DoughSeeDough

a balanced plate with room for dessert

Category Archives: Vegetarian & Vegan


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Eggplant Parmesan

I had said yesterday that I’ve only made one meal in the last week. I now have to admit that the only reason I made this was because I had signed up for a vegetarian recipe swap and the reveal is today. If it weren’t for this, I probably would’ve survived on random junk in my fridge and Sour Patch Kids. So, thank goodness for this tasty meal because it fed us for a really long time!

The recipe I was assigned was Eggplant Parmesan from Tasty Treats by Tina. The last time I had made eggplant parm was just over 3 years ago. Holy smokes! I love how Tina’s version is unbreaded. It cuts down on the prep and I think that her recipe is to die for!

Eggplant Parmesan
recipe very slightly adapted from Tasty Treats by Tina

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/2 inch slices
1 1/2 tablespoons salt
4 tablespoons olive oil
8 ounces fat free ricotta cheese
6 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup basil, chopped
4 cups tomato sauce (recipe follows)

  1.  Sprinkle both sides of the eggplant slices with salt. Place slices in a colander, and place a dish underneath the colander to capture liquid that will sweat out of the eggplant. Allow to sit for 30 minutes – 1 hour.
  2. Preheat oven to 350ºF.
  3. In a medium bowl, mix the ricotta, mozzarella, and 1/4 cup Parmesan. Mix in egg and basil.
  4. Rinse the eggplant in cold water until all salt is removed. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Place one layer of eggplant in the pan, brown each side. Repeat with remaining eggplant slices, using additional oil if necessary.
  5. In a 9×13 inch baking dish, evenly spread 1 1/2 cups of pasta sauce. Arrange a single layer of eggplant slices on top of the sauce. Top the eggplant with 1/2 of the cheese mixture. Repeat layering process until all the eggplant and cheese mixture is used. Pour remaining sauce on top of layers, and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan cheese.
  6. Bake 30 to 45 minutes in the preheated oven, until sauce is bubbly.

Basic Tomato Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1/2 medium onion, diced
4-8 ounce cans low sodium tomato sauce
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

  1. In a medium saucepan, heat  olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and onion and cook until until is translucent.
  2. Add tomato sauce and seasonings and bring to a boil, stirring often.
  3. Lower heat and simmer for 15 minutes.


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Mushroom & Feta Tart

This was so fun to make! I’m convinced that this is pretty impossible to mess up. After I had assembled the tarts, they looked like the work of a 2 year old. I was a bit horrified and slightly disappointed. I thought I had completely ruined a dish that was filled with delicious, tangy feta and beloved CSA mushrooms.

Then, they miraculously transformed in the oven into beautiful, perfectly puffed tarts. It’s magic, folks.

I did learn a lesson from my past week-ish of cooking – do not bake so many things during the summer! It is hot and uncomfortable, and it will inevitably lead to me being a crank. I’ll keep this important tidbit in mind as I plan out next week’s menu. Mike picks up our second CSA box this afternoon and I can’t wait to get my hands on it to see what goodies we have!

Now, on to the main event – the recipe!

Mushroom & Feta Tart
slightly adapted from Kitchen Wench

1 pound white button mushrooms
6 ounces feta cheese
6 ounces ricotta cheese
1 large egg
1 lemon, zested and juiced
1 large onion, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste
2 sheets puff pastry
chopped chives, optional

  1.  Preheat oven to 400°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.
  2. In a medium bowl, mix together the feta cheese, ricotta cheese, egg, lemon zest, lemon juice, and season with salt and pepper. Set aside.
  3. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat and add onion and garlic. Cook until onions are translucent and golden.
  4. Add onion and garlic to cheese mixture and stir well to combine.
  5. Lay out one sheet of puff pastry on each baking sheet. Spoon half of the mixture onto each sheet and spread out, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge.
  6. Evenly distribute mushrooms on top of the cheese mixture, then fold the edges up and brush with some olive oil.
  7. Bake for 40 minutes, or until the pastry is puffed up and golden brown.
  8. Serve warm with a sprinkle of chives on top.


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Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

This salad is perfect in its simplicity. I’ve been eating it for about 5 days straight now (we got a lot of greens from the CSA!) and I still have a little more to eat up. Not that I mind. I could eat this day after day for a very long time.

I used up some strawberries that my mom had picked in this salad (the rest went into the strawberry rhubarb crisp). It doesn’t get much better than fresh picked mixed greens and strawberries!!

Strawberry and Goat Cheese Salad with Balsamic Vinaigrette

1 bag of mixed greens
1 cup strawberries, sliced
1/3 cup sliced almonds
4 ounces goat cheese

1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

  1. In a small skillet over medium heat, toast almonds until a light golden brown.
  2. Place greens, strawberries, toasted almonds and goat cheese in a large bowl. Toss to combine.
  3. To make the vinaigrette, combine balsamic vinegar, olive oil, brown sugar, garlic powder, salt and pepper in a screw-top jar and shake vigorously until well combined.
  4. Serve immediately.

 


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Large Chinese Scallion Pancake

Today’s recipe is for the Blogger’s Choice Recipe Swap I participated in with a handful of wonderful and talented food bloggers. I received Eva Bakes for my blog and after looking through all her recipes, I finally settled on the da bing, or large Chinese scallion pancake.

I’ve had many scallion pancakes over the years, but I’ve never had one this… big. I decided to give it a try and I’m so glad I did! I served this with low sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, and a black bean chili sauce.

Large Chinese Scallion Pancake
recipe slightly adapted from Eva Bakes 

2 cups milk
5 cups all purpose flour
1 packet of yeast (not the instant kind)
1/2 teaspoon sugar
salt
1 bunch of scallions, chopped
oil

  1. Warm the milk in the microwave so that it’s no longer cold. Do not scald or boil the milk.
  2. Add sugar to the milk and stir. Then add the yeast and let it proof for about 5 minutes.  You should see the top get foamy.
  3. Add the milk mixture to the flour and mix until just incorporated. Set it aside and let it rise for about 10 minutes.
  4. Roll the dough into a rectangle about 1 cm thick. Then, using a brush, coat the top of the dough with some oil. Sprinkle the surface with salt and chopped scallions.
  5. Roll, jelly-roll style into a long rope. Coil the rope into a circle and flatten/roll out with a rolling pin. Cover with a damp towel and let the dough rise for another 2 hours. Your da bing should end up being about 10 inches in diameter and at least 1 inch thick.
  6. Lightly oil a large nonstick skillet or pan. On LOW heat (do not turn this to medium or high heat!), slowly pan fry the dough. Once the bottom starts to get crispy and the dough looks done on one side (about 10 minutes later), flip the pancake over and brown the other side. This pan-frying step should take about 20 minutes total – 10 minutes on each side. Remember to go low and slow!
  7. Once done, the top and bottom of the pancake should be crispy and the inside should be fully cooked. Cut into pie-sliced wedges and serve.


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Sriracha Hummus

I fell in love for the first time when I had hummus. I fell in love a second time when I had jalapeno hummus. I fell in love for a third time last night.

Two of my favorite foods came together and created something beautiful: Sriracha + Hummus = Sriracha Hummus. Oh. My. Goodness. I don’t think I can ever eat plain hummus again. I might still have jalapeno hummus once in a while, but Sriracha hummus will be a permanent refrigerator item from now on. I got the idea from TasteSpotting, one of my favorite ways to waste time.

You might think I’m exaggerating my love for Sriracha (aka Rooster Sauce), but I assure that I am not. I dump that stuff on almost everything I eat. I had a friend post this lovely cartoon on my Facebook wall and I think it sums my life up pretty well:

Do you share my love for Sriracha? Do you love to feel the burn? Are you adventurous? Do you want to live a fulfilling and/or exciting life? If you answered “yes” to any of the above, then this hummus is for you.

Spicy Sriracha Hummus

2-15 ounce cans chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup tahini*
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup Sriracha
1/2 cup lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 – 1/2 cup water

  1. Combine all ingredients except for water in a food processor. Process until smooth, adding water until desired consistency is reached.
  2. Serve with fresh cut vegetables, pita bread, pita chips, on a sandwich, or eat with a spoon.

*Tahini, or sesame paste, is made from raw or toasted sesame seeds. Personally, I find the toasted sesame seed flavor to be a lot better than the raw and prefer to use that.

And P.S. – Happy National Running Day!!


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Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

I love challenges. I needed a dessert for a dietetic intern potluck. The catch – I wanted everyone to be able to enjoy it and one intern eats vegan and another gluten-free. Bring on the challenge, baby! I scoured the internet far and wide (ok, I only used Google and Pinterest) and ended up combing a bunch of different recipes to get this final product.

I got the base cake recipe from Eggless Cooking. It’s made with beets and chickpeas. I was really skeptical at first, but I decided to give it a try. Turns out you can’t even taste the chickpeas or beets! I used canned chickpeas and beets to cut down on prep-time and it turned out pretty well.

These cupcakes were soooo decadent. It’s not really cake-like. More fudge-like perhaps? They’re dense, rich, and definitely chocolatey!

(Sorry for the bad photo - I took this minutes before running out  
the door to get my butt to the potluck!)

Gluten-Free Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting
yields 12 cupcakes 

For the cupcakes:
2 cups chickpeas, canned or freshly cooked
3/4 cup beets, cooked
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup coconut oil, melted
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups vegan chocolate chips*

  1. Remove the thin outer skin from the chickpeas. Enlist help if you can – this will take a while! Use a food processor or blender to puree until smooth with a tablespoon or so of water.
  2. Puree beets into a smooth paste, using the cooking water.
  3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Line a cupcake pan with liners and set aside.
  4. Melt chocolate chips in microwave in 20 second increments, stirring after each until completely melted.
  5. Combine chickpeas, beets, and sugar in the food processor or blender until completely smooth – no lumps allowed! Puree in coconut oil, baking powder, coffee granules, lemon juice, and vanilla extract until well combined.
  6. Blend in the melted chocolate chips into the chickpea and beet mixture and let the food process or blender run for a couple minutes to allow chocolate to distribute evenly throughout the batter.
  7. Pour batter into prepared cupcake pan and bake for 40 – 50 minutes.
  8. Remove pan from the oven and place on a wire rack. Let the cupcakes cool completely in the pan.
  9. Remove cupcakes from cupcake pan when cool and frost with chocolate frosting (recipe below)!
For the frosting:
1 can regular coconut milk, opened and refrigerated overnight – do not shake!!
1 cup Smart Balance, room temperature
3/4 cup cocoa powder
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 – 6 cups powdered sugar
  1. Scrape the thick layer off the top of the coconut milk into a large bowl. Add in Smart Balance and beat until well combined and smooth.
  2. Mix in cocoa powder and vanilla extract until well combined.
  3. Gradually add powdered sugar into frosting, 1 cup at a time, until desired consistency is reached**.
  4. Use immediately or refrigerate, covered.

*I used Enjoy Life mini chocolate chips and they were pretty darn tasty!
** I ended up using some of  coconut milk left in the can to thin out the frosting and give it another boost of flavor. I ended up using about 5 cups of powdered sugar in addition to about 1/4 cup of the coconut “water” that was left in the can.


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Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

I have two weaknesses in life: sour candy and salt & vinegar chips. Put either of these in front of me, I lose all self-control. I can demolish a bag of Sour Patch Kids in a day (or two) and the same goes for salt & vinegar chips. Obviously, neither of these foods are too good for me. You know, with all the sugar and fat and all…

It finally occurred to me that I should make salt & vinegar potatoes! I’m not sure why this didn’t come to me sooner, but I’m addicted to these. Are you a salt & vinegar chip enthusiast? If so, these are these are the perfect way to jazz up your dinner!

Salt & Vinegar Roasted Potatoes

1 1/2 pounds fingerling potatoes, cut into 1 inch chunks
1 tablespoon olive oil
Freshly ground pepper, to taste
Kosher salt, to taste
White vinegar, to taste*

  1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Toss potatoes in a large roasting pan with olive oil and pepper.
  2. Roast potatoes, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes, or until golden brown.
  3. Sprinkle with vinegar and salt to taste and serve immediately.
*I ended up using about 1/4 cup of vinegar, but I love vinegar. I would start with a couple of tablespoons and work your way up from there.


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Black Bean Salsa

I first had this salsa at a friend’s wedding brunch. And I had it again when we went to visit these friends in Minnesota. It swept me off my feet the first time I had it and the feeling didn’t change. Obviously, I had to get the recipe! So, thank you Kirsten, for passing Georgette’s Black Bean Salsa recipe to me! Can you spot it in this yum-licious pile of nachos??

I made a huge batch a few days ago and the flavor just gets better and better every day. Yum. I think I need to always keep ingredients for this on hand.

Georgette’s Black Bean Salsa

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup apple cider vinegar
1/2 cup sugar
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1 can white corn, drained
3 large tomatoes, diced (about 2 cups)
1 green pepper, diced
1 red onion, diced

  1. Combine oil, apple cider vinegar, and sugar in a small pot over medium heat. Warm until sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
  2. Combine remaining ingredients in large bowl. Pour dressing over vegetables and stir to combine.


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Penne with Tomato Sauce and Baked Ricotta

After making spanakopita, I was left with a mostly full container of ricotta. I had bookmarked this recipe a while ago and decided to give it a try. After all, I needed to use the rest of the ricotta up! I loved the way this dish turned out. It’s a sweet tomato sauce and the creaminess of the baked ricotta goes perfectly with it. Give it a try – it won’t disappoint!

Penne with Tomato Sauce and Baked Ricotta

1 15-ounce container part-skim ricotta, drained
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
salt and pepper, to taste
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1 pound whole wheat penne
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28-ounce can crushed tomatoes
3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
fresh basil, torn
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan

  1. Preheat oven to 400°F. Place ricotta in 9″ cake pan and press down to a 1-inch thick disk. Rub with 1 tablespoon olive oil and sprinkle with oregano, salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes and then set aside to cool.
  2. Cook pasta according to package directions.
  3. Meanwhile, heat remaining tablespoon of olive oil in a large saucepan. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes.
  4. Add tomatoes to onion and garlic and let simmer for 15 minutes. . Season with salt, pepper and balsamic vinegar.
  5. Top cooked pasta with sauce, ricotta, basil and Parmesan cheese.

adapted from Cate’s World Kitchen


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Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

Explosion of flavor. Seriously. I had no idea that so much awesomeness could exist on a pizza.

This pie was definitely a labor of love. I spent all day making the pizza sauce and the crust and then carefully topping everything so that it was just right. And even though it took a while to make, I am definitely going to be making it again! Perhaps I’ll skip the canned tomatoes and use tomatoes from the garden (if they ever decide to ripen)…

I seriously don’t even know how to explain the sweetness of the pizza sauce paired with the tangy goat cheese and sweet, caramelized onions… so, just try it for yourself!

Short on time? No problem – feel free to use some pizza dough mix to speed up the process. I would definitely recommend making the sauce, though; it’s super quick and easy.

Here are some tips:

Make sure to pierce the dough all over with a fork. Alllll over. And then bake for 5 minutes to prevent it from getting all soggy later.

Make the sauce from scratch! It’s super easy and it tastes so much better than the store-bought stuff.

Caramelized Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza

Pizza dough (see recipe below)
1 1/2 cups pizza sauce (see recipe below)
4 ounces goat cheese
1 large bulb roasted garlic, mashed with a fork
1 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
Basil chiffonade, optional

  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Heat olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Cook for 10 – 15 minutes, or until onions are caramelized. Deglaze pan with balsamic vinegar. Set onions aside.
  3. Roll out pizza dough into a rectangle approximately 12″x17″. Brush crust lightly with olive oil and bake for 5 minutes to slightly crisp up.
  4. Spread pizza sauce on the crust. Sprinkle with roasted garlic and caramelized onions. Top with crumbled goat cheese.
  5. Bake until crust is golden brown and crispy. Remove from oven and top with a basil chiffonade.
Pizza Dough
makes 1 large pizza
3 cups all purpose flour
1 .25 ounce package active dry yeast (about 2 1/4 teaspoons)
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon sugar
1 cup warm water (~110°F)
  1. Preheat oven to 375°F.
  2. Fit stand mixer with dough hook. Combine flour, salt, sugar, and yeast in mixing bowl. Pour in oil and water.
  3. Beat on low (speed 2) until dough pulls away from side of bowl and gathers around hook. Mix until smooth and elastic.
  4. Roll dough out to fit large pizza pan and pierce with a fork. Brush with olive oil and bake for 5 minutes before topping with desired ingredients.
  5. Bake at 375°F for about 20 minutes, or until crust is golden brown and crispy.
Pizza Sauce
makes 1 1/2 cups sauce
1 6 ounce can tomato paste
6 fluid ounces water
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon honey
1 teaspoon anchovy paste
3/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/8 teaspoon dried red pepper flakes
salt, to taste
  1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Mix together, breaking up any clumps of cheese.
  2. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight before using.
adapted from allrecipes.com