Beautiful Roasted Veggies and Baked Polenta Wonder

I made this dinner a while back and it was lovely sans cheese, so feel free to be bold and let the plants shine! My friend recently made this and added the asparagus and parsnips, genius! She also gets credit for editing my patchwork instructions when she sent the recipe back to me.

2 carrots, sliced
1/2 - 1 onion, sliced
1 large red pepper, cut into short strips
1-2 parsnips, sliced
10 asparagus spears (approx), cut into bite-size pieces
1 small bunch of spinach
drizzle of olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
1 can of tomato sauce
1 can of kidney beans
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Polenta:
1 can of low-sodium vegetable stock
2 cups almond milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 tablespoon fresh basil
3/4 teaspoon sea salt
1 cup cornmeal


Directions:

1. Cut all the vegetables and put them on a large baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes or until the vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally. When the vegetables are done roasting, set aside to cool and reduce oven temperature to 375°F

2. Make the polenta:
In a medium sized sauce pan, over medium-high heat, bring the vegetable stock, almond milk, spices, and salt to a rolling boil. Add the cornmeal gradually, stirring constantly to avoid clumps. Add the nutritional yeast and stir constantly until the mixture is thickened and consistent. Once it starts to thicken, trade the whisk out for spoon and stir until the polenta pulls away from the sides of the pot. Add 1/2 the Parmesan cheese to the polenta and stir to combine. Poor the mixture into casserole dish and top with the remainder of the Parmesan cheese.

3. Blend the kidney beans and the tomato sauce together and pour 1/2 the mixture on top of the polenta.

4. Evenly spread the roasted vegetables on top of the polenta and sauce. Spread the rest of the tomato sauce mixture over the vegetables and top with spinach. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

5. Bake for 35 minutes or until bubbly and the cheese is melted and slightly browned.

6. Let it rest for about 10 minutes. Cut into squares and serve warm.

Other suggested additions: eggplant, zucchini, mushrooms, kale, capers, Kalamata olives

Salsa

Fresh garden salsa...could there be anything better?  Nope.  But the following comes pretty close and is available year round and is super easy.  So that's pretty good.  I got the general idea from somewhere online a couple of years ago...sorry for not citing that better!

1 can Rotel original (canned, seasoned tomatoes)
1 large clove garlic
1/2 onion
1/2 bunch cilantro
1/2 jalapeño
salt and pepper to taste
splash of lemon juice

Have your food processor dice up the onion and garlic first, then add the remaining ingredients and pulse it until you reach your desired salsa texture.

Obviously, feel free to monkey with the jalapeño to achieve the heat level you enjoy most.  I also sometimes add half a bell pepper just for fun.  We eat this every time I cook anything Mexicanish;  I don't even bother to buy bottled salsa anymore.  It's that delicious, in our opinions.  Hope you like it!

Taco Seasoning

This is my modified version of an Allrecipes recipe by Bill Echols.  Every bit as tasty as the seasoning packets, without all of the extras...

1 T. chili powder
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. onion powder
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. paprika (may I suggest half smoked and half regular... :)
1-1/2 tsp. cumin powder
1 tsp. salt
1 tsp. black pepper

I like to double this recipe so that I have enough for both the meal I'm making and the one I aim to make next.  Just shake it all up and store it in an airtight container.

Kale and White Bean Crostini

Kale and White Bean Crostini

Love the idea of eating the healthy cornucopia of nutrients that is kale, but not sure how to serve it? Try this!

My sister Tiara adapted this recipe from two others she found online and sent it to me. It comes together pretty fast and the combination of textures and enticing presentation make this a fun meal to serve.

Put in a bowl to set aside

 1/2 can white beans
1 pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 tbls olive oil
1/4 tsp lemon zest
juice of half lemon
salt and pepper
1/3 tsp rosemary crushed as small as I could get it

For the crostini

Slice a baguette 1/4-1/2 inch, sprayed with a little olive oil and
toast in oven at 350 (barely brown but very crispy) (about 10 slices)

Then rub 1/2 a clove of garlic on the warm bread

For the bean mixture

Meanwhile in dutch oven carmelize 1/2 a yellow onion in a little butter and extra virgin olive oil. When that is done, put in 1 clove minced garlic and saute till fragrant,

Add bean mixture to incorporate red pepper and lemon, stirr around a minute or 2 then put in about 6 leaves of dinosaur kale that had stem removed and were sliced into ribbons.

Stir around to coat in bean mixture and add about 1/3 cup water to help steam

Put lid on and steam for a few minutes maybe 5 but until water is mostly gone and kale is wilted down.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Whole Wheat Bread- Light and fluffy and sandwich worthy.

Mels Kitchen Cafe

INGREDIENTS

• 12-15 cups wheat flour
• 2 tablespoons instant yeast
• 1/2 cup vital wheat gluten
• 1000 mg Vitamin C, crushed
• 6 1/2 cups very warm water
• 2/3 cup oil
• 2/3 cup honey or sugar
• 2 tablespoons salt

DIRECTIONS

1. In a large bowl (or stand mixer, like the almighty Bosch), mix together 5 cups of wheat flour, yeast, vital wheat gluten and Vitamin C. Add the warm water and mix well. Add the oil and honey (or sugar) and mix again.
2. Cover the bowl and let the mixture sit for 10 minutes. Add the salt and start the mixer (or mix by hand), adding the remaining flour until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl to form a soft dough. You may not need to add all of the flour! Judge the dough by feel not by the amount of flour you've used. It might be slightly sticky but should hold it's shape.
3. Let the dough knead for 7 minutes in the stand mixer (or 15 minutes by hand). Form into 5 loaves (for the 8 1/2 X 4-inch loaf pans) and place into greased bread pans. Let rise until the bread is 2 inches above the top of the bread pan.
4. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes (I like to let the bread rise 1 inch above the top of the pans and then put the bread in a cold oven and turn the oven on to 350 degrees and bake the bread for 32 minutes).

Chocolate Drizzle Popcorn

This is so simple and easy that I feel a bit sheepish about posting it as a recipe...but oh, well!  We can't seem to stop eating it, but at least it's not a pan of brownies or something, amiright?

1/2 C. popcorn kernels, popped via air or stovetop (choose your method, use a bag of microwave popcorn if you must)
1/2 C. chocolate chips
1 1/2 T. coconut oil
Salt

Spread your popped corn out on a baking sheet.  Use a small saucepan over med. low heat to melt your chocolate and oil together.  Drizzle said chocolate over said popcorn using a spoon.  Shake a little salt on top for that extra depth of flavor.  Pop the popcorn (pun intended cuz I'm in the mood) into your fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate set.  Sit on the couch and eat it all.  :)

On Smoked Paprika and Better Hummus

Girls, I am in LOVE with smoked paprika.  I've seen it in a bajilionty recipes and always just subbed regular paprika (which I'm pretty sure tastes like nothing anyway).  Well.  No more.  I found my bottle at Brookshire's and have been going to town with the stuff ever since.  It's great on roasted cauliflower, sweet potato "fries", in chick pea "burgers", in chili, in a lentil stew...I even sometimes snitch a little straight from the jar.  Ridiculous?  Perhaps.  But amazing! Anyway, I definitely recommend giving it a try.

Tangentially related, I have discovered a new method that (for me) makes homemade hummus substantially more delicious.  Most recipes call for draining a can of chick peas and then blending them up with various quantities of lemon juice, tahini, garlic, and olive oil.  This makes a fine hummus,  but somehow there is always a flavor missing or maybe it's an after taste that isn't quite right for me.  I dunno.  So here's my new method.  After I drain the chick peas, I sauté them for a few minutes in a bit of olive oil to soften and toast them.  The effect produces a much richer taste, I think.  Especially when I add a generous sprinkle of SMOKED PAPRIKA while they cook.  Then I proceed as normal.  SO good.