The Bored Vegetarian

Roasted Cauliflower & Steamed Kale Salad

1 small head of Cauliflower, broken into florets
3 cups raw Kale, large stems removes, leaves chopped small
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice from half of a Lemon
Salt & Pepper to taste 
Toasted Sesame Seeds (optional) 

Preheat oven to 350.  On a baking sheet, toss florets in olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Roast in the oven for 15-20 minutes until cauliflower is soft and begins to brown (toss about halfway through to brown on different sides).  Fill a soup pot or large sauce pan with an inch or two of water and place over medium/high heat.  Place a vegetable steamer in the pot and add the kale.  Steam the kale until tender.  Remove cauliflower from oven and let cool until you can handle it.  Chop up cauliflower into very small pieces.  In a bowl, toss with steamed kale and season with salt and pepper.  Add to a serving bowl and squeeze fresh lemon juice over the top. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. Can be served warm or room temperature.  

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I’ll be selling jars of my homemade “Nutella” at the Greenpointers Valentine’s Day Market next Saturday!  I’ll have Original, Bourbon and Spicy for $7 for a 4oz jar.  Come by and pick up something sweet for your sweetie (or for yourself)!

Greenpointers Valentine’s Day Market
Saturday, February 9th, 2013
From The Source 
69 West St., Greenpoint Brooklyn
Noon-6pm
 

Egg-In-A-Hole with Sauteed Kale, Sundried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese
 
There are a few different name variations for “egg-in-a-hole” : Egg in a basket; Bird’s Nest; Frog in a Hole; Moon Eggs; Gas House Eggs.. the list goes on.  What did you call it growing up? 

1 slice good Bread
1 Egg
1/4 cup Sundried Tomatoes, chopped
3 cups fresh Kale, stems removed, leaves chopped
Juice from 1/2 Lemon
2 Tbsp Crumbled Goat Cheese
Salt & Pepper to taste
1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tbsp Butter 

In a sautee pan, heat olive oil.  Add kale and toss.  Salt & pepper to taste.  As you continue to cook the kale on low/medium heat, melt butter in another sautee pan.  Cut a round circle in your slice of bread and add to the pan.  As it’s browning, crack an egg into the “hole” in the middle.  Salt & pepper to taste.  Add sundried tomatoes to the sauteed kale and toss.  After a minute or to (or whenever the egg starts to firm) gently flip the egg-in-a-hole to cook the other side.  The goal is not to break the yoke, so take your time.   Let the other side of the egg firm up a little before removing from heat.  Place on a plate, with the yolk side up.   Squeeze lemon juice onto kale & tomato mixture and make sure it’s seasoned to your liking with salt & pepper.  Spoon kale mixture onto the egg-in-a-hole and sprinkle with goat cheese.  Serve hot.  

I’m headed out to LA on Wednesday to visit some friends for a few days and though we have some plans already (Disneyland!!), I would love any advice on where to eat, drink and explore.  I haven’t been to that area since I was a kid, so I have zero idea of what to expect… perhaps I can recreate this 20 years later:

If you have advice, please send me a tumblr message or email theboredvegetarian@gmail.com. 

Kimchi and Scrambled Eggs Sandwich

2 Eggs
2 Tbsp Whole Milk
1/4 cup Vegan Kimchi (like Firefly or Sunja’s) (thanks kitormaybeplato )
1 Tbsp Mayonnaise (optional)
1/4 cup Arugula
1 Roll, sliced (I used a deli roll, but brioche would be preferable…)
1/2 Tbsp Butter
Salt & Pepper  

Preheat oven to 350 and toast roll slightly.  Crack eggs into a small bowl and whisk until a pale yellow.  Add milk and whisk until incorporated.  While you’re doing this, melt butter in a saute pan on low/medium heat.  Once melted, add eggs to pan.  Allow to set slightly before stirring with a wooden spoon or rubber spatula.  Continue to turn until eggs are cooked but not overdone.  Spread mayo onto each side of the rolls. Pile eggs on the bottom half of the roll, followed by the kimchi, arugula and top half of the roll.  Serve hot.

Hurricane Sandy was a bit gentler on the area of Greenpoint that I live in than other parts of the neighborhood.  I took a long walk along the waterfront this morning where thankfully things didn’t look too bad, though I’m sure there are businesses and apartments that are in worse shape nearby.  While standing at the end of India looking out towards Manhattan, staring at thousands of apartments without water or power and a car-less FDR, a stranger remarked that it was “sort of anti-climatic.” Wanted to slap him.  Sandy wreaked havoc on so many people and communities up and down the coast, I feel very fortunate that last night I was able to tell my worried family and friends that I was safe and going to sleep in a warm bed.  I’m still wrapping my head around the impact this has had/will have.  Hope you’re all safe too, you’re on my mind. xo

Lazy Sunday Migas

Migas are traditionally made with pan-fried corn tortillas, but seeing as I’ve been running around all morning putting up Gala Gala Hey! fliers and have to work in a couple of hours, I opted for thin tortilla chips instead.   

3 eggs
1 handful Tortilla Chips
1/2 small Purple Onion, chopped
2 small Yellow Peppers, seeds removed, chopped
1 Jalapeno Pepper, seeds removed, minced
1/3 cup Monterey Jack, shredded
1 Tbsp Half & Half
1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Fresh Cilantro, chopped
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Add olive oil, onion and peppers to saute pan on low/medium heat.  Saute until soft.  In a bowl, whisk eggs and half and half together until incorporated.  Add to pan, season with salt and pepper and begin to scramble the eggs.  Break a handful of tortilla chips into the egg mixture and toss together.  Once eggs are close to being done, mix in cheese and cilantro.  Serve hot.

This morning I stopped in Transmitter Park in Greenpoint to catch the amazing view of Manhattan.  Tomorrow will be my 3rd anniversary of living in New York and it was great to have a few quiet minutes to think about how impactful my time here has been.  Without sounding like a big pile of mush, I feel really lucky to have experienced so much over the last few years - both good and bad - and running this blog has been an important part of that.  Thank you from the bottom of my sappy heart for reading!  

I finally went to Calyer in Greenpoint tonight.  It was delicious and a perfect end to a busy week.  I’ll be dreaming of the parsnips tonight.

Butternut Squash Flan
boy choy, rosemary honey, toasted almonds

Broccoli Rabe 
roasted baby potatoes, celery, spicy aioli, peanuts

Parsnips
smoked yogurt, savory granola, vanilla 

*logo from Thimali Kodikara  

This weekend was a bit of a blur with no time spent in the kitchen.  

A few of my favorite neighborhood things instead…

Spicy Rice Cakes from Mrs. Kims

House Made Ricotta at Five Leaves

A simple cup of coffee from Cafe Grumpy

Every donut at Peter Pan Bakery

A cocktail in the cozy Oak & Iron

Soyrizo Tacos & a Tecate at Papacitos

Pizza from Paulie Gee’s

The view of Manhattan from the end of Java Street.

Whole Wheat Gnocchi with Roasted Brussels Sprouts and Lemon Garlic Brown Butter

Brussels Sprouts season is pretty much over, so I thought I’d have one last hurrah.  Speaking of seasonal eating, I downloaded a free app called Locavore that tells you what’s in season, what’s coming up and where to shop for local produce.Now if only I could remember to go to the farmer’s market on Saturdays. Am I the only person who thinks Sunday is the best grocery shopping day?  Greenpoint is trying to get a Sunday market going in McGlorick Park. Crossing my fingers…

16 oz Whole Wheat Gnocchi
1 1/2  lbs Brussels Sprouts
4 Tbsp Butter
6 cloves Garlic with individual papers wrapping on
1 1/2 tsp Lemon zest
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Fill a sauce pan with water and bring to a boil.  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Chop brussels sprouts into fourths and toss with 1-2 Tbsp of olive oil until coated.  Spread onto a baking pan, one layer thick.  Sprinkle with salt and roast on bottom rack of the oven, stirring occasionally.  Cut the tops of the garlic cloves off.  Make a container out of aluminum foil, add garlic and drizzle with olive oil. Roast in the oven with the sprouts until soft.  Add gnocchi to boiling water and cook for a few minutes until they float to the top.  While they’re cooking, melt butter in a saute pan over medium heat, careful not to burn.  Remove roasted garlic cloves paper wrapper and stir into butter.  Drain gnocchi in a colander.  Once butter begins to brown, remove from heat and toss the gnocchi in the brown butter.  Add lemon zest and toss well.  Add roasted brussels sprouts and toss again.  Salt & Pepper to taste.  Serve immediately topped with fresh parmesan. 

Homemade Cheese & Potato Pierogi (adapted from Queen Martha Stewart)
 
For the dough:

1 large Egg
2 Tbsp Sour Cream 
1 cup Milk
1 cup Water
4 1/2 - 5 cups all-purpose Flour

In a medium bowl, whisk the egg and sour cream together until smooth.  Add in water and milk and whisk until combined.  Slowly stir in 3 cups of flour, using a wooden spoon.  Remove dough onto a well-floured surface and knead in another cup of flour.  The dough will be a bit sticky.  Knead for another 8 minutes or so, working in another 1/2 cup of flour. Don’t add too much flour - you want the dough to be elastic, not tough.  Roll into a bowl and place into a floured bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside.

For the filling: (feel free to use Martha’s exact recipe - I forgot to buy cream cheese, so I got creative)
 
3 large Potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 cup shredded sharp Cheddar Cheese (the more cheese the better, right?)
1/2 cup Sour Cream 
1/2 stick melted Butter
Salt & Pepper to taste 

Boil potatoes in salted water until tender.  Drain and mash with a potato masher.  Add half of the butter, the sour cream and shredded cheese.  Continue to mash until smooth, season well with salt and pepper.  

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  On a floured surface, roll out pierogi dough until about 1/8 inch thick.  Using a 2 1/2 inch round cookie cutter (I used a pierogi press, but it’s not necessary), cut as many circles as you can.  Re-roll out the dough and repeat.  Roll the potato filling into 1 1/2 balls and place in the center of each dough round.  Fold the dough over the filling and pinch the edges closed with your fingers, forming a crescent.  Continue this process for remaining dough/filling.

In batches of about five at a time, add pierogi to boiling water.  Boil until they float to the surface, and then about a minute after that (they may stick to the bottom at first, lift them gently with a wooden spoon if needed).

Serve immediately with sour cream, sauteed onion and/or pickled cabbage - or pan fry them with a bit of butter until browned on both sides.

Did you know that the word pierogi is plural?  The singular form is pierog and is rarely used… because you can’t eat just one.