All posts in category Recipes

Roasted Almond Herb Sauce

This is a spin-off from a walnut dressing I learned while cooking in Ireland.

First you roast some almonds.

5-10 minutes at 350 degrees will do.

Chuck 'em in a food processor... grind them into a coarse meal.

Get out your green herbs, and add a lot. The more, the better! You're looking at parsley.

Grind the almonds and herbs into a finer meal.

Then get out your oil and vinegar.  Everything here goes unmeasured.  You have to use your intuition.  Oil to vinegar should stay at a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio.  You want enough liquid added so that when you blend it again, the product will be runny. If it’s too runny, it’s a dressing.  If it’s on the thicker side, it’s a sauce.  Big deal.  They’re both delicious.  Also, find your dijon (1 TB) and black pepper.

Oil, vinegar, dijon, and black pepper. (Salt optional).

Blend it up!

Nice and smooth.

This is awesome served on… everything.  Over rice or quinoa, on toast, on boiled/baked potatoes, on salad…

Roasted Almond Herb Dressing/Sauce

ROASTED ALMOND HERB SAUCE:

  • A bunch of almonds (roasted)
  • A bunch of parsley (or a half-bunch)
  • Enough oil and vinegar to make it runny. (3:1 or 4:1 ratio).
  • 1 TB of dijon
  • black pepper & salt (optional)
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by demogirl06 on January 25, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on January 25, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/25/roasted-almond-herb-sace/

Potatoes, Onions, & Kale in White Sauce

I was looking to do something completely different for my non-veg roommates.  We just went shopping, and I had a lot to work with.

I was thinking some kind of casserole, and mashed potatoes seemed like an okay idea.  So I cut up a few to boil them:

Small pieces boil faster.

I then put about 4 cloves of garlic, a few peppercorns, and some coriander seeds into some oil for a saute.

4 cloves chopped garlic; a few pepper corns; a tsp of coriander seeds in 1-2TB olive oil.

Then half-mooned 2 onions.  Chucked them in.

2 onions

Went into our fridge to find some kale…

That's a lot of veggies.

Chopped up a head of kale.

And mixed it in.

Mixed in the kale and added over a tsp of coriander powder.

When the potatoes were done, I drained them in order to mash them… but it didn’t feel right.  I left them as they were, and put them in the bottom of the dish.

Changed my mind about mashing them.

I set about to make a low-fat white sauce.  1.5 cups of whole milk, with two heaping TB of corn starch (or white flour) whisked in, and heated until thick (stir it continuously).

Milk and corn starch. If you want more flavor, add 1-2 TB of butter. What you see on my fork is a little bit of green curry paste I found in the cupboard. It's just a tiny bit, to give the white sauce a little flavor.

When that was done, I poured it over the potatoes, which I liberally seasoned with black pepper.

Poured the white sauce over the potatoes.

Then I heaped the onions and kale on the top.

Layer stir fry on top.

Since it was no longer a vegan dish, I decided to lightly sprinkle some Parmesan cheese on top.  *White sauce can be made vegan (coconut white sauce is epic).  At the time, I had no other milk substitute to use.

The experimental casserole.

Since everything was already cooked, I popped it in the oven on 350 degrees for about 10 minutes, just to let the cheese melt.

I try to make low-to-no added sodium recipes, light on animal-sourced ingredients.  For more flavor, add melted butter to the white sauce, add more cheese, or use salt.

POTATOS, ONIONS, & KALE IN WHITE SAUCE:

Bottom layer:

  • 4-5 potatoes, in full moon slices (boiled)
  • ground black pepper
Top layer:
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • some pepper corns
  • 1 tsp coriander seeds
  • 1 head of kale (chopped)
White Sauce:
  • 1.5 cups of milk (or milk substitute)
  • 2 TB of corn starch (or white flour)
  • 1-2 TB butter (optional)
  • 1 TB of curry paste or whatever you can dream up for subtle flavor (optional)
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by demogirl06 on January 25, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on January 25, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/25/potatoes-onions-kale-in-white-sauce/

Creamed Beets

I guess that’s what you’d call them.  Basically, beets with a “creamy” texture.

Get yourself some beets.

Chop them into little bits.

Throw them in a pan with some butter (or coconut oil).

I try to keep things pretty low fat, but the more butter, obviously the better things taste.

I covered it and let the beets cook through.

That's steam. Check to make sure the beets aren't burning, and maybe add a little water at the bottom to hasten the cooking process.

Once cooked, sprinkle a little bit of flour.

2-3 TB of flour will do.

Now, I’m sure there’s a better way to do this, but I’m lazy and I hate needlessly dirtying more dishes.  If you stir it up long enough, the clumps will go away. Add water (or milk) as needed for smooth consistency.

You can add salt or butter, to improve the flavor, or just eat them as they are. Beets are high in sugar.

Sexy beets.

CREAMED BEETS:

  • some beets, chopped up in little bits.
  • some butter, as much as you want (or coconut oil).
  • some white flour (2-3 TB will probably do)
  • a little water, to prevent burning and help the mixing.
  • salt (optional)
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by demogirl06 on January 23, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on January 23, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/23/creamed-beets/

Lazyman’s Quick Coconut-Raisin-Cinnamon Butternut Squash Soup

More like a puree.  Or a warm milkshake.

Things I always have: shredded coconut, cinnamon, and raisins.  And I think they’re friggin’ delicious in just about everything.

So I took my butternut squash and began to dissect it.

If anyone knows a more efficient way to skin a squash, do let me know.

I save my seeds.

...and I stick them in my dehydrator. The rest of you can roast them.

Once all the squash was cubed, I stuck it in a pot with some water at the bottom.

There's water in the bottom.

And then I added my favorite flavors.

Raisins, coconut, and cinnamon.

And steamed it until soft, mixing it occasionally.

Mushy. Looks done.

Stuck it in my blender, and added a little chunk of butter (I would have preferred coconut oil, but we were fresh out).

Butter or coconut oil for some fat. I had no milk, no yogurt, and no sour cream. (Being vegan-friendly, I don't use them much anyway).

Add a little water and liquidize!

Don't forget to add just enough water so it won't stick to the sides.

Bam.  Done.  Roasted butternut squash definitely yields a better flavor, but I wasn’t about to stick around for an hour.

Blend until smooth.

Garnished with coconut.

LAZYMAN’S COCONUT-RAISIN-CINNAMON BUTTERNUT SQUASH SOUP

  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
  • a handful of raisins
  • a handful of coconut shreds
  • a few dashes of cinnamon
  • a chunk of butter, or a heaping TB of coconut oil
  • a little water
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by demogirl06 on January 23, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on January 23, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/23/lazymans-quick-coconut-raisin-cinnamon-butternut-squash-soup/

Black Lentil Soup

Kitchen was still fairly empty this week, but I had some onions, shallots, and a can of tomatoes…

I started by cooking up some of my pre-soaked black lentils (they actually sat on the counter in water for 2 days).

1/2 pot of lentils, covered in water. That's 1/2 tsp of cardamom on top, and there are some ginger slices in there, too (1 square inch).

And then set about sauteing some onions and shallots in a sauce pan.

Sauteing 2 onions and 2 shallots in olive oil

Added cumin, corriander, and cayenne.

1 tsp cumin; 1 tsp corriander; 1/2 tsp of cayenne

I let it do its thing for a couple minutes, and dug out a big can of tomatoes.

Can of tomatoes, which I swiftly dissected with a knife.

And afterward, I impatiently dumped in all the lentils, with the water and chunks of ginger.  (Because my lentils were pre-soaked, they cooked super fast).

Amazingly, my sauce pan was just big enough.

I added some extra oil (for some fat), covered it, and let it simmer.  The longer these things sit, the better the flavor.  I don’t use salt, and some may find it bland.  Add salt to taste.

Sweet. (There's an extra 1-2 TB of oil in there)

Add salt to taste. Or maybe a dollop of yogurt, sour cream, rouge ail, or whatever else you can dream up.

BLACK LENTIL SOUP

  • a bunch of pre-soaked black lentils (1/2 pot)
  • cardamom powder or a few pods (optional)
  • sliced giner (about a square inch)
  • a couple onions
  • a couple shallots
  • a couple splashes of oil
  • cumin (1tsp)
  • coriander (1tsp)
  • cayenne (1/2 tsp)
  • giant can of tomatoes
  • NO SALT (optional)
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by demogirl06 on January 23, 2012  •  Permalink
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Posted by demogirl06 on January 23, 2012

http://mariamaestevens.com/2012/01/23/black-lentil-soup/

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