Cayenne-Spiced Roasted Nuts

I made these nuts for the Super Bowl tomorrow. I'd made them previously and burned the crap out of them. This time they came out perfectly done. They're soooo delicious and addictive, with a sweet/spicy flavor combo that's great.

Cayenne adds its own health benefits to the very nutritious nuts. According to Vegetarian Times, cayenne is a natural blood thinner that improves circulation, can help treat heartburn and ulcers, helps rev metabolism and reduce appetite, and may also help prevent pancreatic cancer.

This recipe is from the January/February 2011 issue of Vegetarian Times. You can substitute any type of nut. This is what I made.

Cayenne-Spiced Roasted Nuts
Makes 5 cups

Spice Mix

• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground allspice, optional

Roasted Nuts

• 1 cup raw cashews
• 1 cup raw almonds
• 1 cup raw pecans
• 1 cup raw walnuts
• 3/4 cup raw pumpkin seeds
• 3/4 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 3 tablespoons olive oil

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 300F. Combine all spice mix ingredients in small bowl and set aside.
2. Combine all nuts, oil, and spice mix in a large bowl. I started with 2 tablespoons of oil and added only as much as I needed to completely coat the nuts with oil and spices.
3. Spread on 2 baking sheets. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until nuts begin to brown and appear dried, stirring occasionally. Season with salt if desired and cool on baking sheets. Store in an airtight container. NOTE: Better to under-bake these because they're easy to burn. They continue to bake a little on the baking sheets when you take them out of the oven, so I took them out just when they started to look like they might be done, and by the time they cooled they were perfect.

Braised Broccoli with Lemony Tahini Sauce

Since I first made this recipe from Mark Bittman's Food Matters Cook Book, it's become one of my favorite broccoli recipes. It's quick to make and delicious. You can use either broccoli or cauliflower, and you can roast the veggies (toss with a little oil and toast at 400F for about 30 minutes) instead of braising the veggies. The recipe is very similar to this one from a 2006 issue of Vegetarian Times, which I've made many times and love. Today I modified Bittman's recipe a bit to use less oil and had it for lunch with leftover Tamarind Lentils (that I didn't love, but I hate to throw them out.)

Braised Broccoli or Cauliflower with Lemony Tahini Sauce
4 servings

Ingredients

• 2 teaspoons olive oil (Bittman's recipe calls for 3 tablespoons)
• Vegetable broth for braising
• 1 large head (about 1 & 1/2 pounds) broccoli or cauliflower, cut into florets
• 1/2 onion, chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon (I didn't use zest)
• 1/3 cup tahini
• Salt and black pepper
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions (with my modifications)

1. Coat a large deep skillet with cooking spray and heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium-high heat. Add the broccoli florets, stir to coat with oil, and cook, stirring occasionally, until they begin to brown and get tender, 5 to 10 minutes. Once the oil gets used up, add a little vegetable broth so that they can cook without burning and sticking to the pan. Remove the broccoli.
2. Lower the heat to medium. Add the remaining 1 teaspoon oil to the pan along with the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until they soften, 3 to 5 minutes. Add the lemon juice, zest, tahini, a good sprinkling of salt and pepper, and 1/2 cup water or vegetable broth. Stir until a relatively smooth sauce forms and begins to bubble and thicken, 3 to 5 minutes. Add water or broth if it's too thick; thick sauce will clump and not spread easily over the veggies.
3. Return the broccoli to the pan, stir to coat and cook, stirring occasionally, until the broccoli is fully tender. Taste and adjust the seasoning and add the parsley if using. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Happy Herbivore Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins

This morning I made these healthy, fat-free muffins with whole blueberries, a gingery tang, and just the right amount of sweetness. Delicious and only 3 WeightWatchers PointsPlus values! I'll have them as part of breakfast this week and also for snacks.

I got the recipe from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, but she's also posted it on her website.

Veganomicon Review: Tamarind Lentils

This is the first Veganomicon recipe that didn't thrill me. The recipe tip said small green lentils would work better because brown lentils get mushy. I should have stuck with brown--I like mushy lentils. The lentils were supposed to get tender and absorb the broth after 25 minutes; after more than an hour, mine were still a little too firm for me. But by that point I'd hungrily watched my husband heat the oven, cook a frozen pizza for himself, and eat it, so I was tired of waiting for the lentils to get more tender.

The flavor was OK. Not bad. Not great. Just OK. But since I really like mushy lentils, the firm texture ruined it for me. Still, I probably wouldn't make this again, even using brown lentils. A disappointing dinner!

Week 4: Project Food Budget

Week 4 of The Reluctant Vegetarian's Project Food Budget

Goal: $100
Actual: $58.55

Success! Most of the budget went to fresh fruits and veggies I eat separately from dishes I make (as I explained last week), so I spent very little on ingredients for dishes. This week I decided to make less complicated dishes and more meals I can cook quickly with few ingredients. Plus, I have dinner plans out Saturday night, when I usually make an involved dinner. I'd also bought some staples (like soymilk) on sale so didn't need them this week. Dishes for the week are:

• Red Lentil Dal with Basmati Rice
• Herbed Home Fries
• Tofu Scramble with Mushrooms and Spinach
• Spicy Greens
  
• Broccoli with Lemony Tahini Sauce
• Tamarind Lentils with Basmati Rice

I also have all the ingredients on hand to make these for Super Bowl Sunday:

• Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins for breakfast
• Cashew Cheese and Whole Wheat Pizza Dough for vegan pizza
• Sundried Tomato Dip
• Whole Wheat Crackers
• Cayenne Spiced Nuts

Baking my own bread and cooking my own vegetable broth (a double batch this past weekend) continues to save me money.

Also this week I checked out Soergel's farm market because I'd heard their produce is cheaper than Giant Eagle. It's not. What's more, the produce I bought wasn't the best. I'm all for supporting local farms and can even see spending a little more to do so, but if the quality isn't good...nope. I'll continue to shop at Giant Eagle and Right by Nature for produce sale items and Trader Joe's for weekly produce staples.

How did everyone else do this week?

• The Reluctant Vegetarian
  
• Maria Marz
• Veggie Converter
• Low Budge Veg
• Dairy-Free Cooking
• Beauty, Fitness, and Health…Oh My!
• Motor City Girl In the Steel City
• Baked Beans and Broccoli…Vegetarian Budgeting
• Sweet Rehab
• The Happy Cactus
• The Vegetarian Salmon
• Test Kitchen Tuesday
• Newly Vegan
• Always Sick and Tired

Happy Herbivore Dinner: Tofu Scramble, Herbed Home Fries & Spicy Greens

My nutritious, fat-free, and totally yummy dinner tonight came from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook.First: Tofu Scramble (recipe also on the Happy Herbivore website.) I love tofu scrambles, but most use a combo of oils and soy sauce. This version uses a blend of nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, and lots of spices. I really like it. Tonight I added mushrooms and spinach to it.

Second: Herbed Home Fries, roasted with plenty of herbs and spices. I was worried that they wouldn't roast properly without oil, but they were perfect--crunchy on the outside and full of flavor.

Third: Spicy Greens. Collards are cooked with onion, garlic, and red pepper flakes. To my horror, I realized I was completely out of onions while getting ready to make this. So I substituted the one shallot I had. I've never had collards before but really want to eat more of them because they're so nutritious. This wasn't bad--it was really spicy with the additional hot sauce I added to it. I think it would be better with a lot more onion like the recipe calls for. And I think my taste buds need to adjust to collards. I'll definitely make this again with more onion.

I got all of this together very quickly after I got home from work, and it was very filling: both big plusses. Overall this made a great meal.

Happy Herbivore Red Lentil Dal

I love lentils so have high expectations for lentil dishes. This one didn't disappoint. As promised, it was extremely quick and easy to make. It was ready in about a half-hour, including prep time and the time to cook the rice. The sauce was thick and full of flavor. (I used tomato sauce because tomatoes aren't in season, per the cookbook's suggestion.) It was a little spicy even without the dashes of cayenne I added at the end; the cayenne made it just spicy enough. This is a perfect after-work meal that I'll be making often. Omnivore husband liked it too. And it's only 3 WeightWatchers PointsPlus!

The recipe came from The Happy Herbivore Cookbook, but she's also posted it on her website.

And good news! The cookbook's author, Lindsay Nixon, is coming to Pittsburgh for a book signing! It will be at Right by Nature (what a perfect place!) on February 13 from 2 to 4. I'll be there!