Hoppin' John

Hoppin' John is a traditional meal to bring luck into the new year. It is usually made with bacon or some other meat, but Thug Kitchen posted an awesome vegan recipe this week. I changed things up a bit and tossed it all in my slow cooker. I served it over brown rice, but I've also heard of it being served with sauteed greens. This recipe makes about six servings. Have a happy & fruitful new year!

Homemade Sriracha Salt

I have a friend who loves sriracha, and what do you get for your sriracha-loving friend who already has everything rooster-related? Sriracha salt, I say. I have never flavored salt before and was worried it would be difficult, but honestly, it was so easy. I got the recipe from Radical Possibility and it makes one cup of salt. Keep an eye out for tons of other salt flavors in the future!

Cinnamon-Infused Rum

Infusing alcohol is super-easy because it involves a very passive recipe. Really, you just need to decide which kind of alcohol you'd like to use and which flavors you think would go well with that. I've seen a lot of standard flavors (cinnamon, apple, vanilla, etc.) and a lot of more "wild" flavors (rosemary, pickle, elderberry, etc.). Since this was my first infusion experience, I decided to stick with a standard cinnamon rum. I ended up making about six pints of rum for holiday gifts and a little leftover for myself.

Slow Cooker Three-Bean Chili

I made some chili for a friend's work competition early last month. It was super-easy, since I just put it in my slow cooker all day and let it go. To make it stand out amongst the competition, I used cocoa powder (think mole sauce) and three different kinds of beans (since I wasn't using any meat). This recipe makes about five full servings.

Black Bean Vegetable Soup

Break out your slow cooker for this one. Low & slow is how I chose to make this black bean soup, for a few reasons, but the biggest being that I didn't want to have to watch the soup while I was watching Battlestar Galactica. I know, I know. This recipe makes about four servings & is perfect for the cooler temps that we've been experiencing lately. Enjoy!

Slow Cooker Lentil Tacos

I went to the beach with a group of 15 friends this weekend and I offered to cook dinner for everyone. The main conundrum was that I wanted a meal that could feed everyone (meat-eaters and vegetarians alike) and that wouldn't require me to sit inside and cook all day while everyone else was lounging in the sun. Enter: the slow-cooker. Tacos also allow for everyone to customize their meal. I made a ton of lentils for this (I had to use a 6-qt slow cooker), but half (or even quarter) the below recipe for a smaller yield. This recipe is based off of the great one over at Kitchen Belle.

Potato Fajitas

This is one of those 'I have too many CSA items and don't know what to do with it all' posts. Not to mention, my sister, who lives in Kansas, just told me that she is hosting a Mexican food party this weekend & I am super-jealous so, that is how this dinner was born. Luckily, fajitas are one of the easiest - and most delicious - ways to use up a ton of produce (if you have zucchini, squash, or any other hearty produce, toss those in too!). The recipe below was used to feed two hungry folks. Enjoy!

Roasted Garlic Deviled Eggs

It's that time of year again: Deviled Egg Pageant! I know you've all been on the edge of your seat, waiting to see what I'd make for this year's competition. If you remember, last year I totally won for my dill & stone ground mustard deviled eggs. This year, I decided to move toward something a little different: roasted garlic deviled eggs.

I didn't win my entered category, but I did get an honorable mention for eggs "Just Like Grandma Used to Make." Now that's a compliment. This recipe uses a dozen eggs (so the yield is 24 deviled eggs), so be sure to adjust for the amount that you want to make.

Homemade Trade: Vegan Kimchi

Kimchi is a staple in Korean food, and is totally worth making yourself because you can control the flavor. Essentially, you just need cabbage and patience. I made this kimchi for the homemade trade club (last time I made coconut almond granola, remember?). This version is completely vegan, meaning, unlike a lot of Korean-imported kimchi, it doesn't use fish sauce. My recipe is based on this helpful recipe from Greatist, and makes 24 ounces of kimchi (I split it up into six 4-ounce containers). I look forward to eating this as a side dish or snack, as they do in Korea, or even in a grilled cheese, or a quesadilla, which sounds crazy/delicious. Enjoy!

Avocado Summer Salad

This is a delicious, protein-rich meal that is easy to pack up for lunch at work, a party side dish, or a snack in the middle of the day. Serve by itself, with tortilla chips, or roll up into a flour tortilla as a taco or burrito.  Feel free to add cayenne pepper, or homemade taco spice into the mixture as well to make it a bit spicier. This recipe is my own, but it does remind me of Sweet Potato & Spice's Cowboy Caviar. (Also, a quick disclaimer: the light in my kitchen went out so the lighting makes the photos look different than what I normally shoot.)

Sweet & Spicy Roasted Chickpeas

A few weekends ago I went to the amazing Birroteca & ordered spicy roasted chickpeas for an appetizer. The entire table devoured them within minutes! They were spicy with a sugary, salty taste to them and we were all in love. I've been since looking for a similar recipe and I think I found it in The Lean Green Bean's blog. This recipe is really easy to make & doesn't cost very much at all. My rendition makes enough for about two to three people to finish in one sitting.

Leftovers Club: Spiced Vanilla Honey Biscotti

Jennifer of Savory Simple is spearheading The Leftovers Club, which is a network of food bloggers sending non-perishable leftovers from the recipes that we make. Most of the time, especially with baked goods, I end up making at least a dozen, if not more, of one recipe. For the most part, I bring the leftovers to work, but why not send them over to other food bloggers and receive some treats in return? It's a great idea!

 This week, I decided to make a spiced vanilla honey biscotti. Biscotti is perfect to send in the mail to my Leftovers Club partner, but also because I hosted a clothing swap this weekend and it was a great treat for my guests. This recipe makes one dozen biscotti (or two loaves).

Portobello & Veggie Fajitas

Veggie fajitas are awesome because they're really filling and fairly low-calorie. Not to mention that they're super-easy to cook, as long as you have a skillet of some sort on hand. This is a highly customizable meal, so throw in any types of veggies, top with any type of sauce, and season as mild or spicy as you'd like. This recipe makes two generous servings.

Mock-Tuna Chickpea Salad

I have heard this concoction called a variety of things (my favorite is coined by The Kitchn as "Chickpea of the Sea"), but whatever you call it, it is a delicious protein-packed meat alternative. This recipe is a modification of a few different recipes including one by The Apron Archives and The V Word. My recipe will make three to four servings.

Homemade Taco Seasoning

Make this one time and you'll never buy those store-bought packets again (those things are packed with sodium anyway!). This seasoning is great for tacos, chili, fajitas, or whatever you'd like to make a little spicier. I just filled a jar and keep it in my pantry with the other spices, and it also makes a great gift. The recipe below gives you the spice ratio, and you can make as much or as little as you'd like.