Throw-it-in-the-Pot Dinner

Have you had a crazy day lately? A crazy week perhaps?

Home late in the evenings? Brain completely drained, and your cooking creativity out the window?

It's weeks like this that I dream of collapsing on the couch with sweatpants, banana soft serve, and my Glee re-runs on Hulu. Unfortunately, by the time I made it to this point last night, I was fast asleep before the first Gwyneth Paltrow song had been sung.

*Sigh*

But wait! There's good to come of it all...

During these times, I'm uber-grateful for throw-it-all-in-the-soup-pot dinners. Adam cleaned our cabinets of quinoa, jarred tomatoes, veggie broth, and some frozen veggies. He seasoned the pot with curry and fresh ginger, and placed a steaming bowl in front of my bags-under-my-eyes face.

Boy, do I love that man.

Eat up friends. Maybe tonight I'll make it to the first Glee ballad.

Throw-it-in-the-Pot Curried Quinoa Dinner
(an Adam original)

Since this was a fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants kind of recipe, I urge you to get creative and use whatever YOU have in YOUR cabinets. Stick with the quinoa-curry base though...it's oh so very good.

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa
• 2 cups veggie broth
• 1/2 cup raw cashews, toasted
• 1 large onion, diced
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 inch ginger, minced
• 1 tsp. curry powder
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 TBSP mustard seed
• 2 cans (15 oz. each) stewed tomatoes
• 2 cups frozen edamame or peas

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan, combine quinoa and broth and bring to a boil. Reduce head to low and simmer until all the liquid has been absorbed.

2) Meanwhile, saute the onion, garlic, and ginger with a dash of olive oil--over medium heat--until softened.

3) In a large soup pot, combine the cooked quinoa, the onion mixture, and all of the remaining ingredients. Allow to simmer until the liquid has been cooked down and absorbed--about 20 minutes.

How Easy is That?

When it comes to eating healthy, you've got to keep it simple.

A few veggies here, a dash of olive oil there, a sprinkling of seasonings and....voila! Dinner is done.

In the words of Ina Garten, "How easy is that?"

Tonight we invited our friend Alli over for an evening of vegan-style feasting: Quinoa Burgers, roasted veggies, and Peanut Butter Blondies (straight from Vegan Cookies Invade Your Cookie Jar). This menu alone provided reason #347 why you shouldn't be afraid to prepare vegetarian meals for your meat-lovin' pals.

They'll love the food just as much as you do. Promise.

Allow tonight's recipe to serve as motivation for anyone who has set a 2011 "healthy living" resolution. This roasted veggie dish is colorful, flavorful, and heavy in the vitamin department (Please step away from that bottle of Flintstone Chewables. Who needs a pill when you can enjoy your vitamins roasted and peppered?).

You can serve your roasted veggies as a filling side dish, as a hearty salad mix-in, or on a toasted hoagie bun with cheese. Bottom line: Cut 'em, Roast 'em, Eat 'em and...Keep it simple :)

Roasted Veggies (for your New Year's Resolution)
(adapted from a recipe given to me by Mike G., my former boss and veggie-loving buddy)

Feel free to mix it up with the veggies. The original recipe calls for brussel sprouts, pears, and beets, which I didn't have on hand tonight. So, I just improvised with the bell pepper and apple. Turned out lovely just the same!

Ingredients:

• 4 sweet potatoes, or 1 butternut squash, peeled and cubed
• 2 bell peppers, sliced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• a drizzle of olive oil
• a drizzle of pure maple syrup
• a sprinkling of dried rosemary
• salt and pepper to taste
• Pecans, toasted and chopped for garnish

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a large baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) Toss veggies together in a large bowl. Drizzle with olive oil and maple syrup and toss to coat. Sprinkle with rosemary, salt and pepper; toss to coat. Arrange veggies in a single layer on the baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven, toss veggies, and return to oven to bake for another 15 - 20 minutes, or until thoroughly roasted. Top each serving with toasted pecans.

Kitchen Cabinet Finds

On Tuesday evening I got the urge to clean out kitchen cabinets.

You know how it happens: you're searching for that single obscure item you know is hidden somewhere in your stash (in my case, a pouch of dried apricots). Before you know it, you've emptied the entire contents of your cabinet onto the counter, and you're re-discovering ingredients you had long-forgotten you purchased.

After discarding an expired box of prunes and an ancient can of sweetened condensed milk, I was left with the good fortune of two cabinet items I didn't even know I had: a bag of pistachios (score!) and a jar of roasted red peppers (super lucky).

Now the fun begins--what recipe could I create with these bonus delicacies hidden in my cabinet? When all else fails, I turn to a hearty grain as a base, add some unique mix-ins, and stir in a homemade vinaigrette. Voila! A healthy lunch for the next day was ready to go.

As a side note, I hope you all had a beautiful food-filled Thanksgiving! I enjoyed plenty of garlic mashed potatoes, apple-onion stuffing, sweet potatoes with pecans, and Chocolate-Pecan Pie. The best part of the day, however, was spending it surrounded by my family.

What is your favorite Thanksgiving memory from this year?

Bulgur with Roasted Red Pepper, Pistachios, and Cilantro Pesto

(Inspired by a Cooking Light recipe)

This is a super light and healthy vegan salad. Pack in tupperware for your lunch at work, or bring it to a holiday potluck--it's red and green colors will fit right in :)

Salad Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked bulgur
• 2 cups low-sodium broth (veggie or chicken)
• a little olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves of garlic, diced
• 1 jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1/3 cup chopped pistachios

Cilantro Pesto Ingredients:

• 1/3 cup fresh, chopped cilantro
• 3 TBSP fresh, chopped parsley
• 3 TBSP olive oil
• 3 TBSP fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp. cumin
• a dash of salt
• ground black pepper to taste
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan, bring the broth to a boil. Add bulgur, remove from heat, cover saucepan and set aside.

2) In a small skillet, heat a dash of olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and garlic and saute until just softened, about 4 minutes. Set aside.

3) Place all of the cilantro pesto ingredients in a food processor. Process until smooth, and season to taste.

4) In a large bowl, combine bulgur, onion, and bell peppers. Stir in pesto until evenly coated, then stir in pistachios.

B-Sprouts: Re-Mixed from the 1980's Version

Did anyone else have less-than-desirable experiences with brussel sprouts as a child?

Although my mom truly rocks at most everything she creates in the kitchen, I have to admit that brussel spouts just weren't her strong point. Those mini cabbage heads were boiled in water and served straight from the pot just as they were. Needless to say it wasn't the most popular side dish at the dinner table.

When I brought this topic up with a few of my friends though, I found that perhaps the unpalatable brussel sprout issue wasn't mom, but rather it was the prevailing method of cooking B-sprouts at the time. My girlfriends indicated they had the similar sprout experiences when they were growing up.

Moms: We don't blame you. You were victims of the time period. Let's move forward though: It's time to redeem yourselves.

I've found in recent years that I LOVE roasted brussel sprouts. Seasoned just right and slightly crispy on the outside, they're a wonderfully seasonal dish this time of year. While they're delightful on their own (as we had them for dinner tonight), they also make a great add-in to a meal-sized salad.

Tonight we tossed in a chopped sweet potato when we roasted our brussel spouts (leftover from Tuesday's soup). After the veggies roasted, Adam made a homemade Honey Mustard Garlic dressing to drizzle over the top. Bonus: The dressing is almost completely fat-free (and you'd never know it from the taste). It was definitely as good as it sounds--incredibly scrumptious!

Today, re-discover your love for brussel sprouts. Mom: This one's for you :)

Have you discovered a love for a food that you didn't like as a child?

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Honey Mustard Garlic Dressing

(vinaigrette recipe from Moosewood Restaurant's Low-Fat Favorites)

Divine. That's all there is to say about this recipe. Simply divine.

Veggie Ingredients:

• 1 pound of brussel sprouts, halved
• Optional: 3 (very) small sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed
• a little drizzle of olive oil
• a little salt and pepper

Honey Mustard Garlic Dressing:

• 4 - 5 cloves of garlic, minced and sauteed in a tiny bit of olive oil (just to soften the bite of the raw garlic)
• 2 TBSP Dijon mustard
• 2 TBSP honey
• 3 TBSP cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup apple cider
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• ground black pepper to taste

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees and coat a baking pan with cooking spray.

2) Drizzle just a little olive oil over the brussel sprouts and sweet potatoes. Toss to coat, and season lightly with salt and pepper. Place veggies on baking sheet and roast for about 30 minutes, or until nicely browned and tender (stir the veggies after 20 minutes).

3) To prepare the dressing, whisk together the ingredients in a small bowl.

4) Drizzle a little dressing over individual servings of veggies.

Curried Bulgur with Roasted Veggies

It's no secret that I'm a bit of a bulgur fanatic. After discovering this gem of a grain last year, I've been singing its praises ever since. Quick to prepare, perfect for salads or main dishes, and it's flavor can vary vastly depending on the liquid you soak it in.

Who needs couscous when you've got bodacious bulgur (I'm only mildly embarrassed that I just used the word "bodacious.")

Tonight's dinner recipe screams simplicity (not an angry scream; a friendly, cooking-happy scream). Better yet, it highlights one of my favorite flavor combos: curry, fruit, and toasted nuts. You could boost the protein-punch in this one by adding a can of rinsed, drained chickpeas. Additionally, I recommend adding a chopped red bell pepper--unfortunately I didn't have one on hand tonight.

Alongside our Curried Bulgur with Almonds and Apricots, we served roasted cauliflower. From beginning to end, dinner was ready in about 40 minutes.

If you're looking for more creative grain salad ideas, you might want to check out my Ode to Grains. (I know, I can't believe I wrote an Ode to Grains either).

Finally, what are your favorite cookbooks right now? I would love to hear what cookbooks and cooking magazines you're running to the most lately. We've definitely been heavy on the Moosewood volumunes and my old Cooking Light recipes, but I'm seeking some creative inspiration!

Curried Bulgur with Almonds and Apricots

This curried grain dish serves perfectly with roasted cauliflower. I included a little of both in each bite I took :)

Ingredients:

• 2 cups broth (chicken or veggie)
• 1 cut uncooked bulgur
• 1/2 tsp. curry powder (or more if you're a curry fanatic)
• Dash of cinnamon (maybe around 1/4 tsp.?)
• 1 large onion, chopped
• a little olive oil
• 1 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped almonds, toasted

Directions:

1) In a small saucepan, bring broth to a boil. Remove from heat; stir in bulgur, curry, and cinnamon. Cover and allow to sit until broth is absorbed (20 - 30 minutes).

2) In a small skillet, heat a little olive oil over medium heat. Add onion and cook until softened and lightly browned, 6 - 7 minutes.

3) Add onion, apricots, and almonds to bulgur; stir until combined (You can also add chopped red bell pepper and chickpeas here, if desired.). Serve with roasted cauliflower (recipe below).

Parmesan-Roasted Cauliflower

(adapted from a recipe in The Biggest Loser Cookbook)

You haven't tasted cauliflower until you've tried this recipe. When I got this cookbook a few years ago, I made this recipe every week for quite some time!

Ingredients:

• Florets from one head of cauliflower
• a little drizzle of olive oil
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 tsp. (or more!) of garlic powder
• salt to taste
• sprinkling of dried parsley
• freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Spray a baking sheet with cooking spray.

2) In a large bowl, drizzle just a bit of olive oil over the cauliflower florets (about 1 tablespoon?). Stir pepper, garlic powder, salt, and dried parsley in. Sprinkle some freshly grated Parmesan in and combine well.

3) Bake for 15 - 20 minutes, or until lightly browned (stirring once halfway through the cook-time).