Veggie Nite

Tonight's dinner was entirely vegetarian and adapted from recipes in Annie Somerville's book, Fields of Greens. The hit of the evening was the marinated tofu, and thank goodness the marinade makes a bunch so we can throw some more tofu in to eat later in the week!

Nate roasted a huge spaghetti squash this afternoon, and we subbed squash for the noodles in the Chinese Noodle Salad. I find that most salads simply use the pasta as a vehicle for the dressing, anyway, so you might as well pack your veggies in while you're eating that dressing. We sub spaghetti squash for many pasta dishes with great success.

Menu:
Tofu with Sweet Ginger Marinade
Spicy Peanut Sauce
Grilled Kale
Chinese Noodle (Squash) Salad with Citrus and Spicy Peanuts


Tofu with Sweet Ginger Marinade
from Fields of Greens



This was excellent, and paired very nicely with the peanut sauce and kale. I am excited to try it again with some of the other suggested sauces. We grilled it, placing the slices over medium heat until grill marks appeared, then turning and grilling the other side. I might also try smoking it. IN THE SMOKER--I know what you were thinking...

1 package of firm tofu, about 1 pound
1/2 cup soy sauce or tamari
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup dry white wine or mirin
1/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup dark sesame oil (I used 2 T)
1/2 oz dried shiitake mushrooms
1 1/2 tsp dry mustard
2 T grated fresh ginger
4 garlic cloves, crushed with the side of a knife

1. Slice the tofu in half horizontally or cut into slabs 1" thick. Place in a colander and drain for 10-15 minutes.
2. Prepare the marinade: combine all the ingredients in a nonreactive saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Arrange the tofu in a shallow pan and pour the marinade over, being sure to cover all the slices.
4. Cover and refrigerate for at least 24 hours and up to 2 weeks.
5. Eat fresh or grilled.


Spicy Peanut Sauce
adapted from Fields of Greens



Unbeknownst to me, a little troll has been secretly eating from the jar of peanut butter that I had stocked away in my mental inventory on the "OK to assume we always have plenty without checking first" shelf. Lesson learned. I subbed sesame tahini paste for the PB here, because I had a big tub sitting there (the troll apparently hasn't yet discovered the tasty paste) and it was a fine replacement. This was great drizzled over the marinated tofu.

1 T coarsely chopped yellow onion
1 large garlic clove, coarsely chopped
1 or 2 jalapeno chiles, seeded
1 T peanut oil or light vegetable oil
2 1/2 T soy sauce
1 T plus 1 tsp lime juice
2 T light brown sugar
1 tsp molasses
1/2 c creamy peanut butter
1/4 c water
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

1. Puree the onion, garlic, chiles, oil, soy sauce, and lime juice in a blender or food processor.
2. Transfer to a bowl and whisk in the remaining ingredients.


Grilled Kale

One of my favorite ways to eat kale. It doesn't work as well with other greens. I usually do it in a 400F oven for about 15 minutes, but we had BTUs to use up on the grill, so I plopped the leaves down after the tofu was done. I cut the kale into large-ish bite-sized pieces, which is how I do it in the oven; next time I will use whole leaves on the grill so I'm not racing to turn all those little morsels before they burn. Use flat-leaf kale if you have the choice.

1 bunch flat-leaf kale
cooking spray
salt
pepper

1. Heat the grill to medium.
2. Spray the kale leaves with cooking spray, sprinkle liberally with salt and pepper, and toss to coat.
3. Roast over direct heat until char marks just start to appear; turn the leaves and quickly remove from heat once they are lightly browned on both sides. If they get soggy after cooling, you can re-crisp the leaves for 5-10 minutes in a 400F oven.


Chinese Noodle (Squash) Salad with Citrus and Spicy Peanuts
adapted from Fields of Greens



I've written it as I made it, with spaghetti squash and a few other adjustments.

Marinade:
Zest of half a lime or orange
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
2 1/2 T fresh ground ginger
3 T rice vinegar
5 T soy sauce
3 T white wine vinegar
2 T dark sesame oil
1 T sugar
1 serrano chile, seeded

Combine all ingredients in a blender and puree.

Salad:
1 small spaghetti squash, roasted and seeded
1 medium carrot, sliced into matchsticks
1 cup sugar snap peas, diced
2 scallions, diced
1/2 cup daikon radish, sliced into matchsticks
3 T cilantro, minced
1/4 c Spicy Peanuts, chopped

Scoop the squash into a large bowl and toss with the remaining ingredients. Toss with the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes before serving.

Spicy Peanuts
from Fields of Greens

1 cup peanuts
1/2 tsp peanut oil
1/4 tsp paprika
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt to taste

Toss all ingredients together, spread in a shallow pan, and roast for 12-15 minutes at 325F. Let cool and store in an airtight container.

Smokin'!

We became the proud owners of an electric smoker over the Thanksgiving holiday. Our first foray into the realm of smoke was on Thanksgiving itself, when we made a lusciously succulent smoked turkey.

Tonight was our second experiment, and this time a pretty filet of sockeye salmon was the recipient of the smoky treatment. As is frequently the case, there were many different recipes for smoked salmon on the internet, most of which called for wildly different preparations and cooking times. The method I chose resulted in a very tasty filet, albeit a bit dry. Next time I might brine longer and smoke less. I'm looking forward to future smoking experiments!

For the record, we have a Brinkmann electric vertical water smoker.

Menu:
Smoked Salmon
Roasted Sweet and Sour Potatoes
Steamed Broccoli
Basmati Rice


Smoked Salmon



1 lb salmon filet with skin
4 c water
1/4 c kosher salt
2 T honey
1/2 c orange juice
1 T each of fresh oregano and fresh thyme

1. Combine the salt, honey, and orange juice and stir into the water until dissolved. Place the salmon in a shallow dish and cover with the salt water. Brine for 30 minutes, then rinse off.
2. Place the salmon on a piece of foil, sprinkle with the herbs, and air-dry for 30-60 minutes.
3. Smoke the salmon according the the smoker's directions.





Roasted Sweet and Sour Potatoes



These were a nice foil to the smoky fish.

2 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1" cubes
2 T olive oil
4 tsp seasoned rice vinegar
1 tsp salt
1/2 ground pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (I used a mixture of parsley, sage, thyme, and oregano)

1. Preheat the oven to 400.
2. Toss all of the ingredients in a bowl. Spread into a roasting pan and roast for 30-40 minutes until soft.

Go Green!

Nothing fancy tonight, just a simple soup and salad for me while Nate is off playing Ultimate. The soup recipe comes from San Francisco's Greens Restaurant cookbook, Fields of Greens, which I use entirely too little, I must admit. It's got tons of great vegetarian recipes for all seasons.

And you'll all be very excited to know that our orange tree is finally ripe (it was a very slow citrus season, for some reason), so now that I've used up my Miracle of Whole Wheat Pastry Flour, we'll move on to the bottomless pit of recipes that involve oranges, orange juice, and orange zest. Enjoy.

Menu:
Leek and Basmati Soup
Winter Greens with Orange Vinaigrette

Leek and Basmati Soup



This was very good and could be quite simple if you skipped the repetitively redundant step of making leek stock, which involves making leek soup, straining out the liquid, and then using that liquid to make...leek soup. Seriously, just use some veggie broth and save yourself an hour.

Also, this could be made heartier (and non-veggie) by adding some shredded chicken or swirling a beaten egg into each serving. Next time I might also puree some of it to give it a little more body. It was quite tasty as written, though.

I cut it in half and it made about 6 cups; I've written the full recipe below.

Leek Stock
1 yellow onion, sliced
10 garlic cloves, in their skin, crushed with the side of a knife blade
salt
3 leek tops, coarsely chopped and washed
2 medium-sized carrots, cut into large pieces
1 celery rib, cut into large pieces
1 large potato, sliced
1 bay leaf
2 fresh sage leaves
5 parsley sprigs
5 fresh thyme sprigs
2 fresh marjoram or oregano sprigs
9 cups cold water

Heat the onions and garlic in a soup pot with 1 tsp salt and 1/4 inch of water. Cover the pot and steam for 15 minutes over medium heat.

Add the rest of the ingredients and bring the stock to a boil, then turn down the heat and simmer, uncovered, for 40-45 minutes. Pour through a strainer and discard the vegetables.

The Soup
1 T light olive oil
1 T unsalted butter
4-5 large leeks, white parts only, cut in half lengthwise, thinly sliced, and washed, about 9 cups
salt and white pepper (um, who actually has white pepper hanging out in their spice rack? Come on over here with the common folk and use regular old black pepper)
6 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 c dry white wine
1 medium-sized carrot, diced, about 3/4 cup
2 celery ribs, diced, about 3/4 cup
1/4 c basmati rice
a fresh herb sachet: 1 bay leaf, 4 thyme sprigs, 5 parsley sprigs, 2 marjoram sprigs, and 1 sage leaf tied in cheesecloth or bundled and tied together (I tied the bundle together with parsley sprigs)
1 T chopped fresh herbs: parsley, chives, and marjoram
grated Parmesan cheese

Heat the olive oil and butter in a soup pot over medium heat; add the leeks, 1 tsp salt, and a few pinches of white pepper. Stir the leeks, coating them with butter and oil, then cover the pot, reduce the heat to low and cook for about 10 minutes, until the leeks are wilted.

Add the garlic and saute for another minute or two, then add the wine and cook for a minute or two, until the pan is dry.

Add the carrots, celery, rice, 1/2 tsp salt, the sachet of herbs, and 1 quart stock. Bring the soup to a boil, then reduce the heat, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

Add 3 cups stock and season the soup to taste with salt and pepper. Remove the herb sachet and add the chopped herbs just before serving.

Garnish each serving with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese.





Winter Greens with Orange Vinaigrette



I used some fancy holiday goat cheese flavored with blueberry and vanilla, and it really made the salad pretty exceptional; but any plain creamy goat cheese would do.

Dressing (makes about 1/2 cup)
1 small shallot, minced
1/4 c champagne vinegar
2 T orange juice
1 tsp orange zest
1/2 tsp honey or sugar
1 T canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

Salad (amounts are per serving)
2 c washed/dried mixed greens (watercress, endive, spinach, romaine)
1 T walnuts, toasted and chopped
1/2 oz soft goat cheese
2 T dried cranberries


Whisk all the ingredients together except the oil, then whisk in the oil. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Arrange the greens on a plate. Sprinkle the nuts, cranberries, and goat cheese on top.

Drizzle the dressing over each serving of salad.

Spaghetti Squash and Meatballs

Aahhh, comfort food. It cures what ails you after a day in the ER. Here you go.

Menu
Baked Spaghetti Squash
Turkey Meatballs

Spaghetti Squash
makes 8 servings



I was inspired by a recent knockout side dish at The Big Orange, which, I'm sure, was laden with top shelf olive oil and years-aged Parmesan cheese, most likely the reasons I couldn't stop shoveling into my mouth. Nevertheless, I endeavored to replicate it tonight, since I had a lovely specimen taking up valuable counter-space. And as an added bonus, we didn't have to fight for parking.


My version, while admittedly not as rich, was nonetheless respectably delicious.

1 spaghetti squash, halved (please don't cut off a finger doing this)
2 T cilantro, minced
2 T olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground pepper
2 oz sharp cheddar cheese, diced or grated
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
3 garlic cloves, minced

1. Place the squash halves cut-side up in a glass dish and cover with plastic wrap. Microwave on high for 10-12 minutes or until flesh can be easily shredded with a fork.
2. Remove the seeds and use a fork to scrape the squash into an 8x8" baking dish.
3. In a small bowl, combine the remaining ingredients. Toss with the squash until evenly distributed.
4. Cover with foil and bake at 425F for 30 minutes or until bubbly. Serve topped with meatballs and marinara sauce.


Turkey Meatballs



makes about 35 small meatballs

20 oz ground turkey
6 T fresh breadcrumbs (another opportunity to use up Thanksgiving leftovers...I used leftover stuffing)
1 T minced onion or dried onion flakes
2 T salsa
1/4 c fresh cilantro, minced
1/4 c fresh parsley, minced
1 tsp garlic powder
cooking spray

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl. Form into 1-inch meatballs and place in cooking-sprayed baking dish.
2. Bake at 400 for 15 minutes or until cooked through.

Action expresses priorities.

We started watching Ghandi last night. So what kind of food does one eat while watching Ghandi?

Pizza, duh. From the uber-trendy Phoenix joint, La Grande Orange.

On the second night, however, (because, jeez, the thing is more than three hours long and a girl's got to get her beauty sleep!), one eats Indian food. Or at least, a white-suburban-Jewish-girl's rendition of Indian food. Enjoy. And be good.

Menu:
Cilantro-Mint Chutney
Tamarind Chutney
Cumin Potatoes
Steamed Fish with Cilantro
Mr. Panseer's North-Indian Style Spinach
Pitas

Tamarind Chutney
from The Global Gourmet

1 tablespoon tamarind concentrate
1/2 cup water
2 tablespoons firmly packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon grated or very finely minced gingerroot
1 clove garlic, crushed
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/4 teaspoon crushed dried hot pepper


I found this cute little jar at Whole Foods.


And look! It's local!


Cilantro-Mint Chutney
from Big Oven

OK, I have to interrupt, here. I've made a version of this before--there are recipes all over the internet--but this was the first one I've seen that called for cashews. I thought about omitting them at first for the sake of low-fat, reduced, calorie, blabbity-blah-blah-etc, but Oh My Goodness, USE THEM. They don't add that much fat and wowza, does it taste gooood. I think even Ghandi would have approved.



1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 cup raw cashews
1 1/2 c fresh mint leaves
1 1/2 c fresh cilantro leaves
1/2 c fresh lime juice (I used lemon)
1/4 c water
1 T sugar
2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until smooth.

Steamed Fish with Cilantro



2 T soy sauce
1 tsp brown sugar
2 T cilantro, minced
1 small jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 T ginger, grated
2 T water
2 tilapia fillets

1. Combine soy sauce through water in a small bowl.
2. Place fillets in a large skillet and pour the sauce over them.
3. Turn the heat on high, bring to a boil, then turn to a simmer, cover the skillet, and steam for 5 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Serve immediately.

Cumin Potatoes



3 cloves garlic
1/4 onion
2 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp toasted cumin seeds
1 tsp mustard seeds
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp salt, or more to taste
1 medium carrot, sliced
4 medium potatoes (approx 3" diameter), peeled and cut into 1" cubes
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup green peas, frozen

1. In a large skillet, saute the onions, garlic, olive oil and spices until onion are translucent, about 5 minutes.
2. Add the carrots, potatoes, and chicken broth.
3. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce to a simmer, and cook for 20-30 minutes or until potatoes are soft. Stir frequently and add water as needed to prevent potatoes from sticking to pan.
4. Just before serving, stir in the peas and warm through.



Mr. Panseer's North-Indian Style Spinach

(from Crescent Dragonwagon's Passionate Vegetarian, originally blogged about here)

2 tsp clarified butter or vegetable oil
1 small onion, finely diced
1 serrano chile, diced, seeds and membranes removed
1 T peeled grated ginger
1 T finely minced garlic
2 pounds fresh spinach, well washed, coarsely chopped
2 T water
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp fresh ground pepper

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet with a tight-fitting lid. Add the onion and cook until translucent. Add half of the chile and ginger and saute for 2 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 1 minute.
2. Add the spinach a few handfuls at a time, allowing it to cook down until you are able to add all of it to the skillet.
3. Add the water, salt and pepper. Cover and cook over very low heat for 1 hour.
4. Just before serving, spray a small skillet with cooking spray and heat the remaining chile and ginger until very hot. Stir into the spinach and serve.

The Miracle of Thanksgiving.

Oy. Has it really been a month? I ate enough in the past week to make it feel like a month, that's for sure...

Thanksgiving came and went, and of course we ate like kings. I'm sorry to say I did not record a single thing during the entire 5 day event. You'll just have to trust that food was prepared and eaten by the ton.

And now, leftovers!!! Huzzah!!!

And for some bizarre reason, Hanukkah falls directly after Thanksgiving. So, natch, we have a challenge: try to use the multitudes of turkey-day leftovers in traditional Macabee fare. I think we did pretty well, even if it wasn't exactly "traditional".



Menu:
Mashed Potato Latkes
Broccoli Slaw Latkes
Jalapeno Sour Cream
Applesauce
Kale Salad with Bread Stuffing Crumbs


Mashed Potato Latkes



makes 6 pancakes

These were tasty, as all things mashed-potato-derived should be. There's nothing that can truly replace shredded potato and onion latkes deep-fried in oil, but these were fine in a pinch and a great way to use up the bucket of leftover spuds.

2 c leftover mashed potatoes
1 egg
1 scallion, minced
cooking spray

1. Beat the egg well in a small bowl.
2. Stir in the potatoes and scallion and mix well.
3. Heat a frying pan to medium and coat with cooking spray.
4. Form the potatoes into flat patties and fry until each side is golden brown. Serve with applesauce and sour cream.


Broccoli Slaw Latkes



makes about 5 cakes

Basically a shredded veggie pancake. Super easy if you use bagged broccoli slaw, but it would be only minimally more work to shred carrots/broccoli/cauliflower/zucchini or whatever vegetable you want to incorporate.

1 egg
1/2 tsp grated nutmeg
1/4 tsp each salt and pepper
2 cups shredded broccoli slaw
1 scallion, minced
4 T matzoh meal (or bread crumbs)
cooking spray

1. Beat the egg well. Mix in the nutmeg, salt and pepper.
2. Mix the broccoli slaw and scallion with the egg until combined.
3. Stir in the matzoh meal.
4. Heat a frying pan to medium and coat with cooking spray.
5. Drop the slaw mixture onto the pan and flatten gently.
6. Cook on both sides until browned.




Kale Salad with Bread Stuffing Crumbs



Inspired by a salad served at True Food Restaurant in Phoenix. Mine was just as good and quite a bit cheaper. This was also a nice way to use leftover stuffing, and I will probably freeze the rest of the stuffing to have on hand just for the purpose of making bread crumbs.

Dressing:
1/4 c fresh lemon juice
1 T olive oil
pinch of sugar to taste
salt and pepper to taste

Crumbs:
1/4 c leftover bread stuffing or shredded bread
2 T shredded cheddar or Parmesan cheese

1 bunch flat-leaf kale, chopped

1. Whisk together the dressing ingredients and set aside.
2. Spread the stuffing on a toaster pan and toast until dried. Set aside to cool.
3. Toss the kale with the dressing and divide into desired number of servings.
4. Toss the cheese with the crumbs when cool and sprinkle over the kale.

Pantry Cleanout

With all the Thanksgiving and Halloween and fall themes going on at every store around, there's a general pumpkin tinge to the air these days. And hey, I can't complain...there is practically no baked good that doesn't taste better with a little pumpkin.

So when Nate announced that he was craving something pumpkin, I took the opportunity to appease his rare craving and use up some pantry staples at the same time. There's a can of pumpkin puree that's been sitting in there for, oh, a YEAR, and I've just never gotten around to cracking it open.

And yes, I'm still working on that bag of whole wheat pastry flour, which found its way in to today's project.

And our house smells So. Good.

Pumpkin-Corn Muffins
makes 12 regular muffins



1/2 c white flour
1/2 c whole wheat pastry flour
1 c yellow cornmeal
1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1 T baking powder
1 heaping tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp salt
3 T butter, melted
1/2 c whole milk
2 eggs
1 c canned pumpkin puree

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Spray the cups of a muffin pan with cooking spray.
2. In a large bowl, combine the dry ingredients.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together the butter and eggs until golden. Slowly whisk in the pumpkin and milk until smooth.
4. Fold the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients until just combined.
5. Divide the batter evenly amongst the muffin cups and bake for 20 minutes or until a knife inserted into the muffin comes out clean.
6. Serve plain, with butter, honey, apple butter, or pumpkin butter. Best served warm.