Eats

It's pretty safe to say that I am NOT a foodie. I mean, don't get me wrong, I do love food. A lot. And booze. A lot. But, I don't really have a sophisticated palate or anything, but I also don't eat things like carrot dogs (if you don't know what I'm referring to here, then be thankful)... so... bear that in mind during this post.

I just wanted to share some things that I've been making at home and loving (I've linked where you can find the recipes online).

Yotam Ottolenghi's Brussels Sprouts and Tofu

Wow. You can't tell what any of this is from the photo.

Clearly, I am not a food photographer, either.

Listen, I know what you're thinking. Let's combine two of the most loathed foods in the world and throw them together! YUM! But, really, this was wonderfully easy (and cheap!) and so damn tasty. I would have NEVER thought to put brussels sprouts in a stir-fry type dish, but it worked so well! Crispy and fresh with the brussels sprouts and chewy and hearty with the tofu. I received Ottolenghi's cookbook Plenty for Christmas and this recipe was in it (although the link above is the same recipe). His recipes are so simple and there are familiar flavor profiles, but he puts them together in an unexpected way.

Angry, Saucy Cauliflower

So, I take a head of cauliflower, break it down into florets, throw some salt, oil, and garlic powder on it and roast it in the oven at 425 till it starts to get a little brown. Meanwhile, I saute up an onion and sometimes some sliced mushrooms in a huge pan on the stove. Once the onions are translucent and the mushrooms have browned a little, I add a jar of arrabiata sauce (Harris Teeter brand is my fave) and let it warm up. Once the cauliflower is browned up in the oven, I gently stir it into the angry sauce. Sometimes, I'll add some tofurkey italian sausage to it. Delicious over pasta, rice, or quinoa. But, honestly, it's even good without that.

Don't knock it till you try it, yo!

"Meat"loaf

I KNOW, it looks gross.

But meatloaf is supposed to look gross!

 

I tweak this recipe a bit. I use 40oz of mushrooms (!), skip the eggs, and use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese. It is time consuming. But worth it.

Ottolenghi's Roasted Butternut Squash and Red Onion

My favorite recipe. The mix of butternut squash and red onion with a tahini sauce. HEAVEN. I usually serve over brown rice or quinoa.

Quinoa Butternut Squash Casserole

 

I cook up some quinoa with a veggie bouillon cube and set aside. I roast up some butternut squash in the oven, saute some mushrooms, onion, and kale (all separately) and add to the cooked quinoa. I whiz up some soaked cashews, veggie bouillon cube, nutritional yeast, sriracha, garlic, salt, and water (to get a saucy consistency) in a blender and then stir everything together and bake in the oven till warmed through.

Anyway, those are some of my favorite recipes these days.