Indiana Girl

Mango Stir Fry

2012-01-31T20:47:00.002-05:00

I am not a professional photographer.

I do not have a fancy camera that can take beautiful photos like the ones on foodgawker or pinterest. At least not yet.

I have 2 cameras. A Kodak Easy Share CX7430 that the hubby and I bought on our way down to Disney World on our Honeymoom in 2004. It was the first purchase we made as a married couple. It takes decent photos, when there is good lighting. But it is dying, and sometimes even when it is super bright out the photos come out very dark and grainy. My other camera is my silly iPhone camera. Most of my photos are taken with my iPhone camera.

It is sad though. Cause this recipe really deserves to be on foodgawker or pinterest. So, if you have an awesome camera and take awesome pictures, please make this and share it with the world!

This was an idea I had in my head for about a week... and it was so worth it!

I also am not a good recipe writer because I do not measure when I cook. I cook by sight and smell. My cooking is my artist outlet. But honestly, with this dish, it will still be awesome even if your ingredients are exactly like mine.

Mango Stir Fry
makes 2-4 servings, depending on how hungry you are

1/2 of a really really large red onion, diced*
2/3 of a large red pepper, diced*
12 small - medium sized mushrooms, quartered
2 cups broccoli florets
2 mangoes, cut into bite sized pieces
1 tbsp sesame seeds
1 tsp red pepper flakes (or more if you like it spicy)
black pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
soy sauce (I use SAN-J gluten free tamari)
teriyaki sauce

Saute onion, red pepper and mushrooms in coconut oil until the onions start to become translucent and mushrooms soften.

Add broccoli and saute until broccoli starts to soften and turns bright green.

Move everything to the outside perimeter of your pan and add the sesame seeds, red pepper flakes and black pepper into the center of the pan. Stir them slightly in the center of the pan for about 1-2 minutes. Stir into everything else.

Stir in the mangoes and saute for a minute.

Again move everything to the outside perimeter of the pan and add the garlic to the center and saute for 30 seconds - 1 minute, or until it becomes fragrant.

Mix everything together and turn off the heat. Stir in teriyaki sauce and soy sauce to taste or serve as is with teriyaki sauce and soy sauce on the side.

Serve alongside brown or white rice, or even quinoa.

Isn't it super tasty?!

I wanted to throw in some raw cashews too but I did not have any. I almost cried. But then I remembered there were mangoes in there so all was well. I guess I will just have to make it again with cashews!

*I had equal parts onions and red peppers... about 1 cup of each.

Anatomy of a Grocery Trip 1.7.12

2012-01-07T17:21:00.001-05:00

So... if you wondering what we eat around here... you're about to find out.

From Backyard Produce at the Granger Farmer's Market. cremini mushrooms, spinach, arugula, eggs, onions, green lentils, butternut squash and apples. Thanks Lydia for the awesome produce!!

$23.75... plus I got $5 off because I had purchased her Produce Subscription Voucher... so...

$18.75.

From the grocery store (thats Martin's for you local folks): egg noodles (from Bremen, IN), broccoli, bananas, tortillas, tomatoes, green onions, Hershey's cinnamon chips (please pretend you don't see these guys), avocados, white miso paste and a mixture of artichokes, kalamata olives and little red peppers.
$29.09.

From Down to Earth: Quorn chik'n cutlets & tenders (never had these but they had a coupon so I got them), Gardein crispy tenders and Field Roast mexican chipotle sausages.
They didn't have two of the things I was looking for so I'll have to make a stop at Maple City Market this week since I'm out that way for work.
$20.91.

A total of $73.75 (or $68.75 with the $5 voucher) and I can guarantee you this will get us through for at least 2 weeks. Plus I don't buy cinnamon chips every week (they are for a muffin recipe I'm making this weekend), nor do I buy miso paste every week.

Now, you're probably wondering I do with all this stuff right?

Jennifer's Lentil Balls

2011-12-17T16:35:00.002-05:00

Jennifer's Lentil Balls on Jimmy Johns bread with spinach, provolone cheese, sauteed mushrooms, homemade pizza sauce & homemade pesto. :)

A while back Jennifer e-mailed me her Lentil Ball recipe to give it a whirl. It darn near knocked my socks off and has become a staple in my house. I make mine slightly different from hers, but the genius behind these beauties is all her.

Selina's adaptation of Jennifer's Lentil Balls (vegetarian)
2 cups cooked brown or green lentils
1/2 cup panko bread crumbs
1 small onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
paprika, to taste
basil, to taste
oregano, to taste
thyme, to taste
fennel seed, to taste
s & p, to taste
1 egg

Preheat oven to 450.

Saute the onion in olive oil until translucent. Add garlic & saute for 1 minute. Add to food processor with lentils & spices. Process until most of the lentils are chopped. You may need to scrape down the sides of the processor a few times. If the mixture is super dry add a teeny tiny bit of water, but remember the egg will add moisture. Before adding the egg taste the lentil mixture & add additional spices if necessary. Once you are happy with the seasonings mix in the egg.

I use my melon baller to scoop out the lentil balls & shape with my hands into balls. If you don't have a melon baller or ice cream scooper just shape into golf sized balls. Place on a parchment lined baking sheet & bake for 15 min. Turn balls over & bake another 10 min.

Enjoy these guys in spaghetti, on sub bread or, if you make the balls smaller, enjoy them on pizza! The possibilities are endless!

Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie

2011-11-27T21:50:00.001-05:00

I came up with this recipe last year for Thanksgiving; and made it again this year. It was inspired by/adapted from this recipe at It Ain't Meat Babe.

My apologies for the Christmas themed table cloth, but it is after Thanksgiving so it's okay. :)

Vegan Lentil Shepherd's Pie
1 cup lentils, uncooked
1 bay leaf
3 medium potatoes, cut into chunks
5 cloves of garlic
1 medium onion, sliced and diced
2 medium carrots, sliced and diced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
4 cloves garlic
1 cup mushroom or vegetable broth
1 14.5-15 oz. can diced or crushed fire roasted tomatoes (regular is fine too)
1 tsp rosemary
1 tsp oregano
1 tsp thyme
1 tbsp vegan Worcestershire sauce
A few splashes of liquid smoke
1 tbsp white wine vinegar (red wine vinegar works fine too)
Salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to350.

Cook the lentils inthree cups unsalted water with the bay leaf. This can take anywhere from 10minutes to one hour once the water starts to boil, so you will have to watchthem. Add additional hot water if necessary. Once the lentils are done cooking,drain any excess water, remove the bay leaf and set aside.

Boil the potatoes in water with salt and pepper. This shouldtake 15 – 20 minutes once the water starts to boil. You will know they areready when you can pierce the bigger pieces easily with a fork. Drain anyexcess water and mash with a potato masher until smooth. Add vegan margarineand/or non dairy milk until you reach desired consistency; season with salt andpepper to taste.

Sauté theonions, carrots and mushrooms until tender. Add the garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the broth, tomatoes,herbs, Worcestershire sauce, liquid smoke, vinegar and salt and pepper. Cookfor an additional 10 minutes. Add the cooked lentils and cook until heatedthrough. The mixture should have some liquid, but should not be overly soupy. If it is too soupy, cook longer.

Pour lentil mixtureinto your baking dish and top with the mashed potatoes. The potatoes can betopped with additional pepper and herbs. Bake for 15 - 20 minutes.

Let cool for 5 - 10 minutes before eating.

Some notes:

*If you've got a mushroom hater in your family, and I do, you can omit them from the recipe.

*Since I omitted the mushrooms I added celery, because I had it around, and it was still good. I would have even thrown green beans in there too if I had them.

*I didn't have any Vegan worcestershire this time so I used a soy sauce + balsamic vinegar mix.

*Serve this with Rosemary & Black Pepper Dinner Rolls from here (not vegan).

*This is one of my favorite dishes. It's so satisfyingly good.

J's Tortilla Casserole

2011-11-20T10:02:00.001-05:00

J made himself a tortilla casserole (cause we, for some reason, have an abundance of tortilla chips in the house). It is based off of this recipe but he used ground beef. Sorry there is no photo.

Here is what he did:

Tortilla Casserole (makes about 6 servings)
1 lb. ground beef
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, minced
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 tbsp. minced chipotle peppers in adobo sauce (he likes spicy!), or whatever hot pepper(s) you have
s & p, to taste
1 1/2 cups chicken broth (he actually used my BTB no chicken base + water because that is all we had)
5 cups tortilla chips, broken and smashed up into pieces
1 can fire roasted tomatoes, not drained
1 cup shredded cheese

Preheatoven to 425.

Sautéground beef in a skillet until cooked through. Remove from heat and set aside

Add the oil, onion, garlic,chipotle, salt and pepper to the skillet and cook until fragrant, about 30seconds.

Add broth and scrape off any browned bits, and bring to a simmer.

Stir in half the tortillachips and cook over medium low heat about 10 minutes.

Add the ground beef, tomatoesand ½ cup of the cheese to the skillet. Stir in the other ½ of the tortilla chips until they are incorporated andmoistened.

Transfer to an oiled ornon-stick oven safe casserole dish. Sprinkle the remaining cheese on top and bakeuntil the cheese is melted and browning, about 10 min. Remove from oven and let sit 5 minutes before you dive in.

Some notes:

*The ground beef came from our local farmers as well as the onion.

*J said he wished he would have thought to put mushrooms in this too.

*If you like green or red pepper you could probably add that in with the other chopped veggies as well. Black olives too, although I'd add them in with the tomatoes.

*Vegetarians/Vegans could make this same recipe using black or pinto beans (or a combination of both) in place of the beef and use non-dairy cheese of choice.

*This is a great way to use the bottom of those tortilla chip bags where all the broken pieces live.

Vegan Vegetable and Stars Soup

2011-11-12T18:56:00.001-05:00

This recipe was adapted from/inspired by Isa's Alphabet Soup.

I mostly followed Isa's recipe with a few minor changes to adapt this recipe to my tastes and ingredient availability.

Vegan Vegetable and Stars Soup (makes about 6 servings)
1 tbsp. olive oil
1 small onion, diced
2 stalks celery, leaves removed, sliced into bite sized pieces
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup green split peas, rinsed
1/2 cup baby carrots, sliced into bite size pieces
1 medium potato, cubed into bite size pieces
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
salt & pepper, to taste
1 cup star shaped pasta (or other fun shaped pasta)
7 cups water + 2 tsp. BTB (Better then Bouillon) no chicken base or vegetable base
1 tsp. maple or agave syrup (or honey, for those of you who eat honey)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
1 14.5 oz. can fire roasted diced tomatoes (do not drain)

Preheat a large soup pot over medium heat.

Add olive oil and saute onion and celery in the oil until soft. Add garlic and cook about 1 minute.

Meanwhile mix the 2 tsp. of BTB with 1/2 cup of water. Once onions and celery are soft add BTB water, the remaining 6 1/2 cups of water and the green split peas. Cover and bring to a boil for about 10 minutes.

Add carrots, potatoes, thyme, oregano, salt and pepper. Cover and bring to a boil again. Once boiling turn heat down to a simmer. Add the stars and cook about 10 more minutes until the vegetable are soft and the pasta is cooked.

Add the remaining ingredients and cook for about 5 more minutes.

Turn off heat and let sit for 10-15 minutes before filling your bowl.

Some notes:

*The onion, split peas and potato are from my local farmer Backyard Produce at the Granger Farmer's Market.

*I think the stars make this soup fun and kid friendly. Alphabet Pasta would be fun also as well as character shaped pasta... although there would be nothing wrong with just using plain old pasta.

*Replace the pasta with white or brown rice (or quinoa) and you have got yourself a gluten free bowl of soup!

Enjoy!

HELLO!

2011-11-09T23:20:00.000-05:00

I'm Selina.

I was born and raised, and still live in, northern Indiana.

I live with my husband, J, and our dog & cat in a tiny little home on 3/4 acre.

I am a vegetarian. My husband is not.

I am a gardener (or at least I pretend to be one).

I own every cookbook by Isa Chandra Moskowitz & Terry Hope Romero and will continue to purchase every cookbook they author... because they are awesome!

I am obsessed with foodgawker & tastespotting & just recently discovered findingvegan.

I love to wear knee high patterned socks in the winter and flip flops in the summer.

This is my blog of random whatevers... but mostly cooking and baking because it is my passion.

Enjoy!