Roasted sweet potato and black bean tacos

These tacos take a little bit more time but they are definitely worth it. The sweet potatoes are sweet, a little smoky, and a little crispy and when mixed with the black beans it is the perfect filling for a slightly less traditional taco.

Ingredients:

1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
1 can black beans, drained
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon chili powder, divided
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder, divided
1/2 teaspoon cumin, divided
1/3 cup chopped onion
cilantro
red onion slices
avocado slices
queso fresco
corn tortillas

Directions;

Preheat oven to 425 and grease a cookie sheet. While oven is preheating, toss sweet potato with olive oil, and half of your spices (so 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/4 tsp garlic powder, and 1/4 tsp cumin). When oven is preheated spread the sweet potatoes on the pan and roast for 30-40 minutes, turning once or twice during that time. While sweet potatoes are cooking, prepare your black beans. Place beans, the remaining half of your spices, and onions in a small sauce pot and top with water. Bring to a simmer and continue cooking until the beans are tender and water has mostly evaporated. When sweet potatoes are tender, remove them from the oven and cool for a minute. To assemble: place one scoop of sweet potato in a corn tortilla, add a scoop of black beans over top, and then load it up with cilantro, red onion, avocado, and queso fresco.

Spicy miso ramen with a poached egg

I am slowly but surely learning to love a runny egg yolk. It was never something I enjoyed on its own, but I've recently discovered that it is absolutely delicious when mixed into a big bowl of something warm. You don't have to put the egg on top of this ramen but if you've never tried it before you have no idea what you're missing. For this recipe I used a package of organic dried ramen noodles from the asian section of the grocery store. You could just as easily use a package of instant ramen and then just throw away the seasoning packet.

Ingredients:

2 stalks bok choy, chopped
3 baby carrots, julienned
5 slices cucumber, cut in strips
2 teaspoons sesame oil, divided
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon (or more) sriracha
1 tablespoon instant miso paste*
1 cup veggie stock
1/2 cup water
1 serving ramen noodles
1 egg
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 green onion, chopped
chili oil

Directions:

In a medium sauce pot, heat 1 teaspoon sesame oil over medium heat. Add bok choy and a splash of water and cook until tender, about two minutes. Remove bok choy from pan, add carrot and cook until a little bit of the crunch has gone away, about another 1-2 mintues. Remove carrots and add cucumber, cook for 30 seconds or so, just to warm it and get it to taste like sesame oil. Remove cucumber from pan. Using the same pan you just cooked your veggies in, add stock, water, soy sauce, miso, sriracha, and the remaining teaspoon of sesame oil. Bring to a simmer then add ramen noodles. Cook noodles according to package directions (mine took 4 mintues). Remove noodles from pot when they are finished cooking and add them to the bowl you'll be serving it in. Top with piles of your cooked veggies. Leave the stock on the stove for now over low heat. In a separate small sauce pot, heat a few cups of water over medium-low heat. Add rice vinegar. Bring this to a very gentle simmer. Gently slide an egg into the pot of water and cook for 4 minutes. Remove from water with a slotted spoon. Place the egg on top of your noodles and veggies. Pour warm broth over the egg and noodles. Add green onions and season with a few drops of chili oil.

*Ok, so miso isn't really vegetarian. It is made with dried and fermented fish flakes. Honestly, I'm not that picky and it doesn't taste like fish to me and I really like it. If you don't want to use it or if you're a stricter vegetarian than I am then just use all stock. You could also use the "oriental" flavor packet of instant ramen instead of making your own broth. If you use the flavor packet then don't use soy sauce, miso, or stock.

Crispy buffalo tofu

Vegetarian bar food is sort of a joke. I mean, nachos are delicious but after a while they start to get a little old. One of the things that always looks and smells good is buffalo chicken. I think it smells so good because you can't smell any meat, you just get the spicy and buttery smell. Anyway, there aren't really any vegetarian options that come close to buffalo chicken, so I decided to try to make my own version. The tofu in this gets really crispy so if you don't like the normal texture this might surprise you.

Ingredients:

1/2 block tofu, diced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1/3 cup hot sauce
2 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Preheat your oven to 450 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Spray the parchment with non-stick spray. While the oven is preheating press your tofu between paper towels to get rid of as much moisture as you can. When your oven is preheated toss your dry-ish tofu in olive oil, garlic powder, and celery salt. Spread the tofu on the parchment paper in one layer. Bake for 15 minutes, then turn your tofu pieces over and bake for another 10-15 minutes, depending on how crispy you want them. While the tofu is baking, combine hot sauce and butter in a small sauce pot and bring to a gentle simmer. Reduce heat to low while you wait for tofu to cook. Once tofu is done toss the pieces in the hot sauce and heat together for about a minute or until the sauce has evenly coated the tofu and is the thickness you'd like. Serve with sour cream or blue cheese dressing.

Minestrone soup

Minestrone soup is something that always reminds me of the Olive Garden. It's probably because I've eaten my weight in their all-you-can-eat soup, salad, and bread sticks. My version is nothing like theirs. Mine is thicker, creamier, and a little less heavy on the tomato. If you like a tomato-heavy soup feel free to add a full can of tomatoes and if you don't want it quite as thick just don't smash the beans. This would also be good with chickpeas and zucchini thrown in, I just didn't have them on hand. This soup is great with no-knead bread or buttermilk drop biscuits.

Ingredients:

1 can great northern beans, drained

1/2 an onion, chopped

1 large (or 2 medium) carrots, cut in half moons

2 stalks celery, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 cup white wine

1/2 can diced tomatoes

3 cups veggie stock

2 inch piece of parmesan cheese rind (optional)

5-6 cracks black pepper

1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning

1 bay leaf

3/4 cup small pasta (like shells)

1 cup fresh spinach, cut in ribbons

parmesan cheese

Directions:

Add beans to a small sauce pot, cover with water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and cover, simmer for 5-10 minutes to soften beans. Drain and set aside. In a large soup pot, add onion, carrot, celery and olive oil and cook over medium-low heat until veggies are soft, about 5-8 minutes. Add white wine and garlic. Cook until the wine has reduced by about half. Add diced tomatoes, veggie stock, cheese rind (if using), black pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and bay leaf. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 minutes. Add half the beans that you cooked earlier, smash the other half with the back of a spoon and crush until they form a thick paste. Add this to the soup pot and stir. Add the pasta and simmer for the recommended time on the pasta box. When the pasta has about 5-7 minutes left, add the spinach. When pasta is finished, turn heat off and remove the parmesan rind and the bay leaf. Serve topped with parmesan cheese.

Jalapeno honey mustard

My sister Jill shared this recipe with me a few years ago and it is one that I still make regularly. This mustard is less intense than the whole grain beer mustard I posted earlier. I've taken this mustard to a few parties before and it is always a hit. I can't take credit for this recipe since it was shared with me, but I don't know who to credit either. Regardless, it is amazing and was gone in minutes when I brought it to a super bowl party.

Ingredients:

1/4 cup mustard powder
1 tablespoon flour
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons mustard seeds
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup honey
1/4 teaspoon salt
1-2 tablespoons chopped jalapeno

Directions:

In a small sauce pot, whisk together mustard powder, flour, and water. Let rest for 10 minutes. Add mustard seeds, vinegar, honey, and salt. Cook over medium heat until it simmers, making sure to stir constantly. Cook until it begins to thicken and remove from heat once desired consistency is reached, about 2 minutes. Stir in chopped jalapeno.

Chilaquiles

These are so much more amazing than they look. This dish is basically just corn tortillas, slightly fried, and then cooked in green salsa until they soften again. The salsa you use is important here since it is really the main flavor you taste so make sure you either make it yourself or buy a kind you really like. You can serve this with scrambled eggs or rice and beans like I did, and definitely don't skimp on the toppings!

Ingredients:

3 corn tortillas
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 cup tomatillo salsa
1/3 cup veggie stock
salt
avocado slices
red onion, diced
tomato slices, chopped
cilantro
queso fresco
hot sauce
sour cream

Directions:

In a large skillet, heat oil over medium heat. While oil is heating, cut corn tortillas in half and then in strips. Fry strips of tortilla until they are slightly crunchy, turning as necessary to crisp both sides. When tortillas are crisp, reduce heat to low, add salsa and veggie stock and cook for 3-5 minutes or until tortillas begin to soften again and the sauce thickens up a bit. Season with salt and transfer to a plate. Top with avocado, red onion, tomato, cilantro, queso fresco, hot sauce, and sour cream. Serve with scrambled eggs or a side of rice and beans.

Egg drop soup

I really love chinese food. Every time I order it I get egg drop soup. But then, of course, I end up ordering things like fried wontons and fried tofu covered in a syrupy sauce. Which means that unless I want to eat tons of fried food I don't get egg drop soup. Not until I learned how to make it myself anyway. My version doesn't have yellow food coloring in it so it isn't as vibrantly colored as take out, but it is more delicious. Plus you can make it in like 5 minutes.

Ingredients:

2 cups veggie stock
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash crushed red pepper flakes
1 slightly rounded tablespoon corn starch
2 tablespoons water
1 egg
1 egg white
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1 teaspoon soy sauce
2 green onions, chopped

Directions:

Place cold veggie stock, ginger, garlic (and red pepper flakes, if using) in a medium sauce pot. In a separate small bowl, mix together corn starch and cold water. Add to veggie stock and bring mixture to a boil over high heat, stirring to prevent clumps. While that is heating up, crack eggs into a bowl and whisk to break them up a bit. When stock has come to a full boil, remove from heat, stir it pretty fast so that the liquid is moving in a circle. Slowly add the eggs while stirring. Season with sesame oil and soy sauce. Add a handful of green onions and stir. The eggs should be cooked at this point. Serve in bowls with more green onions on top. Season with salt and pepper if necessary.

Baked arancini (cheese stuffed risotto balls)

This is the perfect way to use up leftover risotto. When reheated, risotto is usually either soupy or a little slimy. Either way it is much worse than when it is fresh. Arancini uses the risotto to make something that is equally delicious to the original pot of risotto. Normally it is supposed to be fried but I baked these so I didn't have to smell oil in my house for days and days. As long as you use panko bread crumbs you should still be able to get a nice crunch from the oven. Mine turned out crunchy and crispy on the outside but unbelievably light on the inside.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups leftover, cold risotto
1/4 cup parmesan cheese, divided
1 egg, slightly beaten, divided
3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, divided
1 tablespoon olive oil
6 cubes mozzarella cheese

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a small bowl, combine risotto, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, and approximately half of your beaten egg. Mix well and set aside. In a shallow dish combine 1/2 cup panko bread crumbs, 2 tablespoons parmesan cheese, and olive oil and mix together. Take 1/4 cup risotto mixture, form it into a ball, push a cube of cheese into the center and fill the gap, roll in egg, then coat evenly in bread crumb mixture. Place ball on foil-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you've used all the risotto. Bake at 375 for 20 minutes, turn and bake an extra 10 minutes. The balls will brown where they touch the pan, but if you want them to brown on all sides you could turn on the broiler and turn them in order to broil all sides. Let them cool for a few minutes and serve with tomato sauce.