Couscous with Snow Peas and Radishes

Couscous with Snow Peas and Radishes

Jake really loves snow peas so I wanted to try this recipe from the Vegetarian Times website out. I didn’t have asparagus in the house, so I ended up altering the original recipe a bit. This was an okay dish, but I don’t think I’ll be making it again any time soon. It didn’t really wow either of us, unfortunately. I think it could potentially be altered to be more delicious, but I’m not exactly sure how I would do that at this moment.

Couscous with Snow Peas and Radishes
1/4 lb. snow peas, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 cup)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 2-inch strips lemon zest
1 10-oz. pkg. couscous
3 radishes, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. chopped chives
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 Tbs. chopped mint

1. Cook asparagus and snow peas in large pot of boiling salted water 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Bring broth and lemon zest to a boil in large pot. Put couscous in bowl, and stir in broth. Cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Discard lemon zest.
3. Fluff couscous with fork, and stir in snow peas, radishes, lemon juice, chives, parsley and mint. 4. Season with salt and pepper. Eat hot.

Spiced Lentils with Spinach

Spiced Lentils with Spinach

This recipe for Spiced Lentils with Spinach from the “1000 Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World” cookbook was so tasty! I’ve added it into my regular rotation of delicious foodstuffs. It may even be one of those dishes that tastes even BETTER as leftovers than it does fresh. There are not many foods you can say that about. Maybe Kraft macaroni and cheese, which I maintain is better as leftovers than fresh. This would work well as a little side dish but keep in mind that it’s actually kind of heavy…lentils can be heavy in the tummy if you eat a lot of them (at least they are to me). So I suggest pairing this with something else that’s really light. This may not be the thing to go alongside a steak, but with the ginger and citrus components I think it would go really well with a chicken breast. I also know a lot of people like to eat grain bowls for breakfast and lunch and this is definitely a good option for that. I’ve been meaning to get into that myself, so you may see a lot of grain bowls on here in the future. While you’re waiting, try this recipe and get your fiber for the day!

Spiced Lentils with Spinach
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, diced
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
generous 1 cup green lentils
about 2 1/2 cups veggie broth
1/4 pound spinach
1 tablespoon fresh mint leaves, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1 tablespoon fresh parsley, chopped fine
lemon juice, to taste
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Saute the onions and garlic in the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat till translucent.
2. Add the cumin and ginger and fry 2 minutes more.
3. Add the green lentils and veggie broth to the skillet till the veggie broth covers the lentils by 1 inch. Bring to a boil and then lower the heat to a simmer for 20-30 minutes or till lentils are tender. Watch to make sure your lentils don’t get mushy!
4. If the broth has boiled away, add a bit more. Then add the spinach, mint leaves, cilantro, and parsley.
5. Season with the lemon juice, salt and pepper to your liking and serve.

Super Cool Detox Water

I’ve begun using Pinterest here and there. I’ve never really seen much of a point in it personally. I’ve certainly not gotten as addicted to it as some folks seem to be. But I suppose it is helpful to keep track of things you want to do, like this recipe for Detox Water from Stockpiling Moms. I made my own, changing a few of the measurements of ingredients to fit my own taste. Please note that the glass jug is an important part of this recipe as it allows you to see all the pretty slices of fruit and veggie.

Super Cool Detox Water
1-2 lemons, sliced and de-seeded
1 cucumber, sliced
15 mint leaves
water

1. Combine the lemons, cucumber, and mint leaves in a gallon glass jug.
2. Fill the jug with water and stick it in the fridge for 8 hours or overnight.

Super Cool Detox Water

Zucchini and Cheese Parcels

This recipe from the “1000 Vegetarian Recipes from Around the World” cookbook is enough to serve 4 people. I’m only 1 person, so I altered the recipe accordingly. I love even numbers and easy calculations. This is as good on the grill as it is in the oven. I made this not long after I had to put a halt on posting till I was less busy and since then we’ve had it three more times. I think we have a new favorite recipe to add to our rotation. Please pay attention when I say this: DO NOT ADD SALT TO THIS RECIPE. Seriously. The feta cheese is plenty salty and you won’t need any extra salt. If you add any extra you’re going to over-salt-ify this dish and then you’ll be sad. Also make sure you get your feta nice and crunchy on top. You can even let parts of it burn a little. I love baked cheese but I didn’t realize feta transformed into this marvelous crust that has the power to bring massive amounts of tears of happiness to my eyes. Eat this alongside some brown rice or a little bit of couscous with mint.

Zucchini and Cheese Parcels
8 zucchini
1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for brushing
4 oz. feta cheese, cut into strips or crumbled
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat your oven to 350 F or start your grill.
2. Cut along the length of each of the zucchini and place the halves either in a baking dish drizzled with olive oil or an aluminum foil square brushed with olive oil.
3. Slip strips or crumbles of feta cheese into the slits and drizzle a bit of olive oil over the top.
4. Sprinkle mint on top of the zucchini and season to taste with black pepper.
5. If using the foil, fold up the sides to enclose the zucchini.
6. Bake the zucchini for 30 minutes or till easily pierced with a fork.

Zucchini and Cheese Parcels

Mint Juleps…Two Ways

Shelley's Mint Julep. So cool and refreshing!

There are three folks I know that do mint juleps like total champs. And they would be my amazing and quite brilliant friend Shelley and those cunning culinary foxes Greg and Katherine over at Rufus’ Food and Spirits Guide. Kentucky Derby is coming up and it’s a time I look forward to now because the past 2 years Shelley has thrown a Derby Party complete with hats, gloves, dresses, low-cash-grad-school horse wagers, and mint juleps. Since I finished my previous MA last May and moved away, it’s highly unlikely I’ll be attending Derby Party this year. This makes me very sad. But I didn’t want to miss out on the fun, so I contacted my friend to ask for her recipe for mint juleps so I could make them here at home. Then I recalled a recipe for Blackberry Mint Juleps posted by Greg and Katherine a while ago.

Crushing Mint Leaves

I made the mint syrup my friend Shelley’s way and then used it to construct a Shelley Mint Julep and a Blackberry Mint Julep. That was a good afternoon. I appreciated the simplicity of the Shelley Mint Julep. On the other hand the one from Greg and Katherine’s site was a bit more complex. The blackberry jam gave it a velvety darkness that I didn’t mind inviting into my life one bit. These mint juleps were a great choice for that particular day. It was hot as Hades outside (yes, summer’s back to Tucson everyone) and Jake was away camping with some of his friends. So I was feeling lazy lazy lazy and SO decadent. The mint juleps were so beautifully refreshing! They’re just what I needed. Click on the link above for the Blackberry Mint Julep recipe, and also because Greg and Katherine rock socks. Shelley’s recipe is posted below, so I never have an excuse to forget it. She swears that the key to this recipe is making the perfect mint syrup and encourages everyone to make it the night before you plan on serving them. She also says that though you can make mint juleps using other kinds of ice, crushed ice is really the best. And who am I to argue with her? She grew up in Kentucky surrounded by mint juleps and the Kentucky Derby for most of her young life.

Shelley’s Mint Julep
for the mint syrup:
1 part water
1 part sugar
double the amount of mint sprigs

to construct the drink:
1/2 cup crushed ice
1 tablespoon mint syrup
2 oz. bourbon
slightly bruised mint sprigs, for garnish

1. In a small saucepan, boil 1 part water to 1 part sugar for 5 minutes.
2. Bruise double the amount of mint sprigs in a small bowl using a wooden spoon. So for example, if you do one cup water to one cup sugar, you should add two cups mint sprigs.
3. Take the saucepan off the heat. Then add the bruised mint sprigs to the sugar water.
4. Soak the mint sprigs in the sugar water overnight.
5. Drain the mint sprigs out of the mint syrup mixture when you’re ready to serve it.
6. To make the julep, add crushed ice, mint syrup, and bourbon to a short, squat glass.
7. Stir the mixture rapidly. Garnish with a mint sprig and enjoy!

Blackberry Mint Julep