Roasted Beet and Goat Cheese Salad, Cherry Tomato and Spinach Tart

this was an awesome food weekend, and because I'm waking up at 4, this is going to be a short entry without the recipes. but don't fret, I have pictures and if anyone wants the recipes, you got it! 

first course was Roasted Beet Salad with Goat Cheese and Citrus Vinaigrette. 

I never used to love beets like I do now... in fact, I hated them.  I thought they were up there with brussels sprouts.

but after having them cooked deliciously (roasted is my absolute fav.), I'm a beet-liever. I love how earthy they are, and their subtle, almost meaty flavor. (I mean meaty in the sense that it's a substantial vegetable. not as in animal meaty.)

They're roasted with olive oil, little bit of balsamic, salt and pepper. that's it.We roasted these babies for a good

 1.5 hours, as they were a little smaller than baseballs... 

the mom made a super easy citrus vinaigrette with an orange, its segments and the juice and a little olive oil. 

I toasted a crostini for each plate, as the crunch, beets, and cream of the goat cheese work so well together. 

next, was my dish... Cherry Tomato and Spinach Tart. 

I made the tart shell from scratch, it's a buttery, flaky, savory crust that works so well with the vegetables. I roasted the

 tomatoes with some garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper for about an hour... they get carmelized and super sweet - almost like sun dried tomatoes. The spinach was cooked in a big pot with some butter, tiny bit of water, nutmeg,

 and salt.... then drained. in between the layers is some parmesean cheese which makes it that much more delicious. 

so so good. we added some roasted chicken to complete the entree, with a light lemon butter sauce. I'm really pleased with this recipe but would alter it slightly. Coarsely chopping the spinach would make it easier to eat, and I would use less than the recipe called for... but it was overall so delicious and I would definitely make it again. 

that's all for this weekend. tune in soon for more delicious food and recipes. 

Lentil Lettuce Wraps with Thai Shrimp

These are simply delicious. I apologize for being away for so long. I got a new job as a barista, which takes up even more of my time that I don't have. I used french and regular, cheap-o grocery store lentils with this recipe and either type works beautifully. I am going to start blogging about restuarants in town. I figure, I dine out on a weekly basis, and I love food enough that I could spend some time at my UNF job blogging. Without further ado, here's the newest recipe:

Lentil Lettuce Wraps with Thai Shrimp

Filling Ingredients:

1 Tbsp. unsalted butter (I sub'd earth balance and it turned out great vegan)

2 Tbsp. olive oil

1 shallot, finely choppedn (white onion can be substituted, but shallots have great flavor)

3 cloves of garlic, minced or finely chopped

1 cup lentils

1 cup mushrooms, quartered/choppped

1/2 cup carrots, chopped

1/2 cup tomatoes, chopped

3-4 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

salt and pepper to taste

Marinade Ingredients:

1/2 pound - 1 pound fresh, uncooked shrimp - peeled (de-veining is optional.. i don't mind it)

2/3 cup sweet thai chili sauce (find it in the asian and mexican section of the grocery store. by the soy)

1 cup soy sauce

juice of 2 limes

2 cloves of garlic, minced/finely chopped

1-2 Tbsp. of chopped/minced ginger (optional. and if you love ginger, add more)

2/3 - 1 cup cilantro (I add a cup, I love the stuff)

The Rest:

2 cups sour cream (I used fat free)

1 cup cilantro, chopped

Iceberg lettuce - carefully take the leaves off, keeping them in tact (it is, after all... for lettuce wraps)

Directions:

Combine all the marinade ingredients, add the peeled shrimp. Multiply the marinade if you use more shrimp, they should be coated nicely and covered with the marinade. Let sit in the fridge for 30 minutes. While it marinates, if you plan on grilling them (which you should), soak your wooden skewers in water so they don't burn!

When you grill the shrimp, they should only take about 5 minutes total. Shrimp cook quickly, and people often overcook them.

In a deep saucepan on medium heat, melt butter with olive oil, add garlic and shallots and saute until soft and translucent. add lentils and coat with the mixture. Add 2 cups of broth, carrots, tomatoes, and mushrooms.

Note: 1 cup of white wine can be substituted for 1 cup of vegetable broth. It adds a bit more flavor and a little decadence.

Cover the pan and let simmer on low-medium heat, until the lentils are tender. Add the remaining broth as needed, you should use all of it, and the lentils will plump up a bit. The carrots and mushrooms will be tender. Add salt and pepper to taste. It took about 20-30 minutes for the lentils to get nice and tender. Taste things as you go!

Mix chopped cilantro and sour cream and serve with everything. It adds a nice cool, creamy texture to the wraps.

I tip my hat to vegans everywhere

so, I've been a vegan for 9 days. I've had to eat out three times... and it was difficult two of those three outings. I have to hand it to anyone who's been vegan for years. 

first evening was thai, which was the easiest. I've found that ethnic food is so much more vegan friendly than our traditional american fatty food. I had something called "the amazing". It's tofu in a coconut milk/peanut sauce with a kick. Served atop rice with some fresh steamed broccoli. it was amazing. We had some banana spring rolls for dessert, which were also delicious (with some fresh fruit, sesame seeds and honey.. i'm not being a strict vegan. I have to have honey in my life)... 

the second food outing was bistro aix, a french inspired restaurant I've been going to for years. This was difficult because everything has butter or cream. I wasn't starving, so I had a nice big spinach and pear salad with fig vinaigrette. also, lots of bread. Totally delicious. I probably could've also had the risotto or a cheese-less pizza without much problem. I'll test these out on a less busy night. 

lastly, was today's jaguar v. broncos game. My parents are on the board of directors for the Cystic Fibrosis Foundation of North Florida. The event raised for $100,000 for CF with donations, the ticket price to get in, auctions, and had tons of restaurants from the city cater it and donate their food and time. 

I basically had dried fruit, spanish roasted almonds, some delicious fennel salad, and black beans and rice with salsa. But the rest of the cuisine was meaty or filled with heavy cream. (mostly meat. I hadn't seen so much meat in a long time.) I forgot that sports fans love to just eat meat at games. meat meat meat. The Burrito Gallery was catering there, and the guys recognized me several times because I kept going back for more rice and beans. so good. 

In short, I salute anyone who's vegan anywhere. It's not easy, especially if you have a busy schedule and can't cook all the time. I started being vegan as a challenge. I wanted to do it for a week just to see if I could, but now I can't imagine going back, at least not completely. I'll still indulge in fish occasionally, especially for the protein.. and occasionally with cheese.. but I've realized through this that lactose and I are not friends... so we'll see. 

I'm really happy to be vegan. It honestly feels great, and I feel better without all the butter and cream in my life. When my camera works again, you bet your sweet ass I'll post more recipes. When I get the photos from my memory card, I'll post something new and delicious as well. 

coming soon... 

thai tofu, tomato mushroom pasta... so good. 

vegan apple crisp

I have been a slacker with this blog, and I'm sorry. school got in the way of cooking, and then I lost my camera battery charger. I have a ton of recipes I've been making that are really yummy, but I feel that photos really make it that much more appealing. Luckily, I made a cheesy photo with photobooth of the apple crisp I made tonight for neilly and myself. 

I've also been trying the vegan thing. I really like it, and I plan on staying vegan for the most part, with small indulgences of any cravings I have (like fish, cheese, eggs)... 

I found this recipe off goveg.com but tweaked it a little, smaller portion. 

So without further ado, 

Vegan Apple Crisp

Ingredients: 

2 apples of your choice, I used gala. sliced, peeled is optional

2/3 cup sugar

1/2 cup flour

3/4 cup rolled oats

3 tsp. cinnamon

5-6 Tbsp. earth balance (or your choice of vegan margarine/butter)

Directions: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix sliced apples, half of the sugar, 1 tsp. cinnamon, and 1 Tbsp. flour. I used a 6 inch baking dish for this, it'll work with anything fairly small. Put the mixture into your dish. Combine the remaining ingredients except for the cinnamon in a mixing bowl, and mix until crumbly. The butter should turn into small marbles or around that. Top the apples with the oatmeal mixture, and sprinkle remaining cinnamon on top. 

Bake for 45-50 minutes or until golden brown and fairly crisp on top. Mine didn't get really crispy, but it was nicely firm and together. 

news

after checking out kate's friend's blog, pipsplate.wordpress.com

I really like the idea of writing about food in more than a recipes kind of way. 

so I'm going to start talking about food in all it's greatness. new dishes I've tried, food I'm in love with, ingredients of the season or that I'm fascinated with that week. 

I love food. I think talking about it, just makes my life that much better.

smashed potatoes and my super secret thai marinade

sadly, I forgot to take pictures of this delicious and more healthy meal. 

but never fear, it's easy and i'll include photos the next time I make it for myself. 

This is a great vegetarian meal if you're cooking for yourself or a partner. 

Ingredients: 

1 baking potato

1-2 Tbsp. butter (or earth balance)

1/2-1 cup mushrooms - I love baby bellas

olive oil and salt and pepper for taste/saute

Directions: 

First, preheat oven to 400 degrees. Poke holes in the potato and microwave for 5 minutes. (This will greatly decrease the cooking time in the oven.) Wash and wrap potato in foil, bake for 30-40 minutes. Slice mushrooms. In a small saute pan, add 1-2 Tbsp. of olive oil and heat. Add mushrooms and saute until tender, add salt and pepper to taste. 

Once potato is thoroughly baked and soft (if you stick a knife in, it should go easily and come out easily. no give), "smash". I just cut it up lengthwise and with a fork, mash it up skin and all. Add the butter and some salt and pepper and pour the warm, sauteed mushrooms on top. The juice from the mushrooms adds great flavor to the potato. You can also add some fat-free sour cream for more creamy goodness. 

Second recipe is my famous and delicious thai marinade. 

okay okay, so shannon originally taught this to me, but I've added some ingredients and it's awesome. 

You can use this on chicken, shrimp, fish, possibly steak (i've never tried)... it's even good on asian shrimp chips. 

Thai Marinade: 

1/2 cup soy sauce (low sodium if you want)

1/4 cup sweet chili sauce (found in any grocery store with the soy and other asian goods)

juice of 2 small limes

1/4 cup cilantro (more if you'd like. I just use a big handful)

3 gloves of garlic, minced

1-2 Tbsp. ginger, minced or chopped 

combine above ingredients. if you like it spicy, add more chili sauce as well as red pepper flakes (1-2 tsp.) 

For chicken, I used to marinade the breasts for 1-2 hours, and grill. For shrimp, marinate for at least 30 minutes. This marinade infuses such a great taste and juiciness to chicken or shrimp, it's amazing. 

Bread Pudding with Bourbon Sauce

Today is the brother's birthday, and because I'm broke I said I would bake a cake. Unfortunately, the house in colorado has all the cake pans and such... so bread pudding is the runner up. 

This is dairy filled to the max, rich, creamy, and delicious. But it's also the kind of thing you'll want to exercise the whole next day to have seconds. Regardless, it's my favorite dessert, and I thought I'd share. It's not too difficult, but is for the more

 "seasoned" foodie. I also made a Creme Anglais with this recipe, and substituted a 10 yr old whisky instead of bourbon (didn't have any in the pantry)... still tastes incredibly delicious. 

If you feel it's too rich, you can sub more whole milk for the cream, but I would still put some of the cream in, it helps with the consistency and sweetness. You can also play around with the bread. I've tried it with donuts and french bread, and both are delicious. so good. Krispy Kreme has never been a better ingredient. 

These recipes are ones my mother has used for years, probably out of a Bon Apetit. This is definitely a delicious, romantic dessert that's sure to please anyone. And it's not at all like a pudding. 

Recipe:

4 large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 cup whipping cream

1/4 cup sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

pinch of salt

4 cups cinnamon raisin bread (day old makes it even better), cut into 1/2-1 inch pieces

1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped

butter an 8-inch baking dish. whisk in the first 6 ingredients into a medium sized bowl. mix the bread and pecans together and place into the baking dish. pour the wet mixture over the the bread and let it soak for 5 minutes. push the bread into the custard-like liquid, and chill for 2 hours. Occasionally, push the bread into the liquid throughout that time, two or three times. 

preheat oven to 375 degree. Now for the water bath (it's not too hard.) Boil 1-2 cups of water, depending on how deep your baking sheet is. Put the bread pudding on a baking pan, add the hot water around. It's best to do this in the oven, with the pan and dish set up already instead of having to wobble the whole watery mess to the oven. Bake until the bread has puffed up and it's golden brown and slightly crispy. About 50 minutes. Let it cool for a few minutes, but serve warm. Can also be made a day ahead, as I think it's fabulous the next day. (serves 6)

Now for the 2 sauces I made.... 

Whisky Sauce: 

1/2 stick unsalted butter (1/4 cup)

1/2 cup sugar

3 Tbps. whipping cream

4 Tbps. whisky

pinch of salt

melt the butter in a small sauce pan on medium heat. slowly whisk in the remaining ingredients. simmer until thickened, and all the sugar is dissolved. cool slightly. can also be made ahead of time, and served warm with the bread pudding. Add more alcohol if you want, as it's the main taste in the sauce. (makes about 1/2 cup)

finally, the best sauce ever... 

Creme Anglaise:

6 large egg yolks

2/3 cup sugar 

2 cup whipping cream 

1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise

whisk egg yolks and sugar together. place the whipping cream and vanilla bean in a small sauce pan, bring to boil and remove at boiling point. Temper the eggs with a small amount of cream (1/2 to start, gradually add more and

 more. If you add all the hot cream at once, it will cook the eggs instead of mix with them.) Gradually mix the cream mixture into the eggs and return to saucepan. On low heat, keep stirring the mixture until it's thickened. You want it to coat the back of a spoon and leave a path if you run your finger across it. Never boil, and make sure you keep stirring it, especially at the bottom. You don't want the heat to cook the eggs. (about 5-10 minutes) Remove/Strain out the vanilla bean, cover and refrigerate until cold. Can also be made ahead. (Makes about 2 cups of sauce)

I put the creme anglaise on the bottom and poured a little of the whisky sauce overtop. The bread still soaks up lots of the deliciousness, and is incredibly decadent. 

Goat Cheese Stuffed Sweet Peppers

I couldn't help it... these delicious little sweet peppers were calling my name, and I always feel better after cooking something yummy. I could be vegan if it weren't for my love of cheese, and this luscious herb goat cheese satiates that craving very well. If you can't find these smaller sweet peppers, the regular large ones can be used, just quarter or halve them and fill with the goat cheese. 

Ingredients:

5-6 mini sweet peppers (bell peppers also work)

4 ounces herb goat cheese (in the grocery they've got small and large logs. I used the small.)

Heat the goat cheese for 15-20 seconds, just enough to soften. (It'll make spooning it into the peppers much easier). Cut the tops off the peppers and remove all the seeds. Spoon in the goat cheese. Make a little foil pouch for the little yummies, and in a 400 degree oven, roast for 30-35 minutes. You want the peppers to be soft and the skin on the bottle to start to get black/brown. This is good, and not burnt. (Typically when roasting whole bell peppers, you let the skin get completely black everywhere and peel it off. No peeling needed for this, as it won't get totally black and come off. just little bits.)

As you can see, the goat cheese will melt out during the roasting. No problem. I took a butter knife and just scooped it back into the peppers, and it stayed there nicely.

You could stuff them after roasting, but it's a little more difficult. I'm going to try this method wednesday night. 

I'll update this probably more frequently than once a week, but when school kicks in I make no promises. 

grilled orange and roasted garlic shrimp

grilled shrimp with orange and roasted garlic marinade. 

this was delicious! so good. the orange and cilantro keep the flavors fresh and light, and the roasted garlic and serrano chili give some depth. Accompanied with some miniature roasted sweet peppers and some delicious fresh yellow sweet corn. 

Recipe: 

1/2 pound fresh, local shrimp (peeled and without tails)

1 Serrano Chili (more or less for your heat tastes) chopped.

1/4 cup chopped cilantro

2 cups orange juice

1 head of garlic

4 Tbs. olive oil

2 tsp. of lime juice

Directions: With the garlic clove, cut the top off and put in foil topped with half the olive oil. Place in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes, or place on a high grill for 30-40 minutes (with the grill closed). In a small sauce pan, heat the orange juice on low-medium heat, reducing it to 3/4 cup. Chill when reduced. (I used an ice bath and freezer combo for speedy cooling. Can also be made ahead.) 

Once the garlic is roasted and orange reduction is cooled, take the cloves and mix them together with the cilantro, chili, lime juice, and remaining olive oil. Marinate for at least 30 minutes. 

Then, skewer and grill for about 3-4 minutes a side, depending on how fat your shrimp are. Mine were small. 

For the peppers, I just made a foil pouch and grilled the pouch for 15 minutes. They came out tender, flavorful, and delicious. 

I'll be posting something delicious and new once a week. I love cooking, food, feeding people, and creating new and unique dishes. The most meat I'll ever post is fish. Otherwise, this will be a vegetarian food blog. 

love. the. food.