While settling into the couch on this rainy afternoon to peruse some food blogs, I came across this quick and easy recipe for roasted almonds. With all the ingredients already in my pantry, I thought this would be the perfect snack for some college football watching that was about to ensue (go Huskies!!).
A 4-5 ingredient recipe (depends on how many kinds of nuts you use).
Round 1 roast. The original recipe calls for just almonds, but since J is allergic to almonds, I also did some cashews but kept them separate and mixed the nuts in separate bowls.
After the 5-7 minute roast, mix with sauce, roast again. Continue reading
Tag Archives: vegetarian
Corn with Miso Butter
Before moving to New Jersey, many told us we were moving to the land of tomatoes and corn. So far, they have been right.
Here is a quick, easy dish that takes advantage of all the delicious fresh corn out there. We had corn last night for dinner and I had one ear leftover. This recipe can be made with one ear for a single serving or a big bunch of corn for a large group. The corn can be boiled, steamed, or grilled.
Corn with Miso Butter
(measurements for 1 ear of corn)
1/2 tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon miso paste (I used white)
1 tablespoon water
1/8 teaspoon ground ginger
1/8 teaspoon ground mustard
1 cooked ear of corn – kernels cut off of cob
1 tablespoon chives – chopped
salt and pepper
In a small pan over medium heat, melt butter, miso, and water. Add ginger and mustard. Once mixture begins to bubble, add corn. Toss to coat and to heat through. Add almost all of the chives, save some for garnish. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Once corn is heated through, remove from heat and pour into bowl. Top with extra chives and serve. This dish is good hot or at room temp. Enjoy! 
Grilled Peach, Arugula & Goat Cheese Salad
Listen up everyone. Grill fruit. Trust me. It’s AMAZING!
This salad came together super quickly and with stone fruit coming into season this would be good with nectarines or plums too. Other veggies can be added if you like, but I decided to keep it simple so the sweetness of the peaches and the bitter and peppery flavors of the fresh arugula would be the star. And who ever said no to goat cheese? I know I never have.
Gathered up the ingredients. Some quick pickled onions would also add a nice zing.
Before putting the peaches on the grill, brush them with a mix of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Then put it all together. Tip: dress the the arugula first, then top with peaches, goat cheese and sunflower seeds. Serve with extra dressing on the side. Continue reading
Vietnamese Fresh Spring Rolls
When the sun starts to shine and the weather warms up, the warm hearty dishes of winter get pushed to the back of my brain and I start to crave light, cool, fresh dishes. Meals that highlight veggies that are in season and don’t require me to stir a big pot over a hot stove for hours are right up my alley.
This is another super flexible recipe. You may add whatever veggies you like, change up the protein, or make them vegetarian.
It is important to have all of the components of the spring rolls ready before you assemble. J and I tend to set everything out on the table in an assembly line, make one fresh roll and eat it immediately. We make and eat as we go. You could try and assemble them all first and then eat them. If you are successful with this, I applaud you.
A tightly wrapped fresh roll is key. Use the first few to get the hang of the assembly and wrapping. By the third, you will be a pro. Continue reading
Mediterranean Cauliflower Couscous
Over the past few months, I have seen cauliflower couscous pop up here and there on different food blogs I follow. I always kind of shook my head thinking “cauliflower can’t replace couscous, I mean, how can a veggie taste like a pasta!?” Then I made it last week. Like the saying goes, don’t knock it til you try it. It was SO GOOD. Totally hit the spot. I served it along side some lemony herb roasted chicken. Perfect spring dinner.
I recommend starting the chickpeas first as they take the most time. While they are cooking, prepare the cauliflower, make the dressing, and chop up all the veggies.
All the salad ingredients ready to go (minus the roasted red peppers, they were hiding when I took the photo).
Cauliflower starts out looking like this…
And ends up like this! Cauliflower resembles couscous more in texture than in flavor. However, adding a delicious dressing will make both regular couscous and the cauliflower version sing. I recommend you pick up a head of cauliflower and make this recipe ASAP.
Veggies ready to go.
Continue reading
Herb Pesto, Two Ways
Now that the weather is FINALLY starting to get it’s act together (I mean really… snow in April!? Not cool.) the farmers markets are starting to pop up around town. If you have a farmers market near you and you haven’t stopped by, I highly recommend it. Fresh local produce is amazing, not to mention you are supporting local farmers in the process.
Having fresh herbs on hand is a great way to brighten up a dish. However, sometimes it’s hard to find small bunches of herbs at the market or in the grocery store. I never need a WHOLE bunch of parsley for a dish, just a handful. These two pestos are a great way to use up leftover herbs so they don’t go to waste. When you mention pesto, basil automatically comes to mind. However, a pesto can be made with a variety of herbs. Since basil can be sad looking and expensive out of season, parsley and cilantro are perfect stand-ins.
These pestos can be used as a marinade for meat or tofu, a dressing for roasted veggies, grain salads, or regular salads. Mix some pesto in with greek yogurt for a delicious dip for pita or veggies. Spread some on toast and top with eggs in the morning. Mix with warm pasta. The opportunities are endless. Continue reading
Farro with Roasted Veggies
Something I aim to have in our fridge at all times are lunch options. We both work at a University, so not having to spend money every day buying lunch adds up quickly. Even though there are only two of us in the house, it is rare when I cook just enough food for two people for dinner. Usually I make enough for four so we will have leftovers for lunch the next day. It also makes the morning routine go smoothly since we aren’t worried about preparing ourselves lunch. It’s already packed up from the night before.
Every now and then I do only make enough food for dinner. For example we didn’t have leftovers from the steak salad – all that steak got snatched up. For those days when no dinner leftovers are to be found, I try to have another option ready to go. I have found making big batches of grain salads really hit the spot. They are so versatile, I can throw any combination of veggies, beans, dressing, etc, into them and voila, I have a healthy, filling lunch option. Grain salads are an amazing vegetarian option. They can also be used as a side dish for dinner, and served hot, room temp, or cold. Did you grill up some chicken last night and have some leftover? Throw that on top. It is hard to go wrong here.
Caramelized Onion Frittata with Artichoke Hearts, Zucchini, and Goat Cheese
Eggs are amazing. There, I said it. You can do so many things with eggs, and they work for every meal. Frittatas are a great fridge cleaner – if you have some vegetable odds and ends, you can just throw them into the veggie saute mix before combining them with the eggs. For example you could add peppers, asparagus, leftover baked potato, or any kind of precooked meat (sausage, ham/canadian bacon/regular bacon, etc.)
For this frittata, I used zucchini, onion, and artichoke hearts (I LOVE artichoke hearts). Oh, and quite a bit of goat cheese because I also LOVE goat cheese. And goat cheese makes everything better. Well really any cheese… I digress.
The frittata comes together super quick, and with a finishing zap under the broiler, this parmesan topped fluffy egg ensemble can be eaten hot out of the oven, warm, or even cold the next day. Continue reading
two coast kitchen 
