Showing posts with label recipe. Show all posts

A Witch's View - Purple Carrot Review - Herbed Barley Bowl

Our last recipe with Purple Carrot is the Herbed Barely Bowl.

So let's get started.  The greens that came with this were pretty badly wilted so I just used some mixed green salad from the grocery store.

Here's the whole group.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
Here's my wilty salad.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 I had to pick up some parsley from the store as well.  As you can see it was a bit damaged in transit.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Next we cleaned and cooked up the mushrooms.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 All the while, our barely just cooked and cooked.  It took about twice as long as the card said to become soft.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 We thinly sliced our peppers and cooked them in some sugar water to create a pickling effect.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Finally we plated.  It was just ok for me.  Hubby really liked it, I wasn't feeling the mushrooms.  They were pretty slimy from the butter and just reminded me of an oyster.  Gross.  :P

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
So pretty much we had no luck with Purple Carrot.  I did try everything that we got from them though. We are still getting our GreenChef meals regularly and I love them. I still take photos and share my meals from them on Instagram and on Facebook.  If you think you'd like to try them here's a link.

A Witch's View - Purple Carrot Review - Happy Pancake

If you've been following along you know that I am testing out several home delivery meal services. For the next three posts I'll be looking at Purple Carrot.  My big challenge living out in rural NC is I don't have a lot of choices for food that is good for you.  Everything here is deep fried, loaded with fat and sugar or just plain bad for you.  Being Vegan makes this a much more desperate situation. I literally have one restaurant I can eat at because it has a salad bar and I can choose items that normally wouldn't have animal products in them.  So these home delivery deals with Vegan options are really important for me.  I tried Blue Apron originally but they didn't have a Vegan option.  Next I tried GreenChef, which I still have  because they have really awesome recipes.  They only deliver 3 meals and ideally I would like six different meals a week.  So I added Purple Carrot to see how it was.  My next three posts will review the meals they sent me on flavor, ease of preparation and quality of the ingredients.

When my box arrived from Purple Carrot I was a bit disappointed.  The ingredients were a bit lacking. The herbs were wilted and the veg was brown and mushy. I contacted the company on Facebook to get some assistance with that and they asked me to send in an email.  Again, a bit annoying.  But I continued with the first recipe.

The Happy Pancake, is neither.  It has to be one of the worse dishes I have ever had in my entire life. It the pancake was mushy and had zero flavor even after I added my own Tumeric because mine was left out of the box.

Here's the first recipe.  

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
When I opened the box the first thing I noticed was how poor the quality of the veg was.  The herbs were wilted and my green onion was brown.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 You can see here the onion and the greens for another meal.  Wet, wilty and just nasty.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 One of my spice packets was just dust.  As you can see below there's really nothing in this. Luckily I had some Turmeric on hand to replace it.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Hubby prepped the veg while I prepared the pancake batter and the dressing.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The dressing came in four little bottles which I combined in a bowl.  It was really heavy on the sesame oil.  It was very similar to a Bimibap sauce.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Hubby started the veg in the frying pan.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The pancake batter was water, rice flour and turmeric. It said add a bit of salt and pepper which I did, but it was still very very bland.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The salad consisted of shoots and some mixed greens.  I had to toss out the greens they sent because they were so bad.  I did have some salad in the frig, so I added that to the dish.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 The finished pancake was a soggy mess.  It had zero flavor and was just awful. I took this photo, one bite and then tossed it in the trash.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
At this point you can probably guess that my Purple Carrot days were numbered.  When I contacted support on Facebook about the pour quality of the ingredients they referred me to the website/email contact.  When I emailed no one replied.  Getting nervous about the next up coming meals I put my entire cart on skip mode to wait for a reply.  When no reply came I went to look on how to cancel.  It said you had to email or call in to cancel the service.  On the Facebook page all the claims of getting sent more food after canceling really scared me so I decide to email in to cancel.  I figured, well, I have that one week coming and maybe if I like those next dishes, I can just reconnect my account. The next morning I got up and I went to check on my Purple Carrot page to see if reconnecting was easy to do.  I was surprised to not only see my account canceled but my next shipment canceled as well.  So this review will only consist of the three meals I have currently. Based on what I have seen so far and the condition of the veg in my fridge right now, I probably will not be reordering Purple Carrot.  I did decide to check out a new service called Mama Sezz.  This is a plant based meal service where the food is already preppared.  Not really want I wanted but I figured why not give it a shot.

Next I'm reviewing the White Bean Ball Subs.  

A Witch's View - Blue Apron Review - Falafel Pitas

Today I'm reviewing another Blue Apron dish for A Witch's View.  We're looking at Falafel Pitas with Roasted Sweet Potato & Yogurt Sauce. Blue Apron offers fresh non-GMO, sustainable seafood and meats with no hormones or antibiotics.  They don't however, offer dairy free.  That is why ultimately I switched from Blue Apron to GreenChef.  Over the next 3 weeks, I'll share my meals that I picked up from there and compare them to Blue Apron.

Everything comes in the exact measurements that you need to complete the dish.  Before you freak out about waste, Blue Apron offers a recycling program.


So far this was my favorite dish from Blue Apron.  I'm a huge Falafel fan but usually eat it drenched in Tzatziki sauce. Since switching to vegan, I have not found a really great way to make the sauce and have since given up on my falafel.  Until now!  This was a really great dish.  Because Blue Apron does not offer dairy free options, I had to use my own yogurt for this dish.  I used So Delicious Coconut Milk Yogurt instead of the Greek Yogurt that came with the basket.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

I started out by draining and washing the chickpeas and washing/peeling the veggies. Mise en place!


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


 Next I sliced the sweet potatoes thin and got those in the oven with just a little olive oil and salt and pepper.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
While they were roasting I added the garlic, dates and sauce to the chick pea mixture and pan fried those until they were golden on each side.

 After the potatoes were finished cooking I added them to the salad, the shallots and the sauce.
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Next was assembly.  I put all the yummy goodness into the warmed pita bread and it was divine.   The sweet potato and the arugula was fantastic.  The bite of date mixed with the falafel spices was simply amazing.  This is one of my favorite dishes.   I hate arugula.  Hate.  I had never had a date until today.  The combination was amazing.  I highly recommend this dish.

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson
 Even my hubby who HATES falafel (How is that even possible?) loved this meal.  We were very pleased with this one.  Go Blue Apron!
Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


Next week I'll be switching companies and doing reviews for GreenChef.  Stay tuned!

Collards - A Witch's View

I find myself in a conundrum. I worry about people I see online as well as friends and family.  I see their food choices and think, you're killing yourself.  I have a cousin who has a morbidly obese spouse and children who are obese, yet I see shares of food that are just killing them.  Literally.

So what do you do?  In this day and age, we cannot tell a fat person they are hurting themselves without it being called body shaming.  I'm not sure what the right answer is.  On one hand I want to help them and on the other, I don't want to hurt their feelings or be called a bully.  So instead, I'll just share one of my favorite recipes for Collards with you.


I get my collards in bunches on the stalks.  Collards hold sand like you would not believe so you're going to want to wash them really well.

Photo Credit - Elijah Olson



Start by cutting the stalks off then ends and discard.


Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
 Use a paring knife to remove the stems from the center of the leaf.
Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
 I remove them like so.
Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
Next put them in a sink full of water and wash them really well.  The sand should sink to the bottom.
Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
 Collards are always better after they have been exposed to at least one frost.  To ensure that I can cut the bitterness from them I put them in a bag and poss them in the freezer for a couple of hours.

Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
 After the "frost" I take them and put them in a pot with the onion that I have diced and allowed to cook a bit with a little vegan butter.
Photo Credit - Elijah Olson


 I have tried a few different types of veggie broth, my two favorites are Emeril's (which I don't think is on the market any more) and Swanson.

Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
 Cook the collards on medium/low heat until they are tender.  You can test them by taking a bit out to taste them.

Photo Credit - Elijah Olson
 I then drain the collards a lot.  Mash the moisture out of them and then serve with a splash of apple cider vinegar.

Photo Credit - Elijah Olson

I hope you find this recipe helpful.  They were really yummy on this icy cold day we had today.  I took a few photos.


Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson

Photo Credit - Renee Sosanna Olson


Meatless Monday – Sweet Potato Burgers



Back in February a fellow artist and dear friend of mine, Lorelie Gumbiner shared a recipe with me.  She runs Enchanting Elegance and creates some amazing stuff, I highly recommend her products.  The recipe she shared with me was for a veggie burger made from sweet potatoes featured on How Sweet It Is.

Hubby and I tried it out that very night.  It was a pretty easy recipe and it tasted pretty good.  After trying it their way we decided to get a bit creative and try it our way. 

Ingredients
2 medium Sweet Potatoes
1 Can Cannellini Beans
2 bulbs roasted garlic
1 Egg
Panko Bread Crumbs
Olive Oil
Sea Salt
Pepper
Onion Salt
1 ½ avocado sliced (optional)
Sour Cream
Plain Yogurt
1 teaspoon Maple Syrup
¼ cup organic wheat flour

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


We started out by baking the sweet potatoes in the oven.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Next we put two huge cloves of garlic in the oven covered them with olive oil and baked.  If you've never made roasted garlic before, here’s a great video on how to do it.





The Sauce
Pop out the little garlic pieces from the clove and mash up, I like to do mine really fine.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Combine the yogurt, sour cream and maple syrup in a large bowl then add the garlic in and mix.  

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

We added some onion salt and a dash of Worcestershire here.  Hubby likes his a bit spicier so adding a little bit of horseradish here would be a great addition.

The Burger
Put the peeled sweet potato in a large bowl with the mashed beans.


Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Now season this mixture as you would a bowl of meat for hamburgers.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


I used onion salt, sea salt, some of the roasted garlic, pepper, an egg and some Panko breadcrumbs.  I had to double up the breadcrumbs because the burger was really soft.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

After allowing them to rest in the fridge for about 15 minutes, add to an oiled frying pan and cook for about 4 minutes on each side. 

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


The original recipe called for a bun and some veggie toppings; we don’t usually eat bread unless it’s homemade so I opted for just the patty with the sauce and the avocado.  The first bite was a little odd, so I removed the avocado, the texture just wasn't working for me.  But the rest was very good.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


We had loads left over so hubby ended up making it a couple more times and we changed it up a bit by adding some chopped spinach to it.

Over all it worked out really good.

Have a recipe to share?  I’m always looking for new ways to keep my vegetarian diet new and exciting!  Just send them over to me at Sosanna@sosannascloset.com or leave me a comment here.

Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(

Meatless Monday – Cheesy Spinach Kugel


So I've been doing Meatless Monday for a while and a few months ago I did a recipe for my Pesto Mac & Cheese.  A friend of mine saw the recipe and sent me a message asking me if I’d ever tried Kugel?  I had no idea what it was so I had her send me her recipe over so I could give it a try.  I made it a couple of time and then customized it.  Thanks so much to Zanalista for sharing the information and the idea for this great recipe.

So what is Kugel anyway?  Kugel is a baked dish that can be served either sweet or savory.  It’s extremely flexible and can be made with either potatoes or egg noodles.  I opted for a savory version.  I started out making a full recipe but this doesn't reheat as well as I’d hoped, it is very similar to mac & cheese and is usually best on the first day.  My recipe feeds two people and if you’d like to make for a family just double.

So let’s get started

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


Ingredients
¼ of a 16oz bag of wide egg noodles
½ of a small container of sour cream
½ of a small container of cottage cheese
1 cup of shredded white cheddar cheese
1 cup of shredded Muenster or other white cheese
1 cup of frozen spinach
½ cup of milk (about)
½ cup panko bread crumbs
Salt
Pepper


Process
Boil your noodles per package instructions, keep in mind you can vary the noodles based on number of servings, I was going for a small dish.  Cook until al dente and drain.
TIP – Salt your water to flavor the noodles

In a bowl combine the sour cream, the cottage cheese and the spinach, salt and pepper to taste.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


In a baking pan (butter it, else it will stick) layer the noodles and cheese mixture, alternating like you would when making a lasagna.  Sprinkle your shredded cheeses between each layer, leaving a bit to put on the top.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

Take the ½ cup of milk and pour into the pan.  You should see it come up just to the top of the noodles.  Zanalista recommended pouring at the four corners to insure coverage.  I did it that way and it worked out perfect.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


Sprinkle the breadcrumbs across the top of the dish and place in a 450 degree oven for 45 minutes.  The breadcrumbs are optional, but I tried it both ways and they really add a great texture to the dish.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson

I checked on mine several times as I thought the bake time was too long but it did indeed need the full 45 minutes to allow the milk to combine with the cheese and noodles to make a really awesome sauce.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


Cut into squares and serve.

Photo Credit - Renee Olson


My understanding is that you can make this dish with raisins and brown sugar for a sweet option but I didn't try that.  I loved this and it turned out amazing.  I've added it to my meatless diet.

Have a recipe you’d like me to try?  Want to tell me about one of mine you've tried?  Just send me a message as Sosanna@sosannascloset.com or leave me a comment here.

Namaste & Blessed Be
Sosanna
)O(