Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Mushroom Spinach Enchiladas with Cilantro Cream Sauce, Black Beans, Corn Salad

Hmmm... I'm on a heavy cream kick you guys. I guess I must be trying to make everyone's fat stores ready for the winter!

Enchiladas
I used this recipe for the enchiladas.

Corn Salad
My basil is going mad right now with all the rain, so I used this recipe. For the dressing, I put the basil, oil, vinegar, and salt in a bowl and used the hand blender to emulsify.

Black Beans
In the crockpot.

So, next week, I need to start honking the horn to have you guys come and get your bags out of the car. By the time I cook the meal, get it and Freya in the car, I am exhausted. The up, down, lugging a heavy bag is really hard on this big 'ol pregnant lady. For the next two weeks, please listen for the honk.
Thanks!

Total: $35.00. Not too bad.

Monday, October 26, 2009

Mediterranean Salmon Salad and Buttermilk Potato Salad

from Chris and Holly
We loved this meal - I hope you enjoyed it. We had a sandwich with the salmon but also made lettuce wraps with it - which were super delicious too.

Mediterranean Salmon Salad
from Martha Stewart Living

12 oz canned salmon
1 celery stalk, diced, leaves reserved
1 tsp lemon zest
3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
3 tbsp almonds, toasted and coarsely chopped
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp capers, rinsed and chopped
S&P
1/4 c. fresh dill

Combine salmon, celery, lemon zest and juice, almonds, oil, capers, S&P. Mix in dill and celery leaves. Serve with lettuce on bread.

Buttermilk Potato Salad
from Martha Stewart Living

3 lbs small red potatoes
1/4 c. plus 1 tsp sour cream
1/3 c. low-fat buttermilk
2 tbsp prepared horseradish
S&P
1/4 c. fresh dill
1/4 c. finely chopped fresh chives

Cover potatoes with water by 1 1/2 inches and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until potatoes can be pierced easily, about 20 minutes. Drain and let cool completely. Cut potatoes into halves or quarters.

Stir all ingredients together.

Potato and Rosemary Bread

Grapes

Total cost = $50 - jeez it seemed like it was going to be a lot cheaper!! At least it was a quick one.

Sunday, October 25, 2009

Curry Filo Tarts, Garlic Sesame Greens, & Stovetop Rice Pudding

Curry Filo Tarts
from the Chopra Center Cookbook

1 tsp plus 1 tsp ghee or olive oil
1 tbsp Braggs or tamari
1 pinch black pepper
1 3-inch head cauliflower, coarsely chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1 pound carrots, peeled and chopped into 1/2 inch pieces
1/4 cup vegetable stock
2 cups coarsely chopped broccoli
2 tsp curry powder
1 tsp dill
2 tsp garam masala
4 sheets filo pastry

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray or brush cupcake pan or 4 8-ounce custard cups or oven-safe bowls with oil (I used a giant muffin pan). Heat a large saute pan over medium heat; add 1 tsp oil, and then add the leeks, aminos, and pepper. Saute until the leeks (onions) are translucent. Keeping the heat on high, add the cauliflower and carrots. Saute for 4 or 5 minutes until the vegetables are cooked but not soft. Add 1/4 cup vegetable stock as needed. Add the broccoli and the spices and continue to saute for another 4 minutes. Be careful not to overcook the vegetables. Turn off the heat, cover, and set aside. Lay out the sheets of filo pastry on the counter. Spray lightly or brush with the remaining tsp. oil. Fold in half , then in half again. Line the prepared cups with the folded filo sheets. Using a slotted spoon, fill the pastry cups with the vegetable mixture, straining off excess liquid. Bring up the ends of the filo pastry and twist together at the top. Spray lightly with oil and bake for 15 minutes or until golden brown.

Garlic and Sesame Greens

1 bunch each of kale, mustard greens, and collard greens
about 4 cloves garlic
Olive Oil
Sesame Oil
Sesame Seeds
Balsamic Vinegar

Saute chopped garlic in a medium heat pan with olive oil and sesame oil, add greens, cook and flip until just wilted, but still bright green. Transfer to serving dish, sprinkle with balsamic vinegar and sesame seeds.

Stovetop Rice Pudding
from the New Moosewood Cookbook

1 cup short-grain brown rice
3-3 1/2 cups milk ( I used almond and soy)
1/2-3/4 tsp salt
3-5 tbsp mix of agave nectar and maple syrup
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
a dash of nutmeg

1. Rinse the rice in a strainer. Drain well, and place in a saucepan with 3 cups milk. Bring to a boil, cover, and lower heat as much as possible. Simmer until the rice is very tender. This will take up to 1 1/2 hours.
2. About 1 hour into the cooking, stir in the salt, sweetening, vanilla, and spices.
3. Serve at room temp or cold.

Total Cost: 25.50
(had a few of the ingredients on hand already, but still pretty good!)

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Tomato Basil Soup, White Bean Spread, Bread, Salad

Tomato Basil Soup, not for the feint at heart!

Spinach, Apple and Pecan Salad. I caramelized the pecans. Freya called them candy pecans. Um, yep, they are.

White Bean Spread
navy beans
olive oil
rosemary
salt and pepper
Whack it all together until you get the consistency you want. I didn't measure anything. Not helpful. Sorry!

Fresh Bread
I've been experimenting and you guys got Whole Wheat, Flax, Amaranth Bread.

I made enough for 6 meals (4 of us and 2 food trees). Total: $25.68. Huh? Ok, I already had the basil, rosemary, garlic and all the bread ingredients. Wow, this was a cheap meal, folks!

Stir-fry with Brown Rice and Spring Rolls

From Holly and Chris

Tofu and Vegetable Stir Fry
Tofu, cubed (I almost forgot to prep the tofu!)
Chinese 5 spice
Canola oil
Bragg
Broccoli, cut into small florets
Bell peppers, cut into strips
Scallions, sliced
Cilantro
Sesame Seeds

Cube the tofu, cook the liquid out, and brown in a little canola oil. At the end of the browning, add Chinese 5 spice and Bragg to the pan to add flavor. Set aside to add to the stirfry.

Heat canola oil in a wok over meduim high heat and add veggies. Stirfry until turns bright green. Spoon over brown rice and top with tofu, Vietnamese sauce, cilantro, and sesame seeds.

Tangy Vietnamese Sauce
Sirach or Chili Paste, to taste

6 TBSP Bragg

6 TBSP Rice-wine vinegar

3 TBSP Sugar

1 Tsp Ginger

2 Garlic Cloves

1 tsp corn starch

2 TBSP water

Juice of two limes ( at end, once cooked and starch added)

Add chile paste through water in ingredient list above to a pan and stir over medium heat. Once it thickens, add lime juice.

Brown rice

I added some lemon grass to the rice cooker.

Spring Rolls

Rice paper wraps
Rice stick noodles
Tofu, cut into 1/2 in. cakes
Bragg
Garlic
Ginger
Bean sprouts
Mint, remove stems
Cilantro, remove stems
Hoisin sauce
Peanut butter

Quickly marinate the tofu in Bragg, garlic, and ginger. Use a grill pan to grill the tofu cakes. After they cool, cut into strips.

Cook rice stick noodles - be careful not to overcook.

Soak a wrap in hot water until pliable (a few seconds - they will disintegrate if you soak for too long) . Add noodles, herbs, tofu, and bean sprouts.
Wrap into spring roll shape. Repeat.

Serve with sauce of 2/3 Hoisin to 1/3 peanut butter. I added water to thin the sauce further.

Total Cost = $33

Sunday, October 18, 2009

Cajun Macaroni and Red Beans, Roasted Potatoes with Green Beans, spinach salad

This came from a recipe book (Vegetarian Times Pasta), but I modified it so much that I am just going to go from memory. I have never made it before.

Cajun Macaroni and Red Beans

1 bag of whole wheat gemelli pasta
1 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
2 14 oz cans stewed tomatoes
3 tbsp cajun spice (bulk section of CM)
2 onions
4 stalks organic celery
2 organic green (bell) peppers
3 14 oz cans red kidney beans
6 garlic cloves
1 tbsp olive oil

Combine everything but pasta in the obvious way, fold in cooked pasta at the end.

Roasted Potato and Green Bean Salad
(Ethan made this, I believe he doubled the following recipe. We had enough to take to a small potluck, for us for dinner tonight, plus leftovers)

2.75 tbsp butter
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp fresh rosemary
2 pounds organic potatoes (calls for new potatoes, but we just used russset)
1 pound fresh green beans
6 oz blue cheese crumbles
4 oz pecan halves

vinaigrette
4 oz veg oil (he probably used olive)
2 oz vinegar
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp chopped fresh basil
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 tsp dijon mustard

Preheat oven to 350. Melt butter and in a small bowl, combine with garlic, rosemary, salt, and pepper. Coat potatoes with butter mixture, roast for 45 min. Cool them in fridge.
Meanwhile, steam green beans, put them in ice bath. Combine all with vinaigrette in bowl.

Spinach salad with vinaigrette

straightforward.

Saturday, October 17, 2009

Spaghetti w/ tomato sauce, Pickled Vegetables, & Whole Wheat Rosemary Baguettes

Tomato Sauce
Caramelize yellow onion and garlic in olive oil, stir in tomato paste, add crushed red pepper, canned crushed tomato, salt and pepper. Bring to simmer, add lemon zest. Pour over cooked whole wheat spaghetti and garnish with basil, parmesan cheese, and more lemon zest.

Pickled Vegetables
from Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen
2 cups distilled white vinegar
2 tbsp. salt
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1/4 x 1/4 x 2 inch strips (about 1 1/2 cups)
16 small pearl onions, peeled and cut in half (about 1 cup)
2 cups cauliflower florets (about half a small head)
2 medium celery stalks cut into 1-inch pieces (about 1 cup)
1 medium red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced 1/3 inch thick (1 generous cup)
1.2 cup kalamata olives
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

Pour 3 quarts of water into a 5-quart pot, add vinegar and salt, and bring to a boil. Add the carrots and onions; cook 2 minutes. Add the cauliflower and celery; cook 2 minutes. Stir in the red pepper and continue cooking until all the vegetables are softened but still quite firm, about 1 minute. Drain the vegetables well and transfer them to a bowl large enough to hold them comfortably. Cool to room temperature.

When all the vegetables are cool, season them with salt, toss in the olives, and drizzle the olive oil over everything. Toss well and let marinate at least 1 hour at room temperature, or 1-2 days in the fridge, before serving.

**I added brocolli in with the cauliflower.



Thursday, October 15, 2009

Mac and Cheese, Raw veggies with Cheese Dip, Applesauce

Kid friendly meal!

Mac and Cheese
1 box whole wheat elbow noodles
3 TBL. butter
3 TBL. flour
2 cups milk
salt, pepper
3 cups or so grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup parmesan cheese
1/4 cup bread crumbs

Boil noodles until they need about 1 -2 more minutes. Drain. In sauce pan, melt butter, add flour and whisk. Let the flour mixture turn brown. Slowly whisk in milk. Strip while cooking until sauce is thick. Stir in cheddar cheese until melted. Pour over pasta, add parm, salt, pepper, stir. Pour into 8 by 8 buttered pan. Press bread crumbs on top. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 - 20 minutes.

Raw Veg and Cheese Dip
Raw veg
Dip:
In food processor, whack together:
1 cup cottage cheese
1/4 cup cream cheese
parsley
herb/spice blend
salt, pepper

Total for four meals: $32.50

Edit:
While some of you might strip down naked while cooking, it really should read "Stir until sauce is thick." Stripping might work, though!

Tuesday, October 13, 2009

Italian Lentil and Vegetable Soup, Pumpkin Muffins, Fruit

Italian Lentil and Vegetable Soup

7 cups water (vegetable broth)
1 1/2 cups french green lentils, picked over and rinsed
1 large onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, pressed
2 cups chopped cabbage
2 cups Italian green beans, trimmed and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 medium red potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks
2 carrots, thickly sliced
2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon rosemary
freshly ground black pepper to taste

2 14-ounce cans diced tomatoes
1/4 cup (packed) chopped basil (or 2 teaspoons dried)*
salt to taste
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
parsley for garnish (optional)

Put all of the first set of ingredients, water through black pepper, into a large soup pot. Cook, covered, for about 35-45 minutes, until lentils and potatoes are tender. Add water as needed during cooking to keep soup from becoming dry.

Add the tomatoes, basil, and salt and cook for at least 10 more minutes. Just before serving, add the balsamic vinegar and serve, garnished with parsley (optional).

SOURCE: http://blog.fatfreevegan.com/

Pumpkin Muffins

2 eggs
1/3 to 1/2 cup maple syrup
1 1/4 cups mashed cooked pumpkin
1/2 cup oil
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 cup plain yogurt or buttermilk
1 3/4 cups plus 2 tablespoons whole wheat or spelt flour
1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Oil muffin tins. Beat in pumpkin and oil. Stir baking soda and vanilla into yogurt or buttermilk. Sift flour and spice together. Stir flour mixture and baking soda mixture into pumpkin mixture. Fold in nuts.

Pour batter into muffin tins. Bake about 25 to 30 depending on the muffin size, until tester inserted in center of muffin comes out dry. Cool completely before slicing.

Total Cost = $30

Monday, October 12, 2009

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup with Coconut, Honey wheat bread, and spinach salad with balsamic

So it was our first week filling in for Heather. We tried very hard to not let it take over our Sunday, but it sort of did. Hopefully, we get a bit better! Didn't help that we somehow made way too much soup, but we will freeze some and bring some to Heather. We quadrupled the following recipe, which is from a crockpot cookbook that I have had for years.

Red Lentil and Carrot Soup with Coconut

2 cups red lentils (I used organic)
1 tbsp vegetable oil (I used olive oil)
2 onions, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp turmeric
2 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cracked black peppercorns
2 thai chilies finely chopped
1 28 oz can tomatoes (I used organic, combo of crushed and diced)
2 large carrots, peeled and cut (I used a few extra)
6 cups veg broth (I only used 12 total, and added water)
1 can (14 oz) coconut milk
Finely chopped cilantro garnish-- but I forgot to add

1. In a skillet, combine onions, cumin seeds, turmeric, and garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes. This stage can be skipped if you are in a hurry

2. Put all ingredients into slow cooker. Low for 8-10 hours, or high for 5 hours. Stir in coconut milk and cook on high for 20-30 min.

You can also make this on the stovetop in about an hour-- red lentils cook very quickly, faster than other lentils.

Spinach salad

er, totally straightforward. Organic baby spinach, grape tomatoes, mushrooms, red pepper, grated parmesan. Dressing was just extra virgin olive oil, prepared mustard, and balsamic vinegar.

Honey wheat bread

pretty obviously store bought. I do have a brand new unleashed breadmaker, that you all may wind up being guinea pigs for, if I can ever get it together to try it out.

I did not do the cost on this, but it had to be pretty cheap, right?


Friday, October 9, 2009

Vegetable Barley Soup, Raw Seed Crackers, & Baked Apples1

Vegetable Barley Soup
my own recipe

2 white onions
1 small purple onion
1/2 head of garlic, cloves peeled and crushed
about 1 lb. baby carrots
5 lbs. potatoes
3 ears corn
1 bag frozen brocolli, thawed
1 bunch celery stalks
white mushrooms
2 quarts organic low sodium vegetable broth
about 4 tbsp. olive oil
1 1/4 lbs. pearled barley
dried sage
all-purpose seasoning
spinach pesto
freshly ground pepper

:::Chop all vegetables, saute onions and garlic with olive oil until translucent. Add carrots and potatoes, cover, and cook until a little tender. Add the rest of the vegetables and broth, cook to a simmer, and add barley and seasonings. Simmer until barely has expanded and is tender.

**When it was done, I thought it needed a little more flavor, so I added some dollops of pesto (I made a whole bunch when I did the salmon a couple of weeks ago, so I've been using it in everything. Who doesn't like pesto, right? I hope ya'll aren't tired of it!):::

Raw Seed Wafers
(a fantastic book, by the way. Available at the library)

1/3 lentils
1/3 cup whole buckwheat groats
1/3 cup sunflower or pumpkin seeds
1/4 sesame seeds
1/4 cup flax seeds

Place lentils, buckwheat, and seeds in a quart-size jar or bowl. Fill bowl with water (about 3 1/2 cups) and let soak overnight.

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper (everytime I've used parchment, it sticks and is a mess, so I just spray my baking sheet generously with olive oil and works much better). Drain seeds. Place soaked seed in blender or food processor with just enough water to allow mixture to puree. Blend until smooth. Spread mixture on prepared baking sheet about 1/4 inch thick. Bake for an hour or two. When mixture is stiff enough, remove wafer with parchemtn paper from baking sheet and place it directly on oven rack. (I don't do this since I don't use parchment. It works fine to leave it on the pan.) Bake until crispy (about 4-7 hours more). Break into pieces. Eat plain, with butter, nut or seed butter, or cream cheese).

**I didn't have sesame seeds, so I used pumpkin seeds and sunflower seed. I've made these with cheese, and seasoned different ways, and they've all worked really well. These are great nutritious snack for a pregnant mama who can only keep crackers down!**

Baked Apples

Core and halve apples, dredge in cinnamon and sugar, drizzle with maple syrup, bake in 350 degree oven for about 40 minutes, or until tender.

**These sure were ugly, but I thought they tasted good. I think I'll peel them next time.**

Cost: $14 !!!
But I had the stuff for the crackers, potatoes, carrots, and brocolli, garlic, and maple syrup already.

Tuesday, October 6, 2009

Lasagna, Salad, Bread

Cheesy, spinachy goodness, eh?

Lasagna recipe made up by me.
Tomato sauce: drained chopped tomatoes, olive oil, garlic, fresh basil. Saute the garlic in olive oil, add tomatoes. Bubble away for an hour or more. Add fresh basil and whip out the immersion blender. Whack it all up.

Tomato Sauce
No Boil noodles
Ricotta cheese
eggs
spinach
mozzarella cheese
Parmesan cheese

Beat an egg in a bowl, add ricotta cheese. Mix well. Stir in spinach, salt and pepper. Layer the lasagna with sauce, noodles, cheese layer, mozzerella, repeat. End with noodles and then sauce. Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. Let stand to set up.

Salad: spinach, strawberries, sunflower seeds

Bread

Again, I cooked for 5 families this week. I love an excuse to see a new baby! Total: $41.04
I knew it was going to be a more expensive meal because of all the cheese, but it's worth it.

Cabbage Rolls, Brown Rice, Roasted Beets, and Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

From Holly and Chris

Cabbage Rolls

Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

1 large head green cabbage

2 medium onions

2 tsps olive oil

3 ½ c. chopped mushrooms

1 cup grated carrots

6 garlic cloves, pressed

¼ tsp dried thyme

½ tsp dried dill

¼ c. minced fresh parsley

1 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp miso

12 oz cake tofu, pressed and mashed

1 c. tomato juice

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Meanwhile, core the green cabbage and finely chop the onions. Carefully plunge the cabbage into the boiling water, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes or until the leaves pull away easily from the head. (Use 2 forks to test the readiness of the cabbage, one to steady the head in the water and the other to try to loosen a test leaf). Set aside 12 leaves to cool while you prepare the filling.

In a large skillet, sauté the onions in the oil for about 10 minutes, until translucent. Add the mushrooms, carrots, and garlic and cook, stirring often, for 3 minutes. Stir in the thyme, dill, and parsley and continue to cook until the mushrooms become soft and juicy. Add the lemon juice, soy sauce, miso, and mashed tofu and mix well. When the tofu is heated through, remove from the heat and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Assemble the rolls. Put about ½ c. of filling at the broad end of each cabbage leaf, fold the side edges toward the center over the filling, and then roll up lengthwise. Place the rolls, seam side down, in an unoiled baking pan and pour the tomato juice over them. Cover the pan tightly with foil and bake for 20 minutes, or until hot and steaming.

Baked Beets and Shallots

Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

2 pounds fresh beets

½ pound shallots, peeled and quartered

1 tbsp vinegar

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp ground black pepper

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Wash the beets and trim the stems and tails. Peel the shallots. Place the beets and shallots on a large sheet of foil and fold the edges together to seal tightly. Bake for about 1 hour, or until the beets are tender and easily pierced with a knife.

Remove the packet from the oven and set aside to cool. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. When the beets are cool enough to handle, rub them to remoe the skin, then cut them into chunks or wedges. Place the beets and shallots in a serving bowl. Drizzle the dressing over them and toss well.

Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

Moosewood Low-Fat Favorites

Preheat oven to 500 degrees. Cut peppers in half, seed and stem. Lightly toss in oil. Place cut side down on baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes. Place peppers in bowl and cover with plastic until room temperature. Remove the skins from the pepper.

Puree 2/3 cup roasted peppers with 1/3 cup buttermilk.

Monday, October 5, 2009

thai pumpkin soup, tempeh "chicken" salad, peanut butter krispy treats

thanks mama's for having me sub the past three weeks! it has been a pleasure to share this culinary experience! bon appetit!

thai pumpkin soup


i referred to the following recipe but made these changes:

add garlic, cinnamon, nutmeg and cilantro
used veggie broth
not as much coconut milk - 2/3 of a can??

thai pumpkin soup recipe

tempeh "chicken" salad


steam tempeh 20 minutes

onion
celery
cilantro
cashews
mandarin oranges
grapes

dressing -
veganaise ~ 1/2 - 2/3 cup
squirt of brown mustard
squirt of braggs
capful of apple cider vinegar
1 T orange marmalade
red pepper flakes
salt
pepper

peanut butter krispy treats


peanut butter krispy treats recipe

Thursday, October 1, 2009

Lentil Burgers with Naan "Buns" & Spinach/Strawberry/Candied Walnut Salad

So, I've been really wanting to make naan lately, and thought this would be a good way to use it. Mostly, I just like saying "naan buns." Some of ours were a little tough. The pesto spread is great with chips, too, by the way.

::::Also, did everyone's spinach taste okay? We realized tonight that our fridge isn't cooling very well...::::



Pesto Spread
Speedy Spinach Pesto (with a little basil from home)
Greek strained yogurt (Fage fat free)

Salad
Organic Baby Spinach
Strawberries
Candied Walnuts (sugar on the stove 'till in caramelizes, toss in the walnuts, chop up after they cool)

Agave Balsamic Vinaigrette blend all with hand blender until emulsified
Olive Oil
Walnut Oil because it's so good for you pregnant mamas
Agave Nectar
Balsamic Vinegar
sea salt
pepper
chives