) Someday we will adopt a dog, I promise you this!

I did end up spending most of the day in the kitchen, but I didn't exactly cook Superbowl fare. I made some completely mind-blowing breakfast burritos in the morning (more on that recipe in the next few days) that made my tummy very happy. For dinner, our appetizer was already planned. Johnny's mom sent us a gigantic assortment from Alfonso Gourmet Olive Oil and Balsamics in Tucson and we had been patiently waiting to crack into it until Sunday night. 

I broke up a fresh baguette and we got to work mixing and matching flavors to our hearts' content. My absolute favorite thing in the whole world right now is the Peach White Balsamic Vinegar. DUUUUUDE. I mixed it with a bit of their Manzanillo Extra Virgin Olive Oil and almost had a stroke it was so good. I am absolutely going to be ordering a full bottle of that stuff once the sampler runs out. I'm dreaming up vinaigrette recipes already. It will be perfection on summer salads! Our other favorites include the Espresso Balsamic Vinegar, the sweet and thick Traditional Balsamic Vinegar (I really want to try this on ice cream!), and the Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil. But honestly, all of it was delicious. Thanks, Mama Mo! Such an awesome gift!

While we could have easily made dinner out of nothing but bread, vinegar and oil, I thought we should try to get something a bit healthier into our panzas, too. I'd heard wonderful things about the Mango BBQ Beans recipe from Appetite for Reduction, one of my favorite cookbooks. I felt a little guilty buying a mango in the middle of winter, but whatever. Sometimes you just need some out-of-season, far-from-local fruit! I served it over some quinoa and I sauteed a big bunch of kale and drizzled that with some of the Tuscan Herb Infused Olive Oil.  

I loved this dinner! It felt like a very modern, elevated take on rice and beans. The flavors in the bean dish run the gamut from sweet to spicy and hit on everything in between. The quinoa came out really fluffy and delicious - it's quickly replacing brown rice as my favorite accompaniment to most meals.

Johnny had his usual reaction to a plate that contained cooked greens: he screwed up his face and stuck out his tongue in disgust. It's a knee-jerk thing and I have to talk him into eating that first bite every time! He ended up liking the kale, but not being a huge fan of the beans. I'm not sure why, I thought he'd really like the bold flavors, but he just thought something didn't taste right. He's not a lover of mango, so I knew it was a risk going in. Oh well, more for me to take for lunch this week!

Recipe - Quick and Easy Summer Meals and Snacks

I have a confession to make... I love to cook. That is such a weird thing for me to write! Growing up I had absolutely no desire to try my hand in the kitchen (though my sister and brother both always loved to cook and are both fabulous at it). When I moved out on my own, I existed on Trader Joe's prepared foods and dinners out with friends. Cooking a full-on meal just for myself always seemed like such a hassle: the grocery shopping, the dishes, the leftovers that inevitably grew mold and got thrown away. Not to mention there was no one there to tell me if my meal was great or sucked - like the whole "if a tree falls in the forest" scenario, ya know? But when Johnny and I moved in together, some dormant June Cleaver-ish part of me awakened and I found myself wanting to cook more. WEIRD.

In the beginning, I relied heavily on recipes. I had a cookbook called "How to Boil Water" and I pretty much needed that level of instruction! There were definitely some failed meals in those early days (most involving undercooked meat which I no longer have to worry about!), but over time I became SO much more confident in the kitchen. Through trial and error, I figured out how to cook a great batch of rice on the stovetop and how to substitute spices if I ran out of something seemingly crucial. Our bank account thanked me for easing off of expensive take-out meals and it's always made me feel accomplished to cook a great meal and actually look forward to eating the leftovers the next day!   

That said, there are more nights than I can count where I go into the kitchen thinking I'll have dinner prepared in an hour, and by 9:00pm I'm still not done. This does not make me happy and Johnny wisely asks once if he can help and then scurries away when I bellow "NO." So I'm going to start making more of an effort to plan one or two easy meals each week that can be ready to go in 60 minutes or less. I have come to terms with the fact that this means I may need to rely on prepared foods sometimes. I love cooking everything from scratch, but honestly we all have days where we've pushed ourselves to the limit in the 10+ hours preceding dinner prep. Routinely adding an extra 2-3 hours to that just so you can feed your pie-hole is no fun.

Here are some ideas for quick meals and snacks that I've been loving for the past few weeks:


Beverages


Johnny is in the early stages of giving up diet soda (yay!) so we tried out an alternative last night. We mixed up some chopped mint, some peeled and diced ginger, a sliced up lemon, and a few packets of stevia with sparkling water and ice in a big pitcher. He was so in love! So much healthier than diet soda and super refreshing for a summer day. 

Snacks

Brown Rice Cakes and Nut Butter

I'm the type that gets home from work and has to have a snack before I start dinner prep. Quite often, I'll turn to chips or crackers and get carried away and before I know it I'm not even hungry for dinner anymore. My nutritionist made a great suggestion: brown rice cakes with nut butter. The portion is controlled and just one is super filling and satisfying. It has that salty/sweet taste that I love and is so easy to throw together. I am a big fan of Lundberg's Organic Lightly Salted Brown Rice Cakes and Brad's Organic Crunchy Peanut Butter (I love everything by both of these companies, actually!). You can jazz it up by topping with jam, bananas or other fruits, raisins... you get the idea.

Hummus and Crudites

Hummus is an institution in my family. For realz. We take that shiz seriously! My mom's hummus is widely regarded as the best in the world, so I'm always trying to recreate hers. It is so easy to whip up a big batch of hummus and snack on it all week or use as a spread on sandwiches and wraps. It's way cheaper than buying the not-as-tasty pre-made stuff from the store, too.

Here's the quick recipe: in a food processor, chop 2 cloves of garlic into tiny pieces (use 3 if you really like garlic!). Add two cans of drained and rinsed chickpeas, the juice of 2 lemons, 4 tbsp tahini, 1/4 cup olive oil and 1 tsp salt. Begin blending and pulsing and get things as mixed as you can. Continue blending and start adding water a few tsps at a time. Don't overdo it, but add as much water as necessary until the hummus is creamy and very well blended - about 1/2 cup. Taste and adjust as needed. You can eat it right away, but hummus is best when it's been chilled overnight and the flavors have really had a chance to mingle. Top with a drizzle of olive oil and some dried mint and serve with fresh veggies, crackers, or whole wheat pita bread. Variations on this recipe are endless - add in some kalmata olives, roasted red peppers, roasted garlic, pickled jalapenos, mushrooms, etc. Just decrease the oil and water a bit if you add any of these.

Meals

Crispy Chick'n Salad with Creamy Dijon Dressing

I came up with this super easy and simple salad one night when I really didn't feel like cooking, but I also didn't want to order take-out. I didn't want dinner to be a big production, so I sent Johnny to the store for some veggies and I broke out a pack of Gardein Seven Grain Crispy Tenders from the freezer. 20 minutes later I had an awesome vegan salad that I loved! Pretty sweet. 

To make this, prepare the Gardein tenders according to package instructions. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes, then cut into bite-sized pieces. Chop up some lettuce, tomatoes and cucumbers and divide between two bowls. Top with the Gardein strips. In a small bowl, mix together 2 tbsp Vegenaise and 1 tbsp dijon mustard with a small whisk or spoon until combined. Drizzle over your salad and enjoy!

Disclaimer: Johnny was not a fan of the dressing because he's got an aversion to Vegenaise. He's on the fence about mayo to begin with and lots of people are even more suspect of mayo made without animal products. For the record, the ingredients in Vegenaise couldn't be more normal: Non-GMO Expeller-Pressed Canola Oil, Filtered Water, Brown Rice Syrup, Apple Cider Vinegar, Non-GMO Soy Protein, Sea Salt, Mustard Flour, Lemon Juice Concentrate. I can guarantee those ingredients are WAY more appealing than what's in regular mayo! Anyway, if you're cooking this for a non-vegan who isn't into Vegenaise, just sub in some of their favorite dressing.


Soft Tacos

These crazy kids just can't stand still for a picture!

One of my friends is trying to be gluten-free, vegan and sugar-free and I'm also trying to cut down in the gluten in my life. We all got together for dinner and I put my thinkin' cap on. We had a medley of foodstuffs including a watermelon and cucumber salad and some fresh and delicious corn my friends got from a farm that morning (summer!!!). The main course was  soft tacos and they came together in a flash. 


I started with some pintos using the quick method of soaking: boil 4 cups of water, add 1/2 lb of dried pintos, cook for two minutes, then remove from heat and allow to soak for 1 hour. I then drained and rinsed the beans and added enough water to cover, then brought it all back to a boil and simmered for about 1 more hour. (That sounds like a long time, but it's mostly inactive and you can be doing other things while they cook.) I tossed those with some salt, pepper and chopped green chiles. I then cooked up some Yves Meatless Ground with a tbsp of olive oil, 1/2 chopped onion, 2 cloves chopped garlic, 1 tsp chile powder, and 1/2 tsp ground cumin until hot. This all got wrapped up in Ezekiel Sprouted Corn Tortillas, homemade guacamole, salsa and hot sauce. Nom nom nom!


What are your favorite quick and easy summer treats? 

Recipes - Lebanese Feast!

I had the urge to cook a big meal on Sunday and knew that I wanted to veganize some of my favorite Lebanese dishes from old family recipes. Lebanese food takes a considerable amount of work, but it's so worth the effort. I remember my mom, aunt, great aunts, and grandma cooking for literally DAYS prior to big holidays. They'd diligently make hundreds of afthiad (little meat pies) by hand, roll many dozen "grape rolls" (grape leaves stuffed with ground lamb, rice, tomato and garlic), and knead dough to make mahmool (cookies filled with walnuts, dates and orange blossom water) for hours at a time. The cooking itself was a social event where the booze flowed freely and the gossip and laughter could be heard for miles. If there is one type of food that gets straight to my heart, it's Lebanese food.

My menu started with my version of afthiad which are small "pies" usually stuffed with meat, pine nuts, onion and lemon juice. My version has spinach, pine nuts**, onion and lemon juice surrounded by flaky, crispy Filo dough - sort of a spanikopita without the feta. I also made Lebanese-style green beans based on a dish called lubiyeh (but I left out the lamb shoulder, obvs). I love green beans this way, they are tangy, tomato-y, tender and so good! I wanted another small side dish, so I decided to make roasted red potatoes which I've made before. This time I took some tips from a recipe by VeganYumYum and they were honestly the best potatoes I've ever made! The fresh rosemary gets a little crispy when it's roasted and it just adds to the overall crispiness of the potatoes. When eaten together, this meal is low in calories and fat, has no cholesterol (as with all vegan foods), and gives you a ton of Vitamins A and C! For added protein, fiber, and iron serve with a salad topped with chickpeas.  

Check out those potatoes... FOOD PORN!

Quick note on my dessert FAIL: I tried to make Farina Cake. As soon as I started making the filling (walnuts, sugar, and orange blossom water) I was immediately transported back to my mom's kitchen! There is something so magical about orange blossom water, it has a scent and a taste that is distinctly Spring to me. You can find it at any ethnic food market (Kalustyan's in NYC is amazing and Caravan in Tucson has it), I highly recommend getting a bottle and experimenting with it in dessert recipes. Sadly when I halved the recipe I forgot to half the baking powder and my cake was ruined! BOO. Nothing worse than a ruined cake! I am still not convinced the other measurements in the recipe I have are correct, so I am going to experiment with this one a bit more before posting it.

Johnny's reactions? He loved the afthiad even though he is not a fan of cook spinach, he actually liked it in these (I love it when I can change his mind about something, it's like a tiny victory!). He agreed that the potatoes were the best ever and was sad there weren't more. He wasn't a big fan of the green beans which is weird because I made a similar dish a few weeks back and he liked that. He has a cold so he said his taste buds might be off.

I definitely came out of this meal with a few dishes that I will make again and again!

**I interrupt this blog-entry with a word about pine nuts. Most of you know that I suffered a strange phenomena last year when I ate a bad batch of pine nuts and was afflicted with... PINE MOUTH! What in the world is PINE MOUTH you ask? It all started on a warm, August day... (cue harp music)

I had decided to make an avocado pesto that called for pine nuts, as most pestos do. I purchased a small jar of pine nuts from a gourmet store near our apartment and went to work making the pesto. The day after eating this delicious meal, I awoke to find that everything I ate tasted horribly metallic and bitter! It lasted all day and into the next day. I was horrified! Could I be dying? I felt like the world was collapsing in around me!

I did a search on the internet to see if I could unravel this mystery. I quickly discovered that others had suffered the same fate as me... PINE MOUTH! According to Wikipedia, "The Nestle Research Centre has hypothesized that a particular species of Chinese pine nuts, Pinus armandii, is the cause of the problem. The suspect species of pine nuts are smaller, duller, and more rounded than typical pine nuts. This finding has recently been confirmed. Metallic taste disturbance, known as metallogeusia, is typically reported 1–3 days after ingestion, being worse on day 2 and lasting typically up to 2 weeks. Cases are self-limited and resolve without treatment."

Damn Chinese pine nuts! I had no choice but to go on, tasting the bad end of a battery every time I ate or drank anything. After about a week it simply wore off and I went back to my regularly scheduled life. Needless to say, it gave me pause to use pine nuts in my afthiad recipe, but those little morsels just add so much to this recipe! Luckily, I was able to find some that were imported from good old Italy. I am happy to report that there was no recurrence of PINE MOUTH this time! And now on to the recipes...

Afthiad in front, green beans on the right, and potatoes in the back. Yum!

Vegan Afthiad

Serves 4

3 cups frozen chopped spinach, thawed

¼ cup pine nuts

1 tsp dried mint

Juice of ½ lemon

Salt & Pepper to taste

6 sheets thawed Filo dough

Canola or Olive Oil Spray

Preheat your over to 400 degrees. Place your spinach in a colander and squeeze it until you’ve gotten as much juice out of it as possible. Place it in a bowl. Toast your pine nuts in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until browned, being very careful not to burn them. Transfer to the bowl with the spinach and add in the mint, lemon juice, and salt & pepper. Mix.

On a counter, spread out one sheet of Filo dough. Spray it with canola or olive oil spray, then place another sheet of Filo on top. Repeat until you have three sheets stuck together with oil. Using a knife, cut the Filo into 9 equal rectangles. Spoon about 2 tbsps of spinach mixture into the middle of each rectangle. Fold into triangles by folding the bottom edge up toward the filling, then folding each top corner down diagonally toward the opposing corner. Transfer to a baking sheet that has been sprayed with canola or olive oil, then spray the tops of the afthiad.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until golden brown, flipping halfway through for even browning. Allow to cool for 5 minutes before serving.

Nutrition info per serving: Calories 149; Total fat 6.7g; Saturated fat 1.2g; Trans fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 159mg; Carbohydrate 15.6g; Dietary Fiber 2g; Sugars 0.6g; Protein 3.7g; Vitamin A 38%; Vitamin C 2%; Calcium 6%; Iron 8%

Lebanese-Style Green Beans

Serves 4

3 cups fresh green beans

1 tbsp olive oil

1 medium white or yellow onion, diced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 15oz. can diced tomatoes (or you can puree a can of whole tomatoes)

Salt & Pepper to taste

Juice of ½ lemon

Rinse the green beans and snap off the stems and ends, then snap the beans in half so they are bite-size. In a medium pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat for several minutes, then add the onion and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until translucent but not browned. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in the green beans, tomatoes, and salt and pepper. Allow to come to a boil, reduce heat to low, then cover and continue simmering for 25 minutes, or until green beans are tender. When finished cooking, add the lemon juice and stir before serving.

Nutrition info per serving: Calories 95; Total Fat 3.5g; Saturated Fat 0.5g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 0g; Sodium 56mg; Carbohydrate 15.4g; Dietary Fiber 5.6g; Sugars 7.4g; Protein 3g; Vitamin A 21%; Vitamin C 42%; Calcium 6%; Iron 7%

World's Best Roasted Potatoes

Based on this recipe from VeganYumYum

Serves 4

3 cups small, thin skinned potatoes, rinsed and scrubbed

2 tbsp olive oil

Parchment Paper

2 tbsp fresh rosemary, minced

Salt & pepper to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot with water to cover. Boil over high heat for about 25 minutes, or until a fork can easily pierce through an entire potato. Drain and set aside until cool enough to handle. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a baking sheet with a piece of parchment paper and brush it with about 1 tbsp olive oil. Spread the potatoes out on the baking sheet evenly and cut an “X” into each with a small knife. Use a potato masher or the back of a fork to gently press on each potato until it splits open. Drizzle another 1 tbsp oil over the potatoes and sprinkle with s&p and rosemary. Bake for 30 minutes or until parts of the potatoes have browned.

Nutrition info per serving: Calories 367; Total Fat 7.6g; Saturated Fat 1.1g; Trans Fat 0g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 28mg; Carbohydrate 67.8g; Dietary Fiber 6.3g; Sugars 5g; Protein 8g; Vitamin A 1%; Vitamin C 73%; Calcium 3%; Iron 14%