Meatless | I Can Cook That

Honey Mustard Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Hooray for spring weather! As the days get warmer, the produce offerings also get better. It’s the perfect time of year to experiment with more veggies!

Door-to-Door Organics, a home delivery organic and grocery company, is a great way to receive seasonal and organic fruits and vegetables. Their produce is USDA Certified Organic and is locally sourced whenever possible. You choose a produce box size (little, small, medium, or large), type (fruits, veggies, or mixed), and delivery frequency. A few days before it will be delivered, you will receive an email with what will be in the box. You can make up to 5 substitutions, which is really a great feature.

You can also shop for other groceries and add them to your delivery, including diary, meat, bread, etc. Their Facebook page is also an awesome resource. You can find some recipes, links to some of their helpful blog posts, and get more information about Door-to-Door Organics!

I have been using Door-to-Door Organics for a few weeks now (I get the Little Mixed Box box delivered every other week courtesy of a coupon given to me by Door-to-Door Organics) and was so excited to see that my latest delivery had beautiful rainbow baby carrots in it!

I love when my food has vibrant colors, so I couldn’t wait to roast these beauties up. My box also came with a red onion, a head of garlic and some fresh Italian parsley, perfect accompaniments to the carrots.

This recipe for Honey Mustard Roasted Rainbow Carrots is really simple and takes about 30 minutes, depending on how soft you like your carrots (I like mine to have some crunch to them!)

If you want to try Door-to-Door Organics for yourself, they were nice enough to offer a discount for I Can Cook That readers! Use the coupon code ICANCOOKTHAT to receive $10 off!

Ingredients

1 (12 oz) bag rainbow baby carrots
1/2 red onion, chopped (about 1/3 cup)
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon local honey
1 teaspoon dried rosemary
salt and pepper, to taste
1 tablespoon chopped fresh Italian parsley

Continue reading Honey Mustard Roasted Rainbow Carrots

Seven Layer Dip Nachos

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #JustAddRotel #CollectiveBias

With the big tournament upon us, having yummy snacks to share with a crowd is a must! I love party appetizers that can be set on the coffee table in front of the TV and enjoyed as a group.

This recipe for Seven Layer Dip Nachos adds the ingredients of a seven-layer dip right on top of tortilla chips to make a convenient and super yummy loaded nachos recipe.

I went to my local Walmart to pick up the ingredients and was really excited to find a can of RO*TEL Mexican Lime & Cilantro Diced Tomatoes in the canned aisle.

I was planning on using Original or Mild RO*TEL Diced Tomatoes to make a quick and easy guacamole and pico de gallo (no dicing of tomatoes, woo hoo!), so having the flavors of lime and cilantro already combined in the diced tomatoes was an awesome find!

The Mexican Lime and Cilantro Diced Tomatoes mix vine-ripened tomatoes, with jalapeno peppers, garlic, cilantro, and lime juice, making it the perfect ingredient for this recipe!

These nachos are topped with seven layers of deliciousness: cheese, refried beans, guacamole, pico de gallo, lettuce, sour cream, and sliced olives. You may need to double the recipe though, they are super tasty!

Ingredients:

1 (10 oz) bag corn tortilla chips
6 oz shredded Mexican blend cheese (or a mixture of Monterey Jack and cheddar cheeses)
1 (10 oz) can RO*TEL Mexican Lime and Cilantro Diced Tomatoes, drained, divided
1/2 medium sized red onion, diced, divided (about 4 tablespoons)
1 large ripe avocado, diced
the juice of 1 lime, divided
1 tablespoon finely chopped jalapeno
2 teaspoons cilantro, chopped, divided
1 (16 oz) can refried beans
1 cup thinly sliced lettuce (I used green leaf)
1/4 cup sour cream
1 (2.25 oz) can sliced olives

Continue reading Seven Layer Dip Nachos

Sourdough Bread

I have made a couple of breads in the past, but never one that yielded a typical bread you’d use for sandwiches. For whatever reason, I’ve always been very intimidated by the whole bread making process. I recently visited a friend that loves to bake bread and she assured me it wasn’t nearly as difficult as I was imagining. So, after putting it off for a couple of months, I finally decided to try!

I decided to make a sourdough bread, because it is a relatively simple recipe. The hardest part is the whole waiting aspect of it. I found this recipe on King Arthur Flour’s website and used their sourdough starter to make the bread (rather than making my own starter which can take a week). My interest in baking bread was well timed, ZWILLING‘s Knife of the Month for March is the ZWILLING Pro 8″ Bread Knife, and they were kind enough to offer to not only let me try one of the knives out, but are also offering one to give away! Details after the recipe.

ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS knives are no joke, they are great quality knives made in Germany for over 280 years. When I moved out on my own, my mom actually bought me a set of ZWILLING J.A. HENCKELS knives to get my kitchen started, and I still use them daily!

The ZWILLING Pro 8″ Bread Knife has a serrated edge that effortlessly cuts through hard bread crusts, and cuts neat slices due to its aggressive long prongs. The knife is forges from one single piece of steel, is ice-hardened, and is hand sharpened and polished. The knife is dishwasher safe, but it’s suggested you hand wash it to keep it in great shape longer (dishwashers are really tough on knives).

Ingredients:

1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
1 1/2 cups lukewarm water
2 teaspoons instant yeast
1 tablespoon sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons salt
5 cups unbleached all purpose flour

Continue reading Sourdough Bread

Baked Avocado and Feta Wontons

With the holidays fast approaching, everyone needs some new appetizer and hors d’oeuvres options for guests. Nasoya must have known I was in need of some new creative recipes, because they sent me a great holiday entertaining kit to try out their Wonton Wraps. The kit included some fun inventive recipes using wonton wraps, so I wanted to share one of them with you!

These Baked Avocado and Feta Wontons come together in 30 minutes and are the perfect bite-sized hors d’oeuvres for your next party. The wraps are filled with a mixture of avocados, sun-dried tomatoes, and feta cheese and are served with a lime flavored dipping sauce.

Note: I was sent a holiday entertaining kit to review Nasoya wonton wraps. My opinions are my own.

Ingredients:

2 large avocados, chopped into bite sized pieces
4 tablespoons chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 tablespoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons red onion, finely chopped
24 Nasoya Wonton Wraps
1 egg white
the juice of 3 limes
2 tablespoons olive oil
salt and pepper, to taste

Continue reading Baked Avocado and Feta Wontons

Winter Risotto with Farro and Arborio Rice

A couple of weeks ago, I was invited on a Chevy Farm-to-Table Road Trip, which was SO much fun! Chauffeured in snazzy Chevrolets, the group first went to Terrain in Glen Mills for lunch at their cafe and then went wine tasting down the road at Chaddsford Winery. (To read more about Terrain and Chaddsford Winery, visit my guest post over on Drive the District.)

All of the food was fantastic at Terrain, but I cannot stop thinking about their fabulous Farro and Arborio Risotto with sweet potato puree and autumn vegetables. So, naturally, I decided to try to make my own version! This recipe is pretty involved but it sure is worth it!

This recipe can be easily made vegan (noted below) and is vegetarian if vegetable stock is used instead of chicken stock. This recipe, however, is not gluten free because farro does contain some gluten.

Ingredients:

Veggies:

2 cups peeled and cubed butternut squash
1 cup halved Brussels sprouts
3 Sweet potatoes, divided
2 Shallots, halved
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves
1/4 teaspoon fresh chopped rosemary
Salt and pepper, to taste
2 tablespoons unsalted butter (or margarine to make vegan)

Risotto

3 cups water
1 cup uncooked farro
6 cups chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep vegetarian)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large shallot, minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2/3 cup Arborio rice
½ cup white wine
2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese (omit for vegan version)
Salt and pepper, to taste
Rosemary and thyme for garnish

Continue reading Winter Risotto with Farro and Arborio Rice

Cherry Port Cranberry Sauce

I absolutely love cranberry sauce. This not-too-tart and not-too-sweet Thanksgiving staple is always a favorite of mine.

Now I don’t turn my nose up at the canned stuff, but this homemade version for Cherry Port Cranberry Sauce is a really simple alternative. It’s also a bit of a chunky sauce instead of the smooth canned version, so it has a really nice texture to it. Plus, it can be made in 20 minutes!

If you don’t want to use port in the recipe, you can substitute in pomegranate juice.

Ingredients:

2 cups fresh cranberries (about 8 ounces)
3/4 cup dried sweetened cherries
3/4 cup port wine
1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
1 tablespoon orange juice
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

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Spinach-Chive Potato Bites with Kerrygold Cheese and Butter

You can always find the signature gold wrapping with green logo in my fridge. Kerrygold is my go-to butter brand for when butter quality is key. My favorite way to use it though is just on a slice of toasted Rosemary Olive Oil Bread, yum!

The Kerrygold brand is a line of all-natural, grass-fed cheeses and butters crafted at dairy farms throughout Ireland. The hormone-free cheese and butters are available around the world but still come from milk supplied from independent dairy farmers within the Emerald Isle. My relatives in Ireland actually own some dairy farms so this concept is pretty close to my heart.

Needless to say, I was so excited to make a recipe using both Kerrygold Butter and Cheese. Through Cooking Light Bloggers’ Connection, I was sent coupons to buy and use some yummy Kerrygold products. I decided to adapt a recipe from the Kerrygold website.

Ingredients:

Potatoes:

15 small yellow, white or red potatoes (about 2 pounds)
1/2 package (3.5 ounces) Kerrygold Dubliner Cheese, shredded, divided
2 tablespoons Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter
3 tablespoons milk
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste
Chopped fresh parsley (optional)

Filling:

1 tablespoon Kerrygold Garlic and Herb Butter
1 cup spinach leaves, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons fresh chives, finely chopped

Continue reading Spinach-Chive Potato Bites with Kerrygold Cheese and Butter

Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing

It’s September which means apples are right in their prime season! Although apples are available year-round, most apples ripen in the August-October time frame. I’ve had a craving for apples ever since September began so I was so excited when I was contacted recently about trying an apple variety called SweeTango that I’ve never had before.

SweeTango apples a variety bred at the University of Minnesota and are a cross between the Honeycrisp and Zestar! varieties. The apples are crisp and sweet with a hint of citrus, honey, and spice and have a nice crunchy and juicy texture that’s perfect to eat raw. They have a beautiful coloring too — SweeTango is a blush apple with deep red coloration over a yellow breaking background. The variety first hit store shelves in limited quantities in 2009, and has since grown to achieve distribution across the U.S. and Canada.

I received two SweeTango apples in the mail and couldn’t wait to try them! One I saved for me to just enjoy on its own and the other went into one of the most delicious salads I’ve ever had, Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing! This salad is packed with a bunch of different textures and flavors which is what I really love about it. But the true star of the salad is the SweeTango apple!

Ingredients:

Salad:

2 cups red leaf lettuce, torn
2 cups spinach leaves, torn
1/2 cup thinly sliced fennel bulb
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
2 tablespoons salted pumpkin seeds (pepitas)
2 tablespoons dried cherries
2 tablespoons golden raisins
the juice of 1 lemon
1 SweeTango apple, thinly sliced

Dressing:

4 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons honey
1 tablespoon minced shallot
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
a pinch of salt and pepper

Continue reading Autumn Apple Salad with Cinnamon Honey Dijon Dressing

Cheese Ravioli with Pesto

I have another busy week this week so I needed some easy meals that can be prepared quickly. Pasta is usually a great option and this recipe for Cheese Ravioli with Pesto is no exception. It comes together in about 15 minutes!

I found this recipe on Cooking Light. The pesto is more of a “pesto” and stays pretty chunky. But don’t be fooled, those little flecks of green are packed with flavor!

Ingredients:

1 (16-ounce) package frozen cheese ravioli
2 cups fresh baby spinach
1 cup fresh basil leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves
2 tablespoons fat-free, lower-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 plum tomatoes, diced
3/4 cup shaved fresh Parmesan cheese, divided
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted, divided
Fresh basil leaves (optional)

Continue reading Cheese Ravioli with Pesto

Margherita Pan Pizza

The September Issue of Cooking Light has a super yummy looking pizza on the front. The pizza shown was a Deep Dish Mushroom and Onion Pizza but the photo made me think of pan pizzas I used to love as a kid.

So I decided to try to make my own in my cast iron pan (paid link) but give it a more “grown up” twist by making a Margherita Pan Pizza.

The result was a nice thick and chewy crust with the perfect amount of tangy tomato sauce, creamy melted mozzarella, and fresh basil!

Ingredients:

For the dough:

2 cups flour
1/4 teaspoon fresh active yeast
1 teaspoon sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup warm water (100-110 degrees F)

For the tomato sauce:

1 (15 oz) can tomato puree
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper, to taste

Toppings:

8 oz mozzarella cheese, sliced
3 tablespoons fresh basil, chopped or julienned

Continue reading Margherita Pan Pizza

Eggplant & Portobello Pasta #BeerLoversHH

I love cooking with beer, I’ve used it a lot in past recipes — everything from Beer-Steamed Clams and Mussels to Pumpkin Spice Bread. So this new cookbook is right up my alley! The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour includes bar snacks, beer cocktails, and recipes that incorporate beer into the dish as well as almost 1,000 beer pairing suggestions for the recipes.

I was sent one of the recipes in the cookbook to test and share with you: Eggplant & Portobello Pasta. I used local witbier in the recipe but you can also use a slightly toasty Vienna Lager, mellow Golden Ale, or classic American Wheat Ale.

I also have a fun contest to share! In celebration of the release of John Schlimm’s new book, The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour, you can win a copy of the cookbook for your very own!

For a chance to win, try the recipe of the week (this Eggplant & Portobello Pasta I’m posting below) and take a photo of your dish.

Post it on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram using the hastag #BeerLoversHH and tag me! (Facebook: I Can Cook That, Instagram: @icancookthat, Twitter: @icancookthat). Send them my way by Monday, September 8 for a chance to win!

Photos posted using the hashtag will also be compiled onto Sourcebooks’ Pinterest page and shared across Sourcebooks Media.

Pair with: Vienna Lager, Golden Ale, American Wheat Ale

Adapted from The Ultimate Beer Lover’s Happy Hour

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 Portobello mushroom caps, sliced into bite-size pieces
2 medium eggplant, peeled and diced (I used graffiti eggplant)
Salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1 (16 oz) beer of your choice, preferably the same beer you’re pairing with the dish (I used Walt Wit)
1⁄2 teaspoon dried rosemary
1 cup frozen peas, thawed
1 pound rotini pasta
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided

Continue reading Eggplant & Portobello Pasta #BeerLoversHH

Farfalle with Sun-Dried Tomato and Scallion Cream

Almost every Sunday night, my boyfriend and I have pasta for dinner. We typically just have spaghetti or rigatoni with meat sauce. I make the sauce in huge batches and freeze it for later use. Last weekend, I didn’t realize we had used up the last of our sauce until Sunday afternoon! So we needed a quick pasta recipe that we could use instead. (Don’t worry, I made more sauce this weekend so we are safe for the next few weeks!)

This recipe from Food and Wine uses sun-dried tomatoes to make a quick and simple no-cook sauce. The meal was done in under 30 minutes!

Ingredients:

5 scallions, white and light-green parts only
12 sun-dried tomato halves
1 cup half-and-half
1 box (1 pound) bow tie/farfalle pasta
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh-ground black pepper
3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh oregano

Continue reading Farfalle with Sun-Dried Tomato and Scallion Cream

Blueberry Breakfast Bars

I have a coworker who absolutely loves blueberries. She is retiring this week, and I wanted to make her a blueberry treat before she left. I adapted this recipe for Blueberry Breakfast Bars on The Kitchn, with the original recipe coming from the Whole Grain Mornings cookbook by Megan Gordon.

My version uses quite a bit of substitutes and including using sprouted spelt flour instead of whole wheat flour because I could not find my whole wheat flour when I went to make these (I guess I need to clean out my pantry!) I also have more blueberry filling in my version, and used a different sized pan. Be sure to check out the original version on the kitchn to see if you prefer their method!

Ingredients:

Blueberry filling:

4 cups fresh blueberries, divided
1/4 cup natural cane sugar
3 tablespoons unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
the juice and zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon water

Crust:

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup original wheat germ
3/4 cup sliced raw almonds
1/4 cup raw sesame seeds
1 cup sprouted spelt flour (or whole wheat flour)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1 large egg, beaten
8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into 1⁄4-inch cubes, plus more for greasing the pan
3 to 4 tablespoons ice water

Continue reading Blueberry Breakfast Bars

Charred Corn Salad with Basil and Tomatoes #WhatAGrillWants

Grilled corn is one of my absolute favorite foods of summer. There is just nothing like a cob of sweet corn charred over a grill. Mmm. But as much as I love a simple corn on the cob, sometimes I need a little variety. This recipe from Bon Appetit gives me my beloved grilled corn, plus fresh herbs and tomatoes. What’s not to love?

This recipe also allows me to show off some of my favorite grilling tools, courtesy of OXO. I was sent some grilling essentials as a participant in OXO’s #WhatAGrillWants campaign, including a Corn Stripper, Silicone Basting Brush, and 16″ tongs. I was also sent a Bladed Meat Tenderizer (which I plan on using for steak in an upcoming recipe… stay tuned) and a Little Salad Dressing Shaker that is the perfect size for 2 servings; I will have a post including that little guy soon too!

The Silicone Basting Brush is perfect for grilling because it is head resistant, odor resistant, and easy to clean. I used it this time around to rub the corn with olive oil before grilling. The center bristles have circular gaps that hold on to the liquid as you transfer the sauce from the bowl to the food and the tapered outer bristles let you baste easily. Because the bristles are heat resistant to 600 degrees F, it’s a great tool to add an extra layer of barbecue sauce to a protein while grilling! The basting brush is also dishwasher safe.

My boyfriend was most excited about the 16″ tongs. They are stainless steel but have non-slip handles that make them safe for barbecuing. The long length is very much appreciated when working over a hot grill! The tongs also lock closed with a large pull tab that also doubles as a hole for hanging, great for my peg board! (You can also get the tongs in 9-inch and 12-inch sizes).

The corn stripper is the perfect tool for this recipe. I’ve mentioned on here before that I have a (ridiculous) fear of knives. So when trying to strip corn off a cob, I get a bit anxious. This tool makes it SO much easier without the risk! The corn stripper has a container that actually stores the kernels as you strip them from the cob; it holds up to 1/2 cup. You can then just pour the kernels out of the top of the container and you’re good to go!

Now that I’ve gone through all of my nifty tools that made this recipe a breeze, maybe it would be a good idea to actually share the recipe, no? 🙂

Ingredients:

6 ears of corn, husked
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup thinly sliced red onion
1/2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup (loosely packed) fresh basil leaves, large leaves torn
1/4 cup fresh lime juice
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
Kosher salt, freshly ground pepper

Continue reading Charred Corn Salad with Basil and Tomatoes #WhatAGrillWants

Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella

If you follow my Facebook page, you may have seen that my recipe for Wild Mushroom Truffled Pizza Topped with a Runny Egg won a recipe contest hosted by Cooking Planit and sponsored by Formaggio Cheese! Not only is my recipe now available through Cooking Planit, but I also won some snazzy prizes, including an amazing assortment of Formaggio products. My fridge is now happily filled with cheese, so I will be posting a few cheesy recipes over the coming weeks.

One of the first products I noticed in the basket was Smoked Mozzarella. I’ve had smoked mozzarella in the past and found the flavor to be a bit… overwhelming… so I was interested to see if I could get it to work well in a recipe instead of becoming the only flavor you can taste. But Formaggio’s smoked mozzarella was a pleasant surprise! The smoky flavor is present without being overpowering and works to enhance other flavors instead of covering them up.

I found this recipe for Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella on Bon Appetit and altered the amounts of the ingredients to fit my taste.

Ingredients:

16 oz package frozen cheese tortellini
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, sliced
12 oz cherry tomatoes, halved
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 cup dry vermouth
1 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
1 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
1 1/2 teaspoons dried oregano
8 oz smoked mozzarella, cut into small cubes

Continue reading Pasta Rustica with Smoked Mozzarella