Vegan Mac and Cheese

I am so behind on my blog. Isn't that what every blogger says? I have had about 5 million blog post ideas in the last month and the only thing I have done is tweet about stuff on Twitter.

Without further ado I bring you, my attempt at the Vegan Mac and Cheez from Oh She Glows! Her website and recipe here.

First off, the ingredients list. Her recipe calls for garlic and onion powder. We used the real thing (what we used in parenthesis) but I think ultimately powder will work better to blend into the cheese sauce. Since I like chunky salsa, pasta sauces, etc I didn't mind the texture at all (as a matter of fact we added mushrooms) but I think a more uniform flavor would also come out of using the powder as well.
We also used olive oil to saute the mushrooms onions and garlic, and left out the Earth Balance. I think it would add to the creamier, buttery flavor but we don't use butter in this house so I have changed that to straight up oil for sauteing.

Ingredients:
    •    1.5 cup unsweetened, unflavoured almond milk (or more as needed to thin out)
    •    12 tbsp nutritional yeast (LOVE this stuff!)
    •    olive oil
    •    2 tbsp all purpose flour (or other flour)
    •    4 tsp Dijon mustard
    •    1/2 tsp garlic powder (or 4 cloves)
    •    1/2 tsp onion powder (or one onion)
    •    salt & freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. In a skillet or pot, heat oil, onion, garlic.
2. In a medium sized bowl, whisk together the flour and milk until all clumps are gone. Add dijon mustard.
3. Add mushrooms and saute until softened. 
4. Add milk & flour mixture and nutritional yeast to pot and whisk well. Reduce heat to low-medium.
5. Add salt and pepper  (and your garlic/onion powder if that is what you are using using) to taste and whisk frequently until the sauce thickens, about 5 minutes. If it’s still too thin you can add more flour to achieve the thickness you desire.

We are really pleased with the way it turned out: creamy texture, that lovely cheesy quality of the nutritional yeast, and we were still carbing it up with the pasta shells but nutritional yeast has lots of protein (9 grams in 3 rounded tablespoons) so I feel awesome about that!

Next time I'm going to roast some shiitakes (tastes like bacon!) and use that instead of the sauteed mushrooms. Vegan bacon mac and cheese!

And voila, the finished product:

Slow Roasted Salmon with Fennel, Citrus, and Chiles (Bon Appetit)

Hello! This recipe is straight out of Bon Appetit. I thought it was wonderful and fresh. We are ready for summer.

Ingredients:
1 medium fennel bulb, thinly sliced
1 blood or navel orange, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 Meyer or regular lemon, very thinly sliced, seeds removed
1 red Fresno chili or jalapeno, with seeds, thinly sliced
4 sprigs dill, plus more for serving
Salt
Pepper
1 2-lb skinless salmon fillet, preferably center cut
3/4 cup olive oil

Note: Since this serves 6 we decided to half the recipe. We stuck with the same citrus and fennel ingredients and still used a whole jalapeno though we removed half the seeds for our 1 lb of salmon.

The bright and beautiful base for our salmon.

Directions:
Preheat oven to 275. Toss fennel, orange slices, lemon slices, chile, and 4 dill sprigs in a shallow 3 qt baking dish; season with salt and pepper. Season salmon with kosher salt and place on top of fennel mixture. Pour oil over.
Roast until salmon is just cooked through (the tip of a knife will slide through easily and flesh will be slightly opaque), 30-40 minutes for medium rare.
Trasnfer salmon to a platter, breaking in to large pieces as you go. Spoon fennel mixture and oil from baking dish over; discard dill sprigs. Season with salt and pepper and top with fresh dill sprigs.

We found some fabulous fresh caught salmon for our dish.

The final product.

Winter Vegetable and Spelt Soup

As was the recipe posted just before this post, this recipe is from a Family Circle magazine. I ripped the page out and it doesn't say what month/year anywhere on it and when I tried to look it up on Family Circle's website I was asked to join it to view the information. So...I will give them as much credit as I can. I do not know the issue date of the magazine.
This is a hearty winter soup with quite a bit of surprising sweetness from the squash and carrots. This utilizes the ancient grain spelt. Spelt originated "in the Near East more than 8,000 years ago." It is a "relative of durum wheat," "chewy and nutty, making it perfect for soups and pilafs." Enjoy!

Ingredients:

1 cup spelt
1 tbsp olive oil
3 links (3 oz each) sweet Italian sausage, casings removed (NOTE: We used veggie sausage, and not Tofurkey. I'll go back and look at the brand we bought and update the blog later. I am not a fan of fake meats in general as I don't like texturized soy protein, soy protein isolate, etc) This brand did not include those ingredients. I used the pack of four sausage links.
2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash (cut into 1 inch pieces) (we utilized pre-cut squash from our grocery, life saver!)
1.5 cups peeled and sliced carrots cut into one inch pieces
1.5 cups peeled and sliced parsnips cut into one inch pieces
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
4 cups low-sodium chicken broth (NOTE: we used vegetable broth!)
3/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

Directions:

*Soak spelt in cold water OVERNIGHT. Drain and set aside.*

In a large lidded pot, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add sausage, breaking up with a wooden spoon. Cook 8 to 10 minutes, until browned. Stir in butternut squash, carrots, parsnips, onion, garlic, and thyme. Cook 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broth, 1 cup water, and spelt. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, covered, for 30 minutes or until spelt is tender. Stir in salt and pepper.

Cooking the veggies and "sausage" first.

Adding the broth before allowing it to simmer.

The finished product! We are making this again on Thursday. As I stated before, hearty, sweet, warming...perfect for all the snow we've been having!

Wild Mushroom Farro Risotto (Farrotto)

This recipe is from a Family Circle magazine, I ripped the page out and it doesn't say what month/year anywhere on it and when I tried to look it up on Family Circle's website I was asked to join it to view the information. So...I will give them as much credit as I can. I do not know the issue date of the magazine.

That being said: This recipe is totally for all the mushroom lovers out there! It was part of an article on ancient grains, this grain being Farro, a "variety of wheat popular in Italy" that "works well in casseroles and stews."

Ingredients:

1 cup farro
1 32 oz box organic mushroom broth
2 tbsp unsalted butter (NOTE: we just used olive oil and the directions will be edited to show this)
1 tbsp olive oil (See note above, we just used a lot more olive oil)
1 lb wild mushrooms, sliced
3 shallots diced (about 1/2 cup)
1 tbsp chopped fresh thyme
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup chopped parsley (plus more for garnish)
1/2 tsp salt
1/8 tsp black pepper
2 ox soft goat cheese, crumbled (optional - and we did not use it)

Directions:



*Soak farro in cold water for 30 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a lidded pot heat broth and 2 cups water.*   NOTE: I used only one cup of water and was going to add more towards the end if needed. It was not. Food cooks differently at altitude.

In a large saute pan, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil over medium high heat. Add mushrooms. Cook 10 minutes, stirring a couple of times. Mix in remaining olive oil, the shallots, and thyme. Cook 3 minutes. Stir in drained farro and wine. Cook 3 minutes.

Reduce heat to medium. Pour in 1/2 cup of the heated broth; cook until mostly evaporated. Add remaining broth in 1/2 cup increments until farro is tender, 30-40 minutes. Stir in parsley, salt, and pepper. Top with goat cheese, if desired.

Ta da!

Cooking down the mushrooms, shallots, and thyme. This part smelled so good!

The finished farro.

One for the mushroom lovers; we ate it all!

Montanas! Boarding, Booze, and Pasta

Happy February! The last little bit of January J and I spent enjoying friends, the great, outdoors, and good hooch. Doesn't get much better than that!

A hometown friend of mine and her significant other have been living in Colorado for some time. At one point they lived just a short walk down the street from us, which I really miss. On to bigger and better things, though! They recently relocated to Breckenridge, CO. Now, not only do we get to visit and hang out with them and their adorable furry friends (a cat and a dog), but we have snowboarding buddies as well! (Note: J has snowboarding buddies, I've taken this year off.)

J and I decided to drive up after a trip and in a little bit of weather and stay for two nights for two days of snowing and exploring the Breckenridge area. Unfortunately all the snowboarding pictures are on this app for people with passes to the mountain so I currently don't have access to them, but I was able to take a few shots of the stunning scenery nearby.

Apres-ski drinks (and mid-ski drinks!) were a theme. Winter Whiskey, Hot Buttered Rum, Spiked Hot Cocoa and Irish Coffees for the latter, and a visit to Breckenridge Brewery for the former.

Breckenridge Brewery is a small but pretty awesome place. The tour was very short and at the end we were able to try half ounce samples of their bourbon whiskey, vodka, and a bitters. All were fantastic! We also found out you can volunteer to bottle for four hours after-hours and they feed you, give you shots, and you can take home any bottle of your choosing for free. This is a big win for the volunteers. If I lived in town I would be there. A lot.

Next time we visit (we still have two days left on J's 4-pack) we plan on doing some bottling as well. Also, congrats to Breckenridge Brewery for being noted in the newest issue of 5280 for your bourbon whiskey, although I loved the vodka just as much and was even more fond of the bitters.

One of the reasons we didn't stay to volunteer that night is that we had already bought dinner stuff and decided to cook back at the apartment. It's a simple dish that I make that doesn't require a whole lot of prep, just some olive oil, garlic, onion, marinated mushrooms, roasted red peppers, kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, a bit of fresh basil, salt and pepper to taste, and (honestly) whatever else you wish to throw in there.

Cook the pasta and while that's happening cook the garlic and onions in some olive oil. You can be generous since essentially the olive oil is your sauce. Throw in all the veggies and cook until heated through. Add the pasta and veggies together. Plate. Garnish with fresh basil and add some salt and pepper. Voila! Easy and simple, yes, but also very flavorful. Bonus if served with bread (carb-load!) and an olive oil/balsamic dip (with some rosemary, oregano, and black pepper sprinkled on top).

;)

The view coming back over Swan Pass from Keystone to Breck.

Coming over Swan Mountain Road was this gorgeous view from the area of Sapphire Point. (The same view as in this post in the spring, 8th picture down http://littletleigh.blogspot.com/2013/05/breckenridge-to-almost-copper-mountain.html)

On the Breckenridge Brewery tour! Tasting room!

You were simply surrounded by lots of gorgeous barrels and lights. Possibly too of my favorite things.

Pasta. Writing this post is making me crave it.

A-Basin.

Salmon with Black Bean Mango Salsa and Asparagus

J has been having a good ol' time utilizing his new grill he bought so that we could cook our food camping in the midst of a fire ban. Last night we made grilled salmon with Black Bean Mango Salsa (a rehash of this recipe) and grilled asparagus, simply done with olive oil, lemon, salt and pepper.

The simpler salsa consisted of a can of black beans, rinsed; one mango, diced; a small red onion, chopped; a jalapeno, deseeded* and chopped. Throw those all together and allow to sit while cooking other aspects of the dish. At the end salt and pepper to taste and voila! I actually liked it better, but it was less of a "salsa" type accompaniment.

*Depends on how spicy you would like your dish to be.

Lentil Salad

I am not sure in which magazine or in what city I found it, but there was an article about Mark Bittman, a person who apparently writes cookbooks. His new book is about eating a plant based diet at least until dinner time. This recipe was provided to whet your appetite. And it was tasty...

Ingredients: 

1 TBSP Dijon mustard

2 TBSP any wine or sherry vinegar

4 TBSP olive oil

1 tsp salt + more to taste

Black pepper to taste

4 cups canned lentils, drained

3 large, ripe tomatoes, chopped

1 large cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 cup chopped carrots

1 cup chopped celery

1/2 cup chopped red onion

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley or dill (we used dill) 

Directions: 

Mix mustard, vinegar, oil, salt, and pepper in a large bowl with 2 tablespoons water; whisk until well combined. 

Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and toss until coated with dressing. Season to taste. (We actually added a little more Dijon!) 

Spring Vegetable Penne (Thyme, Mushrooms, Garlic, Peas, Asparagus)

This recipe is taken from the May 2013 issue of Cooking Light and modified for our non-dairy, vegetarian diet purposes.

Olive oil
3/4 cup chopped sweet onion (like Vidalia)
1 4-oz package of presliced mushrooms
1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme
1 garlic clove, minced
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2  cup low sodium vegetable broth
1/2 cup pureed soft tofu (instead of half-and-half)
3/4 cup frozen green peas
3 tablespoons shaved Parmesan cheese (divided) (we omitted this, but will note in recipe)
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
8 ounces of uncooked penne
1 pound of asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
Salt to taste

1. Heat skillet over medium-high heat and add oil. Add onion and mushrooms and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Add thyme and garlic; saute 1 minute. Sprinkle mizture evenly with flour and cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly. Stir in broth and pureed tofu; cook two minutes or until slightly thickened. Add peas, 2 tablespoons cheese (omitted in ours), lemon rind, juice, salt and pepper); cook 1 minute or until peas are thoroughly heated.
2. Cook pasta according to package. During the last three minutes of cooking add the asparagus to pasta. Drain. Add pasta mixture to mushroom mixture, tossing to coat. Sprinkle with remaining cheese, if desired.

This was our very first summer porch meal! It was Memorial Day and as we ate and enjoyed our wine we noticed the beautiful sunset. Soon we noticed a bright "star" in the sky. We figured it was a planet and saw another appear to the left of it. And then another appear above it. It was still kind of bright out for there to be stars but it was odd to see what we thought were three planets so close together so I Googled and guess what? They were three planets!
Apparently there had been a very close triple conjunction between Jupiter, Mercury and Venus the night before. The last time this happened was in May 2011 and the next time will be October 2015.
What we were seeing was Venus (the brightest), Jupiter (to the left of Venus), and Mercury (the one that was above Venus). We were so lucky to have noticed what we were seeing.

Red Wine Mushrooms, Aperol Spritz, Lemon-Mint Peas

The other day it was nice and warm in Denver so we decided to grill out...cooking up some buffalo burgers and the like. Sides included a leafy green salad (it seriously I think had 12 varieties of lettuces), lemon-mint peas, and quinoa salad. The burgers were topped with red wine mushrooms.

Red Wine Mushrooms and Sauce
(We made ours with a little less sauce, as we were using the mushrooms as a topping for burgers as opposed to steaks.)

Ingredients:
Olive oil
2 shallots minced
2 garlic cloves minced
1/2 lb white or cremini mushrooms, cleaned, stems removed, and sliced
1 cup red wine, we used Marsala
1 cup vegetable stock (low salt)
1 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
Salt and pepper to taste

On medium heat add a little olive oil to a large pan. Add the shallots, garlic, and mushrooms, cooking until the mushrooms begin to caramelize (3-4 minutes).
Add the red wine and stock, cooking until the liquid has reduced to half.
Use to top a variety of dishes.

We also made minted peas again! This time we added some shallots, salt & pepper, and lemon to the mint and peas. Super springy!


Aperol Spritz

Ingredients:
2 ounces Prosecco
3 ounces Aperol
A splash of soda water (we did not have any at the time so we did without just fine!)
Orange slice

Add ice to the glass. Pour in the Prosecco first, followed by the Aperol. Add the soda water. Garnish with an orange slice (twisting to add a splash of orange juice to the cocktail).

On another note, we bought a pre-made vegetarian pho broth a few nights ago just to try. It was okay! We have had pho homemade before but every time it includes an MSG in some form or fashion. Maybe because this broth was MSG free it didn't have that flavor profile to it. We added tofu to the broth for some protein. Either way, we loaded up on bean sprouts, cilantro, lime, green onion and sauce and had a fresh and light dinner that was just wonderful. I love bean sprouts. Oh! The only thing missing for J was jalapenos (which he had used to make a homemade salsa instead). The only thing missing for both of us was some Thai basil, which is a little hard to come by at times.

Portobello Cheesesteak (modified from MensHealth)

Before I start with our recipe, I just have to say that our green onions are growing like wildfire. Seriously they are two feet tall and about to fall over. We need to cook something with them soon!  ----------------------------->

This is really quick and really easy to make. It's vegetarian, tasty, and super healthy. This makes two sandwiches.

Ingredients:
Olive oil
1 large portobello mushroom, washed, de-stemmed, de-gilled, and then sliced
1/2 of a yellow onion, sliced
1/2 of a red bell pepper, sliced
1/2 of a yellow bell pepper, sliced
2 teaspoons soy sauce
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce (we use Annie's Brand vegan sauce)
Salt
Pepper
Grated fat free or almond cheese (to help with that saturated fat)
Whole wheat baguette or hoagie rolls

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F. This will be to toast your hoagie rolls.
Add olive oil to large pan set at medium-high. Add the portobello slices and cook, stirring occasionally, 6-8 minutes. Place slices on a plate.
Add more olive oil to pan and add the onion and bell pepper. Saute until vegetables soften and brown, about 6-8 minutes.
Add the mushrooms back in to the pan and add the soy and Worcestershire sauces. Cook and stir until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Salt and pepper to taste.
Slice baguette into hoagie roll size servings and cut through to open them like a sandwich (or use hoagie rolls). Place in oven on rack to toast 1-3 minutes.
Place half of the grated cheese on to the toasted bread, then add the vegetables to the rolls. Top off with remaining cheese.
Enjoy!

Mushroom-Dill Cream (Soft Tofu) Pasta

Who doesn't love creamy pasta dishes?! I know! Well, Jeremy has kind of a restricted diet so when I saw this awesome mushroom-dill pasta recipe I was sad because it had a creamy sauce. Cream, butters, cheeses, etc. are all off limits due to the saturated animal fat content.
Not to be hindered, J found a great substitute on the Internet: soft tofu, blended, is a great substitute for cream. Admittedly, the sauce does not have that rich, buttery flavor that you would receive from using cream, but it is a heck of a lot more healthy and has great protein as well.

Ingredients:
1 package of baby portobello mushrooms
1 onion
2 garlic cloves
1/2 cup vegetable stock
1.5 cups of soft tofu, pureed (about a package) (You can also use cream if you desire)
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
Salt
Pepper
Olive oil
Pasta (we used linguini)

Directions (for the sauce only, I think we all know how to make boxed pasta!):
In a saucepan saute mushrooms, onion, and garlic in olive oil until mushrooms and onions become soft and golden.
Add to the vegetables the vegetable stock, tofu, and dill. Let this all simmer for about 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper.
Serve garnished with fresh dill and/or shaved Parmesan.

Thanksgiving Salad & Stuffing

First of all, sorry for the delay on this blog. I have lots and lots of posts to write, but blogger appears to be worried about the amount of space I have for photos. It's sort of a losing battle. But, it let me do my thing this evening, so without further ado I take you back to...Thanksgiving.

For Thanksgiving J and I went to our friends' up in Estes Park. We had to work the next day but it was still a blast to do a big dinner and we knocked it out of the park.

My contribution was a Fall Spinach Salad with Cinnamon-Pear Vinaigrette. What made it an autumnal salad? Pear, red onion, pecans, and cranberries:

    •    1 cup thinly sliced red onion
    •    1/3 cup sweetened dried cranberries
    •    8 cups lightly packed fresh baby spinach leaves, stemmed if needed
    •    2 firm but ripe Bosc pears, unpeeled and cut into long, thin slices
    •    2/3 cup pecans, chopped

For the dressing we just used a combination of extra virgin olive oil and a cinnamon-pear infused balsamic vinegar that we purchased at a local specialty store. It was perfect as the dressing needed no added sugar, salt or pepper. It was perfect.

This is also the perfect segue into J's dish: the stuffing. Mushroom and rosemary stuffing to be exact. We bought a mushroom and sage infused olive oil at the same store and it was just wonderful.






J's recipe is adapted from this recipe at Real Simple.

• 3  tablespoons mushroom and sage infused olive oil (see above)
• 2  pounds baby portobello (cremini) mushrooms, quartered
• 6  tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the baking dish and foil
• 1  large loaf italian bread (about 1 pound), cut into 3⁄4-inch pieces (we used a store bought dried loaf already chopped)
• 2  medium onions, chopped
• 4  celery stalks, thinly sliced
• kosher salt and black pepper
• 3/4  cup dry sherry
• 2 1/2  cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 2  large eggs, beaten
• 1/2  cup  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 1  tablespoon  chopped fresh rosemary

Directions

1. Heat oven to 375° F. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Working in batches, cook the mushrooms, tossing occassionally, until browned, 8 to 10 minutes. Transfer to a plate and reserve the skillet.
2. Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Divide the bread between 2 rimmed baking sheets and bake until dry and crisp, 10 to 12 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, wipe out the skillet and melt the butter over medium heat. Add the onions, celery, 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until very tender and beginning to brown, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the sherry and cook until evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes; transfer to a large bowl and let cool for 10 minutes.
4. Add the bread, broth, eggs, mushrooms, parsley, rosemary, and ½ teaspoon salt to the vegetables and toss to combine. Transfer to the prepared baking dish. Cover with buttered foil and bake for 20 minutes. Uncover and bake until browned, 20 to 30 minutes more. 
5. Top with a drizzle of the olive oil before serving. 

Adding the finishing touch...

The meal with everyone's contributions.

Ras el Hanout

I've mentioned this spice before in the post for North African Fish Stew and wanted to provide the recipe for it. I'm finally finding my way around to it! Ras el Hanout is not so much a single spice as a blend of spices that is used in a lot of north African cooking. This particular recipe uses 8 different spices. Enjoy!

Ingredients:

2 teaspoons ground ginger
2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons ground turmeric
1 1/4 teaspoons ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

 

Combine and store in an airtight container. 

Berry Crisp

I love my blackberry cobbler but I think I love this crisp even more! I made it with blueberries and blackberries and it was wonderful with vanilla ice cream.

Ingredients:    

1.5 lbs blackberries (give or take, you want to fill the pie dish comfortably)
1/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 packets of instant oatmeal
Pinch of salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
Drizzle of maple syrup


Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 F.
Place berries in the baking dish.
Combine butter, sugar, flour, oatmeal, salt and syrup until crumbly. (Just use your hands!)
Bake until topping is golden (30-35 minutes).

Jamaican Jerk Chicken with Beans and Rice

In the Men's Journal for this month there is an article about grilling around the world. We decided to try the Jamaican Jerk Chicken with minor adjustments. Below is the recipe as we made it. Because we used jalapenos instead of the Scotch Bonnet peppers it was much less spicy. I found it to be the perfect amount of spice and flavor and really enjoyed the beans and rice, which helped whenever I the chicken became a little to hot for me. :) J did a fantastic job!

Ingredients to Prepare Chicken:

3.5-4 lb chicken

Juice of two limes

1/4 cup apple-cider vinegar

Jerk Rub:

2 tbsp full flavor molasses)

1 red onion, chopped

1 scallion, chopped

2 jalapenos

3 cloves garlic

1 tbsp fresh thyme

2 dried bay leaves

1/2 tsp ground allspice

1/2 tsp ground or grated nutmeg

1/2 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground black pepper

1 tbsp salt

Directions:

1. Butterfly the chicken.

2. Rinse the chicken in the lime juice and vinegar. 

3. Combine the ingredients for the jerk rub in a blender, thin with a little water. Lift skin on the chicken and stuff sauce underneath. Rub the rest on the outside, cover, marinate overnight.

4. Grill over indirect heat - medium heat (350-400). Place skin side down, away from flame. Cook 40-45 minutes (165 degrees internal temperature) and baste with leftover rub.

5. Chop and serve. 

Ingredients to Prepare Rice and Beans (we used brown rice instead of white, and we made it veggie  instead of using the 6 slices of bacon the recipe called for to be diced and cooked with the garlic and thyme):
1 scallion, diced
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 sprig thyme
1 15-oz can of kidney beans, drained
3 cups water
salt and pepper
2 cups long grain brown rice 

Directions:
In a medium sized pot add a little olive oil and saute scallion and garlic for one minute. Add thyme, beans, and water. Reduce heat to low and cook 7-8 minutes. Season with salt and pepper, add rice, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer 20 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. (Because we used brown rice it took a little more time and we had to add a little more water.)

The jerk rub ingredients, prior to being blended.

J and his manly grilling again.

The finished product, served with extra thyme, lime, and scallions.

Time to eat!

Our friend James was present so he was able to taste test as well.

Plated.

Moroccan Couscous with Roasted Veggies

I love everything about this dish. 

Honestly. 

I am going to type up this recipe as we made it (based on a recipe we found on a website which was based on a recipe that was seen in a magazine). As my sister or brother might say, it's Recipeception. If we made it again, I'd love to add golden raisins, maybe adding them to the vegetable broth mixture when it is reheated. 

Ingredients: 

You can never have too much

Roughly 2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/2 inch cubes

2 cups of yello onion, diced large

1.5 cups baby carrots, cut into 1/2 inch pieces

2 zucchini, cut into 3/4 inch pieces

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

1.5 cups vegetable broth

2 TBSP butter

1/4 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp saffron threads

1 cup uncooked couscous

Green onion...we love green onion and probably used about five (green part only)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the squash, onion, carrots and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula about midway through.
While the vegetables roast, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan. Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter, salt and pepper to taste, cumin, and saffron threads. Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes.

Cook the couscous.
When veggies are roasted, scrape the vegetables and their juices into a large bowl, and add the couscous.

The tastiness.

Bring the vegetable broth back to a boil, and pour over the couscous mixture all at once.
Cover tightly and allow to stand for 15 minutes.

Add the green onions, toss the couscous and vegetables, and serve.

The chef.