Lazy Lunch: Sausage Ravioli with Fresh Marinara Sauce

The Ingredients

8 sausage and broccoli-filled ravioli (I was lucky enough to get them as a gift from my father)

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

2 cloves of garlic

2 roma tomatoes

basil

salt

pepper

First, boil some water. Once boiling, add ravioli to cook for about 3 minutes. When this is happening, start your sauce!

Chop your garlic cloves finely and set aside. In a pot, add some olive oil, then the garlic. Make sure the stove is on medium heat, or the garlic will burn. Then, dice two roma tomatoes and add to the mixture. Throw in some salt and pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh basil- I used the basil from my own plant. This takes no more than 10 minutes to make, and it is so delicious. I also topped it off with some aged Asiago cheese for some added flavor. Enjoy!

Beauty. 

Vegan Potato and Leek Soup

The Ingredients

3 Yukon gold potatoes

2 leeks

1/4 cup diced white onion

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 1/2 cups cashew cream

salt

pepper

First, place one cup of raw cashews into a bowl and cover with water. Keep them in the fridge for at least 6-8 hours. They should almost double in size because they absorb the water. Once softened and lighter in color, add them into a food processor with the water. You may want to add some more water to loosen up the mixture. Blend for at least one minute. The longer you do this, the creamier and tastier the mixture will be. Add salt and pepper to taste and set the mixture aside. 

Boil the potatoes in salted water until soft. Remove them from the water and set them aside. Peel them once they are cooled. Save your water, as you will need this later!

Put 1 tbsp of extra virgin olive oil into a pot and throw in the diced onion. Keep this on medium heat for 5 minutes, until the onions are caramelized. Then, cut your leeks (chopping off the end) and throw them into the pot as well. You may want to add some of the salted water to the mixture to help cook the leeks and soften them up a bit. Let this simmer for 10 minutes.

Throw in the cashew cream and potatoes. Use a masher to break them down a bit. I like some creaminess, but I love getting chunks of potato in a good soup, so I didn't get too crazy with the mashing. Let simmer for another 5 minutes or so. Add salt and pepper to taste, and enjoy!

Caramelizing onions

Chopped leeks

Leeks and onions, cooking away

Close-up of the final product! 

Pumpkin Pie

The Ingredients

Crust

10 graham crackers

20 small ginger snap cookies (I used the Trader Joe's trip ginger kind because they are so flavorful and fragrant)

1/2 stick unsalted butter

Put the graham crackers and cookies into a food processor until finely ground up. Add this mixture into a pie dish. In a small pot, melt 1/2 stick of butter at med-high heat. Add it to the graham cracker and cookie mixture and pat down until all components are cohesive. Bake for 5 minutes on 325 degrees to keep the crust together. Make sure it doesn't brown too much, or it will end up bitter and make your pie taste gross!

Filling

1 can pumpkin purée (15 oz.)

1 container coconut milk yogurt (vanilla flavor)

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

zest of one orange

1 tbsp vanilla extract (the real stuff)

1/4 cup candied ginger (topping)

cinnamon

nutmeg

allspice

cloves

Combine all ingredients into a large bowl, except for the candied ginger pieces. Pour into the crust, and bake for 40 minutes at 350 degrees. Top with chopped candied ginger pieces. Enjoy! 

Gorgeous!

Yum. 

Thanksgiving Sides 2013

Baked Yams

7 or 8 yams

1/2 stick unsalted butter

zest of 1 orange

cinnamon

nutmeg

allspice

1/4 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup maple syrup

Boil yams and let cool. When at room temperature, peel and set aside. Then, mash them. Add the spices, orange zest, and half of the brown sugar. Mix the yams and other ingredients very well. Put into a large baking dish. Top the yams with remaining brown sugar and drizzle with maple syrup. Then, cut the stick of butter into small pieces and plop onto the yams. Let bake for 45 minutes at 400 degrees. Enjoy! 

Pre-baking

Ready to eat! 

Parmesan Mashed Potatoes

10 Idaho potatoes

4 cloves of garlic

2 tbsp unsalted butter

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup parmesan

1 sprig of rosemary

salt

pepper

Boil the potatoes with salt and garlic cloves. Remove the potatoes from the water and set them aside. Save the water! It will be used later. Peel the potatoes and place them into a potato ricer. I was lucky enough that I could use my grandmother's! Throw in the garlic. Once the potatoes and garlic have gone through the ricer, place the mixture into a baking dish or bowl. Add the olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, and parmesan. Don't use too much salt, though, because the parmesan cheese has additional flavor and salt content to the dish. Grab the water that was used for boiling, and add 1/2 cup into the potato mixture, a little bit at a time. Top the potato mixture with rosemary and the remaining parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes. The parmesan cheese will add a nice crust. Enjoy! 

Before

After

Grilled Asparagus

2 bundles of asparagus

salt

pepper

extra virgin olive oil

Top all asparagus with salt, pepper, and olive oil and grill for 10-15 minutes, turning the asparagus over consistently to make sure it is cooked evenly on all sides. Very easy, yet super delicious. Enjoy! 

Serious nom noms! 

Roasted Brussel Sprouts

2 (cup) containers of brussel sprouts

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

salt

pepper

red pepper flakes

cumin

First, cut off the stems of the brussel sprouts. Coriander is a great spice to add to this mixture, but the cumin itself adds a nice, earthy flavor that goes great with fall foods. Mix all ingredients together and bake for 25 minutes at 350 degrees. You will see that the brussel sprouts will begin to caramelize and turn a nice brownish color on top. Enjoy!

Ready to enjoy! 

Turkey Gravy

2 cups of turkey juice (the juices came from a turkey that was baked with butter, sage, thyme, and rosemary)

1 cup flour

1/2 stick butter

2 cups of water

salt

pepper

Set your turkey juice aside. In a small pot, make a rue. Add 1/2 stick of butter and 1/4 cup of flour at medium heat. Little by little, add the turkey juice, water, and more flour. Add salt and pepper to taste as you go. Make sure you are diligent about watching your gravy. The secret to a good gravy is making sure the flour doesn't clump up. The flour is a great thickener, so no corn starch is necessary. Keep your gravy at medium heat and let simmer for 20 minutes. It should be a light brown-gold color. Simply delicious! 

Yum! 

My Thanksgiving plate. Additional dishes featured: oven-roasted turkey, stuffing with sausage, apples, and chestnuts, and cranberry sauce with orange rind. Simply delicious, and all home-made. 

Apple Ginger Candy

The Ingredients

Apple and ginger pulp leftover from juicing

honey

brown sugar

water

Add all ingredients into a small pot and simmer at medium-high heat. It should look like apple sauce. This should take around 5 minutes. If the pulp leftover from juicing has chunks of fruit in it, you can always blend the ingredients prior to cooking them. Pour onto parchment paper and place onto two dehydrator trays. Set the dehydrator onto the highest heat setting, of about 200 degrees. Let the mixture dehydrate for 8 hours until completely dry. When dry, it is almost translucent and has similar texture to a hard candy or brittle. Very yummy, nutritious, and makes great use of juicing leftovers. 

The final product! 

Super close-up

Roasted Acorn Squash

The Ingredients

1 acorn squash

1/4 cup water

cinnamon

nutmeg

allspice

brown sugar

Quarter the acorn squash and place onto a baking tray. Spoon the water around the quarters to prevent them from burning in the oven. This should be enough water just to coat the bottom of the tray. Add cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, and brown sugar to each quarter to taste. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Enjoy! 

Ready to eat! 

I made this part of a nutritious dinner of tricolor organic radiatori pasta with pine nuts and sage, and kale chips baked with cumin, coriander, and hot pepper flakes. One of my favorite vegetarian meals I've made! 

Cinnamon Apple Muffins

I was inspired by a yummy recipe I found online for cinnamon apple muffins and changed things up a bit...

The Ingredients

1 1/2 cup all-purpose flour 

1/2 cup ground flax seeds

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

2 diced apples

1 cup brown sugar

1 stick unsalted butter

2 eggs

1 tbsp vanilla extract (the good stuff)

1/2 cup soy milk

cinnamon

nutmeg

allspice

pinch of salt

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. In a bowl, mix the dry ingredients: flour, baking powder, and spices. Use some flour to lightly coat the diced apples. Set them aside. Coating the apples with flour will prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the batter and will help them adhere to the batter throughout when it is poured. In a separate bowl, cream the sugar and butter together. Add vanilla to the mixture. Then, add the eggs, one at a time. Add the flour mixture a little bit at a time to make sure it is evenly mixed in. Add the milk and mix well. The batter should be a nice, sticky consistency. Lightly butter a muffin tin and bake for 35 minutes. Enjoy! 

Side note: I used a primarily vegan recipe, but used regular butter. You can easily substitute it with coconut butter. 

Apples in the batter close-up

The batter

Poured into some muffin tins 

Post-baking

Ready to eat

I used a brown sugar and melted butter coating to add a touch of sweetness. So yummy! 

Vegan Creamed Corn Soup

The Ingredients

2 cans sweet corn

1/2 yellow onion

1 cup cashew cream

1 tbsp coconut oil

salt

pepper

corn starch (optional)

First, put coconut oil in a pot. Dice the onion and cook on medium heat for 3-5 minutes. Then, add the corn to the mixture. I added a cashew cream to this to give it a nice, thick, creamy texture. The cashew cream was just made by soaking a cup of raw cashews in water for 6-8 hours and then blending the mixture. Add salt and pepper, and corn starch to thicken the soup if you wish. Let simmer for 15-20 minutes and enjoy. 

Cooking the onion and corn down 

Ready to eat! 

A delicious close-up

Sautéed Spaghetti Squash

The Ingredients

1 spaghetti squash

1 tbsp unsalted butter

olive oil

brown sugar

nutmeg

allspice

cinnamon

cayenne

sage

salt

Cutting the squash open may be the most challenging part. Use a large knife (since machetes are harder to find). Use a spoon or corer to take out its stringy, spaghetti-like insides. In a pan, combine the butter and olive oil and keep at medium heat. Add the spaghetti squash strings and sautée for 5-7 minutes, adding nutmeg, allspice, cayenne, cinnamon, sage, and salt. I love adding some cayenne pepper for a little kick without it overpowering the sweet notes. Garnish with toasted pumpkin seeds and sage. Enjoy! 

Looking fancy in its squash serving shell. 

Avocado and Tomato Salad

The Ingredients

2 tomatoes

1 avocado

1 hot pepper or jalapeño

1/4 cup queso fresco

adobo

pepper

olive oil

Chop tomatoes and avocado into small pieces. Then, mix with olive oil, some adobo, and pepper. I use adobo without pepper so I can add my own. I top it off with some queso fresco and a hot pepper. Delicious! 

Whole Wheat Scones with Apples and Candied Ginger

The Ingredients

4 cup wheat flour

¼ cup ground flax

2 tbsp. baking powder

pinch salt

1 cup brown sugar

1 apple, grated

¼ cup candied ginger, cut in pieces

1 cup rice milk, 1/2 cup soy milk

1 stick butter

ginger

allspice

cinnamon

First, add all dry ingredients into a bowl: flour, flax, baking powder, and salt. Then, add in the brown sugar, pinching it so that it breaks down into tiny little pieces. It can be sticky and moist, so doing this makes sure it is more evenly dispersed throughout the batter. Cut the stick of butter into 1/4-inch-thick pieces and keep at room temperature. Add to the mixture. Note that if your butter is salted, you will not need to add a pinch of salt to the batter. You may, however, need to add some more sugar to balance out the flavor. Then, add the spices. Use a mandolin to slice an apple into thin, long pieces. Add to the batter. Then, add the milk. I used a combination of soy and rice to add more depth to the flavor and texture of the batter. Lastly, add the candied ginger. I used an unsulphured candied ginger that I cut up into tiny pieces so it is more evenly dispersed. Roll the dough onto a floured surface into a rectangle shape. Cut into triangles. Then, bake at 325 degrees for 30-40 minutes on a buttered baking sheet. This makes 18 medium-sized scones. Enjoy!

Note: you can taste the batter as you go along because there is no raw egg :). 

The batter

Cut and ready to bake! 

Ready to eat! 

Veggie Broth

The Ingredients

carrots

celery
garlic cloves

onions (red and yellow)

green peppers

tomatoes

tomato paste

whole black peppercorns

bay leaves

salt

olive oil

parsley
splash of tamari

Coat the bottom of a pot with olive oil. Add onions, then add the rest of the ingredients- like the way you would cook them in. Add water to fully cover all vegetables. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat for at least 30 minutes to get out all the flavors. Use a strainer to separate the vegetables from the broth. Then, a splash of tamari for some savory flavor. I added the broth to a pitcher afterwards to make it easier to pour into ice trays. Freeze into cubes to store. They are super easy to work with since they take such little time to thaw out. The amount of salt and tomato paste used depends on the flavor you are trying to get. This made two full ice trays and them some. 

Enjoy in soups and a variety of other dishes! 

The ingredients pre-water

Simmered away and strained

Ready for freezing! 

Green Bean Sautée

The Ingredients

1/2 onion

4 strips of bacon

1 bag of frozen green beans

I had three ingredients in my house, and a very hungry stomach to feed. This is the ending product.

First, dice the onion and set aside. Cut bacon into similar-sized pieces as the diced onion. Since my bacon was frozen, I used kitchen shears to do it, which worked beautifully. While the bacon is cooking, thaw the green beans by boiling in water. DO NOT ADD SALT TO THE WATER. The bacon will add plenty salt! Once the green beans are completely thawed out, add to the bacon and add the onion. Add pepper to taste. Enjoy! 

Nom noms. 

Beef Jerky

The Ingredients

2 sirloin steaks 

1/4 cup Worcestershire sauce

1 tbsp soy sauce

1 tbsp liquid smoke

1 tsp chili flakes

1 tbsp honey

dash of Texas hot salt (flavored with garlic and onion powder)

Making beef jerky isn't difficult, but it IS time consuming. This was my first time experimenting with it, and it was surprisingly delicious. (Also the perfect snack prior to camping!).

Before starting, make sure the steaks are slightly frozen and not fully thawed out. This helps a lot when cutting it into 1/2-inch thick strips. Once cut, place into a plastic bag. Pour in each of the other ingredients for the marinade. Shake the bag to make sure the marinade fully covers all of the meat. Then, refrigerate for 8 hours. Remove from the bag and place on the food dehydrator for 4 hours at the highest setting. Mine is 165 degrees. Presto- beef jerky is made!

The marinade ingredients

Sliced steak

The marinade

Marinating steak

Pre-dehydrating

Finished product! 

Vegan Kale Chips

The Ingredients

1/2 bag kale

1/4 cup raw cashews

2 lemons

4 sun-dried tomatoes

1/4 cup olive oil

red pepper flakes

active yeast powder

Place cashews, lemons, sun-dried tomatoes, olive oil, yeast, and red pepper in a food processor and purée. The consistency should be thick with bits and pieces of cashew and tomato. Spread generously over the kale and dehydrated for 1-2 hours. Enjoy the salty, tangy flavors of vegan kale chips! 

Spread the mixture over the kale!

Dehydrating time!

Look at the beautiful green kale chips! Mesmerizing. 

Vegan Creamy Tomato Soup

The Ingredients

2 cups cashew cream

3 tomatoes

olive oil

adobo

Four ingredients, one delicious soup. I had about a cup of raw cashews I wanted to do something with, so I soaked them in cold water in the fridge for an entire day- around eight hours. Add the cashews and water to a food processor to liquefy into a cream. Then, in a pan, add olive oil and add diced tomatoes. Cook for a few minutes until the tomatoes are soft. Add to the cashew cream in the food processor and season with adobo. Easiest vegan gazpacho! YUM. 

Creamy deliciousness.

Mushroom Soup with Chicken and Rice

The Ingredients

2 cups veggie broth

1 cup water

1/4 cup basmati rice

1 frozen bag of mixed mushrooms

1 chicken breast

olive oil

salt

pepper

thyme

rosemary

I was sick a few weeks ago and had to be home from work. This only meant that I needed to make soup, since I don't like bumming around being sick. Lucky for me, I had some homemade veggie broth, rice, chicken, and mushrooms that I decided could be turned into a delicious soup. I was right!

First, sautée the chicken breast in some olive oil with salt, pepper, thyme, and rosemary until lightly browned. Then, cut into small pieces and set aside. In a small pot, bring veggie broth to a boil. I had made my own veggie broth that I froze in ice cube trays. One was beet-based and earthy in flavor, and the other one was more tomato and herb-based, which created great depth in flavor. 

After bringing the broth to a boil, add the frozen mixed mushrooms. They already will have water in them from thawing them out. Then, add some salt, pepper, and olive oil for some added flavor. 

Add 1/4 cup of rice and bring to a boil. Let simmer and enjoy! 

Eat me.

Close-up

Veggie Broth

The Ingredients

1/2 head of garlic

1/4 onion

3 bay leaves

1 tsp whole cardamom

kosher salt (I used brown kelp salt)

parsley

sage

1 dried red pepper

2 tomatoes

1/2 bag spinach

(The last two ingredients came from leftover juice pulp)

Bring all ingredients to a boil and let simmer for at least 20 minutes. Store in ice cube tray to help with portions. The cardamom is quite flavorful. Enjoy! 

Cooling broth

Freezing time.