lentil soup

for the lentil soup i made last night, i modified a recipe i found here.

i basically doubled the recipe, but used less vegetable stock, omitted the spinach and red wine vinegar, and added cayenne pepper for spice.

chickpea pasta with almonds and parmesan

this is a recipe that bradley and i adapted from one i found in real simple last january. we were a little skeptical about how it was going to turn out, but it was delicious -- a great mixture of flavors and textures. try it! it's easy!


ingredients:

1 package angel hair pasta (we used whole wheat)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (preferably goya)
3 or 4 handfuls sliced almonds (or desired amount)
4 cloves garlic, sliced
1 lemon, zested and juiced
red pepper flakes
a handful of basil, chopped (you could also use parsley; whatever you have on-hand)
olive oil
salt and pepper
parmesan or pecorino romano, grated (optional)

instructions:

1. roast almonds in a small saucepan on medium-low heat, stirring often (careful not to burn!)

2. boil water, prepare angel hair pasta according to box instructions until al dente

3. have about 1/4 cup of olive oil preheated in a large saucepan over medium/medium-low heat; as soon as the pasta goes in to the boiling water, add the garlic and red pepper flakes to infuse the oil (just takes a few minutes)

4. add chickpeas to oil and garlic mixture

5. drain pasta in a colander and return to the pot (now lightly oiled!)

6. add oil and garlic mixture to pasta pot

7. top with chopped basil, toasted almonds, fresh lemon juice, and cheese; salt and pepper to taste



p.s. this made four hefty servings. and tasted delicious leftover, too.

BK'S O.D. PIZZA!

okay, so this is a pizza recipe i've prepared twice now, and it's really easy and delicious. the crust is the most important part of the pizza, in my opinion, and this recipe is great for both thicker and thinner crusts -- so whatever you prefer, this will cover it.

also, this is basically just Mario Batali's Pizza Margherita recipe from foodnetwork.com, so...

*** one thing to note is that the dough might take A LOT more flour once you're kneading it. just add the flour little by little until it's as described

Pizza Dough:

1 cup tepid water

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus more as needed

2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for kneading

1 1/2 teaspoons active dry yeast

Stir the water, oil, sugar, and salt in a liquid measuring cup until the sugar dissolves. Whisk the flour and yeast in a large bowl, make a well in the center and add the liquid mixture. With a wooden spoon or your hand, gradually stir the flour into the liquid to make a rough dough. Pull the dough together into a ball, (if there is a bit of flour left, don't fret).

Turn the dough out onto a clean work surface dusted with flour. Knead until the dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 minutes, using more flour if necessary to keep from sticking. Divide into 4 equal portions, form into balls, and put on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Brush the tops of the dough with oil, cover with plastic wrap, and set aside to rise at room temperature until doubled, about 45 minutes.

Quick Marinara Sauce:

- Roma Tomatoes

- Garlic

- Basil

- E.V.O.O.

- Salt & Pepper

For this, anything goes. Just dice the tomatoes, garlic and basil roughly, and kinda mush/mix it up together. Season and oil it to taste.

Preheat oven and pizza stone to 400 degrees.

Assemble pizza however you like. I recommend fresh mozzarella and parmegiano regiano or pecorino romano.

Bake for 10-15, depending on thickness.

LOST Dinner Night

"Fish" Sticks

"Fish" Mixture
1/4 Cup Old Fashioned Oats
3 Slices Whole Wheat Bread (or you could just use boxed bread crumbs)
1 Tablespoon Nutritional Yeast Flakes
1/2 - 14oz Block Extra Firm Tofu (squeeze out excess water well and crumble up)
1/4 Teaspoon Garlic Salt
1 Tablespoon Grated Celery (measured after water has been squeezed out, see directions)
1 Tablespoon Red Onion (measured after water has been squeezed out, see directions)
2/3 Cup Grated Potato (measured after water has been squeezed out, see directions)
1/2 Tablespoon Dijon Mustard
1 Tablespoon Lemon Juice
1/2 Tablespoon Soy Sauce
1 Teaspoon Old Bay Seasoning
1 Teaspoon Agave Nectar or 1&1/2 Teaspoons
1 Tablespoon All Purpose Flour
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
2 Tablespoons Wheat Germ
1 Egg Replacer (I used Ener-G brand)

Coating
1&1/2 Tablespoons Melted Vegan Butter for coating
1 cup Panko-style bread crumbs for crust

Place old fashioned oats into food processor or blender and pulse a few times to chop finer. Pour into mixing bowl.

Place the 3 slices of bread in food processor or blender and chop into bread crumbs. Measure out 1/4 cup and put into mixing bowl.

For the celery, red onion and potato take special care to squeeze out the juices with a strainer after they have been grated. The pulp can become quite wet and cause the patties to become too moist. After you have the juice out, then measure.

Into mixing bowl throw in; nutritional yeast, tofu, garlic salt, celery, red onion, dijon mustard, lemon juice, soy sauce, old bay seasoning, agave, potato, flour, salt, wheat germ and egg replacer and mash together.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray cookie sheet and hands with cooking spray and measure out 5 - 1/3 cup portions. Lay them on cookie sheet and shape into squares about 3/4 inches thick. Brush top side with melted butter and sprinkle with bread crumbs. Carefully turn over with a spatula and do the same on the other side. Place into oven and bake 15 minutes. Then flip and bake 15 more minutes. Let set for 5 minutes after out of the oven.

*adapted from this recipe

Vegan Tartar Sauce



1/2 - 14oz Block of Silken Tofu
1/2 Teaspoon Agave Nectar or 1 Teaspoon Sugar
1 Teaspoon Onion Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Garlic Powder
1/2 Tablespoon Canola Oil
1/4 Teaspoon Salt
1 Tablespoon Corn Starch
2 Tablespoons Dill Relish

Place tofu, agave, onion powder, garlic powder, canola oil, salt and corn starch into blender and blend until smooth. Pour into small sauce pan and cook for about 5 to 6 minutes, stirring and mashing downward (to get rid of lumps) constantly with a rubber spatula on medium heat or until thickens. Mix in dill relish.

This can be served to your liking, warm or chilled in the fridge.

(I used the rest of the block of extra firm tofu from the fish stick recipe so it was thicker than it would have been had I used actual soft silken tofu)

*adapted from this recipe

Kimchi Stew, Bean Sprouts, Dumplings, Edamame

Stew-

1 Cup Kimchi
1 Cup Diced Tofu
1/2 cup onion
1/2 Cup Mushrooms
4 cups (maybe 3 next time) Veggie Broth
2 slices of ginger
6 tablespoons kimchi juice
1 teaspoon sugar
Drizzle of sesame oil

Bean Sprouts-

1/2 lb bean sprouts
1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup finely chopped green onion
1 pinch crushed red pepper

Sautee onions, Tofu and mushrooms for a minute. Put in veggie broth and ginger. let that boil, bring it down to a simmer. Stir in Kimchi and Kimchi juice, bring back to a boil, add flavor station (sesame oil, sugar, hot stuff), BAM!