Posts by admin:
- Bruschetta with Kale, Sliced Brussel Sprouts, and Red Pepper -recipe by my mom
- Greek Roasted Potatoes-recipe by me
- Quinoa Tabbouleh- recipe by my mom
- Green Bean, Fennel, and Carrot stir fry
- Cranberry Jello-recipe by my grandmother
- 2 Tbsp hummus (click to retrieve recipe)
- 2 tomatoes
- 1 globe eggplant, sliced 1/2 inch thick
- 1/2 English cucumber
- 1/4 red onion, sliced
- 1/4 cup pickled radishes
- 4 to 6 whole wheat pita
- serves 4
- 2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, reserve 1/4 cup of liquid
- 1 Tbsp Tahini butter (sesame seed butter)
- 1/2 cup olive oil
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 1 tsp cumin
- 2 garlic clove
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 1 tsp paprika
- olive oil for drizzling
- 2 cups loosely packed monster kale
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion, diced
- 4 garlic cloves, minced
- 1/2 chayote, diced
- 1 tomato, diced
- 1 can Rotel tomatoes (HOT for super spicy)
- 1/2 link of Trader Joe’s Soy Chorizo
- 1 can black beans
- 1 vegan bouillon cube
- 2 cups water
- 2 tsp Xagave nectar
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 1/2 tsp Chili seasoning (cayenne pepper, cumin, garlic powder)
- 2 tsp herbs de provence
- 1 Tbsp Tofutti sour cream
New Year’s Eve Appetizers: Garlicky Hummus and Whole Wheat Pita Chips and Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
January 2nd, 2010
What is the best thing to do for New Year’s Eve? Spend it with friends! Now that we were back from Texas we had to find out what we were going to do for New Year’s Eve. We spent a nice evening with friends from church, conversing and playing games. The hostess had a wonderful punch made from grapefruit, pomegranate juice and Verner’s Ginger Ale. It was nice and tangy. Another couple made a cheese / artichoke dip with chips, while another couple made a chocolate bundt cake and stuffed mushroom caps. I believe that New Year’s Eve parties should only be appetizers since there can be variety and drinks too!
Since I am vegan, I decided to make something that I would be able to eat but at the same time would be a appetizing to all folk! I made my first recipe for pita chips using leftover whole wheat pita from the health store. I really enjoyed making these and my husband thanked me for them too. I failed to mention to him that I was going to take them to the party, when I noticed my husband taking one chip after the other! Yikes! I saved them though. I also made fresh hummus from boiled chickpeas made earlier in the morning. I have to say I prefer fresh beans than canned beans.
My second appetizer happened be something that satisfied the sweet tooth. Since I have not been eating sweets I wanted to have something that used all natural sweeteners yet tasty for all. A few weeks ago I checked out the cookbook called Clean Foods and I had been wanting to make something from it. I found a tasty recipe for Chocolate-Oatmeal Raisin cookies that called my name. I had to modify the recipe a bit in order to have the cookie come out but they were SO delicious! Enjoy both these recipes as much as I did!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Garlicky Hummus
2 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, reserve 1/4 cup of liquid
1 Tbsp Tahini butter (sesame seed butter)
1/2 cup olive oil
1 lemon, juiced
1 tsp cumin
2 garlic clove
1 1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp paprika
olive oil for drizzling
Place beans in processor and add chickpea liquid,garlic cloves, lemon juice, tahini, and spices. Process. Keep processor on and little by little add the olive oil until the mixture becomes smooth. it should not be grainy. Serve immediately or refrigerate.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Whole Wheat Pita Chipsmakes 3 cups
7 whole wheat pita bread, cuts in triangles
1 tsp salt
2 tsp parsley flakes
2 tsp garlic powder
2 tsp paprika
1/2 cup olive oil
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, place pita triangles, seasonings and then the oil. Mix well until spices are evenly distributed.
Spread pita on cookie sheet making sure that bread is evenly spread. Bake for 15 minutes or until slightly browned.
Allow to cool before serving with dip.
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
adapted from Clean Food
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup brown rice flour
3/4 cup shredded unsweetened coconut
1 Tbsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/2 cup brown rice syrup
1/2 cup safflower oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped toasted walnuts
1/2 cup semi-sweet (vegan) chocolate chips (or raisins)
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Farenheit. Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, coconut, cinnamon, and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together both syrups, oil and vanilla. Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and stir until evenly combined. Fold in walnuts and chocolate chips (and / or raisins). Press dough into equal-size balls and place on cookie sheet.
Bake for 20 minutes or until slightly browned. Remove from oven and cool.
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Portabella Mushroom Sandwich on Tomato-Basil Bread / Egg-less Noodles and “Cheeze”
December 30th, 2009 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Wow, so hopefully you were able to be updated from my previous blog post written by my husband. He can definitely write up a good story. After reading his blog post retelling our travel woes, I was happy and thankful to God that we were just back home. We arrived one hour later than expected from Texas and arrived home at 1:45am after stopping at IHOP for dinner! We were super starved after travelling all day. I was running on 1/2 cup oatmeal and a tofu scramble pocket and my husband was running on a pastrami sandwich. Do you know that we had a great waitress at IHOP who served us at 12:30am? She even knew what vegan meant and even went back to the kitchen and made sure the cook did not mix cooking spatulas with my spinach/mushroom/onion meatless burger! You bet she got a great tip!
We slept in and extra 1.5 hours today and woke up to 2 to 3 inches of snow! What a view right!
We were glad to be home today. Do you have that feeling where you missed your kitchen and being able to cook? I felt like that this past week even though I helped out on the cooking. I guess I missed taste testing, cooking, taking photos and posting most of all! Holidays means resting, I know, but somehow I missed cooking in my own kitchen!
Today I made 2 yummy dishes that were so simple and quick especially after having little sleep. I mean, I could have started on laundry, but I worked instead and caught up on a little grocery shopping. I made sure to buy some good bread and veggies since they were consumed before we left for the holidays. For lunch today I grilled us some Portabella Mushroom caps and placed it on toasted Tomato-Basil Bread. It was delicious and my husband enjoyed it tremendously. Here goes. Sorry for the lack of picture, but please use your imagination!
Portabella Mushroom Sandwich on Tomato-Basil Bread
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On to dinner! I explained earlier that the airlines happened to lose my luggage but they found it and delivered it this evening! I was very happy to have my clothes and gift packed between my clothes. After we received my luggage, I went on to prepare a quick dinner. My husband was eating leftover chicken tamales that I defrosted and I made a new recipe found on The Kind Diet website.
Several weeks ago I attempted make cashew cheese for nachos that I never posted becasue it was a bust. Both my hubby and I decided that it would not be the greatest posting something that neither of us enjoyed. It was just too thick, which perhaps meant I messed up somewhere. ANYWAY, I made this great recipe tonight for Mac N’ Cheese that was completely vegan. I used egg-less noodles instead and accompanied it with a huge salad! Next time I will add mushrooms for a heartier dish! Enjoy!
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| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
Egg-less Noodles and “Cheeze”
adapted from Kristina Brindley of Seedling Catering
serves 3
3 cups Egg-less noodles
1 cup Original soymilk
1/4 cup tamari
1 cup nutritional yeast
1 tsp paprika
1 glove garlic
1 tsp dijon mustard
2/3 cup safflower oil
salt & pepper
Cook the pasta al dente.
In a blender/food processor combine the garlic, nutritional yeast, mustard and paprika, blend to chop garlic.
While the machine is running add the tamari, soymilk and canola oil and blend until creamy.
Heat sauce and mix with cooked noodles.
Portabella Mushroom Sandwich on Tomato-Basil Bread
serves 2
2 Portabella Mushroom Caps
1 Tbsp Coconut oil
Salt and Pepper
1 tomato, sliced
Red onions, sliced
Fresh Spinach leaves
2 Tbsp Veganaise
4 slices of Panera’s Tomato-Basil Bread
1 slice swiss cheese (for the hubby)
Heat the coconut oil on non-stick skillet at medium heat. Clean mushroom caps with damp cloth and remove any stem that has been left on the cap. Place mushroom in hot skillet and season with salt and pepper. Use tongs to flip the mushroom caps. Cook for 5-10 minutes.
Toast the slices of bread and add 1 Tbsp Veganaise between each slice. Place Portabella Cap on one slice of bread and top with 2-3 slices tomato, red onion and a bunch of spinach.
If you want the cheese, like I added for my hubby, add it directly to the mushroom for melting purposes.
Enjoy with Salt and Pepper Potato Chips!
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Christmas Eve Dinner with the Fam: Scones, Quinoa Tabbouleh, Lamb, Roasted Potatoes….
December 27th, 2009
It is incredible to see how fast time flies when it comes to the holidays. Posting becomes hard when you are having a great time with family. When we originally planned our vacation we decided we would spend 3 days with my family and 3 days with my in-laws. Since it is tradition for my family to celebrate Christmas eve with my family, I knew our planning was perfect.
My sister is always in charge of decorating the dinner table and help my mother prepare the meal. While we prepared everything, the men folk read papers in the living room as they listened to wonderful Christmas music.
After dinner, we opened gifts. We tried to watch a Christmas movie but we decided it would be fun to have a time for conversation, since my grandmother, mom and I do not get to visit alot. We had a great time and turned in early. Christmas eve was a great time and was wonderfully spent with family.
Orange-Currant Sconesadapted from Great Brand Name Recipes Cookbook
makes 2 dozen
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 Tbsp orange rind
2 Tbsp sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 cup butter, cut into chunks
1 cup currants
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg white, lightly beaten, for glaze
Sugar, for glaze
In a large bowl, combine flour, 2 Tbsp sugar, baking powder, soda, salt, and nutmeg.
Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse meal. Mix in raisins, then mix in buttermilk with fork.
Gather dough into ball and knead on lightly floured board about 2 minutes. Roll or pat dough out 3/4 inch thick. With a sharp knife, cut into 3-inch triangles. Space apart on greased baking sheets.
Brush the tops with egg white; sprinkle with sugar. Bake in preheated 425 degree Farenheit oven for 15 minutes or until nicely browned. Serve warm with butter or jam.
Lovely plate of veggie goodness:
Greek Roasted Potatoes
serves 6
12 red-skinned potatoes, diced 1-inch thick
1/2 cup olive oil
4 Tbsp Greek seasonings (Oregano, parsley, garlic powder, red pepper)
1 Tbsp Paprika
1/2 Tbsp garlic powder
3 tsp salt
1/2 Tbsp black pepper
2 Tbsp Dijon mustard
Preheat oven to 425 degrees Farenheit. Toss potatoes with seasonings and then add oil and mustard. Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Line potatoes evenly on baking sheet. Bake for 25-30 minutes. Potatoes should not be dry.
Enjoy these recipes. None of these have to be made just for Christmas, but can be made tomorrow!
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Hummus-Eggplant Pita Wrap
December 21st, 2009Since the holiday travels are quickly approaching, I decided to do one more post, in case I was not able to post during my vacation in Texas. Another reason for posting was to bring back my spirits from some frustrating camera issues this past weekend. It teaches me to be more disciplined in uploading pictures onto my laptop daily for fear of losing all pictures for future posts! Yes….I think I might have lost almost 100 pics on my memory card. 🙁
Yesterday, we went to Bronner’s, the largest Christmas store in the world, in Frankenmuth, Michigan. Let me tell ya, I was not mentally prepared with the amount of people that would be shopping and viewing all the details of this huge store.
I think my husband is still learning that there is only so much I can take when in huge crowds. I get claustrophobic, cranky, overheated, and more. All I know is that I have to take small breaks in order to enjoy overcrowded places, like malls. This is probably why I like doing my Christmas shopping before the Christmas holidays. Anyway, my husband is trying to recover pictures from my memory card, otherwise, I can only explain what we saw in this store. We got to see ornaments from all over the world, tons of decoration options, Christmas trees of all kinds, nativity sets from all over the world, the biggest collection of Hummel figures, and so much more.
After 2 the 3 hours in the store, we decided to cruise the Bavarian village. Everything looks so beautiful covered in snow. Snow truly emphasizes Christmas so much more! We dined in a German restaurant, called the Bavarian Inn, where schnizel and sauerkraut were served. We then went into a nice clock shop where cuckoo clocks from Germany were displayed.
We then went into a shop where my hubby exclaimed, “Hey! There aren’t any men’s clothing here!” When I turned around he was wearing this:
Great stuff! Anyway, good news as I am writing this post. My hubby found software to recover 189 of my pictures so I will be adding pictures of this magnificent Christmas store.
Since we are leaving for the holidays, I have been keeping meals really simple in order to prevent leftovers or using food that would spoil while we were gone. Tonight, I was able to make some delicious wraps that even had my hubby asking and inquiring. My hubby keeps on surprising me as time goes on. These wraps are quick and delicious and make for a healthy and filling meal for any night of the week. 
Hummus
For Hummus
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Black Bean Chorizo Chili
December 18th, 2009 |
| From An Opera Singer in the Kitchen |
After seeing many blog entries for soups and stews I decided to make my own last night. It was so ideal since I had so much to do in my home. It is nice to thrown something together so quickly without really having to worry about it. I was able to fold 3 loads of laundry, clean the breakfast room, dust and pick up our bedroom. The reward was having a thick and hearty chili that warmed both our tummies.
There are many options for accompanying chili, like cornbread, fritos, white rice, or noodles, but we decided to have it with brown rice and a slice or two of whole grain bread. This chili does not require any cheese but it asks for a little sour cream. Depending on your spice factor, you can choose to use Regular, Mild, or HOT Ro*tel tomatoes for the tomato base. I ONLY had the HOT so I pretty much asked for it. Even though the dish was a bit spicy, we enjoyed the flavors of kale, tomatoes, and soy chorizo.
If you are not vegan, then the substitution is simple. I had already prepared and seasoned ground beef in the fridge that I added to my hubby’s chili and then he added a dollop of regular sour cream. He loved the flavors as much as I did! It warmed us to the core.
