Smokey Red Peppers and Beans Gumbo (vegan)

I was a tad skeptical about making this. Gumbo normally gets it's trademark smokey flavor from sausages. This is vegan so It didn't call for sausages or shrimp or chicken. However, I decided to give this a shot because it came from a vegan cookbook that I have come to love and trust to deliver on taste. In the end , this was fab. The smokiness was totally there thanks to a little liquid smoke, roasted red peppers and fire roasted tomatoes. The backbone of the gumbo was held up by yeasty beer and thick tomato paste. The usual suspects were there; okra, onions, celery and bell pepper and also the addition of kidney beans, a not so usual suspect, and when it all came together wonderful things happened. It thickened up beautifully and tasted divine. I sound surprised, and I was. I was surprised because it was so good that I probably would have chosen to eat this gumbo over any other meat filled one even before the word vegan became so loosely used in our household.

I hate when food pretends to be something ( like gumbo) and falls terribly short because you cut out the main ingredients to accommodate a certain diet. Vegan in this case. However, if that said food turns out to be surprisingly wonderful AND can accommodate a certain diet, well then, I'm all for it. My kids downed this in a flash by the way. Probably because the vegetables don't taste like vegetables. They taste smokey and mild due to the cooking process. Oh, about the cooking process. You'll notice the recipe says to sometimes let certain vegetables or flour cook together for a longer period of time than normal before adding the next ingredients. Just do what it says. You can't argue the results. That being said, I did have to adjust the heat to low once because my peppers started to burn a bit before it was cooked through like the recipe asked.

And lastly, a disclosure. I used butter instead of earth balance or another vegan margarine. I know, I know, that defeats the purpose, but I can't stand vegan margarine. It was my only tweek.

Smokey Red Peppers And Beans Gumbo

adapted from "Veganomicon"

serves 6-8

1/3 cup vegan margarine, (or butter for non vegans)

1/4 cup all-purpose flour

2 medium sized onion, cut into small dice

2 green bell pepper, cut into small dice

1 stalk celery, sliced thinly

4 fat garlic cloves, minced

1 (12-ounce) package frozen, sliced okra

1 (28-ounce) can fire roasted tomatoes with their juice

3 roasted red peppers, jarred or homemade chopped into fine dice

1 (16-ounce) can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

3 cups vegetable broth (more if needed)

1 cup ale-style beer

3 tablespoons tomato paste

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/2 teaspoon liquid smoke flavoring

pinch of freshly grated nutmeg

2 bay leaves

pinch of cayenne (optional)

1 teaspoon salt or to taste

5 cups cooked brown rice, for serving

First were going to make a roux: Preheat a large heavy bottomed stockpot over medium-low heat. Place the margarine in the pot and stir until melted. Sprinkle in the flour and stir to dissolve it. Cook the flour mixture, stirring frequently, until it is a rich caramel color and smells toasty, anywhere from 10-14 minutes.

Add the chopped onions and bell peppers to the roux mixture, stirring to coat completely. Raise the heat to medium-high and cook until the vegetables are very soft, at least 10 minutes.

Add the celery, garlic, and okra, and cook for another 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, roasted red peppers, kidney beans, and vegetable broth. Whisk together the beer and tomato paste and add that to the mixture, stirring to incorporate completely. Stir in the allspice, liquid smoke, and grated nutmeg, and lastly tuck in the bay leaves.

Raise the heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then lower the heat back to medium and partially cover. Allow the mixture to simmer 30-45 minutes, stirring occasionally, until okra is very tender. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before serving, then season with salt, pepper and cayenne. Serve by itself or with a scoop of brown rice in the center of the bowl with the gumbo around.

This is a long list of ingredients. I know. But I wouldn't blog about it unless it were worth it. Also, a long ingredient list doesn't always mean a lot of work. You only need to chop the onions, garlic, and red peppers. The rest is a breeze.

Udon with Shiitake Mushrooms and Kale in Miso Broth

I was little nervous about making this being that it has Chinese roots and all but I have to admit it was really easy, really healthy, and really good. All things we like at this time of year. I got this recipe from a vegan cookbook which I think I kind of love (thanks for the Christmas gift, Craig).

I don't know about you but I'm watching my waistline after all the abuse I've given it this holiday season. I'm not talking about a diet, but rather, just feeding my body foods that help it recover and refuel with the good stuff without feeling like I am depriving myself. Udon soup with healthy greens and veggies, check! The broth tastes just like miso soup with the volume kicked up from the mirin and soy sauce. It's mild but flavorful and just what I'm craving this night. Too often, brothy-veggie based dishes are boring and bland. Not the case here. Super-simple ingredients result in super-flavorful returns.

Speaking of that, it's beautiful out tonight. I guess you could call it the calm before the storm since we are expecting a whopper tomorrow. The photos were taken off my back deck this evening. That view always reminds me of the "little town of Bethlehem". I'm not sure why as I have never seen Bethlehem, but it's a soothing sight so maybe that's why I associate it to that. Whatever the reason it makes me happy. I love the lights of the town and the little valley I live in nestled between majestic mountains. It's breathtaking, really. Come visit. You should experience it.

These noodles are supposed to be swimming in a little broth when you serve it, but I left my mine in the broth a little too long because, as luck would have it, my husband and I were having a riveting conversation and by the time we were done the noodles had soaked all the broth up! It was still delicious.

Udon with Shiitake Mushrooms and Kale in Miso Broth

adapted from "Veganomicon"

serves 3-4

1/2 pound fresh udon noodles or dried udon noodles

2 tablespoons vegetable oil

1 medium sized red onion, sliced into thin half-moons

4 ounces shiitake mushrooms, stems trimmed, sliced

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

2 tablespoons mirin (optional)

2 1/2 cups water

3 tablespoons miso (see tip)

4 cups chopped kale (see tip)

2 1/2 teaspoons soy sauce, or to taste

Bring a pot of water to a boil. Cook the udon according to the package directions, about 10 minutes. When done, drain and rinse with cool water until read to use.

Meanwhile, preheat a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the onion and mushrooms in the oil for 5 to 7 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and the onions are softened but still have some crunch. Add the garlic and ginger, and saute for another minute.

Add the mirin, water, and miso, and bring to a gentle boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and add kale. Toss the mixture around with tongs until the kale had wilted. Add the noodles and use a pasta spoon to stir them into the broth for about 2 minutes.

Divide the udon and vegetables among bowls and spoon some broth over each serving.

Did you know it was good luck to eat noodles on New Years Day? It is! Go ahead and slurp away! Also, just a note, I couldn't find straight miso, so I used a miso and tofu soup mix. It was basically the same thing. TIP: The recipe is based on a strong, dark miso; if you are using a light, mellow miso, you may want to add another tablespoon or so.

TIP: I separate the leaves of kale off either ends of the tough stem so I only have tender leaf pieces. Then I soak the leaves in a bowl of water for a couple minutes to rinse off any dirt. I then remove the leaves from the water, squeezing them out as I go and placing them on a paper towel to drain, and finally, discard the water with all the grit.

Also I am trying to verify my blog with another and I need to publish this code to do it:E547BAH78JAP Please ignore, or don't. Whatever.

Panamanian Pinto Beans with Ham and Rice with Coconut Milk

note: this recipe is vegetarian, better yet, vegan if made without the pork.

My friend Becca wrote that she was making this for dinner last week on good ole Facebook. I wrote back something like"Um...YUM! I need the recipe". She was good enough to oblige and now I have a solid introduction to Panama cuisine that I can share with you guys!

Becca got this recipe from her Au Pair a few years back. She was Panamanian and it is a staple out there. The kind of food you make over and over through the generations..."no big deal" food, which is my favorite, especially when it's ethnic. She says it's usually served with these small red beans which we can't get in the states (or not that she knows of anyway) so she uses pinto beans. When you cook the rice with the coconut milk it get's thicker, not unlike rice pudding. Glorious things happen in this bowl!

Panamanian Pinto Beans with Ham and Rice with Coconut Milk

serves 4-5

1 package dried pinto beans

2 cups brown or white rice (or whatever you need to serve 4)

1 can coconut milk

sea salt

1 package of salt pork or ham hock (you can skip this and make it vegetarian)

2 garlic cloves, smashed

1 bay leaf

1 1/2 tbsp chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic salt

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 teaspoon cumin

Sea salt, to taste (about 2-3 teaspoons, at least)

a few handfuls of cilantro, chopped

lime wedges for squeezing over top

For the rice:

Make rice according to package instructions substituting 1 can of coconut milk for part of the amount of water called for and adding 1 teaspoon of sea salt. (I made 2 cups of rice. The coconut milk measured out to about 1 1/2 cups and I filled the rest of the liquid called for with water. (I needed to add more water towards the end because my rice was not cooked through and all the liquid was absorbed. My pot boiled over twice though, so, If need be, you can do that too.)

For the beans:

Place a bag of dried pinto beans in a large stockpot with enough water to cover the beans by 2-3 inches. Place the pot on a stove and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down, place the lid on and take off the heat. Let it sit for 1 1/2 hours. Alternately, you can soak the beans overnight in room temperature water before using.

Drain the beans, then fill the pot with enough fresh water to cover the beans by two and a half inches if using a wide large pot, three inches if using a smaller to medium sized pot. The beans will soak up more water and also evaporate some during the cooking process. Add the salt pork, bay leaf and 2 garlic cloves. (It is very important not to add salt to the beans until they have cooked through. It will make them tough). Simmer, covered all day (5-7 hours) until tender. Remove and discard the pork. At this point, the beans should be swimming in the water with maybe about a 1/2" of water covering them (less than that is okay). If you have more, remove some of the water. Add the chili powder, garlic salt, garlic powder, cumin, sea salt to taste, and stir. Taste the broth and adjust seasonings as necessary. It will probably need more salt. Let the beans simmer with the newly added spices for five minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary (important to taste since you will have varying amounts of water in your pot to season). 

Serve beans with a bit of their juices on top of the coconut rice and top with a generous amount of cilantro and fresh lime juice.

This is a meal within itself. I wrote the recipe with the amounts of spices I used when making this. Becca's original directions were much more relaxed. It sounded something like this: you just replace the water for the rice with a can of coconut milk, adding more water if you have to make whatever amount of liquid necessary. You will want to add sea salt. I cook the beans on the stove all day long and season them well with chili powder, cumin, and fresh garlic and serve the beans over the rice with fresh squeezed lime and cilantro.

My point in saying that is if you are comfortable, take Becca's directions and wing it. I am more comfortable following directions so that is why I included measurements here.

Chipotle Kissed Red Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

I bought a cookbook last summer called "Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker" and have made this recipe from it three times. I have not made any other recipe from that book. I guess I need to branch out, but this chili is so original and so fun I can't pass it up when I open the book. The texture varies a bit each time I make it only because I'm working with sweet potatoes. The longer it does it's thing in the slow cooker, the thicker it will be, like in this picture. If you cook this for only 4-5 hours it will be a bit thinner and the food will be more defined, Which is more ascetically pleasing to the eye. Whether you like it thick or thin, the taste is the same. People who don't usually like sweet potatoes will like them in this because as with any chili, the whole dish takes on it's own flavor and everything tastes like everything else. It's a beautiful thing.

"Vegan Craig" Is staying with us for a couple days. He was never "Vegan Craig" but rather, just Craig until a few days ago when his wife called him by that name in a text and I laughed so hard, I've been calling him it ever since. You see, Craig is vegan now. He used to be rather large and eat a block of cheese a night. Before dinner. Now he is svelte, healthy and well...vegan. This chili, coincidentally is vegan, so it was only fitting that I make this for him while he was here. He left this morning sadly. Craig is a great guest. My husband and Craig have been friends forever and he and Sally, his wife, used to live here but alas, they moved a couple months ago. Luckily they are the traveling type so we will be seeing them from time to time for sure.

I don't like to label things as being "vegan" up front, or like in the title, because I feel it turns people who are not vegan off. I like lots of dishes that happen to be vegan, but probably wouldn't have tried them out had they been labeled "vegan". You know what I mean? Maybe I am the only one with this fear.

Chipotle Kissed Red Bean and Sweet Potato Chili

adapted from "Fresh From The Vegetarian Slow Cooker" by Robin Robertson

serves 4-6

1 medium-sized yellow onion, chopped

1 medium-sized red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

1 large garlic clove, minced

1 1/2 tablespoons chili powder, or more to taste

3 small sweet potatoes, (1 1/2 lbs) peeled and cut into 1/2 inch chunks

One 28 ounce can crushed tomatoes

2 (15.5-ounce) cans dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed

2 cups water (more if necessary. You need to just cover all the ingredients with it)

1 tablespoon kosher salt, or more to taste

2 teaspoons garlic powder

1 tablespoon minced canned chipotle chilies in adobo sauce, or to taste

cilantro, fresh tomato, red onion for topping (optional)

Add all ingredients except the chipotle chiles, into the slow cooker. Make sure you add enough water to just cover the top of all the ingredients. You can add more than the 2 cups of water if necessary.

Cook on low for 6 to 8 hours. When ready to serve add the chipotle chilies to the slow cooker and taste for seasonings and adjust if necessary.

Serve and top with chopped cilantro, fresh diced tomatoes and red onion.

Keep in mind the chipotle chiles in adobo are pretty spicy. My kids can eat this with the 1 tablespoon recommended but they like spicy things. If you are sensitive, try adding 1/2 tablespoon first (about 1/2 a pepper) and tasting before adding more. The chipotles are what give this a pleasing smokey flavor so don't leave them out all together.

Soba Noodles with Shiitakes

It's no secret that I love to cook. However, I have had my share of flops in the kitchen and 8 times out of ten the culprit is Chinese/Asian food. I love and adore this kind of food and crave it on regular basis. When we are in Denver we make it a point to either go to PF Changs or Pei Wei (or Tokoyo Joes) if not both, multiple times. Now I know they are chain restaurants people, and there are probably so many other, better more authentic choices out there, but I don't know about them. So, if you know the Denver area well and like this type of food, please send me a shout-out!

While this type of cuisine is delicious it tends to be daunting in the kitchen. That whole balancing perfectly the salty, sour, sweet, spicy thing just messes me up. I have made decent Pad Thai, but it wasn't great or anything. I have made good cold Asian cucumber salads, but come on, not too many people could screw that up. I did make good orange shrimp once, come to think about it...hmmm, I might have to dig that recipe out and test it again. OK, but my stir-fry's are pathetic and most of the time taste like burnt soy sauce and just the other week I made an atrocious (and I mean that) Asian salmon noodle bowl. It was foul. I don't even know how I could mess it up that badly. Well, in my defense, the recipe itself was messed up first, but I did absolutely nothing to save it. I managed to make it worse, actually.

Anyway, given my track record, I was shocked I tell you, when I made this (which is Chinese-ish) and it tasted really good. Dang good actually. It wasn't especially complex and maybe that is why I succeeded. Whatever the reason, I am feeling victorious! And after you make this, you will too.

It's light but hearty. It's a great summer dish but would be equally good in cold weather and just take note; it tastes better if you eat it with chop sticks. I admit, I steal a couple wooden ones whenever I am at Pei Wei. I know, its horrible. Please don't think less of me. The only thing is I would have liked something else to go with this. My husband thought it was great on its own so it's not a must, but a little cold Asian cucumber salad would have been nice. Or dessert. I guess if I had had dessert after I might not have felt this way. You make the call!

Soba noodles with Shiitakes and Cabbage

adapted from Gourmet Magazine August 2007

For the sauce:

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup soy sauce

2 teaspoons korean hot-pepper paste (or sriracha, which is what I used)

1 tablespoon packed brown sugar

For Noodles:

3 tablespoons sesame seeds

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 tablespoons finely chopped peeled ginger ( I omitted this b/c I don't enjoy ginger)

1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic

10 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and thinly sliced

6-8 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

6 scallions, thinly sliced

8 to 9 ounces soba noodles (buckwheat noodles)

1 cup frozen or fresh shelled edamame

Stir together all sauce ingredients until brown sugar is dissolved, then set aside.

Toast sesame seeds in a dry skillet (not nonstick) over medium heat, stirring until pale golden, then transfer to a small bowl.

Heat oil in skillet over medium-high heat until it shimmers, then saute ginger and garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add shiitakes and saute, stirring frequently, until tender and starting to brown, about 4 minutes. Reduce heat to medium, then add cabbage and most of the scallions (reserve some for garnish) and cook stirring occasionally, until cabbage is crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Add sauce and simmer 2 minutes.

While cabbage is cooking, cook soba and edamame together in a pasta pot of boiling, salted water until noodles are just tender, about 6 minutes. Drain in a colander and rinse under cool water to stop the cooking and remove excess starch, then drain well again. Transfer to a large bowl and toss with vegetable mixture. Serve sprinkled with reserved scallions and sesame seeds.

*If you aren't able to find Korean hot-pepper paste (or sriracha) substitute 3/4 teaspoon chinese chili paste and reduce the amount of soy sauce to 1/4 cup.

Serves 4

I didn't feel like spending $18 for all the fresh shiitakes called for in this recipe. If you don't either, just buy one carton (usually 3-4oz) of fresh shiitakes and one pouch of dried shiitakes. Reconstitute the dried shiitakes in a small bowl of very warm water for about 45 minutes. Save some of the water you soaked the mushrooms in for the 1/3 cup water called for in the sauce. it will add more flavor. Just make sure to only use the first third of the liquid so you don't get any of the grit at the bottom that have fallen off the mushrooms. Then slice up all the mushrooms and saute as directed, except them remove them from the pan and set aside. That way, you can sprinkle the mushrooms on top of every ones dish rather than them being randomly mixed in. Then, you can make sure everyone has a nice portion.

Did I mention how healthy this is for you? Buckwheat is actually a vegetable and that is what soba noodles are made from. It's awesome.

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Basil Oil

Your first bite with all it's long and ribbony strands of zucchini just barely cooked and still deliciously fresh is just that. Delicious. Running through whole wheat al dente pasta that tastes faintly of basil and garlic and all tied together with salty parmesan cheese and a light dressing of oil. It's light but substantial and a perfect summertime dinner for anybody.

See my note down below to make this dish vegan.

I have the obvious suggestions like make sure you only make this dish when zucchini are in season and to use freshly grated parmesan cheese. When you have a meal like this that uses only a few choice ingredients, it's important that they be of high quality. It sometimes can mean the difference between a good meal and a great one.

I'm not sure who to credit this dish to. I suppose Michael Chiarello. I saw him make it a long time ago on food network and had seen it in one of his cookbooks at my friends house and had wanted to make it but never got around to it. Isn't that always the way? Then, while perusing that wonderful Smitten Kitchen blog I saw she had made it and brought it to my attention once again. So here it is, probably changed a bit from the original as Smitten tweaked it and then I tweaked it a little bit more. Well, thats not really true since all I did was change the way you cut the zucchini. The original recipe calls for a mandoline so you can cut the zucchini with the fine french fry cutter to make long, thin matchstick strands that resemble spaghetti. This makes total sense and would be easy to eat it that way with the pasta and all but I don't own a mandoline. So, I shaved zucchini into long ribbons by using a standard vegetable peeler and it worked out very well. The point is to have the zucchini very thin so that there is no need to cook it. You just add it into the hot pasta and it slightly wilts and becomes absolutely perfect.

Zucchini Ribbon Pasta with Basil Oil

adapted from Michael Chiarello

3/4 pound whole-wheat dried spaghetti

3/4 pound zucchini

1/4 cup olive oil

2 tablespoons minced garlic (about 6 cloves)

1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes

3 tablespoons coarsley chopped basil leaves

1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

basil oil (or your favorite store bought flavored oil)

Basil Oil:

makes 1 1/3 cup

4 cups packed basil leaves

2 cups good olive oil

For the oil: In a blender, puree the herbs and oil together until completely smooth. Put the mixture in a saucepan and bring it to a simmer over moderate heat. Simmer for 45 seconds, then pour through a fine mesh strainer into a bowl. Don't press on the mixture, but you can tap the strainer against your and to get the oil through faster.

Note: fresh herb oils are better to toss into pasta at the end rather than cook with, so the oil keeps it's fresh, uncooked taste.

For the pasta:

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and add salt (at least 2-3 tablespoons. You want it salty to flavor the pasta) Add the pasta and cook until al dente, about 10 minutes.

While the water comes to a boil and the pasta cooks, run a vegetable peeler over the zucchini to create long, thin ribbons. Or, cut with a mandoline or by hand into the longest and finest juilenne you can manage. Assuming you zucchini is very finely cut it does not need to be cooked. Otherwise place it into the pot of water with the pasta for the last minute of cooking and drain with the pasta. The zucchini should still be slightly crunchy.

heat 1/4 cup olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat until hot. Add the garlic and saute briefly until light brown. Add the red pepper flakes. Quickly mix in the basil and remove from the heat. When the pasta is al dente, drain through a colander, reserving about 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.

Pour the pasta into a warm serving bowl; add the zucchini, basil oil (recipe above) the garlic mixture, and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Toss well, adding cooking water as needed to make a smooth sauce. taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper if needed. Grate about 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese over top and serve at once

My kids ate this up like it was candy, so it's a winner all around. I have to admit that I didn't use the basil oil for this recipe as written. I have made this oil before and it is incredible but my Grandma just brought me back fresh tuscan herb olive oil from the wine country a week ago and I used that. It, was also incredible. If you have flavored oil on hand by all means use it too.

You could make this vegan by omitting the parmesan cheese. It has so much flavor that it would be equally delicious.

Zucchini, Basil, Tomato Saute

This is a side dish that they serve at a restaurant here in Steamboat called "Three Peaks Grill". No, it's not actually their recipe but the owner did tell me what went into it and I couldn't be more thrilled. I have actually made a mock version of this before using all the same stuff as it's not hard to tell what the ingredients are. It's very straight forward, but also, for some reason extra yummy. Maybe its the way you cut the zucchini into pretty little strips, or the way that all the ingredients come together and just mesh. What ever the reason, it's fresh, pure and simple with pops of fresh basil and tangy fresh lemon. It really tastes like Summer on a plate.

I made this a couple days ago on Thursday for our family dinner. My Aunt was in town and we had a little get together. This side dish went really well with our grilled salmon but I really like it with seared tuna, normally. I only recommend you make this when zucchini and tomatoes are in peak season. There's nothing worse to me than a mealy tomato. Ugh, the mere thought of it makes me shudder.

Zucchini, Basil, Tomato Saute

adapted from "Three Peaks Grill"

Olive Oil

4 medium zucchini, cut into a large julianne

2 medium tomatoes, cut into medium dice

15 leaves fresh basil, cut into a chiffonade

juice from 1 lemon

kosher salt

pepper

Serves 6-8

For the zucchini; cut each zucchini into quarter inch rounds, then cut those rounds 3 or 4 times across so you end up with small strips of zucchini.

Heat a saute pan over medium heat and add a couple tablespoons of olive oil. Add the zucchini and stir occasionally until it is starting to wilt then add the tomato chunks and saute everything together until almost cooked through. Add the lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste (you need quite a lot to bring the flavors out) and cook for another minute. Finally, take the vegetables off the heat and add the basil. Stir to combine and serve immediately.

I know it's kind of cheating when I blog about something like this. I find that sometimes I get really wrapped up in more complicated dishes that I forget about the less complicated and let's face it, simpler is sometimes better.

Radicchio Pizza with White Truffle Oil

note: cheese is optional. If you leave it off, it is vegan

OK, this is seriously good. We went to a BBQ at my in laws for Memorial Day and it was one of those deals where you bring your meat, or whatever it is you want to grill and a side dish or appetizer to share. Danielle, my friend thankfully brought this. It's not so much a "pizza" as it is like whole wheat pita bread with spread on top, even though, I'm pretty sure she used whole wheat pizza dough. Whatever it was, it was delicious and easy and you could pretty much put this topping on anything (crusty bread anyone?) and it would be fabulous. As for me, I brought an arugula, watermelon and feta salad that I was planning on blogging about originally, but it fell short. I think it needed more mint mixed in with the greens and balsamic instead of the citrus based dressing I used, and besides, after one bite of this pizza I knew that this would have to be what I wrote about and nothing else. Want to hear the crazy part? It was vegan until Danielle put the Parmesan cheese on top, which I do recommend because it adds a great salty bite. It could easily be an appetizer, cut into squares instead of wedges, or a healthy dinner, take your pick. Let's just face it, anything with white truffle oil tastes good so why not give this one a try?

Radicchio Pizza with White Truffle Oil

adapted from The Kind Diet, Alicia Silverstone

1 large head radicchio

olive oil

fine sea salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

white truffle oil, to taste (Danielle said she used the littlest bit)

1 fresh pizza crust (preferably a healthy, whole grain variety

freshly shaved Parmesan cheese (optional)

Preheat the oven to 415 degrees

Cut the radicchio in half, then slice each half crosswise into thin ribbons (as thin as possible). Dress with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a few dashes of white truffle oil to taste.

Toast the pizza crust in the oven for 7 minutes or until it is heated through and slightly golden but not crunchy.

Scatter the dressed radicchio over the pizza crust and return to the oven for another 3-5 minutes, until the radicchio is warm and starting to wilt. Top with Parmesan cheese shavings and serve immediately.

I love recipes like this. Ones that take all of 5 minutes, dirties 1 bowl and taste stellar. Danielle added some spinach to the radicchio mix and thats why you can see green in the picture. Feel free to do so yourself if you have some. By the way, you don't have to serve this hot. The wedge I ate was room temperature and look how I have raved. I can only imagine what it is like hot and fresh out of the oven. I couldn't even really eat the pizza crust because my cleanse is on going, although I did indulge in the cheese on top (you can't win them all and honestly I have been so good up until this last week...sigh) and still it was THAT good. Jeremy thinks, and I agree, that I have a way of going on and on about things, especially food, when I get excited about it and so I end up ruining it. I'm sorry if I talk things up. I try to be conscious of it. I just can't help it sometimes. :)

Quinoa with Red Peppers, Avocado and toasted Pine Nuts

Well guys, I'm up to my ears in cake. Literally. I think I might have made more cakes in the last 2 weeks than In my entire life, and that's saying a lot. I'm happy though because I've found a few winner recipes! What I have not been making a whole lot of, are dinners. I mean, we still eat but it's mostly tacos/tostadas and soups and a white chicken chili, sans chicken, that I have already told you about. The other thing we have had like 3 times already is this quinoa recipe. It's the simplest of recipes but it's still really, really good and fast. I think it's the toppings that make it most special. It's basically some sauteed leeks and red bell pepper that you add quinoa to, directly into the saute pan, add veggie stock and some salt and cover. Then you let it simmer away for about 15 minutes or until all the liquid is absorbed. When it's done you put a mound in your dish and top it with a fair amount of fresh chunks of avocado, toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil, salt and pepper and voila! It's a casual dish that we just took up a notch, that's all, not to mention how healthy it is for you. You could play around forever with this recipe. Don't have leeks? use onions. Have left over zucchini? Saute it up with the onions, you really can't go wrong. If you are really hungry, serve this as a side dish along with grilled salmon or chicken, although this dish is substantial enough to stand alone in my family as long as there is plenty of avocado to go around!

Quinoa with Roasted Peppers, Avocado and toasted Pine Nuts

2 bell pepper, chopped into small dice
2 leeks, chopped, white and green parts only
olive oil
sea salt or kosher salt
2 cups quinoa, rinsed in the sink with a mesh strainer
4 cups vegetable stock (or 1 box)
1/3 cup pine nuts toasted (put them in the oven at 350 for 8-10 minutes)
3 avocados, chunked

saute the bell pepper with the leeks in about 2 tablespoons of olive oil until soft, but not cooked all the way through, about 3 minutes. Add in the quinoa, the vegetable stock and a hearty pinch or two or salt. Bring the pan up to a boil, then turn the heat down to medium low, cover, and let cook for 15 minutes. When liquid is almost totally absorbed, the quinoa is cooked. Mound into the center of shallow bowls and top with chucks from half and avocado per person, a palm full of toasted pine nuts, a drizzle of olive oil, and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Serves 6

For those of you who are not familiar with quinoa, it's crucial that you rinse the grain under cold running water before you use it. Just sort of rinse it off like it was dirty for about 20 seconds or so. It helps so it won't have a bitter after taste. this meal come together in 30 minutes from start to finish although I imagine some people are faster than me and it could be cooked sooner than that. OK, now I must leave you to focus on what else? Cake. I baked a Butter Pecan Cake today, now it's time to test Chocolate Mocha Cake! I hope I can get it done before we head to the carnival with the kids tonight. Fun times, fun times.

Rice, Black Bean and Mango Salsa Bowl

So, I made this recipe up. I saw a facebook post about black beans and mango salsa a few days ago and it got me thinking...The weather has been beautiful here lately and any time it warms up to 50 degrees, it has all of us thinking about Spring, beloved Spring! Spring equals warmer weather and lighter food which, for me, always includes Cuban. I had decided that I would make brown rice and season it up with some lime juice, cilantro and salt once cooked. Then I would saute up a load of garlic (5 ginormous cloves!) in a wee bit of olive oil and add a couple cans of black beans with their juice and let it simmer for a while to reduce. Then I would squeeze in fresh lime juice and add some garlic salt and chile powder. Then I would dish up the rice in a shallow bowl and top it with a ladel or two of beans, whose juice would drip down and flavor the rice. Then, I would top the whole thing with fresh mango salsa. You could probably make the dish just fine from the description above seeing as how it's rustic, but I'm going to provide the recipe below. It was really, really good.

Jeremy loved it, which is no surprise since it's basically a vegetarians dream dish. The fresh salsa paired so well with the earthiness of the beans and the sweet tart combination along with the garlic was divine. A snap to make too, by the way, and oh, so satisfying.

So get this. I was actually all geared up to make this dinner last night, but I had a showing on my house around 3pm and had to leave. I went to Danielle's house and never left. We ended up having dinner there, but it was kind of funny because she was making black bean patties with a mango rice. I don't know whether it was in the air or what, but black beans and mangos were popular in Steamboat this week. The dinner last night was delicious as well, but I figure I'd better ration out my black bean posts so as not to cause a revolt. Besides, I will be making Danielle's dinner again and will share the recipe at that time. Until then, make this...

Rice, Black Bean and Mango Salsa Bowl

serves 4

2 cans black beans, left undrained

whole grain rice or white rice (enough for 4 people according to package)

5 fat garlic cloves (or 7-8 smaller ones) minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 juicy limes, each cut in half
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
1 mango, chopped into bite sized chunks
2 tablespoons red onion, finely diced
1 cup cilantro, chopped, divided
Kosher salt

Black pepper

For the rice:

Cook enough rice for 4 people according to the package directions. (I usually need enough rice for 6 people to feed 4).

For the mango salsa:
While the rice is cooking, make the mango salsa. Mix the chopped mango, red onion, half of the cilantro, with the juice of half a lime and a pinch of salt and black pepper. Set aside until ready to use.

For the black beans:
While the rice is cooking, set a saute pan over medium low heat and add the olive oil and garlic. Cook for garlic for a minute or two, then add the cans of black beans with their juice. Turn the heat up to medium high and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat back down to medium to medium low and simmer, stirring occasionally for 12-15 minutes until some of the beans juices have evaporated away and it is a bit thicker. Don't boil away all the juice because that is what will flavor the rice when you dish it up. Add the chili powder, salt and the juice from 1 whole lime and stir to combine.

When the rice is done cooking, squeeze in the juice of the remaining half a lime and add a generous pinch of salt and the remaining cilantro. Stir to combine. Cover to keep warm.

To serve: Scoop a portion of the seasoned rice on the bottom of your bowl and top with beans with its sauce, then top with mango salsa. Dig in!

You can make the mango salsa up to a day in advance. It re-heats beautifully too! I would make this for company. Just serve an appetizer like cucumber spears with lime juice, salt and chili powder, pass the mojitos or coronas and you are golden. Flan with toasted coconut flakes for dessert wouldn't hurt you either. Oh, my, I'm hurting for Summer!

Healthy Lifestyle Talk/Salad Ideas, grrr

I'm just going to get right down to it. there is no need to preface the information I am about to give you. Just know that it is shocking and you will probably be mad. I was. Heck, I still am. Mad that I didn't know this before and also mad that I do know it now (Ignorace is bliss!) One thing to note is that the things I am talking about today when I use the word "healthy" are used in terms of wellness. Cancer free, heart disease free sort of healthy NOT just weight loss. The following is the truth:
1) Not all oatmeal is good for you
In fact you must buy the steel cut oats, irish oatmeal or the quaker kind that take absolutely forever to cook for it to be healthy. Most instant oatmeal's are so refined that it's same as eating white bread. Worse, if you buy the instant packets, the kind with the flavoring and all that there is so much sugar and bad carbs that you might as well eat chocolate cake for breakfast. No lie. Your body processes pasta and white bread and the bad oatmeal the same way it does baked goods. It turns into pure sugar and carb. I don't know about you, but if I am going to get fat I'd much rather be eating chocolate cake than oatmeal.

2) All animal protein (meat and dairy, INCLUDING FISH) is not very good for you
I know, I know, fish? It depends on where it comes from. Long Island has one of the densest breast cancer problems and they think it is becuase they eat all the fresh seafood, which is actually farmed and/or the water is polluted or something like that and in turn becomes toxic. It actually helps build up bad cells in your body that promote cancer growth. Now, I am not suggesting all fish is bad, just know where it comes from. Wild Alaska Salmon is awesome. Know your facts about your fish. Chicken and turkey are just as bad for you as red meat as far as cancer (breast, prostate, skin, stomach...etc) and heart disease are concerned. Broccoli has WAY, WAY WAY more protein than steak. Dairy makes you fat. And since they are animal based those foods, again, do nothing to help your body ward off disease and actually aid in it's breeding.

3) Every calorie you consume come from either carbohydrate, protein or fat.
your body needs carbohydrates and fat, but from a good source (avacado, corn, etc) Obvisiously you want to pack as many nutrients into every calorie consumed. that only come from eating healthily. Bad fat from refined sugar (pasta, white bread and rice included) butter and oil get stored/deposited on the body minutes after consuming them. they can actaully take a biopsy of fat from your thigh and tell you where it came from, be it oil or what. That is scary and gross.

4)We need to STUFF ourselves with health, literally
Did you know that we should be consuming 2 HUGE salads a day at least? Romaine and spinach and other leafy greeens eaten raw are the BEST protection from cancer and heart attacks. they only help significantly if we are consuming them in huge quantities. In fact, you should strive to eat a whole head of romaine accompanied with veggies and preferably beans when you eat a salad. There is no such thing as eating to many vegeatbles or fruits. Hogwash is what I say to people who clamin our bodies can only absorb a certain amount of nutrients at a time. Where are they getting this information? Many of the tests they use to back those theorys are up are medically ridiculous. Know where and how those studies were done and by whom. The american cancer association and doctors and scientists and everyone for that matter agree on a couple things. Eating mass amounts of vegetables daily (fresh or lightly cooked or frozen...not canned) and fruit of all kinds, even if you are not vegetarian or dairy free is the number one way to prevent cancer and heart disease. Eat at least 3 fruits a day (it's really not that hard) and try to eat salad as often as possible (with minimal dressing) Cancer and heart disease is 99% preventable by what we put into our bodies. It doiesn't even matter if you are predisposed or not genetically.

5) Olive oil is NOT good for you. period.
Olive oil is fat. plain and simple. in fact olive oil contains more calories per volume than butter. I know, shocker huh? 1 tablespoon of olive oil is 120 calories. (calories from pure fat!) The average american eats about 4 leaves of lettuce in a salad and dumps about 3-4 tablespoons of dressing on it. (I don't do this, sounds pretty excessive if you ask me, but this is the statistic) That's 360-480 calories from fat on your salad, with basically minimal nutrition from the salad itself. Might as well j ust ditch the greens and drink straight from the salad dressing bottle. I would still use olive oil for sauteing, but not as much as before, believe me!

6)The USDA originally was financed by the meat and dairy industry and backed by nutritional scientists on the payroll the meat and dairy industry as well. Nuff said. How many times did you mother tell you to drink a full glass of milk at dinner because it was "healthy". Not so much. Lots o' fat and sugar though, and cancer promoting for that matter. It's not their fault though. This was drilled into them over and over back in the day.

7) Lots of your predisposition to certain cancers has to do with how fast you matured as a girl.
Back in the 1800's, the average age for a girl to get her period was 18 years old. It steadily declined over time to get to the age of 12 as in modern day. Why? A woman matures faster when she is eating a diet rich in processed, fatty foods. The faster you mature, the faster your body begins to die. The healthier you eat, the slower your body matures.


Ok so enough of all of that, I could go on and if you want to learn more about these truths I reccommend you read "Eat to live" by Joel Fuhrman MD. Fascinating stuff. Fascinating but frusterating!!! I'll just tell you, last night I had a seared tuna salad with dressing on the side and today after my breakfast of steel cut oatmeal with almonds, cinnamon, strawberries a touch of brown sugar and SOY MILK instead of my beloved cream, I ordered a "vegetarian" taco salad from qdoba with extra black beans, no cheese, no sour cream, instead of my usual chicken version WITH cheese and sour cream. Damn you Dr. Fuhrman, damn you vegetarians of the world, damn you scientists and cancer and heart disease!!!!! damn, damn, damn. Why can't you just keeps your traps shut and let us believe that meat and scrambled eggs make you strong! I could go on and on becuase I am truly hot pissed. I am a foodie, dang it, not a hippie! If you know me very well, then you know what my answer to what my biggest pet peeeve is...vegetarians. I hate them but have learned to tolerate them. Vegans on the other hand make me sick. Don't they know that the best thing in the entire world worth experiencing could very well be a perfect roasted prime rib with au jus and Piave cheese as a starter with processed brioche bread pudding for dessert? As dumb as they are for missing out on that deliciousness, I have to say that now I actually, dare I say, understand them. Maybe even appreciate them. Maybe. I will never eat the same, that's for sure. Once you acquire this information, how could you? Fear not friends, I am not going to become a looney tunes veggie (sorry Kaylee, Cristina, Brittany, Luanne and Jeremy) But, I most likely will stuff myself with fresh fruit, salad and beans. I will probably make at least 2 vegetarian meals a week, skip the cream and take the soy milk with my oats and pass on the crumbles of blue cheese and or bacon on my salad. Eat more seafood (not the toxic kind, hopefully) cook more collards and spinach, eat less dessert and excersize more. I will probably have a salad night once a week where we gorge on the stuff with healthy dressing. I will also most likely develop healthier versions of the things I already love to eat. However, I will NOT compromise flavor. And, I will still enjoy chunks of my beloved piave cheese, a great ribeye, and pasta. Just not as often. This is progress for me. And progress is good. It might even give me a little side project as there are some pretty nasty healthy foods out there.

I just read about a dressing they want us to put on salads in an effort to be healthier, it consists of frozen blueberries, blended with dates and raspberry vinegar. It might be fine, but it sounds wrong. too bland...too, something. Unless of course it was being served on top of frisee with blackberries, walnuts and either goat cheese or smoked gouda, in that case it might be divine. I think for the salads I usually make though, I would prefer a mashed up avacado with tons of lemon juice and some salt, or maybe I could throw in some of a good seasons italian dressing seasoning packet; salad does need flavor. Or I could whisk up lots of lemon juice, a bit of honey, dijon mustard and lots of salt, like my Aunt Kellie does to put over a garden romaine. Or I could add a touch of oil to a basic balsamic with some s&p. I think plain lemon juice works as a dressing if you have enough of it, let it sit for at least few minutes after dressing it and you season the salad well with lots of vegetables (carrot, celery, jicama, cherry tomato, avacado, cucumber, beets and sprouts) and seasoning like fresh cilantro, sesame seeds, sea salt, pepper, dried dill, dried minced garlic and the like. Those are the types of salad I love and wouldn't mind eating HUGE gigantic, enormous amounts of for my health.