Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

This was one of the most delicious things I've made in a while. Raw, vegan, and gluten-free. There's really not much more one could ask for! The original recipe has quite a bit of oil and pine nuts, so I pretty much halved all of that. Ever since starting on this weight-loss competition at my work, I've gotten increasingly conscious about things like this! It's a good life-style change : ) Everything in moderation, even delicious things like olive oil  and pine nuts.

Zucchini Noodles with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
adapted from Craving Greens
1 large serving (600 calories)

Ingredients:
1 medium zucchini
1/2 cup basil, packed
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, packed in oil
2 Tbs oil (from sun-dried tomato jar)
2 Tbs pine nuts
1 Tbs. toasted pine nuts, to garnish
2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
1 clove garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. In a food processor, combine basil, sundried tomatoes, oil, 1/4 cup pine nuts, yeast, and garlic and process until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Spirilize (or grate or julienne) zucchini into "noodles".
3. Toss zucchini with pesto until well combined. Garnish with pine nuts and eat immediately.

Butternut Squash and Tahini Dip

I've become rather addicted to tahini, ever since my excursion into middle eastern food with the falafel expedition (lightly explained in my falafel post). This dip is great, and my friend and I ate the whole thing up in just a few days x.x Serve with traditional pita bread or on crackers. Don't over process like I did! I've gotten to used to making pumpkin purée which takes a good 5 minutes to process and after that it STILL isn't completely smooth, but this processes super quickly.

Butternut Squash and Tahini Dip
from Playin with my Food

Ingredients:
2.5 lbs. butternut squash, peeled and diced (7 cups)
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
5 Tbs. tahini
6 oz. Greek yogurt
2 small cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp. sesame seeds
1.5 tsp. maple syrup (or date syrup)
salt
Optional: 2 tsp. cilantro, chopped (to garnish)

Instructions:
1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Toss squash with olive oil on a roasting pan and sprinkle with cinnamon and salt. Cover the pan with foil and roast for 40 mins (or until soft)
3. Set squash aside and let cool.
4. Transfer cooled squash to a food processor, add tahini, yogurt, and garlic. Pules until a coarse paste is formed. Salt to taste.
5. Spread onto a flat plate in a wavy pattern, sprinkle with sesame seeds, drizzle over syrup, and garnish with cilantro (if using).

Tahini Broccoli Salad with Almonds

Flavorful, fast, and delicious side. And using the last of the farmer's market broccoli! Amazing they still had some so late in the season.

Tahini Broccoli Salad with Almonds
from Anja's Food 4 Thought
serves 3 - 4

Ingredients:
1/4 cup almonds, whole and raw
1 lb. broccoli, cut into florets and thin stems
1/4 cup tahini
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. salt
1 clove garlic, minced
hot water (as desired)
2 Tbs. sesame seeds (to garnish)

Instructions:
1. Heat a dry skillet over medium-low heat, and toast almonds until fragrant (5 minutes), stirring frequently to avoid burning. Let cool, then chop.
2. Steam broccoli florets for a few minutes until just tender, then blanch. Set aside.
3. Whisk together tahini, olive oil, salt, and garlic. Add hot water to achieve desired consistency.
4. Combine broccoli and tahini sauce. Sprinkle with chopped almonds and sesame seeds. Serve room temperature or cold.

Ricotta Kale Pistachio Lemon Pasta

Delucious pasta dish with some classy and complex flavors : ) Enjoy!

Note: Substitute lemon juice and oil for 1.5 Tbs. lemon olive oil, if you have that.

Ricotta Kale Pistachio Lemon Pasta
from A Food Centric Life
serves 3

Ingredients:
6 oz. long, whole wheat pasta
3/4 bunch kale
3/4 cups ricotta (recipe here)
1 Tbs. olive oil
1 Tbs. lemon juice
3/4 oz. pistachio nuts, chopped
5 Tbs. Parmesan, grated
zest of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Bring water to a boil in a large pot, over medium-high heat. Chop kale, using whole leaf if tender or stripping leaves from center rib if tough.
2. Add 1 Tbs. salt to the ater, and boil kale for 4 minutes, then take out using a slotted spoon. Add pasta to water, and cook according to package directions, reserving 1/2 cup pasta water.
3. Drain pasta and put back into pan, add ricotta, olive oil, and lemon juice. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. Serve in bowls, and garnish each bowl with pistachios and parmesan, and lemon zest.

Coconut Quiona and Kale with Cilantro Pesto

Delicious detox food, exactly what I needed after Halloween weekend (part 1). My friends and I went to the haunted corn maze *insert maize pun here* Saturday night, then came back here for home-made hot chocolate spiked with baileys and played cards. Well, after the hot chocolate ran out, then there was....
THE KRAKEN
It's basically just rum that comes in a cool bottle and has pictures of the kraken on it, but it's pretty sweet stuff : )

This is my first experience with both kale and quiona, and I'm quite pleased with both. My friend Sam, who dines with me (and helps split grocery costs : D) I didn't happen to have red onion, so I omitted that, and I had shredded coconut on hand (not flakes) so I used that instead, but I think I would have slightly preferred the flakes for their crunchy texture. If anyone else tries this, let me know what you think!

Coconut Quiona and Kale with Cilantro Pesto
adapted from Cookie and Katie

Ingredients:
1 cup quiona, well rinsed
1 cup coconut milk
1 small bunch kale, stems removed and finely chopped (~4 cups)
1/2 small/medium red onion, chopped (optional)
1/3 cup coconut flakes, un-sweetened

Cilantro Cashew Pesto
2 cups cilantro, packed
1/2 cup cashews, toasted/roasted (salted or unsalted)
4 cloves garlic
1/2 lime, juiced
pinch red pepper flakes
1/3 cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. In a medium sauce pan, combine coconut milk and 1 cup water, and bring to a boil. Add quinoa, cover, and simmer for 15-17 mins (until the water is absorbed). Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Cover and set aside.
2. Add cilantro, cashews, garlic, lime juice, and red pepper flakes to a food processor and process together, slowly drizzling in the olive oil. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine quinoa, kale, onion, and pesto. Mix well to combine, and add more salt and pepper to taste.
4. In a small skillet over medium-heat, toast coconut until golden brown, stirring often. Top salad with toasted coconut and serve warm.

Borscht

My good friend up at Truman State went to study abroad in Russia last semester and made me promise to make Russian foods for her. Now that it's finally winter-vegetable time, I was able to make this borscht from almost exclusively farmers market ingredients. I felt very eastern European making this dish, scrubbing and grating root vegetables in the kitchen, and then throwing them into a large pot that looked like a bubbling, purple witch's cauldron. Definitely made me miss my Ukranian and Slovokian roommates from France!! This was exactly how they cooked, so I'm dedicating this one to them : )

Note: let soup sit overnight for best flavor.

Borscht
from Moderate Oven

Ingredients:
1 pound beets, shredded
1 bay leaf
pinch of caraway seeds
3 cups vegetable broth
1 lb. cabbage, shredded (I used purple, but the original recipe calls for green)
1 lb. potatoes, chopped into 3/4" pieces
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, diced
1 carrot, shredded
2 Tbs. tomato paste
1 cup canned diced tomatoes, drained (I used 2 medium fresh tomatoes, crushed slightly and drained)
3 cloves garlic, pressed or minced
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1 Tbs. lemon juice
1 Tbs. brown sugar + more, to taste
1 Tbs. salt + more, to taste
pepper, to taste
1/4 cup fresh dill, finely chopped + more, for garnish
sour cream, to garnish

Instructions:
1. In a large stock pot, add half of the shredded beets, 4 cups of cold water, the bay leaf, and the caraway seeds. Bring to a gentle but steady boil and cook for 10 minutes to extract color and flavor from beets.
2. Add the vegetable broth, cabbage, and potatoes to the pot. Return to a boil and simmer for 10 more minutes.
3. Meanwhile, heat olive oil in a heavy-bottomed skillet and sauté onions and celery until soft. Add carrots, the rest of the beets, tomato paste, canned tomatoes, and garlic. Ladle a few spoonfuls of broth from the stock pot into the skillet, and let this mixture cook at a low simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add skillet vegetables to the stock pot along with the red wine vinegar, lemon juice, sugar, salt, and pepper. Thin soup at this point with more water, if desired. Simmer for 5-10 minutes more, or until potatoes are fork-soft.
5. Remove from heat, add the dill, and season to taste. Serve with lots of sour cream and extra fresh dill.

Ricotta Tomato Kalamata Tart with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto

This is a delicious and complexly-flavored tart. It takes a little bit of time with the dough, oven-roasted tomatos, and then the custard it's self, but great for a classy Sunday brunch. If you don't have the ingredients for the sun-dried tomato pesto, stone-ground mustard or basil pesto could be substituted, though I recommend the sun-dried tomato pesto to be cohesive with the roasted cherry tomatoes.

Ricotta Tomato Kalamata Tart with Sun-dried Tomato Pesto
from Princess Tofu

Ingredients:
1 recipe Pate Brisse  (I used this recipe)
pinch of saffron
20 cherry tomatoes
1 cup ricotta (recipe here)
4 eggs
1/3 cup cream (I substituted whole milk)
2/3 cup Parmesan, grated
10 kalamata olives, pitted and sliced

for sun-dried tomato pesto:
4 sun-dried tomatoes, halved
1 clove garlic
1/4 cup olive oil

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 375F and blind-bake the chilled pate brisse for 20 minutes, lined with foil (or parchment paper) and filled with pie-weights. Take out weights and off the foil, and bake for another 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.
2.  Place cherry tomatoes cut side up in an oven-safe dish, toss with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30 minutes, then set aside. Turn oven down to 350F.
3. Make the sun-dried tomato pesto by combining all ingredients in a food processor, scraping down the sides until a paste is formed. Set aside.
4. Whisk together ricotta, eggs, cream, and Parmesan until smooth.
5. Assemble the tart: spread the sun-dried tomato pesto on the bottom, then pour in the egg-ricotta mixture, then dot around the kalamata olives and roasted tomatoes.
6. Bake tart for 30-40 minutes, or until custard is set. Let stand 10 minutes before cutting and serving.

Cilantro Almond Pesto

Great Indian take on pesto. Super fresh tasting, and way cheaper to make than basil-pine nut pesto.

Cilantro Almond Pesto
from Sharmis Passions
serves 2

Ingredients:
1.5 cups dry pasta (fusilli)
1/2 cup packed cilantro (~1 bunch)
15 almonds
3 garlic cloves, chopped
1 green chilli, chopped
1 tsp. olive oil
salt, to taste

Instructions:
1. Bring a pot of water to boil. Place almonds in a small bowl, and cover with some of the boiling water. Add pasta to water and cook as per directions, and let almonds soak for 5 minutes.
2. Peel skins off almonds, and toss in food processor along with the rest of the ingredients. Blend until a paste is formed, adding oil until a good consistency is formed.
3. Salt to taste, mix the pasta in with the pesto, and serve.

Ricotta Gnocchi

Ricotta Gnocchi
from Cookbook of the Month

Ingredients:
2 eggs
2 cups flour
1 lb. ricotta (recipe here, I needed a little over 2 batches)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. pepper
3 Tbs. olive oil

Instructions:
1. Beat the eggs together in a small bowl.
2. Whisk together flour, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add ricotta and combine gently with flour.
3. Make a well in the middle of the ricotta mixture and add the eggs, and gently incorporate. Once eggs are mostly mixed in, use hands to briefly knead the dough until it comes together into a ball. If too moist, add more flour (I had to add quite a bit more).
4. Turn dough onto a lightly floured cutting board, cut into 8 equally sized pieces and cover with a kitchen towel.
5. Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Taking 1 piece out at a time from under the towel, roll into a 1" (or less) thick rope, and cut into 1" pieces. Take a cut piece, place on the tip of your thumb, and roll the tines of a fork around on the opposite side from your thumb, creating the classic gnocchi texture with the fork and a well with your thumb for sauces.
6. In batches, pop the gnocchi into the water. Once the gnocchi have floated to the surface, let cook for 1 minute, and then take out with a slotted spoon and place on a large baking sheet and toss with olive oil.
7. Serve with sauce of choice (mushroom/corn/sage/browned butter recipe here)

Mushroom Corn Browned Butter Sage Sauce

This was the epic dinner I cooked for my friends the Saturday night when my good friend was in town (right before going off to India! He's there now, as I post this : ) So excited for him!!) Lets just say I was fattening him up on western food one last time before he went off to lose weight in the East.

Mushroom Corn Browned Butter Sage Sauce
from Cookbook of the Month

Ingredients:
1 lb. short spiral pasta or ricotta gnocchi, cooked
1.5 cups fresh breadcrumbs
4 Tbs. olive oil, divided
7 Tbs. butter, divided
1 lb. mushrooms, cleaned and sliced uniformely
1 Tbs. fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbs. fresh sage leaves, slice
4 ears of corn, kernels stripped
2 large shallots, finely diced
1.25 c. flat-leaf parsley, chopped (optional)
salt and pepper

Instructions:
1. Heat 2 Tbs. olive oil in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add breadcrumbs and stir to coat with oil. Cook, stirring occassionally, until breadcrumbs are toasted and golden brown. Remove from pan and set aside.
2.  Add remaining 2 Tbs. olive oil plus 1 Tbs. butter to pan, and heat until butter foams. Add mushrooms, thyme, 1/2 tsp. salt, and pepper. Saute mushrooms, not stirring too much, until most sides are carmalized. Set aside.
3. Add remaining 6 Tbs. of butter to the pan, and cook until butter browns and smells nutty. Scrape the brown bits from the bottom of the pan, add sage, and cook for 1 minute until it sizzles. Add corn, shallots, 1 tsp. salt, and pepper. Saute, stirring frequently, until corn is tender (2-4 minutes).
4. Add prepared pasta to the pan, and toss to coat with butter. Add mushrooms, breadcrumbs, and parsely and stir to combine. Heat the dish if necessary.
5. Season to taste, and serve hot.

Basil Pesto

An ingredient I've used forever, and just finally made! Super simple, as long as you have copious amounts of basil on hand (thank you university farm for giving me 2 cups basil packed for 1$!)

Basil Pesto
from Naturally Ella

Ingredients:
2 cups basil leaves, packed
2 cloves garlic, chopped.
1/4 cup raw pine nuts
1/3 cup Parmesan cheese
2 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
salt to taste

Instructions:
1. In a dry skillet, lightly toast the pine nuts.
2. In a food processor, pulse garlic. Add basil, pine nuts, Parmesan, olive oil and lemon juice. Pulse until well combined, adding more oil/lemon juice as needed.
3. Season to taste with salt.

Rosemary Garlic Croutons

Rosemary Garlic Croutons

Ingredients:
1 baguette
olive oil
1 spring fresh rosemary
3 cloves garlic, pressed
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat the broiler.
2. Slice the baguette into 1" rounds. Brush each side with generous amounts of olive oil, and arrange on a baking sheet.
3. Broil for 2 minutes, flip the pieces, and broil for 2 more.
4. Chop the baguette into cubes, put into a large mixing bowl. Drizzle 2 Tbs. or so of olive oil over, and gently stir with hands until the olive oil is evenly distributed.
5. Add rosemary leaves, garlic, and salt and pepper to croutons, and mix gently with hands until evenly distributed.
6. Spread croutons out evenly over the baking sheet, broil for 2 minutes, put back into mixing bowl, stir with a stirring spoon, and then spread back evenly out on cookie pan and broil again for 2 minutes. Repeat this process until croutons have reached desired hardness.
7. Store at room temperature in an air-tight container, and use within the week.

Goat Cheese and Gruyere Artichoke Toasts

Finally back in business! I've been so busy lately I haven't had a chance to cook or blog (also: I don't have internet at my apartment yet. I didn't realize how much I relied on the internet to inspire me for cooking, so I've not been interested in cooking lately, just eating salads with avocado and delicious salad dressing, but hopefully that will be fixed soon). So, once I get back to school and I get internet, watch out world!

Goat Cheese and Gruyere Artichoke Toasts
adapted from Laura Sweet Spot

Ingredients:
1 baguette
olive oil, for brushing (4 Tbs. or so)
2 oz. goat cheese
2 oz. grated gruyere cheese
3 Tbs. canned artichoke hearts, drained, chopped finely
2 Tbs. fresh parsley, chopped
ground black pepper, to taste
squeeze of lemon juice

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat broiler.
2. Slice baguette diagionally, and brush both sides of each slice with oil and arrange on baking sheet.
3. Place baking sheet in oven, broil for 1 - 2 minutes, turn each piece, and broil for 1 - 2 minutes more.
4. Combine goat cheese, Gruyere, artichokes, parsley, black pepper, and lemon juice in a mixing bowl. Make the mixture as consistent as possible.
5. Spoon desired amount of cheese mixture onto the toasts (about 2-3 Tbs.), spread evenly on each piece, and broil until cheese is golden and bubbly (2 - 3 minutes).
6. Serve warm.

Black bean chickpea mango salad

The original recipe calls for basil instead of cilantro, but I think the cilantro works perfectly in this (and is less expensive : D). 

Bean Corn and Mango Salad
adapted from Stylish Cuisine

Ingredients:
1 ripe mango, chopped small
1 red bell pepper, chopped small
1 - 15 oz. can black beans
1 - 15 oz. can garbanzo beans
1 - 15 oz. can corn, drained
2 limes, zested and juiced
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro (or 1/2 cup basil)
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:
1. In a colander, place together black beans and garbanzo beans and rinse until foam doesn't form, then sit to the side to dry.
2. Whisk together lime juice and zest, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, cilantro, cumin, and salt and pepper.
3. Once beans have dried, combine corn, bell pepper, beans, and mango in a bowl with a lid. Combine with vinaigrette, cover, and refrigerate for an hour. Toss again before serving.

Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cake

Super delicious! Can be made as an appetizer in a little mini-muffin pan. This is also really flexible, so you can substitute pretty much anything for the sun-dried tomatoes and feta that you have on hand, like olives and diced seitan.


Sun-dried Tomato and Feta Cake

Ingredients:
3 eggs
4 oz. (12.5 cl) milk
3 oz. (10 cl) olive oil
150 g. flour
100 g shredded Gruyère
salt and pepper to taste
10 sun-dried tomatoes, soaked in oil (diced)
100 g. feta (crumbled)

Instructions:
1. Pre-heat oven to 350 F (180 C).
2. Whisk the milk, olive oil, and eggs, then whisk in the flour, salt, and pepper.
3. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes and feta.
4. Pour into a pie pan (or other oven-safe dish) and cook for 40 minutes.

Mushroom Sauce Pasta

Mushroom Sauce Pasta
adapted from lemons and anchovies

Ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
10 oz. mushrooms, sliced
pinch nutmeg
1 cup cream
1/2 cup white wine
3 Tbs. chopped fresh parsley
1/2 lb. pasta
Parmesan for grating

Instructions:
1. Soak 1 oz. of the mushrooms in hot water for 10 minutes, reserving 1/2 cup of liquid.
2. Prepare pasta according to package directions.
3. Heat olive oil on medium-high heat, add dry mushrooms. Cook until they start to wilt. Add soaked mushrooms, and cook for another 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook for another minute.
4. Add wine and reserved mushroom liquid, and turn up heat cooking liquid down to half.
5. Add cream, nutmeg and parsley. Bring down to a simmer for 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Remove from heat, combine with pasta, and sprinkle grated Parmesan over.

Whole Wheat and Olive Oil Dough

This is the crust I used for my tomato and caramelized onion tart. Delicious!

Whole Wheat and Olive Oil Dough
from tarte du jour

Ingredients:
1 cup whole wheat flour (I used flour with some whole grains)
1 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup cold water

Instructions:
1. Combine flour and salt in large bowl. Add olive oil and combine. Add water and combine until just absorbed.
2. Gently kneed dough until it comes together, and form a ball.
3. Dust a surface with flour, place dough ball on it, and cover with a little flour. Roll into 12" circle, dusting dough with flour as needed to avoid sticking.
4. Transfer dough into tart pan, fit in, and trim excess dough. Completely cover dough in foil and chill for 30 mins.
5. Pre-heat oven to 400 F (205 C).
6. Take tart pan out of oven, fill with dried beans, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove beans and foil and bake for 5 more minutes.

Green Onion and Mushroom Pasta

Super tasty! Even though I forgot to serve with grated Parmesan, still super delicious. Will definitely make again.

Green Onion and Mushroom Pasta
adapted from 20 something cupcakes

Ingredients:
1 bunch green onions
1 lb. small mushrooms (I used white button mushrooms)
1/2 cup plus 2 Tbs. olive oil, divided
salt and ground pepper to taste
1 lb. pasta (I used angel hair)
finely grated Romano or Parmesan for garnish

Instructions:
1. Preheat the oven to 500 F.
2. Bring salted water to boil for the pasta, and once boiling, cook according to package directions.
3. Clean and cut the ends off of the mushrooms. On an oven safe pan with a lip, toss the cleaned mushrooms with 2 Tbs. of the oil with salt and pepper. Once the oven is pre-heated, roast for 10 mins.
4. In the mean time, cut up the green ends of the green onions into 1" segments. Keep the white parts for another recipe.
5. In a blender, combine the remaining 1/2 cup oil, the chopped chives, and generous pinches of salt and pepper. Blend until even consistency.
6. Once the mushrooms are cool, cut into quarters.
7. When pasta is cooked and drained, toss with chive sauce and mushrooms. Serve warm or cold.

Zucchini and Cucumber Carpaccio

Zucchini and Cucumber Carpaccio
from food52

Ingredients:
2 medium zucchini, sliced thinly
2 medium cucumbers, sliced thinly
3 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp. lemon zest
1 Tbs. rice vinegar
1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
1 Tbs. fresh dill, finely chopped
2 Tbs. fresh basil, finely chopped
1 Tbs. fresh Italian parsley, finely chopped
Salt and pepper to taste
pinch of red pepper flakes

Instructions:
1. In a bowl, whisk lemon juice, zest, olive oil, and vinegar together.
2. In a container with at least a 1" lip, alternate laying a zucchini slice with a cucumber slice, not completely overlapping (like a ratatouille)
3. Drizzle olive oil mixture over layered zucchini and cucumber, then sprinkle herbs, cheese, salt and pepper and red pepper flakes over.

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad

Grilled Eggplant and Goat Cheese Salad
adapted from Food Network - Giada De Laurentiis

Ingredients:
6 Tbs. olive oil, divided
1 large eggplant
1/2 cup. toasted walnuts
3 oz. feta cheese, crumbled
1/3 cup basil, thinly sliced
2 Tbs. chopped mint
3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper

Instructions:
1. Prepare coals and grill.
2. Slice egg plant into 1/2" thick rounds, and brush with half of the olive oil.
3. Grill egg plants slices until tender.
4. Place eggplant flat in a pan, and sprinkle walnuts, feta, basil, and mint over. Then drizzle balsamic vinegar and other half of the olive oil over, along with the salt and pepper to taste.