Roasted Sherry Portobellos

Portobellos are a wonderful thing. They can also be an annoying thing because they seem to have made it on the list of "what vegetarians/vegans eat" along with hummus and oreos. Now don't get me wrong, there is nothing wrong with any of those. It's just that..one gets tired of eating the same few staples at every party, bbq and restaurant.

Nevertheless, I still love a good roasted shroom. This week I bought the caps with the intention of experimenting a bit. Thanksgiving is right around the corner it seems and this year I was thinking of adding a portobello to my list of things I will slave over and probably be the only one to eat (Little do they know I'm ok with that! All the treats for me!) during the feast.

Pre vegetarian/vegan Lacey was a nut for meat. Especially turkey. I've been contemplating what to cook that will satisfy all my taste cravings. My family has a tradition of making Drunk Turkey. Every year we buy bottles of sherry and baste and baste and baste the poor turkey until the house is full of the sweet smell of syrupy alcohol.

So here it is - Test One of Sherry Shrooms

1/2 cup sherry
2 tbsp each of Tamari, olive oil and balsamic vinegar
3 cloves garlic, minced
the juice of half a lemon

Whisk all the ingredients together.

Place the 3 to 4 cleaned caps in a casserole facing up, gills exposed, and spoon half of the sherry mixture into the caps and pour the rest into the bottom of the dish so both sides of the mushrooms get coated. Marinate for half an hour.

Heat the oven to 400. Roast, covered with a lid or aluminum foil for half an hour. Flip the caps over and roast for another 15 minutes or so, uncovered. Serve hot or let them cool and slice them.

These portobellos turned out well but more work must be done. The sherry was actually a bit overpowering. I will be trying them again soon but they worked wonderfully in the sandwich I had for lunch.


Sherry Portobello Sammy with Lemony Spinach and Basil Pesto

Lentils and Leeks Lunchtime or Soup and Sammy Sunday

Both of these titles appealed to me (for obvious reasons) but as neither was descriptive enough to capture the whole sense of the meal I just put both! Deal.

Since coming to France I have been eating a lot more lentils because they use lentils in soups and salads much more often than we do at home. It seems only fitting that I make a French Green Lentil Soup at least once while in France. So I went out and bought a little sac of Puy lentils (another name for green lentils) and whipped up something simple and delish. Lentils, aside from being yummy, are a good source of protein, fiber, folate and B1. Pair is with rice and you've got yourself a complete protein.

For this soup I paired it with my staple sammy - goat cheese and cucumber.



Leek and Lentil Soup (for 2)
1 leek, washed and sliced
1 onion, chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2 soup spoons of olive oil
juice of 1/2 a lemon
4 cups veg broth
3/4 cup French green lentils
fresh mint

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large soup pot. Sautee the onion, leek and garlic until the onion and leek are soft and golden (5 minutes or so). Add the lentils and veg broth and bring the soup to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until the lentils are soft. While the soup is simmering you can get your sandwich ready.
2. When the lentils are tender take the soup off the burner and let it cool slightly. Add the lemon juice. Place half the soup in a food processor and puree. Split the puree between two bowls then top the puree with the unpureed lentils. Top with fresh mint and serve with the sandwich.

Cheerio Marshmallow Treats

Before I came to france I fell upon vegan marshmallows at the Common Market and bought myself a little bag and brought them with me. While cleaning out my pantry and fridge this week (I'm traveling next week!) I came upon the bag of mallows tucked in the back of the pantry where I had forgotten them and decided to use them.



Vegan Mallow Cheerio Treats
1/3 cup veggie spread (or butter if you prefer)
1 bag mallows
a splash of vanilla (just because I love it)
5-6 cups of Cheerios or whatever cereal you like

1. Melt the veg spread or butter in a heavy bottom pan. Add the mallows and stir until they melt and all the lumps disappear.
2. Take the pan off the heat and stir in the vanilla, then add the cereal a cup or so at a time until you cant get them coated anymore.
3. In a lightly oiled cake pan or casserole, press the mixture into the pan with a piece of wax paper until it is evenly spread.
4. Let cool for a few hours and slice and serve.


I should say that the Marshmallows made by Dandies were excellent. Melted just like mallows and taste amazing!

Also I wanted to address the fact that I haven't been posting many recipes. Aside from the desserts I eat, I have turned into a fruit and veg addict lately. When I eat out I tend to stray a bit but at home I have been really on top of getting a balanced diet and I haven't been posting about it for fear that no one will want to hear about it.



Here is an example of things I have been eating lately. Grilled cheese with a mix of goat cheese and cheddar (cheddar did you say? Oh yes I found some expensive cheddar but its not quite what I was hoping for but still good) pesto, sprouts (mix of alfalfa, leek, and lentil) and cucumber. Salad with spinach, red cabbage, pom seeds, sunflower seeds, grapes, dried strawberries, and golden raisins, and a banana for dessert.
Boring? I have never felt better honestly. The teachers at work like to tease me because they say that I am ALWAYS eating (which is true, I eat 4 or 5 smalls meals a day now) but then they peek into my tuperware and see only salads and pita chips and cheese and dried apricots and then they aren't so miffed as to why I dont weigh 500 pounds.
Anyhow, I have plans for the future for more exciting meals so look out for: Black Bean and Butternut Squash soup, Nutella Pound Cake, Orange Cranberry Sauce over toasted Quinoa, Homemade Gnocchi, and Veg Enchiladas with Black Bean Salad in the nearish future.

Mashed White Bean Sammy and Bulgar Mixed Veg Salad-Vegan

Sounds like a lot of healthy stuff right? Yeah it is, but trust me it's so good!

White beans seem to find there way onto my plate more frequently here than at home so I decided to just embrace it. This method of mashing the white beans creates a hummus-like but slightly bumpier kind of spread that frankly I now prefer to hummus.



Mashed White Bean Sammy (for 2)

1 can white beans (drained and rinsed)
1 tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper
1 avocado
handful of spiniach
handful of sprouts (can't find them here but that's how I wanted to eat it)
4 slices of your favorite bread

1. Put your white beans in a bowl and add the olive oil and salt and pepper to taste. Using a fork mash the beans against the side of the bowl until you have a lumpy spread.
2. Spread onto your bread, top with avocado, spinach, and sprouts.
3. Eat!

Also it would be good with cucumber, roasted red pepper, or shriratcha!



The Bulgar Salad is a bit more complicated but it keeps well. I made it yesterday and I made enough to eat cold for the rest of the week as a side.

Bulgar Mixed Veg Salad

1 cup bulgur wheat
1 eggplant, thinly sliced then sliced into 4ths
1 pound mushrooms, sliced in half
5 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound cherry tomatoes, cut in half
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
salt and pepper
1 cup basil leaves, torn

1. Cook the bulgar according to the package (usually 2 cups cold water and 1 cup bulgar, bring the boil, cover and simmer for 12-15 min)
2. Sautee the mushrooms and eggplant in 3 tbsp oil until tender (5 min)
3. Put your bulgar in a large bowl and fluff with a fork. Add remaining oil, red wine vinegar, salt and pepper and mix well.
4. Add your eggplant and mushrooms and mix well. Gently fold in the tomatoes and basil.

This will make enough for 4-6 people or it will last one to two people several days. Serve warm or cold.

Cucumber Goat Cheese Sammy and Upcoming Projects

For the past few days I have been trying to finish up the rest of the goat cheese I used in the Creamy Goat Cheese and Zucchini Pasta from the last post and this has been satisfying me to no end every time I eat it.



I was pretty unsure about cucumbers in my sammy but it turned out to be a great idea! Also I would recommend watercress or spinach and for you nut eaters, some chopped walnuts would add more crunch.



The last few days have been rainy here so I haven't been taking pictures but then yesterday it just cleared up beautifully and I was able to work on my current project: my first video! I'm pretty excited about it. Im going to shoot some more stuff this week in Paris and hopefully by the end of the week after this week I will have 2 videos for you! It was all supposed to be one video but I've decided to split them into two for several reasons which will probably be apparent when you see them. Stay tuned!

Hearty Bread made into a Cheesy and Yummy Bulgar side

Its been kinda rainy and drab here so I decided to make some new bread to cheer me up. I have been wanting to try this bread for a while but have had difficulties finding the ingredients, in particular cracked wheat. If you ever need this stuff Bob's Red Mill makes it, and it should be either with the cereals or the baking goods. Some of you might be fortunate enough to have a grocery store that actually carries things like this but I was forced to go exploring and finally came across it at MOMs.



I was surprised by the deep greyish color of the bread when I cut into it. I've never made bread with buckwheat flour and I just didn't know to expect it. It has great flavor though - and something else I didn't know, buckwheat is actually an herb. New fings we learn. I got this from the book Whole Grain Breads

Buckwheat and Cracked Wheat Bread : 1 qt

2/3 cup water
1 tbsp canola or corn oil
1 tbsp honey
1 tsp salt
1 tbsp cracked wheat
1/4 cup buckwheat flour
1 3/4 cups bread flour
1 tsp rapid rising or active dry yeast

For those of you with bread makers, put the water in first at room temperature. Then put in all the other ingredients in order. Make a dent in the flour to pour the yeast into, making sure it doesn't get wet. Use Basic or Whole Wheat Cycle and set the crust to medium.
If you don't have a bread maker and want the other directions just let me know

So it's raining still and my shoes are wet and I can't find my umbrella and I just really want some bacon. So I make this





Boy does this do the trick.

Bacon Buckwheat Cheesy

2 thick slices Buckwheat Cracked Wheat Bread
pesto
Havarti with Dill
Cheddar
3 slices cooked bacon

You all know how to make a grilled cheese so I wont bore you - but man do the flavors play well with each other in this one :)

On the side there you may notice some rice looking stuff with tomatoes, that's actually bulgar. It's something new Im trying as a substitute to rice ( I eat rice so much at work I have to have other options at home) and its really good for you too! Again, I had to go to an organic grocer to get this, but here is the deal:

Bulgar Pilaf for 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cups chicken broth
1 1/2 cups medium-grain bulgar
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 bunch spinach, thick stems removed, coarsely chopped (or just used bagged salad spinach)
1/2 cup fresh basil (my favorite)

1. put oil, broth, bulgar, garlic, 3/4 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper in skillet and bring to a boil
2. Reduce heat to low, cover, and summer until bulgar is tender, 15 to 17 min
3. Add spinach and basil, stir until wilted then serve with fresh tomatoes

This one I got from Real Simple but modified it to fit my needs. I also halved these ingredients so that I wouldn't be eating this stuff for the next 3 weeks. I made it last night and then ate it again cold today with the samich. Enjoy

Havarti with Dill

If you haven't tried Havarti with Dill....I feel really bad for you. This stuff is the better than sliced bread...way better because that stuff isn't even that cool. Pick some up and make one of these!



This is another of my craving masterpieces: Havarti Dill and Chicken Samich

French bread with fresh roasted garlic (giant chunks of garlic...soo good)
Rotisserie style chicken cut into thickish slices (I bought a whole cooked chicken at the gstore and have been making dinner and lunch from it all week, low on cash)
Half an avocado
as much Havarti Dill as you want
Bit 'o Mayo if you please

Press that stuff on the ole george forman (in my case, you can just make it in a frying pan too)
Eats it up.
Behind the Samich you might notice the orange circles? Yes?

Sweet Potatoes with Basil and Oregano

Just cut them up, toss them in olive oil (not too much, just a tiny bit) and the herbs and put it in the toaster oven or oven for 10ish minutes

The Sloppy Avocado Cheesy, made possible by English Granary Bread

As promised I will now give you the recipe for the English Granary Bread. I always make the small loaves because I'm the only one here to eat it, so here is the measurements for that size.

2/3 cups water
1 tablespoon English Golden Syrup or honey (dont be afraid to use honey, I do)
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup bread flour (I didn't know what this meant when I first started making bread, but there is a special kind of flour that works best for bread, its not all-purpose, so check the labels)
1 teaspoon rapid-rising or active dry yeast

Right now I make all my bread in the bread machine because my 200 year old apartment only boasts the best of 1960's (with the exception of the new fridge) so my oven is tiny (about half the size of normal ones) and it's also terribly unbalanced and unreliable

So in the machine you pour the water in at room temperature and then all the other ingredients except the yeast. You then make a small indent in the flour to deposit your yeast into (it can't be touching any wet ingredients). Use either the Basic or Whole Wheat setting and set the crust to medium. And three hours later you have bread!
Now I know not all of you have bread machines so if you want the mixer/hand/ or oven version of the directions just let me know!

So! Now that you have bread what to do with it? Well this bread is just right for grilled samiches I would say because its not too soft and not too dense, so it holds up well. It also has a light, unobtrusive flavor so you can sauce the sillies out of your creation. Here is what I made:



The Sloppy Avocado Cheesy

two slices English Granary, buttered on one side
pesto, a nice thick spread on one or both pieces of bread (not on the butter side of course..duh)
sharp cheddar cheese
half an avocado, sliced

The reason this is called "the sloppy" is because avocado has a habit of slipping out of samiches and going all the places you dont want it to. So I would suggest using a panini press or George Forman or something to squish it down. Or not...be sloppy like me..still tastes good :)