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Ew…BROCCOLI?!

17 Jan

 

 

 

 

Roasted Broccoli

 

 

 

Luckily, for my parent’s sake, I have never been a picky eater.  I was a child who loved things like octopus, lima beans and yes, even broccoli.  I’ll be happy to eat broccoli any way you put it, but there is something special about the crunchy little florets after they’ve been roasted in the oven.  Roasting is my favorite way to prepare vegetables.  The roasting maintains the vegetables integrity without turning them to mush and destroying all the flavor.  Not enough people eat the necessary amount of vegetables these days.  If you find that you or somebody you know has a disliking towards vegetables, you may just need to change the cooking method and find simple ways to make them more exciting.  This recipe is the perfect place to start.

 

 

Ingredients: 

1 bunch of broccoli
2 tablespoons sun-dried tomatoes; chopped
2 garlic cloves; smashed
1 tablespoon olive oil
Kosher salt

 

 

Preheat oven to 450°

Start by cutting the bunch of broccoli into small florets.  Place them into a roasting pan and coat with the olive oil.  Take the two cloves of garlic and smash them with the side of your knife, just to break them and release the flavor.  Add the garlic to the pan, season with salt and toss everything together.  Place the broccoli in the oven for about 15 minutes until the tops start to brown.  After removing the broccoli from the oven, add the sun-dried tomatoes to the pan.  Plate the deliciousness and enjoy!

 

x o x

THE   REFINED   PALATE

 

 

Xristina Miros ©2013

 

 

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Semi-Homemade

22 Mar

…but not the Sandra Lee kind.  ;)

 

 

Freshman year in college, my vegetarian roommate introduced me to a tasty brand of black bean burgers.  They smelled so good every time she made one so I had to try it.  It was love at first bite.  I instantly became a fan of the meat-less burger and I still stock my freezer with them to this day.  I am always down for a quick and easy last-minute meal and this is one of them.  Last night I cooked some black bean burgers on the grill for my family.  Surprisingly, my dad ate two burgers.  When a 60-year old Greek man eats two black bean burgers, you know they are good.

 

Ingredients:

4 Spicy Black Bean burgers (frozen aisle)
Whole grain/whole wheat hamburger buns
3 tablespoons plain Greek yogurt
1-2 tablespoons chipotles in adobo (depending how spicy you like it)
1 avocado
1 jalapeño (optional)
1/2 small red onion (optional)
1 tomato, diced (optional)
1 lime
Green leaf lettuce (any lettuce will work for garnish on your burger)
Mushrooms (optional)
Salt

 

 

In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt and the adobo sauce with a pinch of salt.  This sauce will act as a mayonnaise.  In a separate bowl, mash the avocado and add the juice of one lime.  Season with salt.  If you want to make it more like a guacamole, go ahead and add the diced jalapeño, red onion and tomato.  If you decide you want to add mushrooms to your burger, quickly sauté the mushrooms in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt.  The mushrooms just bring an added texture and flavor to the burger.

Cook your black bean burgers according to the cooking instructions.  You can either cook them in a pan or on the grill.  The only thing left to do is toast the buns and start assembling.  Spread the chipotle “mayo” on the bottom bun then stack on a piece of lettuce and the black bean burger.  Top the burgers with the avocado spread and start chowing down.

 

 

 

Spicy Black Bean Burgers

X R I S T I N A      M A R I E
The Refined Palate

© Xristina Miros 2012

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Vegan-Friendly Stuffed Peppers

20 Mar

 

Stuffed Pepper

 

It all started about three weeks ago when I decided I wanted to cut meat from my diet.  This is certainly not a permanent change, it is just something I wanted to challenge myself with.  Not eating meat as a part of my daily diet allows me to be more creative in thinking of different ways to execute a dish and incorporate new ingredients.  It also forces me to think before eating rather than mindlessly going about my daily food intake.  I am having so much fun with this new challenge I set for myself and I hope I can inspire some creativity in all of you, my readers.  Originally this recipe was intended to be vegetarian, but as I got near the end of the dish, I realized it is also vegan-friendly as I used no animal products to create it.

 

Leeks, Rice & Chard

Ingredients:

6 bell peppers
3/4 cup wild & brown rice mix
2 Holland leeks, only white parts
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 white onion, for tomato sauce
4 celery ribs, quartered and diced
7-10 button mushrooms
6 tomatoes on the vine; seeded & diced, 3 for stuffing, 3 for tomato sauce
1 bunch of green swiss chard, chopped
1/2 cup golden raisins
1 can garbanzo beans (chick peas)
1 large can tomato sauce
1 tablespoon ground coriander
1/2 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 tablespoon crushed red pepper flakes, for tomato sauce
Fresh parsley

 

Cut the green tips and the roots from the leeks.  Cut the leeks in half and slice them into half moons to make for easier cleaning; leeks contain a lot of dirt and must be washed.  Leeks

In a large pot, sauté the leeks, garlic and celery in olive oil for about 5 minutes until they are softened.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add the mushrooms and tomatoes and cook for another 3 minutes.  Add the rice, swiss chard and raisins along with the cumin, coriander and allspice.  Add enough water to cover the rice and season the mixture with salt.  Once the water comes up to a boil, reduce it to a simmer and cover the pot.  Allow the rice to cook for about 15 minutes or until most of the water is gone.  Rinse the garbanzo beans and add them towards the end because they are already cooked.  I decided to add the garbanzo beans to the recipe at the last minute to add texture and protein to the meal.  After the mixture is cooked, add fresh parsley and remove from the heat.

 

Swiss Chard

 

Meanwhile, preheat your oven to 350°, cut the tops off from your bell peppers and remove the seeds from inside.  Lightly coat the peppers in olive oil and season the insides with salt and pepper.  The idea is to cook both the stuffing and the peppers separately before assembling them.  Cook the peppers for about 20 minutes until they are slightly softened.

 

Bell Peppers

Par-baked peppers

 

 

In a saucepan, heat olive oil and add the crushed red pepper flake allowing the spice to infuse into the oil.  Add 1 clove of garlic and the chopped white onion.  Sauté for a few minutes until the onions are soft.  Add the remaining diced vine tomatoes just before adding the can of tomato sauce.  Season with salt and pepper and simmer while you wait for the remaining components to come together.

Vine-ripe tomatoes

Remove the peppers from the oven and start the stuffing process.  Stuff these bad boys until you think they’re about to burst.  They can hold a lot of filling.  Spread some of the tomato sauce you made in the bottom of the pan.  Before placing the tops on the peppers, add some tomato sauce on top of the mix to ensure the rice mixture stays moist.    Place the tops back on the peppers and put the pan back in the oven.  Cook  the peppers for another 15 minutes or so; until the peppers are completely soft.

You must try this.

 

 

 

* Apologies for not having a photograph of the final product.  The peppers were ransacked by wild animals; wild herbivores.

*UPDATE:  My sister was kind enough to take some photographs for me when my mom delivered some peppers to her house the next day.  Enjoy!

 

 

Stuffed Pepper

 

 

Stuffed Pepper

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

xoxo

Xristina    Marie

The   Refined   Palate

© Xristina Miros 2012

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Mayo-Free is the Way to Be…

21 Jun

No Mayonnaise

 

 

 

Potato Salad

 

 

 

If you don’t know by now, I absolutely loathe mayonnaise. I find it completely repulsive. It is something that I refuse to eat and when a recipe calls for it, I always replace it with something else. Potato salad is a prime example of something that usually has mayonnaise as a main ingredient. At backyard BBQs or get togethers, I always steer clear of the potato salad because 9 times out of 10, it is made with mayonnaise. It is such a shame because I hate not being able to eat stuff. I want to eat everything all the time. To fulfill my potato salad withdrawals, I always make this particular rendition, sans mayo. This is the only way I will eat potato salad. In my opinion, it definitely tastes better and it is far more aesthetically pleasing than the sloppy mess that is usually potato salad. After all, we eat with our eyes first.

 

 

Ingredients:Red Potatoes

Red potatoes
Garlic cloves, minced
Red onion, thinly sliced
Red wine vinegar
Olive oil
Salt
Freshly ground black pepper
Fresh parsley
Fresh oregano

 

 

Clean the potatoes by cutting off any dark spots from the skin. Do not peel the potatoes. Cut each potato in half or in quarters, depending on how big the potato is. You want the pieces to be bite-sized. Run the potatoes under cold water. Place the potatoes in a pot and fill the pot with cold water, just to cover the potatoes. Bring the water up to a boil, salt the water and cook until a fork goes smoothly through the potato. It is important not to overcook the potatoes. If the potatoes cook for too long, they will turn into mush when mixing the salad instead of staying in solid pieces. Strain the potatoes and place them into a bowl. While the potatoes are still hot, add the sliced red onion, minced garlic, salt, pepper, red wine vinegar and olive oil. When oil and vinegar are involved, I always use the vinegar first and the oil second. Oil will always create a barrier and not allow the vinegar to soak in. The same applies for salads. After you mix the potato salad and adjust the flavors, add the fresh parsley and fresh oregano. This potato salad is equally delicious whether it is served hot or cold.

 

*Stay tuned for my mayo-free pasta salad*

Potato Salad

xox, Xristina Marie

T R P

 

 

© Xristina Miros

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Vegetarian Grill

1 Jun

I am in no way, shape or form a vegetarian, nor do I think I could ever be one. My love for food is too far and wide to make room for any limitations. I do, however, like to eliminate the meat portion of a dish sometimes and replace it with something that holds up just as well. Portobello mushrooms are a great alternative to meat in that they have a similar taste and texture. This entire meal was either completely cooked on the grill or finished on the grill. Grilling is a great method to achieve the same flavors without actually having to eat meat.

For the mushrooms:

4 portobello caps
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh or dried oregano
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper

For the artichokes:

6 baby artichokesBaby Artichokes
2 lemons, juiced
Salt
1 large bowl filled with water

For the potatoes:

3 potatoes, I used russets
Salt
Freshly cracked black pepper
Olive oil

Dipping sauce:

1 individual sized Greek yogurt
1 lemon, zested and juiced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 scallion, chopped
Fresh dill
Olive oil, splash

Cleaned Artichoke

Start by preparing the artichokes because these take the longest. First, set aside a bowl filled with water and squeeze the juice of 1-2 lemons into the water. Toss the entire squeezed lemon into the water as well. As you clean each artichoke, place it into the lemon-water. This will prevent the artichokes from oxidizing. If you miss this step, the artichokes will turn brown right before your eyes. Peel the outer leaves from the artichoke until you reach the more tender inner leaves. Using kitchen shears or scissors, cut the pointy tips off of each leaf. Turn the artichoke on its side and using a sharp knife, cut the top off to get rid of the remaining tips. Cut the artichoke in half and remove the choke. This is the furry mess that is in the center. Do not forget to remove this. They call it a “choke” for a reason. It is said that the chokes do not have to be removed from baby artichokes because they have not had the chance to fully develop. I think it is better to remove it. It is altogether more appealing without it. At this point, remove the stem and all dark green parts that are exposed. Your cleaned artichoke should look like this:

Cleaned Artichoke

Leave the artichokes to soak in the lemon-water while you prepare the other components of the meal.

Artichokes in lemon-water

Pour all the ingredients into a large freezer bag to begin marinating the mushrooms. Make sure the mushrooms are coated well and then place the bag into the refrigerator.

Clean the potatoes under cold water and dry them with a paper towel. Lightly scrub the skins to ensure they are fully clean. Cut each potato in half lengthwise and then in half again, making wedges. Place the potato wedges into a large pot and cover with cold water. When the water comes up to a boil, season with salt. Boil the potatoes until they are just done. You do not want the potatoes to be too soft because you need to transfer them onto the grill. While the potatoes are still hot, brush each one with olive oil and then season them with salt and pepper. Set aside.

At the same time that you are boiling the potatoes, bring another pot of water to a boil. Add the artichokes and then season the water with salt. Allow the artichokes to boil for about 10 minutes.  Drain the artichokes. Coat each artichoke with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

In a small bowl, combine the Greek yogurt, garlic and scallions. Add the juice and zest of one lemon. Drizzle in enough olive oil to smooth the dip and thin it out. Finish by mixing in some salt, pepper and fresh dill, to taste. I originally intended for this dip to be used on the potatoes and to dip the artichoke leaves into, but it also tastes great on the mushrooms.

Place the potatoes and artichokes on the grill. At this time, remove the portobellos from the refrigerator. Place the mushrooms on the grill. After a few minutes, turn all the vegetables to continue grilling on the other side. The mushrooms only take 1-2 minutes on each side. Since the potatoes and artichokes are already cooked through, you basically just want to achieve some nice charring and grill marks. Remove everything from the grill and serve immediately.

Eat your vegetables!

Enjoy, Xristina Marie

T R P

© 2011 Xristina Miros

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