Al Khabsa Tofu

It's been far too long since I've cooked with the spices of my childhood - cumin, coriander, cardamom, turmeric. I came back to these flavors by accident, of course (having never strayed very far), on a hectic weeknight when I left work in a rush, the sun already long set and a cold drizzle lingering behind instead, dashing home to cook pumpkin and black beans for supper. Only to discover that my beautiful pumpkin had somehow spoiled. Quickly I rummaged in the fridge and spice cabinet, and a lively stew emerged. This dish is so packed with flavors it works remarkable well with tofu, which soaks up the warm spices instantly.



Al Khabsa Tofu

1/4 cup smart balance light spread
2 lbs firm tofu OR 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breast, cut into 1" pieces
1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp cardamom
1/4 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp coriander
1/4 cup tomato paste
14.5 oz can diced fire roasted tomatoes
3 cups vegetable broth
Cooked brown rice

~ In a large pot over medium heat, melt the SmartBalance Light and saute the tofu or chicken along with the onion until browned.
~ Stir in the garlic, spices, and tomato paste, and give a quick stir or two until fragrant.
~ Add the tomatoes and broth, and simmer until everything is cooked and the flavors have had time to meld.
~ Serve warm, over the rice!

Cajun-Italian Pasta Salad

It's been a hectic week at work, combined with finally succumbing to the cold which, according to reports from my friends, has been making the rounds not only at my office but across the map as well. Thus, this week's culinary experiences have been rather random but not at all unpleasant, so I thought I would share with you some snapshots of our meals during a long week of late nights and echinacea tea.

Speaking of echinacea tea, this is one of the most palatable "cold care" teas I've found, and I feel tons better after each cup!

 

Work has been following me home from the office nearly ever night, but the kitties have been keeping me excellent company as I huddle over a cup of tea and type away...

I usually try to fix myself a proper breakfast most mornings, but this week I've had several early morning meetings and found myself in need of something extra-quick to throw in my bag on the way out the door... I've become quite the fan of these Kashi pumpkin granola bars! (Fortunately one of my colleagues is also fond of eating breakfast while working, so I'm not the only one with a cup of tea and a granola bar at meetings.) As fundamental and obvious as it might sound, I love how Kashi's products actually taste like their real ingredients... A shockingly rare phenomenon in the world of breakfast bars.

On nights when Zach and I both arrive home at a reasonable hour, it's nice to have a little healthful nibble or two as we unwind and get ready for dinner... Our friend Matt introduced us to Trader Joe's fat free Greek yogurt and kale dip, which is amazing!! Despite it's somewhat unpalatable appearance it totally tastes decadent and creamy, like a good for your spinach artichoke dip!

 

Saturday morning my cold reached it's zenith, but I tend to get stir-crazy trying to stay at home alone and rest, so I made my way to our blessedly close-by (two blocks away!) farmers market for a cup of kukicha twig tea and a bowl of cabbage soup... Healing remedies for certain.

 

I was so delighted with the burlap bag provided to steep my loose leaf tea that I brought it home for future use!

By Saturday night I was feeling better and in the mood to cook again, so I compromised with a dish that's utterly simple yet utterly beautiful to present...

I typically have avoided cooking with stuffed pastas such as tortellini in the past, as they're usually available only in a white flour version, but Buitoni now offers whole wheat tortellini which makes me exceedingly happy. Yes, it's still a rather caloric pasta due to all the cheese, but it has the same amount of fiber (6 grams per serving) as regular whole wheat pasta and when combined with a plethora of veggies as in this dish here it makes a handy recipe foundation.

With smokey Cajun flavors and Italian seasonings, this dish is a bit of an homage to New Orleans' Italian influences - and my Italian friend Kathleen, of course!

Cajun-Italian Fusion Pasta Salad

1/4 cup apple cider vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 T spicy brown mustard

1 T water

1 tsp oregano

1 tsp basil

8 oz andouille sausage OR 8oz vegetarian "sausage patties," such as Morningstar Farms brand, either option diced

2 red bell peppers, julienned

14.5 oz can fire roasted diced tomatoes

14oz can quartered artichoke hearts, drained

14oz can chopped hearts of palm, drained

6 oz jar or so of thinly sliced pimiento peppers, drained

18 oz whole wheat cheese tortellini, cooked according to package directions

1/3 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese

~ Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, mustard, water, oregano, and basil, and set aside.

~ In a large skillet over medium heat, begin browning the andouille or veg sausage. If you're using the veg sausage, add 1 T olive oil to the skillet first.

~ Halfway through the sausage cooking process, add the bell peppers, and saute until tender, covering to steam if necessary.

~ Combine the sausage and peppers mixture in a large bowl together with the tomatoes, artichoke hearts, hearts of palm, pimiento peppers, and tortellini.

~ Fold in the vinaigrette made in the first step, along with the Parmesan.

~ Season to taste with salt and pepper, and serve either warm or chilled!

Stream of Consciousness Spaghetti Squash

My friend Alyssa gave me the idea of peas in Alfredo sauce, which caused my mind to immediately take flight from there, stream of consciousness as always...

Peas are a vegetable...

Spaghetti squash is a vegetable...

Spaghetti squash is used as pasta all the time, therefore it would be a natural match for Alfredo sauce...

While we're adding vegetables, we might as well keep the peas in there too...

I don't want to use store-bought Alfredo sauce...

Homemade cream sauces are caloric and finicky, and I already made one for the gnocchi...

I could make a semi-homemade sauce, but I really don't like using concentrated soup mixes... My grandmother wouldn't approve... and she's 96, so she must know everything...

However, Pacific foods does make a lovely organic cream of mushroom soup mix, which actually tastes like mushrooms instead of tasting like can...

and my grandmother does have dementia and is no longer sure what a towel is used for, so perhaps she would overlook my use of a prepared food...

Thus, I fully admit that a semi-homemade dish emerged from our kitchen. It's speedy, breezy, cozy, comforting, and a wonderful way to come home from the cold craving vegetables.

Never fear, the lumps will come out if you keep stirring vigorously with a wooden spoon...

Spaghetti Squash Alfredo

1 large spaghetti squash
12 oz frozen peas, thawed
2 tablespoons SmartBalance Light
1 package good quality cream of mushroom soup base, such as Pacific foods organic version
1/2 cup 2% milk
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

~ Slice the spaghetti squash in half, scoop out the seeds, and place cut side down in a baking pan filled with just enough water to overlap the spaghetti squash. Either cover with aluminum foil and bake in a 400 degree oven for 1 hour, or cover tightly with plastic wrap and microwave for 15 minutes. Scoop out the spaghetti squash strands with a fork, and set aside.
~ Steam or boil the peas until just tender.
~ In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the SmartBalance light. Stir in the soup base, milk, cheese, and pepper and continue stirring until heated through.
~ In a large casserole dish, fold together the squash, peas, and sauce. Serve warm!

Always set a festive table, even if dinner isn't quite as completely from scratch as usual... :-)

Brownie Cookie Cupcakes

I did it, and I'm not ashamed to admit it. I combined brownies and chocolate chip cookies - in a cupcake.

These cupcakes are world altering, time stopping, crazy good. I suppose you could frost them, but I think it would actually detract from the chewy, fudgy, intensity.

Come to think of it, more things in this world should be prefaced by "fudgy intensity..."



Brownie Cookie Cupcakes

For the brownie batter:
3/4 cup SmartBalance Light
5 oz unsweetened chocolate
2 cups raw turbinado sugar
1 T instant espresso powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup white whole wheat flour
1 cup dark chocolate chips

For the cookie dough:
2 1/4 cups white whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup SmartBalance Light
1 1/2 cup raw turbinado sugar
1 tsp vanilla
4 egg whites
1 cup dark chocolate chips (at least 60% cacao)

~ Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin cups with paper liners.

To Make the Brownie Batter:
~ In the microwave or on the stove-top over low heat, melt the butter or SmartBalance Light along with the unsweetened chocolate, stirring until smooth.
~ Remove the chocolate mixture from the heat, if you're using the stove-top, and whisk in the turbinado sugar, espresso powder, vanilla, and salt.
~ Add the eggs 1 at a time, whisking after each addition.
~ Toss together the flour and dark chocolate chips in another bowl and then add them to batter, folding them in until just combined. Set aside.
To Make the Cookie Dough:
~ Whisk together the flour, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
~ Beat the SmartBalance Light, sugar, and vanilla until fluffy.
~ Beat in the egg whites.
~ Stir in the dry ingredients.
~ Fold in the chocolate chips.
To Assemble:
~ Place a scoop of dough into each muffin cup, filling each cup just shy of 1/2 full.
~ Spoon brownie batter on top to nearly fill the cups.
~ Bake for 12 to 15 min, or until the brownie layer is set but not solid.
~ Allow to cool on wire racks... and enjoy! :-)

Cauliflower Mac N Cheese

We've discovered a macaroni and cheese revolution.

It all began when I set out to fix the cauliflower Mac and cheese recipe from the most recent Vegetarian Times magazine, but after I'd made the cheese sauce and stirred in the steamed cauliflower I discovered that the ratio of cheese sauce to cauliflower was waaaaaay off...

Instead of something resembling a casserole, I had... A soup. A lovely cauliflower and cheese soup. Delicious, but not exactly what I'd had in mind.

The answer? Add pasta! In a flash, the dish went from a light side dish to a hearty main course. The addition of cauliflower to Mac n cheese is truly inspired - the cauliflower added a delightful textural dimension, and just the tiniest bit of tang to lighten up the rich cheese sauce. And the greatest praise of all... Zach has finally been converted to vegetables in his macaroni and cheese.



Cauliflower Mac N Cheese

(Adapted from Vegetarian Times January/February 2012)

1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets
2 T SmartBalance Light
3 T flour
2 cups 2% milk
1 tsp garlic powder
1 cup vegetable broth
2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 pinch cayenne pepper
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups panko breadcrumbs
1 box whole wheat pasta, cooked according to package directions

~ Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Coat a 13X9" baking dish with cooking spray.
~ Steam the cauliflower in a stovetop or microwave steamer until tender.
~ Melt the SmartBalance light in a saucepan over medium heat.
~ Whisk in the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute.
~ Whisk in the milk, garlic powder, and broth and stir constantly for 10 minutes until the sauce is thickened.
~ Remove from the heat, and stir in the cheeses, cayenne pepper, and eggs until the cheese is melted.
~ Fold in the cauliflower.
~ Spread the mixture in the baking dish, and sprinkle the breadcrumbs on top.
~ Spray the breadcrumbs with cooking spray.
~ Bake for 10 minutes - until the sauce is bubbling and the breadcrumbs are toasted.
~ Serve over pasta!

Weekends...

I'm guilty of over-analyzing weekends. After a long work week, the idea of one or two days of freedom seems like such a Big Event that I plan entirely too many events and projects in order to face Monday morning feeling as though I've maximized every opportunity for both fun and productivity. This weekend, however, Zach announced he simply wanted to relax, so I didn't plan anything at all... And so far, it's been positively delightful.

We started the day with a healthful savory breakfast: A colorful mixture of quinoa, sweet potato, and spinach, seasoned with caramelized onions and soy sauce.

Then, coffee at the farmers marker... Coffee for independent people! :-)

When lunchtime arrived, Zach suggested hamburgers. Since we go out for burgers so rarely, they always feel like a special treat! We decided to try Smash Burger, a trendy little cafe in downtown Dayton that offers regular burgers, chicken burgers, and even vegetarian black bean burgers with a variety of gourmet toppings such as guacamole, banana peppers, and fresh jalapeños. My favorite was my side dish, the only kind of french fries i like - sweet potato fries with rosemary and garlic!

Zach was so pleased with our lunchtime treat, that he even agreed to go antique store browsing (aka Pyrex seeking) with me, where we found this gorgeous 1970's casserole dish...

I think I've become a fan of relaxing, spontaneous weekends already.