Tempeh and Veggie Spring Rolls

Jacob and I spent most of last weekend working - Jacob at the bike shop, myself at a fundraising event for my 9-5 work, and both of us at a catering gig Saturday evening. We got all set up for the catering event and had a little time to spare, so I took a few pictures of the venue. I just couldn't resist. It was a cute little wedding, and the weather could not have been better. 

We did get a chance to do some non-work things, like go for a bike ride (on all of my favorite High Country roads!), play with Madi the Dog, and make spring rolls! Let me just start by saying this; I LOVE spring rolls. They are so light, crisp, and flavorful. Let me also say that these guys are not necessarily hard to make, but they do take a little time and preparation. I promise you though, they are worth it.

First, I made the peanut dipping sauce for the spring rolls. I picked up freshly ground peanut butter from the local health food store, then added ginger, honey, soy sauce, sesame oil, and sesame seeds. Then, I mixed in some water to get the sauce to a good "dipping" consistency. 

Next up was marinating and cooking the tempeh. Soy sauce, sesame oil, garlic, and olive oil were used for seasoning.

I poured the marinade over the tempeh, let it sit for 20 minutes, then baked it.

Finished tempeh, ready for spring rolls!

Next up, cellophane noodles. These guys were a breeze - just soak in hot water for a few minutes, cut into small pieces, then boil for 2-3 minutes. 

Finally, the veggies. Sautéed green and red cabbage (a little soy sauce and sesame oil for flavor). 

And, the "crispy" veggies. I used clover sprouts (bean sprouts would be great but I didn't have any on hand), raw carrot matchsticks, raw cucumber matchsticks, and lime wedges for garnish.

OK, enough of all that fluff, let's get to the real deal. The spring roll making. Spring roll wrappers have directions on the package as far as how to properly use them, so I followed the directions. One dish of hot water, and one damp tea towel were necessary.

Step #1: Let the rice wrapper soak for 15-20 seconds or until pliable.

Once the wrapper is pliable, take it out of the water.

Place the spring roll wrapper on the damp tea towel. 

Fill with veggies, tempeh, and noodles (be sure not to fill them with too much or you'll have a hard time wrapping them up).

Roll away from yourself, pull the sides in, and finish up!

Serve with peanut dipping sauce. Yum.

Tempeh and Veggie Spring Roll Recipe:

Makes 10 spring rolls

- 1 package spring roll wrappers

- 1 package tempeh

- 3 cups chopped red/green cabbage (you could use a coleslaw pre-chopped mix for this)

- 1 cup cooked cellophane noodles (cooked according to package directions)

- 3 carrots peeled and cut into thin matchsticks

- 1/2 cucumber cut into thin matchsticks

- 1 cup sprouts (bean, clover, or alfalfa)

- 1 lime cut into wedges

- 3 tbsp sesame oil, divided

- 4 tbsp soy sauce, divided

- 4 tbsp olive oil, divided

- 1/4 tsp ginger (I use the pre-grated kind that comes in a small jar)

Directions:

- Make the tempeh marinade by combining 1.5 tbsp sesame oil, 2 tbsp soy sauce, 2 tbsp olive oil, and 1/4 tsp ginger together in a small bowl.

- Pout marinade over tempeh that has been cut into finger-size pieces. Let the tempeh set for 20 minutes.

- While the tempeh is marinating, cook the cabbage. Saute' cabbage in a wok (or large skillet) using remaining soy sauce, sesame oil, and olive oil. Set aside.

- Preheat the over to 350 and place the tempeh in the over for 20 minutes or until the edges are browned. Let the tempeh "fingers" cool.

- Follow package directions for cooking the cellophane noodles, set aside once cooked.

- Prep the cucumber, carrot, sprouts, and lime, and set out the dish of hot water and the damp tea towel.

-  Once all your ingredients are prepped and ready, start making your spring rolls!

- Soak the spring roll wrappers, one at a time, for just 15-20 seconds or until pliable.

- Place the pliable wrapper on the team towel, and put tempeh, noodles, and veggies in the center of the wrapper.

- Roll up the spring roll starting with the edge closest to you. Fold in the sides, then finish rolling away from you until you have a little bundle of deliciousness!

- Serve with peanut sauce (recipe below)

Peanut Dipping Sauce Recipe:

Makes enough to go with 10 (ish) spring rolls

- 2 heaping tablespoons freshly ground (or natural) peanut butter

- 2 tbsp soy sauce

- 1 tbsp sesame oil

- 2 tsp honey

- 1 tsp sesame seeds

- 1/4 tsp grated ginger

- 2-3 tbsp water

Directions:

- Mix all ingredients except water in a small bowl.

- Add water 1 tsp at a time, mixing between additions, until the sauce is at your preferred "dipping" consistency.

Vegetarian Tex-Mex Pizzas

Happy Friday! It's been a long week 'round these parts, and even though Jacob and I both have to work over the weekend, I am excited for the chance to sleep in a little tomorrow morning and enjoy a little quality time with the husband and the pup. Running shorts, coffee, and sitting out on the porch will be involved.

Last night Jacob and I had an awesome dinner that I just had to share with you all. Mexican pizzas! These guys are so quick and easy to make, and can be topped with whatever ingredients you have on hand. Jacob would admit, he was skeptical of these guys at first, but I'm pretty sure he liked them, judging from the three inhaled. Also, I just remembered that the last recipe I posted was for enchiladas - I promise we eat things that don't involve tortillas, we've just been on a tex-mex kick lately, I guess.

This whole thing started when I found these organic refried black beans at Harris Teeter. I knew I could find a use for them.

Mushrooms, green pepper, and kale were sautéed and drained to be used as topping for the pizzas. I drained them after they were cooked because I didn't want any extra moisture to make the pizzas soggy. No one likes soggy pizza.

Fajita size flour tortillas were used.

Refried beans + veggies...

 + cheese...

I love using cucumber as a fresh and crisp topping for mexican dishes like this.

Salsa and sour cream are a must.

The finished product!

Along-side some steamed green beans and cauliflower. 

Vegetarian Tex-Mex Pizza Recipe

Serves 4

- 6 fajita size flour tortillas

- 1 can refried black or pinto beans

- 2 cups sautéed and drained veggies

- 1 tsp salt

- 1 tsp chili powder

- 1.5 cups shredded cheddar cheese

- 1 cucumber, peeled and diced

- Sour cream

- Salsa

Directions:

- Line a large sheet pan (or two small sheet pans) with aluminum foil for easy clean up.

- Place tortillas on the sheet pan(s).

- Divide the refried beans along the tortillas and spread on the tortillas.

- Once the veggies of your choice are cooked and drained, season with salt and chili powder.

- Top the pizzas with veggies and cheese.

- Bake at 400 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until the cheese is melted and pizzas are crispy.

- Serve with cucumber, sour cream, and salsa.

Weekend Happenings.

This past weekend was packed with family, food, and fun. Jacob's family was up here moving his little sister into the dorms at App, and my family was here to cheer on me and my Dad at the Watauga Lake Triathlon. We woke up bright and early Saturday AM to get to the race site before our 1000 meter swim, 35k bike ride, and 8k run. I don't know how this happened, but the weather was absolutely perfect.

The scenery wasn't too bad either...

Here I am starting the last leg of the race - the 4.5 mile run.

Cutie Dakota having fun waiting at the finish line.

Dad on the finish stretch!

And, we're done! A little puffy-eyed and tired, but happy.

Dad won 2nd in his age group, and I won 3rd in mine.  It's amazing how racing motivates you to want to work harder and get faster for the next time around. Already planning for our next few races!

And of course there was food. Unfortunately we were all too tired and hungry to take sufficient pictures of the food, but I did manage to snap a couple pictures with the phone.

Pasta and meatballs for dinner one night. Family style!

Bacon, egg, and cheese croissants + fresh fruit and lots of good coffee for Sunday breakfast. Someone was ready to eat before everyone else...

Happy Monday! I hope your Monday isn't as rainy and gloomy as ours is here in Boone. 

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

I've been doing some casual catering for some work events lately, staff lunches, board meeting dinners, etc. Since we're a new non-profit, I try to keep the food costs down. This can require some creativity when you're cooking for 15-25 people. One of the biggest hits out of all these meals has been the sweet potato black bean enchiladas. The sweet/salty/spicy combination is intriguing and everyone seems to enjoy them. Little do they know, these guys are a piece of cake (well, actually, making a piece of cake would be a lot harder than this) to make. But you get the picture.

These could easily be turned gluten free (use corn tortillas) and/or vegan (omit the cheese). But no matter your dietary preferences, you're gunna need to start with a few sweet potatoes.

After boiling the potatoes until tender, add black beans and a few other additions to make the enchilada filling.

Cumin is the key spice.

A little salsa and a little sour cream go into the mixture to ensure it doesn't dry out.

More salsa and enchilada sauce coat the bottom of the pan before the enchiladas get placed into it.

Fill those tortillas, roll, and place in the salsa sauce bath.

One they're all rolled up and place in the pan, top with a little more salsa and enchilada sauce.

Top with cheese (if you're into that kind of thing), and bake. Now the only question left to ask is.... What does the finished product look like? Well, I guess you'll just have to make them and see for yourself. The truth is, I forgot to take "end product" pictures. But, I promise you these enchiladas won't disappoint.

Sweet Potato Black Bean Enchiladas

Serves 4-6

- 2 large sweet potatoes or 3 medium sized

- 2 tsp salt

- 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

- 1/2 cup chopped green pepper

- 1/2 cup corn (I used canned, fresh would be great too)

- 1/4 cup red onion, chopped

- 2 cloves garlic, minced

- 2 tbsp olive oil

- 2 tsp cumin

- 1 tsp chili powder

- 1/2 cup sour cream

- 2 cups salsa, divided

- 1 large can enchilada sauce (found near the salsa in the grocery store)

- 8-10 medium sized flour or corn tortillas (I used flour in this recipe)

- 1-2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:

- Peel and cube the sweet potatoes.

- Bring a medium sized pot of water to a boil, add salt and sweet potato cubes. Boil until tender when poked with a fork.

- Drain sweet potatoes and let cool.

- While the potato cubes are cooling, mix together the rest of the filling ingredients; black beans, pepper, corn, onion, garlic, spices, sour cream, and 1/2 cup salsa.

- Mix in the sweet potatoes.

- Mix remaining 1 and 1/2 cups salsa with the enchilada sauce in a medium mixing bowl. Pour 1/3 of it into the bottom of a 9/13 inch pan.

- Place 1/3 cup of the sweet potato and black bean mixture into each tortilla, roll up, place seam side down into the pan.

- Once all the enchiladas have been rolled and placed in the pan, pour the remaining sauce mixture over the top.

- Layer cheese on the enchiladas and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes or until the center is hot and the cheese is melted.