Kacey Tess

Fried Pickles & Jalepenos with Spicy Garlic Aioli

What you’ll need:
1 container of sliced dill pickle chips strained

1 container of sliced marinated jalepenos strained (we use hot)

1 C of beer (I used blue moon IPA)

2 egg yolks

1 C of unbleached all purpose flour (you may need more to make batter the correct consistency)

1 Tbsp sea salt
1 Tbsp black pepper
1 Tsp hot chili powder (optional)
1 Tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 Tsp season salt

Oil for frying (I use canola)

Spicy Aioli:
1 C Vegan mayo
1/4 C Sriracha (or your favorite hot sauce)
1/2 lemon (juice)
1 Tsp sea salt
1 Tsp black pepper
1 Tsp hot chili pepper
1 Tsp cayenne pepper

Mix all ingredients for aioli together and cover with plastic wrap. Refrigerate for at least one hour before serving.

What you’ll do:
Mix egg yolks and beer together in a large bowl

Add all seasonings and mix well

Add 1 C of flour and check consistency (it needs to be thick enough to stick to the pickles, you can test it by dipping a pickle in and seeing if it coats the pickle and stays coated)

Add more flour if needed

Heat 1-2″ of oil in a skillet over medium

Once the oil is heated add pickles/jalepenos one by one to the batter

Cook until golden brown on both sides

Remove from oil and place on a plate with a paper towel.

If your oil ever starts smoking it is too hot or you need oil with a higher smoking point

Plate with the spicy aioli and enjoy!!!

Whole Wheat Pasta Salad

What you’ll need:

1 package of whole wheat penne pasta
1/4 C shredded Parmesan cheese
1/2 bottle of low fat Greek salad dressing (or Italian)

1/2 package of cherry tomatoes halved
1 cucumber peeled and chopped
1 can of black beans drained and rinsed

Sea salt
Black pepper
Onion powder
Red pepper flakes (optional)

What you’ll do:
Cook pasta according to directions
Strain pasta and rinse with cold water until cool

Add salad dressing and cheese
Mix thoroughly
Add tomatoes and cucumbers
Mix well
Add beans and stir well

Season to taste with sea salt, black pepper, onion powder and red pepper flakes (dried)

Enjoy!!!

Cold Undon Noodle Salad

What you’ll need:
1 package of dry Undon noodles
1 bottle of soy or miso dressing of choice

1 yellow tomato (if available, if not red) cut thinly

5 cherry tomatoes chopped
1 carrot chopped
1/4 package of bean sprouts
1/4 package of snap peas
Any other veggies you have in the fridge

What you’ll do:
Cook Undon noodles according to directions on the package (normally boil for 8 minutes)

Rinse noodles in cold water

Transfer the noodles into the serving dish

Combine miso dressing with noodles

Add all veggies and mix thoroughly

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour

Enjoy!!

1/2 container of cherry tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes
1 TBSP olive oil
2 garlic cloves chopped
1/2 TBSP Italian seasoning or to taste
1/2 white onion
1/2 container of sliced mushrooms
2 Cups if broccoli florets
1 package of whole wheat linguine

What you do:

Heat olive oil over medium and add garlic and olives, cook for about 5 minutes until onions start turning translucent

Add diced tomatoes and Italian seasoning

Lower heat and simmer for 10-15 minutes

Cook pasta according to instructions on box (normally for al dente pasta boil for 7 minutes then drain)

Strain pasta, add a small amount of olive oil to noodles to prevent them from sticking

Add pasta sauce to pasta

Enjoy!!!

Buffalo Cauliflower

What you’ll need:

1 head of cauliflower chopped
1/2 C buttermilk
1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1/2 bottle of Frank’s Hot Sauce

What you do:
Heat oven to 350

Combine flour and buttermilk together in a large bowl

Add cauliflower and mix thoroughly

Spread cauliflower out evenly on a lined baking sheet

Bake for 20-25 minutes until crispy

Take out of oven, pour hot sauce on, and mix thoroughly

Return to oven and bake for an additional 10 minutes

Enjoy!!!

Greek Salad

What you’ll need:

Mixed greens
1/4 red onion sliced
Marinated artichoke hearts (3-4)
Olives (green, kalamata, ect)
Marinated peppers
Marinated white beans
1 tomato chopped

Dressing:
1/4 Cup Red wine vinegar
1/2 lemon (juiced)
1 TBSP olive oil
Sea salt to taste
Ground black pepper to taste

What you do:
Combine all salad ingredients

Combine all dressing ingredients

Pour on salad and enjoy!!!!!

Veggie Pizza with Pesto Sauce

What you’ll need:

Crust:
For the crust my good friend Jenny gave me the best whole wheat dough recipe you can find on a previous blog post. If you prefer you can buy a pre-made whole wheat pizza crust (that’s what I used tonight, it was brand Boboli)

Pesto:
You can buy pre-made pesto or I simply combined arugula, olive oil, garlic, salt, pepper and a squeeze of lemon juice in my food precessor. I didn’t happen to have pine nuts on hand but if you do, add a few in for an even heartier pesto.

Toppings:
Kalamata olives
Green olives
White onion cut thinly
Jalapeno cut thinly
Canned arktichoke hearts
Cherry tomatos halved and seasoned with salt, pepper and dried parsley
Canned pickled beets chopped finely

What you’ll do:

Preheat oven to 450

Cover pizza crust with pesto, olives, onion, arktichoke, jalepeno

Bake at 450 for 8-10 minutes until crust is crispy

Remove from oven and add tomatoes, beets and season with salt to taste

Enjoy!!!

Chive Muffin

What you’ll need:
1 1/2 C unbleached all purpose flour
1 1/2 C whole milk at room temp
3 eggs at room temp
1 1/4 TSP sea salt
1/4 package fresh chives (about 2 TBSP chopped)

What you’ll do:

Heat oven to 450

Spray muffin pan with non stick spray

Wisk together 3 room temp eggs (if cold place in warm water for about 10 min) and room temp milk (heat in microwave for about 40 seconds or until warm if cold) until frothy

Add salt and flour and wisk for another 1-2 minutes

Add Chives and mix thoroughly

Pour mixture into muffin pan, filling each cup about 3/4 of the way full

Place on bottom rack in oven

Bake for 15 minutes, reduce heat to 350 and bake for another 20 minutes or until golden brown

Enjoy!!

I found this recipe in the November issue of Martha Stewart Living and loved it!

Vegetable Soup with Vegan Sausage

What you’ll need:

1/4 C extra virgin olive oil
1 Leek chopped (only use the white and light green part of the leek, cut length wise then in
1/4 inch strips)
3 Celery stalks chpped
3 cans of beans, whatever you prefer (I used black, pinto and kidney) drained and rinsed
1 Box of vegetable stock
1 TBSP soy sauce
1 TSP red pepper flake
1 TSP cayenne pepper (you can leave out if you don’t like spice)
1 TSP sea salt or to taste
1 TSP ground black pepper or to taste
1 TSP ground coriander
Chives to garnish (fresh and chopped)
2 Links of vegan italian sausage cut into bite size pieces

What you do:
In a large pot heat olive oil over medium heat
Add chopped leeks and cook for about 5 minutes until soft
Add all spices and continue cooking for another 1-2 minutes
Add vegan sausage, brown both sides
Add vegetable stock, beans and soy sauce
Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for about 10-15 minutes uncovered
Taste and adjust seasoning if needed
Add chopped celery and cook for an additional 5 minutes
Spoon into a bowl carefully and add chives on top
Chive muffin goes great with this, see my blog post for recipe

Enjoy!!

Veggie Pad Thai

Vegan Pad Thai

What you’ll need:
1 package of brown rice noodles
2 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
3 garlic cloves chopped finely
1 shallot chopped finely
1/4 head of cabbage chopped finely
1 Cup of sugar snap peas cut in half
4-5 radishes cut finely
1-2 TBSP Sriracha (use more to make it more spicy or leave out if you don’t like spice)
Fresh cilantro (use as garnish)
1/2 lime quartered (for garnish)

1/3 Cup vegetable stock
3 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1/2 lime (juice)
3 TBSP brown sugar
2-3 TBSP fish sauce (can be found in the asian section of your grocery store)
1-3 TSP cayenne pepper (use to taste)
1 TSP black pepper

What you do:

Heat a pot of water until boiling
Add brown rice noodles to boiling water, turn the burner off and let noodles sit 5-9 minutes until soft

Drain and rinse noodles with cold water (this will help prevent them from sticking)
Set aside

In a bowl mix:
1/3 Cup vegetable stock
3 TBSP rice wine vinegar
1/2 lime (juice)
3 TBSP brown sugar
2-3 TBSP fish sauce (can be found in the asian section of your grocery store)
1-3 TSP cayenne pepper (use to taste)
1 TSP black pepper
Set aside

Heat a skillet over medium and add olive oil, shallot and garlic and cook for about 3 minutes

Add cabbage and Sriracha and mix thoroughly, let cook for 1-2 minutes

Add rinsed noodles and pad thai sauce you already mixed

With two forks continuously mix noodles and sauce until completely absorbed

When sauce is completely absorbed into noodles fold in peas, radishes and/or any other veggies you like

After you plate the noodles top with fresh cilantro and place one quartered lime on plate

Enjoy!!