everything bagel

My carnivore loves him some bagels. Not just any bagel though. He is picky even in this food. (I know, your shocked.) While I can go for cinnamon raisin some days and onion others, he only wants one kind - salt. I'll be honest, before we started dating this particular bagel was never on my radar. I was too busy trying out everything from pumpkin spice to pumpernickel and even poppy seed. We used to search out local joints that would have the elusive salt bagel. No small feat I assure you. But now, with baby omnivore we have come to the conclusion that it is just easier to make them at home.

Now, I'm not talking from scratch people. That's just madness. No, I mean we make the salt bagels at home. The carnivore simple takes a plain bagel. Wets the top with a bit of tap water, and then dips the bagel in a plate of kosher salt. Viola - salt bagel! Of course, we don't stop there.

We both love to add a fried egg and melted cheddar cheese to our bagels. The carnivore of course can't resist bacon, while I prefer facon and mashed avocado. Butter is his preferred condiment while I like cream cheese. Served with crispy crowns, we spend our Sunday mornings stuffed in the comfort of our own kitchen these days perusing the paper and trying to stop the baby from feeding his breakfast to the dogs.

Oh, and in case you are wondering, I too have settled on a favorite bagel. Everything. Go figure!

meatless midweek

I know, I know. Its supposed to be "Meatless Monday." And while I applaud any effort by families to eat less meat by foregoing it at the start of the week, why should Mondays have all the fun? I mean, just because it has a nice alliteration doesn't mean it is the only day you can go vegetarian. So whatever day of the week you pick, let me suggest a few pasta dishes (my effort at a theme - also easiest in my house because my carnivore loves all things Italian) that will please even the pickiest meat eater in your life. They are all easy and hearty. What's not to love about that?

First, a favorite in my house - killer four cheese lasagna. It takes just a few minutes to put together and then you can dine on it for days. The family is sure to love these layers of rich cheese, fresh herbs, simmering sauce, and filling pasta.

Now, my baked cannelloni admittedly usually only comes out on special occasions because it takes a bit of dexterity stuffing the tubes - but it is so worth the effort. Bubbling ricotta and rich red sauce. What's not to love?

If you are feeling a bit sneaky, I suggest my devilish penne. Your carnivore may not think he eats red peppers until you make this spicy sauce. Cooled down with dollops of rich ricotta, the blend is robust but not overpowering.

If you are really brave, make a plate of greens. Combining spinach ravioli with english peas and fresh basil (maybe even a side of string beans), means your family will be getting more than one green thing on their plate - and cleaning it up too.

Of course, if you have just hit that midweek slump and you are looking for something really simple, try my slow cooker ravioli. Easy, cheesy and sure to please!

Is your family going meatless at least once a week? Is it for budget reasons, health reasons, both, something else all together? What dishes do you serve that make everyone happy? Let me know below.

two burgers, two ways

Let's be honest, daytime television is crap.  If it weren't for the cooking channels I don't know if I'd even turn on my TV all day. That being said, even the food networks can get a bit mundane. I mean, can you go an hour without seeing Rachael Ray cook a burger in some form or another? Sigh. Well, maybe I've been watching too much of her lately because I recently decided that the carnivore and I had to have burgers. But, just like Rachael, these weren't your ordinary burgers...

Now I have told you before how to cook a veggie burger and not have it taste like cardboard, but if you don't remember the basics, you can find them here. On this night though, I went a step further. I sauteed some earthy baby bella mushrooms with slivers of red onion in a smidge of olive oil til they were perfectly caramelized for my topping. I also melted shredded provolone directly on top of the patty. As final touches, I added a handful of mixed baby greens and a smear of sundried tomato pesto to my toasted sesame seed bun. The smoky cheese and tangy pesto gave just the right balance to the hearty mushrooms and sweet onions.


For the carnivore I fried up a few slices of hickory smoked bacon and set them aside. Please note - cook more than you need for the burgers. Carnivores can't keep there hands off cooked bacon and you will next extra. I then fried his ground turkey patties that I had seasoned with salt, pepper and garlic powder in the bacon grease. (This is the only way I know how to get my man to eat a turkey burger.) I melted thick aged cheddar on top and after adding the broken pieces of bacon, I slathered on some sweet bar-b-que sauce. No veggies in sight, but there are at least trace amounts of tomatoes in the sauce right?

So there you have it - two ways to make your "healthy" burgers taste terrific. I think Rachael would be proud. Have to run and change the channel now. Baby omnivore is in love with Giada (brunnette with cleavage who cooks all the time, hum??) and she comes on soon...

uncanny

We have had some unusually cold days here lately. Snow four times in one winter in Memphis is extreme. On those cold days I stayed warm with a belly full of rich soup. This broccoli cheddar soup is so easy and so good you will never reach for that canned stuff again. I promise.

To make it you will need the following ingredients:

1 bunch of broccoli
1 cup of cream
1/2 stick of unsalted butter
1/2 cup of shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup of grated parmesan cheese
3 tblsp of flour
1-1 1/2 cups of veggie broth
1/4 cup of red onion, minced
1 clove of garlic, miced
salt and pepper to taste

Simply melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Add in the garlic and onion. Once fragrant, whisk in the flour to thicken. Add in the cream and heat through. Don't let it bubble or burn though. Turn down the heat as needed. Mix in the cheeses and let melt. Pour in the broth to desired thickness. Combine completely with creamy mixture. In the meantime, boil the broccoli crowns in a separate pot of salted water. Drain and pulse in food processor. Fold into the soup pan. Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve while still warm.

Now this may not be the most figure friendly recipe, but at least you are getting your green veggies. Plus, this of all the sodium and preservatives you cut out by making it from scratch. And hey, its still sweater weather for a little bit longer.

speedy gonzalas

If you are a parent you understand that time is a precious commodity. After baby comes, you find yourself asking what on earth you used to do with all that free time you had. Now there is bath time, play time, dinner time, but never any free time.  As such my midday meals are now more than ever an exercise in time management. I need to get the most out of a minimal effort. Enter my super speedy quesadilla.

For this recipe you will need to have the following items on hand:
Corn tortillas
1 can of black beans
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 tsp of cumin
shredded cheddar cheese
salt, pepper, oil
avocado or chorizo to garnish - optional

Start by heating the onion and garlic in a small sauce pan with a bit of oil on medium high heat. Then open your can of black beans and drain the liquid. Add them to the pot. Stir in the cumin and salt and pepper to taste. Let this bubble away. Next get out the corn tortillas (not flour, just won't have that same crunch). Place them in a small frying pan with oil over medium heat. I like vegetable for this, but anything will do. Then heat one corn tortilla on both sides till soft. Set aside on a plate. Repeat with a second tortilla. Add a handful of cheddar to this tortilla. Next spoon on a generous portion of the black bean mixture. Add a bit more cheese. Top with the tortilla you had set aside. Let the cheese melt a bit and then flip. After a minute remove from the heat. Serve with a smashed avocado (for the vegetarians in your life) or a couple of slices of cooked chorizo (for your meatheads) on top. Drizzle a bit more oil over the whole plate and sprinkle with more salt and pepper.

Warm, protein packed, crunchy and melty all at the same time, these quick quesadillas are amazing. Also, once you have the black been mixture made you can save the reserves and it will be even easier the rest of the week. And we all know, that time is of the essence, so faster is better. You might even have time to eat it - who knows!

better than wendy's

As a vegetarian, my fast food options are very limited. There are a few places where I can grab something. Wendy's is one of them. Their baked potatoes will do in a pinch, but I have to be honest - they are hard to eat on the road and I can do much better at home.

There is hardly anything easier to make out there, I take large russet potatoes, roll them in a bit of olive oil and dust them with kosher salt. Puncture them a couple of times with a fork and wrap in foil. Pop in the oven on 350 degrees for at least 45 minutes. You want the oil to moisten the skin and the salt to season it. The inside should be tender and fluffy. Warm carb heaven!

Once they are done, the fun part begins. This is where the carnivore and I get to dress our taters to our own tastes. While we both enjoy organic butter and shredded cheddar, he prefers a slice of bacon (that I cut up with kitchen shears and fry quickly in a pan) on top. I on the other hand love large dollops of sour cream and the crowns of a few broccoli florets (I like mine raw, but you can cook them if you wish). Of course, you can try just about anything - sundried tomatoes, pesto, chives, chili...

So, take note fast food purveyors - you are missing a huge market out there by not having something for us vegheads on the menu. (I know my carnivore would love his burger joint to have an option for me on our road trips.) Also, anything you do do - I can do better!

my big fat greek wrap

Sometimes I just crave a big lunch. The problem is these days I don't always have time to sit down and eat a lunch that matches my appetite thanks to baby omnivore. If I take the time to make a healthy meal I am often forced to scarf it down at lightening speed. Thus, wraps are a great solution. I can stuff them full of tons of goodies and eat them on the go.

Start with a spinach wrap. Then layer on a few romaine leave. Top these with artichoke hearts, kalamata olives, grape tomatoes, cucumbers, roasted red peppers, and feta cheese. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper. Roll up and dig in.

This big fat greek wrap is certainly filling. You are sure to be stuffed as the wrap in the end. Plus, it can move with you from room to room as you chase that newly mobile little one around the house.

Got a great grab and go, but still gourmet, food? Let me know. I'm always open to trying new things!

girly man

There are some things that are just man food. Wings, steak, and just about anything wrapped in bacon and served with a pint of beer. That's not to say some ladies out there don't like these things too. And sometimes, I like to take manly food and inject a bit of this girl into it. For example, when I came across this stromboli recipe the other day I knew I could adapt it to make it vegetarian for me.

The ingredients for two stromboli are:
Two loaves of frozen bread
cooking spray
1 package of proscuitto
1 package of real pepperoni
1 cup of baby bella mushrooms
1/2 a package of frozen chopped spinach
1/2 package of fake pepperoni
garlic powder, salt, pepper, and olive oil
basil and oregano
1 package of provolone
1 package of mozzarella
3 tblsp of melted butter
corn meal for dusting

Start the night before by transferring the loaves of bread to the refrigerator to defrost. Spray two baking sheets with cooking oil. Spread out the dough and begin the layering process. Only the manly meat one, start with the prosciutto. Then add the real pepperoni. Next dust the basil and oregano. Add on a generous portion of each of the cheeses. Close the bread and flip it so the seam is down. Then repeat the process for the veggie one. Begin with the fake pepperoni. Saute the spinach and mushroom in a bit of olive oil with garlic powder and salt and pepper. Add it on as the next layer. Then more basil, oregano, and cheese. Close and flip as before.  Dust with corn meal. Bake the breads for about 22 minutes at 375 degrees.

I loved mine. The carnivore devoured his too, of course, he did suggest one adjustment - more meat. In his words he needed a better meat to bread ratio. Well, since we had more dough and more filling, a week later we tried this again. This time the carnivore started by cooking some mild italian sausages. He sliced two links up and added them to the original recipe. He also too the extra step of actually rolling out the dough. I too made a small tweak. I placed some of the seasoning and parm on the outside of the dough along with the corn meal.

I think the second attempts were even better. (See the final pic below.) And now that we have the basic technique down I can foresee many new combos in the future. These would be great at a party. (say, a super bowl party...) Served alongside some red sauce for dipping - um yum! What combos would you like to try? Let me know below.