Roasted Garlic

So, how about this hurricane?

Here in Charlotte we pretty much just got a massive temperature drop and a lot of wind. I spent some time in the northern tip of Illinois and grew up in Connecticut, so the cold isn't new to me. But, I hate sudden weather changes. Oh I am spoiled, aren't I?

Today I copied a recipe from one of my favorite vegan blogs, Oh She Glows. As I perused Angela's mouth watering recipes, I came upon one that looked totally feasible on my budget: Roasted Garlic. Roasting the garlic takes away the eye-watering sting that comes from eating it raw and leaves you with a creamy, mild, warm and savory taste. I followed her recipe completely and do not regret it one bit. I'll repeat the steps here.

Roasted Garlic

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the outside skin of the garlic off. Take a knife and slice off the tops of the cloves. If you miss a few, it's okay. Just use the tip of your knife or a small knife to get the stragglers.

See? Just like that :)

Now, place the garlic on tin foil and drizzle with olive oil; enough to cover the whole top.

Place in the oven on or in any oven safe pan (I used a cookie sheet) and let bake for about 45 minutes. During this time, take your dog out for a stroll in the wind. Eat a cookie. Have some warm apple cider. Go get the mail. The options are endless. 

Pull the pan out when the timer goes off and let stand for fifteen minutes. After, when opened, they should then look like this:

Yes...yes...

I opted for using them as a spread on some toast but you can do anything with them. Angela says to put them in soup, pesto, potatoes, or just eat them straight!

I will absolutely make this again. Perhaps I'll try my own pesto or jazz up my potatoes with it. But it was SO GOOD! Warm, garlicky and savory...mmm and buttery without any butter. Sure it will make your breath smell like garlic but who cares? Good food is worth the breath. Also it smells awesome in my apartment.

I really hope everyone is safe. This hurricane sounds like a doozy and I hope all my friends, readers, and everyone up north is staying safe and warm! 

Portobello Burgers

I love a good mushroom. That sounds a bit odd, I know. But really, I love any kind of mushroom as long as it is cooked right. When it comes to portobellos, I believe grilling is the most amazing way.

Unfortunately, I live in an apartment complex, and I don't trust the community grills. So I opted for baking them, which has never failed me in the past. I rank it as the best second option for cooking portobellos.

It was actually Justin's idea. We were sweeping through the grocery store and wondering what to eat. As we passed the mushroom section, he simply stated, "How about portobello burgers?" It made me happy to hear him opt for a vegan meal without me persuading him.

So we got home and I got started!

I prepared a marinade of olive oil, soy sauce, and pepper. Feel free to add cayenne as well.

Put the mushrooms in the marinade. Make sure they get covered in it if you accidentally used a bowl that was too small. Cover with aluminum foil (plastic wrap is okay too) and let it marinade for a while. I let it go for about 45 minutes but it would probably be best to leave it for about two hours.

Now, while those are marinating, go ahead and pull the seeds out of that pomegranate you got and talk to your sister on the phone because she may have a job opportunity for you!

Yum. Yum yum yum yum yum.

Okay so now you have pomegranate seeds to snack on, and you've talked to your sister about a possible job opportunity. Pull out your marinating mushrooms!

Line a pan with parchment paper and place the mushroom caps on it, bottom side up. Drizzle with the marinade.

Since I forgot to take a before photo, I took one while they were in the oven. Because I am brave like that. Okay! So, now chop some onion and garlic. Snack on 'em raw if you want. Or not. I'm not weird and love the taste of raw garlic/onion or anything. Nope...Not me...

Sautee them up. Leave them on low until the mushrooms are done.

I love how the second one held the marinade like soup.

So we ended up having to cut one in half because we only had really tiny slices of bread, but it was pretty damn filling. We topped it with the onions and garlic, and some spinach. Delicious. Filling. Hearty. Awesome for this time of year. The cons are that they are a bit difficult to eat but honestly, it's so good it doesn't even matter.

Bon appetite! And stay tuned for...something else in the future!