What I Want Wednesday

I want Mama Pea's new book:

Peas and Thank You 

I find her blog so fun to read. The pictures are cute, she is a witty writer, and the recipes are healthy. I am not vegan, nor do I ever intend to be, but I do enjoy vegan/vegetarian meals! I think this book would be a great addition to my cookbook collection (and I don't have ANY vegan cookbooks right now!).

That's What I Want this Wednesday!

Vegi Enchiladas

While in the process of moving, I stayed with a friend for two weeks while I was still working at my old job, but the lease had run out on my apartment. This friend (you know who you are!) is a vegetarian, which was great because I got to try out a couple vegi/vegan recipes I had been saving for awhile! Unfortunately, this is the only one I remembered to snap pictures of, but I also tried a chilled avocado soup (delish!) and a vegan peanut noodle vegi bowl (yum!!). These enchiladas are A-mazing. I didn't miss the meat at all! If only I didn't have to cook meat for P, I could easily go veg-only (or, mostly veg at least!). 


Vegi Enchiladas
Adapted from Martha Stewart, then adapated from Kokocooks

4 Tbs olive oil
1 Tbs ground cumin, divided
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp ground coriander
¼ c all purpose flour
¼ c tomato paste
3 c vegetable broth
Salt and pepper
1 small onion, chopped
1 bag fresh spinach leaves
1 can (15 oz) black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can (14.5 oz) corn kernels, drained
1.5 c grated pepper Jack cheese (or about 9 oz)
16 corn tortillas (6-inch)
Fresh cilantro, chopped

In a medium saucepan, heat 2 Tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add 2 tsp of the cumin, garlic powder, coriander, flour, and tomato paste. Cook, whisking constantly, for 1 minute. Whisk in the broth and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer and cook until slightly thickened, about 5-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat the remaining 2 Tbs of olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until softened. Add spinach and saute until wilted, about 2 minutes. Remove pan from heat. Stir in the black beans, corn kernels, remaining 1 tsp of cumin, and 3/4 c of the cheese.

Preheat oven to 375⁰F. Lightly spray 2 8-inch baking pans with nonstick spray. Set aside. Spread tortillas onto a large baking sheet. Lightly spray with nonstick spray. Spread a second layer of tortillas on top of the first layer. Lightly spray the top layer with nonstick spray. Bake until warm, about 1-2 minutes. Remove from oven. Spoon about 1/3 c of the enchilada filling into each tortilla and roll up. Place in the baking dish, seam side down. Pack the filled tortillas tightly in the baking dishes. Sprinkle remaining cheese evenly over the enchiladas. Pour sauce over them, making sure to cover the entire surface. Bake uncovered until hot and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with cilantro, and serve.

WIWW

Another installment of WIWW! It's baaacckkk!

What I Want Wednesday. To be able to do this:

pinterest.com

And this:

pinterest.com

And maybe my kitties will join in?

Can you tell I am recently obsessed with Pinterest?

Chimichurri Halibut Tacos with Pineapple Avocado Salsa

I had the most delicious chimicurri pork loin sandwich recently, at the Buenos Aires Cafe. A few weeks later I saw this recipe in my issue of Cooking Light and knew I must try it. The fish was delicious. I do not recommend topping the tacos with the salsa, the flavors overwhelm each other, but the salsa was a lovely side dish. Tasty, light summer fair. If you have a grill, unlike me, you can even avoid heating up the kitchen in this 100+ degree weather (bonus!).

Recipes adapted from Cooking Light, June 2011

Chimichurri Fish Tacos

2 cups fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves
2 tablespoons fresh oregano
3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
5 garlic cloves, crushed
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
5 (6-ounce) halibut fillets (or cod)
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
Cooking spray
12 (6-inch) corn tortillas

Place first 5 ingredients in a food processor or blender; process until finely chopped. Slowly pour oil through food chute; process until smooth. Place fish in a shallow dish; rub mixture over fish. Cover and chill at least 2 hours.

Preheat grill to high heat or grill pan to medium-high.

Sprinkle fish with salt and black pepper. Place fish on a grill rack (or grill pan) coated with cooking spray, and grill for 4 minutes on each side or until desired degree of doneness. Remove from grill. Break fish into chunks. Heat tortillas according to package directions. Divide fish evenly among tortillas.

Pineapple Avocado Salsa

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon honey
• 1 pineapple, peeled, cored, and cut into 1/2-inch-thick slices
• Cooking spray
• 1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro
• 1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground red pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 serrano chile, minced
• 1 avocado
• 
  
•  Preheat grill to high heat or grill pan to medium high.

• Combine oil and honey, stirring well. Brush oil mixture over pineapple. Place pineapple on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 2 minutes on each side or until golden. Remove from grill; cool 5 minutes. Chop. Combine pineapple, onion, and next 6 ingredients (through serrano); toss gently.
• Peel, seed, and dice avocado. Add avocado to the pineapple and mix.

Serve on the side with tacos.

Candy Cake

This is a super cute idea. Check out the blog!

Mixed Berry Crumb Bars

A long absence, I know! I really won't be back on a normal schedule until after July 15th. Finishing my residency and moving has all taken over my life temporarily! I promise I will be posting on a regular schedule again soon!

Mixed Berry Crumb Bars, adapted from Smitten Kitchen

1 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup cold unsalted butter (2 sticks or 8 ounces)
1 egg
1/4 teaspoon salt
Zest and juice of one lemon
2 cups fresh blueberries

2 cups fresh raspberries
1/2 cup white sugar
4 teaspoons cornstarch

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease a 9×13 inch pan.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together 1 cup sugar, 3 cups flour, and baking powder. Mix in salt and lemon zest. Use a fork or pastry cutter to blend in the butter and egg. Dough will be crumbly. Pat half of dough into the prepared pan.

3. In another bowl, stir together the sugar, cornstarch and lemon juice. Gently mix in the berries. Sprinkle the berry mixture evenly over the crust. Crumble remaining dough over the berry layer.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 45 minutes, or until top is slightly brown. Cool completely before cutting into squares