Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

This is maybe my favorite vegan mac + cheeze recipe that is SO easy and delicious. We added steamed mustard greens for sustenance. This is the second time I've made this recipe.

I had some pretty bad allergies for most of this week, so I whipped up some AMAZING coconut chana saag from Isa Does It. I can honestly say I've never made a bad recipe from her before, and this is possibly the best Indian food I've ever made. The fennel seeds give a nice anise flavor to the dish, and jasmine rice and cilantro are essential for this meal to be complete. It's also fairly easy for a weeknight Indian dish!

I posted my favorite recipe for miso ramen soup this week, that always makes me feel better! I'm convinced the combo of miso, raw garlic and ginger cured me.

My favorite gluten-free beer is finally out! It has a short season of only a couple of months, but it's so good. It's made with strawberries, sorghum and buckwheat honey.

 I was in Raleigh all weekend, so I made some vegan burgers from the Oh She Glows cookbook. I couldn't find the recipe from the book online, but this is the recipe she made before publishing her book and they're pretty similar. They're made from black beans, sunflower seeds, flax, GF breadcrumbs, carrots and more! They're a little time consuming because of the long ingredient list, but they're delicious, healthy and full of flavor! Veggie burgers are great for traveling because all you have to do is heat it up, add toppings, and eat with a side! My friend Piper made us a delicious saute with Farmers market zucchini, onions, bell peppers, carrots and Greek oregano. 

 So Piper made some amazing "braised" red cabbage this weekend with smashed garlic. And being the weirdo I am, I had this for breakfast with some pan-sauteed quinoa and an egg. I made this recipe again as soon as I got home again, so maybe I will post it if any of you are interested! I'm always looking for easy ways to use up leftover red cabbage. 

I was in Raleigh for Piper's bridal shower this weekend, so I made one of my favorite desserts: pink lemonade bars! They are GF/dairy-free but no one could tell :) And they're perfect for the warm weather.

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

This week, I made some delicious scrambled eggs with garlicky swiss chard and harissa powder. I just sauteed chopped garlic cloves and chard stems in oil until softened, then added the swiss chard leaves. I mixed together 2 eggs with some almond milk, harissa powder and salt. Pour over the swiss chard and scramble until cooked.

Yesterday was Mike's birthday, but this weekend I threw him a surprise Star Wars party. I'm so happy that he was 100% clueless about the party! I always make cupcakes for parties, but I've had my eye on these meyer lemon yoda cookies. These cookies was amazing for GF and they stayed soft and chewy the next day. The best part is the homemade meyer lemon curd which is SO easy to make and it tastes like lemon meringue pie. These cookies were delicious!

Special breakfast brunch for Mike this weekend: eggs over easy, garlicky sauteed Swiss chard and wonder fries with green onions and miso mayo. 

We've been eating a lot of salads lately and this quinoa tabbouleh salad hit the spot! It had lots of fresh mint, parsley, and the pomegranate molasses was amazing! This salad is a great crisp and refreshing dish for any weeknight or a light dinner. It also gets better when it sits in the fridge for day.

Savory tea...What?? I know it may seem odd, but it was actually very delicious and relaxing. I'd like to experiment cooking with this sometime, maybe making a lazy soup with some cooked rice and vegetables. They have other varieties like tomato mint, cabbage beet, and fennel parsley. I can't wait to try the other flavors!

I've been trying to cook from cookbooks lately, and this creamy sun-dried tomato pasta was INSANELY good. This comes from the book Isa Does It, which is definitely one of my favorite cookbooks. You braise the red onions and broccoli in red wine and garlic, which creates an amazing sauce that is then mixed with a vegan cashew cream. I used GF brown rice pasta for this recipe.

 Last night, Ashley and I went to a macaron class at Savory Spice Shop! We got to see how the macaron batter is made, we practiced piping on baking sheets, then we learned how to make Swiss Meringue buttercream (dairy-free). The best part was getting to assemble macaron shells with different fillings (and taking them home...and eating them...). We had so much fun and it was such an informative class! I'm definitely not as afraid to make macarons now!

Here are the shell varieties we had: chocolate, pistachio, coconut, raspberry and lavender. Filling varieties: plain Swiss meringue, espresso Swiss meringue, vanilla bean pear jam, and lemon curd. They were SO good!

Les Bouchées Quotidiennes

I've been craving bibimbap recently, so I finally got around to making some. The great thing about bibimbap is you can you seriously put anything in it and it's awesome. For this version, I used cooked short grain brown rice (jasmine would also work), sliced cucumbers (feel free to pickle them!), sliced + steamed sweet potatoes, sliced radishes, sliced green onions, miso horseradish kimchi, fried eggs + sriracha. If you want a 'real' recipe: vegetarian sweet potato bibimbap, with crispy tofu + kale and with pickled cucumbers + black rice. 

We love pasta, but I always want to try different variations on it. Last week I adapted this lemon garlic cream pasta to be GF/V. I used 1/2 almond milk instead of cream, no cheese, and GF pasta. This pasta is SO easy to make and such a great variation on basic "red" pasta. Next time I will definitely add greens, which I forgot. I also added a bit of vegan butter at the end to make it a little more decadent. 

Raw burritos we got at Lunas Living Kitchen in Charlotte this weekend! They were made of collard wraps, raw cauliflower rice, raw "refried" sunflower seeds, pico de gallo, guacamole, raw hot sauce, and a raw salad with brazil nut "parm". This was SO good, but definitely not cheap. I can't wait to try re-creating this at home!

Also from the raw restaurant: raw lemon raspberry cheesecake topped with microgreens + raspberries. I will definitely be trying my hand at raw desserts/food soon! Eating at Luna's really inspired me to branch out with more raw foods.

This is officially my new favorite vegan sandwich: blackened tempeh sandwiches with sriracha mayo, lettuce + tomato. This tempeh is so easy to make because it requires no marinating, just a dry rub/oiling process. The flavors of the blackening spice reminds me a lot of spicy chicken sandwiches that I used to love, but this is obviously the cruelty-free and healthy version! I can't wait to make these all the time in the summer.

I love recipes that are I can add fridge items to. I almost always have ingredients to make this rainbow rice + beans, as it turns out, which makes me really happy. I try to always have frozen organic peas and corn in my freezer, rice in the pantry, and these spices are pretty much always in my spice drawer. I used chickpeas instead of black beans because that's all I had, and I also added a thinly sliced jalapeno. The spices are a strange mix, but they work very well: coriander, mustard seed, oregano, fresh cumin seed, vegan soy sauce + vegan worcestershire. 

 

Since the weather is finally warmer, I've been trying to make us eat more salads lately. This rainbow jeweled beauty is a crunchy peanut quinoa Thai salad with peanut dressing. It was super easy to make and very satisfying on a warm day! I don't eat enough red cabbage, so I'm trying to try different recipes with it now. Also, because I had just returned home from a business exam, I used this GF peanut sauce with a squeeze of lime instead of making the dressing.

I think it's a common misconception that making ethnic food at home is complicated. This is funny to me because making ethnic food at home is almost always easier to make than other recipes. This Indian butter tofu took 30 minutes to make and it was cheaper, healthier, and tastier than any Indian food I've ever had a restaurant. Don't fear making ethnic food at home! I feel like I have more freedom making this at home, mostly because most restaurants do not have GF options.

Peppery Sweet Potato Pinto Hash

Do you have dishes from certain restaurants that you crave? I definitely do. Sometimes I just want fresh spring rolls, or a big bowl of pho...or this "whole grain hash" from Iron Hen. But since I'm trying not to eat out, I decided to make it myself! It's not exactly like their dish, but it has everything I love about it: peppery sweet potatoes stir-fried with pinto beans, garlicky quinoa and bright green kale. Doused in hot sauce, this dish really hit the spot. 

Peppery Sweet Potato Pinto Hash

• 1 C quinoa, rinsed
• 1-2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 C water
• olive oil
• 2-3 C kale, chopped + de-stemmed (do not dry) or spinach
• 1-2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled + diced
• 1 can of pinto beans, rinsed + drained
• black pepper
• salt
• paprika
• cayenne pepper
• garlic powder

1. Heat a small saucepan on medium heat. Add a small amount of oil, then the minced garlic and quinoa. Cook, stirring frequently, until fragrant and the quinoa is lightly browned. Add the water and bring to a boil. Turn down to low, cover, and cook 15 minutes. When done, set aside for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. 
2. While the quinoa is cooking, steam your sweet potatoes in another saucepan. (OR: you can steam the sweet potatoes first and cook quinoa in the same pot to save you a pan). Cook until just tender, then strain. 
3. Heat a large skillet over medium high. Add about 1 T of oil. Add the beans and any spices you want, but go heavy on the black pepper (the other spices I used are listed above). Cook for 2 minutes, then add the sweet potatoes and a little more pepper. Cook for about 4 minutes more, until the sweet potatoes are browning a bit and everything is warm/fragrant.
4. In the last few minutes of cooking, add the kale (add a little water if your kale is drier) and stir until wilted and bright green, 1-2 minutes. Taste for seasonings and add more pepper if needed. I really like the black pepper to stand out here because it works with the sweetness of the sweet potatoes. 
5. Plate the quinoa and top with the hash mixture. Top with lots of hot sauce (yes) and whatever toppings you want. This would also be great topped with a fried egg. Enjoy!

une étoile filante

Wow. So I am really behind on my food blogging posts. Between taking trips out of town, summer classes, and a recent case of strep throat, things have been a *little* crazy. One good, new thing is that I now work at a gluten-free and vegan bakery! I am really excited to get more experience baking and to work in a bakery setting. So let's catch things up a bit!

I would really like to do a post about how to grocery shop with food restrictions. While I can't have gluten, wheat, or dairy and I don't eat meat, Mike has dietary restrictions as well due to gout. So, while my restrictions knock out big things like bread, pasta, chicken, cheese, etc., he has a similar long list of restrictions. These restrictions are things that are high in uric acids, such as: lentils, avocados, asparagus, broccoli, spinach, etc. It kills me that he can't eat so many good vegetables and things like lentils. So I try to always make things with vegetables he can eat. But while he's away...I binge on mushrooms, lentils, spinach, asparagus, etc. I made this fierce French lentil salad with oven-roasted tomatoes, almonds and a simple vinegar dressing. I love nothing more than lentil salads, or in any form. This salad is filling and easy to pull together! And it's from one of my favorite blogs //in pursuit of more

My first Negroni cocktail//Gin, Campari + Vermouth with orange

I made this as a belated Cinco de Mayo dinner. Tofu migas, which is tofu cooked with onions, peppers, jalapenos and corn tortilla strips & drunken beans, which are pintos cooked in onions, peppers, and GF beer. Absolutely delicious and simple! Comes from one of my favorite Happy Herbivore cookbooks //happy herbivore abroad

I made cupcakes for a wedding! They were somewhat of a hit, only because they were placed away from the other desserts. But still delicious and surprisingly easy for making 50+ of them! These are toasted coconut cupcakes stuffed with lemon curd and a vanilla buttercream, topped with toasted coconut. So delicious! //foodess

I don't improvise many meals because I am really nervous about screwing something up because I didn't follow a recipe...BUT, this was an improvised three-ingredient meal! This usually happens when I am lazy, broke, and don't feel like doing much. It actually ended up being very simple! "Recipe" below:

-1 tube of Italian herb polenta (the prepared kind), sliced into 1" thick rounds
-1 block of Twin Oaks Italian Herb Tofu (it's pre-seasoned and full of protein!) sliced into 1" thick squares
-1 jar or at least 2-3 cups of marinara sauce
- fresh torn basil and nutritional yeast (optional)

Spray a grill pan or non-stick skillet if you don't have a grill pan with oil. Place polenta on your pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until golden. Flip and cook the same amount on the other side. The polenta will turn golden and firm up. Remove the polenta to a plate. 

Spray pan with more oil and place tofu in pan. Cook 4-5 minutes on each side, flipping once, until firm and golden brown. Heat marinara sauce over the stove or in microwave. 

To assemble: Place one polenta round on a plate. Top with 2 squares of Italian tofu. Spoon marinara sauce on top. Sprinkle with basil and nutritonal yeast/cheese if you can eat it. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Enjoy!

I am always looking to try non-dairy substitutes for things. Although I never ate sour cream when I wasn't restricted, this cashew sour cream is seriously to die for. I made this black bean potato nacho plate, which uses mexican baked potato wedges instead of corn chips! It's such a creative idea and delicious because everyone knows fries are my weakness. This meal can come together in less than 30 and is incredibly healthy, especially topped with avocado and cashew sour cream! This is from one of my favorite blogs (whose cookbook I can't wait for!) //oh she glows

When the word "quick" appears in a recipe title, I automatically jump for it. Some nights I am pressed for  time, and others I'm not. This quick curry tofu with sauteed kale comes together in minutes and is absolutely delicious. Something about spicy kale with sriracha drizzled curry tofu and quinoa (which I added Earth Balance to) is amazing //vegan yack attack

So it may be obvious that I am obsessed with chickpeas...like, really obsessed. I eat them at least every week if not more than that. And they are incredibly versatile! They make hummus, falafel, flour, salads, soups, stews, burgers, etc. It's ridiculous! I just love beans in general. They are full of protein, easy to cook, so damn cheap to buy in bulk and so versatile. This chickpea salad is a new favorite around here. Chickpeas are cooked with cumin seeds, tons of garlic, tons of lemon juice and zest, and then tossed with cool cucumbers. Trust me that this is the chickpea salad of your dreams. Take it on a picnic and call it a day (then thank me for showing you this beauty) //The Kitchn

Another great quick weeknight recipe from Oh She Glows! Crispy breaded tofu strips (that are somewhat reminiscent of chicken fingers) and baked sweet potato fries! This dinner comes together so easily and would be perfect with a side of steamed kale. The sweet potato fries are spiced with cumin and cinnamon, which surprisingly go very well together! //Oh She Glows

Here's the really big news...Mike made me dinner. (?!!) I know. Not that he never makes dinner for me, but this time he kind of tweaked the recipe to his own liking...and it was to die for. I can't really express how good it was. It's basically quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, green onions, and a TON of lime juice/zest. Doused in Franks red hot, I was talking about this for days. Recipe below: 

-zest and juice of 2 limes (zest them first!)
-3 T olive oil
-salt + pepper
-1 C dry quinoa, rinsed
-2 C water
-1 can black beans
-2-3 medium tomatoes, diced or a big can of diced tomatoes
-4 scallions chopped
-1/4 C cilantro
-hot sauce (optional but you seriously must)

Cook the quinoa: Bring 2 C water to a boil. Add quinoa. Bring to a simmer and cover. Cook 15 mins, turn off heat and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Whisk lime juice and zest, oil, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper together in a large bowl.

Heat tomatoes in a large skillet on medium for a few minutes, heating them and letting them boil a little bit. Add beans and scallions, cooking a few more minutes to  heat and mix. Remove from heat and toss in bowl with dressing and quinoa. DOUSE in hot sauce. That's an order.

Another improvised recipe: pasta with garlicky kale marinara + garlic bread

-GF pasta (1 box)
-28 oz. can of crushed tomatoes
-a ton of minced garlic
-a ton of red pepper flakes
-some red wine (for sauce and for you)
-nutritonal yeast
-kale, chopped + de-stemmed
-GF bread
-Earth balance
-optional add-ins: chopped roasted red peppers, capers, fresh basil

Cook your pasta according to box directions. Heat a shallow pan over medium. Add some oil, then add garlic. Cook until fragrant. In the last few seconds of cooking, add a pinch of red pepper flakes and stir. Add tomatoes. Bring to a boil, then simmer until bubbles form. Let this cook 10-15 minutes until thickened. You can stir in more Italian herbs, thyme, some red wine (a big glug), salt, pepper, etc. Cook until it's the right consistency to your liking. 

When the pasta is almost done cooking, add kale to the pasta water. Cook until pasta is done and kale is blanched. Drain them together and toss with amazing pasta sauce that you just made. Top with nooch or cheese if you're cool and not lactose intolerant!

For garlic bread: This is not the "correct" way to make garlic bread but whatever. Preheat your oven to 400. I take GF bread, butter Earth Balance on both sides, stuff garlic and Italian herbs inside, then sandwich the pieces together. Wrap this in foil to cover and place in the oven for 10-15 minutes, checking every so often to make sure it isn't burnt. Ta-da! 

Makeshift fruit salad: chop fresh local peaches, hand-picked strawberries from your generous dad + toss with fresh mint, fresh basil, and a touch of agave. Damn good.

Minestrone is definitely in my top list of things I love cooking. While it was a favorite of mine growing up, I've found that nothing truly beats homemade minestrone. There are so many variations on this soup that I never get tired of it. This one includes swiss chard (leaves AND stems), chickpeas, GF shell pasta, parsley, carrots, tomatoes, red pepper flakes and it comes together so beautifully. I am still drooling over it. I also can't believe how well this photo came out considering there's no filter. It makes me want to write a cookbook, really badly. Please do yourself a favor and make this soup. I LOVE swiss chard from the bottom of my heart and this soup makes it shine //Foodess

Two words: Creamsicle. Mimosa. 
Two more words: Holy. Shit. 
A suggestion: Make this immediately //How Sweet Eats

catching up

So I definitely haven't posted in over a month...which means I've been incredibly busy! Here are some things I cooked last month and I'll have another post up soon!

This tempeh cacciatore was pretty amazing! I don't think I ever ate chicken cacciatore when I wasn't vegetarian, but the flavors here were great! You cook the tempeh in a mixture of red wine, tamari, and Italian herbs along with a ton of vegetables and olives. This recipe can't be found in a cookbook or on a website, so if you would like the recipe, just leave a comment with your e-mail address!

I finally got an ice-cream maker! I can't wait to use it. I think I will do peach ice cream first. Have you ever made ice-cream at home?

New found love: boba tea

Birthday pizza for Mike. I made my absolute favorite: kale, red onion + pistachio with a homemade crust and lots of garlic.

This tofu chili has been on my to-make list for quite a while now. I finally made it and it's incredibly easy, cheap, and delicious! It has a ton of protein from tofu and beans, and extra delicious topped with hot sauce, corn chips and vegan cheese. I highly recommend it and I'm sure it even freezes well! //whole foods market

I made one of my favorite cakes for Mike's birthday: a pina colada cake with pineapple, dark rum and cream of coconut. It's actually pretty simple to make and so delicious! The pineapple rum glaze was amazing. I substituted: 1 C sorghum flour, 1 C tapioca starch, 2 tsp xanthan gum, and earth balance vegan butter sticks. //smitten kitchen

This lovely colorful little salad is full of green onions, mangoes, black beans and red pepper! This would be great as an easy summertime meal or for a picnic/work lunch. The recipe is very straightforward, simple, and takes less than 10 minutes if you have leftover cooked quinoa. There's something really great about eating this salad because of the sweet bites from mangoes! //veganomicon

New bar tools: swizzle spoon, measuring shot glass, and perfect ice cube trays. 
Drink pictured: 1.5 shots dark rum over ice topped off with ginger beer and a lime wedge.

I have been craving donuts for quite some time now, so I made these incredible baked banana donuts with a coffee glaze. The process of making these donuts is different, but still easy. You use thawed (previously frozen) mashed banana, vegan sour cream, bourbon, etc. I would like to try the PB glaze next time. I subbed: 1/2 C sorghum flour, 1/2 C tapioca starch, 1/4 C almond flour + vegan sour cream. These would be amazing with coffee! //vanilla bean blog

This is now easily one of my favorite pasta dishes: pasta al pomodoro. Using cherry tomatoes, you cook them down until they release their juices along with garlic and Italian herbs. No heavy cream or butter needed; the leftover pasta water will thicken the sauce for you as it boils away. I can't express how easy, filling, and satisfying this pasta was. Alongside gluten-free vegan garlic bread, I was in heaven. //eat this poem

Gin and tonics

Once again, I learned that Daiya's faux cheese wedge makes me incredibly ill. I am just going to have to deal with that one. When I made pizza for Mike's birthday, I used vegan gourmet's mozzarella block which worked just fine and tasted/melted wonderfully! I later made these sinful buffalo tempeh kale grilled vegan mozzarella sandwiches. This would obviously be better if you can have regular cheese, but vegan still did the trick! I served these with oven fries and it was amazing/filling! //vegan yack attack