Creamy Sweet Potato Bake & Rosemary Walnut Green Beans

We're baaaack. Alright I know we haven't been posting but we're busy ok?! M & S have both gotten new jobs! M is now working at a restaurant VERY close to home and I am working at a daycare!

Tonight we watched Knocked up and made dinner together from our Vegan yum yum book.

3 cups spiral pasta
1 head of kale chopped
1 1/2 pounds sweet potato





Sauce:
1 1/4 C non dairy milk

1/3 C raw cashews ( we soaked mine for about 10 minutes so they would blend better)

soaking cashews

1/3 C nutritional yeast
3 T tamari (we used amino acid)
2 T earth balance margarine
1 T tahini
1T lemon juice
1/2 t dijon mustard
1/4 t powdered ginger (we used fresh)
1 pinch nutmeg
3/4 t dried thyme
1/2 t paprika
black pepper to taste bread crumbs for topping (optional)


 1) preheat oven to 450

2) cook pasta but right before it's done cooking add the chopped kale and let it wilt (happens pretty quickly) -drain when done

3) Boil  chopped sweet potatoes til they are tender but not falling apart -  drain when done

chopped sweet potatoes

boiling sweet potatoes

4) blend everything for the sauce in a blender or even better in a Magic Bullet

sauce

5) mix together the sweet potatoes, pasta with kale, and sauce. Add to a baking dish and top with bread crumbs. Cook for 25 minutes.

all mixed together

Green Beans:

Toss green beans with extra virgin olive oil, chopped rosemary, and some chopped walnuts. Cook at 475 for 12 minutes or so.

before going in the oven

Enjoy!

rosemary walnut green beans with creamy sweet potato bake

Hopefully some pumpkin post will be coming soon.
-S&M

Farm Fresh To You CSA

We got our first CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) delivery! We went with Farm Fresh To You because they deliver and they girl at the Ferry Building was nice so we signed up.

We got a ton of nightshades...hopefully the next delivery has less eggplant and more squash. What the heck do I do with an eggplant anyhow?

cantaloupe, eggplant, figs, cherry tomatoes, heirloom tomatoes, grapes, bell peppers

I'm excited for figs!

-S&M

S&M&M&M Guest blog!

We had some friends come to stay with us for a few days and we all love food and eating so we decided to make dinner and "blog it out" (walk it out-UNK reference.
While the ladies were here we took Mayela and Micheline (My-el-ah and Michael-een) to Gracias Madre- a must have for vegans and non vegans alike and Katana-Ya for some spicy tofu ramen. We were too hungry to remember to photograph the food.

S (with spatula), Matt, Mayela (on my head), and Micheline

Anywho we went for soup since it's freezing in SF all the time and soup is delicious! Soup is easy so I hope you try it!

carrots, corn, bell peppers, leeks (hidden under peppers), potatoes

Chop everything 1st because it's easier that way.

leeks and garlic in oil

Start by sauteing the leeks with some garlic until they become soft and fragrant then add the pepers

add bell peppers

Then once they soften a bit add 32oz of vegetable broth. we also used a cube of mushroom bullion. Add potatoes and cook until soft. If you need to add more water...add more water. When the potatoes are soft add it all to a blender and then once blended put it back into the pot.

Then add the carrots, corn, a couple squirts of liquid amino acids (or soy sauce) and cook until the carrots soften a tad.

Serve with a colorful salad and bread or you know...whatever you want.

soup topped with paprika and cilantro

dinner!

S and M (left) Mayela (front right) and  Micheline

Music Inspiration: A wall of Micheal Jackson kicked off the evening and got the energy flowing and the corks removed from our wine bottles.  It was followed by some Stevie Nicks (We play a lot of Fleetwood Mac in this house) and hours of good times. 
-S&M&M&M

Black Bean Burgers

So it's been a while since the our last post but we had company and I've been sick so back off! S&M are back now so everybody just calm down. We loved the beet burgers so much we decided to make black bean burgers!

quinoa, jalapeno, onion, carrots

Start cooking the quinoa- I use a rice cooker because it's awesome easy
Then saute the onions with a few cloves of garlic in some oil, when they start smelling delicious add the carrots and jalapenos until the soften

Add everything to a blender with a can of black beans, we used refried black beans from Trader Joes, some cumin, sea salt, and a dash or two of liquid amino acids (or soy sauce of you don't have aminos)
Then once it's all blended stir in the quinoa. It's better not to bled it it because the quinoa helps it hold it's shape, we also added some Panko bread crumbs. Then form patties with your hand and cook them in some oil. They hold shape better after being in the fridge a while. They came out quite yummy!

black bean burger 

Eat up!
-S&M

Chocolate Coconut Cookies

Sapling Bay-kery is in the making! Got a business licnese and and working on finding a kitcen to bake in!

Latest creation:
I wanted to make thumbprint cookies but failed to look at a recipe or measure anything so they did not come out as thumbprints but they did some out delicious!

chocolate coconut cookies

~S

Beet Burgers!

If you're like me, you think, "Meh, I could live without beets." I'm not a huge fan of these Chenopodiaceae family plants. But let me tell you, they are delicious in burger form. 

I have a little problem of not measuring anything. This is fine for day to day cooking but probably not for a food blog. I'll do my best to estimate my measurements for you. 

First wash the beets and place a couple punctures with a knife in them (or don't...my mom just always did this when baking potatoes so I figured why not with beets too) I place them on foil on the baking sheet so the juices don't burn the sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for at least an hour for large beets. just check them after an hour and see if they are soft. I thought mine were soft and when I cut them open they weren't soft enough so I ended up baking them for like an hour and 40 minutes. Just keep checking them! 

cooked beets

Once the beets are cooked, chop them up and add them to a blender (I use a knock off Magic Bullet) 
Add in the blender:
1/2 an onion diced and cooked in olive oil
2 cloves of garlic cooked in the the onions
1t of cumin (maybe a little less)
1T amino acids or low sodium soy sauce
1.5 T organic natural ketchup
1 cup cooked quinoa 

ingredients blended before extra quinoa is stirred in

Blend until the beet chunks are all smooth
then I added more quinoa to the blended mixture I just stirred it in and then formed patties with my hands. 
Heat in extra virgin olive oil in a pan NON STICK if you have it...I don't. they are pretty delicate so just be careful.

burger with whole wheat bun, onions, tomatoes, butter lettuce, Vegenaise, and mustard

I love the beet burgers at The Plant Cafe so I decided to make my won...I like mine better...I think it's the cumin and grilled onions.

~S

Veggie tacos and Apartment 326 guacamole

Tacos sounded good.  Actually, tacos always sound good.  These are certainly not the tacos that grandma has been making since my childhood (not that her tacos are not delicious, just not compliant to our diet).  These tacos own the same amount of heart and soul as grandma's, and a little less carne.  Naturally, I decided to prepare guacamole with this Mexican inspired dish.  I hope my recipe for it will earn a bit of respect and exposure outside of our little studio apartment.
Music for the evening: I believe it was Damien Rice owning the majority of music time this particular night. 

Veggie Tacos:
1 Tbs Olive Oil 
1/4 Yellow Onion Chopped
2 cloves Garlic
1/2 Summer Squash
2 Carrots Shaved
1/2 Red Bell Pepper
1/2 C Sunflower Seeds
1 Lime juiced
A Few Cilantro Sprigs
1 Can Beans of choice (We used 1/2 can of refried black beans and 1/2 can of kidney beans)
2 Servings of Brown Rice
Stoneground Tortillas

Prepare rice in rice cooker while preparing veggies.  Heat oil in sauce pan and add sunflower seeds and garlic.

sunflower seeds toasting in oil

 After a 2 minutes or so add onion.  After an additional 2 to 3 minutes add squash, carrots, and bell pepper and saute in pan for 5 to 7 minutes or until fully cooked.  Add lime juice to veggies while cooking.

veggies

 Heat beans in a small pot until ready to serve.  (If you happen to be impartial to canned beans, by all means use your own recipe for the bean portion.)  Heat tortillas using either hot plate, toaster oven, or whichever method is easiest.  We used our toaster oven.  Assemble tacos in the order of: tortilla, rice, beans, veggies, and cilantro sprig.  Cheers y'all!

tacos- add tofutti sour cream if you like (S likes)

Apartment 326 Guacamole:
1 Avocado
1 Tbs Olive Oil
1/4 Bell Pepper
1 Clove Garlic
1 Lime Juiced
1 Serrano Chile Pepper
1/4 Onion
1/2 Bunch Cilantro
1 Tbs Sea Salt

Okay, so this is going to be simple.  Chop ingredients moderately and place in blender or food processor.  Only suggestion is to add avocado first and olive oil last, although it may not make a difference.  Blend ingredients till it is the consistency desired.  

before

after

-M