CSA Farm Share Quiche

CSA season is in full swing, and I am loving the challenge of so many vegetables and greens to get through each week.  We were away this weekend, and so lost two precious days to work on this week's haul.  With Friday looming, I needed something quick that would also work on our well stocked fridge to make for lunch.  

I zoomed onto facebook quickly in that "the toddler isn't currently in danger so I have 30 seconds to see what's happening" way that I'm sure most parents are familiar with, and am so glad I did.  A high school friend has recently started a blog, and had updated it with a quiche recipe.  I recalled some frozen crusts lounging in our downstairs freezer, did a quick tally of various greens and veggies I could use in the quiche, calculated the likelihood of getting the quiche made while making and feeding the cranky toddler his lunch ... and decided it was worth the gamble.  I'm not going to lie - it was one crazy hour and the kitchen looked a little worse for wear when all was said and done.  But the quiche made it into the oven before Q's nap, and was ready for lunch right on time.

Quiche is nothing groundbreaking, but I liked the proportions in this recipe.  I used 2 garlic scapes, one and a half small zucchinis and a handful of dandelion greens.  Otherwise I followed the recipe as written, although I did add some salt and pepper to the cooked veggies.  I did have a little too much filling (aka a little spillage) but that could have been due to my haste and or ingredient adjustments.  The flavor was creamy, cheesey and seemed well balanced by the inclusion of the greens.  I think this will definitely be a repeater recipe as I'm sure there will be more occasions when I need to use up produce while creating a delicious and not too heavy meal.  

EASY BASIC QUICHE 

Aroz@lettuceeatlocally.blogspot.com

Pie crust, frozen or home made
4 eggs
2/3 c. half & half/milk or 1/3 c. plain yogurt & 1/3 c. milk
1 c. cheddar cheese
FILLINGS:
1/2 c. chopped broccoli
1/2 c. chopped zucchini
1/4 c. onion
1 garlic scape, finely diced 

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Whip eggs until fluffy and add milk. Meanwhile, saute filling ingredients in olive oil in a pan on medium heat, adding salt & pepper to taste. Add filling mixture to the pie crust and then add egg mixture. Sprinkle cheese over the top and season with salt and pepper. Bake at 375 degrees 35 to 40 minutes. Top will be golden brown. Allow to cool some before serving. 

Garlic Scape Pesto

M. and I have been members of CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) organizations several times in the past.  Now we've left New York City and live in the Hudson Valley, we've joined a local, organic farm.  It's kind of fun going to the actual farm where the produce is grown to pick it up.  And there are nice perks like freezers with grass fed meats for purchase (for M. and the little sprout), delicious whole grain breads for purchase as well as flowers for picking and the farm's herb garden to raid.  And Little Sprout loves to watch the chickens in their chicken coop, which makes a trip to the farm a fun family outing.

We purchased a full share, but are clearly going to have to be on our game to keep up as this week's share was quite substantial.  Two pounds of mesclun - two pounds.  That can be measured by putting a ton of mesclun into the scale, and then when you find yourself cringing at how much mesclun there is realizing you're only at a pound!  Two heads of Napa cabbage, two large bunches of greens, two bunches of spring onions, two bunches of mystery greens, two bunches of baby carrots, two bunches of beets (with greens attached - yum!) and a quarter pound of garlic scapes.  Oh, there were also 2 pints of strawberries as well.  Those we had no problem polishing off.

I had lofty ambitions for the garlic scapes, however time got the best of me. As I switched into "CSA day is coming up - time to empty the fridge" panic last night, I went with the old standby of garlic scape pesto.  Now that we are the proud owners of a chest freezer, I planned on freezing most of it for a treat later in the summer using only what we needed for dinner last night.  I worked off of this recipe from the Washington Post (which was the first one that came up in my google search that sounded appealing) but I did make a few changes. I eyeballed about a half cup of pignolis instead of using the walnuts called for in the recipe due to (my) personal preference.  And I made a batch and a half of the recipe so as to use up all of my scapes. I also discovered myself perilously short on olive oil, and mixed the pesto with a blend of olive oil and pasta cooking water which made for a nice light texture.

The pesto was definitely pungent though - not for the faint of heart (or faint of garlic).  I froze some without cheese, as it freezes better that way.  And I added enough cheese to our dinner portion to make it taste "right" without really measuring.  I served the pasta with a big pile of the sauteed mystery greens, and a mesclun salad.  I'd say we've gotten through a pound of the mesclun so far, only a pound to go!

Garlic Scape Pesto

Ingredients:
1 cup garlic scapes (about 8 or 9 scapes), top flowery part removed, cut into ¼-inch slices
1/3 cup walnuts
¾ cup olive oil
¼-1/2 cup grated parmigiano
½ teaspoon salt
black pepper to taste

Method:
Place scapes and walnuts in the bowl of a food processor and whiz until well combined and somewhat smooth. Slowly drizzle in oil and process until integrated. With a rubber spatula, scoop pesto out of bowl and into a mixing bowl. Add parmigiano to taste; add salt and pepper. Makes about 6 ounces of pesto. Keeps for up to one week in an air-tight container in the refrigerator.

For ½ pound short pasta such as penne, add about 2 tablespoons of pesto to cooked pasta and stir until pasta is well coated.

Brazilian Black Beans - Every Day Food

I am a big fan of beans. Particularly black beans - I love the versatility of cooking once and having beans to use in a variety of ways for the next few days. These days that quality is key as it relieves the pressure of daily cooking. Cooking dinner every night just isn't going to happen now that Quinn goes to bed at 7 pm on a daily basis. But, recipes like this mean I have something to work with after he goes down.

This recipe caught my eye in a recent Every Day Food issue. I'm pretty faithful to my favorite black bean recipe but I was intrigued by the step of cooking the beets in the beans. It seemed simple enough, but I would have never thought to do it. So I deviated from the norm, and gave the recipe a whirl.

This recipe was simple enough, and yet the taste belied the basic ingredients. There was no discernible beet quality to the beans (we wouldn't have minded if there were), and I liked having a vegetable side ready to go as the beans were done. I ended up mixing beans bought in two different stores which ended up with some beans underdone, but that was my mistake and not terribly detrimental to the dish as a whole. I served the beans with brown rice, sprinkled with the recommended sides seen above in a picture from the Every Day Food website. We also enjoyed simply braised collard greens to round out the meal.

I'm not sure I would make this particular recipe again because I think it is simple enough that I can create something like it in the future without following a recipe. But Mike and I both liked the idea of cooking the beets in the beans, and plan to tinker with that again in the future. And, with some planning ahead (and cooking beans ahead) the final steps in this recipe definitely made it weeknight worthy.

Smitten Kitchen's Mushroom Bourguignon

Continuing the Smitten Kitchen recipe roll, we will now discuss the mushroom bourguignon. This recipe grabbed me the second I saw it on the website.  The sauce looked luscious, the mushrooms delicious and the bed of pasta - perfection.  You can find the blogger's fantastic photos and the recipe here.  Beef Bourguignon suddenly became a dish that I didn't know I'd missed until I saw this mushroom alternative.  I believe the recipe came out on a Thursday, and I put it on Saturday's menu.  

We had company that evening, company I deemed worthy of sharing what I hoped would be mushroomy deliciousness.  M ended up making the dish (that whole baby tag-teaming effect again) and reported that the preparations were straightforward.  A little chopping, a little braising.  And the results?  Oh, the results contained the deliciousness I'd hoped for.  The sauce was rich, the mushrooms tender and winey and the bed of pasta provided the perfect compliment to the saucy stew.  M. did follow the directions on the pearl onions, but our general consensus was that they were too firm.  Next time we would parboil them before adding them to the stew, or perhaps try frozen.  Ours were fresh, and were just too firm and spicy to meld with the softness of the stew. 

Needless to say there were no leftovers that night.  I look forward to making this recipe again, perhaps on a night when M. and I are without guests so that there WILL be leftovers we can enjoy on another occasion.  In fact, we haven't planned our menu for Valentine's Day yet... 

Red Lentil-Chickpea Patties

When I'm off from work, one of two scenarios unfolds.  I'm either very motivated in the kitchen, or very lazy.  I will have to work hard on falling into the former in the months ahead as I enjoy a little time off before the baby comes.

Last week I had a day off, and was extremely motivated.  I decided to make M. a healthy feast for dinner, and picked a recipe I've often looked at but never tried.  These patties were great!  The filling was really tasty - I found myself scooping little bits as I worked on other components of the dish.  I did totally blank on the chilling step - our patties did fall apart a bit so I think chilling them before cooking would have been a good idea.  Oh well, next time!  The flavor was partly Indian, partly fusion (when paired with the peanut sauce) and had a good blend of both fresh and dried spices.  The peanut sauce was quick to prepare and very tasty - I wasn't sure about the maple syrup sweetener but there was no discernible mapleness in the final sauce.  I paired the patties with a simple chopped salad.  

We both enjoyed this meal, and I will definitely make it again.  I think I might try a bun instead of the pita bread next time.  Both M. and I felt there was a bit too much pita and not quite enough patty.  But we did end up with extra patties, so perhaps ours were a bit small.  But overall, a tasty (although not quick!) meal that will definitely be repeated in the future.  

Red Lentil - Chickpea Patties

The Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld

Serves 6 

3/4 cup red lentils, sorted and rinsed

1 3/4 cups water

salt

1 15 oz can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

3/4 pound carrots cut into small dice (1 cup)

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 cup of peas, fresh or frozen

1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 tsp fresh lemon juice

pinch of cayenne pepper

1/4 cup bread crumbs

6 whole wheat pita breads

shredded romaine lettuce

chopped fresh tomatoes

Spicy Peanut Sauce (recipe below) 

Combine the lentils and the water in a medium saucepan, and bring to a boil.  Add 1 tsp salt, reduce the heat, and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the lentils are tender, about 20 minutes.  The lentils should lose their individual shape and cook into one mass.  Cook them as dry as possible without sticking.  Stir the cooked lentils with a spoon to break them up, and pour them into a medium bowl.  Stir in the chickpeas. 

Warm the oil in a medium skillet over medium heat.  Add the shallots, carrots, and 1/4 tsp of salt, and cook until the carrots are tender, about 3 minutes.  Add the cumin, coriander, and peas, and cook until the peas are tender, 2 minutes.  Stir the vegetables into the lentils along with the parsley, lemon juice, and cayenne.  Stir in the bread crumbs.  Let the mixture sit for ten minutes, or until it is cool enough to handle. 

Using your hands, form the lentils into 6 tight patties and place them on a plate.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator until very firm, at least 30 minutes.

Warm a tablespoon of oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat.  Add the burgers (they are a bit delicate so do not crowd pan).  Saute until golden, about 2 minutes.  Turn over and saute on other side until golden.  

Serve each burger in a pita with Spicy Peanut Sauce, topped with lettuce and tomatoes.

Spicy Peanut Sauce

Makes 3/4 cup

1/3 cup smooth peanut butter

1 tsp curry powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp chopped fresh ginger

1/3 cup water

1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice

1/4 tsp cayenne

1 Tbsp thinly sliced scallions or chives

Combine everything except scallions in a blender, and blend until smooth.  Stir in scallions.  Store covered and refrigerated.  

Vegetarian Cassoulet

M. and I love French food.  But, being vegetarian, there's a limit to how much I can enjoy the traditionally meat-heavy cuisine.  Desserts are no problem, but usually the stews and main dishes involve an animal prepared in some shape or form.  This recipe in the current issue of Gourmet caught my eye, and was put on the menu immediately.  

The dish was pretty simple to prepare, however I got a late start which meant dinner ended up on the table later then I'd expected.  Made with dried beans (prepared the night before), it came together in about an hour and a half (chopping an cooking time included).  The bread crumbs were delicious... definitely a key element to the dish.  Unfortunately, I was unusually heavy handed with the salt which did affect our enjoyment of the dish somewhat.  And, I can't claim that this picture is headed to any food photography hall of fame any time soon.  But, this is certainly a dish I will repeat in the future for its speed, homeyness and warm winter comfort.  

Vegetarian Cassoulet

Gourmet March 2008

Serves 4-6

Active time 30 minutes, start to finish 1 hr 15 minutes

A leek, carrot and celery mirepoix, cooked until tender with rich white beans, gets a crisp, crunchy texture and delightfully rustic flavor from a garlicky bread-crumb topping flecked with parsley. 

For cassoulet

3 medium leeks (white and pale green parts only)

4 medium carrots, halved lengthwise and cut into 1 inch pieces

3 celery ribs, cut into one inch pieces

4 garlic cloves

1/4 cup olive oil

4 thyme sprigs

2 parsley sprigs

1 turkish bay leaf

1/4 tsp cloves

3 19 oz cans of cannellini or Great Northern beans rinsed and drained

1 quart of water

For garlic crumbs

4 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette

1/3 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon chopped garlic 

1/4 cup chopped parsley

Make Cassoulet

Halve leeks lengthwise and cut crosswise into half inch pieces, then wash well and pat dry

Cook leeks, carrots, celery, and garlic in oil with herb sprigs, bay leaf, cloves and 1/2 teaspoon each of salt and pepper in a large heavy pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally until softened and golden, about 15 minutes. Stir in beans, then water, and simmer partially covered, stirring occasionally until carrots are tender but not falling apart, about 30 minutes.  

Make Garlic crumbs while Cassoulet Simmers

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F with rack in the middle.  

Toss bread crumbs with oil, garlic and 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper in a bowl until well coated.  Spread in a baking pan, and toast in oven stirring once halfway through until crisp and golden, 12-15 minutes.  

Cool crumbs in pan, then return to bowl and stir in parsley. 

Finish Cassoulet

Discard herb sprigs and bay leaf.  Mash some of beans in pot with a potato masher or back of a spoon to thicken broth. Season with  salt and pepper.  Just before serving, sprinkle with garlic crumbs.  

M cooks.

I've had some stressful days related to work lately. Nothing that won't resolve itself in the end, but it has affected my time in the kitchen. Last Wednesday was such a day. I received a wonderful text from M. offering to make me dinner. I gleefully accepted.

There are no recipes to share, since M. makes things up as he goes along. But this meal was truly excellent, both in taste and in the fact it was prepared for me. Being cooked for mid-week was truly a delightful treat.

Top left - rainbow chard chopped and cooked in a little olive oil with salt, pepper and lemon juice.

Top right - sliced portabello mushrooms glazed with basalmic vinegar and red wine.
Bottom right - M explored millet for the first time. He toasted the grains dry, and then created a pilaf by cooking them in vegetable broth, parsley, garlic, salt and pepper as well as a sprinkling of parmesan cheese.
Bottom left - Heirloom (Good Mother Stollard) beans that were soaked, and cooked with a little salt.

We (particularly M.) are all about cooking heirloom beans lately. They are uniquely delicious, and have helped us realize that the merits of cooking dried beans from scratch. Cooking dried beans does take planning and forethought, but the results blow canned beans right out of the water. We got our first batch from www.ranchogordo.com, but a quick google search for heirloom beans will bring up a variety of sources from which they can be obtained. Heirloom beans cost a little more, but taste so much better!

Mojito Madness!

I've already made my feelings about mojitos known. So, last week I was feeling in a Cuban mood again. I made a nice pot of black beans (the same recipe as in the link above) and cooked up some brown rice. Then, I decided to get creative with some tofu I had lying around.

Now, I do love tofu. But I love flavorful tofu. Tofu marinated and grilled. Tofu sauced and baked. I like interesting tofu. But, I rarely take the time to make it interesting. But this recipe for a Mojito Marinade in one of my cooking magazines from earlier in the summer had lingered in my memory. See, I get a lot of cooking magazines. And while I love flipping through them, to be honest it is a good month when I actually cook something out of one. But often a recipe sticks in my mind and all of a sudden, it MUST be made. I couldn't tell you what else was in the article on marinades that I read all those months ago, but the Mojito Marinade stuck out. So I tried it.

The marinade was easy to assemble (the most time consuming step being grating some lime zest), and after a whir in the food processor - it was done. And, minus the shallots which are not usually an ingredient found in any mojito I've come across, the marinade looked almost good enough to drink. I split the marinade between the tofu, and some sliced vegetables (peppers, zuchini and the like) prepared to grill. After a about a half hour's wait, we were off to the grill.

I really liked this marinade on tofu. The tangy sweetness of the marinade carmelized on the grill, and complemented the somewhat bland taste of the plain tofu. The flavor did not come out as well on the vegetables, however I don't think that I had quite enough marinade for the amount of vegetables I prepared. With more marinade, the flavor might have come through better.

Sadly, my pictures of this meal did not come out well. I forgot to take a picture while plated, and the lighting in the kitchen was poor when I remembered to photograph. But, I plan to make this marinade again in the future and when I do so, perhaps I'll have more photographic luck.

Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts - Cooking Light June 2007

Yes. I am still vegetarian. Yes, I know that the title of this post contains a salad made with chicken. I approached this recipe with a plan, and it was a success. Stay with me.

One of the best skills a vegetarian can acquire is learning how to adapt a recipe. In the beginning, one sees a recipe calling for chicken, beef or some other meat and tosses it aside thinking that it simply cannot be made. Eventually, one learns to be creative. I looked at this recipe in this month's Cooking Light and thought that it would be delicious made with my favorite tofu recipe. And it was. It was delicious, and even M. the non-vegetarian praised the final dish. As previously discussed, he's quite fond of the vegetarian cooking despite being a decided omnivore. But only rarely does a dish make him stop and say with frank appreciation, "This is GOOD!". This salad achieved that lofty status.

And so it is with pride that I offer my recipe for Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Sweet Ginger Tofu and Peanuts. Take it, share it and enjoy!


Sesame Brown Rice Salad with Shredded Chicken and Peanuts
Cooking Light, June 2007

1 cup long-grain brown rice
2 cups shredded cooked chicken breast
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1/3 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup dry-roasted peanuts, divided
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
4 teaspoons canola oil
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced

RECIPE INSTRUCTIONS
Cook rice according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Transfer rice to a large bowl; fluff with a fork. Cool. Add chicken, carrot, onions, 2 tablespoons peanuts, 2 teaspoons cilantro, and salt to rice; toss to combine.

Combine juice and remaining ingredients in a small bowl. Drizzle oil mixture over rice mixture; toss to combine. Place 1 1/2 cups salad on each of 4 plates. Sprinkle each serving with 1 1/2 teaspoons remaining peanuts and 1/4 teaspoon remaining cilantro.

CALORIES 393 (30% from fat); FAT 13.3g (sat 2g,mono 6.3g,poly 4g); PROTEIN 27.8g; CHOLESTEROL 60mg; CALCIUM 44mg; SODIUM 424mg; FIBER 4g; IRON 1.7mg; CARBOHYDRATE 40.2g

Sweet Ginger Tofu

The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen - Peter Berley

Yield: 4 to 6 servings (I don't think we've ever gotten six servings out of this delicious tofu!)

1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin
1/4 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons honey
2 Tbs minced gingerroot
2 Tbs light sesame oil -- (note: I only use 1 Tbs)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 pound firm tofu -- rinsed, patted dry, and sliced 1/2 inch thick

Preheat the oven to 350F In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, mirin, vinegar, honey, ginger, oil, and garlic. Lay the tofu slices in a baking dish that can hold them in a single snug layer. Pour the marinade over the tofu. Bake for 45 minutes, or until the tofu is nearly dry and well browned. Serve hot or cold.

Deep down,, I harbor a love of lo mein noodles. Chock full of veggies and tasting sweetly reminiscient of soy sauce and sesame oil, they remind me of my childhood when "take out" Chinese Food from the local Chinese restaurant was a real treat. But in this grown up world of trying to eat healthily, lo mein is an indulgence that I rarely treat myself to.

This recipe attracted me simply because it seemed to be the best of both worlds. Made with real lo mein noodles, it seemed closer then any "fettucine" fried noodle stand-in. And, because it came from Cooking Light, I knew it would be healthier. And these noodles were surprisingly tasty. The bath of sesame oil and soy sauce after the noodles cook gave them the authentic mouthfeel of the higher fat lo mein noodles I recall so fondly. And the addition of the edamame and the greens makes the dish both filling as well as good for you.

M. actually made this one. He reported that once the prep was finished, it came together quite quickly. We made a couple subs - dried shitaake for the wood ear mushrooms and lacinato kale for the mustard greens. But otherwise, the reecipe was executed as written. The bok choy dish on the side was M.'s creation. He prepared a stock of veggie broth, garlic, shallots, ginger, and a few other ingredients. After simmering the ingredients for about an hour, he used them to bathe and cook the bok choy (as well as season the salmon M. prepared for himself on the side).

Vegetable Lo Mein with Edamame and Mustard Greens

Mustard greens' peppery bite contrasts with tender, fresh Asian egg noodles. If you can't find them, substitute fresh pasta such as vermicelli or spaghetti. The leftovers are tasty served warm or cold.



1/2 cup boiling water
1/4 cup dried wood ear mushrooms
2 quarts water
3 cups chopped mustard greens
1 (14-ounce) package fresh Chinese egg noodles
1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce, divided
1 tablespoon dark sesame oil
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoon grated peeled fresh ginger
1 1/4 cups (1/4-inch-thick) red bell pepper strips (about 1 medium)
3/4 cup chopped green onions
1 garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 cups frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans), thawed
3 tablespoons hoisin sauce

Combine 1/2 cup boiling water and mushrooms in a bowl; cover and let stand 15 minutes. Drain mushrooms in a sieve over a bowl, reserving soaking liquid. Remove and discard stems. Chop mushroom caps; set aside.

Bring 2 quarts water to a boil in a Dutch oven. Add greens, and cook for 1 minute or until greens wilt. Remove greens from water with a slotted spoon. Plunge the greens into ice water; drain and squeeze dry. Set greens aside.

Return water in pan to a boil. Add egg noodles, and cook for 2 minutes or until done. Drain and rinse with cold water, and drain well. Place noodles in a large bowl. Add 1 tablespoon soy sauce and sesame oil, tossing to coat, and set aside.

Heat canola oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add ginger; stir-fry 5 seconds. Add mushrooms, bell pepper, onions, and garlic; stir-fry 2 minutes or until bell pepper is crisp-tender. Stir in greens and edamame; stir-fry 30 seconds. Stir in reserved mushroom soaking liquid, noodle mixture, remaining 3 tablespoons soy sauce, and hoisin sauce; cook 2 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 1/3 cups)

CALORIES 339 (26% from fat); FAT 9.8g (sat 1g,mono 4.1g,poly 3.2g); PROTEIN 15.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 73mg; SODIUM 710mg; FIBER 4.9g; IRON 2.1mg; CARBOHYDRATE 47g

Cooking Light, MARCH 2007

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

M. and I like to keep things low-key on Friday nights. We often find ourselves tired and unmotivated, and we typically just stay home and watch a Netflix. This week we branched out and had a few friends to dinner. I had the opportunity to visit a school during the day (in effect a sort-of day off) and thus was more motivated then our typical takeout Friday night fare.

Sometimes when you tinker with a recipe, things go great. This was not one of those times. I subbed rigatoni for penne and I think that altered the sauce to pasta ratio. I also rushed the thickening step in the sauce, so we were left with a thinner sauce with clumps of cheese on pasta that was a touch too big. Now, cheese is cheese and the dish was still good overall. But it wasn't as good as I wanted it to be. I will try again and repeat it in the future, with the appropriate ingredients and minus the rushing. After all, how can rich creamy cheesy pasta be wrong?

I forgot to photograph my version of the dish (which is probably a good thing) so I'll just borrow Cooking Light's!

Fontina and Mascarpone Baked Pasta

Cooking Light - November 2006

The nutty flavor of fontina and creaminess of mascarpone create a delicious updated version of mac and cheese. If your supermarket doesn't stock mascarpone cheese, substitute full-fat cream cheese. For a dinner party, bake the pasta in individual gratin dishes for 15 minutes.


1 pound uncooked penne
1/4 cup all-purpose flour (about 1 ounce)
3 cups fat-free milk
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded fontina cheese
1/4 cup (2 ounces) mascarpone cheese
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Cooking spray
3 (1-ounce) slices white bread
1 tablespoon butter
1 small garlic clove, minced
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley

Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain; keep warm.

Preheat oven to 350°.

Lightly spoon flour into a dry measuring cup; level with a knife. Combine flour and milk in a large saucepan over medium heat, stirring with a whisk. Cook 10 minutes or until thick, stirring constantly with a whisk. Remove from heat; add cheeses, stirring with a whisk until smooth. Stir in salt and black pepper. Add cooked pasta, stirring to coat. Spoon pasta mixture into a 13 x 9-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray.

Tear bread into several pieces. Place bread in a food processor; process until fine crumbs measure 1 1/2 cups.

Melt butter in a small skillet over medium heat. Add garlic; cook 30 seconds. Remove from heat. Stir in breadcrumbs until well combined. Sprinkle breadcrumb mixture evenly over pasta mixture. Bake at 350° for 25 minutes or until bubbly. Sprinkle with parsley.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

CALORIES 423 (30% from fat); FAT 14.3g (sat 8.2g,mono 3.7g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 19.3g; CHOLESTEROL 46mg; CALCIUM 298mg; SODIUM 550mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 2.4mg; CARBOHYDRATE 54.6g

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Brown Butter

Perusing the aisles at my local market, I saw a packet of gnocchi and picked it up. It was a spontaneous, spur of the moment kind of thought, but I decided to go with it for dinner tonight. I originally thought of a baked gnocchi kind of dish, but then that didn't seem too appealing. I searched for ideas online, and came across this dish which I've actually made in the past. It's healthy, fairly quick (although I definitely spent more than twenty minutes prepping) and tastes much richer then it actually is.

I made a few subs. I don't like to do that the first time I try a recipe, but once I'm more familiar I feel more confident swapping ingredients. I didn't have zucchini so I subbed carrots, and I added a few cloves of garlic when I sauteed my red onion (didn't have shallots either). I was pleased with the resulting dish, the buttery taste shone through and the sweet vegetables harmonized with the gnocchi nicely.

Again, this image is courtesy of Eating Well as my camera continues to be trapped at school during my vacation.

Gnocchi with Zucchini Ribbons and Parsley Brown Butter
Eating Well

Thinly sliced ribbons of zucchini and nutty brown butter make for a gourmet supper. Make it a meal: Round out the plate with steamed broccoli rabe sprinkled with parmesan.

Makes 4 servings, 1 1/2 cups each

ACTIVE TIME: 20 minutes

TOTAL TIME: 20 minutes

EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

1 pound fresh or frozen gnocchi
2 tablespoons butter
2 medium shallots, chopped
1 pound zucchini (about 3 small), very thinly sliced lengthwise (see Tip)
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon grated nutmeg
Freshly ground pepper to taste
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring a large saucepan of water to a boil. Cook gnocchi according to package instructions until they float, 3 to 5 minutes. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, melt butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook until the butter is
beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Add
shallots and zucchini and cook, stirring often, until softened, 2 to 3 minutes. Add cherry tomatoes, salt, nutmeg and pepper and continue cooking, stirring often, until the tomatoes are just starting to break down, 1 to 2 minutes.
Stir in Parmesan and parsley. Add gnocchi and toss to coat. Serve immediately.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 327 calories; 10 g fat (6 g sat, 0 g mono); 25 mg cholesterol; 48 g carbohydrate; 12 g protein; 5 g fiber; 710 mg sodium; 540 mg potassium. Nutrition bonus: Vitamin C (70% daily value), Vitamin A (35% dv), Calcium (25% dv). Exchanges: 2 1/2 starch, 2 vegetable. 1 medium-fat meat, 1 fat; 3 Carbohydrate Servings

TIP: To make "ribbon-thin" zucchini, slice lengthwise with a vegetable peeler or on a mandoline slicer.

Spinach and Kale Turnovers - Cooking Light J/F 2007

This recipe was a delight. I was shocked by both how easy the filling came together, and how tasty it was when coupled with my homemade pizza dough. The recipe calls for canned pizza dough, but when you use my favorite that mixes up inside of a half hour everything just tastes that much better.

I actually made this recipe for guests on Saturday. The turnover halves pictured are from the two (out of nine!) that were left. I expected people to hear the words spinach and kale and run away screaming, but our guests loved the taste and scarfed them up with gay abandon. Which always makes for a happy hostess. This will definitely be a repeated recipe, as it goes so nicely with a bowl of soup which is how I enjoyed my leftover turnover today. The soup was nothing special, just something I created to use up some veggies left lying around the house. Handful of spinach, half a cup of cannellini beans, some green beans, a can of diced tomatoes, vegetable broth, garlic and onions - basically an everything but the kitchen sink kind of soup.

Spinach and Kale Turnovers
Cooking Light - January/February 2007
Yield - 8 (I got 9)

2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup of onion chopped
1 garlic clove (I used 2)
1 small bunch of kale chopped (3 cups)
1 (6oz) package of fresh baby spinach
black pepper to taste
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg
3 oz crumbled feta cheese
11 oz can of refrigerated pizza dough (I made my own)
2 tablespoons of grated parmesan cheese
cooking spray

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat oil in large skillet. Add onion and and saute for ten minutes until browned. Add garlic, and cook for one minute or until fragrant. Add kale and spinach and saute till kale is tender (approximately 8 minutes). Stir in pepper, salt and nutmeg. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Stir in feta.

Separate dough in to 8 pieces that are rolled out in 5-6 inch disks. Spoon 1/3 cup of mixture on each circle, leaving 1/2 inch border. Fold dough over kale mixture until edges almost meet. Bring bottom edge of dough over top edge and crimp edges together to enclose.

Place turnovers on sprayed baking sheet. Lightly coat turnovers with spray and sprinkle with parmesan. Bake for 18 minutes or untill golden brown.


And, in case anyone needs it again, here's my favorite pizza dough recipe. This is the dough I used to make the turnovers.

Whole Wheat Pizza Dough
Eating Well

3/4 cup whole-wheat flour
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 package quick-rising yeast (2 1/4 teaspoons), such as Fleischmann's RapidRise
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1/2-2/3 cup hot water (120-130°F)
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

1. Combine whole-wheat flour, all-purpose flour, yeast, salt and sugar in a food processor; pulse to mix. Combine hot water and oil in a measuring cup. With the motor running, gradually pour in enough of the hot liquid until the mixture forms a sticky ball. The dough should be quite soft. If it seems dry, add 1 to 2 tablespoons warm water; if too sticky, add 1 to 2 tablespoons flour. Process until the dough forms a ball, then process for 1 minute to knead.

2. Transfer the dough to a lightly floured surface. Coat a sheet of plastic wrap with cooking spray and place it, sprayed-side down, over the dough. Let the dough rest for 10 to 20 minutes before rolling.

makes 12 oz dough, enough for one 12-inch pizza or two 10-inch pizzas

General Tso's (Fake) Chicken

I admit it. Sometimes I use "fake meat" substitutes. They're quick, and easy and sometimes that's what I need. And I figure, as long as I don't use them every day, then its okay.

Meat substitutes, like the kind I used last night, can be a very divisive topic with vegetarians. Some vegetarians believe very strongly that cooking and eating meat substitutes goes against the principle of vegetarianism, or abstaining from eating meat. They think that if you are vegetarian, then you wouldn't want the taste of soy crumbles (another popular meat substitute) in your food. I understand that principle and idea, but the fact of the matter is vegetarian cooking can be quite time consuming. Vegetarian main dishes tend to involve many spices, ingredients and take a considerable time to cook (especially when using dried beans, grains etc). So, sometimes it is appealing to take a recipe written for meat (and therefore somewhat quicker in preparation) and substitute either tofu, tempeh or a store-bought meat subsitute. Its not something I do every day, but sometimes it adds something different to our menu.

The recipe I made tonight is an old favorite of ours. It is ... wait for it ... a Weight Watchers recipe (I seem to be on a Weight Watchers kick lately), but you wouldn't know it from the taste. The use of cornstarch again creates that thick, glossy mouthfeel found in most Chinese takeout. Like most stir-fry dishes, once the sauces are mixed the dish cooks and comes together quite quickly. I've made this dish successfully with tofu, as well as the fake chicken strips I used this evening.

Below you see the entire meal. On the upper right side of the plate, Japanese Grilled Eggplant. Lower right side has Stirfried Green Beans with Rice Wine Vinegar and Mirin. Lower left side has homemade vegetable dumplings, and in the top left corner is the General Tso's "Chicken".

General Tso's Chicken
Weight Watchers Take Out Tonight Cookbook
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 lb. skinless boneless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces (I used fake chicken strips)
5 tablespoons dry sherry
1 tablespoon cornstarch, plus 2 teaspoons
1 tablespoon oyster sauce (I subbed hoisin sauce)
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
2 teaspoons canola oil
1 tablespoon minced ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 whole scallions, chopped
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 stalks celery, chopped
1 whole red bell pepper, seeded and chopped

Directions:

Combine the chicken, 2 tablespoons of the sherry, 1 tablespoon of the cornstarch, and the oyster sauce in a medium bowl, set aside to marinate for 5 minutes.

Combine the remaining 3 tablespoons sherry, the water, soy sauce, honey, rice vinegar, sesame oil, and the remaining 2 teaspoons cornstarch in a small bowl; set aside.

heat a nonstick wok or a large, deep skillet over medium-high heat until a drop of water sizzles. Swirl in the canola oil, then add the chicken mixture. Stir fry until lightly browned, 2-3 minutes. Add the ginger, garlic, scallions, and crushed red pepper; stir fry until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the celery and bell pepper; stir fry until crisp-tender, 2-3 minutes. Stir in the sherry mixture and cook, stirring constantly, until the mixture boils and thickens, and the chicken is just cooked through, 1-2 minutes.


Weight Watchers Notes:

This wonderful dish originated in china's Hunan province and demonstrates the Chinese tradition of naming dishes after significant figures.

Nutritional Information:

According to recipe, one serving (1 cup) provides: 207 calories, 6 g. fat, (1 g. saturated fat), 63 mg. cholesterol, 413 mg. sodium, 13 g. carbohydrate, 1 g. fiber, 24 g. protein, 34 mg. calcium, 4 Weight Watcher Points.

Florida Adventures, part 2

After an afternoon organizing old pictures and sorting through a couple boxes of childhood memories, my mom and I made an old favorite for dinner. This (thought to originally hail from Gourmet) Szechwan-Style Eggplant recipe was originally intended to be a dip, served with pita bread (?). Quite odd really, so we chop the pieces a little bit bigger and turn it into a main dish kind of recipe. It seems lengthy, however when the sauce is prepared first (and this is key - right Mom? :) ), it comes together quite quickly and is not as involved as it might seem. And the results are divine - if you're a fan of the glossy eggplant and garlic sauce found at most Chinese establishments, you'll be thrilled with the taste of this dish. The addition of cornstarch to the sauce gives it that glossy restaurant mouthfeel, and the components of the sauce provide enough heat to make the dish seem more impressive then the sum of its parts.

To accompany the eggplant, my mom used up some old veggies lying around to create veggie dumplings. I introduced her to my favorite Sesame Dipping Sauce and we had some steamed edamame, and a couple baked veggie spring rolls on the side. Altogether, the meal was delightful and just as tasty as having called in a delivery order. And, with the dumpling making, it was a lot more fun!













Szechwan-Style Eggplant
adapted from Gourmet (?)

My Notes -Mise en place is key. Putting all the sauces in little bowls is such a time saver as actual cooking time is very small.
This is supposed to be an appetizer served with pita wedges (?!?!). If doing main course style - small chopping isn't really necessary and larger pieces would be better. The recipe is somewhat flexible - we added chopped water chestnuts which added a nice contrasting crunch to the otherwise smooth textured dish.


1/4 cup vegetable oil (we used cooking spray with water, sometimes I use a tablespoon of oil and extra broth, whatever works for your dietary preferences)
1 1/4 lb eggplant (peeled if deisred, cut into 1/2 inch cubes - about 6 cups)
1 tsp cornstarch
1/2 cup vegetable broth (recipe calls for chicken but I use veggie)
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tablespoon minced peeled gingerroot
2-3 tsp Szechwan chili paste (or to taste - I recommend 2 as that's what I used and it was pretty spicy)
1 tsp hoisin sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
1 tablespoon Sherry
3 scallions sliced thin
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 tablespoon brown sugar packed (I used 2 packets of Splenda I think ... out of brown sugar)
1 red bell pepper minced (or chopped in small chunks)
1/2 tsp oriental sesame oil to taste

In wok or large skillet heat the veg. oil over high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Stir-fry eggplant over moderately high heat for 3-5 minutes or until tender and browned. Transfer to paper towel lined plate to drain.

In a small bowl, dissolve the cornstarch in the broth. To the wok add the garlic, the gingerroot, the chilil paste, the hoisin sauce, the vinegar, and the sherry and stirfry misture for 30 seconds. Add scallions and stirfry for 30 seconds. Add soy sauce, sugar, cornstarch mixture (stirred), the bell pepper and the eggplant and stirfry for 1 mintue until eggplant absorbs most liquid. Remove wok from heat, add sesame oil and salt and pepper to taste. Toss mixture well.

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegetarian, eggplant, Szechwan

Florida Adventures part 1

Well, here I am in the wilds of Coral Springs, Florida. It's really not wild at all. Just lots of straight roads, flat roads and housing developments as far as the eye can see. Yes Toto, we're not in Brooklyn anymore.

Not too much has been happening. I managed to arrive the day before all air travel descended into chaos, so that was a definite plus. Granted I had a horrific experience with Delta just getting on to my plane - it was apparently time for a shift change when checking in so the women behind the desk ignored the growing line full of desperate people twenty minutes away from missing their flight. Good times, good times. But then as a reward for my anguish and having to pull my determined New Yorker personality out of the back-pocket where I tend to keep it behind good manners ("Ma'am, my plane leaves in twenty minutes. I need to be checked in now. And I'll stand right here until that happens. Thank you. And no sir, I'm very sorry that you arrived at the airport just as your minor daughter's flight arrived instead of arriving early. But you may not cut in front of me to get your permission slip because I've just waited on line for an hour, and I'm not missing my flight when the check-in lady just assured you your daughter would be taken care of.") But at least I was rewarded by discovering that the actual plane was a Song plane, so I got to watch TV on my way to Florida. And, they actually passed out free snacks! I didn't think anyone did that anymore. Watching TV, eating a snack-sized bag of Sunchips - life was good once I got on the plane.

And now I'm here. I've watched the birds visit my parents' bird-feeder, I've watched the ducklings clamber through the fence and come up and demand bird seed while Mama duck watches anxiously. My mom and I went shopping at our favorite outlet mall yesterday, where I managed to find some clothes that will help me start the school year in New York. It always amazes me that I do well shopping for reasonably priced fall clothes for NY in FLA, but hey - whatever works.









As part of my love of cooking, I always try to introduce my mom to recipes I've tried and liked. Tonight, I tried to introduce my mom to an "oldie", but one I remembered being a "goodie". I haven't made Corn and Poblano Empanadas in a while, and remembered the recipe as being impressive and fairly easy. Last night we had black beans and rice to eat up and I thought they'd add something special to an otherwise "leftover" to meal nicely. And they would have, except that the masa flour I used was unexpectedly greedy and moisture grabbing. So the dough was way too dry, and unable to be used for making empanadas. So, my mom saved the day by turning it into a Corn and Poblano Tamale Pie. She put the filling in a pie plate, managed (after adding a ton of water) to roll out the dough into a circle big enough to cover the pie plate. We brushed it with the egg and water that the recipe called for, and then baked for about 30-35 minutes. And it was quite tasty! The cheesy-corny filling is addictive, and despite the changed appearance of the dish, it was a success that we couldn't stop stealing pieces of filling from long after we weren't really hungry anymore.


Corn and Poblano Empanadas

Cooking Light's Notes -Masa harina--used to make corn tortillas and tamales--yields a more richly flavored and textured dough than that made with flour alone.

My notes - although the recipe calls for mozzarella cheese, I made it with half 2% cheddar and half mozzarella and found that combination especially flavorful and tasty.


3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup masa harina
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons butter, cut into small pieces
2 poblano peppers
Cooking spray
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups fresh corn kernels (about 3 ears)
3/4 cup (3 ounces) shredded Oaxaca or mozzarella cheese
1 large egg white
1 tablespoon water

Preheat oven to 500°.
Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, masa harina, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and chili powder in a food processor; pulse 3 times. Add water and butter; pulse until mixture forms a loose ball. Remove from processor; knead until ball completely forms. Divide dough into 8 equal portions. Shape each dough portion into a ball; flatten each ball into a 3-inch circle on a lightly floured surface. Cover and chill 30 minutes. (Stack dough portions between pieces of wax paper.)

Place poblanos on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 500° for 20 minutes or until brown and blistered, turning once. Place in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel poblanos; cut in half lengthwise. Discard seeds and membranes, and finely chop. Place in a medium bowl.

Reduce oven temperature to 425°.

Heat a nonstick skillet coated with cooking spray over medium-high heat. Add garlic; sauté 30 seconds. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and corn; sauté 3 minutes. Add to poblanos; let stand 5 minutes. Stir in cheese.

Roll each dough portion into a (5-inch) circle. Working with 1 circle at a time (cover remaining circles with a damp towel to prevent drying), spoon 3 level tablespoons corn filling into center of each circle. Moisten edges of dough with water; fold dough over filling. Press edges together with a fork or fingers to seal. Place empanadas on a large baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Combine egg white and 1 tablespoon water. Lightly coat tops of empanadas with egg mixture. Pierce top of dough with a fork. Bake at 425° for 20 minutes or until lightly browned.

Yield: 8 servings (serving size: 1 empanada)

CALORIES 156(27% from fat); FAT 4.7g (sat 2.5g,mono 1.3g,poly 0.7g); PROTEIN 5.2g; CHOLESTEROL 11mg; CALCIUM 58mg; SODIUM 277mg; FIBER 2.6g; IRON 1.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 25.8g
Cooking Light, AUGUST 2003

Technorati Tags: vegetarian, corn, poblano, empanadas, Cooking Light Magazine

It is so hot in NYC ....

... the only good thing about it is that for the first time, I'm not teaching summer camp! Several summers ago, New York City had a similar heat wave to the one we're suffering now, but I was teaching at an outdoors camp from 8:00 am until 6:00 pm. That was misery. I feel for all those who are not as privileged as I, and who are working (especially outdoors) through this stinking heat. I just checked weather.com, and it says the temperature in my area of Brooklyn is 91 degrees. But because of the heat index, it feels like 100. It's almost 9 pm at night folks! That's hot.

Anyways, I soldiered on and actually cooked this evening (thank goodness for air conditioning). I didn't do a CSA post this week (much to M.'s disappointment), but I can't resist sharing this picture of a beautiful bunch of rainbow chard. It came in our CSA share, and I felt like a child at Christmas. For some reason, even though M. and I are big fans of swiss chard, I've never gotten rainbow. And its just so pretty! Hope you all enjoy the peek into our neighborhood behind the chard. We have one ledge in our apartment that provides the best natural light, so we keep using it for pictures. That's apartment living in downtown Brooklyn for you!

So, the rainbow chard was the featured ingredient of this evening's meal. I surfed Cooking Light's website, and found a recipe for Tofu and Swiss Chard Stacks. It seemed pretty straightforward, so I decided to give it a try. I served the Tofu and Swiss Chard Stacks with a little leftover chard, a scoop of brown rice from a pouch of Trader Joe's frozen brown rice, a variation on my Mirin-Soy Glazed Green Beans and some frozen dumplings. I did make a couple of changes to the Tofu and Swiss Chard Stacks, namely increasing the yield from two servings to three by slicing the tofu into 6 slices, not 4. I also subbed cremini mushrooms for the shitaake mushrooms because I really don't care for the taste of shitaakes (no matter how many times I try them). And while entering the recipe, I realized I totally forgot the sesame seeds! Oh well.

Overall, I enjoyed this dish. I wanted a different swiss chard presentation, since I always do the same thing with it. Typically I just sautee the chard until wilted with garlic, salt/pepper and lemon juice. While that's very tasty, I wanted something slightly different. This recipe added an Asian element to the dish with the marinated tofu and the addition of soy sauce to the greens just before serving. Would I make it again - maybe. There were many other swiss chard recipes that appealed to me when I used the Cooking Light website search engine, I'd probably dive into some of those before repeating this one. But it was pretty quick and easy, and come September it would definitely be something I'd make after a long day at school.


Tofu and Swiss Chard Stacks

Cooking Light's notes- Marinated, broiled tofu and a spicy chard mixture are layered for free-form individual lasagnas. Use water-packed tofu; its firm texture holds up well. Serve with fried rice that's been tossed with steamed edamame.

My notes - This recipe was said to serve 2. I cut the tofu into six pieces (instead of four) and we'll get three meals out of it easily. I subbed baby portabello mushrooms for shitaake, because I don't care for the taste of shitaake mushrooms. And I totally forgot the sesame seeds!

Tofu:
2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon mirin (sweet rice wine)
2 teaspoons rice vinegar
1 teaspoon honey
1 (12.3-ounce) package water-packed reduced-fat firm tofu, drained
Cooking spray

Greens:
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1 cup thinly sliced shiitake mushroom caps
1 1/2 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups thinly sliced Swiss chard
1/2 teaspoon sesame seeds, toasted
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce

To prepare tofu, combine the first 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Cut tofu lengthwise into 4 equal slices. Carefully place tofu in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish. Pour the soy sauce mixture over tofu. Cover and refrigerate 30 minutes, carefully turning once.

Preheat broiler.

Remove tofu from dish; discard marinade. Place tofu on a baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Broil 10 minutes on each side or until tofu is lightly browned.

To prepare greens, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mushrooms, ginger, pepper, and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring frequently. Add chard and sesame seeds; cook 3 minutes or until chard wilts, stirring frequently. Stir in 2 teaspoons soy sauce.

Place 1/4 cup chard mixture on each of 2 plates; top each serving with 1 tofu slice. Repeat layers with remaining chard and tofu.

Yield: 2 servings

CALORIES 155(29% from fat); FAT 5g (sat 0.4g,mono 1.2g,poly 2.8g); PROTEIN 13.8g; CHOLESTEROL 0.0mg; CALCIUM 130mg; SODIUM 754mg; FIBER 2.1g; IRON 3.9mg; CARBOHYDRATE 12.4g

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegetarian, Cooking Light, swiss chard, tofu

A walk on the veggie heavy side...

So, I've decided that my veggie kitchen will be producing lighter fare in the weeks to come. There may still be baking for M.'s office folks, but the french tarts and tartes tatins will have to wait a bit. All this travelling and vacationing has left me feeling somewhat heavy from eating in restaurants that use much more butter/oil then I do. As a result, I'm craving nonstop fresh fruits and veggies, and this is certainly the time of year to indulge.

First of all, I must show off the omelet M. made me for lunch today. M. tends to be a very inventive cook. Give me a recipe, and I'm a happy girl but M. likes to push the envelope a bit more. Sometimes this results in amazingly tasty concoctions, sometimes not so much. Today fell into the amazingly tasty category. He chopped fresh herbs (oregano, rosemary and thyme) and added them to the egg mixture component of the omelette. I would never have thought to do so (I would have added the herbs to the sauteed vegetables instead) but the result was so flavorful and above and beyond the standard omelet.

After the dust settled (and the dishes were washed), I set about trying a new hummus recipe. We're big fans of hummus, but have stopped making it since we have an amazing Middle Eastern grocery on the next block which makes it in bulk amounts for a minimal price. Why reinvent the wheel? But, in an attempt to make as much at home as possible (so as to minimize unwanted ingredients like too much oil etc), I decided to whip up a batch to have with carrots and cucumbers for a snack. When I drastically lighten our diets, I like to send M. to work with snacks so that he's not chained to a desk wasting away with hunger. This hummus will do nicely. All in all, the recipe was good but not great. It's a Weight Watchers recipe, and in my experience WW recipes are either awesome or just alright. The texture was a little runny, but then I just dumped 6 oz. of plain fat free yogurt into the mix without measuring out a half a cup so that might be cook's error. The flavor was good, it was just the runniness that was a touch off-putting.

But, falling squarely into the awesome WW recipe category were the two dishes I made for dinner. We started with a Roasted Vegetable and Tofu Napoleon which consisted of seared tofu slices with roasted peppers, onions and zucchini in between. The recipe should have included eggplant, but my brain did not register this fact when copying down ingredients so our napoleons remained eggplant-less. Both M. and I were impressed by how flavorful the resulting dish was, and agreed that the tofu benefited from the simple but tangy preparation. I would make this dish again.



As a main dish, I made Grecian Spaghetti Squash Saute. Chickpeas, diced tomatoes, mint and feta- this dish combined several of our favorite flavors. Halfway through making it, I realized I'd made it before but not in a very long time. I had a sort of recipe deja vu. Since I already had the oven on for the roasting vegetables, I roasted the spaghetti squash as well. This dish came together quickly, and if using the microwave cooking method would definitely be doable on a busy weeknight. I served this dish with fresh corn since the combination of the two dishes had meant lots of chopping etc, and I wasn't going to make anything else! This kitchen was closed, and the chef on strike. :) But it felt great to be cooking again.


Grecian Spaghetti Squash Saute
Weight Watchers Recipe
Serves 4

WW notes - This unusual and delicious take on spaghetti squash is great as a main dish, or as a side dish paired with grilled or broiled fish or chicken, or roast leg of lamb. Red pepper flakes will add extra kick

My notes - Red pepper flakes would have been good, I'd add them next time.

2 pound raw spaghetti squash
2 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup scallion(s), sliced
2 tsp minced garlic
14 1/2 oz canned diced tomatoes, undrained
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp lemon zest, freshly grated
1/4 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/4 cup dill, or mint, fresh, chopped
1/4 cup pot cheese, or fat-free crumbled feta

1. Pierce squash with a fork in several places; place on a microwave-safe plate. Microwave on high, turning squash over every 3 minutes, until tender, about 12 to 15 minutes; let stand 5 minutes. (Or to bake squash, preheat oven to 350ºF. Halve squash lengthwise and scoop out seeds. Place squash, cut side down, in a large baking dish and prick skin all over with a fork. Bake until tender, about 30 to 40 minutes.)
   
   
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large nonstick skillet. Add scallions and garlic; cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add diced tomatoes, chickpeas, oregano, lemon zest, salt and pepper; bring to a boil.
   
   
3. Cut cooked squash in half lengthwise; scrape out seeds and then scrape strands of squash into skillet with a fork. Cook, stirring, until squash strands are well coated; remove from heat and stir in dill or mint. Top each serving with cheese. Yields about 1 cup of squash and 1 tablespoon of cheese per serving.
   
   

Roasted Vegetable and Tofu Napoleon
Serves 4

4 sprays cooking spray
1 large red onion(s)
1 medium raw eggplant, peeled
1 medium zucchini
1 medium yellow pepper(s)
1 medium sweet red pepper(s)
1 pound extra firm tofu
1 Tbsp rosemary, fresh, chopped
3 Tbsp parsley, fresh, chopped
3 large garlic clove(s)
1 Tbsp olive oil, extra virgin
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, about the juice from one lemon

1. Preheat oven to 425°F. Coat 2 baking sheets with cooking spray.
   
   
2. Slice onion in half and then cut each half into quarters. Slice eggplant, zucchini (slice diagonally) and peppers into 1/4-inch slices. Slice tofu across into 8 slices, about 1/4-inch thick.
   
   
3. Place onions on one half of a baking sheet and peppers on other half. Place eggplant and zucchini separately on second baking sheet. Coat tops of vegetables with cooking spray. Roast 15 minutes and then rotate baking sheets; roast 15 minutes more. Turn off oven and leave vegetables in oven to keep warm.
   
   
4. Place rosemary, parsley and garlic in bowl of food processor. Add oil and lemon juice and blend until smooth, about 3 to 4 minutes; set aside.
   
   
5. Spread herb mixture onto both sides of each tofu slice. Coat a large nonstick skillet with cooking spray and heat over medium heat. Place tofu in heated pan and brown both sides of tofu, about 2 to 4 minutes per side.
   
   
6. To serve, place one slice of tofu on a plate. On top of tofu, stack one slice of eggplant, one slice of red pepper and one wedge of red onion; top with another slice of tofu and then top that with one slice each of yellow pepper and zucchini, and another piece of red onion. Drizzle with remaining herb mixture. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Yields one napoleon per serving.
   

Hummus
[Will be posted tomorrow, as it requires typing unlike the two previous recipes which I found online!]

Technorati Tags: vegan, vegetarian, Weight Watchers, spaghetti squash, tofu, hummus

A meal fresh from someone's garden....

... even if not my own!

Tonight's meal inspiration began with Susan's (chef in the Fatfree Vegan Kitchen) recipe for Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans. She posted her creation several days ago, and when I saw pattypan squash at the Union Square Farmer's Market today, I knew our dinner was determined.

While still at the Farmer's Market I saw fresh green beans, small heirloom tomatoes and corn. And dinner was done. I was instantly convinced that a simple meal prepared with these fresh ingredients would fit the bill for our Friday dinner. M. tends to work pretty late during the week, but Friday is a night he can often make it home for a late (8:00 or in tonight's case 9:00pm) dinner. Accordingly, I try to make something a bit more special to usher the weekend in.


Having finished at the Farmer's Market, I then proceeded to one of my new favorite grocery stores. It was a definite trip carrying the produce and the three Barnes and Noble books that somehow found their way to me during my perusal of the Barnes and Noble at Union Square. But, Trader Joe's is worth it. It just opened in March, and already I'm in love! Poor Whole Foods (just down the street even) got kicked to the curb! Anyways, at Trader Joe's I found what turned out to be a key ingredient to tonight's supper. Orange Muscat Champagne Vinegar, pictured on the left and featured heavily in tonight's green bean preparation and fresh corn preparation. Its tangy sweetness complemented the veggies nicely, and I look forward to finding new ways to use my new pantry staple.






Our lovely dinner in its entirety.
As always, clicking on the picture will blow it up, and reveal our amateur photographic skills!








Here is Susan's original recipe. Because I'm lazy as its somewhat late, I just entered it as (meaning I copied it from her blog) is but I want all credit to go to her as it was a tasty recipe, and one I will repeat. But, I actually made some changes which I will describe here. First of all, I omitted the celery and green pepper because I didn't have any and I wasn't going out again after lugging home two TJ bags, all my produce and three Barnes and Nobles books. So, no celery and pepper for us. I adapted the herbs somewhat (mostly because our fridge is bursting with a multitude of herbs right now). I used fresh sage (about 7 leaves cut in a chiffonade), fresh thyme (about 4 stems with approximately 5 fronds per stem), herbs de Provence (about 1/2 a teaspoon), crushed red pepper (a dash) and I added 1/4 cup whole wheat panko (Japanese bread crumbs) and a few microplane grates of parmesan cheese. But other than that, I made her recipe in its entirety! :) Oh, and I used cannellini beans. As I said above, I will repeat this but I do think it is a forgiving recipe that will accommodate "what's on hand" and remain delicious.


Patty Pan Squash Stuffed with Cajun White Beans

4 medium-sized patty pan squash
1 small onion, chopped fine
1 stalk celery, chopped fine
1/2 bell pepper, chopped fine
2 cloves minced garlic
1 tsp. thyme
1/8 tsp. cayenne
1/8 tsp. black pepper
1/2 tsp. oregano
1/2 tsp. basil
1/2 tsp. fennel seed
1/4 tsp. rubbed sage
1/2 tsp. salt (optional)
1 can (15 ounces) great northern beans (or other white beans), rinsed and drained

Place the squash flat side down in a large pot. Add about 1 inch of water, cover, and bring to a boil. Cook for about 8 minutes, until a fork easily pierces the top of the squash. Remove from the pot and set aside to cool.

When cool enough to handle, slice off the top of the squash and use a melon baller to scoop out the flesh from the inside. Be sure to leave a wall of at least 1/4-inch of flesh on all sides of the squash. Turn them upside down to drain, and dice the scooped out flesh coarsely.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Sauté the onions, celery and bell pepper in a large, non-stick skillet for about 5 minutes until soft; add garlic, diced squash, and remaining seasonings and cook for another 2 minutes. Add the white beans and cook on low heat for about 5 minutes.

Place the squash in an 8x8-inch baking pan. Spoon the stuffing into each shell; be sure to really pack it into the shell, and don't be afraid to over-stuff them. Pile any stuffing that remains into the center of the baking pan, right between the squash.

Bake for about 20 minutes or until the tops begin to brown. Serve with additional stuffing. Serves 2 as a main dish or 4 as a side dish





The other components of our dinner remained pretty simple. For the green beans, I cut off the ends and sauteed them in a splash of my new champagne vinegar, a splash of vegetable broth, two garlic cloves minced, salt and pepper and a dash of lemon flavored olive oil (to taste - I didn't use very much but others might prefer more). This created a nice little sauce which I then reduced until the green beans were nicely glazed.

The heirloom tomato salad with perlini was an adaptation of everyone's favorite - the caprese salad. I quartered the mini-heirlooms, tossed with basil chiffonade, salt and pepper. I then strained a spoonful of perlini (mini-bocconcini or fresh mozzarella balls - also obtained at Trader Joe's) and added a splash of olive oil and a splash of basalmic vinegar. I stirred, and left the salad to sit for a few minutes so that the flavors would meld.

And the corn, I cooked the corn for about three minutes in boiling water. I used my corn zipper and unzipped the kernels, added salt and pepper and my new vinegar to taste (about a tablespoon) and left to marinade until I served it.

And that was our dinner, and M. was very pleased. Wouldn't you have liked to join us?

Technorati Tags: pattypan squash, cooking, heirloom tomatoes, vegetarian

The Accidental Italian (Meal).

As I flipped through cookbooks yesterday afternoon, I noticed the recipe fo Summer Risotto with Tomatoes, Leeks and Fresh Corn. M. and I love risottos, but haven't made them at home for the longest time (for whatever reason). This particular recipe was in The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley which is a cookbook I've not used nearly enough (although I seem to be remedying this fact of late). And just like that, dinner was decided. I decided to pair the risotto with a side dish of Pan-Seared Summer Squash with Garlic and Mint mostly because the recipe sounded very intriguing, and I had some lovely fresh spearmint needing to be used. Coincidentally, the summer squash recipe comes from Fresh Food Fast, also by Peter Berley. And, our meal would begin with caprese salad because we had some fresh mozzarella to use up from Friday. And, you can never have enough caprese salad.

Once I chose this recipe that involved corn kernels, M. and I both realized we'd need the Kuhn Rikon Corn Zipper. Luckily (or unluckily depending on your perspective) we have a kitchen store right around the corner who happened to have the Corn Zipper in stock. Using it was very easy, and despite the fact that it has somewhat of an eerie face I think it'll be a tool earning its drawer space frequently this summer.

It was only after I began cooking that I realized we were having an Italian meal of the evening of Italy's World Cup win. Sometimes I even amaze myself. :)



Summer Risotto with Tomatoes, Leeks, and Fresh Corn
The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen - Peter Berley (and Melissa Clark)

Author's notes - A quick and flavorful broth can be made from the corn cobs and leek tops.. Simply wash the leek tops well, place them in a pot with the corn cobs, cover with six cups of water and simmer, uncovered for 30 minutes. Strain off and discard the trimmings, and proceed with the risotto using the corn cob broth instead of vegetable broth.

My notes - I missed this notation about corn cob broth and used store-bought broth instead.

5 cups All-Season Vegetable stock (or store-bought), or water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and tender green parts only)
1 cup arborio rice
1/4 cup dry white wine such as a Sauvignon Blanc
2 cups kernels scraped from 2 ears fresh corn
1 lb ripe tomatoes, peeled, seeded and diced
2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
1 cup torn basil leaves
1 teaspoon unsalted butter (optional - I added)
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese (optional - I added)
Coarse Sea Salt
Freshly Milled Black Pepper

1. In a 2 quart sauce pan over high heat, bring stock to a boil. Reduce heat so that stock maintains a steady simmer.

2. In a heavy 3 quart pan over medium heat, warm the oil. Add leeks and saute for 2 minutes until softened. Stir in rice and saute for 2 minutes, until grains are translucent. Pour in the wine and let simmer until absorbed.

3. Add the corn, tomatoes, garlicc and thyme. Add the stock, 1/2 cup at a time, stirring constantly until te liquid has been absorbed before adding each subsequent 1/2 cup stock. Continue stirring and adding stock, until grains are tender and creamy about 20-25 minutes. Add the basil during the last five minutes.

4. Stir in butter and cheese if using, and add salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Pan-Seared Summer Squash with Garlic and Mint
Fresh Food Fast by Peter Berley (and Melissa Clark)

Author's notes- Pan searing the squash carmelizes it and produces a nice crust. The sugars become concentrated, and their juices locked in. You can use the same technique with eggplant slices, and onion rings.

My notes - This was a really tasty recipe, but kind of a pain to make. The pan-searing took forever, and I think were I to make it again (and I would) I might grill the veggies instead. I tinkered with the amounts since I only had 1 1/2 pounds of squash. I used all the lemon juice, garlic and mint but only about a tablespoon of oil. And it still tasted great. Very garlicky, but very good.

2 pounds summer squash, sliced 1/2 inch thick
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 tablespoons fresh mint
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 teaspoon coarse salt, plus additional to taste
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Freshly milled black pepper

1. Warm a large, heavy skillet, griddle or grill pan over medium heat. Arrange the squash in a single layer and sear until speckled with brown and beginning to blacken (about five minutes). Flip the squash and cook for five minutes more. Repeat with remaining squash.

2. In a serving bowl, combine lemon juicce, mint, garlic, salt, and red pepper flakes and let marinade for 5 minutes. Whisk in oil.

3. Transfer seared squash to bowl, toss to coat with dressing and let rest for about five minutes. Season with additional salt and pepper, and serve.


Technorati Tags: risotto, Italian, summer squash, mint