Tag: vegetarian

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash Chips.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

I always seem to buy zucchini and summer squash as a pair. I’m not sure why they always go together in my mind, and I never eat one without the other. For whatever reason, these vegetables are a couple, and I intended my recipe to be no exception to that rule. But while I was slicing up these green and yellow beauties, I wondered, why should they always go one with the other? It’s just as tasty to pair two zucchini or two summer squash—I defy their ingredients to tell the difference. In fact, I firmly believe that a vegetable can and should be with any vegetable partner they choose, regardless of what the traditional pairing might be. So make these chips with whatever you’ve got in the fridge and celebrate the right of everyone–vegetable or even human–to be with whoever they work best with!

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash Chips | KellyintheKitchen | 2 zucchini and/or summer squash, 3 tbsp half and half, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt, pepper

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced about 8th of an inch thick
3 tbsp half and half
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
pepper

Just the Recipe link: Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash Chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Put half and half in a shallow dish. Put parmesan, garlic, bread crumbs, Lawry’s seasoned salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk together.

Using one hand for dipping in half and half and the other for tossing in crumbs (so that neither hand gets cake-y), dip each slice of zucchini first in the half and half…

…and then into the bread crumbs, coating each side.

Place slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately. Any ideas for a dip? They’re good on their own, but I’m sure there’s a great dip out there that I wasn’t able to think of.

And thanks for indulging my soapbox moment—even us food bloggers feel the need to take a stand every once in a while :)

Impostor “Egg” Salad.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike: I swear to you, this is really yummy. I like to eat vegan whenever I can, and for me, it often comes down to convenience. What I love about this tofu “egg” salad recipe, inspired by Healthy Happy Life, is that it’s just as easy–if not easier–than making egg salad with actual eggs. Observe: I steamed the tofu for a couple minutes, put it in the fridge to cool while I went for a quick run, and by the time I came back it was a matter of about 5 minutes before I was chowing down on a fast and easy–not to mention healthy—weeknight dinner. This definitely falls into the “I’d never haven guessed it was vegan!” vegan recipe category, so no matter who you are, there’s no excuse not to give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

12 oz extra firm tofu, sliced
1/3 cup vegenaise or mayo
1-2 stalks celery, sliced (I didn’t have any tonight, but normally I would add some celery)
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 small green onions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

The first step is optional, but I think it makes a difference in texture and is totally worth the extra time: Steam the tofu for 5-7 minutes, then place in the refrigerator and chill completely.

Now, whether you’ve steamed the tofu or not, pat it dry and cut it up until you reach your preferred egg salad-esque texture.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the chives. Stir to combine.

Serve as a wrap or sandwich on toasted bread, or with crackers. Garnish with chives and enjoy your egg-less impostor egg salad!

Baba Ganoush.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen7 Comments

I’m no farmer and I don’t know anything about the seasonality of produce. Visiting most American grocery stores, the average shopper would have no idea when various fruits and veggies were in season, because stores sell pretty much everything, all year round. And while it can be nice to have fresh avocados in winter and apples in spring, there’s really nothing as good as in-season local produce, picked by farmers and eaten by me on the very same day! On Saturday morning at the farmers market, I saw more eggplants in more different varieties than I even knew existed, so my keen non-farmer Spidey Sense tells me it must be eggplant season in the midwest. I picked up a nice big one and made this classic Middle Eastern roasted eggplant spread. Go get your own before the season passes!

INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp hot paprika, plus more for dusting
salt and pepper to taste

A successful morning at the farmers market.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Pierce eggplant 8 times. Place on hot grill or directly on gas stove over medium high flame. Turn so that each side chars evenly.

When the skin is charred, remove from heat.

Stuff garlic cloves into the slits in the eggplant.

Roast on baking sheet for about 20 minutes, until eggplant is completely softened. Set aside to cool.

While eggplant cools, combine all other ingredients in a bowl.

When the eggplant has cooled enough to touch, cut off the stem and peel off as much of the skin as you can.

Cut into three pieces and add to a food processor along with all other ingredients.

Spoon into a bowl and dust with more paprika. I forgot to do it for the photo, but an extra drizzle of olive oil isn’t a bad idea either.

Olympic Cherry Crisp.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

Happy Olympics! It’s that time again, and I might as well quit my job because all I want to do is stay home and watch all this awesome competitive action. There’s just so much emotion, history, and pride, and I’m a sucker for those emotional moments. Of course I root root root for the home team (the USA) but as I may have mentioned before, Russia has always had special place in my heart, so I cheer for Россию as well. This dessert is my way of reconciling my conflicting Olympic loyalties and satisfying my sweet tooth at the same time. Cherry desserts have long been a favorite in Russia, and summer fruit crisps are an American classic, so I combined them to make one mega-patriotic Russo-American Olympic loyalty-blurring all-inclusive fruit dessert extravaganza. Eat some, and then get your exercise by jumping up and down cheering for your team. Go world!

INGREDIENTS

1 heaping cup cherries, pitted
2 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tbsp potato starch or corn starch
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
squeeze of honey
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine cherries and 1 tbsp sugar in a saucepan and soften over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Dissolve potato starch in water and stir into cherries. Cook another minute or so, until the cherries are soft and the mixture is thickened.

Remove from heat and spoon into greased ramekins.

Combine all remaining ingredients.

Sprinkle over the cherries in your ramekins…

…and bake until the tops start to brown, about 15 minutes. If you’re going for the gold medal in this dessert-off, serve these hot, topped with a scoop of ice cream.

Fresh Peach Crisp.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen2 Comments

I always really enjoy shopping at farmers’ markets; I’m a sucker for food porn, and it’s hard for me to say no to an open-air market with rows of tables, piled with picture-perfect produce. I always go home with some nice fruits and veggies, but every once in a while the farmers’ market comes through with a big win. This week, it was fresh-picked Michigan peaches. I can definitely say I’ve never had a better peach than these, and I might even go as far as to say that they were some of the best fruit I’ve ever had! Perfect texture, amazing flavor, and a juicy, drip-down-your-chin sweetness that I’m sure makes me look cartoony as I lick my lips and dab at my chin. I ate a few of them in their natural state, but I made sure to save 4 peaches so that I could make this dessert, inspired by seven spoons. And it was totally worth the wait!

INGREDIENTS

2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup oats
1/3 cup plus 1 tbsp brown sugar
4 tbsp sugar, divided
1/4 tsp salt
1 stick cold butter, cubed
2/3 cup sour cream
1 overflowing tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp honey
4 fresh Michigan peaches (or regular peaches…obviously), cut into eighths

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine flours, oats, brown sugar, 2 tbsp sugar, and salt in a bowl.

Then add cold cubes of butter to the dry ingredients and work butter into the mix, rubbing everything together with your fingers. Place topping in the fridge until you’re ready for the final step.

In another bowl, stir together the remaining 2 tbsp sugar, sour cream, vanilla, and honey.

Now, take a handful of the crumb topping and pat it loosely on the bottom of your pie pan, almost like a crust. Spread the yogurt mixture over it, on top of the crumb crust.

Now lay the peaches in a swirl pattern on top of the yogurt.

Top with the rest of the crumb topping and bake for between 30-35 minutes.

Remove from oven when the topping is golden brown. Let cool before eating. Serve hot with vanilla ice cream.

And after you cut out that first slice, pause a moment and admire how this yellow-y orange crisp looks like Ms. Pacman. Wocka wocka wocka.

Spicy “White” Chili.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen11 Comments

I always keep 2 cans of chickpeas in the house, so that I can make hummus whenever I want. Last week, I bought 2 cans of chickpeas at the grocery store, and last night, I tried to make hummus with them. I opened the first can and started to pour out the liquid, and one of the “chickpeas” fell into the sink, looking very little like a chickpea. That’s when I read the label. I had purchased 2 cans of “great northern beans,” whatever those are, by accident. So I did what all normal Millennials do: I googled them. Apparently, great northern beans are a mild type of white bean, so in the interest of “waste not, want not,” I decided to cut my hummus-losses and make this “white” chili (it ceases to be white as soon as the paprika goes in), to bring to work for lunch this week. What a lucky mistake I made that day at the grocery store–and what an awesome chili!

INGREDIENTS

2 tbsp butter, divided
1/2 white onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/8 cup flour (I used all-purpose, but use potato flour for gluten-free chili)
2 1/2 cups cups stock, divided (I used homemade chicken stock)
1/4 jalapeño, minced
3/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp hot paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 can great northern beans, drained
bay leaf
sour cream and parsley for garnish
*Parmesan rind, optional

DIRECTIONS

In a skillet over medium heat, melt half the butter and cook the onions and garlic until soft.

In a Dutch oven or other large pot, melt the rest of the butter over medium low heat and whisk in flour. Whisking constantly, cook roux for 2-3 minutes, until it turns slightly darker in color.

Stir in the onions and garlic, and gradually stir in 1 1/2 cups of stock, stirring constantly. Bring to a boil and simmer 5 minutes until thickened.

When the stock has thickened, stir in the spices.

Then add the jalapeño.

Then stir in the beans and throw in your bay leaf. *If you’re feeling fancy (and happen to have a Parmesan rind on hand), toss it into the chili now. Simmer for 20 minutes.

After 20 minutes, remove bay leaf and Parmesan rind, garnish with sour cream and chopped parsley, and serve. This recipe doubles (or triples) very well, so make as much as you want!