Favourite Food Standbys

February 6, 2011
by Stephanie Pellett
4 min read
7 Comments

Okay, it’s time for me to fess up. You know how I always post photos of the delicious food I make, and make it seem like it’s no big thang.

In fact, it is kinda a big thang, and I can assure you that I do not make elaborate food every night of the week. I’m lucky enough to have great friends and a few great (and relatively cheap) restaurants near where I live, so I’ve found I only end up cooking about three nights of the week, and eat leftovers most of the other nights. I love love LOVE leftovers! I love big one-pot meals that last me countless lunches and dinners to come!

Today I thought I’d share with you some of my favourite go-to meals for whenever I don’t really feel like cooking for a couple days.

One Pot Meals

Since I’m a vegetarian, these are my standbys. Simple and nutritious, tons of protein, comforting and delicious. Perfect!

My Mum’s Vegetarian Chili


Lentil and Sweet Potato Stew: adapted from here. I make it without the green beans (only because I never have any!), and top with some goat’s cheese – YUM!

Hot and Sour Soup. I use a recipe similar to this one, but without the water chestnuts or bamboo shoots. It’s so wonderful for when you have a cold, or just the winter blues.

Pad Thai. It’s so full of yummy goodness: tofu, egg, peanuts, lime, cilantro…yummerdoodle! I find it easier to use a package or jarred sauce than to wrestle with tamarind. It’s not as authentic, and it has a bit more sodium, but it’s worth the convenience, I think! Just cook the tofu and egg and set to the side; then stirfry together boiled rice noodles and green onions, add some sauce, add tofu and egg, add cilantro and bean sprouts and more sauce. Serve with lime wedges and peanuts! Delicioso.

Quinoa salad. Quinoa is so amazing for you (read why here), and so easy to make. I like to add chopped carrots, green onions, nuts (walnuts or cashews), dried apricots, and beets and cauliflower if I have them around. I usually eat mine with some balsamic vinegar, and it’s so delicious! You can add any veggies you want to it, and it always tastes lovely.

Dishes I Pretend Are Dinner

Warning! I am not advocating these foods as necessarily good, vegetarian healthy options. These are just the dishes I tend to throw together when I’m too tired to cook anything!

Sweet potato fry poutine. Make a mushroom gravy, cook some sweet potato fry wedges tossed in olive oil, salt & pepper and a dash of cinnamon in a 450 degree oven for about 20 minutes, top with cheese curds and gravy, and stuff your face.

Bruschetta. I couldn’t care less that it’s winter, this dish will never be out of season to me. I chop some tomatoes, sweet onion and yellow pepper and marinate them in olive oil, balsamic vinegar and salt & pepper. Then slice some baguette, top with the mixture, add some goat’s cheese and drizzle with some more balsamic vinegar. Then stick it under the broiler for a couple minutes until the bread starts to toast and the cheese starts to sizzle. Eat.

My favourite spinach salad. Spinach, sauteed red onions and mushrooms, fresh tomatoes, green onions, goat’s cheese and raspberry vinaigrette (not pictured, because I’m a silly goose).

Zucchini fritters. Oh man, this is my newest addiction. These things are delicious! And so easy. I roughly use this recipe, but mostly I just shred a zucchini, add an egg and enough flour to make it stick together, sprinkle the mixture with salt and pepper. Then form it into patties with your hands and fry like a pancake in some oil. Top with some sour cream!

Other Things I Tend to Eat

  • Various types of grilled cheese sandwiches: mozzarella and apricot jam, old cheddar and caramelized onions and mushrooms…etc, etc!
  • Perogies served with caramelized onions and sour cream
  • Tostadas with refried beans, sour cream, salsa, guacamole and shredded cheddar
  • Lasagna with zucchini and mushrooms
  • Stir fries with red cabbage, snow peas, tofu, and bean sprouts
  • Frozen pizza, my favourite is this one from President’s Choice – go Blue Menu! :)

I’d Love To Know..

What sorts of things do you eat for dinners? Are you a vegetarian or a meat-eater? What are your favourite go-to meals?  Let me know and give me some inspiration!! I always love to hear from you.

xoxo,

Mom’s Chili + Easiest Scones Ever

October 22, 2010
by Stephanie Pellett
2 min read
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Mm, fall food.

How much are you loving fall?

A lot? A little?

Personally, I find it difficult to disassociate the beautiful autumn weather & fun fall activities from the hell that is midterm season. I resent that though, because fall is my favourite of all the seasons! It’s electric, full of excitement and crunch and unadulterated joy.

One thing that makes fall easier to appreciate, for me, is making delicious fall-like food and consuming it. I do this a lot.

I think my favourite comfort food right now is a big hearty bowl of my mom’s chili with some sour cream and green onions and some biscuits on the side. Mmmm. It’s the perfect food really: easy, healthy, sharable, delicious, keeps for a long time in the fridge :)

So, my fine people, I share with you the deliciousness that is chili in the fall. Enjoy!

 

Mom’s Chili

Makes about 6 servings, depending on how hungry you are.. :)

1.     Chop up 1 onions, 2 stalks celery, 3 garlic, 2 carrots very small

2.     Cover ½ cup of barley (or bulgor wheat!) with 2 cups of water; simmer until barley/bulgor is cooked

3.     Meanwhile, sauté the veggies in olive oil until tender crisp

4.     Add finely chopped pepper and zucchini to the sautéed veggies, sauté until soft (I add diced mushrooms and neglect the zucchini)

5.     Add spices: cinnamon, chili powder, cumin, basil, shake of salt, little pepper, any other spices you might like..

6.     Add a large tin of diced tomatoes

7.     Add some red wine (few tbsp)

8.     Simmer it a while, add drained barley and a rinsed can of kidney beans

9.     Taste! Add salt. Add a little sugar, a bit more cinnamon. Add some ketchup. Taste & repeat if necessary!

10. Simmer on low heat for as long as possible.

11. Serve with a dollop of sour cream and some green onions – YUM!

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Easiest Scones Ever


Follow this link to find the easiest scones of all time..yummo!

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Bon apetit!

Let me know how the recipe turns out, if you try it!

xoxo,

Veggie Pot Pie

September 26, 2010
by Stephanie Pellett
3 min read
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Is it chilly where you are?

It’s on and off around here, but sometimes I don’t notice because around midterm season (yes, for me mid-September is in fact midterm season, I have one on Tuesday..) I tend not to leave my house for hours at a time. Especially on the weekends. Instead, I spend my days indoors, in sweats and a ponytail, studying (to me, this means lecturing aloud while pacing my room and probably annoying my roommate to no end) and occasionally making (what I assume to be) weather-appropriate food.

So, last weekend, when I saw that the weather outside appeared to be frightful, I decided to make a scrumptious favourite in my house: chicken pot pie. Sans chicken.

Before you say it, don’t. This is just as scrumptious and amazing as any artery-clogging meat-filled extravaganza pie and I promise, you’ll love it. It has all the goodness of puff pastry, rich (but not fatty) ‘cream’ sauce and enough mushrooms and peas to make you sing with joy. And, on top of all that, it’s easy as pie. HA!

I used this recipe, but not really. As usual, I observed that recipe, then did it the way I wanted to. :) I’ll tell you what I did!

Vegan Veggie Pot Pie

Serves 6

  • 1 package of frozen puff pastry shells (Tenderflake makes them in a pack of 6)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/2 an onion, diced
  • 2 stalks celery, diced
  • 2 carrots, diced
  • Handful of mushrooms, chopped
  • Approximately 1/2 cup of olive oil
  • 3/4 cup flour
  • Salt & Pepper
  • Soy milk (or regular, if you don’t need it to be vegan)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth (make from those cubes)
  • 1 cup frozen peas (approximately)
  1. Follow the directions on the pastry package to cook them (they should take about 20 minutes).
  2. Saute the onions, garlic, carrots and celery in some olive oil in a pot until they are tender crisp. Add the mushrooms and continue cooking until all the veggies are done.
  3. Put the veggies into another bowl, but don’t get rid of the pot just yet! Whisk together the olive oil and flour until it is nice and thick. Add the salt/pepper to taste, then slowly add the veggie broth and soy milk. Whisk it all together, making sure that the floury mixture doesn’t stick to the sides of the pot.
  4. Add all the veggies back in, and put in the peas. Keep cooking the mixture until the peas are cooked through. Season to taste.
  5. Spoon the mixture into the shells and sprinkle with dried basil (to impress your guests!), and put the little hats on top. :)
  6. Dig in!! YUM. Soul food.

Delish! The only thing I would say is that our version ended up a tiny bit too floury for my liking, but it’s probably because I didn’t add quite the right amount of olive oil. Next time I’ll be sure to be more precise, but if you make this recipe let me know how it turns out for you!

xoxo,

What I Learned in Chemistry

September 22, 2010
by Stephanie Pellett
3 min read
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1. No, telephones and microwaves will not give us cancer! Yay! Here is why: well first of all, my chemistry professor said it so it must be true! And secondly, let us have a look at the electromagnetic spectrum. See how the harmful wavelengths like X-rays and Gamma rays are up in the very small wavelength section? See how microwaves are down low past visible light and close to radio waves? And nobody is freaking out about a lightbulb or a radio, now are they! So there you go. Cell phones and microwaves operate using..you guessed it..microwave radiation. So it’s right snuggled in between the non-harmful wavelengths like radio and visible. Not to worry!

2. If you want fruit to ripen, put it into a paper bag with another fruit that is already ripening. When fruits/veggies ripen, they release a chemical called ethylene, which in turn makes the ripening process faster. Cool!

3. Moisturizer does not provide moisture to your skin! No! I know! It’s insane and ridiculous! What it actually does is help your skin to retain the moisture it already has, by providing a protective layer to stop any moisture from escaping. Therefore, the best moisturizer you could use would be shortening. Ew!! I know. But it’s the thickest! Your skin would be silky smooth.

4. Cracking your knuckles is just pulling nitrogen gas into your joints. It has not been shown to cause arthritis.

Baby Skunks (and gunshots)b
Image by nebarnix via Flickr

5. If your dog is sprayed by a skunk, tomato juice is not the best option! My trusty chem prof says what you should really use is a mixture of hydrogen peroxide (bleach), baking soda and dish soap. This actually neutralizes the smell. He showed us some complicated looking molecular formulas and explained why it neutralizes the smell, but I got bored and stopped paying attention. Here’s a good recipe for de-stinking your doggie!

6. For anyone who drinks tap water (anyone? Is it just me??) if you’ve ever noticed that it is cloudy sometimes – don’t worry! The cloudiness is not because of mineral impurities, it is caused by tiny air bubbles coming out of solution. Sometimes our pipes are a cooler temperature and cool water holds more air than warmer water – so when we bring the water to a slightly warmer environment, some of the air comes out of solution in bubbles. But if you just leave the glass for a minute or so, the extra air should be released and your water will be clear and sparkly!

7. Don’t be fooled by bad marketing claims: if olive oil makes a big bold claim that it has “No Cholesterol!” that’s because CHOLESTEROL DOESN’T COME FROM PLANTS. Only a handful of plants produce any type of cholesterol, and not even the harmful kind. Bad cholesterol comes from animal products. So think of that the next time you get seduced by advertisement: don’t go favouring a certain brand for their lofty claims, or else you’ll look like a dummy. :)

8. What else did I learn in chemistry? That besides interesting factoids and trivia about day-to-day life, I can’t stand the subject. So here, Chemistry, a tribute and a shout-out to your good side. Live long and prosper.

Much love,