Curried Rice Noodles with Jackfruit

Ah, fall. The time of year for crisp, gloriously chilly temperatures; vibrant foliage; pumpkin everything; and an excuse to have curry incorporated into every meal.

Curry is so warming, so comforting, so delightfully spicy and flavorful that I find myself using it all the time once the temperatures begin to drop. Whether I'm using a spice blend, a paste, or concocting some sort of curry sauce - I just love the aromas, flavors, and fingernail-staining of it all. 

So, it's no surprise that one of my first recipes this fall is filled with curry flavor. (Side note: I used Upton's Naturals Thai Curry Jackfruit here because I had some in the fridge, but feel free to use your favorite jackfruit, or even tofu, chicken, etc. This dish is very versatile!).

Curried Rice Noodles with Jackfruit

Yields: 4 servings

Adapted from Upton's Naturals

-2 tablespoons vegetable oil, divided

-3 cloves garlic, minced and divided

-3 tablespoons Thai chile paste 

-Cumin

-Coriander

-Salt and black pepper

-1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger

-1 15-ounce can lite coconut milk

-1 medium onion, chopped

-2 green onions, sliced

-2 small red bell peppers, chopped

-1 tablespoon of chopped pickled jalapenos (optional)

-1 10.6-ounce package Upton’s Naturals Thai Curry Jackfruit

 -16 ounces udon or rice noodles, cooked

Lime wedges, extra chopped scallions, and chopped cilantro for garnish

Directions:

1.) In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of vegetable oil over low heat. Add 1 clove of the minced garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the red curry paste along with the spices and grated fresh ginger. Add the coconut milk, and stir until thoroughly mixed. Turn heat to simmer and set aside.

2.) In a skillet, heat the remaining tablespoon of vegetable oil over medium-high heat, then add the onion, remaining garlic, and green onions. Stir-fry until golden, then add the red pepper. Cook for 2 minutes, then add the jackfruit. Stir until the jackfruit is thoroughly heated and the vegetables are tender. Season as needed with salt and black pepper.

3.) To serve, place a portion of noodles in a medium-size bowl and top with veggies as desired. Ladle some coconut curry sauce over the noodles and veggies, then top off with a squeeze of fresh lime juice, scallions, and cilantro. (We also added chopped pistachios to ours, for extra protein and crunch. Highly recommended, but certainly not necessary).

This dish is super easy to whip up, and I loved all of the aromas and flavors that came with it.

Happy autumn, all! 

What's your favorite thing about fall?

Spicy Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

It's too hot to cook, and - despite what all my Facebook friends say - it's still summer...and I'm lazy these days. Which is why this blog has been seriously lacking in recipes lately. (Come the REAL fall, I'll start cooking again. I promise).

Anyway, my laziness has led me to whip up all of the no-cooking-required recipes I can (which equates to about one per week these days). And when I was looking for a way to use up leftover chickpeas recently, these hot weather-friendly sandwiches were born.

This recipe is completely customizable, depending on what you like in your sandwiches. And if you have a 15-ounce can of chickpeas lying around, you can still use that with the ingredients below (it won't make much of a difference in terms of flavor/texture). But whatever you do...just make these. I promise you'll like them.

Spicy Chickpea Salad Sandwiches

Serves: 2

-1 1/2 cups chickpeas, drained and rinsed

-2 tablespoons Trader Joe's Wasabi Mayonnaise (or whatever mayonnaise you prefer)

-1 tablespoon diced dill pickles

-Salt and black pepper

-4 slices good bread (I used Dave's Killer Bread Powerseed)

-2 slices Havarti cheese (or whatever cheese you prefer)

-1/2 avocado, sliced

-Tomato slices

-Arugula

-Dijon mustard

Directions:

1.) In a food processor, pulse chickpeas until slightly mashed, but not pureed (you want some texture; not hummus). You can also mash the chickpeas with a fork, if you don't have a food processor. 

2.) Transfer chickpeas to a small bowl. Stir in the mayonnaise and dill pickles; season with salt and black pepper. 

3.) Toast the bread lightly, with a slice of cheese on two of the slices of bread, to let it melt. Lightly smash 1/4 of the avocado evenly on two slices of bread. Scoop the chickpea mixture evenly over the avocado (you may have some leftover, depending on how full you want your sandwiches). Layer as you wish with additional ingredients (I added tomato, arugula, and a drizzle of Dijon).

This really is a great alternative to tuna, or even egg salad (although, I do love a good egg salad). This here is protein-packed and not drenched in mayonnaise, so you can feel full without any of the guilt. 

Now...make a batch of these, get outside, and go enjoy the rest of your summer! 

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Whenever I make Sloppy Joes, this song gets stuck in my head for daysss.

Growing up, I loved when my mom made Sloppy Joes for dinner. Granted, those Sloppy Joes were piled high with hamburger meat, but at the time, they were delicious, comforting, and, well, messy.

As a vegetarian adult, I've come to miss these satiating, spill-all-over-your-plate sandwiches, so I decided to come up with a version that I can eat now - sans the grease and animal parts. (On my former blog, I also came up with a lentil version, if you're interested. Just don't mind the missing photos).



Here, tofu is crumbled and loaded up with all of the Sloppy Joe flavors we know and love. And then topped with vegetarian baked beans. You know, to make them even sloppier (and more delicious). This recipe can also be vegan-friendly, if you opt out of the melted cheese and brioche buns.

Vegetarian Sloppy Joes
Yields: 8 servings
-1 16-ounce package extra firm tofu, drained
-3 tablespoons ketchup
-1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
-1/2 tablespoon maple syrup
-Salt and black pepper
-Chili powder
-Dried oregano
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1/2 large yellow onion, diced
-1 large garlic clove, minced
-1 bell pepper, chopped
-Salt and black pepper
-1 heaping cup vegetarian baked beans
-Sliced bread and butter pickles, for garnish
-8 slices cheese (optional; we used Havarti)
-8 brioche buns (or your favorite vegan-friendly buns will do!)*

Directions:
1.) Press the tofu for 20 minutes (if you don't have a tofu press, just place a heavy pot on top of the tofu). This will get a lot of the moisture out so it crisps up nicer in the pan. Once drained, crumble the tofu into a bowl and mix with the ketchup, Dijon mustard, maple syrup, salt, black pepper, chili powder, and dried oregano (aka, the marinade!). Place tofu in fridge for 30 minutes.
2.) Meanwhile, in a large saute pan, heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, just until the onions begin to soften, about 3 minutes. Add peppers and season with salt and black pepper (I also added some extra chili powder, for an additional kick); cook until peppers begin to soften, about 3-5 minutes. Add tofu and cook until tofu begins to turn golden brown, about 5-7 minutes.
3.) Lower heat to medium-low; add baked beans and stir. Cook until heated through, about 3-5 minutes.
4.) Toast your buns (if using cheese, place cheese slices on one half of the buns before toasting so they melt nicely). Pile each bun with a few generous scoops of the Sloppy Joe mixture. Top with sliced pickles. Grab many, many napkins and dig in.

*One note: For the non-vegans, I highly recommend using the brioche buns, if you can find them. They're a little sweet, super soft, and stand up to the sloppiness quite nicely. 

Packed with protein and flavor, these Sloppy Joes gave us dinner - and lunch! - for days. We ate the last bit of leftovers on our snowboarding lunch break this past weekend, and it was the perfect pick-me-up for a day on the slopes, too.

What was one of your favorite meals growing up?

Chipotle Sausage, Scallion, and Tomato Frittata

I've always prided myself on being a great speller. Spelling is just one of the things that comes naturally to me. In third grade, I got an award for spelling pneumonia correctly. I was basically a genius.

But some words' spelling still never fail to confuse me. "Frittata" is one of those words. Do the double T's come first or second? I have to Google it every time. (Am I alone here?).

Anyway, despite its spelling, frittatas are delicious. And versatile. They're a great brunch, lunch, or dinner dish that's perfect for using up any leftover veggies or herbs or sausage you have in your fridge. And that's exactly what this frittata was: a way to use up some chipotle vegetarian sausage, fresh herbs, and on-the-verge-of-being-thrown-out vegetables.

Make this frittata, or a variation of it, for brunch this weekend. Leftover Thanksgiving vegetables next week = this frittata next weekend. Or, if you're having family in town for the holiday, make them this easy yet elegant breakfast or lunch while they're visiting. You can thank me later.

Chipotle Sausage, Scallion, and Tomato Frittata
Yields: 4-5 servings
-8 large eggs
-Salt and black pepper
-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
-3 scallions, chopped (white and green parts!)
-1 clove garlic, peeled and minced
-1 Field Roast Mexican Chipotle Sausage, roughly chopped
-1/2 vine tomato, diced
-Pepper jack cheese
-1 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

Directions:
1.) Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2.) In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, salt, and pepper.
3.) Heat olive oil in an oven-safe frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the scallions and cook until they begin to soften, about 2-3 minutes. Add garlic and cook until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add sausage and cook until heated through, about 2-3 minutes.
4.) Pour eggs over the scallions and sausage. Pull the edges away from the sides of the pan with a spatula so the eggs flow to the bottom of the pan. When the frittata is half set, transfer the pan to the heated oven.
5.) Bake for 7 minutes. Remove from oven, sprinkle with tomatoes and cheese, and put the pan back in the oven for an additional 3-4 minutes, until cheese is melted and frittata is puffed and golden. Remove from oven, top with cilantro, and let sit for 3-5 minutes before serving.

We served large slices of this frittata along with wheat toast and beermosas for brunch (de Garde Brewing's Saison Premiere makes one mean beermosa). But I also love serving this for lunch with a simple green salad. Serve it up any way you want!

Can you spell frittata without Googling it?