Salsa Verde

I love chips and salsa! I use salsa to top enchiladas, tacos, beans and rice, and the list could go on. I was planning on making tacos tonight and decided to make a tomatillo salsa to go with it. This salsa was so easy because the blender and oven did all the work.

A few things on tomatillos: A lot of people think that tomatillos are green tomatoes but they are a part of the gooseberry family. They come with husks on them that need to be removed. They also have soapy skin, so make sure to wash them well. I usually do not add any lime or lemon to tomatillo salsa because tomatillos are naturally tangy. 

The Players:

• 3-4 medium sized tomatillos, husked and rinsed
• 1/4 of a medium red onion, unpeeled 
• 2 garlic cloves unpeeled
• 1/4-1/2 a jalapeno, whole (depending on what spice level you like)
• Salt to taste
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• Handful of chopped cilantro

The Game Plan:

Set the oven to broil. Place the first 4 ingredients on a baking sheet and coat them with the olive oil. Then season them with salt. Place the baking sheet in the oven. Allow the ingredients to become charred. Then remove the baking tray and let the ingredients cool for a few minutes. Once you can handle the heat, take the garlic and onion and remove the peel. Place all the ingredients, including the cilantro into the blender and blend until there is a smooth consistency. Season the salsa with salt to your liking. Place in the refridgerator for a few hours or until it is chilled. Enjoy!

"Sushi" Bowls

One of our favorite sushi places in college was a place called Rolls and Bowls. It was such a cool concept because you could either build your own sushi bowl or sushi roll with whatever meat/fish, veggies, and/or sauce you wanted. I used to eat here almost once a week and pretty much always got the sushi bowls because they were a lot more filling. I missed this place so much when moving away that it inspired me to create my own version of it so I could enjoy it whenever I wanted!

I love this recipe because it is so much easier than actually making sushi rolls and you can put as many toppings as you want without having to worry about it all fitting into a roll. Also, you can easily make this non-vegetarian by substituting the tofu for meat or you can make it both ways without having to make two different dishes!

Feeds 2-3 fans

The Players:

Sushi rice

• 1 cup of sushi rice*
• 2 cups of water
• 1.5 tsp rice vinegar
• 1 tsp of sugar
• Pinch or two of salt (optional)

Marinade and extra sauce

• 6 tbs of soy sauce
• 6 tbs mushroom oyster sauce
• 1.5 tsp of chili oil
• 3 tsp of siracha
• 3 tbs schezwan sauce
• 1 garlic clove grated 
• 1 tsp grated ginger 
• 1 tbs vegetable oil for stir fry

Spicy mayo

• 3 tbs mayo
• 1/2 tbs siracha
• 1/4 tsp sesame oil

The toppings

• 1/2 a medium cucumber sliced into thin sticks
• 1 large carrot sliced into sticks
• 1 scallion sliced 
• 1 avocado cut into pieces
• 8 shiitake mushrooms de-stemmed and sliced
• 1/2 a small yellow or white onion diced
• 3 eggs scrambled (optional)
• 14 oz of firm or extra firm tofu drained and cut into small squares**
• Black sesame seeds to sprinkle on top (optional)

Chicken sushi bowl

The Game Plan:

Mix the first 5 ingredients of the marinade up in a medium bowl and place half of it in a large bowl. Add the ginger and garlic to the large bowl and whisk to combine. Add the tofu and combine gently without crumbling the tofu. Set aside. Then combine all the ingredients for the spicy mayo in a small bowl and place it in the refrigerator.

Tofu sushi bowl

Place the sushi rice and water in a medium sized pot and place it on medium hi heat and bring it to a boil. Once it is boiling bring the temperature down to medium low and let it simmer until the water evaporates. Do  not stir the rice until the end! Once the rice is done, check to make sure it is cooked through. If it is not, you can always add more water if needed. When the rice is done, fold in the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt with a wooden spoon. Do not over mix and cause the rice to become mushy and do not use a metal spoon to mix the rice because it will change the flavor of the rice.

While the rice is cooking, place 1 tbs of vegetable oil in a wok on medium heat and place marinated tofu in there. Let cook for about 5 mins. Stir and try flipping the tofu over so it cooks on both sides. Add the diced onions and cook for another 5 mins. Add the shiitake mushrooms and cook for another 5 minutes stirring occasionally. If the mixture looks dry you can add more of the extra sauce you set aside.

Now you are ready to assemble your bowl. Place rice in the bowl first, then tofu mixture and then toppings. Top with spicy mayo and any additional sauce you desire. I usually make sure I have extra of the marinade so I can top it with that.

* To make this healthier you can make it with brown rice or quinoa. However when I do make it this way, I omit the rice vinegar and sugar.

**You can use any type of protein you like. I have used chicken before in place of the tofu and it was super yummy.

Miso Glazed Tempeh Lettuce Wraps

I was inspired to make these when I bought tempeh and was not exactly sure what make with it. I quickly did a google search and found a tempeh tortilla wrap recipe on http://kblog.lunchboxbunch.com. It sounded delicious but I wanted to make it even lighter and fresher. So I decided to slightly change the recipe and the result was a refreshing and healthy lettuce wrap that did not disappoint!

Makes 8 wraps

The Players:

Miso dressing ingredients

• 3 tbs miso paste
• 3 tbs apple cider vinegar
• 1 tbs agave
• Crushed black pepper to taste
• 1 tbs of olive oil
• 1 tbs of tahini paste

Wrap ingredients

• 8 large lettuce leaves washed and dried
• 8 oz of tempeh cut up into thin slices or pieces
• 1/4 of a large red onion sliced thinly
• 4 kale leaves sliced thinly
• 1 large tomato sliced
• 1 avocado sliced
• 1 tps of olive oil
• Other veggies if desired*

The Game Plan:

Mix all the miso dressing ingredients up in a mason jar or in a bowl. Place the tempeh pieces in the marinade and coat evenly. Heat a large pan with olive oil on medium low heat. Place tempeh pieces in the pan and let cook for about 5 minutes flipping a few times. It is done when it is slightly browned. Set aside.

To assemble the wrap, take a lettuce leaves and evenly distribute the veggies and tempeh into each. Do not overfill, otherwise the wrap will fall apart. Roll the lettuce up and enjoy!

* There are plenty of other vegetables you can add or use instead like carrots, cucumbers, sprouts, etc. 

Veggie Shepherd's Pie

My family lived in London for several years before I was born and shepherd's pie was a favorite of theirs. As a kid my sister and mom would make it for dinner often and it was delicious. I have created my own meatless version of it so both my husband and I can enjoy it.  I also like to think this is "healthier" than the original version because it has a ton of veggies in it including kale! Perfect comfort food for a cold and rainy day!

The Players:

• 2 cups of water
• 1.5 tsp of mushroom better than bouillon
• 4-5 golden potatoes peeled and cubed in large pieces
• 6 chives chopped small
• 3 portabella mushroom caps, cubed, stems removed
• 1 rosemary sprig with stem removed, and leaved chopped small
• 5 thyme sprigs with stems removed
• 1 carrot diced
• 1 celery stalk diced
• 3 cups of chopped kale
• 2 tbs of flour
• 1.5 tbs of butter
• 1/4 cup of low fat sour cream
• 3 tbs of milk
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 1 cup of sharp cheddar cheese grated
• 1/2 tsp of nutmeg
• 4 garlic cloves minced
• 1 medium onion diced
• 1 tsp of extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbs of vegetarian Worcestershire sauce

The Game Plan:

Mashed potato topping:

Fill a large pot with water and place it on high heat. Place potatoes in the water with a few pinches of salt. Bring to a boil and let boil for about 10 minutes. Check to see if potatoes are cooked through. Drain the water and place the potatoes in a medium sized bowl. Smash them up until only slightly chunky. Add sour cream, milk, and chives. Add salt and pepper to taste. Mix up until it is smooth.

The "meat" and veggies part of it:

Place a large pan on medium heat and add olive oil. Add mushroom and rosemary leaves to the pan and let cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Add carrots, onions, and celery to the pan and let cook for another 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic, kale, thyme, and nutmeg and let cook until kale is wilted, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile mix mushroom better than bouillon into the water and mix. Add bouillon and Worcestershire sauce and mix together. Bring to a simmer and let cook for about 10 minutes. In a small pot add butter and let it melt completely. Add flour while constantly stirring. Let the flour and butter mixture cook for about a minute or until color has deepened to a light sandy color. Add butter and flour mixture to the vegetable mixture while stirring until mixed well. Let the entire mixture cook for about 8 minutes or until it is slightly thickened.

Place the "meat" mixture into an oven safe bowl/pan and then place the mashed potato mixture on top. Then top it with sharp cheddar cheese. Place under broiler for a few minutes until the top is slightly browned. Enjoy!

Roasted Parsnips and Carrots

I love roasting vegetables because it is so easy and the oven pretty much does all the work. I decided to use a combination of parsnips and multi-colored (purple, orange, and white) carrots with a few different fresh herbs. I made this recipe last night to compliment our dinner and it was not only delicious but very pretty due to the variety of colors.

Quick note on parsnips: Parsnips are root vegetables that are very similar to carrots but they are a little sweeter in flavor. You will usually see them at the grocery store more often during the cooler months.

Serves 2 fans 

The Players:

• 3 Carrots sliced length wise about one inch thick
• 2 Parsnips sliced length wise about one inch thick
• 4 Tbs parsley chopped coarsely 
• 1 Tsp thyme leaves, stems removed
• 2 Tsp rosemary leaves chopped,stems removed 
• 1 Tbs extra virgin olive oil
• A few pinches of salt
• A few pinches of pepper

The Game Plan:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Place the carrots and the parsnips on a baking tray. Cover with olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss evenly to coat. Make sure the vegetables are spread apart and not too crowded. Then place in the oven once it has preheated. Let the vegetables roast for about 20 minutes. Take the tray out and turn the vegetables and then sprinkle the herbs on them. Place in the oven for about another 10-15 minutes or until slightly browned and crispy at the edges. Enjoy!

Chilaquiles

Happy New Year!

I know I have not blogged in months but the end of the year always gets so busy! Most of the recipes from now on will probably only have the final picture with the recipe to make it easier for me. Taking pictures with each step really increases the time it takes me to cook and blog. I am hoping this will allow me to post more often :) So here is my first recipe with only the final picture.

Chilaquiles is typically made to use up leftovers and that is why it was perfect for me to make yesterday. Plus my husband loves chips and salsa and this is pretty similar considering it has a spicy sauce and crunchy tortillas chips. And the best part is that it is a nice warm dish to enjoy on a cold day like yesterday.

Serves 4 fans

The Players:

Tortilla Chips

• 4 tortillas
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt
• Taco Seasoning

Sauce

• 1 can of whole peeled plum tomatoes 
• 3-4 chipotle peppers 
• 1 large onion diced
• 5 garlic cloves minced
• 1 cup of soy chorizo
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro plus more for garnish
• Salt 

• 4-8 Eggs
• 3 green onion sprigs
• Cotija cheese

The Game Plan:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cut tortillas up into triangles. Place them on a baking pan and spread out evenly. Spray them with olive oil using something like a Misto. Then sprinkle some taco seasoning on the tortillas. Turn all of them over and repeat. Once oven is preheated, place the baking tray in the oven for about 10-12 minutes or until crispy.

*If you do not have an olive oil sprayer before cutting the tortillas up, brush them with olive oil on both sides and then cut them up into triangles. 

Place the whole can of tomatoes in a blender along with the chiptole peppers. Blend it together until it is a smooth sauce. Then taste it to see if you want more spice, if so add more chiptole peppers and re-blend. Taste again and add salt as needed.

Heat a large pan or pot to medium heat. Place all onions and let saute for about 10 minutes or until slightly browned. Then add garlic and let cook for another 2 minutes while stirring so the garlic does not burn. Place all sauce into a pan and also add chorizo. Let it all simmer while stirring occasionally until thickened. About 10 minutes. Add cilantro to the mixture. Taste to make sure it is all to your liking if not re-season. 

Make the eggs as you wish. We had them over easy and it was delish.

To assemble, place sauce in a bowl, place egg on top. Top with cotija cheese, cilantro, and green onions. Then place the tortillas on top. Smash the tortillas in the sauce and enjoy! 

*Another great addition would have been avocado, however we did not have any in the house :(

Basil Walnut Pesto

Pesto is one of the yummiest sauces ever! I love that it is so versatile and adds such a wonderful and fresh flavor to dishes. I use it to top pasta, eggs, crostinis, and much more. It is commonly made with pignolias (pine nuts) but I like to use what I have on hand, so I usually make mine with walnuts.

Most of the time I make a whole batch and if I am not going to use all of it for a few weeks I freeze it. When storing pesto in the refrigerator or freezer it is important to store it in an airtight container and cover it with olive oil so it does not oxidize. A great trick I have learned from Giada (food network chef) is to reserve starchy pasta water and mix in a little with the pesto when eating with pasta. This way you can use less olive oil to get it to the consistency you like.

The players:

• 1/2 cup walnuts
• 1/3 cup parm blocks =1/2 cup grated*
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Pepper to taste
• 5 cups basil
• 1/3 cup olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic

Place the walnuts and garlic in the food processor and pulse until it is coursley chopped.

Place the basil, salt, and pepper in and start adding oil and pulse.

Add all the oil and pulse until it is all pureed. If it needs more oil because it is not pureeing, add more. Add cheese and blend until incorporated. Taste it to make sure it is to your taste for salt and pepper. Enjoy!

 

* I use my food processor to grate the cheese to make it easier. Most food processors have a blade that will grate cheese. But if you don't have one or cannot find it like me, cut it up into small inch block, place it in the food processor and pulse until it is finely crumbled.

Red Pepper Sauce Huevos Rancheros

I was having friends over for brunch and was trying to figure out what to make. I knew that they liked Mexican and liked a good kick, so I decided to make heuvos rancheros. I have made huevos rancheros many times, but each time I have made it, it is a little different. Now, there is obviously faster versions of making this recipe but I felt like making it extra special by making the sauce from scratch. So warning, this recipe is not a super quick one and I would make it when you have a little more time. If you make the sauce ahead of time, this will be super easy to make.

This sauce recipe is my favorite! I originally used it for my enchiladas but now when I have left overs use it in my huevos rancheros also! It is so good and worth taking the time to make it. I usually use two types of dried peppers and ancho chilies are always one of the two. The other pepper, I have changed up quite a few times. When I make the sauce, I make a whole batch so I can freeze it and have it on hand. The sauce recipe below will make a ton of sauce, so just remember to make less if you don't want a ton of left overs.

Serves 4 fans

The Players:

• 8 corn tortillas (if you prefer flour you can use those also)
• Garlic infused canola oil*
• 1 Avocado diced
• Approx. 1/2 cup grated cotija Cheese
• 8 eggs
• Garnish: green onions and cilantro
• 1 15 oz can of black beans
• 1 package of veggie chorizo
• 1 tsp of taco seasoning
• 1/2 tsp of cumin

Red Chili Sauce:

• 3 oz. of California Chilies
• 8 oz. of Ancho Chilies
• 4 cups of vegetable broth
• 5-6 garlic cloves
• Handful of cilantro
• 2 tsp of ground cumin
• 1/2 cups of adobo chiptole sauce and 2-3 chiptole chilies with some sauce that it comes in
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 cups of water

The Game Plan:

For the sauce:

Add broth to a medium to large pot. Place all the dried chili's in the broth and let soak for 10 minutes.

Then place the pot on the stove and heat it on medium low for 10 more minutes. 

 Place all ingredients into blender and blend till you get a nice sauce. Taste to see if you need more adobe sauce and/or chiptole chili's. 

Everyone's spice level is different. Recheck and add more salt if needed. If sauce is too thick, add more stock or water to make a smoother sauce.

For the tortillas:

Preheat oven to  400 degrees. Take the corn tortillas and brush them with the oil and place them on a baking sheet. 

Once oven is preheated, place in the oven. They don't take very long so keep an eye on them. About 6-8 minutes. Every oven is different but you are looking for the tortillas to be slightly golden and crispy.

For the beans and "meat":

Heat a medium sauce pan to medium heat and add 1 tsp of olive oil and then add chorizo. Cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add black beans, cumin, and seasoning. Once the bean mixture is heated through, adjust seasonings to your taste.

For the eggs:

Make them to your liking: Scrambled, fried, poached.

Now all you do is place the tortilla on a plate with the bean mixture on top, sauce, then the egg with some more sauce on that. Add the avocado, cotija cheese and garnish with green onions and cilantro!

Enjoy!

* I had made garlic infused oil but you do not need to use this at all. You can use olive oil or canola oil and it will still taste delish!

Banana Nut Bread

My mom's best friend makes the best banana bread and it always satisfies my sweet craving. When my husband and I first started dating, he would request it frequently. I never had a problem with making it because it was super easy to make and it always turned out great!

I decided to make it today because tomorrow is our physical therapy student's last day at work. I figured it would be a nice treat and a thank you for her hard work. Also, if you are ever looking for a reason to use up ripe bananas this is a great way. When I do not eat my bananas on time and they are super ripe, I stick them in the freezer and save them for making this recipe.

I did make some adjustments from the original recipe to make it perfect for my taste. I halved the amount of sugar from the original recipe, added cinnamon, increased the amount of vanilla, and occasionally add chocolate for fun! I hope you enjoy this delicious and moist banana nut bread as much as we do!

Yields: One loaf

The Players:

• 3/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup sugar (if you want the bread sweeter you can add more sugar)
• 1 overflowing tsp of vanilla
• 1 tsp of cinnamon
• 2 cups of self rising flour
• 4 smashed very ripe bananas (if using frozen bananas, make sure they are fully thawed)
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 4 tbs buttermilk or 4 tbs of the watery part of yogurt
• 3/4 cup walnuts
• 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (optional)

The Game Plan:

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Using a mixer, mix up the oil, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.

Note the color of the egg on the right side. Now that is farm fresh!

Once mixed well add the rest of the ingredients and mix all up until smooth. Do not over mix! 

Place in a greased loaf pan (8 1/2" x 4 1/2" x 2 3/4" high). Also, if for some reason this makes more batter than what you loaf pan will hold, do not fill it all the way to the top. You need to leave room at least an inch of room at the top. Otherwise, it will overflow and leave you with a mess! Either toss the extra batter or use it to make mini banana breads or muffins.

Place in oven for one hour and 15 minutes. Poke with a tooth pick in the middle to make sure it is cooked all the way through. Every oven is slightly different, so check on your banana bread after 50 minutes frequently to make sure it does not over bake. Once done, take the banana bread out and let cool completely before taking out of the pan. Enjoy!

Lentil Soup

I went to the farmers market while my husband was out golfing. This of course led to me coming back with a ton of stuff that I probably did not need.  Since I had a bunch of veggies to use up, I decided to make a lentil soup. I figured most veggies would be good with lentils and soup is perfect when you don’t have a lot of time. This soup ended up being so easy to make. It took me an hour but more than half of the time was inactive cooking time.  I hope you enjoy this simple and healthy recipe!

Feeds 4-6 fans

The Players:

1 cup of lentils rinsed

1 tbs olive oil

4 medium to large green onion bulbs (white part) diced (Can substitute 1 cup of diced yellow onion)

1 green onion (green part) sliced

4 garlic cloves minced

2 carrots peeled and chopped

3 stalks of celery chopped

3-5 leaves of kale de-stemmed and chopped

1 plum tomato diced

1/2 to 1 tsp fresh minced jalapeño*

3-5 sprigs of fresh or dried thyme

4 cups vegetable stock

2 cups water

¾ tsp cumin

¾ tsp coriander

¼ tsp salt

Pepper to taste

About 1 tbs better than bouillon or to taste

The Game Plan:
 

Heat a dutch oven or large pot on medium heat with olive oil in it. Add all the vegetables but the green parts of the green onion and the tomato. 

Let the veggies cook while stirring occasionally for about 8 minutes or until softened. Season the vegetables with salt, pepper, thyme, cumin, and coriander.  

 

Add jalapeño, broth, water, tomato, green parts of green onion, and lentils.  
 

Place heat to medium high and bring to a boil. Once the soup is boiling give it a stir and bring the temperature down to medium low.
 

Cover and let simmer for 45 minutes or until the lentils are cooked through. Now that everything is cooked through, add the better than bouillon a little at a time while tasting the soup because it can get very salty.
 

 

 Re-adjust any other seasonings if needed. Enjoy!

 

Roasted red pepper pizza sauce

Since we love pizza so much, we have been grilling it a lot this spring. My favorite type of pizza is margarita but I thought it would be fun to change it around a bit. Since every topping is pretty basic, but so good I decided to keep the toppings the same but change the sauce around! Roasted red pepper seemed like it would be a flavorful addition and OMG it was awesome! As I have said in a previous post, this will make your pizza taste so much better than the jarred stuff! Hope you enjoy it as much as we did.

Tops about 1 pizza dough worth or two small to medium pizzas


The Players:

• 1 roasted red pepper (estimate about one from the jar or you could roast you own!)
• 2-3 cloves garlic minced
• 1 tsp of olive oil
• 2 tomatoes
• A little less than 1/4 tsp salt (this is to flavor the sauce)
• Pepper to taste

The Game Plan:

Set a pot of water to boil with some salt. Once the water is boiling, add the tomatoes in for about 3-4 minutes or until the skin starts to blister. Drain water and set the tomatoes aside to cool.

Meanwhile place a pot on medium heat with olive oil. Place garlic inside and let cook for a few minutes until it is fragrant.

Peel the tomato skin off and discard.

Break the tomatoes apart and try to remove some seeds and veins. Then place them into the food processor with the garlic and roasted red pepper. Blend until smooth and season with salt and pepper (once the sauce boils, it will become a lot saltier, so do not over salt the sauce, you can always season it more later if you need to). The sauce will be very watery and smooth.

Place the sauce into a pot and place it on medium low heat.

Let the water boil off about 10-12 minutes. It is ready once it is thick and not watery.