Garam Masala Tofu Scramble March 29, 2008

Okay, so I know ‘tofu scramble’ is not the most appetizing sounding dish. But I have to say, if this picture from Heidi’s site doesn’t convince you to try it, then you are just crazy. The fennel, cranberries and pistachios are a really great match of flavors to the garam masala. Served with a side of sweet and regular potato chips and it was a very tasty and EASY dinner.

Olive Oil
1 1/2 t. garam masala
1 red onion – sliced
1 fennel bulb – sliced
1/4 C. dried cranberries
1 package tofu – pressed of excess water and crumbled (Heidi calls for firm but I used soft and it was good.)
Cilantro
Pistachios

Heat a splash of oil in a big pot. Mix in the garam masala and quickly add the fennel and onion. Saute for about 5 minutes, longer if you have time to caramelize a bit. Stir in the cranberries and cook for about 30 seconds before adding the crumbled tofu. Season with salt and pepper and just before serving add the cilantro (I used the cilantro paste, which I don’t recommend) and pistachios.

Notes: Really really great flavor. I threw this together in 15 minutes.

Servings: 3 servings, or one normal serving and one GIANT serving, Chris sized

Tortellini Soup March 27, 2008

I’ve never purchased or made tortellini before. I ran across this recipe and the picture just looked so beautiful I had to try it. I bought some cheese filled tortellini at the store and made this soup a couple nights ago. Served with some toasted garlic bread and it made for a very delicious and filling meal.

1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion – diced
4 cloves garlic – minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
1/2 t. dried oregano
1 quart low-sodium chicken stock (or vegetable stock to make it vegetarian)
1 can diced tomatoes
6 sundried tomatoes – diced
1 package fresh tortellini (I used cheese stuffed pasta)
3 cups cleaned spinach
1/4 cup fresh basil – chopped
Parmesan cheese – shaved
salt & pepper to taste

In a big soup pot, heat the oil and saute the onion and garlic for about 5 minutes.  Add oregano and pepper flake and stir around for another minute before adding about 1 cup of stock to deglaze the pan, scrapping up the brown bits on the bottom.  Add the rest of the stock and the tomatoes, juice and all. Simmer for 5-6 minutes and then add the tortellini and the sun-dried tomatoes. Simmer for 5-6 minutes more, cooking the pasta, and then add the spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Serve with fresh basil and parmesan cheese on top along with a piece of garlic toast.

Notes: I’d love to find better tortellini next time. I used some regular box found in Jewel, but I’m sure there is far better tortellini out there.

Notes: 4-5 big bowls

Irish Stew with Venison March 26, 2008

I looked up some soups and stews to get me through the final, terrible, cold and crappy days of winter. I found this stew on Je Mange la Ville and thought it would be great with venison chops instead of lamb. Because I have venison chops in the freezer. Thanks Kent! Be prepared to start this stew about 2 hours before you want to eat, as it has to… stew.

2 T. olive oil
1 package venison chops – cut into pieces
Salt
2 leeks – cleaned and sliced
1 package mushrooms – quartered
1/4 cup flour
4 T. unsalted butter (use the full amount as it’s needed to make the roux)
3/4 cup Guinness stout
1.5 cups beef stock
2 tomatoes – seeded and diced
2 parsnips – peeled and cut into pieces
3 skinny carrots – peeled and cut into pieces
1 large russet potato – peeled and cut into pieces
6 cloves garlic – peeled
Dried thyme
1/2 cup peas – (I used frozen)
Egg noodles

In a big soup pot, heat 1 T. oil and  brown the venison on all sides. Once browned, take out and set aside. Toss in the leeks and mushrooms and saute until soft. Next, add the butter and melt it. Add flour and mix into a roux. Turn the heat down to low and cook for about 5 – 10 minutes. Whisk in the beer and stock. Add the tomatoes and venison and simmer for 1 1/2 hour, covered. Stir occasionally. It smells very good.

While simmering, combine the parsnips, carrots, potatoes, and garlic and toss with 1 T. oil, salt and pepper along with thyme. Roast in the oven on 400 degrees for 45 minutes. This also smells good.

Once the stew has cooked for 1 1/2 hours, add the vegetables and the peas. Stir together. Season with salt and pepper and cook for about 10 more minutes. Serve over egg noodles.

Notes: While this dish was great with the venison, I think using lamb would add to it. I think there is a different level in fats that changes the stew a little.  This meal was NOT light on the carbohydrates though. Holy crap.

Servings: 6 servings

Mega Scones – Part 2 March 25, 2008

I made those Mega Scones again this past weekend. This time I cut back on how much I rolled out the dough, used two different kinds of preserves (strawberry and black berry) and was much happier with the results.  While tasty, I am looking forward to trying a more traditional scone the next time I get a craving for scones.

GUEST CHEF: Jen’s Spring Rolls March 25, 2008

Jen made these really tasty shrimp spring rolls with sesame ginger dipping sauce. I tasted them. Several of them. Delicious.

Rice Paper Squares
1-1.5 cup Bean Sprouts
1 cup Grated Carrots
1-1.5 cup Shrimp-chopped
1/2-1 cup Cilantro-chopped
1/2 cup Dipping Sauce- I used Newman’s Own, low fat Sesame Ginger Dressing-delicious!

I used 8″ square rice paper (I picked it up at the Asian Food Market on Belmont). Soak the rice paper in water for about 30 seconds-until it becomes flexible, drain off excess water and lay flat on working surface (I used a baking pan filled with warm water to make sure the entire square could soak). Along one end of the rice paper, arrange in a line, 1 tablespoon of cilantro and 2 tablespoons each of: bean sprouts, carrots and shrimp (more or less depending on your tastes or desired roll size). Starting at the ingredients end, roll the rice paper as tight as you can and put aside to set up. Repeat until you run out of ingredients.

Cut each roll into halves or thirds. Arrange on a plate and serve with dipping sauce. Makes about 6-8 whole rolls.

You could use any number of vegetables in this same manner as well as cooked chicken or tofu instead of shrimp. So easy, fast and healthy!

Notes: I had to experiment a little to get the amount of time the rice paper soaked correct. You need to have it be flexible enough to roll, but if you soak it too long it becomes gooey and rips apart. One good thing to remember is that the rice paper will continue to soften after you remove it from the water. Warm water seems to work better and faster than cold, but either will work.

Also, these are best if made as soon as possible before serving. If they sit too long the rice paper will become gummy or if sitting for way too long they will dry out. Neither of which is very appealing.

Kale & Spicy Chicken Sausage March 24, 2008

I threw this second kale dish together on Saturday. I’d purchased some spicy chicken sausages a few weeks ago and thought that mixing them in with kale would be nice. It was.

1 bunch kale – sans stemmed and cleaned
1 T. ancho chili flakes or any red chili flakes
1 spicy chicken sausages (precooked) – sliced

In a big skillet, heat a little oil and toss in sausage and kale. Add ancho chili flakes, salt and pepper. Continue cooking and mixing until the sausage starts to get a little brown and the kale turns a bright green. Serve immediately.

Notes: This had a nice spice to it and was pretty filling.

Servings: 2 servings

Kale with Sun-Dried Tomatoes & Fontina March 20, 2008

I’ve been searching out different recipes for hearty greens, including kale. It has a high nutritional value and will definitely be in many of my early CSA boxes. Interestingly, wikipedia says that it freezes well and actually tastes sweeter after a frost. Hm.

Anyway, last night I threw together this dish to have along with leftover soup. Cooking it takes away some of the bitterness, and I just loved the sun-dried tomatoes and the flavorful garlic with the kale.

1 bunch kale
4 cloves garlic – sliced
1/2 cup sun-dried tomatoes – sliced
1/4 cup grated Fontina cheese

To prepare the kale, tear the leaves from the center stem, rip into pieces, rinse very well and spin dry. Heat a little oil in a skillet and toss in the garlic for a minute. Add the kale and sun-dried tomatoes and continue mixing and stirring until the kale cooks a bit and the color turns a darker green. Kale will NOT cook down like spinach or even like swiss chard. It will shrink a little bit but not much. Season with salt and pepper. Turn off heat and mix in the cheese. Serve with fresh ground pepper.

Notes: I will be making this mix again this spring when we get kale in our CSA.

Servings: 2 big servings

Leek & Pea Stir-Fry March 19, 2008

So. This meal was kind of sucky. That’s right, it just was not that good. Granted, I made some changes, like used tofu instead of chicken, added cabbage and did not add as many peas as the recipe called for. But the sauce was… boring. And too salty. I found this in my April 2008 Bon Appetit. It was in the section talking about spring peas. Of course, it is not spring yet as was abundantly clear by the wimpy peas I found at the store. Anyway, here is the recipe. I do not recommend it.
2 T. canola oil
2 T. sesame oil
6 garlic cloves – finely chopped
2 T. minced peeled fresh ginger
1 package sliced shiitake mushrooms
4 carrots – diagonal sliced
4 – 5 leeks – sliced (white and pale green parts only)
1 package extra firm tofu
1/2 cup soy sauce
1/3 cup unseasoned rice vinegar
1 cup peas
3/4 cup cabbage (I had it left over from a previous meal.)

Heat the oils in a large skillet and toss in the garlic and ginger. After a few minutes, add the mushrooms and cook for another 2 minutes before adding the carrots, leeks and cabbage.

Add the tofu in slices along with the soy sauce and rice vinegar. Add the peas at this time too. Saute until everything is cooked to your liking.

Notes: Bleh.

Servings: 4 servings

Roasted Garbanzo Beans March 17, 2008

I ran across several different roasted garbanzo bean recipes recently. First on Kalyn’s Kitchen and then on Serious Eats.  I baked these to eat as a snack over the next week or so. The smell alone was wonderful, and they will be a great, healthy snack that won’t mess with my blood sugar.

2 cans garbanzo beans
1 T. extra virgin olive oil
Salt
1 shake corriander
1 shake cinnamon
1 shake cayenne pepper

Drain and rinse the garbanzo beans and dry with paper towels. In a bowl, mix with oil, spices and salt. Spray a cookie sheet with a little oil and spread the seasoned beans on the sheet. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes or until garbanzo beans are well roasted.

Notes: I had a few to taste before putting them in a container to take to work. They are good!

Servings: A bunch of snacks

Asparagus, Shitake, & Artichoke Heart Risotto March 17, 2008

My sister Theresa visited Chicago this past weekend. Friday night I made risotto for us for dinner. While it was still good, it was not as creamy and delicious as the last time. (You can even tell from the pictures!) I have two guesses as to why. 1) Not enough Parmesan cheese at the end and 2) Shorter cooking time than before, so maybe the heat was too high and it took away from some of the creaminess. Anyway, I found the recipe on Smitten Kitchen’s site and of course her picture is beautiful.

6 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
2 bundles asparagus
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 package shitake mushrooms – sliced
1 can artichoke hearts – quartered
2 shallots – chopped
2 cups Arborio rice
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/3 cup grated Parmesan Cheese (She calls for 2 ounces finely grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, which is 1 cup, but she only used half)

Bring broth to a boil and toss in the asparagus after breaking the ends off. Boil for 3-4 minutes and then pull out and drop into a bowl full of ice water. This will stop the asparagus from continuing to cook. Drain the asparagus after it is cool and chop into bite sized pieces. Set aside. Keep the broth on simmer.

Heat the oil with 1 T. butter in a pot. Add the mushrooms and saute for about 4 minutes, season with salt and pepper and then transfer to a bowl and set aside. Add a little more butter and cook the onions. After 3 minutes add the rice, stir for about 1 minute before adding the wine. Cook until it has dissolved.

Start adding the broth, one ladle at a time, stirring the whole time. Do not add the next cup of broth until it has all dissolved in the pot with the rice. Cook at medium low (I cooked at about medium, or just under, and I think it should have been lower). It will take 20-30 minutes for the rice to cook.

Stir in cheese, butter, salt and pepper. Gently stir in the vegetables and let sit for a minute or two to heat through.

Notes: I liked the asparagus and shitake mushrooms in this risotto and look forward to trying it with other vegetables, maybe even butternut squash sometime. Again, this risotto was good, but not as good as the last one I made.

Servings: 8-10 servings!