Vegetarian Korean BBQ Bowls or Lettuce Wraps (Cupbop Copycat)

Sources here and here

Korean BBQ Lentils:
1 tablespoon light oil (such as canola or vegetable)
1/2 an onion, finely chopped
1 cup lentils
2 cups water
Sauce (you know me - all measurements are estimates):
     1/4 cup soy sauce
     1/8 cup BBQ sauce or hoisin sauce (or a combination of both)
     2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
     2 tablespoons rice vinegar
     2 cloves garlic, minced
     1 tsp ginger
     1 tsp sesame oil
     pinch crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
     cornstarch (optional - see note below)

Bowls or Lettuce Wraps : 
1/4 - 1/2 Head Shredded Lettuce or chilled lettuce leaves
3 Cups Rice, cooked
Korean BBQ Lentils
Creamy-Spicy Sauce (1/4 cup mayo/miracle whip + sriracha or mae ploy sauce to taste)
Bean Thread (optional)
Optional garnishes: green onions, sesame seeds

Directions:
1. Cook rice and soak bean thread
2. In a small bowl, combine the sauce ingredients
3. In a skillet or saucepan, saute the onion in the light oil until softened and starting to brown.
4. Add lentils, water, and sauce to the onion. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer according to lentil package directions.
5. Mix creamy-spicy sauce in a small bowl or cup.
6. Assemble as a bowl or lettuce wrap, as desired. Top with some creamy-spicy sauce and garnishes.

Notes:
I was looking for a new lentil-based recipe tonight and stumbled upon a Sweet Korean Lentils recipe (linked above) that made me think of Cupbop! (One of our favorites!) So I googled a "cupbop copycat" recipe and a few minutes later I was in the kitchen whipping these babies up. Whoa - so amazing! Super easy, fairly healthy, and crazy delicious! One cooking note: I don't know about you, but lentils always take WAY longer to cook than the package says for me (or maybe we just like them too soft?), so I think in the future I'll just use the slow cooker. Also, at the very end of cooking the lentils, I wanted them to be a less lentil+broth and a little more combined, so I added a bit of cornstarch+cold water to thicken it up.

Creamy (without any cream) Cauliflower Soup

Source: America's Test Kitchen

Ingredients:
1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)
8 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into 8 pieces (I used salted - I'm no foodie!)
1 leek, white and light green parts only, halved lengthwise, sliced thin, and washed thoroughly
1 small onion, halved and sliced thin
Salt and pepper
4 1/2 – 5 cups water
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar (I just have boring white vinegar, and it was fine)
3 Tablespoons minced fresh chives (no chives here, just a green onion, which was fantastic)

Directions:
Pull off outer leaves of cauliflower and trim stem. Using paring knife, cut around core to remove; thinly slice core and reserve. Cut heaping 1 cup of 1/2-inch florets from head of cauliflower; set aside. Cut remaining cauliflower crosswise into 1/2-inch thick slices.

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in large saucepan over medium-low heat. Add leek, onion, and 1 1/2 teaspoons salt; cook, stirring frequently, until leek and onion are softened but not browned, about 7 minutes.

Increase heat to medium-high; add 4 1/2 cups water, sliced core, and half of sliced cauliflower; and bring to simmer. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer gently for 15 minutes. Add remaining sliced cauliflower, return to simmer, and continue to cook until cauliflower is tender and crumbles easily, 15 to 20 minutes longer.

While soup simmers, melt remaining 5 tablespoons butter in 8-inch skillet over medium heat. Add reserved florets and cook, stirring frequently, until florets are golden brown and butter is browned and imparts nutty aroma, 6 to 8 minutes. Remove skillet from heat and use slotted spoon to transfer florets to small bowl. Toss florets with vinegar and season with salt to taste. Pour browned butter in skillet into small bowl and reserve for garnishing.

Process soup in blender until smooth, about 45 seconds. Rinse out pan. Return pureed soup to pan and return to simmer over medium heat, adjusting consistency with remaining water as needed (soup should have thick, velvety texture but should be thin enough to settle with flat surface after being stirred) and seasoning with salt to taste. Serve, garnishing individual bowls with browned florets, drizzle of browned butter, and chives and seasoning with pepper to taste.

Notes:
While spending some time in a hotel room with cable TV, I found myself glued to the cooking shows on various channels.  One of my favorites is America's Test Kitchen because it combines science with cooking (two of my loves).  On the episode I watched  (you can watch the clip here) they made this cauliflower soup and I thought, "Man, I think I could do that!"  I've never before made (or attempted to make) anything I've seen on a cooking show on TV, but this time I looked up the recipe and tried it myself.  And it was totally doable and totally delicious.  It was pretty tasty and surprisingly easy (even the browned butter cauliflower floret garnish wasn't too much of a headache, and it made me feel super fancy to dress up my bowl that way).  I have visions of making this as the base for other creamy soups like clam chowder.  It was pretty remarkable how creamy it was without any milk or cream.  That's science for you (more details of the whys of that on their site).

Slow Cooker Vegetarian Lentil Sloppy Joes

Source

Ingredients:
1 cup dried brown or green lentils, rinsed
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp tomato paste
1 onion, chopped fine
1/2 red or green bell pepper, chopped fine
1 tbsp apple cider vinegar
1 tbsp minced garlic
1 1/2 tsp dried oregano
1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1 tbsp chili powder
1 tsp salt
freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste (I omitted to make it a little more family-friendly)

Directions:
1. Stir ingredients together right in the slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 7-8 hours. (I actually cooked mine on low for 10 hours and it was great)

Notes: We love lentils in our family. We also love replacing and/or supplementing meat with as many vegetables as possible, so this was a great fit for us. I didn't love the sauce and texture as much as I thought I would, so next time I think I'll just adapt Mom's sloppy joe recipe to use lentils and vegetables instead of meat, but the concept is a definite keeper! Oh, I also added a shredded carrots, maybe 1/2 - 1 cup.

Indian-Spiced Slow-Cooker Lentils

Ingredients

2 cups lentils
10 ounces spinach (fresh and chopped or frozen and thawed)
1 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced fresh ginger
4 cups chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you want to go vegetarian/vegan)
1 tablespoon curry powder or paste (I prefer curry paste)
1 teaspoon mustard seeds
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 teaspoons sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
Juice of 1/2 lemon or lime
Handful of chopped cilantro, plus more for garnish if desired

Directions

Combine all ingredients except for the lemon (or lime) juice and cilantro in the pot of a slow cooker. Cook on high for 3-4 hours or on low for 6-7 hours (or bring to a boil on the stove top and then simmer, covered, on low for 1 hour). Before serving, add the lemon juice and cilantro. This is delicious served over rice.

Directions: Delicious, hearty, and easy! I love keeping this in the fridge to pile on toast for a fast lunch. 

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Muffins (Whole Wheat)

Source

Ingredients

• 1 cup all-purpose flour (I use white whole wheat flour for this)
• 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup ground flaxseed or wheat germ
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon real salt
• 1 cup of pureed pumpkin (canned pure pumpkin is what I use)
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup 1% lowfat milk
• 1/3 cup oil (I use melted coconut oil)
• 1 teaspoon real vanilla
• 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips (or dark chocolate chips)

Instructions

 Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly oil or coat 12 muffin cups with nonstick cooking spray and set aside. 

Whisk together the flours, flaxseed, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt in a large bowl. Combine the pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, oil, milk, and vanilla in a medium bowl and stir until well combined. Pour the liquid ingredients over the dry ingredients and stir until just moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Spoon the batter into the prepared muffin cups. Bake 20-23 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Transfer the pan to a wire rack and cool 5 minutes. Remove the muffins and cool an additional 5 minutes before serving. 

Notes: Just like Heather's famous Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, but in muffin form! 

Pumpkin Pecan Pancakes (Whole Wheat)

Source

Ingredients: 

• 1 cup white whole wheat flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp pumpkin pie spice
• 1 cup buttermilk
• 3 large egg whites
• 1/4 cup canned pumpkin
• 2 tbsp pure maple syrup
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp oil
• 3 tbsp chopped pecans
• cooking spray
• warmed maple syrup, for topping (extra)

Directions: 

1. Mix all dry ingredients (first 5 ingredients) in a bowl.

2. Combine buttermilk, egg whites, canned pumpkin, 1 tbsp maple syrup, oil and vanilla in a bowl and mix until smooth. Combine wet ingredients with the dry and mix well with a spoon until there are no more dry spots then fold in pecans. Don't over-mix.

3. Cook as you would any other pancake. Serve with hot maple syrup.

Notes: These are amazing! Fall in your mouth. The crunchy nuts, aromatic spices, and hearty pumpkin flavor are purely perfect for this season. 

Slow Cooker Mexican Quinoa and Black Beans

Source:  365 Days of Slow Cooking

Makes 6 servings
Ideal slow cooker size: 3 quart
Cooking time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 or 2 (14 oz) cans of black beans, rinsed and drained
• 3/4 cup uncooked quinoa  (can also use brown rice)
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 3/4 cup salsa
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp cumin
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp garlic
• Salt and pepper
• Lime juice
• Avocado slices
• (I also use sour cream as a topping)

Directions:

1. Add beans, quinoa, water, salsa, bay leaf, cumin, salt and garlic to the slow cooker.
2. Cover and cook on HIGH for about 2 hours.
3. Remove lid and fluff quinoa with a fork.  Remove the bay leaf.
4. Add in fresh lime juice to taste and salt and pepper to taste.
5. Serve topped with sliced avocado (and sour cream).

Comments:  This is my new favorite summer food!  It's healthy, vegetarian, but with the quinoa and beans, it has plenty of protein.  Plus, it's SO easy since it uses the CrockPot.  I've never used quinoa in a recipe before, but I love it!  It could be a great side dish (a good alternative to Mexican rice), but I like it all on its own.

Peach Syrup

Source, altered by me

Ingredients:
5 cups canned peaches, blended (including juice)
2 cups sugar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons vanilla
1 teaspoon cinnamon

Directions:
1. Combine peach puree, sugar, and lemon juice in a saucepan. Bring to a boil.
2. Simmer 5 minutes.
4. Add vanilla and cinnamon.
5. Serve hot.

Notes: Soooo delicious. I served this with pancakes last night and I doubt I'll ever want maple again! (Even Bret's hot homemade liquid of love.) It would be equally delicious over ice cream, cakes, etc.

Hummus

Source: My sister Heather's Israeli roomate Einav (pronounced AY-nahv, in case you were wondering)

Ingredients:
1 can garbanzo beans, reserve liquid
2 Tablespoons tahini (or, if you are like me and don't have tahini - which is sesame seed paste, by the way - you can substitute peanut butter)
3-4 Tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves pressed garlic
Lemon juice (a couple tablespoons should probably do it)
Salt, pepper to taste

Directions:
Throw it all in the blender or food processor and pureé away, adding some of the bean liquid a little at a time to get the consistency you want.  You can eat it with veggie sticks, or with bread, on crackers.  Whatever floats your boat.  (I personally like it with flatbread of some sort (pita, naan) or pretzels.)

Notes:
It's been a while since I've made anything new - I've still been making food, mind you, just nothing really new or exciting or post-worthy.  Well, a couple weeks ago my sister Heather told me about the hummus and pita bread she made and I decided to give it a whirl myself.  This is super quick and very tasty.  I admit the peanut butter flavor seemed a little strong at first, but after a while in the fridge the peanut buttery taste kind of faded and melded into the rest of the spread.  I made a second batch today and decided it was time to share.  Good stuff.

Ratatouille (Slow Cooker)

Source: tasteofhome.com

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons salt, divided
• 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
• 3 medium zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced
• 2 medium onions, chopped
• 1 large green pepper, chopped
• 1 large sweet yellow pepper, chopped
• 1 can (6 ounces) pitted ripe olives, drained and chopped
• 1 can (6 ounces) tomato paste
• 1/2 cup minced fresh basil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 2 tablespoons olive oil

Directions

• Place eggplant in a colander over a plate; sprinkle with 1 teaspoon salt and toss. Let stand for 30 minutes. Rinse and drain well. Transfer to a 5-qt. slow cooker coated with cooking spray.
• Stir in the tomatoes, zucchini, onions, green and yellow peppers, olives, tomato paste, basil, garlic, pepper and remaining salt. Drizzle with oil. Cover and cook on high for 3-4 hours or until vegetables are tender. 

Notes

• This was the simply, hearty definition of delicious! What a wonderful winter meal! I did add a touch more seasoning to give it a bit more zip, but other than that, it was perfect in every way!

"Curryflower"

Source

Ingredients:

1 medium head cauliflower

1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon curry powder

Directions: 

1. Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F. 

2. Wash and core the cauliflower and cut the florets into bite-size pieces. Place in a large bowl. Toss the cauliflower with the olive oil, salt, and curry powder. 

3. Turn out the cauliflower onto a rimmed baking sheet. Bake for 16-18 minutes, stirring every 6-7 minutes, until the cauliflower is browned in spots and is crisp-tender. Serve immediately

Notes: I got a lucious cauliflower in last week's bountiful basket and was looking for more healthy way to prepare it than the au gratin style that I was craving. I stumbled upon this recipe and, viola, one of the most delcious side dishes that I've ever eaten was born. I highly recommend serving immediately out of the oven as the recipe instructs because we took this to a potluck dinner with some friends and the pieces that I sampled before storing and transporting it for 45 minutes were infinitely better than what we ate at the table - the flavor was still wonderful, but the mouth-watering crispy texture was lost. 

Pineapple-Black Bean Guacamole

Source: bhg.com 

Ingredients
2 medium avocados (halved, seeded, and peeled)
1/4 cup bottled green salsa (salsa verde)
1 tablespoon sour cream
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh pineapple or canned crushed pineapple (drained)
1/2 cup canned black beans (rinsed and drained)
1 fresh jalapeno chile pepper (seeded and minced)
2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack Cheese

Directions: In a large bowl, mash avocados. Stir in salsa and sour cream until combined. Stir in pineapple, beans, jalapeno, onion, cilantro, garlic, lime juice, salt, and cumin. Cover and chill for 2 hours or until ready to serve. Sprinkle with cheese. If desired, sprinkle with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips. 

Notes: Soooo yummy! Creamy and delicious! I have a heat-sensitive hubby, so I omitted the jalapeno which only emphasized the creamy flavor) and also omitted the cheese because I didn't want the texture (and extra calories).

Mushroom Skewers

Source: this blog, via pinterest

Ingredients:
1/2 Tablespoon harissa (I used these spices, as suggested by another blog for another recipe: 3/4 teaspoon paprika, 3/4 teaspoon coriander, 1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (because I didn't have cayenne pepper . . . so yes, I substituted inside of a substitution . . . I'm flexible)
1 Tablespoon olive oil
2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon dried oregano
8 ounces baby portobello mushrooms, halved lengthwise (I just used those regular little white mushrooms you see at the grocery store - plain jane and cheap - and I left them whole because they were so small)

Directions:
Whisk the harissa, olive oil, balsamic vinegar, and oregano together in a medium bowl.  (I added all the ingredients to a gallon size zip-lock baggie and squished everything around to mix.)

Add the mushrooms and toss well to coat. Marinate for 30 minutes (we did about an hour and I think it might be too much - they were pretty strong.  Maybe next time I'll just dip them in quickly or even brush the marinade over the mushrooms on the grill.  But that's just me.)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F or preheat the grill, if grilling.

Thread the mushrooms onto presoaked bamboo skewers. Roast them in the oven for 10-12 minutes, or grill them, 5 minutes per side.

Makes 4 servings.

Notes:
Gregg got a grill for his birthday, and on Friday night we decided to break it in on it's maiden grilling.  We had a lot of leftover mushrooms in our fridge (I bought more than I ended up using for other things) that needed to be grilled, and I had pinned this recipe a while ago for just such an occasion.  They were good.  But like I said earlier, a little strong flavored for our tastes.  Fun to try something new, though.

Mexican Sweet Potato Skins

. . . or Mexican Stuffed Sweet Potatoes (if you don't eat the skins - are you supposed to eat the skins? I just don't know about that . . .)

Source: slightly modified (because I didn't have everything that was needed but wanted to eat them anyway) from pinchofyum.com (via Pinterest)

Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 60 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes

Ingredients:
3 medium sweet potatoes
1 can corn, rinsed and patted dry (forgot the rinsing and patting step - whoops!)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 Tablespoon butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2-4 canned chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, minced or pureed (didn't have this - but subbed in a roasted chile pepper that I've had in my freezer since last fall)
1 ounce light cream cheese (didn't have this either - just bumped up the sour cream a titch instead)
1/4 cup light sour cream
1 teaspoon salt (+ more to taste)
1/2 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
6 Tablespoons shredded cheese (Pepperjack, Cheddar, Colby Jack… anything will work)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Bake the sweet potatoes for 45-60 minutes.

While sweet potatoes are baking, place corn in a heavy cast-iron skillet (didn't have one - and while my corn wasn't quite as lovely and roasted as the original author's, I think it smelled and tasted quite divine anyway) over medium-high heat with no butter or oil. Sprinkle with salt and other Mexican seasoning (as much as you want) (I used a few shakes of homemade taco seasoning). Do not stir! Let corn roast for several minutes before stirring. Let it roast for a few more minutes before stirring again. Continue this for about 10 minutes, until corn is browned and roasted on the outside. Set aside in a small bowl with the black beans.

Saute the onion in the butter over medium heat until soft and translucent. Set aside.

Remove sweet potatoes from the oven when fork-tender. Let cool for 5-10 minutes. Cut the sweet potatoes in half. Scrape the flesh of the sweet potatoes out, leaving the skins intact. Sometimes leaving a thin layer of potato inside of the skins helps them hold together better.

Mix the flesh of the sweet potatoes with the cream cheese, sour cream, chipotle peppers, and salt. You can use a mixer or just a spoon (or a potato masher worked awesome!), depending on how soft the potatoes are. When well-mixed, gently stir in the black beans, roasted corn, sauteed onions, and cilantro.

Scoop the filling into the skins and top each with 1 tablespoon shredded cheese. Broil for about 5 minutes or until cheese is melted.

Notes:
We had sweet potato fries one night for dinner while I was in Virginia with Victoria and Ryan and it reminded me how much I love sweet potatoes.  So much, in fact, that after I got home I bought some, fully intending to make some fries myself.  Then, I saw this recipe on pinterest and I knew I had to try it with my newly acquired sweet potatoes from City Market.  Black beans plus corn plus anything is lovely in my book, so I knew it would be a winner.  I was a bit hesitant about the whole "twice baked" idea, thinking that it would be kind of a pain and take a long time.  Don't be scared!  This really was a pretty simple recipe to throw together - just be sure to give the potatoes enough time to bake (ours took about an hour) and you're set.  Mmm . . . super filling and super delicious.