Showing posts with label Comfort Food. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Comfort Food. Show all posts

Thursday, January 14, 2016

Vegan Peanut Butter Cups, because my New Year's resolution is "more chocolate," apparently


When I was little I was in a bowling league. I was terrible, yet it was still probably the peak of my athleticism (I apparently did not take after my Papa, a pro bowler who you can see throwing an epic strike here).

The best part of practice was getting a snack from the vending machine (see above review of my athletic career, ahem). My parents weren't the type to feed us candy for any old reason, so getting 50 cents from my dad and running to the vending machine with my sister to pick out anything we wanted was like hitting the kid lottery.

Thursday, January 16, 2014

Vegan "Eggnog" Pancakes



Before I was vegan I was famous (to Nate, at least!) for my fluffy, tender pancakes. I first made them when we lived in a horrible basement studio apartment in a probably haunted building in a shady neighborhood in Boston, but it was our first time with our own kitchen and I developed a lot of my cooking skills there.

After becoming vegan, I wanted to find a pancake recipe that was just as delicious as the one I'd been using for years. During the holidays, I also bought every brand of vegan "Eggnog" I could find. They were all delicious! I decided that vegan "Eggnog" pancakes would be the perfect festive treat for breakfast one weekend.

Tuesday, October 1, 2013

Overnight Oats and Vegan Corn Chowder


Some people eat the same thing for breakfast every day. Nate has cereal for breakfast almost every single morning, the exception being on weekends when he'll occasionally cook up something he refers to as "egg blasters" (never eat the egg blasters. Trust me on this one). I go through phases with breakfast. I'll find something (like avocado toast) that I eat for a week, then Iget bored and usually end up having dinner leftovers for the next few days.

Recently, I was craving something a little more traditional in the mornings, and I think it's going to become my newest breakfast fad.

Thursday, September 19, 2013

Vegan Bean and Sweet Potato Chili


Some dishes are easier to veganize than others, and this vegan bean and sweet potato chili is a great example of a recipe where no love is lost by eliminating meat.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Spicy Thai Curry Soup with Chicken and Sweet Potato

I am obsessed with Thai food. I love the rich tapestry of flavors in each dish - the combination of sweet, salty, sour, and savory. I love the textures - juicy lime, crunchy peanuts, silky noodles. So, when I saw this recipe for Spicy Thai Curry Soup with Chicken and Sweet Potato in Bon Appetit, I knew I had to make it!

I changed a few things from the original recipe - namely that I made my own curry paste (because I do a lot of Thai-inspired cooking anyway) and that I used chicken breast instead of thighs, since that's what I had on hand.

Friday, November 2, 2012

Vegan Roasted Carrot and Kabocha Squash Soup

The LA weather is SO WEIRD. Three days in the low 60s are often followed by three days in the upper 80s, so I have to cram in as much autumnal cooking as I can on those cool nights. 

Last night I had such a craving for soup. I had carrots, a beautiful kabocha squash, and a can of coconut milk, and I decided to make this deliciously creamy vegan roasted carrot and kabocha squash soup. The ginger, lemongrass, and coconut milk in the broth give it an added complexity and make it taste vaguely Thai. Which is always a good thing!

Saturday, October 27, 2012

Slow Cooker Red Wine Beef Stew

It blessedly dropped into the 60s for two days last week (before jumping back to the 80s), so on Sunday I decided to take advantage of the cooler weather and make this hearty slow cooked red wine beef stew. It was super simple to make, very comforting, and very wine-y!

Thursday, October 11, 2012

Hearty Beef and Bean Chili with Cornbread

The weather is finally cooling down a bit in Los Angeles (though it's supposed to be back in the 80's by Sunday!), which has left me frantically cooking as many warm-weather dishes as possible before it heats up again. 

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Beef Roulade with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Tapenade

I made this rather fancy dish on a whim. I had a big piece of discount beef (yum?) and a bunch of leftovers from Tapas Sunday, and I decided that beef stuffed with tapenade, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh basil, and lots of garlic actually sounded really good.

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Miscellaneous Food Stuffs

Sometimes, I make something or eat something that is really, really good - but I wasn't planning on blogging about it. I often manage to snap a picture or two, and I wanted to share with you some of the tasty morsels I've had but haven't written a full blog post about.

Tuesday, June 12, 2012

The Best Meatloaf Ever — With Roasted Purple Carrots

I never thought I would choose to start my blog with something like a recipe for meatloaf. Growing up I hated meatloaf, and I haven't had it in years, or made it...ever. But it all makes sense when you hear why I chose to make it: 90% lean ground beef was REDUCED FOR QUICK SALE at the grocery store, priced right at $1/lb. $1 for a dinner for two, with leftovers for at least two lunches, is an unbeatable deal...but what to make? I almost always choose ground turkey over ground beef, and often chickpeas over turkey, so I wasn't sure what to do. But fate had it's own plans and tonight I stumbled across what may or may not be...

The Best Meatloaf Ever! with Roasted Organic Purple Carrots on the side
(Scroll past photos for full recipe. Meatloaf recipe adapted from Cooking Light)

What makes this meatloaf the best ever? It is a wonderfully crumbly, moist loaf full of savory umami flavors and a lovely contrasting sweetness from the carrots and the glaze.

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
First, prep the carrots. You will need 1 bunch of (preferably purple!) carrots.
How are purple carrots different from regular carrots, you ask?
Well...they're prettier, for one!
Remove the tops from the carrots.

Purple carrots have a thicker skin than regular carrots - almost like the skin of a beet. They're a lot... hairier, too. Peel off any bits that are covered in fuzzy roots, and give all of the carrots a good scrub to remove any dirt.

Set two fully peeled carrots aside for the meatloaf. Then, cut the carrots into even pieces - about three inches long by a half inch wide.




Toss the carrots in a small roasting pan with about 1 tablespoon of olive oil, a teaspoon of chopped fresh thyme, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper. Set aside.

Ready for the oven!
Add a heaping half cup of breadcrumbs to the loaf pan you will be using for the meatloaf, and put it in the preheated oven for 8-10 minutes, until golden brown. Watch carefully to make sure it doesn't burn.

Dice two slices of bacon (to make it easier, cut the slices so they are half as long, then stack). Place in saute pan and cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until fat has rendered out and meat is becoming crispy.  Dice the two carrots you set aside and add them to the pan. Add one half of a diced yellow onion, and three minced cloves of garlic.


Season with pepper and just a wee pinch of salt. Saute for 8-10 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Add 1 TBSP tomato paste and raise heat to medium-high. Cook 1-2 minutes, then add about 1/2 cup wine and deglaze the pan. I used Sauvignon Blanc, which was probably whack, but it ended up tasting good so who cares! Cook until liquid has evaporated and turn off the heat.

In the meantime, remove the toasted breadcrumbs from the oven and place them in a medium-sized mixing bowl. Add 1/4 C milk, 1 lightly beaten egg, 2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley, and 1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme.


Add 1 LB ground beef, bacon/onion/carrot mixture, 1/2 tsp dried basil (fresh if you have it on hand), salt and pepper.
Mix lightly — you want the mixture to be fully combined, but NOT stirred into a mush. A picture would be helpful here, no? Yeah. well....I forgot to take one. It's a lot easier to remember to take pictures of pretty purple carrots than a bowl of raw meat. 

Loosely place the ground beef mixture into a non-stick loaf pan. Don't smash it down and pack it in! Keep the mixture loose and light in the pan for optimal texture once it's been cooked. 

Prepare a glaze. I sort of wung it (winged it?!?) and mixed about 1/3 C organic ketchup, 2 TBSP brown sugar, 1/4 tsp dried mustard, and 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar, but feel free to play around with the flavors until you get something tangy, savory, and sweet. 

Spread glaze evenly over meatloaf.
Then place meatloaf, and roasting pan of carrots, into the oven.

Cook for 35 minutes, turning carrots half way. 
Add 1/4 cup of water to the carrots, cover, and cook both dishes for 10-15 more minutes, or until carrots are tender. 

Let the meatloaf sit for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve with the roasted purple carrots and a handful of mixed baby greens (I used a spicy mix of two kinds of organic baby kale and wild arugula.) 


Now ENJOY what is, in my mind, the BEST MEATLOAF EVER!

Full Recipes

For the Meatloaf:
1/2 C bread crumbs, heaping
2 slices of bacon, diced
2 carrots, diced
1/2 large yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 TBSP tomato paste
1/2 C wine
1/4 C milk
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley
1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme
1/2 tsp dried basil
1 LB 90% lean ground beef
Salt and Pepper, to taste
glaze:
1/3 C organic ketchup 
2 TBSP brown sugar 
1/4 tsp dried mustard
1 TBSP balsamic vinegar


For the carrots:
1 bunch purple carrots
1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 C water
Salt and Pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 F. 
Place 1/2 C breadcrumbs into a loaf pan and place in oven. Cook 8-10 minutes or until golden brown and remove from oven. Set aside.

Add diced bacon to medium saute pan. Cook over medium heat until fat is rendered out and meat is getting crispy at the edges. Add diced carrots to the pan and cook 1-2 minutes, then add onion and garlic. Season with pepper and a tiny bit of salt, then saute 8-10 minutes, or until carrots are soft. Add 1 TBSP tomato paste and raise heat. Cook 1-2 minute, then add 1/2 C wine and deglaze pan. Continue cooking until all liquid is absorbed, then remove pan from heat.

In a medium mixing bowl, add toasted breadcrumbs, 1/4 C milk, 1 lightly beaten egg, parsley, thyme, basil, the sauteed mixture, and 1 lb ground beef. Season with salt and pepper. Mix gently until combined. The key is to keep the mixture light, not dense and sticky. 

Place beef mixture into loaf pan. 

Create a glaze by mixing 1/3 C organic ketchup, 2 TBSP brown sugar, 1/4 tsp dried mustard, and 1 TBSP balsamic vinegar in a dish, then spread over meatloaf.

In the meantime, cut washed and peeled carrots into evenly sized sticks about 3 inches long by 1/2 inch wide. Toss in a small roasting pan with 1 TBSP olive oil, 1 tsp thyme, salt, and pepper. 

Bake meatloaf 45-50 minutes, or until the internal temperature reaches 160 F. Let sit 10 minutes before slicing. 

Cook carrots for 35 minutes, add 1/4 cup water, then cover and cook until tender, about 10 more minutes.

Serve with mixed baby greens. 



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