1 cup uncooked rice – Jasmine, long grain, or brown
1 cup frozen peas thawed, or 1 cup sliced snow peas
¼ cup minced red onion
1-2 Tablespoons seeded & minced hot pepper -Jalapeno, Serrano, or Thai chili pepper (optional)
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper (optional)
1 seeded & minced red bell pepper
2 teaspoons granulated garlic or 1 Tablespoon fresh minced garlic
2 teaspoons fresh ginger minced or 1 teaspoon dried
1 eight ounce can of water chestnuts diced
1 bunch of scallions white part minced, and green part sliced thin (keep separate)
2 Tablespoons honey or Agave
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar
1 Tablespoon Sriracha (optional)
¼ cup toasted sesame oil
2 Tablespoons soy sauce or Tamari
½ teaspoon black pepper
1 Tablespoon of lime juice
3 Tablespoons fresh cilantro minced
Cook rice according to package directions and then spread onto a cookie sheet to cool to room temperature. While cooling, whisk crush red pepper, garlic, ginger, scallion whites, honey or Agave, rice vinegar, Sriracha, sesame oil, soy sauce, black pepper, and lime juice in a bowl big enough to hold the rice and all the other ingredients. Once cooled, add rice to the bowl and mix thoroughly. Mix in the remaining ingredients reserving 1 Tablespoon of cilantro and the scallions greens for later. Chill covered for 2-4 hours. Stir before serving and garnish with reserved cilantro and scallion.
*For a higher protein and lower carb option, substitute Quinoa for rice in this recipe.
Last February my husband and I decided that our eating habits needed to be improved to help us achieve a healthier lifestyle and feel better as we get older. During this ten-week period, we adopted a plant-based diet. Having never attempted anything like this before, it was a fairly large learning curve with some disappointing food purchases. At times it was challenging to keep our meals interesting and filling, while still making sure they met our dietary needs. I discovered things about my body that were both good and bad. My skin cleared up after about a week, I had more energy and never felt “food coma” after a meal and I didn’t have heartburn anymore. I also discovered that I absolutely cannot eat beans without suffering serious gas and abdominal pain and eating too much fiber makes me fart constantly. In the end, we learned a lot, not only about what food we wanted to keep in our diets but also, what foods we could purchase vs what foods were better prepared at home. Despite feeling very healthy while eating the vegan diet, we realized we would not be able to completely give up animal products long term. After 10 weeks, we slowly adopted the Mediterranean diet, but some of the recipes I developed while eating vegan have remained. The Cream of Mushroom Soup below is one of them. This recipe is easily adapted to a non-vegan version by substituting Worcestershire sauce for the coconut aminos, regular unsalted butter for the plant butter, and half and half for the Almond milk. I didn’t include a photo, as the soup isn’t much to look at, but it is tasty.
2 Tablespoons of fresh parsley, or chives chopped (optional)
In the pot you are using to make the soup, sauté onion, thyme, fresh mushrooms, a teaspoon of salt, and ½ teaspoon of black pepper in the butter or oil on medium-low heat until onions are translucent and soft, stirring occasionally, about 10 – 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, pulverize dried mushrooms to powder consistency in a food processor or blender. If a few rice size pieces remain, that’s ok.
When sautéed onion and mushroom are soft, add dried mushroom powder and cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes.
Add amino acid, potato, and milk and simmer, stirring occasionally until potatoes fall apart easily when forked and liquid has reduced by about ¼ of its original volume. Taste and adjust salt and pepper if needed.The soup will not be thick at this point. Use one of the two methods below to thicken the soup.
Off the heat, use an immersion blender to blend/smooth the soup until the soup is thickened.
OR
Carefully ladle 2 cups soup into a standard blender and blend until smooth. Transfer blended soup to another container and continue until all the soup has been blended.
Return blended soup to the soup pan and heat through.
Serve with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive oil, Avocado oil, or flavored oil. Top with the fresh herbs and enjoy!
It’s late Sunday morning, you’re leisurely sipping on a warm cup of coffee or tea and thinking about what to have for brunch. Maybe you’re still feeling the aftermath of the last glass of wine you had after supper, or perhaps you just aren’t in the mood to invest much time into this. You head over to the refrigerator to see what the options are, all the while wishing leftover pizza will suddenly appear out of nowhere and be sitting on the shelf. Sadly, a magical pizza fairy has not blessed you this day and the only left-over food you see are some cooked vegetables from supper. How will you turn these vegetables into a meal that’s not too involved or time-consuming? The answer comes from Italy, make a Frittata.
The Frittata is a bit like scrambled eggs, crustless Quiche, Spanish Tortilla (which usually includes cooked potatoes), or an unfolded Omelet. In Italy, mothers and grandmothers will whip up a Frittata as a quick and easy snack using whatever meat or vegetables they have around the house. You might also see a Frittata at a bar being offered as a bite to eat between meals with an espresso or glass of wine. In my experiences, they were always served at room temperature in Italy, but at home I like to eat it hot with melted cheese on the top.
It’s perfectly acceptable to add whatever cooked vegetables and meat you have handy. Fresh herbs or fresh spinach added at the end of cooking are nice too. In this recipe, I used zucchini and mushrooms that have been cooked with onion and garlic. I typically add a few dashes of Tabasco, but that’s not traditional. Don’t be afraid to make it your own, this is a forgiving recipe.
Frittata
Serves 2 -3
3 large eggs
1 Tablespoon milk (nut milk or animal milk)
2 dashes of Tabasco (optional)
Salt & pepper to taste
1 tsp Crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 Tablespoons Parmesan or Pecorino cheese grated (optional)
½-1 cup cooked vegetables
Shredded cheese of your choice (optional)
¼ cup fresh baby or chopped spinach (optional)
1 Tablespoon of olive oil
Heat olive oil in a non-stick oven safe sauté or fry pan until shimmering slightly. Add the cooked vegetables evenly across the bottom of the pan.
In a bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, Tabasco, Parmesan, pepper flake, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture evenly over vegetables in the pan and reduce heat to low.
Method 1: Cook until edges start to brown slightly then turn out onto a plate and slide back into the pan. Continue to cook until edges start to brown slightly. Optionally, sprinkle with shredded cheese, fresh spinach, fresh herbs, and cook until cheese is melted.
** This method can be difficult and messy, so it’s not my favorite.
Method 2: Place pan into a preheated oven at 350 degrees and cook until eggs set up and begin to brown slightly. Gently shake the pan to test for doneness. Optionally, sprinkle top with shredded cheese, fresh spinach, fresh herbs if using and cook until just melted.
Method 3 (my favorite): Cook until edges start to brown slightly. Cover with a tight fitting lid and continue to cook until set. Gently shake the pan to test for doneness. Optionally, sprinkle top with shredded cheese, fresh spinach, fresh herbs if using and cook until just melted.
This recipe was developed for my food truck business. It’s colorful, healthy, and has a lot of flavor. It is served cold or at room temperature. If you make it ahead of time, wait until you’re ready to serve it before adding the scallions on top because it should be stirred before serving as some of the dressing will settle to the bottom. Enjoy, and be sure to post a photo of your results here or on my Facebook page.
Makes 8-10 servings
1 15-16 ounce can of Black Beans drained & rinsed well
1 cup long grain white or brown rice cooked & cooled to room temp.
1 red bell pepper seeded & small diced
1 green bell pepper or 2 medium large Jalapeno peppers seeded & small diced
1 medium red onion diced small
1/3 cup of chopped scallions, white & green parts separated
Dressing ingredients:
¼ cup of chopped fresh Cilantro or 1 tablespoon of dried
1/3 cup of Olive oil or Avocado oil
2 Tablespoons of Apple Cider or Rice Vinegar
1 Tablespoon of fresh lime juice
2 teaspoons of sugar, honey or agave
2 teaspoons of cumin
2 teaspoons of paprika
2 teaspoons of dried granulated garlic or fresh minced garlic
Salt and black pepper to taste
Whisk all the dressing ingredients together thoroughly, let them sit for 5 minutes and whisk again. Taste and adjust for salt, pepper and sweetness. It shouldn’t taste really sweet or really tart, balance with more sugar or more vinegar. Salt will make both of these flavors more pronounced, so adjust that first.
Mix rice, beans, peppers, scallion whites, and red onion together. Add dressing and combine thoroughly. Taste and adjust for salt and pepper. Place into serving bowl and top with scallion greens right before serving.
When the words spinach pie are spoken, many people think of Spanakopita. Spanakopita is the Greek version of spinach pie and probably the most well-known version. Spinach pie can also be found in other forms though, Lebanese spinach pies are small and made with a soft dough, Italian spinach pies are made in pie crust and often contain Ricotta cheese.
I developed my own spinach pie recipe on a rainy day when I wanted something similar to a quiche but with less egg and more spinach and cheese. A couple of pies later, I settled on this recipe. It is one of my husbands’ favorites. I have included information on substitutions, all of which work just fine. I hope you enjoy it and please post photos of your results on the Chef About Food Facebook page.
Chef Kerry’s Spinach Pie (Makes two 9” pies)
1 bag of chopped frozen spinach
1 medium or large yellow onion diced
1 tsp of minced garlic
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
1/2 cup sliced mushrooms (optional)
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1/3 cup of crumbled feta, grated Parmesan, grated pecorino, aged Asiago, or any other sharp flavored cheese that’s dry enough to crumble. (If you use something like cheddar or Swiss here, it will be too greasy)
8 slices of Swiss, American, Gouda, or Fontina cheese (Enough to completely cover the bottom of the pie crusts without a lot of overlapping)
4 large eggs
2 Tablespoons milk or half and half (you can use unsweetened unflavored nut milk instead)
2 raw pie crusts (thawed if frozen)
1/2 cup shredded or grated cheese of your choice (I prefer a blend Parmesan and Provolone)
Salt & Pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 375.
Heat the oil in a large sauté pan over medium-low heat. Add onion and lightly sprinkle all over with salt and pepper, stir and cook for about 2 minutes. If it starts to get too dark, turn the heat down. Add garlic, red pepper flake, and mushrooms if using, stir and cook until mushrooms and onions are soft and slightly browned, about 5-7 minutes.
Meanwhile, prick pie crusts all over with a fork and place on a sheet pan in the oven for about 7 minutes or until they are very lightly browned but not cooked all the way. Remove from oven and set aside until cool. (You May use pie weights if you have them).
Add spinach to the pan with onions and stir thoroughly, then turn to low and cover the pan for 5 minutes. Check after the 5 minutes to make sure it’s not too dry or sticking. If it’s dry, scrape away all food from the very center of the pan and add another teaspoon or two of oil to the center of the pan. Let the oil heat for about 30 seconds then stir through the spinach mixture. Continue to cook, uncovered, for another 2-3 minutes and then taste and add salt and pepper to taste.
Remove from heat and let cool, uncovered, for 5-10 minutes, until you can touch with your pinky for 5 seconds and not get burned.
Line the bottom of the pie crusts with one layer of the sliced cheese. Try to cover the whole bottom but not overlap too much. This will help to seal the bottom crust and keep it from becoming soggy.
In a bowl large enough to hold the spinach mixture and the eggs, use a fork to lightly beat the eggs and milk with a pinch of salt and pepper until blended together.
Add the spinach mix and the crumbled feta into the bowl with the eggs and stir well to combine. Divide spinach mixture between the two pie shells and smooth out.
Cook the pies on the sheet pan in a 375-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until it is set. Check by lightly shaking the pan, if the pies jiggle, they are not done.
When pies are set, remove from oven and set the oven to low broil. Sprinkle the shredded cheese evenly on top of both pies and place back in the oven until cheese is melted and browned if desired, 1-3 minutes. DO NOT WALK AWAY DURING THIS PART. You must watch the pies while under the broiler so they do not burn, this can happen really fast!
Remove pies from the oven and let cool for 15 minutes before slicing.
