Gazpacho

As a family we try to do at least one meatless meal each week.  We actually have a few nights of the week themed to make meal planning easier: Meatless Monday, Taco Tuesday, Fun Friday, and the one night my oldest daughter gets to cook.   Last week's meatless meal was Gazpacho with homemade croutons and lemon basil aglio olio.  The Gazpacho recipe was from Ina Garten ( one of my favorites) and it was so simple. I love her recipe because there is no cooking involved at all!  No blanching, no peeling, very little chopping.  The food processor does all the work! I couldn't ask for an easier meal. I did change a few ingredients to match what I had on hand.

Ingredients:

• 6 Roma tomatoes, coarsely chopped
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped*
• 1 English cucumber, chopped
• 1 white onion (or purple) roughly chopped**
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 23 oz tomato juice (3 cups)
• 1/4 cup rice vinegar*
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• dash cayenne pepper*
• 1/2 tablespoon kosher salt
• fresh ground pepper
• Handful fresh basil for garnish

*Changed from original recipe.

**I  used half of an onion because a whole onion seemed overpowering.  

Roughly chop each vegetable. Put each veggie into the food processor separately and pulse it until it is coarsely chopped.  Do not over process. I did the tomatoes first, then the pepper, cucumber, and the onion last.

Combine them in a mixing bowl.  Add your garlic, tomato juice, vinegar, olive oil, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper.  Mix well, and let chill in the fridge for at least an hour.  The longer the soup chills the better the flavor gets.  

Not the best idea to use a red bowl for this- oops.

 While the gazpacho was chilling, I made some homemade croutons to go with it.  I cut up a loaf of Italian bread, tossed the cubed pieces with garlic infused olive oil, salt, and pepper. Then I baked them at 400F until they were toasted and slightly browned.

Be sure to spray your pan with a little cooking spray to prevent sticking.

 We served the gazpacho with the croutons and some fresh basil from our garden.  Paired with my Lemon Basil Aglio Olio (recipe to come soon), this was the perfect meatless summer meal.

You can also serve this as an appetizer.  I made gazpacho "shooters". for dinner with my parents and served them in small ball jars while the rest of the meal was cooking.  They were just the perfect appetizer size (and healthier than chips!)

You can kick the spice up in this by adding more cayenne, or some Tabasco.  I kept it pretty mild since the girls were eating it too.

To keep this completely gluten free, you can omit the croutons, or make them out of gluten free bread.  Or you could toast and spice some nuts- walnuts or almond slivers would work great- and use those as a garnish.

What is one of your favorite easy summer time meals?

Recipe Adapted from: The Barefoot Contessa Cookbook Copyright 1999

(Vegan) Fried Green Tomatoes

The first time I ever made Fried Green Tomatoes was years ago after watching the movie "Fried Green Tomatoes".  I had seen the movie several times and each time I ended up with a  serious craving for this dish.  So one afternoon I found green tomatoes at a farm stand, and my husband and I tried our hand at them.  They turned out really good!  For some reason we haven't made them in years so when I saw some green tomatoes at the store the other day, I had to get some and make this dish for my girls.

Since I can't have dairy anymore, I had to adapt the recipe a bit. I am also running low on eggs since I've been  baking a lot this week, so I didn't use those either.  That makes this a totally vegan recipe!  I didn't really follow a recipe for these, I just used a few methods I've used for breading other foods.  They turned out so good and definitely took care of that craving. 

(Vegan) Fried Green Tomatoes 

Serves 4 as a side or appetizer

Ingredients:

• 2 green tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
• 1/2 cup corn meal
• 1/2 cup non-dairy milk (I used almond)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• smoked paprika
• garlic powder
• Canola oil ( for frying)

Directions:

1.Slice your tomatoes into medium size slices- if they are too thin they will fall apart, too thick and they won't cook right.

                              

2. Put your breading mixture together: the breadcrumbs, corn meal, smoked paprika, salt, pepper, and garlic powder.  All of these are to taste. I added roughly a teaspoon of the smoked paprika and garlic.  You could add more or less.

I used my hands to mix up the breadcrumbs. 

 3.Whisk together your 1/2 cup almond milk and 1 tablespoon olive oil.  I much prefer this to using egg as a coating for frying veggies.  It's cleaner, not sticky at all, and the breadcrumbs stick better and stay on during cooking.  Plus, you don't have to worry about dealing with raw egg and cross contamination.

 4 Add enough oil to the pan to a cast iron or heavy bottomed skillet for it to come about halfway up the slices of the tomatoes. Heat the oil over medium heat, but don't let it boil.

5 .Dip your tomato slices in the liquid mixture, and then coat with the breadcrumbs. 

6. Add your coated tomatoes to the hot oil- you'll know the oil is hot enough when it bubbles as you are adding the tomatoes.  Be careful- hot oil spatters!

7. Cook on one side until gold brown.  Flip and continue to cook until the other side is browned.  Remove from the oil and drain on paper towels.  

Keep an eye on your oil and make sure it doesn't start to get too hot, otherwise it will burn the tomatoes.  Add more oil if needed.

We had these with my Italian Chicken.  You can dip them in tomato or spaghetti sauce, or just sprinkle with salt and pepper and eat plain.  I don't like to add too much to them, I want to taste the tomato and the coating, not the garnish.

My girls really liked them!  The love all veggies, but especially if the have been fried!  Next time we make these I may add more spice to the bread crumbs since we loved spicy food. 

*Special thanks to my husband for taking all the pictures for this post!

Black Beans and Roasted Potato Bowl

My husband's job requires him to have dinner meetings from time to time.   On nights when he is at one of these dinners, I am the only one here to deal with dinner time, or what my friend and I call "the witching hour".  If you have young children, or have had a toddler you will completely understand what I mean.  If not, here is what the witching hour is: Somewhere between 4 and 6pm babies/ toddlers/ kids seems to get louder, crankier, more hyper, more demanding than at any other time of the day.  This is the time of day the toddler is getting into EVERYTHING- climbing on things, emptying my cabinets, stealing crayons and attempting to write on stuff  ( like walls).  When Daddy is here he  keeps the little one entertained while I make dinner.  When he's not here, I need quick easy meals that require very little attention.  We still have to eat a healthy dinner after all!
A few weeks ago I came up with this easy dish on the fly.  I had black beans in my cabinet, fresh potatoes from the farmers market in my fridge, and a spice cabinet full of spices to play with.  So I put it all together and made a really tasty, filling, easy dinner for myself and my oldest daughter. The middle one and little one had chicken tenders (don't judge), some of the potatoes, and veggies.  I didn't know it would turn out so good so I didn't take pictures.  When I made this again a few nights ago I made sure I had my camera on hand.  With the help of my 8 year old we recreated this delicious meal (with a few changes and a lot more spice).

Black Beans and Roasted Potato Bowl

Ingredients:

• 4-6 medium white potatoes- diced
• 1 can black beans
• Olive Oil
• 1 can Rotel Tomatoes with green chilies
• 1 jalapeno diced (remove seeds for less heat)
• 1/2 red onion- diced
• juice of 1half of a  lime
• 1 teaspoon Hot Mexican Chili Powder
• 1 teaspoon Cumin
• Trader Joes South African Smoke Seasoning (optional)

Preheat your oven to 430F. Spray your cooking sheet with your favorite cooking spray.  Dice your potatoes, toss with olive oil and seasonings of you choice.  Roast in the oven until done. (I usually broil mine for the last few minutes to help crisp them.)

This is the best seasoning blend ever!  If you haven't tried it ( and you live near a Trader Joes) you really must try this!  It's awesome on just about anything.

While the potatoes are roasting: Saute your onions until they are slightly softened.  Add your jalapeno and cook for about 2 minutes.  Add your drained and rinsed black beans, tomatoes, lime juice and your seasonings. Let simmer until the liquid is mostly gone.

If you don't have canned tomatoes, you can use fresh diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, or even some salsa.  

Serve the black beans over the roasted potatoes. 

This recipe was really pretty spicy.  The first time I made this I did not use the jalapeno so it was a lot milder ( and I ended up adding sirarcha ).  It's totally your preference as to how hot you want it. I love it with the potatoes instead of  rice because it makes it so much heartier and more filling.  Plus if you season your potatoes you get even more flavor.

After I made it I realized this was a totally gluten free, vegan meal. It's actually free of most allergens. While this version is vegan, I think I may try it with a fried egg on top one of these days.  

Vegan Stuffed Shells

Before my dairy free days one of my  favorite meals was stuffed shells. I would always order it when we ate at Italian restaurants, and after I got married I started making it at home quite often. It's been about 5 years since I last had this dish and I have really missed it. I made it last night for dinner using an old recipe but subbing tofu for ricotta and omitting the egg.  My oldest daughter, my youngest daughter, and I loved it.  My husband doesn't like tofu at all under any circumstances so it wasn't one of his favorite meals but he said it was a really good substitute for the real thing. My 5 year old... well she's 5.  And she hates spinach. But she did eat around the spinach so that's a dinner win.

Vegan Stuffed Shells:

1 package extra firm tofu, drained and pressed

1 bag frozen spinach, thawed and drained well

1 box jumbo pasta shells

Olive Oil

1 Tablespoon nutritional yeast ( to add cheese flavor)

3 cloves garlic

Basil

Thyme

Oregano

Salt and Pepper to taste

1 jar of your favorite spaghetti sauce- I used Bertolli Tomato and Basil

Directions:

 Press your tofu to get all the extra water out.  I wrap it in paper towels first then place it on a plate and put my cast iron skillet and a heavy cookbook on it.  Works like a charm!

While that is left to sit for a few minutes, cook the shells according to the directions on the box and defrost the spinach.  Make sure to squeeze as much of the water out of the spinach as you can.  When the noodles are cooked drain them and set  aside to cool a bit.

Make your "cheese" filling.  In a food processor add your tofu and pulse a couple of times.  

Add 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast, 3 cloves of garlic, 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil and process until it has a ricotta like consistency.  Add more olive oil if needed.  

Why yes, that is a box of Pops in the background.  

Add in your spices- basil, oregano, and thyme ( I love thyme and add it to so many things). Pulse to combine them.  Add in your spinach.  I added the entire bag because I happen to really love spinach.  You could add just half a bag and it would be plenty.  Last, add salt and pepper to taste. Pulse to combine all the ingredients.  Once it's the consistency you want, it's ready to go.

Coat the bottom of a large casserole dish with your pasta sauce.  Stuff each shell with about a tablespoon     ( or a little more) of the filling.  Lay them open side up in the pan.  Once they are all stuffed pour the remaining sauce over top of the shells.

Bake at 350F for about 20 minutes.

Dinner was the stuffed shells, oven roasted green beans, and a dairy free french bread, which will be included in my Friday Favorites post.  My oldest daughter had seconds, and my toddler cleaned her plate.  I guess this can be called a kid friendly meal, especially great for dairy free kids.  And it's totally vegan.  I can't wait for leftovers for lunch!

Egg Salad ~ with a Kick

I love eggs- scrambled, over easy, hard boiled, poached, baked, you get the idea.  I also happen to love egg salad but it can get a little boring unless you change things up a bit.  I recently came across a delicious avocado and egg salad recipe by Sarah at The Pajama Chef.  If you like avocados and you like egg salad, you are guaranteed to love her recipe!  I had a craving for her egg salad earlier this week but I didn't have any avocados on hand.  I did have a a few other ingredients that I had not yet tried in egg salad, so I decided to wing it and make up something new. 

Egg Salad ~  with a Kick

Ingredients:

2-3 hard boiled eggs ( depends on how hungry you are)

1 stalk celery- diced

1 tablespoon white onion very finely diced ( you can add more if you like)

A couple tablespoons mayonnaise

Sriracha- How much you add depends on how much spice you want.  

I know what you're thinking: Sriracha in egg salad? Really?? Yes!  It's delicious- trust me!  But remember-a tiny bit goes a long way!

Directions:

Mix up your egg salad the way you normally would.  Mash your eggs, add the celery and onion, add the mayo- enough to make it creamy.  Mix well to get it to the consistency you like.  Add the sriracha last; a few small drops will probably do.  I probably added about a 1/2 teaspoon to mine.  Mix well, sprinkle with salt and pepper.  

To cut down on carbs and to add some extra veggies into my day, I served mine on a bed of  organic mixed salad greens instead of on bread.  

I layered the greens in a large bowl, added the egg salad on top, then sprinkled with shredded carrots.  It was a very filling lunch.

Of course, it is also good in a crusty hoagie roll with romaine lettuce and pickles.  

This was so quick and easy to make.  You can do the eggs ahead of time and just keep in the fridge- I had cooked mine up the night before.  Since it was so filling I didn't find myself searching for a snack later in the afternoon.  This kept me going all the way to dinner, and that was with an intense workout earlier in the morning.  

What are some of your favorite egg salad add-ins?

Potato-Less Potato Salad

One of my major food weaknesses is pasta salad.  I love all types of pasta salads and during the warmer months we have one with just about every meal.    My two favorites are potato salad and pasta salad.  This recipe takes the two of them and  puts them together.   It is a pasta salad made the same way you make potato salad, but with noodles instead of potatoes.  You get the same flavor, it just takes less time and less work ( no peeling and slicing of potatoes involved).  It has quickly become a staple salad in our house and one I have to share with you.

 Potato-Less Potato Salad

 Ingredients:

1 box pasta noodles of your choice. I like to use shells or elbows.

6 hard boiled eggs

3 stalks celery, diced

dill pickles, diced (optional)

mayonnaise

2 teaspoons yellow mustard

paprika

seasoned salt

 

Directions:

1. Boil  your pasta noodles according to package directions.  While pasta is cooking, hard boil your eggs as well.  

2. When the pasta is cooked to al dente, drain it, rinse it with cold water to stop the cooking process, and let cool.  

3.Once your pasta and eggs are cooled off add the pasta to a large bowl.  Chop your eggs into the size pieces you desire and add them and the celery and pickles.to the noodles. 

4. I add roughly 1/4 cup of mayo, or enough to make the salad creamy.  Add as much or as a little as you want-the same as making potato salad.

5. Add your mustard (you can omit the mustard if you like).  I add about 1-2 teaspoons.  Mix well and sprinkle with paprika,  seasoned salt, and fresh ground pepper.  

 

You can either serve immediately or chill for about an hour before serving.  It also makes great leftovers.  

*You can make this Gluten Free by using Gluten Free noodles.

 

Homemade Pico de Gallo

Whenever we have a gathering my husband always asks me to make my homemade Pico de Gallo.  Even the kids love it. 
I am well aware that there are several recipes like this out there on the web. I promise this recipe is my very own- I made it up one summer afternoon years ago in my kitchen with absolutely no help from any cookbooks or Internet sites. So if it is similar to another, that is pure coincidence. My mother also makes a similar recipe, but she adds a small amount of garlic to hers.

I do not measure anything with this recipe- it is all according to personal taste.

Serves: 4-6 as an appetizer

Ingredients:
3-4 large fresh tomatoes
1 medium purple onion
1 jalapeno
juice from 1 lime
large bunch fresh cilantro
Kosher Salt


Directions:
Cut or dice each veggie the size you want it. I chop them as small as I can stand to, with the onion being the smallest. I also sometimes only add in half the onion depending on how much tomato I use. It really is all according to taste. We like it pretty spicy so we use a whole jalapeno with the seeds. If I know the kids are going to be eating a lot I will cut back on the heat for them. Once all the veggies are added, squeeze the fresh lime juice over top.

As for the salt- I add about a teaspoon to start with and adjust that if needed. Remember- you can always add more salt but you can't take it away once you have too much. Mix well.


To pack it up and take it over to our friends' I used a Ball jar. It looks so pretty in a jar, and if you are going to a party you could even dress up the jar with ribbon or some sort of decoration for the occasion.


The trick with this recipe to make sure you have the freshest ingredients you can find. The fresher, the better.

Enjoy!

Cranberry Apple Bread

My daughters have been asking me to bake something new for a couple of weeks. After the holidays I was on baking burn-out so I took a break (and we still have goodies in the freezer). On Friday afternoon I had some spare time (ok, who are we kidding? Of course I didn't, I was just putting off other things that needed to be done). Since the baby was napping and the girls were working on some art projects I had some spare minutes to try out something new in my kitchen. I had a basket of apples on my counter and a bag of cranberries in my freezer. I have been wanting to try an apple bread that I had a recipe for and since I had the cranberries, I decided to incorporate them as well.

I used the basic dry ingredients measurements from another of my bread recipes, but fiddled around with the other ingredients. What I came up with is now my daughters' favorite bread.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole wheat all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup organic sugar
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 eggs
2 cups chopped, peeled apples
1 cup cranberries- finely chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon


Directions:
1. Preheat your oven to 350F and spray your loaf pan with cooking spray.

2.Peel and chop your apples. Chop your cranberries in a food processor- I made mine very small. Zest your lemon. Set these aside until you are ready to use.


3.In your stand mixer (or a large mixing bowl) combine sugar, eggs, and oil. Beat well.

4.In a separate bowl combine your flour, baking soda, salt, baking powder, allspice, and cinnamon.

5. Gradually add to the wet mixture. It will be thick. Once the dry ingredients are blended in, add your apples, cranberries, and lemon zest. The liquid from the fruit with help thin the batter a little bit.


6.Pour into your bread pan.


Bake a for 60-65 minute, or until a knife or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Mine took exactly 65 minutes.


This bread is great as a snack, a treat to have on hand for company, as dessert for kids, or for breakfast.
~Happy Baking!~

For the Kids~Homemade Apple Chips

We belong to a Summer and a Fall CSA , and last week we got a huge bag of locally grown apples. Along with that we also got a bag of tangerines, sweet potatoes, broccoli, white potatoes, and a head of cabbage. If you aren't part of a CSA, I highly recommend finding one and joining.

Since we have so many apples right now, I decided to turn some of them into apple chips for the girls. My kids love dried fruit, and they love apples so this seems to be the perfect snack for them.
I originally saw this idea on Pinterest, then looked up several other recipes to see different variations. I put together a few different ideas and came up with my own:

Ingredients:
Apples
Ground Cinnamon
Nutmeg

Directions:
Preheat oven to between 235F and 250F. Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Wash your apples. Core them but leave the skin on. Slice thinly if your corer doesn't do it for you.




Sprinkle with cinnamon and a pinch of nutmeg. I did not add any sugar at all- some recipes do, but apples are sweet enough in my opinion. Plus, these are for the kids and I want them to be a healthy snack, not loaded with sugar.


Let cook for 1 hour. At the end of the hour, take them out and flip them. Put back in the oven and cook for 1 more hour. Your total cooking time is 2 hours so not too bad at all. I put these in the oven before I started on dinner, and they were done in time for a pre-bedtime snack.



I have to make more today- the girls have already finished these off. Luckily we got another bag of apples with our delivery this week.

An added bonus- they made my house smell AMAZING!