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.

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.

Recipe: Smoky Black-eyed Pea Hummus

By: Megabeth

Summary: Not your typical black-eyed peas

Ingredients

• 2 14.5 ounce cans black-eyed peas
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
• ¼ cup warm water
• 2 garlic cloves
• 2 Tablespoons lemon juice
• 1 ½ teaspoons cumin
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 Tablespoon Cholula hotsauce (or Tabasco)
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
• 2 Tablespoons cashew butter
• 2 Tablespoons Greek Yogurt

Instructions

Put all ingredients, except for olive and water in blender.

Blend until smooth – about 2 minutes.
Slowly add olive oil while the blender is on to incorporate into hummus.
Add water until desired consistency is achieved.
Cover and chill in refrigerator until ready to serve.

Preparation time: 10 minute(s)

Diet type: Vegetarian

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!

Dear Romanesco Cauliflower,

How have I not met you before this moment?

How casually I walked through my organic market searching for eggplant, sweet potatoes and cabbage ignoring your mere existence all these years. Then you appeared suddenly in front of me, all swirly and mesmerizing, standing out amongst the other produce.

Sure, I may be labeled as easy and perhaps shallow for just falling in love with that unique look of yours and knew I had to have you.

I took you home, not sure of what I was going to do but knew I had to do something….

So, I chopped you up, roasted you with some olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and a spritz of liquid aminos.

Are you a broccoli? Are you a cauliflower? I don’t know and I don’t care. When roasted up simply with some olive oil and pine nuts, you are just good, good, good.

We shall meet again, I’m sure.

Cooking the rice in tomato juice adds a deep flavor to the base of this recipe. Add to that the salty capers and robust sun-dried tomatoes so it takes on a lighter note. And, finally, who can resist the taste of an artichoke heart, which rounds out this dish.

I highly recommend the Jet Boil as the must-have camping accessory and the hero of all power outages. They work with a little propane canister and heat up in a flash. Like scary fast. If you’re cooking something besides water, keep an eye on the food as it will cook faster than you think. Of course, there are lots of makes and models of camping pots and stoves, but we’ve found that the Jet Boils that we have don’t take up a lot of room and are light to carry when camping.

If you have access to a grill, you can boil water there, too. Just make sure the handle of whatever you are using to boil the water in won’t melt from the heat.

When you’re in the dark, the last thing you probably want to do is chop vegetables or wash a lot of dishes so I’ve come up with a few quick recipes that don’t require a lot of prep…or cleanup.

- Vegetarian Pasta Puttanesca – Bring water to boil on high setting. Add pasta and cook per package directions lowering heat so you don’t boil over. Make sure to stir pasta occasionally so it doesn’t get stuck on the bottom. Drain. Add some capers, black olives, chopped garlic or garlic powder, olive oil, Parmesan cheese, fresh herbs, salt and pepper.

- Couscous – Ratio of water to couscous is 2-to-1. Bring water and couscous to a boil, turn off heat, cover and let sit for about five minutes. Add some olive oil, Parmesan cheese and fresh herbs. Or, you can also add a vegetarian bouillon cube for extra flavor.

- Lentils – Ratio of water to lentils is 4-to-1. Add lentils and dried spices (garlic, onion, cumin, curry, turmeric, parsley – to taste) to pot, add water and bring it to a boil. Turn flame down to it’s lowest setting and let simmer until lentils are fully cooked about 15 – 20 minutes depending on amount of lentils you are cooking. Stir occasionally. Serve with pita bread.

- Rice – I’m usually not an advocate of minute rice, but I do have some on hand for power outages and camping trips. It takes less propane to cook the rice than regular rice. Instant rice has a one-to-one ratio. Boil water, add rice, turn off heat, cover, and let simmer for about five minutes. If you buy the rice in a little bag, it takes longer to cook about 8 to 10 minutes versus about five minutes for the loose rice. There is also instant brown rice available that’s a little healthier.

- Oatmeal – make instant oatmeal be your breakfast friend. Another thing to keep easily in the back of your cabinet when you have no power. Heat your water for tea or coffee and oatmeal at the same time. Add some dried fruit and some agave syrup for a little extra flavor.

- Ramen noodles – these notoriously pack a sodium punch. But, there are many brands out there that aren’t so sodium filled and there are also plenty of  vegetarian choices. Ramen noodles are easy to make, just boil the water, follow package instructions and can have some hot noodley goodness. These also can be pushed to the back of the cabinet as they have a super-long shelf life.

- Tasty Bite (aka Foods in a Pouch) – I am an enormous fan of Tasty Bite products. If you immerse the unopened pouches in boiling water, the contents will heat up. If your Jet Boil pot is not large enough for the pouch, then place the pouch in a larger pot, heat water to boiling in the jet boil, then pour the water into the larger pot. Add more hot water until the contents are heated through. (Frequently squish around the contents inside the pouch to distribute the heat.)

- Dehydrated camping foods – I am planning on doing a larger review of dehydrated camping meals, in the meantime, we have had good luck with the vegetarian entrees Backpacker’s Pantry makes. They have everything from breakfast, dinner and desserts. Just add boiling water, reseal and let it sit. These products are easily found at stores that sell camping equipment.

And, with all of these recipes, stay safe when the power is out. Don’t leave the Jet Boil unattended while you are cooking. And, remember, it gets very hot so be very careful!

My best wishes and thoughts to all my dear Veggin’ readers out there about to get hit with this seemingly powerful and devastating storm.

Some may think that eating vegetarian meals requires making fussy gourmet recipes every night of the week…in reality, it’s far from it. We vegetarians are just like everyone else where sometimes we want to eat good and eat good NOW. Even more so, it’s getting to the time of year where I want to come in out of the chilly air, spend just a few moments in the kitchen, and then immediately get in my jammies. I’m constantly looking for warm, filling and easy easy easy recipes to make.

This enchilada stacker recipe is an easy weeknight meal that converts to some fantastic leftovers for lunch the next day. I whipped up some homemade enchilada sauce (seriously, it’s super easy) and then got to work quickly layering some ingredients I had on hand. While the pie was cooking in the oven, I had just enough time to get my jammies on…and it was time to eat!

Vegetarian Enchilada Stacker
by Megabeth

•  6 whole wheat tortillas
• 2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 15.5 oz can black beans)
• 1 8 oz package seitan chicken strips, chopped
• 1 1/2 cup shredded cheese (use a combo of monterey jack and cheddar cheese)
• 1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce

Coat bottom of glass pie pan with cooking spray (or, drizzle a small amount of olive oil to lightly coat the bottom).

Then add the ingredients in the following order (spread evenly):

- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce

- two tortillas

- 1/2 of the seitan

- 1/2 of the black beans

- 1/3 of the cheese

- two tortillas

- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce

- 1/2 of the seitan

- 1/2 of the black beans

- 1/3 of the cheese

- two tortillas

- 1/2 cup enchilada sauce

Put the tortilla stack in an oven preheated to 400 degrees. Bake for 30 minutes.

Remove from oven and sprinkle remaining cheese on top of tortilla stack. Place back in oven until cheese is melted  – about 5 minutes.

See, told you…easy easy easy!

A word of warning, if you’re one to shy away from spicy then make doubly sure that the chili power you are using is NOT spicy. A friend of ours was moving overseas and gave me a lot of her Indian spices. I had an extraordinary amount of chili powder that I was looking forward to using. It smelled glorious, deep and smoky. I proceeded to add the required 1/3 cup into the mixture and once blended, did an initial taste test and exclaimed, “YOWZA!” To which the In-House Taste Tester yelled from the back room, “Hot, eh?” Yes, yes indeed.

Fortunately, I like the hot and the spicy. I did cut it a little bit with some lemon juice and some dollops of milk after it boiled on the stove for a bit.

But all-in-all, this recipe is basically throw it in the blender, then heat it up on the stove and you’re all set to go make your enchiladas.

I have really been working on my produce over-purchasing habits so I don’t buy too much. (I think sometimes I have more motivation to cook when I’m at the store, but then life gets in the way.)  Of course, the folks in the “storage technology field” have put their heads together and figured out ways to extend the life of vegetables sitting on your counter or in your fridge. So, I have used everything from the little disks that you put in your vegetable to the life extending zip-top bags. And, from what I can tell, they do work.

Several months ago, I received some samples of these produce extending bags from the kind folks at Clearly Fresh Bags.

These bags have some sort of “BreatheWay” technology that pushes the carbon dioxide out while keeping the right level of oxygen in. That balance helps fruits and veggies last a little longer.

Armed with these bags, I wanted to figure out if they really worked. So, I channeled my inner 7th grader and came up with the classic science project to test the bags: “Will a Banana Last Longer in a Clearly Fresh Bag or Outside of It?”

I selected two bananas of the same ripeness. Placed one in the bag and one was just left to the elements next to the bag. I used the gallon sized bag which could comfortably fit a bunch of bananas and not just one.

And then I let the march of time go on…

And, on…

You can see the difference, even starting at day four, that the banana in the bag had fewer brown spots on the outside. By day seven, that became even more noticeable.

But, what you can’t see in the picture above is that the bagged banana grew a little fuzzy hairdo on the top of the stem. Um, ew. Fortunately, it didn’t make it down to the fruity part, so, luckily, the taste test could go on as planned. (I am nothing but brave for my dear readers, but not going to chance it with fuzzy fuzzy mold bits…)

I peeled the skin and noticed that the insides looked almost the same. Both had slight discoloring and were a little mushy to the touch in a few areas. But, after biting into each, the biggest different was that the bagged banana did taste a lot fresher than the un-bagged banana.

Do these bags work better than other brands? I can’t really say. But, in this particular experiment, they did work to keep the banana fresher than the banana that stayed outside the bag. I’ve been able to keep lettuce, beans, strawberrys and broccoli a little longer in unscientific experiments using the bags. So, I can say that at $3.99 for 10 re-useable bags, they really are not much of an investment to keep your fruit and veg around a little longer. And, perhaps, with products like these, we all can work towards throwing out less food.