Roasted Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad

March 28, 2016 by 9 Comments

This recipe for Roasted Shredded Brussels Sprout Salad is so simple! It is served warm and is just combined with salt, pepper, oil, and apple cider vinegar and takes only 15 minutes! But, it’s healthy, vegetarian, and comforting.
Warm brussels sprouts salad recipe - just shredded sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of apple cider vinegar roasted in the oven. A warm salad for when you want to be healthy but want a little comfort from a rainy day

You can indulge a little by adding to your Roasted Brussels Sprouts Salad a shower of freshly grated parmesan, or crumble in some crispy bacon, toss in some slivered almonds, whatever to this sturdy foundation of shredded roasted greens. That might add a few more minutes to the time to create that salad, but this salad is also great without the additions. I’m currently reading Chrissy Tiegen’s cookbook Cravings and although her shredded brussels sprouts salad is raw and uses lemon juice instead of apple cider vinegar, I liked her idea of adding in 1 1/2 cups halved grapes and 1/2 cup toasted slivered almonds.

Roasting the shredded brussels sprouts is an extra step since you could just dress and eat them raw as is. But I like how roasting pays off as it gives the salad a little bit of crispiness that brings it up to a new level from a raw salad, without that much more effort. Having a warm salad is also comforting on spring days that drift more into chilly and rainy.

Ingredients:

  • 1 pound of Brussels Sprouts
  • 2 tablespoons Olive Oil
  • Salt to taste
  • Freshly ground Pepper to taste
  • 1 tablespoon Apple Cider vinegar

Directions:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a baking pan with spray or olive oil – you might choose to put some parchment paper or foil down first for easier cleanup.
  2. Next, after cleaning and tossing any browned leaves on the outside of your sprouts, I cut them in half and then shred them in the food processor for about 15 seconds or so in two batches. All together that took maybe 5 minutes.
  3. Now mix the shredded brussels sprouts with the 2 tablespoons of olive oil and the salt and pepper to taste together in a large mixing bowl.  Spread the sprouts on your lined baking pan and roast just until the edges start to get crisped and brown.  This might be about 7 – 10 minutes.
  4. While still hot, toss the 1 tablespoon of Apple Cider vinegar into the roasted and shredded sprouts.  Serve right away. Done, warm healthy salad for four people in 15 minutes!
    This recipe for Roasted brussels sprouts salad is just shredded sprouts with olive oil, salt, pepper, and a bit of apple cider vinegar roasted in the oven. These little browned pieces are just from roasting in the oven, not bacon - though I won't stop you from crumbling a little crispy bacon on your version

I served this as a side dish along with a Leek and Cheese Ranch Chicken Breast and Garlic Mashed Potatoes – I even ended up mixing the sauce from the chicken with the potatoes and the brussels sprouts and it was all good, a traditional home cooked meal with your plate of greens, carbs, and protein.
Recipe for this Warm Roasted brussels sprouts salad - a side here with mashed potatoes and creamy ranch chicken

How would you like to eat your brussels sprouts – would you add additional toppings here, what would they be?

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Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Nuts

March 14, 2016 by 6 Comments

It’s March, so besides Portland Dining Month as I wrote about earlier, I was also inspired to look forward to St Patrick’s Day. Though I’m not a fan of green beer or over-drinking, or food with green dye (in fact I intentionally wrote a post last year promoting recipes for food that is naturally green).

Green Food for St Patrick's Day with no need for food dye or food coloring, plus suggestions for fun ways to incprorate corned beef and pastrami

Last year I also made Reuben Sliders

Reuben Sliders Recipe from Pechluck.com, great for a party and the next day as leftovers for lunch too!

This year I was inspired by the Vegetarian Times recipe for Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts. It is completely vegetarian, and ok, maybe doesn’t really have anything green in it either that stands out except for the parsley – but hey it uses cabbage for those of us who don’t want the corned beef. With the red and green colors, I would consider making this for Christmas too.
Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts

Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts with Butter Tomato Sauce

Serves 4-6. It’s important to remove as much liquid as you can from every part of the dish before you assemble them in the casserole. My trick to doing this is by baking it in a foil lined 8″ by 8″ pan. Then after baking, I can pour any extra liquid out and since it’s on foil easily lift and transfer the casserole onto a serving platter.
Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts

In many ways, this is essentially a kind of eggless lasagna that uses cabbage instead of pasta for the layering.
Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts

The original recipe makes a tomato sauce using just chopped tomatoes, minced garlic, and parsley. However, I made my own version with a butter tomato sauce that utilizes just tomatoes. To keep this vegan follow the original recipe instead, and then swap the low fat ricotta with a cashew ricotta or tofu ricotta. By using my version with the butter tomato sauce I was trying to add a little extra flavor then their simple tomato sauce, but the original version, I admit, is healthier.

Ingredients:

  • 1 can crushed tomatoes in its own juice (28 ounces)
  • 1 whole onion, peeled and cut in half
  • 5 tablespoons of butter
  • 12 large leaves of savoy cabbage
  • 3 teaspoons of olive oil, divided
  • 1 cup of chopped leeks (about 1 leek)
  • ½ cup low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1/2 of a lemon, cut into slices
  • 2 teaspoons of minced garlic
  • 4 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
  • 1 1/2 cup of low-fat ricotta cheese, drained of liquid
  • 3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

Directions:

  1. In a small pot, simmer the can of crushed tomatoes with the peeled onion halves (cut it lengthwise so it will stay intact) and 5 tablespoons of butter for about 30 minutes, stirring once a while to distribute the flavor.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 1 1/2 teaspoons of oil in a small skillet. Add the 1 cup of chopped leeks and saute until they are bright green. Now pour in the 1/2 cup of low sodium vegetable broth, add lemon slices on top and let everything simmer until there is essentially no broth left, probably about 30 minutes. Remove lemon and set aside the lemon and broth flavored leeks – again, keep in mind there should be no liquid.
  3. While those two pots are reducing, boil some salted water and blanch the 12 large savoy cabbage leaves by letting them soften in the boiling water for about 5 minutes or so and then immediately plunge each leaf in iced cold water. Remove each leaf from the cold water and pat dry on both sides and set aside for layering your casserole shortly.
    Blanched cabbage leaves that will be the foundation of layers for Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts, similar to a lasagna but can be vegan and doesn't use pasta
  4. By this point, your tomatoes should have absorbed most of the flavors from the onion and butter. Discard the onion,  or set aside for another dish. In a medium sized skillet over high heat, add 1 1/2 teaspoons of  oil. Saute the minced garlic for about a minute and then add about 1 cup of the crushed tomato only using a slotted spoon to use up the chunky tomato flesh parts – you can use the leftover of your sauce for spaghetti that is left in the other pot. For now, after adding the 1 cup of tomato to the minced garlic in the skillet, stir for a few minutes and then stir in the 3 tablespoons of fresh chopped parsley, and season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat and set aside.
  5. Preheat oven to 350°F.  Now it’s time to assemble the cabbage casserole. Coat an 8 inch square baking dish with cooking spray – or do what I did which is I used a foil layer inside the baking dish, and then sprayed that with cooking spray so that I could easily lift the casserole out later and serve it on a platter.
  6. Place 3 of the large blanched cabbage leaves on bottom to start the layers.
    Place 3 of the large blanched cabbage leaves on bottom to start the layers for the Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts
  7. Spread 1/4 cup of your tomato garlic parsley mix over the cabbage leaves layer.
    Spread 1/4 cup of your tomato garlic parsley mix over the cabbage leaves layer in assembling the Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts
  8. Top with 1/3 portion of your lemon vegetable broth flavored leeks (1/3 because you will need to do 3 layers of this in assembling the cabbage casserole).
    Next, top with 1/2 of your lemon vegetable broth flavored leeks in assembling the Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts Next, top with 1/2 of your lemon vegetable broth flavored leeks in assembling the Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts
  9. Now spread 6 generous tablespoons of the low fat ricotta, and sprinkle 1 tablespoons of the toasted pine nuts. Season with salt and pepper.
    spread 6 generous tablespoons of the ricotta, and sprinkle 1 tablespoons of the toasted pine nuts to finish the layer filling of the Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts
  10. Now repeat these steps, adding 2 more layers. At the end, top with your fourth layer of 3 cabbage leaves and last of the tomatoes mixture.
  11. Bake in the oven 30 minutes.

If there is a lot of liquid that comes out of the casserole, drain the liquid.
Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts

Then serve in slices, just like you would any lasagna or casserole!
Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts Cabbage Casserole with Leeks, Ricotta, and Pine Nuts

Are you doing anything for St Patrick’s day, or making any special green or Irish inspired food? Are you too looking forward to the evenings when you come home and there is still some sunlight / natural light to enjoy now that we’ve gone through Daylight Savings time change and leapt forward?

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Recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio

January 25, 2016 by 7 Comments

This recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio is healthy and hearty, offering you lots of fiber and protein while also feeling satisfying. This salad leans much more on lentils than the greens, so if you’d like you could serve this on a bed of more arugula or other greens to make it a whole meal.
Recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio

You can serve this warm – I don’t know about you but although I want to eat my greens, with the colder weather I also crave something warm, so this dish offers the best of both worlds.
Vegetarian lentil salad with roasted orange and radicchio, toasted nuts and mint and arugula

My version here was inspired by the recipe from the Vegetarian Times, although my version omits the shallots and increases the amount of lentils, walnuts, and adds in the handful of arugula. The oranges and orange juice add a bit of sweetness as well as acidity, while the toasted walnuts provide the nuttiness and crunchy textures now and then, both which balance out the lentils and arugula.

Ingredients:

  • 4 oranges
  • 1 head of radicchio
    Head of radicchio
  • Olive Oil – you will be using two tablespoons, first to roast and later as part of the dressing
  • 1 1/2 cup French lentils, rinsed
  • 1 1/2 cup orange juice
  • 1 cup toasted walnuts –  I toast them in a pan on the stove with a spritz of cooking spray butter whole, and then break them up later after the toasting
    Toasted Walnuts - I toast them in a pan with a spritz of cooking spray butter whole, and then break them up later after the toasting
  • 2 tablespoons of chopped mint
  • A handful of arugula (about 1 1/2 cups)

Directions:

  1. The most prep work will be for the roasted oranges and radicchio. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Cover a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper to prepare to roasted vegetables and fruits. You will need to thinly slice the radicchio into strips that you will be roasting with the oranges – think about the size you would see shredded into a a taco or salad. This should yield 4-6 cups of shredded radicchio.
  2. For the oranges, after peeling them, you want to cut them into sections so they are in wedges (think like chocolate oranges, but with a real orange) but remove the membrane. Squeeze the empty membranes into the same bowl you are placing the orange wedges to collect any extra fresh juice.
    The hardest part is removing the wedges of orange from the membrane for this Recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio
  3. You will want to toss the shredded radicchio into your orange bowl, and then add one tablespoon of olive oil and toss all together. Arrange all in a single layer on the baking sheet and let roast for 15 minutes or so in the oven. Stir the radicchio and oranges so it will roast the other side, and roast for another 10 minutes or so until the oranges are caramelized.
    Roast the orange wedges and the radicchio in a single layer on a baking sheet in this Recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio Roast the orange wedges and the radicchio in a single layer on a baking sheet in this Recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio
  4. While the oranges and radicchio are roasting, boil a pot of the 1 1/12 cup of French lentils in 2 1/4 cups of water mixed with 1 1/2 cups of orange juice. Once it comes to a boil, lower to heat to medium-low and let simmer for 30 minutes or so until the lentils are done.  Drain lentils and place into your serving dish, but keep the cooking liquid.
    Cook the lentils in a water and orange juice liquid for this Recipe for a Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio
  5. In the pot with the remaining lentil cooking liquid to saucepan, and simmer over medium heat if necessary until reduced to 1/4 cup. Pour over lentils.
    The cooked lentil is refreshed with a bit of the reduced cooking liquid (water and orange juice) after being drained after cooking
  6. When the orange and radicchio are finished roasting, add those to your lentils, and add in the last tablespoon of olive oil, the cup of toasted walnuts, 2 tablespoons of fresh mint, and a healthy handful of the arugula. Mix everything together. Depending on how it tastes, you may want to add a touch of sea salt and ground pepper to your liking.
    Mix together the olive oil with the orange juice water lentils, roasted oranges and radicchio, toasted walnuts, and chopped mint

Are you a fan of lentils? What’s your favorite way to enjoy lentils?
The Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio as part of the food spread Vegetarian lentil salad with roasted orange and radicchio, toasted nuts and mint and arugula

As for me, I served this as a side dish during Thanksgiving – they were great mixed in with the cranberry sauce and the mashed potatoes!
The Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio as part of the Thanksgiving day spread, great with the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauces The Vegetarian Lentil Salad with Roasted Oranges and Radicchio as part of the Thanksgiving day spread, great with the mashed potatoes and cranberry sauces

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Easy Mushroom White Wine Cream Sauce Recipe

January 11, 2016 by 8 Comments

One of the things I pride myself on is being able to re-invigorate leftovers into other meals. After a fondue party last year, I had a handful of mushrooms that were left over. I also had various bottles of leftover wine (it was a wine potluck), including a white wine that was open. And, there was a small carton of cream that was in my fridge from a guest who had left it behind after making a chocolate fondue.

To extend the mushrooms and the wine into a full meal (which I also enjoyed with a glass of red wine!), I made this vegetarian and super ridiculously easy mushroom white wine cream sauce recipe.

I put mine on pasta, but these does equally well on rice, or on chicken, pork, etc. As a sauce on protein, this would be enough for 4 people! But on pasta, this was just enough for 2.
Use this Easy Mushroom and White Wine Cream Sauce recipe on pasta to feed 2, or pour it over chicken or other protein to feed 4 or more! Easy MushroomWhite Wine Cream Sauce recipe on pasta
Ingredients:

  • Olive oil
  • 1/4 cup of diced onion (I always keep a frozen bag of diced onion in the freezer!)
  • 1 minced garlic clove
  • 5 mushrooms, thinly chopped
  • 1/2 of a vegetable stock cube: just cut the solid rectangle in half. If you use chicken stock depending on how strong the flavor you may want to use 1/4 instead
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream

Directions:

  1. In a pan on medium heat, heat a little olive oil. Add the diced onion for a couple minutes until it becomes translucent.
    Add the diced onion for a couple minutes until it becomes translucent.
  2. Then, add, garlic and mushrooms and saute until the mushrooms so that the garlic is not so raw. You don’t need to brown the mushrooms, so this will only take a few minutes.
    For this easy mushroom and white wine cream sauce, you saute briefly onion, garlic, and mushroom
  3. Reduce the heat to low, and carefully pour in the wine. Simmer until the wine has been absorbed by the mushrooms, which should take 5 minutes or so.
    Easy Mushroom and White Wine Cream Sauce - add the wine and let the mushroom absorb it Easy Mushroom and White Wine Cream Sauce - add the wine and let the mushroom absorb it
  4. Crumble in the 1/2 of a vegetable stock cube, and pour in the 1/2 cup of cream. Raise the heat to medium-low, and let it simmer and thicken, about  5-7 minutes.
    Easy Mushroom and White Wine Cream Sauce Recipe - add the wine and let the mushroom absorb it, then add the cream and let thicken Easy Mushroom White Wine Cream Sauce Recipe - add the wine and let the mushroom absorb it, then add the cream and let thicken

It’s pretty crazy right? I can easy pop in 5 mushrooms in my mouth off a vegetable tray. But, here the 5 mushrooms really last by chopping it up into all these little bits into a pretty mushroom-y sauce to take full advantage of the flavor of mushroom.
Easy Mushroom White Wine Cream Sauce Recipe- add the wine and let the mushroom absorb it, then add the cream and let thicken Easy Mushroom White Wine Cream Sauce recipe on pasta

This recipe is so easy, I was making the pasta, the sauce, texting with my family, and talking to F all at the same time. But, it’s such a satisfying sauce, and dinner.
Easy Mushroom and White Wine Cream Sauce recipe on pasta

Do you have any special recipe or trick to transform leftovers into another meal? How do you stretch an ingredient?

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Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole

December 21, 2015 by 5 Comments

While I was in Santa Fe, I saw several times the options for a Southwest Squash Casserole. Instead of the usual burritos or other Mexican food with the generous ladling of red or green (or both, “Christmas style” – get it, using both red and green?) chiles, the Southwest Squash Casserole option sounded less heavy but still celebratory of the namesake southwest chiles. I didn’t have any while I was in Santa Fe, but I was inspired to make one myself.
Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa

This recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole uses both red salsa and green chiles, as this was my favorite way to enjoy the chiles in Santa Fe (though they used red chiles and green chiles – I dialed down the heat by using a salsa instead). Also, maybe I could never really know which would be the best at any restaurant – the green or the red – so why decide? Why not both?
Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa

In Santa Fe sometimes the green chile came with chunks of shredded chicken in it, but if you get the ones in the can you normally see in the store it will just be the chiles – it’s up to you if you want to add in some shredded cooked chicken to this dish.

Ingredients:

  • 8 cups of squash – I used a mix of yellow squash that I chopped into half moons (they should be at least 1/2 inch thick so they don’t get too mushy) and cubed butternut squash
    A mix of yellow squash and butternut squash for this Vegetarian Recipe for Southwest Squash Casserole
  • 2/3 cup chopped onion
  • 1 4 ounce can of chopped green chiles
    A 4 ounce can of green chiles for the green and salsa adds the red for this Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole
  • 2 cups grated cheese, divided – I used a blend of cheddar and jack cheeses
  • 1/4 cup flour
  • 3/4 cup salsa – if it’s not spicy you may want a little more if it’s a chunky salsa you are using, if it’s spicy you might dial it back a little to not overwhelm the dish with too much heat
  • 2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 11-by-7-inch 2 quart casserole baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. I had to do this in two large mixing bowls because I didn’t have a bowl large enough, but you will want to combine your 8 cups of squash, 2/3 cup chopped onion, the 4 ounces of chopped green chiles, half of your grated cheese (so just 1 cup cheese), and the 1/4 cup flour together and mix. Since I used two mixing bowls, I just put half of everything in each bowl to do the mixing – you will want to flour, onion, and green chiles and cheese to coat all your squash lightly. Then combine the mixture together into your sprayed baking dish. Cover with foil.
    Toss together your squash, cheese, green chlies, chopped onions, and flour for the first step of the Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole Toss together your squash, cheese, green chlies, chopped onions, and flour for the first step of the Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole Toss together your squash, cheese, green chlies, chopped onions, and flour for the first step of the Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole
  3. Bake the casserole until the squash is tender, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven and distribute your salsa over the top, as well as sprinkling over the salsa your last 1 cup of grated cheese.
    Top with salsa for the red in this Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole Top with salsa for the red in this Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole
  4. Return to the oven uncovered to bake for another 15 minutes or so until the cheese is bubbling. Remove from oven and sprinkle with green onions.
    Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa Recipe for a Vegetarian Southwest Squash Casserole that uses yellow squash, butternut squash, and green chiles and red salsa

Have you ever heard of a Southwest Squash casserole? Did it have this “Christmas” version of red and green chiles, or how was it?

This is my last post until after the holidays: in fact, I actually left for Japan several days before this post went up! So I wanted to take this opportunity to wish you a wonderful warm holiday until 2016, full of new memories and of course lots of deliciousness.

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