Quick Veggie Post!

I'm cleaning out my photos to make room for some of the cool new recipes that will be showing up shortly.... 

This gem is a roasted veggie medley.  It includes beets, potatoes, onions, garlic, yellow squash, and brussel sprouts with a light balsamic glaze.  We included brussel sprouts since neither of us had ever really tried them.  John hated them.  I wasn't too crazy about them.  I ate mine (and John's), but I wouldn't eat it again.  If anyone out there has a good recipe for brussel sprouts, I'll try again!

This is a strainer full of random greens (radish greens, carrot greens, and swiss chard) that was then mixed with these

to become my signature greens-with-garlic-onion-oil mix. 

Stay tuned.... come cool food excursions will be up in the next few days, including risotto and fondue!!

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Chick Pea Macaroni Monday (and how to make greens less bitter.)

This Macaroni Monday Meal was based on this recipe.  I, of course, took my own liberties, but I must say, it came out SO WELL!!  

Before I even start, how sweet is this grape seed oil container?  

 

I swirled this in the pan with an onion, and when the onions were soft, I added smushed up garlic.

 

John smushed it all up for me.  Is he the sweetest or what?!  He also cooked up a cup of dried chickpeas for me!  We use dried chick peas because they lend a better texture, in my humble opinion, to this dish.  If you have never made them, don't worry.  They are really hard to mess up.  You just have to soak them overnight and then boil them, taking care to keep them covered in water.  It's totally okay if they, ahem, overcook a little.  They just make it a little... smokier.I mixed them up with a few splashes of lemon juice, some grape seed oil, and some salt. 

   

I know I always talk about cooking greens with garlic and oil.  I mean, I've mentioned it in at LEAST four different posts.  What I DON'T know if have mentioned is the radish green dilemma.  John eats radishes all the time, but he finds the greens bitter.  I hate wasting the greens and have been determined to make them palatable.  

This time?  I figured it out.  

Boil it first.  Yes, I said it.  Boil it.  

I threw the cleaned radish greens in boiling water for about a minute, just until they turn bright green.  Then they were scooped out and added to the onion-garlic mixture.  

 

I added a little kosher salt and bread crumbs for good luck.

Once everything was warm and smelling great, the chickpea mixture from before joins the party.

And trust me.  It is a paaaaaaaaaarrrrrr-tay

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Oh!  That boiling water?  That the radish greens were blanched in?  Don't waste it!  I used it to cook the whole wheat rotini.  When they were done, they were thrown into the pan with the chickpea-onion-garlic mixture.  

  

I also had some leftover roasted garlic cloves, so of COURSE they were added in.  

Doesn't it look delicious?  With Parmesan Cheese on top?

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Oats and Oops

I have been running with this whole oats-for-breakfast thing.  I made clean out the fridge oats the other morning.

Oats with peanut butter, leftover apple butter (yes, from a million years ago when we went apple picking.  I finished the last bit in this meal.), flax seeds, and raisins.

Life was good.

Dinner was not.

Recently, John and I went to a restaurant and had a beet and lentil salad that was amazing.  I tried to re-create it for dinner and failed miserably.

It started out innocently enough.  I boiled some beets and cooked some lentils in chicken broth.

(for the record, it is 10:58 AM.  I prep dinner before work)

 

 I then cooked the beet greens in oil and vinegar.  Mistake #1.  They were super bitter.

I combined everything with a bunch of spices.  Mistake #2.  It was just not yummy.

 

THEN, I added ricotta cheese.  Mistake #3.  The salad we had at the restaurant had delicious goat cheese on it and it really made the dish.  We didn't have any so I thought to use ricotta.  NOT GOOD.

All in all I learned that my creation was gross and some things are better eaten out.  Especially when you have no idea what you are doing.

Oh well.  At least the leftover lentils were good in hummus. 

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Sick Sick Sick

Hi!

So, I'm back!

So sorry I was gone for so long.  I had pneumonia.  For a while.  I was sick.  Really sick.

BUT NOW! I am back and cooking and eating again!!!

I was lucky enough to be sent some yummy leftovers to tide my over when I was sick.  I added the chicken to my salad and had that for dinner last night.  MMMmmmMMMm!

Today, I wasn't quite ready for a smoothie for breakfast.  I decided to have cinnamon raisin oatmeal instead.  UNFORTUNATELY there was no cinnamon left.

So I soaked some raisins, 

Cooked some oatmeal,

and added peanut butter to make it yummy!!!  It was probably the best oatmeal I have ever made myself. 

And I deserve it!

Lunch was a simple spinach salad with mushrooms and balsamic vinegar.

 aaaaaaand dinner was a version of this but with spinach.  Just rotini, penne, in a garlic clam sauce WITH spinach.  GO ME!

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Pizza Friday! (with a sprinkle of last minute inspiration)

..... Hello, and welcome back, to another episode of Pizza Friday!

No, really, it is Friday and we had pizza. Since it is Pizza Friday, you know.

We are heading to the farmers' market this weekend, so right now our refrigerator is bare. There was one yellow pepper, some radishes, ricotta cheese, a tiiiiiny bit of hummus, and various condiments left in it. That's it. John decided to make his pizza into mankoushe because of the lack of... other food. I was planning on making a simple ricotta pie.
Just as I had given up all hope of an interesting dinner, I thought of something. the FREEZER!

I sauteed some onions and garlic (of course), added some frozen arugula, and some PIEROGIES!! Genious!



And so ends another delightfully boring episode of PIZZA FRIDAYYYYYYYY

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Greens and Smoothies and MACARONI MONDAY!

We got back from the farmers market with beets and swiss chard, among other things. I used the swiss chard in another attempt at a green smoothie.

Success!!!!! It was apples, oranges, swiss chard, a date, and some bananas. Wow.

The beets were destined for roasting (post to follow), but those greens and the swiss chard were an awesome side dish for macaroni and fake cream sauce.
Of course, they are sauteed with onions, garlic, and oil. I'm sure I've made my feelings toward greens cook this way here and here.

The cream sauce is something I am really proud of. I used to love alfredo-cream-cheesy sauces, but they NEVER agreed with my very sensitive tummy. I have developed this version with soy milk and it is delish! Even my alfredo-sauce-loving-soy-milk-hating-fiance approves!

1. Melt a spoonful of smart balance buttery spread in saucepan.
2. Add in soy milk (as much as you want, since this is the bulk of the sauce. Add a little more than you need because you will thicken it later)

3. Add in LOTS of parmesean cheese.
4. Thicken with whole wheat flour as needed
5. Bring to a light boil
6. Add to macaroni and enjoy!

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Radish Greens and Macaroni

John loves radishes. I love leafy greens. We try to waste as little food as possible. What do all of those random facts mean, when combined? Sauteed Radish Greens!

John was always in charge of cleaning the radishes, and I never noticed that he discarded the greens. One day, I noticed it and vowed never to let it happen again! I figured that all leafy greens are yummy sauteed in garlic, onion, and olive oil, so why not radish greens? Now I collect them from his parents', too!

Today's "Monday Macaroni" dish was sauteed radish greens with whole wheat rotini. First, I cleaned all the radish leaves.
Then, I sauteed them with smashed garlic, chopped onion, breadcrumbs, olive oil, parsley, and parmesean cheese. MMmmmMMMmmmm!
Mixed with the whole wheat rotini? Amazing.

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My First Green Smoothie!

Okay. I'll admit it. I have been dying to try a green smoothie. I'll also admit that I love to create food out of whatever I can find in the fridge. This morning, these two parts of my personality came together!

We had over-bought apples at the farmers market and under-ate some cucumbers and salad grees and were left with this. Cut up in the blender with some water.....


3 Apples, a head of slightly wilted Romaine hearts, a cucumber, some flaxseed meal, and a cup of water became my first green smoothie!

Okay, so it's brown. And a bit too thick for my liking. I'm not sure if that is because it was blended instead of juiced, because I didn't put much water, or... something else. But all in all, not bad!

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Greens and Gnocchi

Hello!
I had planned on making this on Tuesday, but life changed that plan! We got around to making it today.

First, we baked some potatoes, scooped out the insides, and mixed it with whole wheat flour, and an egg. After you roll it out...
You slice it into little gnocchi sized pieces. I also sauteed some bitter leafy greens we bought at the farmers' market last weekend with garlic, oil, breadcrumbs, and onions. Tell me, is there ANYTHING that doesn't taste better sauteed with garlic, oil, and onion? I don't think so.

Anyway, the finished product was nothing short of beautiful!

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Farmers' Market + Homemade Tortilla=Hummus Wrap

We are lucky enough to have an awesome farmers' market near our house. This isn't a "massively overpriced" farmers' market, it is a "farmers bring their produce to sell it at incredible prices" farmer's market. In addition to the farmers there are little stores that also have great prices. Last time we went, I picked up a box of organic spring mix salad for...... $1!!! The big box, too! I was so excited!

Last week I was inspired to make homemade whole wheat tortillas. When you combine one of those with John's hummus and cheap spring mix salad you get.....

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