culinarianlibrarian

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Archive for the category “Meatless Monday”

26 Mar 2012
1 Comment

Meatless Monday – Caprese Salad

It’s day one of spring break and I am back in the kitchen!  This is partly because I finally got my second trimester energy surge and partly because I’m tired of relying on take-out and/or overly processed foods as my main staples.

I found this recipe via Pinterest (Best. Site. Ever.) a couple of days ago and figured I’d give it a go.  You can use it as a main dish, a side, or even a snack.  Or you can just sit with the bowl in your lap and a remote in your hand and proceed to inhale it all while watching back episodes of Dateline (um, not that I would know anything about this).

Ingredients:

  • 1 pint of cherry tomatoes
  • 8 oz mozzarella balls
  • 18 fresh basil leaves, chopped (I used my herb scissors – LOVE them for making even pieces)
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 3 tbsp olive oil

Halve tomatoes and cut mozzarella balls into quarters (I find that a serrated knife works best for both of these tasks).  Rip or slice basil leaves into small pieces.  Combine in a bowl with salt and pepper; dress with olive oil and mix well.  Chill in fridge for at least an hour for best taste.

Time: 10 minutes; Serves: 4 normal people or one pregnant woman

Original recipe: http://savorysweetlife.com/2011/08/tomato-basil-mozzarella-salad/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+savorysweetlife+%28Savory+Sweet+Life%29

Posted in Cooking, Meatless Monday and tagged , ,
07 Mar 2012

Meatless Monday: Spinach & Pear Salad

I cried on Monday evening.

This wasn’t an “I saw the newest E*Trade commercial with all the newborn babies” cry, or even a “Can’t fall asleep, thanks to my bass-thumping neighbor” cry.  No, this one was even sillier.  I cried over a piece of fruit.

A Bosc pear to be exact.  See, my recent aversion to the smell/texture/mention of meat means that I’ve had to get more creative with my dinners.  I have, in recent weeks, become particularly enamored of an Epicurious salad recipe.  The combination of flavors is perfect, and the addition of walnuts and cheese provide me with some much-needed protein.  So on Monday night, I made my salad, and settled in to watch The Bachelor.  I took my first bite, expecting it to be glorious as usual.  But the pear?  Totally underripe. My response? A total meltdown.  My creation put the ‘pear’ in ‘despair.’

Anyway, really stupid jokes and prego hormones aside, you HAVE to try this salad (and the dressing is particularly perfect):

Ingredients:

  • 3 tbsp fresh lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp Dijon mustard
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 1 1/2 tsps chopped fresh thyme
  • 1/2 c. olive oil
  • 5 oz. spinach
  • 2 large Bosc pears, chopped (make sure they’re ripe!)
  • 1 c. crumbled blue cheese (pasteurized, of course)
  • 1 c. walnuts, chopped

Toss spinach, pears, blue cheese and walnuts in large bowl.  Combine other ingredients to form dressing and shake well.  Stir into salad.

Serves:4-6; Time: 5 minutes

Original recipe: http://www.epicurious.com:80/recipes/food/views/Baby-Greens-Pear-Walnut-and-Blue-Cheese-Salad-107065#ixzz1oRxsrCPH

Posted in Cooking, Meatless Monday, Uncategorized and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
15 Jan 2012

Slow Cooker Baked Potato Soup

It’s football Sunday (Go Pack Go!), and you know what that means… Beer and comfort food!!  In order to soak up some of the suds I’ll be sipping, I needed to have a hearty meal on-hand.  What better than baked potato soup in the slow cooker with some crusty French bread for dipping purposes?

Ingredients:

  • 2 lb bag small red potatoes
  • 2 cans condensed cream of celery soup (cream of broccoli/mushroom would also work)
  • 1 can 2% evaporated milk
  • 1/2 c. low fat sour cream
  • 2 1/2 c. water
  • 6 slices thick cut bacon (or 1/4 c bacon bits) – omit this for Meatless Monday
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1/2 tbsp white pepper
  • 1/2 tbsp black pepper
  • 1 tbsp dried dill
  • 1 tbsp minced garlic
  • 1 loaf french bread
  • 1 c. shredded cheese (I use sharp cheddar or a Mexican blend)
  • 1 bunch chives

Chop red potatoes into 1″ pieces and place in slow cooker.  Pour in soup & water, then stir.  Fry or microwave bacon.  Chop onion and bacon finely and add to mixture.  Stir in spices.  Cook on low for 7 hours or high for 4 hours.  Once cooked, stir in evaporated milk and sour cream till blended.  Add more spice to taste and top with shredded cheese and chopped chives.  Serve with crusty French bread.

Serves: 6; Time: 15 minutes prep; 4-7 hours cooking time.

Craft beer pairing: Bourbon County Stout or Stone Ruination Imperial IPA

No outside link- this one is all mine :)

Posted in Cooking, Meatless Monday and tagged , , , | Leave a Comment
13 Jan 2012

Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana

Am I the only person out there who feels like she hasn’t eaten a vegetable in weeks?  In an effort to remedy the guilt and the bloat that have been haunting me since Thanksgiving, I decided to make my favorite Grilled Eggplant Parmigiana.  This recipe is much lighter than the traditional Italian dish, yet still as tasty.

Ingredients:

  • 3 small purple eggplants
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp canned garlic
  • 1 tbsp shallots
  • 1 tbsp Tuscan seasoning
  • 1 tsp red pepper flakes
  • dash of red Zinfandel
  • 28 oz crushed tomatoes
  • 1/4 c bread crumbs
  • 8 oz fresh mozzarella

Preheat oven to 375*. Cut tops and bottoms off of eggplants. Slice eggplants into 3 equal pieces.  Spray a cookie sheet or a grill pan with non-stick cooking oil.  Lay eggplants flat.  Cook for 12 minutes on one side, flip, then cook for 12 minutes on other side.  In a medium saucepan, heat olive oil.  Add garlic and shallots and cook for 5 minutes.  Pour in tomatoes, Tuscan seasoning, red pepper and Zin, and stir.  Let the sauce simmer as the eggplant cooks.  After the eggplant is baked, pull it out of the oven and increase heat to 400. Cover eggplants with sauce; reserve leftover sauce for finished product.  Slice the mozzarella ball into 9 even slices.  Top eggplants with bread crumbs and mozzarella.  Bake for 10 more minutes, till cheese is brown and bubbly.

Serves: 4-6; Time: 40ish minutes

Wine pairing:  Zinfandel (I’m a fan of Ravenswood)

Original recipe (which involves an actual grill): http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Grilled-Eggplant-Parmigiana-238668

Posted in Cooking, Meatless Monday and tagged , , | Leave a Comment
09 Jan 2012
2 Comments

Pumpkin Gouda Mac’n'Cheese

This year, in an attempt to eat locally and to support area farmers, I joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture).  It definitely introduced me to a variety of vegetables, and it ensured we always had something healthy on-hand to eat. That being said, our 2 person household ended up with more squash than we could ever consume without turning orange.  At one point, we had 8 sugar pumpkins in our kitchen, and it took me a full Sunday to wash, chop, bake, skin, and puree them.  Luckily, pumpkin freezes well!

Surprisingly (to me at least), pumpkin is an amazing (and healthy) addition to a ton of dishes, and carascravings.com has been of such help in figuring out how to make them.  My favorite?  Pumpkin Mac’n'cheese.  Here is my slightly altered version of her amazing recipe:

Ingredients:

  • 8 oz wheat pasta shells
  • 1/2 sweet onion, chopped
  • 3 tbsp canned garlic
  • 2 c. pumpkin puree
  • 1 c. skim milk
  • 6 oz smoked gouda
  • 1 tsp dijon mustard
  • pinch of nutmeg
  • pinch of white pepper
  • pinch of cumin
  • 6 oz spinach
  • 1 oz pecorino romano
  • tbsp cumin seed

Boil water in a pot and cook pasta till it’s al dente.  While pasta cooks- caramelize onions.  Cook in a 4 qt pot sprayed with olive oil cooking spray on medium low (about a 3), stirring occasionally for 30 minutes (you can skip this step if you want a faster meal).  Add garlic in 10 minutes before you finish caramelizing.  When done, whisk in milk and pumpkin.  Turn the heat up to medium high (about a 6), and cook till thickened.  Add the cheese and stir consistently.  Season with nutmeg, mustard, and pepper.  Drain pasta, and add to cheese mixture, along with spinach.  Cook on medium for 5-7 more minutes till combined.  Transfer to baking dish and top with pecorino.  Sprinkle cumin seed on top and bake at 350 for 20-25 minutes.

Note- if you don’t have real pumpkins on hand, you can substitute the 14.5 oz canned version!

~K

Serves: 4; Time: About an hour total, if you caramelize the onions

Original recipe here: http://www.carascravings.com/2008/10/putting-pumpkin-in-all-places.html

Posted in Cooking, Meatless Monday and tagged , , ,
05 Jan 2012

Spicy Black Bean Soup

One of my New Year’s resolutions is to participate in Meatless Mondays.  I completely missed the boat earlier this week, so I decided to slide it to Thursday.  I wanted something that would be tasty, filling, and warm (because, hey- it’s winter in Chicago, even if Mother Nature hasn’t gotten the memo).  Started scanning my cabinets, and decided to make a Spicy Black Bean Soup.

Ingredients

  • 3 cans black beans, drained
  • 1 14.5 oz can vegetable broth
  • 1 can diced tomatoes w/green chiles (canned tomatoes are my favorite cheat EVER)
  • 3 tbsp jarred garlic (jarred garlic is my second favorite cheat EVER)
  • 1 orange pepper
  • 1 sweet onion
  • 1 bunch of chives
  • 1 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp cumin
  • 1 tbsp chili powder
  • 1 heaping tbsp Chipotle Tabasco (you can use any hot sauce, but this gives it a twist)
  • sour cream to taste

Pour olive oil and garlic in a small skillet.  Dice onion and add to pan.  Cook on medium-low (level 4 or 5) for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Meanwhile, combine black beans, chicken broth and tomatoes including liquid in a 3-4 qt pot.  Stir in cumin, chili powder, and Chipotle Tabasco; bring to a boil.  Add onion and garlic to pot, reduce to simmer and continue to stir occasionally for about 15 minutes;.  Chop up orange pepper and add it to mixture about 5 minutes before serving so pepper maintains some crunch.  Top with a dollop of sour cream and a handful of chives.

Serves 4 as a main course; takes about 30 minutes tops to prepare.

~K

(no outside link – this one is all mine :)

Posted in Meatless Monday and tagged , , | Leave a Comment

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