per serving

Ingredients

– 1 piece sliced Rustic Bread
– 3-4 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese (if you’re feeling adventurous, make your own!)
– 4-5 pieces Sliced Pineapple
– 1/2 Red Pepper, seeds removed, chopped small
– 2 Tbsp Green Onion, chopped
– 1-2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to broil. Cut bread in half on a diagonal and place on a baking sheet. Drizzle bread with olive oil on both sides, sprinkle with salt. Broil in the oven until bread becomes crispy, a few minutes (flip on either side). Remove from oven. On a stovetop grill, grill the pineapple on each flat side until there are grill marks. Remove from heat and allow to cool until they’re cool enough to handle. Chop into small pieces. In a bowl, combine pineapple, red pepper and green onion. Sprinkle with salt and let it sit for about 10 minutes. Spread ricotta on each slice of bread. Spoon the desired amount of salsa on each piece and salt & pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

You could try this with a variety of filling combinations – goat cheese with pine nuts, kale instead of spinach, wild rice or quinoa… the possibilities are endless – go crazy! Crazy with poblanos!

Ingredients

– 2 Poblano Peppers
– 1 cup Monterey Jack Cheese, shredded
– 2-3 cups fresh Spinach, stems removed, leaves ripped small
– 1 1/2 Tbsp Golden Raisins
– 2 Tbsp Toasted Pumpkin Seeds
– Extra Virgin Olive Oil
– 1/4 tsp Smoked Paprika
– Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Line a sheet with aluminum foil and place poblanos on the sheet. Drizzle lightly with olive oil and rub all sides to coat. Sprinkle with salt. Roast in the oven about 15 minutes, or until skin blisters (make sure to turn the peppers so all sides get blistered). Remove from oven and set aside to cool. In a bowl, mix cheese, spinach, pumpkin seeds, golden raisins, smoked paprika, salt and pepper. Once peppers are cool enough to handle, pinch the blistered skin and remove carefully. With a knife, make a length-wise incision and gently scoop out seeds and membranes. Using a spoon and your hands, carefully stuff the peppers with the spinach & cheese mixture. Bake in a 350 oven until cheese is melted and bubbly. Cool slightly and serve.

I discovered a brick city skyline in Long Island City on my way to a site visit with a client yesterday afternoon.

Is everyone else excited for Fall? There are so many awesome things happening in the next few months that I’m ok with saying goodbye to beach days and tank tops. One of my best friends Emma is getting hitched to my dear friend Andy (whom I set her up with!) in two weeks. I will cry a million sappy tears.

I will have more details soon, but I’m collaborating with my friend Kate Lebo of Pie Stand (check out her Tumblr) and The Drink on an event called Gala Gala Hey! which is a day-long celebration of apples on October 7th in Williamsburg. We’re super excited about it! I will post the run-down some time in the next week, but there will be pie (and a pie-making demo), country music, bobbing for apples and more.

Have you liked The Bored Vegetarian on fb yet? 

Those oddly shaped tomatoes you see at the grocery store? Pick them up! They’re full of deliciousness. With creamy Burrata and fresh basil, this salad is as simple as you can get, while packing a lot of flavor and visual punch. 

Ingredients

– Heirloom Tomatoes Burrata Mozzarella
– Fresh Basil
– Sea Salt Flakes
– Fresh Ground Pepper

Directions

Remove the cores of the tomatoes and chop into wedges. Carefully slice mozzarella (it’s filled with creaminess, so it won’t be perfect). On a plate arrange tomatoes and put a few pieces of burrata on top. Add lots of fresh basil and season with salt & pepper.

I was planning on uploading some pictures from last weekend’s trip to Long Island, but I have to scoot to see Imperial Teen at the Knitting Factory. I haven’t seen them live in something like 5 years and I love me some 90’s indie pop a little too much. Remember their song Yoo Hoo from the Jawbreaker soundtrack?

Next Friday at 7:00pm, I’ll be doing a Hungry on Spreecast with Shea of Hungry in Brooklyn. We’re going to talk about vegetarian food and our favorite places to eat in Brooklyn! You can participate too, so make sure to check it out!

Ingredients

1/4 cup White Polenta (or grits, hominy)
1 cup Water 1/4 cup Low Fat Milk
2 Tbsp Goat Cheese
1 1/2 cups fresh Shiitake Mushrooms
2 cups fresh Baby Spinach, stems removed1 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/2 Tbsp Butter Salt & Pepper to taste

Directions

In a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water and a pinch of salt to a boil. Add in polenta and stir. Reduce heat to a simmer and cover for 12 – 14 minutes, stirring occasionally. Once the polenta has started to thicken, add in 1/4 cup low fat milk and the goat cheese and stir until incorporated in. Continue to simmer on low heat. Chop shiitake mushrooms in to pieces (not too small, they will reduce when you cook them). In a small saute pan, melt the butter and 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil together over medium heat. Add mushrooms and a bit of salt and toss. Cook the mushrooms until they begin to brown and get a little crisp on the outside. Room from heat and set to the side. Bring 2 inches of water to barely simmer in a saute pan. Still to remove any air bubbles at the bottom of the pan. Crack egg into a small bowl (I used a measuring cup) and ease into the water. Set a timer for 4 1/2 minutes.While the egg is poaching, heat the remaining 1/2 Tbsp of olive oil and saute spinach at medium heat until wilted.Plate a the polenta and add the spinach and mushrooms. With a slotted spoon, remove the egg from the water and top the polenta, spinach and mushrooms. Salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

I intended to go running after work… made this instead. Stomach: 1 point, Health: 0 points.

Ingredients

– Puff Pastry
– 2 Red Plums
– 1 cup Ricotta
– 1 Tbsp Fresh Thyme
– 1 Tbsp Honey
– Sea salt to taste
– 1 Egg
– 1 Tbsp Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Follow defrosting instructions on puff pastry box. Once you’re able to unfold it, lay it out and cut two 4×4 squares (or circles! or hearts!) Place on a greased or parchment-line baking sheet. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and water. Brush the tops of each of the squares with the egg wash. Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes or until puffy and browned. Remove from oven and set aside. In a bowl, mix together ricotta and thyme. Season with salt. Cut plums into wedges. Take each puffed pastry and pull the top off so that there’s two halves. Scoop ricotta mixture into bottom half and layer with red plum. Place the top half back on and drizzle with honey before serving.

In exchange for teaching her some tricks in the kitchen, my friend Brittnee from L’ing the L came over and did delightful food-inspired nail art for me tonight.

Dinner was artichoke with Sriracha mayo and pasta shells stuffed with ricotta, spinach squash and basil with homemade tomato sauce.

Inspired nails: tomato, cheese and green squash faces! (plus some studs and a disco nail). 
Recipe post coming soon, I just needed to show my nails off!

I’ll admit that I cheated a little and bought canned jam, but I was hungry and was daydreaming of the guava paste I’d had with a cheese plate at Dumont last week… The Goya guava jam I used is vegetarian – pectin is the thickening agent.

Ingredients

– 2 slices of good Bread
– 1/4 cup Guava Jam
– Cayenne Pepper (to taste)
– Sliced Havarti Cheese (I used a little less than 1/4 of a pound)
– 1-2 Tbsp Butter 

Directions

In a bowl, combine guava jam and cayenne pepper. Taste as you add cayenne until it reaches the desired level of spiciness. Spread a generous amount of jam on one side of both pieces of bread. Layer with havarti cheese. Put sandwich together and spread outside sides of bread with butter. Grill each side to golden brown on medium/high heat in a saute or griddle. Remove from heat, cool slightly and cut. Some summer pics.

Poached Egg, Grilled Asparagus, Ricotta & Almonds on Toasted Bread1 Egg5 spears fresh Asparagus2-3 Tbsp Ricotta Cheese1 Tbsp Slivered Almonds1/2 LemonA nice loaf of bread (I used Toscana)Extra Virgin Olive OilSaltWhite VinegarChopped Chives (for garnish)Fill a large pot half way with water. Bring to a boil. Prepare an ice bath and set aside. Cut off ends of asparagus so the spears are similar in length. Add to boiling water and blanch for about 30 seconds (the asparagus will turn bright green). Remove from heat and drain. Add to ice bath to cool down temperature. Spread slivered almonds in a pan and roast at 350 until they begin to brown. Remove from heat and set aside. Slice a thick piece of bread. Drizzle a generous amount of olive oil in each side and season with salt. Place on a baking sheet and toast in the oven at 375 and begin to toast bread. Heat up stove-top grill. Begin to grill asparagus until grill marks form (you should flip asparagus as you go). Bring a few inches of water and a tsp of vinegar (per 1 cup of water) to boil in a deep sauce pan. Gently add egg gently, remove from heat and cover. Allow to cook for 2-3 minutes. Removed toasted bread from oven, spread with ricotta. Squeeze lemon juice over asparagus. Layer asparagus over ricotta. Add poached egg. Season with salt. Sprinkle toasted almonds over the top. Garnish with chives.

Creamy Parmesan & Brussels Sprouts Spread
12oz raw Brussels Sprouts2 cups Milk1 cup Parmesan Cheese, finely grated1 Tbsp Butter1 Tbsp Flour1/2 tsp Lemon zestSaltIn a saute pan, melt butter. Add flour and whisk together, forming a rue. Add milk to pan and mix with rue, bringing to a boil. Chop Brussels Sprouts into ribbons, discarding any thick stems. Continue to stir as sauce thickens. Add cheese and stir in. Season to taste with salt. Stir in lemon zest. Spread on toasted bread and serve hot.

Triple Decker Cheese Sandwich