Kale & Sweet Potato Tacos

Serves: Makes 6 tacos

Ingredients:
1 large sweet potato, peeled and chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 red onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced and chopped
1 tsp paprika
1 large bunch kale
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
1 tbsp lemon juice
6 10" whole wheat tortilla shells
1 cup black beans, drained and warmed
1 avocado, thinly sliced
2 tbsp fresh parsley, finely chopped

 Directions:
1. In a medium sized pot, bring water to a boil. Cook your sweet potato for 7-8 minutes, or until fork-tender.

2. While sweet potato boils, in a large saute pan heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute garlic and onions. Add sweet potato when it's done boiling. Season with paprika and salt and pepper to taste.

3. In another large saute pan, over medium heat, add some olive oil and kale. As kale begins to wilt, sprinkle with lemon juice.

4. Add red peppers to the sweet potato mixture and continue to cook, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are slightly browned.

5. When kale is completely cooked, remove from heat and stir in the feta cheese.

6. Heat the tortillas.

7. Top with kale, sweet potatoes, black beans, avocado, and parsley. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Garlic Red Bean Dip

Serves: 8+

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic
2 tbsp cilantro
1 1/2 cups red beans
1/2 tsp paprika
2 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil

Directions:
1. Toss all items in a food processor and blend until smooth.

2. Top dip with additional sprinkle of paprika and cilantro if you'd like.

3. Serve with chopped veggies or toasted pita points.

Nutritional Info: 125 calories per 1/4 cup serving

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
2 portobello mushroom caps, diced
10-12 crimini mushrooms, diced
1/2 cup walnuts, crushed
3/4 cup barbecue sauce
1 tsp sriracha sauce
2 avocados, sliced
4 onion rolls

Directions:
1. In a large saute pan, heat a bit of olive oil and saute your garlic, onions and peppers for 3-4 minutes over medium high heat.

2. Add the mushrooms and walnuts and continue to saute for 4-5 minutes or until mushrooms are soft.

3. Add the barbecue sauce and sriracha. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 5 minutes.

4. Toast your buns lightly. Spoon sloppy joe filling on to the bottom buns. Top with avocado and serve.

Nutritional Info: each sandwich has 591 calories

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Butternut Squash Soup (Vegan Optional)

Serves: 5

Ingredients:
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped (save the seeds)
1 yellow onion, chopped
2 tbsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp chipotle powder
4 cups water
1/4 cup almond milk
2 tbsp butter (optional--leave this out if you want to make the soup vegan)
2 tsp brown sugar
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil

Directions:
1. Toss the butternut squash and onion in a bit of olive oil. Sprinkle with rosemary and half of the chipotle powder. Spread out on a pan and roast for one hour at 350*.

2. Transfer roasted squash to a large stock pot over medium heat. Add the water.

3. Blend the soup using an immersion blender, or transfer to a stand-up blender a little at a time. (I did this in 2 cup increments.)

4. Stir in milk and butter.  Reduce heat to a simmer and let sit.

5. Rinse the reserved seeds and pat dry. Toss with a bit of olive oil and spread on a roasting pan in one layer. Sprinkle with brown sugar and remaining chipotle powder. Roast at 350* for 10-12 minutes.

6. Spoon your soup into a bowl. Top with seeds and serve immediately.

Nutritional Info: 157 calories per serving

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Caramelized Cabbage and Walnut Penne

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
olive oil
1 cup onions, diced
1 small head of cabbage, shredded
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
2 cups (uncooked) penne pasta
1/2 stick butter
1 tbsp dried thyme
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Directions:
1. In a large saute pan, heat the olive oil and saute onions until translucent.

2. Add the cabbage and saute on high for 2-3 minutes. Toss in walnuts. Lower heat to medium and continue to cook for 15 minutes, stirring frequently.

3. Boil a pot of water. Cook pasta. Drain and keep warm.

4. In a small saute pan, melt the butter and stir in the Parmesan and thyme.

5. Add pasta to cabbage mixture when it's done cooking. Mix in butter sauce and stir to coat.

6. Top with freshly grated Parmesan and serve immediately.

Nutritional Info: 445 calories per serving

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

"Watermelon" Radish Salad

One look a this beautiful salad and you'll know why it's called the Watermelon Radish Salad. These radishes are simply stunning. I'm always amazed when I see such brilliant colors occurring naturally in food. Makes me wonder why we need all those "red dye #6's."

This is a delicious little salad. Quite simple and visually appealing for so little effort. I had leftover dressing and radish, so I made a little snack out of it the next day, just dipping the veggies straight into my little cup of dressing. Yum!

Serves: 4

Ingredients:
1 beauty heart radish
2 tbsp tahini
1 tsp ground mustard
3 tsp rice vinegar
pinch of sugar
black sesame seeds
4 cups green leaf lettuce, chopped

Directions:
1. Using a vegetable peeler, peel off a very thin outer layer of the radish. Slice in half down the middle.

2. Use a mandoline (if you have one) to slice very thin pieces of the radish. A knife will work, but a mandoline makes it oh so much easier.

3. Mix the tahini, mustard, vinegar and sugar in a small container with a lid. Shake vigorously to mix.

4. Arrange the radishes on a bed of lettuce. Drizzle with dressing and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Enjoy!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Winter Squash Quinoa

I was looking for a good way to use up some random veggies I had leftover from last week's CSA. I found a few inspiring ideas online and melded them together to come up with this one. I served it as an entree--I think it's filling enough, it could also be served in smaller portions as a side item.

Serves: 4+ (more can be served if this is used as a side, but it serves 4 as an entree)

Ingredients:
4 cups quinoa, prepared
1/2 cup green bell pepper, diced
1/3 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
1 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 acorn squash
3 small-medium Japanese sweet potatoes, cubed
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 tsp nutmeg
olive oil for sauteing
salt and pepper to taste

Notes: I used Japanese sweet potato, which has a similar texture and flavor to yucca. If you can't find the Japanese variety, regular sweet potato will do.

Directions:
1. Prepare the quinoa and set aside, keeping warm.

2. Pre-heat oven to 375. Cut the acorn squash in half lengthwise. Drizzle with olive oil and season with half of the thyme and salt and pepper. Roast for 45 minutes, cut-side up.

3. While squash is roasting, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil and saute 1/2 of the garlic and 1/2 of the onion for 3-4 minutes over medium heat. Add in the sweet potato and saute for approximately 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Season with the remaining thyme, nutmeg, and salt and pepper to taste.

4. In a small saute pan, heat olive oil and saute remaining garlic, onion and peppers until soft. Stir in black beans and heat until warm. Stir bean and pepper mixture into the quinoa.

5. When squash is done roasting, remove from oven. Scrape off seeds and stringy middle goop. Carve the "flesh" out of the rind and chop into bite-size pieces. Toss those into the pan with the sweet potato and saute for a few minutes more.

6. Spoon quinoa onto plate. Spoon sweet potato mixture on top and serve.

Nutritional Info: approx. 400 calories in a serving

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Apple Pecan Bread

I'm not sure how I haven't posted this recipe before. It's a long-time favorite of mine. I've had it so long, I don't remember where I got it from, but trust me, it's wonderful. I eat this bread for breakfast, snack, dessert . . . anytime!

Ingredients

1 1/2 cup flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 smidgen fresh ground nutmeg
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup oil
1 egg, plus 1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup apples (about 2 medium), diced
1/2 cup pecans, coarsely chopped

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees and prepare a loaf pan (or 4 mini loaf pans).

2. In medium bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg and whisk to combine thoroughly, set aside.

3. In bowl of stand mixer, combine oil and sugar and beat to combine thoroughly.

4. Add egg and yolk and beat to combine thoroughly.

5. Beat in vanilla.

6. Turn mixer to low and add flour mixture, a little at a time, beating until just combined.

7. Stir in apples and pecans.

8. Scrape batter into prepared loaf pan (batter will be quite thick) and spread evenly.

9. Place loaf pan into oven and bake until toothpick inserted into center comes out clean, about 80-90 minutes (45 minutes for mini loaves).

10. Let cool before serving.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Carrot Cranberry Salad

A tasty, sweeter salad that's great for winter months when most produce is not at its peak.

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
3 cups chopped green leaf lettuce
3 medium carrots, julienned
1/3 cup craisins
1/2 cup red onion, sliced very thin
2 tbsp feta cheese crumbles
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp orange juice
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. In a small container with a lid, combine olive oil, vinegar, oj, and salt and pepper. Shake vigorously to mix.

2. Mix carrots, feta, craisins and onions in a medium sized bowl.

3. Toss carrot mix in the dressing.

4. Spoon carrot mixture onto a bed of leaf lettuce on a plate and serve immediately.

Nutritional info: 225 calories per serving

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Buffalo Blue Cheese Benedict

Leftovers Alert: this is a great way to use up leftover Buffalo Chick Pea Patties!

I'm calling this one the B-Cubed: the Buffalo Blue cheese Benedict!

Serves: 2

Ingredients:
4 buffalo chick pea patties
2 tbsp Frank's Red Hot sauce (or your favorite hot sauce)
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup blue cheese crumbles
4 eggs

Directions:
1. Splash a little hot sauce on the patties and place in (toaster) oven at 325* for 15 minutes. Flip halfway to heat thoroughly.

2. In a small saute pan, melt the margarine. Mix in the blue cheese and bread crumbs. It's going to look like a brown, pasty mess. That's ok; it will taste better than it looks.

3. When the patties are heated through, spread the blue cheese paste on the patties. This will be more tedious than you want it to be because of the pasty-sticky quality of it. Use a fork or your fingers to stamp it down. Put the patties back in the (toaster) oven on broil for about 10 minutes. You're looking for a pretty golden brown crust to form.

4. While the patties are heating and the crust is browning, you'll need to poach some eggs. I know that sounds scary. I was worried to, but have faith in yourself. And be grateful for wonderful, easy-to-follow directions like this from Smitten Kitchen. I'd never attempted to poach an egg before, but I managed to successfully cook four on my first four tries! It can be done!

5. When the crust is golden brow on the blue cheese paste, remove from oven. Put two patties on each plate, and top each with a poached egg. And you're done!

I didn't get a picture of this one because I didn't feel like the hassle of a camera while I was attempting poached eggs for the first time. Plus, Baby FoodWhore needed to go to sleep so I was fighting the clock to get dinner on the table before an epic melt-down.

Nutritional Info: 524 calories in each serving

Serving Suggestion: serve with potato hash and fresh sliced tomatoes.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: No-Noodle Manicotti

One thing I love about Fresh Picks is that they always send a list of recipe suggestions for the foods they've delivered. So even when I get something like kohlrabi and I have no clue what it is, I have a quick little reference sheet that suggests how to prepare it.

For a few weeks, I had some random ingredients piling up in my frige. I knew it was time to finally use them or lose them. I shuffled through all the FP's recipe sheets and found a common thread: the recipe suggestions all seemed to be Italian-esque. So I merged all the general ideas into one and created No-Noodle Manicotti! Unintentionally, this recipe is also gluten-free, so be sure to share it with your gluten-adverse friends.

The recipe I came up with is not one for a quick week-night dinner. It was a little more involved and took longer than most people want to spend cooking on a Monday evening. But the leftovers held up well. Four days later, I nuked the last of it, and thought it was perhaps even better than the first night (as Italian dishes usually are). So feel free to make this one on a weekend and munch on it all week. The quantities in this recipe yielded one 9 x 9 pan. We got about 4-5 servings out of it.

This recipe also uses some less conventional ingredients. But it also is easy to substitute. If you can't find kohlrabi, try cauliflower (which has a similar taste and texture, in my opinion).  Use garlic instead of garlic scapes; and toss in spinach in place of the amaranth.

Ingredients:
1/2 white eggplant
1 kohlrabi
1/2 cup garlic scapes, chopped finely
2 cups amaranth leaves
1 medium tomato, chopped
1 tbsp chopped parsley
2 cups cottage cheese
3/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
2 cups mozzarella, divided
1 tbsp fresh oregano leaves, diced
5 large cabbage leaves
2 cups tomato sauce
3-4 basil leaves, chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Slice the eggplant about 1/4" thick. Toss in olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Roast on a pan at 400* for 20 minutes (10 minutes on each side).  Chop into bite-size pieces and set aside when done.

2. Boil the kohlrabi for approximately 20 minutes or until tender; you should be able to easily poke it with a fork. When it's done, drain the water and rinse it under cool water so that it's cool to touch. Slice it in half and using a melon-baller, scoop out the inside. Toss the shell and chop the flesh into smaller pieces. Reserve.

3. In a large sautee pan, heat some olive oil and saute the garlic scapes. Add in the kholrabi and cook for a minute or two longer. Toss in the amaranth, parsley and tomatoes and cook until amaranth leaves are wilted.

4. While the amaranth is cooking, combine the cottage cheese, 1/2 cup of parmesan and 1 cup of mozzarella in a small bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper and oregano.

5. Once the amaranth has wilted, gently stir in the eggplant.

6. In a large sauce pan, bring water to a boil. Salt lightly for taste. Gently place the cabbage leaves in the water and boil for 2-3 minutes. Remove from water, rinse to cool and drip dry.

7. Grease a 9 x 9 casserole dish, and pre-heat oven to 350*. Pour 1 cup of tomato sauce into the casserole dish.

8. Scoop 1/5 of the cottage cheese mixture into one of the cabbage leaves. Top with 1/5 of the amaranth mixture. Roll the leave up, like a manicotti roll and place seam-side down in the dish. Repeat until all the cabbage leaves are done.

9. Top with remaining sauce and cheese and sprinkle with fresh basil. Bake at 350* for approximately 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Creamy Zucchini White Pizza

When I made Creamy Baked Zucchini last week, Mr. Foodwhore loved it. During dinner, he commented that the ingredients would make really good toppings for a pizza. I agreed. And since I had leftover ingredients, I decided to give it a go. He was right. It was a delicious alternative to the usual pizzas we make.

Creamy Zucchini White Pizza

Ingredients
2 garlic cloves
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1 tbsp olive oil
4 oz cream cheese
2 tbsp shredded parmesan cheese
1 large zucchini, thinly sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 cups kale leaves
prepared pizza dough
1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella
1/2 cup shredded parmesan

Directions
1. Prepare pizza dough according to recipe and pre-bake it in the oven. While the dough is cooking, combine the garlic, basil, olive oil, cream cheese and 2 tbsp of parmesan in a small food processor. Blend until you have a creamy pesto blend.

2. In a small sautee pan, cook the zucchini for 3-5 minutes over medium heat. You don't want to cook it completely, just get it started. When done, remove from heat, and set aside.

3. In the same small pan, heat more olive oil and lightly sautee the onion. Add in the kale and cook until the leaves are all wilted.

4. When the crust is done pre-baking, remove it from the oven. Spread the cream cheese mixture on the crust.

5. Add the kale and onions, spreading evenly over the pie.

6. Arrange the slices of zucchini around the pizza and top with the mozzarella and remaining parmesan.

7. Bake at 350* for 10-15 minutes until cheese is all melted and bubbly.

 Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Creamy Baked Zucchini

I love summer squash, so when I saw this recipe (suggested by Fresh Picks), I knew I was going to try it. Growing up and as I first started to cook for myself, I often ate veggies as a side item. But learning to use them as a main course has been a lot of fun. This was one of those main courses that provided lots of flavor and was a filling meal without being too much for a hot summer night.

Creamy Baked Zucchini

(inspired by Fresh Picks' recipe)

Ingredients
2 medium zucchini
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup onion, diced
2-3 cups kale leaves, chopped into small pieces
4 oz cream cheese
2/3 cup parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Clean your zucchini, cut off the ends, and slice them longways down the middle.

2. Hollow out the two halves. I found that a melon baller worked best for this. Be careful to leave the sides and bottom in tact. Chop the zucchini flesh into slightly smaller pieces and reserve.

3. In a sautee pan, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sautee onions and garlic until translucent.

4. Add in the kale and zucchini flesh and cook until kale leaves are wilted.

5. Stir in the cream cheese and half of the parmesan cheese. Season with salt and pepper and mix well until cream cheese is melted and kale is coated.

6. Carefully fill the hollowed out zucchini pieces with the creamy filling.  Top with remaining parmesan cheese and bake in the oven at 350* for approximately 10 minutes.

Serves 2

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Baked Kale "Chips"

I've heard a lot about kale "chips" lately. It seems to be one of the trendy new health foods to be eating these days. I'll admit my interest was piqued when I heard that this was a healthy, tasty alternative to potato chips. I am a savory snacker. I prefer a crunchy, salty snack to a sweet one anyday. But I was never moved to go out and buy kale and try this recipe.

Then Fresh Picks delivered kale to me TWO weeks in a row. I had two large bags of it in my frige and no thought as to how I would incorporate it into meals. I figured I would finally give these "chips" a go . . . and if they sucked, the remaining kale would become compost. (I hate how wasteful that sounds, but I'd rather compost it than let it rot in my produce drawer.)

So I googled a bunch of recipes and they all pretty much said the same thing: tear into small pieces, toss with olive oil and seasonings and bake at a low temp. And that's what I did. So how did they turn out? Well, they smelled awesome when they were cooking, which is always a plus. They were a savory treat with some texture to them. It's a tasty way to eat kale and incorporate more greens into your diet. But as far as a substitute for chips? No way! As the kale bakes, it gets papery thin. There is no satisfying CRUNCH when you bite into them, and for me, that's why I love chips so much. (Hence the quotation marks around chips in this post.)

Here's the bottom line: I'll definitely make these again with the kale I have in my frige. And if FP sends me more kale, I'll keep making these. But I wouldn't go out and buy kale just to make these again. Hope that helps!

Baked Kale "Chips"

Ingredients
4 cups kale leaves
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp chipotle chili powder
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Using a small paring knife, cut the "ribs" out of the kale leaves.  Basically, you don't want the big stem running down the middle--you just want the leafy part.

2. Rinse leaves and allow to dry, using a salad spinner, collander or just lay them out on paper towels.

3. Toss all the leaves into a large plastic baggie with the olive oil. Shake to coat the leaves, then kind of "massage" the oil into the leaves.

4. Dump the leaves out onto a baking sheet, making sure they are in a single layer--they won't crisp up right if they are stacked. You can bunch them in tight, just keep them single layer.

5. Sprinkle with the spices and seasonings.

Note: As for baking temps and times, the recipes I found varied quite a bit. Here's what I did (with good results):

6. Bake at 275* for 20 minutes. At the 10 minute mark, stir and flip the "chips" and bake for 10 more minutes.  At the end of 20 minutes, stir and flip one more time, then turn off the oven and leave the "chips" in there for 5 more minutes.

Makes 3-4 servings; Enjoy!

Note: I have a pasta spoon  which worked really well in stirring and flipping the hot chips.

What I really like about this recipe is that there is room for variation. I saw a lot of combinations of seasonings online that produce different flavors of chips. Since we have 2-3 meals worth of kale left, I'm looking forward to trying different flavors of "chips."


Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Southern Dill Potato Salad

I'm not sure why cold potatoes coated in mayonaise is delicious, but it is. On paper it just doesn't make sense. But at a picnic or summer barbeque, it's perfection. What I like about a recipe like this, is that you've probably already got 90% of the ingredients on hand--so what are you waiting for?

Southern Dill Potato Salad

Ingredients
4 medium potatoes, chopped bite-size and rinsed
2 eggs
3/4 cup white onion, diced
3 celery stalks, diced
2 tbsp brown mustard
3/4 cup mayo
2-3 tbsp dill, finely chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Bring a medium pot of water to boil. Add a bit of salt for flavor and toss in your potatoes. You can peel your potatoes or not. I prefer not to, mainly because I am lazy.

2. While your potatoes are boiling, chop your onion and celery and toss it in a medium to large bowl.

3. After your potatoes have been boiling away for about five minutes, gently place your eggs in the pot too so they can hard-boil. Boil for another 7-10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and a fork easily goes through them. (Be careful not to overcook, you don't want a mushy salad.)

4. When the potatoes and eggs are done, run them under cold water so you can handle them.

Note: I'll eat warm potato salad.  Mr. Foodwhore prefers cold. If you have time to make this ahead (even the night before) and chill it, that's great. But if you're pressed for time, you can rinse your potatoes under cold water even longer to cool the salad completely.

5. Peel the eggs and dice them. Add to the bowl along with mustard and mayo and stir. Toss in the potatoes and mix well. I prefer a drier salad, so I go a bit lighter on the mayo. Feel free to add more if needed.

6. Season with salt and pepper and gently stir in the dill to coat. Dill is a fragile herb so it's best to add it at the last minute so it's not totally crushed by the potatoes.
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Three Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing

The other day I really wanted to make a three bean salad. I was at the store and beans were on sale, so I grabbed a few cans and headed home. Then I decided to look up a recipe for three bean salad because I've never made one and wanted a little guidance. Well, I wasn't thrilled with the recipes out there, and I had no idea green beans were one of the three beans in three bean salad. I like green beans, but not in a cold salad. I'd bought pinto, black, and red beans. Whoops.

So of course I just made something up as I went along . . . and I'm totally gonna toot my own horn and say it was awesome.

Three Bean Salad with Chipotle Lime Dressing

Note: this recipe uses partial cans of beans because I didn't want a lot of leftovers not knowing if it would be good or not. Feel free to adjust the ratios and use full cans if you'd like, or just freeze the leftover beans for another recipe.

Ingredients
salad:
2/3 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
2/3 can red beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup corn (frozen is fine, just thaw it out first)
1/2 cup white onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp jalapeno, minced

dressing:
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp chipotle hot sauce (I really like Cholula's)
juice of 1/2 lime
1 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions
1. In a medium bowl, combine all of the salad ingredients and mix well. Be sure to stir gently so you don't crush the beans.

2. In a small container with a tight-fitting lid, combine all of the dressing ingredients and shake vigorously.

3. Pour dressing over the salad, and stir. Serve immediately or refrigerate for later. This salad is good chilled or at room temp.

Makes 4-5 servings

Note: this salad was awesome as a side dish, but totally works as a vegetarian taco too. Just sprinkle some cheese, shredded lettuce and diced tomatoes into a small tortilla shell and scoop in some of the bean salad and voila: instant veggie tacos! Or crumble the taco shells into a good-sized bowl with more lettuce and make a veggie taco salad!
Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Quick and Dirty Salsa

When I'm in plan-ahead mode, this is my go-to salsa recipe. But sometimes I'm not in plan-ahead mode. Sometimes it's 5:00 on a Friday, and I want some chips and salsa to go with my beer. My laziness inspired this quick and dirty salsa recipe, which is quickly becoming my favorite.

Quick and Dirty Salsa

Ingredients
1 large or 2 medium tomatoes, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 tsp fresh jalapeno, minced
1/4 cup white onion, diced
1/2 tsp fresh cilantro, chopped (if you have it)
3-4 drops of your favorite hot sauce
salt and pepper to taste

Directions
1. Mix all ingredients in a small bowl. If you're really impatient, go ahead and eat it now. If you can wait, it's best to let it all marinate for 30+ minutes to get a bit juicy.

Note: this salsa is great for tacos and other dishes where you want a chunkier, less liquid salsa.

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Quinoa Salad

I first tried quinoa at a local place back in Florida. I'd never had it or heard of it, nor did I have any idea what I was ordering, but it was the side dish with the special and up to that point, everything I'd eaten there was amazing, so I figured I'd go with it. It didn't disappoint. It was red quinoa with an herbed garlic butter. Um, you had me at butter.

Since then, I've prepared quinoa as a hot side dish a couple times, but Mr. FoodWhore wasn't as enthusiastic about it. It lacked the flavor for him. This time, I hesitantly created a cold quinoa salad as a side dish. I loved it. But what would Mr. FoodWhore think?  I hit the jackpot. He also loved it. Against my better judgement, I had made a huge portion of it, but it was gone in just two days. Now I wish I'd made more. 

Quinoa Salad

Ingredients
1 cup quinoa (uncooked)
2 medium broccoli florets
3/4 cup corn (frozen is fine, just thaw it out)
2 medium carrots, shaved or shredded
3 tbsp feta crumbles
1 bundle fresh ramps (wild leeks)
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
chopped fresh basil (optional)

Directions
1. Prepare quinoa according to the box. You'll want the quinoa to be cool or at least room temp, so I'd suggest preparing it the night before if you won't have a lot of time the day of to let it cool. But if you need to chill it fast, spread the hot quinoa on a plate in a thin layer and place it in the frige. It should cool pretty quickly.

2. Chop the broccoli, removing the stalks--you pretty much just want the heads. Toss in a bit of olive oil and roast for 20 minutes at 400*.

3. In a medium size bowl, combine corn, carrots and cooked quinoa. Set aside.

4. To make the dressing, finely chop the ramps, using the white bulbs and a bit of the purplish stalk. If you don't have access to ramps, you can use leeks or green onions.

5. In a small container with a tight fitting lid, combine the ramps, olive oil, vinegar and lemon juice. Set aside.

6. Once the broccoli is done and cooled, mix it gently into the quinoa.

7. Right before serving, add the feta and dressing. Top with fresh basil and serve.

Note: unlike a traditional green salad or pasta salad, the quinoa holds its texture in the dressing. This kept for a couple days in our frige and still tasted great.

This salad was super easy, very adaptable, and a great way to add protein to any diet. It can be served as a side dish or a pre-meal salad or in a larger portion as the main course. I'm already thinking of other ways to use it: in a tortilla wrap, stuffed into peppers, sprinkled over a green salad . . . . I'm also excited about adding other veggies to it: grape tomatoes, roasted squash, nuts, red onion, etc . . . .

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Roasted Portabella Mushroom Sandwich

I guess I'm kind of an enigma when it comes to portabella mushrooms. For some reason or another, I can't stand mushrooms, but I love portabellas. When we got a couple in our Fresh Picks box, I knew this was a recipe I wanted to make. I often order vegetarian meals when I go out to eat and a portabella sandwich is a pretty common menu item. I've had it many times in restaurants, but I'd never attempted to cook one myself. For this recipe, I only had two portabella caps. For future attempts, I think I would use a third or even fourth to make this a heartier sandwich. But as it was, it was quite tasty.

Ingredients
1 bulb of garlic
2-3 portabella mushroom caps
1/2 cup (plus drizzle) olive oil
salt and pepper
1/2 tsp marjoram
3 sundried tomatoes, sliced
6 basil leaves
handful of fresh spinach
1 tomato, sliced
2-3 whole slices of red onion
your favorite sandwich bread
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
crushed red pepper

Directions
1. Heat oven to 400*. Slice the top off of the garlic bulb (to expose the cloves). Drizzle with olive oil. Wrap in foil. Roast garlic in the oven for 30 minutes.

2. On a baking sheet, place the portabella mushrooms (top side down). Drizzle with olive oil. Season with salt, pepper and marjoram. Add to the portabellas to the oven after the garlic has been cooking for 10 minutes. They will finish at the same time.

3. In a small food processor, combine basil, sundried tomatoes and 1/2 cup olive oil. When the garlic is done roasting, let cool for a few minutes and remove the cloves from the bulb. Add the garlic to the processor and pulse until minced and combined.

4. For this recipe, I used a large, soft French loaf. But you could also use ciabatta or panini or any other hearty sandwich bread. Switch the oven over to broil. Slice the bread and toast it lightly.

5. While bread is toasting, sautee the onions for just a couple minutes to soften them. Add the spinach to the pan and cook until wilted slightly.

6. Remove bread from oven. Spread all slices with the garlic pesto. Add the spinach, tomatoes, sliced mushrooms, onions and cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper. Put back into the oven until the cheese is melted.

7. Place the top on the sandwich and enjoy!

Bon Appetit!
The Food Whore

Meatless Monday: Why I Do It

I explained briefly before why I chose to eat a meat-free meal at least once a week. I recently discovered a website that explains the benefits way better than I could. Personally, I started it because I wanted to be a more conscious consumer (about the impact on my health and the environment). I don't have any intention of cutting meat out of my diet completely. Nor have I made a complete switch to all organic, local foods. But I do want to be more aware of the consequences of my actions and that includes what I choose to eat. Our food is what sustains us. It is the basis of our existence and what provides us with the energy to do all of the things we do in our lives. Little by little, I am incorporating better consumer practices into my life, starting in the kitchen. It's not a major over-haul, but if each of us took one little step, think of the impact it would make overall.

For more on the benefits of eating a meat-free meal every week, check out MeatlessMonday.com. The site has tons of resources, articles, recipes, and more.

Another resource that changed the way I look at food and the things I consume is Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Kingsolver is one of my favorite authors, and I recently read her book on being a locavore for a year. Her family's experience changed the way I view food and inspired me to start my urban garden. The book was a little bit slow to get into, with lots of facts and scientific background at first, but past the first couple chapters, I couldn't put the book down. I highly recommend it to anyone with an interest in food, gardening, farming, agriculture, the environment, cooking, etc . . . .

For more info on her book, please visit AnimalVegetableMiracle.com.

Note: I'll admit, when I first started thinking about all these changes, I balked at what it entailed. I envisioned wiping my pantry out and starting fresh. I cringed at the increase in our grocery budget if we switched entirely to organic local foods.  I am NOT doing that. While I have switched to almost 100% organic produce, and we are buying a local, farm-raised cow this summer, I still buy Stove Top stuffing and factory-farmed chickens when they are on sale. Baby steps, people, baby steps.