I love potatoes. I think I could eat potatoes at every meal. Hash browns, mashed, roasted, baked, fries, home style, soup, endless possibilities really. My favorite combination is garlic and potatoes, mashed or pan fried. Today I bring you, roasted! Roasted garlic with seasoned roasted potatoes, a perfect marriage of flavors. Roasted garlic doesn’t have that harsh don’t kiss me kick and actually adds a nice sweetness. So good just squeezed on top of a slice of crusty bread too!
You could really pair this as a side dish with any meal but I had it as my main dish for dinner. What can I say, I really love potatoes! And it’s technically Winter still, I’m allowed to have an entirely starchy dinner! I usually love a huge dollop of sour cream with potatoes, but this dish is so flavorful, you really won’t need anything else but a fork! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, cooking, food, potatoes, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian
{7 comments}
I’ve been meaning to make a Japanese dish for a while. After my visit to Japan last year, I feel like I wouldn’t do the cuisine justice… food in Japan was simply amazing! How could I even try to imitate? I keep thinking, what would Blake like? Blake is a good friend of mine who lives in Japan… he has some of the best eateries at his doorstep so I have to make sure if I’m gonna do something Japanese, it better be good and he better like it!
I’m no sushi chef, so slicing raw fish a certain way with specific knives for different types of fish and cuts wasn’t exactly going to be my first attempt. I wanted to stay far away from ramen because if I’m going to do it right, I’d have to cook the pork broth for days. I don’t quite have the tools needed for takoyaki. I was starting to think it was a lost cause, but I’ve finally got a Japanese dish worthy of a post! Miso orange glaze cod with shiitake pea brown rice.
Ok so technically, it’s Japanese inspired. I’m a little iffy about the rice being anything Japanese but oh well! It looks pretty and taste great! The glaze itself is delicious with any protein that doesn’t require long cooking… fish is perfect, soy patties are great too. We had this served with some Japanese pickled vegetables and cucumber and of course miso soup. I mean, I tried to make it authentic! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: asian, baking, cooking, food, Japanese, recipe, recipes, seafood, vegetables
{16 comments}
That’s right everyone, homemade wontons! I always thought they were incredibly difficult to make, especially as a vegetarian option, but it wasn’t difficult at all. I think what put me off from making these is that my mom always used to say what a treat it was to find vegetarian wontons at a restaurant. She made it seem like they were so difficult to make and it was special occasion to have them. Now I realized she was just lazy. They are incredibly time consuming but not difficult at all. I’ve been craving veggie wontons ever since we went to Hong Kong 4 months ago. So I decided, it’s about time I called mom and asked her how to make her wontons!
I made two versions, a vegetarian version for me and a traditional pork & shrimp version for Vini. That meant, double work for dumpling fillings, double work to make stocks, and a very strategic way of cooking everything. I made a vegetarian stock for my soup and made a traditional chicken stock for the meat option. And when it came down to cooking everything, I had pots everywhere! One for the veggie stock, one for the chicken stock, a big pot of boiling water to blanch the greens and the noodles. Ladles and spoons and chopsticks everywhere… okay, I can see why my mom doesn’t do this often.
Everything said and done, it was well worth it, DELICIOUS! You don’t see vegetarian versions of this often so it’s nice to know you with a little patience, you can just make it at home! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, soups
Tags: asian, chinese, cooking, food, noodles, recipe, recipes, soup, vegetables, vegetarian
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The name of the dish should really be “Meaty Roasted Squash Moroccan Stew on Roasted Portobello Mushrooms with Green Onion Garlic Couscous” but it’s a bit long so I shortened it. 
It’s got heaps of veggies and spices, a very hearty dish and perfect for winter dinners. Hmmm might even go nicely as a pie filling!
Now when I said “meaty” I mean whatever choice of meat you want to put in it. I used a delicious soy meat, but you can use steak, chicken, lamb, whatever you want! Just make sure it’s cut into cubes around the same size and the rest of your veggies. I made this dish vegan but you can of course add meat to your liking for a carnivorous version. Season up the “meat” with salt and pepper and then brown before adding to the stew at the end. If you can find some flavored sausages, it would go really nicely as well!
The recipe looks long and complicated but it really isn’t that bad, definitely worth the extra effort! This dish is incredibly flavorful and jam packed with veggies. The roasted mushroom adds a great texture and taste to the whole dish. Top with some cilantro and there you have it, a delicious hearty meal! You know, a dollop of Greek yogurt on top would be great as well….next time! Hope you like it!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, recipe, recipes, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
{7 comments}
Cauliflower cannelloni doesn’t exactly sound very exciting, but believe me, it’s delicious. Great way to squeeze in your veggies as well! I saw this dish on one of Jamie Oliver’s shows… I cannot seem to find the recipe online so I’m not quite sure how accurate I am. I got the main parts of it down but I may have added a bit more here and a little less there. It all came out great anyway!
The shredded Parmesan cheese on the top with the mozzarella made the entire house smell like pizza. I loved the added crunchy texture the toasted cheese adds to the ooey gooey sauce. You almost forget that you’re eating cauliflower! The filling is actually cauliflower, broccoli and broccoflower boiled and then cooked down with olive oil, chilies and anchovies. You can make it without anchovies for a vegetarian option.
I have another cannelloni recipe that’s a bit more low fat but hey we’ve got visitors in town and Vini’s been begging me to make this for a while. Low fat will have to wait! I’ll post that recipe at a later date. In the meantime, hope you like this one!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: baking, cheese, cooking, food, Italian, pasta, recipe, recipes, vegetables
{8 comments}
I wasn’t quite sure what to name this dish. It’s a little Asian, a little tangy, a little crunchy, but most of all a whole lot of YUMMY! I love red cabbage slaws. My favorite would be the Szechuan slaw that comes with the Vegetarian Focaccia Sandwich at CPK. YUM. I guess you can say this was inspired by it, it’s not quite exactly the same but close!
I’m still very much on my health kick, so this dish is good for you AND vegan! I need to make sure I keep posting all my vegan recipes before I forget them! I’ve got another vegan red cabbage slaw recipe that I’ll post at a later date. For now enjoy this yummy one!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, salads
Tags: asian, cooking, diet, food, recipe, recipes, salad, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
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Ooo baked spaghetti! Kind of like lasagna or baked ziti but not really at all. I’ve been meaning to make this for a while. I can’t quite remember where I saw this done, perhaps it was on Martha’s show, or just one of the delicious photos on tastespotting.com. Either way, I remembered the basics, cook spaghetti, make toppings, bake.
So I improvised a bit, it still came out tasty. I think if you add more sauce, it turns more lasagna. If you add more ricotta and mix it around, it’s more ziti like. I kind of kept mine more on the vegetable heavy side, still on my health kick ya know. I also used bucatini pasta, it’s spaghetti with a hole in it, they’re basically like straws. If you stick to spaghetti I think it will keep it’s shape a bit more, the bucatini wanted to wiggle around a bit more. Try it out!
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: baking, food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cooking, food, pasta, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian
{8 comments}
I love Martha Stewart. I wake up early on Sundays to sit on the couch for Marthathon. That’s the entire weeks worth of Martha. It’s awesome. Vini usually sleeps in and wakes up just in time as the last episode finishes, funny how he times it just right.
Anyway, Martha did her Fennel, Orange and Parsley salad from her Everyday FOOD. It just looked so refreshing even through the TV that I had to make it. Of course, I slightly altered it. I thought the olives would take away from the salad so I kept those out. I also added a ton more fresh herbs and the result was so delicious. This goes really well with my heath kick - currently on day 2.
Here’s my version of Martha’s fennel, orange and parsley salad. Hope you like it!
Ingredients:
1 fennel bulb, washed and trimmed
2 oranges
1/4 cup of chopped parsley (bit of the stems are good too!)
1/4 cup of chopped mint leaves
1/4 cup of chopped cilantro leaves
2 stocks of green onion, chopped
small itty bitty drizzle of extra virgin olive oil
pinch of sea salt
fresh ground black pepper
Step 1: Slice and chop!
First we slice the oranges. Cut off the top and bottoms of the orange and slice off the peel with a knife. Now carefully cut out each segment into a salad bowl. Save the remainder of the orange to squeeze the juice out after. Now, trim the frilly bits off the fennel, you only need the bulb. Cut into quarters and cut out the core - it’s very bitter. Cut into thin slices into the salad bowl. Squeeze the orange juices of the two oranges over the fennel to keep it from browning. Chop up the parsley, mint, cilantro and green onion and add to the salad bowl.
Step 2: Dress!
Sprinkle with a couple pinches of sea salt and black pepper. Drizzle with a little bit of extra virgin olive oil. Toss and serve!
That’s it, pretty simple and incredibly delicous. Try it out, even if you’re not a big fan of fennel, the orange and sea salt really compliment the licoricey taste.
Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, salads
Tags: cooking, fennel, food, fruit, orange, recipe, recipes, salad, vegan, vegetables, vegetarian
{2 comments}
It’s been getting a bit chillier lately so I figured it was time for another soup recipe. I love the vibrant color of this pea and spinach soup! I think I even have a cardigan in that exact color. This week officially starts my get-fit-eat-healthy diet. Okay so it’s not really a diet and I’m sure it’s not going to last long, but it’s Fall and I have nothing better to do. And I figure it gives me an opportunity to work on some healthier recipes! First step, a very flavorful pea and spinach soup!
This recipe yields about 4 servings.
Ingredients:
4 cups of vegetable stock
3 cups of frozen peas (you can use fresh if they’re in season)
1 bunch of spinach, washed and drained
3 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
1 medium yellow onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons of butter or margarine or extra virgin olive oil
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves only
4 sprigs of fresh thyme, whole
1 teaspoon of chopped tarragon leaves or dried
2 sprigs of fresh tarragon
sea salt
fresh ground pepper
juice of half a lemon (optional)
Step 1: Simmer away!
In a medium pot melt the butter over medium heat. Toss in the chopped garlic and onions and season with fresh ground pepper and a pinch of sea salt. Also throw in the teaspoon of tarragon leaves and thyme leaves. Let that cook for about 5 minutes or until the onions are translucent. Now pour in the 4 cups of vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Using kitchen twine, tie together a few sprigs of fresh thyme and a couple sprigs of tarragon. Toss that into the stock and let that simmer.
Step 2: Peas & spinach!
Once the stock is boiling, pour in the 3 cups of frozen or fresh peas. Cook peas for about 2 - 3 minutes. Now take out the bundle of herbs and add in the spinach. Let the spinach wilt, which is about another 2 -3 minutes and then remove it from the heat.
Step 3: Blend!
Now this part is dangerous if you don’t have a hand held blender. If you have a hand held blender, carefully blend up that entire mixture in your pot. If you’re using a regular blender, split up the soup into 3 or 4 portions to blend. You want to make sure you’re only blending a little at a time and have a small opening for the hot air to escape. You can cover the opening with a towel very loosely so you don’t end up with pea and spinach all over your walls! Add in a tablespoon of water each time you blend to get to the consistency you like. I didn’t add any at all and it was the perfect thickness for me. Once all blended, pour all of it back into that pot and let that simmer on low until you need to serve, stir occasionally.
You can serve this with some yummy crusty bread or a dollop of sour cream or a drizzle of good olive oil. I garnished with mint leaves and the pungent herb went really well with the earthy aromas of the soup. Enjoy!
Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes, soups
Tags: cooking, food, peas, recipe, recipes, soup, spinach, vegetables, vegetarian
{2 comments}
Earlier this week, someone asked me for a vegetarian chili recipe. I realized I didn’t have my own written down anywhere. I’ve made it before, maybe not exactly the same each time but pretty close. I like my chili a bit more on the watery side but you can just alter the recipe depending on what you like. This recipe is jam packed with flavor, you can add some meat to it if you like, ground beef or turkey or even steak chunks. Or for extra crunch and flavor, you could use bacon!
I love chili because you can dress it up however you want. You can make it really spicy or you can make it mild. You can use just about any beans you like and you can add in vegetables like zucchini or carrots if you want it more on the hearty vegetables side. The best thing about chili is that you can top it off with your favorite topping. I love a sprinkle of cheddar cheese and big dollop of sour cream and a little green onion.
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Posted by: Maggie Ha
Category: food, mmmm, recipes
Tags: cheese, chili, cooking, food, recipe, recipes, vegetables, vegetarian
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