For You It's Bread, but for Some - It's Life

Yesterday I had the great pleasure of cooking beside a friend, Chef Myke Eggers, who volunteered his time to help prepare the Community Meal at Christ Episcopal Church for those in need through a program sponsored by the Pottstown Cluster.  

We introduced our diners to Indian cuisine.  Chef Myke prepared delicious naan that he baked from scratch.  Naan is a leavened, oven-baked flatbread that is often served with Indian food.

Chef Myke expressed himself beautifully on his Facebook page, that you should follow right now --> HERE. 

 

For our entree, we made chicken tikka masala where chunks of chicken are marinated in fragrant spices (coriander and cumin) and yogurt, cooked and served in a creamy tomato sauce over rice.  I adapted my slow cooker recipe found HERE by multiplying the ingredient amounts by 12.  

Chef Myke and my wonderful husband, Bob, prepped the chicken, zucchini (from our backyard garden) and onions.  Iced tea was served, brewed with fresh mint from Chef Myke's garden.

Many returned for seconds, and even thirds. 

Pottstown Cluster board president, Allan Altschull, stopped by to personally thank Chef Myke.

Volunteers make it happen.

Anna and Larissa reminded us to introduce the idea of volunteering at an early age to our children.  Anna (right), who wants to be a cupcake baker when she grows up, baked all of the scrumptious muffins that were served for dessert. 

In the words of Chef Myke,  

"Remember the next time you enjoy your meal to be thankful.  For you it's just bread, but for some - it's life."

No one in our community should go hungry.  Contact the Pottstown Cluster at 610-970-5995 to learn more about how you can help.  

~Merrill ♥

Better Than Panera Vegan Black Bean Pumpkin Soup

I love black bean soup!  Today I took a break from making super cute heart-shaped memory matching games to whip up a double batch of my Better Than Panera Vegan Black Bean Soup.  With the addition of pumpkin, it really is the best black bean soup recipe ever.  And, it's gluten-free!  This soup is in our regular dinner rotation, we like it THAT much.

The cutie pie heart memory matching games I have been working on today can be found in my Ivy Lane Designs Etsy shop:  HERE.

BETTER THAN PANERA VEGAN BLACK BEAN SOUP

Printer-Friendly Recipe

INGREDIENTS

3 - 15 1/2 ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
1 - 15 1/2 ounce can drained canned tomatoes
1 1/4 cups chopped onion
4 garlic cloves minced (Tip:  I use the stuff in the jar)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 stick (2 tablespoons) Earth Balance butter
4 cups vegetable broth
1 - 16-ounce can pumpkin pureé (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/2 cup dry Sherry

DIRECTIONS 

Using a food processor, coarsely pureé black beans and tomatoes.  In a large pot, cook onion, garlic, cumin, salt and pepper in Earth balance butter over medium-high heat, stirring until onion is softened and beginning to brown.  Stir in bean pureé.  Stir in veggie broth, pumpkin and Sherry until combined and simmer, uncovered, stirring occasionally for 30 minutes.
 
Taste.  Season soup with salt and pepper.  Taste again.  Serve with a dollop of Tofutti sour cream and crusty bread.

This is even better the second day.  I plan to make a big pot to take to a Lenten supper at our church.

Enjoy!

~Merrill ❤

5 Fabulous Costco Favorites

Costco is one of our favorite shopping meccas.  In one stop, we can get our eyeglasses adjusted quickly and for free (and, everyone in the optical department knows Justin, who has autism, by name!), bump into friends, enjoy an inexpensive lunch and pick up most everything we need (plus some!) for the week ahead.

Here are five favorites from our weekend haul.

1.  Sweet Kale Salad.  I love this salad and have it for lunch at least once a week.  Each bag contains broccoli, Brussels (which is plural ... I did not know that) sprouts, cabbage, kale and chicory, with dried cranberries, roasted pumpkin seeds and poppyseed dressing.  Yum!

 
 2.  Silk Pure Almond Milk.  Vegan and gluten-free.  We use this, and the wild blueberries below, in our cereal every morning.  A good price.

3.  Sabra Roasted Pine Nut Hummus.  Vegan and gluten-free.  Quick and easy healthy snack, as a dip with cut up veggies or with black bean and quinoa tortilla chips, also from Costco, natch!  It makes a nice spread for sandwiches, in place of mayonnaise.

4.  Vegetarian Stuffed Grape Leaves.  These are also vegan, which is perfect for my husband.  I am hobbling along the vegan path, with cheese remaining my downfall.  I am convinced that there really is such a thing as a cheese addiction.  Cheese and super spicy food.  These grape leaves are handmade and stuffed with seasoned rice, tomatoes, onions and red peppers.  We enjoy having them for dinner with a salad.  Yummy and 0g saturated fat and trans fat.  Oh, and they're gluten-free.

5.  Wyman's of Maine Wild Blueberries.  We visited Maine last summer where we celebrated our wedding anniversary while falling in love with their wild blueberries.  Every morning these top our cereal.

Happy shopping!

~Merrill ♥

Quinoa Casserole

Well, hello there!  I have been as busy as a bee with the grand opening of TimeCycled, my awesome vintage shop on Etsy.  It's been great fun scouring thrift shops, yard sales and auctions to find neato merch to include in my new shop.  Ivy Lane Designs is still going strong with 5,669 sales, offering handmade recycled nifty gifties.  Check them out!  

Tonight I made a healthy quinoa casserole that we thoroughly enjoyed.  It's vegetarian, or vegan, and gluten-free.  Feel free to substitute whatever veggies you have on hand for those listed.  This recipe is super versatile.  I included cilantro because we love it!  If you're not a fan, just omit it.

QUINOA CASSEROLE

Printer Friendly Recipe

INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup quinoa, uncooked
• 1 tablespoon, plus 2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 2 cups vegetable stock
• 1 onion, chopped (I use a large white one)
• 1 green or red pepper, chopped
• 2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 1 cup zucchini, cubed (about 2 small)
• 1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained
• 1 4-ounce can diced green chiles
• 1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes, drained
• 1 cup frozen corn
• 1 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons oregano
• 2 teaspoons chili powder
• 1/2 lime, juiced
• Salt

• 2 cups pepper jack cheese, shredded (we use dairy-free Daiya brand) - this will go on top, so do not mix it in with the rest

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375º F.  Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray.  Set aside.

Place the quinoa in a fine mesh strainer and rinse throughly with cold water for at two minutes.  Drain.  In a medium saucepan, heat 2 teaspoons olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add the quinoa and cook, stirring, for one minute.  The quinoa will begin to dry out and pop a little.  Add the vegetable stock.  Stir and bring to a boil.  Turn the heat down to low and cook, covered, for 15 minutes.  Remove the pan from the heat and let stand, covered, for 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium-high heat.  Add onions and peppers and cook, stirring occasionally until soft, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and zucchini and cook 3 more minutes.

Transfer quinoa to a large bowl.  Add onion mixture, beans, green chiles, tomatoes, corn, cumin, oregano, chili powder, lime juice and salt to taste.  Mix thoroughly and transfer to prepared baking dish.  Bake 30 minutes, top with cheese and bake 10 minutes more or until melted and just beginning to brown.

Serve and enjoy!

~Merrill ♥ 

 

Vegan Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup

I made the yummiest soup for dinner, and could not wait another day to share the recipe with you.  My beloved described it as "KILLER!"  I know that eggplant soup sounds weird, but it truly was delicious.  

This morning I visited the Cluster to plan the menu for the next Community Meal.  If you are new to the blog, I cook for the homeless.  While there, I trash-picked an eggplant that I used to make this killer soup.  Okay, it was in a box headed to the dumpster so it wasn't technically in the trash - yet.  

Watching the documentary "Dive!" (Netflix) made us think about food waste.  The filmmaker and his friends dumpster dive in the back alleys and dumpsters of supermarkets in Los Angeles.  In the process, they salvage thousands of dollars worth of edible food.  Great guerrilla journalism.  You should watch it.

You can find more meatless recipes HERE.

Without further ado, Roasted Eggplant and Chickpea Soup.

PRINTABLE RECIPE

 INGREDIENTS 

• 1 large eggplant (about 2 pounds total), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 medium onion, diced medium 
• 2 garlic cloves, minced (I used the minced garlic in a jar from Costco) 
• 4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil 
• Kosher salt and ground pepper 
• 1 can (15-ish ounces) chickpeas, rinsed, drained and patted dry 
• 4 cups vegetable broth (I use the stuff in a carton)
• Oregano (I didn't measure - sorry - but I would guess that I used 1 tablespoon)
• 1 lime (or lemon), juiced (I had a lime, but a lemon would be just as tasty)
• Dairy-free sour cream (Tofutti is FABULOUS!)

DIRECTIONS 

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, toss together eggplant, onion, garlic and 3 tablespoons of olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper. Arrange in a single layer on a foil-lined cookie sheet, leaving a wide strip of empty space at one end. In the same bowl, toss chickpeas with remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Transfer to empty space on cookie sheet. Roast until eggplant is golden and cooked through and chickpeas are slightly crunchy, about 40 minutes. 

Set chickpeas aside. Add eggplant, onion, broth and oregano to a medium pot. Bring mixture to a simmer over medium-high. With a potato masher or back of a wooden spoon, mash about 3/4 of the eggplant until soup is thick and chunky. Stir in chickpeas - TASTE - then season with salt and pepper. Add juice from one lime (or lemon).  To serve, top with a healthy dollop of dairy-free sour cream.  YUM! 

Serving suggestion:  Serve with crusty bread.  We like the green olive bread topped with fresh rosemary and salt from Costco.  

Enjoy!

~Merrill ♥