Vegetarian Archives - In Sonnet's Kitchen

Naturally Amazing Dressings and Dips for Summer

July 23, 2014 by Sonnet Leave a Comment

Are you getting enough veggies in your diet? Sorry to have to play Fiber Patrol, but somebody’s got to… right?

One of the things I love and appreciate most about summer is the variety of seasonal vegetables. The farmers market is always overflowing this time of year with a variety of produce and with the heat, I personally love to enjoy my veggies raw.

Today I’m excited to be partnering with French’s Yellow Mustard to bring you four #NaturallyAmazing delicious dressings and dips which are perfect for seasonal picnics and grill-outs!

French’s yellow mustard starts with farm-grown, whole mustard seeds and select herbs and spices (including turmeric). French’s is 100% natural, gluten-free and kosher and it has 0 calories. Unlike some mustards, there’s nothing artificial: no preservatives, fillers or thickeners. French’s is naturally amazing and is the preferred mustard for your favorite summer foods. From flavorful marinades to tangy salad dressings, French’s yellow mustard brings wholesome goodness and fresh taste to your table. Awesome.

Now let’s make some dressings and dips for summer!

This post was brought to you by the makers of French’s Yellow Mustard. I received compensation to write this post through the French’s Naturally Amazing Program, but all opinions expressed here are my own.

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Broccoli Spigarello with Garlic and Pine Nuts

July 9, 2014 by Sonnet 2 Comments

I have a pretty good idea of what you must be thinking at this point… what the heck is spigarello? Don’t worry, I found myself thinking the same thing at last week’s farmers market.

One of my favorite parts of living in Seattle is the amazing diversity of produce we have here. Over the years I’ve challenged myself to “cook outside my comfort zone” by trying a new vegetable when I find something that I’m unfamiliar with at the market and then experimenting with the best ways to prepare it. This week’s challenge was spigarello.

Broccoli spigarello is native to southern Italy and is completely different from broccoli, broccolini, or broccoli rabe (in fact, they’re not even in the same family). I love broccoli so I have no problem with its sometimes bitter taste, but spigarello is an entirely different story. The best way I can describe the taste is the sweetness of broccoli combined with the leaves of kale.

Let’s just say I instantly fell in love. And when you combine it with a little bit of garlic, toasted pine nuts, salt and pepper? Well that’s just my version of heaven.

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How To Make Zucchini Pasta With a Mandoline Slicer

May 18, 2014 by Sonnet 2 Comments

Some of my favorite tutorials on my blog involve making (grain-free and gluten-free!) zucchini pasta. Last year I created two different tutorials to show how to make spaghetti from zucchini and how make zucchini fettuccine.

There are a couple of different tools you can use to make zucchini pasta but I typically use my spiralizer (pictured above on the right). The one that I own is a plastic spiralizer by Paderno World Cuisine that I ordered from Amazon in 2009. I’ve found that it’s easy to use, easy to clean, and has lasted a really long time.

A lot of folks who stop by my website are excited about this and want to make zucchini pasta, however, they don’t want to have to buy a spiralizer. As a minimalist myself, I completely understand the hesitation you might have before buying another piece of kitchen equipment. And this is exactly why I created this tutorial.

If you want to make zucchini pasta, but just don’t think you’d have enough uses for a spiralizer, then a mandoline slicer is going to be your new best friend. I became acquainted with mandolin slicers many, many years ago when I worked in a raw foods kitchen. A mandoline (pictured above on the left) is used for slicing and cutting vegetables and fruits. You slide the vegetable or fruit along the surface blade and it allows you to slice the food quickly, uniformly, and much thinner than if you were using a knife.

I’ve had my mandoline for a couple of years now and when I’m doing large amounts of prep, it definitely saves me time in the kitchen. The mandoline I own is OXO Good Grips V-Blade slicer that I purchased off Amazon. I’ve used several different mandolines and this one is my favorite because it comes with a few different blades and it has a food holder with a handle that you can use to slice the fruits and veggies so you don’t have to worry about slicing your fingers on the blades (the old-school mandoline models don’t have this feature so beware).

Once you have a mandoline, making zucchini pasta couldn’t be easier! So let me show you how to make zucchini pasta with a mandoline slicer!

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Sautéed Greens with Mushrooms

April 30, 2014 by Sonnet 1 Comment

When you start a new job, there are few thoughts that might go through your head…

Did I already meet this person? I think I did. No, wait, I totally didn’t. I’m still unsure. Should I just introduce myself anyway? Shoot, now they’re walking away…
How do you work a copier again?
Why. am. I. so. hungry. ?
(receive an email from John)… John? Wait, who’s John again?
Why isn’t it lunchtime already?
Seriously? No one uses a reusable mug? I wonder how many paper cups this office goes through daily…
Would it be totally weird if I pulled out my green smoothie mason jar right now? Maybe I should just do it anyway?

Ah, the joys of starting a new job.

My favorite part of being in a new job is trying to figure out the office culture, especially when it comes to food. I’m not gonna lie here, I’ve always been the office weirdo when it comes to food. It usually doesn’t take long for me to bring a green smoothie to a meeting or pull out a giant container of zucchini spaghetti at lunch and forever be branded “the healthy one.” Sometimes this is a term of endearment. And sometimes it’s just plain not.

My strategy for surviving the week I started my new job included having lots of healthy foods prepped and ready for dinner so I wouldn’t be temped by any unhealthy (but probably way more convenient) options. My meal options for the week included Coconut Crusted Salmon alongside these amazing braised mushroom greens.

And for dessert? Why, this spring detox green smoothie of course. Just because I’m weird like that.

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Vegan Walnut and Mushroom Pate

March 27, 2014 by Sonnet 3 Comments

Have you been on a spring cleaning kick lately? I have.

Me and my trusty DIY All Purpose Cleaner and DIY Citrus Vinegar Cleaner have been scrubbing every surface in my apartment and I’ve been decluttering like mad. At this point it’s getting crazy. If something isn’t somehow attached to the apartment itself I’ve found myself trying to figure out how to get rid of it.

I knew I was going overboard the other day when I found myself debating about donating my food processor. I mean, I love that thing, but somehow I haven’t used it since I was recipe testing for my cookbook last summer. That’s when I knew it was time to put it to use again.

So, what to make in my lovely food processor? Enter vegan walnut and mushroom pate. If you’ve been needing a reason to keep your food processor around, I think this just might be it.

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Yams Stuffed with Mushroom Gravy

March 9, 2014 by Sonnet 2 Comments

There’s nothing worse than trying to blog about food when you’re sick… Trust me on this one.

That’s the only excuse I can offer for why this post is long overdue. Like, a week behind. I mean, the idea of talking about cooking, eating, and food in general when you’re really under the weather? No thank you.

On that note, my sincere apologies for things being rather silent on the blog last week. And, I think it’s time we change that. So let’s talk about yams stuffed with mushroom gravy.

Are you noticing the change in seasons? I’m excited to see the long, dark days of winter almost behind us, but I know we still have many rainy days of spring ahead of us. That can only mean one thing: healthy comfort food. Are you with me?

These yams stuffed with mushroom gravy are just that: the perfect way to bridge the gap between winter and spring AND, they can be used with a variety of protein sources. Vegetarian? Paleo? Vegan? No problem! The best part is that this recipe works for a variety of diets!

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Quick Pickled Beets

February 28, 2014 by Sonnet 2 Comments

You know what’s funny about this time of year? The days are still dark, short, and cold, but I can sense spring in the air. And for some reason, spring always makes me crave salads. So even though it’s a little early, let’s talk about salads, shall we?

If you love salads as much as I do, you should try my Roasted Fennel and Spring Vegetable Salad and I would definitely encourage you to top your salad with my Green Goddess Salad Dressing (it’s vegan!).

You know what else I love on my salads? Beets. I usually roast them, but I’ve been craving something tangy so I decided to create some quick pickled beets by marinating them overnight in apple cider vinegar with a little garlic and onions. Yum. Whether you’re a beet-lover or a beet-hater, this is the perfect way to top your salads this season!

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Energizing Raw Coconut Maca Fudge

January 31, 2014 by Sonnet 15 Comments

I live down the street from this really amazing French bakery which I have to pass by two times a day.

The downfall? This means that two times every day I have to resist the amazing smells coming from this place and not think about chocolate croissants.

Chocolate croissants, people. Do you know what kind of mental willpower that takes?! Don’t even get me started.

When it comes to willpower, I think willpower is pretty fleeting. This is why we have to plan ahead.

I mean, willpower can only do so much when you’re hungry, tired, and just want some dang chocolate already. But, if you have this energizing raw coconut maca fudge waiting for you at home? Then that chocolate croissant doesn’t look so good now, does it? (Okay, that’s a total lie. It still looks good, but you get my point here… )…