Vegan Day 3

Yesterday I was finally put to the test. We were offered free Annie's cafe for lunch at work, however there were no vegan options. I could've opted for a salad and asked for no meat, but I had already packed my Mardi Gras salad that I was looking forward to, so I went with that. Then, some sweet/evil colleagues ordered Tiff's Treats, which I again had to refuse. But, I felt like one tough cookie and not deprived at all, so I'll chock it up to a win.

One large component of my success yesterday was snacking on a KILLER olive tapenade I whipped up. So easy, yet so satisfying salty. Give it a try:

Olive Tapenade

1 cup pitted kalamata olives
1 tablespoon roasted garlic
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Pulse the olives and garlic in a good processor, then stream in olive oil to reach desired consistency. Season with salt and pepper and you're done!

I've been eating the tapenade with The Pioneer Woman's Olive Focaccia Bread, which is a favorite in our house.

For dinner, I had spotted Stetted's recipe for Indian-Spiced Mushrooms and Lentils a few weeks ago and knew I wanted to make it. She describes it as almost stew-like, and she's right! It was really satisfying. I didn't have any naan, so we ate some just with a fork and I tried some in a tortilla as well - pretty good! Also, I'd never prepared lentils before, so this was a fun experiment - they were easy! If you're looking to mix things up, definitely try this dish!

Homemade Pasta

My sister gave me a pasta machine for Christmas and I couldn't wait to try it. I knew I wanted to save it for an evening where I'd have time to devote to it and have a special meal, so things kept coming up and I didn't get to use it until late February. This was well worth the wait and yielded the most perfect pasta. This recipe is a combination of tips from a couple food blogs I regularly follow - Annie's Eats and Life's Ambrosia. The whole process took a very enjoyable hour and a half.

If you don't have a pasta maker, you could still achieve similar results by using a rolling pin and hand cutting, so no excuses!

Homemade Pasta with Sun Dried Tomatoes, Olives, Parmesan and Pine nuts

1 cup all purpose flour, plus extra for dusting
1 cup semolina flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs
4 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic
8 sun dried tomatoes packed in oil
1/3 cup pitted olives, diced
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
1 cup shredded parmesan
Salt and pepper to taste

To make pasta, combine flour and salt. Make a well in the middle and add eggs. Thoroughly combine, then turn out on a floured surface and knead about 8 minutes, until it's nice and elastic. Divide into 4 balls and cover with a damp cloth. Let set for about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, prep the pasta toppings. Mince the garlic and slice the sun dried tomatoes and olive. Shred parmesan and set all ingredients aside.

Once dough has set for 20 minutes, lightly flour one ball and pass it through the pasta maker several times until you reach desired thickness, adding extra flour as needed to avoid sticking. Set aside for at least 10 minutes and continue with the 3 remaining balls.

Now, pass the stretched dough through the cutter for the desired shape. Lay out to dry out a bit, or hang on a pasta dryer if you have one (I don't and it worked out fine).

While pasta is drying out, bring a large pot of salted water to boil. In a large nonstick skillet, warm olive oil. Add garlic and saute 30 seconds. Add sun dried tomatoes and cook about 2 minutes. Stir in olives. Keep warm. Cook the pasta about 4-6 minutes in salted water until desired consistency is reached. Drain and reserve 1/2 cup pasta water. Toss in olive oil, tomato and olive mixture and add pasta water as needed for moisture. Add 3/4 cup parmesan and pine nuts and toss to combine.

Serve with additional parmesan for serving and enjoy!

Roasted Chili Citrus Chicken Thighs with Olives and Potatoes

I don't often post recipes that are straight from a magazine or cookbook, but in this instance, I just had to! Bon Appetit really knocked one out of the park with this delicious dish featuring one of my favorites - olives! You'll want to keep going back for more, and you'll definitely be fighting over the leftovers (that is if there are any!)

Roasted Chili Citrus Chicken Thighs with Mixed Olives and Potatoes

1 pound Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled, cut into 3/4-inch-wide wedges (ok, I didn't peel mine and they were just fine!) :)
8 large skinless chicken thighs with bones
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice, divided
1/3 cup fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon smoked paprika
2 teaspoons finely grated orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 cup low-salt chicken broth
2 tablespoons coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1 tablespoon coarsely chopped fresh parsley
50 olives (preferably mixed colors and sizes)

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cook potatoes in large saucepan of lightly salted water until almost tender, about 7 minutes. Drain.

Carefully transfer chicken and potatoes to platter, keeping potatoes intact. Place baking sheet over 2 stovetop burners. Boil sauce until reduced to 1 cup, about 3 minutes. Mix in olives. Season sauce to taste with salt and pepper and additional lime juice, if desired. Pour sauce over chicken and potatoes; top with remaining tablespoon cilantro and serve.

Meanwhile, place chicken thighs on large heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle chicken generously with salt; drizzle with 1 tablespoon lime juice and set aside. Whisk 1 tablespoon lime juice, orange juice, chili powder, both paprikas, grated orange peel, ground cumin, dried oregano, and 1/2 teaspoon salt in small bowl. Rub chili mixture all over chicken. Arrange potato wedges on baking sheet, nestling around chicken. Drizzle olive oil over chicken and potatoes. Bake chicken and potatoes 20 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 425°F. Turn chicken and potato wedges; spoon juices over. Bake 10 minutes longer. Add chicken broth, 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro, and chopped parsley, stirring to scrape up any chili bits at bottom of baking sheet. Turn chicken over. Bake until chicken is cooked through and beginning to brown in spots, about 10 minutes longer.