black bean quinoa bowl with peach salsa.

My quinoa obsession continues. Quinoa recipes are not difficult to come by, but I always like looking for something interesting that doesn't have some ridiculous ingredients that I don't always have on hand. When I came across this recipe, another creation from A Couple Cooks, I knew this was what I'd been looking for. The recipe is two-fold: one for the peach salsa, and one for the quinoa bowl itself. Let's start with the peach salsa.


the recipe
Peach salsa, serves about 4
4 ripe peaches
1/2 large red onion
1/2 jalapeno pepper
1 lime
Handful fresh cilantro
Kosher salt


1. Peel and core the peaches; cut them into small chunks. Finely dice the red onion. Remove the stem, seeds and ribs of the jalapeno pepper and finely dice half of it. Chop the cilantro.
2. Mix all ingredients together and add the juice of 1 lime. Add a bit of kosher salt to taste. If you can wait, let sit for a few minutes to let the flavors meld.


Quinoa bowl
2 cups quinoa
1 recipe peach salsa
2 cans black beans
6 to 8 green onions
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
Kosher salt
Fresh ground pepper


1. Rinse the 2 cups quinoa and drain completely. Place quinoa in a saucepan with 3 cups water and a few pinches of kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to very low, cover the pot, and simmer for about 13 to 15 minutes, until the water has evaporated. Turn off the heat and let sit covered to cool for about 5 minutes. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and add some salt and pepper to taste.
2. While the quinoa cooks, prepare the peach salsa.
3. Drain and rinse the beans. Chop the green onions, mix the beans and onions with 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, about 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, and fresh ground pepper. Taste and add more seasonings if desired.
4. When the quinoa is finished, dish the quinoa into bowls, and top with the black bean mixture and peach salsa.


substitutions
For the peach salsa, I didn't add the jalapeno, just because I made a half recipe for everything and didn't see the point in adding a fourth of a jalapeno pepper. For the quinoa bowl, I used cayenne pepper instead of chili powder. Though I included the green onions the first time I made this, the second time I didn't, and I really didn't notice much of a difference in flavor.


great with
The combination of quinoa and black beans makes for a filling dish and therefore, stands well on its own. This is a great one-dish meal.


the review
Mmm, this is so good. I realize that peaches aren't going to be in season for too much longer, so make this while you can! I love the combination of flavors in here. The spicy of the red onions combined with the sweetness of the peaches is delicious. The lime juice is a nice, subtle flavor in there too. And quinoa...well, I can't seem to find enough good things to say about it. This is a delicious, healthy recipe. Whenever I bring leftovers of this with me to work to have for lunch, people are intrigued!

creamy quinoa primavera.

Have you ever had quinoa? If not, I'd like to introduce you. Quinoa is a delicious and healthy South American seed that makes an excellent replacement for cous cous and rice. It's very high in protein, which is excellent for vegetarians. It's also gluten-free. Some quinoa recipes were popping up as I was browsing blogs looking for new dishes to make, so I thought I'd give quinoa a try. I'm so glad I did. It's my new favorite food. This particular recipe is from a blog called Let's Dish.


the recipe
1 1/2 cups uncooked quinoa
3 cups vegetable broth
4 ounces cream cheese
1 tablespoon chopped fresh basil
1 tablespoon butter
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
5 cups thinly sliced or bite sized pieces assorted uncooked vegetables
3 tablespoons grated Romano or Parmesan cheese


Rinse quinoa thoroughly; drain. Bring quinoa and broth to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan; reduce heat. Cover and simmer 20-25 minutes or until broth is absorbed. While quinoa is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic in butter for about one minutes, stirring frequently, until golden. Stir in vegetables. Cook about 3-5 minutes, stirring frequently, until vegetables are crisp-tender. Stir cream cheese and basil into cooked quinoa. Toss vegetables with quinoa mixture and sprinkle with cheese.


substitutions
Didn't have any for this recipe. I will say though, that for the assorted vegetables, I've just been staying basic with some peas and broccoli, but you can use anything you want.


great with
This could make a great side for any meal. Sometimes I'll have it with a veggie burger or a Morningstar Farms chicken pattie. This is also filling enough to have as a single-bowl meal. I often bring some of this to work for my lunch.


the review
This recipe was my first quinoa experience and I must say, I thought it was really good. I like that this recipe has some vegetables right in it. Overall, it makes for a very healthy, filling meal. The cream cheese in this recipe is a nice touch also. It adds a really nice flavor and the meal itself is very smooth and creamy. If you haven't tried quinoa yet, I would definitely give it a shot.

mexican pizza.

So let me say first that I absolutely love Mexican food. Aside from the taste itself, Mexican food reminds me of college. At least every other Friday, my best friends and I would go to the Mexican restaurant in our college town, order margaritas and food and stay there for hours. It was heaven. Mexican food will always remind me of those times. And also, honestly, I just love the way it tastes. So I came across this recipe for Mexican pizza on A Couple Cooks and I knew I had to try it.


the recipe
Makes 2 10-inch pizzas
2 crusts pizza dough
1 can no-fat refried black beans (makes enough for around 4 pizzas)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 small red onion
1 tomato
1 jalapeno pepper
2 handfuls fresh cilantro
2 handfuls frozen corn
Mexican cheese blend
Kosher salt


1. Place pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 500 F.
2. In a medium bowl, mix the refried black beans with a bit of water to thin the consistency so that it is easily spreadable. Mix with 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1/4 teaspoon paprika, and 1/4 teaspoon cayenne.
3. Seed and dice the tomato. Finely chop the red onion. Chop the cilantro. Seed and dice the jalapeno.
4. When the toppings and oven are ready, shape the dough into a 10-inch round. Place the dough on a floured pizza peel or pull the pizza stone out of the oven and carefully place the dough on it.
5. Quickly assemble the pizza. Spread the bean mixture in a thin layer over the dough, sprinkle on as much cheese as you like, and add the red onion, tomato, jalapeno, corn, and cilantro. Sprinkle with kosher salt. If desired, brush a little olive oil on the crust to help it brown.
6. Transfer the pizza to the oven and bake until the cheese and crust are nicely browned, about 5 to 7 minutes.


substitutions
I had a couple for this one. Instead of pizza dough, I used pita bread. It works perfectly for a single sized pizza. I didn't have refried black beans so I just pureed whole black beans in a food processor. Worked fine. I did not use the jalapeno but I added green onions because I wanted to use them up. Instead of an actual Mexican cheese blend, I just mixed some cheddar and mozzarella together.


great with
This is a filling pizza, I think, so it stands well on its own.


the review
This is so yum. Seriously, I can't wait to make this again. It's easy to make and the combination of flavors was awesome. I love how this uses black beans as the "sauce" and I think the inclusion of the red onions gave it the perfect little kick without being overwhelming. Make this pizza, especially if you have a weird nostalgia thing with Mexican food, like I do. I'm sure you won't be disappointed.

roasted broccoli with garlic.

First of all, I've been super lazy about posting lazy. However, school started recently and for several weeks I was spending lots of time preparing for my students. I was preparing food also; I just wasn't posting it on here. However, I have lots of good recipes to share now.

Anyways, this is another delicious recipe from A Couple Cooks. I love a simple recipe like this one for roasted broccoli with garlic. It's not hard to make, it goes with almost anything, and it's delicious.

the recipe

Serves 4-6 as a side

3 heads broccoli

8 cloves garlic

1/4 cup grated Parmesan

olive oil

kosher salt

fresh ground pepper

1. Preheat the oven to 425 F.

2. Wash and dry the broccoli. Cut each garlic clove into quarters. Cut the broccoli into large florets.

3. Arrange the broccoli and garlic on a baking sheet and toss with a bit of olive oil. Add kosher salt and fresh ground pepper.

4. Roast the broccoli for about 20 minutes, until the tips are just browned.

5. In a bowl, add 1/4 cup of grated Parmesan cheese.

substitutions

Just regular salt instead of kosher salt. I feel like I should maybe get some of this kosher salt. It keeps popping up in recipes.

great with

I believe I've had this as a side for veggie burgers, pizza and pasta, amongst other things. This will go with pretty much anything.

the review

When I was a little girl, maybe six years old, when asked I would say that my favorite food was garlic. I still love garlic, so needless to say I enjoyed this recipe very much. It's easy to make, it's delicious and of course it's good for you too. I have found that, in general, I do not need to roast the broccoli for 20 minutes, as the recipe suggests. Honestly, mine's closer to about 12 minutes probably. Anyways, this is a highly recommended recipe. Easy to make and very delicious.

roasted red pepper pita pizzas.

I happened upon this awesome blog a couple of weeks ago called A Couple Cooks. Most of the recipes are vegetarian, and they cook with natural ingredients. Everything looks pretty tasty. I spent an abnormally long amount of time one night going through every single recipe (literally) and pulling my favorites for my binder of recipes that I keep in my kitchen.


With that being said, I love pizza--who doesn't? Since I've never made pizza I don't eat it that often. But when I saw the recipe for these Roasted Red Pepper Pita Pizzas on A Couple Cooks, I thought to myself, why yes, I can totally handle that. The couple behind A Couple Cooks makes their own pita bread, which is impressive. I'm not quite there yet. Baby steps.


the recipe
Makes 4 pizzas
1 12-ounce jar roasted red peppers
1 jar oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes (with herbs, if possible)
Dried oregano
Monterrey jack cheese, shredded
4 whole grain pitas
Kosher salt


1. Place a pizza stone in the oven and preheat to 450 F.
2. Drain the red peppers. Remove about one-half of a red pepper and cut it into thin strips to garnish pizzas.
3. In a food processor, place the remaining red peppers, 10 sun-dried tomatoes, and 1 tablespoon of the oil from the sun-dried tomato jar. Puree for 1 to 2 minutes until smooth.
4. On each whole grain pita, spread 1/4 of the red pepper sauce and shredded Monterrey jack cheese. Top with sliced red peppers, dried oregano and a bit of kosher salt.
5. Place the pizzas on the pizza stone (or a baking sheet) and bake until the cheese is melted, about 5 to 7 minutes.


substitutions
Well, to begin with, I did not buy roasted red peppers. Instead, I roasted my own. It was a lot easier than I thought it was going to be, and totally worth it. I also used sun-dried tomatoes without the oil, and instead just added a little olive oil for step 3 when you're making the sauce. Easy enough.


great with
Pizza stands great on its own, of course, but I had mine with a salad.


the review
Make these. Your taste buds will thank you. Okay, so really, these are awesome. Pita is a great alternative to pizza dough. The pita ends up tasting like a crispy, thin crust pizza, which is delicious. Also, the sauce on this was great. Admittedly, though I do eat tomato sauce, if I'm given a choice between that and something else, I'll pick the something else. This sauce is a great alternative. I will absolutely be making these pizzas again. I also can't wait to make other pizzas on pita. Excited!

hummus.

I'm making an honest effort lately to buy and consume less processed foods. That means making a lot more things from scratch. It's extra time spent in the kitchen, yes, but I feel good about what I'm making and better then, about what I'm eating. Something that I'm basically addicted to is hummus. I have it constantly and I put it on everything. Naturally, I've always bought packaged hummus from the store, and it's delicious. But I decided that I'd make it for myself one day, just to see how it would turn out. And since the recipe came from my trusty The Best-Ever Vegetarian Cookbook I knew I was in good hands.


the recipe
8 oz can chick peas
6 tbsp lemon juice
4 tbsp tahini
3 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp ground cumin
salt and freshly ground black pepper


1. Drain the chick peas, reserving the liquid from the can, and put them into a blender or food processor. Blend to a smooth paste, adding a small amount of the reserved liquid, if necessary.
2. Mix the garlic, lemon juice and tahini together and add to the blender or food processor. Process until smooth. With the machine running, gradually add 3 tbsp of the olive oil through the feeder tube or lid.
3. Add the cumin. Season with salt and pepper. Process to mix. Scrape the hummus into a bowl. Cover and chill.


substitutions
None! I used this recipe exactly as is.


great with
Let your imagination go wild. I love dipping crackers into it for a snack, or spreading it onto a sandwich or veggie burger. The veggie burger  might sound strange, but I had it at a restaurant once and I've been doing it ever since.


the review
Mmm...as it turns out, homemade hummus it delicious. It's ridiculously easy to make too, so there's really no excuse to not be making it yourself. The first time I made this, I was hosting some friends for the weekend, and they seemed to like it. I made it for myself a second time and added one less tablespoon of lemon juice. To me then, it tasted perfect. I know people are very specific about their hummus, so this could be a good recipe to start out with and tweak as necessary. Very easy, very delicious. And I don't think I'm ever buying hummus from the store again.

pierogies.

No, I did not make these pierogies from scratch. Please, I wish I was that talented. These were bought at a local farmer's market and trust me when I say they were delicious. They're filled with cheese and potatoes, and I sauteed them in butter with some onion and snap peas. Delicious. They were so pretty, I just had to share.

green pilau with cashews.

I was browsing through my Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day book one day because you know, I wanted to try something new. I had passed by this recipe a couple times because the cooking time is pretty long and I'm not usually that patient. This particular day though, I did have time, so I decided to go ahead and make it.


the recipe
serves 6
200 g baby english spinach
2/3 cup cashew nuts, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups long-grain brown rice
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon fennel seeds
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley


1. Preheat the oven to moderate (350 F). Shred the English spinach leaves.
2. Place the cashew nuts on a baking tray and roast for 5-10 minutes, or until golden brown--watch carefully.
3. Heat the oil in a large frying pan and cook the spring onion over medium for 2 minutes, or until soft. Add the rice, garlic and fennel seeds and cook, stirring frequently, for 1-2 minutes, or until the rice is evenly coated. Increase the heat to high, add the lemon juice, stock and 1 teaspoon salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to low, cover and cook for 45 minutes without lifting the lid.
4. Remove from the heat and sprinkle with the spinach and herbs. Leave, covered, for 8 minutes, then fork the spinach and herbs through the rice. Serve sprinkled with cashews.


substitutions
Okay, I had a couple for this one. I use frozen spinach instead of fresh pretty much always, including in this recipe. I can just never seem to go through fresh quickly enough. I also used regular brown rice instead of long-grain. I don't have fennel seeds, so I didn't use those. I also used dry parsley instead of fresh.


Also, this isn't really relevant to the recipe, but neither of my frying pans came with lids. I had to place one of my large dinner plates over the pan while it was simmering. Kind of funny.


great with
Morningstar Farms Chicken Pattie. I probably sound like I turn to those often. It's probably because I do. I love them.


the review
Okay, for starters, this recipe definitely involves a time commitment. That is automatically a downside, since I know I personally do not always (or ever) have an hour and a half to devote to cooking something. I think a lot of people are probably the same way. Regardless, this recipe is very good. It has an excellent flavor to it, though it was perhaps a little bit salty. I think I'll pare down on the vegetable stock next time, or maybe eliminate the teaspoon of salt. I believe that's where the problem was. Really though, this is very good and if you ever have the time, I think it's worth the time spent making it.

dusty cauliflower.

My mom's been making this recipe for many years, and it's always been one of my favorites. I'm not honestly sure where she got it. It may be from a cookbook but I wouldn't honestly know which one. Anyways, I had a taste for it recently, so I decided to make a batch of it myself. 


the recipe
4 cups cauliflower, cut into flowerets
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 tablespoons oat bran
3 tablespoons dry bread crumbs
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon grated Parmesan cheese
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Dash of garlic powder


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. Lightly oil a baking pan or spray with a nonstick cooking spray.
3. Place cauliflower in a large bowl. Drizzle with oil and toss until cauliflower is evenly coated.
4. Combine remaining ingredients and sprinkle over cauliflower. Toss until coated.
5. Spread cauliflower in prepared pan. Sprinkle with any remaining crumbs.
6. Bake 18-20 minutes, until lightly browned.


substitutions
It's not really a substitution, I guess, but my mom and I use wheat germ for the oat bran. We've always used it, and it works well.


great with
I personally think this is a delicious side to accompany a veggie burger. That's exactly what I had this with.


the review
As I said in the beginning, this is absolutely one of my favorite recipes. I really like cauliflower, but there's no denying that it can taste a little plain at times. This is not a plain recipe. It's delicious. This is also one of the easiest things to make. Just toss everything in a bowl, stick it in the oven, and then you can concentrate on the rest of dinner. Easy and delicious.

stuffed green peppers.

One day, I had the burning desire to make stuffed green peppers. This is weird because I've never made them before, and I honestly don't remember the last time I had a stuffed pepper. Regardless, turned to Google and did a search, to happy results. The following recipe was found on allrecipes.com.


the recipe
serves 4
1 cup water
1/2 cup uncooked Arborio rice
2 green bell peppers, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1 pinch ground black pepper
1 tomato, diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese


1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly grease a baking sheet.
2. In a medium saucepan, bring water to a boil. Stir in the rice. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and seat aside.
3. Place the peppers cut-side down on the prepared baking sheet. Roast 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until tender and skin starts to brown.
4. While the peppers are roasting, heat oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Cook the onions, basil, Italian seasoning, salt and pepper in oil for 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato, and cook for 5 minutes. Spoon in the cooked rice, and stir until heated through. Remove from heat, mix in the feta cheese, and spoon the mixture into the pepper halves.
5. Return to the oven for 5 minutes. Serve immediately.


substitutions
Brown rice instead of Arborio rice, spring onions instead of green onions, dry Italian dressing powder for the Italian seasoning, and no tomato.


great with
I thought at first that this was going to be filling enough to have on it's own, but the peppers I got were pretty small, so I quickly realized that wasn't going to work. I had one stuffed pepper half with a Morningstar Farms chicken pattie.


the review
Regardless of the fact that my picture of the pepper doesn't necessarily make the pepper look very pretty, you really must believe me when I say that these were very good. Very flavorful and for the most part, healthy. I like this recipe because I think there are a lot of different things that you could do with the rice mixture, depending on what your tastes are. I certainly changed it from the originally recipe, and it was great. I've already bought another pepper, so I'm looking forward to having these again.

lemon garlic spaghetti.

I'm still continually searching for new and wonderful pasta recipes. I found this one online. It's from a blog called i nom things, which I think is hilarious. Anyways, let's move on to the recipe. It's simple and delicious.


the recipe
serves 2
4 oz dry spaghetti
1/4 cup grated parmesan
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic
1/2 lemon
2 tbsp pine nuts
5-6 basil leaves, chiffonaded


1. Start your garlic oil. Pour in olive oil and chopped up garlic into a small frying pan and let it cook over low heat, until the garlic starts to brown on edges. Immediately remove from heat and reserve. While that's starting, boil pasta.
2. Chiffonade basil leaves, then take the leaves, cheese and pine nuts and add to a large bowl with the garlic and garlic oil. Squeeze in lemon juice. Add the pasta and toss until combined. Crack black pepper to taste.


substitutions
Not much. I used pasta instead of spaghetti...big deal, I know. I also just used bottled lemon juice instead of an actual squeezed lemon. And I couldn't find pine nuts at the grocery store, so no pine nuts. SAD FACE.


great with
As usual, pasta stands well on its own, but I almost always have my pasta dishes with a salad.


the review
I love pasta, but when a pasta dish is really heavy, my stomach feels like it's going to explode. So with that said, I have some good news: this is not one of those pasta dishes. This is light and summery and delicious. Very yum. I wouldn't have ever thought to put lemon on pasta, so I'm really glad that this recipe came up in my search. 


Can I also just say that it's so nice to have a recipe that is actually made for only two servings? It's so nice. Trust me. Since I'm only cooking for one person, I either end up with a ton of leftovers, or I have to cut the recipe in half, and that involves me doing math, which is a bad thing. So this was nice and simple--both the food, and the recipe.

summer corn chowder.

Have you ever had the summer corn chowder at Panera? It's really good. I haven't had it in like, a year, but I was sitting around, thinking about what to make for dinner one day and instantly I decided I wanted summer corn chowder. I figured I'd go to Panera, but then I though, screw that, I'll just find out how to make it.


I went to Google and searched "summer corn chowder recipe" and after reading some reviews, decided to make the first recipe that came up, which is from epicurious.com and can be found by clicking here.


the recipe
Makes 4 to 5 servings
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 large onion, cut in 1/4-inch dice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
5 cups fresh vegetable broth
2 russet potatoes, cut into 1/4-inch dice
4 cups fresh corn kernels
1/2 cup diced red bell pepper
1/2 cup diced green bell pepper
salt, to taste
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup half-and-half
2 ripe plum tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch dice, for garnish
1/2 cup thinly slivered fresh basil leaves, for garnish


1. Place the oil and butter in a pot over low heat. Add the diced onion and wilt for about 10 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the onion; cook, stirring, for an additional 3 to 5 minutes.
2. Add the broth and potatoes; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium and cook, partially covered, for 10 minutes or until the potatoes are tender, stirring occasionally.
3. Add the corn, red and green bell peppers, salt, pepper and half-and-half; cook over low heat for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Ladle 2 cups of soup into each bowl. Before serving, place 1 tablespoon of diced tomatoes in the center of each and top generously with slivered basil. Serve immediately.


substitutions
I didn't have a green bell pepper, so I just used a red one for both amounts. I also didn't feel like messing around with garnish, so I skipped the tomatoes and basil. Also, after reading the reviews on epicurious.com, I noticed that some of them said this recipe was a little bland for them. I added some red cayenne pepper and thyme for flavor.


great with
Soup is pretty stand-alone, to me anyways. I like bread for dipping though, so I usually toast a piece of whole grain bread and then put a little bit of butter and garlic powder on it.


the review
Well...I was craving Panera's summer corn chowder and I basically got Panera's summer corn chowder. This is one of my new favorite recipes. This was really easy to make and it's so, so good. I know you might be thinking, it's summer, why in the world would I want soup? But seriously, that has a perfect taste for summer. This was hearty and filling (and not bland at all--no clue what those reviews were talking about) and my goodness, even though I made a half recipe, the amount of soup I got out of it was huge. Make this. You will not regret it.

couscous patties.

I was looking for something different to enjoy, so when I was looking through my Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day book and found this recipe for couscous patties, I decided to give them a shot.


the recipe
Makes 4
1 cup couscous
4 tablespoons oil
1 eggplant, finely diced
1 onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, crushed
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 red capscium
2 tablespoons chopped fresh coriander
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons lemon juice
5 tablespoons natural yogurt
1 egg, lightly beaton
oil, for shallow-frying


1. Place the couscous in a bowl. Add 1 cup of boiling water and leaves for 10 minutes or until all the water has been absorbed. Fluff up the grains with a fork.
2. Heat 2 tablespoons of the oil in a large frying pan and fry the eggplant until soft and golden, then place in a bowl. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil in the pan. Add the onion, garlic, cumin and ground coriander. Cook over medium heat for 3-4 minutes, or until soft, then add to the bowl. Heat the remaining oil and cook the capsicum for 5 minutes, or until soft. Place in the bowl and stir well.
3. Add the vegetable mixture to the couscous with the fresh coriander, lemon rind, lemon juice, yogurt and egg. Season to taste and mix well.
4. Using damp hands, divide the mixture into four portions and form into large patties-they should be about 3/4 inch thick. Cover and refrigerate for 15 minutes. Shallow-fry the patties over medium heat for 5 minutes on each side, or until golden. Drain the patties well and serve with yogurt.


substitutions
I've got a lot for this one:
-I'm not a big eggplant fan. I chopped up a tomato instead.
-I did not have red capsicum, and I'm not even going to pretend that I know what that is.
-I did not have lemon rind.
-I did not have fresh coriander, and decided not to compensate for that with the ground coriander. It's a strong flavor.
-I used Greek yogurt for the natural yogurt. It's what I had, and it worked fine.


great with
As the end of the recipe suggested, I had one of these patties with a small helping of yogurt, along with a salad.


the review
I liked these. Even a fan of couscous (which I am) must admit that on occasion, plain couscous can be just a little bit too plain. I wouldn't have thought of couscous as a medium to mix all of these ingredients and flavors, but it definitely worked. And I was surprised--the patties actually held together quite well. I wasn't expecting them to be so easy to form together. I would definitely recommend these if you like couscous, coriander and cumin. 

two-pea pasta with ricotta and tarragon.

I'm always on the search for new pasta recipes, so when I found this one online at Delish.com, I thought it sounded great and couldn't wait to give it a try myself.


the recipe
coarse salt and ground pepper
12 ounces gemelli or other short pasta
12 ounces sugar snap peas
1 10-ounce package frozen peas
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon
1 cup part-skim ricotta cheese


1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta 3 minutes less than al dente. Add snap peas; cook 2 minutes, add peas, and cook 1 minute more. Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and vegetables and return to pot.
2. Toss pasta and vegetables with butter, tarragon, and ricotta, adding a little reserved pasta water as needed to create a thin sauce that coats pasta; season with salt and pepper.
3. Divide pasta among four serving bowls and garnish with tarragon, if desired. Serve immediately.


substitutions
I didn't have tarragon. I know that tarragon has a really unique flavor and there isn't really a complete substitution for it, so I just through some oregano in there for some flavor.


great with
Like most pastas, this stands great on its own. I had my pasta with a salad.


the review
Man, was this good. I'm kind of obsessed with peas, so the "two-pea" part of the recipe immediately hooked me. This is really easy to make, and it tastes fantastic. As far as sauces go, it's not heavy at all. I've been enjoying the leftovers for a few days now. I highly recommend making this.

best grilled cheese sandwich.

1. Finely chop fresh basil leaves and sun-dried tomatoes, either in a food processor or by hand.
2. Assemble sandwich as follows: whole grain bread (butter side down), two pieces of provolone cheese, basil and sun-dried tomato spread, whole grain bread (butter side up).
3. Grill to golden perfection.

orzo with buttered bread crumbs.

I am not one to take to the Internet to complain, so I'll just say that I'm not having a fantastic week, and leave it at that. On the bright side, I allowed myself to take part in some of my favorite comfort food. To me, this recipe is up there with homemade macaroni and cheese. Though I usually stick with fairly healthy meals most of the time, let's face it--it's nice to indulge every once in a while.


the recipe
8 oz. orzo
1 stick of butter
seasoned bread crumbs
Boil water and add the orzo. In a small frying pan, melt 1 stick of butter. As the butter melts, add enough seasoned bread crumbs to absorb all the butter. After the orzo is cooked and drained, stir in the melted butter and bread crumbs. Add salt and pepper to taste.


substitutions
Look at that recipe. There are only good things going on there, trust me.


great with
Pretty much whatever strikes your fancy. I love, and I mean, I really LOVE peas, so I tend to throw them into this recipe, as the picture at the top indicates. I'll also usually have it with a Morningstar Farms Chicken Pattie.


the review
This is a really simple combination of food, but it's really good. The secret to this recipe is not skimping on the bread crumbs. When made correctly, this is the ultimate comfort food.

herb garden.

I'm very excited because yesterday, on what was a now rare, sunny and beautiful day, I planted a little herb garden in my kitchen. I've got oregano, mint, lavender and basil. I'm looking forward to using the oregano, mint and basil in some cooking. The basil especially will be used in my dad's pesto recipe. And the lavender is just going to smell nice.


Aren't they adorable?

tortellini with nutty herb sauce.

I believe I've mentioned that I come from a very Italian family, which means that we serve up pasta every single Sunday. Now don't get me wrong. I love pasta. But isn't it nice to do something with pasta besides just pouring a little tomato sauce on it? I recently got a new cookbook called Vegetarian: Tasty Recipes for Every Day, which has lots of tasty-looking pasta recipes in it. One Sunday, I decided to give the following a try.


the recipe
500 g (1 lb) cheese tortellini or ravioli
60 g (2 oz) butter
100 g (3 1/2 oz) walnuts, chopped
100 g (3 1/2 oz) pine nuts
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
1/4 cup ricotta cheese
3 tablespoons cream


1. Cook the pasta in rapidly boiling water until al dente. Drain and return to the pan.
2. Heat the butter in a heavy-based pan until foaming. Add the walnuts and pine nuts and stir for 5 minutes, or until golden brown. Add the parsley, thyme and salt and pepper.
3. Beat the ricotta with the cream. Toss the sauce and pasta together and top with ricotta cream. Serve immediately.


substitutions
I don't typically buy tortellini or ravioli, so I just used plain rigatoni. I also did not have pine nuts, so I used some extra walnuts, and just a few cashews as well.


great with
Of course, pasta stands well on its own. However, I always love to have my pasta with a salad.


the review
I think the best way I can describe this dish is by outlining what I was thinking as I took my first few bites of this dish:
1st bite: Hmm, this is unusual.
2nd bite: It's not bad though.
3rd bite: It's actually pretty good.
4th bite: I think I burned the nuts.


This definitely has a different taste to it. I've never had pasta with a nut flavor before, and it's very interesting. I can definitely see why this is meant to be served with tortellini or ravioli--I think it really needs the cheese in those pastas to make the dish complete. I'm sure I'll be making this again, and I'll be using tortellini or ravioli next time I do.


And I won't burn the nuts next time either.

roasted tomato feta scones.

I spend a lot of time on a website called Etsy, which allows seller to sell their handmade and vintage goods online. It's a fun site and I've enjoyed selling some of my handmade cards over the last few months. Anyways, the website also posts articles, which I honestly don't usually read because a lot of them are weird or pointless, but when I saw the picture of these scones, I had to click on the article. The recipe for these savory scones is from the blog Savory Sweet Life, which you should also check out. There are some good-looking recipes on there. It's not exclusively vegetarian, but there are several veggie-friendly recipes, and many that I think would not be difficult to substitute ingredients.

the recipe

Makes 8 scones

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon garlic salt

4 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cut into cubes

3/4 cup heavy cream

1 egg, slightly beaten

1 4 oz package feta cheese

1/2 cup roasted red tomatoes, chopped

2 green onions, finely sliced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the flour, baking powder, garlic salt and butter in a food processor. Pulsate everything in 3-second intervals until the mixture resembles coarse meal. If doing this by hand, use 2 knives, a pastry blender or your fingers.

Transfer everything to a large bowl. Stir in heavy cream and egg, mixing the dough by hand until it comes together. Add feta cheese, roasted tomatoes, and green onions. Gently mix the ingredients by hand until the savory ingredients are evenly distributed. On a floured surface, form a big dough ball. Flatten the dough in a 1 inch disk and cut it into 8 equal pieces. Bake for 15 on a baking stone or a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Remove scones from baking sheet and cool on a wire rack.

substitutions

First of all, I cut this recipe in half because I knew it would take me ages to finish off an entire recipe of these things myself. Additionally, I didn't have the roasted tomatoes, so I just seeded some regular tomatoes and used that instead. I also didn't have green onions, which is a shame, because I think it really adds some of the color to it. I just used some sweet onions instead, for flavor.

great with

Considering that you could eat these for pretty much any meal, your options are wide open. I had two for dinner, accompanied by a salad. I also brought one to work for lunch, along with an apple and some greek yogurt. 

the review

Let's first take a moment to marvel at how much mine do not look like the picture featured with the original recipe. Seriously, how hilarious is that? No matter--these were still really good. Mine definitely do not look as pretty, and I'm thinking that had something to do with not having exactly the right ingredients. Like I indicated before, I think the green onions and the dark red of the roasted tomatoes would really make a nice color combination in food. Honestly though, even with the substitutions, I thought these were really good and I enjoyed both making and eating them. I think next time, I'm going to use green onions, and possibly sun-dried tomatoes. I don't know, I just think that sounds really good.

decorative food plates.

Well, I haven't really posted in a few days since I've been getting over a cold and have been kind of unmotivated. However, I'm feeling better and I wanted to make a new blog post. This one's a little different, considering that the result won't actually be edible. I studied art in college and I love making things. So think of this as a recipe for some food-related decor. This is a slightly altered project idea that I got from a book called Print Workshop: Hand-Printing Techniques and Truly Original Projects. Trust me, it's fun.

the recipe

plain, clean plate (Target has very inexpensive, melamine plates)
photocopy, print off or photograph of food
scissors
Mod Podge
paintbrush


1. Cover the plate that you'll be using with a smooth coat of Mod Podge using the paintbrush. Set the plate aside to dry slightly.
2. Get either a photograph, photocopy or print off of food that would be proportional to the plate that you have bought. I took pictures of a plate of food and then resize it on my computer to match the size of the plate I'd bought.
3. Carefully cut the food shapes out.
4. Arrange the food shapes on the plate. Put an additional coat of Mod Podge over the paper food pieces. Allow to dry completely.
Remember that these plates are for decorative use only. The plates cannot be submerged in water because of the Mod Podge, and they should not be used for food.


substitutions
You can probably use almost any kind of glue to paste the pieces down. I do like Mod Podge though, since it dries completely clear, does not wrinkle the paper, and adds a protective coating over anything.


great with
Plate wall hangers. These make really cute kitchen decor!


the review
These are ridiculously easy to make and I honestly love the way they look in my kitchen. My kitchen is decorated with lots of colors, like my green teapot, mismatched, mod-inspired silverware, and vintage, stained-glass owl napkin holder. These plates are fun and quirky and are exactly what I had in mind for the spare space on my walls. Keep in mind, your design doesn't have to be food, and it doesn't have to be for your kitchen. Lots of people have decorative plates in their homes. This could be a cheaper, and creative way to make your own.