meatless mondays

Meatless Monday: Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 2 Comments

As much as I’d love to be, I’m not reallllly a meal planner. I’d love to have each day of the week’s dinners mapped out by Sunday, but it just doesn’t happen that way. And when I do try, something happens to get in the way- an unplanned happy hour turned into dinner, an invite to a basketball/baseball game, working late, etc. So as much as I love my slow cooker, it doesn’t get used NEARLY enough because it involves planning ahead.

So if you are able to plan ahead and are looking for a delicious Meatless Monday dish and enjoy curry, I highly suggest you make this. B liked it so much, he took leftovers for lunch the next day! (confession – he may have had some chicken alongside his …)

Note – I normally am opposed to crockpot meals that require ANY on-the-stove prep. I mean, what’s the point of using the slow cooker if you have to cook something first? That being said, I don’t alway enjoy onions made in the crockpot, which is why I cooked them ahead of time. I find onions in the crockpot sometimes get rubbery or taste funny – if you disagree, I’m sure you could make this without the extra step of sauteeing them first.

Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry - icrashedtheweb

Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 tsp olive oil
  • 1 yellow onion, chopped
  • 1-2 Tablespoons curry powder (add more if you prefer more heat-I did about 1.5 TBS)
  • 1 teaspoon fresh ginger, peeled and grated
  • 2 large carrots, chopped
  • 2 serrano chiles, chopped
  • 3 cups canned chickpeas, rinsed
  • 1 Russet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 1 sweet potato, peeled and chopped
  • 2 red peppers, diced
  • 1 cup green beans, chopped into 1/2 inch slices
  • 1-14.5-ounce can diced tomatoes, undrained
  • 1-14-ounce can vegetable broth
  • 3 cups fresh baby spinach
  • 1/2 cup coconut milk

Here’s what you do:

  1. Heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until it starts to become translucent. Add about half of the curry powder and ginger. Cook another minute or so.
  2. Add cooked onion to a slow cooker, along with chopped carrots, chiles, chickpeas, chopped potatoes, red peppers, green beans, diced tomatoes and vegetable broth. Add remaining curry powder and stir.
  3. Cover and cook on high 6 hours or until vegetables are softened and ready to eat.
  4. Just before serving, add in spinach and coconut milk. Stir and cook for about five minutes or until spinach wilts.

I served mine over some quinoa for a perfectly filling meatless meal.

When made as above, we had enough for about 2 pretty large vegetarian main courses and then we had enough leftover for 3 nice sized lunches.

Modification: I made a version without the coconut milk and it was just as good! Not quite as creamy (and I think B prefered it with the coconut) but still delicious and a little spicier.

Slow Cooker Spinach and Chickpea Coconut Curry - icrashedtheweb

Some questions for you:

  • What’s your favorite crockpot meal or go-to slow cooker dish?
  • Are you a meal planner/prepper? Any tips?
  • Do you like curry? What about coconut?

 

Meatless Monday: Quinoa with Apples and Pecans

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 1 Comment

Happy Monday! How was your Thanksgiving holiday? Did you overdose on stuffing, turkey, pie, and so much more good stuff?

I certainly did. I mean, it’s only natural, right? Thanksgiving for me means food, family and friends – and a lot of all three, if possible. So now that I’m back to work and back from a Carnoski celebration (my family AND B’s), I’m ready to get back in the groove. Back into relatively healthy eating (with room for plenty of dessert added in as well 🙂 ), including plenty of veggies and a few meatless meals. So in honor of the first Monday after Thanksgiving, I wanted to share with you a meal my mom and I made when I was in New York last week. She had copied this recipe out of a recipe book and we made a few tweaks and I really liked it. So today, I bring you Quinoa with Apples and Pecans!

Quinoa with Apples and Pecans - i crashed the web

Quinoa with Apples and Pecans

Here’s what you need:

  • 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 1/2 green apple, peeled, cored and finely chopped
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1/4 c toasted, chopped pecans
  • 1 medium onion, finely chopped
  • 1 c. quinoa, rinsed and drained
  • 2 c. low-sodium vegetable broth
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/2 tsp finely chopped fresh thyme

Here’s what you do:

  1. Melt 1 Tablespoon butter over a pot (you can use the same pot throughout –  use this for quinoa later so make sure it’s big enough) on medium to medium-high heat. Add in diced apple and sugar and cook until apple is lightly browned. Make sure heat is high enough so apple starts to brown and doesn’t just get mushy. Remove apple from bowl and set aside – or even better, add it to your bowl of toasted pecans.
  2. Reduce the heat somewhat and add remaining butter. Once butter melts, add in the chopped onion  and cook until onion is translucent and just starts to brown.
  3. Add the quinoa and toast for several minutes until starts to smell somewhat nutty (about 3ish minutes). Add in vegetable broth and bring quinoa and onion to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer until quinoa is softened and broth has reduced, about 15 minutes.
  4. Remove the cover and increase heat to medium and continue to cook quinoa until the broth has pretty much evaporated, about another 3 minutes.
  5. Stir in apples and pecans. Add in thyme and parsley and serve!

Some suggested variations:

  • Add chickpeas, cannelloni beans or another bean for additional protein
  • Like more fruit in your quinoa? Add in dried cranberries, blueberries or dried cherries as well at the end
  • Serve quinoa over a salad, such as kale or spinach greens.
  • Add in some cheese! I think it would be great with a soft cheese like goat, or even a gouda. Yum!

 

Quinoa with Apples and Pecans - i crashed the web

Some questions for you:

  • Do you like fruit in your salads?
  • How do you get “back in the groove” after the holidays?
  • What would you add to this dish? Or serve it with?

Eating like a hipster … Roasted butternut squash with kale, mushrooms, onions, roasted red pepper and goat cheese

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / Leave a comment

The other day I came across a list of the most hipster foods there are. Hipster foods! And can you believe  that out of that list, B and I enjoy most of them on a regular basis? Like, a LOT of them? For example, here are just a few:

  • Cold brew coffee – B LOVES this, especially this time of year.
  • Anything from a food truck – Obviously. Who doesn’t like stuff from a food truck? Helllllo Walnut Wednesdays!
  • Pickles – Always have, always will love them.
  • Brussels sprouts – B’s not a fan but I’ve been eating them roasted for a while!
  • Bacon – you can’t tell me bacon is just for hipsters. We got some nitrate free bacon in our CSA last year and I can’t wait to get it again.
  • Cauliflower – Have you met me? I love cauliflower! Roasted, mashed, buttery… please, I’ve been eating cauliflower for years. My parents cook cauliflower. Does this make my parents hipsters?
  • Kale – SEE BELOW. Seriously, I don’t know whether to be flattered or insulted.

butternut squash kale, mushrooms, onions, roasted red pepper and goat cheese

Roasted Butternut squash with Kale, Mushrooms, Onions, Roasted Red Pepper and Goat Cheese

Here’s what you need:

  • 2-3 Tbs olive oil
  • 1 butternut squash, peeled and chopped into about 1-inch pieces
  • 1 large bunch kale, washed, and chopped (remove stem)
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced or finely diced
  • 1 c. chopped yellow onion
  • 1 c. sliced mushrooms
  • 1-3 tsp hot sauce, to taste (optional)
  • 1/2 red pepper, roasted
  • 1/2 c. crumbled goat cheese

Here’s what you do:

  1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Place chopped up butternut squash onto a greased baking sheet. Bake for 30-40 minutes, until squash is just starting to brown.
  2. While squash is cooking, in a large saucepan, heat up about 2 Tbs olive oil on medium high heat. Add in garlic and sautee for 2 minutes or until it starts to smell yummy (yes, I LOVE the smell of garlic!). Add in diced onion and cook for 2-3 more minutes until onion starts to become translucent. Add in mushrooms and cook for another 3ish minutes. Add kale and cook until kale has wilted. You may need to add more olive oil at this time. If you like heat, here’s where you’ll add your hot sauce.
  3. When squash is done, add to mushroom/onion/kale/garlic pot. Saute squash just enough so that it starts to caramelize slightly.
  4. Almost finished! Pour onto a plate and top with goat cheese and roasted red pepper. Enjoy as a vegetarian main dish or as a side dish. Enjoy!

butternut squash with kale, mushrooms, onions, roasted red pepper and goat cheese - i crashed the web

 

Some questions for you:

Are any of the hipster foods foods you enjoy regularly? See above. Apparently, yes.

Are your parents hipsters? Ha, well since they eat cauliflower … and my dad likes craft beer and has been wearing Converse since the beginning of time. Maybe? Which makes me think of this great blog: Dads are the original hipster.

Are you a hipster? Trick question!  A hipster would never admit to being a hipster. GOTCHA!

What’s something vegetarian you enjoyed lately?

Meatless Monday: Quinoa Hummus Patties

/ Melissa (I Crashed the Web) / 5 Comments

I may have a hummus problem. The other day I realized I’d eaten hummus, as part of a meal, 4 days in a row.  I know there are worse things to claim, but 4 days in a row? That’s nearly a week. Wonder if I can keep the streak going (I’ve also eaten chocolate about 40 days in a row) …

Anyway, I digress. The other night for dinner I was happy to have enough time to put together something vegetarian-friendly, flavorful and also that would serve as a side dish for B. I’d seem some recipes for hummus/quinoa tabbouleh and quinoa burgers and decided to combine both. They are somewhat crumbly but mine held together pretty well and were pretty flavorful without too many spices.

Warning – I took these pictures with my phone, per usual. They came out pretty gnarly (yes, worse than some of the other food pics I take) but the recipe was so delicious I had to post it. B asked I could make these again so I declare that a success 🙂

QUINOA HUMMUS PATTIES i crashed the web

Here’s what you need:

  • 1 c quinoa (cooked)
  • ½ c hummus
  • ½ c finely diced red pepper
  • 3 green onions, finely chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1 TBS flaxseed
  • 1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
  • 1-2 TBS olive oil

Here’s what you do:

  1. Combine quinoa, hummus, red pepper, garlic and green onions in a bowl. Mix well.
  2. Add in flaxseed to help bind the mixture. Add in crushed red pepper flakes (optional if you like heat).
  3. Form mixture into four to five even sized patties and place on a well-greased plate. Store in refrigerator for 30 minutes to one hour. (I put it in the freezer for about 20 minutes) This will help the patties harden.
  4. Heat a pan with olive oil over medium to medium-high heat and add olive oil once heated. Carefully add patties to pan and brown each side for about 4-6 minutes. Be careful when flipping – patties are crumbly and you may need to reshape them if they start to come apart.
  5. Enjoy!
  6. Serving suggestion: I had 2 as a main meal and served with spinach, roasted red pepper, more hummus, tomato, and hot sauce. They’d also be delicious with a garlic yogurt sauce. B had his as a side dish to some chicken with Greek spices. I’ll be doubling the recipe next time!
I swear it tastes better than it looks

I swear it tastes better than it looks

Some questions for you:

  • Are you on any food-eating streaks?
  • Are you a hummus fan? Yes! I also really love baba ghanoush, its smoky eggplant cousin. 
  • Do you make your own hummus? Actually, most of the time I find it easier and just as tasty to just buy it. If you find a brand you like – stick to it! The hummus from the recipe above was from a stand at the West Side Market and it was delicious.
  • Favorite veggie burger recipe? Come on, I’m looking for a new one!