Sunday, November 24, 2013

Kale and Pecan Pesto


We love basil pesto in our home, but winter weather limits our ability to put it on everything. Luckily greens are very much in season!

Pestos made from greens instead of herbs have intrigued me for a while so I wasn’t going to start with something cute like arugula or watercress. I went straight for the biggest bad ass in the world of greens, kale. This is possibly the most vegan pesto to ever be pesto-d.

Kale and Pecan Pesto
Adapted from Bonappetit.com
Ingredients:
  • 1 bunch kale, leaves only (no stems or ribs!)
  • 1 garlic clove, smashed
  • 1/4 cup nutritional yeast
  • 1/4 cup raw pecans
  • olive oil
  • juice from half a lemon
  • salt and pepper
1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Drop the kale in the water and blanch for 1-2 minutes, until bright green. Drain and rinse the kale under cold water to stop the cooking process. Wring dry in paper towels.
2. In a food processor process the kale, garlic, nutritional yeast and pecans until the mixture is coarse. With the food processor running add the olive oil in a slow and steady stream until you reach your preferred level of pesto thickness.
3. Add the lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste, and store in the fridge for up to a week.

A very important thing to note! This pesto is (for lack of a sexier term) pungent. It stands to reason that if kale is very pungent – which it is – then kale pesto will be too!

Saturday, November 23, 2013

November Catch Up

Who leaves their blog unattended for 3 weeks?? Seriously, who does that? Just me?

I’ve been filling every minute of my life with work, Thanksgiving and Christmas prep. This time of the year is so consuming! Allow me to share. 

Food for Lovers


We just launched our Gluten Free Vegan Queso! Ya’ll its good. Really really good.

Christmas

We’ve been soaring through Organized Christmas. My favorite “win” so far in Christmas prep is our Christmas cards. I am in love with our Christmas cards! 

I don’t know why my nose looks huge in this image. It looks normal in the cards!

I handmade our cards last year, but I am just not the crafty lady I always hoped I’d be. I knew I wanted something printed, but neither of us wanted to pose for pictures. Thankfully I found Printstagr.am. They take your instagram photos and use them to print cards, calendars, posters, etc. The prices are reasonable and the quality of print is fantastic. I am in no way affiliated with the company – I’m just really happy with their service!

Thanksgiving
We are going to Arizona and I’m freaking out. But I’m also excited. We’re going for a Texas style Thanksgiving to play on our (my) strengths. There will be fluffy biscuits, cream gravy and pecan pie involved. It’s going to be yummy and hopefully well received! 

Austin
It’s like 30 degrees outside! I own 1 sweater and maybe two useful scarves. My eyeballs are cold. And I’m not the only one who is cold. This is what a lot of mornings have been like in our home:


This colder weather means that working out is going to require a lot of inertia! Any suggestions for cold weather workout attire??

XOHV

Tuesday, November 5, 2013

Smokey White Bean Stew with Bacon Seitan

Can you spot me in the spoon? 

October went by so quickly, and I’m excited to move forward into a fantastic November. I actually really love November. It’s the only month where pumpkins and Christmas can intersect! It’s also the month that things finally start to cool down in central Texas. My husband got to wear his new coat last night, and I have been thoroughly enjoying my long socks. More important than the clothing we get to enjoy is the food we get to enjoy. Soups and stews all day all the time!

This White Bean Stew is a good stick-to-your-bones kind of stew. Perfect for cold weeknights when all you want to do is curl up to warm up


Add a side of crusty baguette with Earth Balance if you really want something special!

Smokey White Bean Stew
Adapted from this recipe at TheCozyApron.com
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 1 tablespoon Earth Balance or olive oil
  • 5 oz Upton’s Naturals Bacon Seitan (or any vegetarian bacon)
  • 1 small onion, diced
  • 1 carrot, diced
  • 1 celery stalk, diced
  • 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
  • 1 1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
  • 1 teaspoon dried sage
  • 1 lb dried white beans, cooked (or 6 cups cooked beans or 4 15oz cans)
  • 4 cups vegetable broth
  • 1/2 – 1 teaspoon liquid smoke
1. Heat the Earth Balance in a large pot over medium heat. Add the seitan and cook until browned and slightly crisped. Remove the seitan from the pot leaving as much Earth Balance behind as possible. 
2. Add the onions, carrots and celery to the pot and cook until soft.
3. Add the garlic and herbs to the vegetables and stir until fragrant – about 20 seconds.
4. Add the white beans and broth to the pot and bring the soup to a boil. Turn it down to medium low heat and let it simmer with the lid ajar for 20 minutes.
5. Mash the beans slightly with the back of your spoon and let the soup simmer for 15 more minutes.
6. Stir in the liquid smoke according to your tastes and the reserved bacon seitan. Add salt and pepper to taste.