face off: sloppy joes vs. sloppy sams

picture from allrecipes.com

we spent Christmas with my in-laws in UT this year. when all of the family (my hubby is one of 7, so this means lots of people) got together right before Christmas, my husband requested a main course on the 23rd of sloppy joes as an easy and delicious way to feed so many hungry mouths. my hubby's little sister and her husband are vegetarians, so i thought i'd make a complimentary vegetarian version that i'd made before to please both halves of the crowd. i liked having them both there as kind of a "face off". here was, in my opinion, the results of said face off:

• sloppy joes - traditional recipe, canned sauce, made with ground beef. i usually like them okay, but since i had the below alternative i couldn't even stomach the joes in comparison.
• sloppy sams - lentils, homemade sauce, sweetened with molasses and brown sugar. simply amazing. i can eat this stuff with a spoon, no bun required.

winner? clearly, the sloppy sams take home the award. cheaper, appease my lentil obsession and way healthier than the traditional joes. put them to the test in your house and let me know if they pass!

sloppy sams
4 big servings
modified from allrecipes.com, specifically here

3 cups chicken broth
1 cup lentils, rinsed
1 cup chopped onion
a dash of olive oil
1 15 oz can petite diced tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1/2 cup ketchup
1 teaspoon ground mustard
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 1/2 tablespoons molasses (use all brown sugar if you don't have it)
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 dash worchestershire sauce
salt and pepper to taste
4 hamburger buns

1. combine broth and lentils in a saucepan. bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. meanwhile, cook onions with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat until the onions have softened and turned translucent, about 4 minutes. add tomatoes and garlic, and cook for 5 minutes. stir in tomato paste, ketchup, mustard powder, chili powder, molasses and Worcestershire sauce; simmer 5 to10 minutes until thickened.
3. drain lentils and reserve cooking liquid (i never have any liquid to drain). stir lentils into sauce mixture, adding cooking liquid or water as needed to obtain the desired "sloppy joe" consistency. serve on buns.
   

honey lime enchiladas

picture straight from the source - the sisters cafe

there are few things i love more than enchiladas. my husband loves to tell the story of how i ate 1/2 a 13x9in pan of these little numbers one night. it's true. i really did. i love enchiladas.

i fed these honey lime enchiladas to my parents and grandparents (and my little family) and they took home rave reviews all the way around (except for my dad who thinks nothing sweet should ever touch meat). seriously some of the best enchiladas i've ever had. mmm....

my only change - i used monterrey jack and cheddar instead of mozzarella and cheddar. here they are - enjoy! http://sisterscafe.blogspot.com/2009/08/honey-lime-enchiladas.html

a burger for the health minded

skinny-bovine confession (i'm discovering i have lots of these): there is nothing, i mean nothing, i love more than a good cheeseburger and french fries. or even a bad one really. i love the $1 double stack at wendy's and that is clearly not a fabulous burger.


these black bean burgers i found on sharon's blog (which she found on culinary in the country/desert) are almost better than a real beef burger. they are seriously that good. see the look on my face. sheer heaven, people. we devoured them on our new favorite find - ciabatta buns from wal-mart (6 for $2.50). i would eat anything that comes on these buns. a little expensive for everyday dinners but perfect for date night (which usually entails burgers, especially these pico and guac burgers) around our house. enjoy them!!

black bean mushroom burgers
4 big burgers

1 dash olive oil, plus additional for brushing
1 cup finely chopped onion
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, finely chopped (i used cheaper mushies, but portobellos would be amazing if you can afford it!)
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika (or regular)
4 slices whole wheat sandwich bread, lightly toasted
15 ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) crumbled goat cheese (again, i used a cheaper cheese, but this would be yummy. i'm thinking feta would be awesome.)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
4 ciabatta buns, split and toasted
your choice of toppings

preheat grill. (Or grill in pan if its your only option...)

in a large skillet, heat a dash of oil over medium-high. add onion - cook until golden, about 3 to 4 minutes. stir in mushrooms, garlic, cumin and paprika - cook until the mushrooms have released their juices, about 4 to 6 minutes. remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.

tear toasted bread into pieces and place into a food processor (or blender) - process until broken down into crumbs. pour into a medium bowl. add mushroom mixture, beans and cilantro into the food processor bowl - pulse until combined, but not smooth - leave some chunky bits. scoop mixture into the bowl with the bread crumbs - add goat cheese and season with salt and fresh ground black pepper. mix ingredients together, then divide into four equal portions. with dampened hands, shape each portion into 4 thick patties. lightly brush each side of all patties with oil.

place patties onto the grill and cook until thoroughly heated through and the outside has crisped, about 5 minutes per side (mine takes longer - more like 7 or 8 min). serve burgers on toasted buns and with desired toppings.

and just because i love this cute little spaghetti face....

flashback to lentils: curried coconut lentil bisque

i love lentils. so does my husband. so does my daughter. remember when i 1st started this blog and wrote about why lentils are amazing? remember when i made taco meat out of lentils? yum. remember when i posted lentil meatloaf? it's still fabulous. it sounds scary - it's not. i promise. (and yes, i have a label for lentils - i realize that is scary.)

i recently fell in love with lentils all over again when i made this fabulous meal last week.

i like ANYTHING made with coconut milk... coconut meets lentil and curry? has to be even better. this is one of those ultra-complete meals - it was dirt cheap, pretty, it felt good on its way down, it is super healthy and balanced and it tasted fabulous. and don't let the peas scare you - the sweetness of the peas is the perfect balance to the curry.

curried coconut lentil bisque
mildly inspired by recipe here
6 servings

a dash of olive oil
1/2 an onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped
2 cups carrots, chopped
2 teaspoons curry powder (another teaspoon if you want it hotter)
1 1/2 cups dry lentils, rinsed
6 cups chicken broth
1 can light coconut milk (always 99c at trader joe's!)
1 pinch cinnamon
1 pinch cumin
1 pinch ginger
salt and pepper to taste

1 cup white rice, cooked in 2 cups water for 2 minutes
1 12 oz bag green peas, cooked according to directions

1. heat oil in large pot. add onions and carrots. cook 5-6 minutes. add garlic and curry. cook 1-2 more minutes or until curry is fragrant.
2. add chicken broth, lentils and coconut milk. bring to a boil. reduce heat and simmer 35-40 minutes or until lentils are soft.
3. add other spices. use immersion blender to blend soup into a bisque (a thick soup). salt and pepper to taste.
4. put rice and peas in a bowl. pour bisque over the top. enjoy!

spicy pasta with broccoli

here's a quick and easy meal i made a few weeks ago. it was delicious - and even without the parmesan!

spicy pasta with broccoli
adapted from culinary in the country
4 servings

12-15 ounces dry short pasta (i used penne)
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 head broccoli (roughly 1.5 pounds), florets sliced into bite-size pieces
1/3 cup water + a little more (i used 1/2 lb more broccoli than the original recipe...)
salt and fresh ground black pepper
2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) fresh grated Parmesan, divided (optional)
1 boneless, skinless chicken breast, seasoned and cooked according to your liking

in a large pot of boiling salted water, add pasta and cook according to package directions. reserve 1/2 cup of the cooking liquid, then drain and place back into the pot off heat.

meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat oil over medium. stir in garlic and crushed red pepper - cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. add broccoli and 1/3+ cup water - season with salt and pepper. cover skillet and cook until broccoli just begins to soften, about 5 to 8 minutes. uncover and continue to cook until the excess water has evaporated and the broccoli is crisp-tender, about 1 to 2 additional minutes.

scoop broccoli mixture into the pot with the pasta and add 1 ounce (about 1/4 cup) parmesan and enough of the reserved pasta water to create a thin sauce. serve with the remaining parmesan scattered on top. serve with chicken on top.

avocado shakes: my new favorite snack

since going dairy-free for my baby boy, snacking has been slightly more painful for me. my favorite snack is fruit, which still works, but i really love to snack on cheese during the day and a few bites of ice cream is a perfect snack right before bed. clearly i needed a solution to this problem.

i found one! thanks to my little brother. an avocado shake. no ice cream or yogurt needed - the avocado makes it smooth and creamy. if you love the taste of avocado then try just that. if you want it to be subtle - add more fruit! my hubby's favorite is avocado-banana-apple. my fav it avocado-apple.

skinny bovine's avocado shake

puree the following in your blender:

• crushed ice (less for 1, creamier shake - a little more for 2, slightly icier shakes. see about how much in pic below.)
• 1 ripe avocado (makes 1 or 2 shakes, depending on how much ice and fruit you add)
• milk (i use vanilla soy milk, just enough to get it to blend)
• sugar (a few spoonfuls, but add to taste. if you have a little extra cash lying around, i think this shake would be fabulous sweetened with agave nectar - and healthier too!)

other yummy things to add:

• other fruit - we've tried and liked grapefruit (see pic), apple (the whole thing, decored of course) and banana (for 2 shakes i'll do 1 avocado, 1 whole banana and 1 whole apple)
  
• apple juice (instead of part of the milk)
  
• a dash of lime juice

perfect deviled eggs - perfect for your super bowl party

i'll admit, i'm not a football fan and i honestly won't be watching the game on sunday. i will be eating yummy food along with the rest of the world though - just to celebrate life instead of football! :) here's one of my favorite appetizers. i only like them the way my mom has always made them, so here's our family recipe!

perfect deviled eggs
recipe for 36 deviled eggs (18 whole eggs)

18 hard boiled eggs (see here for my method), shells removed
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar (and more to taste)
1/2 teaspoon ground mustard (and more to taste)
light mayonnaise to taste
salt to taste
paprika, sprinkled on top for decoration if desired
1. after removing shells, cut eggs in half lengthwise. put all yolks in mixing bowl and set whites aside. see below.

2. add 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar and 1/2 teaspoon ground mustard as a base and mash into egg yolks in bowl. add mayonnaise a little bit at a time, as well as a bit more vinegar and mustard and salt, taste testing as you add. mix and add until consistency and taste is to your liking.

3. sprinkle top with paprika, if desired. chill in fridge - serve cold!