Vegetarian

Cauliflower Steaks with Charred Red Pepper Sauce and Lentils

January 25, 2013 by Erica

Cauliflower Steak with Lentils and Charred Red Pepper Steak Sauce | coffeeandquinoa.com

There was a time in the life of this blog – called December – when I felt like all I was posting were desserts and snacks. Crostini, popcorn, cake, hummus – I was posting some of my favorite recipes, but I wasn’t posting the healthy meals that I actually cook when I come home from work at night.

Oh, how the times have changed.

I guess that’s called January. And in January, I have posted a record number of healthy, savory recipes – noodle soup, chickpea tacos, even a salad. These are the things I really eat for dinner every night… at least in January. Give me a few more weeks and it’ll be big bowls of pasta and cheese, I’m sure. Actually, I’m definitely going to make some desserts this weekend. But for now, my intentions are good, and my posts are healthy!

Exhibit A:

Cauliflower Steak with Lentils and Charred Red Pepper Steak Sauce | coffeeandquinoa.com

Roasted cauliflower “steaks” over lentils with an amazing charred red pepper “steak” sauce drizzled over the top. See the steam wafting up from those babies? I bet you’ll be home in time for dinner.

Cauliflower seems to be the new vegetable that everyone is pretending is meat. First came portobellos, of course, which I can understand. Now Pinterest is filled with cauliflower steaks. Any guesses as to what we’ll all be calling “steaks” in a few months? My bet is on the eggplant.

Today I’m hopping on the bandwagon, and as you can see, I really am pretending this is meat. I put steak sauce on it and ate it with a steak knife. These knives are like, the sharpest things in the world. They’re awesome but totally unnecessary here. I’ve been using them to cut grapefruit lately. And cauliflower… the other white meat.

Whatever you do, don’t skip this red pepper sauce! I don’t even care what you put it on… fake steaks, pasta, real steaks, pizza, whatever you like. It is out-of-this-world delicious, as Deb will tell you, and it really makes this meal! I made a double batch to ensure leftovers, and I will almost certainly be adapting it to a hearty pasta sauce soon. (As it is, I adapted Deb’s recipe to whatever I had in my pantry/fridge, which did not include Worcestershire sauce or orange juice. Feel free to check out the original recipe linked below.)

Have a fun and relaxing weekend, friends! I will be cooking and baking up a storm (typical) and attending one last Sundance film (my 4th of the week!). I already have another healthy entree lined up for you next week, and hopefully my experimenting this weekend will yield some yummy stuff, too!

Cauliflower Steak with Lentils and Charred Red Pepper Steak Sauce | coffeeandquinoa.com

Cauliflower Steaks with Lentils and Charred Red Pepper Steak Sauce

Steak sauce adapted slightly from the Tasting Table via Smitten Kitchen

Serves 2

Ingredients:

3/4 cup dried lentils

For the cauliflower steaks:

1 head cauliflower
1/2 Tbsp olive oil
sprinkle of salt and pepper

For the charred red pepper steak sauce:

1 red bell pepper
2/3 cup canned diced or crushed tomatoes in their juice
1 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp low-sodium soy sauce
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 Tbsp molasses
1 tsp mustard
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp onion powder
1/8 tsp allspice
kosher salt to taste

Instructions:

First, prepare the lentils. (I usually opt to do this the night before or earlier in the week to save time, and then just microwave them right before serving.) Rinse lentils in a strainer. Add to a small pot with 1 1/4 cups water. Bring to a boil and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes. Drain any remaining liquid.

Next, char the peppers. Preheat your broiler, position a rack near the top of the oven, and line a baking sheet with foil. I like to de-stem my peppers, scrape out the seeds, and cut them into 2-4 pieces before broiling. Just place them skin-side up on the baking sheet. Alternatively, you could broil them whole, turning occasionally, and de-stem and de-seed them afterwards. It should take you about 6 minutes to broil them. Check on them occasionally – most broilers are uneven, and you will probably need to rotate your pan halfway through. Remove your peppers from the baking sheet after broiling; you’ll need the baking sheet for the cauliflower. [Edit: Do not remove the pepper skins. You want to leave them on to get that nice charred flavor in your sauce.]

Preheat oven to 425. (If you have an oven thermometer, be sure to check it! Many ovens will say they are preheated after the broiler has been on, but the bottom of the oven is completely cold. If you don’t have an oven thermometer, just let the oven warm up for a few extra minutes.) Trim the outside leaves from your head of cauliflower. Place it stem down on a cutting board, and cut 4 1/2-inch “steaks” from the center of the cauliflower, the part that connects to the stem. You can also chop up the remaining hunks of cauliflower and roast them too, or you can save them for another use. (May I suggest leek and cauliflower potato skins?) You will probably have 2 really good steaks from the center that won’t fall apart at all, and two others that may fall apart a bit while cooking. That’s OK! Each person gets one nice steak and one that’s in pieces. :)

Place steaks on lined baking sheet. Brush each side with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Roast until tender and golden on both sides, about 20 minutes, flipping once (gently!) around the 12-minute mark.

While the oven is preheating and the steaks are cooking, whip up the charred red pepper sauce. You’ve already charred the peppers, so you’ve got a head start. If you have an immersion blender, simply add all ingredients to a small pot and blend until smooth. If using a regular blender, add all ingredients and blend until smooth, then pour into a small pot. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. You can also let it go a little shorter or longer, basically until whenever the cauliflower is done. At this point, you can blend it again to get it extra smooth (easy if you have an immersion blender), or simply serve it as-is.

Serve immediately once cauliflower is done. Place the cauliflower steaks on top of a scoop of lentils, and ladle red pepper sauce over the top.

Enjoy!

Time:

45 minutes

Taco Tuesday: Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole

January 22, 2013 by Erica

Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole | coffeeandquinoa.com

You know I had to post this on a Tuesday.

Who doesn’t remember Taco Tuesdays from their childhood or, in my case, their college dining hall? Everyone likes tacos, and in college, you could count on that taco bar every Tuesday for lunch. Like clockwork.

So it’s kind of a dilemma when you stop eating meat and dairy and all of a sudden… those ground beef tacos you’ve been eating for years are no longer an option, never mind the cheese and sour cream you used to top them with.

Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole | coffeeandquinoa.com

Grilled veggie tacos are a good option, and I’ll definitely do a post about those when summer vegetables are in season. But what about when you’re in the mood for a gold, old-fashioned, Old El Paso-style taco night? Diced tomatoes and shredded lettuce are just not gonna cut it.

After much experimentation, I discovered that chickpeas are the ideal substitute for beef or chicken when you want to use the same spices and toppings. And they’re still loaded with protein! Even though I’m eating (some) meat again now, I’m sticking with the chickpea tacos. They’re just too good to change!

Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole | coffeeandquinoa.com

These are super easy to make if you’re hosting a taco night and also doing beef or chicken tacos. You make these exactly as you would make the beef or chicken ones, only they don’t take as long. So no extra work for you, and everyone’s happy!

Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole | coffeeandquinoa.com

I do have some words of wisdom for you in regard to these guys, especially if you usually make your tacos with meat:

– When sauteing the chickpeas, you are only trying to heat them through and evaporate some of the liquid from the spice mix. You actually want to avoid getting any color on them, because they get quite dry. So just get ‘em hot and they’re done.

– Top them with something creamy, like guacamole or sour cream. The added moisture works well, and it has the added bonus of keeping the chickpeas in place. Chickpeas are rolly polly little suckers, and they will exit your taco in a hurry. Mash some guacamole down on top of them – problem solved.

I wish all problems could be solved like that.

5.0 from 5 reviews

Taco Tuesday: Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole

Hands-on time

10 mins

Cook time

10 mins

Total time

20 mins

This vegan taco recipe pleases both meat- and veg-eaters alike. Chickpeas make the ideal substitute for beef or chicken, and use the same taco seasoning.

Author: Erica

Yields: 6 medium-sized tacos

Ingredients

For the tacos:

1 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 red onion, minced
1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas (or 1 14-oz can, drained and rinsed)

For the taco seasoning (or use 1/2 a packet of your favorite taco seasoning mix):

1/2 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp oregano
1/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp cornstarch
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 cup water

For serving:

6 hard taco shells or medium-sized tortillas
1/2 recipe Simple Guacamole
chopped cilantro
lime wedges

Instructions

First, prepare the guacamole according to these instructions.
In a small bowl, combine all taco seasoning ingredients, including water. The tacos come together quickly, so it's best to have this taken care of first!
In a large pan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Once shimmering, add the garlic and onion and saute until onion is soft, 3-4 minutes.
Pour in chickpeas and taco seasoning, and stir to combine. Saute, stirring occasionally, until chickpeas are heated through and some of the water is evaporated, 2-3 minutes.
Serve alongside taco shells, guacamole, cilantro and lime wedges.
Devour!

Notes

Taco seasoning adapted from Budget Bytes.

Chickpea Tacos with Guacamole | coffeeandquinoa.com

Healthy Leek and Gruyere Sweet Potato Skins

January 16, 2013 by Erica

Potato skins are kind of my new thing.

You’ll see what I mean next week when I post another potato skin recipe!

But in the meantime, let’s focus on these guys.

I want to call these football food, because I think you should make them this weekend (when you’re rooting for the Patriots, obviously). But you could make them for dinner just any old night.

Also, unlike most football food (“gameday bucket go boom,” anyone?), these are so good for you!

There’s nothing like some beautiful winter produce to get me excited to get in the kitchen.

These potato skins have just a handful of ingredients, and most of them are vegetables. But then, of course, I added some cheese. That’s how you get football fans to eat their veggies, you know.

A word of caution about the cheese, though: Gruyere is kind of stinky. It doesn’t actually taste at all stinky, it just smells kind of funky when these are being prepared and cooked. I didn’t mind it, but if you think you will, try using another sharp cheese, like white cheddar.

These totally hit the spot – perfect for a side dish or light veggie entree. Or a football game!

Healthy Leek and Gruyere Sweet Potato Skins

Serves 6 as an entree or 12 as a side

Ingredients:

6 small sweet potatoes

2 Tbsp olive oil + extra for baking the skins

3 leeks

3 cloves garlic, minced

2 cups finely chopped cauliflower (a bit less than half a head)

salt and pepper to taste

1/2 cup whipped cream cheese (or regular would work, too)

1 1/2 cups grated gruyere (the hunk I bought was 0.22 lbs)

Instructions:

First, cook the sweet potatoes. Preheat oven to 375. Bake sweet potatoes until slightly squishy when squeezed with an oven mitt, about 75 minutes.

If you have time, I recommend refrigerating the sweet potatoes for an hour or two at this point, as they are easier to scoop out neatly when cold. If you don’t have the time, simply let cool for 10-15 minutes before proceeding.

Cut sweet potatoes in half and scoop out the insides out into a large bowl, leaving a small layer of sweet potato attached to each skin. I find that the easiest way to do this is to go around the sweet potato, marking a line about 1/4 inch from the skin with a spoon. Then I continue to scoop it out inside the lines. If you accidentally scoop all the way down to the bottom on part of your sweet potato, it’s no big deal – you can mush some sweet potato to cover it up with the back of your spoon. Set the bowl of sweet potato flesh aside.

Turn oven up to 450. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray it with cooking spray. (That part is important so your potato skins won’t stick!) Place the skins on the baking sheet, brush lightly with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 450 for 15 minutes to get the skins crispier. (The insides of the potato will not get crispy like an Idaho potato would, though.)

In the meantime, prepare the filling. Trim leeks to just the white parts. Leeks collect lots of dirt in between the layers, so cut each leek in half the long way, and rinse thoroughly. Slice thinly.

Heat a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 2 Tbsp of olive oil. Once hot, add the leeks and saute for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic, saute for another minute, then add the cauliflower. Saute, stirring occasionally, until leeks and cauliflower soften, about 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat.

Mash together the sweet potato flesh and cream cheese. The sweet potato should be soft enough that you can do this with the back of a spoon. Add the leek and cauliflower mixture to the bowl and mix until well combined.

Time to assemble the potato skins! Scoop some of the sweet potato and leek mixture into each skin. Top with about 2 Tbsp of grated gruyere per skin.

Finally, return the skins to the oven at 450 for 5 minutes, or until the cheese is melted.

Serve hot!

Time:

2 hours

Chipotle Black Bean Dip

January 7, 2013 by Erica

Last week, as I was writing Friday’s Bachelor cupcake post, I realized something terrible.

Tonight = Bachelor season premier.

Tonight also = National championship bowl game.

Uhhhhh ohhhhh.

Let’s just say that this is Nate’s and my first “bowl season” living together. (Did not know that was a phrase until last week.) Sure, we’ve been together for many football seasons, but shit got real once my TV was also his TV.

There is football on ALL THE TIME.

I actually forced him to watch multiple episodes of Honey Boo Boo on New Year’s Day, just so we could take a break from football. Believe it or not, Honey Boo Boo was a compromise. What we were not doing was watching The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel, which sat on our coffee table for 5 whole nights before I gave up and returned it to Redbox, unwatched.

The Bachelor doesn’t even stand a chance.

Yay football.

OK, I don’t really hate football; it’s just the crazy frequency of games recently. (And don’t even remind me about that March Madness thing coming up…)

One thing that all these bowl games are good for, though, is experimenting with new recipes on unsuspecting taste testers. Enter: a new bean dip!

There have been many bean dips on here lately, and I’m basically just hoping that you love bean dip and all his hummus cousins as much as I do. This one, made with black beans, is much different than my hummus recipes, and much more appropriate to serve to a living room full of hungry football fans. It tastes like classic football food without having any cheese, has a little kick to it, and is unbelievably quick and easy to make.

Making this bean dip tonight: Mandatory. Making your boyfriend watch The Bachelor instead of the bowl game: Optional.

Chipotle Black Bean Dip

Serves 6

Ingredients:

2 cans low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained (or 3 cups cooked black beans)

2 Tbsp olive oil

juice of 1 lime

1 vine-ripened tomato, roughly chopped

1 large clove garlic, peeled and roughly chopped

1/4 onion, roughly chopped (I used white, but yellow or red onion would also be good)

2 chipotle chilies from a can of chilies in adobo

1 tsp adobo sauce

1/2 tsp cumin

1/4 tsp kosher salt

chopped cilantro for sprinkling

tortilla chips or veggies for serving

Instructions:

Add all ingredients to a food processor and process until smooth. Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with chopped cilantro. Easy peasy!

This dip keeps in the refrigerator for several days, and will become firmer when cooled.

Enjoy!

Lemon Pepper Hummus

January 3, 2013 by Erica

Must Love Lemon: that’s the warning that comes with this hummus.

If you aren’t interested, I understand. You can have your hummus plain. But if you’ve ever wanted your hummus to have a bit more kick to it, this lemony, peppery, fluffy and delicious hummus is for you.

This was the first thing I made when I got back from my parents’ house after Christmas. I just couldn’t wait to make it and then the next afternoon when I finally did, I ate so much of it that I called it dinner. It’s good stuff!

If you missed my other recent hummus post, let me summarize quickly: You shouldn’t be afraid of making homemade hummus just because it’s come out badly in the past. I recently learned a trick to making creamy hummus, and it’s super simple: you just blend the tahini, water, and lemon juice before adding the other ingredients. That makes the hummus light and fluffy instead of thick and gunky! It’s magic.

Before we move on to the recipe, there’s something kind of important to mention about the pepper. I used pre-ground black pepper, and I’m pretty sure that the pre-grinding of this pepper happened circa 2004. Oops. I know I really shouldn’t be using old spices… but I kind of inherited Nate’s spice collection (that he inherited from an old roommate who probably inherited it from another old roommate) when we moved in together, and it just seems like a waste to throw out about $50 of Whole Foods spices. I’m “thrifty.” So I’m trying to use them up! But really, 2 tsp of 2004 ground black pepper could equate to like 1 tsp or less of 2013 pepper, especially if it’s freshly ground. So tread lightly and don’t say I didn’t warn you, OK?

Should it bother me that I was possibly in high school when that pepper was ground? Don’t answer that.

Lemon Pepper Hummus

Adapted from my Extra Creamy Hummus

Ingredients:

1/2 cup tahini
3/4 cup water
juice of 2 lemons
2 cloves garlic, roughly chopped
zest of 1 lemon (about 5 packed tsp)
3 cups cooked chickpeas (or 2 15-oz cans, rinsed and drained)
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp ground black pepper
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
veggies or pita for dipping

Instructions:

In a food processor or blender (I used a blender this time), combine the tahini, water, and lemon juice. (You may wish to start with 1/2 cup water and add the rest later if the hummus is too thick.) Blend until tahini is light and fluffy, about 10 seconds. Add in the garlic and lemon zest and blend again until smooth.

Add chickpeas and olive oil, 1/3 at a time, blending until smooth after each addition. If hummus is too thick at any point, add more water or olive oil. Add salt, black pepper (start with 1 tsp if you like), and red pepper flakes and blend until smooth.

Serve with veggies or pita. Will keep in the fridge for several days.

Time:

5-10 minutes

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