Poblano soup (aka a fiesta in your mouth)

I first tasted this poblano soup at my brother's house over the winter.  We were supposed to have a sushi night, but my sister-in-law Courtney said that she was craving this soup instead.  I mean, who craves soup over sushi?  But once I tried it, I too was hooked.  The next time I cooked for my parents, I made this soup. As soon as I could, I made it for my husband.  I make triple batches of this stuff and it still only lasts two days!  And it is one of the most inexpensive meals I have ever made! The recipe originally comes from Sippitysup, but I only use about 1/3 of the butter called for, I use frozen corn instead of corn on the cob, and I omit any cream or chicken!   I also like to top mine with a little cilantro, avocado, and black beans!

Poblano Soup (these are my triple measurements-- soup should be made in large quantities)
6 corn tortillas
1/2 cup flour

1 1/2 tsp chili powder
3 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper

2 TBS oil
3 poblano peppers, chopped
1 to 3 jalapenos, seeded and finely chopped (optional)
1 onion, finely diced
9 cups chicken broth
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup butter
2 cups frozen corn

Slice the tortillas into thin ribbons and and then place them in a food processor.  Pulse until the tortillas are uniformly chopped.  Add the flour, chili powder, cumin, salt, and pepper and blend continuously until the mixture resembles cornmeal.

Heat oil in stockpot over medium heat and saute the onions, poblanos, jalapenos (if using), and garlic for 6-8 minutes.  Add tortilla/flour mixture and mix until well combined.  Add the butter and allow to melt, stirring occasionally.  Cook another 4-5 minutes, stirring constantly so the mixture does not burn, until the  flour taste cooks out.  Slowly add half of the broth, scraping the bottom and sides of the pot as you do.  When the mixture is well incorporated, add the remaining half of the broth and bring the whole mixture to a boil.  Add the corn and cook for another 2 minutes.

Lower the heat to medium-low and allow the soup to come to a simmer and cook for another 7-10  minutes. Turn off the heat and allow the soup to cool for a bit before serving.

Garnish with whatever you want!!  This soup can be mild/medium spicy, depending on the peppers you have or if you choose to use jalapenos, so its nice to have garnishes like avocado or sour cream on hand for the wimpier folks :)   And I feel like this soup was meant to be served with quesadillas and a black bean salad, so enjoy!!

Edamame Lo Mein

I just rented another four vegetarian cookbooks from the library.  The one I have put the most tabs in is called "Eating Well: Fast and Flavorful Meatless Meals."  This was the first recipe I tried and I was not disappointed!  It is a noodle stirfry with whole grain spaghetti, edamame, carrots, red peppers, and mushrooms in a really easy sauce.  It took very little time to prepare and make and I really liked the finished product.  And edamame is one of the most underutilized of foods in my estimation, so I like finding recipes that use it because it is such a great source of protein and fiber in addition to being wonderfully delicious!  The only real specialty ingredient is oyster sauce, which can be found in any asian aisle of any supermarket.  The trick to acquiring and using ingredients that you haven't used before or used often, is to specifically search for recipes that use that item.  Pretty soon, you acquire an awesome pantry of ingredients.  I actually happened to have everything for the sauce already on hand.

Edamame Lo Mein
12 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (obviously, you can use the white stuff too!)
2 cups frozen, shelled edamame (I just add the whole bag, I don't measure)
4 green onions, thinly sliced (it calls for scallions, but aren't those the same?)
1/4 cup oyster sauce
1/4 cup rice vinegar
3 TBS soy sauce
2 tsp sesame oil
1/8 tsp crushed red pepper (or more if you like it spicier)
2 TBS canola oil
2 large carrots, cut into matchstick size pieces (mine look more like chopstick size pieces)
2 large red peppers, cut into matchstick size pieces
8 oz mushrooms, sliced

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add spaghetti AND edamame and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is cooked according to package directions (anywhere from 7-10 minutes).  Drain.  Meanwhile, whisk together the green onions, oyster sauce, rice vinegar, soy sauce, sesame oil, sugar, and crushed red pepper in a bowl until the sugar is dissolved.
Heat the canola oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the carrots, bell peppers, and mushrooms and cook, stirring often, until the veggies are slightly softened, about 5 minutes.  Add the pasta and edamame and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the sauce and the stir to combine for another few minutes until everything is heated through!

Pizza, Pizza, Pizza (any way you want it)

The compromise pizza: Buffalo chicken on the left, and Summer Veggie on the right

a variation of summer veggie with spinach, mushrooms, zuchini, tomatoes, peppers, and parmesan cheese.

This pizza post probably should have been my very first post.  It is the food I am most famous for and probably impresses people far more than the fact that I have a law degree (and lets be honest, right now its not the law degree that is putting food on the table-- its the love of food).
A few years ago a friend of mine told me that she had to go vegan for health reasons and was asking me what kinds of food she could make.  I told her two things: Mexican food and pizza!  Pizza is what I consider the white canvas of the food world-- a good pizza crust is just the starting point for your imagination, and in todays world anything goes! No matter what your dietary restrictions, you can eat pizza, just as long as you think outside the proverbial Dominoes and Pizza Hut box.
I have made pizza about once a week for the past 2 1/2 years!

This pizza dough recipe makes enough dough for two large thin crust pizzas.  My directions include an overnight rise in the refrigerator (which I think makes the texture better), but you can still use this recipe as long as you have at least an hour before baking time.  I like doing the dough the night before because the next day I don't have to think about it, and I can just take out the perfectly risen dough a couple of hours before baking. I also just use normal baking pans for the most part.  I had a horribly tragic pizza stone experience on my birthday and the scars have yet to heal.

Pizza dough: 
1 1/4 cup warm water
1 1/4 tsp yeast
1 tsp sugar or brown sugar
2 TSB olive oil
1 tsp salt
3 cups all purpose flour

Combine the sugar, water and yeast in a large bowl.  After a few minutes, the yeast should "bloom" and become alive and frothy.  Add in the olive oil.  In a separate bowl combine the flour and salt.  Add in the flour mixture in two or three installments to the yeast/water mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until the dough is mostly combined and still a little sticky.  Turn out the dough onto a floured surface, spray your hands with cooking spray and start kneading the dough (basically just folding the dough back onto itself and pressing out the air, rotating the dough, and folding it again, etc.).  If you need to, add a little more flour, but the dough should be a little tacky.  The longer you knead the dough, the easier it will be to work with.  After 5 or 6 minutes of kneading, leave the dough alone for a minute or two before coming back and kneading it again for another minute.  During that paused interval, the dough will have become fairly smooth and elastic (probably something to do with gluten and bonding) and should make the last minute or two of kneading very easy and satisfying.  When you are finished kneading the dough, put it into a large oiled bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and place in the refrigerator overnight.

Take out the dough about two hours prior to baking so that the dough can come to room temperature.  Preheat your oven to 450 degrees and place an oven rack on the lowest setting in your oven.  When you are ready to top your pizzas, just divide the dough in half, spray cooking spray on each baking sheet, and stretch the dough to fit your pan, using your hands to shape it and push it in place.  I don't ever use rolling pins. 

I have gone away from using red sauced pizzas and now prefer just a sauce that is just a drizzle of olive oil, salt and garlic.

Summer Pizza: (pictured in the right side of the top pizza)
olive oil
salt
minced garlic
mozarella cheese
tomatoes, sliced
zuchini, quartered and sliced
red or green pepper, chopped
corn, preferably roasted
basil, torn or chopped
feta cheese

Once you stretched out your dough to fit your pan, drizzle some olive oil on your crust and sprinkle with salt and minced garlic, spreading with your fingers or a brush if you have one.  Sprinkle with mozarella, then top with zuchini, sliced tomatoes, chopped peppers, corn, basil, and then feta cheese,  Cook in the preheated oven for 10-15 minutes until the crust looks golden brown.

Mushroom broccoli Alfredo (light)

I could have named this dish Alfredo with broccoli and mushrooms, or broccoli mushroom Alfredo, but I chose to use mushrooms as the lead as a nod to my husband.  He loves mushrooms.  Its his favorite fungus.  Although I use a guiltless Alfredo sauce recipe from Our Best Bites, I make this dish my own by adding in a lot of sauteed mushrooms and their juices as well as some roasted broccoli.  The result is really, really good, and again, this recipe is versatile because you could add whatever you want to the sauce recipe to make a meal.  I have added sauteed red peppers and spinach.  I have served it with salmon.  It is very versatile and very easy.  Enjoy.

Guiltless Alfredo sauce
2 cups lowfat milk
1/3 cup (3 oz) lowfat cream cheese
2 TBS flour
1 tsp salt
1 TBS butter
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup grated parmesan cheese (not the powder stuff)

1 lb preferred pasta of choice
1 lb broccoli florets
8 oz-1 lb sliced mushrooms
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste


To make sauce:
In a blender or food processor, blend the milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt until smooth and set aside.  In a large saucepan, melt butter on medium-high heat and add the minced garlic.  Saute the garlic for about 30 seconds, stirring constantly so it doesn't burn.  Add the milk mixture to the butter and garlic and stir constantly for about 3-4 minutes until it comes to a simmer.  Keep stirring and let it cook for another 2-3 minutes until the sauce thickens.  Remove from heat and whisk in the grated cheese.  Cover the pan and allow the sauce to stand for about 10 minutes before using.


Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Place the broccoli florets on a baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast for about 15 minutes or until the broccoli starts to get just a little bit of char on the edges (but it should still have a nice bright green color).  When the broccoli is finished roasting, turn out on to a cutting board and roughly chop (if you want smaller pieces)

While the broccoli is roasting, make the pasta according to package directions, and begin the mushrooms.  Heat a little olive oil in a very large saute pan (mushrooms like to have their room!) over medium to medium high heat.  Add the mushrooms to the pan and sprinkle with some salt to allow the mushrooms to release all their awesome juices.  Saute until the mushrooms are nice and tender and golden brown, stirring occasionally (up to 5-10 minutes depending on how many mushrooms you are cooking).  When the mushrooms are done, add the Alfredo sauce right into the mushroom pan and gently stir.

When the pasta is finished cooking, drain the pasta water and add the mushroom Alfredo sauce and the chopped brocooli right into the pasta pan.  Test the finished pasta for seasoning.  I like to add a good amount of fresh cracked pepper to my pasta at this point, but its up to you!

Tilapia with Mango salsa

So this is one of those 10% moments, if you count fish as meat. If you don't count fish as meat...which never made sense to me...because then what is it....vegetable?...mineral? But however you define it, fish is definitely our preferred meat/protein, and we try to include fish into our diets at least once a week.
This is one of my favorite ways to prepare fish because Tilapia is generally the least expensive fish to buy, and mango salsa tastes good on everything. Also, you could use this recipe and make it elegant with risotto and broccoli (as pictured) or you could totally just create fish tacos with it or pair it with rice and beans! The salsa, by the way, is just a rockin salsa! You could prepare it alone and just have a date night in with a bag of chips! And mangos are in season right now (I think).

Tilapia with Mango Salsa

Basic Tilapia
1 lb Tilapia fillets
1 TBSP olive oil
lemon juice from half a lemon
2 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper to taste

optional seasoning:
fresh chopped or dried basil to taste, or
chili powder and cayenne pepper (for more southwestern flair)

Mango Salsa
1 large ripe mango, peeled and chopped
1/2 red bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup minced red onion
1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes quartered
1 jalapeno, minced (seeded if you want less heat)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 TBSP lime juice
salt and pepper to taste

Prepare the mango salsa by combining the mango, red bell pepper, red onion, tomatoes, cilantro, and jalapeno in a bowl.  Add in the lime juice and season to taste with salt and pepper.  Refrigerate until ready to use.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Rinse fish and pat dry.  Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and spray with cooking spray.  Place the fillets on the sheet and drizzle with olive oil and lemon juice, then season with the garlic, salt, and pepper. At this point you can choose to add either basil or a combination of southwest seasonings depending on how you choose to serve your fish. Bake for 8-12 minutes (depending on the thickness of your fillets).

Serve the fish fillets topped with the mango salsa.

Southwest Stuffed Peppers

I have been out of town with my family for the past week.  On our vacation, we had the opportunity to eat at a real vegetarian restaurant in Victoria, BC called "Rebar" and it was awesome!!  The funny thing is that as we were considering where we should eat, I found myself thinking the same stereotypical anti-vegetarian thoughts that I usually make fun of: "Will I feel satisfied?," "Will the food be weird?,"and "I think there is a Fatburger down the street..."  Richard and I ordered an amazing curry dish and an almond burger with sweet potato fries.  We left feeling full and awesome!
This recipe is not from that restaurant. I picked this recipe because I had some leftover rice and this is my go-to recipe for leftover rice. I combine rice, beans, tomatoes, corn, cheese and some awesome spices and bake them in bell peppers.  And when I feel like it, I smother them in enchilada sauce before baking.  Did you know that rice and beans together make a complete protein? I am not sure WHY that is good, but I have been told that it is, so I repeat that rice and beans together make a complete protein.  And this is a versatile recipe because you could put pretty much any combination of ingredients inside that pepper and it will probably taste good.

Southwest Stuffed Bell Peppers (adapted from Our Best Bites)

4 large bell peppers (whatever is cheapest, but red tastes best)
1-2 cups rice or quinoa (I just add however much I want proportionately in the mixture)
1 TBS olive oil
1/2 onion diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1/2 jalapeno (or a whole one, if you like more heat)
4 oz canned mild green chilies (or 1 canned chipotle chili, if you like more heat)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed (I sometimes add two cans)
1 cup frozen corn kernels
1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
2 green onions, chopped
1 cup of grated cheese (cheddar, jack, colby...whatever)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
juice of half a lime
salt and pepper to taste
red enchilada sauce (optional)

 Preheat oven to 350. Slice the tops off of your bell peppers and remove the insides.  Boil the whole peppers in a large amount of water for about 3-4 minutes.  Remove from water, drain, and set aside.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.  Add onions, garlic, jalapeno, and any chilies and cook until softened (about 5 minutes).  Add corn, beans, green onions, chili powder, and salt and pepper.  Cook for another 5 minutes and then remove from heat.  Add in rice, tomatoes, cilantro, and cheese.  Stir to combine, and then add in the lime juice.  Adjust the seasoning to taste, adding in more salt or spices if you want.  Divide the mixture between the bell peppers.  At this point, you can put a little more cheese on top, or you can smother the peppers with enchilada sauce and then add more cheese on top-- however you like it.

Bake for 25 minutes in prepared oven.  Tonight we had them with a dollop of sour cream and some fresh pineapple on the side.  Yummm.

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Thai Curry Soup

I know this is the second soup I have posted, but I live in Seattle.  It rains here.  We eat soup-- especially if it is delicious soup that makes you feel like your basement apartment could be a basement apartment in Thailand! It is a coconut curry based soup with lots of spinach and mushrooms and rice noodles and is finished in under half an hour.  The curry paste is the only specialty item, but you can find curry paste in most supermarkets.  Ask someone (preferably someone who works at the store) if you can't find it.

I posted the second picture to show you how I work this soup into an entire meal (because Richard and I eat a lot).  The post on fresh Vietnamese Spring Rolls will be forthcoming in the near future, but for now, I want to concentrate on the soup.  And while it doesn't have any meat in it, it is a soup where you could easily add meat if you desired. In fact, the original recipe called for shrimp, and I think that chicken would work just as well.  That is one of my tricks of vegetarian cooking.  Just take a favorite recipe and take the meat out or replace it with something else-- usually more vegetables or tofu or noodles or beans-- whatever.  However, if your favorite meal is steak...I can't really help you there.

Thai Curry Soup

4 oz vermicelli rice noodles
1 TBSP olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
lemon zest of most of a lemon
1 TBSP grated fresh ginger
2-3 tsp red curry paste (depending on how much heat or spice you like)
4 cups chicken broth (but I am sure you could use vegetable broth)
2 TBSP soy sauce
1 TBSP white sugar
1 can coconut milk (I use the light coconut milk)
1 cup sliced mushrooms.
1 10 oz bag baby spinach
2 TBSP lime juice
1 TBSP fish sauce (optional)
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
2 green onions, thinly sliced

Bring a large pot of water to boil.  Add rice noodles and cook for about 3 minutes.  Drain and rinse well with cold water and set aside.

Heat oil in large sauce pan over medium heat.  Stir in garlic, lemon zest, and ginger and cook for about a minute.  Add the curry paste and cook another 30 seconds.  Add in 1/2 cup of the chicken broth and stir just until the curry paste dissolves, then pour in the remaining chicken broth along with the soy sauce and sugar.  Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium low, partially cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.

Stir in coconut milk, mushrooms, spinach, lime juice and cilantro.  Increase heat and simmer for about 5 minutes until the spinach and mushrooms have cooked.  I like to add a little fish sauce at this point, because I believe almost everything is better with stinky fish sauce, but don't sweat it.

Turn off the heat and add in the cooked rice noodles and serve the soup garnished with a little sprinkle of sliced green onion.

Note: (the recipe called for minced lemon grass which can be hard to find, but I have found lemon zest and fresh ginger to be a decent substitute so that is what I use)