Artichoke Spinach Spread

One last creamy recipe to get you through the weekend, and possibly a Super Bowl Party. 

If you're into that kind of thing. 

Despite my best efforts, I personally am not a lover of football. I recently wrote a letter to football bringing to light my issues with it, and imploring it to make some changes so that I may end my days of being an outcast and possibly have a fighting chance of enjoying the sport adored by so many. You can read it here.

This spread is super simple. It's more artichoke than spinach... so hopefully you adore the choke hearts like I do. I could eat'm plain. 

In my past dairy/meat eating life (I realize it's only been a month, but it truly feels like another lifetime ago already) whenever I came across a big cheesy bowl of spinach and artichoke dip I always found myself digging around, searching for the rebel choke hearts that escaped being smooshed with the rest of the dip. Any doofus can see that they're the best part.

So, I figured in my dairly-less remake of this common party food I'd just cut to the chase and focus on the good stuff.

~ Roast on entire head of garlic. To learn how to do this, go here.

~ Drain jar of marinated artichoke hearts, reserving the oil.

 ~ Saute 1/4 diced onion in drizzle of reserved oil with S&P until translucent. Add 1 Cup finely cut fresh spinach leaves and saute til wilted.

~ Blend 1/2 can of hearts until creamy. (I used my magic bullet) 

~ to creamed artichokes add: remainder of chokes, sauteed onion & spinach, roasted garlic, 1/4 C. sour cream, 1/2 tsp. nutritional yeast, red pepper flakes to taste. 

~S&P to taste. 

~ put in oven proof bowl. Top with a few breadcrumbs if you like, and bake in a 350 degree oven until warm. 

~ I served my spread on some Ezekiel Bread that I cut the crusts off, brushed with reserved artichoke oil, and baked for 10 minutes at 350 degrees. (I blended up the crusts from the bread, and used as the coating for my baked eggplant with spicy marinara that I served with this.)

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So that wraps up our week of creamy things. We made some really great stuff (*euphoric face*) and some not so great stuff (*cry baby face*).  Ya win some, ya lose some. Next week... Greens!

Really great stuff:

~ Creamy Coconut Quinoa with Berry Compote

~ Creamy Roasted Potato Soup with Fennel

~ The Mother of all Alfredos 

~ Mushroom Risotto

Not so great stuff:

~Pad Thai  - This version was WAY too much work and sticky sticky, but I had a great dinner party with friends , and pretty photos to  prove it. Plus we made some super bomb lettuce wraps. I just said Bomb. I'm totally talking like Sweets now. 

~Cheese-less Mac N Cheese. Don't do it. But it's kind of funny to see us do it.

 Have a beautiful weekend! Here's the view outside my living room window this morning. 

 (I'm not typically a fan of snow, but I gotta admit... It's kinda puurty)

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To Pad Thai, or not to Pad Thai. And Lettuce Wraps.

It's the week of all things creamy here on The Earthfood Experiment. Also known as my quest to prove that an Earthfood based diet can be rich and comforting and satisfying.

 So far I've made Creamy Coconut Quinoa, Cream of Roasted Potato Soup, and The Mother of all Alfredo sauces (it's dairy & gluten free!!).
Still to come: Mac & "Cheese"...?  and Risotto, the ultimate in creamy rices.

For this next experiment I invited five of my besties over for Pad Thai. Not really sure if that counts as a creamy food, but whatever. It's my blog and I do what I want....

... and what I want is to not give you this recipe.

I followed the recipe to a T, which I don't usually do. It was decent, but it was A LOT of work. In my opinion, if you're gonna put that much effort into something it better blow your mind.

My mind was still in tact after eating this.

So, I'm gonna work on a better Pad Thai recipe for you, but in the meantime just eat 10 minute Peanut Butter Noodles. (They're amazing AND easy) and check out my friend Lindsay's pretty pics from Pad Thai night.

Wine and dinner parties on a Tuesday Night.... why not?

Lettuce wrap fixin's which were inspired by The Blue Orchid version I had recently.

Toasted coconut, jalapenos, tofu bits, red bell pepper, green onions, red onions, cashews, peanuts. 

Yummified with a peanut butter sauce (same one I use on 10 minute peanut butter noodles), and a simple sauce I made from mixing hoisin & tamari to taste.

Throw all the goodness up on some romaine lettuce leaves and give it a squeeze of lime. 

Easy Peasy Limey Squeezy. 

All though the noodles weren't my favorite, my company sure was. There's nothing better than good conversation, food, and wine with incredible people. I am insanely blessed to have such great friends.

We followed this meal with berry compote (the same one I made for the creamy coconut quinoa) served over soy ice cream topped with toasted coconut... and a couple more hours of chit chat. 

What do you love to do most with your friends?

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Cream of Roasted Potato Soup with Fennel

I've been loyal to my grandmother's Cream of Potato soup recipe for years. I feel kinda bad about making this one instead. Mostly, because I like it better.

Although my late g-ma's soup was delicious, it was laden with salt and cream and bacon and butter. Lot's of butter. So much butter, that you could see it floating on top of the pot and had to give the soup a good juooshz (aka stir. I don't know.) before serving so as not to get a ladle full of butter. This soup on the other hand has only a couple drizzles of olive oil, a bit of healthy Earth Balance butter, and LOADS of flavor.

I got the inspiration for this soup from Isa Chandra (not to be confused with Chandra Nicole) She's lived on a Earthfood based diet for 20 years,  has a website called Post Punk Kitchen, has written many cookbooks, and is kind of a Rock Star in the Vegan Community.
She recently moved to Omaha, Nebraska (50 minutes away from me) and rumor has it that she might be opening a Vegan restaurant there. (woot!) I figured I should probably turn to an expert as a launch pad for many of my replacement "creamy" dishes.. since I mostly have no idea what in the hell I'm doing.

This soup pretty much rocked our world. And it was SOUPER simple to make. 

I'm funny.

You will need:

EARTH BALANCE BUTTER. GARLIC. CELERY. RED ONION. WHOLE WHEAT FLOUR. YUKON GOLD POTATOES. FENNEL. ALMOND MILK. VEGGIE BROTH. GREEN ONIONS.

~ Preheat oven to 425

~ Cut 2 lbs potatoes into 1 inch cubes. If you use yukon gold, there is no need to even peel them. I'm not gonna lie, I didn't wash them either... I was probably the kid on the playground eating handfuls of dirt. 

Place on a baking sheet, drizzle with Olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt. Bake for 15 minutes.

~ Meanwhile, cut the greens off the fennel, cut the bulbs in half long ways, and then cut into thick slices like you might an onion.  Set aside.

This is Fennel, if you're thinking what the frick is a fennel bulb!? like I was only one month ago. I knew what fennel SEEDS were. Oi! so much to learn.

 This is the fennel forest... according to Miss M.

~ After the potatoes have been baking for 15 minutes, add fennel slices to the same baking pan with the potatoes. Roast for 45 more minutes stirring around every 15 minutes.

~When there's 15 minutes baking time left, add to a Dutch Oven one diced red onion,  2/3 Cup celery, and a drizzle of olive oil. Saute'on stove top over medium heat til tender. Add 1 T. Earth Balance Butter and 1 T whole Wheat flour and stir together to make a rue.

~ Add 2 Cups Almond milk and 2 Cups Vegetable Broth. Simmer to heat through and thicken slightly. Then add roasted potatoes and fennel. 

~ With an immersion blender, cream the soup leaving lots of big chunks o' potato. 

~ Stir in 2 sliced green onions, and 1 T reserved chopped fennel greens.

Mmmmm.... creamy. 

Do you have any recipes from the 'days of ole' that are in desperate need of a healthy make over?

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Earthfood Pizza with Rustic Roasted Tomato Sauce. Oh, and football.

I tried a whack at Earthfood Pizza this weekend.

To eat while I viewed my football. 

Viewing football =  staring blankly at the TV screen in an fuzzy trance, some interval snoozing accompanied by a little drooling, followed with a jolt to consciousness by Steven Tyler's rendition of the star mangled banner, god bless'm. 

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So here we sit with two very important subject matters to discuss...

Cheese-less Pizza and Football. 

#1 Football.  I've learned that open & clear that communication is the key to relationships...

Dear Football,  

I so wish I could love you. I realize that you inject joy into the hearts of so many Americans. And for that I am thankful for you. Maybe I'm a crappy citizen for not enjoying you as well. I've tried! I swear. 

I've asked many questions about your ways, only to forget the answers immediately. I've attempted to spice you up with the tailgate party approach, which only leaves me two sheets to the wind and knowing less than before. I've even gone so far as to join a fantasy football team with Sweets, only to lose interest immediately after the draft.

I wish I knew how to make our relationship better, for the sake of interacting with the men in my life. But I have some issues with you... Why do you have to have so many damn rules? And why are you so long? I oftentimes feel mislead by you... 15 minute quarters my ass. Just keep playing. Why do you have to stop so much? Also, why are your coaches always screaming at the players? Don't you know you're making them cry! That hurts my heart.

So I guess what I'm asking of you, football, is that maybe you try to work on these issues so that we could have a better relationship. 

Peace & Love, Chandra Nicole

#2 Cheese-less pizza 

I've made different variations of veggie type pizzas in the past, including this black bean pizza I made for Cinco de Mayo last year. But never a pizza without cheese.
Although it totally felt like a normal thing to do, having not eaten cheese for over a month, it was still a little strange leaving it off.

My Guests thought it quite a bit strange that we might be actually "enjoying" such a unfortunate pizza, but I must admit it was rather incredible... dare I say better than it's cheese laden counter part?

My conclusion: Earthfood pizza is wholesome and filling and I didn't even feel awful about going back for more. Holla!

You should watch this super hilarious short on the three stages of cheese-less pizza, from a fantastic blog I just found, Cadry's Kitchen. Then go check it out.. you'll L-O-V-E her. I do. 

What I put on my "unfortunate" delicious Pizza

This picture is rather blurry... Maybe this is what pizza looks like after taking the tailgate party approach to loving football.

RUSTIC ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE ~ plop 2 pints of cherry tomatoes on a baking sheet drizzle with olive oil then S&P generously. Roast at 400 degrees until bursty (about 30 minutes) Place in a saucepan and smoosh, add a palmful of basil, a palmful of oregano, a teaspoon of sugar, and more S&P to taste. Bring to a simmer, and reduce to desired thickness.

CARAMELIZED ONIONS ~ slice one sweet onion thinly. Saute for 15-20 mintues with a pinch of salt until nice and caramely. 

GARLIC BABY BELLAS ~ cut a pound of baby bellas into nice meaty slices. Saute for just about 5 minutes with a drizzle of olive oil, a minced clove of garlic, and S&P. 

ROASTED RED PEPPERS ~ cut 3 red peppers in half, removing seeds. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil, S&P. Bake the same as tomatoes. Cool, remove charred skin, and cut into chunks. 

Place all this goodness on top of an olive oiled whole grain pizza crust , and bake for 10-15 mintues, depending on how crispy you like your crust.

Do you love Football? If so, do you have any tips on how I might enjoy it too?? 

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Balsamic Chickpeas with Sun-dried Tomatoes

How do I love chickpeas? Let me count the ways.... 

1. These little suckers are just so versatile 
2. And, full of nutrition to boot
3. Hummus. I need not say more.
4. You can bake healthy desserts with them! 
5. Makes for the perfect lunch. Please note Exhibit A

EXHIBIT A 
Balsamic Chick Peas with Sun Dried Tomatoes 

For a perfect lunch you will need:

CHICKPEAS. RED ONION. JALAPENO. SUN DRIED TOMATOES. GARLIC. LEMONS. BASIL. BALSAMIC VINEGAR.

~ Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas, then add to a dry skillet over medium heat. Let sizzle til they sizzle no more! You are wanting to dry out your chickpeas. You'll know this has occurred when you begin to smell them. 

~ At this point you'll want to add a drizzle of olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a clove of minced garlic, a palmful of basil, and a finely chopped 1/4 Cup of each; jalapeno, red onion, sun dried tomato. Saute until the jalapeno and onion are tender. S&P to taste, then give a generous drizzle of balsamic vinegar.

~ Eat at any temperature, served over greens with another squeeze of lemon, and maybe something crunchy such as my fave, seed crackers. If it's hot, it will wilt your greens a little... which I thoroughly enjoy.

If you take away the greens and add some flat bread, this makes a really great appetizer for entertaining over the weekend too!

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Sweet Potato Hummus

 

In my efforts to get The Earthfood Experiment recipes organized and indexed for the new format (coming Monday!) this lovely hummus got kicked back up to the top from it's original post date last April. Since I have no way of putting it back where it belongs, here it shall remain. It really is some fantastic hummus. Man, I love hummus.

Maybe I'll make some tomorrow. I'm thinking Roasted Jalapeno & Lime... or Wasabi Edamame....  Mmmmmm...

If you do not own a food processor, I highly recommend you invest in one if only for the purpose of making hummus.
If you love hummus even a fraction of the amount I do it will pay for itself in no time. The stuff you buy in the store is expensive and not all that flavorful anyways if you ask me. So, why not make your own?

Here's what you will need:
 SWEET POTATOES. CHICKPEAS. LEMON. TAHINI. OLIVE OIL. CUMIN. GARLIC. 

Put into your food processor 2 large sweet potatoes that have been peeled and cooked. I cooked mine in a microwave steamer with some water for about 10 minutes.

Also add 1 can of chickpeas (drained and rinsed), juice of 1 lemon, 1/4 C. tahini, 2 T. olive oil, 2 tsp. cumin, 1 clove of minced garlic, Salt & Pepper to taste.

Give it a whirl, adding up to 2 T. of water to reach your preferred hummus consistency. I like mine kind of thick and a little bit gritty, so I added only 1 T.

Sprinkle with some paprika before serving, and...

That's it.

Easy, Peasy lemon squeazy (literally)

EAT UP & ENJOY!

(Sweet's claims he can't tell a difference between this and the Roasted Red Pepper Hummus... I think he's crazy.)

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3 Ingredient Sun-Dried Tomato Dip

I can't believe that it's Wednesday already! Days are flying by and I wish I had more recipes to share with you but in all honesty, because I have been so busy with work, the 4th of July holiday, and having my friends from Payton Woodcraft and Dust and Wanderlust in town from Pennsylvania,  I have been eating on the run a ton! For example... yesterday's lunch came from Maggie's Vegetarian Wraps (a great little cafe here in Lincoln) and supper was Spicy tuna rolls and edamame from Kinja, Mine and Sweets's fave sushi joint.

I am going to have to adapt my eating style to suit a more fast paced lifestyle then I was previously used to since I am working more in order to create the funds needed for the life coaching course I have been so desperately wanting to take. So I hope to soon share healthy on-the-fly 3 ingredient meals with you soon.

Until then, here is a super simple 3 ingredient appetizer dip for you. I made this to go with my Fattoush and Sweet's healthified chicken cordon bleu last week.

1 Cup Low Fat Greek Yogurt 
4 oz Fat Free Feta Cheese
1/2 Cup Sun dried Tomatoes  - Chopped
1 T Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Mix together and serve with vegetables or crackers. I chose to use pretzel chips... Yum.

Peace & Love, 

Chandra Nicole

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FamTime Facefood - Caprese "salad" Bread with Balsamic Drizzle

 

Can bread be a salad? Hells ya... in my world.

Am I, as of recently, on an Italian food kick?... 

apparently. 

I actually hardly ever make Italian food, however my last 2 food stuff posts have both been of the Italian persuasion. If you haven't yet checked out Kitchen Experiment #10, aka The Open Faced Walnut Crusted Chicken Parmesan Sandwich with Roasted Tomato marinara, aka The Longest Named Sandwich Ever... I highly recommend you do so. 

 My lovely lab assistant, Sweets, claims it may be the best Kitchen Experiment to date. Bold statement, I know! As much as I trust his judgment I think it's always a good idea to get a second opinion.

Anyhoo, here's the dealio with the salad bread...  I basically put a Caprese Salad on bread and called it FamTime Face Food, which I made and served yesterday at a family get-together at Debbi J's Place (also known as my Mom's house )

If you were previously not familiar with the Caprese salad, it is a super simple salad of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil which originated on the Italian Island of Capri, located on the South side of the Gulf of Naples. This salad is a supreme example of how a few quality ingredients can equal something so delicious.

Here are the Caprese "salad" Bread ingredients:

(plus Extra Virgin Olive Oil, Balsamic Drizzle, and fresh cracked S&P)

So to start, I individually wrapped 4 bulbs of garlic in foil (drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with S&P) and roasted for 30 minutes in a 400 degree oven. When they were done and cooled, I squeezed them into a bowl, smashed with a fork, seasoned with more S&P, then drizzled in some more olive oil until a spreadable consistency.

While the garlic is roasting, combine 1 Cup of balsamic Vinegar with 1 T brown sugar in a saucepan over medium heat. Bring this to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until reduced to about 1/3 of a cup.  Let cool slightly and save until the end... This is now a yummy balsamic drizzle for serving your bread with.

To assemble, spread some of the garlic mixture on each piece of bread. Then top with slices of tomato and fresh Mozzarella. Garnish each with a basil leaf, another drizzle of olive oil, and some more cracked pepper. Bake for 13-15 minutes at 400 degrees, then broil for a couple minutes to brown up the cheese.

Side Note: I would suggest layering the mozzarella THEN the tomato (opposite of what I did), unless you are using a very substantial bread such as ciabatta. This will prevent soggy bread from the tomato juice. I used a wheat bread and a french baguette which both got a little soft from the juice.

 

Drizzle the Balsamic reduction up on top and you got yourself some Caprese "salad" Bread. I highly recommend enjoying with a lovely glass of Red. 

Peace & Love, 

Chandra Nicole

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Bad Blogging and Antipasto

I have been a very bad blogger (slapping own hand)... you see, it has instantaneously turned summer in Nebraska. I have heard some complain about the lack of spring but I , however, was made for 95 degree weather. The beginning of these hot weather months makes me giddy with delight, and I just can't help but play in it (my hope is that, you too, have been frolicking in the sunshine and have not even noticed my absence)

So, in lieu of updating The Earthfood Experiment, I have been riding my bike all over the town soaking up rays. It's seems in every direction I go I am riding uphill into the wind (it is the Midwest, after all)... but I don't even care. My soul feels refreshed and my body rejuvenated after a long winter spent indoors.

I really do wish I lived in a warmer climate. I have been acutely aware of this desire on some level for many years, but it really smacked me upside the brain and wriggled it's way into my heart as I was pedaling to work yesterday. In that instant I became the owner of an intense longing to become a Mediterranean dweller, which may seem a hasty desire considering I've never even visited.

But come on now, seriously!... when I think of this region I imagine lovely, decadent & healthy meals shared with loved ones, gorgeous vineyards, refreshing salty sea air, an appreciation for leisure and relaxation balanced with the daily activity of transporting oneself via foot or bike.... it seems like such a simple and joyful life compared to the hurried, stress laden, convenience stricken lifestyle we endure here.

Seeing as how I am currently unable to place myself in this culture I so long for, I'm thinking maybe I'll just play pretend. I will live "as if" I were already there. I hear that what you focus on becomes your reality, so I think maybe instead of just longing for this Lifestyle I will bring the Mediterranean to the Midwest.

Maybe I will employ my body as my main source of transportation. Maybe I'll consume a mainly Mediterranean style, Earthfood heavy diet. Maybe I'll focus on relationships and people as opposed to material objects and "accomplishment." Maybe I will take time to stop and smell the roses.

Maybe the result will be a Healthy Body, a Healthy Soul & and a Healthy Mind... that is, after all, the goal of this Earthfood Experiment.

As a proper kick off to a proper Mediterranean Lifestyle, I give you:

The Antipasto Platter

Antipasto is traditionally the first course of an Italian meal and includes any number of foodstuffs such as cured meats, olives, marinated vegetables, and various cheeses usually topped with olive oil. 

I, however, prefer to add some bread and wine and turn this appetizer into a meal... which is just what I did this last Friday night with the lovely Debbi J, who just so happens to be my mother.

Here's what was on my Antipasto Platter:

• Sun-dried Tomato Hummus
• Red bell peppers
• Marinated mushrooms and artichoke hearts (which I got directly from the Antipasto bar at the grocery store)
• Green Olives stuffed with Blue cheese, kalamata olives, and tapenade (a dip made from olives and olive oil) - also from the Antipasto bar
• Prosciutto
• Genoa salami slices which I spread fat free cream cheese on, floded in half, and wrapped a grape tomato in.... SO GOOD.

We sat outside and enjoyed good conversation, good wine, and good food... it was the perfect evening.

(For my lil' bro's graduation party the next day, I chopped up the Antipasto leftovers and tossed them in with some whole wheat pasta, Extra Virgin Olive Oil, lemon juice, crushed red pepper, basil, and salt&pepper... to make a de-lish Mediterranean pasta salad)

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Mmm, Mmm, Hummus

Now that I have legumes coming out of my ears, I'm making all things chickpeas and black beans.

It so happens, I just made some of the best hummus I believe I may have ever tasted, and now I MUST share. If you are a hummus lover as I am... you have got to try this. It sweet and spicy and wicked delicious!

I give you...

ROASTED RED PEPPER HUMMUS... aaaaahhhhhhhhh



I was, literally, licking the food processor blades after I made this. I couldn't get it into my face fast enough... safe, I know.

This is how the magic happened:

2 Cups Chickpeas (soaked and cooked, or canned), 3 roasted red peppers – skin removed, 3 T lemon Juice, 1 ½ T. Tahini, 1 clove garlic – minced, ½ tsp. cumin, ½ tsp. cayenne, ½ tsp. salt, 2 tsp. parsley flakes

Combine all ingredients in food processor.


Drizzle in some olive oil until desired consistency.

Disclaimer - this hummus is pretty zippy. If you are not a fan of heat I would recommend cutting the cayenne in half. Also, don't cut your tongue on the food processor blade. I found this on allrecipes.com

Check out these other variations of roasted red pepper hummus on:

• The Hungry Hobbit's Foodie Blog
• eCurry
• Cook Like a Champion

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