Moroccan Tagine

I found this recipe for a Moroccan Chicken Tagine in one of my Cooking Light Magazines and it was a hit, the second time I made it.

Ingredients

• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 2 1/2 cups chopped skinless, boneless chicken breast
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash

• 1/2 cup fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (15-ounce) can no-salt-added chickpeas, drained
• 1 (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes
• 1 1/2 cups boiling water
• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
• 1 teaspoon grated orange rind

Preparation

Combine salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, and red pepper. Sprinkle mixture over chicken. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add olive oil. Sauté chicken 4 minutes. Stir in butternut squash, chicken broth, chickpeas, and tomatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes or until squash is tender. Combine boiling water and couscous. Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in almonds and orange rind.

After the first try I learned that butternut squash doesn't cook in 5 minutes...more like 12-15 at least on my stove, so my solution was to microwave it for 2-3 minutes before adding it to the pan. I also doubled the spices as I seem to like things more flavorful than magazines make them.  For fall flavors, I used cauliflower, butternut squash and carrots, omitting the tomatoes, and it was just as good.  Quick and easy weeknight meal that makes plenty of left-overs for lunches during the week!

Fall 2014 Food: Huevos Rancheros, Shepherd's Pie, Baked Flounder

It's been a while since the last post (6 mo to be exact), but here's a brief record of what we've been cooking and eating during this extra busy fall.

There's no picture that I know of, but for brunch with my family after my birthday celebration, we made some delicious Huevos Rancheros in Tortilla cups following this lovely recipe from Epicurious.  To make them dairy free for me, we used Daiya cheese on some of the cups instead of Monterrey Jack, and as my family is not known for their spice tolerance, we limited the use of the Chipotle Hot Sauce.  My family still raves about them, so it was a success!

Then there was a delicious Shepherd's Pie that I made for Chris's birthday dinner, as he said it was one of his favorite meals.  I tried to find ground lamb, but after two grocery stores and no luck, I grabbed some ground beef, and luckily it was still delicious.  I also forgot to add the peas before it went into the oven, but luckily you can microwave them, and mix them in when serving.  Almost as good.  

To make it dairy free, I subbed Earth Balance for the butter (best dairy-free butter sub out there in my opinion), and Almond Milk for the regular milk.  I personally don't think you could tell a difference in the mashed potato topping, but I did have to add more Almond Milk and Earth Balance than called for to get the creamy mashed potatoes I wanted.  My mom sometimes uses some chicken broth in with the "milk" to help with a creaminess.  

My proof that they were good?  Chris's roommate put his frozen meal back in the freezer to eat with us, and all three of us got second helpings!

Over the holidays we discovered that our customary Pepperidge Farm Stuffing mix now includes dairy so we made our own this year, but I found that some of the Stovetop brand stuffing mixes are dairy-free, so there's still a quick option out there!

Some good allergy news arrived after Thanksgiving when we found out that my life-threatening shellfish and mango allergies are not life-threatening after all.  I have oral allergy syndrome for those, so I get all the swelling, itching, and tingling in my mouth and tongue, but it won't progress to anaphylaxis.  That was a huge anxiety relief, because while it's annoying to have those symptoms, and I still have to avoid those foods, I don't feel like I'm going to possibly die every time we go out to eat.  However, because most restaurants (and let's face it, most people) don't understand the difference, I'm still going to use "Severe Allergy" at restaurants to avoid cross contamination and contact so I'm not having to take a Benedryl and thus a nap with every meal.

After visiting Ohio to see Chris's family, his parents gave us a bag of frozen flounder fillets that they had accidentally bought, so we had to find a flounder recipe!  Thus we made Baked Flounder Fillets in Lemon-Soy Vinaigrette the other night, following the directions to a doubled-T, plus some lemon zest.

 The verdict?  They were ok, definitely mild in the flavor category.  Lesson learned, read the reviews of the recipes before choosing.  Next time I would add more garlic, pepper and lemon, and maybe some ginger, cut back on the salt.  One reviewer even said to cook in a foil packet, so maybe that would help add more flavor, or even marinate the fish.  Not our best meal.

Lastly, for tonight before we head out with friends, I have a beef & stout stew going in the crock pot...more on that later!  Happy New Years!

Mayan Dark Chocolate Pie

For our annual beach family pie competition, I found this recipe for a dark chocolate pudding pie from http://www.godairyfree.org/recipes/mayan-dark-chocolate-pie, made it and it was a success!

I bought a graham cracker crust and used the pudding recipe below:

Pie Filling:

• 2 cups vanilla coconut milk beverage (such as So Delicious Dairy Free Vanilla) - couldn't find straight coconut milk beverage so I used the almond-coconut drink that I found
• 1 cup cocoa powder
• ½ cup agave nectar (can sub maple syrup, if preferred - I used maple syrup as it was easier to find in a small beach grocery store)
• 2 tablespoons vanilla extract
• ⅛ to ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper (for some noticeable heat, use the full ¼ teaspoon)
• 5 tablespoons cornstarch
• ⅓ cup cold water

To Make the Pie Filling:

1. Combine the coconut milk beverage, cocoa, sweetener, and vanilla in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir constantly until the cocoa is dissolved and the mixture comes to a slow boil. (This can take a while, I ended up turning up the heat after a while which helped, ugh electric stoves)
2. Add the cayenne and stir thoroughly. (I didn't have cayenne so I added a shot of rum for flavor)
3. In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch in the cold water until dissolved. Briskly whisk the mixture into your saucepan.
4. Turn the heat down to low and continue to cook, while whisking for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the pudding becomes thick and heavy.
5. Pour the pudding into your prepared pie crust, smoothing it out as needed.
6. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the top of the pie becomes dark and crater like.
7. Allow the pie to cool off for an hour or two before serving with dairy-free ice cream or fresh fruit, if desired.

For the rest of the pie, I put a thin layer of marshmallow fluff on top, and then lots of sliced strawberries.  The marshmallow didn't add a ton of flavor, and I really just wanted it to help the strawberries stick on top.  The pudding consistency was great, but the flavor was a bit bitter (didn't fit the judges - the young cousins), so next time I would add more sweetener.  It would also be good with a layer of peanut butter and oreo crumble on top, or just some dairy-free ice cream on top.

APSI Reflection- #SummerLS Challenge 4

It's the last day of our summer AP Institute, learning about the changes for APUSH that we need to take into account for next year.  It's been an exhausting week and we're all ready to be done, especially those of us in FCPS as this extended our already long school year by an extra 4 days.  We're also sitting in a classroom on a Saturday from 8-5, and we'll be here until 5.  No getting out at 4:30 like we all hope!

I'm also blogging this for the #SummerLS or summer learning series that is taking place through the twitter hashtag.  If any fellow educators want to join in, look up Todd Nesloney on twitter and ask to join!

The changes for APUSH seem to be good.  The biggest thing is the change in the DBQ and what students need to do with the documents within the essay.  Rather than just using an analysis of 55% of the documents as in the past, students now need to use ALL of the documents (or at least all minus one) and either discuss the historical context, intended audience, purpose or point of view for each document.  The rubric is going to change, but join the APUSH facebook group or the #APUSH chat on twitter and you should find some resources.  There's also apparently lots on the Teacher Community on AP Central.  So big change for this year is going to be paring down how much lecture we do, to add more time analyzing documents in class and discussing them.

Another big change to the test are the short answer questions.  Students have to answer all of these, and the focus is on answering the prompt, either based on a picture (so a question would be "discuss the point of view of the artist in regards to (historical context)"), a text excerpt, or no stimulus.  2-3 sentences shouldn't be a problem, the real issue in teaching them how to write these is that they're not mini essays.  Maybe start these as warm-ups on index cards to limit their space.

Instead of 2 FRQs, students now write one long essay (the new name) that also mentions historical thinking skills, so we're going to have to specifically name and teach those with our kids so they understand what the questions are asking.

There's definitely going to be some changes in the classroom, but it will be good changes going into more depth with the kids.

End of the Vegan Challenge

I tried.  I really did, but it was hard and so limiting especially eating out, and I already feel a bit like a burden with all my food allergy limitations so I didn't want to force it when out.  So there were a couple times that I "cheated", like St. Patricks Day.  So Friday night I officially ended the Vegan Challenge and Chris made....  Steak!

And it was delicious.   

Trick is:

-pat salt and pepper into both sides of the steak and let it rest for 30 minutes

-heat the cast iron skillet, sear all sides of the steak (learned that's to keep the juices in)

-turn down the heat, put about 2 Tbsp of butter in the pan to melt and a big sprig of thyme on top, (we used Earth Balance) and baste the steak for 2-3 minutes (scoop up the butter with a spoon and pour on the steak)

-flip the steak, put the thyme on to and repeat the basting

-take steak out of the pan when desired doneness and let rest before eating

Vegan Challenge: Grilled "Cheese" and salad

No recipe required for this... 12 grain bread, earth balance, and Daiya cheddar flavored vegan cheese.  Pretty good substitute for real cheese, it even kind of melts!  Salad consisted of baby arugula from a local grower found at the farmers market in Falls Church, cucumbers, radishes and almonds, with balsamic vinegrette.  Yummy!

Vegan Challenge: Tofu and Broccoli stir fry

One of the last recipes that I tried in my vegan challenge, before it ended was an Asian tofu and broccoli stir fry.  I've made stir fries frequently, but never with a recipe, much less with tofu, and I've never found a good recipe for a stir fry sauce.  Thus this attempt with another recipe from WellVegan.  http://wellvegan.com/recipes/tofu-and-broccoli-stir-fry 

Tofu and Broccoli Stir Fry

Serves four • 40 minutes

Serve this stir-fry over brown rice or Asian noodles. To toast the cashews, spread them on a baking sheet and cook in a 350°F oven for 10 minutes. If you’re serving this with rice, get it started before you do anything else. And if you’re gluten-free make sure you’re soy sauce is of the gluten-free variety.

Ingredients

• 1 package (14 1/2 ounces) firm tofu, drained, cut crosswise into 6 slabs (about 3/4 inch wide), each slab halved horizontally and cut into triangles
• 1 1/2 lbs. broccoli, stalks trimmed, peeled, and cut into 1/4-inch rounds, florets separated into bite-size pieces
• Coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3 tablespoons soy sauce
• 2 tablespoons rice vinegar
• 1/4 teaspoon red-pepper flakes
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1/2 cup cashews, toasted (optional)

(I added red pepper strips and baby corn for extra flavor and color, so maybe the title should be changed to stop light stir fry.  Fresh broccoli is alway better than frozen in stir fries.  I also added some crushed ginger to the sauce because I LOVE ginger.)

Instructions

1. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a baking sheet lined with several layers of paper towels. Top with more paper towels and let tofu drain, about 20 minutes.
   
   
2. Meanwhile, cook broccoli (stalks and florets) in a large pot of boiling salted water until bright green, 1 minutes. Drain and set aside.
3. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add tofu; cook until golden brown, turning gently halfway through, about 5-7 minutes on each side. Transfer to paper towels. 
   
4. Meanwhile, make sauce: In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, vinegar, red-pepper flakes, garlic, cornstarch, and 3/4 cup water; set aside.
5. Add broccoli to skillet; cook over high heat, stirring often, until crisp-tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Whisk reserved sauce to combine; pour into pan. Return tofu to pan; stir to coat, about 1 minute more. Serve over rice or noodles and topped with cashews, if desired.

This recipe finally helped me figure out how to get more flavor into tofu, (hint: you have to drain it and then put it between paper towels to dry it out), and it helps to marinate the tofu for at least 30 minutes after drying and before cooking, and then dry it again before cooking if you want it crispy.  Secondly, it has a great stir fry sauce, super simple and super delicious.  I think I was putting too much stuff in previously.  Verdict: great recipe, I'll definitely be making it again, with my changes.

Vegan Challenge: Cali Pasta and Tacos

Rather than give a run-down of every meal, which gets boring, here are the most recent recipes I've tried in the Vegan Challenge.

Wednesday 3/19:

Pasta della California

Four servings • 30 minutes to prepare

This is a quick and tasty pasta is easy enough to make any night of the week and can easily be made with a gluten-free pasta if you have an intolerance or just want to cut back on the wheat products. Use avocados that are ripe, but still firm. It’s best the avocado chunks are firm — an overripe avocado might just turn to mush. If you have little ones that think everything is too spicy, cut back the garlic and red pepper flakes to accommodate your pickiest eater. And if you have leftovers your saving, tuck the avocado chunks under to pasta to keep them from browning overnight.

Ingredients
1/2 pound linguine (used orzo because that's what I had, not the best choice in hindsight)
3 cups broccoli, cut into small pieces (used frozen, should have cooked more and cut up more)
2 tablespoons olive oil
7 cloves garlic
1/4 teaspoon lime zest
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tablespoons lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
4 cups arugula, loosely packed
2 avocados, peeled and cut into pieces (mine were not firm...oops!)

(added some small tomatoes and chopped brussel sprouts that I had left over)

Instructions

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prep all your ingredients while the water boils. Add pasta once the water is boiling and cook according to the package.
• In a large skillet, heat the oil over medium heat and add the garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes. Cook for just a few minutes, stirring frequently. Add the wine, bring to a boil and allow it to reduce for about 2 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, lime juice, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, lower heat to a simmer and add the arugula. Allow the arugula to wilt.
• Add the broccoli to the pasta 1 minute before it's done. Drain both and add to the skillet with the sauce and arugula. Toss well and cook an additional 3 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and add the avocado. Toss gently and serve.

So how I made it, it turned out just ok.  Wouldn't use orzo in it, also would make sure to cook the broccoli with the pasta and then add to the skillet, rather than trying to half defrost them in the microwave and then throw in the skillet.  I always forget to save a 1/4 cup of pasta water to add to the skillet too.  Lessons learned.  

Friday 3/21

Portobello and Zucchini Tacos

Four servings • 45 minutes to prepare

I like to serve these tacos alongside a green salad with tomatoes and avocado.

Ingredients
5 medium portobello mushrooms, stems and gills removed, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 teaspoons dried oregano
2 tablespoons olive oil
Coarse salt and ground pepper
4 medium zucchini, cut into 2-by-1/2-inch sticks
1 medium red onion, halved and sliced 1/4-inch thick
12 (4 1/2-inch) corn tortillas
1/2 cup fresh salsa
1 ripe avocado, halved and sliced

Instructions
Preheat oven to 425° F. On a large rimmed baking sheet, toss mushrooms with 1 teaspoon oregano, 1 tablespoon oil, and 1/4 cup water; season with salt and pepper. On another rimmed baking sheet, toss zucchini and onion with remaining teaspoon oregano and tablespoon oil; season with salt and pepper.
Place both sheets in oven. Roast, tossing occasionally, until vegetables are browned and fork-tender, 25 to 30 minutes (zucchini may cook faster than mushrooms).
Meanwhile, in a small skillet over medium-high heat, warm tortillas according to package instructions (they should be lightly browned but still soft). Wrap loosely in a clean kitchen towel to keep warm.
To serve, fill each tortilla with mushrooms, vegetable mixture, avocado and salsa.

These were awesome!!! We forgot to take pictures...sorry!  We must have been so hungry.  The zucchini took longer to roast than expected, and was still a bit too moist than preferred, so in hindsight we would start those first, then put the mushrooms and onion in.  Ended up having to broil the zuc and onion pan for a bit.  We also made a simple pico salsa, which was fine, but in the future I'd do a black bean and tomato salsa for these.  The avocado makes them extra delicious!

Vegan Challenge Days 7-10

Sunday 3/16, Day 7
DC St. Patrick's Day Parade time!  Soy yogurt breakfast, so kept with the challenge for that, then headed downtown to dance.

ONJ School of Irish Dance after the parade

After the parade we headed to Hoban's in Dupont where there was nothing vegan on the menu, nor any easy vegetarian to work with my dairy allergy, so I had a burger without the bun.  Can't win at some restaurants.

Monday 3/17, Day 8
Happy St. Patrick's Day!
I was able to keep with the challenge in the morning, cereal for breakfast and some of the leftover slaw and tofu for lunch.  But then in honor of my favorite meal ever (I ask for it on my birthday too) I made corned beef with a ruby glaze, mashed potatoes and sautéed brussel sprouts for dinner with my roomies and the BF.   Oh lordy, it made my mouth sing!  Seriously the glaze is everything in that dish.

Corned Beef with Ruby Glaze

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/member/views/CORNED-BEEF-WITH-RUBY-GLAZE-1216694

ingredients

10 pound fresh corned beef-soaked overnight before doing recipe
2 onions
8 whole cloves
2 large carrots, cut into 2-inches
2-3 large celery stalks, cut into 2-inches
6 cloves of garlic
12 peppercorns
Port and Ruby Currant sauce:
half cup ruby port
2 cups red currant jelly
half cup finely chopped shallots
quarter cup fresh lemon juice
quarter cup fresh orange juice
4-5 tsp grated lemon peel
1 Tblsp grated orange peel
1 Tblsp dry mustard
1-2 tsp ground ginger
1-2 tsp coarsely ground pepper
half tsp salt
half cup coarse-grained mustard
half cup firmly packed brown sugar

preparation

BEEF PREPARATION: Day 1: Soak beef overnight before doinbg recipe. Day 2: Place beef in heavy large pot. Stud each onion with 4 cloves. Add to pot with carrots, celery, garlic and peppercorns. Cover with water. Bring to boil over medium heat. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until beef is tender, about 3 and a half hours, turning beef every hour. (This can be done a day ahead. Just refrigerate beef in liquid and bring to room temperature before baking. It can also be done in the crockpot on low heat for 8 hours, which is what I did this year.)

SAUCE: Combine first 11 sauce ingredients in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Stir until jelly is melted. Let cool for thirty minutes or more. (This, too, can be done a day ahead.)

BAKING: Preheat oven to 350F degrees. Drain beef and pat dry. Place fat side up in large roasting pan. Cut off any excess fat and discard. Spread the coarse grained mustard over beef. Pour 2 and a half cups sauce over beef. Sprinkle with brown sugar. Bake until beef is glazed a deep rich brown-about 45 minutes, basting every 15 minutes. Transfer to a large serving platter. Spoon sauce over top. Also remember to use the drippings on the bottom of the pan for glaze. Serve immediately, using remaining sauce separately. ENJOY!! 

It's a time consuming meal to make, but oh so worth it.  I even ended up having two meals of left overs...my last cheats for a while in the challenge!



Tuesday 3/18, Day 9
I had so much extra food that I was able to eat left overs for lunch and dinner, a spinach power salad from Traders Joes for lunch that I still had and needed to eat, and then some simple minestrone soup for dinner as I wasn't that hungry.  I do snack all day and have a drawer full of food in my desk at school (hint: it's the biggest drawer) and have some trail mix, apricots and those lovely peanut butter filled pretzels from Trader Joes.

Wednesday 3/19, Day 10
Breakfast has been easy so I'll stop commenting on that unless it's anything other than oatmeal (although I started to put chia seeds in them and it helps to get me through the morning!), cereal with almond milk or soy yogurt with fruit and granola.  Lunch was the last of the slaw and tofu from Friday night, and then left over corned beef for dinner before dance.

Vegan Challenge Days 4-6

Day 4: Thursday 3/13
Had the last of the Ethiopian left overs for lunch and chili left overs for dinner

Day 5: Friday 3/14
Had a salad for lunch and some chili, challenge going well
Swim team banquet was that night and to not put up a fuss I ate the BBQ offered (confirmation I will never be 100% vegan after this challenge, that pork BBQ is too good!), but made sure to have some salad on the side to add some veggies in.

Day 6: Saturday 3/15
Brunch out with a friend ended up having no vegetarian or vegan menu items, so I decided that in honors of St. Patrick's Day I would be off the hook until Monday evening.  So I had eggs and corned beef hash.
Dinner was back on the challenge as we made the Asian-Lime Tofu and Slaw recipe that I found at wellvegan.com: http://wellvegan.com/recipes/agave-lime-grilled-tofu-with-asian-slaw-and-mashed-sweet-potatoes

Agave Lime Grilled Tofu with Asian Slaw and Mashed Sweet Potatoes

Four servings • One hour to prepare, plus two hours marinading

This is a great recipe when you have time on the weekend for grilling. If you’re looking to avoid gluten, make sure your soy sauce is gluten-free.

Ingredients
Tofu:
1 lb. extra-firm tofu, cut into 8 (1/4-in thick) slabs
1/4 cup light agave nectar
1/2 cup shoyu soy sauce
3 garlic cloves, smashed
2 sprigs fresh thyme
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 limes (juiced)
1 1/2 tablespoons lightly packed brown sugar

Slaw:
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon light agave nectar
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or more to taste
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/4 cup safflower oil (mixed 2/3 veggie oil with 1/3 toasted sesame oil to make up for the lack of safflower oil and sesame seeds)
1 large carrot, peeled and julienned (didn't get the next 4 items, just grabbed a bag of broccoli slaw for sake of time)
1/2 daikon radish, peeled and julienned
1/2 head napa cabbage, shredded
1 scallion, julienned
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds

Sweet Potatoes: (Ended up just microwaving two sweet potatoes for us, didn't mash them.
2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced
1/2 cup ground cashews
2 tablespoons Earth Balance
1 canned chipotle pepper, seeded and minced
Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Place the tofu in a single layer in a shallow nonreactive dish. In a small bowl, whisk together the remaining tofu ingredients. Pour over the tofu and marinate in the refrigerator for 2 hours.
2. Preheat the oven to 300° F. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Using a slotted spoon, remove the tofu from the marinade (reserve the marinade) and arrange it in a single layer on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pour the marinade into a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat until reduced to a syrupy glaze, about 8 minutes.
4. Heat an outdoor grill or preheat a grill pan over medium-high heat. Transfer the tofu slabs from the baking sheet to the grill and grill for 3 to 4 minutes, or until grill-marked. Turn the tofu over and generously brush with the glaze; cook for 3 to 4 minutes, or until grill-marked. Remove the tofu to the baking sheet, turning it over so the glazed side is down, and then glaze the top side.
5. Next, in a large bowl, whisk together the vinegar, agave nectar, salt, lime juice, and soy sauce. Continue whisking vigorously in one direction as you slowly pour in the oil in a thin stream until emulsified. Add the remaining slaw ingredients to the bowl and toss to coat.
6. Cook the sweet potatoes in a pot of boiling water for 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain. Put the sweet potatoes, ground cashew, all-natural buttery spread, and chipotle pepper in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Alternatively, put the ingredients in a large bowl and use a handheld mixer. Whip on medium-high speed until smooth and fluffy. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
7. To assemble the dish, place one quarter of the sweet potatoes in a scoop in the middle of a serving plate. Top with one quarter of the slaw. Place 2 tofu slices on top of the slaw or angled against the sweet potatoes and slaw. Repeat with the remaining ingredients.

The verdict: We like tofu better when it's mixed into things and not just cutting up a block, even when grilled.  We probably could have gotten the tofu a bit more crispy if we had pressed it, and we burned the sauce by not watching it closely enough and too high of heat.  Even still, it was just ok.  The slaw was awesome, will definitely put that in my book of great sides, would be great for a party too, with maybe a bit less oil.  Oh and buying a bag of already julienned carrots because that takes forever and was close to taking a finger too.  Maybe a knife skills class is in order soon!  We also decided that we want to try the mashed sweet potato recipe sometime, and that might have made the whole thing better.

Vegan Challenge Days 1-3

On Monday I made the Ethiopian Tomato Lentil Stew.  Here's the recipe again with my changes and adaptations in red.

Curried Tomato Lentil Soup (Shorba Addis)
Serves 3

(I ended up doubling the recipe to make more for left overs)
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (berbere is preferable - couldn't find, so I used regular curry)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds (Couldn't find so I used fennel seeds)
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth (ended up using only 4 cups because that's what I had)
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup brown or green lentils
1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
1/4 cup whole wheat orzo pasta

Over medium-high heat, sauté the onion until it is brown. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and fenugreek, sautéing them for about 1 minute. Add the veggie broth and tomato paste, stirring until the tomato paste is thoroughly combined with the broth. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the lentils and stir. Once the soup comes back to a simmer, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the soup for 20 minutes. Add the potato and orzo; cook the soup, covered, for 5 more minutes.

The first part of the recipe went well, but then the soup didn't really simmer, maybe because there wasn't enough water, or because I turned the heat on the stove down too low.  I will have a gas stove someday!  So then I guess because it wasn't really simmering, the potato and orzo didn't cook in the 5 minutes.  15 minutes later they were barely done.  Luckily they cooked when reheated for lunch, but in the future I would definitely partially cook at least the potatoes for a minute in the microwave, and add more of the water.  I had some left over roasted cauliflower in the fridge, so I added that too.

Before it starts to simmer

End results: It was ok.  I probably won't make it again for myself.  I'm definitely not a fan of the fennel, taking a bite and getting one of the seeds was not a fun experience, and I'm not a fan of curry powder.  I like red Thai curry, but not Indian curries, and they don't sit well with my stomach either.  Good lesson and on to the next culture to try food from, Morocco!

Breakfasts have been easy, it hasn't felt like that much of a change honestly, and I've continued with the left-overs for lunch plan, along with some hummus with carrots rather than Thousand Island dressing or anything.

Last night we planned to make an Asian Lime Grilled Tofu, got everything out on the counter, and then realized that the tofu needed to marinate for 2 hours.  Being already 7pm, that wasn't happening, so we went to plan B and made a black bean chili.

Black Bean Chili

Four servings • 45 minutes to prepare

http://wellvegan.com/recipes/black-bean-chili 

This is a simple chili recipe for when you’re short on time but eager for something warm and hearty. I like to serve it with fresh cilantro, avocado and green onion.

Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 medium red bell pepper, coarsely chopped
6 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons chili powder
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
3 cans (15–16 ounce) black beans, drained, 1/2 cup liquid reserved
1 can (16 ounce) tomato sauce
1 cup frozen corn
Chopped fresh cilantro, green onions, tomatoes or avocado

Instructions

1. Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, bell peppers, and garlic; sauté until onions soften, about 10 minutes. Mix in chili powder, oregano, cumin, and cayenne; stir 2 minutes. Mix in beans, 1/2 cup reserved bean liquid, tomato sauce, and corn (if using). Bring chili to boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until flavors blend and chili thickens, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
2. Ladle chili into bowls. Pass chopped cilantro, green onions or other toppings.

We followed the recipe pretty closely and it turned out well, especially for eating it right after it's made.  Chili is always better the next day when the flavors have had time to meld together.  Plus we were watching Chopped, so what we made looked like nothing compared to those talented chefs.  Especially when they only get 20-30 minutes and crazy ingredients!

Clean Eating Vegan Challenge

After a crazy stressful and too-busy winter I've decided that it's time for a clean eating challenge during this Lenten season.  After reading an article in Cooking Light (http://www.cookinglight.com/food/vegetarian/cooking-light-food-editor-vegan-00412000087133/) where the editor was challenged to go vegan for a month, I realized that I want to get more veggies into my diet, which means I need to learn how to cook them.  Thus, I decided that I'm going to go vegan for the next four weeks in order to force myself to explore the world of vegetables and clean eating, (limiting the processed food).  I'm already partly vegan from being dairy-free and shellfish-free, so we'll see how hard it's going to be!

There will be some exceptions...I'm not going to worry about making life complicated for the Swim Team banquet, and I'll be making corned beef and cabbage for St. Patrick's Day on Monday, but otherwise I'm going to attempt, and be blogging about it, mainly for myself to keep track and be able to see how it's going!

I've done some recipe hunting and planning of meals already: for breakfasts I have oatmeal and cereal with almond milk, and soy yogurts with fruit, basically what I already eat.  Weekend brunch will be harder, but there are a ton of ideas online and Pinterest has been a great resource too.  Lunches will mostly be left-overs (what I already do), and making sure that I have peanut butter or almond butter to go with my apple or celery.  I don't think protein will be an issue, but something to watch just in case.  Eating out might be difficult, and if I have to, vegetarian will be an acceptable substitute, but I'll try to keep to it even when eating out.

It all starts tomorrow (Monday!)

The first recipe I'm going to try is:

Curried Tomato Lentil Soup (Shorba Addis)

Serves 3

This recipe is based on an Ethiopian soup with a rich, deep curry flavor and complex textures. It’s easy to make in a big batch for the week ahead, but it’s so good, don’t expect it to last more than a couple of days.

1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 small carrot, diced
1 teaspoon freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon curry powder (berbere is preferable)
1 teaspoon fenugreek seeds
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup tomato paste
1/4 cup brown or green lentils
1 Yukon Gold potato, diced
1/4 cup whole wheat orzo pasta

Over medium-high heat, sauté the onion until it is brown. Reduce the heat to medium. Add the carrot, ginger, garlic, curry powder, and fenugreek, sautéing them for about 1 minute. Add the veggie broth and tomato paste, stirring until the tomato paste is thoroughly combined with the broth. Bring the soup to a simmer. Add the lentils and stir. Once the soup comes back to a simmer, cover the pot and reduce the heat to low. Cook the soup for 20 minutes. Add the potato and orzo; cook the soup, covered, for 5 more minutes.

Making It Simple: Bring the veggie broth and tomato paste to a simmer, making sure the tomato paste is thoroughly combined with the broth. Add the onion, carrot, garlic, ginger, curry, fenugreek, and lentils and proceed with the above recipe as if you had just added the lentils.

The Gourmet Touch: This is an Ethiopian soup, so its flavor is best created using berbere—an Ethiopian curry mix.
Core Concepts: The key to this soup is timing when you add the ingredients. Lentils require time to cook, while diced potatoes and orzo pasta need only a few minutes; these are best added to a soup during the last few minutes of cooking.

from: http://www.pcrm.org/kickstartHome/mealplan/meal_plan.cfm#VVV  (Day 1)

Spring style quiz

I took a design quiz that I found in my "Houses" RSS and got...

Your unofficial motto is “put a flag on it,” and your accents imply winning: model sailboats, vintage badminton rackets, and leather head handmade footballs. Some might say you’re preppy or traditional; we prefer classic. And anyway, what’s wrong with a blue- and neutrals-heavy palette, a tufted leather sofa, or a tartan-print throw? In three words:Nothing at all. Now, be a dear and fix us our 4 pm G&T, won’t you? 

In the clique: Ralph Lauren 

Your new best friend: Seersucker striped textiles—like the pants, only in hand-towel and table-runner form.

You can take the quiz here:

http://www.lonny.com/quiz/aYRSijv6bHp/What+s+Your+Spring+Style/result/2j5yHPEaQ62 

I can't wait to have a place to decorate myself after following all these house flipping and DIY blogs! That of course, is going to be a while...

Diary-free chicken pot pie

Swim season is over and I'm trying to eat healthier and get back on track at the gym so that I start to feel better (avoiding shellfish would help...a swelling tongue while driving back from Richmond isn't so fun...ugh hidden oyster sauce!), but it's still so cold that I was craving some chicken pot pie!

I found this recipe from For This Season and was able to make some additions and changes to suit me (in red).

Chicken Pot Pie Filling (Dairy Free Recipe)

Ingredients

• ¼ cup vegetable oil
• 2 tbsp butter substitute (Earth Balance)
• ½ cup onion, diced (used a full onion)
• ½ cup celery, diced (probably used more)
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 cups chicken broth
• ½ tsp pepper
• 2 cups frozen vegetables (organic peas, carrots and corn mix)
• 2 cups cooked chicken (half a Rotisserie from the store)
• extra veggies: 
• handful of mushrooms, chopped
• 1 small potato, chopped (microwaved for 2 minutes)
• shredded kale
• 1 recipe for double pie crust (Pepperidge Farm Puff Pastry - it's dairy free!!!)

*I've also been trying to use more organic produce, who knows, maybe that's affecting all the allergies I currently have???

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a large pan over medium high heat melt butter substitute and oil together.
3. Add onion and celery. Cook until soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
4. Reduce heat to medium and slowly add flour to onion mixture, stirring to combine completely.
5. Add broth a quarter cup at a time, continually stirring to prevent clumps.
6. Add pepper, chicken and vegetables. Stir to mix and remove from heat.  (had to add more chicken broth here to help smooth the sauce)
7. Place filling in pie crust and bake for 30 minutes.

The prep probably took the longest, defrosting and chopping everything, but it was done in an hour and I was able to clean all the dishes and grade some papers while it was in the oven. 

In the oven

Just out of the oven

After a meal for one, and then 3 lunches...and I still have tons left over!  Apparently I'm not so good at cooking for one plus a few leftovers, I always get food for an army, which is not something I have.  Hope the roomies and boy wants to eat lots of chicken pot pie!