easy recipe

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Vegan Joe’s

March 2, 2011 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 11 comments

One of the things I have been focusing on while recovering from my flu, especially now that I can eat, is replenishing my body with whole foods. Having seen a few vegan Sloppy Joe recipes around the blog world. including Veganomicon’s Snobby Joe recipe, and with an abundance of dried lentils and beans in the house, I decided to bust out the slow cooker for my own version of  a Sloppy Joe.

Working from home is amazing. I was able to start my recipe out by soaking two cups each of yellow lentils and black beans two times before actually starting them in the slow cooker.

black beans and lentils

While they soaked the second time, I mixed up a flavorful sauce that included 1/4 cup organic maple syrup, a tablespoon mustard, and a can of tomato paste.

maple syrup, tomato paste, mustard

I also pureed 1/2 a Vidalia onion, two habanero peppers, and four cloves of garlic into a nice paste.

onions, habaneros, garlic

When it was time to get cookin’ I threw all of the ingredients in my slow cooker. The beans and lentils were added to a few cups of water, plus the sauce and veggies. I mixed it thoroughly, then put the lid on and cooked on high for four hours, checking to make sure there was enough liquid to soften the lentils and the beans.

vegan sloppy joe

Before I left for a night of fun blogger events, I put the slow cooker on warm and left whole wheat rolls next to it for my hubby. I also left instructions that there was potato salad and cabbage slaw in the fridge; the slaw recipe is amazing, and I will be able to share it in a few weeks when it is launched in a new recipe app.

I decided to forego the roll when I got home, eating two bowls of the Sloppy Joe with the spicy slaw. The contrast between cold and warm, crunchy and soft, spicy and somewhat sweet was perfection. Though not at all fancy or complicated, this meal really “got” me. I could eat it again and again.

vegan sloppy Joe's

So I had another bowl Smile

As foodies I am sure we all feel the pressure to eat really interesting things at times. What is your favorite super simple dish?

Tags: beans, cabbage slaw, easy recipe, lentils, recipe, sloppy joe, slow cooker, snobby joes, vegan, veganomicon, vegetables, Vegetarian

Your Sunday Brunch

November 27, 2010 in Food, recipe by traveleatlove | 12 comments

Brunch is, for many of us, the best meal of the week. With the temperatures dipping and the holiday crowds in full force, brunch at home can be just as leisurely as brunch out, if not more so this time of year.

For the Boston blogger potluck last weekend, one of the dishes I made was a simple, delicious tortilla española. This make-ahead dish is easy, and it is ideal to make ahead of time. I was still eating leftovers days later, and it tasted great.

I started by thinly slicing 6 small potatoes. I like this multi-colored medley from Trader Joe’s.

potatoes

After patting the potatoes dry, I lightly salted them and put them into a pan of hot oil. Most of the recipes I read called for several cups of oil, but I used less than half a cup. This helped me to lightly brown the potatoes on one side, but it didn’t really fry them. Confession: lots of hot oil scares the bejeezus out of me. I am always terrified of a fire or it splashing up in my face.

As the potatoes browned, I laid them in a layer at the bottom of a glass baking dish.

potatoes for tortilla

After the potatoes were done cooking, I let them cool while sautéing a medium yellow onion, chopped into small pieces. I cooked the onion until translucent and then let that cool a little before pouring in 6 beaten eggs. I stirred the onion, eggs, and freshly ground black pepper, then poured it in over the potatoes. A traditional tortilla calls for stovetop cooking, but I decided to bake this in the oven, a method that required less of my attention.

I baked it for about 30 minutes at 350 and then put it under the broiler on high for 3 minutes to brown the top.

tortilla española

I served this with a side of sriracha aioli, a simple mix of sriracha and mayonnaise.

Add in some fresh fruit, some great bread, and a couple of mimosas, and you have brunch in your pajamas for a fraction of the price of going out!

My brunch will definitely be spent at home this weekend. Looking at my calendar, life gets crazy starting this week. I am looking forward to lots of fun including:

Dinner with some of my favorite food and wine people at Towne

Three more wine classes and a final exam Disappointed smile

A cooking class at the Four Seasons

Some blogger fun at the new Met Back Bay

An event at Whole Foods

Wine tasting at the Urban Grape

Dinner at 10 Center

And lots more!

How is your December shaping up?

Tags: brunch, brunch at home, cooking, easy recipe, entertaining, Food, recipe, Vegetarian

Mediterranean Pasta Salad

November 17, 2010 in Uncategorized by traveleatlove | 8 comments

White Oak Winery Olive Tree

Please excuse the reuse of the photo of the olive tree from White Oak Winery. Lot of photos of the little man have drained my camera battery, and it is currently on the charger. Photo-filled posts to come tomorrow! Today I share with you a straightforward recipe that is full of flavor, mostly healthy, and fairly easy.

One of my biggest struggles when working in an office was bringing something for lunch that I would look forward to. Some people are just fine eating the same thing every day, but for me, variety is definitely the spice of life, and when I grew tired of chili and salad for lunch, I turned to this pasta which tastes great hot or cold.

Ingredients

4 cups whole wheat rotini

4 cloves garlic

1 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped

2 cups grape tomatoes

1 can tuna in olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled goat or feta cheese

1/4 cup capers

4 TBSP aged Balsamic

additional olive oil if desired

several handfuls fresh baby spinach

a handful shredded basil, if available

ground black pepper and salt to taste

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Start by drizzling the garlic cloves, still in their skins, with olive oil. Wrap them in foil and roast them in the toaster oven at 400 for 20 minutes. While the garlic is roasting, start water boiling for the pasta.

Generously salt the pasta water and pour in the rotini. Cook according to package directions until the pasta is cooked to your liking.

Once the garlic is roasted until soft, empty the tuna in olive oil into a bowl. Squeeze garlic out into the tuna and gently mash the tuna, oil, and garlic together.

Add the tuna, garlic, and oil to the drained pasta along with the remaining ingredients. Season with salt, pepper, and oregano as desired.

As I mentioned above, this can be served hot or cold. If served hot, the spinach and basil (if included), will of course wilt, but I often enjoy wilted greens with pasta.

This is also great with a half of a lemon squeezed over it right before serving.

I love that the whole wheat pasta adds some extra nutrition and that the rest of ingredients are generally easy to find in the grocery store. This recipe could easily be doubled to accommodate a few people for the week.

As we roll into winter, I am going to try to start posting more simple but hearty recipes. What is your favorite?

If you would like to share it as a guest post, I would love to have you!

Tags: easy recipe, Lunch, recipe, Vegetarian

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