Dinner Pour Two – Warmth on a Wintry Day

I think I could rival any school-aged child with my love for snowdays.   I think I will probably love the lazy, snowy, cooped up inside in the warmth days forever until the day I die (though ones that end up being a trade-off for an extra 8 hour day on an already 35-40 hour work week in TINY TINY OFFICE SPACE  take some of the punch outta life but ehhh, whatever.)

Been having quite a few snowdays in Jersey the past month or two, and I’ve been craving something warm, spicy, and tropical for a change!  Looking for a taste of summertime led me to create this lovely dish out of our strange mix of ingredients left in the cupboard/fridge.

Spicy Sweet Stuffed Peppers for Two!

Pineapple and Wild Rice Stuffed Poblanos

• ½ cup short grain brown rice
• ½ cup wild brown rice
• 2 cups veggie broth

Cook rice 45 minutes, remove and scoop ¾ amount of the rice into mixing bowl. Return the pot to the stove and cook the remaining rice for the rest of the final cooking time. Set this leftover rice aside.

Mix together pineapple, tomato liquid, agave, spices, and rice.

• 2  small chunks pineapple, minced
• ¼ liquid from canned tomatoes
• squeeze of lime juice
• sprinkle of coriander
• sprinkle of lemon pepper blend
• drizzle of agave nectar

Saute swiss chard leaves with olive oil until just wilted.  Add a splash of veggie broth, sprinkle of lemon pepper, and stir until dark dark dark green.  In a small bowl, place the chopped chard ribs and cover with veggie broth. Microwave until boiling (about 4 minutes) and add this to the swiss chard in the pan.  Cook until the liquid is mostly evaporated (leave SOME to add with rice/pineapple mixture.)

• 1 bunch rainbow swiss chard – torn leaves from ribs, ribs saved and chopped
• ½ c veggie broth
• 2 TBSP greek olive oil
• shake of lemon pepper
• SEA SALT

Add chard leaves to rice mixture in bowl, stir thoroughly.

• 2 med to large poblano peppers, tops cut off and seeded

Stuff peppers as much as possible.  Grease glass baking dish with olive oil, cover bottom of pan with remaining rice-stuffing, and gently place peppers on top.  Lightly brush peppers with oil so they do not burn.  Cook at 350º for 20-30 minutes (or until peppers reach your desired level of tenderness.)

**This recipe is completely vegan.

(Sunshine of course couldn’t help himself though and melted a whole heapload of cheese on his portion, haha!)

Apple Blackberry Muffins

I’m sorry for the lack of photos.  They were kind of inhaled before I could get any photos…

The following recipe is modified from an online posted version of a vintage Betty Crocker baking recipe book

Apple-Blackberry Crumb Muffins

• 1 egg
• 1/2 c. fat free half & half
• 1/4c. vegetable oil
• 1 1/2 c. flour
• 1/2c. sugar
• 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp nutmeg
• 1 box of blackberries (the clear box containers at the foodstore)
• 1 grated granny smith apple

Brown Sugar Streusel Topping

• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup flour
• 2 Tbsp butter, softened (DO NOT MELT!)
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For crumb topping: Soften butter is best done by leaving a smidgen of butter in a bowl out on the counter before you start preparing the batter. By the time you finish your butter will be nice and soft  put all ingredients in a bowl and mash together with a fork or your hands until mixture resembles small crumbs (think clumps of dirt.)  Sprinkle over filled cups of batter.

For Muffins: Pre-heat oven to 400 F (200 c).  In a large bowl, whisk your 1 egg, half and half, and vegetable oil.  In a medium sized bowl, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg.  Add dry ingredients to wet, stir gently.  If you overmix this will ruin your muffins, but if you don’t mix enough you’ll wind up with little pockets and puff-bubbles in your muffins of dry flour! (YICK!!)   Peel your apple and grate it.  Rinse blackberries, drain, and cut in half.  Carefully fold apple and blackberries into the batter until just incorporated. Fill muffin tin about 3/4 of the way full in each cup.  Sprinkle evenly with crumb topping.  Bake for 20 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center of the muffin comes out clean. Eat. Enjoy.

Pumpkin: Not Just for Pies (PAI!!!)

Ingredients

• 1 tsp butter/margarine
• 5 clove garlic, chopped/crushed
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 1 oz + 1/2 oz additional of a high quality brand of Vodka (do not skimp on this by buying the cheapo kind, trust me. your dish will taste like rubbing alcohol if you do)
• 1 28oz can of pumpkin (or 1 1/2 lbs fresh pumpkin, baked and pureed)
• 1 oz provolone cheese, minced into itty bitty cubes or shredded
• 1/4C half & half (or cream)
• 1/4 C grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 tsp nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp white pepper
• 1TBSP + 1tsp addntl Maple Agave Nectar
• 1 tsp Red Wine (i used cooking wine)
• sea-salt, to taste (important to not use iodized salt, for full flavour!)

Melt butter over low, low, looooow heat. When soft, use wooden spoon or move pan to completely coat it (even if you’re using a nonstick pan!)  Add onion and garlic and stir to coat.  Raise heat to medium and add 1 oz of vodka.  Cook until the onions are soft and appear translucent.  Add 1TBSP of the maple agave  nectar and raise the heat to high, browning the garlic and onions.  Once the onions turn a beautiful caramel-brown colour, stir in the pumpkin and reduce heat to medium.   Mix in nutmeg, white pepper, and provolone cheese.  Stir slowly until the provolone cheese has melted.  Stir in the half & half, 1/2 oz vodka, 1tsp of red wine, and grated parmesan.  It is important not to have your heat on high at this point in the game as you do not want to burn the half&half.  Cook over med-low heat for a few minutes until everything is well blended.  Just before serving stir in the last teaspon of agave nectar.  Spiraled, twisted pastas will work wonderfully for this sauce as it really clings to the shapes.   Spaghetti and other thin noodles get a little gloppy.

Note: This will end up as a thick puree rather than a thin sauce like a vodka or alfredo.

Ron Weasley Would Be *SO* Proud

I feel like Ron Weasley.  I’m always hungry, and all of my blog posts revolve around my love for scarfing deliciousness down my gullet.  This was intended to be mostly a blog about art and photography.  I’m so glad it’s my blog and I’m not being paid.  I’m so glad that this is my writing that I can be free about.  I am so glad that there are so many lovely, delicious, interesting foods out there for me to try.  And I’m glad you stop by time and again to see what scrumptious things are cookin’ in my kitchen/brain.  The little Ron Weasley in my head thanks you.  He’s glad because your visits keep the excuses for eating comin’ his way.  Enjoy this magical veggie snack!  Omnomnomicus Delishificus *flicks wand*

Ron celebrates this post and it's nommy glory by bringing us fancy chocolates.

Every now and then I get this insatiable desire for some wonderfully warm, spicy Indian cuisine.  Unfortunately, this always comes at times when my bill piles are thick and wallet quite thin.  Fortunately, I know my way around a kitchen and a few things about improvising.  My growling tummy egged me on in a search for some quick and easy Indian spiced snacks, and I stumbled upon this little gem.  The original recipe at epicurious called for quite a lot more cauliflower and a 1/4c. more olive oil.  To be quite honest, the modified recipe I share below probably still has a bit too much olive oil, and could use a smidgen less vinegar.  Or perhaps might do nicely with a bit sweeter vinegar like rice or apple cider.  I improvised my lack of hot hungarian paprika and added the cayenne pepper instead.  I love this because it’s got a nice zing to it and it’s CRUNCHY.  Spicy and crunchy are two of my most desired qualities in a food.  I love to talk, and any food that can talk back with a snap or a crunch just wins a place in my heart!  Enough cheesin’ and onwards to the eatin’!

Oven-Roasted Curried Cauliflower Florets

Slightly spicy, sort of crispy, absolutely delicious.

Ingredients

• 1 cauliflower (large)
• 1/2 onion, peeled and quartered
• 1 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2cup olive oil
• 1/2cup red wine vinegar
• 3 teaspoons curry powder
• 1 1/2 Tbsp paprika (regular or hot hungarian paprika)
• 1 3/4 tsp seasalt
• 1/8c dried cilantro (1/4c chopped if fresh)
• fresh ground pepper
• powdered cayenne pepper (optional)

Directions

Preheat the oven to 450degrees.  Pull apart cauliflower florets and place in a large bowl.  Peel apart the onion layers and add to the cauliflower.  In a small bowl, whisk together the oil, vinegar, and spices (not the salt and pepper!)  Pour this dressing over the vegetables in large bowl, toss to coat.  Spread the vegetables out in a single layer on a roasting or baking pan.  Roast the vegetables until tender, stirring occasionally, for about 20-25 minutes.  Remove vegetables from oven and pour into large bowl.  Sprinkle with sea salt, ground pepper, and cilantro (stir to make sure evenly covered!)  Can be served warm or at room temperature.  (I also find them quite interesting to eat when chilled. Cold leftovers are my specialty.)

Modified from Roasted Curried Cauliflower recipe at Epicurious.com

Summer Feasting!

Hello there faithful readers (the few, the proud!)  I trust all of you had a lovely holiday weekend for 4th of jJuly.  Hell of a way to kick off this summer if you’re on the east coast, I tell ya!  Hot hot hot heat!  I hope you all had a nice bbq and dip in a pool, ocean, lake, pond …whatever it is it takes to survive these record breaking high temps. Yikes!

This year my 4th of July was fairly quiet.  Sunshine had to work an afternoon into evening shift at work.  I spent my day cleaning and organising.  I must say, I did find a nice pile of things for my eventual yardsale I’ll be having with the Blagstress.  It was overall uneventful and I’m pretty okay with that.  I spent my free non-cleaning time making a nice little feast for Sunshine and I.  Sometimes when I’m home alone, bored, and hungry I get a little crazy.  I pretend I’ve got my own cooking show and I start to mix things together that one normally would not do.  Sometimes that works in my favour.  The Eggplant-Portobello kebabs below would happen to be one of those “sometimes.”  Who knew how delicious maple and balsamic would actually be on grilled veggies…ME!! THAT’S WHO!! ME ME ME! *ahem* Anyway, so I hope you enjoy my little feast of creations.  Simple dishes that highlight some of my most favourite veggies in the whole wide world.  I hope you enjoy them as much as I did!

Super Simple Pasta Salad

This is a pasta salad with very mild flavour.  Feel free to spice it up with your favourite herbs or a dash of salt, or perhaps you’d like to use a different dressing.  It’s just something quick and simple that I whipped up spur of the moment with what we had in the house.  The focus here was also not so much on the dressing and herbs of the pasta but the sweet, crisp flavours of delicious veggies! I’m quite partial to vegetables as some of you may have figured out.  I love them in any form possible (minus liquified shake form…um, EW?! Yeah…)

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/2 c olive oil
• 1/4c + 1/8c cider vinegar
• 2 1/2 tsp agave nectar (honey is a good alternative to agave if you prefer it!)
• 1 tsp dried  rosemary, crushed

• 2 1/2 c dry elbow macaroni, whole wheat/whole grain
• 1 small head broccoli florets chopped
• 1/4c black olives, chopped
• 1/4c kalamata olives, chopped
• 1 large carrot, chopped
• 1/2 yellow bell pepper
• 1/2 orange bell pepper
• 1/3 c sundried tomatoes, soaked & drained, chopped
• fresh ground black pepper

Directions

In a smaller bowl, whisk together lemon pepper, olive oil, cider vinegar, nectar, and rosemary.  Cook pasta according to directions for Al Dente firmness. (The firmer the pasta the better, as it is going to be soaking up lots of that dressing.)  While you’re waiting for the pasta to cook, chop up all vegetables and toss into a large mixing bowl.  Rinse cooked pasta in a colander with ice and very cold water to ensure that it does not cook further.  Drain it well and add to bowl of vegetables.  Pour dressing over pasta and veggie mixture and toss to coat.  Make sure it is evenly mixed and thoroughly covered in dressing.  Let pasta salad sit for at least 6 hours, stirring occasionally to ensure everything marinades nicely. ( It can be left in the fridge overnight for stronger flavours.) Serve as a side to your favourite entree!  If you wish this to be your entree, try adding a protein source like Tofu or chickpeas.  If you’re a meat-eater some chopped grilled chicken would work nicely!

Rosemary Maple-Balasamic Grilled Eggplant Portobello skewers

Ingredients

• 1/2 large eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch thick squares/triangles
• 1 to 2 large portobello mushroom caps, de-gilled , sliced into 1inch cubes
• 1 teaspoon rosemary, crushed
• 2 cloves garlic, finely minced
• 1/4c Olive Oil
• 3 Tbsp Balsamic vinegar
• 2 Tbsp Pure Maple Syrup (NOT Log Cabin, NOT Aunt Jemima…the REAL stuff!)

Directions

In a small bowl, combine rosemary, garlic, olive oil, balsamic and maple syrup.  Whisk all ingredients together and set aside.  Cut eggplant into square/triangle chunks about 1/4-1/2 inch thick, cub the portobello mushrooms.  Add eggplant and mushroom chunks to a large bowl and drizzle marinade over the top.  Stir with wooden spoon to coat evenly.  Let this marinade for 15 minutes.  In the meantime, heat a grill to med/med-hi heat.  After marinating , slide the pieces onto metal kebabs alternating between eggplant/mushroom.   NOTE: you may wish to lightly oil your grill before putting the kebabs on.  The mushrooms can cook pretty quickly and may stick to the grilling surface. Grill 5 to 7 minutes on each side, or until vegetables reach desired tenderness.  When serving you can leave them on the skewers or you can slide them off and put them in a bowl for free dibs!  Note:  If using metal skewers, use caution because they will be hot-hot-hot!  Use tongs or ovenmitts to pick them up and rotate them.  If you’re one of the lucky people out there with silicon handled kebab skewers…I hate you. I’d like some. Send them here plz.

Simple Fruit Salad

• 2 large chunks pineapple, cubed
• 20 grapes, sliced
• 4 strawberries, hulled, sliced
• 3Tbsp orange juice
• 3/4tsp lime juice
• 1tsp raspberry flavoured agave nectar

In small bowl, whisk together orange juice, lime juice and agave nectar.  Chop up all fruits.  Put fruit into medium sized bowl. Drizzle fruit with juice mixture and toss to coat. Serve and ENJOY!!

S T (O) F U

I know, I know. Best blog title ever. It’s like the best of health food and internet abbreviations combined! What more can you ask for??? Oh…well, maybe a recipe. HERE!!

Mmm Delicious Dinner!(pictured here w/ avocado-black bean salad)

Chick-fu Burgers (They’re ninja burgers! THEY KNOW CHICKFUUUUU!)

The original unmodified recipe for chickpea burgers that I was using claims their version makes 4 burgers.  The addition of tofu makes the mixture go a bit further, so I got almost 7 or 8 burgers out of this.  Use your judgment and halve the ingredients or make them ahead and freeze!  They would taste delicious with a nice couscous salad or something similarly mediterranean!

Ingredients

• 2 Tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 1/2Cups Onions, minced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 Cup carrot, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 Tbsp Peanut Butter (or if you prefer, Sesame Tahini)
• 1/4 Cup fresh parsley, minced (I used dried and used less!)
• 2/3 cup whole wheat flour (or you can use chickpea flour if you haz it. i did not haz a chickpea flour.)
• 1 tsp sea salt
• 4oz firm tofu (or extra firm)

Directions

Heat the oil and saute the onions over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently until they soften.

Add the garlic and carrot, and saute for about 2 more minutes.

Transfer the onion, garlic, and carrot to a large bowl or a food processor and add the chickpeas.

Using a potato-masher or your food processor, smash/process until the entire mixture is mushy.

Stir in the parsley and peanut butter (or tahini!)

In a small bowl, combine the flour and salt.

Stir this into the chickpea mixture.

Flour your hands, shape the mixture into small patties, and dust them with flour.

Fry in oil over med-low heat for about a minute until just beginning to brown.

Flip the burger over and fry for 2 minutes.

Flip again and fry an additional minute.

Remove from heat and serve.

CHOW DOWN!!!! OMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOMNOM!!!!!

Snazz it up!
Substitute cilantro for parsley and add a little curry powder to the chickpea mixture for a zippy, fiery Indian flavour!
Add a little cumin powder to the chickpea mixture, and sprinkle with lemon juice after frying for a more Mediterranean flare!
Substitute  shallots for the onions for a new twist!  ( Shallots are sweeter and have a wonderful flavour!)

Side Dish Suggestion: Warm Shallot-Carrot Cous Cous Salad

• 1 Box Whole Wheat CousCous
• Vegetable Broth
• kalamata olive oil
• 1 shallot, minced
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 carrot, minced
• Lemon Juice
• Honey
• Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare couscous according to directions on box, substituting vegetable broth for water.  While couscous is cooking, saute the shallot, carrot and garlic in a nonstick pan using a smidgen of vegetable broth until carrots are just slightly softened.  Transfer couscous to a large bowl, add sauteed vegetables and mix well.  In a small bowl, whisk together a smidgen of lemon juice (3Tbsp or so) with a little bit of honey (2Tbsp.)  Drizzle over the couscous salad, toss, and serve!  You may wish to omit the lemon juice and use apple cider vinegar instead.  It adds a nice little ~zip~ to the salad’s flavours.

They Say It’s Your Birthday, NERNER NER NER NER NER NERNER!

Sneak attack birthday celebrating in the form of ice-cream cake for the B-Day Grinch from his dad, Deb, and Tucker!

As some of you may or may not know, yesterday was Sunshine’s birthday.  He’s apparently a great big Grinch when it comes to celebrating his own birthday.  This is a foreign concept to me.  I’m all about celebrating stuff. Especially birthdays because I mean who doesn’t want an excuse for cupcakes!?  Yeah…thought so.  I find it completely unacceptable behaviour to turn down any opportunity for baking cakes and giving people presents, and thus decided Sunshine was going to have a birthday whether he liked it or not.  It started out a bit sad as unfortunately that morning we had to put two of our rats to sleep (Ginny and Daphne…Ginny was Sunshine’s girl, and it was a bit hard on him.) However, things worked out alright in the end and he cheered up significantly come dinner and cake time!  We got fantastic pizza (1/2 buffalo chicken for the boy, 1/2 fresh mozz/tomato/basil for moi!) from Delizia Pizza Kitchen in Boonton and some interesting beers from Sunshine’s place of business next door.  For dessert I baked my very first carrot cake…complete with homemade frosting!  All-in-all minus the morning, I think it was a nice, quiet birthday celebration.  It’s not the singing telegram, balloon bearing, cupcake explosion I was looking to give him, but that’s okay.  I got him to accept a cake and a birthday card.  Oh, and lest I not forget the best part of a birthday ever…BIRTHDAY PUNCHES.  Yes.  Sometimes it’s just the little things that bring the biggest smiles!

Nobody escapes the bday crown. Nobody!

Anyway, the point of this post is not to assault you with photos of my incredibly gorgeous boyfriend.  I actually wanted to share my recipe with you for this scrumptious cake.  This is a big deal for me, because I’ve never made a cake from NOT-A-BOX-MIX before.  I have especially not made a NOT-A-BOX-MIX cake from a cookbook that is entirely written with British terminology.  (Lucky for me I had my boss at work to help me out in translating the correct ingredient list. She’s Dutch.)  I’m proud to say that with much precision and dedication, I successfully baked and ate the following recipe.

The following recipe is adapted from a recipe in “The Essential Vegetarian Cookbook” published by Bay Books

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Single Layer Carrot Slice

Carrot Cake Ingredients

• 1c Self-Rising flour
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3/4c brown sugar
• 1/2c finely grated carrot
• 1/3c shredded coconut
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 6TBSP unsalted butter, melted
• 1/3c chopped walnuts (for topping!)

Creme Cheese Icing Ingredients

• 4oz cream cheese
• 2TBSP unsalted butter
• 1 1/2c powdered sugar, sifted
• 1tsp hot water

To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Brush a 9×9 cake tin or glass baking dish with butter, or use nonstick baking spray.  Sift flour and cinnamon into a large bowl.  Add the brown sugar, grated carrot, and coconut. Stir until just combined.  Add the beaten eggs and butter to the mixture and again, stir until just combined.  Pour the mixture into the baking tin/dish and spread evenly, smoothing the top.  Bake for 30 minutes or until top is golden and knife comes out clean.  Cool the cake in its tin/dish until completely cooled.  Turn the cake upside down on a flat surface.  Spread the cake evenly with thick layer of cream cheese frosting, top with walnuts, and enjoy!

To clean: Give bowl, beaters, spatula to eager man. Wait 30 seconds. Put away clean items.

To make the frosting: Using electric beaters, beat together the cream cheese and butter until smooth.  Add the sugar and beat for an additional 2 minutes or until mixture is light and fluffy.  Lastly, add the teaspoon of hot water and beat until well combined.

Note: My cake did not nicely pop out of the glass baking dish like the recipe suggested it should.  Instead I just iced it right there in the dang baking dish.  Apparently, this is where the use of parchment paper comes in.  One is supposed to grease the dish and then apply baking paper (parchment) to the dish and then when turning the cake upside down you just peel off the paper. Whatever, I did it my way!  It tasted just as delicious.  The recipe also had a nice option for adding assorted chopped dry fruits and chocolate bits, but Sunshine opted to not use those.  I bet that’d be equally delicious.  Also also wik…I used a 11×7.5 baking dish because I could. SO THERE. HA!

*insert triumphant trumpet noise here*

Hot and Spicy Veggie Gumbo

Sunday night I had the sudden urge to watch a creeptastic movie.  I don’t know why, but I wanted the pants scared off of me!  So, I sat down and watched “Skeleton Key” with Sunshine.  I don’t know about you, but that movie gives me the heebies.  Voodoo/Hoodoo is some scary business, I tell ya.  So I got my fix of absolute terror (and then some) and so that was good.  I was satisfied…sort of.  I replaced my need for fear with a need for food, apparently.  I wanted some good old-fashioned hot, spicy, cajun home-cookin’ and wasn’t nothing going to stop me ‘fore I got some.  Just can’t help but love the smoky flavours and spices that come from New Orleans style recipes! MMMMMMM!  I used to make a real kick-ass version of gumbo with meat and seafood before I turned into a bunny.  Now that I’m eatin’ bunny food 24-7, I decided to sit on down and find a vegetarian recipe.  I searched through a few blogs and skimmed the recipes for ingredients and instead just decided to make my own.  Gumbo uses the same basic ingredients and spices, so I knew it wouldn’t be hard.  The result was fantastic, if I do say so myself.  Have a look-see and try some for your own!

Gumbo is a thick, hearty soup and turns out more like a stew-style dish.  You may wish to add extra broth or water if the soup is too thick for your tastes.  This is a lower fat version of gumbo which is traditionally made with butter, flour, seafood, meat and rice in it as well.  This recipe substitutes beans and tempeh for protein sources!

Hot and Spicy, just how I like it!

Vegetable and Bean Gumbo

*Instead of canned beans, you can used dried beans, softened and soaked overnight.*
*If you prefer a milder gumbo, omit poblano pepper and add 1 large green bell pepper*
*If you prefer a spicier gumbo, zip this up with some extra cayenne pepper, Tabasco, or chop up a nice, smoky chile!*

• 2 TBSP olive oil
• 1 med, sweet vidalia onion, diced
• 1 poblano pepper, diced
• 1/2 orange bell pepper, diced
• 2 green onion, chopped (mostly just the white part of the stalk, and only a bit of the green)
• 1/4c organic vegetable broth
• 2 clove garlic, crushed
• 1 1/2 tsp celery seeds (or if you prefer to eat celery, chop up a few stalks!)
• 2 TBSP tomato paste
• 1 1/2 cup okra, tops removed and sliced
• 1 1/2 tsp thyme
• 4 bay leaves
• 1 tsp oregano
• 15oz can black-eyed peas, drained and rinsed thoroughly
• 15oz can dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly
• 5 c organic vegetable broth
• 28oz can organic diced tomatoes, including liquid
• 2 1/2 tsp blackened cajun creole salt free seasoning
• dash of Tabasco sauce (optional, but REALLY recommended!)

Heat olive oil in a large, non-stick pot or Dutch oven.  Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently until they begin to brown (5-10 minutes.)  If you notice the onions starting to burn or stick, add about 1/4c of the reserved broth  Next, add bell pepper, poblano pepper, and celery seed (or celery if using instead.)  Cook this together for 3 to4 minutes.  Add tomato paste and garlic, stir to coat, and cook for additional 2 minutes.  Stir in 5 cups of broth, rest of the ingredients (minus the Tabasco) and cook over medium heat until the soup thickens and okra has cooked thoroughly (45 to 50 minutes.)  During your last ten minutes of cooking, sprinkle the Tabasco sauce and stir.

Simmering all those delicious flavours together! Nice and slow.

Quick Cajun Spiced Tempeh Gumbo Topper

• 4oz Organic Tempeh – Garden Veggie variety
• 1 tsp blackened cajun creole seasoning
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1/4c-1/2 c water
• dash of plum vinegar
• franks red-hot sauce

Cut the tempeh into small wedges.   In a small bowl, toss tempeh with plum vinegar and cajun spices.  Heat olive oil in a non-stick pan, and add tempeh, tossing to coat.  Add water, and cook until water evaporates and tempeh is slightly soft.  If you prefer, you can add more oil and fry up your tempeh.   When tempeh is softened and cooked to your tastes, return to bowl and toss with franks red-hot.  Sprinkle tempeh pieces over gumbo.

Tempeh and my trusty friend, Frank!

I Can Bake Apple Crisp, Huzzah!

This healthy eating kick is getting kind of fun.  Well, as fun as an honestly restrictive diet is going to be, ha!  It’s been a little difficult to keep “on plan” with the Weight Watchers program this time around.  I’ve been going to bed early, waking up earlier, eating breakfast in the morning, and sipping lots of tea/black coffee.  In turn this makes me very hungry throughout the day.  I feel that no matter what I eat, I am always still hungry for more.  Even if I fill up my belly full of delicious breakfasts like raisin bran and soymilk or eggwhites with veggies and cheese, or a combination of both…STILL HUNGRY.  This has been my toughest run with WW and I feel that I should be completely honest.  I get hungry about 2 hours after a giant breakfast.  It’s pissing me off, actually.  This is what happens when I eat breakfast in the morning.  If I skip breakfast, I get hungry earlier for lunch. Gaaaahhhh!!!  I know it’s just an adjustment period, but oof it’s hard.  I’m thinking perhaps if I just ramp up my exercise routine (which currently is zilch) then I should probably be okay if I eat a little bit more.  I really think the most issues I have health/weight wise are due to lack of exercise.  I have to work on that.  I will work on that. Yes…

Anyway, so like I said it’s getting kind of fun.  I’m doing something I haven’t really had the chance to do in weeks…COOK!!!!  Cooking makes me so incredibly happy, it’s kind of ridiculous.  It’s second in hobby-love to photography.  Honest!

This week alone I’ve made stirfry, “grilled” chicken salads, a curry, pad thai, delicious breakfasts and now…DESSERTS!!!!!  I love to cook and bake so very much.  It makes me happy to prepare and serve exciting food, and this is especially if other people are enjoying it after.  I like to create things that are a bit adventurous or unique.  I like flavour combinations that may be out of the ordinary.  I like to expand my taste buds and take them on an adventure of delectable proportions.  I love to create!!!  So this week I tried a few Weight Watchers recipes.  The recipe for Chicken Pad Thai leaves something to be desired, and I think it’s a dish you just really can’t replicate.  If you’re going to have healthy food, you don’t eat Chicken Pad Thai.  I cut the fish sauce in half practically, because the sodium content per TBSP was 1300+ mg of sodium (of which the recipe called for almost 4TBSP!)  I didn’t have peanut oil, an essential flavouring for the dish, but it wasn’t the taste that was missing. The noodles got too mushy yet at the same time the dish felt dry and…just lacking something special.  A little bit of ingenuity and knowledge of asian flavours led me to toss in some rice vinegar.  It helped, but it still wasn’t enough.  You really need the peanut sauce to go with this; The full on, full flavoured, full fat version of peanut sauce!  Some things just aren’t meant to be diet food. What can you do?

I’ll tell you what you can do!!!!! You can make this fantastic version of Apple Crisp from the Weight Watchers website!!  This is absolutely friggin delicious I tell ya!  I sent this recipe to as many people as possible this morning.  I know it sounds ridiculous to get excited over something like apple crisp.  It’s served all over the universe and it’s really not all that special.  Well, when you’re trying to eat healthier, and all you can think of are the apple crumb cakes, apple pies, and apple cupcakes in the bakery that’s a 5 minute drive away, this becomes the most heavenly thing in the world.  Simple, delicious, warm and sweet….that’s apple crisp in a nutshell.  It’s all the best parts of an apple pie (minus that flaky, warm, buttery crust from my mom’s pie…oh god…i digress.)  Sunshine’s got a thing for apple pie like none other, and we’ve kind of become connoisseurs of all things apple pie (yogurt and ice cream included…BARF.)  I decided to indulge his sweet tooth (and okay, I admit it…mine as well) and I promised him apple crisp.  I ran around the kitchen like a madwoman while preparing dinner at the same time, but with Sunshine’s prep work to help!  (Thank you, darling!)   I made “crab” stirfry for the main course and apple crisp for dessert.  The stirfry was lacking.  I think it’s the kind of dish you really need *fresh* crab for so that you can fully enjoy the flavours.  It was rather bland.  Oh well! You win some, you lose some.  And then came time for the apple crisp…

Sunshine was breathing down my neck and following me around…I swear it’s like having a starving, cranky puppy around sometimes (LOVE YOU ANYWAY!)  I pulled the glass dish from the oven and I swear I think I died.  The smell was overwhelmingly fantastic.  The apple crisp was so hot it was steaming, oozing, and bubbling.  The smell of butter, cinnamon and nutmeg filled my nose.  My mind thought to warm memories of apple pie on Thanksgiving and Christmas…..

• 4 large apple(s), peeled, cored, cut into 1/8-inch slices (6 cups sliced apples)
• 2 tsp fresh lemon juice
• 3/4 cup(s) packed light brown sugar, divided
• 2 Tbsp Minute Tapioca, or other brand
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg, or freshly grated nutmeg (fresh preferred)
• 1/2 cup(s) all-purpose flour
• 4 Tbsp butter, melted

Preheat oven to 400ºF. Place rack in bottom third to middle of oven.
In a large bowl, toss together apple slices, lemon juice, 1/4 cup sugar, tapioca, cinnamon and nutmeg; let stand for about 30 minutes. Spoon apple mixture into an ungreased 9-inch square baking dish, or glass or ceramic pie plate; cover loosely with aluminum foil and bake for 30 minutes.  Meanwhile, to make topping, in a small bowl, combine flour with remaining 1/2 cup of sugar; mix until completely blended. Add melted butter; work in thoroughly with fingertips.  After pie has baked for 30 minutes, remove from oven and discard foil. Sprinkle topping over apples and bake, uncovered, until apples bubble and topping turns golden, about 35 to 45 minutes. Cool at least 2 hours before serving. Slice into 8 pieces and serve. Yields 1 slice per serving.