Avocado Lime Pesto

I've posted before about my obsession with zoodles (zucchini noodles), so I'm always looking for something new and exciting to put on them. One thing I love is pesto, but since it ends up being mostly olive oil, nuts, and cheese, it doesn't always feel like a healthy option... LUCKILY,  I found this recipe over on Cara's Cravings, always a reliable source.

Unfortunately, bright green noodles aren't 100% photogenic, so I had this twice before I got around to trying to blog about it!

I made this whole thing in the smoothie cup of my Ninja blender, which is possibly the best thing I have ever purchased for myself. Besides all manner of green smoothies for breakfast, it makes things like this super fast, and the smaller volume of the smoothie cup works better for small batches than a large food processor does.

This is what you need for the pesto:

- 1/2 avocado

- a BIG bunch of basil, washed very well

- 2-3 cloves garlic

- pinch salt

- half a lime worth of juice

- a little water to help it blend

Basically it could not be easier- dump that all in the blender, hit go, and wait until it's smooth.

I had the pesto multiple times on zoodles- once with mini thai flavored turkey patties (mixed with basil, cilantro, fish sauce, ginger, and grated carrots) and once with a piece of frozen tilapia from Costco, which I marinated in lime juice and herbs. But in addition to the zoodles, it was awesome on top of eggs, on top of chicken- basically, on everything I ate that week! It's much brighter and more refreshing than typical pesto, and would be perfect for all kinds of summer dishes. Try it!

Herbed Thai Quinoa Salad, Super Refreshing for Hot Weather!

Ok, it is starting to get HOT. That means that I don't want to turn on my oven or eat anything even vaguely warm, so it's time to turn to salads! Coming up are a series of salad posts and I'm not kidding, these are delicious!

First up is this Thai Quinoa Salad with Herbs and Lime Vinaigrette.

I got the recipe over at Once Upon a Chef, and really pretty much made it exactly as instructed (for once), so I'll just link you there.

I will say I used both cilantro and basil and I really wouldn't leave either out even though the basil is optional- it was all the fresh herbs that really made this salad. I know some people don't like cilantro, which apparently to some extent might be due to genetic differences in chemosensation. But here it adds such a fresh taste, I just really wouldn't skip it. Fortunately I'm growing basil on my fire escape this summer, which means I have 3 different kinds (Thai, Greek, and purple) so pretty much around here fresh basil goes on everything!

The other thing you must must must do is use fresh lime juice (now that limes aren't as insanely expensive anymore). When you pick a lime, be sure to pick not the biggest one, but the heaviest one- the ones with thinner skin that seem surprisingly heavy will have the most juice. Bottled citrus juice just really can't compare! And for something like this that is so refreshing, you just need the real thing.

The recipe makes quite a bit (I used a lot of veggies so got way more portions out of it than the original post suggested), which is good because one thing I like about grain based salads is the ability to keep them in the fridge and take portions for lunch. The quinoa also makes it very filling as a main dish. By the last day I had to refresh a bit with some new and more crunchy cucumber and some fresh herbs but in general it lasted quite a while. Once, I even had it with some tilapia on top- I put a frozen filet (from costco) in a ziplock bag with lime, sesame oil, and the same herbs as went in the salad and let it sit until the fish thawed, then just cooked it in a pan. This was AMAZING on top of the salad- it would definitely be something you could serve to guests at a summer dinner party.

If you're feeling hot and not up to much more interaction with the stove than boiling some water, give this a try! It was bright, refreshing, and a little different- perfect!

Rainbow Krispie Treats

This is a post that is WAY overdue. I made these on a freezing snowy day when I didn't want to go all the way to the grocery store, but I also had a giant rice krispie treat craving. I went to the bodega on the corner to see what kind of fixings they had, and this is the result:

Now, I know what you're thinking. You're thinking "holy smokes, that must be insanely sweet". And I'm here to tell you, YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW THE HALF OF IT.

So, clearly what we have here are not regular krispies but Fruity Pebbles. That's one thing. BUT, they also did not have plain marshmallows, they had these (not my picture):

Yes, these are strawberry and vanilla marshmallows, just to add that extra little something. I'm normally a Jet-Puffed marshmallow loyalist (Jet-Puffed marshmallow creme being a core ingredient of the family Christmas fudge recipe). And, I had a moment of fear that I would end up like Liz Lemon, who became addicted to off-brand cheez puffs called "Sabor de Soledad" from her corner store. 

Fortunately, no such thing happened, the only result was some very festive looking treats.

 

I followed the normal recipe- the bag of marshmallows, a few tablespoons of butter all melted together, and then 6 cups of cereal. I have two tricks for smushing this stuff into the pan. 1. get your hands wet, and use your hands. 2. get waxed paper as a barrier and push down on top of it until everything is flat. The waxed paper is much better (and more sanitary), provided you actually have waxed paper. Parchment doesn't really work.

These were insanely sweet. There was not one single natural ingredient in the entire thing. And they totally hit the spot on a snow day staying home from work.

Zoodles Post #2

I posted previously about my zucchini noodles obsession, this is another version, which was also delicious, and is vegetarian if you're into that kind of thing.

 What you need:
-2 zucchinis worth of zoodles
-olive oil
-1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed well and drained
-2 chopped tomatoes (without the slimy guts)
-pesto
- 1/4c chopped basil

Put the beans and tomatoes in a large saute pan with a little olive oil. Cook them until the beans are hot and the tomatoes are cooked down a bit. Stir in a lot of pesto (like, a quarter cup), then add the zoodles. Stir everything around  until the zucchini is soft and everything is hot. If it's not flavorful enough add more pesto. Once it's all generally cooked stir in the basil. Top with Parmesan cheese and serve. Use basil for garnish.

 This was really good- warm and filling and homey tasting, but also a little different. I took it for lunch and it heated up well- the zoodles tend to make a bit of extra liquid when they sit, but in this case, it worked! Give it a try!

Two-minute Take-it-to-work Salad

I usually like to take my lunch to work. It saves money, and makes me avoid eating pizza or something that comes from a truck (a delicious delicious truck) every day. But, sometimes you are just not on top of it enough to have anything to bring, which usually means I run around the kitchen dumping random food items into little tupperwares and eat lunch feeling like a toddler. 


NO MORE! I have discovered the easiest, fastest, salad on earth.

I don't think this can even legitimately be called a recipe.

Yes, it's in a tupperware, on my desk. Part of being the easiest fastest salad on earth is that no work is involved other than dumping stuff in a container, shaking it up, and carrying it away with you.

The superstar of the dish is something I just noticed at Trader Joes: the frozen Melodious Blend, which has a couple kinds of lentils, green garbanzo beans, and some tomatoes.

 

Basically, here is what I did. Get a pencil, because it's pretty complicated.
Dump an amount of Melodious Blend that is slightly less than you think you'll want to eat into the tupperware (this is because this stuff will end up being way more filling than you predicted as you poured out frozen beans in the cold morning light). Cut up some bell pepper (or whatever you've got). Dump that on top. Squeeze half a lemon over the whole thing (you could also use vinegar, you just need some acid). Drizzle a little olive oil over the whole thing. Sprinkle some spices straight on there. I was going for easy, which means no thinking, so I used Mediterranean blend, salt, and pepper. Put the lid on it and give it a shake.

It's frozen, but since all the beans are little and separate, don't even worry. Just take it with you, and by lunch time it is a perfect chilled salad temp. If this thing isn't driving to work, and waiting for you to go to the gym, and then waiting for you to toil all morning before you eat it, you could probably microwave it and get a nice warm lentil salad, or do it ahead and leave it in the fridge. But really, the beauty here is in having a healthy option that involves no planning whatsoever.

The next day (today!) I made another version:

This one had a little bit of kale in there, and used creole seasoning (again, a mix, for pure easiness). Both were great! You can see my plating here is just as elegant as it was yesterday.

Anyhow, if you're looking for a backup plan that you can keep in the freezer that will make you feel all nourished and healthy and give the illusion of being totally on top of this whole lunch thing, this is for you!

Cilantro Lime Pesto- Put This On Everything, Now!

I've had some kitchen issues, all of which were kicked off by a mouse who wanted to come in from the cold, set up camp in my oven, and refused to take any bait from any kind of mouse trap. He was finally vanquished, but had caused oven issues (in addition to the grossness factor), and until this morning when a replacement one arrived, my oven was non-functional. If it actually would warm up like it's supposed to, it might not be a big deal, but it's almost May, it's 45 degrees and raining, and I want to bake things!

The first thing I did to baptize the new oven was to roast cauliflower, which is one of my favorite things. I got the idea for the pesto from a friend, who told me a few weeks ago about a cauliflower-pesto combo that I've been thinking of ever since! I love pesto, normally, but this one is a little different and extra delicious. It also couldn't be easier.

What you need:
-big bunch of cilantro (I used a bunch and a half)
-juice of one lime, and zest
-1c olive oil (except, I used 1/2c oil and 1/2c water, and it worked just fine)
-1/2c nuts- I used 1/4c walnuts and 1/4c almonds
-3-4 cloves garlic
-a little salt
-red pepper flakes (or, jalapeno!)

What to do:
Put it all in the food processor or a really good blender, and push go. See, told you it was easy! Taste it, you want it to be balanced, not overpoweringly garlicky or salty, it should be fresh and bright and tangy. See how beautiful and green it is!

I roasted the cauliflower with olive oil, salt, and cumin, just toss it in those and stick it in a 400 degree oven (turning once or twice) until nice and brown. The beans were just cooked in a pan with cumin and corriander- super easy. I am really looking forward to having this on some fish or chicken, too (or you could do tofu, if that floats your boat).

Honestly, I want to put this stuff on everything!

The World's Most Refreshing Kale Salad

Ok, don't fall over in shock or anything, but I actually have a brand new recipe. It's been a kind of long hiatus- I was busy, I made some stuff that was good that I didn't take pictures of, some stuff that I took pictures of but that wasn't good, and some stuff that I was to lazy to post. Somehow all of the snow this winter put me into some kind of coma. Charlotte loved it. So, now, let's just forget about all that and get back on track.

At this point, it is thisclose to being April, and it is STILL cold around here. I have had soup, and stew, and things made in the slow cooker and I am sick of it  all! So today I decided that I can't be forced to comply with this madness, and I'm just going to go right on ahead and eat as much summery food as I want.

Exhibit A.

My Mom used to make this really good salad when we had enchiladas, with avocado, and grapefruit, and red onions. This is sort of a riff on that, and I must admit, avocados would be the icing on the cake.

Ingredients:

-kale (4 cups, when it has been cut)

-1 pink grapefruit, supremed

-a smidge of red onion, sliced thin (less than a quarter of a small one)

-2/3 can of garbanzo beans

-1 small red pepper, julienned

-1/8c chopped cilantro

-1 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar or citrus juice

-1/8 tsp salt

-1/8 tsp pepper

-1/8 tsp cumin 

-queso fresco (which I used) or avocado, crumbled or chopped depending which one

What to do with them:

Kale- when I make a kale salad, I like to cut it in very thin strips. I take out the pieces of rib that are by themselves but if they're attached to a leaf then I leave it (hey, fiber). Then I "massage" it which is less exciting than it sounds. Basically, grab it in your hands, almost like kneading bread, just to sort of soften it. It really makes the end product so much more appealing. Then, chop the pepper and cilantro

Garbanzo beans- you're not cooking these or doing anything so really wash them super well so that they don't have any of the slimy broth from the can.

Grapefruit- you're going to need to "supreme" the grapefruit. You have to slice off the peel, including the white pith. Then, very carefully slice along the membrane that separates the sections, so that you have a little section of just the inside part of the section. Go along for each one, and do that. This website has really good instructions http://chefinyou.com/2010/01/how-to-supreme-fruits/

Dressing- mix the oil, vinegar, and spices. It is not a ton, but the grapefruit also makes liquid that contributes to the salad.

Combine it all....

Toss, and serve! It's really good- the grapefruit just bursts in your mouth, it really is the most refreshing salad in the world! In the queso fresco vs avocado debate, it's worth pointing out that taking the avocado choice is the obvious way to veganize it.

One of the reasons I'm so into kale salad is that it's one of the few salads I can think of (involving actual greens) that stands up in the fridge for leftovers. Tonight I had it with some leftover arroz con pollo but tomorrow, this is lunch!

Halloweeny Salad: Black Rice and Purple Carrots

 This weekend while out and about, I ran across some awesome produce, which included some purple(ish) carrots. I'd never had them before, so obviously had to pick some up! As you can see, unlike some, these were mainly purple on the outside, but I think that makes them completely perfect for Halloween week.

 I was trying to think of something good to do with them- I was considering roasting them but got down a google-rabbit-hole and found this great recipe. I'd never used black rice OR  purple carrots, so bonus all around. Plus, I felt like I was getting sick (confirmed today, now that I have spent the day intermittently sleeping, watching the Lifetime Movie Network, and drinking tea with honey and lemon) and this salad is about as packed with super foods and antioxidants as you can get!

The recipe was from over at Scandi Home, and I made it almost just as recommended- this is my version. Actually, once you have all the ingredients, it was easy to put together.

The Stuff:
--1c non glutinous black rice (I used Natures Earthly Choice, which I found at my regular grocery store)
--zest of 1 lime
--juice of one lime (add half, then taste and add more if needed)
--1 tbsp vinegar- I used apple cider
--pinch salt
--1 tsp tamari
--1 tsp sesame oil
--3 tbsp sesame seeds
--5 purple carrots, grated
--seeds of 1/2 pomegranate
--3 tbsp chopped cilantro

What to do with it:
This is so easy. The hardest part is getting out the pomegranate seeds, so if you find those pre-seeded by all means go for it. Cook the rice, it took mine about 30 minutes and the water turns this amazing purple color. Drain it and let it cool slightly. Mix the lime juice and zest, oil, salt, and tamari together. Combine all the ingredients, pour the dressing over, and you're done! The original recipe called for pumpkin oil, which I didn't have and replaced with sesame, and I needed the extra lime to balance that flavor out- it probably depends a bit on your lime, so I'd taste it first.

This is also definitely fancy enough that you could serve it to guests and gets lots of ooohs and ahs. It could be a great appetizer, or larger servings could be a meal on their own. I only made a half batch, and I've already plotted to use up the rest of the carrots making more of it! I had mine with some Green Soup, made with kale I picked up along with the carrots (I've made this before and thought I posted it but it seems not, so that one is coming!). If all those vitamins don't knock down this sore throat I don't know what will!

Baked Eggs... in a Pepper!

How does that look? Pretty delicious, right?

It definitely looks 100x better than my first baked eggs attempt which involved very flat, dry eggs in ramekins, one of which had a sort of bizarre bubble like growth on it; I was saving that whole debacle for one of my kitchen disasters posts except that I never got around to it, so here you go:

Since a year or so has elapsed, I thought I'd get right back in there. I was partly inspired by my previously made Fancy Schmancy Springtime Eggs, a rare Pinterest attempt that worked pretty much like they said it would:

ANYWAYS... back to this weekend's brunch. I started with half a pepper, this sort of strange looking white bell pepper is some kind of Long Island pepper that I am entirely unable to find on the internet, but which exists in large piles at my produce stand. It is not quite as sweet as a red or yellow pepper but not as tart as green- you could use basically any pepper of your choice but colored yellow/orange/red would taste better.

As you can see, I lined the bottom with very thin slices of cheddar, which is optional. You could put almost anything in here- other cheese, (cooked) bacon, green onions, whatever!

I then carefully cracked 2 eggs into the pepper- from my disappointing ramekin experience, I learned that the eggs do puff very slightly, but not as much as you might expect. These eggs went basically to the very top, and it was fine.

You might notice that there is suddenly tinfoil in the picture- I used that to brace the pepper so it didn't roll and dump egg everywhere. I sprinkled the top with sea salt, pepper, rosemary, and parmesan cheese.

I cooked the eggs in a 400 degree oven- it really took a lot longer than I would have expected- about 35 minutes for the eggs to cook through. I would recommend checking the eggs frequently (just poke them- you want to be sure the white is set all the way through so that should be pretty firm). I don't like extremely runny yolks, so mine were a bit more on the done side.

Although it took a while to bake, this looked great- definitely brunch-worthy. In addition, it makes almost everyone happy- the vegetarians, the low carbers,  the paleos, the gluten frees- this, my friends, is a people pleaser. I think the vegans are out of luck, but that's about it. Give it a try!

I had it with some avocado, and a side of mango with lime (mmmmmmmmmm).

Fast Dinners for When it is 1 Million Degrees Out: Part 1

Ok, so it has been hot. It has been TOO HOT TO BLOG.

What is this? The surface of the sun?

No, no, not quite. In reality, this is a precise rendering of my living room last week.

As you can see, Charlotte has actually melted.

Basically, no one in their right mind is going to cook anything in this situation, but I have been making the best of it and accumulated some cold meal ideas that I have been too lazy to write up. So, I'll be doling those out over the next week or so starting with this one, which is basically a pile of cool, refreshing (vegan) goodness.

First up, simple watermelon salad. I could live on this.

This couldn't be easier. You need: basil, lemon, and watermelon.  First, take some watermelon- I buy them in quarters because otherwise it's a race against time to eat the watermelon before it gets kind of mushy. Chop into slightly larger than bite size pieces. Now take your basil and chiffonade - this basically just means (after washing) stack up the basil leaves and slice them into thin strips. Now, sprinkle this on the watermelon and squeeze the juice of half a lime over the whole thing. Toss it. Eat it. Bask in the glory of the cold sweet watermelon and tart lime and refreshing basil. 

There are more elaborate versions with things like diced jalapeno, red onion, and feta, and that is delicious, but this is easier :).

Next up, little pita tacos. First, roughly chop a cucumber and slice some red onions. Put in a bowl with some red wine vinegar, olive oil, and a little dill, salt and pepper and let it sit. While that's happening you're going to make some hummus (or use store bought hummus, but the home made is SO EASY). Take a can of garbanzo beans, a big spoonful of tahini, juice of half a lemon, and a small clove of garlic- dump in food processor and run it until it looks like hummus (if it is too dry add a little water). Now, resist the urge to put too much garlic in because this is totally raw, and will really permeate the hummus especially as it sits. 

All you have to do is slather some half-pitas with hummus, top with the veggies, pick up like a taco and eat. This is barely even a recipe, but I like it because with a few basic staples (around here in summer cucumber is  definitely a staple- if I wasn't living on watermelon I'd live on cucumber salad).

Cauliflower Fried "Rice"

One of my go to use-up-leftovers meals is fried rice, because honestly, there is almost nothing you can't throw in there. This only increased once I discovered the frozen packs of Trader Joes brown rice, because the one leftover I *don't* normally have on hand is rice. This takes that idea, and shakes it up a bit. If you're watching your carbs or looking for a way to get in some extra veggies, this is the recipe for you.

The basic idea behind this recipe is that rather than rice, you use riced cauliflower. I was mildly concerned about my ability to pull this part of the recipe off, but it didn't end up being a problem. BUT, you must must must have a food processor.

Stuff you need:

-veggies (whatever you like- peppers, pea pods, bamboo shoots, carrots, green onions, green beans, broccoli, whatever)

-protein (chicken, tofu, beef, whatever. should be cooked).

-flavoring (ginger, garlic)

-soy sauce (or, Braggs liquid aminos)

-oil (vegetable, or sesame. I do not recommend olive oil here.)

-2 eggs

First, take raw cauliflower (I used a whole head and had lots of leftovers, you could use half). Chop into florets, (and chunks of stem) and throw in batches into the food processor. Chop, and put in bowl. If you overload the food processor container, the big pieces won't get cut up and you'll get annoyed. So, do it in batches. I also had some baby carrots, so I threw those in with the cauliflower for kicks. I could have also julienned them.

Now, chop up your add ins. I had on hand some cooked chicken, onion, pepper, and ginger. This could be anything you have around. The only constraint would be that if your leftover meat (or tofu) is marinated already, of course you should make sure the flavors are compatible.

Now, heat up some oil (I used sesame oil). And, saute the veggies that need it (here, onions, peppers, and ginger). Once they were cooked, but still a bit crunchy, for texture, I threw in the chicken to heat it. Then, I poured in the cauliflower mixture. Now, just lightly beat the eggs in a little bowl, and pour over the cauliflower. This sounds weird, but it really provides an important binding component to the dish. (If you're vegan and know what would accomplish the same binding action without using eggs, I'd be very interested to hear, but personally I don't know because normal egg substitutes like flax seeds don't seem quite right.). Toss everything around in the pan until the egg is cooked, and add the soy sauce while you're doing it. Always remember that you can always add more soy sauce, but if you put in too much you're stuck with it.

Now...serve up!

This was really satisfying but healthy. It also made a TON and froze really well. Give it a shot!

Easy Tomato Soup + Mini Grilled Cheese = The Perfect Lunch

A few weeks ago I heard a lot about some very fancy grilled cheese (shoutout to YJP!). Let me tell you, you can only hear so much before you have to take action. Fortunately I had a day when I worked from home and was in dire need of a delicious lunch.

I wanted soup but didn't have any on hand so had to put it together on the fly with stuff from the pantry. I started out with a medium sized onion which I cut in slices and caramelized- this took about 20 minutes, so I just kept working and stirred occasionally. I also threw in 3-4 cloves of peeled garlic and let them caramelize as well. Once they were all nice and dark brown, I dumped in a large can of crushed tomatoes, and sprinkled in a little oregano and basil, salt and red pepper flakes. I covered it, and then waited until the tomatoes changed from bright to dark red. Once they seemed well cooked, I used the immersion blender and pureed it. 

Next come the sandwiches....

Usually I am a cheddar cheese on wheat bread grilled-cheese purist. However, this day I had a little baguette and muenster cheese, so that's what I used! I sliced the baguette into small pieces. I also sliced up an apple for crunch. After buttering the pieces with earth balance, I put on the muenster and apple, cooked and flipped.

I have to say, I loved the tiny sandwiches. First of all, they were good for portion control, second of all, they were just fun- they'd be especially good for kids. I also loved the quick and dirty soup- I think that even though there were only 3 ingredients (onion, garlic, tomato), caramelizing the onion helped give it a little extra depth, and since the tomatoes were tart it also helped mellow the soup out a little.

Overall, a perfect lunch on a cold day!

Fresh Avocado Summer Rolls

It is finally starting to feel at least a little like spring around here, and my pale, mildly cranky (with the weather) vitamin D deficient self is beyond excited about it. Part of what I'm excited about is getting a little more fresh produce- I am pretty sure I was not properly appreciative of California's constant abundance of fresh delicious fruit while I was there.

Anyhow, lately all I want to eat are things involving cold veggies- salads, sandwiches, and now... summer rolls! I got this idea in my head and had to make it happen immediately. The first challenge was finding the proper wrappers. At the first store, all they had were frozen spring roll wrappers. I bought them, however, after immediately panicking and googling it with my phone on the sidewalk, I determined that they were the wrong thing and are really meant for fried/baked spring rolls. What you actually want are rice paper wrappers. They are dry and should be on the shelf in the Asian section. These are the ones I got, but there are apparently many brands:

You can put almost anything you want in there. Your favorite veggies, chicken, shrimp, tofu- whatever! Anything you can put into long thin slices. I chose cucumber, red pepper, carrots, and instead of one of the protein choices, used avocado. You'll also want some type of herb- mint/cilantro/basil- I used cilantro. The important thing is to chop it all up ahead of time because you're going to need to move quickly.

Now- the rice paper will be very dry and stiff when you take it out of the package. I filled an 8x8 pyrex pan with warm water. Submerge a sheet until it is soft (not tooooooooooo soft, or it'll break. it'll also keep getting softer so if it feels a tad bid stiffer than you'd like when you first take it out, that's ok). I had a variety of badly shaped rolls, but when making the most successful ones, I  just immediately folded the rice paper in half, put the filling in the middle, then rolled it around the veggies as tightly as possible. I'm not going to lie, it was kind of hard to get it tight. I'm imagining it is similar to attempting to role nice looking sushi. They were all edible, but the half sized ones were definitely the most sturdy.

You could dip this in any variety of sauces, but I decided to make a simple peanut sauce (because I can't resist a peanut sauce). I used 3 tbsp peanut butter, 3 tbsp seasoned rice vinegar, 1 tbsp soy sauce, 1/2 tbsp sesame oil, and a squirt of sriracha (if you use regular natural peanut butter add a dab of honey. if you use peanut butter with sugar in it, then don't). This made a lot of sauce- definitely enough for two people.

(I wanted to cut a roll in half to take a lovely picture, but was afraid my rookie-rolls would fall apart, and it was my dinner, so I had a big interest in being able to eat it). 

The combination of the peanut sauce and the crunchy veggies and the creamy avocado- SO GOOD! I can definitely imagine these being a staple in the summer when it's hot out and the idea of turning on the stove or oven is overwhelming. They were really fresh and good- try it!