Black Bean and Plantain Wrap or Bowl

I seem to be having conflicting culinary points of view this week.  So far, I have made an Asian inspired slow roasted salmon and steamed broccoli on Monday night as I felt that Harry and I were in dire need of some quality Omega-3’s.  I also made up a pot of lentil stew because not [...]

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Red Lentil Dal

 I made this partially because I didn’t want to go the grocery store again this week and partially because I am always attempting to use what I have in my pantry. You will also notice that it has the requisite orange color that I seen to duplicate whenever I make soups. Check some of my [...]

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Carrot Fennel Soup

 
I love the read food memoirs.  I love that they combine snippets of a person’s/family’s life interspersed with favorite recipes, memories of cooking, and events coinciding with the meals eaten alone or shared.   They are essentially two books in one, part cookbook and part biography/novel. The first food memoir of sorts that I remember becoming [...]

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Birthday Nut Butter Cups

Two days after my own birthday (I turned 36) it was my dear mother in law’s birthday on February 17th.  Harry and I were planning a trip up to their house in Putnam County, NY to see them.  Then came my dilemma of what to get her for her birthday.  For the past year or [...]

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Dad’s Horseradish Dip

My dad loves this dip that is sold at the supermarket.  To its credit, it is delicious and creamy with a great horseradish kick.  That’s great but it is full of unecessary ingredients such as corn syrup, gelatin, MSG,  and artificial flavors.  I decided to make a healthier version of this dip (and I am still working [...]

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Honey Soy Tempeh with Mixed Greens and Carrots

 Happy New Year to one and all!  This is one of my favorite things to make and it is amazingly simple as well.  Sometimes I just want to cook something where I can just use 1 or 2 dishes or pots and be done with it.  I usually make one pot stew/soup dishes but I [...]

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Brown Rice Plantain Pancakes with Black Bean Mango Salsa

During the winter (and it hasn’t even officially arrived yet!) I always crave what I consider to be summer/tropical climate foods.  It seems that I can’t get enough of mangoes, pineapples, tomatoes, and other types of foods that are clearly not native to New York.  For me, there is something about the fresh and snappy taste of [...]

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Black Bean Burritos with Avocado Crema

I am a pretty thrifty person.  Right now, I am thrifty (err…cheap) mostly because I really have to be.  I pay the bills being a Substitute Teacher (while applying for real teaching jobs).  If you don’t already know, subs are not extremely appreciated in the financial compensation area (even though the school districts want us [...]

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Harissa Kissed Hummus

1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
2 handfuls of almonds
1 clove garlic
juice and zest of 1 lemon
handful of fresh flat leaf parsley
2 tblsp. olive oil
1/2 c. hot H2O
1/4 tsp. harissa 
Put this all into a food processor and whirl until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides. You may have to use more water for a creamy [...]

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Double Chocolate Truffle Mousse Pie

My husband is totally addicted to chocolate. When we first started dating I would make him dark chocolate truffles with dark chocolate, cream, and butter. He loved them and still does. Over the past two years, I have moved from being a lacto-ovo (milk and eggs) vegetarian to a vegan. For me this means that [...]

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