Search Results for: refrigerator pickles

refrigerator pickles

This post started innocently enough, in fact, it wasn’t going to be a post at all but just a quick way to save a bag a wilting cucumbers from their perilous refrigerator doom.

Yesterday I cleaned out the fridge. An attempt at a little spring cleaning with my head buried in the deepest recesses of the food storage bin – that is where I found a bag of Persian cucumbers. By the time I unwrapped them, they were about one day from being inedible, so I sliced them up and quikly made refrigerator pickles out of them in an effort to not waste any food.

Then, as things normally go around here, I kept finding odds and ends of this vegetable and that vegetable, so I sliced my way to pickle heaven. Eight jars were full of random veggies – some that desperately needed a pickle bath and others that just needed somewhere to go besides the twilight zone/veggie bin.

Refrigerator pickles are just as easy as they sound – no canning or pressure cooking involved. No scalding hot water baths. No recipe requirements really. Just sliced veggies, some spices and a vinegar/sugar/water mix that is brought to a boil and poured over the top. Cover the jars and into the fridge they go!

You can pickle any vegetable you have on hand, so next time you find yourself with a handful of sad looking veggies, don’t waste them, make pickles!!

Happy weekend!!

xo,

Jenn

refrigerator pickles

makes enough for one pint – can be doubled, tripled, etc

2 cups thinly sliced vegetable of choice (ideas below)

1 teaspoon spices of your choice (ideas below)

2 cups water

1 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup granulated sugar

In a clean pint jar, add the spices and sliced vegetables. In a medium sized pot, combine the water, vinegar and sugar and bring to a boil. Carefully pour the hot liquid over the vegetables until the jar is full. Tightly close the lid and place the jar into the refrigerator to cool completely.

my notes: You can use any vegetable and spice you have on hand, and you can combine veggies and spices in one big jar if you want. The vegetables will pickle almost immediately, but are much better once they have time to sit and cool completely, about 24 hours. Here is the list of the pickles I made above, left to right: (1) cauliflower with turmeric and curry leaves (2) red onion with coriander and black pepper (3) carrots with fennel and nigella seeds (4) watermelon rind with brown mustard seeds and juniper berries (5) radishes with anise seeds and cloves (6) daikon radish with bay leaf and yellow mustard seeds (7) cucumber with pickling spice blend (8) red cabbage with dried chiles and black mustard seeds.

condiments and sauces mains soups vegan- vegetarian

top ten recipes of 2018

My goodness I published lots of recipes this year and had tons of fun in the kitchen!! As I look forward to the new year and all the new adventures, I can’t help but review where I’ve been. Thank you to each and every one of you for your kind words, feedback, questions and never-ending support!! I certainly wouldn’t be here without you!

And now…. without further ado….here are your top 10 favorite recipes of 2018:

#10 – fried egg tacos with zhoug sauce

A green chili sauce that is full of flavor and is made from fresh red or green hot peppers seasoned with cilantro, garlic, salt, cumin and various other spices and drizzled all over fried egg tacos??!?! Yes please!!

#9 – caprese salad with kale pesto

One of the classics, with a kale twist – delicious perfection just waiting for you to dive in!

#8 – warm smashed tomatoes with zucchini noodles, olive oil and parmesan

Olive oil sautéed tomatoes with garlic, parmesan and zucchini noodles – the perfect way to enjoy a healthy dose of veggies!!

#7 – crunchy seed crackers

Tasty crackers that are completely vegan, gluten free, oil free and dairy free…AND they are FULL of protein??!?! Why yes, thanks to the generous amount of chia seeds and quinoa that are packed into these delicious crackers you can finally feel good about snacking!!

#6 – refrigerator pickles

#5 – curried cauliflower and chickpea stew

The fastest, easiest and most delicious dinner – cauliflower, chickpeas, and russet potatoes, tossed with some tasty spices and roasted in the oven. When everything is nice and golden brown, you place the veggies into a blender with some vegetable stock and puree them to smooth status. And thennnnnn, you ladle the soup into bowls, top it with some reserved roasted veggies and call your family to dinner. Easy, breezy, and in under 30 minutes you can set a healthy, delicious (and happens to be vegan if anyone noticed) meal on the table with almost no effort.

#4 – roasted red pepper tahini sauce

A delicious tahini dressing with roasted red bell pepper and some dried Aleppo chili powder!! It makes a great salad dressing or vegetable dip on a crudité platter, drizzle some on your burritos or tacos, or take a stuffed sweet potato to the next (delicious) level!!

#3 – romesco sauce

Entirely vegan, gluten free and dairy free – romesco sauce is a delicious blend of roasted red peppers, garlic, toasted almonds, paprika, vinegar and olive oil. It’s amazing on all things grilled, tofu, eggs, grilled cheese sandos, and even dolloped into your favorite bowl of soup or on top of a baked potato!

#2 – crispy kale falafel

Crispy kale falafel (or is it falafels?) stacked into a butter lettuce cup with all the yummy toppings – crispy cucumber, radish slices, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, quick pickled onion and a hummus-feta sauce – the perfect meal indeed!!

And your number one pick for favorite recipe of 2018…..drum roll please…..

#1 – hummus four ways

Sure you could make just one bowl of hummus, but why not make four and call it a party!?!?

Happy New Year you guys!! Can’t wait to see what we can cook up together in 2019!!

XO,
Jenn

beans and legumes mains vegan-

crispy kale falafel

I love when people come up and tell me how wonderful my food looks on the blog. It makes my whole entire day!! It’s a pretty amazing feeling and thank you guys, SO MUCH, for all the compliments!!

But, to be honest, it always makes me pause for a moment when the photography compliment is either proceeded or followed by “that looked like a good dinner you ate last night” or even “wow, wish I could have the lunch that you ate.” I have to mentally scroll through what I ate for dinner or lunch and try to match that up with what you guys see on the blog.

So if you see me pausing while you are talking, perhaps taking a moment with a strange look on my face….well, here’s the WHOLE story…

I’m a stay-at-home-mom first and foremost so the typical meals that one eats in this job position are as follows: three bites of my son’s leftover store bought tortellini (before it gets disposed of and the dishes shoved into the dishwasher for the umpteenth time,) burnt toast (more times than I’d care to admit,) and cold coffee. Or in my house, cold tea.

Sometimes, just sometimes, I can shove a couple of bites of a salad or some vegetable into my craw before I hear “mommy, I need help!!!” from one room in particular.

It’s a glamourous life, I’m telling you.

So the pictures you see here? Yes, I eat the food.

But most of the time this food is hours old or squished from poking kiddo fingers or from being held in one hand while separating fighting children with the other.

Sometimes there are days of back to back photo sessions while the baby naps, and then there might a long pause between those days and the hours/minutes/seconds I can carve out on the computer to post said pics along with a recipe and some sort of story that I think you guys might find interesting.

It’s hard to get everything done – a balancing act every single day.

But there’s nothing I would change – I get time with my cuties and time to be creative. Neither are balanced nor glamourous – food or kids.

So just a little explanation about the face I might make when you are talking to me about something you see here. I am so excited to hear your feedback, but it will take me a few moments to organize my thoughts while I wonder why you are talking about my three leftover squished tortellini I ate for dinner while herding children from perilous doom.

Okay, so now that the housekeeping is taken care of (hypothetical, I still have laundry and dishes to do) we can eat some yummy lunch!!

Crispy kale falafel (or is it falafels?) stacked into a butter lettuce cup with all the yummy toppings – crispy cucumber, radish slices, Kalamata olives, cherry tomatoes, creamy avocado, quick pickled onion and a dab of a hummus-feta sauce that I whipped up at the last moment with just three tablespoons of feta cheese that was in desperate need of a home.

The rest of these goodies were in my fridge and that’s how I would recommend eating them – with your favorite things piled on top. Chocolate cake might be pushing it, but I do not judge as that would be a perfectly acceptable dinner at the stay-at-home household that I currently run.

Hope you guys enjoy it!

XO,

Jenn

crispy kale falafel

makes about nine falafel

I used a recipe by minimalist baker

4 cups stemmed and torn kale (one bunch), or swiss chard

1 15.5 ounce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

3 medium to large cloves garlic, chopped

1 1/2 tablespoon tahini

1 1/2 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/4 teaspoon ground cumin

salt

black pepper

4 tablespoons garbanzo bean flour

olive oil

pita bread or butter lettuce leaves for serving

various toppings: thinly sliced cucumber, radishes, cherry tomatoes, Kalamata olives, avocado, pickled red onion (recipe here) and hummus-feta dip (recipe below)

Add kale, chickpeas, garlic, tahini, lemon juice, cumin, and a healthy pinch each salt and pepper to a food processor and mix to combine.

Once well incorporated, transfer to a mixing bowl and stir in garbanzo bean flour until the mixture is thick enough to handle – about 3-4 tablespoons. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.

Form mixture into falafel by using a cookie dough scoop to have uniform sized falafels or just use your hands to free form the falafel.

Heat a large skillet over medium to medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons oil at a time. Swirl to coat pan.

Add 4 falafel (or however many will fit very comfortably) to the pan at a time. Check at the 1-2 minute mark to ensure they’re not browning too quickly. If they are, slightly reduce heat. Flip once deep golden brown – about 3-4 minutes. Cook until the underside is golden brown as well.

Serve immediately in a pita or lettuce cup with hummus and/or toppings of choice. Will store in the fridge, layered with parchment paper in an airtight container, for several days. Freeze to keep longer.

hummus-feta dip

Mix together 1 1/2 cups hummus with 3-4 tablespoons of feta cheese. That’s it!! 🙂

gluten free mains vegetables

bahn mi lettuce cups

A couple of months ago I went through my daily routine which included dropping Avery off at preschool and dropping Whitney at child watch at the gym as I headed towards my workout class. As happens every day that we do this routine, I set out Whitney’s bottle in case she gets hungry while I’m gone, and then I grab my towel, water bottle, phone, and car keys.

And that’s what I did except for the part about grabbing my keys. When I reached into the bag, to the pocket where my keys are ALWAYS kept as I’m a type-A, I mean, super organized person – well, my hand came up empty.

Whaaaaat? Where are my keys?? Slight panic ensues…

I fished around in all of the pockets, flinging diapers and wipes like a crazy person while I riffled through my bag for the disappearing ring of keys. And then…

And then.

The lightbulb went off. I left my keys in the car.

I raced out to my car hoping that I had somehow left the car unlocked and just could open the door, grab my keys and be on my merry way. But when I grabbed the door handle…nothing.

Wouldn’t even budge.

So I looked in the windows and there were my keys….dangling in the ignition as if I was about to start the car. But I couldn’t. I couldn’t even get in the car if I tried really hard.

Turns out my older model car – although paid off – has decided to stop alerting me when I leave the keys in the ignition. How lovely.

Also turns out – AAA doesn’t actually come to your rescue unless you physically sign up and pay for their services instead of just talking about it. I tell you this now in case you too are just talking about it.

So after a quick phone call to my local locksmith, and a nice hefty “please open my door I’m an idiot fee” – I had keys in hand and proceeded along with my life. My new life in which I beat myself up everyday about locking my keys in my car because us type-A personalities, I mean super-organized types…we do that to ourselves. I think it’s a way to keep the brain active so we don’t lock our keys in the car again.

Or that’s what I thought until these last few days.

The day before Whitney’s first birthday party I promptly lost my entire set of keys. House key, car key, clicker, and all those little silver keys that I really don’t know what they even unlock anymore. Just, poof, gone!

Of course I went straight out the car wondering if I had locked them in the car as that’s happened in the past. But nope. Car was wide open, keys were nowhere to be found. The house was also unlocked so that meant that my keys were somewhere around the place because how else would I have driven home and let us in the house??

Searching for two days…chairs, sofa, floor, kitchen counter, bedroom, bathroom ( ?? I know, but I had to check it off the list), garage door lock…nothing. Nada. No keys.

Thankfully we had one other key to my car but only one house key to share between the two adults in the household now. And after a few days of making sure the door was unlocked for the other adult in the house, I gave up on my keys ever coming home and went to our local hardware store to make another house key. And wouldn’t you know, as is the way it is when these thing happen…I propmptly remembered where my keys were and we all lived happily ever after.

Until today. Just ONE DAY after finding my car keys I…. Wanna guess what I did?

I LOCKED MY KEYS IN THE CAR!!

I think the universe is trying to tell me something. Either I need more sleep or a new car that doesn’t let me lock my keys in the car. Although I’m down with the first option I am really hoping for the last option there… Hello hubs? Are you reading this??

So with two kids – one who needed a nap and one who was in the middle of a meltdown – we waited for the AAA locksmith to come and open our door for us. Turns out they will help you when you do sign up and pay for their services. Turns out they will NOT help you with melting down or over tired children. Trust me, I asked.

In other news: dinner tonight. Let’s make something quick and easy and super healthy and good for you…want to? I still had that jar of pickled daikon radishes in my fridge from the pickle party and that’s what started my idea for this meal – pork bahn mi lettuce cups.

Who doesn’t love a good bahn mi? I love them – pickly veggies, crunchy lettuce, spicy sriracha mayo and some perfectly seasoned pork. You can eat them for dinner, or pack them for a picnic lunch or even eat them while you are waiting for someone to unlock your car.

Hopefully it’s not the latter.

xo,

Jenn

bahn mi lettuce cups

1 tablespoon paprika

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground star anise

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

1 teaspoon salt

6 oz pork loin, silverskin removed

butter lettuce

1/2 cup mayonnaise

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1-2 teaspoons sriracha

water

1/4 cup shredded carrot

1/4 cup pickled daikon radish, thinly sliced (I used this recipe)

2 thinly sliced green onions

1 thinly sliced jalapeno pepper

fresh cilantro sprigs

In a medium sized bowl, mix together all the spices. Coat the pork loin in the spices and cook on a heated grill until an internal temperature reaches 160 degrees. Set aside and rest the meat while you make the rest of the dish.

Carefully remove the leaves from the butter lettuce to keep them intact. Wash and dry them. Set aside.

In a small bowl, add the mayo, sriracha, lemon juice and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stir everything together. Whisk in a bit of water to thin out the mayo mixture – you want to be able to pour the sauce on the lettuce cups.

In a medium sized bowl, place the carrots, daikon, green onion, and cilantro, and mix together.

Thinly slice the pork and assemble the lettuce cups. Place a couple of slices of pork in each lettuce cup, add a bit of the vegetable mixture to the top and a spoonful of the sauce over everything. Garnish with jalapeno and cilantro.

my notes: You can make this recipe as-is and place it on a soft roll if you want a more hearty meal. You could also use tofu or chicken in place of the pork.