Going Vegetarian?

 

Black bean burger and baby spinach on a bun with sweet potato fries.

Lately I've been toying with the idea of going vegetarian.  Not forever, but maybe try it for a month or so... but in the end, I usually decide I enjoy meat too much.  So instead, I've made the decision to limit my meat intake and try out new vegetarian dishes to add some variety.  Why not, right?

Taking meat out of dishes like pastas and pizza is not hard, but I wanted to go further than that.  I decided to start out trying to make black bean burgers.  I wasn't sure how they would taste or how the texture would be because I had never had them before.  I'm happy to report that they were great!  Well, the second time I made them they were great... the first time I accidentally went overboard on the spices and the burger was so spicy I couldn't enjoy it.  The second time, I toned down the spice a lot and also tried using a food processor during the burger making process.  Both of these changes made the burgers much better.  Doug had found a great black bean burger recipe here, so we used that recipe to go off of.  We edited it a bit, so the recipe at the bottom of this post is the actual version we used. 

And what goes better with a burger than fries?  In order to keep this meal on the healthy side, we opted to make baked sweet potato fries.  Our grocery store only had sweet potatoes labeled "yams," which after some research we learned in most supermarkets in America, what is labeled yams, is in fact a sweet potato.  Usually to actually get a yam, you have to go to a market with a large international market and they will clearly be labeled as imported.  So after we finished our sweet potato/yam research, I sliced them all up into steak fries.  In a bowl we tossed them with a drizzle of EVOO, salt, pepper and garlic.  Then we covered a baking sheet with tin foil (easy clean-up) and sprayed with a non-stick spray.  We laid them out in a single layer and cooked them at 425 degrees for 25 minutes, turning them after the 15 minute mark.

Black Bean Burgers
Ingredients
1 can (15 oz.) Black beans (or 2 cups of cooked black beans)
3/4 of a medium Onion (cut the onion in half, and then each of those in quarters, add 6 quarters)
1/2 c. Rolled oats
1 egg
1 tbsp. Chili powder
1/2 tsp. Cayenne pepper
1 tbsp. Black pepper
Salt to taste
1/4 c. Bread crumbs (plain)


Instructions
1. Combine the beans, onion, oats, egg, chili powder, cayenne pepper, black pepper and salt to a food processor.  Pulse until chunky.  Do NOT puree.
2. The mixture may be very liquidity, if it is, remove to a mixing bowl, and gradually mix in bread crumbs (you may not need the whole 1/4 cup) with your hands.  Mix until you are able to form a patty.
3. Form 4 patties with the mixture (you can make more if you want them smaller).
4. In a pre-heated non-stick skillet, at medium heat, place the patties in.  Flip once the bottom of the burgers have a crust formed on them, approx. 5 minutes.  Continue to cook until both sides have formed a crust.  Remove and serve as you wish!

The ease and deliciousness of this meal makes it a go-to meal for after work or a weekend lunch.  Plus, this is a super cheap meal to make, which is always nice.  It has definitely helped inspire me to find more vegetarian dishes!

Bel Canto

In this novel by Ann Patchett, we are at first drawn into an elaborate birthday party in an unnamed South American country for a high-profile Japanese business man, Mr. Hosokawa.  The party was thrown as an attempt to woo Mr. Hosokawa into opening a factory in their country, but Mr. Hosokawa's only interest in attending was because they hired the talented opera singer Roxanne Cross to sing for him.  The party was going well, they had American Bourbon and were served great foods like "shite asparagus in hollandaise, a fish course of turbot with crispy sweet onions, tiny chops, only three or four bites apiece, in a cranberry demiglaze."  That is until terrorist snuck in a took everyone hostage.

The terrorists sought the nation's president, who was not in attendance.  So instead, they decided they must hold everyone else until they figured out what to do.  After a while and some meetings with a negotiater, the terrorists release the women, with the exception of Roxanne Cross, and a few men.  The rest that were deemed important enough to stay, were kept in the house.  While the timeline is unclear, we know they are held hostage for several months.  During these months, it is Roxanne's singing that soothes them.  Friendships and in some cases, love develop within the house.  However, they all know that eventually it will end.

I will not spoil the ending for you because I think the story is a good one and you should read it.  But if you pick this book for a book club, please make sure everyone finishes it before you meet.  I do not think the story can really be broken down and discussed until it is all revealed.  And if you do choose this book for a book club choice, I think it would be fun to serve food as if you were also confined to the house they are all in.  After a while in the house, the terrorists/hostages have to learn to cook for themselves.  The prepared food stops coming and instead they receive boxes of raw meat.  While you could form your menu around that idea (they also talk about cooking rabbit, which I have never done) or choose the path from the beginning of the story of an elaborate dinner party, I think it would easiest to stick with the prepared hostage food.

Part of the reason I like the idea of sticking with the prepared hostage food menu is because I think the first time the hostages receive the food is an important part of the story.  The interpreter for Mr. Hosokawa learns that it will soon be his role to interpreter for everyone and no longer just his employer.  And considering his story arc, I believe this is an important realization.  Also, sticking with hostage food would allow you to prepare the food in advance and would mainly be assembling prior to the meeting.

In the novel they talk about sandwiches and wrapped slices of cake.  This is a very easy task for a book club.  You can make full sandwiches and then cut them into triangles for bite sized sandwiches.  Some suggestions are:
Grilled Cheese - Shake it up by swapping out American cheese for your favorite.  You can then add a veggie, fruit, or meat to this.  Our lovely host Madeline made us Gruyere and green apple grilled cheeses and they were absolutely delicious, and it was the first time I had it.
Hummus & Veggies - I think this works best as a wrap.  Spread the hummus over the wrap and then add vegetable spears, think carrots, peppers, cucumbers, etc.  This also would be great with cream cheese instead of hummus, however, that would also be less healthy.  Simply wrap it up, slice and serve.
Tuna Salad - Not just the boring tuna and mayo combo.  Add something to it!  Depending on what I have in my fridge, I've added carrots, onion, celery, pickles and olives (all chopped up) to my tuna salad.  I would put it on wheat bread with some baby spinach.
Cold cuts - This one simply choose your favorite at your local deli counter.  My favorite is Boars Head buffalo chicken with pepperjack cheese, topped with honey mustard. 

For the wrapped cake, it may be more time consuming to bake a full cake, slice it and then wrap each piece individually.  But if you're up for, you can do that.  Simply choose your favorite cake and go to town.  My other suggestions would be:
Cupcakes - Don't fill the wrappers as much as normally would, so the frosting doesn't build up too high.  You can wrap them up if you'd like, but technically, they are in wrappers ;-)
Cookies - Bake (or buy) your favorite cookies.  Then portion out little goodie bags for all the members. 
Fruit Salad - Make a fruit salad and divide it into small servings.  You can wrap each of those servings and serve with a plastic fork.

For drinks, I would keep it simple.  For non-alcoholic beverages, canned sodas and bottled waters would fit the theme perfectly.  For the adult drinks, you can serve cans of beer and boxed wine, with paper cups.  If you don't want to go with the boxed wine, I would choose a Chilean or Argentinean wine since the novel takes place in South America, although after a few glasses, your guests may not care as much...

This book is a quick, good read and makes for a great book club pick.  To make even better, pair it up with a themed menu and good drinks.  Enjoy!

Whoopie!

Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Whoopie pies.  The dessert that is somehow a cake, a cookie and a pie all in one.  While their origin is debated between Pennsylvania and Maine, there is no debate in their deliciousness.  In fact, some believe whoopie pies got their name from when Amish wives would pack the treats in their husband's lunchbox he would exclaim "whoopie!"  That, however, did not stop Maine's State Legislature from trying to make the Whoopie Pie the official state dessert, since they believe Maine is the true birthplace of the treat.  Perhaps it's this food feud that has re-sparked America's interest in the whoopie pie and why some say whoopie pies are on their way to becoming the next cupcake.
For a few months now, I feel like whoopie pies are everywhere.  Baking blogs, food magazines, cooking channels, and bakeries have all embraced the dessert.  After a reading a recent Taste of Home magazine, specifically the section on whoopie pies, I figured it was time for me to embrace it.  So this year for Valentine's Day, I treated my co-workers to some red velvet whoopie pies.  And they must've liked them since by lunch time they were all gone, with only a few crumbs remaining. 

The whoopie pies were very easy to make, and since they do not have to be as moist as a cake/cupcake, mixing the ingredients was a breeze.  No alternating between wet and dry ingredients!  To make the cookies all the same size, I used a tablespoon of batter.  This created a nice size cookie, that is big enough to share, but still small enough to eat a whole one.  For the filling, I put the cream cheese frosting in a piping bag with no tip, and piped the frosting right on to the cookie.  For some of the pies, I don't think I used enough frosting, since I was nervous I would run out before I finished all 24 sandwiches.  I ended up with left overs, so do not be afraid of filling them!  Also, the original recipe calls for melted baking chips, chocolate and chopped nuts for toppings, but I did not do this and it didn't taste like I was missing something.  The original recipe can be found here.

Ingredients
Cake/Cookie

3/4 c. Butter, softened

1 c. Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 c. Sour cream

1 tbsp. Red food coloring

1-1/2 tsp. White vinegar

1 tsp. Vanilla extract

2-1/4 c. All-purpose flour

1/4 c. Baking cocoa

2 tsp. Baking powder

1/2 tsp. Salt

1/4 tsp. Baking soda

2 oz. Semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

Filling

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened

1/2 c. Butter, softened

2-1/2 c. Confectioners' sugar

2 tsp. Vanilla extract (clear)

Instructions

Recipe makes approx. 24 whoopie pies

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

2. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.

3. Add the eggs, sour cream, food coloring, vinegar and vanilla.  Continue to beat.

4. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking powder, salt and baking soda in a separate bowl.  Gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. 

5. Melt the chocolate (I use the microwave and check & stir it every 15 seconds).  Stir the melted chocolate into the mixture.

6. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.  Drop tablespoonfuls of batter about 2 inches are apart.  Bake for 8-10 minutes or until the edges set (the top of the domes may not be firm, that is OK).

7. Cool for 2 minutes on the sheet and then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

8. While they are baking and cooling, make the filling.  In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.  Beat in the confectioner's sugar and vanilla.

9. Using a piping bag, pipe about 1 tbsp. of filling on the bottom of 1/2 of the cooled cookies.  Top with the remaining cookies.  (Decorate with melted baking chips/chocolate and nuts if desired.)  Enjoy!

The batter before the melted chocolate was added

Finished batter, right before baking

Chicago Style Deep Dish Pizza!

Caution, pizza contains sausage, pepperoni, mushrooms, peppers, onions & cheese.

NY pizza v. Chicago pizza, the ultimate pizza rivalary.  Thin crust or deep dish, which do you prefer?

Personally, I prefer NY pizza, after all, I am a born and raised New Yorker. However, that's not to say I don't enjoy deep dish pizza, I do.  But to me, it's not pizza.  I can't just grab a slice of it when I feel like it, I have to sit down with a knife and fork and a lot of napkins.  Deep dish is great when you're out with friends, it's perfect to share as you all sit around and talk.  When Doug and I were in Chicago visiting our friends Maggie & Tim awhile back, they took us and our other friends out for some Chicago pizza (and hot dogs that were delish!).  We ordered a veggie stuffed pie and a meat stuffed pie.  Both were amazing.  And since then, both Doug and I have reminsced both about our trip and the great food we ate.  And it wasn't until our friend Matt (who was in Chicago with us) saw our cast iron pan that a stroke of genius struck.  He saw it and immediately asked if we can make deep dish pizza in it.  Of course I said yes, and then couldn't believe neither Doug nor myself thought about it before.  And with that, we were on a mission!

In my last post, I wrote about how we don't like to go out to dinner on Valentine's Day and prefer staying in and cooking (well, I cook, Doug eats).  This year, since Valentine's Day was on a Monday, as we sat in our usual lazy Sunday positions on the couch, Doug suggested that we attempt our pizza (he knows the way to my heart).  I was sold!  We looked up a few recipes and finally decided to start with one posted on cooks.com.  Oh, also, we live-streamed us making the pizza, which was weird, but fun.  It took us about 3 hours to make, but it was worth the wait.  It came out delicious.  It was SO good.  And it made so much!  We still have more than half of the pizza left and we both ate until we were stuffed.  This pizza was not low-fat or diet or healthy in anyway, so I would not suggest eating it too often, but you can definitely treat yourself to a slice.  Below is the recipe we used, based off of one we found on cooks.com. 

I suggest you take a look at the note about the tomatoes because at our pizza did actually come out a bit runny (for lack of a better word).  Not really eating it, but after we took a slice out of the pan, you could see all the juices that cooked out.  To remedy this though, we simply tilted the pan and carefully poured the juices out.  Having the juices there didn't really impact the pizza too much though, bc the cheese on the bottom was melted and gooey anyway, it just made it a little more difficult to dish out. 

Ingredients
Pizza Crust
3 1/2 c. All-purpose flour
1 Packet Active-dry yeast
1 1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/4 c. warm water (120-130 degrees)
3 tbsp. oil

Pizza Filling
1 lb. Sweet Italtian sausage
1 Package pepperoni, sliced (pre-sliced or you can slice yourself)
1 (28 oz.) Can crushed tomatoes, drained **
2 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp. Dried oregano
1 tsp. Dried parsley
1 tsp. Basil leaves
1/2 tsp. Garlic salt
1/2 tsp. Crushed red pepper
1 (10 oz.) Package fresh mushrooms, cleaned and sliced
1 lg. Green pepper, quartered, seeded, and thinly sliced
2 Medium onions, thinly sliced
1 (8 oz.) pkg. Sliced mozzarella cheese
1 c. Shredded mozzarella cheese
Grated Parmesan cheese (as desired)

Instructions
Use 14 inch deep-dish pizza pan, 2 inches deep. Oven, 450 degrees. Yield: 6 to 8 generous servings.

Pizza Dough
1. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine 1 1/2 cups flour, the dry yeast, and salt. Mix well.
2. Add the very warm water and oil to the flour mixture. Blend at low speed; scrape the bowl and beat at medium speed 3 minutes, continuing to scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula occasionally.
3. Switch to the kneading attachment for the mixer and put the setting on low, gradually stir in enough remaining flour (2 cups) to make a firm dough.  Continue to knead until the dough cleans the sides of the bowl.  (You can knead by hand of course if you prefer!)
4. Cover dough with plastic wrap, then a towel and let rest 20 minutes.
5. Remove the dough from the bowl and place on a floured surface.  Knead the dough to loosen the elasticity of it.  Then roll the dough out to a circle slightly larger than your pan.  We used a 13 inch pan, so we made sure our dough was as least 15 inches (in diameter).
6. Grease your pan and then pull the dough up and lay it in the pan.  Push it down so the dough reaches halfway up the sides.  Our dough was actually a bit big, so it came up a bit higher, that's fine.
7. Cover with a towel again and let rise for another 30 minutes (it should be puffy).

Filling
1. Remove the sausage from the casing and brown, stirring to break up the lumps.  Remove to a plate with a slotted spoon.
2. Add the sliced mushrooms, green pepper, and sliced onion to the sausage drippings and saute briefly.  The vegetables should crisp. Remove with a slotted spoon and set aside.
3. In a bowl, mix the crushed tomatoes with the sugar, spices and herbs.** 
4. Now to assemble the pizza!  First place the sliced mozzarella in a single layer on top of the pizza dough.  Try to cover as much of the dough as possible (you can tear the peices to fit.)
5. Distribute the browned sausage over the cheese, then the pepperoni, followed by the sauteed vegetables mixture (draining off any moisture that has accumulated).
6. Add half of the tomato mixture, distributing it evenly over the vegetables.  Sprinkle on the shredded mozzarella and then distribute the remaining tomato mixture. Sprinkle the top generously with grated Parmesan cheese.
7. Bake in a preheated 450 degree oven about 25 minutes (until the edge of the dough is browned and the cheese is melted).
8. Slice into thick wedges to serve.

Cheese layer on the bottom

With all the meats added, next add vegetables

Just before placing in the oven!

We had some left over dough, so using a ramekin, we made a mini pizza!

Mini pizza, fresh out of the oven.

Slice & serve! (here you can see the extra juices I was referring)

A perfect slice! 

I paused mid-slice to snap a picture it was so good :)

**Original recipes calls for a can of plum tomatoes.  The directions are then to drain the plum tomatoes, chop the tomatoes, and drain again. Stir in the sugar, herbs, garlic salt, and crushed red pepper.  The rest of the instructions are the same.

Bringing the Steakhouse Home

Steak au Poivre, perfect for a date night

It's already a week into February, which means Valentine's Day is quickly approaching.  Whether you're single or in a relationship, you can't escape the red & pink decorations, hearts, flowers and chocolate everywhere you look.  Personally, I'm not a huge a fan of Valentine's Day.  Don't get me wrong, I enjoy any reason to eat chocolate and get presents, and I love girly things like pink hearts everywhere, but there's something about Valentine's Day that always feels forced.  Which is why I will not go out to dinner on Feb. 14th.  I have no desire to sit in an over-crowded restaurant with couples holding hands across the table, all while eating food that is ridiculously marked up in price for the day.  I much prefer to stay at home with a bottle (or 2) of a good wine and make dinner for Doug and myself. 

Usually, Doug and I make dinner for ourselves almost every night, so for Valentine's Day, I like to surprise him with something new and/or something that we would order out to eat.  While I have yet to decide what I'll be making next week, I wanted to share a recipe I would recommend for a great Valentine's Day in.  Doug had sent me this recipe a while back, but at the time I didn't own a cast iron skillet.  Well, once my parents bought me an awesome Lodge one for Christmas, I was pumped to be able to make Mr. Bourdain's Steak au Poivre.

With the steak recipe, Anthony Bourdain recommends serving with french fries or sauteed potatoes.  I choose the healthier option of sauteed potates.  I simply cubed the potatoes, since dicing them takes a little bit of time, as you cut them, hold them in a bowl of cold water to keep them from turning brown, and then seasoned them with salt, pepper, garlic, paprika and some parsley.  But you can add whatever seasonings you like!  Then I added them to a warmed saute pan and added a little EVOO.  I don't add to much (like I said, I was aiming to keep it healthier), just enough to coat the potatoes.  Toss them a bit and let them cook until desired doneness.  I personally like mine on the crispier side, so I had them on the stove for a while.  Also, I had halved Tony's recipe because I was only making 2 steaks, but below is the full recipe.  I hope you and who ever you're cooking for enjoy!

Servings: 4

Ingredients4 8-ounce steaks
2 ounces olive oil
2 ounces freshly cracked peppercorns (crushed but not ground to powder!)
4 ounces sweet butter
1 ounce good Cognac
4 ounces strong, dark veal stock (something to keep in your freezer)
Salt and pepper

Equipment
Heavy skillet
Kitchen tongs
Wooden spoon
Serving platter

Instructions for Steak
1. Preheat the oven to 425ºF. Moisten the meat very slightly with oil, then dredge each of the steaks in the crushed peppercorns to thoroughly coat. Don't be shy with the pepper.

2. Heat the remaining oil in the skillet over high heat. Once the oil is hot, add 2 ounces, which is half of the butter. Place the steaks in the pan and brown on all sides, about 5 minutes per side.

3. Transfer the pan to the oven and cook until desired doneness, about 5 to 7 minutes for rare, 10 minutes for medium rare, and so on. Remove from the oven and remove the steaks from the pan to rest. Have I told you yet to always rest your meat after cooking? I've told you now.

Instructions for Sauce
1. Return the skillet to the stovetop and carefully stir in the Cognac. As much fun as it is to create a column of flame as you add flammable material to an incredibly hot pan, it's not really desirable or necessary — especially in a home kitchen. Unless you're a pyromaniac, I recommend carefully adding the Cognac to the still-hot pan off the flame, stirring and scraping with the wooden spoon to get every scrap, every peppercorn, every rumor of flavor clinging to the bottom of the pan.

2. Now place the pan on the flame again and cook it down a bit, by about half. Stir in the veal stock and reduce over medium heat until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Whisk in the remaining butter and season with salt and pepper. Serve immediately with French fries or sautéed potatoes.

Note on searing: With any recipe that calls for searing meat and then using the pan to make a sauce, be careful to avoid blackening the pan; your sauce will taste burnt. Avoid by adjusting the heat to, say, medium high, so it will still sear the meat but not scorch the pan juices. But stoves and pans vary, so pay attention.

Recipe and reviews can also be found here.  FYI - sweet butter is just unsalted butter, I had to look that up to be sure after not finding "sweet butter" in the grocery store.

Steak & potatoes cooking away on the stove