Recipe: Spice Market Sweet Potato and Lentil Packets

I came across this recipe in an attempt to work through the abundance of sweet potatoes I recently accumulated after the fourth of july. My mom and I grilled a bunch of veggies, and she bought too many sweet potatoes so she gave the extras to me (on a related note, grilled sweet potatoes are ridiculously good. Slice them 1/4" thick, brush them with sesame oil, and grill 10 minutes on each side. They have the consistency of sweet potato fries, but the taste is incredible).

The most difficult part of the recipe was the lentil part. First, you pretty much have free range over which kind of lentil you want to use. I went with French green lentils, but yellow or regular green lentils would work just fine. To make 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils, boil 1/2 cup dry lentils in 1 cup water. When the water begins boiling, reduce heat and simmer for roughly 20-25 minutes. To speed up the cooking time, I recommend soaking the 1/2 cup of lentils in the 1 cup of water overnight (or even for a few hours) before cooking.

Ingredients:

• 2 cups diced sweet potatoes
• 1 large red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup fresh green beans, sliced
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 2 Tbs sesame oil
• 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2 Tbs minced fresh ginger
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 tsp curry powder
• 1 1/2 cups cooked lentils

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 400°F. Place 4 16-inch lengths of foil on work surface. Fold foil in half from short side. Unfold. Shape corners and edges of one half into semicircular “bowl” with 1/2-inch sides. Coat insides of foil with cooking spray
• Combine sweet potato, bell pepper, green beans, and raisins in medium bowl. Add sesame oil, and toss to coat.
• Whisk together broth, ginger, garlic, and curry powder in small bowl.
• Divide sweet potato mixture among packets; top with 1/3 cup lentils. Pour 1/4 cup broth mixture over lentils, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Fold other half of foil over ingredients, and crimp edges in overlapping folds until packets are sealed. Transfer packets to baking sheet. Bake 25 minutes.
• Open carefully - escaping air will be hot!

There's many ways to serve this dish. I recommend serving it over couscous, quinoa, or rice, depending on whether or not you eat gluten. I'm trying to lower my carb intake a little, so I'm eating it over wilted spinach.

I chose to use a mild curry powder for this recipe, and it think it worked perfectly. It didn't overpower the other flavors, so the ginger still has a strong presence. I would consider putting some cloves in there next time.

New Project

After making dinner last night, I didn't have the energy to post the recipe I made. Instead, I snapped a picture on Instagram and shared it on Facebook. This got me thinking that even though I repeat recipes that I feature on here occasionally, there's no reason why I can't provide some food amusement. From now on, I will take pictures of my dinner every time I make something - regardless of whether or not it's a new recipe - and share it on Instagram.

I can be followed on Instagram at foodiefotos.

New recipe tomorrow!

Recipe: Crispy Quinoa Cakes

As the sun stays out longer and the temperature gets warmer, I like to eat foods with a lighter taste. Ideally, I'd be out grilling pretty much every day, but I'm still in an apartment that doesn't allow legitimate grills. I have a Panini press that doubles as a grill, but it blew half the outlets in my kitchen the last time I tried to use it - most of which are still out of commission. My mom and I used her griddle yesterday to grill veggies and tofu indoors (she does have barbecues in the courtyard in her apartment, but it was just too hot out). Today, I decided to go for something different.

I like this recipe because it can be modified in so many ways. The feta cheese and pine nuts I included are completely optional. You can substitute the feta with goat cheese, the pine nuts with a different kind of toasted, chopped nuts, or just omit them altogether. I included them to give a more Mediterranean taste to the cakes.

As for topping, there's plenty of options for that, too! The original recipe suggests roasted red pepper sauce, but I opted to drizzle lemon juice over it to keep the flavors light.

Ingredients:
1 large egg
2 Tbs all-purpose flour (to make gluten free, substitute with almond flour)
1 1/2 Tbs tahini (can be substituted with nut butter)
1 1/2 tsp red wine vinegar
1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa* (see note if you're unfamiliar with cooking quinoa)
1/2 cup finely grated sweet potato
6 ounces spinach, wilted and drained
1/4 cup chopped sun dried tomatoes (oil packed sun-dried tomatoes are best)
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
2 ounces feta cheese
2 Tbs finely diced onion
1 Tbs chopped fresh cilantro (can be substituted with parsley)
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400°F and coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
2. Combine egg, flour, tahini, and vinegar in bowl.
3. Stir in remaining ingredients, then mash together until mixture is firm enough to shape into cakes. 4. Shape mixture into 1/4-cup patties with wet hands.
5. Bake on prepared baking sheet 25 minutes, turning once, or until cakes are browned.

This yields about six servings, with one serving being two cakes. Serve with grilled zucchini or squash, or steamed broccoli.

What I like the most about this recipe is how easily it can be modified! You can add a variety of spices to your taste, change the cheese and nuts or omit them, or use one cup of lentils instead of one cup of quinoa. If you make this recipe with modifications, please let me know how you modify it and how it works out!

Bon Appetit!

* note on quinoa: to yield 1 1/2 cups cooked quinoa, boil 1 cup water, then add 1/2 cup quinoa. Once the water returns to a boil, set it to simmer, cover the saucepan, and allow to simmer for 20-25 minutes, or until the majority of the water has been absorbed. Let the saucepan sit, covered, for 3-5 minutes before using in recipe.

directions

Today is our National Day of Service. On this day in 2010, I worked with two other VISTAs in my program to volunteer at a nonprofit that provided housing for people with family in the hospital. This year, I spent MLK Day running and buying furniture. It made me look at how my life has changed so much since my year of service in Milwaukee.
-
When I started this blog, I was a very different person than I am today. I started my year as a VISTA as a driven person with goals and bit of naivete. I worked long hours at my site, but never let it get in the way of taking care of myself (well, except for that one time I worked myself so hard that I ended up sleeping for an entire weekend).

The goal of this blog was to prove a point that so many people argue against, which is that nutrition and budgeting cannot go hand-in-hand. With my EBT card in one hand and shopping list in the other, I set to make a point that the critics are wrong about this - just because you're living at the poverty level doesn't mean you can't do so while eating whole grains and vegetables. And I'd like to think I made that point in a compelling manner.

My life has changed since then. I moved back to New Jersey for graduate school. I no longer qualify for foodstamps, because despite the balance in my checking account, I make too much money.

I'm also cooking at a different level, too. My apartment consists of an amazing kitchen space that I have utilized to its capacity. I don't have to chop vegetables on my dining room table anymore - I actually have more than one countertop, unlike the studio I lived in during my time in Milwaukee. Cooking is no longer a challenge.

Bearing all of this in mind, I cannot help but feel like this growth has inhibited the point of this blog. I went through my phase of posting baking recipes, which completely defeated the purpose of this blog. Furthermore, I have an overall different quality of life from then. I have gadgets in my kitchen that I could only dream of owning back then. In fact, it felt like a splurge when I bought a blender in 2009.

By no means does of any of this mean that I will end this blog. It just means that I feel like I lost my original intent of maintaining it. And with that in mind, I am going to strive to provide more budget-friendly recipes in the future that require only tools and ingredients that are affordable.

Recipe: Vegetarian Paella

My introduction to paella was unforgettable. I was studying in France for a semester, and one weekend I took an impromptu trip to Madrid by myself. I felt tunnel-visioned in regards to political history paper I was writing (I did a comparison between the German and French Resistance during World War II, which is a difficult topic to deal with before you consider the fact that I had to write it entirely in French), so I decided to best way to relax would be to get out of town for a long weekend. The hostel I stayed in was a little hole-in-the-wall on a quiet street in the downtown area of the city. After my first full day in the city, which I spent going to museums and taking long walks through parks, I went down to the bar in the hostel's basement to unwind. I walked up to the bar to get a drink, and was given said drink, along with a bowl of vegetarian paella. It was so incredible, and to this day I always think of that trip whenever I see paella on a menu.

Recently, I've been on a soup kick for almost a month, so in order to mix things up a bit, I decided to make vegetarian paella for the first time. Not only was it tasty to me, but the omnivorous friend I shared it with one night practically ate his entire dish in two minutes flat.

The nice thing about vegetarian paella is that its complex flavors don't involve complex preparation. Once the vegetables are chopped and other ingredients are measured, there's a lot of waiting around. Furthermore, it's pretty budget-friendly. The most expensive ingredient is saffron, and any good chef will have that in their pantry already.

Ingredients:
2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1 red bell pepper, chopped (yields 1 cup)
6 green onions, sliced
3 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp crumbled saffron threads
1 cup short-grain brown rice
3 cups broccoli florets
1 cup baby peas (I used frozen, since I already had them in my freezer)
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
1 cup sliced baby bella mushrooms
1 cup chopped marinated artichoke hearts
1 lemon, cut into wedges
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

directions:
1. Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add bell pepper and green onions; cook 5 minutes. Stir in broth, garlic, and saffron; bring to a boil. Sprinkle rice over ingredients, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer, covered, 10 minutes.
2. Sprinkle broccoli, peas, tomatoes, mushrooms, and artichokes over rice. Cover, and cook paella 8 minutes, or until rice is tender. Remove from heat, and let rest, covered, 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.
3. To serve, spoon paella into 6 bowls, and garnish each with lemon wedges and parsley.

Serves 6

I miss my kitchen.

I am one of the 1.7 million PSE&G customers that lost power during hurricane Sandy. As I write this at 1:30 pm on Saturday, November 3rd, I am one of the remaining PSE&G customers that has not had power restored to my home. For me, this means that since approximately 6:00 pm the night of the storm, I have had no electricity, heat, or functioning stove/oven.

I'm sure there are people who have had it far worse than myself while dealing with the aftermath of the storm. I consider myself fortunate to still have my home intact and all of my belongings with me. My mom and brother in Jersey City are also safe with power completely restored and no flooding in their building.

That being said, I have not been enjoying living life as a temporary drifter. I have been waking up to go to the mall for breakfast (thank you to the crews at Dunkin Donuts and Starbucks for dealing with my uncaffeinated attitude), then I hang around my gym to work out and use their electricity/hot water, followed by hanging out at the mall/working at my retail job. I've been eating at DD and Starbucks for breakfast, then eating a foot long sub from Subway for lunch and dinner.

Yesterday I cleaned out my fridge. Anyone who knows me knows that I hate to waste food, so to throw out all the fruit and veggies that I just bought last week bothered me so much. I didn't throw it all out, though...I found a bell pepper and some broccoli that still looked good, so at least I can put those to good use when I can cook again.

With tonight's real feel low of 23 degrees, I am unsure of what to do if my heat is not turned back on in time. I hesitate to go to Jersey City because of the gas shortage. I feel at a loss.

Any of you compelled to make a monetary donation for hurricane relief, please contact the American Red Cross. To donate goods, contact any fire department in Monmouth County.

Recipe: Red Curry Eggplant, Kale, and Tofu

This is probably one of the easiest curry recipes I've ever made. I used my electric wok, but it could easily be made in a large frying pan or saucepan.

Ingredients:
2 Tbs Thai red curry paste (I prefer Thai Kitchen)
1 Tbs sugar
1 garlic clove, minced
1 Tbs vegetable oil
1 package extra firm tofu, cubed
1 8oz eggplant, cut into 1 inch thick chunks
1 shallot, minced
1 lb kale, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1/4 cup light coconut milk

Directions:
whisk together curry paste, sugar, garlic and 2 Tbs water in a small bowl. set aside.
heat oil in wok or pan over medium-high heat. add tofu and cook for 8-10 minutes, or until lightly browned.
add eggplant and shallot, then cook for another 5 minutes, or until eggplant is browned. stir in curry mixture and cook for 1 minute, or until tofu and vegetables are fully coated.
add kale and cook 1-2 minutes or until leaves are wilted. stir in coconut milk at 1.5 cups water, then season with sea salt, if desired.
reduce heat to medium-low, then cover pan or wok. simmer for 10-15 minutes, or until eggplant is tender.

serve over brown rice