Carrot Soup with Ginger and Lemon

I bought a bag of organic carrots last week, shortly before being gifted another one by our neighbors who were going out of town, so now I have lots of good carrots on my hands.  I wanted to make a soup that would be tasty and easy for Simran to eat while she is cutting new teeth this week, so I'm making this carrot soup recipe I found on Epicurious.  I'm going to make it vegan though, which means omitting the butter (I'll just use a little olive oil instead to saute everything, or maybe just let it all cook by boiling in the broth, which will happen anyway) and the dollop of sour cream at the end.  I'm sure it will affect the flavor a bit, but I think it will still be okay, and I'm really trying for more vegan dishes.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter (replace with olive oil to make vegan soup)
• 1 1/2 cups chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled fresh ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 1/4 pounds medium carrots, peeled, chopped (about 3 cups)
• 2 tomatoes, seeded, chopped (about 1 1/3 cups)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons grated lemon peel
• 3 cups (or more) low-sodium vegetable broth

• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

• 4 tablespoons sour cream (optional)
• 1 small carrot, peeled, grated (optional)

Directions

1. Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion; sauté 4 minutes. Add ginger and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add chopped carrots, tomatoes and lemon peel; sauté 1 minute. Add 3 cups stock and bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover partially and simmer until carrots are very tender, about 20 minutes. Cool slightly.

2. Puree soup in batches in blender. Return soup to pot. Mix in lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Cover and chill.)

3. Bring soup to simmer, thinning with more stock, if desired. Ladle into bowls. Top each with sour cream and grated carrot.

Perfect Scrambled Eggs

I have nearly a dozen eggs that are fast approaching their sell by date, and since the chive plants on the deck are flourishing, I think I'll make these scrambled eggs -- the best scrambled eggs ever -- for dinner one night.  They come from chef Gordon Ramsay.  (Please note:  If you have to make your own creme fraiche like I do, you will have a surplus of buttermilk that lends itself perfectly to making a side of Fluffy Buttermilk Pancakes.)

Ingredients
6 large free-range eggs
3Tbs ice-cold butter diced
1-2  tbsp crème fraîche
Freshly ground sea salt and pepper (you can use regular salt if you need to)
Few chives, snipped (substitute with green onion if necessary)
2-3 chunky slices of rustic bread, such aspain Polaîne, to serve (Sameer and I like this even better over tiny slices of fresh French bread.)

Directions

1. Break the eggs into a cold, heavy-based pan, add half the butter, and place onto the stove over generous heat. Using a spatula, stir the eggs frequently to combine the yolks with the whites.

2. As the mixture begins to set, add the remaining butter. The eggs will take about 4-5 minutes to scramble – they should still be soft and quite lumpy. Don’t let them get too hot – keep moving the pan off and back on the heat. 

3. Meanwhile, toast the bread.  (A toaster oven works best for this, if you have one.)

4. Add the crème fraîche and season the eggs at the last minute, then add the snipped chives. Put the toast on warm plates, pile the softly scrambled eggs on top and serve immediately.

Creme Fraiche

I can never find creme fraiche for purchase, no matter how fancy the store.  Fortunately, there is an almost effortless way to make it at home.  I found this recipe for creme fraiche (I do not know how to use the symbols to make that actually spelled accurately on here, so deal with it) on Epicurious.

Ingredients
1 cup whipping cream
2 tbs buttermilk

Directions

1.  Combine 1 cup whipping cream and 2 tablespoons buttermilk in a glass container. Cover and let stand at room temperature (about 70°F) from 8 to 24 hours ("overnight" tends to work well), or until very thick. Stir well before covering and refrigerate up to 10 days.

French Bread

This is one of the best breads I've ever made.  I found the recipe on AllRecipes when trying to make baguettes.  It's best eaten the day it's baked.  You can omit the egg yolk wash at the end to make it vegan.  The crust isn't as golden and pretty, but it doesn't affect the flavor much.

Ingredients
1 cup water
2 1/2 cups bread flour
1 tbs white sugar
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp bread machine yeast
1 egg yolk
1 tbs water

Directions

1. Place 1 cup water, bread flour, sugar, salt and yeast into bread machine pan in the order recommended by manufacturer. Select Dough cycle, and press Start.
2. When the cycle has completed, place dough in a greased bowl, turning to coat all sides. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes, or until doubled in bulk. Dough is ready if indentation remains when touched.
3. Punch down dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll into a 16x12 inch rectangle. Cut dough in half, creating two 8x12 inch rectangles. Roll up each half of dough tightly, beginning at 12 inch side, pounding out any air bubbles as you go. Roll gently back and forth to taper end. Place 3 inches apart on a greased cookie sheet. Make deep diagonal slashes across loaves every 2 inches, or make one lengthwise slash on each loaf. Cover, and let rise in a warm place for 30 to 40 minutes, or until doubled in bulk.
4. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Mix egg yolk with 1 tablespoon water; brush over tops of loaves.
5. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden brown.

Easy Vegetarian Reubens

There are lots of reuben recipes on the internet, some of which I'm guessing are better than mine, but this one is designed to be quick and easy and delicious without a lot of effort.  It's essentially how my mother made non-veg reubens, except with vegetarian deli slices in place of the corned beef.  Here is a recipe with enough ingredients for two sandwiches.

Ingredients
4 slices rye bread
8 slices vegetarian deli sliced ham or other veg meat (I've tried a few things but find SmartDeli brand veg ham works best for this.)
2 tbs butter
4 slices Swiss cheese
1/2 cup sauerkraut
1/4 cup Thousand Island dressing

Directions

1. Spread butter on one side of each slice of bread.  On un-buttered side of two of the slices, spread Thousand Island dressing, two slices Swiss cheese, four veg deli slices (I fold them each in half and overlap them a little, rather than stack them flat), 1/4 cup sauerkraut, and top with remaining bread slice with buttered side facing outward. 

2.  Heat your sandwich in a skillet over medium heat until bread is brown and toasted and insides are warm and melty (heating over too high a heat can cook the bread too fast and leave the insides cold).  Flip sandwich and cook until other side is brown and toasted too.  Serve warm.

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  Sameer suggested doing the green banana power blended salad again.  He says it's the best green vegetable I've ever made, probably because it's mostly fruit.  I want to make other easy-to-eat foods this week too since Simran is cutting at least one new tooth and has been turning down most foods that require chewing.

I also want to move toward more vegan meals -- something I had started doing for our health based on Caldwell Esselstyn's Prevent and Reverse Heart Disease and T. Colin Campbell's The China Study.  Last week I watched a documentary on Netflix called "Vegucated" and it said some specific things about the treatment of chickens and dairy cows, even in the best organic farms, that make me want to stop buying eggs and dairy altogether.  For now, I'm just focusing on making more vegan meals and trying out alternatives such as vegan soy cheese in place of dairy. 

Here is what is currently in my fridge that needs to be used up this week:  about half a pound of fresh baby spinach, a bunch of grape and cherry tomatoes, half a container of ricotta, half a container of cottage cheese, about half a chopped yellow onion, half a red onion, and about 3 lbs of fresh carrots.  Here is what I'm planning to make:

Spinach Lasagna and Butternut Squash Puree and Green Banana Power Blended Salad
I already had the spinach planned from last week.  It will use up a half container of homemade seitan I had sitting in the freezer, as well as the ricotta, cottage cheese, half a jar of pasta sauce, and half a chopped yellow onion that were in the fridge.  I already had the shredded mozzarella and parmesan cheeses on hand too.  The blended salad will use up a banana from our current hoard of ripe bananas and about half of the baby spinach in the fridge.  I figure even if Simran refuses the lasagna (she normally loves it, but her teeth...), there will be plenty of soft foods for her to eat tonight.

Vegetarian Reuben Sandwiches and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
This will be my birthday dinner because it is rich, delicious, and not hard or time consuming to make.  Reubens are one of the things I grew up eating in my parents' home that I missed when I gave up meat, so I devised a vegetarian version a few years ago (there are lots of other veg reuben recipes on the internet).  I normally would make my own rye or pumpernickel bread for this, but I didn't want to do that much work, so I found an already sliced loaf of marble rye at the Whole Foods today.  The soup will use up two of the open, half-empty bags of organic broccoli currently in the freezer.  I found three of them in there yesterday when I was looking for a bag of frozen chopped spinach.

Black Bean Burgers and Carrot Ginger Lemon Soup
I've made these black bean burgers a couple of times now, and they would be very easy to make vegan and even healthier and a better consistency than the original recipe.  I'm excited at the prospect of making something so delicious from exclusively produce and inexpensive dry goods.  The soup recipe is new to me but will use up a lot of the fresh carrots currently in my fridge.  It appealed to me because it wasn't overloaded with beans or lentils, which I don't really need in this side dish since I'm pairing it with bean burgers.  It will also be easy to modify into a vegan soup.

New York-Style Pizza and Kale in Walnut Sauce
I have a couple more pizza doughs in the freezer, and this seemed like a good way to use up one of them and make something I *think* Sim will be able to chew.

Barley Risotto with Fennel and Kale in Walnut Sauce and Squash Puree
I tried this barley risotto recipe once before and found it incredibly bland, but I hadn't used oil cured olives either, which I managed to obtain yesterday.  I'm taking another stab at this recipe because it will be creamy and easy for Sim to eat.

Tofu Veggie Pulao and Green Banana Power Blended Salad
Simran enjoys eating rice by the fistful, so I wanted to make her some kind of rice pilaf with tiny veggies in it.  I figure I'll make a bland version of pulao, probably not seasoned with much more than a little ghee, and add peas and tiny chopped up carrots.  I will add either cubed tofu or veggie "beef tips" by Gardein, which are a similar size and consistency to tofu cubes but have a little flavor.

Meal Planning

Sameer is going out of town for work this week, so since I have to cook actual meals for Simran anyway (previously I'd eat elaborate sandwiches all week, or possibly just fresh baked cookies one night), we're having Week of a Thousand Mushrooms.  God willing she will like mushrooms more than Sameer does. 

We ended up not making a couple of meals from last week's meal plan yet, so those will appear again.  Here is what is currently in my fridge needing to be used up:  over a pound of fresh baby spinach, eight smallish portobello mushrooms, a red bell pepper, about a cup of non-fat plain yogurt, about a quarter of a red cabbage shredded, a couple chopped carrots and a couple carrots julienne, one bunch cilantro, one bunch parsley, two cucumbers, about a cup of ricotta, one bunch romaine, four mini pita pockets, one avocado, a small amount of diced red onion, and three Roma tomatoes.  Here is what I'm planning to make:

Falafel with Flavor Sauce and Cucumber Salad
I didn't end up making this last week, so we'll have it tonight.  It will use up the yogurt, cucumbers, some tomatoes, the romaine lettuce, and the pita pockets.  Flavor sauce is just my version of the yogurt sauce that goes on falafel -- it will also be the dressing for my cucumber salad.  If there are any cherry tomatoes ripe for the picking on the deck this afternoon, I will throw them in the salad too.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Another one that didn't end up happening last week.  We'll have it tomorrow.  It will use up the avocado, julienne carrots, shredded red cabbage, and diced red onion.

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese and Wild Rice Pilaf and Green Salad
Another meal that didn't happen last week.  I already have all the ingredients, and it will use up the portobellos and some of the spinach in the fridge.

Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff and Kale in Walnut Sauce and Pureed Winter Squash
I love this dish (grew up eating the beef variety as a child), but I never make it anymore because Sameer doesn't like it.  I have a couple half-finished bags of dried egg noodles in the pantry that this will finally finish off, as well as some dried shiitake mushrooms that I think will work well in this dish to add flavor and texture.  The winter squash is just a frozen, boil-in-bag thing that I know Simran will eat.  The kale should use up most, if not all, of the walnut sauce I made the other day.

Savory Spinach Mushroom Cheese Crepes
My final mushroom meal of the week.  I have ready-made crepes leftover from last week's summer vegetable crepes, and this dish will use up some more of the fresh spinach as well.  I might make a side of scrambled eggs to go with the crepes, and maybe some Morningstar veg bacon.  If I have any hashbrowns or homefries in the freezer, I'll cook those too.

Penne alla Vodka
This is a quick, easy dish Simran will consent to eat.  It will use up the red bell pepper and chopped carrots in the fridge too.

Spinach Lasagna
This will use up the last of the ricotta from last week's summer vegetable crepes.  It will also use up any remaining fresh spinach, as well as some frozen spinach too, I'm guessing.  I will also be able to finish off any open jars of pasta or pizza sauce and any remaining chopped onions in the fridge.

Portobello Mushroom Stroganoff

I made this recipe from AllRecipes.com for years before Sameer informed me that he can't stand the smell or taste of mushrooms.  It's really good though, with the few changes conveyed in my version below (can be rather bland without the Worcestershire and soy sauces).

Ingredients
3 tbs butter
1 large onion, chopped
3/4 lbs portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 cup sour cream
3 tbs all-purpose flour
1 tbs dried parsley
1 tsp soy sauce
1/2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
8 oz dried egg noodles

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add egg noodles, and cook until al dente, about 7 minutes. Remove from heat, drain, and set aside.
2. At the same time, melt butter in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Add onion, and cook, stirring until softened. Turn the heat up to medium-high, and add sliced mushrooms. Cook until the mushrooms are limp and browned. Remove to a bowl, and set aside.
3. In the same skillet, stir in vegetable broth, soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce, being sure to stir in any browned bits off the bottom of the pan. Bring to a boil, and cook until the mixture has reduced by 1/3. Reduce heat to low, and return the mushrooms and onion to the skillet.
4. Remove the pan from the heat, stir together the sour cream and flour; then blend into the mushrooms. Return the skillet to the burner, and continue cooking over low heat, just until the sauce thickens. Stir in the parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve over cooked egg noodles.

Savory Spinach Mushroom Cheese Crepes

I have a bunch of store-bought crepes and fresh spinach to use up, so I decided to make this recipe from Food.com. 

Ingredients

12 (6 inch) crepes (pre-made or homemade)
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 1/4 lbs mushrooms, rinsed, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 8 cups of any combination of white button, shiitake, oyster, portobello, chanterelles or whate)
1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped
1 tablespoon fresh thyme leave
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
salt & pepper, to taste
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, washed, stemmed & coarsely chopped
5 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

Directions

 

1. Make crepes if using homemade & set aside.
 

2. Preheat oven to 350°F.
 

3. Heat the oil in a large skillet until hot enough to sizzle a slice of mushroom. Add the mushrooms all at once and cook, stirring, over medium-high heat until they begin to brown. About 10 minutes.
 

4. Stir in the parsley, thyme, garlic, salt & pepper. Cook for 1 minute.
 

5. Reduce heat to medium and stir in the spinach. Cover & cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes.
 

6. Uncover & add the goat cheese, stirring until melted.
 

7. Spoon mixture down the center of each crepe. Roll up crepes and arrange side by side in a 13x9 baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.
 

8. Cover pan with foil and heat until cheese melts, about 15 minutes.
 

9. Serve warm.

 

Meal Planning

I've got a lot of cheese planned for this week.  Not on purpose, but I'm not going to go out of my way to come up with more vegan stuff right now either.  I'm hoping these are all dishes Simran will eat.  Here is what I have in the fridge to use up this week:  a red bell pepper, about half a chopped zucchini, nearly a pound of fresh spinach, half a chopped sweet potato, some julienne carrots, some chopped red onion, an avocado, and two Roma tomatoes.  Here is what I'm planning to make:

Gnocchi with Spinach and White Beans
I have tons of spinach to use up, and this is a great dish for doing that.  Simran didn't like the gnocchi the last time I made it, but I also ran it through her baby food processor -- something I don't bother doing anymore because she can chew most things and hates pureed food that won't allow her to do that.

Pita Pizzas and Winter Squash Puree and Kale with Walnut Sauce
I have some walnut sauce to use up, and I want to keep serving Simran kale occasionally so that I know when she starts liking it again.  (Sameer and I have gotten a little sick of the kale in walnut sauce too after having it nearly every day for weeks, but add a little coriander/garlic chutney and it's different and good again.)  The pita pizzas are really easy and will use up the Roma tomatoes and some more spinach (since I plan on needing another entire container of it this week).  The squash puree is just a plastic baggy of frozen squash puree from the organic frozen vegetables section of the grocery store that I heat up in boiling water.  It'll add some nutrition and color and variety to the meal, albeit without adding a lot of flavor.

Summer Vegetable Crepes and Sauteed Sweet Potato and Fruit Salad
I figure I'll just saute the leftover cubed sweet potato in a little olive oil -- Sim likes it that way when it's in Thai green curry -- and serve it as a side dish on its own.  I'm not sure what I'll put in the fruit salad, but stone fruits are in season, and we end most of our meals eating / feeding Sim enormous amounts of sliced stone fruits anyway.  I might just pre-chop some peaches, plums, and cherries for this.  We all loved the crepes the last time I made them, and they will use up the leftover zucchini in the fridge.

Falafel and Cucumber Yogurt Salad
Simran hasn't had falafel before, but I think she'll enjoy feeding it to herself.  It will also use up the pita pockets leftover from the pita pizzas.  I want to serve some sort of light salad alongside the falafel and immediately thought of Jerusalem salad like our favorite falafel shop serves, but I would rather it have a light yogurt base than the heavy tahini base, so I'm going to chop up some cucumber and Roma tomatoes (like in Jerusalem salad) and maybe some red onion and mix it with the same yogurt sauce I make for the falafel.  I'd say it's going to be like raita, but it will be more vegetable than yogurt and have fewer seasonings than raita -- just salt, white pepper, and garlic.  I might buy a little container of hummus and some pita chips from Whole Foods too, just to eat.

Red Chile Cheese Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw
I asked for Sameer's input on what meals to make this week, and he suggested making enchiladas again since we all like them.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
Since we're doing enchiladas again this week, we'll have lots of red cabbage to use up again this week.  This meal will also use up those julienne carrots, red onion, and avocado in the fridge.  This is the only vegan meal I have planned for the week.

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese and Wild Rice Pilaf and Green Salad
I have been wanting to try marinated mushrooms again ever since the barbecued mushrooms were such a bust, and I found this new recipe.  It sounds delightful and rich, so I'm pairing it with a light rice pilaf and green salad -- maybe with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette.  Based on the recipes I've looked at, my rice pilaf will probably just be white basmati and black wild rice mixed together and cooked in vegetable broth and a tablespoon of butter.

Portobello Mushrooms Stuffed with Spinach and Goat Cheese

I was looking for a way to serve marinated mushrooms and found this recipe on Epicurious.  Reviews say it's pretty rich, so I figure I'll serve it with some kind of green salad and maybe wild rice. 

Ingredients
Marinated mushrooms

• 1 cup olive oil
• 1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1/2 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 2 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse kosher salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup Marsala (optional)
• 4 large fresh thyme sprigs
• 6 large portobello mushrooms

Filling:

• 1 10-ounce package frozen spinach
• 1 pound button mushrooms
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 cup chopped sweet onion (such as Maui or Vidalia)
• 3 garlic cloves, pressed
• 1/4 cup plus 6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan cheese
• 1/4 cup unseasoned dry breadcrumbs
•  1 5-ounce package soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Directions

For marinated mushrooms:
Whisk first 6 ingredients and Marsala, if desired, in medium bowl for marinade. Stir in thyme sprigs. Cut stems from mushrooms and place stems in processor. Arrange mushrooms, gill side up, in 15x10x2-inch glass baking dish. Pour marinade over mushrooms and marinate 4 hours, turning to coat occasionally.

 

For filling:
 

1. Cook spinach according to package directions. Drain; cool. Using hands, squeeze excess water from spinach. Place in small bowl.

2. Add half of button mushrooms to processor with portobello mushroom stems. Using on/off turns, process until coarsely chopped. Transfer to medium bowl and repeat with remaining mushrooms. 

3. Heat oil in heavy large skillet over high heat. Add onion; sauté until beginning to brown, stirring often, about 3 minutes. Add garlic and stir 30 seconds. Add chopped mushrooms, sprinkle with salt, and increase heat to high. Cook until almost all liquid evaporates, stirring often, about 8 minutes. Season mushroom mixture with salt and pepper. Transfer to large bowl; cool to room temperature.

Add spinach, 1/4 cup Parmesan, and breadcrumbs to mushroom mixture; toss to distribute evenly. Add goat cheese and toss gently to distribute evenly. Season filling to taste with salt and pepper. DO AHEAD: Can be made 2 hours ahead. Cover filling and let stand at room temperature.

4. Preheat oven to 400°F. Transfer marinated mushrooms, with some marinade still clinging, to rimmed baking sheet, gill side down. Roast until beginning to soften, about 15 minutes. Turn mushrooms over. Divide filling among mushrooms. Sprinkle remaining 6 tablespoons Parmesan cheese over and bake until heated through and cheese begins to brown, about 15 minutes.

Meal Planning

Time for weekly meal planning.  I ended up skipping a few of the side dishes I had planned for last week, mostly because I was missing an ingredient or because I ended up making something that was planned for another night instead.  Vegetable Manchurian went badly because it turns out I need detailed instructions on how to fry something (e.g., how high the heat should be, how long to fry it, how to tell when it's done).  We ended up eating most of them anyway, but I didn't make the sauce at all.  I left out the chilli paste in order to keep it bland enough for Simran, and she and Sameer seemed to enjoy them well enough.  I don't think we'd fed her any deep-fried foods before that, so I guess all the oil was a novelty.  At least I managed to use the entire head of Napa cabbage over the course of the week.  That was an accomplishment.

This week I have the following in my fridge to use up:  one bunch green kale, about half a zucchini chopped, a green bell pepper sliced, half a brick of silken tofu, half a red onion, and several peeled carrots.  Here is what I'm planning to make:

Thai Green Curry
This will use up the bell pepper and zucchini, and I should be able to just throw in the silken tofu too, in addition to the usual extra firm tofu.

Healthy Burritos
These are a pretty easy, tasty, and healthy way to use up random leftover vegetables.  "Healthy" here basically means no cheese, no sour cream.  I've started buying no-oil whole-grain tortillas (Food for Life and Engine #2 brands both make these and sell them in the refrigerated section at Whole Foods), so the only thing Esselstyn wouldn't approve of here is the avocado or guacamole I always include (I find I don't even miss the cheese if there is avocado).  Everything else is just whatever you like in burritos -- beans, rice, salsa, fire-roasted corn and red bell peppers, pico de gallo, tomatoes, lettuce, etc.  Plus Simran can easily deconstruct the burritos and feed herself.  She loves the tortillas and lettuce in particular.

Black Bean Nacho Pizza and Kale with Walnut Sauce
This is one of the healthier ways we have pizza since it has a whole wheat crust (not 100% whole wheat, but better than nothing) and a black bean / roasted red pepper mixture as the sauce.  Plus Sameer and I love eating it covered in pickled jalapenos, and Simran always likes pizza of any kind.

Creamy Avocado & White Bean Wraps and Vegan Cream of Broccoli Soup
We haven't had these wraps in awhile, and they'll use up some of the carrots in the fridge, and I'm trying hard to include more vegan meals this week since so many I'm planning this week have dairy in them.  Plus, Simran likes feeding herself sandwich-type foods like this.

Penne alla Vodka
This should use up some of the carrots and whatever bell peppers are left over from other dishes.  It's also full of vegetables and really quick and easy.

Red Chile Cheese Enchiladas and Red Cabbage Slaw
These are really good enchiladas from EatingWell.com that I've been making for years but apparently never posted here.  I always like eating them with red cabbage slaw, which will use up more of the red cabbage I need to buy for the avocado & white bean wraps.

Spaghetti Marinara and Green Banana Power Blended Salad
I didn't end up making the blended salad last week, so I'll do it this week.  I'm really curious to see if it's edible or just disgusting.  Spaghetti is an easy, vegan stand-by.

Red Chile Cheese Enchiladas

This is a simple enchilada recipe I found a few years ago on EatingWell.com.  The most work comes from making the sauce, but after Sameer tried it, he never wanted store-bought enchilada sauce again (I sort of regret that -- store-bought sauce might not taste as good, but it costs about a dollar rather than half an hour of your life).  The recipe below reflects my changes based on personal taste and what I can easily find at the store.  I always serve it with chopped raw yellow Spanish onion and chopped romaine lettuce on top.

Ingredients

Red Chile Sauce

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 1/2 cup minced white or yellow onion
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/4 cup chili powder
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth 
• 1 tsp tomato paste or 1 tbs tomato sauce (I've even used marinara or pizza sauce in a pinch -- works fine)
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1/2 teaspoon salt

Enchiladas

• 1 15-ounce can vegetarian refried beans
• 2 tablespoons low-fat plain yogurt (Sour cream tastes slightly better but isn't as healthy.)
• 12 6-inch corn tortillas
• 2 cups shredded sharp Cheddar cheese, (8 ounces), divided
• 1/4 cup minced white or yellow onion, plus more for garnish
• 1 cup chopped romaine lettuce, for sprinkling on top

Directions

1. To prepare sauce: Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add 1/2 cup onion; cook, stirring, until it begins to soften, about 1 minute. Stir in garlic and continue cooking until the onion is translucent and soft, about 2 minutes more. Stir in chili powder. Add broth, water, oregano and salt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until thickened and reduced by about one-third, about 20 minutes. (The sauce should be thick enough to coat a spoon lightly.  You can do this step in advance and keep the sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.)
2. To prepare enchiladas: Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 7-by-11-inch (or similar-size 2-quart) baking dish with cooking spray.
3. Combine beans and yogurt in a small bowl.
4. Spread about 1/4 cup of the sauce in the baking dish. Arrange 4 tortillas in the dish, overlapping them to cover the bottom. Top with half the bean mixture, using the back of a spoon to spread it thin. Scatter 2/3 cup cheese and 2 tablespoons onion on top of the beans. Top with one-third of the remaining sauce, 4 tortillas, the remaining bean mixture, 2/3 cup cheese and the remaining 2 tablespoons onion. Spread half of the remaining sauce on top and cover with the remaining 4 tortillas. Top with the remaining sauce and the remaining 2/3 cup cheese.
5. Bake the enchiladas until hot and bubbling, 15 to 20 minutes. Let stand for 5 minutes before serving. Serve with additional minced onion and lettuce, if desired.

Homemade Marshmallows

I've decided to make high quality S'mores this week for the 4th of July, and unless I want to spend $5 for a tiny container of wonderful vegan marshmallows by Sara & Sweet, that means making my own.  This recipe is not technically vegetarian since it includes gelatin.  I've tried making vegan and vegetarian marshmallows multiple times at home and never had success with the consistency.  Even when the flavor has been good, they didn't set, and instead they turn out like marshmallow fluff.  This recipe from Alton Brown is one I have had good luck with though.

Ingredients

3 packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup ice cold water, divided
12 ounces granulated sugar, approximately 1 1/2 cups
1 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 cup confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
Nonstick spray

Directions

 

1. Place the gelatin into the bowl of a stand mixer along with 1/2 cup of the water. Have the whisk attachment standing by.

2. In a small saucepan combine the remaining 1/2 cup water, granulated sugar, corn syrup and salt. Place over medium high heat, cover and allow to cook for 3 to 4 minutes. Uncover, clip a candy thermometer onto the side of the pan and continue to cook until the mixture reaches 240 degrees F, approximately 7 to 8 minutes. Once the mixture reaches this temperature, immediately remove from the heat.

3. Turn the mixer on low speed and, while running, slowly pour the sugar syrup down the side of the bowl into the gelatin mixture. Once you have added all of the syrup, increase the speed to high. Continue to whip until the mixture becomes very thick and is lukewarm, approximately 12 to 15 minutes. Add the vanilla during the last minute of whipping. While the mixture is whipping prepare the pans as follows.
 

4. Combine the confectioners' sugar and cornstarch in a small bowl. Lightly spray a 13 by 9-inch metal baking pan with nonstick cooking spray. Add the sugar and cornstarch mixture and move around to completely coat the bottom and sides of the pan. Return the remaining mixture to the bowl for later use.

5. When ready, pour the mixture into the prepared pan, using a lightly oiled spatula for spreading evenly into the pan. Dust the top with enough of the remaining sugar and cornstarch mixture to lightly cover. Reserve the rest for later. Allow the marshmallows to sit uncovered for at least 4 hours and up to overnight.

6. Turn the marshmallows out onto a cutting board and cut into 1-inch squares using a pizza wheel dusted with the confectioners' sugar mixture. Once cut, lightly dust all sides of each marshmallow with the remaining mixture, using additional if necessary. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 weeks.