Pumpkin Feast - aka Pumpkin Pancakes and Pumpkin Spice Latte

I'm sort of kicking butt with posts today.  In honor of the start of fall (and non-100 degree weather!), I decided to incorporate pumpkin into my food today.  I started off with some pumpkin chocolate chip pancakes and also decided to attempt a mock of starbuck's pumpkin spice latte.  The latte was alright, not starbucks quality at all, but worth a shot.  Pancakes were perfect even with using just a bisquick base.

Pumpkin Pancakes

• 1 cup bisquick pancake mix
• 3/4 cup cold water
• 1/3 cup canned pumpkin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/4-1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
• Nonstick cooking spray

Butter and Syrup if you like that on your cakes normally.

Combine all ingredients - batter might be a little thin.  Cook like regular pancakes.

Pumpkin Spice Latte

• 1 Tablespoon Pumpkin Puree
• 1 cup Rice Milk
• 1 teaspoon stevia
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups strong coffee
• more sweetener as necessary

Combine rice milk, pumpkin puree, stevia, and spices.  Heat in a small sauce pan over low heat until milk is frothy.  Remove from heat.

Pour 1/2 of pumpkin mixture into your coffee mug.  Heat for 30 seconds in microwave if it has cooled down too much.  Add 1 cup of strong coffee.  Stir.  Top off with a touch more pumpkin base and sprinkle with some nutmeg.  If you like whip cream you can go for that too.

Burgers Al Pastor with Cilantro Fries

I definitely made these last weekend with the intention of posting them, but then time got away from me.  The burger was pretty delicious, but I think I'd like to add some more toppings next time.  Cilantro fries were pretty much the best fries I've ever had, of course I used some extra garlic so they might better be called cilantro-garlic fries.

Burgers Al Pastor

• 3 dried guajillo chiles, stemmed, seeded, and soaked (you can sub other dried chiles if necessary)
• 1 teaspoon dried majoram
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 clove garlic peeled
• 1/4 white onion, chopped
• 1/4 cup of pineapple juice (sweetened)
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/8 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 pound lean ground beef (pork would be more traditional)
• 1/2 inch pineapple slices (fresh is best, canned is okay)
• 4 hamburger buns
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves
• mayonaise
• sliced onion

Drain the soaked chiles and put them in a blender with the majoram, oregano, garlic, onion, and pineapple juice and puree until smooth.  Add the salt and pepper, mixing to combine.

Put the meat into a large bowl and pour the marinade on top.  Mix well using a fork.  Cover with plastic wrap and put in fridge for 30 minutes.

Heat a grill pan over medium high heat.  Divide meat into 4 equal portions and shape into 1/2 inch thick patties.

Oil the grill pan and work in batches until cooked through (6 to 8 minutes per side).  Set aside and grill pineapple slices (about 2 minutes each side).

Toast hamburger buns and spread mayonaise on them.  Use onion and cilantro leaves to top the burger.

Cilantro Fries

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 1 bunch cilantro
• 2 cloves garlic
• 1 bag frozen potato wedges (preferably organic)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450.  Grease a baking sheet with nonstick spray.

In a food processor combine garlic, cilantro, salt, and oil.  Stir in frozen fries coating evenly.  Spread the fries across the prepared baking sheet and bake for 20-25 minutes, flipping the potatoes half way through.  Enjoy!

recipes courtesy of marcela valladolid

So Good Vegan Blueberry Muffins

My friend Sondra sent me this delicious and easy blueberry muffin recipe from her mom's kitchen.  I'm not normally a muffin person, but I received a package of fresh blueberries in the produce box that was delivered to my house this week - so why not?  These are great muffins - with the perfect amount of sweetness (ie not too cakey).  Plus with whole grain flour, these are probably about as healthy as blueberry muffins get.

Makes 8 regular sized muffins

1 and 1/2 Cups whole grain flour
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup rice milk or soy milk (I prefer rice milk)
1/4 cup canola oil
1 small carton fresh blueberries

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Sift dry ingredients together in a bowl.  Add milk and oil and mix by hand until all incorporated.  Coat blueberries in a little flour before you add them to the mixture.  Drop by 1/4 cup scoops into a greased muffin pan.  Bake for 20-25 minutes.

Enjoy :)

Kale with Roasted Tomatoes and Peppers

My family gets this box of delicious local produce delivered to our doorstop every other week.  While you can check to see what comes in the box, its kind of fun to let it be a surprise and try out what ever arrives.  The produce usually comes with a few delectable recipes that feature that week's selection in the ingredients.

I obviously love Kale and roasting it with balsamic vinegar makes it doubly fantastic.  Its true that roasting during the summer can be a pain, but this is worth the extra sweat.

Serves 2

1/2 cup padron peppers
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 head kale, washed, stems removed and cut in 1 inch slices cross wise
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon pepper, divided
1 teaspoon Balsamic vinegar

Preheat oven to 425.  Remove stems and seed from the peppers.  Place peppers, cherry tomatoes, and kale in 3 individual bowls.  Toss each with 1/3 of the oil, salt, and pepper.

Place peppers on a rimmed baking sheet and cook for 5 minutes.  Add tomatoes and roast another 10 minutes.  Add kale last and roast until just wilted, about 2-4 minutes.

Remove from oven toss together with Balsamic vinegar and serve.

Money Penny Pasta

Things are just starting to get busy so I don't know how much I'll be cooking and blogging during the semester.  This pasta is my quick go to meal - especially using frozen veggies so I don't have to do much chopping :)

Serves 4
2 heaping tablespoons of pesto sauce
8 oz. or 1/2 a box Mini Penne Pasta
1/2 onion chopped
1/2 cup julienned sun dried tomatoes with oil
1 package frozen spinach defrosted and drained
1 cup frozen peas
Salt and pepper to taste

Prepare pasta in salted boiled water and set aside.  Cook onion over medium high heat using oil from sun dried tomatoes to sauté.   When onions are translucent add frozen spinach, frozen peas and sun dried tomatoes, sprinkling with salt and pepper.  Stir in pesto and pasta heating just long enough to help the pesto combine into dish easily.

Spicy Veggie Wrap

I was watching a travel show on food network a while ago and saw a chef make a "frankie roll."  Apparently this is a super popular street food in India.  Now I have pretty much no experience with Indian food aside from eating it, so I sort of stumbled around the internet looking for recipes.  I then stumbled through a variety of grocery stores (safeway, trader joes, etc.) and attempted to find the spices the recipes called for.

Any who I got lucky at Whole Foods and proceeded to attempt a simple veggie roll.  Next time I try making Indian food I'm going to try and watch some videos first.

2 medium potatoes peeled, chopped into bite size pieces, and boiled
1 yellow bell pepper
1 large onion chopped (I used a red onion for color)
1 carrot chopped
1/2 a cup of frozen peas
1 small can chopped green chiles
2 cloves garlic smashed
1/2 a teaspoon of red chili powder
1/2 a teaspoon ground corriander
1/2 a teaspoon mustard seeds
2 teaspoons Chaat Masala
Salt to taste
1 Tablespoon canola oil

Prepare the veggies and set aside.  In a pan heat oil.  Add mustard seeds, onions,  and green chiles - cook until onion is translucent.  Add all other vegetables, garlic, and spices cooking until tender. Salt to taste.  Set aside.

Wrap veggies in whole grain tortillas or for authenticity use a Roti.  Serve with chutney :)

Italian Savory Muffins

I'm not a huge fan of sweet in the morning.  Even though I'm a pancake kid, I always hold the syrup.  When I saw a friend post a recipe for savory breakfast muffins I thought I ought to give it a go.  I found a bunch of recipes, mushed them together and stirred in some italian flavor.  It turned out molto bene :)

1.5 Tablespoons olive oil

1/2 onion minced small

2 cloves garlic smashed

1 Cup all purpose flour

1 Cup whole wheat flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

1 Tablespoon parsley

2 eggs

1 Cup milk

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 Cup pancetta browned and chopped into small bits

1/2 Cup asiago cheese

1/2 Cup shredded mozzarella 

Shredded parmesan sprinkled on top

Preheat oven to 375 and lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

Sautee onions and garlic in olive oil until soft.

In a bowl combine flours, baking powder, salt, pepper, cayenne, and parsley.  

In another bowl combine eggs, milk, and dijon mustard.  Add the pancetta and cheeses to this bowl.

Stir wet mixture into dry mixture until combined.  Spoon batter into prepared muffin pan and sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Bake for 25-30 minutes.  I also like to melt a bit of butter with some crushed garlic to brush on top of the muffins when they are done baking.

Banana Cherry Bread with Honeydew Salad

I usually freeze my bananas to avoid them getting to sweet and mushy, but sometimes nothing hits the belly like a slice of warm banana bread.  So this morning when I was faced with the pitiable bland breakfast options in my kitchen I spied 3 browning bananas on the counter - twas fated.

Banana Cherry Bread

• 1/2 cup plus 2 Tablespoons granulated sugar (could sub stevia here)
• 1/3 cup salted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup plain greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons lemon juice
• 3 large very ripe bananas, mashed
• 2 tablespoons lemon zest
• 1 cup all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup chopped walnuts
• 1 medium carrot grated
• 1/4 cup dried cherries

Heat oven to 350.  Coat a 9X13 loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Mix sugar and butter and cream until lightly fluffy.  Add the eggs one at a time.  Add the yogurt, lemon juice, bananas, and lemon zest and beat well.  Sift the flours and baking soda into a large bowl.  Add the dry ingredients to the banana mixture.  Stir in the walnuts, carrots, and dried cherries.



Pour batter into pan and bake for 55 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.  Cool for at least 5 minutes in the pan before putting on a rack to cool more.




Honeydew salad

• 1 honeydew melon chopped
• 1 Tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 Tablespoon chopped fresh mint

Mix.  Eat!

This post is dog approved - her little nose is always poking around the counter when the banana bread is cooling :)

Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

Quinoa is one of the ancient grains that people are super into at the moment (along with millet, spelt, etc).  Quinoa, in my humble opinion is the best one, especially for veggie dishes since its protein packed.  I use it in salads, burgers, and pretty much in anyway you can use brown rice.

My mom came across a recipe for quinoa stuffed tomatoes a while back and decided to modify it and use peppers instead.  These stuffed peppers are delicious and are great as left overs to take for lunch the next day.  I prefer having yellow or orange peppers, but any color will do :)

6 large mixed colored bell peppers (tops cut off at 1/2 inch from top - scrape out insides of bell pepper leaving just the shell, drain over paper towels)
2 Tablespoons olive oil
2-3 shallots finely chopped
2 large cloves of garlic minced or pressed
1 cup of frozen corn kernels
1 cup of quarter inch sliced asparagus
1/2 cup of fresh tomato sauce (you can use some of the the recipe posted earlier)
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
1/2 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of black pepper
1/4 cup of chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup of quinoa (cooked in 1 cup of water for 10 minutes simmering)

Preheat oven to 350.

Heat olive oil over medium high heat in a medium sized skillet and sautee the shallots and garlic for a minute.  Add corn and asparagus and cook for another two minutes.  Add the tomato sauce, curry, salt and pepper.  Continue to stir and cook until liquid has almost evaporated.  Stir in quinoa and basil and remove from heat to cool a little bit.

Sprinkle the insides of bell peppers lightly with salt and pepper.  Then stuff bell peppers with quinoa mixture and cover with the tops.

Put stuffed bell peppers on oil coated baking sheet and bake until they soften (about 25 minutes).

If the bell peppers have trouble standing up you can cut them in half and stuff them like boats instead.

Vegan Coconut Brownies

I found a vegan recipe for mint brownies a few weeks back and it talked about how awesome it is to safely take tastes of the batter (oh the joy of brownie batter).  I thought I'd switch out the mint and make a coconut version this last weekend.  I think I might try adding in some almonds next time and then these can kind of be like almond joy brownies.  Regardless they smell and taste amazing!

2 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup canola oil
1 and 1/2 teaspoons coconut extract
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup carob chips
1/2 cup shredded coconut

Preheat the oven to 350.  Grease a 13X9 baking pan.

Mix dry ingredients in a large bowl.  Add the oil, coconut extract, ad vanilla extract and mix until smooth.  Add carob chips and shredded coconut.

Pour batter into the pan and bake for 25-30 minutes.  Cool and then cut into squares to serve.

Black Bean Salsa

A synthesis of my favorite flavors and using my favorite bean - my family used to make (and continues to make) this for bbqs and parties during the summer time.  I like having it as a meal with multigrain tortilla chips or brown rice.  It lasts a good amount of time in the fridge too, so having left overs isn't so bad.

2 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 large tomatoes, chopped
1/2 a bag frozen corn (or rinsed and drained canned corn)
1 green bell pepper, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
4 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 Tablespoon olive oil
salt
pepper

Toss.  Stir.  Shake. What ever verb works for you.  You can add diced jalapenos if you want to up the heat.

Fried Green Tomato BLTs

So this my second recipe from the excellent Sheryl Crow & Chuck White cookbook I checked out from the library.  My mom is a big fan of BLTs and so I was automatically obliged to try this recipe out.  Unfortunately I had great difficulty finding green tomatoes - eventually a produce guy at whole foods recommended subbing tomatillos (even though they are a totally different fruit).

The recipe turned out pretty delicious even with the tomatillos - though the sandwiches were definitely appetizer sized.  I also used the extra batter to fry up some red onion rings too.  

• 8 slices pancetta, thick cut, nitrate-free turkey bacon or Smart Bacon
• 2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• salt
• black pepper
• 4 eggs
• 3 tablespoons milk
• 1 and 1/2 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup cornmeal
• 8 1/4-inch thick green tomato slices
• canola oil
• arugula or baby spinach

Sauce

• teaspoon dijon mustard
• Tablespoon mayonnaise
• 2 teaspoon lemon juice
• 1 clove garlic smashed

Preheat oven to 375.  Lay bacon slice on a sheet and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until crispy.  drain on paper towels and set aside.

In a small bowl season the all purpose flour lightly with salt and pepper.  In another small bowl, whisk the eggs with the milk.  In a third bowl whisk the whole wheat flour and cornmeal and season with salt and pepper.

Toss the green tomato slices one at a time in the flour to coat on both sides, then in the egg, then in the cornmeal mixture.  Gently transfer tomato slices to a shallow pan lines with foil or parchment paper - not letting tomatoes touch.

Heat canola oil in a deep skillet over medium heat - oil should be 1/4 to 1/2 inch deep.  When the oil is hot enough fry the tomato slices 1 or 2 at a time.  Cook 1 to 2 minutes on each side.

Transfer tomatoes to a paper towel lined platter and season with salt and pepper.  

Mix dijon mustard, mayonnaise, lemon juice, and garlic.  

To assemble sandwiches - spread the sauce on a fried green tomato and then top with a slice of bacon.  Then put a small handful of greens on top of the bacon.  Spread sauce on another green tomato and use this as the top of the sandwich.  Take a bite - but be warned, these little guys are juicy!

This recipe is from "If it makes you healthy" by Sheryl Crow and Chuck White

Veggie Summer Rolls with Mango Salad

I first started eating summer rolls at a vietnamese place about a mile from my house in Australia.  Since then I haven't eaten a spring roll - why fry up something that is already so fresh and delicious? I decided to try making a simple summer roll at home after my friend brought some to a bbq I was at last week.

My search for a recipe led me to a lovely food blog that suggested serving summer rolls with a mango salad ( the mint in this it reminds me a ton of mango mojitos - another summertime favorite).  I made my peanut sauce posted earlier, omitting the water to increase thickness of the sauce.  I also made the agave-lime sauce posted with the summer roll recipe.  Aside from chopping up the veggies this meal was a piece of cake to make + super satisfying

Summer Rolls

• Rice Paper at least medium sized (available at asian markets or in asian food section at grocery stores)
• 1 carrot jullienned 
• 1 red bellpepper jullienned
• 1/2 a cucumber jullienned
• 1/2 a zucchini jullienned
• fresh baby spinach

Soak rice paper in warm water for 10-15 seconds.  Lay out over a wet towel and lay a handful of veggies to the bottom of the rice paper.  Roll rice paper half way up, folding sides in, and then continue to roll up (like a burrito).  Set on a wet towel and cover with a wet towel towards serving.

*Traditional summer rolls also usually include fresh herbs like mint, basil, or cilantro.  I didn't add them this time, but if you have some around toss them in.

Agave-Lime Sauce

• 1/4 cup lime juice
• 1/4 cup agave nectar
• 1/8-1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes (depends how hot you like it)
• 2 Tablespoons fresh mint chopped

Blend all ingredients.

Mango Salad

• 2 cups Mango (I used frozen)
• 2 cups Pineapple (I used fresh)
• 1/2 cup coconut flakes - sweetened
• 1/4 cup mint chopped
• Greek Honey-Vanilla Yogurt (or soy version of this)

Mix up fruit and mint.  Drizzle with yogurt.  yum.

Recipes courtesy of littlehouseofveggies.blogspot.com

Tostadas with Peppers and Fresh Salsa

As a natural follow up to the black bean burgers, I'm posting a recipe that uses left over patties. You can either purchase corn tostada shells or fry up fresh corn tortillas on your own (this tastes better, but takes more work).  Then its just a matter of layering beans with loads of brightly colored fresh toppings.  The more color the better for your eyes and for your body.

The first thing I like to layer on is some bell pepper and onions.  This is a simple way to cook them up as a side dish or for fajitas too.

1 Red Bell Pepper sliced
1 Yellow Bell Pepper sliced
1 Orange Bell Pepper sliced
1 Sweet Onion sliced
2 teaspoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic smashed
1/4 cup cilantro chopped
Splash of lime

Heat the oil over medium-high heat and stir-fry the bell peppers, onion, and garlic.  Cook till tender crisp.  Add cilantro and lime 30 seconds or so before turning off the heat.

This salsa recipe is very vinegary and limey - which isn't necessarily traditional, but its how I like it.  You can adjust the level of heat by adding more or less jalapenos - whatever floats your boat.

10 roma tomatoes - diced and seeds removed
1/2 medium red onion diced
1 jalapeno diced very small
1/2 Cup chopped cilantro
2 Tablespoons lime juice
2 Tablespoons red wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon balsamic vinegar (if tomatoes aren't sweet enough)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 cloves garlic crushed

Combine all ingredients and let sit for at least 30 minutes for flavors to meld.

Layer and enjoy!

Black Bean Burgers

It is the 4th of July - no better day for eating a burger!  These black bean burgers are simple, tasty, and  versatile (can be used as refried beans or on tostadas).  I think the original recipe recommended topping them with spicy mayo and arugula - at least thats how my family started out eating them.

Makes 4 or 5 patties

1/4 cup dried bread crumbs
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon coriander
2 Tablespoons mayonnaise (or vegenaise)
2 cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
2 stalks of finely chopped celery
Optional - 1 to 2 cloves of garlic

In a food processor blend bread crumbs, cumin, coriander, and mayo.  Add 2/3 or the drained black beans and blend.

Stir in remaining black beans and chopped celery.  Using cooking spray to coat pan and heat for 1 minute on medium heat.  Cook patties 5 minutes on each side.

Shut the Front Door Vegan Chocolate Mousse

I've become a little bit of a public library fanatic this summer.  Initially it was all to keep myself entertained cheaply while I'm on a budget, but now I love the library so much I don't know why I'd ever stop using it.  From books to movies to cookbooks to tv series my library has provided me with a lot of time filler this summer.

Last time I was there I happened to pick up Sheryl Crow and her chef's cookbook (I know how ridiculous this sounds - a rock star cookbook?).  Anyways it is Shut the Front Door good.  Tons of healthy ideas - vegan, vegetarian, meaty - and all done by the season.

The first recipe I tried out was for a chocolate mousse made with avocado (hello breast cancer fighting superstar).  This mousse is so chocolate-y I might have to cut back on the cocoa powder a little next time.  It also uses agave nectar which amps up the healthy since it is a low GI sweetener.

Serves 3-4

• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla

Put all ingredients in food processor.

 Blend until smooth and add more agave if not sweet enough.

Refrigerate at least 1 hour before eating.

I think this is perfect with some raspberries on top to help mesh with the extreme chocolate fix you get here.

Rice Milk Crepes

When I think about crepes I remember stopping at crepe stands in europe as a kid.  I'd get a huge crepe covered in lemon, butter, and powdered sugar while my parents tried to figure out how much further it was to what-ever touristy stop we were headed towards next. Honestly I'm surprised by the lack of crepe stands in the states (as opposed to the plethora of eat-in crepe places).  Crepes are quick to make and good at all times of the day - in essence the perfect fast food.

I may have mentioned that I have some milk sensitivity - which of course is hereditary.  While my end of the allergy spectrum is more mild, other members of my family are not so lucky (I'm pretty sure one of my little cousin's diets is limited to salad, bacon, and brown sugar).  As a beneficial consequence of their suffering, I get recipes passed onto me that work for both severely allergic and non-allergic folks.

These crepes avoid the use of milk - so I get a happy belly as well as happy taste buds.

3/4 cups unbleached flour
2 eggs
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 cup rice milk
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon vanilla

Mix ingredients together.   Cook on lightly oiled pan or griddle about a minute on each side.

To eat them my favorite way:
Sprinkle with powdered sugar and drizzle with lemon juice.  I also like to stuff my crepes with raspberries - but any fruit is amazing.

Talbot's Banana Cream Pie

Don't be fooled by the abnormal coloring of this pie - it is full blown banana.  I have many guilty pleasures, but True Blood is one of my favorite to indulge in.  I get together with my ex-work/half-marathon training/book sharing buddy during the summer on sundays and we watch the new episodes while munching on something tasty.

Last week for the premiere of season 4 I actually decided to theme the dish (dorky I know...but hey its my guilty pleasure, if you can't be a dork for that then what is the point?).  So I dyed my healthier version of banana cream pie red and named it after the fabulous vampire foodie in season 3.

• Cooking Spray
• 12 graham cracker squares (or 6 full sheets)
• 2 Tablespoons butter, softened
• 1 and 1/2 teaspoons unflavored gelatin
• 3 Tablespoons boiling water
• 1/3 cup of sugar
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 egg whites
• 1 and 1/2 cups lowfat milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 cups banana sliced
• Copious amounts of red food dye (if going talbot-y)

Preheat oven to 350.  Spray a 9 inch pie plate with cooking spray.

In a food processor, blend the graham crackers until finely ground.  Add butter and 1 tablespoon of water, and blend until the mixture begins to clump together.  Press the crumb mixture into the pie pan and up the walls of the pan about 1/2 inch.  Bake for 10 minutes and set aside to cool.

While baking the crust, in a small bowl dissolve the gelatin in 3 Tablespoons of water.  Combine the milk and eggs in a medium sized bowl.

Add the flour, sugar, milk, and egg mixture to a medium sized sauce pan, over medium heat.  Whisk the mixture so the flour and sugar dissolve, continue stirring about 10 minutes or until the mixture comes to a boil and has thickened slightly.  Add food coloring here if desired.

Lay sliced bananas in pie crust and then pour the pudding mixture over the bananas.  Let set in the fridge for about 3 hours.

You may serve with whip cream, but I think its quite good on its own :)

Bread Salad (aka Panzanella)

During the hot lazy days of summer tomatoes are at their peak.  So it was only natural that my roommates and I used to crave bruschetta while we lazed around cramming for tests during summer sessions.  However the idea of turning on our stove in our non-air-conditioned apartment was nightmarish.

Bright students that we were, we just decided it would be better to tear up our bread and throw it into the tomato topping we created.  And so bread salad became a summer staple.

Later I discovered a fancier name "Panzanella" and added some ingredients, but at its core this recipe is one that makes me think of summer no matter when I eat it.

• 3 cups cherry tomatoes quartered or halved (or 3 large tomatoes diced)
• 3 cups whole grain crusty bread torn or cut into bite sized chunks
• 1/2 cucumber sliced
• 1/2 red onion diced
• 1 yellow bell pepper sliced
• 1 can of chick peas rinsed and drained (or use the roasted chick pea recipe for a nice twist)
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chopped basil
• 2 to 4 garlic cloves smashed
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Combine all ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss and serve.

Peanut Noodles with Steamed Veggies

It has taken me forever to find a peanut sauce that I can make at home that rivals what I get when I go out to eat.  This quest has become all the more complicated since my mom found out that she is allergic to soy.  Trying to make the majority of asian food without soy sauce is like trying to make bread without flour.  

This sauce is pretty amazing - and I was able to substitute broth and some salt for the soy sauce so my mom and other soy sensitive folks can have it too.  To make this a great healthy meal, serving the sauce on whole grain spaghetti with steamed veggies is the perfect combo.  

Peanut Sauce

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup broth (vegetable, chicken, beef) or 1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup water

2 Tablespoons seasoned rice vinegar

2 Tablespoons lime juice

1 scallion, cut into pieces

3/4 inch fresh ginger, finely grated

1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 teaspoon salt (if not using soy sauce)

Blend until smooth.

Toss 2/3 of the sauce with whole grain linguine and drizzle remaining sauce over a healthy portion of steamed broccoli florets, snow peas, and sugar snap peas.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and/or roasted peanuts.

This recipe is courtesy of Ellie Krieger with modifications including omission of brown sugar.

Garden Risotto

I'm sort of on an Ellie Krieger kick this week.  If you haven't encountered her on food network or the cooking channel, she's a really amazing chef and nutrition professor at columbia.  I love her recipes because they keep the flavor strong while incorporating healthy ingredients and reducing the amount of oil.

Risotto takes way more effort than pasta, but is all the more satisfying when you eat it.  So if you have time to sit and stir the risotto for 20-30 minutes this recipe is definitely worth the arm work.  Ellie's recipe isn't vegetarian, so I modified it a bit and added some nuts to make it a main dish.

6 cups low sodium vegetable broth
2 teaspoons olive oil
1 medium onion chopped
1 and 1/2 cups arborio rice
1/2 a cup of dry white wine
3/4 teaspoon salt
Pinch of black pepper
3 lightly packed cups of baby spinach leaves
1 cup frozen peas
1/2 pound asparagus (cooked for 1 minute with a teaspoon of water in the microwave, chopped into 3/4 inch pieces)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan

Bring broth to simmer in a medium sauce pan.  Heat oil in heavy sauce pan over medium-low heat and cook onion until soft, stirring occasionally about 3-5 minutes.

Add rice stirring constantly about 1 minute.  Add wine and simmer, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed.  Add 3/4 cup of the hot broth, salt, and pepper, stirring constantly until liquid is absorbed.  When absorbed, continue adding 3/4 of broth at a time, stirring throughout.  Do this until the rice is almost tender and creamy looking (somewhere between 20-30 minutes).

Add spinach and peas and cook until spinach is wilted.  Add asparagus and cook just until the vegetables are hot.  Add in the walnuts and parmesean.  If risotto seems too thick add some more broth.

Recipe with modifications courtesy of Ellie Krieger.

Easy Funky Black Bean Soup

Black Beans are by far my favorite legumes - they are dense and meaty and full of antioxidants.  I love using them to make burgers, dip, salsa, you name it.

When I was visiting some friends down south we had a dinner where people contributed dishes from their unique repertoires.  As my friends are pretty diverse, the meal turned out to be pretty diverse too (with japanese, vietnamese, and other random cooking).  My vegan buddy made this delicious and easy black bean soup with a ton of spices and PINEAPPLE.  Seriously, I would have never thrown it in there, but it blended perfectly into the soup.

• 2 cans black beans not drained
• 1 can diced tomatoes with juice
• 3/4 cup of frozen corn (or 1/2 can of corn drained)
• 1 Tablespoon chilli powder
• 1 Tablespoon cumin
• 1 Tablespoon corriander
• 2 cloves of garlic smashed
• Splash of red wine vinegar
• Splash of lime juice
• Can of pineapple tidbits

Throw all ingredients except pineapple into a large soup pot.  Cook over medium heat until warmed through.  Right before you turn the heat off add in the pineapple.  

Eat with crushed tortilla chips or on own.  Then go brag about eating a vegan meal to some animal lovers :)

Grand Nelson's Fudge Squares

When I was a kiddo I had the luck to spend some time with some of my great grandparents before they passed.  My Grand Nelson was born on the 4th of July in 1899.  I remember growing up being extremely jealous of such a cool birthdate.

Grand Nelson lived through two world wars and whipped up some pretty fantastic recipes that bent to the culinary constraints of rationing (he's in the top right corner of the above picture, 19 years old).  My favorite recipe of his are his "fudge squares" which are a hybrid brownie/fudge/cookie.  The pictures I took cannot adequately convey their amazing uniqueness.

• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup shortening (crisco)
• 3 eggs
• 1 Tablespoon vanilla
• 1 cup flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
• 1 and 1/2 cups chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350.

Cream sugar and shortening using a whisk.  Whisk in eggs and vanilla

Sift together dry ingredients and add to bowl.  Add in chopped walnuts.

Spread mixture in a greased 13X11 or 12X12 pan.  Bake for 30 minutes or until the edges pull away from the pan.  Cool slightly before cutting.

Side Note: Nelson was Grand Nelson's first name, and yet I spent my entire childhood calling my great grandmother Mormor Nelson.  The mini-feminist in me wishes someone had let me know that wasn't her name at all, but then again who wants to be called "mormor myrtle".

Spicy Chick Pea Burgers

I love burgers.  I remember spending a good year or two in L.A. trying out the top rated burger joints on yelp/citysearch/whatever it was.  Venturing out to these places and sampling their menus was always an adventure, some adventures much better than others.

When I started this year of flirting with vegetables, I was worried about what I could get to replace my burger cravings.  Little did I know how delicious veggie burgers can be.

This burger is made of chick peas and sweet potatoes - and it is good enough that my meat-and-potatoes type brother requests it when he comes home for a visit.  Plus with all the quinoa its just so pretty looking.

• 1 small sweet potato (baked)
• 1/4 cup dried red quinoa (you can use white if you want)
• 1/4 cup dried barley
• 15 ounce can chick peas, rinsed and draines
• 2 tablespoons parsley
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Toppings : Thinly sliced red bell pepper, red onion, greens, ketchup.  Or whatever you like on burgers.

To bake sweet potato you can stick it in the microwave for 6 minutes.  Remove from microwave and wrap in foil.  Set aside for ten minutes.  Unwrap and scoop out contents into a food processor.

Cook barley and quinoa according to directions on packaging - barley takes 3X the amount of time to cook generally.

Add chickpeas, spices, flour and 1 tablespoon of olive oil to the food processor.  Add cooked quinoa and barley to the food processor.  Blend.

Form 4 patties using the mixture.  Cook over medium heat using the other tablespoon of olive oil.  It takes about 3-5 minutes each side to brown.

Serve with the suggested toppings or others that you like (cheese? pickles? mayonaise?).  These burgers are pretty flavorful on their own so they don't need a lot to finish them off.

Traditional Lasagna

My brother was up this weekend and he doesn't like to cook much (ie lazy male college student). To help him out a bit, I decided to make lasagna for him to take back to school. I should confess that I haven't ever made lasagna before as an adult.  I did serve as "helper" when I was a kid, but that mostly involved eating any of the noodles that fell apart (noodles fell apart a lot when I was cooking, pretty sure it was on purpose).

Anyways I sat down with my Giada cookbook and made a modified version of her traditional lasagna.  I didn't realize how many sauces I'd have to make to do this - but I was up for the time organizing challenge.

Marinara Sauce

• 32 ounce can of crushed tomatoes
• 1 carrot peeled and sliced into chunks
• 1 celery stalk sliced into chunks
• 1 small onion chopped
• 1 clove of garlic smashed
• 1/2 a teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil.
• 1 dry bay leaf

Heat the olive oil on medium high heat in a saucepan.  Add chopped onion and smashed garlic and cook until translucent (about 10 minutes).  Add salt and pepper.

In a food processor, blend tomatoes, carrot, and celery.  Pour contents into sauce pan with onion and smashed garlic.  Add dry bay leaf - simmer for about an hour until sauce thickens.  This can be made ahead and refrigerated.

Right after you leave the marinara to simmer, its a good idea to start heating salted water in a large pot with a bit of olive oil for cooking the lasagna noodles.

Bechamel Sauce

• 2.5 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup flour
• 2 cups warmed milk
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• pinch of pepper
• pinch of ground nutmeg

While the marinara sauce is simmering, making the bechamel sauce is easy (if you have a second pan).  Melt butter in a saucepan on medium heat.  Whisk in flour with melted butter until smooth, about 2 minutes.  Add in warm milk slowly, whisking so to avoid the sauce clumping.  To thicken, simmer the sauce over low heat for 10 minutes while continuously whisking the sauce.  DO NOT LET THE SAUCE BOIL.  Remove from heat and add salt, pepper, and nutmeg.

Meat for the Lasagna

• 1 lb lean ground pork
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of pepper
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

Heat olive oil on medium heat in sauce pan.  Cook meat until browned through - seasoning with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes.  Drain fat from meat, let cool.

Hopefully your marinara sauce is done now :)

Lasagna

• 15 Whole Wheat Lasagna Noodles
• Marinara Sauce
• Bechamel Sauce
• Meat prepared earlier
• 10 oz pack of frozen spinach, defrosted and drained
• 1 and a half lb of fresh ricotta cheese
• 3 eggs
• 1 cup mozzarella cheese
• Parmesan cheese 
• Butter

Preheat oven to 375.

Cook whole wheat lasagna noodles 3 at a time for 6 minutes each.  Drain lasagna and rinse.  Set to the side.

Combine Marinara and Bechamel sauce - salt and pepper to taste.

Butter 13 by 9 baking dish.  Use 1/3 of sauce to cover bottom of dish.  Lay 5 noodles slightly overlapping above the sauce.

In a small bowl combine ricotta cheese and eggs.  Spread this mixture on top of the noodles.  Cover with spinach.

Lay 5 more noodles on top, overlapping so that entire pan is covered.  Cover noodles in 1/3 of leftover sauce.  Spread meat over the top.  Sprinkle with 1/2 of the mozzarella cheese.

Lay last 5 noodles on top, overlapping once more.  Use remaining sauce over noodles.  Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.  Do a fine grating of parmesan on top of this.

Place baking dish in the center of a baking pan with a small edge (to catch fluid if it boils over).  Bake for 45 minutes.

Peanut Butter Smoothie

While I enjoy green smoothies, my ultimate favorite are smoothies made out of peanut butter.  This probably has to do with my peanut butter obsession - I'm the peanut butter equivalent of a choco-holic.  

This smoothie is great for the summer because, similar to the green smoothies, you can eat it fresh or freeze it as a cold treat for a hot day.

• 1 frozen banana
• 1/2 cup nonfat milk or soymilk or rice milk or almond milk 
• 1/4 cup of yogurt (plain or vanilla depending on how sweet you like it)
• 1 and 1/2 tablespoons peanut butter (I like using chunky for the texture it gives the smoothie, but smooth works fine too)

Blend. Pour. Drink. Smile.

Also a note about frozen bananas.  I started freezing bananas during my undergraduate years because I could never eat them fast enough before they turned.  Freezing them turned them into a delicious creamy treat and now thats how I prefer them.  Plus it saves me money to use for other produce :)  To freeze, I peel them and wrap them in foil (which I attempt to reuse).