PURPLE REIGN

We’ve been eating like this since the dawn of time - or at least for as long as I can remember…Meatless Monday, Fish Tuesday, Lean Meat Wednesday, Leftovers Thursday, Slight Reward Friday. WELL! Meatless Monday was a real treat this particular time!

For this meal, it was September and being the Mega-Themer of the Universe, I wanted PURPLE! For me and colors, September means purples, teals, rusts - all getting ready for fall! I had everything I needed already - purple cabbage (duh! September!), leftover package of meatless “soyrizo” I thought I needed but didn’t use, and all the remaining ingredients you will see in this recipe. So what does one do to feed The Hubster something that feels hearty, tastes amazing (for meatless), and stretches for dinner AND his lunch the next day? This gorgeous - and I mean GORGEOUS - stuffed cabbage meal that I paired with purple-y rust colored heirloom tomato on the side. I sprinkled them with sea salt and pepper and the acidity paired perfectly with this rich and delightful meal that reigns supreme!

​PURPLE REIGN (VEGETARIAN STUFFED CABBAGE LEAVES)

​10 purple cabbage leaves

​​1 cup black rice

avocado oil​

1 shallot, finely minced

​2 cloves garlic, finely minced

1 pkg meatless chorizo crumble (see notes)

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp paprika

sea salt

pepper​

​2 tbs butter

​1 cup baby bella mushrooms, diced

​1 cup dry red wine

​1 cup mushroom stock (see  notes)

​2 sprigs fresh thyme

chopped parsley (optional)

​(Gently remove the leaves from the cabbage, carefully slicing the bottom and slowly pulling each leaf until it comes off whole)   Boil a large pot of water.  Once it's boiling, add a hearty pinch of sea salt.  Place the leaves in the boiling water, allowing them to boil for about two minutes, or until pliable.  While they are boiling, get a bowl of ice water and a layer of paper towel ready.  With your kitchen spider (or tongs but be careful not to tear the leaves!), remove the leaves and place them in the ice water.  Let them sit for thirty seconds, remove and place on the paper towel to dry.  Make your black rice according to directions, using the purple sea salt water left over from the cabbage leaves, reducing cooking time by about two minutes so the rice is slightly - only slightly! - al dente.

​While the rice is cooking, saute shallot and garlic in about two tablespoons of avocado oil until fragrant, then toss in your meatless chorizo. Once the rice is cooked, fold it together with the meat(less) mixture.  Season with garlic and onion powders, paprika, and sea salt and pepper to taste, and gently fold again.  Fill each individual cabbage leaf with about two tablespoons of your mix, making sure to be generous, but not to overstuff.  Wrap your leaf like you would a burrito, putting the mixture closest to you, roll once, fold the sides in, finish rolling.  Place in a prepared 9x13 baking pan, seam side down, tucking each one next to the other.   

​Melt your 2 tablespoons of butter in a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it bubbles, toss in the mushrooms. Sauté them undisturbed for 3-to-4 minutes until they release their liquid, turn a caramelized brown, and develop a rich crust. Pour in the wine, scraping up all those caramelized mushroom bits stuck to the bottom of the pan. Drop in your 2 sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring the liquid to a rapid boil, then drop the heat to medium and let it simmer aggressively for 4-to-5 minutes until the alcohol cooks off and the wine reduces by half. Pour in the mushroom stock and stir. Bring the whole sauce back to a boil, then immediately lower the heat to a gentle simmer. Let it cook uncovered for 10-to-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces down into a thick, glossy, velvety sauce that easily coats the back of a spoon. Discard the thyme stems and pour over your arranged stuffed purple cabbage rolls. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 375°F for 30 minutes so the cabbage completely drinks in the sauce. 

Once you remove it from the oven, let it rest for about two minutes and top with fresh parsley if you like; then eat and enjoy!

I ONLY WANT TO SEE YOU DANCING IN THE PURPLE REIGN!

NOTES: Be careful about your choice of meatless crumble.  Read the ingredients and make sure there aren't a ton of fillers or things you can't pronounce and they suit your health-conscious needs.  I used Abbott's plant-based chorizo, and it was FANTASTIC!  You can purchase mushroom stock in most grocery stores, but if you have a hard time finding pre-made, you can use mushroom (umami!) bouillon/powder and make your own!

BOLO BELLA

LASDI ©

The transition from summer to autumn is more than just a seasonal solstice change in my house.  Those of you who love Autumn best of all the seasons know exactly what I'm talking about.  It's a feeling.   And it runs DEEP.  It's in the air, it's in the colors, and it's in the food!

It's the season I love the most when it comes to cooking.  The switch from August to September is my hard line in the sand (pun intended), and I start to make the change without waiting for the official date.  This meal is one of my go-to's for that change, and it follows all the things I just spoke about: the smell in the air while you're cooking this meal will transition you into the time of year; the layers of burgundy, auburn, orange, and purple colors on the plate bring about the the genuine acknowledgment that this meal goes along with the transformation; and once you taste it, YOU KNOW FALL HAS ARRIVED!

This meal is perfect for Sunday Supper, Meatless Monday, the vegetarian or plant-based eater(s) in your life, or for any time while the season is in place!  Though I put it over low-carb pasta, it is hearty enough to eat without it.  

This does require just a smidge more work than the usual recipes I like to post, but it is worth every bit of it.  TRUST ME!

Eat every bite slowly, knowing the season will pass quickly, and enjoy the blessings of the seaon you're in!

EGGPLANT LENTIL BOLOGNESE

1 large purple eggplant

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 large onion, diced small

4 stalks celery, diced small

4 carrots, diced small

8 oz pkg mushrooms, diced small

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 can tomato paste

2 tsp garlic powder

3 tbs fresh oregano, minced

3 tbs fresh basil, minced

3 cups cabernet (2 for the recipe, 1 for you to drink whilest cooking!)

1- 28 oz can petite diced tomatoes

1 pkg lentils, cooked

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Rub the eggplant lightly with evoo just enough to coat it in a thin layer. Wrap it in foil tightly and place in a preheated 375-degree oven. Bake until very tender, about an hour. Cook lentils according to instructions, draining any excess liquid left over.  Place eggplant and lentils aside to cool.  On a medium-high flame, heat a large, heavy saucepan (I use my cast iron Dutch oven!) for about a minute.  Pour enough evoo to cover the bottom and let it warm about fifteen seconds.  Add your veggies, a sprinkle of sea salt and pepper, and stir.  Brown the vegetables until caramelized and soft, about ten minutes, stirring about every two minutes or so. Add in the garlic powder and the fresh herbs, stir, and cook another minute or so.
Add the tomato paste, stir, and let cook another minute or so (see notes). Stir in 2 cups wine, diced tomatoes and stir.  Change your heat to low, and cook about five minutes.  While this is cooking, remove your cooled eggplant from the foil and scrape the insides from the skin onto a cutting board.  Mash with a fork.  Carefully add your eggplant and lentils to the pot, sea salt and pepper to taste, and continue to cook another ten minutes, allowing the sauce to thicken and marry.  Serve over pasta, if desired, and especially serve with a side of cabernet baby bella mushrooms and onions.

NOTES: when you add the tomato paste and stir, it may seem as though it is sticking to the bottom of the pan.  This is great!  Once you pour in the wine, scrape the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon and get all that flavor into the sauce! 

CABERBET BABY BELLAS & ONIONS

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

2 large onion (purple, if you want that depth of Autumn color!), cut in half and sliced

3- 8 oz pkgs baby bella mushrooms, sliced

1 tsp garlic powder

2 cups cabernet

sea salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

Heat a large, heavy pan (I use my cast iron!), on medium-high heat until it smokes slightly.  Pour in about 2 tbs of evoo, and add your sliced onion.  Stir the onion, evening it out and let sit for about two minutes, or until you see the bottom starting to brown, then stir again.  Add your garlic powder and stir again. Let sit another two minutes or so, add another 3 tbs evoo to the pan, then add your mushrooms and stir again, evening out the mushrooms and onions.  Stir about every two minutes, until the onions and mushrooms have a beautiful caramel color.  Add a half cup of wine and let cook until all the wine is reduced and absorbed by the mushrooms and onions.  Do this over again, a half cup at a time until all the wine has been used and is completely absorbed by the mushrooms and onions, and the mixture seems a bit creamy.  Add your salt and pepper, stir, (see notes). Serve with eggplant lentil bolognese!

NOTES: do not salt until you are almost ready to serve, as the salt will draw out liquid from the mushrooms and you will end up with a pan full of brown water instead of purple creamy goodness!

DROP IT LIKE ITS HOT

LASDI©

It is SO HARD during the holidays to eat healthy, isn't it??  What is it about the season that makes us (me included!) think that it's a free-for-all?  Well this year I have been super-intentional about making sure The Hubster and I don't constantly indulge, but rather try to make healthy foods that taste rich and delicious; like we're not missing out.

So for Meatless Monday (which does NOT sound rich and delicious, does it?) I decided to make something souper-rich (see what I did just there?) with an Asian flare.  And this low-almost-no carb meatless dish did NOT disappoint!  Hot soup on a cold day!  PS  This is so easy it shouldn't taste like the indulgence we experienced!

CARAMELIZED ONION AND EGG DROP SOUP

1 onion, halved, both halves sliced thinly

3 tbs extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tsp sea salt

pepper

32 oz box chicken broth

1/4 cup soy sauce

3 green onion, chopped coarsely

3 eggs

1 tbs water

2 tbs sesame oil

Sprinkle evoo into a soup pot and heat on medium-high for about one minute.  Add onions, stir, and let them cook, untouched, for about three minutes.  Sprinkle with sea salt and pepper to taste, stir, and let them cook, untouched, for another three minutes.  Stir, and let cook, untouched for another five minutes. or until caramelized and brown.  Pour chicken broth and soy sauce over onion and bring to a boil, add green onions then turn heat down to low.  Cover and let simmer for 20 minutes and turn heat back up to medium.  Whisk eggs and water in a separate bowl until well-blended and a little frothy.  Slowly pour into the soup mixture, whisking the soup as the eggs go in.  Cook an additional minute or two.  Turn off heat, add sesame oil and gently stir.  Serve with garlic sesame not-bread sticks. 

NOTES: I garnished with chopped parsley, but cilantro would also work here, or no garnish at all would still be yum!

GARLIC SESAME NOT-BREAD STICKS.

(a variation of Fat Head Dough)

3/4 cups almond flour

2 tbs cream cheese

1 1/2 cups shredded mozzarella

1 tbs garlic powder

pinch of sea salt

1/2 tsp pepper

1 egg

1/4 cup sesame oil

sesame seeds

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  In a bowl, add almond flour, cream cheese, mozzarella cheese, garlic powder, sea salt, and pepper.  Microwave for one minute.  Stir and microwave another 20 seconds.  Add egg and stir until egg is blended into dough.  place between two pieces of parchment paper (see notes) and shape into a rectangle about 1-inch thick.  Remove top piece of parchment paper and bake for about fifteen minutes or until just golden brown.  Spread sesame oil over top of baked dough, sprinkle with desired amount of sesame seeds and bake another five minutes.  Take pizza cutter and slice into bread sticks.  DIP INTO CARAMELIZED ONION AND EGG DROP SOUP!!

NOTES: Parchment paper is key here.  I've tried this with foil and it is sorely disappointing.  PARCHMENT PAPER.  Trust me.

This combo is PERFECT and comforting for this cold holiday weather as well!  Merry Christmas!

NO TEARS HERE!

SHE2016©

I mostly make onion soup in the fall and winter, with plops of brie, and drops of toasted home-made bread.  But with the “She-tox Detox” everywhere I look right now, and Spring moving to Summer, it was time to lighten it up and make it inside-out Cleanse-Friendly.  So I made it with vodka instead of Winter-rich brandy (you can use veggie broth instead, Cleansers!), used a bright seasoning, and made the onions translucent instead of deeply caramelized.  It was unbelievably delicious and ridiculously EASY!!  Paired with a simple salad of Romaine and cucs with home-made lemon-poppy-seed (heavy on the poppy-seed for me, if you please!) dressing, there were no tears involved from THESE onions!

SPRING-TO-SUMMER ONION SOUP       

4 medium purple onion, cut in half and sliced thinly

extra virgin olive oil (evoo)

1 tbs sea salt

1 tbs pepper

1 tbs garlic powder

1 tbs herbes de provence

½ cup vodka

1 ½ boxes vegetable broth

Sprinkle enough evoo in a heavy soup pot to cover the bottom.  Heat on medium for about a minute or so and then add onion.  Cook on medium heat for about two minutes and add all seasoning.  Continue to cook, stirring constantly, until onions are translucent, about five more minutes.  Add the vodka a little at a time, letting it evaporate into the onion each time before adding more until vodka is gone and onion has absorbed all of it.  Add vegetable broth and turn heat to low.  Let simmer fifteen minutes and EAT!!

NOTES:  This is Meatless Monday friendly, too!  If you are on Week One or Two of the “She-tox” Detox, omit vodka and simply use a shot of the veggie broth instead.  The flavor profile changes a bit, but worth it while you cleanse.  This recipe is perfect for Week Three!  Interested in this Cleanse & Detox?  Message me!  Want to help the Texas Flood Victims but not sure how?  Message me!  Want to make some variation suggestions for the recipe?  Message me!!  I love all feedback, and love you She-Peeps!!

SHE2016©

EGGPLANT PARMA-PARADISE

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

Look, I know some of you have an eggplant Parmesan recipe you swear by; whether it's your own or your mama's or your noni's or a coveted recipe passed down for generations.  But I'm here to tell you that this recipe is THE ONE -the holy grail of eggplant Parmesan - the GOLDEN TICKET TO EGGPLANT PARMESAN PARADISE.  For real, People.  FOR REAL.  This was fresh, organic eggplant picked on our Annual Fall Family Day.  And it will be forever the annual eggplant Parmesan recipe from here on out!!

EGGPLANT PARMESAN

3-small-to-medium-sized eggplant

grated Parmesan cheese

1 pinch sea salt

1 pinch pepper

1 tsp sea salt

2 tsp pepper

2 tsp cumin

4 eggs

splash of water

canola oil

shredded pizza cheese or mozzarella

1-48 oz can diced tomatoes, drained and split in two

1 can rotel, drained

Italian seasoning

1 bunch thyme

6 cloves roasted garlic, chopped fine

1 onion, chopped fine

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

Wash and dry your eggplant, and cut it into slices about 1-inch thick.  In a  bowl, take your eggs and whisk them like crazy.  Add a splash of water, a pinch of sea salt and a pinch of pepper and whisk again.  In another bowl, pour about two cups of grated Parmesan, and add your sea salt, pepper, and cumin and mix with a fork.  In a heavy pan (I use my cast-iron, of course!), pour about an inch of canola oil and heat on medium.  The oil is ready when you can put a tiny sprinkle of water in it and it sizzles.  Take a slice of eggplant, dip it in the egg-mix and then the Parmesan mix.  Put it in the hot oil and let cook about a minute-and-a-half on each side (until crust is hard).  Do not put more than four slices at a time so that they don't steam but get good and crunchy.  Place each one on a drying or cooling rack and continue to cook until all slices are done.   

This image is © 2015 by Life As She Does It. Please link back or credit if any content or images are used.

In the same pan the eggplant was cooked in and on medium heat, place the thyme, roasted garlic, and onion and saute for about three minutes (see notes).  Remove from heat, take out the thyme sprig and discard,  and set aside the onion and garlic.  In a prepared baking dish, layer your cooked slices of eggplant, breaking apart a few to fit and cover the entire bottom of the dish.  Your next layer is the first half of the drained diced tomatoes.  Cover the tomato layer with your cheese and sprinkle Italian seasoning generously over the cheese.  Next, layer half the onion and garlic mix over the Italian seasoning and cheese.  Repeat layers, starting with eggplant and ending with the second half of the onion and garlic mixture, but in place of the tomatoes, layer the rotel.  Repeat for the last (third) layer, using eggplant, second-half of the diced tomatoes, and a heavy layer of cheese with a sprinkle of the Italian seasoning.  Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.  Let rest for five minutes.  Eat it up - I will feel your love from afar!!

NOTES: I had some leftover roasted garlic from the meal the night before.  You can either roast it yourself, buy it already roasted, or simply use regular garlic.  I use organic ingredients whenever possible for clean eating, and in this case, I believe it helped the eggplant flavor!  This is FANTASTIC for Meatless Monday AND it is low-carb, though it is so rich it sure doesn't taste like it!  Wanna see it happen fast-and-on-video on Life As She Does It's YouTube channel?  Click HERE