Quinoa Puttanesca

Hello!

This is the dish I made this evening.  I'm not going to lie; quinoa puttanesca sounded really iffy, but after I read the ingredients and the process of making it, I was on board.  The link for this recipe is actually on the Post Punk Kitchen's website: http://www.theppk.com/2007/11/quinoa-puttanesca/.  Yes, it is an Isa Chandra Moskowitz recipe (can't you see that she is a Goddess and a genius of vegan cuisine???). 

The recipe is from her book Appetite for Reduction, and you should buy it TODAY on Amazon:  http://www.amazon.com/Appetite-Reduction-Filling-Low-Fat-Recipes/dp/1600940498/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314321105&sr=8-1.

I think the fact that pasta puttanesca is the dish of Italian whores makes this dish all the more intriguing.  Maybe the substitution of quinoa for the pasta makes this dish less whore-ish?  What do you think?

I only had one change from the printed recipe:  I used green pitted olives from a can (a whole 16-ish ounce can) because I'm not a fan of black olives (recipe calls for kalamata).  I sliced them in half because "sliced in half is great".

Once it was all cooked and plated, it was a beautiful site. 

Mushroom & Sun-Dried Tomato Risotto

Good evening.

I am well on my way to maintaining my vegan "way of eating".  I feel better, and I am very sure I can do this - giving up meat & dairy. 

I actually made this dish this past Tuesday, but I haven't had the time to blog about it until now.  I found a link for the recipe online:  http://www.food.com/recipe/mushroom-and-sun-dried-tomato-risotto-207099

It is another recipe from Isa Chandra Moskowitz's (http://www.theppk.com/) book Vegan With A Vengeance.  You must buy this book, as well as all of her other books because they are awesome. 

I have made many risotto dishes before, and they are easy once you understand the process and why it takes patience for it to be perfect.  A risotto dish can be a complete meal for me, but, for others, it may only act as a side dish.  They may long for something else to accompany a risotto.  I think the fact that these dishes require so much attention, I don't bother making anything else with it. 

This one had mushrooms and sun-dried tomatoes in it, so it was like the grain side dish with the vegetable side dish.  It all works out. 

Some of my changes:

*I used about 1/2 cup of dried shiitake mushrooms (re-hydrated in the broth) and 3 1/2 cups of cremini mushrooms.  I did that mainly because shiitakes cost more $$$, and eating healthier is already expensive as it is.  You try to save where you can.
*I left out the shallots because, as you know, I don't care for shallots or onions.  Like I said above, I have made many risotto dishes before, so I know how to adapt the recipe to account for the omission of this ingredient.
*I increased the garlic from 2 to 4 cloves.
*I used dried thyme (1 1/2 tsp) & dried rosemary (1 tsp) and crushed it in my hands before pouring it in.
*I didn't use the black truffle oil because I don't have any because it costs a lot of $$$.  It is a delicious ingredient, but I didn't want to shell out the $$$ for it. 

The picture below is the finished dish.  It looks soupy, but it wasn't like that at all.  The sauce is thick, and the dish is just beyond delicious. 

Chickpea Broccoli Casserole

Hello, again!

For my first dinner in my new life as a vegan (working towards veganism), I made chickpea broccoli casserole.

The recipe is found in Vegan With A Vengeance by the lovely and always entertaining Isa Chandra Moskowitz (Buy it on Amazon - http://www.amazon.com/Vegan-Vengeance-Delicious-Animal-Free-Recipes/dp/1569243581/ref=sr_1_6?ie=UTF8&qid=1314057817&sr=8-6).  How do I know she's entertaining?  Well, I don't know her personally, but I would love to meet her!  The descriptions she puts before the recipes in her cookbooks can contain humor, and I really appreciate that.

I can actually read her cookbooks.  She is one of my favorite cookbook authors (vegan, vegetarian or omnivore).  I have all of her cookbooks, and I enjoy looking at them quite often.

This recipe looked really delicious as I was reading it, trying to find recipes to make for the week.  I have never not liked any of her recipes.

I found a link for it online - http://www.humanesociety.org/issues/eating/recipes/entrees/chickpea_broccoli_casserole.html.

I made the recipe as is, except I left out the chives and onion.  As some of you will know if you have read some of my past blog entries, I despise onions.  With that said, the casserole turned out to be very delicious.  The two other people that ate it loved it a lot as well. 

When you add the salt, I added a LOT (and I mean a LOT) of freshly-ground black pepper and about a teaspoon and a half of red pepper flakes.  I do love heat!  You can, of course, adjust this to fit your tastes.  I would have added a lot more red pepper, but other people were eating this.  I wanted them to enjoy it and not have their mouths be on fire!

Let me know what you think!

  

The Decision to Switch to Veganism

Hello, my readers!

I have started on a new journey.  I am going to make "the change" over to veganism.  I am doing it for health reasons.  I don't have any ailments or anything; I just want to live a healthier life with food.  I will try to do it quickly because I have a high success rate when I quit something cold turkey.  In this instance, it will be quitting meat, dairy, eggs, and all other things made with an animal ingredient.

I have dabbled in veganism before with making recipes that are completely free of any animal ingredients.  I have found this way of eating to be very fascinating, especially with the baking.  How can one have a cake or a brownie without eggs and milk?  It is possible, and the results are just as amazing!

I have to admit that it will take some getting used to because I have grown up eating meat and dairy.  Like most literature that I have read, cheese will be the most difficult item to eschew.  I think I can do it.  I know I can do it.

I will say that my favorite authors of vegan cookbooks are the following:

Isa Chandra Moskowitz - http://www.theppk.com/
Colleen Patrick-Goudreau - http://www.compassionatecooks.com/
Robin Robertson - http://www.globalvegankitchen.com/

I apologize for this entry being short, but I will expand upon this entry with subsequent entries that will feature recipes from the above authors/vegan chefs, as well as others.  I will have to get used to this way of eating (for the lack of a better phrase) before I try to create my own recipes.

If anyone who reads this post has any suggestions or any comments regarding this, please feel free to comment.  I will respond if needed.  :)

Let the journey begin!!!

Orzo with Turkey Sausage and Roasted Bell Peppers

Good evening. 

I revisited the April 26, 2011 post, "Orzo with Andouille, Roma Tomatoes and Roasted Red Bell Peppers" and redid the recipe in a much more simple fashion. 

I boiled some whole grain orzo in a mixture of water and low-sodium chicken broth according to package directions; the one I had needed to be boiled for 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, I heated up some turkey sausage in a skillet on medium heat.  The kind I bought was already fully cooked, and it didn't have any casings.  It was 13.5 ounces total for 5 links.  I mashed the sausage up with a potato masher because it was quicker. 

While the sausage was heating, I added lots of pepper and some salt and about a teaspoon of red pepper flakes and stirred every minute or so.  After about three minutes of heating, I added two chopped roasted red bell peppers from a jar, stirred and let it heat some more.

Once the orzo was done, I used a hand-held strainer (sometimes called a "spider" which is a disgusting term) to transfer all the orzo into the skillet with the rest of the ingredients.

Stir it all together and add about 1/2 cup or so of the boiling liquid, stir some more.  Add some additional liquid if the mixture seems dry.

Enjoy!

I don't have a picture because I couldn't locate the camera, but it does resemble the picture on the original posting referenced at the beginning of this post.  :)