On the Shelf

In the world of salsas there is no doubt that fresh (either homemade or restaurant made) is always best.  I happen to think my homemade salsa is pretty killer, in fact.  But nobody has fresh-made salsa on hand every day, and when you eat Mexican food as much as I do you definitely need a backup plan.

I have started keeping jarred salsa on my shelf at all times.  It comes in very handy when I need a last minute snack to take somewhere ~ with chips, of course.  And I'm not above dressing a salsa up in a nice container and halfway pretending I made it myself.  (I would always tell the truth if asked, but it's fun to pretend in the meantime!) Jarred salsa is also great to have when the pantry is nearly empty and I'm hoping to feed my family yet another meal centered around rice and beans. With a little salsa and another ingredient or two, you can make a great burrito, taco, or even a casserole.  I also love salsa with eggs.

Since I moved to Austin last summer, I've been exploring the local selection of jarred salsas.  There are some good ones out there.  I'm definitely still exploring, but this is my current fave:

The jar says it's the winning recipe from a Texas salsa competition.

It's loaded with tomatillos and onions, and not too much else.  I would use all the same ingredients if I was making it myself at home.

 And it has a nice kick to it.

I can't promise that I won't change my mind a bunch more times as I explore the salsa aisle, but for now I'm hooked on this one.  Happy dipping!

Meatless Monday: Three Go-To's for Great Flavor

Do you eat meatless on Mondays?  If you do, is it easy for you to pull off?  Or do you find yourself missing the meat in every meal?  

I have long had the assumption (and I have no idea how accurate it is) that meat-eaters feel deprived when they eat a vegetarian meal.  As a result, I have labored over every menu I have planned where the target audience included carnivores.  In the process I have developed some techniques for satisfying even the meat lovers out there.

The most important element to a phenomenal vegetarian meal is flavor.  In other words, don't skimp.  If you're using garlic, use a little extra.  If your recipe calls for herbs, pile them in.  And don't cut back on salt or oil either.

When I'm especially concerned with pleasing the palate of meat lovers, I usually go for some smokey heat to give it a little something extra.  Even when the smokiness is subtle, I find that it helps to round out the flavor of just about any dish. And it just might make your favorite meat eater feel more satisfied by mimicking the flavor of meat.

I have three secret weapons I often turn to for this purpose, and they are all in my spice cabinet.

Cumin, ground chipotle, and smoked paprika are my go-to ingredients when I want to add a little something extra to a dish.  Cumin is the mildest of the three.  I find that a couple dashes of cumin will add an earthiness that works well in almost any dish.  I even use cumin with pumpkin or other types of winter squash. (I worry that a more robust smokiness might overpower them.)

Both smoked paprika and chipotle are more intense.  They also have a lot of heat to them, so use sparingly.  I tend to choose either smoked paprika or chipotle as a flavor enhancer in dishes that are traditionally seasoned with meat.  For example, I add smoked paprika or chipotle to vegetables (such as greens) or beans that are often seasoned with ham or bacon.  I also use them to flavor sauces that traditionally include meat, such as an Italian ragu or chili.  My best advice is to have fun experimenting.  Regardless of how you decide to use them, these are great tools to have in your arsenal.

Do you have any tips for adding flavor to your favorite veggie dishes?  Please send them my way!

Meatless Mondays: Start it out right!

I am a huge believer in breakfast, probably because my body seems to be programmed to eat a full meal within a few hours of waking up.  (I wake up hungry, people, hungry!)  In my experience, it's important to eat healthy (and hearty!) in the morning to start a day out right. 

As a vegetarian, I also find it's important to be sure there's a decent dose of protein in every meal, including breakfast.  Don't be fooled - "vegetarian protein in the morning" does not necessarily have to mean eggs.  In fact, I find that I can get a nice dose of protein simply by eating whole grains. 

This weekend I whipped up my first batch of baked oatmeal, which I've been reading about all over the internet.  I used a very basic recipe, and I look forward to jazzin' it up in future versions with some dried or fresh fruit and other flavor combinations. 

Oatmeal has a nice dose of protein built right in, plus it makes a great base to combine with other protein sources.  By my count a serving of this baked oatmeal recipe has about 5 grams of protein (based on a 12-serving recipe), which isn't bad for something that smells as good as a freshly baked oatmeal cookie! 

This morning I had it with yogurt and berries, which was great.  Tomorrow I might try it with warm milk, which I imagine will be closer to a true bowl of oatmeal.  The oatmeal-dairy combo puts my protein tally closer to 12 grams, which I consider to be quite respectable for breakfast.

In case I'm selling this stuff short, this recipe is truly enticing!  It absolutely smelled like a cookies as it baked.  I was thrilled when it won over my hubby, who typically turns his nose at traditional oatmeal.  Plus, it satisfied my morning sweet tooth without being quite as sweet as an actual cookie.  I'm the queen of leftovers, so I was doubly pleased to discover how well it warmed up in the toaster oven the next day.  Yay for a week of baked oatmeal!

Baked Oatmeal - the Basic Recipe
Serves 8-12

• 3 cups oatmeal
• 3/4 brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, melted
• 2 eggs, lightly beaten
• 2 cups milk
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon

Preheat the over to 375 degrees.  Mix all of the ingredients together.  Pour into a buttered 13 x 9 inch pan.  Bake at 375 degrees for 25 minutes.

Baking for a Cause

I just completed a project that I'm really proud of.  For several years I've been inspired by the commercials on the food network about Share Our Strength's work to end childhood hunger.  Share Our Strength started a campaign encouraging people to hold bake sales to raise money  for their organization.  I've long wanted to host one myself.  Why?  Because it's a great cause, and I've always loved bake sales.  Bake sales remind me of the many summertime lemonade stands I held as a kid.  And nostalgia is a very powerful thing!

 

Share Our Strength has a great website with tons of resources to make hosting a bake sale easier.  So I signed up on their website and got started.  As it turned out, my daughter's kindergarten class needed to come up with what they call a "leadership project" for this quarter.  (Basically, they are supposed to learn about something as a class and present it to the rest of the school.)  My bake sale idea became this year's leadership project.

I worked with the kindergarten teachers to get the project up and running.  We wanted to keep the bakesale simple and pretty small scale, so we decided to sell treats to the school on a Friday afternoon when the school would normally sell ice cream.  The ice cream costs $1, so we decided we'd sell our treats for $1.  We limited the bake sale to brownies and rice krispie treats to keep it simple, and then I solicited volunteers via email to bake some treats for us.  I also used some of the tools on the Share Our Strength website to make a flier about the event.  

Next the kindergarten students made a poster advertising their bake sale, and they put together a presentation explaining what they were doing.  They went from classroom to classroom giving the presentation in small groups.  Then they handed out the fliers I had made to all the students in the school.  They were clearly very proud to be helping out other children.

Did you know that nearly 1 in 5 children suffer from hunger in the United States?  I thought that was a shocking statistic.  We put that fact on our fliers, and it definitely got people's attention.  The bake sale happened last Friday, and we raised just over $250!!!  I was amazed at how successful our little project was.  The students were so excited for their Friday afternoon treat.  And I was so impressed with how generous they were, too.  Many of them put $2 in the basket and then only took one treat.  In the end this bakesale was at least as fun as my childhood lemonade stands. 

By the way, my daughter pretty much made the rice krispie treats herself.  I always forget how easy (and yummy!) rice krispie treats are.  All you really have to do is melt the butter and marshmallows and then stir, stir, stir.  Plus, it's always fun cooking with kids. 

All in all, this project was a great experience that left me feeling so inspired.  My hope is that I will continue to find ways to be involved with Share Our Strength.  It really pains me to think about kids feeling hungry right here in this wealthy nation we live in.  So . . . if you're looking for a summer project to do with your kids, or you've been wanting to find a way to give back to your community, I definitely recommend hosting a Share Our Strength bakesale.

 http://join.strength.org/site/TR?fr_id=1190&pg=entry

On Counting Carbs . . . and Eating Them Too

For reasons I am not yet ready to reveal to the Internet, I recently had to start counting carbs and watching my diet.  In a nutshell, it’s not fun.  I have always been a very healthy eater, but there’s something about being told I have to eat healthy that is just so . . .  well, annoying.  Nevertheless, I have committed to following the rules.  Most of the time, anyway.  When I do feel like cheating, it will most definitely be for chocolate.

At our Superbowl party last weekend I cheated with these brownies.  They have less flour and less sugar than your average brownie.  The chocolate flavor really shines through from the Dutch-processed cocoa, which is supposedly more flavorful than your run-of-the-mill cocoa powder.  

These brownies also have a nice dose of salt, and I have to admit I find the sea salt and chocolate combo to be downright mouth-watering.  Initially I made a version with all of the salt inside the batter, but I think the crunchy topping makes for a nice finish. 

If you happen to be watching your carb (or calorie) intake, give these brownies a try.  I hope to cheat with them again soon!

Lower Carb Chocolate Sea Salt Brownies

Makes 16 brownies

• 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• ½ cup unsweetened cocoa (preferably Dutch-process for a flavor boost)
• ½ cup all-purpose flour
• 1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt, divided
• ¼ teaspoon baking powder
• 1 cup sugar
• ¼ butter
• 2 large eggs

Preheat the oven to 350 degree F.  Grease an 8-inch square metal baking pan.

In a cup, dissolve the coffee in the vanilla extract.  In a small bowl, combine the cocoa, flour, ¾ teaspoon sea salt, and the baking powder.  Then in a medium bowl, whisk the sugar, vegetable oil spread, eggs, and coffee mixture until well-mixed.  Then blend in the flour mixture.  Spread the batter in the prepared pan.  (It will be a thick batter.)  Lastly, sprinkle the remaining ½ teaspoon sea salt over the brownies.

Bake for approximately 22 to 24 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted approximately 2 inches from the edge of the pan comes out almost clean.  Place the pan on a wire rack and cool for approximately 2 hours.  Enjoy!

Kudos

Recently I've spent a lot of time perusing menus as I look for the perfect location for a Valentine's dinner. Sacramento has a number of new restaurants, but unfortunately I'm seeing a lot of the same meat-and-potato-style fare. Of course many restaurants will have ~a single~ vegetarian option on their dinner menu. Sorry chefs - it just doesn't make sense for my hubby and I to shell out big bucks for us both to order the same dish. Isn't it so much more fun when you can order a selection of starters and entrées and munch off each other's plates?

Despite my complaints, some kudos are in order. One of Old Sacramento's longtime restaurants The Firehouse is the clear winner when it comes to accommodating the vegetarian gourmet this year on Valentine's Day. They have a dedicated vegan/vegetarian menu.

We're looking to celebrate on Saturday, so I'm sad to report that my hubby and I won't get to enjoy this lovely menu. Nevertheless, here's what I would order:

First Course

Vegan Asparagus Bundle
pistachio-arugula pesto, baby red oak lettuce and savory celeriac purée


Second Course

Brie en Croustade
mission figs and port red onions baked in puff pastry with pistachios and pepper-honey drizzle


Third Course

Vegan Beet Carpaccio Salad
watercress and crystalized ginger, spiced almonds and pear vinaigrette


Intermezzo

White Peach Champagne Sorbet


Fourth Course

Winter Greens Risotto Verde
braised radicchio, endive, arugula and Parmigiano-Reggiano


Fifth Course

Chocolate Devotion
milk and dark chocolate mousse, devil's food cake, raspberry, coulis and chocolate-caramel crème

Sounds pretty fantastic, doesn't it?

Oh, and by the way, hello Internet. It's so nice to be back!

Not Just {Half} Full

Do you do this? I have always had this habit of over-filling things. When I was a kid my mom would always get on to me for filling my cereal until the cereal fell over the sides. When I was a bit older my little sister would always ask me to dish up her ice cream because I would always be sure the bowl was totally full.

These days my habit is not all that different. I was supposed to make pasta for tonight's school party. I wanted to take plenty so that we wouldn't run out. After the first trip to the store, it didn't look like we had enough tortellini. After a second trip to the store, I got started cooking. The water started to boil. And then it boiled higher.


And then it was like the cereal bowl all over again. Only it was pasta. And it was falling down into my gas burner. Yikes!


But at least we had enough tortellini to go around. MORE than enough, actually!

The Winter Burn

Last weekend I watched an episode of one of Giada De Laurentiis' shows. I loved her theme for the episode ~ her idea is that spicy food is great for warming up the winter chill! This got me thinking. Many of my favorite winter meals are in fact spicy. Here are a few of my faves:

• Slow Cooker Black Bean Soup
• Corn chowder
• Black 'n' Orange Chili
• Homemade Salsa
• Spicy Mushroom Mini Pizza

Yesterday I adapted one of the recipes from Giada's show ~ pasta with eggplant sauce. This is some of the best pasta I have had in a very long time. I'll share it with you soon.

Meatless Mondays: More on Muffins

{Photo from here}

In the last few weeks I've mentioned my (and my preschooler's!) new love for hearty muffins as an afternoon snack. This muffin started it all. The recipe calls for peanut butter to replace some of the butter. It is sweetened with maple syrup and chocolate chips. And they are made with whole wheat flour. These are more than your average muffin because the peanut butter and whole grains really boost the protein and fiber.

Oh, and did I mention how yummy they are? The chocolate chips poking out of the top of the muffins entice my daughter every time. We have some in our freezer now!

Meatless Mondays: Pumpkin Cornbread

Last week I mentioned that the new favorite snack around my house is the {muffin}, and this recipe was a truly great find. These are hearty, sustaining, even long-winded. They are whole grain, for a boost of protein and fiber to make you feel full, and the subtle honey flavor makes them absolutely scrumptious. Just like the little cakes Alice eats in Alice in Wonderland! They taste best the first day, or frozen immediately after cooling and re-heated later. Yum!

Pumpkin Cornbread
Adapted from Simply Vegetarian

• 1/2 c. soft butter
• 3/4 c. honey
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 1 15 oz. can pumpkin
• 1 cup milk
• 1 1/2 cups whole wheat pastry flour (or regular whole wheat flour)
• 1 c. cornmeal
• 1 Tbsp. plus 2 tsp. baking powder
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp. allspice
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground ginger
  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and butter a 12-cup muffin tray. Cream the butter and honey in a bowl. Add the eggs, pumpkin, and milk, then mix well. In a separate bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture and mix thoroughly. Fill the muffin cups 3/4 full, then bake for 15-20 minutes. Enjoy!

Meatless Mondays: Pack it in

Back when I was pregnant with my daughter I started to keep track of how much protein I ate just to be sure I was getting enough for the both of us. I quickly realized that it's hard to eat enough protein in just one or two vegetarian main dishes. But there are many foods that you wouldn't ordinarily think of that have a good dose of protein. Whole grains are one of the easiest "alternative" sources. Once I started counting every whole grain slice of bread and every spoonful of brown rice, the protein really added up quickly.

If you want to feel full during a day of meatless eating, then pack in the protein. Afterall, every ounce of nutrition counts. And what better way to enjoy some nutrition than in a muffin. That's right, a muffin. My daughter loves them, so I try to find recipes withextra protein or vitamins without too much sugar. She and I both have them for afternoon snacks. Or breakfast. Or a midnight snack. Or dessert. You get the idea ~ when you look this similar to a cupcake, what's not to love?

I can't wait to share some recipes soon.

Meatless Mondays: Thanksgiving Favorites

Hi All! I know it's been a while, but it's only fitting that Thanksgiving should bring me (ahem) back to the table.

I'm happy to report that Thanksgiving is a holiday for vegetarians and meat-eaters alike. I discovered some of my favorite recipes while planning Thanksgiving menus. I think the best vegetarian main course are those that the meat-eaters are likely to dig into, too. Here are a few of my faves:

• Stuffed Mushrooms
• Butternut Squash Lasagna
• Any kind of pot pie ~ this one looks great!

Enjoy, and I plan to see you back here real soon!

Doing More

I've done it. Finally, I've done it. I sat down and I watched the movie Food, Inc. I'm not sure what took me so long, really. I guess part of it was that I knew what I was in for. I've read several Michael Pollen books and generally know that I don't like the way the food industry operates.

As it turned out, most of the movie I had heard or read before. I was still shocked all over again. The difference here was that in most cases I had never seen images of the food industry's icky business before. And the images are powerful.

The movie left me feeling very unsettled. It re-affirmed my family's choice to be vegetarian, but it also left me feeling that we should do more. The problem is that I haven't figured out what "doing more" means yet. For now, I'm pondering. Pondering where my food comes from and where I wish it came from. Afterall, I like that food is so convenient. I have no plans to grow all my food in my backyard. But surely there are some better ways to get food ~ better ways to grow it and better ways to buy it.

If I reach any firm decisions on how I plan to "do more" then I'll be sure to share. In the meantime, I'd love to know what others thought after seeing Food, Inc. or learning about the same food issues from other sources. Did it change how you ate? Did you find ways to do more?

Game Prizes sans Perfume

At the baby shower I helped plan a few weeks ago I was in charge of buying or making prizes for the shower games. Since we had just as many men as women coming, my big dilemma was what exactly a "game prize" should be. My online search told me that the most appropriate shower prizes include: lotions, scented candles, sachets, and lip gloss. These options clearly wouldn't do ~ I didn't want the guys to bolt, afterall! Then I thought about chocolate, but we were already having chocolate cake and chocolate favors.

In the end I made up a double batch of my homemade salsa (recipe here), which these friends have always enjoyed.






After adding a little cuteness, I felt like I had some very respectable game prizes to offer. No makeup or girlie scents in sight!


I'm happy to report that the guys did not bolt from the party. We had an all-around great time!

Dear World

I was just looking over my latest blog posts, and it dawned on me that my recent interest in blogging about eggs, like here and here, is about as untimely as it could possibly be. Plus, I'm helping to host a baby shower this weekend that will include a menu of no fewer than 4 dishes containing eggs.

Dear World, I promise that I'm not trying to poison you! I swear the salmonella outbreak is just really bad luck. You believe me, right? Right?

I'm Playing "Favorites"

Do you have a favorite tool you like to use in the kitchen? My favorite tool has become my pizza cutter, although I rarely use it to slice pizza. Since it is sharp enough to slice through all kinds of things, I find that I can save a huge amount of time and mess by pulling out the pizza cutter for all kinds of uses. I use it to slice quesadillas and sandwiches and also to remove crusts from bread. It's kind of fun, too!

Meatless Mondays: Eating Out

I love to cook and I love home-cooked meals. I find it's so much easier to monitor healthy-eating when I prep food myself. On the other hand, my hubby and I also love to eat out. We tend to save restaurants for the weekend and we make it more of an experience. A splurge, if you will. We don't feel like we have to grab the cheapest grub around, and we can have a more leisurely meal together.

As vegetarian-eating has become more and more common, eating "vegetarian" at restaurants has also become easier. These days there's a lot more out there for us than just salad and fries. Nevertheless, eating out is still pretty complicated at higher priced restaurants. Nicer establishments often make their food more "upscale" by offering finer meats and seafood. While some of these restaurants do offer one or two vegetarian dishes, they often are overpriced and rather ordinary in comparison to the other menu offerings. Unfortunately I've had some bad experiences on this front, including last Valentine's Day.

But there's still hope. In finalizing our plans for our upcoming trip to Maui, I was delighted to discover a rare veggie-friendly fine dining restaurant. Since the executive chef's wife is vegetarian, The Plantation House offers a separate vegetarian-friendly menu. Since it's also known for great service and fantastic views, this just might be a truly rare find.

I hope we'll have the opportunity to try The Plantation House on our vacation ~ I'll be sure to report back!

The Simple Mix

Right now I'm both studying for the Bar Exam and really missing my blog. Here's what I've decided to do. First of all, I'm not making any promises about whether or not I'll be blogging at all in the next few weeks. (Although I suspect I will be. . . some, at least.) If I completely fall off the face of the planet, you should know that I have some really great things planned for Appetite for Conversation in August ~ new features, new topics, new recipes, and all kinds of "new." If I disappear, definitely check back in August.

Second of all, there's this idea floating around blogs these days that I kind of like. The "Remix Challenge" is popping up everywhere. (Like here and here) Basically, people are agreeing to select 30 items from their wardrobe and only wear those 30 items for 30 days, mixing and matching as they go along. Kinda fun, right?

Since I read about this it dawned on me that I often follow a "Remix" kind of lifestyle, but with food. Particularly when I'm super busy I turn to a handful of standard things my family and I like to eat, and I reinvent them over and over again. The shopping is simple, the preparation is simple, and the amount of thought that goes into it is simple. Yet more often than not we end up eating a variety of meals with pretty darn good food.

In the coming weeks I plan to blend my need for "simple" with this idea of "remix." When (and if) I post, it will be some remix of one of my standards. You are likely to see:

Sandwiches
Pizzas
Tacos
Burgers
Roasted Veggies

Let me know what you think!

It's All in the Toppings

Red tomatoes
White crema
Blue corn tortilla chips

The Problem with June

Cherries. The problem with June is the cherries ~ lots and lots of cherries.

June always starts out hopeful, with recent memories of the beautiful cherry blossoms on the tree in our yard. When we peer upwards we see green, red, and then deep purple clusters of fruit hanging above us. Soon we spend our weekends like this:


But sadly, it doesn't last. Before long we spend our weekends staring at (and cleaning up!) the cherries that have fallen and are all over the ground. June is definitely a problem.

This year turned out a little different. What made all of the mess so incredibly worth it was the fact that a few weeks ago I made my very first cobbler. I had no idea how easy they are to make, and I will definitely be doing this again. We had a cherry-picking party, so those of us not climbing on the roof to grab for cherries pitted them on the ground instead. Once we had enough pitted I added a little sugar.


Then I baked them for about 30 minutes. I topped them with a simple drop biscuit concoction which I sprinkled with sugar and cinnamon.


The cobbler went back in the oven, and then before long it was half gone.


The recipe came from an America's Test Kitchen cookbook, and it was just marvelous. If only I had time to make one every weekend. If only I could make one now instead of sweeping up cherry remnants before they ferment on the ground. Afterall, this is why June is such a problem. But this year that cobbler saved it all!