>>a taste of the vegetarian lifestyle

Ingredient of the day: Salmon.

I put this dish on a plate that says “Food for Thought” because in my opinion it would be wise to give this dish some thought. Inside your face. This is my new favorite recipe; with flavors that mimic popular sushi dishes but with a fully cooked salmon, this is an entree that’ll appeal to anyone. The level of spiciness is adjustable, so you can customize it to fit your personal taste. I got this recipe from “Boogie” on The Boogie Blog, who I will buy a drink for simply because of this recipe if I ever meet him. If you feel compelled to buy ME a drink for sharing this, I completely understand. And it’s perfectly okay. 

Stuffed Teriyaki Salmon with Sriracha Cream Sauce

1 Tbsp. cornstarch

1/4 cup cold water

1/4 cup soy sauce

1 cup pineapple juice

4 tbsp brown sugar

1/4 tsp garlic powder

2 Tbsp. honey or agave nectar

1/4 cup Sriracha sauce (plus extra if you like it hot)

1 cup mayo

3 Tbsp. sweetened condensed milk

2 salmon fillets 

2 Tbsp. cream cheese

Green onions, chopped 

Sesame seeds

Olive oil

1. In a small bowl, combine corn starch and 1/4 cup cold water. Stir until cornstarch is dissolved. Set aside.

2. In a saucepan over medium heat, combine pineapple juice, soy sauce, ground ginger, garlic powder, brown sugar, and honey. Bring to a simmer. 

3. When liquid is simmering and brown sugar has melted, add cornstarch/water mixture and simmer until thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Don’t over-thicken. 

4. Grease an 8x8” baking dish with cooking spray and place salmon filets skin-side down. Reserve 1/4 cup teriyaki marinade in a bowl to the side, and pour the rest over the salmon. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes. You can marinate overnight.

5. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a baking dish with aluminum foil and drizzle with olive oil. Set aside.

6. On a cutting board, slit the sides of the salmon fillets making a long pocket/envelope. Do not pierce through the other side. Insert a tablespoon of cream cheese into each pocket and attempt to seal it closed.

7. In the prepared baking dish, place stuffed salmon fillets skin-side down and sprinkle with sesame seeds. Cover the baking dish with more foil and bake for 25 minutes.

8. Mix mayo, Sriracha, and sweetened condensed milk in a bowl. Whisk together well. Pour into a pastry bag or a plastic bag with the corner cut off, and pipe a “bed” for the salmon onto your serving plates. 

9. Remove salmon from the oven, peel off of skin (it will come off very easily) and set ontop of Sriracha cream sauce. Drizzle fillets with remaining teriyaki sauce and more sesame seeds.

10. Sprinkle with chopped green onions before serving. Drizzle Sriracha to finish it off, if you’d like to increase the heat.

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Eggs.

I love brunch; there’s nothing more refreshing than sleeping late and waking up to a delicious meal. I like that it has an official name so that you’re not just that lazy person that’s eating breakfast late, you’re just eating brunch. This is a poached egg dish that I got from Vegetarian Times magazine. It’s an Israeli dish called Shakshuka, also known in America as “Eggs in Purgatory”. I served it with toasted slices of a fresh baguette. Be cautious not to overcook the egg; the whites should cook completely but not the yolks, hence “purgatory”. Overcook them and you’ve pretty much just got Eggs in Hell. (Revisit this idea for Halloween.)

Shakshuka

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped (1 1/3 cups)

1 red bell pepper, diced (1 1/3 cups)

1 jalapeno, chopped (3 tbsp)

2 cloves garlic, miced 

8 Roma tomatoes, diced (4 1/2 cups)

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1 Tbsp. tomato paste

4 large eggs

3 Tbsp. chopped parsley, optional

1. Heat oil in skillet over medium heat. Add onion and bell pepper, and saute 7-9 minutes. Add jalapeno and garlic, and saute 1 minute more. Add tomatoes and cumin and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Uncover and cook 6-8 minutes, or until mixture thickens. Stir in tomato paste, and cook 1 minute more.

2. Reduce heat to low. Make 4 cavities in mixture with spoon. Break 1 egg into small dish, and slip into a cavity. Repeat with remaining eggs. Cover and cook 8-10 minutes or until egg whites are set. Sprinkle with parsley if using. 

Note: Recommended items to pair with this dish are pita bread, whole grain bread, baguette, sliced tomatoes, sliced cucumbers, cottage cheese, goat cheese feta, cream cheese, yogurt, olives, fresh fruit, Zehug (hot pepper relish), Amba (pickled mango), or jam and honey. 

[I cut this recipe in half for the photo.]

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Eggs.

I accidentally opened the Pinterest app on my phone instead of Email. Like 3 hours later I finally came out of this black hole of Pinning, where I’d gotten sucked in to the world of braided hair that would require 6 hands, DIY every-item-you’ve-ever-seen, 10 million dollar wedding ideas, and food dishes from like 80 different countries. One of the things that really caught my attention while not accomplishing anything for several hours (in this particular instance, anyways) was fried eggs in bell pepper rings. Simple, pretty, and didn’t require any imported ingredients. Sounded like a winner…and it definitely was. I put them together with a few basic ingredients for a spicy brunch dish.

Fried Eggs in Bell Pepper Rings (recipe makes 2 open-faced southwest sandwiches)

2 large eggs 

6 slices of bell pepper in any color(s), about 1/4” thick 

3 Tbsp. whipped cream cheese

4 Tbsp. salsa

1 whole wheat bagel

1 ripe avocado

Salt and pepper 

1. Heat an electric griddle to 350 degrees, or a large skillet over medium heat. Spray with nonstick spray, and add bell pepper rings. Make sure they’re flat down to the heat; they’ll be the “mold” for the eggs.

2. In a bowl, whisk together the eggs. Season with salt and pepper. Slowly pour into each pepper ring.

3. Allow to cook about 3 minutes and then slowly flip the rings over to cook through.

4. Toast bagel in a toaster or face down on the electric griddle. 

5. When the eggs are cooked through, place 1 1/2 tablespoon cream cheese on each bagel half and top with 3 fried egg rings each, a couple tablespoons of salsa, and slices of fresh avocado. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Cauliflower.

Picture in your mind a secret lab in the middle of a cauliflower farm on a dark rainy night, full of beakers and test tubes that are only illuminated in flashes by lightning outside of the window. A scientist is hunched over a food processor and a pizza pan; his eyes fixated on his creation. His hands reach for the pizza cutter as the storm rages outside, and in a quick roll of the blade, he realizes what he’s done. He takes a trembling hand to a slice and raises it to the window as if to let the black clouds be his witness. “I have…created…a cauliflower crust!” he declares, in a raspy voice. And louder: “I have done it! I have cut the carbs! And it tastes like the real thing!” He drops to his knees in a fit of hysterical laughter. And then he eats the whole thing without feeling guilty. This is a 100% true story. And thank you to The Detoxinista for this recipe. 

Pizza with Cauliflower Crust 

2 large bunches fresh cauliflower 

1 large egg, beaten

1/3 cup soft goat cheese (I used garlic and herb flavor)

1 tsp dried oregano

1/4 tsp salt

Whatever pizza toppings you like 

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

2. You can do this one of two ways. If you have a juicer, place all of the cauliflower in the juicer. Discard the juice. If you do not have a juicer, use a food processor or blender. Add cauliflower piece by piece and process until you have a rice-like texture. 

3. Fill a pot with about an inch of water, and add cauliflower “rice”. Cover and bring to a boil, then remove from heat. Allow to steam for 4-5 minutes in water. 

4. Scoop cauliflower into a clean dishtowel, twist it up, and strain all of the water and moisture out. 

5. Add all ingredients to a mixing bowl, including cauliflower. Mix well. Place on parchment paper on pizza pan or on a very well greased pizza pan and spread out to shape like a pizza. Keep it about 1/3” thick. It will seem like it’s not going to hold up, but it will once it’s cooked.  

6. Bake without toppings for 30-35 minutes until golden brown. Add ingredients and bake again for about 10 minutes until cheese is melted. 

Note: I’ve made this several times because it’s amazing, and I found that the better you do at removing all of the moisture from the cooked cauliflower, the crispier the crust. If it’s still moist, it’s more like eating pizza on a biscuit, but in no way does that mean it doesn’t taste good. The taste is GREAT either way, you just have to eat it with a fork if all of the moisture isn’t removed. Also- I cut the recipe in half to make a lunch-size for this photo. The recipe as written actually makes a full size pizza. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Brie.

I think we can all agree on one thing here: grilled cheese is the fourth most important invention in the history of the world. It goes “the wheel, coffee, sliced bread, grilled cheese” and grilled cheese is only fourth because without sliced bread it could never have existed at all. Hard facts. So after this brief historical overview, I bring you this: Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Brie Grilled Cheese. It’s one of those things where you immediately start dicing onions while you’re still reading the title, as not to waste time in getting it from the page to your face. Good choice. Thank you to Bob from BS in the Kitchen for this recipe. 

Caramelized Onion, Mushroom, and Brie Grilled Cheese (makes 1)

2 slices fresh french bread 

Brie cheese

1/2 yellow onion, coarsely chopped

1 clove garlic

5 mushrooms, sliced

1/4 cup vegetable broth

1 tsp thyme

2 tsp butter

Salt & pepper

1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and add onions. Stir, and allow them to brown. Reduce heat to medium-low. It will take about 10-15 minutes to caramelize onions. 

2. Add mushrooms and garlic to the skillet of onions. Add thyme, stir well. Add salt and pepper (about a 1/2 tsp each) . After about 5 minutes, when the mushrooms are softened, slowly add the vegetable broth. Allow it to reduce, and for the onions to continue to caramelize. Don’t turn off the heat. 

3. Cut the brie into slices. Place two slices of brie onto one slice of bread, top with onions and mushrooms, and another slice (or two) of brie, and the second slice of bread. Lightly butter the top of the bread and place it butter-side-down onto the skillet you cooked the onions in. Then lightly butter the bottom side so that when you flip it, it will also brown. Flip after about 2-3 minutes. The brie will melt the two sides together with the onions and mushrooms. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft. 

Ingredient of the day: Artichokes.

Ancient Romans considered the artichoke an aphrodisiac. Around 40 A.D. Greek physicians used it as a medicinal plant. A few hundred years later, North Africans said “hey why don’t we just eat it?” And so we did. This is an artichoke pizza, in a Mediterranean style with feta cheese and pesto. I’m not sure about the validity of it’s aphrodisiac factor, but I will say, if you look at the picture it kinda says “you know you want me”. I almost poured it a glass of wine. 

Mediterranean Artichoke Pizza, makes 1

1 naan flatbread

1/4 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

About 4 roasted artichoke hearts in olive oil, pulled apart to spread evenly 

3 Tbsp. prepared basil pesto

2-3 Tbsp. feta cheese (I used a tomato basil seasoned feta)

1/4 cup baby spinach, coarsely chopped

Extra baby spinach or arugula for garnish

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

2. Place flatbread on baking sheet. Spread with pesto, and top with all of the ingredients, saving the cheeses for last. 

3. Bake for about 10 minutes, until flatbread is browned around edges and mozzarella is melted.

4. Garnish with extra spinach or arugula before serving. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft. 

Ingredient of the day: Easter eggs!

So many people dye eggs for Easter and make deviled eggs separately. I decided to combine the two, and dye eggs using food coloring with the same marbling technique as Chinese tea eggs and make deviled eggs with those. This is really an easy way to make something that looks difficult to do. But it’s Easter…go ahead and take it one step further and make the deviled eggs with avocado for a healthy dose of unsaturated fats, potassium, and jealous Easter guests that thought that their deviled eggs would be far superior…

Marbled Easter Eggs with Avocado Deviled Eggs, makes 24 deviled eggs

Red, Yellow, Green, and Blue food coloring

12 large eggs

Water

1 large avocado

1/2 cup mayo 

4 tsp mustard

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1/4 cup onion, very finely chopped

Paprika

1. Place all eggs in a pot and add enough water to cover them. Place lid on pot. Bring to a boil, allow to boil 1 minute, and then remove from heat but do not remove lid. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, then pour out hot water and add cold water to pot of eggs to cool them down. 

2. Take eggs out one by one and using the back of a spoon, shatter the shells without removing any pieces. You have to make sure you hit them hard enough to break the membrane between the egg and shell, so that the food coloring gets through, but not hard enough to destroy the egg. Don’t place them back in water. 

3. In four separate bowls, add 15 drops of each color and add 3 eggs to each bowl. Add enough water to just cover the eggs. Stir slightly to make sure the food coloring is evenly distributed. Place the bowls in the fridge for several hours or overnight if possible. 

4. Pour out colored water from bowls of eggs. In the sink under warm water, gently remove the shattered egg shells starting from the bottom of the egg. 

5. Cut eggs in half and remove the yolks. Place them in a bowl. Add avocado, onion, mayo, mustard, salt and pepper. Mix well with a fork, to make an even consistency. Add a drop or two of green food coloring to keep a bright green color.

6. Place all of filling in a gallon size ziploc bag and cut off the end of one corner. Use it as a pastry bag (or use an actual pastry bag) to pipe filling evenly into each egg half. 

7. Sprinkle with paprika. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft. 

Ingredient of the day: Tomatoes.

I’ll start by saying you don’t have to like tomatoes to like this recipe. Personally I find them to be an unappetizing consistency, which fortunately is a problem resolved with a light pan frying and putting a bunch of delicious things around them. I don’t typically go for “fried” recipes, but I guess I’ve just decided to go a little crazy. I swear, this rockstar lifestyle will be the death of me.

But in all seriousness, these are amazing.   

Sweet Fried Green Tomato Sliders with Sriracha Coleslaw, makes 6

1/2 cup flour

3 eggs, beaten

3/4 cup cornmeal

2 green tomatoes, sliced 1/2 inch thick, you need 6 tomato slices so if it’s a huge tomato then only one

1/2 cup oil

1 store-bought coleslaw kit, with coleslaw dressing

Sriracha sauce (1 tsp to 1 tbsp depending on how hot you like it)

Honey mustard

6 Slider buns or wheat rolls

1. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat.

2.Place flour, eggs, and cornmeal in three separate shallow bowls. Dip the tomato slices first in the flour, then egg, then cornmeal. Press it to adhere.

3. Fry the tomatoes in the oil for about 2 minutes per side until crispy. Remove and allow to dry on a papertowel lined plate so that they aren’t greasy.

4. Mix together the coleslaw mix with the dressing it comes with, but omit about a teaspoon of it. Add a teaspoon of honey mustard and a teaspoon of Sriracha sauce. Mix well. If you want it sweeter, add more honey mustard, or spicier add more Sriracha. It’s customizable to your taste. Don’t add salt, the Sriracha is salty.

5. Heat the slider rolls/buns in the oven at 350 degrees for a few minutes until lightly crispy.

6. Put honey mustard on the bottom of each bun, then the fried tomatoes, and top with coleslaw. Use toothpicks (the pickle decoration is optional) to hold the top of the buns on.

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft. 

I have a recipe published in NSIDE Coastal Bend magazine this month for Butternut Squash, Spinach, and Feta pizza. It is absolutely delicious!! I made it for several friends to get their reactions, and two HUGE pizzas were devoured. Success! To read the recipe, click HERE. The photo is by Dustin Ashcraft. 

I also wrote an article in the same issue about the health benefits of green tea, which I titled “Come to the Green Side” because I love Star Wars as much as I love green tea, and you can read that HERE! 

Ingredient of the day: Irish history. 

In the fifth century, Saint Patrick was kidnapped and enslaved in Ireland at age 16. After six years, he escaped and later returned to Ireland as a missionary. He is credited as the person that brought Christianity to Ireland. The Irish have been feasting on March 17th, the date of Saint Patrick’s death, for over 1000 years in his honor. In 1845 The Great Potato Famine of Ireland forced many Irish to seek help and refuge in America. After years of being treated poorly by Americans, being portrayed as worthless drunks in political cartoons and various other ways of publicly mocking their culture, St. Patrick’s Day was finally embraced as a day of celebration in America years later. President Truman attended their 1948 parade to show support and acceptance. Today, this Saint from the fifth century is celebrated here in America by the revealing of breasts painted with green paint, getting completely drunk on green beer, and wearing leprechaun costumes. 

I’ll get to the point of this recipe. This is a traditional Irish Soda Bread recipe. It has a not-too-sweet flavor and texture of a scone and the sour cream creates a smooth texture. Fantastic bread to make for St. Patricks Day or today or any day that you want delicious food. Thanks to 1Steve on Food.com for this recipe.

Irish Soda Bread

3 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 tsp baking soda

2 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1 pint (16 oz) sour cream

2 eggs

3/4 cup raisins

Optional: 2 tbsp caraway seeds 

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

2. Combine dry ingredients in a large bowl. 

3. In a small bowl, beat eggs, and stir in sour cream. Mix well. Add to the bowl of dry ingredients and mix well. The batter will be very thick. This is more easily done with a wooden spoon. 

4. Add raisins and caraway seeds (optional) and stir together or knead with hands. 

5. Place batter in a greased 9” springform pan and flatten evenly. By spraying your hands with non-stick spray or using flour, you can do this more easily without it sticking as much. It will be very sticky.

6. With a greased knife, make a criss-cross across the top.

7. Bake 40-50 minutes (check at 40 minutes) until the top is golden brown. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Beer.

I consider the meatless beer brat the alpha male of the vegetarian food items. It’s macho, it’s hearty, and it can handle it’s beer. I think some of them might have fraternity tattoos. But that being said, this recipe is awesome. And even if you don’t have the time to make the caramelized beer onions, you could always just use regular onions and drink a beer. Life is all about balance.

Vegetarian Beer Brats with Caramelized Beer Onions, makes 4

4 fresh hotdog buns

1 package of 4 vegetarian beer brats

1 can sauerkraut

1 medium sweet yellow onion

Dijon or spicy brown mustard

1 tsp butter

1 tsp brown sugar

1/8 tsp black pepper

1/8 tsp salt

1/3 cup beer of your choice

1 tsp white wine vinegar

1. In a skillet over medium heat, melt butter. Add onions and allow to soften for about 10 minutes. Add vinegar, sugar, salt, and pepper. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring.

2. Add beer and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until liquid has evaporated and onions are caramelized. This could take up to 30 minutes, stir occasionally. Then set onions aside.

3. Since beer brats are pre-cooked, you’ll just need to heat them through on a grill, indoor grill, or in a skillet. Takes about 5 minutes. Toast buns on grill or in oven at 350 degrees. 

4. To serve, place beer brats in buns with dijon or brown mustard and caramelized onions. Top with warm sauerkraut or serve on side. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Pi.

Happy Pi Day! If you’re a nerd like myself and prepare a celebratory dessert for the 14th of March every year, then you’ll understand this one. You can whip it up in approximately 3.14 minutes…

Mini Chocolate Mousse Pi Pies

1 package of 6 mini graham cracker crusts

1 box Jello Chocolate Mousse

1 cup sweetened coconut milk

1 package sugar cookie dough

Whipped cream

1. Add coconut milk to a large mixing bowl, and pour in mousse mix. Using an electric mixer, whip together for 4 minutes until light and fluffy. 

2. Spoon mousse into pie shells. Place in refrigerator.

3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 

4. For the pi stencil, I just printed out a pie symbol on a piece of paper and cut it out with a razor. Then just cut 6 slices of cookie dough, and stuck the stencil to them one by one and poured sprinkles over the top. 

5. Bake cookies for about 10 minutes. Allow to cool, cut the edges off so that you have squares. (Pi squared?)

6. To serve, top mini pies with whipped cream and stick the pi squared cookies to the top. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Pesto.

I’m Italian, so my love for pasta dishes is hereditary and it would be hazardous to my health to completely give them up. (That’s what I’m going with.) Unfortunately pasta dishes are extremely carb heavy, but this is the closest I’ve ever tasted to a pasta dish with a very small fraction of the carbs. It’s made with zucchini and squash ribbons as the pasta substitute, but has the flavors and textures of a rich creamy Italian dish. I got this recipe from Shape magazine, and it’s one of my new favorites. There are 4.2 carbs in a cup of zucchini, and 42.9 carbs in a cup of linguine. So it’s a matter of basic math and deliciousness.  

Zucchini and Squash Ribbon Pasta

1 zucchini

1 yellow squash

1/3 cup chopped purple onion

1/2 cup raw fresh corn 

1 garlic clove, minced

1 small shallot, julienned

1/4 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped

1 lemon, zested

1/4 cup basil pesto

Shredded parmesan cheese

Fresh rosemary, chopped

Olive oil

Black pepper and salt

1. Cut the ends off of the zucchini and squash. Using a vegetable peeler, shave both into ribbons. Set aside.

2. In a skillet over medium heat, saute garlic, onions, and shallots in olive oil until softened. Add corn and saute for two minutes. 

3. Add the squash and zucchini ribbons, then the pesto. Use tongs to coat all ribbons evenly. 

4. Once the squash and zucchini has cooked through, takes a couple of minutes, add walnuts, lemon zest, and herbs. Add salt and pepper to taste. Toss together with tongs to ensure that everything is evenly seasoned. 

5. Serve with cheese on top. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft.

Ingredient of the day: Red wine.

Cool off after a long day of work/school/housework/yardwork/ videogames/sleeping with a wine spritzer full of fresh fruit. You get a serving of fruit in each one, and red wine is shown to have heart benefits, so cheers to your health!!

Simple Wine Spritzer

Fresh strawberries 

Fresh pineapples

Red wine- whatever kind you like

Sprite

Fresh mint leaves

1. I didn’t list exact amounts of each because you really can make this how you prefer it. I used about 1/3 cup of each fruit, sliced up, in each large glass and then filled it 1:1 with sprite and wine. You can also add crushed ice. 

2. Stir ingredients together and then stir in a few fresh mint leaves. 

3. Serve often. 

Photo by Dustin Ashcraft. 

Ingredient of the day: Jalapenos.

I should caution you in the making of this sandwich; if you make it for another person, there is a chance they may drop down on one knee and propose to you soon afterwards. You’ve given them everything they’ve ever wanted, and they’re going to want to take it to the next level to avoid ever losing this recipe you. 

Roasted Jalapeno and Avocado Grilled Cheese (makes 1)

1 large jalapeno

1/2 ripe avocado

2 tbsp whipped light cream cheese

2 slices cheddar Veggie cheese (or regular cheddar cheese)

2 large slices fresh bread (I used multi-grain ciabatta)

1. Preheat convection oven broiler/regular oven on broil to High. Cut jalapenos in half and remove seeds. Place the halves face-down on a foil-lined baking sheet, and place in broiler/oven. Allow to roast for 10-15 minutes or until skin is blistered.

2. Remove jalapenos from broiler/oven and wrap the foil they cooked on around them to seal in steam. Set aside. 

3. Heat a skillet over Medium heat or an electric griddle to 350 degrees. 

4. Put cream cheese on one slice of bread. Top cream cheese with a slice of cheddar. Remove jalapeno slices from foil, and gently peel off blistered outer skin. The steam will allow it to peel off easily. Place the slices of jalapeno on the sandwich. Add slices of avocado, and second slice of cheddar cheese. 

5. Spray the skillet/griddle with non-stick spray and grill the sandwich until all of the cheese is completely melted, flipping once. Takes approximately 10 minutes.