Roasted Red Peppers and Quinoa

It's been super busy with midterms, preparing soil specimens, and answering undergrad questions about labs and graduate school applications. It's also the beginning of the Vegan Month of Food (Vegan MoFo).

Right now I hardly have time for the copious amounts of reading, so I'm relying on my Canadian Lover to provide me with sustenance.

Tonight I made his Roasted Red Pepper and Feta Quinoa Salad without the feta to make it vegan. It was delicious. I cut the recipe in half because there is no way I can eat 4 servings without craving something else to eat during the week. Even cutting the recipe in half, I got about three servings. We'll see if I'm hungry in about an hour!

Chipotle Black Bean Soup

 

I'm sick and it's not fun because I'm the biggest baby when I feel like crap. My ears are plugged. It's the strangest thing.

I made this soup last night. As I chopped the onion, I cried out of only one eye. I guess there is an advantage of being sick and cooking for yourself...

Chipotle Black Bean Soup
Serves 4
Adapted from Quick-Fix Vegetarian

Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 2 carrots, peeled and diced
• 1 cup of onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, pressed
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 5 cups black beans (or 3 16-oz cans drained)
• 1 (15-oz ) can diced tomatoes
• 3 cups water
• 1-2 canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, minced
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Garnish: Avocado, cilantro, sour cream, salsa, and/or cilantro

Method:

1. Heat the olive oil in a large heavy bottomed pot then add carrots, onion, and garlic. Sweat the veggies for approximately 5 minutes.
2. Add cumin and toast for 30 seconds.
3. Add the black beans, tomatoes, water, chipotle. Allow the soup to simmer for 15 minutes for the flavors to develop.
4. Puree with a stick blender, food processor, or regular blender until you reach your favorite level of smoothness of soup.
5. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Garnish and enjoy! Your nose might run just like mine.

Herbed Zucchini Fritters

It's been quite warm the past few days. It reminds me of summer... until it starts to sprinkle. I'm excited for the fall. This recipe I created from some food blogs I read that were making zucchini fritters. I decided to use up the rest of my poor decrepit basil plant. The result was awesome!

Herbed Zucchini Fritters

Makes approximately 6 fritters
Adapted from Simply Recipes

Ingredients:

• 1 lb of zucchini (about 2 medium sized), coarsely grated
• Kosher salt
• Ground black pepper
• 1 large egg
• 2 scallions, finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp fresh basil 
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 
• 1/2 cup grape seed oil or olive oil 
• Sour cream or plain yogurt

  Method:

1. Salt the zucchini with about 1 teaspoon of salt and let drain in a colander for approximately 10 minutes.
2. Whisk egg in a large bowl then add the zucchini, flour, scallions, and pepper (~1/4 tsp). Mix to combine well.
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook fritters by dropping approximately 2 tablespoons of mixture into the skillet and pressing flat. Cook for 4-6 minutes on each side. You may have to work in batches (made two batches of three fritters). Transfer cooked fritters to a paper towel to drain the oil. 
4. Taste and salt if needed.
5. Serve with sour cream or plain yogurt.

Wow these photos are horrible. Believe me the fritters are better than the photos. Some day I'll get a hang of the photography!

Asian Inspired Spinach with Fried Garlic

Oh spinach you are so dirty, yet so good

School is back and I actually have a plan. So things are looking good.

This dish is super fabulous because it is spicy, garlicy, and spinachy. Such a good combination. Even since I decided on a whim to try the cooked spinach at a breakfast restaurant as a side instead of the regular potatoes, I fell in love. What really makes cooked spinach great in my opinion is a splash, just a hint, of lemon juice. Be warned though; using lemon juice in your spinach will cause it to brown. So if you want to have leftovers I suggest only adding lemon juice to what you're going to eat for dinner.

When using fresh spinach you must get all of the dirt/sand off of the leaves. I accomplish this by placing my spinach in a salad spinner and filling the entire thing with water. Give the spinach a good few shakes and all the soil will fall to the bottom of the container. You may have to repeat if needed.

Asian Inspired Spinach with Fried Garlic
Makes:  Approximately two as a side dish, but you'll want it all for yourself!
Ingredients:

• 1 bunch fresh spinach
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• 1 teaspoon vegetable oil
• 4-5 large garlic cloves, peeled and sliced thin
• 1 shallot, sliced thin
• 1 teaspoon crushed red chili flakes (or your spiciness comfort level)
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds (optional)
• 1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
• fresh lemon juice

  Method:

1. Wash spinach very well or suffer from sand grit in your teeth. Drain and chop the spinach roughly.
2. Add the oils to a large pan and let them heat up. Add the garlic, onion, and crushed red chili flakes.
3. Fry until the onions begin to caramelize and the garlic turns golden.
4. Add the spinach and a splash of soy sauce. Stir until everything combines.
5. Cook over low heat uncovered until the spinach is vibrant green and wilted.
6. Sprinkle with fresh lemon juice

Glorious Sunrise Pie

Extreme close-up!

I already miss the summer warmth and it's only been a few days of cooler weather. Last week I had the best strawberry in my entire life. It reminded me of warm summer nights and this tasty delight.

This fabulous pie came into creation during the summer of 2007. My dear friend Annie and I were spending our summer going to school and working in San Luis Obispo. It was a wonderful summer filled with many great treats and long, annoying public speaking classes. This was Annie's creation (but I'm going to share it anyway) and it's definitely a keeper. We acquired blood orange juice at the farmer's market. You may be able to find blood orange juice at your farmer's market or simply substitute tangerine juice, but that blood orange juice really puts it over the top. Speaking of over the top... We lined the inside shell of this last pie with chocolate and created a chocolate lattice top. It was so good. Make this and you won't be disappointed!

Glorious Sunrise Pie

Makes 1 9" pie

Ingredients

• 1 9” prepared piecrust - your favorite recipe or frozen
• ¼ cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 1 cup blood orange or tangerine juice
• ¾ cup water
• 4 cups sliced fresh strawberries
• Chocolate for lining piecrust and creating a lattice (optional) 

Method

1. In a sauce pan add sugar and cornstarch.
2. Gradually stir in juice and water.
3. Bring to boil.
4. Boil for 1 minute.
5. Cool completely.
6. Stir in sliced strawberries.
7. Place in piecrust.
8. Refrigerate for 3 to 4 hours.
9. Devour! 

Ode to Summer Spicy Corn Soup

Look at that tasty soup with all that cilantro and homemade tortilla!

The cold weather is starting to roll in, well as much as it can for Southern California. The mornings are foggy, the days are getting blustery, and the evenings are beginning to smell of Fall. Summer is approaching a swift end. So to make this soup to make the transition into Fall a little easier.

This soup has lots of flavor and a hint of spice making a big, bold statement that summer will never die! The soup is particularly good with home made tortillas and guacamole, but those will be for another day.

Ode to Summer Spicy Corn Soup

• 2 ears corn
• 4 green onions
• 3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
• ½ yellow bell pepper
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp cumin
• ½ tsp cayenne
• 1 quart (32 oz) Tomato or Veggie Juice (I used Knudsen’s Very Veggie and only half of the 32 oz jar, but added water to make 32 oz)
• 1 ½ cup (aka 15 oz can) of beans of your choice (Black Eyed Peas, Kidney, Black, or Pinto beans)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish:

• Cilantro
• Cheese
• Avocado
• Tortillas

Method

1.     Dice bell pepper and whites of the green onions. Mince or press the garlic. Remove the kernels from the corn husk. (This step will cause corn kernels to fly everywhere, you have been warned!)

2.     Heat the olive oil in a heavy bottomed pot. Add the bell pepper, whites of the green onion, and minced garlic.  Sauté for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, slice the green parts of the green onion.

3.     Add the dried oregano, cumin, and cayenne to the pot and stir for 30 seconds or until fragrant. Add the tomato or veggie juice, corn kernels, and beans. Simmer for 20 minutes. Add salt and pepper to your desired tastes.

4.     Garnish with green onion and other goodies then devour.