Archive for category Jessie Bea Eats!

Spicy Candied Almonds

Mar 1

Posted by Jessie in Jessie Bea Eats! | 1 Comment

I really love the Smitten Kitchen website.  It’s a beautifully photographed cooking blog that always makes me hungry and inspired to cook.  While I was poking around on the site the other day, I came across this recipe for Sugar and Spice Candied Nuts.

I had all of the ingredients on hand so I knew I had to make these.  I used 100% almonds instead of a mix though.

I did something wrong though.  Instead of following directions and coating the nuts with egg white, I coated them with a bit of melted earth balance vegan margarine.  This was not a great substitution, as my coating did not stick to the nuts well at all.    I ended up putting them in a skillet over medium heat to melt the sugar a bit, so that it would coat the nuts.  It ended up coating unevenly, and my result wasn’t that beautiful, but was delicious!

I am not complaining at all though, these came out really delicious- a bit smokey, sweet, and spicy.  My *edits* to the recipe resulted in a bit of brittle-like coating on the nuts, so they were a bit crispy and I broke them into shards.  They smell amazing.

The best way to serve these (besides straight from the container, of course) is in a salad made with romaine, carrots, dried cranberries, red bell peppers, avocado and blue cheese. I dressed the salad simply with lemon vinaigrette.

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Pizzetta Bianca with Caramelized Onions

Feb 27

Posted by Jessie in Jessie Bea Eats! | 1 Comment

I made pizza dough (I highly recommend this recipe) a few weeks ago and only used about 1/4 of it to make a calzone and 2 mini bread sticks.  So, I wrapped it up tight in plastic wrap and put it in the freezer for another time since pizza dough freezes really well.  Last night I took another 1/4 of the dough out and let it thaw in the refrigerator over night.

So for dinner tonight I knew I was going to have pizza, but the question was what kind?

I didn’t have any cheese on hand save for a bit of parmesan, so I decided to go for something a bit less ordinary than the pizzas I usually make.  I decided to caramelize some onions and add them to a white pizza.  This came out really well, if I do say so myself.
Take your time caramelizing the onions- the longer you let them cook at a low temperature the better.  Don’t fuss over them, the cooking time is long but they really only need to be stirred a few times.  You can put a lid on them and walk away for a while if they are over low heat.

This pizzetta is definitely for garlic lovers!  If you’re less keen on garlic, try using roasted garlic and spreading the mashed cloves over the dough before you bake it.

Pizzetta Bianca with Caramelized Onions

  • 1/4 of this pizza dough recipe (or enough dough to fill an 8×8 square baking pan)
  • 1/2 medium sweet onion, thinly sliced
  • 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
  • dried oregano
  • dried basil
  • crushed red pepper flakes
  • parmesan cheese (optional)
  • fresh parsley, chopped (optional)

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees.  Line an 8×8 square baking pan with parchment paper and spray with olive oil.  Stretch the dough to fit in the pan.  Spray with a bit more oil.  Set aside.

In a large skillet over low heat, spray a generous amount of olive oil then add the onions.  Cook very slowly until they turn caramel colored- not crispy!  It should take anywhere from 30 minutes to an hour.

Add the sliced garlic to the pizza dough, followed by a bit of each of the herbs and a shake or two of crushed red pepper flakes.  Then add the onions and the optional parmesan cheese.

Looking a bit... *beige* before baking

Bake for approximately 12-15 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Sprinkle the parsley over, if using.

I had half of this for dinner tonight with a salad.  If you want to make this to serve 4, just use half of the pizza dough recipe and use a bit more of each ingredient to cover the pizza.

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Chickpea Salad

Feb 21

Posted by Jessie in Jessie Bea Eats! | 3 Comments

I realized after plating this Chickpea Salad that it looked like one of those cold plates that I remember from visits to the Diner as a kid.  Consider this a bit of a vegetarian update on a classic.

Chickpea salad sandwiches have been my favorite way to use up the remainder of a can of chickpeas that always seems to be sitting in my fridge.  The recipe below is more of a method rather than a traditional recipe.  Feel free to make this your own with whatever you happen to have on hand.  I’ve noted some suggestions below.

Chickpea Salad

  • 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
  • 1/4 cup diced carrots
  • 2 tbsp minced onion
  • 2 tbsp crumbled tofu (optional) (I had this leftover in my fridge as well)
  • yellow mustard (optional)
  • 2 tbsp greek yogurt
  • salt and pepper

Mix the carrots, onion and crumbled tofu (if using), in a bowl.  In a separate bowl, add the chickpeas and mash with the back of a fork.  Be careful not to mash too carefully, you still want some chunks.  Add the chickpeas to the carrot mixture along with the greek yogurt, salt and pepper to taste, and a squirt of mustard if you like.  Mix well and serve.

Notes:

  • The greek yogurt can be subbed for mayonnaise (vegan or not), regular plain yogurt (vegan or not), or a combination of any of these.
  • Add in spices to your hearts content here: curry, turmeric, garam masala is a great Indian combo. Dill tastes nice.  A few pieces of minced seaweed can make this taste more like tuna salad.  Sliced green onions can be tasty and colorful.

Vegan Split Pea and Carrot Soup

Feb 20

Posted by Jessie in Jessie Bea Eats! | No Comments

I’m home sick today, feeling pretty lousy.  I was craving soup, but all I had in my cupboard was creamy tomato and butternut squash soups.  Creamy soups are not at all what I want when I don’t feel good.  I had about a cup of dried split peas in the cupboard and a huge bag of carrots in the fridge, so I figured I’d make some split pea and carrot soup.  This is really tasty and simple — and it requires minimal effort, which is perfect when you’re pretty sure your sinuses are squeezing your head into oblivion.

The colors of the raw carrots and split peas are really pretty too.  Please make sure you pick through your dried split peas before you cook them for the soup– I almost always find a tiny stone or two in there.  Also, this soup is vegan as written, optionally vegetarian if you use butter, and also optionally fat-free if you sauté the onions in water.  Holy versatile!

Split Pea and Carrot Soup

  • 1 Cup dried split peas, carefully checked for debris and rinsed
  • 2 1/2 cups water
  • 1 large carrot, finely diced*
  • 1/2 large sweet onion, diced*
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • dash pepper
  • 1 tsp vegetable bullion (optional)
  • 1/8 tsp Liquid Smoke (optional)
  • 1 tsp earth balance (vegan margarine) or olive oil or butter or water

Melt the earth balance over medium heat in a large pot.  Add the onions, salt and pepper.  Cook until the onions are translucent.  Add the carrots, bullion, liquid smoke, and water.  Bring to a boil over high heat then knock the heat back to low/medium low to simmer for 30 minutes or until the split peas are tender.

At this point, you can blend the soup (or half of the soup) in a blender for a smooth soup, or leave it chunky.

Notes:

  • No picture of the finished soup because let’s be honest- it’s not attractive.  Tastes great though!
  • * Here is a good time to use one of those mini food choppers if you have one.  You want really small pieces of carrots and onion if you are going to leave the soup chunky.
  • The liquid smoke is optional, but I think it gives the soup a nice flavor.  I add it here because most traditional split pea soups have ham hocks or bacon in them and the liquid smoke mimics that flavor.  You could also saute some crumbled vegetarian bacon or ham in with the onions to get the same effect.
  • You can make this soup fat-free by omitting the earth balance or oil and just using a bit of water in the bottom of the pot to saute the onions.  I like the flavor of the earth balance here though.

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Miso Fried Rice

Feb 18

Posted by Jessie in Jessie Bea Eats! | 4 Comments

A simple post for a simple meal:  Miso Fried Rice.  This is my new favorite way to use up leftover rice and odds and ends from the fridge.  Change up the vegetables to whatever you happen to have on hand.  Enjoy!
Miso Fried Rice
  • 2 Cups cold leftover rice* (I used unseasoned sushi rice)
  • 1 large carrot, chopped
  • 1/4 cup onion, diced
  • 2 cloves garlic, sliced
  • Kale, 1 large handful, chopped
  • 1/3 cup edamame, thawed
  • 2/3 cup zucchini, sliced
  • 1/3 cup broth or water
  • 1 tbsp low sodium soy sauce
  • 1 tbsp white miso (or more soy sauce)
  • Squirt of lime or lemon juice

In a large cast iron skillet over medium-high heat, spray with a bit of olive oil or other oil, add the onion, carrot, and garlic.  Stir often until the onion softens and browns a bit, about 3 minutes.   Add the kale and the broth, cover and turn the heat down a bit.  Let cook for about 4 minutes, until the kale is wilted and the carrots are tender.  Uncover and add the zucchini, rice, soy sauce, and miso.  Stir really well to combine everything, making sure that the miso dissolves.  Add the edamame and the lime juice to taste.  Serve immediately.

Note:

  • The leftover cold rice here is key!  It gets a bit dried out and fries much better than fresh rice.  Use whatever you have on hand, leftover takeout rice, brown rice, sushi rice, even quinoa or bulgur.

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