Puerto Rican Rice and Pigeon Peas (Arroz con Gandules)

My introduction to Arroz con Gandules was at a dinner party hosted by a Puerto Rican woman who had prepared her mother's recipe. I had never even heard of pigeon peas ("gandules") before, but they're similar to a bean or lentil. Arroz con Gandules relies on the use of "sofrito," which was also a new idea to me. Sofrito is an herb mix that is thrown into most Puerto Rican dishes. You make a ton of it, freeze it, and use as needed. Arroz con Gandules is not only tasty hot off the stove, but it only gets better as it sits. I throw in extra veggies that I want to use up - anything can get added here. You would have to really work to make this taste bad... Enjoy!

- olive oil
- 2 strips bacon (or 4 strips of turkey bacon)
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1/2 c sofrito (recipe below)
- 2 Tbsp tomato paste or 1 can tomato sauce
- 2 c rice
- 1 can pigeon peas, drained
- 1/2 of a 7 oz. jar of pimento-stuffed olives
- 2 c chicken stock

1. Coat a large saucepan with olive oil and bring to medium heat. Cook the bacon and onion until the onion softens, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the sofrito, tomato paste/sauce, and rice. Combine well and cook for 5 minutes.

3. Add the pigeon peas, olives, and chicken stock. If you have extra veggies you want to throw in, do so now. Cover and lower the heat. Let simmer until the rice is tender,  30 - 45 minutes.

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To make sofrito (makes a lot!):
Do not worry about chopping very fine - it will all get blended anyways. Throw the following in a food processor and blend until well combined and a paste consistency. Freeze until use.
- 2 green bell peppers, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 10 ajies dulces peppers
- 3 medium tomatoes, chopped
- 4 onions, chopped
- 3 heads garlic, peeled
- roughly 50 cilantro leaves and stems
- salt
- pepper

 

Spaghetti Squash in Creamy Tomato Sauce

So... if you haven't yet tried spaghetti squash, you really need to - it will blow you away! I don't miss pasta at all!! Any pasta recipe can be served in an awesome squash bowl instead (with its awesome squash nutrients!). And this is the richest-tasting, tastiest Paleo tomato sauce I've come up with, and it's my favorite tomato sauce of any kind. Period. It's still frozen up here in the north, but I will definitely be making this sauce with garden tomatoes this summer! But back to spaghetti squash...

So spaghetti squash starts out looking like any other squash...

...until you cook it, and then it turns into awesome, tasty spaghetti!

- 2 spaghetti squash, halved
- 1/2 c quinoa, uncooked
- 1 c water
- 1 can light coconut milk
- 1 large can diced tomatoes, in juice (tomato sauce would also work)
- 1 Tbsp tomato paste
- 2 tsp olive oil
- 1/4 white onion, minced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tbsp arrowroot flour (or cornstarch)
- 2 Tbsp water
- 1 handful of basil (I used a whole small pack), julienned
- green onion, for garnish (optional)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.

2. Cook the quinoa like you would cook rice (steam around 20 minutes in a stove pot or rice cooker).

3. Place the squash halves, cut side down, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake until soft (easy to poke with a fork), around 30 minutes.

4. As the squash cooks, in medium-sized saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the coconut milk, tomatoes, and tomato paste. Combine well and bring to a boil.

5. As the tomato sauce cooks, coat a saucepan with olive oil and sauté the onion and garlic until translucent, around 4 minutes. Add them to the tomato sauce.

6. When the tomato sauce comes to a boil, combine the arrowroot flour and water in a small bowl until well combined, and add to the tomato sauce. Add the basil and cook for another 2 minutes, until it gets nice and thick. Remove from heat and set aside. I ran mine through my immersion blender to get it to a consistency that I like better, but that's optional.

7. When the squash are ready, remove their seeds with a spoon, then scrape the meat with a fork until you get nice spaghetti strands. If it's been cooked long enough, the meat should separate from the skin well. Divide the quinoa evenly among the squash, and mix to combine it with the spaghetti strands. Pour the tomato sauce over the squash and mix well into the spaghetti. Top with green onion and serve in the squash skins (no dishes!!). Enjoy!

Homemade Adobo Sauce

This. is. amazing. I never knew that Adobo sauce was so easy to make! And there's no sneaky added sugar in this recipe... It's way better than any canned version I've ever tried (adapted from Paleo Pot). You'll find yourself licking the spoon for sure!

- 6 medium-sized dried chipotle peppers
- 3 c water
- 1 c tomato sauce
- 4 Tbsp apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 white onion, diced
- 1 fresh jalapeno, diced
- 4 cloves garlic, cut in half
- 1 tsp smoked paprika
- couple pinches of salt

1. Place a saucepan over medium heat and add the chipotles and water. Let brew for at least 10 minutes, until the water is brown and the peppers are soft to the touch and nice and aromatic.

2. Add the remaining ingredients, combining well, and bring to a boil.

3. When at a boil, lower the heat and let simmer for an hour, until at desired thickness.

4. Remove from heat. When cool enough, remove the chipotles. Open up three of them, remove the membranes and seeds, and return to the mixture. You can use six if you want it really spicy, but I think three is a good amount. You can discard of the remaining peppers.

5. Blend the mixture together - I prefer to use an immersion blender. Store refrigerated for about a week, or freeze if you want to keep it longer! Enjoy! You can use it for these Enchilada Zucchini Boats!

French Onion Soup

Photo- Zig Hampel

Now that it's getting a bit colder out, I've been craving French Onion Soup! I don't eat beef stock, so this is not quite as sweet as traditional French Onion Soups. I actually prefer the chicken stock, but I may be biased! The key here is the slow-cooked onions... they're a game changer!

- 6 onions, quartered and sliced
- olive oil
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 4 bay leaves, snapped in half
- 6 springs fresh thyme
- salt
- pepper
- 1/2 bottle red wine
- 3 heaving tsp of flour
- 2 quarts chicken stock (or turkey, if available)
- 1 baguette, sliced
- 1/3 lb Gruyere, sliced

1. To caramelize the onions, grease the bottom of a slow cooker with olive oil. Add the onions, and drizzle roughly a 1/4 c of olive oil on top. Mix them around so the onions get nicely coated. Slow cook for 12 - 14 hours. I do this overnight, stirring the onions around every couple hours until I go to bed, and then stirring again first thing in the morning.

2. In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat. Add the caramelized onions, bay leaves, thyme, salt, and pepper. Bring to a boil. Add the wine and boil the wine off for about 10 minutes, until it has all simmered off. Sprinkle flour around the mixture. Combine well.

3. Preheat the oven to broil.

4. Add the broth, one cup at a time, bringing to a boil after each cup. When it has all been added, let it simmer for 10 minutes. Discard the bay leaves and the thyme.

5. Broil the baguette slices topped with cheese until the cheese melts and the toast browns around the edges.

6. Serve in a bowl or mug topped with cheesy toasts. Pairs well with wine, both red and white.

Minestrone Soup

This is my grandma's Minestrone Soup recipe and it's got pretty much every vitamin you'll ever need in it. I usually only make it a couple times a year since it freezes well and is a great soup for when you're fighting a cold!

- 1/2 c olive oil
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 c chopped onion
- 1 c chopped celery
- 4 Tbsp chopped parsley
- 6 oz tomato paste
- 10 1/2 oz vegetable broth, undiluted
- 9 c water
- 1 c coarsely chopped cabbage
- 2 carrots, thinly sliced
- 1 c green beans
- 1 c peas
- 2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp pepper
- 1/8 tsp sage, chopped
- 1 lb kidney beans, cooked
- 1 zucchini, thinly sliced
- 1 c elbow macaroni
- Parmesan cheese slices, to top the soup
- Baguette, if desired

1. Heat the oil in a large pot. Add the garlic, onion, celery, and parsley. Cook until soft.

2. Stir in the tomato paste, broth, water, cabbage, carrots, salt, papper, and sage. Mix well. Bring to a boil, and lower the heat to a simmer. Cook slowly for 1 hour.

3. Add the kidney beans, zucchini, and macaroni. Cook 10 - 15 minutes, until the macaroni is tender.

4. Serve hot topped with Parmesan cheese and a side of baguette!

Z. Hampel

Coconut Curry

This curry has quickly become a house favorite- it's really simple, but looks pretty fancy! It has been particularly good on these recent cold nights! For variations on this, I'd suggest replacing the tofu with some shrimp, or adding whatever veggies sound good! 

- 16 oz tofu

- 1 tsp sesame oil (other oils work as well)

- 1 bell pepper, sliced

- 1 onion, sliced

- 1 1/2c baby carrots, sliced

- 2 potatoes, cubed

- 3 oz red curry paste (I prefer Thai Kitchen's)

- 1 c water

- 1 c chicken broth (I prefer low-sodium)

- 14 oz of lite coconut milk

- 1/4 c soy sauce

- 6 oz rice noodles (2 bundles), cooked

- 1/4 c cilantro, chopped

1. Slice the tofu into bite-sized triangles- I ended up with 48. Drain the tofu by setting the pieces out on a paper towel, then covering them with more paper towels. Place a heavy pan (I use my cast iron) on top of them and let it drain for 5 minutes. 

2. Saute the tofu in the sesame oil until each side of golden brown and firm. Set aside. 

3. Drizzle some sesame oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat and add the curry paste. Mix as well as possible. Add the water and broth. Mix well. Add the carrots, potatoes, and onion. 

4. Bring to a boil. Add the coconut milk and peppers. Let it simmer for a couple of minutes. Add the soy sauce and mix well. 

5. Place the noodles in the bottom of each bowl. Add the curry, then top with cilantro. Serve hot! Pairs well with lagers and pilsners. Enjoy!

Mmmm... 

(Veggie) Buffalo "Wings"

I love wings, especially during football season. These awesome veggie wings do not make you miss the fried chicken at all- they have quickly become a favorite football snack, even among the meat lovers!

- 1 1/4c flour
- 1 1/4c milk (or water)
- 1 Tbsp garlic powder
- 1 head cauliflower, in bite-sized pieces
- 1 c assorted veggies, as desired (if not used, just adjust the milk mixture to 1c flour, 1c milk, 2 1/2tsp garlic powder)
- 1 bottle buffalo sauce (12 oz.)
 - 1 Tbsp oil

 1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.
 2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the flour, milk, and garlic powder. Whisk until the mixture is well blended. Add the veggies and coat. I coat using the same motion as you would to combine spaghetti sauce into a pot of pasta, using 2 wooden spoons.
3. Place coated veggies onto a greased or foil-covered pan. Try to get just one layer for the most even cooking.

Coated veggies in the baking pan

4. Cook for 18 - 20 minutes. If the foil is sticking to the runoff batter, it's done.
5. Combine the buffalo sauce and oil. Remove the foil from the veggies and put them back into the baking pan. Pour sauce over the veggies.

Proper buffalo sauce is key! 

6. Return to the oven for another 5 - 8 minutes.
7. Serve with ranch sauce and some celery. Pairs well with cold nights and football!

Proper beer coozies are also key!

Tofu Pad Thai

Pad Thai is a dish that, while so delicious when done right, is easily done wrong. This recipe is spot on, and it's easy! It's adapted from the Fake Ginger blog's version.

Sauce
- 1/4 c tomato paste
- 1/3 c packed brown sugar
- 1/4 c soy sauce
- 3 Tbsp lime juice
- 1 minced garlic clove
- 1/2 - 1 tsp Sriracha

Noodles
- 6.5 oz dried rice noodles
- 3 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use grapeseed)
- 1/2 lb. extra-firm tofu
- 2 large eggs, beaten
- 4 scallions, sliced
- 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
- 2 Tbsp roasted peanuts
- Lime wedges for garnish

1. Mix all of the sauce ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside.
2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice noodles and cook until done, about 3 minutes. Drain and set aside. 
3. Cut the tofu into bite-sized pieces. Place them evenly on a large surface covered in paper towels. Top with paper towels, then cover with a large, heavy saucepan and let them sit for 5 minutes to release excess water.
4. Heat 1-1/2 Tbsp of the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add the drained tofu and cook until each side is lightly browned. Set aside.
5. Add 1/2 Tbsp of oil to a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Pour in eggs and scramble. Once they are cooked, add the noodles, tofu, and 3/4 of the green onions. Pour on the sauce and toss to coat. Cook until evenly hot, about 3-5 minutes. Serve in bowls and sprinkle the remaining green onions, cilantro, and roasted peanuts on top.
6. Garnish with lime wedges. Pairs well with light beers, particularly lagers or fruit beers. Enjoy!

Butternut Squash Risotto

This recipe is a great easy meal for the fall. It is a non-vegan recipe inspired by the vegan butternut squash risotto from Vegenista, but I think the added dairy vastly improves it!

- 2 Tbsp olive oil
- 1/2 c yellow onion, chopped
- 2 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 c Aborio rice
- 1/4 c white wine
- 5 c chicken broth (I prefer low-sodium)
   *Note: I like to have an extra cup of broth hand in case I mess up and need it!
- 3/4 large butternut squash, peeled and chopped
   *Note: You can also use a variety smaller squashes, if desired
- 1/2 c green peas
- 1/4 c fresh basil, julienned
- 1 Tbsp butter
- Ground pepper
- Shredded parmesan cheese, for topping

1. Heat the oil over medium heat in a large saucepan or skillet. Add onion and garlic. Saute until the onion starts to get translucent, about 3 minutes.
2. Add the rice and stir until it becomes slightly translucent around the edges, about 2 minutes. Add wine. Stir until dissolved into the rice.
3. Add 2 cups chicken broth. Let simmer until the broth is absorbed by the rice, stirring occasionally. Once incorporated, add the squash, peas, and another cup of broth. Stir until the broth is absorbed again. Add another cup of broth. The squash should be softened and the rice should be cooked when this cup is absorbed. If not, add more broth until it is the way you like it.
4. Remove from heat and add basil, butter and pepper. Top with parmesan (and fresh basil leaves for garnish!). Pairs well with white wine. Enjoy!

Mmmm...

Quick 'n Dirty Hot and Sour Soup

Looks kind of strange, tastes awesome

This recipe is based on a traditional San Francisco Chinatown recipe for Hot and Sour Soup. The full recipe is a bit laborious, but I adapted this one for cold days when you don't have time to do a lot of fiddling around. I have yet to find something that does more wonders for a cold than this soup!


- 4 c low sodium chicken broth
- 5 oz sliced water chestnuts
- 5 oz sliced mushrooms
- 1/4 head of green cabbage, sliced
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 Tbsp minced or grated ginger
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 2 Tbsp rice vinegar
- 1 tsp sesame oil
- 2 Tbsp low sodium soy sauce
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp chili oil or 1 small hot pepper, minced (optional)
- 1 egg, beaten
- 1 pack firm tofu, cut into small cubes
- 3 green onions, chopped

1. In a large pot, bring the stock to a boil.
2. Add the water chestnuts and return to a boil.
3. Add the mushrooms, cabbage, garlic and ginger. Return to a boil.
4. In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in 1/4 c of the soup. Return to the pot. Stir to incorporate.
5. In a small bowl, combine the vinegar, oil, soy sauce, white pepper and chili oil. Combine well and add to the soup. Stir and cook for another 3 minutes.
6. Trickle the egg into the soup. Add the tofu and green onions. Stir to incorporate.
7. Serve hot, over rice noodles if desired. Pairs well with green tea. Enjoy!

Baked Egg Rolls

This is one of my favorite recipes: these baked egg rolls taste restaurant-quality (without the bad deep frying!). It's also a great recipe to make if your veggies are about to go bad!

- 1/4c soy sauce

- 1/2 Tbsp corn starch

- 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (I prefer grapeseed)

- 1/2 tsp minced garlic

- 1'' fresh ginger, peeled and grated

- 3 medium green onions, sliced
- 4 oz mushrooms, sliced

- 2 medium carrots, peeled and grated

- 1/2 white or red onion, sliced

- 1 small head green cabbage, sliced (cut into quarter and remove the core before slicing)

- 1 tsp sesame oil

- 20 egg roll wrappers
- sweet and sour sauce, for dipping

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.
2. Dissolve the cornstarch in the soy sauce. Set aside.
3. Put a large skillet or wok over medium heat and sauté the garlic, ginger, and green onions until slightly softened (1-2 minutes). Add the mushrooms and continue to sauté until softened (~5 minutes). Add the carrot, onion and cabbage. Combine and cook until the cabbage has reduced in volume by a half, stirring often.
4. Add cornstarch mix to the skillet and stir to coat the vegetables. Drizzle the sesame oil in. Transfer to a bowl to cool.

The filling

5. To fill the egg rolls: Lay a wrapper out flat. Place 1/4 -1/3 cup of the veggies just off the center. Roll the corner up and over the filling, fold each side in, and then roll the rest of the way up. Keep a small bowl of water nearby and use it as glue to hold the corners of the egg roll wrapper in place.

Folding the egg rolls

6. Cover a baking sheet with foil. Place the egg rolls on the baking sheet and brush lightly with oil. Roll them over and coat the other side. Bake for about 20 minutes or until golden brown, flipping the egg rolls over halfway through cooking.
7. Serve with hot and sour sauce. Pairs well with light beers, particularly lagers.

Vegetable Karhi

This is a recipe inspired by the one in Kurma Dasa's Vegetarian World Food. And what is Karhi? It's a yogurt sauce similar to curry and best served over rice.

- 1 1/2 c carrots, peeled and chopped
- 1 1/2 c green beans, chopped
- 1 1/2 c small cauliflower florets
- 1 1/2 c green peas
- 1 1/2 c potatoes, peeled and chopped
- 2 c cooked rice

Karhi Sauce
- 2 c plain yogurt
- 1/2 c chickpea flour
- 1 pint water
- 1 tsp chili powder
- 1/2 t turmeric powder
- 1 tsp coriander powder
- 2 Tbsp butter
- 1 tsp brown mustard seeds
- 1 1/2 tsp cumin powder
- small pinch asafoetida
- 1 1/2 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp fresh chopped cilantro

1. Steam all the vegetables until just tender. Drain and set aside.

2. Whisk the yogurt and chickpea flour together in a small bowl. Whisk in the water, chili powder, turmeric, and coriander. Set aside.

3. Heat up the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once it is melted, add the mustard seeds and fry them until they crackle. Add the cumin until it darkens a shade, then add the asafoetida. Add the yogurt mixture and bring to a boil, then simmer for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Fold the vegetables, salt, and cilantro into the yogurt mixture and turn off the heat.

5. Serve over rice. Pairs well with lemonade, lagers, and pilsners. Enjoy!