Chili Baked Potato with Cheese

Chili Baked Potato with Cheese

Growing up the way I did, on a good amount of junk food, I still have cravings. No matter how many salads or vegetables I eat, on occasion I get a craving for something greasy. Sometimes, I cave and order out but other times, I want to make something that only seems like it would be greasy and delicious. That’s where this chili baked potato comes into play. This potato is smothered in my favorite bulgur chili recipe and then topped with a drizzle of cheese. It’s perfect for those nights when you want something hearty but don’t want something greasy. Read more and see the recipe.

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Baked Farro Risotto with Cauliflower

Baked Farro Risotto with Cauliflower

If you’ve picked up a copy of The Easy Vegetarian Kitchen, you’re probably already familiar with my love of using farro in risottos. The chewy texture of cooked farro lends itself well to the overall dish. Even when using the pearled variety, it feels a bit heartier than if using arborio rice.

Of course, time isn’t always on our sides to make regular risotto and that’s where this baked version comes in handy. No stirring and adding liquids, just throwing things in a pot a few times. The recipe from which I adapted this one calls for adding butternut squash at the beginning but I like my cauliflower to have texture. I add the chipped cauliflower part of the way through cooking. Feel free to experiment with cooking times based on your preferred tenderness. Read more and see the recipe.

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Baked Falafel Salad Bowl

Baked Falafel Salad Bowl | A Couple CooksBaked Falafel Salad Bowl | A Couple CooksBaked Falafel Salad Bowl | A Couple CooksBaked Falafel Salad Bowl | A Couple CooksCultivating a wholehearted life is not like trying to reach a destination. It’s like walking toward a star in the sky. We never really arrive, but we certainly know that we’re heading in the right direction. ~Brené Brown

At some point in life, you begin to realize that everything is a journey. I lived in Madrid for a while in college, and my heart pined after becoming fluent in Spanish. After the semester was over, I realized fluency was not so much an arrival, but a place on a sliding scale. Was I fluent? I certainly didn’t feel it, but I could make my way around. I realized then that fluency would be a lifelong process, and whether I was really “there” would be different based on how I viewed myself or how I was viewed by others around me.

This concept seems to hold true for many skills or roles we have in life. I’m certainly much further along on the journey of cooking and eating than when we started dabbling seven years ago, but I’m still overwhelmed by how much there is to learn. So instead of chasing after “I can cook” or “I eat healthy”, at this point in life I’m content with simply walking towards those places.

And with those baby steps, we’re inching forward. Case in point: we’ve made countless failed falafel recipes over the past five years, so many that we stopped even trying. Falafel is one of my favorite foods (get some here if you’re even in Paris), but I had resigned to only eating it at restaurants. We decided to try one more time the other day with some baked falafel, and miraculously, it worked! Of the many variables, we found dried, soaked chickpeas for the dough holds together much better than canned. The baked version doesn’t taste quite like the decadence of fried falafel, but the flavor and texture work in this bowl version. We enjoyed this with some dear friends the other night (check their blog here) and it was delicious. It’s a great option to please vegetarian, vegan (with our substitution dressing below), and gluten-free diets.

Cheers to you on your own journeys, whatever they may be…

PS Do you know Brené Brown’s work? I’m a huge fan and am reading The Gifts of Imperfection now, which is where I found the quote above. The tagline of the book is spot on: Let Go of Who You Think You’re Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are. Our philosophies of embracing whole foods and cooking eating mesh well with her work on wholeheartedness and vulnerability.

Baked Falafel Salad Bowl
 
Tip: For a vegan or plant-based option, use Lemon Tahini Dressing. Use only kosher salt; do not substitute table salt in this recipe.
by:
Serves: 4

What You Need
  • 4 cloves garlic
  • ½ large or 1 small red onion
  • 1 ½ cups dried chickpeas
  • ½ cup fresh parsley
  • ½ cup fresh cilantro
  • ½ teaspoon ground cumin
  • ¼ teaspoon ground coriander
  • ¼ cayenne pepper
  • 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt (do not substitute table salt)
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • ¼ head large red cabbage
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 pint cherry tomatoes
  • 12 to 16 cups lettuce or salad greens

What To Do
  1. Soak chickpeas at least 1 hour. Preheat oven to 375F.
  2. Peel 4 cloves garlic; place them in the bowl of a food processor and process until fully chopped. Peel the onion and cut it into rough chunks; add to the bowl and process again until fully chopped. To the bowl, add soaked chickpeas, ½ cup fresh parsley, ½ cup fresh cilantro, ½ teaspoon ground cumin, ¼ teaspoon ground coriander, ¼ cayenne pepper, 1 ½ teaspoons kosher salt, and 3 tablespoons olive oil. Process until smooth and a dough comes together, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
  3. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. To form the falafel patties, take a few tablespoons of dough, roll it into a ball between your palms, then pat it flat. Try to keep the patties as uniform as possible to have a similar thickness. Bake the patties for 24 minutes, flipping halfway through.
  4. While the patties bake, make the dressing (Creamy Cilantro Dressing below, or this plant-based option).
  5. Thinly slice the red cabbage and cucumber. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Clean the salad greens.
  6. To serve, place greens in a large bowl. Top with falafel patties, cabbage, cucumber, and tomatoes. Drizzle with dressing and serve.

Creamy Cilantro Dressing
 
by:
Serves: 2 cups

What You Need
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 ½ cups Greek yogurt
  • 2 tablespoons lemon or lime juice
  • 1½ tablespoons tahini
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • ½ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ cup cilantro leaves
  • 2 tablespoons water

What To Do
  1. Peel the garlic cloves. Place all ingredients into a blender and blend until smooth.

 

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Baked French Fries with Curried Ketchup

Baked French Fries with Curried Ketchup | http://naturallyella.com

One of the things I love and hate about blogging is the progress I make throughout the years. My ability to write recipes well and to photograph them has gotten much better. The progress is good, the part I love but the old, crusty content makes me cringe, the part I hate. When one blogs for 8+ years, the early stuff is bad. And so, I felt it was time to redo some of the older post with updated photos, videos, and techniques.

These baked french fries are one of my most popular recipes. Sometime in the early days of the site, they went viral on StumbleUpon and Yummly. But, the recipe was poorly written and the photos were less than stellar. I felt it was time to do a refresh on a recipe we use at least once a week in our house.

Baked French Fries | http://naturallyella.com

If you’ve never made baked french fries before, now is the time to start. They are beyond easy and I made you a short video to convince you if you’re really still not sure. All it takes is a potato, knife, and some seasoning. My original recipe called for using Russet potatoes but thanks to my mom, I’m a convert to Yukon. Yukons don’t make the longest baked french fries but they crisp up nicely without having to soak them first. However, you can always use Russets for more traditional baked french fries.

And finally, if you’ve never added a touch of curry powder to your ketchup, you’re missing out. It’s a fun way to dress up this traditional condiment and if you plan on making ketchup from scratch, it’s easy to add the curry right in with your other ingredients.

Baked French Fries with Curried Ketchup
 
Prep time

Cook time

Total time

 

Author:
Serves: 2 to 3 servings

Ingredients
  • Baked French Fries
  • 1 lb yukon gold potatoes
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon smoked paprika
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • ¼ teaspoon black pepper
  • Curried Ketchup
  • ¼ cup homemade or pre-made ketchup (see note)
  • ¼ to ½ teaspoon good curry powder

Instructions
  1. Preheat oven to 400˚ and line a baking tray with parchment paper.
  2. Rinse the potatoes well. Taking one potato at a time, cut the ends off the potato to create a level surface. Stand up on one end and cut down the potato in ¼” thick slices.
  3. Stack half the slices on the flat side down and cut again into ¼” thick strips. Repeat with remaining potatoes. Place the fries on one or two baking trays and toss with the olive oil, spices, salt, and pepper. Spread the fries out so that the are mostly not touching.
  4. Bake the fries for 30 to 35 minutes until crisp and golden. While the fries are baking, stir together the ketchup and curry powder. Serve fries hot with your favorite sauce or the curried ketchup.

Notes
If you want to use traditional russet potatoes, I recommend soaking the cut fries in cold water for at least 30 minutes then rinsing before tossing with olive oil.

If I’m making my homemade ketchup, I’ll add the curry powder into the cooking process.

My original fry recipe called for adding dried oregano, parsley, and a pinch of mustard powder. Try playing around with the spices to find your favorite combination.

 

Crispy Baked French Fries with Curried Ketchup

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