Cajun Oven Fries

One thing I still get a craving for are the cajun fries from Cookout. They're spicy, sometimes garlicky, and all around damn delicious with ketchup. I set out to learn to make my own because:

A) Who wants to wait in that super long line that seems to never go away?

B) I'm pretty sure they don't have a separate GF fryer for these

C) I am 100% addicted to fries

You'll be amazing at how easy and tasty these are. And if you aren't making your own fries at home already, you're seriously missing out. I will also post a list of possible flavor combos, as well as oven fry links around the web. 

Cajun Oven Fries

• Cajun seasoning (I use this)
• pepper
• olive oil
• 1-2 large Russet potatoes, or a handful of small potatoes (however many you will eat!)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel your potatoes after you wash them if desired. Cut into thin slices, coins, or fry-shapes, depending on your preference. The key is to make all of the slices the same thickness. I usually cut mine somewhere between 1/4"-1/2" thick. 
2. Grab a baking sheet. Line with parchment if desired. Place potatoes on sheet and about 1-2 tsp of oil. You want to make sure that at least each slice is coated lightly with oil. Sprinkle enough Cajun seasoning to coat the fries, about 1-2 tsp or more. Warning: most Cajun seasonings contain salt so do NOT salt your fries, unless you're a sodium fiend. Toss to combine the oil and seasonings with fries.
3. Place in the oven for 15 minutes. Stir and try a potato. They may be done at this point. If not, check them again in 5 minutes, until crisp on the outside and cooked/soft on the inside. 
4. Here's the key to good oven fries: As soon as they're out of the oven, toss them with more Cajun seasoning. This is the stuff that really sticks on the potato and gives it that spicy flavor. Don't overdo it though! Just try to split half of it between before the oven and after the oven
5. Serve with ketchup (you betta) and enjoy!

Other favorite seasoning combos:

- dried rosemary, paprika, salt + olive oil

- cumin, chili powder, paprika, salt + olive oil

- thyme, salt + olive oil

- paprika, garlic powder, salt + olive oil

- curry powder, paprika, salt + olive oil

Oven fries around the web: 

- ketchup baked fries//Plant-based on a budget

- zucchini fries//Budget Bytes

- black bean oven fry nachos//Oh she glows

- curried squash fries//Generation foodie

- curry spiced pomme frites//Sprouted Kitchen

- crispy cornmeal sweet potato fries//My new roots

- panko green bean fries//Happy healthy life

(882) moteurs sainte

It has been a crazy first week off, hence all the photos but lack of recent posting. I have been insanely busy and am enjoying the next few days before Christmas pandemonium sets in. I have been eating pretty well, and cooking as much as I can, but have also been pretty lazy since school is out. The good news is I finished with a 3.56 and I will find out soon if I get into the Disciplinary Honors program! 

I made the most amazing vegan burgers: pumpkin black bean patties. They are definitely better when you let the batter sit in the fridge overnight to help thicken. They form a perfect, golden crust from frying in coconut oil. The flavors are perfect: cumin, chili powder, black beans, pumpkin, and other amazing ingredients. Sooo good! //sprouted kitchen

I also made this massaged kale and roasted garlic dressing salad to eat with these burgers, as well as some polenta croutons. The salad was tender, delicious, and incredibly garlicky. Like REALLY garlicky. Be warned. Polenta croutons are a great way to use up leftover prepared polenta in a tube: cut into even slices and fry over medium high in a thin layer of olive/coconut oil until golden brown. Drain briefly on a paper towel. Easy and a great addition to a meal! //eat this poem

Half-ass pumpkin hummus I made for sandwiches over the weekend: leftover pumpkin puree, a can of chickpeas 3-4 T tahini, spices, fresh rosemary, curry powder, etc. I just added a bunch of stuff and tasted it until it was to my liking! Not my best hummus but I didn't have much time and needed something.

Close up of massaged kale roasted garlic salad: a piece of art.

The best quick vegan lunch: homemade hummus, GF bread, avocado and heirloom tomato.

Trader Joe's haul: the best cider, which is even better than apple cider//not my favorite kale chips but they are kale chips//the BEST prepared salad I've ever had in my life and need to recreate ASAP//my favorite vegan caramel popcorn.

My little Christmas tree!

I had quite an abundance of mirepoix, or aromatic vegetables (carrots, celery, onion, and herbs) so I finally made homemade vegetable stock. It was probably the easiest thing ever and it made over 16 cups, and it's freezer-friendly! I used the following:

16 C water//1 C white wine//4 sprigs fresh herbs (I used rosemary+thyme)//1 onion peeled and halved//1 potato halved//4 carrots//3 stalks of celery with tops//3 C spinach//4 whole cloves garlic//2 T olive oil//mushroom caps//1 tsp pepper//1 T salt

Place in a stock pot and bring to a boil. Lower to a simmer, cover, and cook 1.5 hours. Let cool then strain. Place into smaller containers (I recommend by 1 C measurements). Will last 1 week in the fridge or 6 months in the freezer. 

Cheap wine. 

New favorite side dish: spicy paprika roasted carrots. I added a hint too much of cayenne but they are still lovely. I paired them with the spaghetti squash below. They would be great with a warm quinoa salad or even veggie burgers. //mince + type

I finally made spaghetti squash, after seeing it all over food blogs this fall. It was delicious but quite a pain to shred after baking in the oven. I made Deb's moroccan spiced spaghetti squash, which I have been eyeing for quite a while since it's so simple. This was probably the easiest spaghetti squash recipe out there and the flavors are amazing: coriander, cumin, cayenne and butter. The sauce was easy and satisfying. It was lovely topped with toasted almonds, with a side of a white balsamic + greens salad and roasted carrots. //smitten kitchen

Vegan tacos from Crafted downtown + GF beer. Wayfarer tacos include chofu (tofu chorizo), pico, vegan jalapeno havarti, french fries, and avocado spread. Dying.

The best vegan lunch after being slammed at work and hungry: organic grapes, loaded avocado and hummus paprika sandwich and kale chips. Soooo good. Better than any non-vegan lunch I've ever had.

I always talk myself into getting Sticks + Stones vegan pizza with swiss chard, potaotes, peppers, tomatoes, mushrooms, olives, spinach and onions. It may be expensive but it's hard to resist this after a few ciders!

My new favorite English dry cider! 

This wraps up the week and I will hopefully be back soon. I am going to try and make a small post about hot/Bikram yoga tomorrow (which will mark my second class!). I tried it out Friday and am really trying to stick with it. It's great! :)

(833) the nature of evil

It has been quite a busy week, and an unexpectedly "crazy" weekend, so I haven't had a chance to post until this quiet Sunday morning, where I can finally gather my thoughts. tomorrow marks one week before my (21st!) birthday. I can hardly believe it, yet I'm so ready for it to get here. There will be lots of planning and running around this week, and next, so I better have some good meals under my belt!

trying to make breakfast more versatile, yet again: leftover fresh cooked chickpeas smashed with avocado, lemon juice, paprika and salt over tomatoes + GF toast rubbed with garlic.

Sometimes I need to bake to forget about things. That sounds silly, I know. The act of baking over actually eating what I make? Yes, to me it's more therapeutic. It helps me block out anything I am worrying about and just focus on what I'm doing. It's a well known fact that I am not a last minute/spur of the moment kind of girl, but these apple cider donuts definitely were. I have only made donuts one other time, but these were perfect. I used this recipe with a few changes, as per Babycakes' recipe: 3/4 C brown rice flour, 1/3 C sorghum flour, + 1/2 C tapioca starch. These were chewy, delicious, delicate, and everything I needed!

Farmer's Market haul

This could be my new favorite quinoa + tempeh dish. Oven baked almond flour battered and soy sauce drenched tempeh with nutritional yeast studded quinoa, and tomatoes + spinach of course. The best part was the creamy avocado, which slightly melted in the hot quinoa. Super delicious, filling, and nutritious. (and easy!) [source: Oh, Ladycakes!]

I am hard headed, I guess you could say. After I burn a pot of rice, I throw it out, soak the pot, and cook another one. When I mess up a shortbread crust, I throw it out and make another crust in the same bowl. I don't give up easily, especially in the kitchen. My first pot of curry was nothing short from a disaster: pot too small, burnt the entire bottom of the pot, etc. I was frustrated. I yelled a few "sacre bleu"s and "merdes" before going to the store for more potatoes and an instant pad thai to tide me over. The final result was a beautiful, delicious golden potato curry. It has few ingredients, and doesn't take much effort, but the flavor is complex from whole cumin seeds, tumeric, and soy yogurt. [source: WFM Cooking]

One thing my family used to eat a lot was Mexican food. They would go out maybe once a week or so to whatever little Mexican joint around here (there are more than a few) and come back with leftovers, of course. I grew up on the stuff. Sometimes I miss it: the atmosphere, the chips and salsa, the "caliente" plates. But, I have found more than a few ways to be satisfied with homemade, fresh, market friendly Mexican food. This one is a winner. Sauteed market squash + zucchini with red onions and garlic. Freshly cooked pinto beans in a spicy broth with peppers, cilantro, lime juice, and roasted red peppers. Vegan Queso cheese. Guacamole. I redid the leftovers as burritos and let me tell you, this could beat Chipotle's butt any day. [source: Adrienne Eats]

I try to plan meals that are balanced, nutritious, and delicious (most importantly). I made an Asian Slow-Cooker Cabbage + Corn soup this weekend (next post) and I made these tofu sticks to go along with them. The flavor of the GF breading is amazing (with fresh GF breadcrumbs) and they pair well with ketchup or any other dipping sauce. I will make these again, maybe for a vegan party or just to snack on while I'm busy. They were super easy to make too! [source: Good Things Grow]

I'll be back later this week before my birthday, I'm sure! 

(825) castles of a bygone age

Hello! It's been an incredibly food-filled week, but also a busy one, so I haven't had much time to catch up on here. You may notice too that all of my recent October post titles are small snippets from horror films. Try to guess what they're from! 

But yes, I have been cooking up a little storm here for some reason, I guess because I was on fall break, but things will be back to "normal" next week. 

As some of you may have noticed, I have been doing a lot of Asian/ethnic cooking here lately. I really love the complexity of the flavors, the quick process of cooking the meals, and that it usually involves pantry staples I have already invested in (rice vinegar, GF soy sauce, sriracha, toasted sesame oil). These items can sometimes be pricey, but they will last you for a long time and really make the meal. I have been wanting to make pho, and this is the closest I've gotten so far: ginger noodles with kale + shirataki. It was so easy, delicious, filling, and nutritious! Kale in an asian soup with shiitake mushrooms and shirataki noodles? Amazing.

My mom finding huge Egg-Man's collard greens at Deep Roots. 

Doing some decorating here for fall: cinnamon broom

I do have one huge accomplishment to speak of: I finally made GF pizza crust from scratch. It always seemed so daunting to me, but after I did it I was like "That's it? Really?". I think it was just a matter of finding the right recipe, which I definitely did. I've been going to Karina's website since I became GF, and this pizza crust recipe was amazing. I did change it a bit to use 2 C tapioca starch, 1 C millet, and 1 C sorghum. This is the closest thing I've ever had to real pizza crust.

Now what is all of that stuff on top? I like to make untraditional pizzas whenever possible, especially ones with out a traditional tomato sauce. This is definitely a new favorite and would be amazing once it starts to get colder: layers of BBQ sauce, tempeh cooked in BBQ sauce, kale, sweet potato, corn, and vegan jack cheese on top from Vegetarian Ventures. I suggest you go make that right now.

Sometimes dinner needs to be simple...and needs to involve a lot of wine and a good read.

Pumpkin rosemary hummus. Recipe from Ashley coming soon!

So I had my first little party this past Thursday to carve pumpkins, get together and of course to eat amazing food. Ashley and I provided most of the grub, mine being these little quinoa falafels. I made a double batch just to be sure to accommodate everyone and there weren't as many leftovers as I thought! The yogurt/tahini/lemon sauce that pairs with it was lovely as well. These little falafels are easy to put together and can be made up to a day in advance and fried when ready. I used freshly cooked chickpeas (!!!) which made a huge difference! 

The drunk gluten-free pumpkin.

We are silly but we have awesome pumpkins.

I did two pumpkin seed varieties: spicy curry + black tea butter 

Ashley also brought pumpkin pie, which was totally vegan and amazing! I made a pumpkin pie last year with coconut milk and eggs (very custardy) but I was surprised at how much more custardy this was! She used this recipe and her mother's GF/vegan pie-crust recipe. I think this will be the pie I made for thanksgiving, and maybe a vegan pecan pie too!