Dinner

CAULIFLOWER TACOS

February 16, 2019 by Sarah Baade 4 Comments

I know it might seem a little cliché to be making tacos when I’m based out of Texas but seriously, guys… TACOS!!! Who cares about clichés when a dish this delicious is on the line?!? Plus, it’s not like tacos are exclusive to this part of the country. During my first year of graduate school, my roommate and I would make tacos every week and any time we had guests over for dinner. I would always give our guests the same speech. “Tacos are a personal experience. We are providing you with options for your toppings but, please, create your tacos to your own liking.” I was always fascinated to see which toppings people would pile and which toppings would get skipped over.

I’ve come across several delicious cauliflower taco recipes out there but all of them are made with florets which don’t give me that traditional taco texture I’m looking for. By using finely chopped cauliflower, I was able to achieve a texture and appearance that is more similar to ground meat. Honestly, even when I brought this to work as leftovers, my colleagues commented that it looked like meat. While I still think taco toppings are a personal experience, I would encourage you to add some black beans or pinto beans for added protein into this dish.

Tips:

This taco filling has a bit of heat to it. To reduce the heat, leave out the cayenne pepper.
If you plan to top your tacos with the creamy avocado sauce, you can make it the day before and refrigerate until ready to use.

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Cauliflower Tacos

A new take on cauliflower tacos - your family won't even notice these tacos are vegetarian.

Servings: 8 tacos

Ingredients

For the Tacos

8 corn or flour tortillas
2 Tablespoons olive oil
14 oz bag finely chopped cauliflower
1/2 small yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1 Tablespoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Optional toppings:lettuce, shredded cheddar cheese, black beans, red bell peppers, diced tomatoes, salsa, creamy avocado sauce (see recipe below)

Creamy Avocado Sauce

2 small avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
juice of 1 lime
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

Instructions

For the Tacos

Heat oven to lowest temperature possible. Wrap tortillas in foil and place in oven to warm while cooking the cauliflower mixture.
In a large pan over, medium heat, add cauliflower and onion. Stirring occasionally, cook until softened. Add minced garlic and cook for another minute. Stir in spices. Serve in tortillas with desired toppings.

Creamy Avocado Sauce

Put all ingredients in a blender and blend until fully combined.

ROASTED VEGETABLE BISQUE

December 9, 2018 by Sarah Baade 2 Comments

Lately I’ve been realizing just how busy my weekdays are. A typical day means I’m up at 5:45am to get ready and help our daughter get ready for the day. After working a full day at the office, I pick our daughter up from school then head home. We have just a little time to play before needing to get dinner going. Soon after dinner, we put our daughter to bed and then I rush out the door to get a workout in. Around 8:00pm I am finally able to relax and catch up with my husband on how our day was. I know my schedule isn’t all that unusual, lots of families have a similar (or crazier) routine. To be honest, I also have TONS of help from my husband, he is my ultimate teammate in life! However, reflecting on my schedule has emphasized the importance of easy meals in our household. I do prefer to cook homemade meals but I definitely have days when those chicken nuggets in the freezer are all I can muster. On the days when I am cooking, I try to fix healthy meals and expose my daughter to a variety of foods and flavors (with an emphasis on vegetables).

My daughter has been really eager to help in the kitchen lately which provides an opportunity to share a wider variety of foods with her. She might not end up eating what we fix (she is only two years old, after all, and I’m realistic) but the exposure is still there. If she sees us prepping and eating healthy foods, those options won’t be strange to her as she gets older. This bisque recipe is actually a perfect one for her to help with. I chop vegetables and then let her put them into a bowl, season them and pour them out onto a sheet pan for roasting. We have also been finding ways to incorporate other lessons into our cooking routines. “How many eggs did we put in the bowl?” “What colors do you see on the pan?” Not to mention she is learning how to follow directions. All of this learning is happening while helping to get dinner on the table. This is what we call a Win-Win situation, my friends!

Tips:

You can absolutely roast these vegetables the night before you plan to serve the bisque and then blend everything together when you’re ready to eat it. Store those veggies in a sealed container in the fridge. However, since the vegetables will be cold rather than hot from the oven, you might need to pour the blended bisque into a pot and warm it over the stovetop or in a crockpot before serving it.
If you’re making this for a bigger crowd, double the ingredients. You can still roast all the vegetables at the same time but it won’t all fit in the blender at once. Blend what you can then pour it into a large pot and repeat this until everything is in the pot. Stir it all together with a large spoon or whisk until fully incorporated.

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ROASTED VEGETABLE BISQUE

The perfect dish to warm you up on a cold evening.

Servings: 4 servings

Ingredients

1 cup Raw cashews
1 large head Cauliflower, cut into florets
4 cloves Garlic, unpeeled
2 Medium carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
1 Medium yellow onion, sliced
2 Large red bell peppers, seeded and cut into large pieces
Olive oil for drizzling
Salt & pepper to taste
3 Tablespoons Red miso paste
1/2 teaspoon Ground cumin
1 Tablespoon Sriracha
2 cups Vegetable broth (more if you want to thin the bisque out a bit)
Croutons & chopped parsley for garnish

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Place cashews in a bowl of water and let soak. While cashews are soaking, put cauliflower, garlic and carrots in a large bowl. Drizzle bowl of vegetables with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix until evenly coated then spread evenly on a sheet pan. Place onion and peppers in the bowl used for vegetables then drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix until evenly coated then spread evenly on a second sheet pan. Place both sheet pans in the oven and roast vegetables 20-30 minutes or until they are tender and edges start to brown. Note that the onion and peppers are likely to be done earlier than the other vegetables.
Drain and rinse cashews then place them in a high-powered blender. Peel roasted garlic cloves add them to the blender along with all of the vegetables. Add miso, cumin, sriracha and vegetable broth to blender. Blend on high until smooth and creamy. Garnish with croutons and parsley.

FORBIDDEN PASTA

November 8, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

This pasta dish is a total exception in our house, we just don’t make pasta veryoften. I honestly relate it to my middle school and high school years. My mother would make spaghetti twice a week and I eventually just got tired of it. I totally get it, pasta is easy and can feed a crowd on the cheap – everyone will walk away with a full belly. But too much of anything will make me tired of it. What dish did you eat as a kid that you tend to avoid even years later?

For me, the game changer in eating pasta at home is the sauce. Again, I totally understand the ease of sauce from a jar but this homemade sauce is next level. The addition of goat cheese gives this tomato based sauce a creamy zing. We devoured this to the point of discomfort the first time I made it (hence the name Forbidden Pasta). We have since learned to pace ourselves.

Tips:

For those looking to add a protein to this dish, shrimp would pair beautifully
Feel free to adjust the amount of red pepper flakes to your liking. Add more for more heat in your dish or eliminate it altogether if you’re feeding folks who prefer a no heat at all.

FORBIDDEN PASTA

Serves 6-8

16oz penne pasta

1 Tablespoon olive oil

½ medium yellow onion, chopped

1 teaspoon minced garlic

28oz crushed tomatoes, drained

3 Tablespoons tomato paste

4oz goat cheese

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon paprika

¼ teaspoon ground black pepper

¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes

14oz vegetable broth

Grated parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

Directions:

Cook pasta according package instructions. As pasta is cooking, work on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a large, 2” deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook down for about 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook down for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and spices then crumble in goat cheese. Stir until paste and cheese are fully incorporated. Stir in vegetable broth and simmer over low heat until pasta is ready. Add pasta to sauce and stir until pasta is fully coated in sauce. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

FORBIDDEN PASTA

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This creamy pasta sauce will have you going back for seconds and thirds.

: Slice Of Honey

Recipe type: Entree

Serves: 6-8

Ingredients

16oz penne pasta
1 Tablespoon olive oil
½ medium yellow onion, chopped
1 teaspoon minced garlic
28oz crushed tomatoes, drained
3 Tablespoons tomato paste
4oz goat cheese
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon paprika
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
14oz vegetable broth
Grated parmesan cheese (optional garnish)

Instructions

Cook pasta according package instructions. As pasta is cooking, work on the sauce. Heat olive oil in a large, 2” deep sauté pan over medium heat. Add onions and cook down for about 4 minutes or until tender. Add garlic and sauté 1 minute. Stir in tomatoes and cook down for 5 minutes. Add tomato paste and spices then crumble in goat cheese. Stir until paste and cheese are fully incorporated. Stir in vegetable broth and simmer over low heat until pasta is ready. Add pasta to sauce and stir until pasta is fully coated in sauce. Garnish with grated parmesan cheese if desired.

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

October 12, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

When I graduated from college I had a semester off before starting grad school. Rather than stick around Kansas (I graduated from K-State – Go Wildcats!), I took the opportunity to head out to California for a few months. I grew up super shy but for whatever reason, God gave me wanderlust and the bravery to explore new places. At 22 years old, I drove halfway across the country to find out what coastal living is like. I lived with my cousin and his now wife while working a part time job at the local YMCA. Coming from a land-locked state, it was incredible to see the ocean every day even on days when I was just driving to work. I learned a lot about myself during that time. Post college, pre-real world is an awkward stage of life. You’re somehow both younger than most people and older than most people you encounter. This can create a level of loneliness but for me, it also created a greater level of independence.

While I was in California I was also scoping out local food trends. I’m generally willing to at least sample a dish I’m not familiar with but, looking back, maybe I wasn’t so adventurous at 22 years old. I kept seeing fish tacos and shrimp tacos and I just couldn’t get myself to try them. Clearly, there was something to it because I saw them on menu after menu. Truth be told, though, I didn’t end up trying seafood in a taco until several years after leaving California. Fast forward to today and fish or shrimp in my Mexican food has become an absolute favorite of mine. They are part of the reason I don’t go full out vegetarian. Combine this with busy mom life and I give you sheet pan shrimp fajitas!

Tips:

If you want to make this vegetarian/vegan rather than pescatarian, you can swap out the shrimp for cubes of tofu.

You can cut the vegetables a day ahead to make meal prep even faster on the day you cook the fajitas.

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced

2 medium jalapeños (optional), seeded and thinly sliced

½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined

1 Tablespoon olive oil

Juice of 1 lime

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon black pepper

1 teaspoon cumin

½ teaspoon paprika

½ teaspoon chili powder

1 teaspoon garlic powder

Flour or corn tortillas

Optional toppings: shredded cheeses, sour cream, avocado, guacamole

Preheat oven to 400°F. Place all bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and shrimp in a large bowl. Coat with olive oil and lime juice. Add all spices and stir until vegetables and shrimp are evenly coated in spices. Spread ingredients out on a sheet pan and bake for 14 minutes, stirring halfway through. Wrap a few strips of vegetables and pieces of shrimp in a tortilla, adding optional toppings as desired.

SHEET PAN SHRIMP FAJITAS

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: Slice Of Honey

Recipe type: Entree

Ingredients

1 medium red bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium yellow bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
1 medium orange bell pepper, seeded and thinly sliced
2 medium jalapeños (optional), seeded and thinly sliced
½ medium yellow onion, thinly sliced
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled & deveined
1 Tablespoon olive oil
Juice of 1 lime
½ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
½ teaspoon chili powder
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Flour or corn tortillas
Optional toppings: shredded cheeses, sour cream, avocado, guacamole

Instructions

Preheat oven to 400F. Place all bell peppers, jalapeños, onion and shrimp in a large bowl. Coat with olive oil and lime juice. Add all spices and stir until vegetables and shrimp are evenly coated in spices. Spread ingredients out on a sheet pan and bake for 14 minutes, stirring halfway through. Wrap a few strips of vegetables and pieces of shrimp in a tortilla, adding optional toppings as desired.

Veggie Wrap With Homemade Jalapeño Hummus

September 9, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I have to say that I’m fortunate to have a cafeteria available to me at work. It really is convenient when I don’t have any leftovers to bring in for lunch. However, the meatless options in the cafeteria aren’t stellar. I often default to the veggie wrap but it seems like half of the filling options typically aren’t available for one reason or another. This can result in a lettuce and tomato wrap with a little bit of hummus and/or cheese. Not filling. Not flavorful.

With just a little bit of meal prep at the beginning of the week, I’m sure I can provide myself with a better wrap for lunch. My plan is to chop and slice all of the vegetables then place them into individual bags that I can quickly grab out of the fridge as I head out the door for work. By assembling the wraps at work, the wrap/tortilla won’t get soggy. This homemade jalapeño hummus provides so much flavor and can easily be used for dipping veggies, crackers, etc. as a side dish or snack.

Tips:

If you want to add more spice to your hummus, add more jalapeño. If you prefer a milder level of heat, remove the seeds from the jalapeño before chopping and adding it to the hummus.
To avoid getting the jalapeño oils on your hands (and potentially in your eyes if you rub them) wear plastic gloves while chopping it.

Veggie Wrap with Homemade Jalapeño Hummus

For the jalapeño hummus:

15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 Tablespoons tahini

1/3 cup Tablespoons olive oil

2 Tablespoons fresh jalapeño, chopped

½ teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon onion powder

Hummus Directions:

Place all ingredients in a food processor or blender and process until smooth. You may need to scrape the sides of the processor part way through in order to fully incorporate the ingredients.

For the wrap:

1 wrap or large tortilla

¼ cup jalapeño hummus

Handful of kale

Handful of red cabbage, chopped

4 slices cucumber

4 rings of sliced red onion

3 slices tomato

Handful of zucchini noodles

3 slices bell pepper

Wrap Directions:

Spread hummus on 1/3 – 1/2 of the wrap. On top of the hummus, layer the kale, cabbage, cucumber, onion, tomato, zucchini noodles and bell pepper. Fold the wrap around the vegetables and enjoy.

Portobello Lettuce Wraps

June 11, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Last month was full of traveling. My husband, daughter and I flew out to Oregon to visit family for a few days. Then I flew to Seattle, WA for a work training. The following week we drove to Kansas to visit more family. I am incredibly thankful for these opportunities but it also completely wore us out. I can’t help but think the exhaustion is partly due to a shift in diet. Whenever I travel I end up eating more junk food than I normally would – certainly more than I should. I’m not alone in this habit, right?!?

Now that I’m back home I’m craving healthy food. I always find the easiest way to eat healthy is to cook at home. When I’m coming up with recipes I typically start with what type of dish I want to make and then figure out the details and ingredients. However, this particular recipe started with the sauce. I actually tried it out on some peeled carrots and it tasted pretty great (give it a try if you need an easy salad) but it wasn’t quite what I wanted as a final product. After some brainstorming, I came up with these lettuce wraps. This is such an easy dish to make, it might just make it onto my regular dinner menu rotation.

Tips:

You can easily make the sauce the night before and then refrigerate it until you are ready to use it.
The easiest way to crumble the tofu is to do it by hand. Alternatively, you could put the tofu in a bowl and break it apart with a fork.

Portobello Lettuce Wraps

Serves 4

½ cup balsamic vinegar

½ cup + 1 Tablespoon olive oil

2 teaspoons ginger, finely chopped

2 Tablespoons peanut butter

½ teaspoon salt

16oz firm tofu,

4 medium Portobello mushrooms, rinsed, stemmed & chopped

2/3 cup water chestnuts, chopped

½ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)

2 heads of bib or butter lettuce

Optional additions: rice, crushed peanuts, sliced green onion.

Directions:

In a small saucepan, over low heat, whisk together balsamic vinegar, ½ cup olive oil, ginger, peanut butter and salt until ingredients are fully combined. Remove from heat.

Press tofu with a paper towel to absorb moisture. In a large pan, heat remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Crumble tofu into pan and sauté until it starts to brown. Stir in mushrooms and continue to sauté until mushrooms are tender. Reduce heat to low, stir in water chestnuts, crushed red pepper and sauce.

Spoon rice and mushroom filling into lettuce leaves and garnish with peanuts and green onions.

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Baby Bella Shepherd’s Pie

March 13, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

I’m not Irish, not even a little bit. I know this because my dad has written not one but TWO books on our genealogy. What a treasure those books are. To know where you’ve come from and to have stories (some first-hand) about your family members is such a unique gift. Despite my lack of Irish heritage, my parents have always encouraged exploring cultures through food. What better way to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day than by taking a new twist on a classic Irish dish?

Shepherd’s pie is one of those ultimate comfort foods. Am I right? It is so rich, warm and flavorful. Traditionally, this dish is made with lamb but s a vegetarian, I had to make my own version. I subbed the meat with a ton baby bella mushrooms but kept the basics for the sauce. To make this a bit healthier and to add a level of sweetness, I swapped the potatoes for sweet potatoes. The result turned out to be glorious! I could have eaten half the casserole dish by myself!

Tips:

To save time the on the day you plan to make this, chop all your vegetables the night before.
Be patient. It takes some time for the liquid to reduce but give it the time it deserves so you don’t end up with soup under the sweet potatoes.

Baby Bella Shepherd’s Pie

Topping:

4 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed

½ cup unsalted butter

¼ cup half & half

Filling:

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 medium yellow onion

3 large carrots, cut into ¼” slices

2lb baby bella mushrooms, stemmed and quartered

1 Tablespoon minced garlic

1 Tablespoon fresh thyme

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon ground black pepper

3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour

1 ½ cups peas

1 cup vegetable broth

1 cup dry red wine

2 Tablespoons tomato paste

Directions:

Place sweet potatoes in a large pot and cover with water. Boil potatoes until they are fork tender. Drain potatoes and move them to a large mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with butter and half & half until potatoes are smooth and creamy. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 400°F. In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add onions and cook until translucent. Add carrots, cook an additional 2-3 minutes. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, salt & pepper. Cook until mushrooms start to sweat. Sprinkle flour over vegetable mixture and stir until evenly coated. Add peas then pour in vegetable broth and wine. Stir in tomato paste and increase heat to bring pot to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer until liquids reduce to a gravy-like texture.

Pour vegetable mixture into a greased 9”x13” casserole dish. Spread sweet potatoes over vegetables, making sure potatoes reach the edges of the dish. Bake for 20 minutes. Let cool slightly before serving.

Wild Rice Bowl With Tahini Sauce

January 29, 2018 by Sarah Baade Leave a Comment

Meatless Monday has developed into a meatless few months for me. To be honest, I’m still deciding if this will be a permanent change or not but I am enjoying the challenge of cooking differently. It would be all too easy to just dive into lots of pasta or cheese but I don’t think my stomach would appreciate that. Instead, I’m trying to focus on new flavors to complement a vegetable based menu.

Roasting is such an easy way to cook vegetables that I tend to return to that method again and again. This time I added wild rice for a more interesting texture and slightly nutty flavor. Lastly, I’ve started to explore making sauces as an easy but incredibly effective way to change up the flavor profile. I hope you enjoy my first attempt at a rice bowl!

Tips:

If your family is picky about vegetables, season each type of vegetable individually and organize them on your pan by vegetable. It will be easier for everyone to choose more of their favorite or less of their less favorite vegetable.
I realize wild rice can be an acquired taste, feel free to sub out for another type of rice or quinoa if you prefer.

Wild Rice Bowl with Tahini Sauce

Serves 4

Bowl Ingredients

8oz uncooked cups wild rice

2 sweet potatoes

1 lb Brussels sprouts

1 lb white mushrooms

3 teaspoons olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Sauce:

2 Tablespoons tahini

¼ cup olive oil

2 Tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Pinch of salt

Directions:

Preheat oven to 425*F. Cook rice according to package. While rice is cooking, cut sweet potatoes into 1 inch cubes. Cut Brussels sprouts in half and cut mushrooms into quarters. Place all vegetables in a large bowl with olive oil, salt and pepper. Toss until vegetables are evenly coated. Transfer vegetables to a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes or until sweet potatoes are fork tender and vegetables are starting to brown in spots.

For the sauce, combine all ingredients in a small bowl and whisk until well blended. Serve vegetables over rice and drizzle sauce over bowl as desired.