Veg Broth

I used to constantly be buying cartons of vegetable broth. I always need some on hand whether it be for soups or imparting flavor to rice and other grains. Then I was at a friends house cooking when she saved the ends of some leeks I normally would have thrown out, to use towards making broth later. Ever since then I started saving up my leftover vegetable scraps (onion and garlic skins, mushroom stems, kale stems, celery ends, pepper tops, etc) in the freezer. It's kind of amazing how quickly it all builds up. After a couple of weeks I easily have enough scraps to make a batch of veg broth.

(Hint- a jalapeño top is a great addition to give the broth a bit of a kick!)

I simply dump all my frozen odds and ends in my large pasta pot. Sometimes I sauté it briefly with or without olive oil and then fill the pot with water until it covers all my veggies. I bring it up to a boil, add a few peppercorns, bay leaves, and a little salt. Stir the pot to make sure everything it covered then reduce the heat and let it simmer uncovered for about 1 hour. Sneak a taste at some point and add more salt if needed.

Then turn off the heat and let cool. Use a cheese cloth or dish towel to drain and squeeze all the water out of the veggies. Then I bottle it all up, date it, and freeze most of it. I find small jars work well for me so that I can defrost small amounts at a time and not waste anything. Once defrosted the broth should be used in 3-7 days.

Taco Night

These tacos were inspired by the 'lime cilantro portobello tacos' from a house in the hills blog.

Portobello mushrooms were marinated in olive oil, lime juice, chopped cilantro, and salt. They would have been great grilled, but I baked them in the oven (6 minutes per side) instead and they still came out great.

We topped them with a black bean mango avocado salsa (ah-mazing!),  tzatziki sauce, and a few thinly sliced red onions, jalapeños, and cilantro stems.

Yum!

Black beans, avocado, mango, tomato, cilantro, squeeze of lime, cracked pepper, salt, and a pinch of cumin and coriander

Sliced mushrooms and a few of the toppings

Greek yogurt, grated cucumber (peeled and innards scooped out), pressed garlic, salt, drizzle of olive oil.

Buffet style set up with warmed tortillas at the top.

Voila! Taco!

My Brother's Brew

While visiting my brothers house this weekend I had the pleasure of sampling this home brewed IPA. It was nicely hopped and paired well with portobello mushroom burgers.

Ravioli with tomatoes, beans, and spinach

Got this recipe from the Y bulletin board

Greenbeans & Potatoes

Dinner was delicious!

Spinach salad with Gorgonzola and sliced almonds- dressed in olive oil and vinegar

Mrs. Ma's greenbeans! My childhood best friend's Mom made the most amazing greenbeans and I made her give my mom the recipe. This is a vegged version, using tofurkey sausage instead of ground pork. I think it would also be good using mushrooms or tofu. The 'meat' is marinated in soy sauce (I used liquid aminos) and a little cornstarch. That was then sautéed in olive oil ( I think peanut oil would be really good too) then add LOTS of greenbeans and mix around. Add about 4 ounces of hoison sauce (chopped garlic, PB, rice vinegar, sesame oil, sriracha, black pepper) and 4 ounces water. Mix, cover pot, turn down/off heat, and steam.

Scalloped potatoes via Veganomicon- potatoes slices to 1/8 inch and artfully layered in pan. Pour veg broth and almond milk over top. Cover in nutritional yeast. Drizzle with veg broth and olive oil. Top with more nooch, dried basil, thyme, rosemary, paprika, and salt. (I also added red pepper flakes. Roast at 400 degrees covered for 35 minutes, then uncovered for 15 minutes.

Greens, grains, and tofu

Buffalo Hummus