What a week. My high school students are rapidly running out of motivation and self-control, while I'm running out of patience and time. This coming week is the last week of classes, and then the week after that is finals. So by Friday night, I was hungry for something flavorful (after an eight-day battle with yet-unexplained abdominal pain left me able to eat little more than soup and peanut butter toast) but wasn't energetic enough to fuss. I had bookmarked this Epicurious recipe a few weeks earlier as one to remember later in spring. The title alone caught my interest -- almonds and garlic? (Living together? Mass hysteria!)
- 3/4 cup whole blanched almonds (4 oz)
- 3 garlic cloves
- 3/4 cup water
- 1 lb uncooked spiral or tubular pasta (I used rotini)
- 2 Tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 Tbsp butter, divided
- 10-oz package frozen peas, thawed
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1/2 cup basil leaves, torn into smaller pieces
- 1/3 cup mint leaves, torn into smaller pieces
- Start pot of water boiling for pasta. You'll need some of the water for the sauce, so add a few cups more than you usually would.
- Meanwhile, puree blanched almonds and garlic with water and 1/4 tsp salt in a blender until smooth.
- When the pasta water is just thinking about starting to boil, heat the oil and 1 Tbsp butter in a heavy rimmed skillet over medium heat until the foam subsides. Add the almond mixture and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the sauce is thickened (about 3 min).
- The pasta water is probably boiling by this point, so cook the pasta until it's almost al dente and drain.
- When the sauce is thickened in the skillet, add in 2 1/2 cups water from the pasta pot, plus 1/4 tsp salt and some black pepper. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened (3-4 min). Add in remaining butter and stir until melted.
- The pasta should be cooked and drained by now, so add it and the peas into the skillet and cook, stirring occasionally, until the pasta is al dente (2-3 min). Add cheese and lemon juice and stir to combine.
- Remove from heat and stir in the herbs, plus salt and pepper to taste. Serve with additional parmesan to sprinkle on top.
Today was a rare lazy Sunday where I finished my work early enough to mess around with a time-consuming recipe. This doesn't happen often, but when it does, it's glorious. Earlier in the week, I stopped by my parents' house shortly after my mom had taken a chicken and wild rice casserole out of the oven; in my meat-eating past, this creamy, comforting dish was one of my favorites (except for the time she snuck liver into it). I checked online and found a Vegetarian Times recipe that seemed quite similar, so I decided to test it out today. I've said before that I miss the layered, multi-textured experience of digging into a hearty meat-laden casserole, even though I don't miss the meat itself. It's tough to find satisfying vegetarian casseroles, I've found, but the one I made tonight is well on its way to being a winner. I'd make a few small changes next time, but I'll get to that after the recipe.
- 1/2 cup uncooked wild rice-brown rice mixture (I just used 1/4 cup of each from separate packages)
- 2 tsp vegetable oil
- 1 medium onion, chopped
- 1 large celery stalk, diced
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 lb (16 oz) white mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup creamy mushroom soup (see note below)
- 6 oz (2 cups) non-meat chicken-style chunks, such as Quorn or Morningstar (or make your own -- see note below)
- 1/3 cup sour cream
- 2 Tbsp dry breadcrumbs
- Bring 1 1/4 cups of water to a boil in a small saucepan. Add in the rice, reduce heat to low, and simmer with the lid on for 30-40 minutes, or until the rice is tender. (I did this a few hours before I was ready to cook and just stuck it in the fridge until dinnertime.)
- Preheat the oven to 375 F.
- Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in the celery, onion, and garlic, and cook, stirring often, for 5-6 minutes, or until the onion starts to get soft.
- Add the mushrooms to the skillet, and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the mushrooms start to brown. Season with pepper and a pinch of salt.
- Stir in the mushroom soup; remove from heat. Mix in the "chicken" chunks, rice, and sour cream, and spoon the mixture into a 2-qt casserole dish. Sprinkle the top of the casserole with breadcrumbs and bake 25-35 minutes, or until the top is golden brown and the center is bubbly.
I just found that the Vegetarian Times magazine's website features a 16-page PDF guide to becoming a vegetarian. The guide includes health reasons for excluding meat, tips for making the change, strategies for consuming enough calcium and protein, and suggestions for restructuring the food groups.
I mentioned in my last post that spring is a great time for dinner salads, and this is another great one. This recipe again comes from Jack Bishop's seasonal cook book, and I made only a few changes to it. I just left out the radishes, used less feta, added some cherry tomatoes, and substituted baby arugula for mesclun. To be honest, I'm not even 100% sure what mesclun is, but the name sounded clunky and I couldn't find it in the grocery store anyway. (I think it's similar to spring mix.)
- 1 1/4 cups dried green lentils, rinsed and picked over
- 3 garlic cloves, peeled and lightly crushed
- 3 medium carrots, peeled and finely diced
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 Tbsp lemon juice
- 1 medium celery stalk, finely diced
- 1 Tbsp dried dill
- a handful of cherry tomatoes, halved
- 8 cups packed arugula or other spring salad greens
- 1/2 cup feta cheese, crumbled
- Bring the lentils and garlic cloves to a boil in about 6 cups of water in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Then, reduce the heat and simmer briskly with the lid askew for 15 minutes.
- Add in 1 tsp salt and the carrots and continue cooking for for about 10 minutes, or until the carrots and lentils are tender but not too soft. Drain, discarding the garlic.
- Meanwhile, whisk the oil, lemon juice, and a pinch of salt together in a bowl. (Or put it all in a screw-lid container and shake.)
- Place the drained lentils and carrots, the celery, dill, and cherry tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over this mixture and toss to coat evenly. Add salt and pepper to taste, and allow the mixture to cool for about 10 minutes.
- Divide the arugula between four plates. Spoon the lentil salad over top and sprinkle each plate with about 1/8 cup of feta. Serve immediately.
Spring is a great time for plopping various things on top of a pile of edible leaves and calling it dinner. Even if that doesn't sound especially appetizing, you've got to admit it's convenient. (Plus it is appetizing, too.) This particular recipe comes from Jack Bishop's book, and it's easy, nutritious, and filling. I halved the original recipe, so if you want four servings, just double what follows below.
- 15-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1/4 cup packed fresh parsley leaves
- 1 medium garlic clove, peeled
- 1/4 tsp ground cumin
- 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
- 1 Tbsp fresh lemon juice, divided
- all-purpose flour
- 3 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, in 3 portions
- 4 cups packed arugula or spinach (baby or regular)
- Place the chickpeas, parsley, garlic, cumin, red pepper flakes, and 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice in a food processor. Process, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed, until smooth.
- Transfer the mixture into a medium bowl and stir in the flour, one Tbsp at a time, until the mixture holds together. (I think I needed about 2 Tbsp of flour.) Add a pinch of salt and shape the mixture into four 3-inch patties.
- Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the chickpea patties and cook until golden brown on the first side (about 4 min). Carefully turn the patties and drizzle the remaining Tbsp oil around the edges of the pan. Continue cooking until the patties are golden brown on the second side (about 3 min).
- While the second side is browning, place the arugula or spinach in a medium bowl, drizzle with the final 1 Tbsp oil and 1 Tbsp lemon juice, plus a pinch of salt and some black pepper. Toss the lettuce until it's evenly coated, and then divide the leaves between two plates.
- Transfer 2 of the cooked patties to each plate and serve immediately.
A few weeks ago, I posted a warning about rennet, a non-vegetarian product found in many cheeses. I was just perusing Trader Joe's website and found an online guide to their cheeses that specifies which use animal, vegetable, and microbial rennet. I'd like to find out if this guide applies to other brands of cheese or just theirs.
To my readers who do eat meat, I hope that you do so responsibly by buying ethically-raised/slaughtered products. The World Society for the Protection of Animals just created an iPhone app to help consumers find ethically-produced food and to decode product labels. The WSPA also features guides for finding ethically-produced foods in local grocery stores and restaurants, although the restaurant search is limited to only a few metropolitan areas for now. You can also sign their petition to end factory farming, a practice that is unnecessarily cruel and wasteful and one that produces more environmental pollution than any other industry.
Yes, I am still alive, readers. I really don't have an excuse for not posting besides the usual end-of-the-school-year chaos. But I'm back, and that's the important part, right?
- 3-4 flour tortillas (8- or 10-inch)
- 14 oz package firm or extra firm tofu
- canola oil
- salt-free, Southwest-type seasoning mix
- salt and pepper
- thinly shredded romaine lettuce
- shredded cheddar cheese
- sour cream
- Drain the liquid from the tofu package and crumble the tofu* onto an opened towel on top of a plate. Then, fold the other half of the towel over on top of the tofu and press down to absorb more of the liquid.
- Heat 1-2 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the tofu to the pan. (You might want to put a splatter guard on top of the skillet.)
- Cook the tofu, stirring occasionally, until it's golden brown and crispy all over. (I think it was about 10 minutes for me.)
- While the tofu is cooking, warm the tortillas in the microwave for about 30 seconds so they're easier to fold. Spread each tortilla with some sour cream, a handful of Romaine, and a sprinkling of cheddar.
- Sprinkle the tofu with about a teaspoon of the seasoning mix, a generous pinch of salt, and some black pepper; cook and stir for another minute or two.
- Place a third or a quarter of the tofu in the middle of each tortilla and roll it up into a wrap. Done!
