Curried Turnip Soup

I don't ever recall in my entire life eating a turnip. I also cannot recall a time where I ever thought I should eat them. Until this week's trip to the grocery store. I try to get new veggies/foods when I can, and these purple and white beauties called out my name. The parsnips nearby also shouted to me, but ultimately I went for the turnips instead. Maybe next week, parsnips.

Not having had them, I blanked on preparation methods. For some reason I've had curry on my mind this week and had to talk myself out of making curried cauiflower soup last night. Good thing I held off as I had a miniscule amount of curry powder left.

Curried Turnip Soup
6 turnips, peeled and chopped
.5 cup uncooked quinoa
1 small yellow onion
2 cups soy milk (I use unsweetened)
curry powder
4 cloves garlic, minced

Steam turnips. Combine quinoa, onion, and 1 cup water in small pot. Bring to a boil then simmer 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed.

When turnips are soft, place in large pot (I saved about 1/3 of them because I like my soup chunky). Add milk and curry powder (1-2tsp probably works for most people, though I use more). Blend until creamy. Add garlic.

Ladle into bowls and top with quinoa. Makes 2 large servings.

This was so easy to make and absolutely delicious. Who knew I would love turnips? I bet it would be good with a dollop of Better Than Cream Cheese. Tomatoes might somehow make a nice pairing. I can't wait to experiment this fall. Of course I will roast them, assuming my oven is ever fixed. Yes, I cry every day that I don't have the ability to roast everything in my apartment.

Red Lentil Dal

Every time I see red lentils I want to buy them, but I'm paralyzed by my inability to determine how to cook them. On my last trip to the grocery store, however, I threw caution to the wind and got a giant bag full. More than I intended since they came out of the bin faster than I anticipated. Fine with me.

Evidently red lentils are amazing with curry since that's what most of the recipes I found were. I settled on one that at least allowed me to tap into separate spices instead of my curry powder (which I love). The Red Lentil Dal recipe is from Epicurious, though mine is slightly modified.

Red Lentil Dal

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1.5 onions, chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
  2 cups water
• .5 cup dried red lentils
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
  
• .5 cup bulgur, cooked in 1 cup water until water is absorbed
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• Salt and pepper

Heat oil in medium skillet over medium heat. Add half of onions and 2 minced garlic cloves and sauté until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes. Set aside.

Combine water, lentils, remaining onion, 2 minced garlic cloves, turmeric, cumin and ginger in heavy medium saucepan. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until lentils are tender, about 15 minutes. Purée have of the mixture until smooth. Mix in sautéed onion mixture. Simmer 5 minutes to blend flavors. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spoon bulgur into bowls. Spoon dal over. Top with tomatoes and add fresh pepper to taste.

My first dance with red lentils was pretty good, only it really could have used some additional flavor, mostly cilantro. It made 2 good servings and was pretty easy to make, except I dirtied 3 pans in making it. Overall, I'm not as scared of the red lentil and will hopefully enjoy them again soon.

Chocolate Cherry Pudding

I make pudding all the time because it's just so easy. The fun part is deciding what else to mix in- nut butter, maple syrup, cocoa powder, etc. This week I bought an amazing assortment of fruit that included a bag of delicious cherries (and some green bananas that took a week to ripen, boo). So I've been making this simple, delicious dessert all week.

Chocolate Cherry Pudding

• 1 cup cherries, chopped
• 1 cup soy milk
• 2 TB cornstarch
• 2TB cocoa powder
• 1tsp maple syrup (you'll probably want more)

Add cherries, cocoa, and milk to a small pot and let flavors mingle as long as you'd like (an hour is enough). Add corn starch and stir until it mostly dissolves. Add to medium-high heat (not too hot or it'll burn) and stir constantly until it boils. Once boiling it should quickly thicken up. Remove from heat and stir in maple syrup. Enjoy hot or cold.

Millet (Take Two)

Last time I tried to cook millet, it turned into a mush even though Dr. Andrew Weil claimed it would come out like rice. So this time I made it with less water. I dry toasted .25 c millet and added 2/3 cups of water along with a half a yellow onion. It came out delicious, fluffy, and amazing. I also had a roasted ear of corn and roasted carrots.

But I'm happy I conquered millet. Now maybe I can conquer pan-frying...

Summery Rye Pasta

Since my grocery bill has been low from traveling so much, I decided to splurge a little at the grocery store. I ended up in an aisle I rarely visit and found something amazing- rye pasta. 100% rye. I don't usually eat pasta because it always seems like I get too many calories for not enough filling, but it's nice to have on hand for a quick meal. Today I had some veggies leftover from last week's shopping, so I thought I'd throw most of it together for an easy pasta dish.

Summery Rye Pasta

• .75 c uncooked rye pasta
• 1 small/medium onion, sliced (if you are not a massive onion fan, you may want to use half an onion or a quarter
• 1 small head of broccoli, cut into bite size pieces
• 1 large tomato
• 3 cloves garlic, 1 peeled and 2 in skin
• .75 TB olive oil plus extra

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cut 1 clove garlic into small pieces, add a touch of salt, and make into a paste by smashing with the flat side of a knife. Add to olive oil and set aside. The longer it sits, the better it will be.

Add pasta to boiling water and cook until tender. Spray onion and broccoli with olive oil and toss to coat; spread on baking sheet. Cut tomato in half, spray with olive oil, and place skin down on baking sheet. Add rest of garlic. Bake until browned, about 20 minutes, stirring once midway thorough (leave tomatoes whole an flip garlic).

Add everything but tomatoes to a large bowl. Put tomatoes on top and gently tear open with knife to mush it up. Add garlic olive oil and toss to coat. Enjoy!

This was perfect for an oppressively hot afternoon- I didn't have to stand in a sweltering kitchen to long. The only thing I would add is some freshly ground pepper. Yum.

Mexican Bruschetta - Special LBDelicious Crossover!

I spent the weekend with some good friends, including LBDelicious. We'd had a long weekend full of delicious but totally unhealth food, so we wanted a light dinner that was somewhat healthy. A quick survey of the fridge found some great crusty bread, an onion, garlic, an avodcado, and colby jack cheese. We tossed around a few ideas and ultimately decided on this delicious snack.

Mexican Bruschetta

• 1/2 loaf crusty bread


• Chunk of cheese cut into squares to top the bread (we used colby jack but vegan cheese would work just as well, especially since it doesn't get as melty)


• 1 onion, chopped


• 4 cloves garlic, chopped


• 1 can fire roasted tomatoes


• 1-2 tsp adobo suace


• 1 avocado


• Juice from 1/2 lime


• 1-2 tsp Cumin

Preheat oven to 350. Sautee onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes. Add tomatoes with a little water and adobo and let simmer 20-30 minutes.

Cut bread into 1/4 inch rounds and toast in oven. Flip and add cheese until it melts.

Mash avocado and add lime juice, cumin, and salt to taste. Spread on bread.

Place tomato mixture in bowl as a dipping sauce.

This really hit the spot. In fact, LBD's finance gave an "mmm" of approval. The cumin really pulled everything together. Yum. (Picture coming soon!)

White Summer Salad (Hot or Cold)

I've taken a blog hiatus for the summer since I was globetrotting: Philly, Atlanta, Chicago, Minneapolis, Vegas, Houston, Charleston, and San Francisco (next week). There was little innovation and lots of reliance on standbys (split peas and barley or lentils and bulgar), though I am happy to report that I had no problem getting my airplane food past security this time. I can't remember everything I took onboard, but some highlights include my stuffed acorn squash (which I pulled out in first class), some roasted zuccini and carrots, fresh strawberries with the tops cut off, and many peanut/cashew butter sandwiches.

I just got home from an amazing trip to Charleston and didn't feel like cooking. And didn't have much to cook with. Before I left I remembered my head of cauliflower I bought and didn't want it to go bad while I was gone for 5 days. So I stuck it in the freezer. The entire head. Plunked it right in. I thought I'd see if my experiment worked.



White Summer Salad

• 1-2 TB olive oil
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 onion, sliced into semi-rings
• 1 head cauliflower
• 1 cube vegan bouillon with sea salt and herbs
• 1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
  

Prehead oven to 375. Add chopped garlic to olive oil in a small bowl and set aside. Bring 1 cup water to boil. Add quinoa and cook 15-20 minutes or until water is absorbed. Toss onions and cauliflower with olive oil (I use my pump sprayer). Roast until brown- 25-30 minutes.

Mix quinoa and veggies together in a large bowl. Crush boullion in olive oil mixture until it dissolves. Add to bowl and toss to coat.

This was a perfect easy to make summer salad, and it made 2-3 large servings. I'm sure it will be even better tomorrow cold once the flavors mix. Next time I might add some nuts or seeds for crunch or white beans for a little more substance. Oh, and the cauliflower seemed unscathed by the random freezing.

Rhubarb Applesauce

Can you believe I've never had rhubarb? I think I had a rhubarb strawberry piece of pie once, but really didn't understand the rhubarb. Well, it's finally in season and I was inspired to purchase some at the farmers market, despite it not looking like the red chute I expected. It looked a little too much like celery. But it did not deter me. The rhubarb farmer had a nice little sign up, undoubtedly from answering the same "what is rhubarb and what do I do with it" question combination repeatedly. It mentioned stewing them, so I figured I'd start there. I asked the woman to help me pick it out and she looked at me like I was crazy, grabbed 2 long stalks, and asked for money. I was a tad embarassed.

Two stands down I was calculating how much money I had left (since they seem to only take cash) and decided I'd take a quick peek, with the intention of not actually getting anything. They had some bins of apples- nothing too exciting, I thought. But there was a kind I'd never heard of- Virginia's own Stayman variety. I took a taste and liked it, so I picked up 4 of them. On the way home it hit me that stewed apples are delicious, and I was told to stew the rhubarb...so why not add them together like I do with other fruits?

Rhubarb Applesauce
2 large apples
2 long chutes of rhubarb
Cinnamon

Cube the apple and cut the rhubarb into 1/2 inch pieces. Add both to a saucepan with 1/4 cup of water. Boil 30-45 minutes until nice and soft. Add cinnamon.

Rhubarb tastes a lot to me like a Granny Smith apple, but maybe even with a little more pucker.
Combining it with the apple was a good idea- came out quite tasty.

Easy Curry Lentil Stew with Quinoa

Earlier this week I decided to do a quick run by the grocery store after work, and evidently every single other person in the city decided to do the same. I popped in for the essentials- dog food and nut butters, but I also needed some cumin for a pink bean dish I made but didn't blog about because I was lazy. Some how I meandered into the international food aisle and stumbled upon dirt cheap spices, including smoked paprika (something I've never had but always wanted), cumin, chili powder, and curry powder. My last curry efforts have been less than stellar because I'm fairly certain the curry somehow went bad. Really bad.

My old curry was always in a teeny jar and that always spoiled, so of course I bought this giant jar that had no information other than a simple label with the word curry (it was from Mexico). Undaunted, I threw it in my basket and headed to the checkout with the rest of the world.

I wasn't exactly looking for something easy tonight, it just happened that I needed a lot of protein since I had catered lunch at a meeting with no real veggie option. So I went for my go-to lentils.

Easy Curry Lentil Stew
.5 cup lentils
3 cups water
1 medium/large red onion, chopped
2 red potatoes, chopped
15 baby carrots, quartered
salt
3-4 tsp curry powder (adjust to your level)

I brought the water to a boil and added all the ingredients. It looked for 15-20 minutes. With about 5 minutes left I added 2 tsp of the curry. Once it was done, I removed from heat and added the rest. It sat for a few minutes so the flavors could mingle, then I served atop a bed of quinoa.

This dish was one of my favorite things I've cooked in quite some time. The lentils were a bit mushy, which is how I love them, and the curry flavor was perfect. It made 2 portions at about 375 calories each (including the quinoa). Yum!

Spicy Garlic Sesame Broccoli with Red Beans and Quinoa

Work was less than ideal today so I had to let off some steam by taking a long walk with the dog. When I got home I wanted something relatively simple so I could eat and go straight to bed. I knew the fresh broccoli in my fridge would do the trick.

Ingredients
.5 cup quinoa
1TB sesame oil
Several medium heads of fresh broccoli cut into trees (I had maybe 6 cups?)
4 cloves of garlic (less if you aren't a garlic lover like me)
1 cup light red beans
Red pepper flakes to taste
Salt to taste

Cook quinoa (combine with 1 cup water, bring to the boil, simmer 15 minutes or until all water is absorbed). In a large pan (I wanted to use my wok, but it needs to be retired), heat oil on medium. Add broccoli and garlic. Toss to coat. Cook for 5-7 minutes until broccoli becomes bright green and is your desired level of crispness, stirring regularly. Add beans, salt, and red pepper flakes. Cook another minue. Remove from heat.

I ate the broccoli and quinoa side by side, but you could mix them all together or eat the broccoli atop the quinoa. It made 2 large servings (I used a LOT of broccoli). This was so easy and tasty. The sesame oil gave it a nice, unexpected flavor (since I rarely use it). It would have been even better with sesame seeds, but I've never bought them in my life. Maybe next time.

Cream of Spinach Soup with Bulgur

I got home from work late after attending a less than stellar networking event/seminar on advocacy. And I decided to walk the 2 miles home without changing into my sneakers. Sometimes I'm brilliant like that. At least the event gave me time to plan dinner, which needed to be fairly easy since I was getting home late. Not too inspiring, but what can you do...




Ingredients

• 1 TB vegan margarine (I love Earth Balance)
• 1 medium red onion, diced or chopped into whatever size you prefer
• 4 cloves of garlic
• 1 bag fresh spinach, washed and chopped
• 2 TB flour
• 1 cup unsweetened soy milk
• 2 cups water
• 1.5 cubes veggie boullion
• 1 TB Better Than Cream Cheese
• .5 cup bulgur + 1 cup water

I followed the same process as my Cream of Mushroom Soup. I heated up the margarine and added the onions, cooking for 10 minutes until translucent. Then I added the garlic for 2 minutes and the spinach until it sarted to wilt. I added the flour and stirred for a minute or so (I evidently don't "get" how to use flour as a thickening agent), then the soy milk and water. I stirred, hoping it would thicken, and it didn't, so I assumed that would never happen and added the bouillon and cream cheese. Once it was all melted and mixed in, I removed from heat. While that was cooking I also got the bulgur going- simmering with the lid on for about 15 minutes or until the water was absorbed.

It hit the spot after a long day. And I'm too tired to think of ways to improve it. Ok, well maybe make it all milk with more cream cheese, but then I'd get fat again.

Split Peas and Barley with Spicy Kidney Bean Cream Sauce

Uninspired. That's how I felt on the Metro ride home from work as I desperately tried to come up with a dinner idea. And that's how I continued to feel as I stared at my bare cabinets in search of something that caught my eye. Nothing. The problem is that I got all my veggies in at lunch with my Spring Vegetable Salad and needed grain and protein for dinner, limiting my choices severely. I really wanted some veggies, but evidently I didn't do such a good job grocery shopping and will barely have enough to last me to this weekend. So I went for my go-to dinner and made split peas and barley. Except I got a sudden flash of inspiration as I was walking the dog.

Ingredients

• .5 cup yellow split peas
• .5 cup barley
• 1 large red onion
• 2 TB Better Than Cream Cheese
• .5 TB chipotle in adobo sauce
• .5 cup cooked dark red kidney beans
• Fresh cilantro to taste
• Salt and pepper to taste

Combine split peas, barley, and onion in a pot and cover with water. Bring to a boil and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until tender, checking to make sure there's enough water. Remove from heat and add cilantro, salt, and pepper. Meanwhile, blend together the cream cheese, beans, and chipotle until smooth. It makes 2 medium/small 375 calories servings.



Experiment successful. It wasn't overwhelmingly spicy, but it had great flavor and was easy to make.

Spring Vegetable Salad: Harnessing the Power of Steam

All winter I've been obsessed with roasting. Since spring is around the corner I decided to try a new cooking method to obsess over, one that doesn't raise the temperature in my apartment. Tonight, the steamer basket became my new best friend.

I needed something with protein but didn't want to use the usual suspects (lentils/split peas), then I had the brilliant idea to use quinoa since it is a complete protein. I also wanted to use some fat in my favorite form- olive oil- to help me feel full when I reheat it for lunch. And the asparagus made me feel like it is spring, which it almost is. This dish was incredibly easy to make.




Ingredients

• 1 bundle of asparagus (I estimate mine was about 24 stalks), bottom woody part removed and cut into bite size pieces
• 2 medium/large tomatoes
• 1 large red onion, sliced into large pieces
• 4 cloves garlic, chopped
• .5 cup quinoa
• 1 cup water
• 1-2 TB capers
• 1 TB olive oil
• Fresh dill to taste, I think I used about .25 cup
• Salt and pepper to taste

Bring garlic, qunioa, and water to a boil, then reduce to simmer for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed, just like rice. I actually stick my ear in the pot to see if I hear water. In another pan, add onions to steam basket for 7-10 minutes or until they begin to soften. Add tomatoes (whole) and steam for about 4-5 minutes or until the skin starts to pull away. Remove tomatoes and add asparagus. Steam with onions for 2-3 minutes (it's done when it's bright green).

In a large bowl, cut/mush tomatoes so they are bite sized. Add olive oil, asparagus, onions, capers, dill, quinoa, salt, and pepper. Thoroughly mix and adjust seasoning as necessary. It makes 2 large servings or could be 4-5 servings as a side dish.



I ate it hot, but I bet it's great cold. It was nice, light, and refreshing. It seems like a good potluck food.

Baked Bananas

I was doing a little blog checkup this morning and noticed that somehow I've never posted about Baked Bananas- the greatest healthiest treat of all time! I make it every single Saturday and Sunday that I'm home and thinking about making it the rest of the time. Overripe bananas are the best for a lot of things because all of the sweetness comes out. And as I mentioned in another banana post, you can just throw them, peel and all, into the freezer and use for Baked Bananas, smoothies, baking, etc.

Bananas are also very good sources of vitamin B6 and good sources of vitamin C, potassium, fiber, and manganese. Not to mention they protect cardiovascular health, soothe ulcers, improve elimination, protect your eyesight, build better bones, and promote kidney health. And who know how amazing cinnamon is! It's an excellent source of manganese and a very good source of fiber, iron, and calcium. It's anti-clotting, anti-microbial, controls blood sugar, boosts brain function, improves colon health, and protects against heart disease. And how can unprocessed cocoa be bad for you with its flavanoids and healthy fats? Baked Bananas = Super Snack.

Ingredients

1 banana

1TB cocoa (unprocessed and unsweetened)
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional)

Preheat oven to 350-375 degrees.

Slice 1 banana lengthwise, careful not to pierce the bottom skin. Place banana, the older the better, on foil lined baking sheet or in a Pyrex dish (there are juices that leak out that may harm an otherwise nice baking sheet, though I don't line mine in foil because mine are not nice). Add about a Tablespoon of cocoa inside the banana. You may have to slightly open it up so the cocoa doesn't get all over the pan. And it's probably best to try for about a teaspoon at a time for the same reason. For extra excitement, you can add a half teaspoon of cinnamon. Bake for 15-20 minutes (the peel will be black). It will be soft and mushy so be careful transfering to a plate. Savor and enjoy. And then let me know how amazing I am for introducing you to the greatest food ever.

Creamy Tomato Soup w/Cauliflower Base

Yes, it's another tomato soup recipe. But it's different this time, I swear! I had some poor tomatoes that were on their last legs and I knew I wanted to roast them because, well, I'm obsessed with roasting. Oh, and it makes them taste even more amazing. Usually I use tofu as the base to make it creamy, but I wanted to use cauliflower to be a little different. And because it, too, was on its last leg.

Ingredients

1 medium head cauliflower, cut into small pieces

8-10 roma tomatoes

4-6 cloves garlic still in paper

1 cup unsweetened soy milk

Olive oil for roasting tomatoes

.5 cup fresh basil leaves (whole)

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375. Steam califlower until soft. Meanwhile, cut tomatoes in half lengthwise and toss with olive oil (I used my oil sprayer-genius). Place cut side up in baking dish and add garlic. Check after 15 minutes and rotate dishes and flip the garlic over. Check after 10-15 minutes to see if garlic is soft. When it's become soft or just started to brown remove and let cool a few minutes. When tomatoes start to brown, remove from oven.

In an empty pot or blender, add cauliflower, tomatoes, basil, garlic (remove paper, you can generally just squeeze it out), and salt and pepper. Blend together until it turns a nice shade of orange-pink and becomes smooth. It makes 2 large servings or 3 medium servings, and you get most of your veggie servings all in one sitting.

I could eat this every day. I would consider adding some red pepper flakes and/or some croutons, but it's pretty perfect as-is. Maybe some wine, but I'm still not sure how to cook with it yet, so maybe next time.

Sweet Potato Supreme

I spent a ridiculous amount of time and energy going grocery shopping today, despite the fact that I'm leaving for 10 days on Saturday. So when I got home it was already 3 and I was starving. I wanted something quick that I could get going while I cooked lunch and I remembered my favorite go-to veggie for quick- the sweet potato.

I nuked a medium/large sweet potato for about 12 minutes while I chopped up some fresh cilantro and chives from my up-until-this-point-sort-of-disappointing Aerogarden as well as 1 clove of garlic. When the potato was done, I cut it in half and cut out a small hole from the middle of each half to which I added some Earth Balance margarine, garlic, herbs, and salt and pepper. I meant to add chili powder but forgot.

I smushed it all up and ate it on 2 pieces of whole wheat toast. Perfect quick afternoon meal.

Garlic Sesame Asparagus and Herbed Barley

Somehow the asparagus I'd bought 2 weeks ago wasn't quite dead yet, so I felt it was time to finally eat it. I'd been putting it off because I didn't want my pee to smell, but I'm not sure why I was so worried about that. I was inspired by this recipe on vegweb, but I had no sesame seeds so I improvised- shocking I know.

I added 1 TB of sesame oil and 3 cloves of chopped garlic to 24 spears of asparagus. Then I stuck it in the oven on about 375 for maybe 10 minutes until it was done.

Meanwhile, I cooked some pearled barley and when it was almost done, I added a variety of Italian herbs and some vegan margarine (Earth Balance).

Delicious. I just wish I'd remembered to add the garlic to the oil ahead of time to let it infuse like I do with olive oil. But, still wonderful.

Steamed Cauliflower atop a Bed of Tomato-Cumin Cilantro with Spicy Cool Tofu Sauce

A long title, a tasty dish. I'm a huge fan of all in one dishes (not necessarily casseroles...or is that the definition of the word?), and today I needed a little of each food group (except fruit).



So, I cooked some quinoa with tomatoes and cumin, steamed some cauliflower, and made a sauce with 1 package of silken tofu , a bunch of cilantro (that's PARSLEY to you, jennilicious!), chipotle pepper, and salt. When I first made the sauce, it was missing something, so I added more of everything. I retasted and it still wasn't perfect, and then I realized the key: garlic. So I added 3 cloves and it was amazing.




















Not only is it tasty, but it looks pretty. The picture doesn't do it justice- cauliflower seems to be camera-shy lately. But if I actually cared when I "plated" it, it could have looked so much better. What's that atop you ask? Green onion. It was dirt cheap so I've been cooking with it all week.




As far as changes/improvements, it could really, really use some lime. I'd probably put it in the quinoa and possibly the sauce as well. And perhaps the quinoa could have used some chili powder.

Chipotle Polenta

I've made polenta now the last 2 nights.

Thursday- I made polenta and added chipotle to the corneal. I then topped it with homemade salsa (chopped up one small on the vine tomato, half a red onion, 2 cloves of garlic, and some cilantro). And the best part- I added some chili powder/cumin to a few TB's of Better Than Cream Cheese. Now, in the past I feel I may have maligned this stuff. But, it's my crack cocaine (that and silken tofu). I love it. This dish was awesome, except I didn't cut the onion into small enough pieces so it was a little overpowering.

Friday- Same first sentence and last dollop. Instead of salsa, though, I cooked .25C of lentils with the other half of the red onion and another tomato. And a dash of salt. The lentils alone were amazing. On top of the polenta, though, was fantastic. Yum.

Lentil Soupish

I threw together lentils, corn, red onion, garlic, cilantro, chili powder, cumin, and a little salt. It was good and easy (just like jennilicious).