Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

During my most recent trip to Texas, we decided to skip our usual outing to Rudy's Barbecue and try something different by going to Black's Barbecue in Lockhart (which, we later learned, has been declared the official barbecue of Texas by the state legislature.)

 

As a vegetarian, barbecue obviously isn't my favorite thing in the world. But I fell in love with Black's as soon as I tried their delicious black-eyed peas, and I came home determined to recreate them. I think this recipe came pretty close.

 (source)

Spicy Black-Eyed Peas

 (adapted from this recipe)

•  6 cups of water or veggie broth (I used water + 1 tsp of Penzey's vegetable soup base)
• 1 pound dried black-eyed peas, rinsed and sorted
• 1 large onion, diced
• 3 cloves garlic, diced
• 1 red bell pepper, diced
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 tsp smoked paprika (the original recipe called for bacon and ham, so it's important to use smoked paprika here to mimic the smokey flavor of the meat)
• 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
• 2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

Put everything in a slow cooker and cook on low for 6 hours, or until the beans are soft. Add more salt and pepper if desired. This is good as a side dish or on its own with some crusty bread or over greens.

Enjoy!

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banana soft serve

Although I'm working on becoming a healthier eater, there is one habit I can't break: I need want dessert after every.single.meal. Obviously, it would not be very good for me to eat chocolate or ice cream or cupcakes after every meal (I'm not one of those people who can eat, like, 10 m&ms and be satisfied. Do those people seriously even exist? I'm skeptical.) So, I'm working on finding healthyish alternatives to satisfy my sweet tooth. And this amazingly easy recipe is one of them.

Homemade Banana Soft Serve

(source)

Ingredients:

Frozen bananas.

...

Seriously, that's it. 

Take frozen bananas (I peel and chop them into 2-inch chunks before freezing), toss them in a food processor, and process them until they're creamy. 

Top with chocolate syrup if you'd like (I highly recommend this step). 

Eat and enjoy!

(source)

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Mojito Quinoa

Everyone loves a mojito, right? How about a tasty, healthy meal with all the flavors of a mojito? That, I believe, is what they call a win-win.

Mojito Quinoa
adapted from food-fitness-fresh air

 

1 c. quinoa
1 c. fresh or frozen peas
1 avocado, chopped
juice of 1 lime
small handful fresh mint, chopped
smaller handful fresh basil, chopped

cayenne pepper to taste (start with just a dash)
salt and pepper to taste
hot sauce to taste (I added about 1/2 tsp.)

Cook the quinoa and the peas (separately) according to package directions. Chop the avocado, place in a large mixing bowl and sprinkle with salt. Add the lime juice, mint and basil, and the peas and quinoa. Add cayenne, salt and pepper, and hot sauce, mix well, and garnish with a couple of mint leaves if you're feeling fancy.

 Somehow, I managed to add the perfect amounts of all of the spices, including my husband's crazy person hot sauce, and this turned out to be a slightly spicy, flavorful, DELICIOUS dinner. So delicious that I meant to save some for lunch today and ended up eating it all. oops.

Enjoy!

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Avocado Pasta

Last night, an interfriend tweeted about the relative price of avocados depending on where you buy them - specifically, that they're crazy cheap (and delicious) in California and ridiculously expensive here in the Midwest. To which I say: NOT FAIR

So if any of you are reading this from California (OFFLS, I'm looking at you), you need to make this right now. It's super easy, full of healthy fats, and it is DELICIOUS. 

Avocado Pasta

adapted from oh she glows

1 ripe avocado
juice of 1 small lemon
garlic to taste (I used 3 cloves)
small handful fresh basil (I used thai basil, but any will do)
salt and pepper to taste
2 tbsp olive oil, plus more if necessary
1/4 c. frozen peas
the 2 green beans that your garden has managed to produce (oh, is that just me?)
pasta
parmesan or other Italian cheese

Cook your pasta of choice with the peas and beans. While that is cooking, put everything else into a food processor and process until smooth, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula and adding more olive oil if necessary. Drain the pasta and toss with the avocado mixture. Top with a sprinkle of cheese and ground pepper. Eat and enjoy!

I always take blog photos with a ladylike amount of food in my giant bowls, and then heap much more on once I've taken a good picture. and then I usually go back for more. please don't judge me.

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Southwestern Quinoa

When I first became a vegetarian, I was ill-prepared, to say the least. I had no idea what constituted healthy eating, so I spent the first few months of my new veg life eating tater tots and cheese. Lots and lots of cheese. This did not end well. So I began to explore clean eating and gradually learned how to make the most of a plant-based diet, learning about new foods and picking up new techniques along the way.

Even though I've been vegetarian for almost three years now, I'm still learning, and am always striving to find ways to make my diet healthier and more fulfilling. Recently, I added quinoa to my repertoire, and as with the chickpeas, lentils, and green monsters that came before it, thought "why haven't I been eating this forever???"

Quinoa is super easy, super delicious, and super healthy (I know, I should totally be a food writer). After painstakingly following a few quinoa recipes, I realized that an established recipe isn't really even necessary for most simple dishes. So I threw caution to the wind and came up with my own.

Southwestern Quinoa
1 cup quinoa
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup frozen corn
1 green pepper, chopped
1 lime, juiced
1 tbsp taco seasoning (I was out of taco seasoning so I used a Mrs. Dash chipotle seasoning that had been in my cupboard for approximately forever)
dash cayenne pepper
shredded cheese

Cook the quinoa according to package directions. When finished, transfer it to a big bowl. In the same pot, cook the black beans in half of the lime juice. Cook the corn according to package directions. Chop the pepper. Add all ingredients together with the remaining lime juice and the spices. Mix well.  Top with shredded Mexican cheese, serve and enjoy!

what other healthy foods do I need to try?

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Strawberry Basil Iced Tea

One of my favorite things about Pinterest is that it helps me manage my Internet ADD. Normally, I scroll through blogs and websites quickly, and when I see something I like, I think "oh, I'll totally remember where I found this!" Well, of course, I don't, and after several frustrating minutes of searching through my web history, I usually just give up. But with Pinterest, I just hit "pin" and it saves to my boards. Easy as pie.

Anyway, the point of this long story is this: today, I was flipping through Martha Stewart iced tea recipes (yes, she has a whole slideshow of JUST iced tea recipes) and I came across one that I knew I needed to make for our barbecue tonight. I pinned it, and came back to it a few hours later. And I'm glad I did, because it is DELICIOUS. Slightly labor intensive, but so worth it.

Strawberry Basil Iced Tea

adapted from Martha Stewart

8 black tea bags

4 + 1 cups water

1 pound strawberries, halved

2/3 c sugar (more or less to taste)

1 cup fresh basil

Place tea bags in a pitcher and bring four cups of water to a boil. Pour hot water over tea bags and steep for at least five minutes.

Stir together sugar and remaining one cup of water together in a saucepan until the sugar dissolves.

Bring the mixture to a boil. As soon as it boils, remove from heat and add the basil. Cover and steep for 10 minutes.

Place strawberries in a medium bowl. Strain the basil mixture into the bowl, pressing on the basil in the colander to squeeze all the basil flavor into the mixture. Stir the strawberries and let stand for about 20 minutes.

After removing the tea bags, pour the strawberry mixture into the pitcher with the tea and stir. Serve over ice.

Enjoy!

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