ADVENTURES AT THE GROCERY STORE...CONTINUED

so the other day we were at the grocery store and we saw this weird looking thing in the produce section....anyone want to take a guess at what it is? no one who worked at the store knew what it was either...so they rang it up as a kiwi!



ok...since inquiring minds want to know...as it turns out...it's a lychee fruit!




I love these things but I didn't realize that their outer shell looked like that! I've never seen them with those little prickly things on the outside!

ROASTED CURRIED CAULIFLOWER

let me start by saying that i'm not the biggest cauliflower fan in the world....it's not so much that i dislike it as i just don't think it tastes like anything. i still don't really love them raw but roasted they are really good!

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tsp. curry powder
1/4 tsp. chili powder and red pepper flakes
pinch of salt and pepper
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets

preheat the oven to 350.

in a large bowl, mix all the ingredients together. toss until well coated.

pour into a 13x9" baking dish and bake until tender, 25-30 minutes.

MACARONI AND CHEESE WITH TOMATOES

now....i was supposed to let this sit in the oven until the tomatoes were a little charred which i'm sure would have tasted better...but i was impatient last night...so imagine this picture with charred tomatoes ;p

1 3/4 c. milk (i used plain soymilk)
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
salt and pepper, to taste
3 tbsp. butter
2 tbsp. all-purpose flour
1 c. sharp cheddar, grated
1 1/2 c. macaroni
4 roma tomatoes, thinly sliced

to make the cheese sauce, heat the milk with the bay, nutmeg, and a pinch of salt. simmer for a few minutes, take off the heat, cover, and allow flavors to mingle for 10 minutes.

preheat oven to 350.

in another pan, melt the butter and stir in the flour. cook gently for 1-2 minutes to make a roux.
don't allow the mixture to brown. remove the bay leaf from the milk mixture and pour into the roux, mixing together with a whisk, until smooth.

set sauce to cook on lowest possible heat, stirring occasionally, for 10-15 minutes. Add the cheese, salt, and pepper to taste. cook for another 3-4 minutes. switch off the heat and cover tightly with lid.

cook macaroni in salted water until it is just under al dente. drain and pour your cheese mixture on top. mix together well and then pour into a lightly buttered baking dish.

cover macaroni with the sliced tomatoes and bake for 30-40 minutes until the tomatoes are slightly blistered and the edges are bubbling up nicely from underneath.

TOMATO-BASIL ORZO WITH A TWIST

This is one of my new favorite pasta sauces to make! It would taste good with any kind of pasta but I had orzo...

1 lb. orzo
2 pints cherry tomatoes
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 c. - 1 c. packed basil leaves
2 tbsp. apple cider vinegar
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp. agave nectar or honey
1 tbsp. italian seasoning
salt and pepper, to taste

place tomatoes and garlic in a large skillet over medium high heat with a little oil. cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until tomatoes are tender and skin begins to char in spots, about 15 minutes. set aside to cool.

meanwhile, cook pasta until tender but still firm to the bite. Drain and place back in pot.

for the pasta sauce: place tomatoes, basil, cider vinegar, olive oil, honey, italian seasoning, salt and pepper in a food processor and blend until smooth.

pour tomato mixture over the pasta and mix well.

SWEET POTATO AND LENTIL STEW

this is the same meal...served in two ways :) I personally like it as just a soup but you can also serve it over rice which is the way trey preferred it. Use a big pot for this recipe because it makes a lot!

1/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 roma tomatoes, chopped
1 tsp. minced fresh ginger
1 1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 tsp. cumin and ground coriander
1/2 tsp. cayenne and ground cinnamon
2 medium sweet potatoes, cut into 3/4" cubes
7 c. vegetable broth
1 c. brown lentils, rinsed and picked through
salt and pepper, to taste

Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot. Add onion and garlic and cook for 2 minutes, stirring frequently, until onions start to soften. stir in the tomatoes and ginger and cook for 3 minutes. stir in the turmeric, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne, salt, and pepper. cook and stir for 2 minutes.

add potatoes, broth and lentils. stir well and bring to a boil over high heat. once it comes to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and simmer for about 40 minutes or until lentils are cooked through and potatoes are soft.

serve with crusty bread or over rice or couscous.

POMEGRANATE GLAZED AND ROASTED VEGETABLES

so this recipe i made more so for my husband than anything else...he loves sweet potatoes and i'm a little iffy on them. If you like sweet dishes this one is for you...this recipe serves about 4.

2 large sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
10 medium carrots, sliced into thick rounds
2 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
6 tbsp. 100% pomegranate juice
salt and pepper, to taste

preheat the oven to 400.

coat a baking sheet with olive oil cooking spray. Place diced vegetables in baking sheet.

In a medium bowl whisk together the oil, juice, salt and pepper. pour this mixture over the vegetables and mix together well. It will seem like there is a lot of liquid in your baking dish but the vegetables soak most of it up while they are roasting.

Roast for about 40 minutes, stirring once or twice, until vegetables are softened.

serve warm.

ADAS POLO

so this is an iranian dish that my mom makes way better than i do. It translates to 'lentil rice'. I added a few extra ingredients to make it different than my mom's. As you can see...in my family....we always topped this dish with a sunny side up egg...the runnier the better. you can omit that if you want, the rice is just fine without it. it's really good with some lemon juice squeezed on top and with some plain yogurt. that's the way we always ate it in my family.

4 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
4 c. rice (I use long-grain basmati rice), washed until water runs clear
2 c. lentils, rinsed and picked through
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. ground allspice
salt and pepper, to taste
lemons, eggs, and plain yogurt (optional)

Ok....you will need a few different pots for this recipe...so lets start with the first one..

In a skillet, brown the onions, garlic, allspice, salt, and pepper with 2 tbsp. of the olive oil over medium heat for 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Meanwhile, cook your rice.

In a large pot, add your rice, 2 tbsp. of the olive oil, some salt, and enough water until the water reaches the second indentation of your pointer finger (I know...not the most technical, lol, but it's how my mom taught me...essentially the water needs to be about an inch or so above the rice. Bring this to a boil over high heat, then reduce to a simmer, and cook covered (with a towel over the pot to catch condensation) until the rice is cooked and there is no more water (about 25-25 minutes).

While your rice is cooking, in another small pot cook your lentils(with about an inch of water to cover) and some salt. Bring to a boil and then cover and simmer until they are cooked through, about 20-30 minutes.

When rice is just shy of being done, add in the cooked lentils and your onion mixture. Mix together really well.

Serve warm.

SEAWEED SALAD

we had a strange christmas this past year and we went out to a japanese restaurant for our christmas dinner...my friend made me try the seaweed salad and i fell in love! ever since then i've been on a quest to make my own...i finally kinda-sorta figured it out but i still can't get it to taste like it did at the restaurant! the main ingredient is wakame (dried seaweed)...i found it at a chinese grocery but you might be able to find it in the international section of the grocery store.


1 pkg wakame (it usually comes in long strands, so chop it up into pieces, and to serve two people you will need about 2 c. worth)
3 tbsp. rice wine vinegar
1 tbsp. sesame oil
1 tbsp. soy sauce or teriyaki sauce
1 tsp. sugar
1 tsp. white sesame seeds

rehydrate wakame in a bowl filled with hot water for 5 minutes.

drain and pat dry. place in refrigerator.

make dressing in a separate bowl by combining the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, and sugar.

pour over wakame and mix well.

top with sesame seeds.

BROWN RICE MEDLEY

this dish was kind of a 'throw everything in my pantry in with this rice' dish. if you are like my husband and you like your food spicy...add some sriracha sauce to yours!

1-2 c. brown rice
1 can sliced peaches, diced
1/3 c. toasted almonds, chopped
2 scallions, finely chopped
1 pkg. veggie beef, cooked
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
1 1/2 tsp. vinegar (any will probably do but i chose champagne vinegar)
salt and pepper to taste

cook rice according to package directions.

meanwhile, combine all the other ingredients in a bowl.

Once rice is done, fluff it with a fork and combine with you other bowl of ingredients. mix well.

serve hot, warm, or at room temperature.

BEST COFFEE EVER?

well...since i'm posting pictures...i have to repost this! there is a local coffee shop here in denton called jupiter house and I went there the other day and the guy made this for me in my drink! so cute! (ps-if you are going to go there...my favorite drink is the jupiter's nectar...try it!)

ADVENTURES AT THE GROCERY STORE

for some reason, ever since i was little, my eye has always caught objects that look like faces....so of course i couldn't resist taking a picture of this coconut the other day! so cute ;p