Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes

I had these beautiful stalks of fresh rosemary left over from New Years Eve, and half a bag of potatoes, so I threw together this:



Lemon Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
1 lb potatoes, peeled and cubed (this time I used organic russet)
Zest of 1 lemon, removed in wide strips with a vegetable peeler
2 tbsp Olive Oil
1 large sprig of fresh rosemary, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt, or to taste
freshly ground black, pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 475.  I use my Pampered Chef large stone bar pan, and preheat the pan right in the oven.  The preheated stone cookies with a nice even heat, and gives whatever you roast on it, a gorgeous brown, caramelized color!

While the oven heats up, place the olive oil and lemon zest strips in a microwave safe dish, and gently warm 30 seconds at a time, until fragrant.  I think I did mine for a total of 1:30.  (You can also do this in a small pot on the stove over low)

Add chopped rosemary and let sit in the warm oil for 10 minutes.

Toss cubed potatoes with the flavored oil on the preheated bar pan, spread evenly,  and add salt and pepper to taste.

Great side dish for chickpea cutlets!!

Roast in oven for 10- 15 minutes, flip potatoes, and roast an additional 5-10 minutes, or until tender

Quesadilla Time!

So today I had to work.  The New England Patriots were playing in the AFC championship game, and I was at work for the entire duration.  As a consolation prize, my boss bought us lunch!  But my only choice was the pizza/burger snack bar next to our bookstore.  It was Sunday, and the students have not moved back to campus yet, so pickings were slim.  They do have a black bean and veggie quesadilla, which I could order with OUT cheese and sour cream.  But, I have been told, that even loaded with cheese, it is still one of the blandest things on the planet....

So, I ordered one to-go, knowing I had my lovely Smokey Mountain Cheese sitting at home in my fridge, as well as a freshly baked batch of chorizo sausages from Viva Vegan.  This was going to be good!

So, when I got home, I scraped the flavorless black beans, peppers and onions into a bowl.  I think they just need to add a bit of salt and some cumin or chili powder...  But either way, I was going to fix all that!

I added about 1/3 cup of the smokey mountain cheese, mixed it well, and zapped it in the microwave for a minute or two.  Then I chopped up about 2/3 of a link of chorizo (I had nibbled a bit of the end earlier, just to see if it tasted good)! I sautéed the bite size pieces over medium heat in a pan with a bit of cooking spray until crispy, then tossed it into the cheesy vegetable mixture.  I then RE-stuffed the tortillas, and placed them in my nonstick pan to get some brown action on them!

The result:  packed with smokey, spicy flavor, melt on your mouth Mexican quesadilla goodness!!  (If only I had guacamole...)

This MORE than made up for the fact that I missed the game... Now I can't wait for the SUPERBOWL, and the awesome game day grub I'm gonna make! GO PATS!! ^_^

Smokey Mountain Cheese!

I am happily cooking my way through Vegan Diner by Julie Hasson, and loving every second of it!

At long last, I finally found agar-agar POWDER at the Asian Market down the street from my house.  I've been searching for it everywhere, and these little packets were the perfect size for my initial investment.

*Telephone Brand* I like that!

I have lots of plans for these little packets, so I got two of them to start. Smokey Mountain Cheese was on the top of my list of recipes to try, (and then, there are some pies in Vegan Pie in the Sky that are next...)

The cheese came together quickly, which I liked, despite the fact that I threw paprika all over my counter trying to put the lid back on :/

Nice going... At least it was only my plain, sweet paprika, and not my beloved brand new jar of smoked!

So, now that I have this beautiful round of yummy cheese, what do I do with it??

I made the obligatory Grilled Cheese and Tomato sandwich:

NOMNOMNOM! Haven't had a grilled cheese in a while, so this was quite delicious!

Please excuse the grape tomatoes that I sliced, instead of actual tomato... I was improvising.

But, I'll ask again:  What else (besides polishing this whole round off with a box of crackers)?!?

I was thinking maybe jalapeño poppers ^_^

What are your thoughts?  All ideas welcome!

Recipe Testing: Greek Creamy Lemon Rice Soup, “No”govlemano

"The Greek classic egg-lemon chicken soup gets a vegan makeover with the help both white beans... and a touch of arborio rice". 


Warm, comforting and delicious, with just the perfect amount of lemon!  This recipe is a winner, and I will be making it often.  When L walked in the house, she said it smelled just like when her mom made it, so I'd say this recipe definitely stands up to Greek approval ^_^ 


Cannot WAIT for Terry's cookbook to come out... !!

Recipe Testing: Yu-Xiang Eggplant (Szechuan Spicy Eggplant)

iPhone pic, not the best, but you get the idea!

HOORAY for  trying new ingredients! And, let me tell you, testing for Terry Hope Romero's new international cookbook has really given me the opportunity to try all sorts of ingredients and spices I have never worked with before.

This recipe called for Chinese Garlic Bean Paste, something I had heard of, but certainly never used before.  This condiment is made from fermented black soybeans, garlic, CHILI, and soy sauce.  Conveniently, I have a wonderful Asian Market within walking distance from my house (Asian Market & Video!!) so I was able to find it easily. 

Now, if you know me, you know I like things SPICY, but let me tell you, this Chinese Garlic Bean Paste came darn near close to blowing my head off!!  And, I loved every second of it.

Although not a fan of eggplant, I do see myself making this sauce for a variety of different vegetables and perhaps tofu.  I served mine over ramen noodles, which I thought was quite yummy ^_^

Recipe Testing: Lemon Coolers!

I'm not sure WHAT possesd me to take on another recipe testing project, but when I saw a tweet asking for testers for VEGAN Holiday recipes, it was all I could do to contain myself!

These lovely little cookies are from Joni Marie Newman's (Self-appointed Queen of Veggie Burgers) upcoming cookbook: Vegan Food Gifts.

How exciting is that?!  The bulk of my holiday gifts are baked cakes and cookies.  Last year, I even made up batches of home made cinnamon granola.  Testing for this book is a treat, because I already socked away forty of these lovely cookies in my freezer for the end of the month.

Think of these as a lemony twist on the holiday butterball cookie.  The coating on these has a special suprise ingredient that adds a hint of tart to these sweet and lovely lemon cookies ^_^

Recipe Testing: Greek Village Salad with Cashew "Feta"

Who doesn't love the tangy bite of a fresh Greek-style salad?  This recipe uses cashew pieces, marinated in a salty brine, as a stand-in for the feta cheese found in traditional Greek Salads.

I usually do a vegan feta that involves marinated tofu, so It’s nice to have another “feta” recipe that isn’t tofu based, for folks who can’t have soy.