I’m always looking for new and interesting quinoa recipes. It gets boring to only put roasted vegetables or canned corn with dressing. So when I found a recipe for quinoa with golden beets and raisins, I knew I wanted to try it out, just tweaked a little bit. First of all, I can never find golden beets in the fruit store or supermarket! So I used the regular red ones. Anyway, I like red ones better anyway. Also, the original recipe called for feta cheese. And I don’t like feta cheese, so I left it out.

I have never eaten raw (not baby) spinach. I’m also not sure it really added much flavor to the dish, though maybe that’s because I cut it so small. It did add great color, though. So I still recommend it.

This makes a great lunch dish. It’s filling, pretty, and really delicious. I squeeze some fresh lemon juice over the top right before eating. It makes it a little more refreshing.

Quinoa Salad with Spinach and Beets, adapted from Tyler Florence:

Ingredients:

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed and cooked
• 5 small beets
• A handful of spinach
• 3 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Salt and pepper, to taste
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.

2. Scrub the beets and roast for 20-30 minutes, until soft.

3. Let the beets cool and peel (the skin should come off easily with the back of a knife

4. Chop into small cubes and add to the cooked quinoa.

5. Remove the stems from the spinach and chop up into tiny pieces. Add to quinoa.

6. Add raisins and mix.

7. Dress quinoa with olive oil and lemon juice. Taste and add salt and pepper, as desired.

8. Serve and enjoy!

Don’t be scared of all of these spices! The first time you look at a recipe like this, you might turn it away instead of going shopping. But once you have them, you have them, so go buy some spices! They last forever!

Aloo Mater, from How to Cook Indian
Serve with parathas or rice

Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 teaspoon cumin seeds
• 2 medium red onions, chopped
• 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1/4 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 1/3 teaspoons ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon red chile powder
• 1 large potato, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
• 3 cups water
• 1 can tomato puree
• 1 1/2 cups green peas (frozen is fine)
• 1 teaspoon garam masala
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

Directions:

1. Place a medium nonstick saucepan over medium heat and add the oil. When it is hot, add the bay leaf and cumin. When the seeds begin to change color, add the onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes until golden. Add the ginger and garlic and saute for 30 seconds.
2. Add the turmeric, coriander and chile powder and saute for 30 seconds. Stir in the potatoes and water, cover and cook for 5 minutes.
3. Add the tomato puree, cover and cook for 8 more minutes. Now the potatoes should be tender.
4. Add the peas, garam masala and salt. Stir, cover and cook for 15 more minutes.
5. Garnish with cilantro and serve hot with parathas or rice.

Eggs are my favorite breakfast. If you ever sleep over, you’d know Zeke and I have eggs a few mornings a week. A good source of protein, easy, filling, and definitely delicious…but mixed with one of my favorite foods, avocados,

Okay, okay. I know you probably think I’m crazy for even writing down this recipe. But it was one of the best breakfasts I’ve ever made! Really. And it was so easy. Having a “real food” breakfast makes a big difference in my day. I mean, when I ate this, I was awake and energized all day.

Oh, and I scooped out the middle of the avocado with an ice cream scooper so that the egg would fit better. But don’t worry, I fed that bit to Richie! We don’t waste avocado in this house.

Egg Baked in Avocado, adapted from Life Hacker:

Ingredients:

• 1 avocado, split in half, pit removed
• 2 eggs
• Some splashes of hot sauce (Zeke likes Sriracha the best. I used Cholula)
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

1.Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

2. Using an ice cream scooper, scoop out the middle of the avocado. Don’t you dare throw it out.

3. Season with salt and pepper and some hot sauce.

4. Crack the egg in the middle.

5. Place eggs in pan (I used a cast iron skillet), and place in the oven for 5 minutes.

6. After 5 minutes, turn on broiler and broil for one minute, until the top is brown.

7. Remove from oven. Break the yolk and let it spread everywhere.

8. Eat! Enjoy!

Oooh, if you added some shredded cheese to the top it would probably be awesome. Maybe you should try that?

I love making lasagna for company. It’s not so easy, but it’s something that can be made ahead of time, making the day-of much easier to handle. This lasagna is a little different and “dressier” than the classic cheese-and-tomato-sauce or meat-and-tomato-sauce kind. Plus, it is a nice filling main dish! We all really enjoyed it, and I’m glad I made the entire box of lasagna noodles and made a little extra of this for the freezer. That’s right, lasagna is a great freezer food!

I made this over the course of two days. The first morning, I washed, peeled, de-stemmed, sliced, and sauteed the mushrooms. I refrigerated them and waited until nighttime when Richie was sleeping to do the rest. That night, I made the bechamel and assembled the lasagna. I put it in the fridge. I took it out a few hours before dinner the next night, baked it for the regular amount of time, and voila, a no-fuss main dish for my dinner party.

Does anyone else peel their mushrooms? I don’t know why I do it, and I guess I don’t have to clean them if I do. I actually find it kind of fun to do, so maybe that’s why whenever I cook mushrooms I sit there peeling off the outer layer. Any thoughts on this?

Mushroom Lasagna, adapted from Ina Garten

Serves 6

Ingredients:

• Kosher salt
• Olive oil
• 12 lasagna noodles (3/4 pound)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 1 stock unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup all purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
• 1 1/2 pounds mushrooms (I used plain old white buttons)
• 1 cup shredded muenster cheese

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add lasagna noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain and lay each noodle out on a piece of wax paper so they don’t stick together.

3. Make the bechamel: Heat the milk either in a small pot or in the microwave.

4. Melt the stick of butter in a large saucepan over low heat. Add the flour and stir constantly with a wooden spoon for one minute.

5. Pour the milk into the butter-flour mixture all at once and stir until combined.

6. Add 1 tablespoon salt, the pepper, and nutmeg. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon and then a whisk until thickened. Set aside.

7. Separate the mushrooms from the stems and discard the stems (or save them for mushroom broth!). Slice the caps into 1/4 inch thick slices.

8. Cook the mushrooms: Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large saute pan. All half the mushrooms and sprinkle with salt. Cook over medium heat for about 5 minutes, until the mushrooms are tender and release some juices. Repeat with the remaining mushrooms.

9. (This is a step I didn’t do, and resulted in a watery lasagna, nothing like Ina’s picture: drain the mushrooms!)

10. Assemble the lasagna: Spread some sauce on the bottom of an 8x12x2 baking dish. Arrange a layer of noodles on top (3) then sauce, mushrooms, and cheese. Repeat two more times. Top with a final later of noodles and the sauce, and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.

11. Bake the lasagna for 45 minutes, until the top is browned and the sauce is bubbly and hot.

12. Allow to sit for 15 minutes before serving.

I never realized how much I like split pea soup. And not just because it’s the easiest soup to make. Ever. Seriously. The. Easiest. Soup. Ever. Chopped onions optional. I really don’t even think I need to give you a recipe for this, because once you’ll read it, you’ll probably say, “That’s it?!” But when you make it, you might want to eat this soup a few times a week. Or not, but if you’re like me you’ll like the deliciousness paired with the yumminess, you’ll probably make it pretty often. Or, if you’re not like me and have endless time to cook dinner, you can try this soup anyway. Unless you don’t like soup. But who doesn’t like soup? Okay, fine. So that picture isn’t so appetizing looking. How can you make a green pile of mush look appetizing? Do you have a better picture of split pea soup? I should just take a picture of it every time I make it. Which is often. Because, you know, that screaming baby makes complicated meals a little more difficult.

So it has to simmer for a little while, but it’s still super easy. And if you have 45 minutes to just sit and wait for dinner to happen, or put the baby to sleep, you can make this. Mmmm…

Split Pea Soup:

Serves 2 (and can be multiplied to serve WAY more)

Ingredients:

• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 cup split green peas, washed and picked over
• 3 cups chicken stock or veggie broth or water
• Salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Saute the onions in a pot over medium heat, until translucent.

2. Raise heat to medium-high and put the split peas and stock and bring to a boil.

3. Turn to low, cover partially, and cook until the peas are soft, about 45 minutes

4. Blend with an immersion blender.

5. Serve it with grated cheese, croutons, toasted pine nuts, whatever you please…

Everybody loves the Chef at Home (aka Magen David) cookbook. It has bright colors, pretty pictures, and no capitals in the titles! Okay, that’s not why they like it. They like the easy to follow recipes and everyday dishes. I’ve made quite a few recipes from there, but haven’t blogged about them (sorry!). So I decided to make something awesome from there on my day off and share it with you. Now I know we’ve posted quite a few veggie burger recipes lately (fine, two. But that’s a lot!), but I like to make healthy dishes that I can freeze and just heat up when I need a quick lunch, dinner or even snack. And I’m trying to stay away from processed foods, so Morningstar items only a last resort.

I kinda made my job harder by actually chopping all the veggies. I chopped everything into TINY pieces. You probably don’t have to make them that small. Or you can use the food processor and pulse them. I just wanted to incorporate all the flavors and to make sure the burgers really stick together. I hate it when veggie burgers fall apart, don’t you?

Lentil and Brown Rice Burgers, adapted from Chef at Home
Makes about 20 burgers

Ingredients:

• 1 cup brown lentils
• 1 cup brown rice
• 5 1/2 cups water
• 2 medium onions (I used spanish), finely chopped
• 7 cloves garlic, minced or smashed
• 7 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 2 celery stalks, chopped
• 4 carrots, chopped
• 8 ounces mushrooms (I used button), chopped
• 4 tablespoons brown bread crumbs
• 4 tablespoons whole wheat pastry flour
• 2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 whole eggs
• 4 egg whites
• Oil or nonstick spray for the baking tray

Directions:

1. In a pot over medium heat, add the water, rice, and lentils. Cook for 30 minutes, until the water is absorbed. Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2. Saute the onions and garlic in 4 tablespoons of the oil until slightly browned, about 10 minutes. Set aside in medium bowl.

3. Saute the celery and carrots in 2 tablespoons of the oil until softened, about 15 minutes. Set aside with the onions.

4. Saute the mushrooms in the remaining tablespoon of the oil until the water is all absorbed, about 7 minutes. Set aside with the rest of the vegetables.

5. Combine the rice, lentils, and vegetables in the large bowl and mix well.

6. Add the bread crumbs, flour, salt, pepper, and cumin to the mixture. Stir to combine.

7. Add the eggs and egg whites and mix again.

8. Refrigerate the mixture for about 30 minutes, covered.

9. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

10. Using a 1/2 cup measure, scoop out mixture and with slightly wet hands, form patties and place them onto a greased baking sheet (if freezing, place them on wax paper).

11. Bake uncovered for about 20 minutes, then flip over and bake another 20 minutes, until golden brown.

12. Serve on a bun with your favorite toppings/extras and enjoy!

Last year, we posted a recipe from Jamie Oliver. And while that sage-infused oil soup was amazing, and definitely a go-to recipe for me, I definitely have to change it up a little bit. Eating as much butternut squash soup as I do makes me need to experiment with different flavors and interesting ingredients. This is actually the first butternut squash soup recipe I have ever made, and it was years ago when I was still in high school.

I actually make this every now and then, and love the deep flavor the tomato and balsamic vinegar add. I don’t make it too often, though, because I’m usually not opening up a can of tomatoes just to use two. You can substitute some tomato paste or two fresh plum tomatoes if you want. I also usually don’t add sage to this recipe unless I already have it in my kitchen. I don’t miss it, though maybe next time I will fry the sage and make sage-infused oil, just like in Jamie Oliver’s Superb Butternut Squash Soup.

Butternut Squash Soup, adapted from Food Network:

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 onion, chopped
• 4 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 teaspoons kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 2 medium canned plum tomatoes
• 1 medium butternut squash (about 2 pounds), diced
• 4 cups vegetable broth, chicken stock, or water
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add onion, garlic, one teaspoon of salt, and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are tender, about 10-12 minutes.

2. Raise the heat to medium-high. Add the tomatoes, crushing them into the pot with your hands, and cook for about 5 minutes, until the onions are browned and the tomatoes break apart more.

3. Add the squash and the rest of the salt. Continue cooking, and stir occasionally, until the squash is tender, about 15 minutes.

4. Add the stock/broth/water. Bring to a simmer and cook uncovered for 20 minutes, until the squash is soft.

5. Remove from heat and blend, either in a blender or food processor, or with an immersion blender.

6. Return to heat and add the balsamic vinegar, stir it in.

7. Serve with a touch of Parmesan cheese or sour cream, if desired.

That’s right, I’m still grilling. Okay, fine, so I made this on my cast iron grill pan. But it still turned out awesome. It required more cooking time than the outdoor grill and set off my smoke detector more than once. I used all the ingredients from the original recipe but changed the quantities a lot. It’s also the type of recipe that you really don’t have to measure. Just wing it.

So the original recipe called for either soy sauce or balsamic vinegar. I think that means two completely different recipes! I never tried it with soy sauce, but I imagine it would be a totally different dish. I mean, soy sauce and balsamic vinegar just taste so different! They both sound good, but I just really like balsamic, so I choose to make this recipe with it. Maybe one day I’ll try the soy sauce.

This dish easily served two as a side dish. Make it alongside some grilled salmon or chicken for a great healthy meal. Mmmm, fresh bok choy is just so good!

Grilled Baby Bok Choy, adapted from here:

Ingredients:

• 3 heads baby bok choy (though you can easily use 4 or more)
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 2 cloves garlic, smashed
• 1 tablespoon chopped parsley
• Salt and Pepper
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
• A handful of chopped walnuts

Directions:

1. Preheat your grill pan over medium heat.

2. Soak the bok choy in cold water for ten minutes, making sure to get all the grit out. Rinse and spin dry (or pat dry with a towel).

3. While heads are soaking, heat oil over medium in a small frying pan and add the garlic, watching closely. Remove garlic when it begins to turn brown. Take pan off heat.

4. Cut off top leaves from the bok choy and set aside.

5. Cut the heads of the bok choy in half lengthwise.

6. Brush both sides of the bok choy with the garlic-infused olive oil. Sprinkle with lemon juice, salt, and pepper.

7. Raise the heat on the grill pan to high.

8. Place bok choy cut side down on the  grill and cook for 10 minutes, until golden brown.

9. Turn heads over and drizzle with balsamic vinegar. Cook for another 10 minutes.

10. Turn heads over one more time, cooking for another 5-10 minutes, until heads are fork tender.

11. Remember those tops of leaves you set aside? Chop them coarsely and add to the saute pan (with that oil – you won’t use all of it) and the walnuts. Cook for 2 minutes, until the leaves are wilted and the walnuts are toasted. Add the parsley.

12. Plate up the bok choy and sprinkle with the leaves/walnuts. Serve warm. Yum!

I love sandwiches! When Stephanie and I were put in charge of making lunch for our mom and her friends, we decided that these sandwiches were perfect with just a few side salads. And after Jeff won the Next Food Network Star, of course I had to follow his lead and make a sandwich into a meal, because why not? I bought some fancy bread at the supermarket and delicious fresh summer veggies, then added some creamy goat cheese – it truly was everything you need in a meal. This sandwich is a delicious way to entertain, but it also makes a good easy dinner. If you have a panini press, crisp up the bread and heat it through in there. That’s definitely a good addition! If you really like creamy goat cheese, add it to the top and the bottom. If you really like dressing, add some in a small bowl so your friends can dip their sandwiches. I always do that!

The great thing about this sandwich is that it’s not a lot of work and it’s the main dish for 6 people! Though each sandwich doesn’t look so giant, it’s packed full of flavors and veggies, so no one’s going to want more than one portion…well, not no one, but no one we served it to did. It’s also super easy to multiply the recipe, so you can make it for 6 people or 24 people. Just roast more veggies (the vinaigrette recipe is already too much for here, but it stays in the fridge and is great with salad).

Ingredients:

• 1 loaf ciabbata bread, cut in half
• 2 medium eggplant, cut into rounds
• 4 medium zucchini, cut in slices lengthwise
• 2 red peppers, roasted
• 4 ounces goat cheese
• 1/2 cup arugula
• Olive oil
• Kosher salt and black pepper
• Balsamic vinaigrette, recipe follows

Directions:

1. Place the eggplant slices in a colander and sprinkle with salt. Set aside for one hour.

2. Turn on the broiler (or the grill!)

3. Place the zucchini on a sheet pan and brush with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 5-7 minutes, then turn over and broil for another 5 minutes, until toasty and brown. Watch closely so they don’t burn! When cooled, add to large bowl.

4. If you roasted the peppers on your own, peel  off the charred skin. Cut into thin slices. Add to bowl.

5. Rinse the salt off the eggplant and pat dry. Place on baking sheet and brush with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Broil for 7-10 minutes, until brown. Turn over and broil for another 7 minutes. Add to bowl.

6. Slowly pour some vinaigrette over the veggies, making sure not to put too much. You just want to lightly coat the vegetables.

7. Spread the goat cheese over the bottom half of the ciabbata. Top with the eggplant. Top with zucchini. Top with peppers. Place arugula on top of that.

8. Brush the top half of the bread with vinaigrette, and close the sandwich.

9. Cut in half, then cut each half in thirds to serve.

Vinaigrette recipe:

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
• Kosher salt
• Pepper
• 1/2 cup olive oil

Directions:

1. Combine vinegar and mustard in bowl.

2. Slowly whisk in the olive oil.

3. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Now when we decided to make these roasted tomatoes, we preheated the oven and waited for it to get hot enough. We had planned an entire menu with short cooking times and a variety of dishes based on the fact that our oven would work. Little did we know that because of the extreme heat there would be a brown out! So tomatoes that should have taken about 15 minutes to soften and caramelize took over an hour. Oops. Hey, they still turned out delicious. And we tried them again in ovens that actually worked; they were still a hit!

Pesto Roasted Tomatoes, adapted from Ina Garten:

Ingredients:

• 2 – 2 1/2 pounds large red tomatoes (we used Jersey tomatoes!)
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 teaspoons dried oregano
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup pesto
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (omit if you’re making this with a pareve meal, like we did)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.

2. Core the tomatoes and slice them across/not through the stem into 1/2 inch thick slices.

3. Arrange slices on a baking sheet in a single layer.

4. Drizzle with olive oil.

5. Sprinkle the oregano, salt, and pepper.

6.Bake the tomatoes for 10 minutes.

7. Remove from oven and spread each slice with pesto. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese, if using.

8. Bake for another 7-10 minutes, until the tomatoes are soft (and if you put cheese, it is slightly browned).

9. Remove from oven and serve hot, warm, or at room temperature. Enjoy!