Grecian Kalamata Pasta

TGIF, yes? Gahhh, I am officially "poo-pooing" this entire week, Madeline style. Unfortunately, there won't be any playing outside this weekend. We have absolutely zero snow, 80 mph winds, and an air-quality advisory. Poo poo! Looks like it will be a weekend filled with homemade bagel baking, yogilates, Game of Thrones reading, and Modern Family watching. That actually doesn't sound too bad. You know what else doesn't sound bad? This Grecian Kalamata Pasta. It's a filling pasta dish with Greek flair, including Kalamata olives, Roma tomatoes, and spinach. Lentils give it a hefty protein boost. 

Also, I really like this Greek proverb so I thought I would share with you. 

Isn't that nice?

Grecian Kalamata Pasta    

Serves 8

Notes: Be sure to save 1/4 cup of the pasta water for the sauce. Avoid red lentils for this dish, as they wouldn't hold up as well as brown or green.

• Sustenance: 
• 1/2 cup brown or green lentils, dry
• 1 cup water
• 16 oz. pasta (penne or similar), dry
• Sauce:
• 1/2 cup white wine vinegar
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
• 1/4 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• Goodies:
• 3 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped (save innards and seeds)
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 6 oz. fresh spinach (3 large handfuls), rough chopped
• 1/2 small red onion, diced
• 1 cup pitted Kalamata olives, sliced
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

In a small saucepan, bring the lentils and water to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and allow to cook for about 25 minutes, or until the tender. Drain and set aside.

Bring a large saucepan full of salted water to a boil for the pasta. Add pasta and cook according to package for al dente pasta. You will want it slightly undercooked for this recipe. Drain, reserving 1/4 cup of the water and set aside.

Meanwhile, in a food processor add the sauce ingredients and blend until smooth.

Cut the tomatoes in half and scoop out the innards with a spoon. Add only the innards to the processor and blend until well incorporated. 

In a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp. of olive oil. Add in the goodie ingredients except for the olives and walnuts. Saute until the onions are browned. Cover with a lid for a minute or two during, to wilt the spinach. 

Add the lentils, sauce, goodies, olives, walnuts, and reserved pasta water to the cooked and drained pasta. Stir well to coat. 

Serve hot!

I like this calming song: 

[soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/11130373" params="color=8eb6a8&auto_play=false&hide_related=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

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Thai Quinoa Burgers

I'm not really big on vegan burgers. Of any kind. Homemade, store-bought, restaurant. I have nothing against the vegan burger. I'm pretty sure it just has something to do with my disdain for sandwiches. I'll just say it...I don't like sandwiches. I know. Am I even human? I don't know anymore.  Well, these Thai Quinoa Burgers, if only for a moment in time, make me forget how much I don't prefer an entree squished between two wads of bread. These are the freakin' bomb, people. They're just as a vegan burger should be. Delicious, hearty, full of flavor, and they stay together beautifully. There's nothing worse than a crumbling vegan burger patty, truly.  

What I especially love about these burgers is that they are very healthy, super easy to make, hold together well, protein-packed, crispy on the outside, and not at all dry.

What's not to love? You have to try these!

My new favorite vegan burger.

Thai Quinoa Burgers

Makes 6 patties

Notes: You'll have a bit of leftover quinoa. That's a good thing! I put mine in the freezer and then when we need it, you're already good to go!

• Flax egg:
• 1 Tbsp. ground flax seed
• 2 Tbsp. water
• Quinoa:
• 1 cup quinoa, dry (I used red)
• 2 cups water
• Patty:
• 1 cup old-fashioned oats, dry
• 1 15 oz. can of chickpeas (garbanzo beans), rinsed and drained
• 1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
• 1/2 cup fancy snow peas, chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 Tbsp. red curry paste
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp. agave nectar
• 1/2-1 Tbsp. fresh ginger, chopped
• 1 tsp. ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/4 tsp. fresh chili paste
• Assemble:
• 6 burger buns
• BBQ sauce
• spinach or lettuce
• mung bean sprouts

In a small bowl, whisk together the ground flax and water. Set aside to rest for at least 10 minutes.

In a medium saucepan, bring the rinsed quinoa and water to boil over high heat. Turn down to a simmer, cover and allow to cook for about 15-20 minutes or until tender. Fluff with a fork and set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the oats until they are coarsely ground. Add the remaining patty ingredients, including the flax egg. Process well, until smooth and thick. Once the quinoa is done cooking, measure out 1 cup and process that in as well, until well combined. Freezer or refrigerate the leftover quinoa.

Preheat oven to 350 F and coat a baking sheet with a non-stick cooking spray.

Heat a large frying pan over medium heat with a splash of olive oil. Using a 1/3 measuring cup, form the burger mixture into patties and fry for 1-2 minutes on each side, until browned. Repeat until all the mixture is gone. This should make about six patties. 

Once they are browned on both sides, place on the baking sheet and bake at 350 F for about 10 minutes, until golden and crispy. 

Assemble with a bun, and topped with BBQ sauce, spinach or lettuce, and sprouts if you wish.

Or, it's just as fabulous without the bun! They'd be great in a wrap too, I should think!

Bonus points for sprouting your own mung beans, like I did. I'll try not to be too excited or smug about that. In all honesty, I had no choice. Our stores up here in Alaska don't sell them anymore!

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

We're always dealing with stuff. Life is full of stuff. Some say that's all it is really. Literal stuff, figurative stuff, stuff stuff. Good stuff, bad stuff, everyday stuff. While running yesterday, I was watching Doctor Who and I heard a quote, "Pain and loss, they define us as much as happiness or love." It may be silly for such a quote to stick with me, but it really did, and it kept me thinking. It's pretty cheeseballs, I know. Yet, if you've got some bad stuff or sad stuff going on in your life, sometimes it's good to have a grounding quote in the back of your brain to remind you of the big picture. So I am gifting this one to you. Thank you Doctor Who, and all your infinite wisdom. That's all. Okay, moving on to what's reaaally important in life. Food...obviously.

I've been wanting to make a shepherd's pie for quite some time now. My family never really made it, but I did spend half my childhood at my BFFs' house (a five minute walk up the road). My second Dad, as I call him, made shepherd's pie on occasion and I loved it. Although his was different than this recipe, as it involved white potatoes, peas, and meat if I am remembering correctly. My lentil shepherd's pie has strayed from the white potatoes and meat, but it still conjured up some good childhood memories.

Sweet potatoes replace the white variety and hearty mushrooms replace the meat in this non-traditional shepherd's pie. Rich and savory flavors are complemented by the honeyed taste of the fluffy sweet potatoes perched atop. If you want to try a scrumptious little spin on regular ol' shepherd's pie then look no further! No animal friends' flesh necessary, I promise you. 

It's been a warm, yucky and wet January here in Alaska. Perfect weather for a good, filling shepherd's pie if you ask me.

Lentil Shepherd's Pie

Serves 8

• Sweet Potatoes:
• 4-5 medium sweet potatoes
• 1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence 
• 1/2 tsp. kosher salt
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup plain/unsweetened non-dairy milk (I used soy milk)
• 1 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• Pie:
• 1 cup dry red lentils
• 3/4 cup dry steel cut oats
• 1 bay leaf
• 1 tsp. kosher salt
• 5 cups water
• 1 Tbsp. olive oil
• 1 lb. cremini mushrooms, half quartered and half diced 
• pinch of salt
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 celery stalk, diced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 3/4 cup vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup vegan red wine (you'd be shocked that most are not)
• 1 Tbsp. tomato paste
• 1 Tbsp. soy sauce
• 1/2 Tbsp. Worcestershire sauce
• 2 tsp. paprika
• 1/2 tsp. Herbs de Provence 
• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
• 2 Tbsp. nutritional yeast
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped

Yikes! It seems like a lot, but it's mostly seasonings. Don't fret!

Preheat the oven to 400 F. Wash the sweet potatoes and prick each several times with a knife. Place on a baking sheet and roast in the oven for about 1 hour, or until very soft when poked with a knife. Once done, remove from oven and set aside to cool.

Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan combine the lentils, oats, bay leaf, salt, and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Turn to low, cover partially and simmer for about 20 minutes or until the lentils are cooked. Drain well and set aside until ready to use. 

While the lentils are cooking, in a large saucepan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Chop half the mushrooms in quarters and mince the other half. Add the quartered mushrooms and a pinch of salt to the oil and saute until they have darkened and become fragrant, about 5-8 minutes. Then, add the minced mushrooms, onion, celery, and garlic. Saute until the onions begin to brown. 

Add in the remaining ingredients for the pie, including the lentil/oat mixture but excluding the nutritional yeast and parsley. Stirring occasionally, allow to cook for about 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in the nutritional yeast and chopped parsley.

Coat a 9x13 inch casserole pan with a nonstick cooking spray and spread the pie mixture evenly on the bottom of the pan. 

By now, the sweet potatoes should be done, maybe even cool. If they aren't quite tender enough, you can pop them in the microwave for a few minutes. Once they are cooled, you'll want to peel the skin off. Don't worry this is very easy as it should just slip right off. Be sure to cut the tips off either end first. 

Put the peeled sweet potatoes in a large electric stand mixer bowl and beat on medium until mashed. Then, add in the remaining sweet potato ingredients and continue to beat for a few minutes, until fluffy and soft. 

At this point you can either compost the skins or if you like the skins (like me!), just chop them up and scatter them over the pie mixture. 

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Spread the mashed sweet potatoes evenly over the pie mixture and bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until the edges of the potatoes become slightly browned.

Slice up and serve hot.

This little ditty always makes me smile for some reason. [soundcloud url="https://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/95403702" params="color=ff6600&auto_play=false&show_artwork=true" width="100%" height="166" iframe="true" /]

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