Chickpea Energy Salad

This is a re-set salad. No matter how you've been eating the rest of the day, it'll get you right back on track and give you a burst of afternoon energy so that you can get all your stuff done. We sometimes eat plain chickpeas, just rinse 'em and go, but this makes it all a bit more civilized. And we've found from experience that go-to quick recipes like this keep us from seeking out chips, ice cream, chocolate, or cookies when we're ravenous and weak at 4 o'clock. This is a good alternative to those pesky habit-forming treats.

The cool thing about this simple-to-make recipe is that you probably have all of the ingredients in your cupboard, and once you whip it up in your favorite mixing bowl, you can have it on some couscous or in a wrap with sliced cucumbers or on top of a bed of lettuce...or you could just eat it straight out of the bowl.

Chickpea Energy Salad

1 teaspoon champagne vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
juice and zest from 1 lemon
1 small minced clove garlic
1/4 teaspoon honey
1 can no-salt-added chickpeas (rinsed)
1 shallot (minced, rinsed running in water; about 1 tablespoon)
1 cup grape tomatoes (halved)
2 tablespoon minced curly parsley
sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, lemon juice, zest, garlic, and honey. Add chickpeas, shallot, tomatoes, and parsley. Season to taste using sea salt and cracked black pepper. (Makes 2 servings.)

Pupusas with Pickled Loroco Flower

David, the awesome guy who did the brick work on our pizza oven, is from El Salvador. During the hours it took to lay out and build that oven, we got to know each other by talking about all sorts of things, but I had lots of questions about El Salvadorian food. I asked him one of my favorite questions I have likely asked you if I've had the pleasure of knowing you: "So, it's a typical weekday, not a special occasion, and if you're going to eat a home-cooked meal for dinner, what are you making?" "Pupusas with loroco flowers!" he told me. Honestly I didn't know what either of those things were, so he had a lot of explaining to do. 

He explained that pupusas are like rustic, thick tortillas stuffed with all manner of things, and loroco flowers are flower buds served fresh or pickled -- a regional delicacy in El Salvador. So I set out to find loroco flowers, and lo and behold. they had them at the local supermarket for about $3. I bought them, took them home, and cracked open the giant jar. It's always exciting to try a new food for the first time. They are briny from the pickling, lightly bitter, and have the texture of snow peas...I like 'em! You should give them a try, too.

Pupusas with Pickled Loroco Flower

1 cup masa (for tortillas)
1/4 cup non-hydrogenated vegetable shortening
1/2 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup pickled loroco flowers
1 cup shredded chihuahua cheese (or mozzarella)
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon ancho chili
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce (more to garnish)
canola oil for pan frying
limes, cilantro, avocado, sour cream, salsa (to garnish) 

In a medium bowl, add the masa, shortening, and broth then mix together to form a slightly stiff yet pliable dough. Add a teaspoon or two of water or broth if mixture is too dry. Cover and let stand for 10 minutes. In a separate medium bowl, add the loroco flowers, cheese, garlic, cumin, chili, and hot sauce and then toss so that all ingredients are well incorporated. 

Divide the dough into eight equal segments and roll each into a ball. Place one of the dough balls into the palm of your hand, smash it flat with your other palm, add 1/4 of the cheese mixture to the center, add a second flattened dough ball on top of that, and work it into a patty about the size of a typical hamburger while pinching the sides together to seal. Repeat.

in a large pan over medium heat, add enough canola oil to just coat the bottom of the pan. Pan fry each patty for 4 to 5 minutes per side or until nicely colored. Serve hot garnished however you please; options are listed above in ingredients list. (Makes 4 pupusas; serves 2.)

BOOK RELEASE PARTY!

Orzo with Tomato Jam and Arugula

This pasta bowl uses up last season's tomato jam that's been hidden away in the freezer and some of the tall oregano that's currently busy taking over the front flowerbed. If you blanch and freeze a container of fresh arugula ahead of time and store it in the freezer right by the jam, you can put this together pretty quickly whenever you're ready. It's a really comforting lunch or weeknight dinner and could be a nice as a cold pasta salad as well.

Orzo with Tomato Jam and Arugula

1 1/2 cups dried orzo (cooked according to package's directions)
1 package arugula (blanched and chopped)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 onion (diced; about 1/2 cup)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
3 tablespoons tomato jam
splash of white wine
smoked sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste
2 tablespoons pine nuts (toasted)
fresh oregano (finely chopped)

Set aside prepared orzo and arugula. Heat oil in skillet and then add onion and garlic. Let that mixture brown and stir it occasionally. Add tomato paste caramelize it with the onions. Add jam and mix. Deglaze the pan with wine and push a spatula or wooden spoon around to scrape the skillet clean. Add arugula and orzo and mix. Serve in bowls with salt, pepper. pine nuts, and oregano sprinkled on top.

Spring Vegetable Frittata

This is a great thing to make when you really have no idea what to make. And leeks, Vidalia onions, garlic, fresh green peas, and eggs are an ideal combination -- especially when they're the only inspiring things you find in your fridge on a weeknight (well, besides lemon wedges, wonton wrappers, one stem of romaine, and a jar of cooked pears you completely forgot you'd made). Love it when desperation leads us to a quick recipe that's going to be a keeper! We had it for dinner, but it also might work well for a spring Sunday brunch.

Spring Vegetable Frittata

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 clove garlic (minced)
1/2 cup Vidalia onion (minced)
1 cup leeks (chopped)

2/3 cup fresh green peas

2 tablespoons white wine

2 heels wheat bread (cubed and toasted)

6 large eggs (beaten)
2/3 cup 2% milk

1/4 cup soft goat cheese (crumbled)
smoked sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 tablespoon unsalted butter

fresh thyme (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Heat olive oil in a medium skillet. Sauté garlic and onion for about 5 minutes; add leeks and peas and stir often. Deglaze pan with white wine. Set aside. Combine bread, eggs, and goat cheese. Add leek mixture, salt, and pepper and stir until everything is coated. Melt butter in a shallow pan and coat it. Pour in egg mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for about 20 minutes or until eggs are cooked and top of frittata is lightly browned. (Serves 4 to 6.)

Bagna Cauda Smashed Chickpea Dip and the Vegan Un-Cheese Plate

At the start of any get-together, we typically put out a bunch of cheese and bread and olives so everyone has something to munch on while hanging out in the kitchen as we cook. Last night, the first time we used the wood-fired oven to cook pizzas -- more on that soon! -- the dilemma facing us was what to serve as an appetizer if cheese was going to be melted all over the main dish. Pizza's a tough dinner to round out -- you don't want the appetizer or the dessert to be too similar to it and get everyone all cheesed- and breaded-out.

So we grilled up some thin slices or eggplant and zucchini and roasted a few red peppers like they do at Bari here in Memphis. To stand in for the cheese, we made smashed chickpeas that were flavored with minced garlic, rosemary, and capers, much like the classic Italian bagna cauda, but the capers subbed in for the anchovies. It was really good! We can imagine using these same ingredients to make a killer vegan panini.

Bagna Cauda Smashed Chickpea Dip

3 to 4 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon capers
2 tablespoons olive oil (divided)
11/2-inch section of fresh rosemary (stem removed, minced)
1/3 cup white wine (like Pinot Grigio)
1/2 teaspoon of champagne vinegar
1/8 red pepper flakes
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper to tase
1 can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)

Mince the garlic and the capers together. In a medium skillet over medium heat, heat 1 1/2 tablespoons of the olive oil and add the minced garlic and the capers. Cook until fragrant, but do not let the garlic burn. Add the rosemary and then the wine and vinegar. Add the red pepper, salt, and black pepper. Cook until wine is reduced by half. Add the chickpeas and smash using a potato masher. If it's too thick, add water to thin it slightly so that it's spreadable. Place into a serving bowl and garnish with the remaining olive oil. Serve alongside grilled vegetables, sliced chibatta, and olives. (Serves 4 to 6 as an appetizer.)

Our Southern Vegetarian Cookbook has arrived!

CONTEST CLOSED: Bre H., you are the commenter who won a book! Please message us through FB with your address. We chose the winner via random number generator tonight. Thanks, everyone, for the comments!    -TCV

Our cookbook is being released in May, and we're ready to celebrate! This really is exciting stuff. So many folks helped us get to this point, and we're so grateful for that. We can't wait to hear your responses once you have the book in your hands.

Keep an eye here and on FB for news about upcoming events and book signings. And take a minute to comment below and tell us what ingredient, recipe, or meal is a favorite in your kitchen in order to be eligible to win one of the first cookbooks! We moderate comments, so we will post yours once we read it -- don't worry if it doesn't show up right away.

(One winner will be chosen by random number drawing on Monday night, 4/29/13; cookbook, signed if you wish, will be mailed to your U.S. address.)

Chana Masala Burrito With Cucumber-Mint Raita

Whether it's made with leftover Indian food from our favorite spot or the last serving of a homemade curry or masala, I find myself eating some version of a curried burrito quite often. It sounds like it would be a strange cultural mash-up, but it actually works really well -- this version made with masala-spiced chickpeas is really good in particular. Think of the whole-wheat tortilla as really flexible naan bread, and think of this dish as a portable Indian buffet.

Some of our favorite Indian foods are fried or laced with full-fat yogurt, lots of ghee, or coconut milk, but chana masala is relatively healthy. It's a simple tomato sauce with chickpeas that only contains a little butter. Slate called chana masala "nutritionally unimpeachable." I think I'd have to agree. This version happens to be portable, too!

Chana Masala Burrito With Cucumber-Mint Raita

1 1/2 rough chopped  white onion
7 cloves garlic
2-inch piece ginger (peeled)
1 1/2 cups tomato (either chopped fresh or whole canned)
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon hot curry powder
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 tablespoon white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon fenugreek (optional)
1/2 teaspoon cane sugar
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 anaheim pepper (diced, about 1/2 cup)
1 can chickpeas (drained)
Kosher salt (to taste)
Whole wheat tortillas
2 cups prepared jasmine rice
Cucumber-Mint Raita (recipe follows)

Into the work bowl of your food processor, place the onion, garlic, ginger, tomato, masala, curry, coriander, vinegar, fenugreek, and sugar. Blend until well incorporated. Place a large skillet or wok over medium-high heat and add the butter. Once the butter is melted, add the paste from the food processor. Cook uncovered and stir occasionally until the mixture has reduced and is thick; this should take about 15 minutes.

Add the pepper, chickpeas, and salt to taste. Reduce heat to low and cover for about 10 minutes. Add broth or water to achieve a spaghetti-sauce like consistency. Serve rolled into tortillas with jasmine rice and Cucumber-Mint Raita. (Makes 6 burritos.)

Cucumber-Mint Raita

1 cup 2% Greek yogurt
1 cup grated cucumber (about 1/2 an English cucumber)
about 1/4 cup chopped mint
Kosher salt to taste

In a medium bowl, mix the yogurt, cucumber, mint, and salt until well incorporated. Set aside in the fridge until ready to use. (Makes about 1 1/2 cups.)  

Un-Fried Potato Skins with Smoked Coconut Bacon

Once we went here with a good friend to hang out with his friend that we hadn't met until then. Isn't that always a funny situation? Meeting your old friend's new friend always promises sort of an awkward time. You don't really know the person at all, you attempt to pretend to get to know this person that you may never speak to again, and you and the new friend both are busy asserting your friendship with the connecting friend in a pretty much territorial way. What usually happens after such an occasion could go one of two directions:

A) Later, your friend gives you some weird reason why you all had to join in on this in the first place.

or

B) You must hear at length why the friend is awesome; isn't he great? Don't you think so?

Hopefully, during such occasions, at least there's some food to distract. One thing that could be ordered to be vegetarian at this particular establishment where our fateful meeting took place was the potato skins. Total bar food, but good, so we wanted to make these our own. We tamed them with coconut bacon -- and no frying allowed, of course! -- and they are going to be hard to resist making again every week now.

Un-Fried Potato Skins with Smoked Coconut Bacon

1 cup Smoked Coconut Bacon
6 small organic russet potatoes (halved lengthwise)
2 tablespoons canola oil
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped chives (to garnish)

Make the Smoked Coconut Bacon according to the recipe. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Place the potatoes cut-side-down on a parchment lined baking sheet and brush the skins with half of the canola oil. Bake for 30 minutes. Place the warm potato halves one at a time into a clean kitchen towel and scoop out the meat of the potatoes using a spoon. Reserve the insides for another use.

Place the potato skins cut-side-up back on the baking sheet, brush them with the remaining oil, and return them to the oven for another 30 minutes. Remove the potato skins from the oven and set the oven to broil.

Season each potato skin with salt and pepper and divide the cheese among the skins. Place under the broiler until the cheese is melted and the edges of the potato skins are deeply colored. Garnish the skins with equal amounts of the smoked coconut bacon, sour cream, and chives. (Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as an appetizer.)

Vegan Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger

This is another entry in our vague, occasional series of really easy and delicious veggie burgers. The truth is, if you add equal parts of quick-cooking oats to mashed beans or sweet potatoes or squash (or whatever), it will yield a workable mixture that is well-suited to be formed into a burger patty. All you need to do from that point is add a little seasoning. Genius! 


Just to be clear, these are not the kind of burgers that are meant to taste like ground beef. We are not huge fans of those types of things. These particular burgers taste like roasted sweet potato, smoked chilies, and cumin. It's a great combination of smoky, spicy, and sweet -- especially paired with rich slices of avocado and some tangy salsa.  

Vegan Chipotle Sweet Potato Burger

1 1/2 cups baked, peeled, mashed sweet potato (1 large or 2 medium)
1 1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 or 2 minced chipotle chilies (from a can)
Canola oil (for panfrying)

In a large bowl, mix the mashed sweet potato, oats, cumin, garlic, salt, pepper, and chipotles until well incorporated. Cover and set aside in the fridge for 15 minutes to allow the moisture to distribute. Form mixture into 4 patties and pan-fry over medium heat in a little canola oil  for about 4 minutes per side. Serve on a Kaiser roll with slices of avocado, tomato, arugula, and salsa. (Serves 4.)

Crispy Baked Avocado Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw

**Join us May 14th from 4-6pm at Central BBQ (downtown) for our book release party**

After diving into this dish for lunch today, we immediately decided that we could eat it just about every day. It was obvious to us from the first bite that baked avocado tacos are something great to behold. The avocado becomes very savory when it's baked, and its typically cool, creamy texture becomes meaty and rich. We loved them with the slaw and black beans, but you can dress them up any way you like.

When selecting avocados for this, look for ones that are just ripe and still a little firm. You'll have a hard time working with an avocado that's too soft. Also look for the Haas variety with the dark pebbly skin. The smooth, lighter green avocados contain too much water to be used in this recipe. 

These would be just as good (read: maybe even better!) pan-fried -- or dare I say it,  deep-fried -- but as always, we try to look for a balance of flavor and fat. The panko bread crumbs give the avocado a satisfying crunch without the deep fryer. 

Crispy Baked Avocado Tacos with Purple Cabbage Slaw

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic
1/4 teaspoon ground sage
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1 large egg (beaten)
1/4 cup water
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
2 large Haas avocados (peeled and quartered)
1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil
8 small corn or flour tortillas
A Big Pot of Black Beans
Purple Cabbage Slaw (recipe follows)
Pickled Red Onion, cotija cheese, hot sauce (to garnish)
Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Set up a 3-bowl system for coating the avocado quarters. In the first bowl, mix the all-purpose flour, salt, granulated garlic, sage, and black pepper. The second bowl should have the beaten egg and the water mixed until smooth. The last bowl should have the panko bread crumbs.

Dip each avocado quarter into the flour, and then the egg, and then the panko to coat. Place them on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Once all quarters are coated, drizzle them with the canola oil and place them in the oven for 20 to 25 minutes, turning them halfway through, or until they are nicely browned. 

Serve on tortillas with a spoonful of black beans, a scoop of Purple Cabbage Slaw, Pickled Red Onion, crumbled cotija cheese, and your favorite Mexican hot sauce. Makes 8 tacos. (Serves 4.)

Purple Cabbage Slaw

2 cups grated purple cabbage (about 1/2 medium head)
Juice of 1 lime
1 teaspoon cane sugar
1/4 cup sour cream
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

In a large bowl mix the cabbage, lime juice, sugar, sour cream, salt, and pepper together until well incorporated. Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Truffle and Goat Cheese Tortilla Espanola

This is our typical weekend breakfast. It's not always this particular flavor combination -- we do the same thing with mushrooms, sage, and manchego;  sun-dried tomato, spinach, and ricotta; or sweet potatoes, chipotle peppers, and cotija. The variations are endless, but the method is always the same. When you have a little extra time to cook in the morning, give this tortilla a try. 
   

Truffle and Goat Cheese Tortilla Espanola 

1 teaspoon Kosher salt 
2 1/2 cups thinly sliced russet potato ( about 1 medium)
2 cups greens (like arugula)
2 to 3 ounces soft goat cheese
1 shallot (diced; about 1/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon truffle salt
1/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper
1/2 teaspoon sherry vinegar
1/2 cup 2% milk
4 large eggs (beaten)
1 tablespoon olive oil
Chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley (to garnish)
White truffle oil (to garnish)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Fill a 10-inch frying pan half full of water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Add a teaspoon of Kosher salt to the water. Blanch the greens in the water for 15 seconds and remove using tongs. Allow greens to cool, squeeze them dry, and finely chop them. Set aside.

In the same water, blanch the potatoes for 3 minutes. Strain and set potatoes aside on a plate to cool slightly. 

In a medium bowl, combine the greens, cheese, shallot, truffle salt, black pepper, vinegar, milk and eggs. Set aside. 

In the same 10-inch frying pan over medium-high heat, heat the olive oil until it shimmers. Carefully lay the potato slices in the oil and cook for 3 minutes. Pour the egg mixture over the top and place the pan into the oven for 15 minutes or until the eggs have set. 

Using an oven mitt, remove the pan. Please remember that the handle will be really hot! Loosen the edges with a butter knife and tap the pan on the countertop to help loosen it. Invert pan onto a plate and garnish with parsley and truffle oil.

Mango-Lime Sticky Rice + Habanero Hot Sauce

This is always a good call for dessert. It's light compared to, say, a slice of cheesecake, it's simple, and it's warm and satisfying. Mango-lime sticky rice always rests upon that fine line between sweet and savory, and with the addition of a little spicy and vinegary habanero sauce, it blurs that sweet/savory line even more. Mango-lime sticky rice is a classic Thai dish, so it seemed only natural to add some heat and make things interesting!


*However, please be warned: habaneros range from very mild like a jalapeño to off-the-scale Scobal units five-alarm -- so don't hurt yourself! We were given some very tame and fruity ones that a friend grew this summer, so they worked well for this sauce but still packed a punch.

Mango-Lime Sticky Rice + Habanero Hot Sauce


2 cups water
2 tablespoons cane sugar
pinch of sea salt
zest of 1 lime
1 cup jasmine rice
juice of 1 lime
1/4 cup honey

2 mangoes (diced)
Habanero Hot Sauce (recipe follows)


Bring the water, sugar, salt, and zest to a boil. Add the jasmine rice, cover, and reduce to a simmer. Allow rice to cook undisturbed for 20 minutes. Fluff rice with a fork and add the lime and honey. Stir to incorporate all ingredients. Serve about a 1/2 cup of rice with about 1/3 cup mangos. Garnish with a lime wedge and a drizzle of habanero hot sauce.


Habanero Hot Sauce


6 habenero peppers (stems removed)
2 teaspoons sugar
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 water


Blend ingredients in a blender until smooth. This will make much more than you need, but it's a great addition to soups, rice dishes, sandwiches, and, um...desserts.

Grilled Romaine Salad with Fresh Ginger Dressing

We know what day it is, but this salad ain't no joke. You already know we're way too earnest to do anything to you for April Fool's Day, y'all. The rest of the internet seems to have that pretty much covered. 

So this is our version of a salad that is available in some form or another in almost any Japanese restaurant in America. How is this one different? Our Fresh Ginger Dressing is smooth and flavorful, and it's a perfect complement to the smoky grilled romaine lettuce. That's right, grilled lettuce! It's super good. 

So, while this ginger dressing is perfect on this particular salad, it's also great on spring rolls or tossed in with some stir-fried vegetables or drizzled over some rice noodles. It's an all-purpose food enhancer. 

Grilled Romaine Salad with Fresh Ginger Dressing

2 heads romaine lettuce (split lengthwise)
1 1/2 cup grape or cherry tomatoes (halved)
1/2 cup sliced almonds (toasted)
1/4 cup sliced green onion
Fresh Ginger Dressing (recipe follows)
Sea salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

Heat a cast-iron grill pan over high heat. Sear the cut side of each head of romaine until nicely marked; this should take about 2 minutes. Dress each salad with grape tomatoes, sliced almonds, green onions, Fresh Ginger Dressing, and sea salt and cracked black pepper to taste. (Serves 2 as an entrée salad or 4 as a starter.)

Fresh Ginger Dressing

1 1 1/2-inch piece ginger (peeled)
1 clove garlic
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 tablespoon soy sauce (we like Bragg's)
1 tablespoon brown rice vinegar
1/4 cup canola
Cracked black pepper (to taste)

Place the ginger, garlic, sugar, soy sauce, vinegar, and canola into the work cup of your immersion blender*. Blend until it's very smooth and the oil has emulsified. Add pepper to taste. (Makes 1/2 cup dressing.)

*The immersion blender is the perfect tool for making dressings and sauces -- it always emulsifies the dressing perfectly.

Avocado-Walnut Brownies (No Butter, No Oil)

No-butter, no-oil brownies? Seriously? With avocado instead of butter...okay, wow. This secret brownie ingredient seems to be developing into quite a thing online these days between the vegans and the paleos and the general health-conscious, I-want-to-eat-brownies-but-I-know-I-really-shouldn't folks.

This good 'regular' brownie recipe was the basis for ours. The batter was amazing -- always a good sign! -- the brownies were fudgy, and they're at least a little better for you compared to other traditional options. (If you're deterred in the slightest, know that surprisingly enough, you will not even taste the avocado.)

Avocado-Walnut Brownies

1 avocado (mashed)
3/4 cup cane sugar
3 tablespoons cocoa powder
2 1/2 ounces of a dark chocolate bar (about 2/3 of bar; like Lindt 70%)
1/8 cup skim milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (toasted)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In your stand mixer, mix the avocado, sugar, and cocoa powder. Melt the chocolate and milk in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, and melt for another 30 seconds. Stir again and add to the stand mixer ingredients. Mix until combined. Add eggs, flour, espresso, salt, and vanilla and mix until combined. Stir in walnuts. Spread into a 5 x 8-inch pan that's lined with parchment paper. Bake for 20 minutes. Let them cool for 30 minutes then lift them out using the edges of the paper and cut. Store them in a container on the counter or in the fridge. (Makes 8 large  brownies.)

Mango, Avocado, and Banana Smoothie

It all started with a silly T.V. commercial for a dinner special at Chili's. We were mesmerized by a close-up of a bright, perfectly chopped avocado-and-mango salsa being tumbled in such a carefree way across a blank-canvas protein. And that was it. We were done for. We just had to combine those two flavors some way, somehow. Kind of a stretch, but here it is.

One of us swore up and down that this creation was a smoothie while the other, eating it with a spoon, said that it was definitely more of a pudding. While there was some disagreement as to what this concoction actually is, we both agreed that it was delicious whether you drink it from a cup or eat it with a spoon.


Mango, Avocado, and Banana Smoothie

1 mango (diced, about 3/4 cup)
1 avocado (diced, about 3/4 cup)
1 peeled, frozen banana (about 3/4 cup)
1 1/2 cups skim milk (or plant milk of your choice)
1/8 teaspoon sea salt
juice 1/2 lime
2 tablespoons honey

Place the mango, avocado, banana, milk, salt, lime juice, and honey into the blender and blend until smooth. (Serves 2.)

Portobello En Papillote

We happened upon these pre-folded parchment bags at the grocery store a few months back and decided that it would be fun to make a dinner en papillote, or 'in paper.' They sat unused for a while until we resolved this week to begin focusing on a wider variety of healthy dishes at home. Although we love to cook, we too get stuck in the rut of yummy carb-and-bread comfort foods like mac n' cheese, pizza, and grilled cheese. It is dawning on us that these types of things are really not supposed to be enjoyed every meal of every day! So these little packets offered us a delicious new adventure and experiment.

This method of cooking is a fairly healthy one because it takes no fat to steam food, which is essentially what we're doing here. We have added a little olive oil to this recipe for flavor, but you could leave it out if you like. What happens in the bag is that the flavor inherent in each component melds with each of the other components to create a big and balanced result. One of the secrets is only cooking the pasta halfway. That gives it the ability to absorb the liquid from the mushrooms and the greens.

Sure, there was skepticism, but once our nostrils were inundated with the aroma of that delicious steam,  we were both sold. This is something we'll make again for sure.

Portobello En Papillote

1 cup dry orzo pasta
4 medium portobello mushrooms
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
crushed red pepper (to taste)
2 cups fresh arugula
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
4 cloves garlic (smashed)
1 organic lemon (thinly sliced in to 8 pieces)
4 short sprigs rosemary
4 parchment paper bags or 4 large sheets of parchment to fold your own bag.

Cook pasta in boiling, salted water for only half of the recommended cooking time. Drain and set aside to cool. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Slice each mushroom, but keep the slices in order so the original shape of the mushroom cap remains unchanged. Place the 4 mushroom caps on a plate and drizzle each with the olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Add salt, black pepper, and crashed red pepper to taste.

Now build each dish by placing 1/4 of the orzo in each bag followed by 1/4 of the greens, sun-dried tomato, 1 sliced mushroom cap, 1 crush clove of garlic, 2 lemon slices, and 1 sprig of rosemary. Fold the packet so it is tightly closed and cook for 30 minutes. (Serves 4.)

BBQ Eggplant Spaghetti

One time, our friend Angie from Angie's Big Love of Food was going to make our BBQ Eggplant Ravioli, and then she decided to simplify it. And thus, this dish was born. She fixed it with some spaghetti noodles, so it came together pretty quickly as a meal.

It got us thinking about BBQ spaghetti -- and we decided to do the very same thing for dinner this week! It's a classic dish served at the BBQ Shop on Madison Avenue here in Memphis; we want to let y'all in on the savory, spicy, and vegetarian fun with this take on it.

BBQ Eggplant Spaghetti

2 medium Italian eggplants (halved, scored lengthwise)
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 tablespoon Memphis BBQ Dry Rub (recipe follows, more to garnish)
1 cup Chipotle BBQ Sauce (or your favorite)
about 1/2 pound dry spaghetti noodles
shredded provolone cheese, chopped parsley (to garnish)

Drizzle the cut side of the eggplants with the canola and sesame oil and then sprinkle them liberally with the dry rub. Place eggplants onto a parchment-lined baking sheet and into a cold 350 degree oven cut-side-up for 1 hour. Flip and bake another 25 minutes or until cooked through. Allow eggplants to cool. Using your hands, pull the eggplant meat from the skin. It will be kind of stringy and really have the look of slow-cooked BBQ. This makes about1 1/2 cups "pulled" eggplant BBQ (which is also great on a bun with some BBQ sauce and slaw).

Place about 1 cup of the Chipotle BBQ sauce and 3/4 of the prepared eggplant into a large skillet over low heat. Cook spaghetti according to package directions and pull it directly from the water into the pan with the BBQ sauce. Mix until sauce is well incorporated. Serve immediately topped with a little more eggplant, a sprinkle of dry rub, cheese if you'd like, and chopped parsley.


Memphis BBQ Dry Rub:

Mix together one teaspoon of each: chipotle, smoked paprika, sweet paprika, garlic powder, salt, cumin, black pepper, brown sugar, thyme, oregano, and ancho chili. Store extra in an airtight container for six months.

Tomato Pie + Pimento Cheese

This has become a favorite summertime dish in our house, and we're really looking forward to those incredible Southern tomatoes to start rolling in. This pie uses our signature Lemon Zest and Thyme Pimento Cheese recipe to top a crust brimming with delicious (and surprising) tomatoes. 

It's tempting to pick the ripest, juiciest tomatoes for this recipe, but really, that's just not what you'll want here. We've discovered that just underripe, slightly hard-to-the-touch, meaty tomatoes, such as the Better Boy variety, are best. They hold up to cooking better and don't release as much water as a ripe tomato. Once sliced, the tomatoes are briefly cured in a sugar-and-salt mixture to add flavor and draw out moisture. It sounds crazy for us to recommend using underripe tomatoes, but...you just have to trust us because it's pretty delicious!

Tomato Pie + Pimento Cheese

1 Basic Pie Dough recipe (recipe follows)
1 heaping cup Lemon Zest and Thyme Pimento Cheese
1 tablespoon cane sugar
1 teaspoon Kosher salt
4 large tomatoes (about 12 to 14 1/4-inch slices)
Cracked black pepper (to taste)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Make the Basic Pie Dough and the Lemon Zest and Thyme Pimento Cheese according to the recipes. Set both aside in the fridge until needed. In a small bowl, mix the sugar and salt together. In a large colander, layer in the tomato slices and sprinkle every layer liberally with the sugar and salt mixture. Allow the tomato to sit for at least 20 minutes. The sugar and salt mixture will draw moisture out of the tomatoes. 

While the tomatoes are draining in the colander, roll the pie crust out to fit a 10-inch pie plate and finish the edge however you like. Dock the dough using a fork and blind bake it for 25 minutes. Pat tomato slices dry with a kitchen towel and arrange them into the crust. Top with Lemon Zest and Thyme Pimento Cheese and bake another 20 minutes. 

Remove pie from the oven and allow it to rest for 15 minutes; allowing the rest time will make the pie less juicy when you cut into it. (Serves 4.)

Basic Pie Dough

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1/3 cup unsalted butter (cubed)
1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt
ice water

Add the all-purpose and whole wheat flour, shortening, and salt to the bowl of a food processor and start it. Slowly add cold water a teaspoon at at time until a ball forms. Stop the motor and pull the dough ball out. Place it in a covered bowl in the fridge for at least 20 minutes to rest.

Fresh Spring Peas and Carrot Gnocchi with Mint Pesto

Spring is almost here, y'all. My planner has it scheduled for next week, Wednesday, March 20, but keeping tabs on what's bloomed first has been the thing to notice, a daily secret thrill ever since the end of February here in Memphis. It's sooo time for it: daffodils, crocuses, redbuds, dogwoods, tulip poplars, even the very first tulips that look so fake are here. 

With all of this going on, winter stuff (hearty food, apple desserts, wool socks, staying inside...) is starting to feel all wrong, and this might just be the dish to usher in springtime. It got that status around here, anyway! 

Remember cans of peas and carrots mixed? This is in homage to that craziness, but freshened up and ready for springtime with mint, Vidalia onions, the first peas, all the good stuff that will be with us in abundance as we head toward Easter. 

Fresh Spring Peas and Carrot Gnocchi with Mint Pesto

Mint Pesto (recipe follows)
1 cup diced carrot (2 medium carrots)
1 tablespoon water
1 egg
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)
1 cup flour
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
3/4 cup diced Vidalia onion (just white and light green parts)
1 cup fresh English peas
Manchego cheese (to garnish)

Special equipment: 1 one-gallon food storage bag

Make Mint Pesto according to the instructions. Set aside in the fridge until ready to assemble the dish. In a covered dish, microwave the carrots and water for 4 minutes. Allow mixture to rest for an additional 4 minutes. 

Place the cooked carrots and any water into the work bowl of your food processor, add the egg, add a pinch of salt and pepper, and process until smooth. Add the flour and pulse until everything is incorporated. (It's important to process the mixture as little as possible once the four is added so you don't end up with tough gnocchi.) Transfer mixture to a one-gallon food storage bag and press it into one corner of the bag. 

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. In a large pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the onions and peas. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the raw flavor is out of the onion and the peas are cooked through.

Cut the corner out of the plastic bag and hold bag over the boiling water. Squeeze the bag from the back and force the mixture out of the hole. Using kitchen shears, snip the dough every 1/4 inch and allow it to fall into the water. Once all gnocchi have floated to the top, retrieve them using a spider and add them to the pea and onion mixture.

To plate, spread 1/4 of the pesto into the center of a plate. Spoon the gnocchi, pea, onion mixture over the pesto and garnish with Manchego. (Serves 2 to 4.)









Mint Pesto

1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1 cup loose packed mint leaves
Zest 1 lemon
1 clove garlic
1/8 teaspoon cane sugar
Kosher salt and cracked black pepper (to taste)

1/4 cup olive oil

Into the work bowl of your food processor, place the pine nuts, mint leaves, lemon zest, garlic, sugar, salt, and pepper. Turn the processor on and drizzle in the olive oil to form a paste. Set aside.