A Day from Scratch

Concierge cooking - Tailored nutrition

Cheesy Spinach and Tomato Quinoa Bake

by Filed Under: Recipes, Snacks, Vegetarian 2 Comments

Kwinoa? Key-no? Qui-na?

How in the world is Quinoa pronounced you ask?

This adorable little grain is in fact pronounced “keen-wah.” Just pronouncing it makes me feel like a ninja.

A culinary ninja.

Keen-wah is one of my favorite little grains. It has come a long way in the last few years. From health stores to the mainstream, its high protein content and delicate texture have made it a popular substitute for starchier pasta and rice.

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You can make a big ole batch of this and just spoon it into your mouth all week long.

Or you can make a big ole batch and serve it to your gal pals.

Serve it for breakfast with a poached egg on top. Serve it as a light dinner with some salmon. Serve it all all by itself. Your options are endless!

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Ingredients; serves 4 as a side dish

4 cloves garlic, minced

Cherry or grape tomatoes, one small container

2 Tablespoons olive oil

4 cups fresh spinach, large stems removed

1 3/4 cups water

1/4 teaspoon red pepper

1 1/2 cup quinoa

1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

Salt and pepper

 

Recipe:

Preheat your oven to 400°F.

Chop the garlic and rinse the tomatoes.

In a medium sauce pan add the oil and heat (1 to 2 minutes). Add the garlic and cook, stirring with a wooden spoon, until light golden brown, about 1 minute. Add the tomatoes and ¼ cup of the water and cover. Cook until the tomatoes just start to break down, about 8 minutes.

Meanwhile, tear the spinach leaves from their larger stems into bite-size pieces (enough to measure 4 cups); discard the stems. Place in a salad spinner, wash, and spin dry.

Once the tomatoes are ready, add the remaining 1½ cups water, salt, red pepper, and a pinch of black pepper. Let it come to a boil. Stir in the spinach then the quinoa. Transfer to an 8 by 8-inch baking dish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and cover tightly with foil. (Or you can leave it in the pot and cover with a lid.) Transfer to the oven and bake until the quinoa is tender, about 25 minutes. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan before serving.

Oh then go ahead and gobble it up!

 

 

Smoked Butternut Squash Pasta

by Filed Under: Pasta, Recipes, Vegetarian 2 Comments

Heyyyy youuuu guyyssssss!

This is NOT a joke. I have made this dish four times, count it four, in the past two weeks!

Once for a friend of mine and her husband for Valentine’s dinner, once at a Junior League party for 30 gals, once for a friend with grilled chicken as a weeknight prepared dinner… and once for myself, duh.

I have since purchased ALL of the butternut squash in Austin and am prepared to live on this dish alone for the rest of my life.

Please send help!

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I could eat this sauce with anything. Like this as pasta, just over some grilled chicken, over some roasted greens, or by the spoonful on its own.

Maybe drink it out of a sippy cup?

No?

Whichever way I eat it, I’ll tell you this… this is my new favorite recipe.

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Now if you’ll excuse me my pasta water is boiling.

Ingredients: serves 4-6

1/4 cup raw cashews, soaked

1 (3.5-4 pound) butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and diced (or two (450g) packages chopped squash)

3/4 cup water

2 garlic cloves

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast (you can find this at Whole Paycheck)

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon onion powder

1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

1/4 teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt, or to taste

1/8 teaspoon liquid smoke

1 lb. package mini shell or macaroni pasta

Recipe:

Add cashews in a small bowl and cover with water. Soak overnight or for at least 3-4 hours, until soft and plump. Drain and rinse before use.

Preheat oven to 425F and line a baking sheet with foil. Spread out chopped squash on sheet and drizzle with oil. Toss to coat. Sprinkle with salt. Roast for 30-40 minutes, flipping once half way through baking, until squash is fork tender. Let cool for at least 5 minutes.

Add the soaked and drained cashews, water, garlic, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, onion powder, paprika, chili powder, and 2 cups of cooked squash into a high speed blender. Blend on high until smooth.

Now add the salt, and liquid smoke and blend again.

Cook pasta according to package directions.

Add the drained pasta back into the pot. Pour on your desired amount of sauce and stir to combine.

Cook over medium until heated throughout and serve immediately.

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Pinto Beans over Polenta Cakes

by Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetarian 2 Comments

Beans, beans the magical fruit, the more you eat, the more you…

Oh sorry.

Hey there!

Can you believe Christmas is LESS than a week away? How the heck did that happen?

I have been a busy busy bee the past few weeks and I am so behind on Christmas shopping. So today after work I am going crazy all over Austin to get my gifts for my little loved ones!

Making a big ole pot o beans is perfect during the winter months. You can just throw them in the trusty crock pot and then head out to finish your Christmas shopping.

My dad makes some of the most incredible pinto beans. They are hearty with a swift kick of pepper and are simply delicious so I’ll be sharing his recipe with a little twist from muah.

 

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Oh hey Frosty!

I made some polenta cakes and served a heaping spoonful of beans right on top.

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Deliciouso!

Ingredients

For the beans:

1 pound dry pinto beans

1 small onion, chopped

1 1/2 thick sliced ham, chopped (you can also use bacon)

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 Tablespoon cracked black pepper, divided

1 Tablespoon salt, divided

pinch of cayenne if desired

For the polenta cakes:

2 cups polenta, fine corn meal

4 cups water

4 cups chicken or vegetable stock

pinch of salt, or 2

2 Tablespoons grapeseed oil

 

Recipe:

For the beans:

Wash the beans and pick out any rocks or other foreign pieces. Soak overnight in about a quart of water. Make sure there are about 2 inches of water over the beans.

To the crockpot add the chopped onion, ham, garlic powder, a pinch of salt and pepper. Add the beans and their soaking water to the pot. Cook on medium low for at least 5 hours. Sometimes I even let mine go for 10 hours! Stir occasionally, and add more salt and pepper to taste.

Just remember the beans will get spicier the longer they cook, but the longer they cook the better.

For the polenta cakes:

Spray a 9×13 baking dish and set aside. In a large sauce pan bring the water and stock to a boil. Season with salt and gradually pour in the polenta. Reduce the heat to low and continue stirring until the polenta absorbs all of the moisture.

Transfer polenta to prepared baking dish. Cover with saran wrap smoothing it right on top of the polenta. Place in the fridge for about an hour to set up.

To make the cakes: cut the polenta into large squares. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat and add about 1 tablespoon grapeseed oil. Once the oil is hot add your polenta squares and cook until the cakes are golden brown on both sides, about 3-4 minutes per side. Transfer to paper towel and let cool about 1 minute.

Lentil Tacos

by Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Friiiiiiday!! It’s Fri-day, fri-day, gotta get down on Friday!

In celebration of Friday, let’s have a taco party!

There is an abundance of tacos in Austin. Breakfast tacos? We’ve got you covered! Street tacos? We’ve got you covered! Fish tacos? We’ve got you covered! Mexican tacos? We’ve got you covered! Pork tacos? We’ve got you covered! Soft tacos, crispy tacos… we’ve got ’em all!

I’m sorry I’ll stop.

Ok, one more.

Looking for a good vegetarian taco?

Look no further!

Using lentils instead of ground meat, these little babies are yum yum yummy.

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Tortillas are king in my house. I use them all the time to wrap up just about anything, except cereal because that would be gross.

Little baby lentil tacos, comin’ right up!

Ingredients: makes enough for 12 tacos

1/2 pound brown lentils, rinsed

1 yellow onion, minced

2 large carrots, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons dried oregano

1 teaspoon crushed red pepper

3 bay leaves

3 cups water

1 cup of pureed tomatoes

1 Tbsp tomato paste

Corn torillas

Shredded romaine lettuce

Shredded pepperjack cheese

 

Recipe:

In a large pot of sauté your onions, carrots, and garlic until translucent. Add tomato paste and incorporate with the veggies. Add your lentils and stir well. Add the water, tomatoes, bay leaves, oregano, red pepper and season with salt and pepper. Let the mixture come to a boil on a medium hight heat and then bring it down to a simmer. Simmer for about 30-40 minutes or until most of the mixture is absorbed.

Assemble tacos with tortilas, lettuce lentils and cheese.

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Enjoy!

Vegetable Yellow Curry

by Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetarian 1 Comment

It’s soup season! Have I mentioned how excited I am about this? I want to frolic around wearing boots and scarves while shoveling delicious squash soups into my mouth. Join me won’t you?

I apologize in advance for the overflow of soup recipes that may grace the pages of this site in the coming months.

Stop me if it get’s out of control.

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Loads of hearty vegetables and creamy coconut milk are the new Fred and Wilma, they are made for each other!

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Or the new Ross and Rachel?

Kate and William?

Whatever, trust me, it’s fate that they are together.

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Vegetarian Yellow Curry

Ingredients; serves 6

1 15-oz can diced tomatoes

1 1/2 cups water

1 15-oz can coconut milk (light or regular)

1 15-oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 large carrots, peeled and chopped

1 large garnet yam, peeled and chopped

1 yellow onion, chopped

3 T fresh ginger, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 red bell pepper, chopped

2 cups broccoli florets

2 tsp ground coriander

2 tsp cumin seeds

2 tsp mustard seeds

1 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 tsp salt

1 T canola oil

Prepare all vegetables and set aside.

In a small saucepan over medium/low heat, toast the coriander, cumin seeds and mustard seeds gently for about four minutes to release maximum flavor. After toasting, add the cayenne, salt and turmeric and set aside.

In a large saucepot, combine the diced tomatoes, water, fresh ginger and spice mixture. Simmer for twenty minutes while you saute the vegetables.

Heat the canola oil over medium heat in a large skillet, add the onion and saute for about six minutes, or until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic, fennel, carrot and sweet potato and cook for another five minutes, stirring often.

Blanch the broccoli florets in boiling water for thirty seconds (they will turn bright green). Drain and rinse under cold water. Set aside.

Add the coconut milk to the tomato mixture and then stir in the sauteed veggies, broccoli and bell pepper. Raise heat to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for thirty minutes, or until the carrots and sweet potato are tender. Stir in the chickpeas.

Serve curry on it’s own or with quinoa or jasmine rice. Cilantro is delicious on top! Naan on the side works too.

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Pumpkin Soup

by Filed Under: Home, Recipes, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

It’s Fall-la-la-la!! I’m so excited for the cooler weather I can’t even tell you.

Excited, thrilled, elated for the football, the hunting, the nights of grilling out on the patio. I LOVE FALL, love love love.

So what’s the first thing I do when Fall rolls around?

I make soup.

Pumpkin soup!

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I have been dying to share this recipe with you, my friends, my trusty comrades; that I couldn’t peel the pumpkin fast enough.

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You may feel tempted to use canned pumpkin instead of peeling, scooping out the guts, boiling and pureeing the real thing; but trust me that would be a mistake.

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Not only will your house smell like Fall, but you may “fall” in love with me for giving you this recipe!

Too cheesy?

My apologies, I promise to leave the jokes at home next time.

Ingredients: makes about 6 cups

1 medium sized pumpkin

1/2 sweet onion, diced

2 small carrots, peeled and diced

4 cups chicken or vegetable broth

1 teaspoon Mace seasoning

1/3 cup natural maple syrup

2 Tbsp grapeseed oil

Salt to taste

Recipe:

Start by peeling, scooping out the guts and dicing up the fresh pumpkin. In a large pot heat the grapeseed oil over medium heat and add the onion. Cook about 5 minutes until soft, then add the carrot and cook another 3-5 minutes. Add the diced pumpkin, mace, maple syrup and stir about 30 seconds to allow the mace to bloom. Add the broth, cover the pot and simmer for 20-25 minutes.

Either transfer the soup bits into a blender and puree or use an immersion blender to blend everything together.

Top with a splash of cream and pumpkin seeds, or serve with toast and enjoy!

You’re going to love it my friends. Happy Fall!

Roasted Vegetable Flatbread

by Filed Under: Pizzas, Flatbreads, Savory tarts, Recipes, Vegetarian 1 Comment

“Roasted Vegetable Flatbread?? You told us you were a hunter! Where’s the Red Deer Filet and Scimitar Horned Oryx backstrap?”

All in good time my friends, all in good time. For now I am on a fresh veggie kick. That may be because I just started a new job cooking at a spa here in Austin and the garden overlooking the lake alone is inspiring me to eat more veggies.

It’s all about balance, right?

Have no fear though, that meat eating hunting gal will be back soon enough y’all, I promise.

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Using my favorite Naan bread recipe and some homemade pizza sauce, both frozen in the freezer for easy access; I threw this flatbread together in no time.

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Naan Bread Recipe

Pizza Sauce: makes enough for 2-4 pizzas

1 28 oz can whole tomatoes

2 tbsp olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1/2 medium sized onion, diced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/4 teaspoon cayenne

S&P to taste

In a medium sauce pan add the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute. Add the diced onion and cook about 3 minutes or until translucent. Add the can of tomatoes, oregano, thyme, cayenne and a pinch of S&P. Let the sauce simmer over the stove for about 30 minutes.

With an immersion blender pulse the tomato sauce until desired consistency.

I like to make this sauce in a big batch and freeze so that it’s ready for me whenever I want it- like tonight.

Flatbread topping: makes about 2-3 pizzas

1 small yellow squash, diced

1 small zucchini, diced

1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced

1-2 Tablespoons olive oil

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella

2-3 Tablespoons of ricotta cheese

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a sheet pan toss the squash, zucchini and mushrooms with olive oil and a pinch of S&P. Bake for about 15 minutes.

To assemble the flatbread. Using the naan recipe or your favorite flatbread crust- spread the pizza sauce. Sprinkle with mozzarella and dot with ricotta cheese. Then add as much of the roasted veggies as you like.

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Then promptly slice and devour!

Sweet Pea and Mint Soup with Shrimp Ceviche

by Filed Under: Recipes, Seafood, Vegetarian 2 Comments

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Memorial Day weekend took it out of me my friends, whew. In my opinion I have some of the best friends around and when we all get together we tend to celebrate as if the world is ending, or similar to a spring break-a-palooza. So when I made it back to Austin on Tuesday I was officially in recovery mode. My week was full of sleep, laundry and take out food (thank you whole foods!)

That being said, once this weekend hit I was ready to hit the ground running with long involved recipes full of bright and delicious seasonal ingredients; and even though it has been hot and humid in Austin lately the weather yesterday was perfect for a sweet pea and mint soup with refreshing shrimp ceviche inspired by Chef Chuck White.

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I most often make ceviche with shrimp but you could also use scallops. It’s also excellent with firm-fleshed white fish such as flounder, cod, or halibut. It is super important to begin with fresh, fresh fish that has no lingering odor but smells faintly briny, like the ocean.

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The trick is to dice up the shrimp and to take a little care to cut it into clean little cubes, not raggedly chopped pieces. Not only is this more visually appealing, the fish will “cook” more evenly in the lime juice. And cook it does! The acid in the lime breaks down the protein in the fish or seafood, just as heat does, firming the flesh as it becomes opaque.

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Now it took me a loooooong time to come around to pea soup, but adding mint and the citrus from the ceviche makes this soup crave-worthy.

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My roomie, Jenzy (Hi Jen) added an essential part to this meal- parmesan toast. Pause for reaction. This toast is soon to be a staple in this house and I highly recommend making it with this soup!

Ingredients: serves 2-4

Shrimp ceviche:

8 oz shrimp, peeled de-veigned and diced small

About 1 cup lime juice- 6 to 8 limes (don’t skimp on the lime juice- make sure it fully covers the shrimp)

1/4 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup diced poblano pepper

1/4 cup diced red onion

2 T. chopped scallions (white and green parts)

1 T. chopped cilantro

1 teaspoon agave nectar

1/2 teaspoon chopped garlic

1 T. olive oil

S&P

Soup:

1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil

1 medium onion, diced

3 cups vegetable broth, preferably homemade

1 pound fresh or frozen shelled organic peas

1/3 cup chopped mint leaves

2 teaspoons lemon juice

1 1/2 teaspoons sugar

1 1/2 cup packed fresh spinach

S&P

Recipe:

To prepare the ceviche: in a small glass bowl pour the lime juice over the diced shrimp. There should be enough lime juice to completely cover the shrimp. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 6 hours or overnight.

Drain most of the lime juice from the shrimp and transfer to a larger bowl. Add the bell pepper, poblano pepper, red onion, scallions, cilantro, agave nectar, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss gently, toss with olive oil cover and refrigerate for at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.

To make the soup: in a medium saucepan heat the olive oil over medium heat. When hot, add the onion and cook about 4 minutes or until tender. Add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Add the peas and mint and cook for 4-5 minutes. Turn the heat to low and add the lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper. Let the soup cool about 10 minutes.

Using an immersion blender add the spinach and puree until smooth. Taste and add S&P if needed.

Ladle the soup into shallow bowls and garnish with the ceviche. Don’t forget some parmesan toast!

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Roasted Vegetable Tart

by Filed Under: Pizzas, Flatbreads, Savory tarts, Recipes, Vegetarian 1 Comment

This recipe my friends was a labor of love. I have a love/ hate relationship with baking. I love the end result (when it turns out sans mistakes) but the process is tricky for me because I am so comfortable cooking without measuring out ingredients. The plus side is that I have made this dough a few times and I’m happy to say I’ve got this one down.

The classic French dough, called Påte Brisée is perfect for a savory tart crust. It’s a little bit delicate but I promise this recipe will get you through.

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A key to making this recipe work is to start with very cold ingredients- cube up the butter and portion out your flour and let it sit in the fridge or freezer.

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Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least an hour until the dough is firm.

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The end result yields a rich and buttery flavor and a crumbly texture.

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This may look pretty funny but doing the first bake with beans or pastry weights keeps the crust from burning but allows the edges to get beautifully golden.

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Once I hit this point it was smooth sailing- the crust was done and I was off to create the filling. Starting off with a basil pesto.

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I LOVE pesto! It is so versatile and you can make it with a basil base, a sun-dried tomato base, a ramp base… it’s just so great.

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Roasted veggies make my heart smile!

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Roasted veggies with pesto and goat cheese… my heart is smiling and doing a happy dance!

Påte Brisée

Ingredients: Makes 2 8in crusts

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks unsalted butter, cold and cut into small pieces

1/4 to 1/2 cup ice cold water

Recipe:

In the bowl of a food processor combine the flour and salt. Add the butter and pulse to combine until the mixture resembles course crumbles (about 10-30 seconds.) Then add the water, just until the dough holds together without being wet or sticky. Test the dough by squeezing it between your fingers; if it is still to crumbly, add a touch more water. Divide the dough into 2. Turn the dough out onto a countertop over some plastic wrap and fold together into a disk shape. Wrap in the plastic and keep in the fridge for at least an hour. You can also freeze for up to one month.

After an hour preheat the oven to 400 degrees and gently roll out the dough. Transfer to a pie tin. Line the inside with parchment paper and fill with beans or pie weights. Make sure the edges of the crust are visible so they bake. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the beans and parchment and bake for another 10-12 minutes or until the crust is a light golden color.

Let sit on the counter and cool before removing from the tin.

Basil Pesto

Ingredients:

3 cups fresh basil

2 Tbsp toasted slivered almonds

1 garlic clove

1/4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

S&P to taste

Recipe:

In a food processor add the ingredients and pulse to desired consistency. Easy enough, right?

Roasted Vegetables + Sautéed Spinach

Ingredients:

4 vine ripe tomatoes- deseeded and sliced

1 1/2 cup artichoke hearts, sliced in half

2 shallots, diced into chunks

3 cups spinach

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. On a greased baking sheet lay out veggies and bake for 25-30 minutes.

At the same time heat a sauteed pan and with some olive oil sauté the spinach just to wilted.

Assembly time

First remove the cooled crust from the pie tin. Spread a layer of pesto at the base. Sprinkle about 3 tablespoons of goat cheese on top of the pesto. Layer roasted veggies and sautéed  spinach. Add more goat cheese if you are feeling rebellious and dive in!

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It may seem like a great deal of work, but the end result was so worth it!

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Happy eating!

Sweet Potato, Black Bean & Kale Bowl

by Filed Under: Recipes, Vegetarian Leave a Comment

Have you jumped on the kale train? I LOVE kale! I add it to smoothies, bake it like chips, use it in salads and today I used it as the base for this healthy lunch bowl.

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I love the sweet potato in this dish, but I think butternut squash would be great too.

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My secret ingredient for this bowl is the Ras El Hanout seasoning.

Ras El Hanout is an aromatic Moroccan spice blend. Most recipes include cardamom, nutmeg, anise, mace, cinnamon, ginger, pepper and turmeric, and up to 30 or more ingredients could be used. We made a batch in culinary school and since then I have kept some on hand in my pantry.

Ingredients: makes 1 bowl

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced

1/2 can black beans

2 hearty handfuls kale, torn into bite-size pieces

1/2 lime

3 Tbsp olive oil

1 tsp ras el hanout

Recipe:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel and dice the sweet potato into pieces about 1 inch big. On a greased sheet pan coat the sweet potato in olive oil, S&P and bake for about 45 minutes.

After the potatoes have been in the oven for about 40 minutes place a large sauté pan over medium high heat and drizzle with olive oil.

Add black beans and add the ras el hanout seasoning. Let this mix for about 1 minute. Add kale, season with salt and pepper and let it cook for 2-3 minutes as the kale wilts (If it’s feeling a bit too dry at this point, drizzle a little more olive oil.) Cook for another minute or so until kale is cooked to your liking. Once the sweet potato is done add it to the pan to mix together.

Drizzle with lime and serve. You could also wrap it up in a tortilla or put it on top of some rice or quinoa, and it’s great on it’s own too.

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