Egglotes

I'm months late getting this recipe written down, but better late than never, or whatever aphorism you'd like to use to help me feel better. As you may know, I regularly compete in my friend's annual Deviled Egg Pageant (previously, I've made Honey Nut Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs, Taco Deviled Eggs, Roasted Garlic Deviled Eggs, and Dill & Stone Ground Mustard Deviled Eggs). For 2017's competition, I made egglotes (elotes in egg form!) and ended up winning Audience Choice! I think that this recipe was the best of my homemade deviled egg recipes so far, and I'm not sure how I'll top it next year. This recipe makes 24 deviled eggs.

Spaghetti Aglio e Olio

I did something the other day that I rarely do: I followed a recipe exactly. This is a difficult thing for me to do, not because I believe I am some amazing chef who understands flavors and textures and the science of cooking, but because I have anxiety and sometimes when something seems wrong, I get worried, and make my own choices. In this Bon Appetit recipe, I got nervous a few times (You want me to boil the pasta in kale water? And now you want me to dump this kale water into a pan? What is even happening?), but stuck it out and honestly, made one of the best dishes I've made in awhile. The below recipe makes enough for 3-4 large servings.

Seitan Stir-Fry

My favorite vegan restaurant, Blackbird Pizzeria in Philly, makes their own take-home seitan now! I was so excited to get a package of the rosemary garlic one, and I made an easy and delicious stir fry with it. You can put it on a roll, eat it over rice, or just eat it by itself. This recipe is about two servings.

Peanut Butter Blondies

I attend a wicked fun monthly event in my city called Brews & Board Games. Last month, the host wanted to raise money for the Baltimore Child Abuse Center through a raffle, silent auction, and bake sale. I made these rich peanut butter blondies for the occasion. This recipe makes 9-12 bars and is adapted from a recipe by Gal on a Mission. Oh, and if you make this recipe and like it, consider donating a few bucks to the Baltimore Child Abuse Center!

The Green Monstah Sandwich

The next person that I hear tell me that vegetarians can't eat sandwiches, well...I'm going to take them out for a nice lunch. That'll show 'em. I found this recipe on The Bojon Gourmet, and made a few tweaks, including changing the name. This recipe makes one sandwich, and I hope you enjoy!

Prep Time: 5-7 minutes
Cook Time: none

Ingredients
Two (2) slices of your favorite bread -- I used a hearty multigrain bread.
One (1) tablespoon of Goddess dressing -- I used Annie's brand; many Green Goddess dressings call for anchovies, but this brand's style is vegan!
1/2 cup of greens -- I used spinach and romaine lettuce.
Small handful of pea shoots -- you can also use another type of sprout.
1/2 avocado, sliced
5 - 6 slices of fresh cucumber
Optional: Three slices of fresh mozzarella -- I omitted this to make it vegan, but it was one of the items in the original recipe that I will absolutely consider adding next time.

Directions
Spread the Goddess dressing on both sides of the bread.
Assemble additional ingredients as you would any sandwich (I don't really feel like I need to write directions for this part).
Devour.

"Bacon" Fried Rice

My partner's all-time favorite meal is a childhood memory of bacon fried rice, and since I like a challenge - or am a masochist, who can really tell? - I decided to make a vegetarian version of it. It was definitely an involved meal, but it also yielded a large amount (4-5 heaping servings) and was delicious. I used recipes from SimpleVeganBlog and Pinch of Yum to guide me.

Zucchini Bread

This is such a simple savory bread and is always a total hit. It's perfect for a potluck, a side dish, or a Sunday morning breakfast. This recipe makes one loaf and is adapted from The Kitchn.

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats

In September, I rescued a dog. For the holidays, I decided to make her (& some of her dog friends) homemade treats. They're so much healthier for the dog because you can choose exactly what to put in them. This recipe is a huge one and makes quite a bit of treats, so be sure to share and eat within the week, or freeze for future use (up to 3 months). This recipe is adapted from Kevin & Amanda (be sure to click through because they have the cutest photos of their pups posted!).

Chickpea loves homemade treats

Butternut Squash Risotto

I was so proud of myself that this recipe turned out as delicious as it did. I am - ashamedly - usually a boxed risotto kind of person, but this time, I wanted to go full homemade, and I did! This is a delicious recipe, and is based off of a Williams-Sonoma recipe. I used the full amounts of this recipe and later realized that it served six, so for this post, I'll cut it in half to serve three (although the leftovers were delish!). Enjoy!

Cheesy Cauliflower Casserole

The key to a good Thanksgiving dish is to take a healthy food and cover it in cheese/butter/gravy (I am only half-kidding). This year, I took steamed cauliflower and doused it in cheese. This recipe makes one large casserole dish (which is enough for your entire party to get an initial and a second serving), and has been adapted from Real Housemoms.

Strawberry Cream Cheese Croissants

This week, my coworker celebrated surviving breast cancer by hosting a "pink potluck" at work. We all wore pink and many of us brought in pink food. Choosing a recipe based on the food's color is actually not an easy thing to do, but I did it. This is an easy and delicious addition to any potluck or brunch.

Creamy Potato and Kale Soup

This semester has been incredibly busy for me. One full-time job, one part-time job, and finishing my degree. Cooking (and even more so, blogging) food has, unfortunately, been low on my priority list. I have been eating old favorites, quick meals, and going out to eat more than I would prefer. So, last night, I had two hours between jobs and decided to toss together this soup to eat when I finished my second shift. It was the greatest idea. I have made & blogged a lot of soups before, but I will say, not-so-humbly, that this is the more delicious one yet. This recipe makes many servings, which is great because it heats up so well. Enjoy!

Honey Nut Goat Cheese Deviled Eggs

This weekend was the Fourth Annual Deviled Egg Pageant and, of course, I competed yet again. Previously, I made Taco Deviled Eggs, Roasted Garlic Deviled Eggs, and Dill & Stone Ground Mustard Deviled Eggs. Every year, the competition gets even more cutthroat, and I wanted to step into the realm of sweet deviled eggs. I started with a recipe that I found for goat cheese deviled eggs and began to brainstorm on what would go well with goat cheese. I decided on a honey drizzle and my partner (who entered an amazing tiramisu deviled egg this year), suggested that I top that with crushed nuts. Thus, these beautiful deviled eggs were born. This recipe makes 20 deviled eggs.

Kale & Avocado Wrap

Vegetarians sometimes have a harder time putting together simple lunches than meat-eaters, especially when things like lunch meat exist. Charmington's in Baltimore - you know, the awesome café that hosts my favorite monthly lit reading and even welcomed the President of the United States in January (!!) - makes a plethora of amazing meatless lunch options. Their kale and avocado wrap is my favorite and I just had to recreate it. Grab these ingredients from a grocery store and make enough to last for the week. The following recipe makes one kale & avocado wrap.

Veggie Migas

Apparently, migas is one of my new favorite things. I haven't really been exposed to them too much growing up (which, I'm sure to some of you out there is completely blasphemous). They are fairly easy to make and super-filling and delicious. You can add any veggies to it that you want, but I kept it fairly simple for this recipe. I used a recipe from Cookie & Kate (lovelovelove that blog) as a guide and this recipe makes enough for two large servings.

Strawberry Rhubarb Pie

In lieu of a birthday cake this year, I baked my partner a strawberry rhubarb pie by request. I have never cooked with rhubarb before and was nervous because of the whole poisonous thing. Alas, it turned out deliciously and no one was poisoned! Success! This recipe makes one pie and was adapted from a great recipe from The Kitchn.

Chilled Peanut Butter Noodle Salad - "The Mental Salad"

Golden West Cafe in Baltimore has one of my all-time favorite dishes: the vegan Mental Salad. It is essentially a romaine salad topped with cold peanut butter sauce-covered noodles, carrots, scallions & sesame seeds. It is so delicious and I just had to replicate it! I needed a starting place, so I used a Table For Two recipe as a guide. My recipe was enough to feed two people dinner, plus a few days of leftovers (these noodles are perfect for leftovers, since they have to be chilled anyway). Enjoy!

Black Bean and Cheese Enchiladas

Enchiladas are great for entertaining a few folks or for making on a Sunday and wrapping up a few for your lunch over the week. The best thing about this recipe is that you can toss in any extra vegetables or proteins that you have lying around. This recipe makes at least 12 enchiladas.

Layered Eggplant Parmesan

This dish brings out the best in eggplant parmesan and the best in lasagna. Meaning, it's delicious. Seriously delicious. I used Lick My Spoon's recipe as a jumping off point (the photos of her recipe made me want to lick my computer screen). This recipe makes about six servings.

Chocolate-Covered Peanut Butter Sandwiches

These cookies are my absolute favorite. I have a good friend that makes them for every occasion (mostly because everyone that she knows practically forces her to do so), and I decided to try my hand at it for my Annual Great Cookie Exchange. This recipe makes 30 cookies and will blow your mind with how easy they are! Enjoy!