Italian Crescent Ring

About a month or so ago, my mom went to the beach for the weekend with Kenzie and Nick.  Rachel and I were going to join them after we got out of work, but before that could happen, Mom came down with a stomach bug.  They had to wait out the sickness before coming home, and we never ended up going up.  This resulted in leftover food that they had purchased expecting us to be spending the whole weekend at the beach house.  This leftover food included lots of cold cuts.  Before it could go bad, I decided to try out this recipe for dinner one night.  I had seen Italian crescent rings on Pinterest, and I was interested because I had made a breakfast crescent wreath before and thought it was simply a genius idea: use a can of refrigerated crescent dough, fill it with delicious things, and bake it.  It's like a cooler, much easier version of a calzone.

This Italian crescent ring is a riff on the Italian sub.  There's sliced salami, ham and capocollo, along with provolone cheese.  Then you spice things up with roasted red peppers and hot pepper rings.

Obviously with the plethora of meat, I didn't participate in the devouring of this crescent ring, but my family loved it.  Then I brought the leftovers to work and shared them with my coworkers, who ate it both hot and cold and all agreed that it was great.  If you want to take your Italian sub to the next level, this might be the recipe for you!

Recipe:

Italian crescent ring
from Pillsbury

Ingredients:
2 cans (8 ounces each) refrigerated crescent dinner rolls
1/2 cup well drained jarred roasted red peppers
8 slices provolone cheese, halved
1/3 pound deli sliced hot salami
1/4 pound deli sliced ham
1/4 pound deli sliced capocollo
1/2 cup well drained jarred hot pepper rings

Instructions:

1) Heat oven to 375 degrees.  Unroll both cans of dough; separate into 0 rectangles.  On engrossed 12-inch pizza pan, arrange rectangles in a ring so the short sides of the rectangles form a circle in the center.  The dough will overlap; half of each rectangle will hang of the edge of the pan.  Dough ring should look like a sun.

2) Spread roasted red bell peppers toward center of ring on bottom halves of rectangles.  Top with half of the cheese.  Layer salami, ham and capocollo slices over cheese.  Arrange pepper rings over top.  Cover with remaining half of cheese.

3) Bring each dough rectangle hanging over side of pan up and over stacked filling, tucking dough under bottom layer of dough to secure it.  Repeat around sandwich until entire filling is enclosed (some filling might show a little).  Sprinkle with black pepper.

4) Bake 18 - 22 minutes or until dough is golden brown and thoroughly baked.  Cool 5 - 10 minutes before cutting into serving slices.

Vegetarian BLTs

You already know my love for tempeh because of the amazing penne with tempeh.  I even recall saying that the delicious tempeh would make a great sandwich.  So imagine my excitement when A Couple Cooks came up with the genius idea for a BLT using tempeh instead of bacon!  Yes!  Facon! :)  Just give it a try, okay?

This tempeh gets marinated in olive oil, soy sauce, sriracha, cumin, black pepper, maple syrup, and liquid smoke (I left out the latter, but if you want the traditional smoky flavor, then go for it).  It gets sliced into bacon-sized pieces and then cooked on a griddle just like real bacon.  In fact, to be fair to the carnivore I married, I made real bacon too for his sandwich.  I actually burned some of my hair while doing so (still not totally sure how that happened... thanks for the emergency haircut, Sam!)

facon on the left, bacon on the right!

Now, at this time of year, tomatoes that are actually red and juicy are finally coming back out.  But, this BLT recipe has a suggestion to help you avoid those winter tomatoes (there's nothing worse): canned fire-roasted tomatoes!  Top some bread with your tempeh bacon and some Bibb lettuce (no mayo ever for me and Mark, but go for it if that's your style) and you have one hell of a sandwich.  I loved this!  The tempeh bacon was amazing and definitely better than Mark's real bacon.  I was the sandwich winner that night.

Recipe:

vegetarian BLT
from A Couple Cooks
serves 4

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 tablespoons liquid smoke
1 tablespoon sriracha hot sauce
1/4 teaspoon cumin
3 grinds black pepper
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
1 8-ounce package tempeh
8 slices bread
15-ounce can fire-roasted tomatoes
8 leaves Bibb lettuce
mayonnaise (optional)

Instructions:

1) In a bowl, mix together olive oil, soy sauce, liquid smoke, sriracha, cumin, black pepper, and maple syrup.

2) Cut tempeh in half; stand each piece up on its edge and cut into thirds.  Lay the three pieces down on top of each other and cut into thirds again to make 18 slices that are 1/4 inch thick, 1 inch wide and 3 inches long.  Place the strips in a shallow dish and pour the marinade over the tempeh.  Let sit for 30 minutes or more, if time.  Reserve the marinade from the bottom of the dish.

3) Heat a griddle to medium heat.  Place tempeh strips on the griddle and cook 2 - 3 minutes per side until browned.  Turn off heat, then brush both sides of each piece with the reserved marinade.

4) Lightly toast 8 pieces of bread.  Drain the canned tomatoes, letting them sit in a colander for a few minutes to remove excess liquid.  Prepare 8 leaves of Bibb lettuce.

5) To serve, spread mayonnaise on each bread slice if you're using it
.  Top with lettuce, tomatoes, and slices of tempeh.  Top with a final bread slice and serve immediately.  Tip: the lettuce on the sandwich acts as a shield to the bread below from the juiciness of the tomatoes.  Make sure to place the lettuce below the tomatoes.  Try to make up the sandwich immediately before you serve it, since the bread can become soggy form the tomato liquid.

Avocado Egg Salad

I have never liked egg salad.  I think it's mostly the huge amounts of mayonnaise, which is right up there with meat as things I avoid.  But avocados?  That changes everything.  And no mayo?  And Greek yogurt instead!?!  Yes please.

Besides the obvious hard-boiled eggs and avocado, this salad is flavored with scallions, a little dijon mustard, and lemon juice.  So delicious, and yet so simple.

I was excited about this salad as soon as I saw it.  I whipped up a batch real fast for lunch one Saturday and had a wonderful sandwich on whole wheat bread.  And I may or may not have eaten the leftovers for breakfast the next day spread on a bagel.  And perhaps the next weekend I made it for my family.  And perhaps I now have avocados and obscene amounts of eggs in the fridge to make even more.  It's an addictive salad, just believe me.  You've been warned.

One note: the salad calls for 4 eggs, but you discard the yolks of 2 of some weird reason.  I left mine in the salad and I promise, as someone who often avoids egg yolk, that it was just fine that way!

Recipe:

avocado egg salad
from Two Peas and Their Pod

Ingredients:
2 hard boiled eggs, chopped
2 hard boiled egg whites, chopped
2 small avocados, pitted and peeled
1 tablespoon plain Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped green onion
1/4 teaspoon dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) In a medium bowl, combine the hard boiled eggs and egg whites, avocado, Greek yogurt, lemon juice, green onion, and mustard.  Mash with a fork.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

2) To serve, spread between two slices of bread, eat with crackers, cut up veggies, spread on toast, or have it in a wrap.  This salad is best eaten the day it's made, but it will be okay the following day too.

Slow Cooker French Dip Sandwiches with Caramelized Onions

I like to make meat dishes in the slow cooker, because it usually involves minimal touching.  This one has even less than some recipes that call for the meat to be browned in a skillet; you just have to rub some spices into it, like garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt and pepper, and then throw it in the Crockpot and call it a day.  Well, not a day, but half a day (9 - 12 hours).  It gets slow roasted in beef broth until your house smells like beef.  Maybe some people like that?

The sandwiches get made with freshly caramelized onions and peppers, slices of melty provolone cheese, and whole wheat rolls.  Oh, did I mention that these sandwiches are low fat?  308 calories for a big, meaty, cheesy sandwich?  And that includes serving the sandwich with a little ramekin of the beef broth the meat cooked in.

Now here's the problem.  I didn't have a sandwich, obviously, but even as I was cutting the meat, I could tell it was pretty dry.  Luckily my meat eaters got to dip their sandwiches into the broth, so they didn't know how dry it was.  But it was dry, and I am not sure why that happened.  I agree that 9 - 12 hours felt like a long time to cook the meat, so maybe lean more towards the 9 hour mark.  Because Mark refuses to eat reheated meat and I don't eat it at all, the leftovers were given to Laura and she made quesadillas with them.  She agreed that it was dry.  If you try this recipe out, let me know what you think about the meat itself.

Recipe:

slow cooker French dip sandwiches with caramelized onions
from Skinny Taste

Ingredients:
for the beef:
3 -4 pound lean bed round roast, trimmed
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh rosemary (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1 tablespoon fresh thyme (or 1 teaspoon dry)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 to 3 (14.5-ounce) cans low-sodium beef broth
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
10 whole peppercorns
1 bay leaf
1/2 large onion, cut into chunks
for the caramelized onions (makes about 1 cup):
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3 large onions, thinly sliced
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
for the peppers (makes about 2 cups)
1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded and sliced into strips
1 large green bell pepper, cored, seeded, and sliced into strips
for the sandwich:
reduced fat provolone or mozzarella slices
whole wheat baguette or rolls, cut into 2 ounce pieces

Instructions:

1) In a small bowl, mix the garlic, rosemary, thyme, salt, and pepper.  Rub the spice mixture onto all sides of the roast, then place in the allow cooker.

2) Pour the broth into the side of the roast until it just covers the meat.  If the broth doesn't cover the roast, you can add water. Top with onions.  Add the Worcestershire sauce, peppercorns and bay leaf to the broth.  Cover and cook on low until the meat flakes apart easily with a fork, about 9 to 12 hours, depending on the size of your roast.

3) An hour before the meat is done, prepare the onions and peppers.  In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium heat.  Add the onions and salt and cook until golden, stirring often, reducing heat as needed if the onions are burning too quickly, about 30 to 35 minutes.  Add 1 tablespoon oil to the pan if it becomes too dry.  The onions should turn golden and the flavor should be sweet.  Transfer to a serving bowl and then add the peppers to the skillet and cook, stirring often until soft, 8 to 10 minutes.

4) Remove meat from the slow cooker to a cutting board and shred with a fork or slice with a knife.  Strain the broth through a fine sieve, then place in a gravy separator to remove any fat.  Pour 1/4 cup broth into each small ramekin.

5) Preheat the oven to broil.  Split the bread open and top with 2 ounces of beef. Top with onions, peppers, and cheese and broil until the cheese melts.  Place on a plate with broth for dipping.

Lentil Sloppy Joe Sliders

Not surprisingly, I have never had a sloppy joe.  It wasn't something we had growing up and it is certainly not something I ever wanted to cook for myself... that is, until I found this recipe for lentil sloppy joe sliders.  Now, before you assume you will hate this recipe, hear me out.  I served these to some legit carnivores and even brought a beautiful platter of them to Ross' housewarming party, and I think it is safe to say that everyone was pleasantly surprised.  Okay, keep reading.

The lentils are a sloppy, saucy number, with bell peppers and spiced with cumin, paprika, mustard and chili powder.  To add a touch of sweetness, there's even some maple syrup.  And the vinegar gives it a little zing.  This is some tasty sloppy joe filling, I tell you.  But there's more.  A lot more.  There's cilantro cabbage slaw!

This is no ordinary cole slaw (I hate slaw).  This is a mixture of garlic, purple cabbage, cilantro, scallions, and carrots (and jalapeños if you're up for it), and they're dressed with lime juice, olive oil, and brown sugar.  It's bright, sweet and salty, and truly makes the sandwich not only beautiful and colorful, but amazingly delicious.  It adds a crunch and the sweetness from the slaw lends itself to the maple syrup in the sauce, so it all goes together beautifully.

Lentil haters, try these.  Even Kenzie, self-proclaimed lentil hater, admitted the sandwiches were pretty good, and when I get Nick and the Cormier boys to happily eat lentils, you know I've got something special going on!  Do yourself a favor and try these sliders.  Cute, delicious, healthy and colorful!

In other news, since when did I move to Alaska?  -30 degrees tomorrow morning with a wind chill!?  I won't complain too much though, since it's already bought us a 2-hour delay!

Recipe:

lentil sloppy joe sliders
from Simply Scratch
serves 12+ (this makes a huge amount!)

Ingredients:

for sloppy joes:
1 pound brown lentils
5 1/4 cup water, divided
1/2 cup red bell pepper, finely diced
1/2 cup green bell pepper, finely diced
1 medium yellow onion, finely diced
3 cloves fresh garlic, minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 1/2 cups ketchup
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons maple syrup
1/2 tablespoon prepared mustard
1/2 tablespoon white vinegar
24 whole wheat slider buns
for the cilantro cabbage slaw:
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 medium lime, juiced
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 small head of purple cabbage, shredded
1 small bunch of fresh cilantro, chopped
2 green onions, sliced thin
2 carrots, peeled and grated
1/4 teaspoon sea salt

Instructions:

1) Make the sloppy joes: rinse and drain one pound of lentils.  Place them into a large saucepan.  Pour in five cups of cool water, cover, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 15 - 20 minutes or until the lentils are tender.  Drain and set off to the side.

2) In a medium bowl, combine the ketchup, chili powder, cumin, paprika, salt, pepper, 1/2 cup water, maple syrup, mustard and vinegar.  Whisk to combine and set aside.

3) Preheat a Dutch oven over medium heat with a tablespoon of olive oil.  Once the oil is hot, sauté the peppers and onions together until soft and translucent.  Next, add in the minced cloves of garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes.

4) Reduce the temperature to low and pour in the sauce.  Stir and simmer for 10 minutes.  Add the drained lentils, stir to combine, and heat for 5 minutes or until warmed through.

5)  While sloppy joes are simmering, make the cilantro cabbage slaw.  Combine all slaw ingredients in a large bowl.  Toss well and refrigerate until ready to use (this can be made a few hours ahead of time).

6) Spoon sloppy joe filling onto whole wheat slider buns.  Top with slaw and serve.

Buffalo Ranch Veggie Burgers

I've made many a veggie burger in my day, and I have loved them all for different reasons.  But these are special.  These are veggie burgers that not only I became obsessed with, but my whole family loved.  My mom, for example, dubbed them my best veggie burgers.  Nick ate one.  Kenzie loved them.  And obviously Mark was a fan.  I found them to be excellent the day I made them, but they reheated well, and I devoured them happily for days.

In fact, I have a vivid memory of the last really warm day this fall.  I made up another one of these burgers for myself and threw some potato chips on the plate.  I took the plate and my book outside, and sat there on my front stoop, with Daisy, basking in the final few warm sun rays, happily enjoying this delicious buffalo ranch veggie burger.  It's such a small moment but I remember it so perfectly because it was just a perfect few minutes there.

Now, let me preface by saying that I hate buffalo sauce.  I actually pinned this burger with Nick in mind because he loves it.  But, I don't think you can really taste it at all.  I added more sauce on top of Nick's burger, and that seemed to do the trick with him.  For me, the biggest "sauce" you can taste was the ranch dressing, which is both in the burgers and used as a topping (along with avocado slices and mixed greens).  If you weren't a fan of ranch, you could skip it on top.  The other flavorings in the burger are Montreal chicken seasoning, red lentils (have you ever cooked with these? Theyr'e awesome; they turn to total mush and add great texture to burgers and soups), peas, and yellow mustard.

Let's talk about another awesome part of this burger: the protein.  Besides the fact that the main ingredient is smashed chickpeas, this recipe is gluten free, and therefore calls for chickpea flour and crushed chickpea chips.  That's a triple chickpea attack, people, and leads to each patty giving you 15 grams of protein (AKA you may never eat again!).  They're extremely filling.  Seeing as we are not gluten-free here, I used regular flour and breadcrumbs, so mine were not as protein-packed, but even so, my mom commented on how filling they were.  All you GF people out there, here's a fabulous burger idea for you.  And all you people who aren't.... here's a fabulous burger idea for you, too.  I will most definitely be making these again.  Thinking of eating that burger on the stoop makes me feel happy and nostalgic.  If I can't bring back warm weather, I will at least bring back buffalo ranch veggie burgers.

Recipe:

buffalo ranch veggie burger
from Nosh and Nourish
serves 6 - 8

Ingredients:
1 cup cooked red lentils
15 ounces canned chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup sweet peas (you can substitute sweet kernel corn)
1 egg
1/2 cup garbanzo bean flour (or all-purpose)
1 cup chickpea chips. crushed (or breadcrumbs)
1 tablespoon buffalo sauce
2 tablespoons ranch dressing
2 teaspoons Montreal Chicken Seasoning
2 teaspoons yellow mustard
6 - 8 hamburger buns
3 avocados
2 cups mixed greens

Instructions:

1) Mash chickpeas in a medium mixing bowl with a fork, or use an immersion stick blender (I actually used a pastry blender!)

2) Add in all other burger ingredients (everything except buns, greens, and avocado), stirring thoroughly.

3) Set bowl in fridge for half an hour before baking.

4) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Form mixture into 6 - 8 patties and place them in a single layer on a greased cooke sheet.

5) Bake for 40 minutes, flipping halfway through.

6) Serve with additional ranch, buffalo sauce, greens, and avocado slices.

Philly Cheesesteaks

Yes, I am a vegetarian, but I can still make meat for my sweet husband every now and then.  In fact, this has been a goal of mine since we got married.  Mark is a great eater; he is almost always willing to try whatever strange things I have tried (for example, pulled cauliflower, and anything with quinoa; not for example anything with fake meat like my no chicken vegan pad thai).  He is a pretty easy-going guy, after all.  But when we first moved in together and he had eaten many nights of farro and falafel salad, one night he mentioned that he would appreciate it if he could have meat maybe one night a week.  So, it's kind of my goal as his new little wifey.  Therefore, don't be surprised when you see lots of meat recipes coming up.  No, I haven't tried any of them, but they have been husband-tested and approved.  And, whenever I do make meat, I invite my family over as well, since Mark isn't big on leftovers and I won't eat them anyway.  Thus, we have these Philly cheesesteaks, which were completely devoured and adored by Mark, Kenzie and Nick.

I was intrigued by this recipe; it is definitely not a "traditional" Philly cheesesteak, and in fact the Pioneer Woman basically got hate mail for posting this recipe (people from Philadelphia are kind of insane about their sandwiches, apparently).  But I thought it was a nice shortcut: you buy shaved roast beef from the deli as your meat!  Heat it up in a pan with some onions and peppers, and you're halfway there.  Then there's the cheese sauce, where you have another shortcut: Velveeta!  Simply melt it with milk and black and cayenne pepper, and viola: what Kenzie called the best cheese sauce she ever had.  Butter some rolls, toast them up, and you're done!  For a sandwich that was such a hit, this is a fast and pretty great recipe.  Meat eaters, rejoice!  Dinner is on the table in 30 minutes, and it will be gone in 10 :)

Recipe:

Philly cheesesteaks
from the Pioneer Woman
serves 6

Ingredients:
8 ounces White Velveeta (I used orange, it was fine!)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 cup milk
6 tablespoons butter
6 whole deli rolls
1 1/2 pounds thinly shaved good quality deli roast beef
1 whole yellow onion, peeled and sliced thick
1 whole green bell pepper, seeded and sliced thick
1 whole yellow bell pepper, seeded and sliced thick
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and sliced thick
spicy mustard, horseradish, worcestershire sauce, hot sauce (optional toppings; we found they weren't needed!)

Instructions:

1) First make the cheese sauce by combining the Velveeta, black pepper, cayenne, and milk in a small pan.  Heat over low heat, stirring occasionally until it's melted and hot.  Keep warm.

2) Melt 2 tablespoons butter on a griddle over medium heat, then place the deli roll halves on the griddle until golden brown.  Set aside.

3) Heat 2 more tablespoons butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Throw in the roast beef and move it around with a spatula, breaking it up a bit as you go.  Cook/warm for about a minute or so, then remove it to a plate and set aside.

4) Add the remaining tablespoons butter to the same skillet and throw in the onions and peppers.  Reduce the heat to medium-low and cook the veggies until dark golden and soft, about 8 to 10 minutes.

5) To build the sandwiches, place a pile of beef on the bottom half of each roll.  Spoon cheese sauce over the beef.  Top with peppers and onions, then top with more cheese sauce.  Place the top half of the roll on top and serve immediately.

Vegetarian Banh Mi

I was infamous in my family for not liking sandwiches a few years back - and for much of my childhood.  I was fond of saying that I preferred to eat in a more civilized manner with silverware than with my hands.  That was mostly me being annoying, but in truth, I wasn't big on sandwiches.  Looking back now, I realize that it was simply because most sandwiches had meat in them, and I wasn't creative enough to make up vegetarian options, or motivated enough to find some veggie options.  Luckily these days, I am a sandwich fan.  How could you not love the amazing California veggie sandwiches, or the infamous pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwiches?  I have found lots of delicious vegetarian things to shove between pieces of bread.  And happily, here is another excellent option: the vegetarian banh mi.

The banh mi is a Vietnamese sandwich that is gaining popularity in America.  I have been impressed how many people know what I'm talking about when I mention that I gave one a try.  Traditionally, they're made with a baguette and filled with pickled vegetables, spiced meats, mayonnaise and hot sauce.  Clearly in order for me to want to give this a shot, it had to have a lot of tweaks, and that's where my beloved A Couple Cooks blog came in.  They came up with a vegetarian option, using eggs in place of meat, so you still get lots of protein.

This sandwich has so many flavors and textures going on, it's like your mouth is at a Vietnamese circus (do those exist?)  You have the pickled shredded carrot, which is tart but sweet (they marinate in honey and vinegar); you have the crunchy sliced cucumber contrasting with the omelet-like egg, all flavored with chopped cilantro, salt and pepper.  Then the bread itself is doused with mayonnaise, soy sauce, and Sriracha. Are you drooling just thinking about the explosion of flavors that is this banh mi!?!

I will tell you that this sandwich had many skeptics in my house.  People were a little freaked out at the thought of "an egg sandwich with soy sauce" as I believe it was called.  However, one by one, my family tried small pieces, and then big pieces, and by the end, Kenzie and my mom were arguing over who would eat the last hunk for lunch the next day.  Mom judged it the best sandwich I ever made, and even Pat the carnivore was impressed.  There are just too many flavors for it to be a letdown to anyone; there is something in there for anybody.

One last note: I left off the mayonnaise on one end of the sandwich for me, and I certainly didn't miss it.  I also only added the hot sauce to one part for my mom - the rest of us are babies.  Mom said it was very spicy, so be careful!  You can pick and choose the condiments here; the banh mi is an easy sandwich, and it's yours to experiment with.

Recipe:

vegetarian banh mi
from A Couple Cooks
makes 2 large sandwiches

Ingredients:
2 large carrots (1½ cup shredded)
½ cup white or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon honey
¼ teaspoon (or more) red pepper flakes
1 English cucumber
Fresh cilantro
4 eggs
½ tablespoon butter
Kosher salt
Black pepper
2 baguettes
Mayo
Sriracha
Soy sauce

Instructions:

1) Peel and shred the carrots. Combine ½ cup vinegar, 1 tablespoon honey, and ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes in small bowl. Add the carrot and stir to mix. Let stand 15 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Peel the cucumber, then peel off long strips. Chop the cilantro.

2) In a small bowl, beat together 4 eggs, one pinch salt and a bit of black pepper. In a large skillet, heat ½ tablespoon butter over medium heat. Pour half of the eggs into the skillet. As the eggs just start to set, scrape them towards the center of the skillet into the shape of the baguette. Cook until just firm, but not dry. Repeat with the other half of the eggs for the second sandwich.

3) Cut the baguette in half. (If desired, toast the bread lightly prior to serving.) Spread mayonnaise on both sides of bread. Sprinkle each side with Sriracha and soy sauce (to your own taste). Fill each sandwich with egg, cucumber, and cilantro. Drain carrot-radish mixture, and spread on each sandwich. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Press top half of baguette on sandwich, and slice sandwich in half.

Eggplant Parmesan Burgers

I recently discovered that I love eggplant parmesan.  I have actually become a little bit obsessed with it and order it at every single Italian restaurant that offers it (with that said, please note that Il Camino in Leominster by far is the winner of the best eggplant parm!).  Interestingly enough, I haven't actually tried to make it myself.  Being an eggplant park connoisseur these days, I think I am afraid to make one that doesn't rival Il Camino's.  Do you have an excellent go-to recipe for me?

Meanwhile, I came across this recipe on Annie's Eats.  She says she loves eggplant parm but not all the work and labor that goes into making it, so she streamlined the process and came up with these sandwiches, which she says replicates the taste perfectly but in a more portable, less labor-intensive way!  I was intrigued by the idea of a veggie burger based on eggplant, since my eggplant balls back in the fall were so good.  Plus with my new obsession for eggplant parm, what more could I ask for?  They became my lunch plan for yesterday - a second-in-a-row snow day that kicked off February vacation!

The burgers are made from boiled eggplant, chopped up and mixed with panko bread crumbs, fresh parsley and basil, grated Parmesan, garlic, and eggs.  Unfortunately my basil rotted in the fridge so I had to used dried, and I realized that I only had pecorino romano, but hey, no panicking on my part.  The burgers came together pretty easily, and they get seared in the pan quickly and then baked just for a few minutes to heat up the sauce and cheese that you dollop on top.  I will say that I probably could have seared them a little bit longer, to keep them extra crispy, but I am notoriously awful at pan-frying burgers of any sort so I was a little sear-shy!  Then into the oven they went.

I ended up adding a little more warmed sauce to each roll, and a little more mozzarella, and then... boom.  Lunch time.  I was happy with them, and so were Mom and Kenzie.  Surprisingly, Rachael was especially thrilled with them and just asked me to heat her up another for lunch today!  I didn't think they had that "eggplant parm" taste, but then again it's probably due to the lack of basil and parmesan (duh).  Either way, they were tasty, hearty, and filling.  We aren't quite sure why - I even Googled whether or not eggplant has some bizarre amount of protein or something - but after eating them, none of us were ready for dinner until well after 9:00 that night.  Weird, I know, but something in these babies really fills you up!

They're definitely a good shortcut whiny you're craving eggplant parmesan and you just don't have the time for the real deal!  But the real deal is one of my goals :)

Recipe:

eggplant parmesan burgers
from Annie's Eats
yield 6-8 burgers

Ingredients:
2 large eggplants (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut ino 1-inch cubes
kosher salt
2 cups panko
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
2 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
2 tablespoons minced fresh basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
freshly ground black pepper
2 eggs, lightly beaten
2 - 3 tablespoons olive oil
marinara sauce, about 3/4 cup
sliced mozzarella cheese
burger buns, sliced and toasted

Instructions:

1) Bring a large pot of salted water to boil.  Add the eggplant to the pot and cook, stirring frequently to make sure the eggplant cubes all get submerged. Cook until the cubes are softened, about 8-10 minutes.  Drain in a colander and let cool.  Once cool enough to handle, spread between layers of clean kitchen towels or multiple layers of paper towels and press out as much excess liquid as possible.  Once the eggplant is drained, transfer to a cutting board and chop finely.

2) Transfer the chopped eggplant to a large bowl.  Add the panko, Parmesan, parsley, basil and garlic to the bowl.  Stir in the eggs.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Form the mixture into six to eight patties.

3) Preheat the oven to 450˚ F and line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper.  Heat 2 tablespoons of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the patties to the skillet and cook, turning once, until the burgers are browned on both sides.  (Add the additional 1 tablespoon of oil when you flip the burgers, if necessary.)  Remove the pan from the heat and transfer the patties to the baking sheet.  Top each patty with a few tablespoons of marinara sauce and a layer of sliced mozzarella.  Place the baking sheet in the oven and bake about 3 minutes or until the cheese is melted.  Assemble with burger buns and any other desired toppings.

Veggie Chickpea Pitas with Yogurt Dill Sauce

This is the recipe that I made for dinner on Wednesday, our snow day, and then subsequently had for lunch the last 2 days in a row! I was craving a good lunch at work - all week I had been eating junk since I had been too mopey to venture into the kitchen. I actually resorted to frozen dinners :( and once just a grapefruit :( Sad life. I have noticed that my afternoon goes by much smoother when I have had a good lunch, so I knew whatever I was going to make at home this week needed to be portable. Hence these veggie chickpea pitas. I saw them earlier in January on Annie's Eats page as part of her Let's Do Lunch series (I have legitimately adored every single one of her lunch recipes - need I mention my beloved roasted vegetable chickpea salad!?) and knew immediately it would be good: lots of fresh veggies, a Greek yogurt-based sauce that reminds me of tzatziki, and pita bread to eat it in: delicious, healthy, vegetarian, and perfect to pack for work.

The salad is made up of crunchy cucumber, juicy grape tomatoes, diced red onion, and of course chickpeas for protein. They are paired with the super flavorful yogurt dill sauce, which is also flavored with lemon juice, white wine vinegar, and garlic. I will say that the sauce was perhaps a tad too garlicky, and next time I will only use one clove. Mom and I both agreed we felt like we tasted and smelled like garlic for a long while afterwards. It made for a slightly awkward lunch meeting with our speech pathologist yesterday, but she promised I wasn't smelling up her office too much (this is partly why she makes the short  list of work people that I like! ;) ). Either way, it was a filling, tasty lunch that helped me to survive practicing MCAS passages and working on the Colonial Fair project. Desperate times call for desperate measures.

Recipe:

veggie chickpea pitas with yogurt dill sauce
from Annie's Eats
yield 8 servings

Ingredients:
for the filling:
1 1/2 cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 cups grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
salt and pepper
for the yogurt sauce:
1 cup Greek yogurt
1 tablespoon minced fresh dill
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar

pita bread, for serving
salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1) To make the filling, combine the chickpeas cucumber, tomatoes, and red onion in a medium bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Mix gently until combined.

2) To make the yogurt sauce, combine the Greek yogurt, dill, lemon juice, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

3) To serve, halve the pita bread. Fill each pocket with the chickpea-veggie mixture and top with the yogurt dill sauce as desired.

Mock Chicken Salad

I somehow managed to bribe Nick into doing my grocery shopping a couple week's back (mainly with a promise to make Swedish meatballs... that recipe is still to come).  I gave him a list of groceries as well as the meals I planned on making.  I should have known that he would have his doubts when I said I was making chicken salad, but never asked him to pick up chicken.  Thus we have the mock chicken salad.  No, it has no chicken, and it doesn't even have any mayonnaise for that matter, but I can promise you it is a delicious salad nonetheless!

What's the best part of a chicken salad sandwich?  If you're like me (and okay you probably aren't but just go with it), the best part is the Craisins.  Craisins make a chicken salad sandwich.  And celery doesn't hurt either.  Add some chickpeas and walnuts (or pecans - that's what I had and it was amazing), and you have plenty of protein - no chicken necessary.  Sage, Old Bay seasoning, and a splash of lime juice add to the miraculously complex flavorings in this humble mock chicken salad.  The recipe calls for both mayo liquid smoke, both of which I find horrendous, so I left out the liquid smoke and used Greek yogurt.  When I was done (in about 3 minute's time!!!), I had a lovely "mocken salad" as I was calling it.  My family groaned and moaned while I made it, but Mom said she'd like to try a half of my sandwich.  So did Kenzie.  Let's just say both of them ending up eating their halves and then making themselves another entire one!  Both chickpea haters were able to set aside their negative chickpea feelings and fully embrace the mock chicken salad.  So if they can do it, can't you give it a try? :)

Recipe:

mock chicken salad
adapted from Watching What I Eat
makes 4 servings

Ingredients:
2 cups chickpeas, drained and slightly smashed
1/3 cup Greek yogurt
1/3 cup finely diced celery
1/4 cup chopped walnuts or pecans, toasted
1 teaspoon dried crumbles sage
1/2 teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
splash lime juice
few drops liquid smoke (optional)
dash smoked paprika
salt and pepper, to taste
tortillas or rolls for serving
veggies for serving (lettuce, tomatoes, avocado, cucumber, baby spinach, etc.)

Instructions:

1) Mix first 11 ingredients (chickpeas through salt and pepper) in a small bowl.

2) Scoop the mock chicken salad into a line down the middle of your tortilla or into a sliced roll, then layer the veggies of choice on top.  Fold tortilla and enjoy.

Pulled Cauliflower BBQ Sandwiches

What is this?  Two posts in one day!?  What's up with that?  Well first of all, I'm getting a bit bored today.  I'm home alone with a bad cold while Mom and Kenzie went for a day trip to the beach, and Rachael is at a party.  I can only watch so many episodes of House Hunters (without crying about my own thus-far-unsuccessful house hunt).  Second of all, this meal is special enough to merit a two-posts-in-one-day post.  This is the one you've been waiting for.  This, my friends, is the pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwich post.

Now, anyone who is Facebook friends with me has probably already heard about this meal.  I posted this status in the midst of cooking: "Reason 586 why I love this man: he came into the kitchen to see how my BBQ sandwiches were going.  He asked, 'wheres the pork?'  I informed him we were having pulled cauliflower, not pork.  He just shook his head and smiled."  I thought it just summed up how easy-going Mark is when it comes to eating the sometimes-very-strange foods that I make; he very rarely says no to giving anything a try (unless it involves ground chicken or turkey, most shellfish, or eggs).  I also thought it would probably freak lots of people out that I was mixing barbecue sauce and cauliflower and calling it dinner... and I was right.  The entertaining comments I got included, "Give that man some meat!", "We are not sorry to be missing this meal.", "Wow, Mark is a better man than I.", and were topped off by Rachael's "I left for dinner tonight....".

Okay, fine, I know it sounds totally bizarre, but I was intrigued.  First you make your own barbecue sauce - and, red alert, this sauce is to die for.  In fact, I have made it again twice since the sandwiches, per request from my whole family (unfortunately it was for Mark to slather on chicken wings).  It's the absolute perfect blend of sweet, spicy, salty, smoky... it's just amazing.  Make the sauce, at least, even if you are totally horrified at the thought of pulling cauliflower.  It's so easy to make, too.  I hate barbecue sauce, and even I liked it.

Now onto the part that you skeptics are all wondering about: how the heck do you pull cauliflower?  To be honest, the name is a bit misleading; you don't pull much of anything.  You grind up the cauliflower and mix it with eggs (the website has a vegan option if you're interested), some of the homemade barbecue sauce, water, and salt.  Then the mixture is spread into a pan and baked.  What you end up with is a kind of cauliflower cake that then gets sliced into strips for serving.  While the cauliflower is baking, caramelize some onions so that your sandwich will have all the fixings of a traditional pulled BBQ sandwich.  Then you have everything you'll need: hamburger buns, pulled cauliflower, barbecue sauce, and caramelized onions.

See? He's smiling!

I know you're curious: how were these bizarre vegetarian sandwiches!?  I think you'll be surprised to hear that they were actually rather awesome.  Mom, Kenzie, Mark, Christy and I all ate one quite happily.  Kenzie claimed that she wanted to hate them, but found herself shocked to discover that she "really really liked it" and would like for it to be served again some night!  The biggest shocker was that even Nick ate one; he doused it in enough sauce to probably drown the cauliflower taste altogether, but hey, if I could get him to eat a veggie sandwich, then I could get anyone to give it a try.

You'd be surprised how many people have been asking for this recipe.  I think the idea of a healthy, meatless barbecue option appeals to more people than I would have guessed.  And so, everyone, without further ado, here is the recipe for the absolutely delicious and shockingly popular pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwiches!

She's loving it!

Recipe:

pulled cauliflower BBQ sandwiches
from Beard and Bonnet
makes about 6 sandwiches

Ingredients:

for sauce:
1/2 cup ketchup
3 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dry mustard
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
4 tablespoons distilled vinegar
4 tablespoons water
3 tablespoons brown sugar

for pulled cauliflower:
2 cups cauliflower florets from 1 small head cauliflower
3 eggs
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon water
1/3 cup homemade barbecue sauce
pinch of salt

to make sandwiches:
6 hamburger buns
2 onions, sliced thin

Instructions:

1) Make the sauce: combine all of the ingredients in a small sauce pan and heat over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for 20-25 minutes.

2) Preheat the oven to 450 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Lightly rub olive oil on the parchment paper to prevent sticking and set aside.

3) Chop cauliflower into florets and pulse in the food processor until the cauliflower looks like couscous or small grains of rice; no not overprocess!

4) In a large bowl, combine all of the pulled cauliflower ingredients and mix well to combine; the mixture will be wet.  Pour the mixture onto the prepared baking sheet and spread it out evenly over the surface.  Bake in the oven for 20-25 minutes until cooked through.  Meanwhile, caramelize the onions.  Then remove cauliflower from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool.

5) Once cooled, slice cauliflower into strips and use a spatula to carefully lift it from the parchment.  It will be pretty fragile, but don't worry if it breaks, since it's going in a sandwich anyway.

6) To make sandwiches, pile buns high with cauliflower strips, barbecue sauce, and caramelized onions.  Enjoy!

Quinoa Veggie Burgers

What? Real burgers!?  ;)

In my never-ending quest for veggie burgers that not only I want to devour, but that will please my family to, I tried out these little beauties.  While I can't say that everyone loved them - mostly due to the fact that they have portobello mushrooms in them and both sisters refuse to eat mushrooms - they were delicious, and my mom and Mark were both big fans.  Particularly, Mom loved them and constantly told me these were the best veggie burgers I ever made.  She especially loved that they actually looked like real burgers: brown and thick and, well, meaty.  She made fun of my other veggie burgers and said she was glad these ones didn't have broccoli florets sticking out :)

But in all seriousness, these guys have a lot of good things going for them besides the fact that they look like hamburgers.  The portobello mushrooms add their color but don't give it an overly mushroomy taste - Mark is not a fan of mushrooms so I managed to forget to tell him that they were in there, and he never suspected a thing.  In addition to the mushrooms, there is zucchini and shallot for veggies, but the bulk of them is quinoa.  That's one of the best parts about the burgers: they are full of protein, and the quinoa also helps them to seem meaty in texture.

The other amazing thing about the quinoa veggie burgers - and this is not something to be skipped - is the yogurt-garlic sauce.  It's light, tangy, and really flavorful with fresh parsley, garlic, and capers mixed in.  It is not optional!

Recipes:

quinoa veggie burgers with yogurt-garlic sauce
from Meatless by Martha Stewart
serves 6

Ingredients:
2 portobello mushrooms (8 ounces), stemmed and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
1 small zucchini
1/4 cup olive oil, plus more for brushing
1 large shallot, minced
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 ounce finely-grated Parmigiano-Reggiano
2 cups cooked quinoa
coarse salt and freshly-ground pepper
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 1/2 cups whole wheat bread crumbs
yogurt garlic sauce (see below)
6 whole wheat buns, split and toasted
1 cup sprouts
1/2 English cucumber, sliced 1/4 inch thick

Instructions:
1) Pulse mushrooms in a food processor until finely chopped; transfer to a bowl.  Coarsely grate zucchini; place on paper towels, and squeeze to remove excess moisture. Add to mushrooms.

2) Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large pan over medium heat.  Add shallot and red pepper flakes, and cook until softened, about 2 minutes.  Transfer to a bowl and add cheese and quinoa; season with salt and pepper.  Let cool completely, then stir in egg and bread crumbs.  Cover and refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.

3) Heat remaining 2tablespoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Shape mixture into 6 1-inch-thick patties, pressing firmly.  Cook in batches until golden brown, about 3 minutes per side.  To serve, spread yogurt sauce onto buns and sandwich with patties, sprouts, and cucumber.

yogurt-garlic sauce

Ingredients:
3/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
1 tablespoon capers, preferably salt-packed, rinsed, and cleaned
1 small garlic clove, minced
coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

Instructions:
Combine yogurt, parsley, capers, and garlic in a medium bowl.  Season with salt and pepper.  Cover and refrigerate for up to 1 day.