French onion soup

I love french onion soup. The problem is that traditionally it is made using beef stock, which makes it not as appealing for vegetarians. I use red wine and good veggie stock in my version to still get the same richness you'd expect from french onion soup without any of the beef flavor. This does take some time to make (and a lot of stirring) but you can make it really quickly if you already have caramelized onions on hand.

Ingredients:

3 yellow onions, sliced in half moons
2 tablespoons butter
1/3 cup red wine
3-4 cracks black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
2-3 cups veggie stock
1 bay leaf
mozzarella, swiss, or provolone cheese
baguette slices, toasted and buttered

Directions:

Over medium heat, melt butter then add onions. Cook for 20 minutes stirring every few minutes, then cook about 10 more minutes stirring every minute or less until onions are caramelized but not burned. Add wine and scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the pot. Add black pepper and garlic powder and allow the wine to reduce by about half. Add stock until you have the thickness you'd like for your soup. Add bay leaf and allow it to simmer for about 15 minutes over low heat. Place a few ladles of soup in a bowl, add toasted and buttered baguette slices, top with cheese. Place bowl under the broiler and broil for about 1 minute or until the cheese is melted and bubbly.

Teriyaki "chick'n" sandwich

I am not one for fake meat substitutes. Most of them are either pretty gross or pretty bland. Sometimes those fake meat patties make things really easy though, like at a bbq with friends, or when you want a quick dinner. This recipe is one of those quick dinner go-tos.

Ingredients:

1 fake chicken patty
1 1/2 tablespoons ketchup
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 dash garlic powder
1 ring of fresh pineapple
lettuce
red onion
mayo
sub bun, lightly toasted

Directions:

Place pineapple on a heated george foreman grill, press for a few minutes until it is tender. While the pineapple is "grilling", heat the fake chicken patty in the microwave according to package directions. In a small saute pan, mix ketchup, brown sugar, soy sauce, and garlic powder together and heat over low heat until everything is combined and sugar has melted. Add cooked fake chicken to the sauce and stir to coat, it should thicken as it heats and coat the patty well. Smear the mayo on the toasted sub bun, add the fake chicken patty, top with pineapple, lettuce, and red onion.

Naan

I've been cooking a lot of Indian food recently, and every time I make it I make naan to go with it so I can soak up the sauce. I found frozen naan at Trader Joes. It was $3 for two pieces. I bought it because it seemed convenient but it was no where near as good as the home made stuff, plus the home made stuff is pretty easy as long as you have enough time to let it rise. I used my cast iron to cook these and I prefer them to get a little charred and smokey, but if you don't like that flavor just take them off the pan before they darken.

Ingredients:

1 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 1/2 tablespoons plain yogurt
1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons warm water
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon yeast

Directions:

In a small bowl, combine water, sugar. and yeast and mix until the yeast dissolves into the water and turns a bit foamy. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, oil, and yogurt. When yeast has dissolved, mix it into the flour bowl and stir to combine. Turn out onto a well floured surface and knead for 5 minutes or so, or until it forms a nice, smooth ball that isn't sticky. Place this back into your mixing bowl and cover with a cloth. Let it rise for about an hour. After an hour, take the dough and cut it into 4-6 pieces. If you want fat, puffy naan do 4. If you want thin, pillow-y naan do 6. (I always do 6). Roll out each piece until it is 6-7 inches in diameter. Heat a cast iron skillet over medium-low heat for several minutes. When the pan is hot, brush each piece of naan with water. Take one piece at a time and place the watered side onto the cast iron. Cover with a lid for 30 seconds, take the lid off, flip it over and cook uncovered for 30 more seconds. Repeat with the rest of the dough.

Pineapple salsa

This salsa is really tasty. It is definitely a little different than your typical tomato salsa but it is worth a try! I used fresh pineapple and I really wouldn't bother with the canned stuff for this since you want it pretty acidic.

Ingredients:

1 cup of diced fresh pineapple
1/4 cup diced red onion
1/2 a small jalapeno, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 a lime, juiced
1 large handful cilantro, torn in small pieces

Directions:

Place all ingredients in a small mixing bowl and stir to combine. Taste and add more lime or cilantro if necessary. Allow it to chill for about 30 minutes to let flavors come together. Serve with tortilla chips.

Orange tofu

I really, honestly think this is just as good as takeout. Seriously. The sauce is thick, shiny, and sweet and it reheats really nicely in case you have leftovers. This also comes together really quickly, especially if you've cooked your tofu in advance. Feel free to add more veggies to this, I just used what I had around. If you add tons and tons more veggies you may want to increase the sauce a bit though.

Ingredients:

1/2 block of tofu, cubed and pressed
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon celery salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon cornstarch
3 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons soy sauce
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
1 tablespoon corn syrup (or sugar)
1 teaspoon sriracha
2 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1/3 cup orange juice
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon oil
1/2 an onion, sliced
1/4 green pepper, sliced
1/4 red pepper, sliced

Directions:

Preheat oven to 450. Combine tofu, garlic powder, celery salt, 1 tablespoon oil, and corn starch in a small bowl and toss to coat well. Place tofu on a cookie sheet lined with aluminum foil and sprayed with non stick spray. Cook for 15 minutes, then turn cubes and cook for 10 more minutes. While the tofu cooks, combine water, soy sauce, vinegar, corn syrup, sriracha, cornstarch, orange juice, and garlic powder and stir to blend ingredients. Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in a large skillet and saute the onion, and pepper strips for 3-5 minutes, or until softened slightly. Add cubes of tofu and stir to combine. Add your sauce mixture and reduce heat. Allow to simmer for 2-3 minutes or until the sauce is thick and shiny and coats the veggies. Serve with rice.

Quinoa balls

Quinoa is packed with protein and fiber, which makes it really filling but it is a grain which can limit its uses. This recipe turns quinoa into something like a meatball (obviously with no meat) so that you can use it in recipes that call for meat. I've tossed these quinoa balls in buffalo sauce and used them in chinese stir-fries, both were delicious. These freeze well so you can have them on hand when you want them. These are mildly spiced so that they are versatile in many dishes, but you could play around with the seasonings to match what you'll be using them for.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup uncooked quinoa
1 cup veggie stock
1 large stalk celery
2 green onions
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 dash cayenne pepper
salt
pepper
1 egg
1 tablespoon flour*

Directions:

Cook quinoa in veggie stock according to your package directions (cooking times vary with different brands). Remove from heat and allow to cool. While it is cooling, puree celery and green onions in a food processor until they are very finely chopped. Once the quinoa is cooled, add the pureed veggies, garlic powder, cayenne, and season with salt and pepper. Add the egg and mix well. *If it looks really wet and you're unable to form it into balls, add up to a tablespoon of flour and mix again. Heat oven to 400 degrees and line a baking sheet with foil, spray foil with non-stick spray. Form quinoa into 1 inch (approximately) balls and place on baking sheet. Spray with non-stick spray and bake for 20 minutes, turning halfway through. After 20 minutes, turn on the broiler and broil for about 30 seconds to a minute to get a golden brown coating. Remove from heat and serve.

Sangritzer

This is, by far, my favorite summer drink. I call it sangritzer because it is a cross between sangria and a white wine spritzer. I don't add any additional alcohol to the wine just because I want it to be easy to drink and relatively light, but feel free to booze it up a bit if you want. You can use pretty much any fruit you want for this but make sure you use a fruity, crisp wine.

Ingredients:

6-8 ounces of frozen fruit (I used a mango, pineapple, strawberry mix)
1 bottle of white wine (pinot grigio or sauvignon blanc)
2 liter bottle of sparkling water

Directions:

Cut frozen fruit into small pieces. Add to a large pitcher. Pour bottle of wine over frozen fruit and stir. I like to allow people to add as much or as little water as they'd like so I don't add it to the pitcher. Instead, I just encourage people to pour the fruity wine into a glass and then top each individual serving with sparkling water, this way it stays fizzy as well. I've found that a 50/50 split is a good starting point for most people, but adjust to your liking.