Dinner: Pesto and Panzanella

Shauna's Panzanella

Hey maybe if cucumbers are on sale, I'll add them!

I had this dish made by the lovely Shauna at one of our girls' nights (or baby shower?) and never forgot about it. She was able to send me the recipe on Facebook! Just wanna say, I have a friend that goes to Harvard... Ahaha! Love you girl!


Here's the recipe (it serves about 8-10):

Panzanella:
4 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup plus 6 tbl olive oil
1 french baguette, cut into cubes
1 lb cherry tomatoes
2 tsp salt plus pinches for taste
1/2 tsp black pepper plus pinches for taste
1 lb green beans, trimmed
3 tbl balsamic vinegar (white if available)
2 tbl capers, rinsed
1 tsp sugar
1 can (~17oz) white beans (cannellini, northern, etc)
1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed
1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 425F. Add half of minced garlic and a pinch of salt to a large bowl and 2 tbl olive oil, whisking well. Add bread cubes ad toss until coated. Arrange bread on a baking sheet lined with foil and toast in oven until golden. Approx 10-12 minutes.

In a large mixing bowl (can reuse the one from the bread), toss green beans with 2 tbl olive oil, salt, and pepper. Arrange on foil lined baking sheet and put in oven (can reuse foil from bread to add flavor). Repeat with tomatoes. Roast until tender but not mushy, tomatoes may finish before beans.

Make dressing in bottom of huge serving bowl. Add vinegar to remaining garlic and 1/2 cup olive oil along with capers, sugar, 2 tsp salt, and 1/2 tsp pepper. Whisk to combine well. Add roasted green beans and tomatoes (along with any pan juices), beans, mozzarella, and basil. Toss to combine. Add bread cubes and toss again.





There are always tons of old(er) baguettes for clearance at Fresh and Easy right here by my house. And as I recall, Shauna said it was better to use stale(r) bread for these. Instead of white beans, I'm thinking of using the leftover pinto beans from lunch. I think that should be fine, right? And ahh, my favorite part of this recipe has got to be those CAPERS! I love them. And fresh mozzarella? What a treat! Tonight we're going vegetarian! I'm gonna make Nora's pesto and Shauna's panzanella!

Juicing, Beans, Vegetarianism, and Exercise

I have been making a lot of juices lately from green apples, oranges, celery, carrots, and sometimes grapes and pineapple. I really, really want to put more green things in my juices for that extra nutritional boost like kale, spinach, and lettuce. I feel like all the fruits and veggies I put in juice now I would just as easily enjoy eating whole. Isn't the point of juicing to like, disguise all those veggies that you usually wouldn't like to eat and only use a few fruits and sweet things to give it a better flavor? Well, I don't think that drinking these juices is bad, but I guess I just want to take it to the next level.

Also, I want to make lots more beans, lentils, and rice. They're good for us, they're super cheap, and Daniel says it reminds him of home. Healthy, cheap, yummy comfort food? What's not to love?! As for couponing, I haven't done that much. I found this section at Fresh and Easy that has all the foods that are expiring soon (but not yet!) for super super low prices. I got 12 dinner rolls for 50 cents, a whole bag of bagels for 50 cents (something we don't usually buy because they can be expensive), two onions for 25 cents, and tomatoes for 50 cents. Yay!!! We haven't gone grocery shopping extensively (like at Costco) for a long time because we are trying to eat all the foods we already have.

My sister Kayla has been vegan for quite some time now and she feels and looks great! I really like the restaurant she works at in Long Beach called Steamed. It's all organic, local, and vegetarian cuisine. It has been inspiring me to eat vegetarian more often... Maybe even half of the time? The movie on Netflix called Forks to Knives has also got me thinking about changing my diet and cutting out more meat. I can understand that chicken and fish every once in a while can be fine, but when I plan to make something for dinner, I'm realizing that it doesn't always have to revolve around some kind of meat. That's why I've been asking my friends for some of their favorite vegetarian recipes. Daniel is willing to try it, and if any of you remember from our wedding, he put it in his vows to eat the healthy stuff I cook him! :D Hahaha! I know that if I just take the time and put in some creativity, he will come home and eat whatever I made.

As for exercise, I want to keep it at home or local and involving the baby if I have to. Before I had done the P90X one hour videos during Ariana's nap, but lately I've just been finding so many other things to do during that time, especially since school started, and I got bored of the same 5 videos. Daniel and I have been riding bikes or walking around the block with the baby at the end of the day when we find ourselves just sitting around. I guess this is better than nothing and I like the time we have to talk to each other and do nothing else, but I feel like it's not really as intense as I want. Sometimes I use weights while I'm watching tv. I just feel so tired and lazy. Maybe I should exercise to get more energy!!!

Nora's Pesto Pasta

I texted my friend Nora over at University of Massachusetts for this recipe. She has been vegetarian her whole life and I simply adore her family and all their vegetarian recipes. This one is my favorite, I think. And I bet I can even add in halved cherry tomatoes or asparagus.

3 cups basil leaves
1 tsp pine nuts
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tbsp Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

Toast the pine nuts by cooking on low in a skillet for about two minutes.

Blend everything in a food processor or roughly chop the basil and pine nuts.

Cook pasta. Tortellini, bowtie, spaghetti, or really any kind of pasta works.

Throw it all together!



Thanks, Nora!

Vegan Pot Pie

Originally this recipe has tofu, but I'm going to pass on that. Hormone-altering soy no good, eh? I might also use up the crescent rolls that have been in my fridge. I think it would be easier than making the crust from scratch. I want to make a couple and freeze them for Daniel to take for lunch to work. What should I bake them in? Buy ceramic baking dishes?


Filling
8 ounces super or extra firm tofu
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 small yellow onion, diced
1 celery rib, diced
1 carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Russet potato, diced
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 cup fresh or frozen peas
1 teaspoon finely chopped sage
1 teaspoon thyme leaves
Salt and pepper

Special Equipment
2 (12-ounce) ramekins or other oven-safe dishes


Preheat oven to 400° F.

Heat remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil in the same skillet. Add onion, celery, carrot, and garlic and sauté until onion is translucent.

Add potato to the skillet and cook, stirring frequently, until tender but not mushy.

Add flour, nutritional yeast, and soy sauce to the skillet and stir into the vegetables.

Add vegetable broth and stir until combined, scraping all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add peas, sage, and thyme and stir until combined.

Remove from heat and season to taste with salt and pepper.



Quickly shape the dough into a ball and flatten into a disk. Place on a floured surface a roll out to 1/8 inch thick.

Place the ramekins upside-down over the dough and use a paring knife to cut out circles about 1/2 inch larger on all sides.


Assemble and Bake

Divide the vegetable mixture between the ramekins.

Place a dough round over each ramekin and tuck the sides under to form a thicker crust around the edge. Press to seal around the edges of the dishes and crimp with a fork. Cut a slit in the middle.

Bake in the oven until golden and bubbly, about 30 minutes.

Let sit for about 5 minutes before serving.



I got this recipe from http://www.thekitchn.com/thekitchn/vegan/recipe-vegan-tofu-and-vegetable-pot-pie-134550.

My Motivations

I know that food is such an important part of a healthy and happy life. Really, what you eat can determine the quality of your life! I want to live this principle by recognizing and taking responsibility for my food choices and what I serve to my family. I want the best for myself, my husband, and our daughter. I want us to be have healthy weights, organs, attitudes, and minds.

Since I am a stay-at-home mom and student, I will take on creating this healthy, happy home as my job:

-Maintain a clean home environment
-Cook healthy plant-based foods to eat together or take for lunches
-Purchase most of our groceries with coupons

My Inspirations have been and are:
Fat, Sick, and Nearly Dead the movie
Forks Over Knives the movie
Kayla, my vegan sister

I will cook healthy foods and juices with little to no animal products and more fresh, colorful plant foods. I will use this blog to collect recipes I would like to try and document our successes with these goals.