Tag: Eating

Creamy Roasted Red Pepper and Cauliflower Soup with Goat Cheese

Published on by Wild Piece2 Comments

Mmm, I love creamy, delicious soup when it’s cold outside (and today it was definitely cold outside). This is a fun one because it has a bit of a tangy taste (thanks, goat cheese!) and is creamy without being heavy (thanks, cauliflower!). I found this recipe on Closet Cooking.

bell peppers soup

Ingredients:

  • 4 red bell pepper, cut in half and seeds removed
  • 1 small head cauliflower, cut into florets
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, chopped
  • 1 teaspoon thyme, chopped
  • 1 pinch red pepper flakes
  • 4 cups chicken broth or chicken stock or vegetable broth
  • 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
  • 4 ounces goat cheese, crumbled
  • salt and pepper to taste

Step 1: Place the red peppers on a baking sheet with the cut side facing down, broil until the skins are blackened, about 10 minutes, place in a sealable container and let ‘steam’ for 20 minutes before pinching the skins off and dicing.
Step 2: Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower in the oil, place it in a single layer on a baking sheet and roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender and caramelized, about 20-30 minutes, mixing once in the middle.
Step 3: Heat the oil in a large pan over medium heat and cook the onion until tender, about 5-7 minutes.
Step 4: Add the garlic, thyme and red pepper flakes and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
Step 5: Add the roasted red peppers, cauliflower, broth, paprika and goat cheese and simmer for 10 minutes before pureeing to the desired consistency with a hand blender. Season with salt and pepper and serve garnished with goat cheese.

Prep Time: 5 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Servings: 4

For Slow Cooker: Implement steps 1 and 2, optionally implement steps 3 and 4, place everything except the cheese in the slow cooker and cook on low for 6-10 hours or high for 2-4 hours before pureeing and mixing in the cheese while the soup is still hot so that it melts.

Option: Use jarred or frozen roasted red peppers to save some time; use a can of white beans as the thickener instead of the cauliflower; replace one cup of broth with cream or milk.

Nutrition Facts: Calories 328, Fat 16g (Saturated 6g, Trans 0), Cholesterol 20mg, Sodium 517mg, Carbs 30g (Fiber 7g, Sugars 14g), Protein 17g

Black Bean and Butternut Squash Burritos

Published on by Wild PieceLeave a comment

burrito stuffs 2I know that pretty much every recipe I feature here is, just, my new favorite thing and the best thing you’re about to ever eat. And to be fair, I never really exaggerate—I have found some amazing recipes! But this one is my new favorite, seriously, I could eat it for days. (Haha, I did eat it for days.)

Besides how yummy it is, I also love that it can be done with regular cheese, Daiya cheese for a vegan recipe or with no cheese at all because it’s Just. That. Good.

I didn’t do step-by-step photos, but you can find some great ones at Oh She Glows, where I originally found the recipe. Guys, I just can’t recommend this enough. Seriously, I’m texting my best friend right now that it’s also good just as a side dish. I’ve included the recipe as I originally found it, but when I cooked it, I changed it up a bit by doing 1 cup of wild rice (instead of a half cup of short-grain brown rice). It gets pretty rice heavy, but it’s worth it. I stirred in some cheddar cheese and then served it with avocado.

Yield: 4 burritos or 3.5 cups of filling

Ingredients:

  • 1 medium butternut squash, peeled, cubed, & roasted
  • 1/2 cup uncooked short grain brown rice (yields: 1.5 cups cooked)
  • 1-2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped sweet onion
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced
  • 1 red pepper, chopped
  • 1 tsp kosher salt, or to taste
  • 2 tsp ground cumin, or to taste
  • 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, or to taste
  • One 15-oz can black beans (about 1.5-2 cups cooked), drained and rinsed
  • 3/4 cup Daiya cheese (or cheddar cheese)
  • 4 tortilla wraps (large or x-large)
  • Toppings of choice: (avocado, salsa, vegan sour cream, spinach/lettuce, cilantro, etc)

Step 1: Preheat oven to 425F and line a large glass dish with tinfoil. Drizzle olive oil on squash and give a shake of salt and pepper. Coat with hands. Roast chopped butternut squash for 45 mins. or until tender.

Step 2: Cook brown rice (for directions, see here)

Step 3: In a large skillet over medium-low heat, add oil, onion, and minced garlic. Sautee for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Now add in salt and seasonings and stir well.

Step 4: Add chopped red pepper, black beans, and cooked rice and sauté for another 10 mins. on low.

Step 5: When b’nut squash is tender remove from oven and cool slightly. Add 1.5 cups of the cooked butternut squash to the skillet and stir well. You can mash the squash with a fork if some pieces are too large. Add Daiya cheese and heat another couple minutes.

Step 6: Add bean filling to tortilla along with desired toppings. Wrap and serve. Leftover filling can be reheated the next day for lunch in a wrap or as a salad topper.

A Happy Start to the New Year: Vegan Whole Wheat Waffles

Published on by Wild Piece2 Comments

Happy 2014, everyone! Instead of black-eyed peas, we started the new year with whole wheat waffles, a recipe from “Vegan Cooking for Carnivores” by Roberto Martin. Don’t worry, you don’t even have to ask—they are sooo freaking good. Highly recommend. I also recommend buying the cookbook if you’re curious about a vegan diet—Roberto is excellent at making a plant-based diet palatable to those who prefer the meatier side of food.

breakfast

Ingredients

Step 1: In a medium bowl, combine the flours, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.

Step 2: Stir in the milk, water, applesauce and melted butter until well incorporated.

Step 3: Let the batter rest for about 5 minutes while you preheat the waffle iron.

Step 4: Spray the preheated waffle iron with nonstick spray and cook the waffles according to the manufacturer’s instructions. Serve with maple syrup.

*Makes 8 medium waffles.

Marathon Training vs. a Nasty Cold

Published on by Wild Piece4 Comments

Marathon training is going so well, to the point where I look forward to 12-mile runs on a Saturday morning. And right smack dab in the middle of all that goodness—a cold hits. Like, I woke up this morning and it was all stuffy nose, sore throat and cough, cough, cough. So now I’m trying to speed heal in order to be ready for our 14-mile training run this weekend. This weekend! So soon!

My go-to cold remedy is always a vegan diet, and the lack of dairy contributes to a lack of mucus, so, hopefully I’ll be feeling better tomorrow morning. We’ll see. (I’m not much for over-the-counter cold meds, they  make me spacey and a little nauseated.) For now, it’s lots of healthy foods and maybe—just maybe—some super helpful advice from my favorite bloggers? Any suggestions for feeling better soon are welcome!

Side note: Because we’re in Los Angeles, we have the chance to try Amazon Fresh grocery delivery. We had bunches of fresh produce delivered today at Trader Joe’s prices. Worth. Every (though not many). Penny.

fruit