It’s almost Memorial Day! One of my favorite weekends of the year as it means summer is OFFICIALLY here. While summer has been here for a while for me, it’s the time of year when everyone gets outside & fires up the grill.
I’ve never been abroad for an American holiday before, not sure if it will feel any different or if I will miss celebrating. I do know that I will miss a good cookout. Besides a pool or beach day, there are few things in life that are more summery to me than a BBQ.
Whatever your plans are this weekend, make sure there is good food involved, k?
Are you excited for 50+ healthy cupcake recipes being posted today? Thank you Recipe Redux!
Today I am sharing with you one of my favorite cupcake flavors, Lemon Chia Poppyseed cupcakes.
I know that technically, citrus is a winter fruit but for some reason the smell of lemon always makes me thing of spring. I was gifted a huge bag of fresh lemons from a neighbors tree and thought these muffins would be the perfect way to use them up.
Because when life hands you lemons…. you make Lemon Chia Cupcakes!
The Life of Pi movie was slightly better than the book.
This pot-pie is head and shoulders better than a traditional pot-pie.
This month’s Recipe Redux theme: A healthy recipe inspired by this year’s Oscar Picks.
With so many options to choose from, it was hard to pick just one. This Life of Pi imagined dish combines a literal pie with a hearty, Indian filling.
Or as I like to call is: Samosa Pot Pie.
Spicy, hearty filling of peas, potatoes, cauliflower, and carrots topped with a flaky whole-wheat crust.
And much healthier than traditional pie, to boot.
Anyone that knows me understands that Oscar night is a big deal in our house.
I can’t remember when we first started betting on picks, but it’s become quite the tradition, one we look forward to for weeks. The day of the Oscars BL and I bet on various categories, one picking a winner the other taking the field, to up the ante while watching the festivities.
We have some pretty fun prizes: car wash, cleaning the bathroom, dinner out, massage…
I guess this is what a competitive couple does for fun?
But what would a night of gambling be without a spread of delicious food?
We each usually bring 2-3 items that we can snack on: dips, desserts, my Oscar star cookies, and of course champagne!
Because that’s exactly what a competitive couple who also loves food does for fun.
This year, I am going to bring these. A fun twist on my favorite appetizer, the samosa, baked into a miniature pot pie.
We already established that mini versions of our favorite foods were better than the original, and this pie is no exception.
However you celebrate Oscar night, be sure to check out all of the Oscar-inspired recipes in the Redux Roundup below.
Cross your fingers that I win!
Indian Pot-Pie
Whole Wheat Pie-Crust:
3-4 Tbsp Ice Water
1/3 cup Unsalted Earth Balance Shorting Sticks, chilled
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
Place flour and salt into a mixing bowl. Using a pastry beater, mix together the flour and salt. Drop small peices of butter into the bowl, one at a time and mix until small peas of dough form, Add water, one tablespoon at a time until dough forms. Form dough into a ball and press each into a disc shape. Wrap plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.
Pot Pie Filling:
2 tbsp. coconut oil (or other oil)
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1/2 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup chopped carrots
1 cup chopped cauliflower
2 yukon gold potatoes, chopped
1 tbsp. freshly grated ginger
3 tsp. curry powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 tsp. ground mustard
3/4 cup green peas
1 tbsp. agave nectar (or other liquid sweetener)
1 small lime, juiced
1 tbsp. Earth Balance butter, melted
1 tbsp. soymilk
salt, to taste
Heat coconut oil over medium heat. Add onion and minced garlic. Cook, stirring often, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the cubed potatoes and 3/4 cup vegetable broth. Bring heat to medium-high and cook until potatoes are tender, about 10-15 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash potatoes until they resemble chunky mashed potatoes.
Add the carrots, cauliflower and spices. Add the remaining vegetable broth and simmer for 15 minutes until thickened. Add agave nectar, lime juice, and frozen peas. Stir together. Season with salt, to taste.
Place filling into greased ramekins or pie plate.
Roll the dough out until ~1/2″ thick. If using a pie plate, place the dough on top and crimp the edges. If using individual ramekins, cut a circle slightly larger than the ramekin. Place on top and crimp the edges with a fork until sealed.
Make a small X on top to let steam escape. Combine the melted butter and soy milk. Lightly brush tops with the butter-milk mixture.
Happy Monday! Hope you all are enjoying your three-day weekend. I love weekends most when they are a combination of both productive and relaxing.
Saturday was very productive for us. Started out with a nice, long run around the city and spent the rest of the afternoon finalizing our lodging for Europe. We are still trying to figure out where to stay in Paris & Venice so if you have any ideas or suggestions,please let me know.
Sunday was a bit more relaxing, baking a bit in the morning and then hanging out with friends for the afternoon and evening. I am really looking forward to using today to finish running errands and prep meals for the week.
I can’t believe it’s already time for January’s Recipe Redux! I feel like only a week ago we were celebrating the holidays, and now it’s almost February.
This month’s theme is: “A Trend in Every Pot”, combing 2013 food trends in everyone’s favorite winter dish, soup!
I love reading all the predicted food and restaurant trends for 2013. I am happy to see that there is more of an emphasis on vegetables, especially vegetarian and vegan cuisine. Restaurants, if you’re listening- keep bringing on the inventive vegan fare. Nothing is more boring that pasta and red sauce or a grilled vegetable sandwich. Get crazy!
If 2012 was the year of Kale, then 2013 is slated to be the year of cauliflower. Great! Bring it on. I love cauliflower, whether it’s placed into tacos, pureed as a creamy base, roasted and tossed with pasta, it’s all good. Remember when mashed cauliflower became all the rage? My mom was on the south beach kick for a few years, and we ate a ton of mashed cauliflower. Ever since then I realized that cauliflower is so much more than a steamed side dish.
My favorite way to enjoy it is roasted with curry powder. You were warned that I’ve been on an indian kick lately, and thought it would be the perfect partner for this dish.
Roasted, spiced cauliflower, onions and shallots pureed with almond milk, more spice, and topped with sunflower seeds and cilantro.
The thing I most love about this soup? While it feels and looks like a heavy cream soup, it’s actually very light. Perfect for a light lunch, paired with a sandwich, or served as an appetizer for a fancy dinner, this soup will definitely be on trend for 2013.
Preheat the oven to 400°F. Combine chopped cauliflower, potatoes, olive oil, onion, garlic, and 2 tsp. curry powder together. Place ingredients onto a roasting or baking pan. Cook for 30 minutes.
Add all ingredients into a soup pot and add cover with almond milk. Place over medium heat and cook for 30 minutes until potatoes are fork tender.
Using an immersion blender or high-powered blender, puree the vegetables, almond milk, reserved curry powder, and salt/pepper.
Heat a dry skillet over medium heat. Add the sunflower seeds and cook, stirring often so they don’t burn.
Garnish soup with chopped cilantro and sunflower seeds.
