Vegetarian Cobb Salad

At the social service agency I work for, we have monthly all-staff potlucks.  It's an opportunity for the 100 or so of us who work together to come together for a meal and listen to some agency-wide announcements.  I'm on the committee that organizes the potlucks, and we've come to realize, (I think,) that the potlucks are better attended when there's some type of "theme."  We have had comfort food themes, chili cook-offs, and most recently, to usher in spring, a "salad" theme.  As interim chair of this committee, I penned a haiku, celebrating salads, that went something like this:

Veggies, fruit, pasta,

Beans, grains, Jell-O or Snickers,

Tossed in a bowl.  Yum!

(Yes, there is such a thing as "Snickers Salad."  I'm scared of it.  Has anyone ever tried this?  Is it a Midwestern thing?  A Minnesota thing?  I had never heard of this edible food-like substance until moving to Minnesota.)

Anyhow, I digress.  :)

Personally, I think of salads as something . . . healthier, produce-packed, downright nutritious!  However, my husband is very much an "eggs-n-cheese" vegetarian -- he prefers his food heavy, comfy, and filling.  What's a veggie-loving wife to do?

Enter: Vegetarian Cobb Salad

Ingredients for one salad:

Salad greens (mixed baby greens, romaine, leaf lettuces, whatever you prefer)

Hard-boiled egg

Avocado, cubed

Tomato, chopped

Blue cheese, crumbled

Vegetarian mock chicken patty, cooked and cubed

Coconut bacon

Red wine vinaigrette (I made my own and added plenty of chives, as most of the traditional Cobb salads call for them)

This salad achieves that perfect balance -- plenty of nutritious greens, healthy fats, and quality vegetarian protein, yet heavy, rich, and substantial enough for even the heartiest eaters.

What are your favorite "pleases everyone" meals?

back in the kitchen again!

After a long hiatus from cooking much of anything, (thank you, 90+ degree heat and high humidity,) I decided I had had enough salads, and got back in my kitchen this weekend.  :)  It's still hot, but I managed to sweat my way through several meal's worth of stovetop cooking and/or baking/roasting in the oven, and boy, was it worth it!

Dinner Friday night:

A simple meal of whole-wheat pasta tossed with homemade marinara and parmesan, with roasted pattypan squash on the side.

Bunch Saturday:

Breakfast burritos!  A whole-wheat tortilla stuffed with homemade refried beans, cheese, hashbrowns, scrambled eggs, salsa, guacamole, and sour cream.  This is one of those meals that if eaten after 10 am, will keep you full until dinner.  :)  Mmm.

Dinner Saturday:

Sloppy lentils piled on a whole-wheat bun, dilly beans, cherries, and Spud Puppies.

Dinner Sunday:

 

Tofu Steak with Miso and Ginger, Steamed Baby Carrots with Orange-Dill Butter, cucumbers with sour cream and dill, and Zucchini Fritters.  This meal was a LOT of work, (and generated a lot of dishes -- shout out to John, who washed nearly all of them!), but it was so worth it!  I had a blast finding new ways to make some seasonal produce shine.

My life is incomplete without dessert:

Chocolate Zucchini Cake!  Between the cake and the fritters, I have managed to take down about 2/3 of the ginormous zucchini John brought home from volunteering last week.  I still have about a pound left . . . muffins?  Bread?  Cookies?  What's your vote?

make your own Chipotle

You, too, can make your own Chipotle at home.  Although not as speedy as the restaurant fare, it's definitely healthier -- I can control my portions better, and don't feel compelled to drink a gallon of water after my meal.  :)

(Notice that I still felt I "needed" an extra-large portion of guacamole.  Other components are more in check, though!)  :)

In my "burrito bowl at home" --
cilantro-lime rice (i.e., cook up some brown rice and add minced cilantro and the juice of one small lime)
black beans (from my freezer, although rinsed, canned beans would work just fine, too)
fajita veggies (a small red onion and two small green bell peppers, fried up in a freaking-scorching cast iron skillet, seasoned with a pinch of salt and a few dashes of chili powder)
shredded cheese (I bought the pre-shredded kind in the bag!  It's hot!  I'm lazy!)
pico de gallo (I can get a beautiful, local, fresh salsa at my co-op!)
shredded romaine (local!)
sour cream (local!)
guacamole (containing a ripe avocado, a squirt of lime juice, salt, garlic powder, and a dash of hot sauce)

Scoop the whole thing up with Whole Grain Milling Company tortilla chips, if you are so inclined.

beans and cheese

We've been eating lots of beans and cheese this week!  First meal involving two of my favorite ingredients:

"Tomato Tortilla Soup," from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers, with quesadillas on the side.  I had never made tortilla soup before, and I was pleasantly surprised by this recipe -- the ground/pureed tortilla chips gave the soup an incredibly creamy, silky texture, and the simple recipe was a snap to whip together on a busy day.  The quesadillas were made with whole-wheat tortillas, homemade refried pinto beans, and shredded pepper jack, with jarred salsa and homemade guacamole for dipping.

Leftover beans and cheese were later incorporated into breakfast:

Huevos Rancheros!  More protein, please!  :)  Yum.

5-a-day? Indeed.

Something about the whole 5-a-day thing has always confused me a little.  I understand the importance of eating fruits and vegetables, of course, but what I don't understand is, why is it so hard for so many people?

 I had at least 5 produce servings just in my dinner tonight!

Avocado, mayo, and sprouts on toasted wholegrain bread, roasted asparagus, and Terra Chips.

And a post-dinner baking project resulted in one heck of a fabulous dessert:

Honey & Goat Cheese-Filled Fig Muffins are TO DIE FOR.  (I did sub Neufchatel for the goat cheese, as I wanted a little leftover for my bagel tomorrow morning . . . !!)  I practically inhaled this muffin warm from the oven, and I can't wait to try them chilled for breakfasts or snacks.  A tad sweeter than the average muffin, these definitely walk the dessert line, but are still 100% whole grain (and pretty high in protein, for a muffin,) so they would still make a decent breakfast.  What is it about figs that makes things seem a bit more decadent?  I'll probably never understand.  But I'll keep eating these muffins, in the hopes of figuring it out.  ;)

mainlining produce

Let's just say it has NOT been a healthy day for me, at least intake-wise. I ate both breakfast and lunch at school with the kids, and I realized, on my way home from work, that I was: 1. profoundly thirsty (thank you, processed foods,) and 2. hadn't had a single fruit or vegetable ALL DAY. The horror.

I decided that as soon as I walked in the door, it was time to start mainlining the produce:

A giant tomato and cucumber salad (with feta and olives,) two slices of toasted multigrain bread topped with baba ganoush and sliced avocado, and some fresh figs.

I feel better now.

back in the saddle again!

It's been sooooooo long since I've really cooked much of anything, and getting back into the kitchen yesterday was AWESOME! I made a couple of wonderful meals for Dan and I, and also cooked up a TON of chickpeas in the Crock Pot, deciding at the last minute to turn half of them into hummus. Yum! Hot beans really do blend up creamier, don't they?

Anyhow, here's the rest of the food I made!

First, while cleaning out the fridge, I discovered a half package of corn tortillas . . . from before Christmas! I figured I better do something with them ASAP, before they dried out too much and/or got moldy. Homemade baked tortilla chips it was!

What better to serve them with, than a little homemade guacamole?

Even though lunch yesterday didn't require much actual "cooking" on my part, it was absolutely delicious!

Having a stash of homemade tamales in the freezer for low-effort meals is awesome! Even though they take an hour plus in the steamer, it frees me up to get other stuff done around the house. Woo!

I had been talking with my friend Christine on Saturday, and somehow, we both got on to the subject of how much we both love olive bread. I had to take care of that craving ASAP!

I used the "Olive Oil Dough" from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day, and made a deeeeeelicious loaf of olive bread:

Yes, I did add butter at the table, too! :)

To go with the bread? Some wild rice soup!

I follow this recipe from Eating Well, with a few modifications -- I use veggie broth and omit the turkey, increase the celery and carrots to 1 full cup, increase the mushrooms to 3 cups, and cook up 3/4 cup regular dry wild rice to add to the soup. It's sooooooooo good!

Dessert was something special, too!


I. Love. Pie. (Blueberries were from the summer, still in my freezer!) YUM.

it's kitchen time!

Really, when is it not kitchen time?

Dinner Friday Night:

Shredded cabbage and onions sauteed in butter, seasoned with salt, pepper, and loads of paprika, served over egg noodles, and alongside homemade applesauce and rye bread. Cabbage has to be the cheapest vegetable ever, and it's pretty versatile, I'm learning!

WHY DOES BLOGGER HATE ME?????

Sorry you have to turn your head to see my beautiful homemade pho. I used this recipe as a guide, subbing vegetarian-friendly ingredients where appropriate. I also didn't have any star anise in the house, so I subbed 1 tsp anise seed. This was kind of a lot of work for a Sunday lunch, but it was SO worth it! Pho is Dan's all-time favorite soup, and now that I can enjoy a non-fishy version, it might be mine, too!

Ms. Jackie's perfect black beans:

My coteacher, Jackie, brought me a small container of home-cooked black beans the other week, and they were SO DAMN GOOD that I hid them from Dan and ate them all myself. :) Have no fear, though, I learned Jackie's secret -- dried onion, dried garlic, and epazote cooked with the beans. HEAVEN. Here's a loose recipe, requiring a 5-quart crock pot (or large pot -- I'm sure you could simmer these on the stovetop just fine, too):
2 1/2 pounds dried black beans
1 tbsp each dried garlic (not garlic powder,) dried onion (again, not onion powder,) and dried epazote
plenty of water (I filled my crock pot almost up to the top)
1 1/2 tsp kosher salt added once the beans have cooked fully

More granola:

We never tire of it! Dan has a huge bowl for breakfast every day, and I can't complain -- all of those flax seeds help keep his cholesterol down!

Those awesome black beans mostly went into the freezer, but a small pan became part of a large burrito buffet for dinner:

Black beans, brown rice tossed with lime juice, cilantro, and salt, whole-wheat tortillas, peppers and onions, queso fresco, homemade guac, salsa, and lettuce. YUM. Here's the finished product:

I exclaimed more than once during this meal, "I'm a really good cook!" :) At least I don't have any confidence issues. :)

Hope you enjoyed your weekend!

not a lot of cooking

Until I finally managed to get back into my kitchen yesterday, it had felt like I hadn't cooked in a week! (Really, it was more like a few days, but, you know what I mean.) Towards the end of last week, we were subsisting on leftovers and the ever-reliable pasta and burritos:





I swear, you could put guacamole on a rock and I'd consider eating it. :)

Friday, I picked up a few small things during my break so I could officially start my holiday baking and candy-making Friday night:



One down, eight to go!

Saturday morning, I woke bright and early, and decided to get the shopping over and done with for the next two weeks. After visiting THREE different grocery stores, (Asian market, Middle Eastern market, and the co-op,) I was much poorer, but had a carload of food, including all of my holiday baking supplies.

The baking is going to have to wait until next weekend, though, because it was time to make some REAL food!

"Old-Fashioned Cream of Mushroom Soup," from Love Soup, by Anna Thomas:

Yummy! Additionally, I'm not typically much of a broth fan, but I couldn't get enough of this one. Practically licked my bowl clean!

AND, it was time for "Brooklyn Pad Thai" again:

Broccoli has become a requirement with this recipe lately, and that's a good thing!

I'm SO excited to get busy baking this weekend! Watch for the finished products later this week!

yum, yum, tasty delicious!

Meals and treats from this week so far . . .

Sunday lunch:

This is one of those meals that I make when I can't think of what else to make, or when I have veggie odds and ends to use up, or when I have a ton of gorgeous looking veggies on hand! This week, it was the third reason. Roasted tofu with red pepper, sweet potato, butternut squash, green beans, purple potatoes, beets, garlic, and "Northern Blend" from Wayzata Bay Spice Company. Holy hell, this was a tasty, nutritious lunch!

Sunday dinner:

Homemade pizza and salad! Artisan Bread half whole-wheat crust topped with homemade pesto, local mozzarella and parmesan cheeses, homemade veg Italian sausage, onions, kalamata olives, and oven-dried tomatoes. Thankfully, there's enough extra cheese, another crust, and plenty of pesto leftover . . . I think we're having pizza again later this week! Nom, nom, nom.

Monday night dinner:

Not to keep tooting my own horn or anything, (wait . . . that's what you DO on a blog, right?), but I think I might make the best fajitas I've ever had. Marinated tempeh, peppers, and onions, topped with queso fresco, salsa, lettuce, and homemade guacamole. Leftovers for lunch today were just as satisfying!

Dinner tonight:

Geez, we've been eating a lot of white flour this week! Whoops. Anyhow, tasty kale and sausage stew from Tofu Mom, with two baking powder biscuits on the side. Man, if I could have, I would have eaten the entire pan of biscuits. I think I'm kind of falling in love with butter a little bit . . . perhaps I'm just channeling my inner Julia Child?

And I thought I'd save the chocolate for last:

This pan of brownies is quickly disappearing 'round here, because, I must confess, I think these might be the best brownies I've ever made. Gooey, fudgy, rich, not too sweet, everything I want out of a brownie, anyway! Mmmm. Dan's been having ridiculous brownie sundaes every couple of days or so, and I've just been sneaking bites straight out of the pan. :)

In other news, I've been having intense pastry cravings lately -- well, cravings for sweets in general. Must be the cold weather! Anyone else's body trying to pack on a layer of fat before the winter? Mine sure wants all the butter, white flour, and sugar it can get right now! I'm trying to keep the treats reasonable, but it's been a struggle . . . !! ;)

jam 'n' dinner

Here's the gorgeous, tart-sweet raspberry jam I made this afternoon:

Same ol' recipe I always use: 4 cups fruit, 1 cup sugar, cook until it's thick, stirring occasionally. Yum!

And, my friend Brynn was kind enough to join me for dinner tonight -- I made fajitas:

Farmer's Market whole wheat tortillas filled with marinated tempeh/peppers/onions, chopped tomatoes, lettuce, salsa, and homemade guacamole! We enjoyed amazingly delicious, local, organic yellow watermelon on the side, and finished off the banana ice cream for dessert.

I realize I've never posted my fajita marinade before, so here it is!

1 1/2 cups water
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chipotle chili powder
zest and juice of one lime
2 tbsp olive oil
1 clove garlic

Puree the lot until the garlic is well-chopped, and pour over a package of tempeh, tofu, or a batch of seitan, (sliced, obviously,) and plenty of sliced bell peppers and red onion. Stick in the fridge 2+ hours. I then always fry the protein first to get it nice and crispy and "GBD," then drain and toss in the veggies after removing the tempeh to paper towels to drain. It's a hit every time!

yum.

You might be wondering what I did with those morels from the Farmer's Market . . .

Lunch, that's what I did! Sauteed the morels and asparagus in olive oil, added garlic, salt, pepper, thyme, and whole-wheat pasta. Topped with parmesan. Wee!

I'd never had morels before, and I think the thing that most impressed me was their texture -- very hearty, "toothsome," and savory. Mmmmmmm.

And, here's dinner:

Sorry for the blurry picture, but we had fajitas! Marinated, browned tempeh, peppers, and onions, topped with queso fresco, tomatoes, shredded cabbage/carrots, sour cream, salsa, and homemade guacamole! Yum, yum, extra yum.

P.S. I love the library:

back in business

After spending the holidays away from my own kitchen, I was excited to get back to town last night and do a little cooking!! Dan and I spent a LONG time discussing what to have for dinner during our drive back -- and we settled on sushi:

Veggie rolls with red pepper, cucumber, and avocado for me, and a little ahi sushi grade tuna for Dan. Not pictured: miso soup.

There are even a couple of rolls left calling my name . . . sushi for breakfast is GREAT.

Oliver was happy to see us return as well:

Well, either that, or he was just happy to make mischief in my suitcase while I was unpacking.

Hope you all had a wonderful holiday!

weekend recap: muffins and dinners

I made Tropical Lemon Coconut Muffins!

I was a little wary of using pureed avocado in a muffin batter, but they turned out wonderfully! Coconutty, lemony, moist, rich, and filling, without a trace of avocado flavor. What a way to get in those healthy mono fats!

Dinner Friday night:

Yes . . . curried tofu from VCON . . . again . . . it's that good! Garlicky kale, mushrooms, and couscous on the side.

Dinner Saturday night:

Spelt topped with freshly grated parmesan, with tempeh, eggplant, red pepper, onion, and zucchini, soaked in the Mediterranean Marinade from a recent issue of Vegetarian Times. This dinner was definitely a home run -- everything was so flavorful and delicious! A variation on this dinner may be making a repeat while camping next weekend . . . !

Dinner Sunday night:

Tacos! It's hard to tell what's in there, but I promise those homemade tortillas are filled with homemade refried black beans, cilantro-lime rice, sliced avocado, queso blanco, salsa, and mixed baby greens.

Busy week ahead, even though it's only a four-day work week. We're going camping next weekend, and there's lots to get ready! Expect food pics and scenery pics upon our return!