Wallflours

"Southern" Lentil Soup

So, I was recently given my very first Crockpot. I have had so much fun with it. This recipe has been my go to soup. It came about, like most of my favorite soups, when I was cleaning out my fridge and using scraps of what I had left. It tastes even better the next day and with a dash of hot sauce. Please excuse the photo - I never said it was a pretty soup, just tasty. 

"Southern" Lentil Soup

• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 yellow onion
• 2 carrots
• 2 celery stalks
• 1 cup lentils
• 1/2 cup quinoa
• 1 sweet potato
• 1 - 2 cups of collard greens sliced
• 6 cups of water 
• 1 veggie bouillon cube
• 1 tbsp Braggs liquid aminos or soy sauce
• 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
• 1 bay leaf
• s & p to taste

Mince garlic and dice all onion, carrots and celery. Cut sweet potato into chunks and slice collards into ribbons. Put all ingredients into crockpot and stir to combine. Set to high and let cook for 4 hours. 

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving 2011

I would love to be posting a recipe for you right now but instead I am here to write to you about something a bit more important - gratitude. It's Thanksgiving, the day is about being thankful and stuffing our faces. Which I was lucky enough to be able to do today. With a portion of my family and Matthew. This was our 3rd Thanksgiving together, we have been lucky enough to spend them all together so far, always at my Mom's house out on Long Island. This year was different - we are engaged! It was so special and my Mother made a beautiful toast/prayer honoring the fact that he is becoming part of our family. It got me to thinking for real about what I am thankful for. So, as an exercise in gratitude I would like to make a quick list of the things that I am most thankful for on this last Thanksgiving of my single life. : )

• A big, loving family
• An able body
• Health! 
• A cozy and affordable home in the best city in the world
• Amazing friends and sisters that I get to walk down the aisle with on my big day - all 9 of them!
• A love for cooking that I got to share with my Mother all day today
• A clear vision/goal for my big girl career - I know what I want to be when I grow up!
• Two furry kittens that couldn't wait for us to get home tonight and cuddle with us
• The chance to try on my Nanny's wedding dress from 1940 - so awesome!
• A partner that has allowed me to grow, be myself, be silly, be annoying, be creative, and support me through a myriad of decisions that might have sounded crazy to a lesser man (quitting job and going back to school while planning a wedding during a recession?)
• The chance to marry the handsome man that I just described above

There is more but I will stop for now. I want to make this a weekly, if not daily, tradition of mine. I am so blessed. I can't believe how blessed I really am. I am determined to spend more time thinking about that than I have before. Cause my life is awesome and it's only the beginning.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Acorn squash recipe coming soon...

Howdy! I promise that I have not forgotten about this blog here. Life has been a whirlwind of wedding planning, parties, and various sicknesses! I have set aside time this weekend to bake/cook something special. Any suggestions? I am open!

I'm engaged!!!! And not only to the most handsome man that I've ever met but also my best friend in the whole world.
He asked me yesterday in the most perfect way that I could've asked for. It was casual, it was beautiful, it was us. I even got a vegan snickerdoodle out of it! He even had my family close by to celebrate after I said yes. It was amazing.
It is difficult to find the words to adequately express how this feels. Coming from a big family I have helped plan weddings for the last ten years of my life. It is very strange and surreal to think that I now get to plan mine. One just for me and no one else! Well, Matthew too of course. I am beside myself with joy that I found such an awesome man that makes me want to be a better person and loves me when I feel like I am not a very good person at all. I get giddy to think of what is to come - planning our wedding, making our home somewhere, having tons of babies! (not really tons). The adventures over the next few months are going to be amazing and I cannot wait to take them with my best friend in the whole world, Matthew - the man I am going to marry! eeee!

Avocado Pasta Salad with Chipotle Tofu

  

    It has been so long since I posted! I would love to say that I have been too busy, which I have been, but I have also been a bit uninspired. But thankfully, the inspiration has been coming back to me in waves so here I am! Since we last spoke I applied to go back to school, I got a new part time job, actually two of them! Oh and we got a second kitten! Her name is Winnifred, Winnie for short. Or sometimes Freddie due to her awesome Freddie Mercury-esque 'stache! 

    On to the recipes. I have been trying to lose some weight. So, a lot of my recipes to come will probably be more calorie and nutrient  conscious than in the past. Which is great! I have been adding more protein and good fat to my diet. I think that I was definitely getting enough but I wanted more and I have had great results. So, naturally I have been trying to perfect my tofu dishes. I came up with this pasta salad and I am obsessed with it. Matthew and I are in love with it and it makes for a great lunch at work! 

Avocado Pasta Salad with Chipotle Tofu

Dressing

• 1/2 Avocado
• juice and zest of one lime
• 1 large clove of garlic
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• s & p to taste

Chipotle Tofu

• 1/2 package of tofu rinsed and drained
• 2 tbsp Braggs liquid Aminos 
• 2 tbsp rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp agave nectar
• 1 tsp chipotle powder
• 1 tsp chili powder

"Salad"

• 1/2 a bell pepper
• 1 small can blackbeans
• 1/2 an onion
• 1/2 bunch of kale

    Prepare 2 cups worth of any whole wheat pasta that you like. I used whole wheat elbows and loved it. Chop up onions and bell pepper. Remove stems from kale and rinse. Rinse the black beans. Set aside. 

    After pressing the tofu, cut into cbes.  Whisk all ingredients for the marinade and combine in tupperware. Place inteh fridge for 30 minutes up to over night. When ready fry the tofu in your favorite cast-iron skillet with 1 tsp of your favorite oil. Making sure to brown all sides. About 1-2 minutes each side. 

    Combine all ingredinets for the dressing in your food prcoessor and combine until nice and creamy. You want it to be the consistency of a spread, it is okay if there are a few chunks of avocado. 

    Combine all ingredients but for the tofu in a lage bowl. Add chunks of tofu and cut up avocado to the top as you please. I suggest sprinkling more chipotle powder on top of the pasta salad too. 

This was enough for dinner and lunch the next day for Matthew and I. Multiply to fit your needs. Enjoy!

Nutrition Info:

1 cup serving of pasta with 1/4 the tofu 

Calories: 258

Fat: 8g

Sat Fat: 0.2g

Cholesterol: -0.5mg

Carb: 32.9g

Fiber: 8.2g

Sugars: 0g

Protein: 14.3 grams

 

No Bake Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars

     In case you haven't heard it's H O T up here in the North East. Turning on the oven is just not an option these days. Which presents a problem when all you want is a chocolatey homemade treat. So,I set out on a search for a no bake recipe. Thankfully the internet is full of them. There is one recipe that seems to pop up everywhere with little to no variation between them. There is no telling who to credit for the original recipe. I have a feeling it was printed on the box of something at some point - maybe quick-oats? I just adapted and halved the recipe that I saw so many variations of. Luckily I had all of the ingredients necessary to do this. You probably will too.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Oat Bars 

• 1 cup cane sugar
• 1/4 cup almond milk (or whichever plant milk you prefer)
• 1/4 cup coconut oil
• 1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
• 1/4 cup crunchy peanut butter
• 1.5 cups quick-oats
• 1/4 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Combine sugar, cocoa, coconut oil, and almond milk in sauce pan and bring to a boil. Let boil for 1-2 minutes while stirring. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Stir in vanilla, oats, and chocolate chips (in that order). Pour into greased loaf pan or 11 by 7 inch pan (13 by 9 if you double the recipe). Place on a cooling rack. Cut into bars when cooled. 

Enjoy! 

Jalapeno & Cheddar Black Bean Burgers

Ok, so technically they are Jalapeno Cheddar Black Bean & Mushroom Burgers. But that just felt too long to say. Though if you are not fond of mushrooms you could sub out with your favorite veggie. Corn, peas, maybe even some carrots would work nicely. The essential ingredients are black beans, jalapeno, and cheddar cheese. Well in this case Daiya vegan cheddar style shreds. They were pretty tasty. Matthew even wanted seconds. Plus it allowed me to use two of the adorable little jalapenos that I grew!

Jalapeno Cheddar Black Bean & Mushroom (or not) Burgers

• 1 29 oz can of black beans
• 8 oz pack of mushrooms 
• 1 shallot or small onion
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 1 large or 2 small jalapeno peppers
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 2 teaspoons vegan worcestershire sauce 
• 1 teaspoon Braggs liquid aminos (or soy sauce)
• 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
• 1/2 cup bread crumbs
• 1/3 cup Daiya Cheddar style shreds

    Coarsely chop shallots, garlic, and mushrooms and in lightly oiled skillet for about 2-3 minutes. Drain and rinse black beans. Combine mushroom and garlic mixture with black beans in a food processor and chop until a paste consistency. It is okay if there are some whole or pieces of beans. Transfer bean mixture to a medium size bowl. Add the remaining ingredients to the bean mixture and mix with your hands. Form patties with your hands.

    These can be grilled, baked, or cooked on your trusty cast-iron skillet. I placed the patties on a baking sheet and bake at 350 for about 10 minutes. Then transferred to the cast-iron to brown each side, about 2-3 minutes. You can also wrap any excess patties in wax paper after the pre-bake and refrigerate to be cooked throughout the week like I did.

Enjoy! 

Rockaway Beach & The Best Beach Sandwich

Were at Rockaway beach today! I am in love with this place. It's a beach close to the city that doesn't feel like a "city beach". Oh and there is a Babycakes NYC stand. How cool is that?

I packed a nice little lunch. These are the sandwiches I made. They are seriously good and super easy. Please excuse the iPhone quality pics.

• whole wheat ciabatta roll
• avocado
• tomato
• hummus
• baby spinach
• salt & pepper

Spread hummus on bread. I do bottom and top piece. Add sliced tomato. Then avocado. Salt and pepper to taste. Add spinach. Close with top piece of bread with hummus on it. Sometimes I drizzle a little balsamic on it too. It's beach ready. Enjoy!

Chickpea & Kale Soup

    This past Saturday marked the beginning of the Farmers Market at the sculpture park in our neighborhood. Needless to say I was super excited! Matthew and I walked over around noon and to our delight found that there was also a "Makers Market" that weekend with tents filled with local artists work - awesome sculptures, furniture, and jewelry. It was a nice little Saturday. Matthew even made a new friend! 

    The market itself was quite small - four vegetable stands only one of which was organic. I had imagined coming home with bags filled with produce but I was not all that impressed with what was being offered. So, I sprung for organic potatoes and purple kale. I was quite excited about both.

    Now, I realize that a soup recipe in June is a little strange but I have a good excuse - I  am sick! I have been coughing, sneezing, stuck on the couch watching Scrubs all day sick ever since Sunday. Thanks to my market trip I had exactly the produce that I needed to make my go-to cure-all soup in the house. So, here is the soup I make whenever I am sick. Or really whenever I want a quick and easy soup for lunches in the winter. 

Curry Kale & Chickpea Soup

• 1 onion diced
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 stalks celery diced
• 2 carrots diced
• 1 bunch of kale 
• 1 potato (usually I use sweet potato) cut into cubes
• 1 can of chickpeas
• 4 cups water
• 1/4 cup brown rice
• 1 vegetarian bouillon cube or paste
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in oil in a heavy bottomed pot until fragrant. Add carrots and celery and saute for 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add chickpeas and curry powder and saute further. After 2 minutes or so add water and bouillon cube or paste. Add potatoes and brown rice and cover and let it come to a boil. Add kale in bunches and stir. Cover once more and let simmer for about 5 more minutes on medium-high. Uncover and simmer on low to medium heat for at least 30 minutes. Making sure to stir occasionally. Soup is ready when rice is tender. Pepper to taste. Enjoy!

 

 

Watermelon & Basil Green Tea Frosty

    

    If you asked me a year ago how I felt about watermelon I would've responded with something akin to "it's alright. I am not really into melon." This is true - I am not into melon. At all. I always regarded watermelon as my favorite of them all but that wasn't really saying much. Needless to say I was rather surprised when about a month ago I started to crave it. Like a lot. I can't get enough of it. So, yesterday when at the market I gave into my cravings once again. This time though instead of devouring it all in one sitting I ate half and freezed the other half in chunks. Cause you see I have had this dream of making a watermelon and basil drink. I have all this beautiful basil thriving in my little urban garden and I have been dying to use it. The thought of watermelon and basil is quite appealing to me, I don't know why. I see them paired in salads often so I know I am not the only one. 

    So, after last weeks heat wave in NYC I have been quite happy in the modest 75-85 degrees the past few days. It's the perfect drink-a-frosty-fruity-drink-while-basking-in-the-sun kind of weather. Today I decided to do just that. My basil experimentation started a few days ago when I made sun tea and threw basil leaves in with my green tea bags. Which is pretty delicious on its own but also a great base for this drink. Regular green tea would work just fine, though you may want to up the basil if you do.

Watermelon & Basil Green Tea Frosty - That is a terribly long name. Let's just call it That Delicious Drink from now on. I made a single serving for myself so just adjust for however many you want to serve

• 1 cup frozen watermelon
• 1 cup iced green tea (basil infused recommended!)
• 2 fresh basil leaves
• 1/2 tbsp agave nectar or cane sugar
• 3-5 ice cubes

Put all ingredients in a blender and go to town! Then sit down somewhere in the sun and enjoy this frosty bit of heaven. 

I think that a little vodka or silver tequila added in would make for an amazing cocktail. I think I will go try that, its 5:00 somewhere! Actually its 5:00 here I just wanted to say that.