Category — Vegetarian

So right.  You’re trying to eat more vegetables in 2010?  You’re trying also to eat them un-creamed, without oozing cheese, etc. because maybe you’re also trying to be healthier and/or lose a few lbs.?  But aren’t those steamed veggies a little boring???  I think so.  Don’t get me wrong.  Sometimes you need to go hard-core and slam down some plain steamed broccoli with lemon juice, but most of the time, no.  If you’re counting calories or points, you can budget in a little sauce here and there, and let me tell you, it actually makes eating scads of greens . . . dare I say . . . enjoyable?  Here’re some ideas for pepping up your produce.

To Lightly Steamed Broccoli, Add

Dijon Vinaigrette:  extra-virgin olive oil, sherry vinegar, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Sesame Vinaigrette: dark sesame oil, rice wine vinegar, soy sauce and optional chili oil for heat.

 Curried Mango Mayo:  mayonnaise, Major Grey’s chutney, curry powder.

Italian-Style:  Add extra-virgin olive oil to a large skillet and saute the broccoli ’til crisp-tender.  Sprinkle with finely grated Parmesan cheese and hot pepper flakes.  Optional – add a thinly sliced garlic clove to your oil and saute for 30 seconds before adding your broccoli.

To Lightly Steamed Green Beans, Add:

Yogurt & Tahini Sauce:  Greek yogurt, tahini, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste and a drizzle of lemon juice to finish.

Olive Tapenade:Add a bit of pre-made tapenade to your beans.  Make it a meal by adding fresh mozzarella, hard cooked eggs, roasted peppers, etc.

Herb Butter:  Mix unsalted butter with chopped fresh herbs such as thyme, marjoram, etc. and some Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

To Cooked Carrots, Add:

Chili Butter:  Butter, chili powder, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Honey Mustard:  Butter, honey, Dijon mustard, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

To Winter Squash, Add:

Sage Butter:  Butter, chopped fresh sage, Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Harissa: Remember this stuff?  Add a little extra-virgin olive oil and Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Moroccan Spices:  Sweet paprika, cumin, cayenne, olive oil and Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.  If you have them on hand, chip up a bit of fresh cilantro and/or parsley to sprinkle over the top.

Sweet Fix: Maple syrup or agave nectar, pumpkin pie spice, and if you want extra richness, add some butter.

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Parents, you know those days when you swear the clock is broken?  Or that maybe it’s . . . moving backwards?  That was our Monday holiday.  Cruddy weather, plans for a trek to the South Shore to redeem gift certificates and visit Daddy and Grampy thwarted.  Blah.  Luckily our good buddies down the road were in the same position, so we rounded up the kiddos for a snowy park playdate.  But as I trundled L. home at 5, I thought “and now I have to COOK DINNER?”  Not in the mood.  I whipped up this easy pilaf in about 10 minutes, slapped some Stonewall Kitchen Vidalia Onion and Fig Sauce on a chicken breast and steamed some broccoli.  30 minutes to a complete meal, with a fruity, nutty pilaf on the side.  It was the best part of the day.

Quinoa Pilaf With Fruit And Nuts

Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until the onion is translucent. Add the quinoa and toast, stirring constantly, for 1 minute. Stir in the broth, salt and cranberries and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium low, cover and simmer until liquid is completely absorbed and quinoa is tender, 15-20 minutes. Toss with almonds and serve.

Serves 6.  Make it vegan by subbing vegetable broth for the chicken broth.

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On Tuesday afternoon I was casting about the ‘net for something original to make.  I’d planned on making an old standby, but that seemed boring to me and I wanted to jazz things up.  My only requirements were that the recipe used boneless, skinless chicken breasts and that it was fast.  I was also, for some reason, in the mood for potatoes, which is unusual.

Epicurious is great for times like these.  I plugged in “chicken and potatoes” and checked off the “Quick” box and voila!  Up came this curious recipe for “Chinese Chicken Curry.”  The list of ingredients was so random, I just had to try it.  I, of course, tweaked the recipe based on what I had on hand and my tastes (i.e., the 6 tablespoons of oil called for in the original seemed excessive to me) and came up with a flavorful, if unclassifiable meal. 

So what’s with the name of the recipe?  D. did not love this dish.  He is “not a fan of the home curry,” and when I asked D. what he’d call it, and if I should blog about it, and he said “if you’re going to blog about it, then you must call it the Freaky Chinese-Indian Curry.”  Sometimes, I actually listen to my husband and do what he wants.

I’m guessing, but I think that D.’s thought was that the dish is sorta Indian because as a rule, we don’t see a lot of potatoes in Chinese cookery.  And the curries we eat are from our favorite Indian places.  But that’s more because the Chinese food around here is primarily from places other than Northern China – where they do use potatoes in their cooking.  And the Chinese do do curry as well. 

Nevertheless, whatever its genealogy, this is a slightly sweet, slightly spicy, healthy and interesting meal that will perk up your taste buds on a cold January weeknight.  Enjoy!

Chinese Curry Chicken (Adapted from Bon Appetit)

Heat the oil in a wok or large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the onion and stir-fry until translucent.  Add the tomatoes, curry powder, soy sauce, ginger, garlic, turmeric and chili powder and stir until combined.  Mix in the potatoes, 1 c. of the broth, and the vermouth.  Cover and simmer about 10 minutes, until the potatoes are starting to get tender.  Add the chicken, cover and cook until the potatoes are tender and the chicken is cooked through, about 10 minutes more.  Meanwhile, combine 1/4 c. of the broth with the cornstarch, shake or whisk to combine and make smooth.  Add this to the pan and stir, bringing the mixture to a boil for 2 minutes.  The sauce will thicken slightly.

Serves 4.

We ate this served over steamed broccoli (again, not Chinese) and it was very tasty.  It would be great atop rice (use brown for added fiber and nutrients), as it’s very saucy.  You could easily substitute tofu and vegetable broth for the chicken (I think the pre-fried tofu puffs you can get at Asian markets would be particularly tasty) to make this a vegan meal.

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I am such a fan of the frittata.  They’re quick, easy, and you can utilize whatever ingredients you happen have on hand . . . . potatoes, leftover ham, various greens, onions, leeks, salami, the kitchen sink.  Today’s recipe uses leeks from my CSA share, along with refrigerator staples in our house: baby spinach and egg-substitute.  Add to this some sun-dried tomatoes and a bit of cheese and voila!  A light, veggie-full dinner in 30 minutes.

Spinach & Leek Frittata

Preheat the broiler.

Put the tomatoes in a bowl and cover them with boiling water.  Let stand for 10 minutes.  Drain and chop.

Heat the oil in a medium cast-iron skillet over medium-high heat.  Add the leeks and garlic; cook, stirring occasionally, until the leeks are lightly browned, 6-7 minutes.  Add the spinach and tomatoes; cook, sirring occasionally, until the spinach is wilted, about 2 minutes.  Distribute this mixture evenly in the skillet, and sprinkle the cheeses over the top.  Generously pepper the skillet, and sprinkle a little salt evenly over the top (the Romano is a bit salty, so watch it).  Drizzle the substitute over the whole lot; cook, without stirring, until the eggs are set, about 5-7  minutes.  Transfer the skillet to the broiler and broil until the top is lightly browned, about 3 minutes.  Let stand at least 5 minutes before cutting into 4 wedges and serving. 

Serves 4.

A few thoughts.  One, this would be delicious served with some crusty bread – we didn’t have any on hand (I often buy and freeze a small loaf from Iggy’s, but alas, I’d already used it for something else).  Next, you might not be a fan of egg-substitute – so please, sub in regular eggs, egg whites, or some combination of any of these, just make sure it’s equivalent to 5 eggs.  Last, you can make this ahead of time and put it in the fridge to eat cold, or at room temp.  It will make a lovely lunch paired with a salad, which is what I intend to eat today!

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I grew up in a ruthlessly frugal household.  My parents were the economizers-in-chief of all things, and food was no exception.  Apple 3/4 of the way rotten?  Still 1/4 left to eat!  Limp veggies? Perk ‘em up in ice water!  Don’t know what to make for dinner and don’t have much in the house?  Get take-out?  Nooo!  We’ll raid the fridge staples for green peppers and eggs (I’m sure that my almost pathological dislike of cooked green peppers comes from having been fed this meal one too many times).

I am admittedly far less of a tightwad, but I do hate to waste food.  Sometimes, I find that all it takes to whip up a quick, cheap meal is a moment or two of opening my mind and foraging in my pantry.

Case in point:  I had a lot of leftover cooked whole wheat linguine (I’d say around 4 cups), which L. spontaneously decided she “hates.”  I had frozen peas that were gettin’ a little iced-over.  I had some whole milk ricotta that didn’t get used for a recipe.  And I had some shredded Italian 4-cheese blend threatening to mold.  Here’s what I did.  [Read more →]

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I love Thanksgiving ’cause it’s all about food and friends and family.  None of the gift pressure, less of the scrambling to get ready.  I look forward to the special foods we eat once a year . . . and then I know that afterwards, I need to rein it in again.

Friday night, we were all back on the sick train.  This reinforced my theory that we’ve had H1N1-lite – classic feeling better/thinking we’re out of the woods then wham-o back down for the count.  In any case, D. and I wanted something clean, healthful and tasty for dinner, and this salad fit the bill.  It’s adapted from a Ken Oringer recipe in the December Food & Wine. 

I used dried beans for this, so it’s a more time-consuming process.  You could easily sub a couple of cans of beans for this – just rinse and drain them before you add them to the mix.   If you do want to use dry beans (they are cheap and far tastier than canned, and then you avoid the BPA headache), you could do as I did and prep the beans in the morning.  After they cooled, I put them in the fridge for later.  I let them come up to room temperature while I prepared the quinoa and chopped the veggies, then combined them all at the last minute. 

Whichever way you make it, this salad is colorful, warm, crunchy and smoky and a 180-degree difference from the rich, starchy, sweet deliciously-fattening goodness most of us enjoyed on Thursday . . . .

Warm Bean & Quinoa Salad

 In a large saucepan, cover the beans with cold water and bring to a boil.  Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 1 hour.  Drain the beans.  Return them to the pot and cover with 3 inches of water.  Bring them to a boil and simmer over low heat until tender, about an hour.  Drain.

In a medium saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil.  Cover and simmer over low heat until the water is absorbed (about 15 minutes).

Place 2 T. of extra-virgin olive oil in a medium skillet.  Add the onions and saute over low heat until translucent.  Remove from heat and set aside. 

In a large bowl, whisk the vinegar, soy sauce, lime juice and chipotle.  Add the olive oil, whisking until blended.  Add the beans, quinoa, scallions, red onion, yellow pepper and cilantro.  Toss to combine, then season with Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste, tossing to combine again.

Serves 4 as a main-dish, generously.

This is one of those recipes that’s even better day 2, after the flavors have blended.  It serves up nicely chilled from the fridge, making it a strong contender for next day lunches.

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Still working my way through my CSA inventory . . . and the last of the greens are getting tired.  I decided the escarole wasn’t going to hold out much longer, so I made this on Friday night – D. and I both think it’s “a keeper.”  I consider this a one-dish meal because it’s got a decent amount of greens and decent protein and fiber from the beans . . . but if you want to serve this with a leafy green salad, it’d be great.  Whichever way you serve this, it cries out for a delicious, crusty loaf of bread to sop up the flavorful broth.

This way, using canned cannellini beans, is the quicker way to prepare this soup – 45 minutes to 1 hour total time.  If you prefer the taste of dried beans, this’ll take significantly longer, but the beans will have more flavor and will be more firm.  Up to you!

White Bean and Escarole Soup

Heat the oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat.  Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally until golden, about 10 minutes.  Add the garlic, rosemary and pepper flakes, cook until translucent, about 3 minutes longer.

Stir in the escarole and cook until just wilted, about 2 minutes.  Add the broth, beans and tomato and bring to a gentle simmer.  Season with salt to taste.  Cover and cook until slightly thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve in bowls with a drizzle of olive oil and Parmesan, if desired.

Serves 6.  Even better leftover on day 2+!

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Monday, Monday – here we are again, new week, new recipes . . . still workin’ the CSA loot here.  Saturday night, D. and I had a lovely, but super-rich dinner.  We had killer food hangovers yesterday.  So I wanted to keep dinner very light, and this soup did the trick.  I had a nice-sized head of Napa from my share – super-crisp, lovely light-green and tasty.  This is another quickie soup – 40 minutes or fewer from counter to table. 

Napa Cabbage Soup

Place the oil in a large, deep saucepan or casserole and turn the heat to medium.  When the oil is hot, add the cabbage, onion, salt and pepper.  Cook, stirring frequently, until both the onion and cabbage are tender.  It’s OK if they brown a little bit in the process.  Stir in the ginger and cook for 1 minute.  Add the broth, sesame oil, soy sauce and fish sauce.  Cook, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes.  Finish by adding the lime juice, then taste and adjust the seasoning.  Serve hot.  Serves 4.

There are infinite ways to create a meal around this.  I drained and pressed, then cubed up some firm tofu (our favorite is Chang Shing tofu, made in Cambridge – they just started carrying this at the Fresh Pond Whole Foods which saves a trip to Super 88 or Russo’s) and put it in the bottom of the soup bowl before I ladled in the soup.  Another way to add heft to the meal would be to serve steamed dumplings alongside . . . .  Enjoy!   

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