Nourishing Flourishing

FRIENDS.

I’m back.

Sorry about the weeks-long hiatus. Life got crazy like whoa very, very quickly — pretty much as soon as my grad classes started up, and I took a new job, and so on. Enter: Katie’s Life Without Any Free Time Whatsoever. Thank you so much for being understanding and supportive while I adjusted! If I have missed an email or anything, please let me know; I’m worried that some things got lost in the chaos. : / Also. I’m going to aim for posting at least once a week from now on. Let’s hope I can manage that. I missed blogging! I missed chatting with you guys, cooking crazy things, and telling you about it. It’s true that having to take a break from the internet in general was also seriously refreshing. But I am delighted to be back. And with a very worthy recipe to celebrate!

Now let me explain — this recipe looks complicated. It looks like it will take hours to make. It looks like it has a lot of ingredients. But really, this took me about 45 minutes total, prep and cook time, and it’s actually fairly simple. Plus, doesn’t it just look and sound so classy?

Ok, I admit it; I’m a grad student who huddles around free food at lectures. And puts samples in my pockets. That have holes in them. My already questionable hygiene has taken a further hit due to studying. An apple with gobs of peanut butter suffices as a meal on (frequent) occasion. Nearly all my clothes are thrifted.

I know nothing of classiness.

I came across a photo of a Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin on Pinterest way back when, and while I wasn’t so keen on the recipe itself (especially since it had gluten in it, ha), I fell in love with the visual. I actually bought cherry tomatoes at the store every single week while I was away from the blog, vowing that I would find time to make the tomato tart of my dreams… And here we are, three or four weeks and pints of tomatoes later, with — at last! — my own gluten-free, grain-free, and vegan version of a savory tart. I knew I’d get around to it! Good thing those overripe, wrinkly, geriatric tomatoes are easily disguised by the oven’s magic. : )

Sweet and Savory Balsamic Caramelized Onion and Cherry Tomato Tart

This tart has a buttery crust that mimics a glutenous one beautifully. It is topped with sweet caramelized onions and garlic — I use red onions for a richer flavor. The touch of balsamic vinegar carries the sweetness of the onions and candy-sweet, juicy tomatoes, while also bringing the perfect amount of complexity and depth to this (surprisingly) simple, high-protein dish. It’s savory, sweet, and one of the most delicious things I have ever made.

Inspired by this Caramelized Tomato Tarte Tatin.

Ingredients:

Crust
1/2 C garbanzo bean (chickpea or besan) flour
1/2 C blanched almond flour (how to make your own)
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 C water
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Topping
1 small red onion (or half of a medium)
1.5 Tb extra virgin olive oil
salt
2 cloves garlic
2 Tb balsamic vinegar (plus more for drizzling)
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes (you might not use all of it)

Recipe:

Crust
1) Mix dry ingredients in a bowl.
2) Add water and mix thoroughly with a fork.
3) Add olive oil and mix thoroughly.
4) Preheat oven to 350*. On a parchment-lined baking sheet, using wet hands, press dough into an even circle.
6) Using a fork, pierce the dough to create vents all over. Place in oven and begin working on topping. (You will remove the crust once it turns a light tan on the very edges.)

Tart Topping

1) As crust bakes, slice onion into thin rounds.
2) Heat olive oil in a cast-iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions.
3) Sprinkle onions generously with salt to make them sweat. Stir occasionally.
4) Chop garlic, and once onions are translucent and beginning to brown, add garlic.
5) Stir occasionally to keep garlic from burning, but since you want the onions to caramelize, you can just leave them alone for the most part. Once they turn a beautiful dark brown, turn off the burner, and add the balsamic vinegar.
6) Scrape the skillet as the vinegar reduces down and infuses the onions and garlic.
7) Your crust should be ready by now, if it wasn’t beforehand. Remove it when it is a light tan on the edges. Keep the oven on.
8 ) Spread the onion/garlic/balsamic mixture onto the crust.
9) Quickly slice the tomatoes in half and arrange on top of the onion mixture.
10) Return tart to oven. Once the edges of the tart are lightly browned (see pictures) and the tomatoes are cooked (starting to break and release their juice, or wrinkly, or swollen), remove. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and serve.

Serves two as a meal, or six to eight as an appetizer.
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We literally devoured the entire thing in five minutes. There are simply no words. None.

And since I’ve probably overwhelmed you with the apparent length of the recipe, I’ll close it down here. (Also, it is waaay past my bedtime, and I am suddenly very committed to getting a solid set of hours in each night. Amazingly, sleep makes the waking hours more productive. Who knew, right?)

Yay — I’m blogging again! Give me a day or so to catch up on comments — it’s unlikely that I’ll be able to respond as quickly as in the past, but it is still so important to me to keep up our conversation. Comments and emails will always be a priority, so don’t think I care less just because I’m posting less! New recipes are coming, friends. I have so many tasty ideas percolating that I really had to restrain myself from experimenting in the kitchen all night on Sunday, when I made this dish. This is a very good thing.

OK — what did I miss this month? How have you been?!

Any requests?

xo.

So I had the privilege to meet dear, sweet blog reader Brenda before she moved away — but I got the most adorable text message from her yesterday saying she made the baked beans (one of my most popular recipes) and loved them, and when the heck am I going to post more recipes?! Well, she said it a lot cuter and nicer than that. <3 Sure, I’ve been super busy, but y’know, the time has come!

Truth is, the BFF Manfriend has been doing 90% of the cooking lately, while I’ve been scrambling. And I don’t mean eggs. In fact, this meal was inspired by the man himself. And his version actually might have been better. Also a true story. I know that you might think, Hey, this has two recipes, it can’t be fast or easy! But I promise – it’s simple, delicious, and can be thrown together in probably fifteen — tops twenty — minutes. I say this with confidence because yesterday I ran to the store down the street, and when I came back, the BFF Manfriend announced dinner was ready. Um. Yes? And you thought the mango heart was sweet.

This the perfect recipe if you (or a generous friend — thanks Ann!) have an abundance of tomatoes from your garden, getting way too ripe on your counter.

The tomatoes are strained of their seeds/juice, cooked down with a little olive oil, and seasoned as a tomato should be — with only salt, pepper, and oregano. The reserved juice and seeds aren’t wasted, though — they are added to lend some piquancy to the other layer of the meal — cooked black beans, which are seasoned with just some salt, pepper, cumin, and a touch of oregano.

Here’s what it looks like when those tomaters are all good and squeezed:

After mashing or blending the bean mixture (the Husband smashes; I blend [lazy]), you spread them on a slice of GF bread, and dollop on a spoonful of Succulent Tomato Topping. With salad on the side, this is an efficient (read: fast), high-protein, nutritious, vegan, and totally delicious meal. I like to think of it as “Grad School Gourmet” — cheap, but with a touch of class. I mean, I used “piquancy” to describe it. That’s not only a GRE word, it’s definitely made the rounds in fine cooking magazines…

NOTE: You do not have to include the strained tomato juices/seeds; feel free to omit the step of adding it to the beans and just dispose of it.

Simple, Succulent Tomato Topping

Ingredients
1.5 TB extra virgin olive oil
5 small to medium-sized tomatoes
1/2 t salt
1/2 t coarse ground pepper
1 TB oregano

Recipe
1) Quarter tomatoes and remove seed pulp/juice (you can just squeeze them or run your fingertip along the seed line to remove). Reserve juice in a separate container.
2) Coarsely chop tomatoes.
3) Warm olive oil in a cast iron skillet over medium-high, and add tomatoes, salt, pepper, and oregano.
4) Stir occasionally to keep from sticking; allow tomatoes to cook down (5-10 minutes).
5) Turn off heat, and, using a spoon or spatula, drain liquid into the container with the other tomato seed pulp/juice. Taste, add more seasoning if necessary.

Makes about 1/2 cup, depending on the size of the tomatoes. It should be enough for about 4 large slices of bread.

Classed-Up Quick Bean Spread

Ingredients
Reserved tomato juice/seeds from recipe above
1 1/4 C prepared black beans (= 1 14.5 oz can, rinsed and drained)
1 1/2 TB cumin
1/2 t salt
1/2 t coarse ground pepper
1/2 t oregano

Recipe
1) Combine all ingredients in a shallow bowl and mash until combined — OR — place all in a blender and process until desired texture — OR — combine in a bowl and use an immersion blender until desired texture. Taste and adjust spicing accordingly.
2) Spread or pour (depending on consistency) over toast, and cover with Simple Succulent Tomato Topping.

Makes about 1 – 1 1/4 cups — enough to top 4 large slices of bread.

Mmm… Bean-y Bruschetta.

Like I said in the note above, the beans will be thicker if you add less (or no) juice. Also, as always, play with the spicing to your preference! These recipes are so simple that the real gem here is just the method; it’s amazing how easy it can be to just put a little bit of a different spin on something traditional, and end up with deliciousness. This felt like comfort food gone… adult.

What surprise meal successes have you had lately?

If you have a garden, or know anyone who does, then you probably know what I mean when I talk about “zucchini monsters” and “squash bats.” Bats as in the baseball variety, not the animal. As in… “My summer squash is out of control and taking over my garden and growing to the size of baseball bats before I can even get to it!” Yep. That’s what’s happening ’round here. We are frantically harvesting summer squash and passing it off to just about anyone who will take it. We have a tiny plot, but we still had seven chock-full grocery bags last week. We keep showing up at all our friends’ doors with bags and bundles of the yellow gourds. Every day. Sometimes twice a day, if we’re feeling frisky. Our friends hate us. They are probably preparing to hold a No More Summer Squash protest at our little community garden plot tomorrow.

Good thing it’s completely — and I do mean completely — covered with squash plant tentacles, ready to intimidate and/or devour anyone who gets too close to all those little yellow babies it can’t stop popping out.

Anyway, as a result of this total domination of our garden, we’ve had to stretch our creative muscles. Hence, this deliciously gluten-free, vegan, high protein, and healthy spin on potato latkes. I considered spicing ‘em up more, but frankly they taste like an explosive collision of Awesome and Garden Vegetables. So. They didn’t need it. The pancakes (for lack of a better term) are crisp on the outside, and succulent on the inside. Yes, I just used “succulent” to reference vegetables. These are quite versatile, and would be perfect for a meal anytime of day! Especially if, you know…you have 100 lbs of summer squash to eat through in one week.

Keep a look out for more posts on cooking seasonally, and especially what to do with all those oppressively high-yielding crops.

Ingredients:
2 C grated summer squash (I used yellow, but you could try zucchini —  if zucchini, I’d add an extra Tb or two of chickpea flour and squeeze out all the excess moisture you can!)
1/4 C grated carrots
1/4 C chopped/chiffonaded fresh spinach
1/4 C diced red onion
1/2 C chickpea (garbanzo) flour (you may need a dash more)
1/2 t salt
1/2 t oregano
pepper to taste
dash of cayenne (if desired)
2 Tb extra virgin olive oil

Recipe:
1) After squash is grated, wring out excess water (you can press it through a cauldron, or pat it with paper towels, etc.) — don’t omit this, or they might turn out too soggy.
2) Mix all vegetables and spices in a medium sized bowl.
3) Mix in chickpea flour. Allow chickpea flour to absorb the vegetables’ moisture for about 5 minutes.
4) Heat ~1-2 Tb oil in a large frying pan or skillet over medium heat.
5) Drop squash mix by rounded (table)spoon into skillet, flattening and shaping with spoon.
6) After roughly 1-2 minutes, use a spatula to carefully flip each pancake.
7) Once both sides are browned, remove, add more oil if needed, and repeat until all the batter is gone.

The BFF Manfriend and our good buddy Dan came home from their lunch not too long after I made these. And so ended the existence of the squash pancakes. Also, so began the story of my husband asking me to make these for dinner every night this week.

Somehow, I think we’ll be able to swing that.

(The recipe, not the squash bat… [<-- that one was for you, Dad.])

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesday at Simply Sugar and Gluten-Free.

Do you have a garden? A CSA?

An overly “generous” neighbor who can’t stop bringing you yellow squash? (I knocked and knocked — where were you?! P.S. I have more squash!)

What abundance of seasonal produce is taking over your kitchen?

Oh, hey. Just bought you a ticket to Yum Town. Ready to board?

(Awkward silence.)

Sorry. But seriously. This is beyond words. Still, I am rarely without words, even if something lies far outside the bounds of them. (= I am really annoying.) So let me attempt to explain this to you. Did you know the secret to awesome baked beans is mustard? Yes. Many of you suggested I make this dish in a GF and vegan reconstruction for Memorial Day BBQs. I must admit, I was thinking the same thing. I tried making baked beans the other day by starting with tomato paste. No dice. Too tomato-y. If I have a fail in the kitchen, for some reason it seems like a statement about the state of my life more generally. Bad batch of baked beans = Katie is the worst thing ever and has no purpose. Yep. That’s why I need to write posts like my Think This, Not That series… I am a crazy=pants. So, anyway. I (wo)manned-up, and put my big girl apron on. I tried to summon all my baked bean wisdom and experiences. There was a lot of bacon in that zone, so I tried to go a little deeper… There has to be a (non-meat) secret ingredient, right? I remembered my mom always casually just squeezing half a bottle of mustard into her baked beans. Wait, I thought. Wait just a second. I know what I’m doing wrong here. I’m trying too hard to do this on my own. Think back. Use The Force.

What now, Baked Beans? I will slay you. And no pork necessary. Suckahhh.

Ingredients:
1 can (about 1 1/2 C) cooked white beans (I used Great Northern, but Cannelini or even Pinto would work too)
1/2 C water
extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion (I always use red, but do whatever)
1 large or 2 medium sized cloves garlic
2 Tb ketchup (I strongly suggest this awesome agave-sweetened kind by Organicville. It’s rocked my condiment-loving-world.)
2 Tb yellow mustard (prepared — not the powder)
2 Tb molasses
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t garlic powder
salt, pepper, cayenne

Recipe:
1) Chop onions and add them to a stovetop pan with olive oil (I used about 1 Tb evoo) over medium heat.
2) Dice garlic, and add to onion. Sprinkle both with salt, and cook until almost caramelized (browned).
3) You should have a crust of residue from the caramelizing; add just a splash (2-3 Tb?) of water to “deglaze.” Remove from heat.
4) Add rinsed, cooked beans and sprinkle with salt (important to salt the beans, especially after they’ve been rinsed). Set aside.
5) In an 8×8 pyrex baking dish, mix remaining ingredients (I added just a sprinkle of cayenne — feel free to omit).
6) Add beans, onions, and garlic.
7) Place in a preheated 350* oven. Let cook until a nice little pseudo-crust has formed on top (~20/30 minutes?), and remove.

Yum Town arrival.

I will be the first to say I think these are even better if they sit overnight in the fridge. Aren’t most things? Especially beans. Also, my husband thinks this dish would be additionally awesome with a higher ratio of beans — feel free to add more, of course! I like mine either way.

Edited to Add: Also, I would strongly recommend doubling, tripling, or quadrupling this recipe. It’s ridiculous. One person already made this and said: “Dude…those baked beans were out of control good. Only thing I would do differently is double the recipe!” So. Take the wonderful Hilary Tina’s advice. She knows what she’s talking about. : )

I was aiming for a flavor similar to the Busch’s of old, but I think I might actually prefer some extra mustard for tang. The wonderful part of this dish is that you can easily adapt it even after it comes out of the oven. Try a taste. Not zingy enough? Add more mustard. Not sweet enough? Add a glop more molasses and/or ketchup. It’s a beautiful thing, this dish. A beautiful, tasty thing.

Featured in Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays.

Have a great (Memorial) day! What are you cookin’ up (activity-wise, and food-wise)?

Not going to lie… I meant to attempt this when I first made my other 3 dessert hummus recipes, but ultimately ran out of time and ingredients. So today, I actually followed through on my conception: something reminiscent of the cinnamon sugar toast I loved in my youth, but packed with nutrition. Dippable, dunkable, spreadable. Snack or dessert. Yum Town. It was definitely worth the wait! When I had the BFF Manfriend taste test it, he said it was like cinnamon frosting. Um…how can that be bad?! We loved it. This is perfect for topping oats (not only a boost of protein, but remember: it tastes like frosting, friends. Frosting.), toast, graham crackers, tortillas, apples, bananas, and pretty much anything that can otherwise be used as a vehicle to your mouth.

Like last time, I want to thank Evan at The Wannabe Chef for the inspiration! After I stumbled upon his dessert hummus, I knew I was in for it. As you can see from that last 3-recipe-post extravaganza — Evan…you’ve ruined me. It’s all hummus, all the time over here now. (Note: I just now saw he has since posted a snickerdoodle hummus, too!)

Ingredients
1 C cooked and well-rinsed white beans (if chickpeas, peel for smoother texture)
2 Tb cashew butter (or any natural nut butter, though flavor may vary)
1/2 C sweet potato puree (or pumpkin puree)
2 t vanilla
3 Tb agave, 100% maple syrup, or honey (I used a natural maple-flavored agave)
2 Tb cinnamon
sprinkle of salt

Recipe
1) Place all but cinnamon into food processor (or blender) and whir it up until everything is smooth.
2) Add cinnamon (start with just 1 Tb at first if you are cinnamon-shy, adding more as you like) and continue to process.
3) Spoon into a bowl and serve. (Feel free to be real classy like me and drizzle just a little agave on top, and dash cinnamon for garnish. The simple things… The simple things.)

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More flavors coming soon…obviously. ; ) And do I need to tell you how healthy this is? Hellooo Protein!  Oh, and hey Fiber — didn’t see you there in all that deliciousness. Yo! Antioxidants! Didn’t know you were coming to the party — so glad you could make it! Cinnamon, you old anti-inflammatory, how you doin’ these days? (….Annnd SCENE.)

But seriously. This is awesome. If you’re wondering about the sweet potato puree, you can either nuke a sweet potato in the microwave (I don’t have one), bake it in the oven, or boil it on the stove. I boiled mine and processed it before adding other ingredients — it ended up being 1 small tater. Easy peasy!

(Part of Slightly Indulgent Tuesday)

What are you doing to celebrate TGIF
(other than wishing ABC would bring the real TGIF back)?

(Warning: It feels like this post ought to be titled “The One With All The Parentheses”…)

I didn’t plan on sharing this particular recipe with you today, but my friend (unknowingly) gave me encouragement when she told me the photos of it looked pretty. I really want her to be able to make it. Because even though she’s “had” it, she hasn’t. (Dear Friend, please don’t hate me for posting about you.) I thought I would give her the recipe today, and figured, hey, you guys might want in on the delicious too.

So, this good friend whom I blog stalk was having a rough week. Not in the sense that she was an emotional mess, or anything less than outrageously strong, positive, and beautiful; no one is as graceful as she when it comes to dealing with shiz. But some serious shiz she was indeed handed, and had to have a week of general lameness/delta-ness to take care of it. I wish that this friend lived closer (you know, a few thousand miles closer), because I would have liked to make her some soup. Because soup always makes me feel better when I am under the weather…so to speak. I thought to myself, “Self, what can you do if you can’t bring your lovely friend soup, since she refuses to move closer so you can stalk her in person doesn’t live nearby?” Then I had an idea.

Make her soup. Deliver via the glories of technology. I mean, we laugh virtually, right? Why not give a knock-knock and drop by some food lovin’ virtually?

So as I chopped, stirred, and simmered, I thought of my dear friend. I sent her good vibes. I prayed. I pretended double rainbows were shooting out from my belly in rays of love to her…

I even enjoyed the soup for her. (I know, I’m such a good friend to eat her soup gift.) But seriously, I love, love, love her. And cooking delectable, nourishing food for people you love (even if they can’t really be there to savor it with you) is what this blog and recipe are all about. So why should I keep it secret? You’re right. No good reason.

This may seem like more ingredients than I usually incorporate (because…well…it is!) — but, this really is simple still, and comes together quickly. It’s basically chop, chop, chop, pour into the pot, stir, walk away. Easy easy. You can obviously tweak this to your preferences/what you have on hand; I just loved the minestrone feel this combination offered.

Ingredients
3 quarts water or broth
salt
Extra virgin olive oil
1 small red onion
1 small butternut squash, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic
2 stalks celery
2 small carrots
1 28 oz can diced tomatoes
2 Tb oregano
1 1/2 Tb basil
1/2 Tb paprika
pepper (I prefer coarse ground)
3 cups (or two cans) cooked white beans
1 bunch kale (or two, if you’re crazy like me)

Recipe
1) Chop onion, squash, garlic, celery, and carrots.
2) Coat the bottom of a large soup pot with a few tablespoons of oil and turn to medium heat.
3) Add squash and onion, stirring to keep from burning. (I add a few sprinkles of salt to make ‘em sweat out some moisture.)
4) Once onions become soft and translucent, add garlic, celery, and carrots. Continue to stir occasionally.
5) When a fork can fairly easily pierce the squash, add water/broth, tomatoes, and spices.
6) Turn heat to medium-high, and allow to boil for 10 minutes or so. (Optional, I just find it develops the flavors.)
7) Add beans and kale, and generously salt and pepper to taste. Simmer until ready to serve.

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It is utterly overflowing with nutrition, too. Protein from the beans and kale, not to mention satiating fiber and vitamins and minerals (kale is a calcium hero)! Look out. This soup is a powerhouse. Like I said, it sounds complicated, but truly, it isn’t — especially considering the minimal time investment for the outcome! This makes a LOT of soup, which is awesome for meal planning during the week. Like most good savory dishes, this is even better the next day. It keeps amazingly well, and is easily extended into more servings by adding extra veggies, water, or beans. Perfect with a hunk of burning love gluten-free bread.

Oh yeah, and if you are dismissin’ my soup — guess what?

But seriously. Try it. : )

Do you make soup a lot? What’s your favorite?

So, I know I’m talking about beans quite bit lately… Beans in soup, beans in curry, beans in pizza, beans in crackers, beans in desserts… Who knows where beans will end up next?! (Don’t answer that…) Anyway, these ubiquitous little balls of protein are showing up just one more place today, before I lay them to rest (for a week, at least)…. Now I know this seems boring. Unfried Refried Beans? But hear me out: 1) This is the easiest recipe for beans ever. 2) It’s one of the healthiest things you can eat. 3) It’s insanely delicious. Better than the lard-infused kind my dad grew up with and reminisces about. My husband begs — begs — me to make these every week. And they’re so easy, I usually do. And every time, he takes a bite, closes his eyes, and gives me his Giada face:

Then he sings my the beans’ praises — because you know they’re simply the best.

(I just wish he would sing it with a horse next to him. While wearing high heeled booties. And a leotard. You go Tina.)

So. Trust me that these really are worth having more beans in your life, and on the blog. Speaking of the blog (and not fleeing it due to the prevalent bean-centric recipes), I have so many posts lined up for the next month that I am seriously excited to share. A few of you have already made awesome general and recipe requests; feel free to leave a comment, tweet, or email me if you have any in mind, too!

Ok. Wow. ADD runs strong in this family. –> The beans.
I used a mix of dried adzuki and black beans to make this batch, because it’s what I had on hand, but truly you can use whatever bean you like. Also, this is an excellent way to save money — dried beans are pretty much always cheaper than canned! You can make this on the stove instead of in a crockpot; just soak your beans the night before, and cook until very soft. Then follow steps 4-6. Simple simple.

Ingredients:
2 C dry beans
6 C water
2 t salt
2 t coarse ground pepper
7 cloves garlic, chopped (not too small)
2 Tb oregano
1 1/2 T cumin
1 t paprika
cayenne and extra salt to taste

Recipe:
1) Add everything to the crockpot.
2) Set to High.
3) Walk away for a few hours.
4) Once everything is nice and soft (beans break easily — mine took about 5 hours), pour out most of the excess water, reserve 1 cup of beans if you like it chunky, and transfer everything else to a blender or food processor. (Be careful — it’s hot!)
5) Add lots of salt (if you’re like me, at least). Whir it up to the consistency you like.
6) Pour into a bowl, and add reserved beans (if you like it chunky). Mix them in, mashing a little along the way.

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That’s it! Sometimes I find I like to add a few more sprinkles of spice at the end, just to give it extra pop. I ate mine with — what else? — more beans: my herbed chickpea crack-ers. I know, I have a problem. Please do something normal, like putting it in a burrito with non-bean complements… Oy.

Ok. No beans in sight for a while — promise! < 3
How do you eat your beans? Post requests?

Part of the Pennywise Platter Carnival

We like to joke in our family that the women on my mom’s side have a problem — we love salt, we love vinegar, and we loooove CRUNCH. If crunch were an entity in itself, rather than a quality, I would have married myself off to Crunch decades ago. God forbid any Star Trek crazy alternate realities in which Crunch is an entity. And single.

This is getting awkward, isn’t it? Ok. Well, all that silence on your end and blabbing on about Crunch on my end aside, I should tell you… *deep breath*: I am a crack[er] addict. When I left gluten behind, and soon after grains altogether (yes, I know! I’ll share more about that in an upcoming post; it’s a long story), the most challenging part of my new eating style was that I could only crunch on so many roasted almonds before I felt like I was turning into one.

(“Violet, you’re turning violet, Violet!” <– Only replace “Violet” with “Almond,” and forget the whole spoiled-rich-brat thing…)

Needless to say, I am so, so, so grateful to be able to expand my Crunchy repertoire again!

You all know I’m on a chickpea flour kick lately; I make something with it literally every day. I decided that since I’m happily married, I should meddle, and try to match-make my favorite single friends. Isn’t that what married people do? (Joke.) Crunch, meet Chick Flour. Chick Flour, Crunch.

It was lust love at first bite.

Ingredients:
3 Tb ground flax seed
1/2 C + 2 Tb water
1 C chickpea (garbanzo bean) flour
1/2 t salt
1/2 T extra virgin olive oil
1 Tb rosemary
1 t basil

Recipe:
1) Preheat oven at 350*. Make flax egg by mixing water and flax. Set aside to thicken for a few minutes.
2) Mix dry ingredients.
3) Add wet ingredients to dry and stir to combine. (If you need to add another TB or two water, go ahead.)
4) Wet hands with water, and remove dough from bowl.
5) Place dough on a parchment paper-laden baking sheet, and begin to flatten with hands (you may need to keep re-wetting them with water). The thinner, the crisper (but also potentially more delicate).
6) Once you’ve shaped the dough, you can sprinkle a little extra salt on the top (or way too much, like I did), or just pop ‘em in the oven as-is.
7) Watch closely; when edges and top are browned, remove them. It will vary depending on your oven (mine took about 15-20 minutes). The longer they are in there, and the longer they cool, the crisper they will be.

You can immediately break them apart by hand (I did) for a more rustic cut, or score them before they go into the oven. Either way, let them cool 1/2 an hour before chowing, so they can crisp up.

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Did I mention how these really do have the texture of a quality cracker? That they can stand up to the test of hearty dips (I think this would be insanely delicious with tapenade)? That they are healthy to boot — high in protein, iron, fiber, and the antioxidant manganese? Oh, and that they’re vegan? You’re welcome. <3

What healthy crunchables do you enjoy? Have you “married” any wonder foods together lately?

Ok, so perhaps this is not an entirely appropriate or accurate title. I just really want at least one recipe in my repertoire that has the word “wino” in it. But it’s true that wine (whether it be the good stuff, the cheap stuff, or the only-for-cooking stuff) really makes this soup what it is: ah-mazing. We even went so far as to use Spanish red wine, keeping this dish as authentic as possible. My father’s side of the family is Spanish, so this was especially delightful to make.

A couple times a month (for the past 3 years) we go visit our friends about an hour away to share a meal, good conversation, and lots of love. Allegra, a 70-something hiker extraordinaire, is one of the healthiest and most hospitable cooks I know. This Friday, she served up a similar soup that she found in a vegan cookbook (clearly, she’s awesome). It totally inspired me to create a recipe that captured the main flavors of the black beans, wine, and wine. I mean…cumin… But really, what’s more Spanish than good wine? ;  )

Ingredients
4 Qt water (add more if needed)
2 C dry black beans
8 cloves garlic (feel free to use less…we just have an addiction problem)
3 large carrots
3 stalks celery
1 red onion
1 Tb oregano
1 Tb cumin
Cayenne pepper
Salt + Pepper
1 C red wine

Recipe
1) Boil beans and water on high for 20 minutes, reduce to medium until cooked. Reduce to low.
2) Chop garlic, celery, carrots, and onion
3) Add chopped veggies, spices, and wine, and allow to cook until your desired texture.

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I love the deep, rich color of this light, satisfying soup! Feeds at least 4 adults, but more likely 6, especially if you serve ample sides (avocado, organic or vegan pepper jack cheese, chips, etc.)

The next day, we went on a nice long hike, and if you hike, you know that when it’s over you need to eat. FAST. As we descended, we couldn’t stop talking about future travel plans, with the leftover soup interweaving itself into every other sentence. We came (home). We saw (the soup). We conquered. It’s gone.

Hope you had a fun, relaxing, flourishing weekend! Remember, health is always a venture in balance (and fun :  )

So my husband decided it would be funny to take pictures when I wasn’t paying attention. Here is the result (there’s a reason for me sharing this, bear with me)….[Note: I cannot be held responsible for the lack of quality of these photos ;  ) ]

Ok, film strip done. I find it ridiculous that I had no idea what was going on that entire time. Clearly, I need to pay better attention. Now, the point is this: it is insanely easy to make a fast, healthy, delicious lunch. I looked in the fridge, and just started putting things together! The key is to have healthy ingredients on hand. Here’s what my main dish was — it took about 3 minutes total to prepare (cook –> in my mouth):

- romaine lettuce
- leftover cooked white beans
- scrambled ethically sourced egg
- homemade salsa verde
– small amount of organic pepper jack cheese
- hot sauce (my weakness)

(I did eat other things alongside it that took no preparation, e.g., perhaps a scone?!)

So, thanks Husband for catching a moment in the life of Katie, and for reminding me that I never need to fret if I’m late — food finds a way to come together fast :  )

What’s your favorite “fast” meal to throw together in a rush?