Avocado Bruschetta

Posted on May 20, 2012 by Ari

You might have noticed a theme with the last couple posts…that’s because avocados were on sale. Maybe I’ll get more creative with the next one, but in the meantime, enjoy this tasty (and heavily discounted) twist on bruschetta.

What you need:

  • 2 avocados, diced
  • 2 tomatoes, diced
  • 1 large clove of garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup basil, minced
  • 1/4 cup mint, minced
  • 1 tbs lime juice
  • salt and pepper to taste
What you need to do:
  1. Combine all of the ingredients listed above.
  2. Serve on toasted bread (here’s another great place to use JJ’s day old bread!), and enjoy!
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Posted in Dip, Snacks, Vegetarian | Leave a comment

Smoked Salmon Sandwich

Posted on May 13, 2012 by Ari

Smoked salmon (aka lox), basil and avocado – ’nuff said. The only thing I’ll add next time I make this sandwich is a generous helping of capers.
Side note – some of you may have noticed that Anita and I often reference Jimmy John’s “day old bread” (example #1, #2, #3, #4). It an absolute steal at 50 cents per loaf and is perfect for sandwiches, spreads, dips, etc.

What you need:

  • Bread (jimmy john’s day old bread if it’s available!)
  • Smoked Salmon
  • Avocado
  • Fresh basil
  • Olive oil
  • Sea salt, to taste
  • Freshly ground pepper, to taste
What you need to do:
  1. Slice and toast your bread.
  2. Layer the bread with thinly sliced avocado, smoked salmon, and fresh basil.
  3. Drizzle with olive oil, and sprinkle with sea salt and cracked pepper.

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Posted in Bread, Sandwich, Seafood | Leave a comment

Sweet Red Bean Pop Tarts

Posted on May 2, 2012 by Anita!
If I’ve known you for longer than a week and we’ve become friends, chances are I’ve asked you about dim sum.  “Do you like dim sum?”  “Where do you go?”  “What’s your favorite thing to get?”
Somehow, sitting at a table with carts of food circling us like sharks is the ultimate bond of friendship.  Despite obsessing over it, I only end up eating dim sum once a year.  And the annual glut is followed by the annual guilt of eating far more than my fair share of whatever we chose.
My favorite things are #1 BBQ pork buns that are as fluffy as clouds, and #2 the fried sesame balls with sweet read bean paste inside.  I bought a can of this bean paste at the Asian store and decided to put it in some pop tarts.
There’s no recipe because I followed the instructions verbatim from Smitten Kitchen and she did a better job of delineating the steps than I ever could — let me know if you try it.

 

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Posted in Breakfast, Dessert, Snacks, Vegetarian | 1 Comment

Sloppy Fauxs (Vegetarian Sloppy Joes)

Posted on April 29, 2012 by Ari
When it comes to my carnivorous habits, I like to tell people that I’m “a social meat eater”. I mean I’ll never order a burger for myself, but if I’m at a friend’s house and they hand me a plate of steaming, BBQ sauce drenched ribs (the kind that would have “flavor waves” if there was ever a cartoon version of my life), I’m definitely not going to refuse.
When it comes to cooking for myself, I cook mostly vegetarian. This decision does not stem from any sort of moral obligation, but rather from concern for my physiologic wellbeing. To put it delicately, red meat (well, meat in general) doesn’t really agree with my stomach. I tell myself that it has something to do with my faulty enzymatic breakdown of meat proteins, but it’s probably just the placebo effect. Well, whatever the underlying reason, I tend to avoid most meat products, and I’m pretty sure that decision is greatly appreciated by my closest contacts.
For the most part I don’t feel limited by these dietary restrictions, but there certainly are a couple of foods I’ve always wanted to try, but didn’t feel like risking it – for example, Sloppy Joes. With that being said, one of the limitations of trying to find a good vegetarian version of a meat dish without having tried the real thing is you have nothing to compare against…so even if I think it tastes good I have no idea if it tastes anything like “the real thing”. So, if you choose to try out this recipe, be warned that the primary taste tester has no idea what it’s actually supposed to taste like…That being said, this is a very healthy alternative to it’s gastro-inducing counterpart. Enjoy!

(Adapted from More Make It Fast, Cook It Slow)

What you need:

  • 2 cups uncooked lentils
  • 1 large onion, diced
  • 2 celery stalks, diced
  • 1 green pepper, diced
  • 1/2 tsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp garlic powder
  • 1 tsp chili powder
  • 1 tbs soy sauce
  • 2 tbs brown sugar
  • 2 tsp brown mustard
  • 3 6-ounce cans of tomato paste
  • 2 1/4 cups water (add more if you want soupier lentils)
  • 8 hamburger buns (or brown rice)
  • Cheese (optional)
What you need to do:
  1. In a large crockpot, combine your rinsed lentils (they don’t require pre-soaking!), onion, celery, green pepper, spices, brown sugar, soy sauce, mustard, tomato paste and water. Stir to combine the ingredients.
  2. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours, or until the lentils have softened.
  3. Serve on hamburger buns or with brown rice. Add cheese if desired (I like the creaminess it adds). 
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Posted in Freezer, Slow Cooker, Vegetarian | 4 Comments