Tag Archives: vegetarian

The Green

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I’m going to fill y’all in on an embarrassing little secret. Up until about 2009, I ate everything in layers. By everything, I mean everything. Sandwiches obviously, but burritos and pizza too. My family has no idea where this little neurosis came from, but from the time I could feed myself that is how I ate. I’m sure it has something to do with them trying to trick me into eating carrots, but ever since I can remember I ate things ingredient by ingredient so that I knew exactly what I was putting in my mouth. {Hi. My name is Lauren, and I am a bit of a control freak.} Thankfully, I got that under control, and I can now can enjoy and appreciate all of these exciting ‘new’ flavor combinations with minimal angst.

That said… I am a big fan of open faced sandwiches. Why? Well first of all, you can fit twice as much yummy sandwich goodies on there so they are more filling. Secondly, much to no one’s dismay, I like it because I can see what all is happening on the bread, so I enjoy it angst free without fear of carrots. Needless to say, I make these a good bit. They are perfect for weekend lunches, but if you want to make it a meal, throw some roasted veggies on the side or whip up a salad.

I’m curious. Did you have any weird eating habits as a kid? The Kiwi swears he didn’t, but I question his recall.

Kiwi+Peach: The Green

The Green

4 slices of bread
1/4 cup pesto
4 large basil leaves {or spinach}
1/2 of an avocado
1/4 cup parmesan cheese

Spread the pesto on each slice of bread and top with the basil leaves and avocado slices.  Grate the parmesan cheese and sprinkle a healthy bit on each slice.  Pop it in the oven on broil for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is melted and the leaves have wilted a bit.

Cashew Pesto from Tupelo Honey Cafe

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I was late to the pesto party. Up until 2010, I probably couldn’t have even told you that there was basil in it. {Don’t hate.} Until… one of my roommates started having it every night {well that or Kraft Mac and Cheese}. I was intrigued, and then I was hooked. While I like the pesto in a jar just fine, it’s hard for me to use up the whole jar before I start thinking that the contents are getting a bit questionable {which probably explains why she had it every night}. If you have a food processor, making it yourself could not be simpler. Plus it is so much fresher and you can easy to control the amount you’re making so you don’t end up wasting money. Not convinced you should make your own yet? It you make your own, you can use cashews. I wish I could take credit for this pesto recipe, but I can’t. It’s from the Tupelo Honey Cafe cookbook and just like the name implies it is made with cashews instead of pine nuts. I love pine nuts, but these cashews take this stuff to a new level.

Kiwi and Peach: Cashew Basil Pesto

Cashew Pesto from Tupelo Honey Cafe

{makes about 1/2 cup}

1/2 cup fresh basil leaves {pack as much in there as you can}
1/3 cup salted cashews
2 cloves of garlic
juice from 1/2 of a lemon {1 Tbsp}
pinch of salt
a few grinds of fresh ground black pepper
1/3 cup olive oil

Add all of the ingredients to your food processor and process. Technically you are supposed to drizzle the olive oil in gradually as you process, but my food processor isn’t fancy enough to have a hole into which to drizzle. I’ve never had a problem just doing it all at the same time, but if you do, try the adding it gradually method. One of our favorite dinners is whole wheat pasta {fusilli, spaghetti, it doesn’t matter} tossed in pesto with these oven roasted tomatoes. Add a healthy amount of parmesan cheese and a bit of cracked black pepper and I call that dinner.

{This post contains an Amazon affiliate link. That means that if you head over to Amazon from the link and choose to buy the book, a tiny bit of the money you spent on the book will come back to me for the referral.} 

Homemade Spanish Rice

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A few weeks ago, as I was planning our Cinco de Mayo festivities,  I found myself nursing a serious craving for some spanish rice.  Which brought on this revelation– I had never made spanish rice from scratch. What?! I know, I was shocked too. I mean, how could someone who has been cooking up ‘Mexican’ food for her Tex-Mex loving family since she was thirteen have never given homemade spanish rice a go?

Then I realized that it was because I never had to. The quick, easy, just-add-water packets of spanish rice had always been readily available. So why make it from scratch?

Now I’m making it out of necessity since they don’t have those little packets here in Deutschland. However, you should give it a go because your homemade version will have tons less sodium, more fiber, more vitamins, and hardly any preservatives. {and you’ll be really proud of yourself and everyone needs a confidence boost sometimes!}

Regardless of the reason for my inexperience {laziness}, it was high time I remedied the situation. After a little experimentation, I came up with this recipe that will be my go to from here on out. I added black beans for a bit of extra fiber {and to make whole proteins since grains and beans are complementary}, but you can leave them out if you would like.

Homemade Spanish Rice

The Rice
2/3 cup brown rice
1 1/3 cup water

The Goodies
1 tsp oilve oil
whatever veggies you have on hand
1/2 cup black beans {optional}

Some of the veggies I’ve had success with:
red pepper {half}, onion {half}, green chilli {half}, fresh kernels of corn {1/4 cup}, and tomato {half}

The Seasoning
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 Tbsp cumin
1 Tbsp paprika
1 Tbsp chilli powder

Boil your jug and put the rice on to cook. Follow the directions on the packaging for length of time but it is usually about 25-30 minutes for brown rice. {The 10 min quick rices will work if you’re in a pinch, but you will lose most of the yummy fiber that you get from brown rice and it’s less filling.}

When the rice has about 10 minutes left, start heating a deep sauté pan on medium heat and dice up your veggies. I just used what I had on hand, but feel free to add other veggies if you’d like. Tomatoes and green chilies would be great in this too. Add a little olive oil to the pan and toss in your veggies. Rinse your beans and add them too. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the rice is finished, pour a little more olive oil in the pan and add the rice. Stir the rice in with the veggies and black beans. Add the cumin, paprika, and chilli powder and mix well. Cook for 2-3 more minutes so all the flavors can get to know each other and you’re finished.

This is a great side for all your Tex-Mex faves like quesadillas, burritos, and enchiladas. Tonight we are having it with baked beer taquitos!

Creamy Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

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Let’s talk for a minute about boiling water–because we are full of racy content like that here at Kiwi + Peach.

One of my favorite foods is easily freshly cooked pasta of the whole wheat variety.  I could probably eat it every day.  Unfortunately {or fortunately for my waistline}, before I met the Kiwi, I didn’t really make it much because it took so darn long to boil the water.  Seriously, unless you have one of those Kelly Ripa induction stove tops that boils water in 90 seconds {and if you do, I’m jealous}, it takes at least an hour to bring that big pot of water to a boil.  Okay I’m exaggerating, but it really does take a while and I, for one, do not have the patience for that.  In the past, my solution for this was to cook the whole package of pasta once I got the pot boiling, and I would freeze what I didn’t eat.  This, however, usually led to overeating and to pretty average tasting pasta after it had been thawed.

Kiwi and Peach: Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Cut to the first time I cooked pasta for the Kiwi. After I finally find the pot {we were at his house}, I filled it up with water and put it on the stove.  He, lovingly, asked me what the heck I was doing.  To which I replied “I’m making pasta.  What does it look like I’m doing?  Dinner will be ready in an hour because I have to wait for this massive amount of water to boil.”  He then, lovingly, filled up the kettle, or jug as we like to call it, and flipped the switch.  In less than two minutes the water was happily boiling away.  He added it to the pot, which I had emptied, and less than a minute later it was already back to a boil.  So simple.

Of course, I still cooked the whole package of pasta and made him eat pasta for a week, but that is beside the point.  I have since learned how to cook for two, but most importantly, I have learned how to boil water in less than 5 minutes.

What about you? Growing up, did you use a jug to boil water for pasta? My mom is very anti gadgets so its entirely possible its just a weird family quirk that caused me angst all these years.  Or is it more a difference in our American vs Kiwi upbringing?

Kiwi and Peach: Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

{adapted for two from Flourishing Foodie}

The Roasted Tomatoes
10 cherry tomatoes
1 Tbsp olive oil
2 tsp salt

The Sauce
1 ripe avocado
1 clove of garlic
½ tsp salt
juice from 1/2 a lemon {or about 1 tbsp}

The Pasta
4 ounces {100 grams} whole wheat linguini
about 1 Tbsp salt
about 1 tsp olive oil

Preheat your oven to 300°F {150°C}.

Rinse your tomatoes and then cut them in half lengthwise.  Line a baking sheet with baking paper and scatter the tomatoes on it.  Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with garlic salt and, if you’d like, any herbs you have laying about.  Give them a toss and put them in the oven for about an hour.

Your kitchen will smell amazing!  Go be productive for a half hour {or browse Pinterest}, and come on back when your tomatoes have about 20-30 minutes left.

Boil your jug and start heating a large pot on medium high heat.  Pour the water into the pot, add a bit of salt and a bit of oil, and bring back to a boil.  Add your pasta and cook according to the package directions {usually 11-13 minutes}.

While the pasta is cooking, scoop the yummy parts of the avocado into a food processor.  Add a clove of garlic, salt and pepper, and squeeze some lemon juice in there as well.  Turn it on and mix until it has a creamy consistency and is mostly lump free.

When the pasta is finished, drain it and return it to the pot.  Add the avocado sauce and mix well.

Go ahead and plate the pasta.  The tomatoes should be finished by this point, so strategically place them on your pasta {making sure to hide a few extra in yours}.  Garnish with freshly grated parmesan and fresh ground black pepper and enjoy!

Kiwi and Peach: Avocado Pasta with Roasted Tomatoes

Istanbul Salad with Walnut Honey Mustard Dressing

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One of my favorite things about traveling is trying local foods at the places the locals eat.  You learn so much about a culture through their food.  The way it is prepared lends insight to the community built around that preparation and consumption.  Sometimes its awkward {like when the waiter has to come over to show you how to eat your meal} and sometimes you just end up randomly pointing to something and taking a chance, but I’ve yet to have a downright terrible experience.

A few months ago, on our trip to Istanbul, we ate at this great modern Turkish restaurant, Lokanta Maya {website is in Turkish}.  They use all local, seasonal ingredients and come up with a new menu of simple, yet delicious dishes daily.  My favorite bit of the meal was our starter–a salad with pears, figs, fresh goat cheese, and nuts.  It was fresh, flavorful, and surprisingly filling {which was good because my chickpea stew was loaded with carrots}.  My first order of business when we got back, after doing the washing, was to recreate that salad.

I changed a few things based on what I had on hand, and I couldn’t recreate the dressing {I don’t know what magical yumminess they had in that thing}.  As a re-creation it wasn’t a complete success. However, the resulting salad was still amazing–delicious in its own right.  Its different from the original but still fresh, flavourful, and very filling.

Istanbul Salad with Walnut Honey Mustard Dressing

The Toppings
1 firm pear
2 figs
1 Tbsp butter
1 Tbsp brown sugar
5-6 walnuts

The Dressing
{adapted from Tupelo Honey Cafe’s Pecan Vinaigrette recipe}
5 walnuts
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
2 tsp whole grain sweet mustard
2 tsp whole grain spicy mustard
1 clove of garlic
1 Tbsp honey
salt and pepper
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup olive oil

The Salad
mixed field greens
¼ cup blue goat cheese, crumbled

Get started by shelling all of the walnuts and set them aside.

Start heating the frying pan on medium heat while you peel and slice the pear into thin slivers.  When its hot, melt the butter in the pan then add the pears and half of the brown sugar.  Cover the pan and let the pears cook for 10 minutes to get them nice and soft, stirring occasionally.  While the pears soften up, you can go ahead and crank out that dressing.

Using a food processor, grind up half of your walnuts until they are the texture of course meal.  Empty them into a small bowl and set aside.  Add the vinegar, mustards, garlic, and honey to the food processor and blend.  One tablespoon at a time add the oil, blending in between additions, until all the oil is added.  If you have one of the fancy food processors where you can add it as it blends, even better.  Do that! But I don’t, so I do it one tablespoon at a time.  Put the nuts back in the food processor, give it a blend, and you’re finished.  Now back to the toppings.

Thinly slice the figs and add them, along with the remaining walnuts, to the pears. Sprinkle with the rest of the brown sugar and give them a gentle stir {the figs are a little fragile}.  Let them candy up for about 4 minutes and then remove them from the heat.

While your figs are getting yummy, wash your greens if they haven’t been washed yet and divide them between your two bowls.  Add your toppings and dressing, and top the whole thing off with those delicious bits of crumbled blue cheese.