Smoky Summer Edamame Succotash

One thing I would like to start doing this semester is getting in the kitchen, once a week, and throwing a recipe together. I had my heart set on making some kind of succotash, but didn't feel like going to the store. I never have lima beans on hand, but I almost always have frozen edamame (in pod and shelled). Edamame makes a great snack, a quick lunch, or even a tasty hummus when paired with coriander. 

I also have a TON of squash, peppers, okra, etc. leftover from a trip my dad took to a local farm. I have never cooked okra before, but I didn't want to just deep fry it. This succotash may not be "traditional" by any means, but it satisfied my craving for something smoky, flavorful, and packed with vegetables. It comes together quickly and can be adjusted to fit whatever is in your fridge. This makes a great weeknight end-of-summer meal! Pair with a good glass of white wine and you'll be in Southern summer heaven.

Smoky Summer Edamame Succotash

• 1/2 medium onion, minced
• olive oil
• salt
• 1 green pepper, minced
• 1 yellow squash, chopped
• 1 zucchini, chopped
• 1/2 - 3/4 C frozen organic corn, thawed*
• 1/2 - 3/4 C frozen organic edamame, thawed*
• cajun seasoning, paprika, smoked paprika, pepper, oregano, dried basil
• 15-20 okra pods, tops removed + sliced
• hot sauce
• liquid smoke
• juice of 2 small limes, or 1 large
• 2-3 garlic cloves, chopped
• serving options: cajun rice, quinoa, polenta rounds, cornbread, baked potatoes

1. Preheat a large skillet on medium heat. Add the oil, then onion and a pinch of salt. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion begins to soften (about 3 minutes). Add the green pepper, squash and zucchini. Cook until they begin to soften, about 3 more minutes.
2. Turn the pan up to medium-high. Add the corn and edamame, stirring to combine. Then add all the spices (and more salt if needed) to coat the vegetables. You can use different spices, but these are the ones I found fitting for a succotash. Cook a few more minutes to warm the thawed vegetables and slightly brown them.
3. Add okra, as much hot sauce as you desired (I used about 10 drops), a few drops of liquid smoke, and lime juice. Stir to combine and cook 3 more minutes. A few minutes before serving, stir in the garlic. Taste for seasonings and adjust as necessary.
4. Serve over whatever you desire (I used quinoa with vegan butter and salt) and enjoy!

**notes: I find the easiest way to thaw frozen vegetables is to briefly run them under hot water in a colander. Feel free to use fresh corn and edamame here if they're available!

Pantry Mac & Cheeze

Sometimes when I get food cravings, I get cranky. I tend to crave things I can't really eat (i.e. mac and cheese, pizza, grilled cheese). I have pretty much ditched vegan cheese all together due to its lack of nutrition and high price, so I have had to make substitutes for cheese when one of these cravings come up. And instead of making some complicated vegan cheese recipe, I decided to "find the easy way out" by using pantry ingredients instead.

So after searching the grocery store for boxed vegan GF mac and cheese, I was disappointed. But I went home and declared: This can't be that hard. I threw together things I always have on hand and this is the result. Feel free to use any spices you love or veggies! I definitely would've added kale or zucchini, but I just wanted cheezy noodles. This recipe also uses only ONE pot which is kind of awesome. It takes the same amount of effort as boxed mac and cheeze (except its not!).

Pantry Mac & Cheeze

• 1 box GF elbows
• 1/2-3/4 C almond milk
• 1/4-1/3 C nutritional yeast
• 2 T earth balance vegan butter
• paprika
• cayenne pepper
• dried thyme
• Italian seasoning
• garlic powder or minced garlic cloves
• onion powder or minced onion
• optional add-ins: vegan cheese, minced jalapenos, chopped kale/other vegetables, etc.

1. Put on a pot of water to boil for your noodles. Cook according to package directions, then drain. If you're going to steam vegetables for your mac and cheese, add them in the last few minutes of cooking the noodles and drain everything together.
2. Put your noodle pot back on the stove on medium-high heat. Add vegan milk (less for thicker sauce, more for a thinner sauce), nutritional yeast (same option as vegan milk), butter, spices, and any other add-ins (minus vegetables) that you want. Whisk everything together.
3. Bring to a slight boil, taste for seasonings and adjust as needed. 
4. Add your noodles (and vegetables if you cooked some) to the pot with the sauce. Toss together and heat through. 
5. Enjoy your cheaper, easier mac and cheese!

(893) joyeaux Noël

I hate to say it, but I am relieved that Christmas is over. It came up way too quickly and right in the midst of trying to figure out new health issues that have been occurring. It has been quite some time since something so out-of-the-blue and painful has happened to me. I am trying to be patient until my regular doctor returns from leave so I can talk to her about it. I can only hope it will get better soon. Besides the craziness of Christmas, it was a lovely quiet one. I got to spend a lot of time with my family which was nice. I also ate a ridiculous amount of food! (surprise surprise)

I love stir frys because they are so easy to pull together, and they are especially quick when you prep the vegetables a day or so ahead. I cooked my quinoa two days before and chopped my vegetables one day before. This is probably my favorite stir-fry to date! Crunchy, golden quinoa with edamame, garlicky shiitakes and topped with lots of organic sriracha. This did not last two days in my house before I ate all of it. I love recipes like these because you add anything you want and adjust things to your liking. Next time I would like to add fresh ginger and some kale!
//love + lemons

I am not going to Bikram yoga for a while, until I figure this health stuff out, but this was a lovely post-yoga snack: grapes and avocado toast smothered in paprika/lemon juice/salt.

Sometimes you have leftover quinoa and most of the time you're not sure what to do with it. I was just thumbing through Foodgawker one night when I saw these easy quinoa sriracha bites. It's a great way to use up leftover quinoa and it has eggs! (protein!). I would like to try these sometime with blended tofu to make them vegan. I added extra sriracha, obviously, and really loved the way they soaked up GF soy sauce. Sesame seeds on top add a lovely crunch! //leaf + grain

More avocado toast (for breakfast): what I call "deconstructed guacamole" toast with avocado, lime/lemon juice, smoked paprika, salt and cilantro.

The best tofu/veggie burgers I've ever had! I scarfed this one down in a second. I just wish they were freezer friendly because I would love to always have them on hand.

I learned a little downside about food blog recipes: they are bound to have mistakes (more often, I would say, than cookbooks). That being said, I have seen cookbooks who had to publish an insert to go with the books because there were mistakes (printing errors etc.) but when you have a blog recipe, people try them out and if they don't work out so great, you will hear about it! So I made these little chocolate chip rice krispie treat cookies...and I kept asking myself why some of them spread and some of them didn't. So I checked the recipe and she had updated it two weeks ago (PS I write my recipes very early on if it interests me). The butter sugar: flour ratio was off and that's why they spread so much. Luckily, I have some lovely co-workers and family members who said these were some of the best cookies they've had (hope you guys weren't joking!) and they were pretty damn good. //spoon fork bacon

Beautiful romanesco cauliflower 

Vegetable tofu pad thai from my sister

A lovely english perry cider and my new cookbooks, which I so gratefully gifted to myself. My excuse is that I did pretty well this semester and deserved it, haha. I have finally read all of these and cannot wait to start cooking from them. Pictured: "Veganomicon", "Everyday Happy Herbivore", "Happy Herbivore Abroad", "Vegan Brunch", "Appetite for Reduction", and "Vegan Cupcakes Take Over the World." (notice a trend? they're all vegan!)

The most amazing with out a doubt deliciousss black bean sweet potato stew with pineapple and fresh avocado. What?!?!?! My family and I (with all the aunties and uncles alike) met up at Blue Corn Cafe this weekend for a holiday get together. This stew is what the restaurant is famous for, apparently, and I can see why. I ate every last drop, along with two GF beers, and it was absolutely DIVINE.

I was so pleased at my options at this Mexican restaurant. While everyone else was chewing on sopapillas and fried ice cream, I had a beautiful glass of the best fresh mango sorbet I've ever had. Still drooling.

So I changed the Christmas dessert last minute to this lovely orange gingerbread with a cream cheese frosting. It was so fluffy, moist, and just the right amount of ginger and orange without being overpowering. I subbed in 1 C sorghum flour, 1 C tapioca flour, and 1/4 C almond meal alongside 2 1/2tsp xanthan gum. I used vegan butter and vegan cream cheese for the frosting and halved the frosting recipe. This is my mom's favorite cake yet, though she says this every time I make a new cake, but it's still really lovely! //joy the baker

I like to make my dad granola every year because he's incredibly hard to find gifts for. Last year I made this holiday granola, festively studded with cranberries and pistachios. I decided to make it again this year, but it was even better this time around! If you enjoy nutmeg, you will love this granola and it's so easy to make (like any granola recipe!). //yummy mummy

My mom made a lot of soup for us growing up, and still does. I think I got her soup making/soup loving gene because it is my favorite thing to make! If you asked me what her best soup is, corn chowder would be at the top of the list. She would make it during the dead of winter, when it was most comforting and heart warming, and it would be just perfect with crackers. I could eat that corn chowder for days. But, we all know I like to switch things up...so I made this roasted poblano pepper corn chowder with red bell peppers and cumin. Let me just say, this is a close second to hers (along with tarragon corn chowder). The amount of heat here is perfect (could even use some minced jalapeno) and it's so comforting. I love variations on classics, and this is my favorite yet! //knead to cook

Christmas French toast with maple syrup, powdered sugar + bananas.

My new 12-qt soup pot. So in love!

New iPad 2 and green case. I am kind of shocked at how well my dad knows me because this case is amazing!

I was going to make a shepard's pie for Christmas but things got turned around and I wanted to cook from things I only had in my pantry; so I made Happy Herbivore's GF hippie loaf. This was the easiest and most flavorful vegan loaf yet! Made with black beans, aromatic vegetables, quinoa and Italian herbs, it was a hit with everyone on Christmas! It was kind of torture to drive to my parents' house with this in the car because it smelled so good. //happy herbivore

Vegan christmas dinner plate: homemade biscuits (same ones I made for Thanksgiving), bourbon pecan sweet potatoes, cornbread dressing, potato salad, and hippie loaf. Yum!

Trying to be more free-handed in the kitchen: Italian mushroom onion scramble, leftover biscuit, grapes and black currant tea for breakfast. Here's a half-ass recipe for the scramble:

Chop up equal amounts of mushrooms and onion. Preheat a small skillet with just enough oil. Throw in vegetables and stir, letting saute for 2 mins. Add a good sprinkle or two of Italian seasoning and stir. Let saute until mushrooms and onions are soft and fragrant. Meanwhile, beat eggs in a bowl with almond milk (I use the ratio of 1 egg:1 T milk, and I used 3 eggs). Season eggs with salt and pepper. Once vegetable mixture is cooked down, pour eggs directly over them. Let sit until the bottom begins to set, then push the eggs around with a spatula, scrambling lightly, until cooked. 

(871) le semaine d'examens

That's right...I somehow made it to exam week and I'm still alive! I also have more things going on right now than I have had during the entire semester, not including school. Not sure how that happened, but I am ready for classes to be done so I can focus on them. I am also *slowly* preparing for my trip to France next year, which means getting a passport, and hopefully an honors grant too! 

Trying to do DIY/homemade gifts for everyone this year. This is the only one I've started because it requires no attention and needs to sit for 3 weeks: homemade vanilla extract. //baked bree

I still eat snacks like a five-year old: bugs in the bed/ants on a log.

I am not very confident about cooking things that aren't by a recipe, but there are a few things that I know how to cook easily; oven fries is one of them. Cut sweet potatoes into uniform pieces (peel if desired but I dont think its necessary). Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika, cayenne, smoked paprika, etc. There are many ways to dress these! Bake at 400 for about 15-20 minutes, flipping halfway through, until soft and crunchy on the outside. 

This tofu scramble certainly helped me do a bit of improvisation, which I never do. I have also been searching for the perfect tofu scramble, like the one I used to get at a restaurant in High Point which is not only closed, but used to be so cross-contaminated that I was always sick from it. It was delicious though, and this is the closest thing I can find. Use any vegetables in your fridge for this and any spices you desired. This batch was: curry, cumin, paprika, cayenne, dried oregano and lots of nutritional yeast (which helps browning) and for vegetables: carrots, mushrooms, onions, and spinach. This is why I like to keep a package of tofu in my fridge because this was easy to pull together! //chickpea magazine

A little more improvising was done with this dish (yay!). It's hard to find a good, creamy vegan pasta that isn't loaded down with vegan cheese or soy milk. This vegan pumpkin pasta was perfect. I was quite hesitant about the nutmeg added to the sauce, but it compliments the salt and pumpkin perfectly. I added some white wine, vegan butter sauteed mushrooms and shallots to the sauce and it was amaaaazing. Definitely tasted better the first day but was still lovely. //chickpea magazine

Couldn't resist. Hot toddys are in my near future.

My latest meal goal is to eat something green with every meal, which doesn't necessarily mean a salad (as you can see by this post and the one below). This wonderful side dish, which didn't last in my kitchen for 10 minutes, was a lovely roasted broccolini with a smoked paprika vinaigrette and sunflower seeds for crunch. I may have to make this again next week. The flavors are just fantastic. //the year in food

I can't honestly say that I have ever had a brussel sprout. I just remember them being the butt of every vegetable/child related joke. They got picked on, as a vegetable, which I never understood. They couldn't be that bad. I mean, they weren't the stewed cabbage that was eaten in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Anyways...I have had my blog roll blown up about brussel sprout recipes in the past two weeks. So finally I roast the damn things and good lord. What have I been missing this whole time? They are perfect. I made these as one of my green sides but they are phenomenal. I would like to have them at the Christmas dinner table. So yeah. Don't hate on them, just go roast them! //oh, ladycakes!

I have been stalking this traditional Israeli breakfast dish ever since I started reading Deb's blog and seeing this pop up everywhere. What makes it so popular? Well, first of all, one of its alternative names is "eggs in purgatory" (clearly Dante would eat this) and not only is it easy to make, but it's cheap too. It consists of a spicy, anaheim chile laced tomato sauce (use San Mazrano tomatoes on this trussst me) topped with poached eggs which are directly cooked into the tomato sauce. I have never poached an egg, and didn't really poach these, but they are still edible and that's what is important. This would be great to serve a crowd at brunch because it makes a ton, haha. I served mine with garlic basil polenta rounds and brussels sprouts. //smitten kitchen

(775) chevrefoil et lanval

My flu is gone, so I'm back in the swing of school (thankfully). I'm also thankful to say that I have this Monday off for Labor Day which means a picnic may be in the works!

Cory brought me crockpot chicken curry and jasmine rice while I was sick. It was so lovely and made me ready for Autumn!

a new twist on my mom's favorite flu remedy: corn chowder, but this time with added fennel bulb and tarragon. the fennel and tarragon's anise flavors worked really well together to make a warm, comforting soup. corn chowder will always be one of my favorites.

I couldn't bake cupcakes last week, so we bought some gluten/dairy-free zucchini, squash, carrot cupcakes with a tofu frosting from Whole Foods. I paired this with some comforting chamomile tea.

another of my mother's classics: simple pan-fried squash, to which I added basil. there is seriously nothing better than fried squash and I may try my hand at frying zucchini later today!

I've been making an attempt to make new things that interest me in the kitchen to learn more about flavors, techniques, etc. this week I've been trying to put my freezer to good use by making these smoothie cups (and also by freezing soup!). this recipe will yield 5 smoothies and is a great time saver. they aren't very filling, however, so you could sub rice milk and add protein powder when you make the actual smoothie.

again on the recurring thing of trying new things: I finally used my immersion blender to make Joy's soup. this has become one of my favorite, easiest soups to make. I really loved the texture and spice of it too. thyme works amazingly well next to tomatoes. I froze the leftovers, which I'll mention on my next post!

flu is finally gone!

this quinoa salad was good to have in the fridge a few days this week. it was also a quick snack for a study group!

colorful, local NC vegetables

post-mouth-numbing-dentist-visit-smoothie (this is when the smoothie cups come in hand!) also, Adventure Time cup!

the study method that isn't supported by most colleges.

(736) home sweet home

things have been pretty mellow here. school starts in 2 weeks and some days. I go to the beach Sunday! ready for a vacation and also for school to start!

nothing I love more than a simple meal, hard cider, and a dear friend. I am always willing to trade dinner for drinks. always. 

makings for the first soup I'll make

delicious lentil soup for two topped off with fresh lemon juice

one of the best friends in my life. pretty much a brother to me

breakfast for Ashley and I: dill scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, strawberries, toast, and juice boxes

delicious two-toned squash. sauteed this with onions and served with buttered pasta

orange colored tomato, red onion + balsamic vinegar salad

first time making (perfect) hard-boiled eggs resulted in dill egg salad

oven baked vegan nachos

finally tried this wine! suits me just fine

//1. spiced chickpea zucchini saute
//2. quick lentil soup for one
//3. breakfast nachos