Vegetable & Black Rice Bowl with Coconut Green Goddess Dressing

I was reading my February issue of Martha Stewart magazine last night and saw some Asian-influenced vegetarian recipes I thought would be easy to make for lunch.

Later, ravenous after Hip Hop Class, I went to the grocery store and got the ingredients for the meals. Except, I mixed up two recipes in my head. So I decided to make a bit of a switch.

I really wanted to use the cilantro and coconut milk I had bought to make some kind of dressing or sauce. I decided to riff on a recipe I love for Greener Goddess Dressing from Fit Fork Feed since I have a bounty of avocados from our tree.

This bowl is so delicious, filling and made me feel I was being pretty healthy despite the excess use of avocado. It would also be great with a fried egg on top instead of the rest of the avocado..but how could I let that green beauty sit aside?

This recipe feeds 1 generously

Vegetable & Black Rice Bowl with Coconut Green Goddess Dressing

Ingredients

For Serving:
- Black Rice, prepared (I used some that you just heat in the microwave)
- Generous shake of TJs Everything but the bagel Seasoning

For the Vegetables:
- 1 bunch baby bok choy, washed, roughly chopped and stems and leaves separated
- 1/2 orange bell pepper, sliced
- 5oz sliced shitake mushrooms
- 1 clove garlic, smashed
- 1 t butter
- salt
- 2 T water or coconut milk

For the Coconut Green Goddess Dressing:
- 1/2 large avocado, more to taste
- 1/2 bunch cilantro, stems and leaves
- salt to taste
- 1 t ginger (fresh recommended)
- juice of 1 lime
- 1/4 - 1/2 C coconut milk
- 1 clove garlic, smashed

Directions
1. Heat butter in a medium skillet or wok. Add garlic and cook 30 seconds
2. Add bok choy stems, mushrooms, bell pepper and cook until just soft
3. Add salt, coconut milk and bok choy leaves and cook until wilted
4. Meanwhile, in a mini chopper or blender puree cilantro with 2 T coconut milk.
5. Add all other ingredients except additional coconut milk and blend. Slowly add in milk to achieve the texture you prefer.  Adding more milk or more avocado will smooth it.
6. To serve: Put rice in a bowl and mix in a little of the dressing. Top with vegetables, extra avocado, sauce and Everything seasoning.

4-Ingredient Pasta Sauce

The other day I was talking with my sister in law about what to make for dinner. We had a bit of a vegetarian streak last week and I was getting tired of coming up with meals that were both vegetarian and something my husband would like. Let me tell you, it was tough. Sure I could've served pasta and marinara sauce all week long but I was trying to be healthier about it and make meals that were filling not just dinner.

I did not succeed. We survived on a week of cheese and bread with smatterings of broccoli and asparagus. This was hands down the hardest week of cooking I have ever had to do.

So anyway, we were talking about quick dinners that were delicious, and also vegetarian. Vegetarian in a way my husband would eat. And she brought up this 3-ingredient pasta sauce that is simple, cheap, hands off, and delicious. Once I learned the recipe, I had to make it. And I had to change it. I just couldn't believe that only 3 ingredients would make it delicious, it sounded plain. But I only changed it a little and I'm told that the 3-ingredient is good too...so be my guest, try it BOTH ways. It will not break the bank.

This recipe makes about 4 servings of sauce, maybe a little more

Ingredients

1 28 oz can tomatoes (I used pureed but my SIL uses whole and you could use diced if you want a chunkier sauce)

1 onion, quartered

1 stick butter (1/2 cup) *We think that maybe you could make this with half the butter, maybe.

Handful basil, chopped (optional!)

Pasta, for serving

Directions

1. Pour tomatoes into a pot. Add butter (whole is fine), basil and onion quarters.

2. Bring to a simmer, reduce heat, cover (leave the top a bit open) and simmer for 40 minutes. If the heat is too high this sauce will pop and splatter, be prepared! I had to transfer to a new burner to get the heat down. It is one of those times when you actually have to wash the lid of the pan!

3. If you used whole tomatoes or chopped tomatoes and you want a smoother sauce, puree with an immersion blender. If you used pureed tomatoes already, skip this step! Serve with pasta.

Baked Tortellini

Tortellini is a satisfying comfort food. This dish adapted from Giada's Everyday Pasta cookbook comes together in a flash and looks impressive. We think it would be better with meat-filled tortellini but liked the appearance of the tri-colored pasta we used.

Ingredients

1 lb cheese tortellini (or filling of your choice)

1/4 C chopped parsley

1/4 C chopped fresh basil

1/3 C mascarpone cheese

2 C marinara sauce (jarred is fine)

1/2 t salt or to taste

2+ oz thinly sliced mozzarella cheese

3 T shredded fresh Parmesan cheese

1 T olive oil

1. Preheat oven to 475. Lightly oil an 8x8 pan or small casserole dish with olive oil

2. Cook tortellini in boiling water for 2 minutes until slightly tender, drain and set aside.

3. In a medium bowl, mix salt, basil, parsley, mascarpone and marinara sauce. Add tortellini and mix until pasta is coated.

4. Pour pasta mix into prepared pan and top with sliced mozzarella and Parmesan. Bake 20 minutes until sauce is bubbling and cheese is melted.

Easy Cheesy Enchiladas

I am always tempted to order cheese enchiladas at Mexican restaurants. There is something about the ooey gooey cheese spilling out of soft tortillas smothered in tangy sauce that makes me feel warm and comfortable. Despite my fondness for them, I didn't realize how easy and economical they are to make at home!

Sure I cheated and bought sauce from the store instead of making my own and it was still good. Next time though, I'll listen to the people at Simply Recipes and try making the sauce myself.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 C cheese (I used mozzarella and colby jack)

1 small jar red enchilada sauce

6 corn tortillas

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spread 1 T olive oil over the bottom of an 8x8 glass square pan.

2. Heat the tortillas in a lightly oiled frying pan over medium high heat. I used this method in step 1 of Simply Recipes Enchilada post. Set aside.

3. Grate cheese and toss to combine.

4. Take one tortilla and place some cheese inside. Roll and place seam-side down in the prepared pan. Repeat, squeezing enchiladas close together to keep their shape in the pan.

5. Pour sauce over the enchiladas and sprinkle with cheese. Bake 10-12 minutes or until cheese is melted and sauce is hot.

Italian Fondue

What is the most romantic kitchen appliance? According to every wedding registry, it is the fondue pot. To me, eating fondue is not really that romantic...but people think it is and so we ordered one for our wedding. And we tried traditional fondue and Joey didn't really like it--it tasted too much like wine and swiss cheese--not a favorite. So the fondue pot went back into the small appliance closet and collected dust.

Until last week, I came across a blog post for Italian Fondue. This fondue, unlike traditional swiss is more like a cheese custard made on a double boiler with eggs and milk. It uses a milder cheese-fontina. It yields the same silky dipping sauce with a milder flavor. Joey and I agreed that it might be delicious if mozzarella were mixed with the fontina but I think this fondue will be added to our recipes as a win.

I copied the recipe from The Gastronomer's Guide except that I didn't add the cayenne pepper. I recommend splitting the cheese to half fontina and half mozzarella if you want a milder flavor and also adding a little bit more salt to the final product.

Roasted Carrot & Potato Soup

My husband and I hosted my family at our house for Christmas day. I wanted the food to be delicious, elegant and hands off. So, I decided on roast beef, roasted potatoes and carrots, green beans, seasonal fruit salad and dinner rolls. My family was very impressed! The dinner went off without a hitch. Near the end, however, I realized we had lots of leftovers. No problem for the beef--we could just have French dips. But what was I to do with a bunch of roasted potatoes and carrots? The worst part was those potatoes and carrots didn't come out crispy--they were more steamed than roasted and they weren't very flavorful alone.

I mentioned to my sister in law how I had an overflow of leftover roasted vegetables and she suggested, quite simply, make a soup. A soup, I thought? I don't really make soup. But hey, what did I have to lose? We wouldn't be eating those potatoes or carrots anyway. So today I whipped up a roasted carrot & potato soup--it is fantastic! I used the immersion blender and it turned a beautiful yellow color--the sunshine that has recently disappeared from the Los Angeles skyline. I didn't measure for this soup--I just threw some things together. The only negative effect of not measuring was a heavy hand with the pepper. This soup is a tad on the spicy side. I was able to cut it a little with some milk which was a nice addition to the soup regardless, but next time I'll be careful with the pepper.

Ingredients

1 brown onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, diced

roasted potatoes & carrots *I can't be sure how much I used but I know I originally roasted a bag & a half of carrots and about 4 pounds of new red potatoes. This filled a rimmed baking tray to the brim--which is why they steamed instead of roasting in one even layer...)

herbs de Provence

dried thyme

salt & pepper

2 Cups vegetable broth (1 can)

2 Cups water

2 T olive oil

1 C (or less) whole milk or cream (optional, I needed it due to the pepper)

Directions

1. Heat the olive oil in a large soup pot. Add onion and saute until translucent and fragrant, about 10 minutes.

2. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds

3. Add potatoes and carrots, vegetable broth, water and all the spices to taste (watch out for the pepper!).

4. Bring the soup to a boil and then reduce heat and simmer for at least an hour or until potatoes and carrots are very soft and can be smooshed with a spoon.

5. After simmering, puree soup with an immersion blender until smooth. Add milk or cream if desired and serve warm.