Gourmet Veggie Mama

Trip to Manhattan

October 20, 2011 9:23 pm / 2 Comments /

This week’s cocktail is a classic — the Manhattan. We like to imbibe these when watching Mad Men, and/or with a nice bowl of popcorn… which has been referred to around these parts as “a classic evening.” Yes, we are nerds.

Hubby is the Manhattan mixmaster around these parts, but I swear by his recipe. I like mine a wee bit sweeter than he does, but that can be adjusted easily enough.

Drink up.

Manhattan

2 parts bourbon (we use Maker’s Mark)
1 part sweet vermouth
1 part dry vermouth
dash bitters

Combine ingredients over ice, shake and strain into a cocktail glass, or serve over ice. Garnish with a brandied cherry.

Posted in: cocktails, drinks / Tagged: ,

Ladies who lunch

October 19, 2011 1:53 pm / 4 Comments /

Yesterday I had a friend and her daughter, who is a month older than Nora, over for a play date. After comparing nap schedules, we decided the best time to meet was noon, and that means lunch! I wanted to make something simple that we all could enjoy, mommies and babies alike, so I went with an old potluck standby of mine — quinoa salad. It’s quick, easy, healthy and can be made ahead, so it was perfect for the occasion.

Lunch is served.

I served it as a finger food for the babies, and on a bed of arugula for the adults — with a fork. As anticipated, we all enjoyed it. As a bonus, my friend and I got to catch up and the babies had tons of fun playing together after we ate. Oh yeah, and Nora, who was starting to take more and more steps, is now officially a walker, thanks to little Ahalya showing her how it’s done!

Here’s my basic recipe for the quinoa salad, which can be tweaked to suit what you have on hand. Enjoy!

Quinoa Salad

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well
1 ripe avocado, cubed*
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
2/3 cup feta, crumbled
1-2 shallots, diced
2 Tbsp lemon juice
3 Tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt

Bring the quinoa to boil in 2 cups of water, turn the heat down to low and cook for 15 minutes with the lid on (or per package directions). Set aside to cool.

Whisk the lemon juice, olive oil, shallots and salt together in a small bowl until emulsified. Add the dressing and the other ingredients to the cooled quinoa and gently fold together with a large spoon or a spatula. Serve room temperature or cold.

* You can either toss the avocado with some lemon juice to keep it from browning, or just give it a quick rinse in some cold water, which, for whatever reason, seems to work just as well.

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Monday night

October 17, 2011 8:56 pm / 1 Comment /

I have had A Monday (yes, that is capitalized). I won’t bore you with the details, but there were definitely some cranky pants involved, and they were worn often and with great aplomb. I had planned to make pumpkin curry for dinner tonight, but after the day I had, let’s just say a meal with that much prep work involved just wasn’t gonna happen.

Thankfully, I did manage to make it to the store, so I had some things to work with for a quick, easy dinner. Let’s just pretend I planned this one in advance, mmkay?

Minimal effort sometimes pays off.

I cooked some refrigerated gorgonzola walnut ravioli (from The Pasta Shop, thankfully available at our local Whole Foods) and tossed it with olive oil. In the same pan, drained and wiped out, I wilted some arugula in a little olive oil and tossed it with the pasta. Then I “toasted” some walnuts in the pan and used them to top the pasta. Voila. Dinner is served.

Hubby pronounced it “wonderful,” and I have to say, I agree. What’s even more wonderful is having dinner on the table before 8 and having a little time to put my feet up for some much-needed vegging tonight before we do it all over again tomorrow…

Posted in: cooking, vegetarian, weeknight meals / Tagged: , ,

Indian tonight

October 15, 2011 8:54 pm / 2 Comments /

Every so often, I dabble in cooking ethnic foods. I always feel a little weird about it — since, as a total WASP, what do I know about authenticity — but it’s fun, anyway. Besides, Indian vegetarian food in undoubtedly some of the best there is.

Tonight, the hubby and I made “tandoori” cauliflower (in quotes because it was really made on the stove top) and dal for dinner.

Saturday night special.

This was a great dinner, especially when served with some Trader Joe’s frozen naan. I know, I cheated, but it’s good! It happens to be better than the only homemade naan I’ve attempted to date, and it’s a lot less work.

Pat was in charge of the cauliflower, and although he worked off of this recipe, it was largely improvised, since we originally planned to make it on the grill, but — long story short — we ended up being out of propane, so we moved the show indoors.

As for my part, I actually do make a mean dal, if I do say so myself.

Har.

Dal-icious.

Since it’s such a staple of a vegetarian diet, I figured I’d better master it. Here’s my (loose) recipe.

Dal

1 cup lentils
4 cups water
2 small onions
3/4 tsp cumin
3/4 tsp turmeric
dash cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Bring the lentils and the water to boil and simmer, partially covered, for 30 minutes to an hour, until tender. Slice the onions into crescents and saute until tender and golden Stir in the spices and then add the onion mixture to the lentils. Sit well and simmer for a few minutes more, and then serve with yogurt or alongside your favorite Indian dish.

Posted in: cooking, ethnic, indian, vegetarian / Tagged: , ,

Bloody Marys

October 13, 2011 8:54 pm / Leave a Comment /

This week’s cocktail is a classic, but it’s one I had never made before last weekend. I’m really more of a mimosa girl when I’m drinking before noon — which, for the record, is not often — but circumstances dictated otherwise this time around.

I mentioned that we had people over to watch the Texas-OU game on Saturday, and the game started way early here on the West Coast.* Since it’s uncouth to serve beer at 9 am, Shiner Bock, our standard game-watching beverage, was out. Since we have tons of tomatoes these days, between our CSA and our own plants, we decided to juice them and make really homemade Bloody Marys instead.

*By this I mean it started early for drinking. We had already been up and at ‘em for a good three hours around these parts, like we are most mornings, thanks to our little early bird!

I started by asking my good friend Google for advice on how to make a Bloody Mary, and I came upon this site, which is perhaps more comprehensive than I needed. It told me what I needed to know, though, so armed with the basics, I set about making a pitcher for the party.

I started out by using my trusty food mill to “juice” the tomatoes.

It's harder than it looks.

It turned out to be just right for the job with the fine mesh attachment, and before I knew it, I had plenty of nice, pulpy (but not too pulpy) tomato juice.

Then it was time to add the vodka. The internets told me that the ratio was 1:1 tomato juice to vodka, and that sounded crazy to me, but what do I know? So that’s where I started. I gave it a quick taste test, and let’s just say it pretty much made my hair stand on end, so I added a bit of extra tomato juice to tone it down a little. I mixed in the rest of the ingredients (not really measuring much — just eyeballing it since I was doing an entire pitcher), poured a sample glass, garnished it with a leafy stick of celery, and it was go time.

Tomato-tastic.

It was a good drink, and, as one of our fellow Texas Exes put it, it turned out to be just the right strength for the game we were about to witness (ouch). Nonetheless, I think I’ll stick to mimosas as my brunch drink of choice in the future — especially when blood orange juice is available… mmm.

Bloody Mary

3 cups tomato juice
2 cups vodka
1 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
3 Tbs. lime juice
Black pepper to taste
Tabasco sauce to taste

Pour tomato juice and vodka into a pitcher filled with plenty of ice. Add other ingredients and stir well. Serve well-chilled over ice.

Posted in: cocktails, drinks / Tagged: , ,

Broccoli cheddar bites

October 12, 2011 2:50 pm / 10 Comments /

We’ve been doing the same old boring stuff as far as green veggies go lately. Frozen peas, frozen green beans, blah. Nora likes them, but I was looking for a new way to spice things up, so I thought I’d try out a recipe for broccoli cheese bites. Nora loves them.

Want some?

I thought they were pretty good, too!

Yum.

Not only were they easy to make with stuff I already had on hand, but they also freeze well and reheat quickly in the toaster oven. I think we have a winner!

Broccoli Cheddar Bites
Based on this recipe

1 lb. broccoli florets, steamed and chopped
1 cup bread crumbs*
1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
3 eggs**
garlic powder and oregano to taste

Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly oil a baking pan with olive oil. Mix all ingredients together in a large bowl and form into nuggets on the baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, turning over after 15 minutes.

* I just whizzed a couple of leftover slices of whole wheat bread in the food processor.

** You can use 5 egg yolks instead if you are avoiding egg whites, or substitute veggie purée if you are avoiding eggs altogether.

Posted in: baby food, cooking, finger foods / Tagged: ,

Beans and greens redux

October 11, 2011 9:04 pm / 3 Comments /

Kori’s comment on my beans and greens entry awhile back got me thinking, so when I ended up with spigariello in the CSA box again this week, I decided to try the same meal, but with a twist. Instead of blanching the greens, I used a little veggie broth to braise them in the pan after sautéeing them with the onions and garlic. Not only did skipping the blanching step help retain more nutrients, but it also saved a pan, which is always a bonus in my book. The greens were still tasty, and plenty tender.

Num.

If anything, I actually think it made the meal tastier. I also soaked and cooked the beans earlier in the day and stored them in the fridge, and made the greens ahead in the same pan I’d later finish off the meal in. All I had to do when we were ready for dinner was heat the butter, sautée the beans and heat the greens mixture, and add seasoning. This was pretty much the perfect meal for a rainy fall evening, especially when paired with a tasty beer.

Beer me.

And, yeah, both oatmeal and beer are good for milk supply. True fact.

Posted in: cooking, vegetarian / Tagged: , ,

Crafty Monday

October 10, 2011 8:47 pm / 2 Comments /

Although I’m not really a crafty person — or at least I haven’t been for a while — I have discovered my inner Martha Stewart recently. I have been working on a fall wreath for… well, let’s just say it’s been a process. I finally finished it today, though! Along the way I remembered how to embroider (I did it some as a kid, but I haven’t picked up a needle for ages), broke out the hot glue gun, rolled and rolled and rolled fringe-y flowers, and spent many an evening tracing and cutting leaves out of felt.

Fun times.

I used this tutorial, which was great. I have to say, I’m pretty proud of my handiwork, since it is the first wreath I’ve ever made.

Welcome fall!

I’m glad it’s finally hanging on my door, since it feels like fall outside!

Posted in: crafts / Tagged:

Cauliflower tart

October 9, 2011 10:13 pm / Leave a Comment /

We get so much cauliflower from our CSA this time of year that it gets hard to keep up with it. As a result, I have learned to be very creative with cauliflower, and, actually, it is one of my favorite veggies to work with now, since I have a ton of yummy uses for it. We rarely ever get boring white cauliflower, though. Our box overflows with cheddar cauliflower, romanesco cauliflower and purple cauliflower.

Purple-licious.

I love cauliflower pasta with toasted walnuts and ricotta salata (especially yummy with cheddar cauliflower), cappellini with cauliflower (awesome with lots of garlicky, buttery bread crumbs), tandoori cauliflower — and all of these will probably be the subject of posts at some point in the future.

However, my all-time favorite use for cauliflower is a cauliflower tart. It’s pretty time-intensive, but a lot of it can be done ahead in bits and pieces, which is why I like it. Plus, it’s really, really good.

How could you say no to that?

It’s perfect with a simple side salad, since it’s pretty rich. I love that it makes plenty of leftovers, too, which are best reheated in a toaster oven.

Cauliflower and Caramelized Onion Tart
From Bon Appétit, March 2007, with my modifications

1 small head of cauliflower (about 1 pound), cored, cut into 1-inch florets
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 tablespoon truffle oil
1 frozen pie crust
1 large onion, halved lengthwise, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon or other specialty mustard
3 large eggs, divided
1 (7- to 8-ounce) container mascarpone cheese
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper
Pinch of ground nutmeg
1 cup grated Gruyère cheese
3/4 cup + 1 Tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Position rack in center of oven; preheat to 425°F. Toss cauliflower with 1 tablespoon olive oil in large bowl. Spread on large rimmed baking sheet, spacing apart. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast 15 minutes; turn florets over. Continue roasting until tender, about 25 minutes longer. Cool cauliflower, then thinly slice. Drizzle with truffle oil; toss. Reduce oven temperature to 350°F.

Line pie crust with foil. Bake crust 20 minutes. Remove foil and brush bottom and sides or crust with one beaten egg (you won’t use all of it) and sprinkle with 1 Tbs parmesan. Bake until crust is golden, about 5 minutes, pressing crust with back of fork if bubbles form. Cool crust. Maintain oven temperature.

Heat remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add onion; sprinkle with salt and pepper. Lower heat and cook until onion is deep golden brown, stirring occasionally. Cool slightly.

DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Store crust at room temperature. Cover and chill cauliflower and onion separately.

Brush bottom and sides of crust with mustard. Spread onion in crust. Arrange cauliflower evenly over. Set tart on rimmed baking sheet. Whisk eggs and next 4 ingredients in medium bowl. Stir in Gruyère. Pour mixture over filling in tart pan; sprinkle with Parmesan. Bake until tart is golden and center is set, 40 minutes to an hour. Transfer to rack; cool 15 minutes before serving.

Posted in: cooking, vegetarian / Tagged:

Ribs

October 8, 2011 1:52 pm / 1 Comment /

Yes, this is still a vegetarian blog.

My daughter, however, has decided not to be a vegetarian… at least for the moment. I always said it would be up to her, and when she kept grabbing for a bite of Daddy’s ribs, today, well, her choice was clear.

Mmm... pig.

It’s Texas-OU weekend. (And yes, we lost. Badly.) My husband will take any opportunity to make ribs, since he loves making them and, by all accounts, does a fantastic job, but I won’t eat them, obviously. As we were having a few friends over to watch the game, it was grillin’ time.

Although she mostly just used the bone as a teether (ick), Nora seemed really into them. Meat is definitely not going to become a staple of her diet anytime soon, at least as long as I’m feeding her, but I guess this is just the beginning of my baby girl growing up and making more of her own choices.

She also sampled some chips and queso. If you’re not from Texas, you might not know what I’m talking about, but it’s a staple of any house party there, and when we have Texas folks over here, it’s de rigueur.

In many ways, queso is the antithesis of everything I am about, food-wise, but there is a time and a place. Traditionally, it’s a big block of Velveeta cheese, cut into cubes and melted with a can of Rotel tomatoes and green chiles. It is both delicious and disgusting. I’ve tried making a fancier version of it with real cheese and such, but nothing tastes quite like the “real” thing. And yeah, that’s in quotes because there’s pretty much nothing real about it.

I did sit her down for a proper bit of lunch after her junk food extravaganza, though, with some fruit to balance things out. She happily ate up her pomegranate seeds and blackberries, so at least there’s that.

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