How to Dice and Onion (or anything)

...By Request :)

You are trying to make "little squares," when you dice.

Chop the ends of your onion (and remember to save them to make vegetable broth!)

Peel the skin.

Place flat on cutting board.

Cut length wise 4-6x depending on how large you want the pieces to be and how large the onion is.

Place flat on cutting board again, with the layers stacked.

Cut length-wise again, 4-6x, again depending on the size you are looking for the diced pieces to be and how large the onion is.

Now it is cut in two directions.

With the stacks of sliced onion still sitting flat-end down on your cutting board, cut them again in the opposing direction you just cut them (so the cuts will be perpendicular to the cuts you just made) Now you have diced your onion.

Now you can dice potatoes, yams, tomatoes, onions, etc etc etc. 

Quick Vegan Taco Filling: Anasazi Bean and Yam

So, geez. It's been a long couple of weeks. I sort of feel like I have been swallowed up under a tidal wave of a schedule, and so I am completely lacking time, especially Monday-Wednesday. Though it is all exciting a stuff I still can't help but feel like I don't have the space to concentrate on the things that make me feel good (like going to yoga and cooking delicious dinners for my woo-bear, AJ). In order to compromise both my tight schedule and my desire to cook a solid meal at the end of the day, I chose TACOS as a quick way to make a really satisfying dinner.

I will try to post a lot of taco fillings throughout the life of this blog as we eat them often and they always have basically whatever I can find in my cupboard or in the dredges of my refrigerator...so it is always a random, wild interpretation of the traditional taco fillings we are used to.

Tonight, I had yams.

What you will need for this recipe

2 cups of cooked beans (I had made anasazi beans in the slow cooker, with just water out and no seasonings of the sheer hurriedness of my life this week, they cook identically to the black bean recipe previously posted on this blog)
2 medium to small yams, skinned and diced
1/2 an onion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 bunch of kale, chopped roughly
Salt
Cayenne (a pinch!)
Cumin, ground or whole or both
Coriander
Taortillas (we get Abbo Blue, local organically cultivated blue corn tortillas by Abbodanza farm/seeds: Rich, AJ's mentor found and culivated the strain of corn they are made of from a heirloom variety in Mexico: they are SO DELICIOUS)
1 avocado
Salsa, any other condiment you like on your tacos

First, preheat your oven to 350 degrees. You will need the oven for your tortillas later.
Then saute the onion until translucent in a good layer of olive oil on medium high heat (I prefer, when cooking in my cast iron, especially with taco fillings, to get a "blackened" quality to my ingredients, especially with the likes of potatoes or yams). Add yams and saute, constantly flipping so as to keep them from sticking for about 6-10 minutes, or until they are soft and getting golden (or blackened edges, like I like them). Add your drained beans and garlic and stir in over medium heat for about 2-4 minutes. Season with salt, cumin, coriander and pinch of cayenne or another chili powder if you like spice.

Add chopped kale and let it wilt and get a little crispy, stirring for about 5 minutes. Taste and continue to season accordingly if you so desire.

Meanwhile, while the filling is resting on low heat and covered (because it is now done) lightly paint olive or grapeseed oil on your tortillas and place on a cookie sheet. Set in the oven and let them get soft and warm-- if you like them slightly crispy leave them in for up to 10 minutes, but I usually keep mine in for about 7. Certain tortillas are denser and take longer, so stick your nose in at 5 minutes, 7 minutes, 10 minutes etc. and you'll know when they are heated and to your liking.

 While the tortillas are warming up in the oven, slice your avocado and ready any other condiments you might like (cheese, sour cream, crema, salsa, cilantro, hot sauce, etc.)

We kept ours simple and when our tortillas were ready we filled them with the yam-bean-kale fillings and only added the sliced avocado and salsa.

Twenty minute dinner, YAY. Who doesn't like tacos????

Italian Antipasti Chop Salad

YUM YUM YUM YUM, I was craving a really hearty salad. So was AJ. We brought this to a dinner party and it was a big hit. So many colors and full of crunchy veggies and protein too!

You will need:
1 cup of quartered artichoke hearts
1 1/2 cup (or a 15 oz can) of garbanzo beans, drained
1 cup of chopped green or black olives (I tend to prefer green!)
1 cup of chopped baby tomatoes or diced big tomatoes
4 chopped green onions
1 medium green pepper, diced
1/2 of a cucumber, skinned and diced
A big head of romaine lettuce
1 cup grated parmesan cheese**(optional for omnivores) (I got pecorino romano because I prefer sheep cheese)
1 cup diced salami** (optional for carnivores)

For the dressing:
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup red wine winegar
1/4 cup white wine vinegar
1/2 cup olive oil
A pinch of salt, oregano, basil and marjoram

First, prep all of your veggies:

Now--  toss your vegetables.

Next, mix your olive oil, vinegar, garlic and spices altogether to make your dressing. Taste-- if you like your dressing saltier, add more salt (or grated parmesan cheese) and if you like it tangier add more vinegar, etc. I tend to make my dressings mellower with salads like this, since there are already so many flavors going on...

Chop your salami-- I bought a fancy kind so I also peeled the casing off before I cubed my salami. Then grate your cheese and top your salad!

Dress as you like. You may want to serve this hearty salad with a crusty piece of bread. YUM.

Love-- the Woo's

Quick Pickled Onions

MMMMMmm!! Pickled Onions!
Great on sandwiches, tacos--- and coming up in a minute, arepas.

But first!

You will need:

One Ball jar with a lid (for storing later)
One medium red onion, sliced in thin rounds
Three garlic cloves, peeled
1/2 cup of apple cider vinegar
1 table spoon of sugar
1 and 1/2 teaspoon of salt

One: Place sliced onions in jar, neatly packed, and place the garlic in as well

Two: Whisk vinegar, salt and sugar together

Three: Pour over the top of the onions and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour before using.

You can store this closed jar in the fridge for up to two weeks and use on whatever you might like!

Homemade Vegetable Stock

We are going to make a lot of soup this winter. A lot. And it is so nice not to have to purchase broth or bouillon or stock (because it is literally a kitchen waste product and you can make it at home with your compost).

So, save your vegetable skins, onion skins, garlic bits, carrot tops, even wilted lettuce: THAT'S RIGHT! EVEN WILTED LETTUCE. I am trying the new tactic of having a tupperware in my fridge that keeps my vegetable compost for a few days until I am ready to make stock.

First step: put all of your vegetable trash in a pot. Since I know I want to use this for a pho recipe that I am making tomorrow, I even put in some wild shit like ginger skins. Be mindful of what you want to make, for example, if you are making a delicate butternut squash soup, I wouldn't put red beet tops in your stock unless you want a pink colored soup. So...be a bit mindful. The no-fail ingredients are carrots, onions, garlic, celery-- in this one you see pictured I also have old cabbage, wilted Napa cabbage and old turnips.

Second step: cover your veggies with water completely!

Third Step: Simmer your submerged veggies for about two hours, covered.

Fourth Step: Drain the veggie chunks out of the stock. (Look how steamy! Mmmmm!)

Congratulations! You now have vegetable stock for any occasion! Let this cool and use it in any recipe that calls for broth! :)

(Tomorrow we will use this particular stock for vegetable pho!)