Burrito Stacks

Courtesy of Crazy Plates, by Janet and Greta Podleski (1999). I made this as a vegetarian entree for a potluck I was hosting and it went over really well. These can be done in the oven as the original recipe suggests, but we've also done them on the barbecue on top of tin foil (curled up at the sides) and they were also great.

1 1/2 cups seeded, diced tomatoes >> I did this once with regular tomatoes and once with roma tomatoes (the oblong ones) and preferred the regular ones. The regular tomatoes gave off a lot more fluid in the cooking process, which I think helped soften the tortillas when they were stacked.
1/2 cup of the following:

• whole-kernel corn>> fresh off the cob is ideal
• diced onions
• diced red bell pepper
• unpeeled, diced zucchini>> any type works. We used the weird yellow flying saucer variety and they were perfect
  

1/2 cup grated carrots
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
2/4 tsp chili powder

1 cup canned black beans, drained and rinsed >> You can add a bit more if you like, since black beans don't last that long in the fridge.
1/2 cup chopped, fresh cilantro >> I've forgotten this before and it wasn't the end of the world
1 tbsp lime juice
4 7-inch flour tortillas >> I recently tried using more traditional corn tortillas (the small ones) and this didn't work nearly as well. Stick to the flour grocery store brand (Old El Paso?), as inauthentic as they are.
1 cup shredded, reduced-fat Monterey Jack cheese (4 0z) >> I've started eating the PC Blue Menu reduced fat marble cheese and it's awesome. (This is coming from someone who previously had gagged eating No Name low fat cheddar and vowed to never touch it again.)
1/4 cup chopped green onions
1/3 low fat sour cream
1/2 cup copped lettuce >> I rarely actually use this because I find that the rest of this is usually enough. Also, I'd rather just do a side salad anyway instead.

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Spray a medium, non-stick saucepan with non-stick spray (>> very important, because these stick like fiends.). 1 cup tomatoes (>> I usually just add them all), plus next 9 ingredients (>> everything up to the beans). Cook and stir for 5 minutes, until vegetables are softened. Add beans and cook for 2 more minutes. Remove from heat and stir in cilantro and lime juice.
2. Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray. Place one tortilla in middle of tray. Spoon 1/3 bean mixture over tortilla, followed by 1/4 cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times. Place final tortilla on top, and sprinkle with last bit of cheese and green onions.
3. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until cheese is melted and tortiallas turn golden brown around edges. Remove from oven and slice into 4 wedges. Top with sour cream, remaining tomatoes, and lettuce. >> As mentioned, I usually skip this last step and just serve with sour cream and homemade salsa on the side.
   

Kale Chips

Nothing revolutionary here. Just putting this up so I remember the oven temp/time.
NOTE- These are best if eaten the day you make them. I just found out the hard way that storing them for the next day results in soggy chips. I'm probably going to put them all on a pan and give them a blitz in the oven before I serve them today.

Ingredients:
Kale, washed and de-spined
olive oil (enough to lightly coat)
salt (minimal)
fresh cracked pepper (lots)
nutritional yeast (a few heaping teaspoons, however yeasty you like your kale chips)

Toss all ingredients in a bowl. Spread out over Silpat and bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. I found the crisped up better when they were pressed flat and weren't touching one another, which meant that one full bunch of kale had to be stretched over four batches in the oven. Lots of work but very worth it.

To Try: Gluten-Free Brownies

No time to post full recipe. Here is the link. Try soon
http://www.sophisticatedgourmet.com/2011/06/amazing-brownies-gluten-free/

To try: Greek Yogurt Popsicles

This was on 'Cup of Jo' this morning and I must try it soon. I think I'll buy some agave to substitute for the refined sugar. 1/2 a cup is a lot for only 1 and 1/2 cups yogurt! The accompanying recipe was for avocado popsicles, which I was slightly less excited to try...

Greek Yogurt Pops with Berries (Adapted from Paletas, by Fany Gerson)

Ingredients:
1 lemon (you just need the peel)
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 1/2 cups plain unsweetened Greek-style yogurt
2 tablespoons honey
2 cups fresh blackberries, or the berry of your choice

Rinse the lemon, then peel it. Combine the water and sugar in a small saucepan and cook over medium-high heat, stirring until the mixture comes to a boil and the sugar has dissolved. Add the lemon peel, lower the heat, and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool to room temperature. Strain the syrup through a fine-mesh sieve, then refrigerate until chilled.

Put the yogurt and honey in a bowl, add the chilled syrup and stir well. (You can also do this in a blender, but we just stirred by hand.) Pour a bit of the yogurt into each of the popsicle molds, to a height of about 3/4 inch. Freeze until the mixture begins to set, about 40 minutes.

Next divide the blackberries among the popsicle molds, thn pour the remaining yogurt mixture, dividing it evenly among the molds. Snap on the lid of the molds and freeze until solid, 3 to 4 hours.


Original recipe/photo

Chickpea Tacos

I started looking for a chickpea taco recipe when I realized that soy wasn't agreeing with my stomach very well. These are great in tortillas (hard tacos get pretty messy), but also good in salad and just for snacking. I usually just use $2 store-bought taco seasoning and it works just fine. See the original post (linked below) for a recipe for homemade taco seasoning (which I plan to do at some point to better control the salt).

1 can chickpeas, rinsed & drained >> I've used 2 cups of dehydrated chickpeas (that have been soaked overnight and boiled for 90 mins) and it worked just fine.
1 Tbsp. tamari >> soy sauce works as a substitute
2 tsp. lime juice >> half a lime
2 Tbsp. taco seasoning
whole wheat tortillas
lettuce >> we did arugula and it was lovely
tomato, diced
2-step guacamole* (mashed avocado + minced garlic & Kosher salt)
(optional) fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

1.) Pre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) Spray a cooking pan with olive oil & set aside>> lining the pan with tin foil or a Silpat is helpful.
3.) In a large bowl, whisk tamari, lime juice, and taco seasoning together.
4.) Add chickpeas to bowl, tossing until well-coated.
5.) Place chickpeas on pan in an even layer, spray lightly with oil, & bake for 20-25mins. >> I find I take them out halfway through and mix them around a bit. Take them out after less time if you want them to be a little softer on the outside.
6.) Remove from oven, assemble tacos (lettuce first!), & serve.

Original recipe/photo

To Try: Creamy Lemon Pasta

It's hummus on pasta. I would have never thought of it, but now that I've heard of someone doing it I CAN'T GET THE IDEA OUT OF MY HEAD. Update when I get around to making this.

Ingredients

8 oz. whole wheat spaghetti (or other noodles of your choice, i.e. zucchini pasta, kelp noodles, etc.)
1/2 c. hummus, prepared or homemade
1 lemon, juiced + 1 T. lemon zest
2 t. reduced sodium soy sauce
1 T. nutritional yeast
1/2 c. chopped basil

Instructions

• Prepare noodles and set aside.
• In a large bowl, combine hummus, lemon juice, soy sauce and nutritional yeast.
• Add pasta, lemon zest and basil and toss to coat.
• Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Original recipe/photo

To try: Roasted Potatoes with Sea Salt and Thyme

I think about roasting baby potatoes all the time, and it's really not hard to just toss potatoes in a 350-degree oven, but sometimes it's nice to have a recipe with the specifics so they come out perfect (and not undercooked) every time. Will try this soon.

Serves 4 as a side dish

1 1/2 pounds small or new potatoes, with skin
1 garlic clove, minced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper
3-4 thyme sprigs, plus extra for garnish


Preheat oven to 425 F. Quarter potatoes and place in a large bowl with the garlic. Drizzle with olive oil. Toss to coat potatoes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Toss again. Dump the potatoes on a rimmed baking sheet. Scatter the thyme sprigs around the potatoes. Place baking tray on lowest rack in the oven. Bake 30 minutes without disturbing. Move baking tray to top half of the oven and continue to bake another 30 minutes. Remove and transfer potatoes to a bowl. Garnish with additional sea salt and thyme sprigs.

Original recipe/photo