Back in the Game with a Vegan House Party!

So sorry for the several week hiatus!

Between school ramping up and my internship and law review and training for the marathon I have been completely stripped of all of my blogging time!

But don't worry because this post will make up for it!

Really.

There are no cupcakes in it BUT it is full of lots of other fun stuff to entertain you.

First things first!

FOOD

Colin and I had a house party for Jefferson Smith (Portland Mayoral Candidate)!

Ever heard of him? He's pretty cool. Check him out here if you have a sec.

We've gone to a couple of his events and done a bunch of research and are pretty jazzed on this guy.

See how jazzed we are?

So jazzed. In fact, we like this guy so much we threw him a party!

And the best party about parties is the food. And the drinks, of course (Shout out to Burnside Brewing for the keg donation).

But really, the food.

To start out the table I prepared two kinds of Bruschetta (pre-made from Trader Joe's - don't give me too much credit but at least I made it look pretty).

Traditional Bruschetta atop basil and a toasted baguette and drizzled with a classy balsamic vinegar.

Eggplant and sundried tomato tapenade atop basil, vegan cream cheese and toasted baguette.

Chocolate dipped strawberries. My Go-To at events like this. Easy to prep, easy to keep and everyone loves them.

Aaand the BEST part:

My SUPER GREEN cous cous salad.

Why is it SUPER GREEN you may ask?

Because stuffed into this gorgeous little fresh spring salad are each of the following green things:

• Edamame
• Asparagus
• Spinach
• Basil
• Parsley
• "Noodled" zucchini 

Take that, mix it with two boxed of Trader Joe's Israeli Cous Cous, the juice from an entire lemon, 1/4 cup Vegenaise (or more, to taste), a hefty sprinkling of salt and pepper and a kick of hot sauce and you have this delicious and wildly popular spring salad.

Perfect for parties.

Rounding out the rest of the spread was: veggie straws, pop chips, homemade veggie tray w/pita bread, a 4-hummus platter and guacamole and salsa with tortilla chips!

All in all (thanks to the food, all of Colin's work and Jefferson's charming company) the party was a blast and I think everyone had a great time :) Including us! Such a successful feeling. 


Also in the news - Colin and I and some law school friends participated in one of Portland's biggest races: The Shamrock Run!

It was an absolute blast (other than being freezing and snowing for part of the time) and I'm very excited for the 10k and half-marathon races we have coming up! (OK - Colin is doing the 10k but I couldn't convince him of the merits of a half).

Training is going great -- lots of kettle bell classes and integrative weight and circuit workouts.

Despite the endless rain and homework I have not been slacking on my training! Yay!

Send me good sunny vibes in the next few weeks as I prep for these races!


Last but not least - Wyatt requested a little shout out.

 There he is. Adorable as usual.

(By the way: His tongue doesn't always stick out - just in case that wasn't clear)


In conclusion: Happy Spring!

Live long and prosper! And throw some killer parties!

Easy Weeknight Dinner Idea - Calzones!

Being back in school means I have a lot less time to prep weekday meals but that does NOT mean I will sacrifice flavor OR nutrition - especially with the amazing box of produce that is shipped to my house every two weeks!

I often post more in depth recipes but calzones are simple, satisfying and (if you do them right) healthy weeknight meals that have become a staple around my house.

You can stuff a ton of veggies inside and with all the pre-prepared whole wheat pizza dough availability out there, calzones come together in a snap.

For these calzones I bought the whole wheat dough and pizza sauce from trader joes and then stuffed them with  spinach, mushrooms, broccoli, heirloom cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. Field roast sausages and daiya are also excellent additions if you happen to have any on hand.

Calzones can be tricky to put together at first but a couple tricks are 1) to stretch the dough out as much as possible without causing rips for maximum flexibility 2) to not fill the calzone too full (especially if you have never done it before - most common mistake that will cause you to not be able to close your calzone properly! and 3) to make absolutely sure all seams are sealed (otherwise you will have calzone juices all over your pan and oven.

Otherwise go crazy!

Live long and prosper and enjoy this easy weeknight meal idea!

Roasted Polenta and Caramelized Onions

 

I absolutely love pot lucks. Any chance I get to cook a vegan dish and, if I'm lucky, open up a dialogue about food makes me a happy camper!

Unfortunately, since law school I have had markedly less time to cook creative pot luck dishes and even less time to photograph and blog them when I do.

Fortunately, this dish is so simple I had time to make it and blog it too!

And let me tell you it is as delicious as it is simple.

I have made a dish similar to this one before and it goes SO FAST at pot lucks! Faster than many of the more intensive or (what I think are) prettier dishes (see: cupcakes!!) and I always get great feedback for it.

Extra Bonus: It is soy and gluten free so it's great fun for friends with all kinds of allergies. Fun for everyone!

It goes a little somethin' like this:

Oven Roasted Polenta with Caramelized Onions
Serves 8 or so as a potluck dish

• 1 "log" pre-formed polenta
• 2 large sweet onions (diced)
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 handful whole basil leaves

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

Cut the polenta into 1/8 inch disks.
Coat a large, rectangular baking dish with oil.
Spread the polenta disks out evenly across the bottom of the baking dish.
Put 1 Tbsp of olive oil in a shallow bowl and, using a BBQ brush or similar spreader-tool, evenly coat the tops of the polenta with olive oil and then pop in the oven for about 35-40 minutes or until golden and just crispy.

In the meantime, heat the remaining Tbsp of olive oil (you may need more depending on the type of pan you are using) in a large skillet. Toss in the onions and, over medium heat, begin to caramelize them, stirring occasionally.

It will take at minimum 30 minutes to truly caramelize your onions. I caramelized mine for close to an hour while I did other things. Just keep an eye on them and they will continue to release their delicious and delicate sugars.
 

This dish will not be as tasty if you don't fully caramelize your onions so don't skimp on this!

Usually when I say caramelize I actually mean soften or brown but this time I really mean it!

Caramelize them fully. You won't regret it. They are so so flavorful and I a lot of people don't have the chance to eat fully caramelized onions simply because of the time commitment required.

They will be a hit, I promise.

Anyway, as soon as your onions and polenta are done, pull the polenta out of the oven and spread the onions evenly over the top.

If you are serving the dish immediately, top with fresh basil leaves and serve.

If not, cover the baking dish with tin foil and bring the basil leaves along with you. Right before you serve, top with basil leaves so they have less chance to brown (fast temperature changes brown basil up fast).

Finally, be prepared to be a hit!!

 

Live long and prosper! And use potlucks as a chance to inspire.

Housewarming Party!

Remember that GIANT tomato I posted a picture of?

I turned it into Bruschetta.

Lots and lots of Bruschetta. Along with the mass amount of basil and peaches from Hood River, it was probably the best bruschetta ever.

I had the opportunity to make this bruschetta (as well as hummus, pita chips, chocolate covered strawberries and guacamole) for Colin's housewarming party this past weekend!

He has done an absolutely stunning amount of work on this old house in NE Portland. It truly looks beautiful. Check out his progress (with photos!) on his blog: http://skybridged.wordpress.com/

Anyway, back to the food.

Pretty, huh?

Wait! There's more.

 

 The hummus and lots of fresh veggies.

 

 Chocolate covered strawberries (melted Trader Joe's chocolate chips with about 2 tbsp. of coconut oil in a double boiler and strawberries promptly dipped).

The real show-stopper was the Bruschetta, though. 

It was fresh, well seasoned and so darn pretty!

Told you.

It's super simple too! Best if made with locally grown veggies and fresh baked baguette bread.

Tomato-Peach Bruschetta

• 2-3 cups diced heirloom tomato, (seeds removed)
• 1 large peach, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely diced or pushed through a microplane grater
• 1 large handful fresh oregano, finely chopped
• 1 large handful fresh basil, finely chopped + 20 or so whole leaves

Note: Don't worry about over-doing the fresh herbs. When in doubt, do more rather than less, especially if you have a garden full of them :0

• 1/2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tsp high quality balsamic vinegar (I used a light balsamic, but feel free to use dark too!)
• Salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste
• 1 Baguette, sliced and toasted (I did mine for about 8 minutes at 350 in the oven)
•  Toffuti (or other non-dairy) cream cheese

Mix first five ingredients together.
Stir in olive oil and balsamic and then finish with salt and pepper.

Spread cream cheese on each slice of toasted baguette.
Place a basil leaf on top of the cream cheese and then top with bruschetta mixture!

Be prepared to amaze your friends.

Thanks again to those who came out to the housewarming party!

Live long and prosper. And love your last few weeks of summery garden beauty :)

Simple Seasonal Quinoa Base

 

Quinoa is trendy for a reason. Healthy, filling, versatile, protein packed, gluten free and DELICIOUS, it is by far my favorite grain. It's a wonderful base for all kinds of other dishes and I use it so much that I am always adapting it in different ways.

This particular take on quinoa mixes it with a smorgasbord of simple, seasonal ingredients to form a beautiful base for any meal (leftovers make great lunches too!)

I like mixing veggies and herbs straight in with my grains because the mixture adds flavor, vitamins and allows you to have a bigger portion without the same caloric density :)

I used this base for some baked tofu and sauteed mushrooms and green beans, all drizzled with a simply spicy coconut sauce. It looked roughly (and darkly) like this:

(Sorry for the bad photo quality and Christmas plate - I was hungry!!)

But the point is the quinoa. See how much color and prettiness it adds? Plus it tastes delicious. If you don't believe me you should really try it out for yourself.

Seasonal Quinoa Base

• 2 cups red quinoa
• 2 cups water and 2 cups veggie broth
• 1 head of lettuce, chopped
• 2 large heirloom tomatoes, diced
• 2 large handfuls or basil, chiffonaded
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 2 tbsp balsamic or other vinaigrette

Bring water, broth and quinoa up to a boil.

Allow to boil for about 15 minutes, and reduce to a simmer until all liquid is absorbed and quinoa is translucent and fluffy.

In a big ol bowl, combine lettuce, tomatoes and basil.

When quinoa is done cooking, toss it right into the bowl and mix it all up.

Add in nutritional yeast and balsamic and toss until combined.

Use as a side dish, base, main dish or lunch. Will stay in the fridge for up to 4 days!

Live long and prosper! And give into the trend that is quinoa!

Pho Noodle Soup

Sorry for the lack of posts as of late. Law school and back to back weddings will do that to you.

I'm cooking most every night but mainly it has been repeat dishes - lots of jackfruit tacos, salad rolls, and homemade pizzas. Old news.

THIS on the other hand. This is pure gold. There is almost nothing that I love more than Pho soup. There are a couple places in Portland that offer kick ass vegan options (Pho Green Papaya in SW is awesome) but I've never been brave enough to try making it on my own.

Really, I'm still not brave enough.

I kind of cheated.

Kind of.

Pacific just released a new line of Soup Starters and, included in the mix, is this Veggie Pho Starter!

I went to two different New Seasons to find it and lemme tell you, it was SO worth it.

It's super easy - just heat the broth up in a big pan and add in your fixins! The flavors are awesome and super satisfying.

I added the following things to my version

• Noodles
• Tofu
• Zucchini
• Broccoli
• Tomatoes
• Spinach
• Lots o' Basil

You want to add the noodles, tofu and zucchini first as you bring the broth to a boil (I boiled it slowly over medium heat).

After about 6 or 7 minutes at a low boil, add in the broccoli, tomatoes and spinach.

Continue to cook for another 2-3 minutes, stirring frequently, and then remove from the heat.

Allow the soup to cool for a few minutes and then divide into bowls, top with fresh basil and enjoy!!

A wonderful, easy and extremely healthy weeknight meal. We also cooked up some edamame beans and snacked on those. Feel free to add in Sriracha, plum sauce and soy sauce as you see fit.



Live long and prosper :) And never stop cooking!

Garden Fresh Homemade Pizza

There is something so inherently satisfying about pizza. It's just good - in almost any form and there's no better way to make it better than to make it good for you too :)

This pizza is the epitome of good for you. Plus, if you are anything like me and you have basil and various other vegetables overtaking your garden, it is a great way to use a bunch of fresh ingredients in one hit.

I may not even need to give you an explicitly laid out recipe for this one -it's that easy.

Take one part Trader Joe's herb pizza crust, one part Trader Joe's pizza sauce, and one part fresh garden vegetables of choice and viola - a beautiful and healthy dinner that anyone can enjoy.

(In case you are wondering, I used about 2 cups packed spinach, one GIANT handful basil, one yellow and one green zucchini, six halved cherry tomatoes and one green bell pepper and to top my pizza - in that order).

Bake at 425 for 25-30 minutes and enjoy!

Try to squeeze as many colors as possible in there to assure you are getting the max variety of veggie-based vitamins!



Live long and prosper! Healthy comfort food style :)

Berry Season Overload

This is my fridge right now. I have the house to myself and I have a whole half flat of berries, six apples, two mangoes, an entire watermelon and eight bananas.

I feel like I may have a problem.

And don't even get me started on the vegetables clogging up my produce drawers.

After my self-reflection and analysis, I think my fruit-binge is caused by this creeping fear of berry season ending (strawberries are already in their last week!) and my need to get as much seasonal fresh fruit while I can. I know I can freeze them or bake with them or whatnot to extend their shelf life (I haven't started canning yet but it is a hobby I see in my near future) but I really just like fresh berries.

A lot of fresh berries. Fruit in general really. I think I ate a whole half of a watermelon yesterday.

This is why I haven't been blogging as many recipes. I've just been eating fruit.

I have another problem. Its name is Basil.

I never ever thought I'd see the day when I had too much basil. But that day has come. And it's still growing! All of the seedlings we planted took off and now we have the transplant that has thrived in ADDITION to all the new growth basil plants.

I don't know what to do! I use it in everything, I have made pesto like 3 times and yet it grows faster than I can pluck it off the little branches!


Basil everywhere!


In other news! Turtle Island in Hood River (maker of Tofurkey and other vegan goods like So Delicious Ice Cream and many others) saw a 25% growth in sales this year!

Very very exciting. Even when the economy is down, vegan companies are growing exponentially! They are building a new $10 million dollar plant and currently estimate that over 4,000 stores carry some kind of Turtle Mountain product.

This is amazing news for Turtle Island and for vegans everywhere!!

Mmm Tofurkey Brats

So if anyone has any killer recipe ideas for fruit and/or basil, please let me know!

I'll try them and post them :)

Until then, live long and prosper. And enjoy the bounty of summer!

Garden-fresh Radish Pesto

 

My radishes are taking over!

I love them so very much, but they really aren't the most useful of cooking ingredients and one can only eat so many raw radishes.

I have been keeping constant watch for unique, radish-based dishes,  so when I stopped by Pesto Outside the Box's booth at the PSU Farmer's Market and saw that they had a concocted a vegan radish pesto, I knew I had to try it out for myself.

Aside from the obvious (basil, olive oil and radishes) I have no idea what POB puts in their radish pesto since I didn't think to look at the ingredient list, so my recipe is 100% my own. I wanted to keep it as light and summery as possible and utilize as many radishes as I could without overwhelming the basil/pesto flavor. The result was this lemony, slightly spicy, fresh and colorful pesto that looks as beautiful as it tastes.

Radish Pesto

• 3/4 cup chopped radishes
• 2 cups chiffonaded basil
• 4 cloves garlic
• 3 Tbsp lemon juice
• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 Tbsp agave nectar
• 3 Tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1/2 tsp salt

Toss all ingredients in the food processor and pulse 7-8 times on high. Add more lemon juice and olive oil as needed until you get the consistency you desire! (Add more olive oil if you are adding the pesto to a pasta-type dish.)

This recipe really adheres to the "less is more" philosophy. I chose not to add any nuts and keep the oil level on the low-side because the radishes do a great job of adding the grittier texture as well as moisture to the pesto. Don't skimp on the agave though! It is important to counter-balance the spicy, slightly acidic flavor of the radishes and is crucial to balance out the pesto-ey flavors.

What a perfect and practical summer radish dish!

Live long and prosper. And eat your radishes!

Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad with Grilled Zucchini

 

Summer in Portland is the best anywhere. The beautiful clear days, lush greenery and plethora of outdoor related activities and events make all those long rainy fall/winter/spring days seem worth it. The Summer Farmers Markets alone make living in Portland worth it. The local food and farm community that we have here is so wonderful and they have taken huge steps to make local food affordable and accessible. Check out some of these great local farms (many of which offer CSAs as well!)

• Baird Family Orchards (Cherries are in season - EAT THEIR RAINIERS!)
• Groundwork Organics (Based in Junction City - they offer a killer CSA)
• Spring Hill Farm (They always have a huuuge booth at the downtown market)
• Unger Farms (The best strawberries I've ever had. And they have a U-pick as well!)
• Wag Eggs (The owner of this farm works with my uncle and let me tell you, he treats his chickens magnificently. The man knows his hens)

This week, aside from Strawberries being in the last week or so of their heavy fruiting season and blueberries hitting the beginning of their season, Zucchini (my favorite of the squashes) were 2 for $1 at my one of my favorite little farm stands (Spring Hill). And basil was $3 for a bunch as big as a small bouquet of flowers. Accordingly, I purchased four huge zucchini--two yellow, two green--and one giant bunch of basil, all for less than the price of a latte. What did I do with all of the delicious farm fresh goods, you ask? I did this: 

 

BBQ-Ready Summertime Pasta Salad!

The recipe is pretty simple and has no added oils - only the oil from the avocado :) The main thing with this recipe, however, is that you want to make it shortly before serving because otherwise the avocado will begin to brown and will make the whole thing look a little frumpy and un-summery. 

Avocado Pesto Pasta Salad

• 1 package bowtie (farfelle) pasta (whole what if you can find it!)
• 2 large zucchini, sliced and grilled
• 5 cloves garlic
• 3 large handfuls of basil (this is difficult to measure, but go overboard if you're worried - you can never have too much basil!)
• 2 ripe avocados
• 1/4 cup walnuts
• 2 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tbsp Braggs or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp cayenne pepper or 2 tsp Sriracha (optional)
• 1/2 cup chopped tomatoes
• 1/4 cup sundried tomatoes

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add in the bowtie pasta. Boil for about 12-14 minutes, depending on the type of pasta you are using. When the pasta is cooked fully, drain it in a large colander and run it under cold water until the pasta is cool to the touch.

Place the garlic, basil, avocados, walnuts, lemon juice and Braggs into the food processor. Pulse for 20-30 seconds or until smooth. Use a spatula to scrape down the sides as needed.

Add in the nutritional yeast and seasoning and pulse a few more times.

In a large bowl, combine the cooked pasta, the avocado pesto and both kinds of tomatoes until everything is evenly coated. Then gently stir in all but 8 or so slices of zucchini. Garnish the top of the pasta with the remaining slices and a basil leaf and pop in the fridge for 15 minutes or so and then serve!

Note on grilling zucchini: You can do this on a BBQ or simply on the stove top. I just coated a pan with a very thin layer of sunflower oil and then browned the zucchini rounds lightly on each side over medium heat (about 3 minutes on each side).



Live long and prosper! And support your local farmers!