Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Lentils

What is better on a cold winter day than the warm comfort of mashed potatoes combined with a gravy and a lot of nutritious vegetables? This was my thought upon returning to harsh winter weather after a lovely trip to Belize last week. A tragic amount of vegetarian shepherd's pie dishes on the internet neglect to include the protein packed ingredient of lentils which is a crying shame.

Vegetarian Shepherd's Pie with Lentils
2 lbs potatoes (I like russets, but use whatever!)
1 cup dried lentils
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks of celery, diced
2 large carrots, diced
1 large head of broccoli, chopped
2 tablespoons olive or coconut oil
1/4 cup Worcestershire (vegan Worcestershire to be truly vegetarian)
3 tbs soy sauce
3 cups veggie broth
2 tbs cup flour
2 tbs butter
1/2 cup greek yogurt or sour cream
1 clove of garlic (optional if you like your mashed potatoes garlicky)

Mashed Potatoes
My husband had the brilliant idea of cubing the potatoes before throwing them into a pot of salted boiling water and it made them cook so much faster! Boil them for approximately 25 minutes (until soft enough to push a fork through). While these are boiling is a great time to prep your other ingredients. Strain the potatoes  and set aside to cool. Mash in a large bowl along with the butter, greek yogurt, and garlic, if you are opting for garlicky.

Filling
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees. Add coconut or olive oil to a large pan or wok on medium heat. Saute the onions, carrots, and celery for 10 minutes until soft and the onions are translucent. Add the broccolli and stir another couple of minutes before tossing in the lentils, vegetable broth, soy sauce, and Worcestershire and let cook until the lentils are tender. This took me about 15 minutes. If there is not a lot of liquid left at this point, add more veggie stock before throwing in the flour to thicken the remaining liquid into more of a gravy and stir stir stir. Once the remaining liquid has thickened, remove from heat and pour into a rectangular 1 quart baking dish. Layer the mashed potatoes on top until covered. Drizzle with a little olive oil if you like a nice crust and place in the oven for 15 minutes. 

Healthy 5 Layer Dip

This post is probably a little late in the game since outdoor bbq season is largely over, but this dip is really appropriate for any kind of gathering and I've never brought leftovers home with me. It has all of the texture and richness of a traditional 7 layer dip, but with a very light bean dip and greek yogurt instead of sour cream.

Black Bean Dip

1 medium red pepper, diced

1/2 cup onion, diced

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 tsps Chalula sauce

1 tsp cayenne pepper

2 tbsps salt

1 can black beans

2 tsp olive oil

Add 1 tsp olive oil to the pan and sautee onions and red peppers with a pinch of salt. When the onions are translucent and soft, add the garlic and cook for 2 more minutes, then add the can of beans with Chalula and cayenne pepper. Cook an additional 15 minutes. Remove from heat and let the mixture cool slightly before adding it to blender or food processor. Blend until smooth.

Pico de Gallo

4 ripe tomatoes, diced

1/4 cup onions, diced

1/4 cup cilantro, diced

1 tbsp salt

1 tsp jalapeno, diced (more if you like more heat)

Combine all ingredients.

Guacamole

2 ripe avocadoes, diced

1/4 cup onions, diced

1 garlic clove, minced

Juice of 1/2 a lime

1.5 tbsps salt

Combine all ingredients and continue to stir until consistency is as smooth as desired. 

Five Layer Dip

2 cups black bean dip

2 cups pico de gallo

1.5 cups guacamole

1 cup greek yogurt

1 cup cheddar cheese

Set aside 1/4 cup of pico de gallo to save for the very top. Begin layering the bottom of the bowl with the black bean dip and don't be shy! Top that with a layer of greek yogurt, followed by cheddar cheese, guacamole, and lastly pico de gallo. Repeat until you run out (this will vary based on the size of the dish). Whatever winds up on top, finish with the reserve pico de gallo for an attractive top layer. Serve with tortilla chips or celery sticks, enjoy!

Simply Delicious Tatziki

I had one of those beautiful, it's not just me, moments this past weekend while I was camping with a dear friend who mentioned how overwhelmed she got when googling for a simple tatziki recipe. Either the portions are insane, there is clearly too much garlic, or some weird obscure ingredient that you'd never thought would be in this simple Greek sauce. Even some of the tried and true corners of the internet that usually have great recipes seem to over-complicate, so I decided to mess around with portions until I found a consistency and flavor I liked.

This is what I came up with and it's pretty great, if I do say so myself. Add this to anything that needs a little luscious creaminess without a ton of fat. I put it on simple veggie kebobs Sunday night and it was the healthiest and tastiest meal I had all week.

This is a side dish that will sauce a meal for approximately 6 people. If you have extra, use it as a delicious veggie dip. It's a crowd pleaser!

Simply Delicious Tatziki 

1.5 cups greek yogurt (I used Fage non-fat, but feel free to use any fat content you like. Full fat yogurt might require less olive oil)
1 tablespoon dill (yes, that is a lot, trust me)
1/4 cup cucumber, sliced (about 8 slices of a large cuke)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 a garlic clove

Combine all ingredients into food processor and blend on high until the cucumbers are just slivers. If you prefer a creamier sauce, add a touch more olive oil and continue to blend until it reaches the desired consistency.

Try this at Home - The Kitchn's Sweet Corn and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers

Needless to say, I spend a lot of time reading food blogs. I have varying success with recipes on some, but the Kitchn's are pretty consistently wonderful and this Sweet Corn and Goat Cheese Stuffed Peppers was no exception. I used an oven instead of a grill, so I modified by pre-roasting the peppers for about 7 minutes prior to stuffing and then roasting another 5 minutes. It was so delicious and the presentation is gorgeous! Sprinkle whole kernals of corn on top if you want the sweetness from the corn to come through even more!

Try this at Home - Joe Yonan's DIY vegetable broth

If you do not yet own a copy of Joe Yonan's Eat your Vegetables, you should remedy that situation immediately. It is an incredible cook book full of approachable and delicious recipes with a variety of vegetables, textures, and flavors. It's not strictly vegetarian (includes anchovy paste here and there), but uses primarily plant based ingredients and I've yet to try something he suggested that didn't work beautifully. He has a brilliant suggestion of saving vegetable scraps in the freezer and once the bag is full to dump it into a pot with water and salt for some DIY vegetable stock.

I finally got around to a full bag of vegetables last night and decided to give it a try. So I poured my bag of scallion tops, celery ends, chard stems, and juiced carrot shavings into the pot (He advises not to include kale and other very bitter vegetables as that might overload the flavor.). I added a 1/2 cup of salt and 6 cups of water and then just let it simmer for about an hour and a half. I was amazed at how rich the broth flavor was after so little effort or planning in terms of what veggies I included.

Mr. Yonan includes a brilliant suggestion of freezing all of the broth in ice trays to be used in as needed portions. This brought me to the realization I own no ice trays, so I just froze the whole thing and will make something delicious with it all later. I will be acquiring ice trays and following all of his advice in my next attempt. A word to the wise, the bits of carrot were a little too small and fell right through the strainer. The flavor is still wonderful, but if you want a truly perfect broth, avoid little bits and maybe skip the pulp left over from juicing all together.

Mango Shrimp Salad with Avocado

I'm eating the leftovers as we speak and it is so delicious, you guys! This blog hasn't been updated in a while since I was on vacation in Portugal and southern Spain. Every thing I ate was insane and I am so in tapas mode. I will probably spend the next several weeks, if not months, copying all of the things I loved there and the first up is this wonderful salad. I something very similar at a tapas bar in Cordoba and let me tell you that the better quality shrimps there make a huge difference. This was made with whole foods wild caught pink frozen shrimp and it just wasn't the same. That being said, it's still a refreshing summer salad and the perfect thing to eat on a hot day.

Mango Shrimp Salad with Avocado
12 - 15 shrimp depending on size (the fresher the better!), cooked and sliced into 1/2 inch cubes
1 mango, diced
3 tomatoes, diced
1 green pepper, diced
1 scallion, diced (white and green parts)
1/2 of one small onion, diced
1 garlic clove, minced
juice of 1/2 a lime
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper to taste, I used a pinch of pepper and a generous 3 tablespoons of salt
slices of 1/4 of an avocado, as garnish

Cook the shrimp and leave in the fridge to chill. Combine all ingredients except avocado in a bowl and mix. Add avocado to the top and sprinkle with a touch more salt. Enjoy!

Leftover Chicken Tortilla Soup

As you can tell from the recipes on this blog, I eat a primarily vegetarian diet. It is a choice I make for both my health and the good of the environment, and try to keep the exceptions few and far between. There are several local farmers that sell their sustainably raised meat at my farmers market and once in a while I will indulge. This indulgence usually involves buying a whole chicken and enjoying a week's worth of meals for two, since meat works best in small portions that serve as the principle flavor source. A whole chicken was purchased a few weeks ago and after following Thomas Keller's killer roasted chicken recipe, my boyfriend and I sat down to a delicious roasted chicken dinner on a Sunday. Then the fun really begins working with the leftovers all week. He made a great mexican rice and beans dish and I used the rest to make my favorite tortilla soup.

Chicken Tortilla Soup (serves 4)

2 tablespoons coconut oil (can use olive oil instead)
1 cup roasted chicken (use whatever bits are left!)
1 small onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
1 jalapeno pepper, diced with seeds removed
1 green pepper, diced
1 jar of tomatoes (can or box works too)
1 cup cooked rice
3/4 cup corn (I used frozen, organic / non-gmo, obvs)
1/3 cup (5 tablespoons) salt
5 cups water
1 teaspoon chili pepper (optional)
1 avocado for garnish, sliced
Tortilla chips for garnish (optional)

Begin by sauteing the onions in the coconut oil for 2 minutes, then add celery, jalapeno, and green pepper with a tablespoon of salt and stir for another 2 minutes, or until vegetables have all started to soften. Add the chicken bits and don't be afraid of including the skin and continue to saute another 5 minutes before adding the tomato and water with the remaining 4 tablespoons of salt and chili pepper if including it. Let all ingredients simmer for 20 minutes. Reduce heat and stir in cooked rice. Ladle into bowls and garnish with sliced avocados and tortilla chips, if desired. Enjoy!

De la Casa Cuisine - Stuffed Portabellos

I am a huge fan of the greek spot over at 11th and U. There is nothing like savory gyro meat dripping with feta sauce and fresh chopped tomatoes and onions stuffed in a homemade pita. On a particularly chilly winter day I was craving the greek spot like nobody's business, but wanted something, shall we say, less calorically intensive.

So I got brainstorming on how to get the savory delight of that gyro meat out of a vegetable...the obvious choice is the vegetarian's best friend: a portabello. It's substantial and savory and seamlessly takes the place of hearty meat in several classic dishes. Why not stuff it with classic greek inspired flavors and hope for the best?

Ingredients:

4 large portobello mushroom caps

8 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2.5 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups spinach (frozen is ok!)

1 red bell pepper

1 cup feta cheese

salt and pepper to taste

Pre-heat oven to 500 degrees (no that's not a typo, you're going to roast that bell pepper and it needs to be hot!). In a large bowl, combine 2 tablespoons olive oil and 4 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar in a bowl large enough for all 4 portabellos. Set aside.

Coat the pepper in remaining olive oil and place on the bottom side of a roasting pan. My friend, Bill, taught me this trick and it really gets the best roasted flavor on all sides. Place in the 500 degree oven and set a timer for 5 minutes. You will need to flip the pepper every 5 minutes on to get all four sides roasted evenly. After the pepper has roasted, set it somewhere cool to rest and lower the oven temperature to 375. Don't worry if the pepper caves in, you're just going to pull it apart in a few minutes anyway.

Remove the Portobellos from their marinade and grab your spinach (if it's frozen you'll need to defrost it before stuffing it into the mushrooms). Sprinkle a pinch of salt and pepper into each cap before stuffing it with spinach, then add another dash to the top of each.

Peel the skin off of the roasted bell pepper. This is definitely the least fun task, but it's so clutch because that skin is BITTER. Once it's all gone, slice the pepper into thin slivers no longer than the diameter of each mushroom cap. Nestle them into their new bed of spinach and then heap on a generous portion of feta on each cap. Toss them in the oven and set a timer for 25 minutes. Once the timer goes off the feta should be nice and tender, but not gooey.

If the portobellos survived your prep ok, they should come out of the pan in tact and make for a downright presentable dish! Buen provecho!

In hindsight, a homemade tatziki would really take this bad boy over the top. So if anyone has a good recipe, please pass it along!

De la Casa Cuisine - Potato Leek Soup

Everyone has one dish that they can cook the shit out of. It's their best dish and whenever they are asked to bring something to a party or potluck it's that go to that always wows a crowd. This is my wow the crowd dish. I fumbled the recipe together after receiving some uber fresh leeks from a local farm in Maryland that guaranteed they had been picked that day. I have never been ever to make it as delicious as I did that first time, so if you can get your hands on fresh out of the ground leeks, make this soup asap! Full disclosure, this is my own spin on Alton Brown's potato leek soup recipe that can be found here. The key difference is I added lemon juice, used black pepper, and doubled the buttermilk because I like a tangy punch to the back of my throat.

Ingredients:

2 large or 3 medium size leeks

3 small yukon gold potatoes

2 tablespoons butter

1 tablespoon salt

1 quart vegetable broth

1 bay leaf

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup cream (you can use half and half here)

1 cup buttermilk

By the by if you don't want to buy buttermilk because inevitably what you won't use in this recipe is going to get thrown out, you can use whatever dairy milk you have and add lemon juice to it to make it "buttermilk"

Ok onto the fun! Start by washing your leeks, which I like to do by cutting in half and then rinsing thoroughly, those suckers are full of dirt when you get them from the farmer's market. Once they're clean, dice them up and don't worry about making them pretty because you're going to cook them into oblivion. Bust out a dutch oven and heat up the two tablespoons of butter, toss in the leeks, add a pinch of your salt and c

over it all up. A word of advice, keep the heat nice and low because if those bad boys start to caramelize the whole thing will be ruined (yes I am speaking from experience). Set the timer for 25 minutes and turn to the potatoes.

Start by peeling them and then dice them into small (1/2 - 1 inch cubes) pieces. Back before I had an emulsion blender I aired on the side of small so that I wouldn't have to spend as much time mashing them up later. Now that I have my dreamboat cuisinart, I'm less concerned. Once your potatoes are chopped sprinkle another pinch of salt over them.Stir those leeks periodically while your dicing the potatoes, did I mention you have got to make sure they don't caramelize? DON'T LET THEM CARAMELIZE! Once the timer has beeped and the leeks are nice and soft (taste one to make sure it's nice and mushy, butter sauted leeks are delicious all on their own!).

If they melt in your mouth, add the vegetable broth and bring the whole thing to a boil. Once it's boiling, throw in the bay leaf before you cover it up and set the timer for 45 minutes. The good news is you can go do something elsle for that 45 minutes because this isn't too sensitive and doesn't need to be stirred much. After you hear the timer go off, the potatoes should be fall-apart soft. If they are nice and tender, you are ready to remove the bay leaf and blend this into a soup. The softness of the potatoes is key if you're going to be making this without any kind of blender. Whip out your largest wooden spoon and start stirring that mixture vigorously. If you are blessed with an immersion blender, move your pot close to the outlet and blend away. Don't feel the need to make it 100% smooth. I find that chewing into the occasional bit of potato is pleasant when you're enjoying this comforting delight.

I've only had my immersion blender for three and a half months and I still get nerdily excited every time I get to use it. After you've enjoyed blending the soup up, grind in a couple clicks worth of pepper and let everything cool before adding any of the dairy ingredients. If you need to make buttermilk out of lemon juice and milk, this is a good time to put it together. After about 10 minutes, it should be cool enough.

Measure out the cream and stir it in slowly making sure not to get any curdled bits. Do the same with the buttermilk and lemon juice. Last, sprinkle in another touch of salt and few more clicks of pepper to taste. If you're still craving tang, add a bit more lemon juice. I know there are lots of fattening components here that you might be tempted to substitute, but I highly recommend preparing it this way and enjoying it in reasonable portions to keep the calorie count under control. A small bowl of soup will keep you full, scout's honor! Enjoy!