Tomato-Zucchini-Feta Focaccia Bread

Last month, I made this focaccia bread for my La Leche League study group meeting that I hosted at my house. Since the group was coming over mid morning I decided to serve brunch foods. I made this focaccia bread, blueberry-oat muffins, and served sliced apples. Here's what was left of the bread after the moms, babies, and kids left that day. The night before, I made the focaccia bread, but we forgot to set the oven timer and it burnt to a crisp. So the next morning, I woke up early and make it again. I think it's better that way because it was fresh for when my guests arrived. My only regret was baking it on a cookie sheet instead of my pizza stone. It was a bit over done on the bottom from the cookie sheet in the convection setting of my oven.


The recipe comes from one of my favorite cookbooks Simply in Season. I used tomatoes, zucchini and feta because it's what I had on hand. You can experiment with different combination of toppings.

Focaccia Bread by Simply in Season
Serves 6

1 cup warm water
1tbs active dry yeast
Combine in a large bowl, stirring until yeast dissolves.

1 cup whole wheat bread flour
2 tbs olive oil
1 tbs sugar
1 1/2 tsp salt
Mix in, stirring until smooth.

1 3/4 cup-2 1/2 cups bread flour
Add enough flour to make stiff dough. Knead 8-10 minutes until elastic (I used a stand mixer). Place in a greased bowl, turn to grease both sides, cover with a damp cloth, and allow to rise until doubled in size, 45 minutes.

Pat and stretch to fit a greased 10x15 jelly roll pan. Lightly rub top of dough with olive oil. Cover lightly with a damp cloth. Let rise 10 minutes. Top with the toppings below.

Topping:
2 tbs olive oil
Sea salt
1/4 cup feta
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/4 cup grape tomatoes, havled
1/2 cup zucchini, thinly sliced
Fresh or dried herbs. if desired (I used dried oregano).
Sprinkle with sea salt. Gently press toppings on the surface and sprinkle with cheese and herbs.. You can drizzle more olive oil on top if you'd like.

Bake in a preheated oven at 450 degrees until the crust is lightly browned, 12-20 minutes. If the bottom is down before the top is down, finish under the broiler. Serve immediately.

The Easy Way to Cook Dried Beans

One of the best budget-friendly protein sources that I can think of is dried beans. You can buy dried beans in the packages or bulk bins at the grocery store for next to about $1.99 per lb. You can of course buy cans of beans since they are convenient for quick meals on the fly, but dried stretches your dollars further because dried beans expand to about double in size when cooked and it's much more green friendly because of less packaging and processing.

I have many childhood memories sorting pinto beans and smelling them cooking on the stovetop. My mom added bacon slices, onion and garlic as she cooked them on the stove and it smelled amazing. I've found an easy way for cooking dried beans to fit into my hectic lifestyle without slaving away in the kitchen.

I soaked these pinto beans on Friday overnight, then cooked them in the slower cooker on Saturday during the day. I used the cooked beans on Saturday night for vegetarian chili and Sunday night for homemade refried beans (frijoles). More on the refried beans later...

Why eat beans and legumes? Beans are packed with protein, fiber, and iron. As recent vegetarians, Aaron and I have been eating more beans than ever and they are very filling and tasty. Beans are so versatile and can be made into patties (Falafel), stews, chili, filling for burritos or tacos, or plain on a salad for protein. Beans are great combined with whole grains like brown rice, barley or quinoa. Our favorites are chickpeas (for curries, soups, hummus) and pinto (in the picture) for burritos, chili, and tacos. We also like kidney for soups (minestrone) and black beans for enchiladas, chili and burrito filling. We love Lentil Stew served over brown rice. The possibilities are endless!

Cooking dried beans is super easy. If you plan ahead you can save money and time for future meals. Store your dried beans in a sealed container in the pantry, marking the type of bean and the date that you bought them. The easiest way to cook dried beans is to do it in batches, then use the beans for multiple meals. The slow cooker is energy efficient and easy.

Step 1: Soak Overnight
With dried beans, you need to soak them in water to help the cooking process. You need to soak all beans except for lentils, split peas, and black eyed peas.

• First, sort the beans and make sure you don't have any debris.
• Rinse the dried beans in water and drain.
  
• Use a mixing bowl to soak beans overnight in water. Fill the bowl a couple inches above the water.

Step 2: Slow Cook
In the morning, the soaked beans will double in size and most of the water will be absorbed.

• Drain the beans and rinse.
  
• Add the beans to slow cooker with fresh water covering the soaked beans a couple inches above.
  
• No need in adding any seasoning since you can season later. It's better to cook them plain so they will be more versatile for different dishes.
• Cook on Low setting for 8-hours, stirring infrequently and making sure to replenish water, if needed.
  

Step 3: Store
After the beans are cooked, I like to store beans that won't be used that evening for future meals that week.

• Use cooked beans in any dish, any way you like. Use a slotted spoon to use the beans you need for that night.
  
• Keep cooking liquid for some recipes such as refried beans or hummus, according to your recipes.
• Let beans cool, then store in resealable containers for the refrigerator. I've never tried freezing them.
  

That's it! It's really easy!

Vegetarian Baked Gnocchi

I made a Baked Gnocchi for dinner tonight. It was hearty and filling even though it was vegetarian. It's a quick dinner that I was able to whip up while Aaron was giving Ava a bath. I got the broccoli cut and Aaron helped me by cooking it while I was nursing Ava and the gnocchi was baking in the oven. It flowed easily and with the tag team action, dinner was done. It turned out great!

Gnocchi, Italian potato dumplings, are a treat. They are tender and when cooked right, are fluffy pillows of goodness! For tonight's baked version, I used Italian soy sausage and vegetables (fennel, fresh tomato, fresh spinach, and garlic) with a bit of chopped kalamata olives. I topped it with ricotta cheese, fresh chopped parsley, breadcrumbs, and shredded Parmesan cheese. Paired with broccoli, it was delicious and very easy to make.

Vegetarian Baked Gnocchi
Serves 4

Ingredients:

• 1 package of gnocchi (find it at Trader Joe's or World Market)
  
• 1-14oz can tomato sauce
• 1 tbs olive oil
  
• 1/2 cup soy Italian sausage
  
• 1/2 bulb fennel (chopped small) or substitute onion instead
  
• 1 Roma tomato, chopped
• 3 cups fresh spinach (or 1/2 cup defrosted frozen)
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 cloves minced garlic
  
• 5 Kalamata olives, chopped
  
• 4oz part-skim ricotta cheese
• 2 tbs breadcrumbs
• 2 tbs chopped fresh parsley or basil
• 3 tbs grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

• Start water for gnocchi pasta.
• Chop vegetables and preheat medium skillet.
  
• Coat pre-heated skillet with olive oil (liberally since soy sausage doesn't have fat like pork). Add fennel and garlic. Saute 2 minutes, then add soy sausage. Cook until sausage in browned and the fennel (or onion is cooked through). Add fresh tomato, spinach, and oregano. Saute until spinach is cooked. Keep warm until gnocchi is cooked.
• When the water is boiling, add gnocchi carefully. The dumplings are heavier than pasta and will splash. I drop in a few at a time slowly. Cook according to the package directions, until the gnocchi floats to the top (about 5 minutes).
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
  
• Drain gnocchi and return to pot. Add can of tomato sauce, and sausage-vegetable mixture. Toss with chopped olives.
• Coat an 8x8 baking dish with cooking spray. Add gnocchi to the dish, then carefully scoop out small spoonfuls of ricotta cheese on the top of the gnocchi. Sprinkle evenly with parsley, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese.
• Bake for 25 minutes until bubbly.
• Cook vegetables while gnocchi is baking.
  
• Let gnocchi cool for 5 minutes before serving.
  

If you try this recipe, feel free to experiment with the vegetables. Other ideas would be zucchini, eggplant, bell peppers, or mushrooms.

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Meat...What Meat?

Last October, Aaron and I decided to become vegetarian for health reasons. We started to slowly reduce our meat our of our diet, but we took the next couple months to eat the frozen stash and started to experiment with vegetarian meals. As of January 1, we're not completely vegetarian. We have eliminated all animal flesh from our diet. Instead we're getting our protein from a plant-based diet and dairy. In the past few weeks, we've pined for bacon at times, but haven't missed the meat! Our biggest fear of moving away from meat is, giving it up! We are surprised how satisfied we are without it.

Aaron and I both feel great. Aaron thinks his stomach and appetite have gotten smaller and I agree. We're completely satisfied after meals. I've stocked up on dried and canned beans, eggs, tofu, and whole grains from the bulk bins. We're feeling satisfied with all the fiber in our diet. At dinner, I always make sure to have fresh fruit to satisfy our need for sweets and it adds fiber.

Here's a sampling of what we have enjoyed so far....

• Bean and corn chili - even my inlaws liked it!
  
• Cauliflower and chickpea yellow curry with rice
• Split pea soup in the slow cooker
• Spinach and feta quiche with whole wheat crust
• Chipotle macaroni and cheese
• Black bean and sweet potato enchilada casserole
• Vegetarian "meat" loaf made with quinoa and barley (pictured in this post)
  
• Italian Spaghetti Squash Casserole
• Spinach, olive, and cheese homemade pizza for our weekly movie night
  

Last weekend, we went to our friend's house for a vegetarian pot luck dinner. It was fantastic to be able to eat all the options! I made an Israeli couscous salad with chickpeas to share. Our host, Jill made a vegetarian shepard's pie, which was so delicious!

A downside with being vegetarian is attending conferences and eating hotel meals. At home when I'm preparing our meals, I cook with vegetables, whole grains, beans, and all the good balanced fresh foods that keep our energy strong. But, this week, I had my company's annual sales meeting and in the face of the meat covered buffet, I ate macaroni and cheese with a lackluster green salad. Another day, I ate refried bean tacos, which weren't bad, but I wished I had some vegetables. By the evenings, I was craving fruits and vegetables!

I went to a team dinner on Wednesday and my director asked for recommendations. I suggested a local brew pub, which has their own beer and a lot of vegetarian items on the menu. I love the vibe there and especially appreciate that it's smoke free. That was a treat for all of us because most of the team is from the West Coast.

I'll keep sharing our vegetarian favorites as we go along...

The Berkey's are Going Vegetarian

Aaron read an article in the October issue of Mens Journal about the advantages of going vegan and it inspired him. Read the excerpt from the article here (featuring Twitter Biz Stone). He suggested that we go vegetarian for a health experiment to see how our bodies react. I was surprised at first because Aaron doesn't like too many vegetables! I told him that if we're going vegetarian, we're going to do it right and eat high quality grains, proteins like tofu, tempeh, and eat frequently to keep our energy stable. He told me that he was willing to try things and experiment. We agreed to do it together, which will be great since we're supporting each other.

We're committing to vegetarianism for a long period (at least 6-months) to see the effects on our bodies. Our plan is to eliminate meat (beef, pork, poultry), but still eat dairy to help with protein and possibly fish on occasion. I can't imagine giving up cheese, milk, or eggs so I was onboard with that. I suspect that in the end after our experiment is over, we may balance out to add meat back in to our diets, but not the focus or even every day.

I'm not going to lie. I'm going to miss bacon and pork because I love the salty, smoky flavor that it adds to a soup, sandwich, or heck, just eating it alone. But I do without. I went without wine for my entire pregnancy so I think I can go without meat for 6-12 months.

We broke the news to Aaron's parents at Thanksgiving. They gave us the "Are you an alien?" look afterwards. We told them our reasons and they told us not to worry because there's always peanut butter in the pantry! Almost every meal features some form of beef or pork so it's going to be tough. I think we'll stock some veggie burgers at their house and plan to cook alternatives for us to eat.

As we're planning to go vegetarian, we're doing two things.

• Experimenting/Researching: I really like vegetarian meals and have recipes already in mind. I've been eyeing the bulk bins at Whole Foods for the dried beans, quinoa, barley, and oat groats. We get a produce box of seasonal, organic produce already so we'll experiment and find our favorite vegetarian meals. We already have several that we love: Chipotle Macaroni and Cheese and Veggie Pasta Ragu (made with veggie burger in the sauce). I liked a coconut peanut curry with tofu, cabbage, green beans and rice noodles meal that I made recently. At restaurants, we're ordering vegetarian options. For the past month, we've been eating less meat overall to make the transition smoothly.
  
• Eating our meat from the freezer: We had a drawer in our freezer filled with varieties of hormone-free meats and grass-fed beef. We cooked ground elk for chili and made beef hamburgers in November, even though we'd prefer to eat burgers in the summer! We cooked a pork tenderloin this week and we ate it in smaller servings to ease back our meat intake.
  

Our official start will be Jan 1. Practically speaking, it's best to wait until after the Christmas holiday. Aaron's mom would have been slightly heart broken if we skipped her ground beef lasagna and the traditional egg, sausage and cheese casserole for Christmas morning. But for the upcoming year, when we visit, I'll make food for us.

Just in the last couple weeks, I've lost 3 lbs! I'm wondering if it has to do with the vegetarian tendencies we're having in the last month. To be fair, I'm breastfeeding, which uses tons of calories and my weight loss has been slow and steady. One ounce of breastmilk is about 20 calories, which is taken from my body to produce. I pump about 28-30oz when I go to the office all day and feed Ava before work, in the evening, and overnight. No wondering I'm always hungry! It seems my weight is dropping off all the sudden. This week, I reached my pre-pregnancy weight and fit really easily in my old jeans that I hadn't worn comfortably since I was 12-weeks pregnant. My goal is to keep trimming down while my metabolism has the added boost from breastfeeding.

I'm having fun pulling out my cookbooks like Nourishing Traditions and Feeding the Whole Family is especially useful with the great alternative, wholesome foods. As I write this post, I'm soaking dried mung beans for a stew tomorrow. I'm chopped butternut squash and it's ready to go for the stew tomorrow.

Follow our experiment on the blog. I'll post our progress and share our recipes. Please share your favorite veggie entrees and dishes, too!