Artichoke, Mushroom, and Leek Crostini with Pesto

This appetizer happens to be vegan but that really doesn't even matter because it is the bomb {yes I did just say the bomb}. I made this dish for a group full of hungry meat eaters and they were all asking for the recipe after one bite {which reminds me that I have to actually send it to them}. I love this recipe because it is so complex. When you take a bite you discover layers on top of layers of rich and nutrient dense flavors that perk up the palette and leave you reaching for another. It starts with a base of artichoke and then is topped with a leek and mushroom saute and then is finished off with the star of the show, a bright and perfectly acidic dollop of pesto. Make this for a dinner party and I'd be willing to bet that your guests will be asking for the recipe before they make it onto the main course. 

Artichoke, Mushroom, and Leek Crostini with Pesto

Recipe from Alicia Silverstone's The Kind Diet

Ingredients

1 french baguette cut into 1 inch slices

2 tablespoons olive oil

Artichoke Spread

1 can whole, water-packed artichoke hearts, drained

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon vinegar

Leek and Mushroom Mixture

3 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

2 tablespoons soy sauce

3-4 cloves of chopped garlic

2 cups thinly sliced leek

2 cups sliced button mushrooms

Salt

Pesto

1 cup fresh basil leaves

3/4 cup raw pine nuts

1/4 cup lemon juice

1-2 tablespoons vinegar

1/4 cup olive oil

Here's How

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 

2. Blend the artichoke hearts, olive oil, and vinegar in a food processor until smooth. Set aside. 

3. Combine the oil, vinegar, soy sauce, and a few pinches of salt in a skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic, leek, and mushrooms to skillet and saute uncovered for 2-3 minutes stirring occasionally. 

4. Cover skillet, reduce heat to low, and braise mixture until leek is tender and browned, about 5-10 minutes. Remove lid and allow remaining liquid to cook off. Remove from heat and set aside. 

5. Blend the basil, pine nuts, lemon juice, vinegar, and oil in the food processor until smooth. Season to taste. 

6. Brush the slices of bread lightly with oil on both sides and arrange on a baking sheet. Sprinkle lightly with salt and bake until the bread is lightly browned and crispy at edges. 

7. Spread the artichoke mixture on the bread, mound the leek mixture generously on top, and finish with a dollop of pesto. 

8. Serve and enjoy! 

Up North Wisconsin

This weekend I headed north to the good ol' family cabin in Northern Wisconsin. Along with the Frazier's {minus Andy} we were joined by our long time family friends who we have been getting together with for the past 18 {or more depending on who you ask}! We always have a good time and this week was no exception. We spent our time sharing stories, playing euchre {consolation champ right here}, sitting by fires, eating lots of food and drinking lots of beer. So here's to another 18 years of good times and good company!

I loved seeing everyone and having my family together but I have to give a shout out to my wonderful fourteen year old puppy, Otis. Otis has been such a great dog over the years and even though he is getting older, nothing makes me happier than watching him run down onto the dock and jump into the water to swim after a tennis ball.

Peanut Soba Noodles

So I'm three weeks into my "kind diet" and I have had some definite good days and bad days. Like yesterday for instance {definitely a bad day for the diet} when I had a crab cake sandwich for lunch followed by salmon and ice cream at dinner {oops!}. Despite some of my stumbles I am very proud to say that most days I have been completely meat and dairy free, and I feel pretty damn dang good. I've been experiencing new foods and flavors, feeling much more connected to the place that my food is coming from and just generally feeling less weighted down. I have been dining on collard greens at breakfast and vegan burritos at night and have really been enjoying my change of eating pace, but today I was craving something a little more hearty {and okay yes, something a little bit decadent}. Now I know it's the middle of August {wow can't believe how fast summer has flown} and some of you out there are still flaunting your beach bod, but I really just wanted to curl up with a big ol' plate of pasta. Instead of going the Italian route, I decided to head East for some peanut soba noodles. This dish is awesome. It is creamy, nutty, and incredibly satisfying. It can be served hot or cold and can easily be turned non-vegetarian with the addition of some shrimp or chicken. Enjoy people! 

Peanut Soba Noodles

Ingredients

1 package soba noodles {I used Organic Planet brand}

1/3 cup peanut butter {or any nut butter you like really}

2 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon rice vinegar

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon sesame oil

1/2 cup pasta water

2 cloves of garlic

1 tablespoon grated ginger 

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon water

1 large carrot

1-2 heads of broccoli

1 bell pepper

1/2 cup peanuts to garnish {I only had cashews so I used them instead}

Here's How

1. Bring a large pot of water to a rolling boil and cook soba noodles according to package directions. Reserve 1/2 cup of the pasta water for peanut sauce and set aside.

2. Chop carrot, broccoli, and pepper into roughly the same size pieces.

3. Heat vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add vegetables and saute for 4-5 minutes. Add a splash of water to vegetables and cover for an additional 2 minutes or until vegetables are just slightly softened but still firm. Set vegetables aside. 

4. Combine peanut butter, soy sauce, rice vinegar, honey, sesame oil, garlic, ginger, and reserved pasta water in a large sauce pan. Heat over medium heat until peanut butter is melted and sauce is smooth. 

5. Add vegetables and noodles to the sauce pan and toss to coat. 

6. Top with chopped peanuts and serve. 

Note: This recipe can be made with any vegetables you have on hand. Everything tastes good covered in peanut sauce but bean sprouts, snap peas, daikon, and water chestnuts would be great! 

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Orange

Mmm cauliflower steaks. Yes you heard me, cauliflower steaks. No it's not a steak topped with a few pieces of cauliflower or some new type of fancy garnish, it is simply a roasted vegetable and it is oh so delicious. I have been discovering that something magical happens to vegetables when you rub some oil on them and roast them up in the oven. They caramelize, get slightly crispy, and almost a little nutty. Cauliflower is no exception. I was never a huge fan of broccoli's fairer cousin, but this dish really made a believer out of me. Topped with orange zest and a squeeze of the juice and I almost ate the whole head in one sitting. So before you judge or proclaim that this dish simply just "isn't for you" {like my little brother Danny did when I was describing this gem over the phone}, open your mind a little bit and give it a try. You may just surprise yourself! 

Ingredients
1 head of cauliflower
1/2 cup of chopped leeks
2 cloves of chopped garlic
3 tablespoons oil {I used canola but olive works well too}
1 tablespoon of orange zest
Juice of half an orange
Salt 
Pepper

Here's How
1. Trim the cauliflower by removing the green leaves at base. 
2. Cut cauliflower into 3/4 inch "steaks" by slicing the cauliflower from top to bottom.
3. Combine oil, chopped leek, and garlic in a small bowl. 
4. Arrange the steaks and florets on a lightly greased baking sheet and brush with oil mixture. 
5. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 
6. Bake cauliflower at 400 degrees for 15 minutes, flip steaks and bake for an additional 15 minutes or until heart of cauliflower is fork tender. 
7. Remove  cauliflower from baking sheet and sprinkle with orange zest and fresh squeezed orange juice. 
8. Enjoy! 

Note: You will probably only get two steaks that stay together when cutting the cauliflower and the rest will break off into florets. Season and bake the florets the same way as the steaks and serve together. 

Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

I am so happy to say that the inspiration for this recipe was a trip to my local farmer's market. I have lived in my current house for about a year now and I'm embarrassed to admit that this was my first visit to the market that is located just blocks down the road. There is something so comforting about preparing a dish with ingredients that you know came from a farm within miles from you. The tomatoes that you usually buy at the chain grocery store seems to sing on your tongue and the fresh basil smells summery sweet. It is these types of ingredients that move me to make dishes where they are truly the stars. Simple and effortless, this tomato sauce couldn't be more perfect {and vegan I might add}!

Fresh Tomato Basil Sauce

Ingredients

Ripe Tomatos

Large onion quartered

Whole garlic cloves

Fresh basil

Olive oil

Salt and Pepper

Note: I do not list measurements here because I honestly didn't measure. If you like your sauce extra garlicy, add as much garlic as you want {same thing goes for the onions and basil}. Trust yourself and make it your own because this recipe really is fool proof! 

Here's How

1. Half the tomatoes and place in large bowl. Quarter your onion(s) and place in the same bowl along with the whole cloves of garlic. 

2. Dress the tomato, onion, and garlic mixture in about a tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. 

3. Arrange the tomatoes, onion, and garlic on a baking sheet making sure the cut side of the tomatoes are face down. 

4. Roast the vegetables at 425 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour or until the vegetables are tender. 

5. Peel the skin off the tomatoes and discard. 

6. Blend the roasted vegetables and basil until combined but not completely smooth. 

7. Enjoy on pasta, chicken, lasagna, zucchini, anything! 

p.s. I know there are tons of pictures in this post but I just thought they looked so beautiful and natural that I couldn't resist! 

Vegan Burritos? Yes Please.

I recently read The Kind Diet by Alicia Silverstone out of a desire for something light and easy after finally finishing A Game of Thrones {a whopping 800 page fantasy novel that my friends and I are obsessed with}. After reading about ten pages I realized that instead of light and easy what I was actually getting was inspired to make some changes. I have been eating meat for my entire life. I like meat. I like the way it tastes, the way it feels, the ease of it. I like not having to be that person who has to quietly declare that they are a vegetarian when going to a dinner party or restaurant and requires special meals or preparations. Yes, I like meat. But after reading the book it dawned on me that perhaps my body doesn't like meat all that much. I mean the human digestive tract is 20 feet long, which means that my chewed up piece of steak has to travel for three days in 98.6 degree heat to finally leave my body. Or put another way, once meat leaves your mouth, it spends the next three days rotting in your stomach {that's gross}! Pair that with the horrible conditions these animals are forced to live in and the hormones that make up a steady part of their diet and it was starting to make sense why going without meat {and dairy} might be a good idea. On top of all of that, Alicia could not stop gushing about how incredibly healthy, energized, and full of light she has felt since becoming a vegan. As some of you know the past six months have been really difficult for me {to say the least} and now that I am starting to feel like my old self again I thought that there could be no better time to make a change. So here I am, a meat eater who for the next four weeks will be going meatless and trying to restrict dairy as much as possible. I will definitely be sharing my ups, downs, cravings, and recipes with you so get ready for a fun ride. 

My first official vegan recipe is pretty simple but definitely a crowd pleaser-Vegan Burritos. Basically a mix bag of everything from my refrigerator and then some. Hope you enjoy! 

Vegan Burritos


Ingredients
1 whole grain tortilla (I used Ezekiel tortillas)
1/2 cup cooked brown rice
1/4 cup cooked beans (I used kidney but you can use anything you have)
2 oz. sauteed tofu
1/4 cup sauteed onions
1/2 cup sauteed zucchini 
1 spoonful of sweet corn 
1/4 cup chopped tomato
1/4 cup cubed avocado


Here's How
1. Pile everything on top of your tortilla and enjoy!

Tips
This recipe can be made with any vegetables you have, no limits! 

Homemade Granola

I've been wanting to make my own granola for some time now, and when I got off work early yesterday I thought I would finally take the time to do it. My mom has been making homemade granola for as long as I can remember and it is so {so so} much better than the stuff you buy in the store! Since my mom was occupied taking my little brother on college visits and couldn't give me her favorite recipe, I decided to do my own search. I ended up adapting a recipe from La Belle Bride. I liked this recipe because unlike most granola, it didn't have any dried fruit {I'm not a huge fan} and it had tons of nuts. The one big change I made to the recipe was substituting some of the honey it called for with sweetened condensed milk, something I remember my mom always doing. I know this granola was a success because when my roommate took a bite she yelled from the other room, "Molly this granola is {effing} awesome!" Hope you enjoy. 

Homemade Granola

Ingredients

3 1/2 cups rolled oats (not instant)

1/2 cup dry instant milk

1 cup chopped almonds

1 cup chopped pecans

1 cup sunflower seeds

1/2 cup whole cashews

1 cup unsweetened coconut

1 tbs cinnamon

1 tbs vanilla

2/3 cup vegetable oil

1/4 cup honey

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

1/8 cup peanut butter

Here's How

1. Toast rolled oats for 15 minutes at 375 degrees. 

2. Combine instant milk, almonds, pecans, sunflower seeds, cashews, and coconut in a medium sized bowl.  

3. Boil vegetable oil, honey, sweetened condense milk, peanut butter, vanilla, and cinnamon in a sauce pan for two minutes until smooth. 

4. Pour wet ingredients over nut mixture and add oats once toasted. Mix well. 

5. Bake granola on a cookie sheet for 1/2 hour at 250 degrees. Turn oven down to 200 degrees and cook for another 2 hours. Allow granola to cool and harden before storing. 

The yummy way I enjoyed my granola this morning!

Tips

If you're on a budget like me, I would recommend buying all of the nuts needed for this recipe in the bulk foods section of the grocery store. Nuts are super expensive {especially pecans which cost $15 per pound!} and contain lots of oils that will spoil, so buying just what you need will save you money and the possibility of biting into a rancid almond three months from now {yuck}. 

Watermelon Gin and Tonic

Just wrapped up a much anticipated weekend up north at the cabin with all of my best friends. The sun was out, the lake was beautiful, and I think my stomach is still sore from laughing so hard. One thing that is never in short supply while hanging out with my friends are the cocktails. I wanted to share this little gem with you because it is the quintessential summer drink. It's fruity and refreshing without being overly sweet and there really is nothing better than a juicy watermelon on a hot summer day. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Watermelon Gin and Tonic {compliments of Courtney Blankenheim}


Ingredients
Gin
Tonic water
Wedge of lime
Watermelon slices
Sugar 


Here's How
1. Make watermelon puree. In a blender combine watermelon slices and about a tablespoon of sugar (more or less depending on how sweet you like your cocktails). Blend mixture until smooth and set aside. 
2. Add 1 (or two) shots of your favorite gin to a glass of ice. Top off glass with tonic water and a squeeze of lime. 
3. Pour one tablespoon of watermelon puree into drink and garnish with a slice of watermelon. 

Clean Eating Starts Here.

Ok so it's official, I am in a food rut. I have been finding myself eating more and more unhealthy lately and I am on a mission to get back on track. It amazes me that no matter how crappy I feel after eating a meal full of fat, sugar, and salt I continue to eat and eat that pizza, burger, and french fries. I really want to start eating more cleanly so that I can cleanse my system and feel better while doing it! Spinach is a natural fat burner and it's loaded with vitamin A and antioxidants so I thought I would start there. Behold my baby spinach salad with sauteed asparagus, organic blueberries, and green peppers. It is topped with slivered almonds and crumbled goat cheese {yum} for some added crunch and creaminess. Enjoy!