In this, the new year, I swore that I was going to go through my pantry and cook with some of the things that got pushed to the back. This is the first installment of the Pantry Challenge…

I would like to introduce you to guava paste.

Guava paste came into our lives after the In-House Taste Tester saw it on the shelf at the store, thought it was “interesting” and threw it in the cart.

I asked him, after picking up this random object and started gazing at the ingredients (guava pulp, refined sugar, citric acid, pectin), “What do you do with guava paste?”

He replied, “I don’t know. What are you going to do with that?”

Obviously, nothing.

It’s been in our pantry for a few months now, taunting me.

The other day, I finally had enough. I grabbed it, checked the expiration date (I still had a few more months to spare), opened it up, and gazed at it for a short bit. I then poked at the thick gelatinous matter cautiously.

I’ll be honest, it’s not that pretty.

I presented the opened container of guava paste to the In-House Taste tester who promptly sniffed it, tasted it and then said with doubt dripping in his voice, “Ooooh, I don’t know…”

Undaunted at his upturned nose, I looked up the various combinations of ingredients using guava paste and settled on a savory combination. Guava paste on its own has a very distinct strong fruity flavor; therefore, it is often paired with a mild cheese like manchego, farmers cheese or cream cheese.

I needed to slam dunk this Pantry Challenge, so I came up with a recipe using only items I had on hand. In the end, it’s a very simple recipe, just takes a little assembly.

Once the turnovers were fried up, I presented the plate to the In-House Taste Tester. He still had a dubious look on his face when he bit into his turnover. I took a bite of my turnover at the same time and…

Well, I do have to declare that these little turnovers tasted really good.  In fact, after swearing we’d only eat a couple, the entire plate of turnovers were gone in about 5 minutes.

The mildness of the cream cheese was the right balance for the punch from the guava paste. Served up in a fried wrapper, you can’t go wrong. I have plenty of paste and cream cheese left, so I’m going to make another batch. Next time, I may add a little sliver of jalapeno inside each one to add a little “bite” and take it to the next level…

Diet type: Vegetarian

Looking for a potluck dish? You’ve got it right here!

However, let me be honest, I think I had some pot-luck bad luck when it came to taking pictures of the completed dish. So, I apologize for the lackluster photos. I couldn’t *not* share this recipe because it really was just that good.

We had to say goodbye to two of our original vegetarian potluck crew as they move on to Boston. Our theme for the night was an Italian feast. Charged with bringing a side-dish, I wanted something flavorful and interesting. This fit that bill.

You can serve this salad warm or cold. Perfect for a potluck so you don’t have to worry about heating anything up.

Smoky paprika is something you should keep in your spice rack at all times. It adds a unique flavor to any dish.

Quinoa Salad with Chickpeas and Paprika Vinaigrette
Recipe from: Katherine Martinelli

• 1½ cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
• Salt
• 6 small or 3 large portabello mushrooms (about 6 ounces), sliced
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
• 1 (15- to 16-ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 unpeeled cucumber, chopped
• 6 ounces grape or cherry tomatoes, halved or quartered
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro/coriander
• 1½ cups crumbled feta or Bulgarian cheese (about 7 ounces), divided
• ¼ cup red wine vinegar
• 2½ teaspoons smoked paprika
• ½ cup olive oil
• Pepper

1. Put the quinoa in a large saucepan and 1¾ cup water, or enough water to cover quinoa by about 1 inch. Season generously with salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low; cover and simmer until quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and allow to rest, covered, for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and drain of any remaining liquid, if there is any. Allow to cool slightly. (Megabeth note: I just made my quinoa in the rice cooker. Used the same quinoa to water ratio, turned on the cooker and let it cook while I prepared the rest of the ingredients.)
2. Heat a drop of olive oil in a large skillet (preferably cast iron) until very hot. Add the portabello mushrooms and cook until tender and cooked through. Add the balsamic vinegar and cook until fully absorbed, another minute. Remove from the heat and set aside to cool slightly.
3. Put the chickpeas, cucumber, tomatoes, cilantro, 1 cup of cheese, and half of the mushrooms in a large bowl.
4. Add the cooled quinoa and toss gently to blend.
5. Whisk vinegar and smoked paprika in small bowl. Gradually whisk in oil. Season dressing with salt and pepper.
6. Pour dressing over salad; toss to coat.
7. Sprinkle remaining feta and mushrooms over and serve immediately.

Ring in the new year with some “good luck” black-eyed peas just served up a little differently.

This hummus gives regular black-eyed peas a twist by turning them into a smoky hummus. I threw in some Greek yogurt to add a little more creaminess and added a twist of flavor by using cashew butter. Tahini or a little creamy peanut butter could also work. But, the cashew butter gave it a more robust flavor that I was looking for.

This hummus is incredibly easy to make; just throw it in a blender and you’re good to go.

Read the rest of this entry →

This week is “clean the pantry” time at the Veggin’ household. So, everything in this meal was with stuff I had already on hand. You can play with the spices a bit, I had a wonderful punjabi chana masala spice blend, so I used that. If you don’t have that exact blend of spices, no worries, use garam masala or stick with combination of cumin, coriander, curry and a little cayenne pepper.

Acorn squash is so incredibly easy to make, especially if you’re stuffing it. I paired preparation of the acorn squash with using the rice cooker, so I barely had to do anything to get this meal put together.

So, not only did I not have to do any shopping for this meal, I barely had to do any cooking. Score!

Read the rest of this entry →