Fried Rice

on my way home the other day i called ryan and had him put the rice on. he made about twice as much rice as i normally make, so yesterday i made fried rice with the leftovers. leftover rice is the worst. fried rice is the best and super easy.

modifications are that i had frozen peas and carrots, so i just steamed those. i didn't have sesame oil but i'm sure that takes it up a notch. recipe here. and the vegetarian dumplings are from whole foods, i pan fried them in canola oil for about 5 minutes. they are really good!

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies

i had never heard of whoopie pies until i moved to pennsylvania last year. they were originally made by the amish and they are sold everywhere in central PA. i think they are gaining popularity as i hear about them everywhere and am now thousands of miles from any amish community. the next cupcake?

well i made this recipe last night and it turned out great. and i remember now why i don't make cookies without plans to give them to someone else. i ate like 5, which in non whoopie terms is like 10 cookies plus frosting. whoops!

Red Bead Curry Soup

last week i made our favorite soup during the day on monday or tuesday. we weren't home for dinner so i just put it in the fridge. i kept thinking we were going to eat it for dinner, but instead we both had a bowl for lunch almost everyday. it was 100x better than what either of us normally scrape up, and basically it's like eating a bowl of vegetables. so i decided to try to make soup once a week that we could eat for lunch. homemade soup can be so freaking healthy.

this recipe is from bob's red mill -- whole grains and beans soup mix bag. you can click on the picture below to read the recipe, because you could probably make it with dry beans and rice too. i modified it to be vegetarian (actually vegan) by using vegetable broth instead of chicken broth, and putting in roasted corn and sweet potatoes instead of chicken. I just put in 1 sweet potato but on round two i would use 2 -3 because it was a perfect pairing. i also added a final step of blending about 1 cup of soup and putting it back in to make it seem creamier and more curry-y.

soup is so great when it's nasty outside. it makes me feel like a million $$.

Homemade Oreo Ice Cream

i inherited an ice cream maker from my sister when she moved across country. i used it more in month than she had in 5 years, but i think i'm slowing down a bit now. now that i know what goes in them. like, eggs and cream. and oreos. delicious yum yum recipe here. i also made some nutella gelato and it was really amazing. i highly recommend.

Ratatouille

i copied this recipe exactly from right here. oh man it was delicious. ryan put it in his top 5 favorite meals. can you believe that? a pile of vegetables in his top 5 favorite meals? i've already made it twice and probably will again soon.
don't forget the goat cheese.

Roasted Tomato Soup

my parents planted a killer garden this year and we reaped a lot of benefits (tomatoes) from that. they usually came all at once, and soup was one of my favorite uses of them.
i couldn't find a recipe that i really like, so i used a few and adjusted to my tastes. i mainly used this recipe, but also roasted red peppers and some super spicy red peppers too. i didn't use any additional ingredients besides the peppers, tomatoes, onion, and garlic. it turned out delicious and had quite a kick.

Peanut Butter Coconut Tofu

whenever i come across a good tofu recipe i usually make it. i am always trying to get better at making tofu, it is so healthy i know i should probably eat it everyday for optimal health. recipe here
it was really delicious, pretty sweet tasting. the ginger was really the kicker. it made me determined to always have ginger on hand. a few days later i used what was leftover and made a stir fry. this is pretty typical to what i cook 2-3 times a week.

Maple Pecan Granola

once i accidentally paid $10 for granola, and it lasted less than a week. it was so delicious but i knew i could never buy it again. so i have been making a similar version and it's really fantastic. i make it once a week or i regret it big time when i force down honey nut cheerios. yuck. in my perfect world, every meal of the day is homemade. recipe here.

Carmelized Pears

you know how at the farmer's market they sell things in bushels sometimes so sometimes you get home and realize you were ripped off and sometimes you get home and you have 15 pears? well if the latter ever happens to you, you should also make yourself some carmelized pears. i didn't have have time to take a picture of them before they were consumed. you should put them over vanilla ice cream.

Peach Shortbread

super easy, and super delicious. blink your eye and they're gone and your husband is mad he only got two bars. whoops.

Tofu Quiche with Broccoli

i tend to avoid trick vegetarian food. like oh you thought you were eating a hot dog! try again. well, actually that's pretty obvious because tofu dogs are the worst. but i made this quiche that uses tofu instead of eggs and it was pretty good. i didn't tell ryan until his second helping that it was made with tofu. he didn't even care.

Vanilla Peach Pie

i could not get enough peaches this year. they literally could not get in my belly fast enough. except for once when i had like 6 or 7 peaches and they were all on the verge of mushy. pie time. vanilla peach pie recipe from here but i added some raspberries too.

Vegan Corn Chowder

this was my first recipe from veganomicon. it seems like a really great cookbook and i plan on using it more often. i like the idea of cooking vegan food because so many vegetarian recipes lay on the cheese. but, i love cheese.

Frozen Peaches

this isn't really a meal. but i love peaches and this year i am trying to get my fresh farmers market peaches to last until christmas. here are instructions on how to freeze. basically peel and slice the peaches and freeze in simple syrup. my grandmother used to freeze these every year and i could eat those sweet icy specimens for breakfast lunch and dinner. they looked kind of like raw chicken here. i promise it's not.

Corn Pudding Stuffed Tomatoes

they were better than i thought. quite sweet.

BBQ Vegetable Fajitas

ryan brags a lot about how i am not an "obnoxious vegetarian" and how most people probably do not even know that i am vegetarian. mostly i think it is not a big deal, and i wouldn't want anyone to think it is some huge lifestyle shift, because it is not. it's amazing how many people show interest in being vegetarian or at least consuming less meat when you have rational conversations or explain the benefits. although most people have seen food inc so they already know.

anyway, when i am having people over i want to be true to myself and also secretly show people how awesome and delicious a vegetarian diet can be. it's probably easier/cheaper a party meat trays or elephant turd sandwiches or something, it's just not me. so at a bridal shower i hosted i BBQ'd some delicious fresh veggies on skewers, and paired them with black beans fajita style. there were some delicious salads, chocolate covered strawberries, and of course yummy drinks. i bet no one missed meat for a second!

Whole Wheat Pizza Crust

look at my helper! and the horrible colors of my kitchen.
i know i post a lot of pizza on here. but we're still not there. i still haven't found quite the right crust, it is always too doughy. but this was a step in the right direction.

recipe for the dough

recipe for the tomato sauce

i had to make my own tomato sauce, i have so many tomatoes from so many gardens! and mozzarella, and red onions, and more tomatoes and more zucchinis of course.

Taco Salad

what is better than a PBJ sandwich in your brown bag? basically anything. we decided to drive out to one of my favorite places in utah -- the spiral jetty. we'd be there around dinner time but i couldn't stand the thought of a sandwich for dinner or like a bagel. yuck. so i packed this little taco salad with fresh lettuce, cheese, guacamole, sour cream and salsa, tomatoes, and fritos for the crunch. delicious!
and a pretty awesome view:

Mushroom Stroganoff

we had ice cream at the school creamery last week. they also sell milk and cheese and yogurt in the creamery. and last week, for some reason, they sold mushrooms. so i bought a pound without any plans. mushroom stroganoff is how i decided to use my pound of mushrooms. the sauce was great and i love mushrooms so i was definitely on board with this meal. ryan was not as excited about it. i know this because he says things like "can i got to burger king?" maybe something about how it looks like upchuck.

Raspberry Muffins

i made these delicious raspberry muffins tonight with soft boiled eggs. i found out that ryan does not like rasberries that much but then where did all the muffins go?

Roasted Veggies and Couscous

i was going to make this recipe but then i didn't feel like some of the ingredients. specifically green stuff and chickpeas. so i took those out. the lemon was great. i also roasted tofu with the vegetables for some added protein. face it, this was a boring meal. but it wasn't bad tasting. it happens.

Crunchy French Toast

time to take your french toast to the next level. no that's not my floor. recipe here

Hashbrowns and Spicy Eggs

my secret trick for getting ryan up on a saturday morning is to make breakfast. ryan's secret trick for getting me to make breakfast saturday morning is probably sleeping in.

i buy frozen plain hashbrowns and fry them in a skillet, season with s&p. everyone has their special way or special ingredients to make scrambled eggs. mine is to put pepperjack cheese in them. i like the extra kick.

Grilled Portabello and Zucchini Tacos

well, it's cinco de mayo week so i'm allowed to make tacos twice in a week. i made this recipe for dinner. i knew when i read through the recipe i would love it because it has three of my favorite foods. mushroom, zucchini, and cheese. and i love red onion too. and i did love it.

Bean and Corn Tacos

i am happy with how this meal turned out because this was my "meal right before the grocery store". when i only have a random selection of ingredients leftover from whatever i made the week before, and nothing to do with them. i hate when food goes bad. i decided to:

saute a red onion and a red pepper in olive oil until tender and add taco seasoning and minced garlic. add a can of black beans and a can of corn to the skillet until it's heated. put in a warmed corn tortilla and top with pepper jack cheese and fresh tomatoes. i love all of these ingredients, especially corn, so A+. i tried to make it as spicy as possible for ryan. still not spicy enough.

Joy of Cooking Pancakes

these pancakes are so simple and delicious, perfect for the sunny saturday we're experiencing. when i make these, i don't understand why anyone uses mixes. it's only a few more steps and so much mo betta. i'll post the recipe here in case you don't have the book. i don't have the book either oops.

dry ingredients: 1.5 c flour, 1 tsp salt, 3 tbsp sugar, 2 tsp baking powder

wet ingredients: 2 eggs, 1.25 c milk, 3 tbsp veg oil

mix dry and wet ingredients separately, and then combine with a few quick strokes. batter should be real lumpy. let sit for 5 minutes. add frozen blueberries or chocolate chips or banana slices for an extra thrill. that's the batter. you can take it from there.

Eggplant Parmesan

i tried to make eggplant parmesan a few months ago, but when i sliced open the eggplant, it was brown and spotty inside. then i spent 30 minutes looking up pictures of what eggplant is supposed to look like inside. i don't have a lot of experience with eggplant. and no, they are not supposed to look like they're rotting, that means they're rotting.

so this time i used the eggplant within a day of buying them and had better results. the recipe i used is here and i think it turned out great. it was really easy, although it did take a long time to make. i "sweated" the eggplant first as per commenter's suggestions. ryan loved this and said it tasted like something from a restaurant. i guess it depends on the restaurant.

Greek Salad

i do not love salad, but i realize they are important. mostly i don't like lettuce or dressing, which in a lot of cases is 95% of a salad. it's also nice to take a break from "cooking" every once in a while. you know, just put it in a bowl and eat it.

but i do love greek salad. fits the build in being light on the dressing and high on the veggies. and it is one of the few salads at restaurants that typically doesn't have meat in it. here is what is in my greek salad: lettuce, cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, greek olives, feta cheese. my dressing is 2 tablespoons olive oil, 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar and salt and pepper, which i modified from here. that recipe really looks good too, but it goes against the whole "salad is good for not cooking" idea.

Linguine with Tomatoes and Tofu

this fresh recipe was a nice light pasta that ryan and i had for dinner. it was a little bland, but that is probably because my basil turned brown since i used it last so i didn't have a lot left over. i really need to start growing my own herbs.

Vegetable Enchiladas

searching for new vegetable enchilada recipe since the modified standby didn't get full marks. this recipe that i made tonight was really delicious. changes i made that worked: didn't put the water in the enchilada sauce, wilted fresh spinach in a frying pan instead of thawing out frozen spinach.

but i do have a problem with it. it used at least 15 unique cooking accessories. sauce pan, frying pan, mixing bowl, spatula, grater, measuring cup sand spoons, baking dish, whisker, etc. that may sound normal to you, but when you don't have a dishwasher, that is a lot of dishes. basically as much time doing dishes as cooking. not cool. which also resulted in decreased desire to make side dishes (rice), so this is all you get.

verdict. i would definitely make this again. if i had a dishwasher.

Pasta Pomodoro

well, i thought one lb. of pasta sounded like a lot, so i only made half of it. but i made all the sauce. so i put them together and then there was too much sauce. that is what i did wrong. other than that, it was great! here's the recipe, courtesy of friend sarah, who makes it way better than i do.

Cobb Salad

ryan is heading into 1L finals. last semester ryan made a lot of emergency burger king runs during finals so i am trying my best to not punish his diet or mine because he is busy. i am trying to find meals where i can cook them and eat them at a normal hour, and then at whatever hour ryan gets home, he can eat it straight out of the fridge or with a little reheating.

for dinner today i made cobb salad. iceburg lettuce and spinach, with a tomato, red onion, avocado, cheddar cheese, and a boiled egg.

Spinach and Potato Frittata

i love a low expectation meal with a happy ending. with the meager ingredients i had on hand today i managed to locate a pretty good recipe. i don't really know what qualifies you to be a frittata, it seemed like the same thing as a quiche. but maybe less egg and no crust? idk. but you could put all sorts of other things in this to make it more interesting like tomatoes or broccoli. or top it with cholula sauce if you are ryan. i also only used 3 eggs instead of 6 because it was what i had, i think it would have been too egg tasting with 6. at the end i also baked it for 10 minutes at 350 to get it a little crispy on top.

Southwestern Baked Rice

normally i am not interested in new recipes unless there is a picture, but these ingredients did not sound risky. they sounded great. and if you look like my picture you will know why the recipe did not have a picture. because it looks like slop. but it is some tasty slop. i cooked up some tofu and some spinach with vinegrette on the side.

Zucchini Fettuccine

i don't actually know what ryan had for dinner tonight, he is still at school. which is why i cooked a girly meal and watched biggest loser and ate frosting out of the can. i have a hard time cooking meals when i am by myself and usually resort to a pbj or something equally unsatisfying. i want to be better.

anyway, i got this recipe from martha stewart everyday food magazine which has a lot of great simple recipes that are mostly geared around meat, but usually one or two vegetarian recipes per issue. for this recipe, you top sliced zucchini with olive oil and salt and pepper and cook at 450 for 15 minutes. cook fettuccine, drain, mix in lemon zest of one lemon, mix in zucchini. serve and top with ricotta cheese. easy, light, delicious. definitely room left over for frosting.

Easter Dinner

holidays are weird for vegetarians. there's still the desire to have the traditional holiday meal, but if you take out the meat, it's just a meal of sides. and for holidays like thanksgiving, there are 15 sides so you don't really notice. but for easter, it's a lonely plate without the ham. i used this recipe for the twice baked potato casserole, cut in half and minus the bacon.

and this is all we ate for easter dinner. but don't worry about us. we ate our weight in starburst jellybeans and peanut butter cups. maybe it was nice to have a lighter holiday meal?

Hawaiian Haystacks

this is a fun meal. you have maybe heard of it if you live in utah. you have probably heard of it if you are mormon. and you have definitely heard of hawaiian haystacks if you've spent any time in the BYU dorms. they are a heritage halls staple. ryan has never heard of hawaiian haystacks. he kept calling them "hawaiian mystery haystacks" because he was at the grocery store with me as i listed the ingredients and he was interested in seeing the plot develop.

hawaiian haystacks ingredients:

- 1 cup rice per person

- sauce -- which in our case was 1 can cream of celery, half a can milk, and a spoonful of sour cream, heated up in a saucepan, but in your case may be cream of chicken and this is also where you add in the cooked chicken if you're into that

- shredded cheddar cheese

- chopped celery

- chopped green onion

- pineapple chunks

- chow mein noodles

other options include peas, olives, mushrooms, tomatoes, etc.

this was actually a lot more delicious than i remember it being. i really liked it and ryan liked it too, he took this meal into double overtime. that is the march madness term for thirds. on a side note, thank you to daylight savings time for providing daylight during dinner time. i will probably include more pictures of my actual food plates now.

Vegetable Korma Curry

i really want to learn how to make good curry. but the thing is, i never want to make a bad meal. and i already know that on the road to learning how to make a good curry, there are going to be at least 5 really bad curries. and then at least another 5 just ok curries. and then maybe they will start getting good. and at the rate of making one curry a month, that could easily be a year until good curries are in my brain! so. i'm just going to have to cheat a little bit. here is my cheat.

curry in a jar. i still cooked all the vegetables and tofu and basmati rice. and then i just poured this into my cooked and sauteed potatoes, carrots, and garbanzo beans and boiled for 5 minutes. it was pretty good. i wouldn't pay $35 for it but i think it's a pretty good substitute for having to pay $35.

Best Spaghetti

this is a variation on the spaghetti i made a few weeks ago, but this time i had to make some adjustments because i didn't have a yellow onion. what i did have is half a can leftover san marzano tomatoes from the mexican soup and i knew they couldn't go to waste. so based on the recipe i made before, i boiled half a can (14 oz) diced tomatoes with 2 tbsp unsalted butter. i added diced garlic, onion powder, thyme, oregano, brought to a boil and then simmered for about 20 minutes. added sea salt and pepper to taste, smash the tomatoes a bit. top over whole wheat noodles. um. good.

"this is the best spaghetti i've ever had"

that is a direct quote from ryan. that is a big deal. people have a lot of spaghetti by the time they are 29 years old. i think it is the tomatoes. did you know canned tomatoes could be mouth-watering? i also made asparagus. i love when local asparagus shows up in the store, that's how you know it's almost time for fresh local produce again!

Butternut Squash Pizza

i made a pizza from real simple magazine for ryan's dinner tonight. i couldn't find the recipe online but i found this recipe which is pretty similar. well, it looks similar, but it's made differently. the one i made... you toss together 1 tbsp olive oil, 1 tbsp fresh thyme, 1/4 cup pine nuts, half a thinly sliced red onion, and a butternut squash peeled and cut into quarter inch slices. spread over the pizza dough. put 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese over the top. bake at 400 for 30 minutes. it was delicious.

so, i don't know which one is better. the butternut squash was just delicious.

Weekend Waffles

this is the recipe from better homes and gardens that my dad always makes and now we always make. these are just the most light and delicious waffles. ryan is getting really good at making them but i think it will take a few more times until he gets the egg white thing down.

1 3/4 C. All Purpose flour

1 T. Baking Powder
1/4 t. Salt
2 egg yolks
1 3/4 C. Milk
1/2 C. cooking oil
2 egg whites

In a medium mixing bowl stir together flour, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center. In another bowl beat egg yolks slightly. Stir in milk and oil. Add egg yolk mixture all at once to the dry mixture. Stir just till moistened (should be lumpy).

In a small bowl beat egg whites until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight up). Gently fold egg whites into flour and egg yolk mixture, leaving a few fluffs of egg white, DO NOT OVERMIX. And proceed to make your waffles, about a cup of mixture to make a waffle.