Food52 Allium Competition

I am really excited about these petite quiches...

Last night, I was surfing the web looking for inspiration for new recipes when I came across a contest at Food52 celebrating alliums (a fancy name for the onion family). Naturally, my mind went towards the cheesy, springtime egg dish from my childhood, an outright perfect vessel for allium experimentation. When I was growing up, my mom would make quiche for a special occasion breakfast or dinner at least once a season, and I always adored the soft, buttery texture and traditional broccoli cheddar flavor. But tonight I wanted to make something fancy out of my old favorite so I came up with three different flavor profiles, each highlighting a different allium. And if I do say so myself...yum.

Petite Quiches Three Ways

For the crust:
(adapted from David Lebovitz)

1/4 cup buckwheat flour
3/4 cup organic all-purpose flour
6 T vegan butter
2 T water
1 T canola oil
1 T sugar
1/4 t salt

For the base:
(adapted from Whole Foods Market)

1 container of extra firm tofu, pressed to remove water
1/2 cup vanilla soy milk
2 T tahini
1/2 t salt
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/2 t curry powder
1/2 t garlic powder

For the onion-fig filling:

1/2 sweet onion
6-8 dried figs, sliced in quarters
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 T olive oil
1 T vegan butter

For the potato-leek filling:

4 purple new potatoes
1 leek (for tips on cleaning, click here)
8 baby portabella mushrooms
olive oil
seasoned salt
pepper
1/4 cup vegetable broth

For the rapini-shallot filling:

1 shallot
2 cloves of garlic
1 handful of rapini (about 2 cups chopped)
1/2 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1 t rosemary
oil
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine flours and place in a small bowl. Set aside. Meanwhile, mix remaining ingredients in an oven-proof bowl. Place in the oven for 15 minutes or until the butter is melted and caramelizing. Remove from the oven and immediately mix in the flours. Once the dough has pulled away from the edges of the bowl, divide into thirds and place into three small ramekins. After it has cooled, use your fingers to pat the dough outwards until it covers the ramekin bottom and sides evenly. Place in the refrigerator until ready to bake.

Meanwhile, lower the oven to 375 and prepare the base by placing all the ingredients in a blender and mixing until it is smooth and lump free. Place in the refrigerator with the tart crust until ready to bake.

Next, prepare the fillings. For the onion-fig filling, place butter and a 1/4 cup of balsamic in a medium skillet over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the figs and raisins, stirring until the sauce is reduce and thick. Pour into a small bowl and set aside. Meanwhile, slice the onion into thin pieces and add to the same skillet prepped with oil. Stir the onions until they begin to caramelize. Remove from heat and stir into fig mixture. Set aside. For the potato-leek filling, set a small sauce pan to boil and add potatoes, cooking for ten minutes or until tender. Remove from the water and smash with a rolling pin, reserving skins. Meanwhile, prepare leek and slice mushrooms into bite-sized pieces. Heat an oiled skillet over medium heat and saute the leeks. Add the potatoes and season with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and broth, cooking until the sauce thickens and vegetables are tender. Set aside. Finally, for the rapini-shallot filling, chop rapini, shallot, garlic, and parsley. Next, in a medium-sized skillet over medium heat, saute the shallot and garlic with some olive oil until caramelized. Add the rapini, parsley, rosemary, and vegetable broth. Finally, cover and simmer for 10 minutes or until broth is mostly evaporated.

To assemble the petite quiches, remove all components from the refrigerator and set on the counter. Spoon a third of the base into each ramekin and follow with the filling. The quiches should be almost overflowing. Place in the oven and bake 20-25 minutes or until the filling is firm to touch and slightly brown. Devour immediately. Seriously, a burnt mouth is totally worth it.

Make sure to check out the recipe at Food52!

Banana Milkshake

I think this speaks for itself...

Banana SoyShake with Granola

2 partially frozen bananas (approximately 3 hours of freezer time)
1 cup vanilla soymilk
2 T almond butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup granola (like my Chocolate Pumpkin Granola!)

Place bananas, soymilk, almond butter, and extract in a blender and blend until smooth. Pour into two small glasses and top with granola. There are simply no words...

Chipotle at Home

This weekend has gone by so fast. I can't believe I only have two more weeks left in my sophomore year of college! This semester has been all about seeking joy, and it has turned out to be a beautiful one. But I'm ready for summer. There is so much to do with our pending move to Texas, and I know August is going to be here before we know it, so I'm going to enjoy as much of my time off as I possibly can.

Because it's just that time of year, my boyfriend and I had the opportunity to go see Mahler's 3rd symphony this afternoon. I have been to a few symphonies in my life, but this one held me completely spellbound for the entire two hours. There really aren't words. It was lush, vibrant, emotive, full of energy...suffice to say it was simply glorious. I feel blessed to live in a community that supports such a comprehensive dedication to the arts.

Oddly enough, when I got home I was craving Chipotle. But since neither of us felt like going out to eat, I decided to make my own version at home.

Vegan Mexican Rice Bowl

1/2 cup brown rice
1 cup water
2 ripe avocados
1/2 red onion
1 small tomato
1/2 lime
a handful of fresh cilantro, chopped
salt and pepper

2 onions
10-12 mushrooms
2 bell peppers
2 cans of beans (black and pinto work well)
1 container of firm tofu (optional)
1/2 tsp red pepper
1 tsp garlic salt
1 head of lettuce
1 jar of salsa, preferably fresh
cilantro to season

Place water in a sauce pan, bring to a boil, and add rice. Cook according to package instructions. Meanwhile, slice the avocados and place in a medium bowl, mashing until smooth. Chop the red onion, tomato, and cilantro. Add to the avocado mash and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and the  juice from the lime. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve.

Slice all the vegetables into bite sized pieces. Heat oil over medium heat in a nonstick skillet. Saute onions and pepper until caramelized. Add mushrooms and cook for a few minutes more. Meanwhile, slice the tofu into small cubes and press between a towel. This technique takes a lot of the water out of the tofu and makes for a much firmer and more flavorful bite. Rub the cubes in the red pepper and garlic salt and place in a smaller skillet with 2 tablespoons of oil. Cook over medium heat until cubes are golden brown on all sides. By this time, the vegetables should be nice and soft. Add the beans and season with salt and pepper. Cook a few minutes more or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.

To assemble the bowls, put about a 1/2 a cup of rice on the bottom and drizzle with lime juice. Next comes the lettuce, tofu, vegetable mixture, and finally the guacamole and salsa. Season with a little cilantro and serve.

Yield: approximately 6 servings

Yum! Now onto banana ice cream for dessert. Make sure to check out my new recipe page for links to printable recipes!

Life's a Beach

Happy Saturday!

My date last night was so wonderful. We decided to go to a Thai place for sushi before the opera, and I ordered a Wakame salad and vegetable rolls with a cup of green tea. Delicious! Then we walked beside the river in downtown Tampa before watching our friends perform in Verdi's Aida. It was a really glorious production, and I'm so proud of all of my beautiful priestesses. They work so hard to fill the audience with such joy.

I got up at ten this morning because we got home so late from the opera, but I still had enough time to whip together some maple-oat cookies. I borrowed the cookie recipe from Whole Foods Market and with a little tweaking and a special frosting, I ended up with a really satisfying vegan dessert that my three non-vegan friends couldn't get enough of. 

Maple-Oat Cookies with Maple-Almond Butter Frosting

Inspired by Whole Foods Market

For the cookies:

1 cup rolled oats

scant 1/4 cup barley flour

1/4 tsp cinnamon

1/8 tsp nutmeg

1/4 cup applesauce

1/4 cup maple syrup

1 tsp vanilla extract

For the frosting:

2 T almond butter

1 tsp maple flavoring

1/4 cup powdered sugar

2-3 T soy milk

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the oats in a skillet over medium heat until aromatic and golden-brown. Place all cookie ingredients and the toasted oats in a medium bowl and stir to combine. Using a tablespoon, drop rounded balls onto a baking sheet and flatten to about a 1/2 inch thickness. Bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown and crisp.

Meanwhile, combine the almond butter, half of the powdered sugar, and half of the milk. Stir to combine. Keep adding powdered sugar and milk until you reach the desired consistency. Frost cooled cookies and place in the refrigerator to help set the frosting (approximately 10 minutes). Remove from the refrigerator and dust with powdered sugar. 

Yield: 13 cookies

The pasta salad and garlic crackers were just as popular. It was so much fun eating it on the beach, until the wind and rain chased us off, that is. A word of warning, though. While eating outside is beautiful, be prepared to have a flock of seagulls hovering a foot above your head. Apparently seagulls see the joy in eating vegan food, too! 

Anyway, I'm really exhausted from all the driving today, so I'm going to go relax with one of my favorite romantic comedies. But, as promised, here's the recipes for the pasta salad and crackers:

Summer Pasta Salad

3 cups of pasta

1 zucchini

4 tomatoes

3 carrots

1 head of broccoli

1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

1 can Hoppin' John beans

1 can black beans

1/2 cup pumpkin seeds

1/4 cup sundried tomatoes

1/4 cup oil

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar

2 T lemon juice

salt and pepper

Fill a medium pot with water and set to boil. Chop all vegetables into bite-sized pieces and place in a large bowl with basil, seeds, and beans. Once the pasta is cooked, rinse with cold water, and mix in with the vegetables. Add remaining ingredients, stir, and place in the refrigerator until ready to eat 

Yield: 12 servings

Garlic Herb Crackers

1 loaf stale French bread (very economical!)

1/4 cup oil

2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped

2 T of herbs (I used rosemary and thyme)

Preheat an oven to 400. Slice the baguette into 1/2 inch slices, or thinner depending on the size you want your cracker to be. Brush with oil and top with garlic and herbs. Bake for ten minutes or until crisp and golden brown.

Yield: 12-20 crackers

Good friends + good food=joy

The Pantry Challenge

I got so caught up in blogging and thinking about my date at the opera tonight that I completely forgot I am going to the beach tomorrow!

And guess who promised to bring all the goodies?

This girl.

I literally have a half an hour until I have to get ready to leave for my date. That leaves me with a) no time to go the store and b) no time to cook anything that requires a lot of time. Here’s what I could find in my pantry.

Thank goodness for leftover ingredients…

The pasta is cooking as I type and all of the veggies are cut into bite-sized pieces and marrying with the herbs and beans in a large bowl. I had a few sundried tomatoes left so I decided to throw those in the mix as well (I threw in the residual oil as well since I would have added it for a dressing anyway). I’m feeling pretty good about this dish. I just discovered a loaf of stale baguette in my fridge, so I’m going to cut it up and toast it in the oven with oil, thyme, and garlic. I’m hoping it’ll come together as a nice, homemade cracker.

So it's been about twenty minutes and everything is done cooking. The kitchen smells fantastic! I ended up adding a can of black beans and about a quarter cup of balsamic vinaigrette to the pasta salad to beef it up a little, and it tastes very fresh and yummy. I didn’t try the crackers, but they look delicious. I’m hoping to have time either late tonight or early tomorrow to whip up something for dessert. Any ideas? I’m wavering between chocolate chip cookies and no-bake oatmeal raisin cookies….or maybe both?

Phew! Potential crisis averted! Now time to go get dressed for my date… I’ll post tomorrow about how everything goes with updated recipes and photos! Until then, I challenge you to raid your own pantry to see if you can come up with something as delicious and healthy as I did. Chances are you’ll surprise yourself with something amazing. 

Finding Joy

Good morning beautiful souls!

I am half-way through a bowl of chocolate cranberry muesli right now... seriously yummy. I really think I ought to write a post about 101 ways to use my chocolate pumpkin granola. Addiction doesn't even begin to cover how I feel about this granola...

Anyway, today I've decided to dedicate most of the day to improving my blog. I was in the car yesterday on my way to a lesson and I asked myself if I were a reader of this blog, would I be clear on what the purpose is? I think it is pretty clear that I have a passion for vegan cooking and want to share it with the world, but that's only a third of what I want to accomplish. What about the other two-thirds? What about Simple and Joyful?

There is a line in my favorite children's book, Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney that I think sums it up the best:

Do one thing to make the world more beautiful.

I want to make your world more beautiful by inviting you to see how I found joy. I have experienced so much self-hate in my life and while everyone's suffering is unique, I know that there are so many of you who are going through similar situations to mine. And it absolutely breaks my heart. But the one consolation is I know you will get through to the other side. You will find something that teaches you joy and from there, the rest is easy. You just have to keep looking.

A very wise older gentleman told me something beautiful yesterday. He said, "I'm an old man. Life is short. It goes by so fast. So find what makes you happy and please do it."

I'm going to be honest, I had to choke back tears.

Why do we deprive ourselves of happiness? I think a lot of it has to do with feeling like we're in some way not able to get that thing we know would give us joy. In other words, we talk ourselves out of it. One of the first things I altered in myself on my road to joy was the way I talked to myself. I wasn't aware of it until my therapist pointed it out, but my self-talk was almost entirely negative. I was focused on what I did wrong rather than what I did right, and what's worse is I thought I was being too proud or too confident if I admitted to anything I did well.

Sound familiar?

Well it's completely wrong.

How can we hope to achieve happiness if we're constantly telling ourselves we aren't worth it? The answer is we can't. My entire life, I have been surrounded by people who love and support me, but their support could only take me so far. I had to do it myself. Confidence is beautiful. Pride is beautiful. There is nothing wrong with loving yourself. In fact, there is everything right.

And the moment I changed the way I treated myself, my whole world opened up. I gave myself permission to feel entitled to what I did well and humbled by what I hadn't learned yet. I found self-love through feeding my soul and on those days when I'm feeling less than amazing, it is that discovery that gets me through. It's such a beautiful place to be, and I hope that something in your life today inspires you to join me.

How to love yourself:

1) Find something you do well and observe how you treat yourself in those situations. Are you confident? Poised? Fun-loving? Excited? Learn how you act when you are most alive and then apply that sensation in every part of your life.

2) Get out of your head. If you are looking in the mirror and thinking about everything that is wrong, imagine saying those things to someone you love dearly. You should love yourself just as much.

3) Can't is a four-letter word. Replace it with a handful of words that best describe your personality. Mine are quirky, silly, fun, and loving. So instead of saying "I can't roller skate so I'm not going to go" say "I look so silly when I'm roller skating. At least they'll all get a laugh."

Which leads us to this point:

4) Learn to laugh at yourself. Laughter is like self-hate kryptonite. If you can find humor in the quirky things you do (I mispronounce words all the time. I once said superFLUS instead of suPERf-ulus), you can find self-love.

5) Talk about yourself. You don't want to be one of those people that completely dominates a conversation, but it is important to interject points about your day. What are you excited about, what did you do today that was interesting, what did you learn? You can physically be in a group of people but not be their spiritually. You are just as interesting and important as everyone else. Start treating yourself that way.

6) Remove toxic friends. If you have someone in your life that sounds just like that negative voice inside your head, ask yourself if you are spending time with them is really something that makes you happy.

7) Pay attention to your instincts. More often than not, we ignore how we feel in a given situation. Give yourself permission to seek constant joy. Try it first at home, then with friends, and finally at work. Really evaluate whether something feels good and right or whether it is just an obligation.

How did you learn to love yourself? I'd love to hear from you!

One Week Anniversary Dinner

Happy Wednesday!

My house smells like chocolate and pumpkin pie.

I am so deep in my happy place right now.

Dinner was delicious. I decided to celebrate having gone one week without counting calories by treating myself to a dish I don't make all that often. Spaghetti squash is ridiculously easy to make and its mild, buttery flavor makes it adaptable to almost any combination of flavors. Basically all you do is cut a squash in half, drizzle with oil and herbs, and bake cut-side down for thirty minutes at 350 degrees. When it is done cooking, just pull it out of the oven and use a fork to shed the meat onto a plate.

But just in case you get caught up, here's a detailed set of instructions I found online that is really helpful.

Spaghetti Squash with Porcini Mushrooms and Roasted Vegetables

1 medium spaghetti squash

1 tsp fresh thyme

1 T oil

salt and pepper

1 cup of porcini mushrooms

1 zucchini

2 tomatoes

2 cloves of garlic

1 onion

1 head of broccoli

¼ cup pumpkin seeds

oil

salt

red pepper

Preheat the oven to 350. Cut the squash in half and drizzle with oil, herbs, and salt and pepper. Place face down on a tray and bake for 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, cut all the vegetables into bite-sized pieces. Place on a tray with pumpkin seeds and drizzled with oil, salt, and red pepper. Roast in the oven alongside the squash for 15 minutes.

Remove squash from oven, shred, and top with vegetables.

Yield: 2 servings

And then there’s the granola…

There are simply no words.

Chocolate Pumpkin Granola

(adapted from King Arthur Flour)

4 cups rolled oats

½ cup wheat germ

2/3 cup chocolate pieces plus 1/3 cup to add after baking

¼ cup dark cocoa powder

½ cup coconut

½ cup chopped pecans

½ cup sliced almonds

¼ cup flax seed

½ cup pumpkin seeds

2 tsp cinnamon

½ tsp clove

1 tsp nutmeg

¼ cup maple syrup

1/3 cup pumpkin puree

¼ cup applesauce

2 tsp vanilla

2-3 cups raisins

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Mix all dry ingredients excluding the fruit in a large bowl. Stir to combine. Whisk wet ingredients together in a small bowl. Poor over dry ingredients and stir to combine. Spread out onto two prepared baking sheets and bake for an hour and a half, stirring and rotating pans every 15-20 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool on the pans. Add raisins and the rest of the chocolate chips.

Store in an air-tight container or a plastic baggie.

Yield: approximately 18 half-cup servings

Note: This granola is not overly sweet. If you like your granola to have a sugary flavor, add another ¼ cup of syrup or puree or a ¼ cup of brown sugar.

I hope you enjoy this as much as I did.