Vegetarian Indian Kofta

Beyond generally struggling to cook, one of the reasons I have relaxed on my blogging, or relaxed my expectations of myself with blogging, is because I have really wanted to revisit recipe books. For Christmas, my mother-in-law gave me a fantastic book for vegetarian or healthy living families, Feeding the Healthy Vegetarian Family. The author, Ken Haedrich is very laid back and has great suggestions for making meals for families backed with healthiness. Living in New Hampshire, Haedrich developed his vegetarian cooking when he cooked dinners in a group home for children. The home served vegetarian only food, and he quickly learned about how to turn children to love vegetables. After trying a few of his recipes, I can see why.

When I saw the Kofta recipe, I knew it had to be my first. Kofta is one of my favorite recipes to enjoy at Indian restaurants. Since Kofta can be very bad for you, I knew I would have to keep it healthy. We are still working on a healthier lifestyle, and it has really been tremendously beneficial. Keeping vegan at home, AAM and I have lost a combined weight of 20 pounds since Christmas. Now, we weren’t trying to lose weight, just trying to avoid foods that cause heart issues. Haedrich’s recipe was relatively healthy, but I made a few adjustments below. We baked ours instead of frying them. Then, we added a dollop of masala sauce on top, instead of cooking them in the sauce like in restaurants. Additionally, I simplified the spices by just using Penzey’s garam masala, which might not be traditional, but Serafina LOVED the flavor. We all loved this recipe, and it will sure to be an addition to the meals we serve guests.

Ingredients

• 5  medium potatoes, peeled and diced
• 2 tb olive oil divided
• 1 large onion, finely chopped
• 1/2 cup of finely chopped carrots
• 3 cups of spinach
• 2 tb garam masala
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/2 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs, plus more to roll balls in
• Cooked  brown rice
• Masala sauce (either jarred or make a vegan version with silken tofu)

Directions:

1.Preheat the oven to 400. Prep your vegetables, including steaming the spinach. Be sure you press/drain the liquid out of the spinach.

2. In a saucepan, boil the potatoes until tender, about 7 minutes.

3. In a saute pan, saute the onions, and carrots in olive oil. Add more oil if the veggies should need it. Once the onions are transclucent remove from heat.

4. In a bowl, mix together the potatoes, garam masala, carrots, onions, spinach, and bread crumbs. Let the mixture cool.

5. Once cool, take a regular spoon to help grab some potato dough. Sprinkle breadcrumbs on your work surface.  Then, slowly roll it into the breadcrumbs. Place on an aluminum tray covered with foil, then place in the fridge for at least an hour, at most 24 hours.

5. Once done, sprinkle olive oil on the kofta balls. Bake in the oven for 25 minutes. Once they turn golden, put them under the broiler for 1 minute. Serve over rice and dab a little masala sauce on top.

Images of Blog Vactionland…

We found a box, made some pasta, fixed a fire, and built a new home for a muchkin. We are thinking big over here.

 

But seriously, we just had the most relaxing weekend in a long time. Refreshed, I cooked some new meals, which will be posted soon. Things might be less frequent over the next few months, but I will be sure to post the good recipes!

At some point everyone takes a break, a vacation, a moment to pause.

Over the past seven years, I continually added to my life, without much subtracting. Teaching fulltime, working towards my PhD, a cooking blog, a daughter, joining the Board of Directors of her school, a promotion at work to a Dean, and now an extra course at work. An extra course does not sound like much, but it can be the straw that breaks the camels back. My teaching load will have four  different preps and the majority of my grading time at work gone. I am excited about the topic, Revolutions against Empire, but still anxious about what all of the work means. Already, it feels as if life is running forward without a pause in the present.

I am finding ways to lighten the load. I resigned from the Board. As much as I wanted to help, coming home late was not good for Serafina or myself. I then looked at other ways that I could help simplify life. I started to go to bed earlier, nine p.m has never been so wonderful. Finally, one of the ways to manage this stress is to lower my expectations of meal time. Not to revert to poor eating, but allowing myself to revisit four years of meals that I created for the blog. Taking the pressure off, from making two new meals and writing about them every week, will probably help me to get through the next three months. Of course, I don’t want to say good bye to blogging, as it has been a really wonderful way to preserve family stories and yummy meals, but I need a break. So, I am on vacation from the cooking and blogging, but I will be back when I am on vacation from the real world.

Vegetarian Restaurant Review: Busboys and Poets

Busboys and Poets

2021 14th St NW, Washington DC 20009  |  (202) 387-7638

1025 5th Street NW, Washington, DC 20001  |  (202) 789-BBAP (2227)

4251 South Campbell Ave, Arlington, VA 22206  | (703) 379-9757

5331 Baltimore Ave,  Hyattsville, MD 20781 | (301) 779-ARTS (2787)

• Veg Friendly: Excellent
• Menu: Endless options for vegetarians and vegans
• Cuisine: Bistro Lunch and Dinner options, with a Middle Eastern Flair
• Service: Family friendly

In some ways, posting a restaurant review for Busboys and Poets on a vegetarian blog is something for Captain Obvious. However, I know there are people who have yet to venture into the restaurant; they need to drop what they are doing and run over with their family and friends. Busboys is a community center. People meet to have coffee, brunch, listen to lectures, shop in the bookstore, grab a drink, eat dinner, hold a function, participate in discussions on social issues, etc. Busboys is the DC area activist hot-spot. I have to admit, I am a bit biased.  In the days before Serafina, I used to frequent the one on U Street after work. One of my PhD independent Study classes split between that location and Cakelove–since you need to enjoy salty and sweet in order to understand philosophy. I couldn’t leave my patronage to one location. Our old house was in walking distance of another location, and we went so frequently that the staff knew our names, lingered at my table while I studied to discuss my syllabus, celebrated our pregnancy more enthusiastically than ever expected, and played with Serafina when we brought her as a baby. After five years of living near Shirlington, Busboys became our Cheers.

As a vegetarian, I have enjoyed many dishes at Busboys. Last week after getting my haircut, I was in the neighborhood and I couldn’t resist. I ran in and ordered my all-time favorite: the Tempeh Sandwich. Served with vegan mayonnaise, arugula, roasted red peppers, sauteed onions on rosemary sun-dried tomato loaf, it is my favorite vegetarian sandwich served in a restaurant. We also enjoy the harira, brie panini, vegan nachos, hummus,  and the pan seared tofu. Brunch, where we spent long hours–so long the waitstaff could have killed us– and numerous trip creating baby name lists, we frequented the most. We both love the Oaxaca Omelet, which has black beans, pica de gallo onions, and avocado inside. Served with toast and hashbrowns, the omelet is enough to feed a small army. Busboys offers meals with and without vegetarian alternatives, for example for brunch you can bypass the fake meat or you can get vegan sausage. I love the options.  The food is fresh, and they try to buy local and organic when possible. Busboys proves that a restaurant can have a conscious, serve delicious food, and still be profitable, for that reason be sure to get there early because the line is usually out the door.

Quick and Healthy: Ravioletti and Spinach Zuppa

This meal is a result of wanting to eat ravioli but needing to make healthy portions. Whole Foods has a very nice ravioletti, as does the Italian Store. The pasta is smaller, which means less cheese. In fact, adding them into a soup with broth and veggies meant bringing down the overall saturated fat potential of individual servings. I can’t even share what I used to cook ravioli in, but my only hint was that it involved lots of cream.

We enjoyed the soup for a family Sunday dinner. We taught Serafina about eating zuppa (soup in Italian), and she enjoyed slurping the broth from the bowl, while randomly yelling “ZUPPA!” Although she had spinach in her burrito for lunch, she was not sure about the green stuff floating in the soup. We had her place the spinach on the cracker, and she enjoyed it with less suspicion. I love her new level of inquisitive problem solving. She understands so much, and watches us with tons of questions. Seeing her grow into a curious little person, with a fantastic sense of humor, has been pretty neat. That night,  I marveled at Serafina’s ability to play independently and be happily entertained on her own, while AAM and I cleaned up. It was so nice that we didn’t need to be occupy her, so clean up could happen twice as fast. However, the precise moment I thought this, she pulled the rest of his glass of wine off the table. Wow, if I had a picture of that. Let’s just say she was quickly swept to the bathtub. Taught me a lesson…

Before the crime scene....

Ravioletti and Spinach Zuppa

• 4 cups of low-sodium veggie broth, and water just in case
• 3 cups of spinach, loosely chopped
• 1 15 oz can of stewed tomatoes
• 1 cup of fresh tomatoes, chopped
• 2 Portabello mushroom tops, chopped
• 1 can of cannellini beans (Progresso)
• 1 tb dried basil
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tb freshly ground pepper
• 1 package of cheese ravioletti (Whole Foods)

1. Fill a stockpot with veggie broth, and add the spinach. Let cook for 5-8 minutes.

2. Add stewed tomatoes, mushrooms, beans, basil, bay leaf, salt, pepper. Let simmer for 8 minutes

3. Add the ravioletti, and water if the spot needs it. Let simmer for an additional ten minutes. Serve hot.

 

Swiss Chard Casserole

We finally enjoyed our first slow weekend in a bit of time, and wow was it amazing.  I tend to wildly oscillate between social butterfly and homebody, and this weekend I stood strongly in the homebody category. Homebody does not mean lazy though, I worked on PhD research, cooked something new, went for walks, cleaned, and generally caught up with things I needed to get done. Checking a few TO DOs off our list, we were able to enjoy some quiet time with Serafina. We have been working on organizing her play space, and keeping mind creativity. She is starting to draw/paint/ color with purpose, so we are adjusting the space for her. Using the principles of the Waldorf School and Playful Learning, we set up an artistic space and organized an art/game closet for Serafina. We moved to our neighborhood so Serafina could enjoy a diverse and decent public school, but I plan to use some of my educator knowledge to help her free time be filled with creative play and art. One of the biggest challenges for contemporary children is the lack of free and creative play, which stunts growth and hurts problem solving. This little twine line is our first step. Clothes-pinned with pictures, drawings, and objects from nature, the twine line allows kids to change their art inspiration on a whim.

A New York Times recipe inspired this dish, but with many modifications and substitutions, the final dish looks so different, I changed it from a gratin to a casserole. I did not have high expectations of the dish, because really I was just trying to get rid of Swiss Chard before it turned. However, we were pleasantly surprised with an amazing dish. AAM requested that I not forget this one, and tag it for future…”Can you cook this more? I mean, like all the time? It is awesome!” So there you go, a great dish, and even better for guests.

• olive oil
• 1 red onion, chopped
• 3 cups of Swiss chard, chopped
• 3 cups of spinach, chopped
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• splash of water
• 1/2 cup of sliced almonds
• 1/3 cup of Pecorino Romano cheese
• 1 cup of cooked brown rice

1. Pre-heat the oven to 375.

2. In a saute pan, saute the red onions until translucent. Add the chard, spinach, salt, and pepper, then splash water on top. Cover the saute pan and let the chard and spinach cook down.

3. When the greens are cooked, stir them into a bowl with the Pecorino and sliced almonds. Mix thoroughly.

4. In a greased baking dish, add the mixture. Bake in the oven for about 30 minutes (but check at 20 minutes). Serve hot or room temp.

Vegetarian Restaurant Review: Mad Fox Brewery

Mad Fox Brewery

444 West Broad Street, Falls Church, VA  |  703.942.6840

• Veg Friendly: Good
• Menu: At least one or two strong choices in each category
• Cuisine: Micro-brewhouse food, with a bit of sophistication
• Service: Family friendly

Micro-brewery’s have been all the rage the past two decades, but the mark of a successful brewery is one that is able to attract patrons by matching the quality of beer with the quality of food, and Mad Fox Brewery does just that. Growing up in Alexandria, Capitol City Brewing company was a landmark. Everyone knew a person who worked there at some point, and the ease of outdoor seating and yummy pretzels made it a popular spot during the college and post-college years. Once we moved within walking distance, we continued to visit, but we became unsatisfied with the changing menu items. They were limited, lower quality, and rid of the solid vegetarian options. Moving to Falls Church has opened up so many more vegetarian restaurant options for us, such as Sunflower, Loving Hut, and the myriad of Asian restaurants which provide numerous vegetarian options. It is possible that these restaurants help facilitate a trend in the amount of vegetarian options on the menu in Falls Church restaurants, but I am not sure. Whatever the reason, Mad Fox Brewery is a perfect example of a restaurant providing meal options for many different types of eaters. In fact, their website advertises themselves as veg friendly “Mad Fox features a chef-driven, seasonal menu and frequent specials including pizza, panini, salads and vegetarian friendly foods; fresh, locally grown seasonal produce, cheeses and other ingredients” Imagine that, a non-vegetarian restaurant advertising themselves as veg!  Run by a brewer formally associated with Capital City Brewing Company, Bill Madden,  Mad Fox borrows some of the ideas that work in Cap City, but improves upon the cuisine and atmosphere. While the new menu at Cap City is schizophrenic and no longer veg friendly, Mad Fox has many tasty options.

Mad Fox is nice enough for a date, but also casual enough that families can feel comfortable. The hostess usually does a good job of seating the families on one side of the restaurants and adults in the bar section, so if your toddler decides to throw food onto the concrete floor, your neighbor gives you a sympathetic smile, instead of the look of horror that parents fear. We have had the pleasure of sitting both with our daughter and alone on dates, and have found it to be a wonderful place. On the menu, I have enjoyed the Vegetable Wellington, the Veg Sandwich, the Grilled Cheese Panini, the Black Bean Burger, the hummus, etc. These dishes are not afterthoughts, but really delicious. Each of these meals are filling and tasty, and go perfectly with their craft brews. This really is a wonderful place to meet friends or enjoy a delicious quick meal when you just can’t get your act together to make dinner. Additionally, their brunch items are creative and very veg friendly. Better yet, it is a restaurant that buys local, thinks responsibly, and creates community events. Mad Fox is precisely the restaurant/brewery people crave to have in their community, and lucky us, it is within walking distance.

Quick and Healthy: Spicy Broccoli and Purple Cabbage Stirfry

We are slowly trying to introduce spiciness to Serafina, and this dish can be modified to suit your own spiciness. In our house, we usually add the hot sauce at serving time, so the adults can get their heat, and the little one can get a small taste. However, there are some accidents. Last night, we threw together easy pasta and jarred sauce, it was one of those toddler moments where she was near meltdown and food needed to be served pronto.  Serafina dug into the pasta, but she kept pausing and saying: “Hot, Mama! Hot!” So I leaned close to help her blow on the pasta, and I smelled something funny—Salsa!! Because the generic Whole Foods medium salsa and tomato sauced come in the same size  jar, AAM swapped them by accident. Clearly a trademark of tired parents. Serafina made it through most of the pasta before she asked for something else, so I am thinking our spicy training is working.

This meal is much better than pasta and salsa, but just as easy to prep. There are a million and one combinations for stir fry, but I find when making it at home it is best to keep the sauce light and undercook the veggies. Not only is it healthier to cook this way, but it tastes better, plus you want a bit of a crunch. Like most of these quick and healthy meals, it is pretty easy to make this meal vegan. In fact, we were going to top it with sliced almonds until I realized we were out of them. So, in order to add some protein, I quickly fried some egg whites. Over the past three weeks, we have reduced dairy pretty significantly, but haven’t found it to be a problem with the quality of food we are eating. Additionally, we are eating out less, which helps us adhere to a pretty healthy diet. If we do eat out, we check menus beforehand to ensure that there are light options on the menu. So far, so good!

Spicy Broccoli and Purple Cabbage Stirfry

• 2 cups of brown rice
• 5 cups of water
• 2 tb olive oil, divided
• 3 eggwhites
• 2 cups broccoli, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 2 cups of frozen peas
• 2 tb soy sauce
• 1 tb Srircha Sauce (to be added in the dish, or after)
• 1 tsp sesame oil
• 1/2 cup of water chesnuts (canned)
• 1 cup of scallions, chopped
• 1 cup of purple cabbage, loosely chopped
• 1 tb sesame seeds

1. Combine the water and rice, simmer over medium low heat for 30 minutes.

2. In a hot saute pan or wok, heat the 1 tb olive oil and fry the eggwhites. Once cooked, remove and set aside.

3. Add more olive oil, with frozen peas, red pepper, and broccoli. Let simmer for 1 minute over medium heat, then add the soy sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, and Sriracha sauce (or hold the sauce until after it is made).

4. Once the broccoli is bright green (about three minutes), add the scallions, water chesnuts, and cabbage. Turn off the heat and toss the veggies together.

5. Plate the rice, with the veggies, and egg on top. Watch your portions, as there should be more veggies than rice in this meal. Serve with chopsticks, which help you eat slower and savor the veggies.

Celebrate Chinese New Year!

In honor of my family members who live abroad, I wanted to post some past meals that might be fun for Chinese New Year.

Sesame Green Beans and Mung Bean Noodles

Veggie Fried Rice

No picture for now, but it is fantastic, so try it!

Pineapple Fried Rice

Veggie Whole Wheat Pizza

As I have posted in the past, we often make our own pizza dough, which can be delicious and rewarding. However, you need to have some planning to make pizza dough, and that is not always a reality. Since we are trying to eat healthier, we are no longer ordering pizza. This does not mean one needs to rid pizza from their diet, but make our own with the ability to control the amount of cheese. When we tried the vast variety of frozen pizzas, and healthy ones, they just didn’t match real pizza. So, the discovery of Whole Foods pizza dough was a miracle. They offer the dough in white or whole wheat, and it sits in the deli/premade meal section of the store.

This pizza was incredibly easy to make, and wonderfully delicious. Although it is really basic, so for some it is an obvious recipe, I think its important to emphasize to everyone that making your own pizza is a possibility for everyone.

• Whole Wheat Pizza dough, try Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s pre-mixed dough
• Dusting of All Purpose flour
• Dusting of cornmeal
• 2 red peppers, sliced lengthwise, but thinly
• 1 yellow onion, sliced
• Olive oil
• 2 cups of pizza sauce: (2 cloves of garlic, 1 can chopped tomatoes and 1 can of tomato paste)
• 2 cups of broccoli
• 2 tb red pepper flakes
• 1 cup of buffalo mozzarella, sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 375, with the pizza stone in the oven. Rollout the pizza dough, slowly dusting in flour if it is sticky.

2. In a saute pan, saute the red peppers and onion in olive oil, until the onion is translucent.

3. Spread the sauce over the dough, trying to keep it even. Top with peppers, onions, broccoli, and red pepper flakes. Slowly lay the mozzarella over the veggies, include as much or as little as you need.

4. Dust the pizza baking stone with cornflour, then place the pizza on a baking stone, and bake in the oven for about 30 minutes. The pizza should be ready when the cheese is browned and the dough crispy.

Crispy Lemon Broccolini

I noticed a trend in restaurants to serve charred or crispy broccoli and cauliflower. I tend to like my food crunchy, so not surprisingly, I am a fan of this trend. Broccolini is the perfect vegetable for this because the stalk tends to be tougher than regular broccoli, so it can stand up to the high heat. This is an easy side to serve along a main course, or on the side with rice. Last week, friends invited us over for dinner. Since I do not want to be a pain to my hosts, I always try to bring a vegetarian side to help the cook. This side dish was perfect with the lasagna, salad and bread which filled the table– not to mention very easy to make. After being nervous about attending a dinner party where I didn’t want to offend the host with our vegetarian diet, I was relieved to enjoy a scrumptious meal with friends.

I appreciate people making an effort to accommodate our life choice, but I don’t expect them to alter their world for us. For example, to celebrate birthdays at Serafina’s school, the parents buy a pizza for the class. I sent an email to the parents asking for a head’s up, so that if the family bought pizza with meat, I could just provide a veggie slice for Serafina. I was very careful the email didn’t sound annoying, but just to let parents know that we would like to help her join in on the class fun. I have no expectations that someone else will provide for her. Being vegetarian is our choice, and I can’t require others to change, but it does require me to develop the confidence to communicate my lifestyle. As a teacher, I know I can’t force someone to change, I lead change through being an example, while also reducing potential conflict. Although some vegetarians tend to preach, I try to be hyper aware of avoiding this when it comes to friends or acquaintances. The funny thing is any conflict that usually happens in conversation is when another person asks me why I am a vegetarian, and I usually respond “Are you sure you want me to answer this?” I find, and AAM has noticed this, that once I explain, despite my warning, people get very defensive and argumentative. I really hate when conversations about my personal life choice devolve into a debatable free for all, and usually in the end people accuse me of pushing my ideas on them. So, you can understand my general wariness of having to call hosts or other parents about being vegetarian, sometimes our personal choice appears to be an assault on the choices others make.

I am always nervous about the balance between being a proactive advocate for our family and being seen as an annoying preachy person. However, with that expectation, I find so many thoughtful people really making sweet gestures. At a recent birthday party, where a very close friend bought a gigantic six-foot sub for the toddlers and adults (which I am still trying to figure out how they transported it to the party venue), she also provided a vegetarian sub and peanut butter and jelly for Serafina and other non-meat eaters. Small acts like that really make me appreciate the people who fill our lives. When I struggle over if I should call the host to let them know about our diet, I remind myself that when I have people over, I want to share a meal they can eat. I avoid serving beans for one friend or nuts to another. These days we all have interesting diets, so trying to meet in the center with common food is a way you can forge relationships.

• 2 bunches of broccolini
• 1 large lemon
• 3 tb olive oil
• 1 tsp ground pepper
• 1/2 tsp sea salt

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Chop the ends off of the broccolini.

3.  Toss the broccolini in the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place in a roasting pan; make sure they are spaced evenly. Squeeze lemon juice on top.

4. Roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, and check on them. If you have a gas stove, they should be charred, if not you might need to put them in a little longer. The tips of the trees should be a little browned, and the stalk bright green.

Vegetarian Restaurant Review: Zaytinya

Zaytinya

701 9th Street NW, Washington DC 20001  |  202.638.0800

• Veg Friendly: Excellent
• Menu: Endless combinations, with 22 vegetarian mezze options, not including the appetizers.
• Originality: Creative Middle Eastern Tapas, with a Greek focus
• Service: Good and swift.

We have been going to Zaytinya since it opened in 2003. A Jose Andreas restaurant, I really think it supersedes his other ventures. My first experience with Zaytinya was when I left my first job, working at the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History, my boss took our small department for lunch to celebrate. I remember that as my first meal where I really savored food. I still remember the table, the dishes, and the conversation. Since then, AAM and I have celebrated many life turns and moments at Zatinya. From my bridesmaid luncheon to double dates with friends, we have enjoyed every meal. Sleek, but still warm, the restaurant is modern enough to make it a nice meal out, but casual enough that you could visit for any occasion. Recently, we went for lunch after a Georgetown game, and the scrumptious tastes and smells delighted us.

For those who haven’t ventured to Zaytinya yet, it is a place where vegetarians and meat eaters can both walk away very satisfied. Vegetarians should definitely try the zucchini fritters, called Kolokithokeftedes. The roasted cauliflower is divine, and something I look forward to imitating at home. The menu can be seasonal and the combinations endless, so this is a restaurant worth many trips. With its location near Chinatown, it is a perfect restaurant to take out of town guests or a nice date. I highly recommend taking your favorite vegetarian to Zaytinya for a wonderful meal.

Quick and Healthy: Individual Brussels Sprouts Frittata

Quick and Healthy:

A weekly meal for busy people, a reminder that healthy is easy, and the perfect alternative to take out.

In the spirit of our New Year’s Resolution to eat a healthier vegetarian diet, we picked up a copy of Eating Well magazine. After looking at this recipe, and making a few modifications, we declared it a yummy weeknight success. And yes, it is another Brussels Sprouts recipe. I still regret the first thirty years of my life where I refused to eat them and taunted Fee about her love of them.

The meal is meant to be portioned off into smaller ramekins, we didn’t have the 10 ounce size they recommended, so we put it in three of our personal-sized gratin dishes. We also made it even lighter through using some skim milk and trimming down the cheese.

Individual Brussels Sprouts Frittata

• 1 bag of Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved (2 cups)
• 1 cup of Fingerling Potatoes, sliced
• 1/2 cup of chopped onion
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 5 eggwhites
• 1/2 teaspoon  freshly ground pepper
• 1/2 cup of whole milk
• 1/2 cup of skim milk
• Sprinkling of Pecorino Romano cheese

1. Preheat the oven to 40o and spray the gratin dishes with canola oil.

2. In a saute pan, throw in the Brussels sprouts, onions, and olive oil. Saute until the Brussels Sprouts brown a tad on the edges. Then, divide the veggies into equal parts on each gratin dish.

3. Whisk together the egg, milk, and pepper, then pour over the veggies. Top with a sprinkling of Pecorino. Bake in the oven until the frittata is cooked through, about 10-12 minutes.

Roasted Curried Parsnips with Barley

This recipe originated from my intention to make soup, but with last minute input from AAM, who was really hungry, I made some serious changes to the recipe.  I altered a really good soup recipe from The Greens Cookbook (I highly recommend, by the way), to a healthy and tasty barley bowl.

• 2 cups of parsnips, peeled and chopped
• 1 cup of carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 leek, soaked and chopped
• 1 yellow onion, chopped
• 1/3 cup of olive oil
• 2 tb curry powder
• 1 tsp ginger
• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper
• 1/4 tsp sea salt
• 3 cups of veggie broth
• 1 cup of barley

1. Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees.

2. Meanwhile, cook the barley in the veggie broth.

3. Toss the veggies in a roasting pan. In a bowl, stir together the olive oil, curry, ginger, salt and pepper. Drip over the veggies evenly, then stir together well.

4. Roast the veggies in the oven for 30 minutes, and be sure to occasionally stir together. When cooked through, serve over the barley.

Vegetarian Restaurant Review: Ris

Ris

• Veg Friendly: Not at all
• Menu: 1 vegetarian appetizer, 2 side salads, no main
• Originality: Nice, but not unique
• Service: Not accurate when we called ahead, but in house service was fine.

In celebrating our 10 year anniversary, AAM really wanted to treat us to a nice meal. He did his research, calling each restaurant to see if they had several vegetarian options. We decided on Ris because the chef, Ris Lacoste, was the chef at 1789 when we had our rehearsal dinner there. Restaurant Ris assured AAM that there would be plenty of vegetarian options and that the restaurant was vegetarian friendly.  I really wanted to like the restaurant, and I almost resisted writing this review, because I still had a wonderful 10 year anniversary dinner, and I wouldn’t want AAM to feel guilty. However, it is precisely because we were reassured there were lots of options and gave a heads up in our reservation, that I feel I need to post the review.

We entered the restaurant and had a nice glass of wine, and then we were seated. After looking at the menu, it appeared to be very difficult to find something I could construct a meal out of. Other than two basic appetizer salads, almost every item had meat in it, and incorporated in such a way it was impossible to separate from the dish. I asked the waitress about an off menu vegetarian option, and she offered to put together the side vegetables (spinach, cabbage, and lentils). Knowing that the sides were not why I went to a nice restaurant for dinner, I was not opting for them. Asking the waitress if their famous gnudi, which are very similar to gnocchi, could be made into a vegetarian main dish, she enthusiastically said “No Problem.” However, when we got the meal, it was clear there was a problem. She gave me an appetizer size, five small Gnudi, on a main course size plate. They were good, but not worth the trip.  To say the least, I left the restaurant extremely hungry and we went to Flippin Pizza for a jumbo slice. I would not recommend taking vegetarians to Ris, even more so if they are vegan.

 

 

Quick and Healthy: Butternut Squash and Almond Rice Pilaf

Quick and Healthy:

A weekly meal for busy people, a reminder that healthy is easy, and the perfect alternative to take out.

Preheat your oven to 375, Cut the butternut squash in half/remove seeds, sprinkle olive oil on top, add salt/pepper, and put in a baking dish in the oven. Cook for 30 minutes. Meanwhile, cook rice pilaf, mix in sliced almonds. When finished, add the rice to each squash cavity. Top with ground pepper and parsley.

We simultaneously roasted ours with Brussels spouts and red potatoes, and we had a fantastic Christmas Eve dinner.

Scrumptious Easy Vegetable Fajitas

This recipe is a favorite of ours, and modified from an old chicken fajita recipe. Don’t abandon your classic meals, just try to find a way to renew them. For the vegetarian version, we took the marinade and cooked the veggies in it, while also sauteing tofu crumbles in veggie broth and Penzey’s Taco Seasoning. We have tried a few tofu crumbles, and right now I think we are a fan of Yves, which doesn’t use GMO soy. We cooked it separately so that the soy crumbles could be flavored with spices and the veggies could be a uniquely different flavor, which is also why we added steam broccoli on top. Of course, one could throw in a tons of other veggies in with the marinade, but the base sauce is the key to this recipe. This is a perfect meal for older children to create their own fajitas or for having a large group over. Set out little bowls with lots of different fixings, and people can dress up their fajitas.

A Note About the Recipe: the recipe is done in equal parts, so it is easy to multiply or divide for guests. The recipe is vegan as well.

Easy Vegetable Fajitas

• 2 cups of Yves tofu crumbles
• 2-3 tb of Penzey’s Taco Seasoning
• 1/2 cup of veggie broth, or more
• 1/2 cup of olive oil
• 1/2 cup of brown sugar
• 1 lemon, juice squeezed out
• 1/2 cup of soy sauce
• 2 red peppers, loosely chopped
• 1 yellow pepper, loosely chopped
• 1 green pepper, loosely chopped
• 1 cup of onion, loosely chopped
• 1 cup of steamed broccoli
• tortillas

1. In a saute pan, heat up the tofu crumbles in veggie broth and stir in the taco seasoning. Cook over medium for 2-4 minutes. If it sticks too much, add a little more broth. Once the broth is stirred in and the crumbles seem to be heated up, set aside the crumbles in a bowl.

2. In a new bowl, stir together the olive oil, lemon juice, soy sauce, and brown sugar. Place the chopped veggies in the saute pan and add the marinade. Saute the peppers and onions over medium heat for 8-10 minutes. Until the veggies are cooked, but the peppers should not be soggy.

3. Serve on a tortilla, with any topping you love, such as salsa or even broccoli.

Learning Through Failure and Disaster Meals…

I truly believe in failure; through failure we discover opportunities for success. I have failed in many things, and each of those moments have taught me how to improve and change.Often, you aren’t sure what the next wonderful thing around the corner is going to be, but at least the failure taught you a little bit about yourself.
In fact, the most recent trend in child development is to analyze how success or failure helps a person become more secure, productive, and happy in their lives. From the data, its seems that it is very important for people to fail and learn how to pick themselves up again. The problem with modern helicopter parenting is not that it annoys the teachers, which luckily I see very little of at my school, the problem is that helicopter parenting does not allow children to fail. It is only through their mistakes that they learn lessons of how to problem solve and learn how sweet success can taste. Ask any of my AP US students, the first test, a challenge, really stings these smart high-achieving students. Although my students enter the course with B+ or A averages, they usually earn a D on the first test. Before they freak out, I tell them to hold on, meet with me. We look at their approach, we talk about how to improve, organize, and study earlier. Often, they realize that their old methods of preparation just don’t cut it; they need to re-evaluate what it means to sculpt historical fact into analysis. I love watching the students improve, strategize new methods, enthusiastically study together, and finally get those well deserved A’s and B’s. They dance in the hallways, scream, and hug their friends. Not just because they earned an A, but because the hard work they put in, the new way of thinking and looking at history paid off. The challenge helped them grow as thinkers. Their new A is such a better A.

So, I had my own learning moment on Monday when we slap-dashed a new meal together for the blog. I was too goal orientated, and did not do my background work to put together something good. I looked in the pantry and assembled together a pizza, especially trying to use a jar of Stonewall Kitchen Onion jam that I had no clue what to do with.

Whole Wheat dough, a savory onion jam, feta, spinach and tomatoes. Brilliant, right? Easy for the blog, right?

Until it leaked, and leaked, all over the stove. So I threw in some parchment paper to soak it. Yep, that will fix my poorly planned and executed meal! Like cramming for a test, I was just praying it would work out.

Nope. It was awful. The jam was too tangy, the tomatoes too out of season, the dough not crispy enough, and the feta didn’t even make an attempt to melt. We choked down a really gross pizza, and now we have to clean that jam off the bottom of the oven.

No problem, it was a refreshing lesson in needing to do research.

Vegetarian Restaurant Review: Proof

Part of my New Year’s resolution this year is to be more consistent and organized in my writing pursuits, which involves a more consistent approach to the blog. On Fridays, I plan to post quick reviews of restaurants we have recently ventured. These reviews can be useful to my non-vegetarian readers as well, since a chef who considers a vegetarian dish a valuable enterprise will treat all plates with care. Not only will the reviews discuss the quality of a meal and eating experience, but they can help you take your significant other, family member, random out of town guest, who happens to be a vegetarian, to a fantastic meal.

From five star restaurants to neighborhood diner, I find that it is helpful to know whether restaurants offer healthy and tasty vegetarian food. Unlike Anthony Bourdain’s famous breakdown of vegetarian restaurant fair in his book Kitchen Confidential, where he explains that vegetarians shouldn’t exist, I believe that a restaurants approach to vegetarian fare can reveal a chefs true talents. Creating interesting and tasty vegetarian meals means the chef must consider the ingredients, and give care. It is simple to make a meat and then sauce it, however, it is a bigger challenge to take vegetables and create an original meal. Additionally, a chef who considers the vegetarian is wise to a simple fact: the vegetarian eater is the game changer, not just a seat at the table. As Jonathan Safran Foer, who wrote Eating Animals, reports, marketing research shows that vegetarians are the determinate vote for eating out. If a vegetarian can’t eat at a restaurant, the group will move on to find a place they can eat, a vegan more so. If my best friend from college, who is vegan, can’t eat at a restaurant, our entire group finds a place she can enjoy a good meal. A small choice to eat more humanely can move a dozen people away from a restaurant, or towards another. The trick is, through making fantastic vegetarian food, the restauranteur can have the group return and loyalty spikes. Vegetarians are incredibly loyal to businesses who support their cause. For this reason, a great website, VegDC tracks vegetarian friendly restaurants in DC, and their favorites place stickers in the door. Voted THE most veg-friendly city in the country by PETA, DC abounds with wonderful opportunities for the vegetarian to cast their own eating vote.

In the last ten years, restaurants in DC have also dramatically changed. Formerly, a place of steakhouses and a favorite place for the New York Times to slam (don’t get me started on a more recent review where the writer clearly only tried a few greasy lunch places next to the capitol, didn’t even try food in the real city, and claimed that it was representative), DC is now booming with diverse and delicious eats. Additionally, because the international population, as well as a large Vietnamese/Korean/Ethiopian/Middle Eastern immigrant base, influences the city, the city abounds with unique restaurants. For many reasons, the city is a dramatically different place from when my mother moved here from New York, when my grandparents thought it was a sleepy backward town, full of blue laws and segregation. Now, it is diverse, young, and flooding with people who see the city as a destination in itself, not a mode to politics. For this reason, along with a stable job and housing markets, wonderful restaurants pop up every week.

AAM and I really enjoy a good meal at a nice restaurant, and we loyally support our city’s new efforts in cuisine. Generally starting with the rule “If Maureen can make it, we don’t eat there”, we built our own relationship trying wonderful restaurants in the city, and food is a big focus in our travels. However, it is hard to know what restaurants serve vegetarians well. On a recent trip, one local restaurant, to be reviewed later, claimed to make wonderful vegetarian food, and served me 4 gnochi as a meal- the only item on the menu. We starting using Yelp to help us decide, but I find it extraordinarily difficult to understand which restaurants are truly vegetarian friendly, and which offer one pasta dish. I find that even places supported by VEG DC offer lackluster vegetarian options. If we are going to pay a babysitter, make the effort to put on something better than yoga pants, drive into the city, find parking, and pay good money for a dish, I would like it to be better than something I could make. Just a small request, since soggy pasta is not worth getting out of yoga pants. For this reason, my quest is to find places that are not just vegetarian friendly, but treat the vegetarian dish as equal to meat dishes.

PROOF

• Veg Friendly: Very Veg
• Menu: Seasonal, 7 appetizers, 1 main
• Originality: Strong
• Service: Fantastic

We went to Proof after a Georgetown basketball game, and not quite dressed to eat at such a nice place. However, the staff remained gracious and quickly seated us. Looking at the menu, the seven appetizers were all fantastic choices, and could easily serve as main courses. I ordered the vegetarian main- Napoleon of Tofu, Wild Mushrooms, and Autumn Vegetables. One of the most beautiful plates I have ever been served, the meal was as delicious as it looked. Tofu is a real test of a chef. It can be served soggy and over marinated, an after thought. However, at Proof the tofu was the star. A sweet chili-garlic sauce added tremendous flavor to the perfectly cooked tofu, which pan fried had delicious texture. I am not confident that I could ever repeat such a fantastic balance in my own cooking. This should not be a surprise to me, as the executive chef, Haidar Karoum, worked at the famed Restaurant Nora, which was a leader in the organic movement. Karoum takes care with his ingredients, and each vegetable tasted fresh and scrumptious. The meal remained one of the most delicious meals I have enjoyed in a long time. With an endless wine list, including multiple $10,000 bottles–which we kept joking with the waiter about buying, the meal was a perfect special occasion.

The camera phone does not do the meal justice….

Quick and Healthy: Roasted Veggies

Quick and Healthy:

A weekly meal for busy people, a reminder that healthy is easy, and the perfect alternative to take out.

This is a no brainer meal, but man is it yummy. The basil infused olive oil adds lots of flavor, and is a great off season alternative to the fast wilting basil in stores. The key with having this taste so wonderful is high heat and well seasoned veggies. On the weekend or with guests, we also eat this as a side instead of salad.

Roasted Veggies

Chop red peppers, yellow peppers, asparagus, and red onion into chunky bites. Generously grind fresh ground pepper, sprinkle some sea salt, dribble basil infused olive oil. Roast for 30 minutes at 400, and enjoy over rice/quinoa/barley.