vegetarian

#SundaySupper: Recipes for World Vegetarian Day

~ lk529 ~ 27 Comments

One weekend after church we decided to go for a relaxing walk to get brunch. After enjoying a new (to us) restaurant we explored the area some more.

We typically find ourselves in that part of town for dinner and all of the shops are closed so it was fun to pop into some cute kids boutiques and my new favorite kitchen store!

The store was having a cookbook sale and I became immersed in their table of beautiful books.

I was drawn to The Vibrant Table by Anya Kassoff. It’s a cookbook of vegetarian, vegan, and raw recipes. Not a cuisine I dabble in too often, but when the food photography displays such vibrant dishes I couldn’t put it down!

I’m excited to explore the world of vegetarian and vegan cooking more to add some diversity to our menu and cater to friends of ours.

Speaking of, when our friends welcomed their third child into the family I brought them this beautiful salad. I doubled the recipe for them and brought it over with the dressing kept in a mason jar for when they were ready to enjoy it. I was also sure to leave them with a copy of the recipe.

Naturally, I had to reserve a serving’s worth to photograph it! And then, I had to eat it! This salad is so bright and fresh, and satisfying with all of the protein packed legumes. As I’m not a huge fan of cucumber, I reserved my chunks for Treat to have for lunch the following day – they disappeared!

I will not hesitate to make this salad again.

October 1st is World Vegetarian Day and the month of October is Vegetarian Awareness Month, so the Sunday Supper crew, being led by Susan of The Wimpy Vegetarian, has many different ways to help get more veggies into your diet. Be sure to scroll past my recipe to see them all!

Strawberry Soba Noodle Salad

Ingredients for salad:

  • 1 pkg (9 oz) soba noodles
  • handful snow peas, trimmed
  • handful sugar snap peas, trimmed
  • 1 C frozen peas
  • 1 C frozen shelled edamame
  • 1 carrot, peeled and sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 red bell pepper, sliced into matchsticks
  • 1 cucumber, chopped
  • 12 strawberries, sliced
  • 1/2 bunch cilantro, roughly chopped
  • 2 tbsp toasted sesame seeds

Ingredients for dressing:

  • 1″ fresh ginger, grated
  • 3 tbsp sesame oil
  • 1 1/2 tbsp tamari
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp lime juice
  • 1/2 tbsp agave

Steps:

  1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook all of the peas for 2 minutes and then blanch in ice water. Drain and set aside.
  2. Cook noodles according to package instructions. Rinse under cold water.
  3. In a large bowl combine noodles, peas, strawberries, carrots, bell peppers, cucumber, cilantro, and sesame seeds.
  4. Make dressing: whisk together the ingredients. Pour over salad, tossing to coat. Serve.

*This recipe is adapted from The Vibrant Table*

strawberry-soba-noodle-salad-for-sundaysupper-from-sew-you-think-you-can-cook

Appetizers

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Sunday Supper MovementJoin the #SundaySupper conversation on twitter on Sunday! We tweet throughout the day and share recipes from all over the world. Our weekly chat starts at 7:00 pm ET. Follow the #SundaySupper hashtag and remember to include it in your tweets to join in the chat. To get more great Sunday Supper Recipes, visit our website or check out ourPinterest board.

Would you like to join the Sunday Supper Movement? It’s easy. You can sign up by clicking here: Sunday Supper Movement.

Blogger CLUE: Veggie Chili

~ lk529 ~ 16 Comments

blogger CLUE

Even though the groundhog has declared it spring, it’s still relatively cold and definitely grey out so the Blogger CLUE crew and I have been scouring our assignments to bring you a wonderful collection of soups or stews.

When I saw my assignment was Azmina of Lawyer Loves Lunch I got very excited! I always love reading her posts and recalled her professing her love of soups, so what could be more perfect for yours truly who doesn’t consider soup a favorite. I did find a couple good contenders though, leek and potato soup or turkey and wild rice soup were quite tempting, and I know my husband would have loved for me to try making pho, but I ended up going with her veggie chili.

I can officially say that I am now a fan of chili. For the longest time it was something I wouldn’t even consider. Then I created my own recipe for chili and professed that “I only like my chili.” Within the past year I’ve ventured out to trying other recipes and have always been happily surprised, so why not give a meat-free version a try? It is Ash Wednesday after all, and that means the Lenten season has begun and the search for meatless recipes is in full force. This vegetarian main course is a perfect fit, especially when the weather is less than ideal.

I did have to make a slight change to the original recipe: instead of a can of crushed tomatoes I used whole tomatoes because the grocery store was out of crushed tomatoes! (Who knew that was a thing.) My substitution actually worked in my favor because I do like some chunk to my chili. Instead of pureeing the veggies before adding the tomatoes and stock, I added the can of whole tomatoes to the veggies and used my immersion blender to crush them along with the veggies. If you like a smoother chili place the cooked veggies in a blender and puree until smooth before adding crushed tomatoes and the remaining ingredients. Additionally, because I left my veggies a little chunky I only used 3 cans of beans instead of 4, using varieties I had in my pantry.

I absolutely loved this chili recipe and it will definitely be in my chili rotation. I find that chili tastes better as leftovers, not something I say about most foods, and it made for a perfect lunch throughout the week; I would place some tortilla chips in the bottom of a bowl, ladle the chili, and top with shredded cheese before popping the bowl in the microwave. The chips get a little soft and provide a subtle corn flavor along with some additional texture.

Veggie Chili

Ingredients:

  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 carrots, peeled and sliced
  • 1 bell pepper, diced – I used orange
  • 3 jalapenos, deseeded and minced
  • 1 can (28 oz) whole (or crushed) tomatoes
  • 3 C vegetable stock
  • 3 cans (15 oz) beans, drained and rinsed – I used dark red kidney beans, black beans, and garbanzo beans
  • 2 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1 1/2 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne

Steps:

  1. Heat oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven. Add onions, carrots, peppers, and jalapenos. Saute until tender, about 5 minutes.
  2. If using whole tomatoes, add them to the veggies and crush using an immersion blender until desired consistency is reached. If using crushed tomatoes, place veggies in a blender and pulse until desired consistency is reached then return the veggies to the pot before adding the tomatoes.
  3. Add the stock, beans, and spices. Bring chili to a boil, reduce to simmer and cook 20 minutes, or until desired thickness is reached. If chili gets too thick add additional stock or water. Add salt to taste.
  4. Serve with your favorite chili toppings: cheese, chips, sour cream, chives, etc.

*This recipe is adapted from Azmina at http://www.lawyerloveslunch.com/2012/03/chili-and-cornbread.html*

Veggi chili for Blogger CLUE from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Here’s a list of the other players of Blogger CLUE this month:

CIC: Goat Cheese and Mushrooms

~ lk529 ~ 6 Comments

CIC-header

It’s the 20th of the month and that means it’s time for another Crazy Ingredient Challenge reveal! The winning ingredients from the polls this month are Goat Cheese and Mushrooms. I know, it’s not really that crazy of a combination, but it’s still a good one!

I didn’t think I would partake because I don’t like mushrooms. If you read this blog you already know that. If you read this blog then you also know that the two boys in my house do like mushrooms.

Last week my mother-in-law and brother-in-law’s girlfriend came to visit. I asked if they had any dinner requests and they wanted my Ravioli with Mushrooms and Brussels Sprouts. I made a huge batch so bought 2 lb of mushrooms. With help in the kitchen I forgot to mention we wouldn’t need all of the 2 pounds to be diced but before I could remember that a massive pile of diced mushrooms were awaiting my next command. (Having help is awesome!)

Now I had a baggie of chopped mushrooms hanging out in my fridge. No one used them in their eggs the next morning so I decided to get some goat cheese and answer the challenge.

Earlier this week my husband worked a half day so I decided to make lunch. You know, something other than a bagel and cream cheese. I made a quesadilla with the two mandatory ingredients and added sun-dried tomatoes and mozzarella cheese for some sweetness and cheesiness. I purchased an herb and garlic flavored goat cheese to add a little pizzazz to the quesadilla.

My son has been in a highly picky phase right now. I’m hoping it’s related to his teething and we return to his more adventurous appetite soon. Foods that we know he likes he’s not wanting. He has been living on a diet of bread, cheese, and bananas. It is with immense relief that I tell you he ate this quesadilla – I just had to call it a sandwich to get him to consider trying it! Win!

Also a win – I liked this quesadilla, too! Looks like this blogging thing might turn me into a mushroom liker (I can’t quite say lover just yet) after all!

The following recipe is for 1 quesadilla.

Goat Cheese and Mushroom Quesadilla

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1/2 C diced mushrooms
  • 2 8″ whole wheat flour tortillas
  • 2 oz herb and garlic goat cheese
  • 2 sun-dried tomatoes, diced
  • 1/2 C shredded mozzarella cheese

Steps:

  1. In a small skillet over medium-high heat, saute mushrooms in olive oil until tender, about three minutes. Remove from heat and set aside.
  2. Spread 1 oz of goat cheese onto each tortilla.
  3. Place one tortilla, cheese side up, in a large skillet over medium heat. Distribute the mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes over the tortillas. Add the shredded mozzarella and top with the other tortilla, cheese side down.
  4. Cook quesadilla until golden brown on both sides and the cheese is melted.

*This recipe is adapted from Andrea at http://www.taylormademarket.com/spinach-sundried-tomato-mushroom-goat-cheese-quesadilla/*

Goat Cheese and Mushroom Quesadilla for Crazy Ingredient Challenge from Sew You Think You Can Cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in this month’s Crazy Ingredient Challenge click on the link below.

#HotSummerEats: Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

~ lk529 ~ 15 Comments

HotSummerEatsWe’ve just crossed the halfway point of #HotSummerEats hosted by Camilla of Culinary Adventures with Camilla. My menu continues with my husband’s favorite recipe of not only the week but of any that I’ve created to date.

I was happy to see that Not Ketchup was sponsoring this event. 64b31-not2bketchupThey generously provided bottles of their dipping sauce during last year’s #10DaysofTailgate during which I made Maize and Blue Chicken Salad. This time I requested a bottle of their Cherry Chipotle dipping sauce with the plan to make baked beans.

I had so much fun creating my Whiskey Bacon Baked Beans that I knew I wanted to try making more flavors. During that first batch of beans I realized just how much 1 lb of beans really is so I decreased the amount but feel free to double my recipe if you’re feeding a crowd. I actually made these beans twice – each time bringing them to a small potluck, and each time getting compliments. I kept this recipe vegetarian for some of my guests but feel free to substitute chicken stock or even add bacon!

An Original Recipe

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans

Ingredients:

  • 1 C dry great northern beans (soaked and drained according to package directions)
  • 1/2 red bell pepper, diced
  • 1 Vidalia onion, diced
  • 1/4 C Cherry Chipotle Not Ketchup
  • 2 tbsp molasses
  • 1 tsp Kosher salt
  • 1/2 tsp ground mustard
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • pinch cayenne (optional and to taste)
  • 1 1/2 C vegetable broth

Steps:

  1. Place all ingredients in slow cooker. Stir. Cook on LOW 6 – 7 hours until beans are tender and sauce thickened.

Cherry Chipotle Baked Beans for #HotSummerEats from Sew You Think You Can Cook

Don’t forget to enter our giveaway and be sure to check out the other bloggers who posted more summertime recipes today:

 Thank you to #HotSummerEats sponsors BenBella Vegan, Caribeque, Casabella, Gourmet Garden, Intensity Academy, Not Ketchup, Out of the Weeds, Pirate Jonny’s, Quirk Books, Spicely Organics, T.Lish , and Voodoo Chef for providing the prizes free of charge. These companies also provided the bloggers with samples and product to use for#HotSummerEats without additional compensation. All opinions are my own.

SRC: Gnocchi with Sweet Potato in Garlic Cream Sauce

~ lk529 ~ 30 Comments

newsrcbanner

Today is another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the secret recipe club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned the blog Food Baby Life written by Susan. Susan blogs all the way from Australia! (No wonder I stumbled upon ingredients I’d never heard of!) Susan has three boys who are growing up in a happy home with some healthy food. Susan has decided to cut most processed foods out of their diet and opts to make as much as she can from scratch and uses alternative sweeteners in place of sugar.

I have to say, I found and made my recipe for today’s reveal within the week of being assigned Susan’s blog. I don’t think I’ve every accomplished a task so quickly. Trust me, with a very busy almost 10-month-old son who is on the move, very curious, and highly interested in eating paper, I’ve been feeling very “scrambled” when it comes to my blog. I’m always frantically typing up posts, replying to comments, and visiting blogs during his short naps. And most nights I find myself crawling into bed after he falls asleep (he has a late “bedtime”).

So, I knew I didn’t want to let my SRC assignment fall into neglect. I was intrigued by Cornmeal and Fruit Loaf, tempted by Oat Pancakes with Strawberries, and inclined to try her Healthy Bread.

I ultimately went with a hearty meatless meal which I served on Good Friday. Stuart and I really like gnocchi but very rarely eat it. I am always a sucker for a creamy sauce. And sweet potato is a favorite of not only my husband, but my little man, too. Mushrooms aren’t my favorite and I tend to pick around them, but my brother was in town for the Easter holiday and he and Stuart enjoy them. (Recent discovery indicates that my son also likes mushrooms.) I figured I couldn’t go wrong with this dish although I had an inkling that I’d be wanting bacon in it. Fun fact: it doesn’t need the bacon, although I’m sure it wouldn’t hurt.

This recipe makes 6 servings and can easily be halved if desired.

Gnocchi with Sweet Potato in Garlic Cream Sauce

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato, cut into bite sized cubes
  • ~1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 pkgs (16 oz) gnocchi
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 tsp minced garlic
  • 1 pkg (8 oz) mushrooms, chopped
  • 1 3/4 C heavy cream
  • 1/2 C shredded Parmesan

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. Toss sweet potato in olive oil, season with S+P. Place in a single layer on a baking sheet and bake 20 minutes, or until tender.
  2. In a large, high-sided skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Saute onions, garlic, and mushrooms until onions are translucent and mushrooms browned. Add the cream and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and season to taste with S+P.
  3. Cook gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and add to the sauce along with Parmesan and sweet potatoes.
  4. Serve with extra Parmesan cheese, if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from Susan at http://www.foodbabylife.com/2012/03/meatless-monday-gnocchi-with-roasted.html*

gnocchi with sweet potato in garlic cream sauce | sew you think you can cook

To see the other bloggers who participated in the Secret Recipe Club this month click here:

Vegetable Pot Pie

~ lk529 ~ 20 Comments

Pi Day is celebrated every March 14 by math fans around the world – and also bakers and pastry chefs. Pi is an non-repeating, infinite number represented by the Greek letter π, and used to represent the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter. Today, March 14, 2015, is an extra special Pi Day, because at 9:26:53 AM it creates the “Pi Moment of the Century”. The first ten digits of Pi are 3.141592653 (3/14/15, 9:26 AM and 53 seconds). This exact date and time happens once every hundred years – a once in a lifetime moment for most of us. How cool is that?

march-14-2015-will-be-epic-pi

This year I’m happy to be celebrating this nerdy, foodie holiday with a collection of 20 other fantastic bloggers. Hooray for not stuffing my face with pie all by myself!

Last year I made a quick pie at the last minute with only three ingredients.

There have been a lot of sweets happening in the Sew You Think You Can Cook kitchen lately and while I’ve discovered a new love for almost anything chocolate I needed to step away from the sugar and try my hand at a savory pie.

I’ve had my eyes on this easy veggie pot pie from Mom’s Test Kitchen ever since she was my assignment for Secret Recipe Club 11 months ago. With it being Lent AND pi(e) day, I finally had the perfect excuse to whip up this easy dinner.

If you feel cheated out of pie day by my savory direction, be sure to check out the list of more traditional pies (and not so traditional ones) at the end of this post.

A big thank you to Terri of Love and Confections for gathering us all together for some nerdy deliciousness.

Vegetable Pot Pie

Ingredients:

  • 2 cans (8 oz) refrigerated crescent roll dough
  • 2 tsp seasoning blend, divided use (I used Penzey’s Frozen Pizza Seasoning)
  • 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of celery soup
  • 1 can (10.75 oz) cream of potato soup
  • 1/3 C milk
  • 1/2 C frozen peas
  • 1/2 C frozen corn
  • 1/2 C diced carrots

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
  2. Arrange 1 can of crescent rolls on the bottom of a lightly greased 9″ pie dish, points of the triangles in the center. Sprinkle with 1 tsp of your seasoning blend. Bake 6 minutes.
  3. In a saucepan over medium-high heat combine soups, milk, veggies, and remaining seasoning blend. Season to taste with S+P. Pour pie filling into the partially baked crust.
  4. Top pie with second can of crescent rolls, arranging the triangles so the the points meet in the center. Lightly spray the top of the dough with cooking spray, sprinkle with a little bit of Kosher salt and more seasoning blend (optional). Bake 20-25 minutes, or until crust is golden and cooked through.

*This recipe is adapted from Jaime at http://momstestkitchen.com/2014/03/easy-vegetable-pot-pie.html*

Veggie Pot Pie | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Enjoy a slice of one of these fantastic pies today:

Apple Pear Pie with Crumble Topping from Baking and Creating with Avril

Apple Rhubarb Strawberry Pie from Food Lust People Love

Buffalo Chicken Shepherd’s Pie from Healthy. Delicious.

Chocolate Mousse Pie from A Day in the Life on the Farm

Chocolate Silk Pie from Famished Fish, Finicky Shark

Coconut-Pistachio Pie from The Spiffy Cookie

Curried Lamb Potpie from Culinary Adventures with Camilla

Fresh Strawberry Pie from Taste Cook Sip

Hillbilly Apple Pie from My Catholic Kitchen

Kentucky Derby Pie from Kelli’s Kitchen

Mixed Berry Slab Pie from Making Miracles

Peach-Blueberry Pie from The Redhead Baker

Salted Honey Pie from girlichef

Sicilian Ricotta Pie from Cake Duchess

S’Mores Brownie Pie from Cheese Curd in Paradise

Strawberry Daiquiri Pie from Love and Confections

Thin Mint Pie from Amy’s Cooking Adventures

Top Secret Derby Pie from A Kitchen Hoor’s Adventures

Triple Berry Pot Pie from {i love} my disorganized life

Pie Day 02

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

~ lk529 ~ 5 Comments

Mexican Monday has taken a serious hit this year. The league that I bowl on happens on Monday nights and while I don’t bowl every week it’s often enough that our traditional dinner gets switched around or even skipped.

The enchiladas I’m sharing with you today are a meatless variety – perfect for a Friday during this Lenten period. Which is when I made them. If you want to add some meat to these be my guest; cooked shredded pork or chicken would be great. The meat isn’t missed though.

There are some changes I would make though. The sweet potato is cubed instead of mashed, which provides body and meatiness to the filling, but I struggled with the texture. Next time, I’ll mash the sweet potato and add some Mexican rice to the filling to add some more substance.

Sweet Potato Enchiladas

Ingredients:

  • 1 large sweet potato
  • 1/2 C corn & black bean salsa (I used Kroger brand)
  • 2 C shreded Mexican blend cheese, divided use
  • 2 C red enchilada sauce
  • 8 flour tortillas

Steps:

  1. Microwave potato for 10 minutes. Allow to cool and remove the skin. Cube or mash as desired.
  2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  3. Mix sweet potato with salsa and 1 1/2 C of cheese.
  4. Pour half of the enchilada sauce in the bottom of a casserole dish.
  5. Assemble enchiladas: Place about 1/3 C of the sweet potato filling into each tortilla, roll, and place seam side down in the prepared casserole dish.
  6. Top enchiladas with remaining enchilada sauce and cheese. Bake 20 minutes, or until bubbly and golden.

*This recipe is adapted from Averie at http://www.averiecooks.com/2014/06/sweet-potato-corn-and-black-bean-enchiladas.html*

Sweet Potato Enchiladas | Sew You Think You Can Cook

Celery Root Bisque

~ lk529 ~ 1 Comment

I bookend this Super Bowl week with another recipe from The Wimpy Vegetarian. If you recall, The Wimpy Vegetarian was my assigned blog for Monday’s Secret Recipe Club post. I promised that I’d be sharing one of her soups during the Soup-er bowl and here it is!

Never having cooked with celery root before I was intrigued by her Celery Root Bisque. Stuart always wants to buy the bizarre ingredients in the produce section so I decided to go for it! (The celery root can be found in the produce section near the ginger root. And the rutabaga – which might be the next strange ingredient used in my kitchen.)

Cutting the celery root was a test for my new knives. For Christmas Stuart got me a set of chef-worthy knives. These knives make cutting onions quick, slicing lemons smooth, and potatoes easy. I was able to “peel” the skin off the celery root with ease and cube it up with minimal effort.

Okay, enough of the unpaid and un-asked-for sponsorship.

Back to the bisque.

I didn’t think there could possibly be a better soup than yesterday’s creamy tomato but there is! I enjoyed a cup of celery root bisque for lunch for an entire week.

This soup has that hearty, creamy texture you’d expect from a bisque and has the flavor of celery with a kick. There is definitely heat to this soup. If you want a milder soup remove the seeds from the serrano pepper, use only half the pepper, and/or omit the cayenne. However, it’s that zip from the serrano that has you going back for another bite.

This bisque is perfect for lunch or as a side dish. Susan served hers with lobster! Some homemade bread is a perfect accompaniment for dunking and toning down the spice.

Celery Root Bisque

Celery Root Bisque

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1/2 russet potato, diced
  • 1/2 shallot, diced
  • up to 1 serrano pepper, diced (for milder soup remove seed)
  • 1/4 C white wine (use 1/4 C stock if you want to omit the wine)
  • 1 celery root, peeled and cubed
  • 5 C vegetable stock
  • 1 tsp kosher salt
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp ground mustard
  • 2/3 C heavy cream
  • 1/3 C milk
  • fresh parsley, for garnish

Steps:

  1. In a large pot over medium-high heat, melt butter and olive oil. Saute the onion, potato, shallot, and serrano until tender.
  2. Deglaze the pot with the white wine. Simmer until all the wine is absorbed.
  3. Add the celery root, salt, cayenne, garlic powder, ground mustard, and stock. Bring soup to a simmer and cook 35-40 minutes, until celery root is fork tender.
  4. Remove from heat and blend using an immersion blender. (If you don’t have an immersion blender carefully pour soup in small batches into a standard blender.)
  5. Return to low heat. Add the cream and milk and warm soup through before serving.
  6. Garnish with fresh parsley.

*This recipe is adapted from Susan at http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2014/03/celery-root-bisque-with-lobster-sundaysupper-fat-sunday/*

Celery Root Bisque | Sew You Think You Can Cook

SRC: Hummus and Pita

~ lk529 ~ 38 Comments

newsrcbanner

Today is another Secret Recipe Club Reveal Day! In the secret recipe club, each participating blogger is assigned a blog from another participating blogger and secretly searches their site for something to recreate. The accompanying blog post then goes live on reveal day! So while I was immersed in my assigned blog, someone else was picking through mine! I’m so excited to be part of this group, to see what on my blog peaks other’s interests and to stumble upon new blogs and new recipes.

This month I was assigned Susan’s blog The Wimpy Vegetarian. While Susan eats a mostly vegetarian diet, her husband does not. She has become very successful cooking for what she labels a “mixed marriage.” Her success in the kitchen of cooking for vegetarians and omnivores has lead her to a cookbook deal. In searching her website I have high aspirations for her cookbook.

I fell in love with Susan’s blog immediately. The layout of her page and her bright photography lulled me in and I stayed for her wonderful selection of recipes. Her beautiful page not only inspired me to take the plunge and update my recipe index but the entire look of my blog! If you like it, you can thank Susan. 😉

Over ten recipes made the cut for consideration for today’s reveal day. Two of them won the bid. And a third will be part of my collection of soups in anticipation for this weekend’s Super Bowl. Curry Apple Chips, Spiced Sweet Potato Fries, and Honey Cornbread are just a few of the recipes that I vow to try. (And now that reveal day is here I can finally subscribe to her blog via email!) But for now I will be sharing Hummus with Roasted Tomatoes AND Whole Wheat Pita.

I was able to check two items off my culinary bucket list thanks to Susan!  I knew that hummus was simple enough to make, especially taking advantage of canned garbanzo beans (sorry, Susan!), but I always shoved it off with a comment of “one day.” Making homemade pita wasn’t something I thought I’d tackle so soon, but how can I serve hummus during a football game without some pita bread to go with it? Conveniently, Susan had a recipe for this too. And I have to say, it wasn’t as difficult as I’d anticipated! However, I’m not sure if I went wrong in the baking time because my pita didn’t deflate – at least not the same day. I put the leftover bread in a resealable bag and stored it in the fridge. Just 10 seconds in the microwave yielded perfect pita for dipping in homemade hummus. It really is best served warm.

Hummus with Roasted Tomatoes

Ingredients:

  • 6 roma tomatoes
  • 1/4 C olive oil
  • 1/2 tsp dried thyme
  • 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
  • 2 1/2 C cooked garbanzo beans (just under 2 15.5oz cans)
  • 3 tbsp Tahini
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1 tsp white pepper
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 2 tsp lemon juice
  • 3/4 C water

Steps:

  1. Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.
  2. Slice tomatoes in half and place cut side up on the baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with the thyme and S+P. Bake 4 hours. Pour balsamic vinegar over the roasted tomatoes and let cool. Chop to desired size. (Note: Not all of these tomatoes will be used for the hummus, they will keep in the fridge for up to 1 month.)
  3. In a food processor pulse garbanzo beans, tahini, paprika, white pepper, salt, cumin, and lemon juice. When a smooth paste is acheived slowly add the water, puree until completely smooth.
  4. Mix in 2 tbsp of the roasted tomatoes.

*These recipes are adapted from Susan at http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2013/05/sundaysupper-roasted-balsamic-tomatoes/ and http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2014/02/vegan-appetizer-roasted-tomato-hummus-sundaysupper-super-eats-for-game-day/*

Whole Wheat Pita

Ingredients:

  • 2 tsp instant yeast (just under 1 packet)
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1 1/4 C warm water (110 degrees F)
  • 2 C bread flour
  • 1 C whole wheat flour
  • 1 1/2 tsp salt
  • 2 tbsp olive oil

Steps:

  1. Gently stir yeast and honey in the warm water. Set aside and allow yeast to foam for 10 minutes.
  2. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine both flours and salt. Add the proofed yeast mixture and olive oil. Using the dough hook, knead until the dough comes together around the dough hook. Turn the dough out onto a clean surface and knead until completely smooth, add more whole wheat flour if too sticky. Form the dough into a ball.
  3. Place the dough in a lightly greased bowl. Cover and set aside in warm location for two hours, or until doubled in size. (I did this in my microwave.)
  4. Divide the dough into 8 disks. Cover and let rest 20 minutes.
  5. Place a pizza stone in the center rack of the oven. Preheat oven to 500 degrees F.
  6. Roll each disk into an 8″ pita. Be sure to run the rolling pin along the edges of the pita. Cover and let rest another 10 minutes.
  7. Cook pita on the pizza stone for 3 minutes. Do this in batches so that the entire pita is in contact with the stone – not overlapping or hanging off the edge.

*This recipe is adapted from Susan at http://thewimpyvegetarian.com/2012/12/easy-whole-wheat-pita-bread/*

Hummus & Pita | Sew You Think You Can Cook

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Eating the Bible: Iron Men

~ lk529 ~ 3 Comments

Tonight’s recipe and accompanying bible verse come from The Book of Deuteronomy.

It is a land in which you will eat bread without scarcity – where you will not lack for anything; a land whose stones are iron, and from whose mountains you will quarry copper. Deuteronomy 8:9

Rena references the Babylonian Talmud during her bible study. It suggests that the reference to “stones of iron” is a metaphor for those who will build the land. According to the Talmud “any scholar who is not as tough as iron is not a scholar.” Those building Israel are its scholars – requiring a strong will and a strong faith.

It is important to remember during the journey of Lent to be “tough as iron” in keeping your Lenten promise, in resisting temptation, and in enriching your belief.

To accompany a verse on iron, Rena created a black bean soup as black beans are rich in iron. I halved her recipe as I only need to feed two of us. If you want to make this a completely vegetarian one-pot dinner simply substitute vegetable stock in place of the chicken stock. Rena suggests pureeing the soup to a desired consistency, I omitted this step.

Black Bean Soup

Ingredients:

  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1/2 large onion, chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 tbsp cumin
  • 1 can (15 oz) black beans, undrained
  • 1 can (15 oz) stewed tomatoes, undrained
  • 1 1/4 C chicken broth

Steps:

  1. In a pot saute onion and garlic in olive oil over medium-high heat. Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Cook until onion is tender. Add beans, tomatoes, and broth. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer for 30 minutes.
  2. Serve with crusty bread. And provide shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream for topping, if desired.

*This recipe is adapted from Eating the Bible by Rena Rossner*

Black Bean Soup

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