Dining With De Lara

entree

Black Bean and Corn Risotto

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Black bean and corn risotto is one of the best weeknight meals! It is deeply flavorful thanks to cumin, chili powder, oregano and garlic, and tomato sauce. Plus, it can be done in 30 minutes or less! Because some nights you need a filling dinner that doesn’t keep you in the kitchen for hours.

As with a lot of the food I make for my family, I can’t take the credit for inventing it. This meal is one from my childhood. My mother made this for us often- which is why I think I love it so much. There was one cold night in particular I remember her making it. I was curled up reading a book and enjoy a big bowl of this risotto with a warm tortilla on the side- so comforting. Good food and a good book are two of my favorite things!

Although this recipe is great during cold weather, I actually make it year round. I love to add fresh summer corn to it, or top it with fresh cilantro and radishes. Some guacamole on the side wouldn’t be a bad idea either! So don’t wait till it’s snowing to try it!

Black bean and corn risotto also makes amazing left-overs if you need some lunches for the week. It reheats really well, and as with a lot of dishes, the spices become more flavorful the next day. I will usually make a large batch and then eat it for a couple days afterwards. It makes a great no-fuss, quick lunch rolled up in a burrito!

 

*Notes*

  • Arborio rice is traditionally used in a risotto recipe, however regular rice works very well too! I have made it with jasmine rice more often than anything because I always have it stocked in my pantry. If you use arborio rice, it will turn out a little more creamy!
  • My roasted tomatillo and garlic salsa would be really good with this risotto!
  • This is a naturally plant-based recipe!

Black Bean and Corn Risotto
 
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A comforting and filling southwestern version of traditional risotto. Perfect for anytime of year!
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 6 servings
Ingredients
  • 3½ cups vegetable broth or water
  • 1 15 oz can tomato sauce
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons cumin
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 2 teaspoons oregano
  • 4 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 1 cup jasmine or arborio rice
  • 1 1/12 cups fresh or frozen corn
  • 1 15 0z can black beans
  • Optional:
  • tortillas
  • chopped cilantro
  • sliced radishes
  • lime wedges
  • grated cheese
Instructions
  1. In a small sauce pan heat up the vegetable broth, ½ cup tomato sauce, and salt just until warm. It can be warming up with you toast the spices and rice. Keep warm while making the risotto.
  2. In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add the cumin, chili powder, oregano, and minced garlic and sauté for 1 minute. Add the rice and stir to coat it in the oil. Add in the rest of the can of tomato sauce, the corn, and ½ cup broth mixture and stir to combine.
  3. Add a ½ cup of the broth to the rice at a time waiting to add the next addition until most of the liquid has been absorbed by the rice. While in the stage of adding the broth, be sure to stir the risotto very often so the rice absorbs the liquid evenly and the doesn't stick to the bottom of the pot.
  4. When the last of the broth has been added, turn off the heat and drain and rinse the can of black beans and add them to the risotto. Stir to combine so the beans can warm up. Serve immediately with your favorite toppings!

 

Toasted Bagel Veggie Sandwich

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If you need some lunch inspo, then this toasted bagel veggie sandwich is for you! It is one of my favorite lunches and is loaded with hummus, roasted red bell pepper, fresh cucumbers and lettuce, and pickles. It takes only 15 minutes to prepare (because of the roasted red pepper) and is easy to customize depending on what sandwich fillings you prefer!

This sandwich has been on repeat for weeks now because it is so easy, and whatever I happen to be craving (or what I have in my fridge) goes on it. I love all of the ingredients on this bagel, the hummus is creamy and garlicky, the pepper is sweet and smoky, the veggies crisp and fresh, and the pickle gives it a bit of a zing. I mean it is tasty.

I prefer to use bagels from a bakery, rather than from the bread isle in the store because they taste amazing, they are like a whole other creature, really. But any bread will do just fine! This would be really good on french bread as well.

And it keeps well in the fridge if you want to pack it for lunch the next day! The bagel doesn’t stay quite as crispy, but I have had no complaints with making it ahead! It is a solid sandwich.

 

Toasted Bagel Veggie Sandwich
 
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A toasted bagel sandwich makes for a delicious and quick lunch!
Author:
Recipe type: Entree
Serves: 1 sandwich
Ingredients
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • 1 bakery fresh bagel
  • 1 package of your favorite hummus (recipe coming soon!)
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 jar of your favorite pickles
  • 1 head red leaf lettuce
Instructions
  1. Turn on your oven's broiler to high.
  2. Wash and core the red bell pepper and cut it into quarters. Place them skin side up on a baking sheet and broil for about 10 minutes, or until black bubbles start to form on the surface. while the pepper is roasting, wash and slice the cucumber and lettuce. Remove from oven and let cool.
  3. While the roasted bell peppers are cooling, toast your bagel. If you don't have a toaster you can slice it, and pop it in the still-warm oven for a couple of minutes.
  4. To assemble your sandwich: take the bottom slice of bagel and spread your hummus on it. place a slice of roasted red pepper followed by cucumber slices, pickles, and lettuce. Enjoy!

 

Spicy Thai Salad

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This spicy thai salad is going to be your new best friend this summer! It is crunchy, refreshing, super filling, and the flavor will blow you away. It has toppings like edamame, roasted cashews, roasted bell peppers, and more! Plus a spicy peanut dressing that just. won’t. quit. And because I know sometimes we don’t have a lot of time, it only takes 15 minutes to assemble!

To be honest, salads haven’t always been my favorite thing to eat. I think I’ve just had too many bad salads that were limpy, watery, and bland. However, I started to like salads when I began making them myself and including more awesome ingredients, like my favorite roasted bell peppers (you can find another recipe with them here), cashews, fresh cucumbers, cilantro, crunchy red onion, and filling edamame. These ingredients are why I love this salad so much! No boring, disgusting salads here- only the best.

I’ve also had a lot of beef to pick with store bought dressings. Too many times have I spent money on a bottle of dressing, just to be disappointed. That’s why this for this salad, we gon’ be makin our own! This spicy peanut dressing is powerfully flavorful, and good for you too! It has lime, sriracha, ginger, garlic, and a little bit of peanut butter to compliment everything that’s in the salad. But what it doesn’t have is fillers, preservatives, and a bunch of ingredients no one can pronounce.

I get it, sometimes it’s convenient to pick up pre-made stuff at the store. But if you have the time, make it yourself. It will taste way better, and be better for you too!

I live for feedback, so if you make this, or another one of my recipes, let me know what you think!

 

5.0 from 1 reviews
Spicy Thai Salad
 
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Author:
Recipe type: salad
Serves: 4 servings
Ingredients
  • For The Salad:
  • 1 head of romaine lettuce
  • 1 cucumber
  • 1 red bell pepper
  • ¼ red onion, sliced into rings
  • ½ cup edamame
  • ¼ cup chopped cilantro
  • ½ cup roasted cashews
  • For The Dressing:
  • ⅓ cup peanut butter
  • juice from one lime
  • 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  • 2 teaspoons minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon rice vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 2 teaspoons honey, or other liquid sweetener
  • 1 tablespoon sriracha sauce
  • ¼-1/2 cup water
Instructions
  1. To Make The Salad:
  2. Set your oven to broil. Wash the red bell pepper and cut the core and seeds out. Cut it into quarters, lengthwise and place it on a baking sheet. Place it in the oven and broil for 5 minutes, or until large black bubble appear on the peppers' skins. Remove from the oven and let cool.
  3. Next, we're going to get our veggies ready for the salad. Wash and chop the head of romaine and place in a large salad bowl. Peel and chop the cucumber into quarters and place in the bowl. Chop the cooled roasted bell pepper along with the sliced red onion, chopped cilantro, edamame, and roasted cashews.
  4. To Make The Spicy Peanut Dressing:
  5. Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk thoroughly. You can start with ¼ cup of water and add more depending on how thick or thin you prefer the dressing to be.
  6. Drizzle the dressing over the salad and serve immediately!

 

Easy Vegetarian Calzones

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Calzones are one of our favorite things to eat in our house! Just like pizza except *way* more fun, you can hold them like a warm pocket of love filled with all of your favorite toppings. They make a great week-night meal and are awesome left-overs for lunches the following day. Plus they can be a great way to sneak in some extra vegetables!

For these calzones I use my fool-proof recipe for pizza dough, which takes barely any work. Just how I like it! The dough gets slightly crispy and crunchy on the bottom, and soft and chewy everywhere else. If you decide you want to make a regular pizza, simply make this pizza dough recipe, roll it out into a round pizza shape, add toppings, and bake for 25 minutes. Easy-peasy!

I added some of my favorite veggies like spinach, mushroom, olives, and jalapeños. But the great thing about calzones is that they are so customizable. Don’t like this filling? Put your own favorite pizza toppings inside! I prefer veggies, but my husband’s favorites are sausage, pepperoni, and mushrooms. Leave a comment below and let me know what your favorite toppings are!

Easy Vegetarian Calzones
 
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Author:
Cuisine: Italian
Serves: 8 calzones
Ingredients
  • For The Pizza Dough:
  • 1½ cups of warm water
  • 1 tablespoon yeast
  • 1 teaspoon sea salt
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 3½ cups of flour, plus more for rolling out the dough
  • For The Calzone Filling:
  • 3 tablespoons olive oil
  • 4 cups sliced mushrooms
  • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 3 cups chopped spinach
  • 1 24 oz jar of marinara sauce
  • 3 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 jar of olives
  • 1 jar pickled jalapeños
Instructions
  1. Place the yeast and warm water in a large mixing bowl and let sit for 5 minutes or until you can see small bubbles form on the surface.
  2. Add in the olive oil, sea salt, and flour and mix until a sticky dough forms. Cover your hands in a little flour and knead the dough a few times until no streaks of flour remain and the dough is holding itself together.
  3. Leave the dough in the bowl (you can oil the bowl if you don't want it to get sticky when you take the dough out) and let it rise for one hour.
  4. While the dough rises, place the olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat. When the oil is hot, add the mushrooms, garlic powder, and sea salt. Sauté until golden brown and add the spinach. The spinach cooks very quickly, it may only need to be in the pan a few minutes before it is fully cooked and wilted.
  5. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
  6. When the hour is up, the pizza dough should look like it has doubled in size. Take the dough out of the bowl and divide it evenly into 8 balls of dough. Roll out the dough balls on a floured surface until they are about a ¼ inch thick.
  7. Place a rolled out dough on a baking sheet and on half of the round, spread a couple spoonfuls of marinara sauce, mozzarella cheese, the mushroom mixture, olives, and jalapeños. Pull the other side of the dough up and over the filling and press the edges together with a fork to seal the calzone. Repeat with the remaining dough. Depending on how large you roll the dough out to be and how full you stuff the calzones, you may need more than one baking sheet. I could only fit four at a time on my baking sheet.
  8. Once the calzones have been filled and sealed, place the baking sheets in the oven and bake for 20 - 25 minutes or until the tops are golden brown and firm.
  9. Let cool a few minutes before serving, and enjoy!