Tostadas

This is the recipe I make most often when Kiran's friends come over for dinner. It's easy, and very customizable so everyone can make their plates how they like. 

Tostadas

 

Ingredients:

-- 1 package tostadas (I get mine from the mexican store Fresh is Best on Broadway)

-- 1 can black beans or pinto beans

-- 1/2 clove garlic

-- 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

-- 1/4 teaspoon cumin

-- shredded extra old cheddar cheese, or other cheese of choice

Toppings: 

-- diced tomato

-- shredded lettuce

-- sour cream

-- extra cheese 

-- salt and pepper

-- Any other toppings you like? But kids generally only like the above toppings, I have found. Adults like salsa or other spicy sauce. Meat eaters typically enjoy adding shredded chicken but it's not absolutely necessary.

Instructions:

-- Preheat oven to 400 degrees

-- Make your "refried" beans by blending the beans together with the garlic, oregano, and cumin. Taste and make sure they taste good, add salt if necessary. 

-- Sometimes I microwave the beans to make sure they will be hot before the next step. I'm not really sure if that is necessary.

-- Put 4-5 tostadas on a baking sheet. Ask everyone if they want beans and cheese, or just beans, or just cheese. Add a thin layer of beans and a regular layer of shredded cheese on each tostada, as desired. You would add the shredded chicken at this point if you are having that.

-- Bake the tostadas in the oven for a few minutes or until the cheese is melted and bubbly. 

-- Put each tostada on a plate and have each person add the toppings they like, including salt and pepper for the vegetables. 

-- Enjoy!

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

 These are really good and not as difficult to make as they seem. 

Vegetarian tofu rice paper dumplings

(makes 9 dumplings, not quite a dinner amount for 4) 

From Tiktok:

Ingredients:

 SAUCE:

- 4 T. soy sauce

- 1.5 T. rice vinegar

- 1 t. sesame oil

- 1 clove garlic, grated

- 1 t. ginger, grated 

- 2 scallions or green onions, sliced

- sesame seeds

- add sirraccha or chili flakes if you want it spicy

 

DUMPLINGS

- 1/2 block firm tofu, shredded

- 1 large carrot, peeled and shredded

- 1/4 head cabbage, sliced thin and chopped into lengths or shredded (these measures approx -- try to get roughly even amounts of tofu, carrot and cabbage)

- 1 garlic clove, minced

- 18 rice papers 

 

INSTRUCTIONS:

1. Mix  sauce ingredients together in a bowl

2. fry veggies up in a pan with a little oil until cooked down. Near the end, add in some of the sauce to taste and cook it down -- I think I ended up adding 5 teaspoons or so? 

3. dip rice paper wrappers in warm water, put 1 heaping tablespoon of filling in the center of each one and fold over the edges: bottom, top, left, right. Then dip one more rice paper wrapper and wrap it again, making sure the folds are on the opposite side. 

4. In your frying pan, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add your dumplings and fry until crisp. serve with more of the dipping sauce to dip into.

vegetarian bolognese

This turned out really well! I like that it used lots of vegetables and had a similar texture to it as real bolognese. Mincing them using the mini food processor saves a lot of time and helps the texture turn out so nicely. IMO This is better than the other veggie bolognese recipe on here. Serve with garlic bread, of course

Best Vegetarian Bolognese Sauce

adapted from Build Your Bite

Ingredients:

• 7 oz sliced baby bella mushrooms, rinsed and patted dry
• 2 celery stalks, ends cut off and cut into 3 pieces each
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3 sections each
• 5 cloves of garlic
• 1 medium onion, quartered
• 1 28 oz can of tomatoes, any kind you like
• 1/2 teaspoon dried basil
• 1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 teaspoon sugar (if desired)
  
• 1 lb Spaghetti, for serving

Instructions: 

1. Add baby bella mushrooms to a food processor and either pulse or shred, until minced
2. Transfer mushrooms to a large skillet or dutch oven
3. Add celery chunks, carrot chunks, garlic cloves, and onion pieces to the food processor and pulse/shred
4. Add the celery/carrot/garlic/onion mixture to the mushrooms in the pan
5. Add 1/2 teaspoon of salt and 1/4 teaspoon of pepper to the vegetables
6. Turn the burner on medium high heat and sautee vegetables for 25-30 minutes, stirring often, until vegetables cook down and most of the liquid evaporates
7. Puree canned tomatoes in the food processor until smooth
8. Add the pureed tomatoes to the vegetables along with the basil, oregano, and sugar
9. simmer sauce 10 minutes or so until it seems done.
   
10. Taste and add any seasonings if necessary (if it tastes too acidic, add a little more sugar as necessary)
11. Heat until hot throughout, then serve
12. Serve over spaghetti and topped with parmesan cheese, if desired

Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake

 This is Smitten Kitchen's version of a recipe originally by Ottolenghi. We made it tonight and I really loved it. The down side is it take 1.5 hours to bake and then another half hour to rest, but other than that it's pretty easy and infinitely variable which I really like in a recipe so I definitely hope i make it again. I have varied it a little here.

Winter Squash and Spinach Pasta Bake

From Smitten Kitchen

 Ingredients:

• 1 large egg
• 1 cup (250 grams) ricotta
• 1 cup (100 grams) finely grated parmesan, divided
• 1 cup (85 grams) coarsely grated fontina cheese (I substituted cheddar for this and it was fine)
  
• 1 1/4 cups (300 grams) water
• 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, divided
• 2.5 teaspoons kosher salt (use less if you are using table salt)
• Freshly grated nutmeg
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes, to taste (I omitted this for kids)
  
• 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
• 5 ounces (140 grams) baby spinach, roughly chopped
• 2 tablespoons thinly-sliced sage leaves or 1 teaspoons chopped thyme leaves (optional) (I substituted 1/2 t. dried sage)
  
• 1 1/4-pound (560-grams) butternut or another sturdy winter squash, peeled, seeded, sliced thin or 1 pound (455 grams) in prepared chunks, sliced thin
• 8 ounces (225 grams) dried pasta (see Note), broken into pieces if large/long (I used penne and it was great)
• 3 Tablespoons pine nuts
  

Instructions:

Heat oven to 350°F (176°C). Line a 9-inch springform with 3-inch sides (see Note) with parchment paper, pressing it across the bottom and creasing the sides to get it to fit as best as possible. If the sides aren’t well covered, repeat with a second piece of parchment in the other direction.

Whisk egg and ricotta in a large bowl. Stir in half of the parmesan, fontina (or cheddar), water, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt, a few gratings of fresh nutmeg, lots of freshly ground black pepper, red pepper flakes (if using), and garlic. Stir in squash, spinach, pine nuts, and sage or thyme, if using. Add dried noodles and stir until everything is coated.

Pour into prepared pan and press gently so everything is in as even of a layer as possible. Sprinkle with second half of parmesan. Gently fold any parchment that extends over the rim of the pan into the center and cover the pan tightly with foil. Bake on a sheet (for extra security against drips) for 1 hour, then remove foil, reopen the parchment folded over the top, and drizzle the dish with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Return to the oven uncovered for 30 minutes. Pasta will be baked through and the top will be crisp. If it doesn’t have as much color as you’d like on top, you can finish it under the broiler for a minute or two.

Cool in pan on a rack for 30 minutes before removing the springform ring, sliding the pasta bake by its parchment onto a serving plate, and cut it into wedges.

Do ahead: This keeps in the fridge for up to 1 week. Rewarm uncovered in a 350-degree oven. I haven’t frozen it, but would expect it to freeze well, tightly wrapped.

Notes:
* Structural note: Like a lasagna, this is more wet and messy when it first comes out of the oven. I recommend a 30-minute rest at minimum (what you see here in the loose slices) but it will be cleaner to cut and more set the longer it hangs out. It reheats fantastically and keeps up to a week in the fridge. Last night, we reheated wedges from 6 days ago and they were (still) perfection.

* Pan size: I only tested this in a 9-inch springform but would expect it to also fit in a 11 to 12-inch ovenproof skillet and also, less glamorously, a 9×13-inch baking dish. No need to line with parchment if you’re serving it from the pan or not worried about leakage

Sweet and Sour Tofu

 

 This recipe is so good! The sauce tastes extremely similar to Orange Chicken or Sweet and Sour pork, but with Tofu. I have been looking for a recipe like this for a long time.

Sweet and Sour Tofu Recipe (Vegan)

from Jessica in the Kitchen

Ingredients

Crispy Tofu

• 1 16 ounce block of firm or extra firm tofu pressed, and torn into 1 inch pieces (I used medium tofu for this)
  
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder (or 1 clove garlic, minced)
  
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/3 cup cornstarch
• 1/4 cup oil for frying

Sweet and Sour Sauce

• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup ketchup
• 1/4 cup white vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 tablespoon soy sauce gluten free if needed, or liquid aminos or tamari
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 medium bell pepper, chopped
• 1/2 cup chopped/cubed pineapple (I used canned mandarin oranges which worked great)
  
• 1/2 medium red onion chopped
• 1/2 tablespoon sesame seeds for garnish
• chopped scallion for garnish

Instructions

Crispy Tofu

• In a medium-sized bowl place the pressed and torn tofu pieces. Add the soy sauce and toss to coat. Add in the garlic, sea salt, ground black pepper and cornstarch and toss to thoroughly combine, ensuring all the tofu pieces are covered with the seasonings and the cornstarch.
• Heat a pan or wok over medium-high heat, and add the oil. When hot, add the tofu and toss to crisp up on all sides until the tofu is cooked and crisped on all sides, about 5 to 8 minutes. Feel free to do this in batches if desired. Remove tofu pieces and set aside.

Sweet and Sour Sauce + Putting it All Together

• In the same pan, lower the heat to over medium-high heat, and add in the onions, pineapples or mandarin oranges and bell peppers.
• Saute until the onions are translucent and the pineapples are slightly browned, about 5 minutes.
• In a separate bowl, whisk together the sugar, ketchup, vinegar, water, soy sauce, and garlic powder for the sweet and sour sauce and stir together until fully combined.
• Pour in the sauce over the veggies. Add back in the crisped up tofu, and stir to combine. Bring to a slight boil, then reduce to a simmer for about 5 minutes until the sauce has thickened up. Taste test and add more sugar or soy sauce if you desire. Remove from heat until needed.
• Remove from heat and top with sesame seeds and chopped scallions. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

You can enjoy this with some noodles or hot rice. It makes extra gravy on purpose  !

Butternut Squash, Kale, and Crunchy Pepitas Taco

We are trying to eat more dairy-free! This was a qualified success in that 3 of us did enjoy this. The other one immediately asked us to remove the leaves, but after some prodding did eat one full taco (with leaves) before asking for something else. For a picky kid, that's pretty good. 

The porportions of the cashew crema are really off though, I am trying to fix it with this update. 

-------------------

Butternut Squash, Kale, and Crunchy Pepitas Taco 

from epicurious

Ingredients

1. Cashew Crema:
   • 2/3 cup raw cashews
   • 1/2 teaspoon cumin seeds (I just used cumin)
     
   • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
   • 2 tablespoons water
   • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
2. Pumpkin Seeds:
   • 2 teaspoons vegetable oil
   • 1/3 cup raw hulled pumpkin seeds
   • 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (I left this out for the kids)
     
   • 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
3. Filling:
   • 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
   • 3/4 cup finely chopped yellow onion
   • 1 clove garlic, minced
   • 3 cups 1/2-inch-diced butternut squash (1 very small squash)
     
   • 1 teaspoon chile powder (I left this out for the kids)
     
   • 2 teaspoons kosher salt
   • 4 cups finely chopped kale (1 bunch)
     
   • Corn tortillas, warmed, for serving
   • Chopped white onion, chopped fresh cilantro, and salsa of choice, for serving (optional)

   Preparation

1. To make the crema, soak the raw cashews in room-temperature water to cover for at least 1 hour. Drain and reserve.
2. In a blender, combine the cashews, cumin, lime juice, water, and salt. Start the blender on the lowest speed and gradually increase to the highest speed. Blend for at least 1 minute, until a creamy consistency. Taste for seasonings and add more salt if desired. Pour into a serving bowl and set aside.
3. To make the pumpkin seeds, heat the oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat. When the oil is hot, add the pumpkin seeds and sauté for about 2 minutes, taking care that they do not burn. The seeds will begin to puff up and pop. Once they appear toasted, immediately pour them into a bowl. Toss with the cayenne (if using) and salt and set aside.
4. To make the filling, heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and sauté for about 3 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and sauté for about 1 minute more. Add the squash and sauté for 6 to 7 minutes, just until the squash begins to soften. Season with the chile powder (if using) and salt.
5. Add the kale and cook, stirring, for about 1 minute, until it begins to wilt. Remove from the heat, taste, and adjust the seasoning with salt if needed.
6. Serve with the tortillas, crema, pumpkin seeds, onion, cilantro, and salsa. To assemble each taco, invite guests to spoon about 1/2 cup of the warm filling into a tortilla and top with some crema and pumpkin seeds. If guests want more toppings, they can finish off their tacos with onion, cilantro, and salsa.

CRISPY ORANGE GINGER TOFU WITH BROCCOLI

We are trying to get more Iron into our diets as it seems like someone is always low on iron. This one looks like a good potential, with Iron in the tofu, vitamin C to help it absorb, and no dairy to block absorption. I made it as written, except used cauliflower, red pepper, and carrots instead of the brocolli. It was ok but I think next time needs more salt in the sauce for balance -- at least 2x the soy sauce. Also maybe leave the zest out for the kids?

---------------

CRISPY ORANGE GINGER TOFU WITH BROCCOLI 

From Epicurious

Ingredients

• 1 lb. extra firm tofu
• 1 cup orange juice
• ¼-1/3 cup cornstarch, divided
• ¼ cup brown sugar
• 1 tbsp. soy sauce (NEXT TIME TRY 2)
  
• 1 tbsp. fresh grated ginger
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 tsp. orange zest (NEXT TIME TRY LEAVING OUT)
  
• vegetable oil
• 2 broccoli crowns, chopped (Instead of this I used 1 head cauliflower, 1/2 red bell pepper and 1/2 carrot)
  
• 2 scallions
• sesame seeds
• red pepper flakes (optional)

Preparation

1. Press tofu for 15-20 minutes (I JUST DRAINED THE TOFU ON A PLATE). Meanwhile, in small bowl or cup, dissolve 1½ tbsp. cornstarch in a few tablespoons of your orange juice. Set aside. Place remaining orange juice in a small saucepan, along with brown sugar, soy sauce, ginger, garlic and orange zest. Bring to a simmer and allow to cook for about 15 minutes. Stir in cornstarch mixture until completely blended. Remove from heat and set aside. Cut tofu into cubes and roll in remaining cornstarch to coat. Coat the bottom of a large skillet with vegetable oil and place over medium-high heat. Add tofu cubes and cook a few minutes on each side, until browned and crispy. Transfer to paper towel to drain. Steam or boil broccoli florets to desired tenderness. Return tofu to skillet, along with broccoli and sauce. Toss everything to coat. Serve over rice, topped with scallions, sesame seeds, and red pepper flakes

Buttermilk (or yogurt) Blueberry Pancakes

 I've been making pancakes for years, but this is the first recipe my family has raved over. I am a bit surprised because it's not radically different than other pancakes I have made. BUT I will blog it so I don't lose it. We never have buttermilk but we always have yogurt so I always substitute 1/2 yogurt and 1/2 milk for the buttermilk. 

 

Buttermilk (or yogurt) Blueberry Pancakes

 From Fox and Briar

 

Ingredients

• 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 2 eggs large
• 1 and 1/2 cups buttermilk (I used 3/4 cup plain nonfat yogurt and 3/4 cup milk for this)
  
• 1teaspoon vanilla extract (optional)
• 3 tablespoons melted butter
• 1 cup blueberries fresh or frozen (the frozen tiny wild blueberries from Costco are the best) 

Instructions

• 1. Heat a large frying pan over medium-low to medium heat . Grease the pan with oil or butter. When it's hot enough, a drop of water will skitter across the surface, evaporating immediately.
  2. whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda and sugar, set aside.
  3. Whisk together the eggs, buttermilk and vanilla until light and foamy.  Whisk in the melted butter.
  4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring just to combine.  Don't over mix, a few lumps are fine.
  5. Pour the batter in 1/4 cupfuls onto prepared pan. sprinkle 1-2 tablespoons of berries on top. 
  6. Cook the pancakes until bubbles start to form on top and the sides start to set, 2-3 minutes.  Flip and cook for another 2 minutes, or until golden brown.
  7. Serve right away, or keep on a baking sheet fitted with a cooling rack in a 200 degree oven. Serve with more blueberries, butter, maple syrup, and whip cream, if you have it.
     

  Notes

  Batter will be thick, that's ok!  If it is too thick to pour, thin with 1-2 tablespoons of milk.
   

Best tomato sauce for Pasta

 Mahesh said this recipe is from a nice restaurant in New York City that he always wanted to go to but never had a chance to go to. SO, I tried making the red sauce here at home. It is easy, fast, and turned out very well. Although 2/3 cup of oil is so much!! I will try half the oil next time. 

Best Tomato Sauce for Pasta

by Lilia Chef Missy Robbins, via Bloomberg

Ingredients

2/3 cup olive oil (I will try 1/3 cup next time)
20 garlic cloves (about 1½ heads of garlic), peeled 

Two 28-oz. cans of whole peeled tomatoes, preferably San Marzano
1 tbsp fennel seeds
1 tsp crushed red chile flakes (I left this out bc kids)
2 basil sprigs
Kosher salt
1 lb. dried pasta (Robbins prefers short shapes, like rigatoni)

 Directions

In a large, heavy saucepan, warm the olive oil over moderately low heat. Add the garlic cloves, and gently simmer until softened and just beginning to caramelize, about 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain the canned tomatoes in a colander. Transfer the tomatoes and any purée in the colander into a food processor and pulse two or three times until the tomatoes are very roughly chopped. (Tester’s note: If you like using your hands, squeeze the tomatoes to break them up into large chunks.)

Using a fork or the back of a spoon, crush half the garlic cloves in the oil; leave the remaining cloves whole. Add the tomatoes, fennel, and chile flakes to the saucepan and simmer over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is slightly thickened, about 20 minutes. Add the basil, season well with salt, and simmer for about five more minutes, until the sauce is richly flavored.

Meanwhile, in a large pot of boiling water, cook the pasta until just al dente. Drain, reserving some of the pasta cooking liquid. Cook the pasta in about 2 cups of the sauce, basting the pasta, until al dente; add a little pasta cooking water if necessary. Refrigerate or freeze the remaining sauce for another use.

NOTE: The kids would probably prefer a fully blended sauce next time, but they did eat this. 

 

Eggplant Balls

Whenever I make Spaghetti I always want to make some kind of an eggplant meatball to make it a bit healthier and add variety. The other recipe I have made for years no one likes, so I tried a new one this time -- and it was received much better. One of my favorite tricks for maximum yum in vegetarian food is to deveganize a vegan recipe, that is what I did here. 

Eggplant meatballs

From My Darling Vegan

Ingredients

• 1 large eggplant
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup bread crumbs (I used Panko)
  
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley (I didn't have this so didn't use)
• 2 tbsp fresh basil (I didn't have this so didn't use)
  
• 1/4 cup parmesan cheese
  
• 1 1/2 tbsp Italian Seasoning
• 1 egg
• 1/2 tsp salt
• pepper, to taste

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 375F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
• Chop the eggplant into 1" pieces. Heat olive oil over medium heat and add eggplant along with 1/4 cups water. Sauté for 10 minutes until eggplant is slightly brown and tender all throughout.
  
• While the eggplant is cooking, put garlic, herbs, spices, parmesan cheese, and egg into food processor and process until blended up and mixed well. When eggplant is cooked, add eggplant and breadcrumbs to the food processor and pulse until you have a uniform batter. Be careful not to overprocess or the meatballs will become gummy. Some texture is desirable. Taste and adjust seasonings.
• Roll the meatball mixture into balls 2 heaping tablespoons in size and place on the prepared parchment paper. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until meatballs are browned and crispy on the outside. This is good but alternatively you may want to try frying them in a pan with oil. 
• When the meatballs are done, add them to a saucepot with marinara sauce until the marinara sauce is heated all the way through. Toss with cooked spaghetti or zucchini noodles and serve with fresh parsley and extra parmesan.

Hakka Noodles

This is an Indo-Chinese dish we have enjoyed from time to time when visiting India. I tried to make it last night, I didn't have the right noodles, and also didn't get the frying right. When we've had it in restaurants, even the noodles were stir fried with a bit of black on them. Anyway it was OK and fairly easy to make, Mahesh liked it and the kids ate some.

Vegetable Hakka Noodless

From Cook with Manali

Ingredients

• 300 grams noodles -- I will look in the India store to find "Ching Hakka" noodles as the recipe requires, if I can't find those I might try to substitute angel hair pasta.
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon minced ginger
• 1 green chili, sliced
• 1 stalk celery, chopped
• 1 medium red onion, 100 grams, sliced
• 1 large carrot, 100 grams, sliced
• 1 large red pepper, 200 grams, sliced, can use mix of green and red
• 3 stalks green onion, chopped + more to garnish
• 2.5 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice vinegar, or white vinegar
• 1 teapoon hot sauce, like sriracha
• 1/2 teaspoon sugar, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper powder
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
• pinch white pepper powder
• 1 teaspoon chili oil, optional 
•  
• INSTRUCTIONS:
• 1. Chop all the veggies before you start making the noodles.
  2. Boil the noodles according to instructions on the package. I was supposed to cook my noodles for 2 minutes only.
     
     
  3. Drain the noodles and wash under cold running water, this stops the cooking process. Add 1/2 tablespoon of vegetable oil to the noodles and toss so that the noodles get lightly coated with the oil and don’t stick to each other. Set it aside.
     
     
  4. In a wok heat 1 tablespoon vegetable oil and 1 tablespoon sesame oil on medium-high heat. Once the oil is hot add the minced garlic and ginger, sliced green chili and chopped celery.
     
     
  5. Saute for few seconds until the ginger garlic starts to change color.
  6. Add sliced onions and saute for a minute or two until the sides of the onion starts turning light golden brown.
     
     
  7. Add in the sliced carrots, bell pepper, green onion and cook for 1 minute on high heat. The veggies should remain crunchy.
     
     
  8. Push veggies to the side, lower the heat and add soy sauce, rice vinegar, hot sauce (like sriracha) and sugar (if using).
     
     
  9. Toss the veggies to combine well with the sauce. Add in the black pepper, salt and white pepper.
  10. Stir in the boiled noodles. Using a pair of tongs, mix it well so that the noodles are well coated with the sauce.
      
      
  11. As a final touch, stir in a teaspoon of chili oil. This is totally optional. Toss the noodles well and garnish with more spring onion greens.
  12. Serve hakka noodles as such or with your favorite Indo chinese dishes! I love mine with chili paneer.
   

Ratatouille

This is a very good recipe!! But greasy. And it took a long time to cook. It was the first time I made ratatouille, I have barely even eaten it in the past. But we saw the movie and I wanted to try making it. I served it on pasta and all the kids ate it and liked it OK. I saw many other recipes online that were healthier but I wanted to make sure and make one the kids will eat for the first time. Next time I will try and cut back on oil and see how that goes.

Ratatouille

From the New York Times

Ingredients

• 4 garlic cloves
• 2 medium white onions
• 3 medium zucchini
• 2 medium eggplant
• 3 sweet red peppers, such as bell peppers, red cubanelle or any other sweet variety
• 3 sprigs fresh rosemary (I used dried and fresh would have been better)
• 6 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1 cup olive oil, more as needed
• 2 large heirloom or beefsteak tomatoes (I used a can of whole tomatoes and it worked fine)
• 2 small bay leaves, ripped in half
• 1 ½ teaspoons fine sea salt, more as needed
• Freshly ground black pepper 

Preparation

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Prepare the vegetables: Smash and peel 3 garlic cloves, reserving the 4th. Halve onions through their roots, and slice halves into 1/4-inch-thick pieces. Slice zucchini into 1/4-inch-thick rounds. Cut eggplant into 1-inch cubes or spears. Seed peppers, and cut them into 1/4-inch-thick strips.
3. Spread each vegetable on a separate rimmed baking sheet (use extra sheets as necessary). Add the 3 cloves of smashed garlic to the onion pan. Add 1 sprig rosemary and 2 sprigs thyme to each of the pepper, eggplant and zucchini pans. Sprinkle salt lightly over vegetables. Drizzle 3 tablespoons olive oil on each of the pans.
4. Place all the pans in the oven (or work in batches if they don’t fit at once). Cook until vegetables are very tender and lightly browned at the edges. This will take about 35 to 40 minutes for the peppers (their skins should shrivel), 40 to 45 minutes for the eggplant and zucchini (the eggplant should crisp slightly and the zucchini should be well cooked, so let them go 3 to 5 minutes longer than you normally might), and 60 to 65 minutes for the onions. Don’t worry about the vegetables being pretty; they will meld into the ratatouille. Shake or stir the pans every 15 to 20 minutes or so, especially the onions.
5. In the meantime, prepare the tomatoes: Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add tomatoes and blanch until the skins split, about 10 seconds. Use a slotted spoon to quickly transfer the tomatoes to a bowl filled with ice water.
6. Using a paring knife, peel the cooled tomatoes (the skins should slip right off). Halve tomatoes across their equators. Set a sieve over a bowl. Working over the bowl, use your fingers to seed the tomatoes, letting the seeds catch in the sieve and the juice run into the bowl. Discard seeds but save juices. Dice tomatoes and add to the reserved juices in bowl.
7. Finely grate or mince remaining garlic clove. Add garlic to tomatoes along with bay leaves and a large pinch of salt. Set aside.
8. Once vegetables are done cooking, combine them on one baking sheet or a large shallow baking dish and add ingredients from tomato bowl. Toss well. Vegetables will be stacked, and that’s O.K. Cover generously with olive oil, using remaining ¼ cup oil or more, and sprinkle with salt. Everything should have a good coat of oil, but should not be drowning in it. Cook at least 1 hour, stirring every 15 to 20 minutes, until vegetables are very tender and imbued with juices and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste, then serve warm, or let cool.

Okonomiyaki -- Japanese savory vegetable pancake

This is a better recipe than the other one 

 
Okonomiyaki

From Budget Bytes

 
Ingredients

PANCAKES

• 2 extra large eggs
• 1/2 cup water 
• 1.5 Tbsp soy sauce
• 1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
• 3/4 to 1 cup all-purpose flour 
• 4-5 cups shredded green cabbage 
• 1 carrot 
• 3 green onions
• 2 Tbsp oil for frying  
• Jalapeno, thinly sliced or shredded (if desired but we adults like this)
  

POSSIBLE TOPPINGS:

 

Okonomiyaki Sauce 

2 tsp sugar
2 tbsp kecap manis or sweet soy sauce (I used regular soy sauce for this)
2 tbsp ketchup
1 tsp rice vinegar

Sirracha mayo

Plain Mayo

Fried egg
dried seaweed strips
scallions and coriander/cilantro (all optional)

sliced green onions

sesame seeds

1. To make the okonomiyaki sauce, whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.

Instructions for Okonomiyaki

• Remove any wilted leaves from the outside of the cabbage. Cut the cabbage into quarters and remove the core. Thinly slice or shred half of the cabbage, or until you have 4-5 cups shredded cabbage. Peel the carrot and shred it using a large-holed cheese grater. Slice the green onions.
• In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, water, soy sauce, and sesame oil until smooth. Begin whisking in the flour, 1/4 cup at a time, until it forms a thick, smooth batter (about 3/4 to1 cup total flour).
• Add the cabbage, carrots, and green onion to the batter and stir until the vegetables are mixed and everything is evenly coated in batter.
• Heat 1/2 Tbsp oil in a non-stick or cast iron skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add 3/4 cup of the vegetable and batter mixture. Press it down into the hot skillet to form a circle, about 6 inches in diameter and 1/2 inch thick. Place a cover on the skillet to hold in the steam, which will help the cabbage soften as it cooks. Cook the pancake until golden brown on the bottom (3-5 minutes), then flip and cook until golden brown on the second side. Pile the cooked pancakes on a plate and cover with foil to keep warm until ready to eat. Add more oil to the skillet as needed as you cook the pancakes.
• To prepare sriracha mayo, mix together 1/4 cup mayonnaise and 2 Tbsp sriracha in a small bowl. Drizzle the sriracha mayo over the pancakes just before serving, followed with a sprinkle of sesame seeds and sliced green onion.

 
5. Transfer the pancake to a plate, and add your toppings – drizzle over your okonomiyaki along with some mayonnaise and a scatter of dried seaweed. Top with a scatter of scallions and coriander.

Ina Garten has been on fire lately with lots of pantry recipes. This one was quite good! Too much salt in the original recipe but I have reduced it here.

From barefoot contessa

Stewed Lentils & Tomatoes

• Good olive oil
• 2 cups chopped yellow onions (2 onions)
• 2 cups (½-inch) diced carrots (3 to 4 carrots)
• 1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
• 1 (28-ounce) can whole plum tomatoes
• 1 cup French green lentils (7 ounces)
• 2 cups good chicken stock, preferably homemade
• 2 teaspoons mild curry powder
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme leaves
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon good red wine vinegar

Heat the 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saucepan.  Add the onions and carrots and cook over medium-low heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the onions start to brown.  Add the garlic and cook for one minute.

Meanwhile, place the tomatoes, including the juice, in the bowl of a food processor fitted with a steel blade and pulse several times until the tomatoes are roughly chopped. (Don't need to do this -- can just break them up with your hands)

Add the tomatoes, lentils, chicken stock, curry, thyme, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper to the pot.   Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer, covered, for 30 to 40 minutes, until the lentils are tender.  Stir occasionally, scraping the bottom of the pot with a wooden spoon and check to be sure the liquid is simmering.  (I pull the pot halfway off the burner to keep it simmering.) Remove from the heat and allow the lentils to sit covered for another 10 minutes.  Stir in the vinegar, check the seasonings, serve hot or warm.

Protips: Garlic burns easily so you want to cook it for only a minute.

To remove thyme leaves from the stem, run your fingertips down the stem from top to bottom and the leaves will fall off.

 

Vegan Pad Kee Mao

We all really liked this recipe including the kids!! So I don't want to lose it.

Pad Kee Mao 'Drunken noodles'⁣⁣ adapted from an Instagram recipe by @woon.heng 🧡 
Ingredients (yields 2-3 servings)⁣⁣ ⁣(NOTE: DOUBLE this recipe for 5 of us including Zoey)
  
~ 1lb fresh flat rice noodles (separate noodles to loosen them up)⁣⁣⁣
~ 1/2 package sliced fried tofu or pan-fried firm tofu⁣⁣⁣~ 4 cups mixed vegetables, thinly sliced, such as: bell peppers, onions, carrots, Chinese broccoli, regular broccoli, etc. 
~ 3 shallots⁣⁣, minced
~ 3 cloves garlic⁣⁣
~ 2 cups packed Thai basil⁣⁣ (1/2 bunch)
~ 3 chopped chili⁣⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ 1 teaspoon chili flakes plus more for garnish⁣⁣ (I left this out for kids)
~ oil & salt to taste⁣⁣⁣
~ lime juice⁣⁣
⁣⁣⁣
🍃Sauce (whisk all in a bowl):⁣⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons soy sauce/tamari⁣⁣
~ 2 tablespoons dark soy sauce⁣⁣
~ 4 tablespoons sweet & sour sauce⁣ (I found this in a Chinese grocery store, it said it was a japanese dipping sauce)
~ dash of white pepper⁣⁣⁣

1. In a heated pan on high heat with 3 teaspoons of oil, saute vegetables until cooked through. Remove vegetables and set aside with the sliced tofu.

2. Add 3 more teaspoons oil to pan, sauté shallots & garlic until fragrant. Then, add in tofu and vegetables, rice noodles & sauce. Stir-fry continuously so noodles are all coated with sauce.⁣⁣
⁣⁣
3. Stir in Thai basil, chili, chili flakes (if using) and toss until well combined. Season to your preference & add splashes of water, if needed. Serve warm with some lime juice. ⁣⁣⁣

*If your rice noodles appear hard to separate: place noodles in a microwaveable bowl covered with damp paper towel & heat for 2 mins. This will help soften noodles.

Loaded sweet potatoes

BudgetBites is on a roll lately! I was very pleasantly surprised how easy, healthy, and kid-friendly the chili mac was, so I checked out their other recipes and found this one for loaded sweet potatoes. I gave it a shot tonight and it was surprise hit! Both kids really liked the sweet potatoes.

Loaded Sweet Potatoes with Lime Crema

Ingredients

• 2 sweet potatoes (about 1 lb. each) 
• 2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
• 1 clove garlic
• 1 red bell pepper
• 1 15oz. can black beans, drained 
• 1/4 tsp cumin 
• 3/4 tsp salt, divided
• 1 lime, zested and juiced
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 avocado, chopped 
• 1 jalapeño (optional), sliced thin
• 1 green onion, sliced 

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 400ºF. To make the Lime crema, zest and juice the lime. Combine the sour cream with 1 Tbsp lime juice, about 1/2 tsp lime zest, and 1/4 tsp salt. Stir the ingredients together, then refrigerate until ready to use. (I didn't have sour cream so I substituted my other crema substitue, yogurt mixed with a little mayonnaise. I liked it but Kiran said he preferred plain yogurt)
• Wash then dry the sweet potatoes. Use a fork to prick the skins several times all over. Slice the sweet potatoes in half lengthwise, then use 1 Tbsp olive oil to coat the surface of all four pieces.
• Season the cut sides of the sweet potatoes with salt or seasoning salt. Coat the surface of a baking sheet with a thin layer of oil, then place the sweet potatoes cut side down. Bake the sweet potatoes for 30 minutes, or until they are soft, you can see the juices oozing out from underneath, and the skins look a little wrinkly.
• While the sweet potatoes are baking, Mince a clove of garlic, dice the red bell pepper, slice the jalapeño (if desired) and green onion.
• Add the minced garlic to a skillet with the remaining 1 Tbsp olive oil. Sauté over medium heat for one minute, then add the diced bell pepper. Sauté the pepper for 2-3 minutes, or just until it begins to soften, then add the black beans, cumin, salt, and green onion. Stir and cook until the beans are heated through. 
• When the sweet potatoes come out of the oven, use a spatula to flip them over. Mash the flesh of the sweet potatoes with a fork, then pile the bean and pepper mixture over top. Add the sliced jalapeño and a dollop (or drizzle) of the lime crema to each, top with avocado, then serve.

Cheesy Vegetarian Mac

This one is easy, relatively healthy, and makes a whole lot! The kids didn't eat too much but I think I under-salted it, will try again with more salt and report back. I quite liked it.

from budgetbytes

Ingredients

• 1 Tbsp olive oil 
• 1 yellow onion 
• 2 cloves garlic
• 2 Tbsp flour
• 2 Tbsp chili powder -- this is supposed to be very mild chili powder, I used 1/2 T of ancho chili powder instead
• 15 oz. can diced tomatoes 
• 15 oz. can tomato sauce
• 15 oz. can kidney beans
• 15 oz. can black beans 
• 15 oz. can pinto beans
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels
• 2 cups vegetable broth 
• 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles 
• 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar 
• salt -- at least 1/2 t. maybe more

Instructions

• Dice the onion and mince the garlic. Sauté the onion and garlic with olive oil in the bottom of a large pot (5 qt) over medium heat for 2-3 minutes, or until the onions are soft and transparent.
• Add the flour and chili powder to the sautéed onions and garlic. Continue to stir and sauté for about two minutes, or just until the flour and chili powder begin to coat the bottom of the pot.
• Drain and rinse the kidney beans, black beans, and pinto beans. Add the diced tomatoes, tomato sauce, all three beans, corn, and vegetable broth to the pot. Stir to combine and to dissolve any flour and chili powder off the bottom of the pot.
• Add the uncooked macaroni noodles and stir to combine. Place a lid on the pot, turn the heat up to medium high, and let the pot come up to a boil. Stir every other minute or so to loosen the noodles from the bottom of the pot as it heats up.
• When the pot reaches a boil, turn the heat down to low, or just above low, so it continues to gently simmer. Let the pot gently simmer for 12-15 minutes, or until the pasta is tender and the liquid is thick and saucy. Stir frequently as it simmers to make sure the pasta does not stick to the bottom of the pot.
• Once the pasta is tender, add the shredded cheddar and stir it in until melted. Serve hot.

Chickpea flour crepes with mushroom pea cream sauce filling

OK this is a bit of a crazy conglomeration that adds up to a fast-ish healthy-ish dinner that I am hoping the kids will eat. They already like the chickpea flour crepes, I tried the recipe for Socca, a Nice specialty from David Lebowitz. But it needed some vegetable component that went with them. So I went with another french classic, vegetables with bechamel sauce. Peas are not a classic crepe filling but my kids both eat them so I am using that. This recipe I think will make enough for one meal for our family.

Socca with vegetable cream filling

-- 2 cups chickpea flour
-- 2 cups plus 4 tablespoons water
-- 1 teaspoon salt

-- 1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

-- 3 tablespoons olive oil 

-- 1 package crimini mushrooms, cubed into 1/2-inch cubes

-- 1 cup peas

-- 2 T. butter

-- 2 T. flour

-- 2 cups milk

-- salt and pepper to taste

-- fresh herb of choice, maybe thyme would be good here? or parsley? or mint?

To make the crepes:

1. Mix together the flour, water, salt, cumin, and olive oil. Let batter rest at least 2 hours, covered, at room temperature. (or in my case, 10 minutes max)

2. Oil a frying pan pan with some olive oil and heat the pan on high heat on your stove.

3. Once the pan is hot, pour enough batter into the pan to cover the bottom, swirl it around. It should bubble up if the pan is hot enough.

4. Cook until the socca is brown on the bottom, then flip and cook more until more brown spots appear on the other side. These are easy to undercook, and if they burn a little are fine, so err on the side of cooking them more. 

5. Put the finished socca on a plate, cover with tin foil to keep warm. You can eat them plain or with filling.

6. Cook the remaining socca batter the same way, adding a touch more oil to the pan between each one.

 To make the filling:

1. In a pan on high, fry the mushrooms in the butter until they are browned on all sides and smelling and tasting good. 

2. Add the peas to the pan, as well as the flour. You want the flour to incorporate with the butter left in the pan if at all possible. If this is hard you can always add in more butter. Let the flour cook at least 60 seconds to eliminate any raw flour taste. 

3. Whisk in the milk. Let it all bubble up and cook until thick, approx. 3-5 minutes or so. If the sauce gets too thick you can always add in more milk. 

4. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

To serve, just fill the center of each crepe with maybe 1/4 cup of the vegetable cream sauce mixture, fold in the sides, and yum!!