Greek Rice Salad

I realize it's been a month (more!) since I've posted. However, Christmas, sickness, work, and the multiple snow days have hindered my ability to cook, take photos, edit photos, and post any recipes. It's a long and involved process, you see. This recipe for Greek Rice Salad is one of my favorites. It's refreshing and easy to make. And it stores well so you can eat it all week long. It is vegetarian but not vegan, although it can be adapted easily.

I have also started a new "diet," which has me cooking things a little differently than I'm used to (I will expand in another post). I've started eating a completely plant-based diet with no added oils or artificial ingredients. Basically, I'm eating no animal product at all like a vegan. But I'm taking it one step further and not cooking with oil or butter, not eating anything processed or prepared other than canned tomatoes and beans, and using only natural sweeteners such as maple syrup and dates. It's the Forks Over Knives way.

Why am I doing this? First and foremost, I need to lose weight. And I don't want to starve. This way of eating allows you to eat until full (which I'm still learning how to do) and not count calories. Secondly, I do believe it's a very healthy way to eat. Lastly, and perhaps most importantly, animals are treated horribly and the less I contribute to that the better.

That being said, I miss my cheese. So I can't say I'll do this forever. But for right now, it's working for me.

Greek Rice Salad

1-1/2 c. instant brown rice
1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped
1 small red onion, chopped
8 oz. feta, crumbled
10.5 oz. cherry tomatoes, halved
7 oz. jar Kalamata olives, pitted and rough chopped
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. red wine vinegar
1 T. oregano
1 garlic clove, minced
salt & pepper

Cook brown rice according to package directions.  Cool.

Toss cooked rice, cucumber, and next 4 ingredients in a large bowl.

In a 2-cup measuring cup, whisk the oil, vinegar, oregano, and garlic.  Season with salt & pepper.  Pour over rice mixture and toss.  Season to taste.  Serve at room temperature or cold.

This Cheesy Skillet Bread is a sort of combination of stuffing and cheesy bread pudding.  It's crunchy on the top and bottom (the best parts!) and the middle is cheesy and gooey and custard-y like bread pudding.  It's a great snack to munch during a football game.

Cheesy Skillet Bread

1 lb. baguette, cubed to 1/2 " pieces
2-2/3 c. chicken or vegetable broth
2 eggs
5 T. butter, divided
8 scallions, sliced
4 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. Monterey Jack cheese, shredded

Pre-heat oven to 450° and set oven rack to upper-middle.

Place bread cubes on sheet pan and bake until light golden brown, 12-15 minutes.  Set aside to cool.

Whisk broth and eggs in a large bowl.  Add bread cubes and gently fold in until mixed well.  Set aside and fold over occasionally.

Meanwhile, melt 2 tablespoons butter in 12-inch non-stick oven-safe skillet over medium-high heat.  Add scallions and cook 5 minutes. Season to taste.  Add garlic and cook 30 seconds.  Stir green onion mixture into bread mixture.  Mix in shredded cheese.

Melt remaining 3 tablespoons butter in same skillet over low heat.  Add bread mixture to skillet, pressing down with a spatula.  Cook until bottom of bread is lightly browned.  Transfer skillet to oven and bake until center is hot and the top is golden and crunchy, 20-30 minutes.  Rotate skillet half-way thru baking.  Cool 10 minutes and serve.

Vegetarian Pulled Pork

You're probably asking: how do you make a vegetarian pulled pork sandwich? Especially one that looks nearly identical to real pulled pork!  The answer is Jackfruit. What is Jackfruit?  It is the fruit of a tree native to South and Southeast Asia, but it's also grown in India, Africa, and the Caribbean. Jackfruit can be eaten raw when ripe, and the flavor is a sweet mixture of pineapple, bananas, and apples. When it's unripe, it needs to be cooked.  Which brings us to the pulled "pork."

My husband, also a vegetarian, and his band played a wedding reception for a vegan bride.  The food service consisted of pulled pork and vegetarian pulled pork. He took one look at the vegetarian one and moved on, convinced someone was playing a joke. Later, he learned from the bride that it was in fact vegan, so he dove head-first into the BBQ Jackfruit.  This is how I learned about my new bestie, Mr. Jackfruit.

I have since done a lot of research on this very bizarre fruit, including buying one from the Indian market we frequent. Unfortunately it rotted within a few days so I didn't get a chance to cook with it. So I made a trip to the Asian market and purchased an obscene amount of canned Jackfruit and avoided the fresh ones. By the way, when fresh, they look like gigantic avocados with spikes all over. They truly are strange looking, and I'd be scared if I didn't know what they were.

I apologize for the terrible photo quality.  I had only my phone with me and I was getting dirty looks from the workers in the Asian market.  And forgive my thumb in the lower left.

And apparently there are quite a few vegetarians and vegans who can't eat Jackfruit, simply because it looks so much like pulled pork or chicken that it grosses them out too much.  I admit, I had a bit of the same reaction, but being the selfless human that I am, I took one for the team and plowed through.

This recipe is really 3 recipes in one. There's the dry rub, BBQ sauce, and pulled "pork" sandwiches. Feel free to substitute or eliminate the dry rub marinade time if you want. You can sub your favorite bottled BBQ sauce as well.

The dry rub and sauce is a bit spicy. If you don't like it as hot, reduce the amount of chili powder. If you like it sweeter, add more brown sugar. The recipe below is our favorite, but adjust to your family's tastes.

Vegetarian Pulled "Pork"
This recipe makes 8 healthy sized pulled "pork" sandwiches. You will have about 1/4 cup of dry rub left over for another use as well as 1 cup of sauce for serving with the sandwiches if someone likes them extra wet.

Dry Rub (makes about 1-1/4 c)
4 T. kosher salt
2 T. hot Mexican chili powder
2 T. onion powder
2 T. garlic powder
2 T. cumin
2 T. brown sugar
2 T. smoked paprika
1 T. celery salt
1 t. cayenne
1 t. black pepper

BBQ Sauce
1 T. vegetable oil
1/2 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 c. dry rub
2 c. ketchup
1/2 c. apple cider vinegar
1/4 c. molasses
1/2 t. liquid smoke

Jackfruit Pulled "Pork"
3 cans Jackfruit in brine or water, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. dry rub

Make the dry rub by combining all ingredients in a bowl.

In your slow cooker insert, toss together 1/4 c. dry rub and the rinsed and drained Jackfruit. Set aside while you make the sauce.

To make the BBQ Sauce,  heat the oil in a medium saucepan. Add the onion and saute 5-10 minutes or until softened and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook an additional 30 seconds. Mix in the dry rub and cook 30 seconds, stirring. Add in the remaining ingredients and simmer gently for 30 minutes (if you have time).

Set aside 1 cup or so of the sauce for serving, if desired. Pour the remaining sauce into the slow cooker insert with the Jackfruit. Add about 1/2 can of water and stir together. Set slow cooker to low and cook for 4-6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Serve piled on hamburger buns or in tacos.