Dinner - March 22, 2010

Sort of a traditional midwestern meal made with odds and ends from the refrigerator. Starch: Quinoa pilaf with spinach. Protein: A "hamburger helper" like flavored tempeh sauteed with some mushrooms. Vegetable: Simple side of asparagus. Tasted about as unispired as it sounds.

Dinner - March 16, 2010

The other day I was trying to remember that tempeh recipe that Matt liked. I thought I should check my blog. It wasn't there then but I think this is it.

This is Curried Tempeh with Brown Rice and Peas from Bishop's A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen. I substituted sugar snap peas and served cauliflower on the side.

Not a power house of a dish but a nice way to make tempeh. The result is a sort of mild risotto like dish although it is definitely not risotto.

Now that I have found it, I will try it again.

Dinner - March 14, 2010

We must have been getting ready for picnic season. A meal of potato salad and coleslaw. Also known as new potatoes with sauteed shallots and herbs served with a crunchy cabbage salad.

Dinner - March 9, 2010

So far behind. Trying to get started again with the posting. We have been cooking but I have been so busy with the new job and volunteering. This is a mango and black bean salad served with a side of broccoli. Maybe there was a recipe. Maybe it will come to me.

Dinner - March 1, 2010

I believe this is my own creation. It is Mushrooms, Seitan, and Brussels Sprouts with Pumpkin Seed Oil over brown rice. It was satisfying but nothing special. This is why I still cook from recipes.

Dinner - February 25, 2010

Balsamic Roasted Seitan with Cipolloni Onions and Crunchy Cabbage Salad and Mashed Potatoes with Parsnips
from Berley's Fresh Food Fast.

We had this before and thought it was great. This time I wondered what I had thought was so great.

The onions were very large and ended up a bit strong. The last time they were the size of pearl onions. The cabbage was still good but I was out of walnuts so it wasn't great. The parsnips were particularly strong and I didn't use the full amount noted in the recipe.

I am wondering if I used to like the "meat substitute" way of cooking better.

Lunch - February 25, 2010

I used the left overs from the sandwiches to make a salad. I thinned the adobo/veganaise with a little water and tossed it all together just before eating. Find the original post here.

I thought this was great. It is inspiring me to eat more salads for lunch.

Dinner - February 24, 2010

This is a TLT (Tofu, Lettuce, and Tomato) Sandwich from Eating Well's Ipod Touch Application. In the background you can see Black Bean Soup from Eating Well Magazine's February 2010 issue. The sandwich recipe can be found here. The soup recipe can be found here.

The recipe calls for extra firm tofu but I had (and generally prefer) firm tofu. I smashed it under a pipe plate with some weight on it before proceeding with the recipe. I found the tofu came out of the oven as promised which is unusual for me and backed tofu. I used veganaise for the mayo. I thought these sandwiches were good but should never be compared to a sandwiches with bacon. The tofu tasted mostly like mustard to me.

The soup calls for prepared salsa. I did not have any so I substituted 1/2 cup diced tomato, a clove of garlic, a 1/2 tsp of adobo sauce, and 1/4 cup of bell pepper. I added the cilantro un-chopped to the food processor with the last batch of soup. This soup was easy and better than canned.

Dinner - February 20, 2010

This was going to be Indian Mango Dal from Eating Well Magazine's February 2010 issue. When I went to the pantry I had yellow split peas and not yellow lentils. I upped the cooking time but the peas were still a little firm and chalky. I liked it anyway so I am figuring the real recipe is excellent. The recipe can be found here.

I made a recipe and a half with two large mangoes. I would consider the mangoes I used ripe but not soft. I served it over brown basmati rice (1 cup uncooked).

The recipe claims you can make it in 40 minutes but I think it took me the time it took to cook the rice which is about an hour.

This made for excellent lunches as leftovers. I will definitely make this again.

Dinner - February 14, 2010

For Valentines Day, I was going to make a fancy meal and serve the last bottle of Italian Barolo that Matt got me several years ago. Instead we did laundry and had pizza and beer. It really was quite good and made the laundry tolerable.

One pizza is caramelizes onions (cooked with thyme and garlic) and sauteed portabello (cooked with garlic). The second pizza is sauteed spinach (blanched and cooked with shallots). The onion and mushroom pizza was the winner but it was nice to have both.

The crust was a recipe and a half of the whole wheat crust in The Healthy Hedonist cooked on a hearth stone (borrowed from my mother). Ten minutes at 500 degrees.

With the hearth stone I can make the crust from scratch and all of the toppings by the time the oven is hot.

Dinner - February 13, 2010

This is Potatoes and Chard with Green Curry Sauce from Bishop's Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen served over brown jasmine rice. That thick tasty sauce is based on coconut milk. I thought serving potatoes over rice was a bit excessive in the starchy category but we really enjoyed it. This is a great way to get your greens, rainbow chard was used here. I used a mixture of Yukon Gold and Klamath Pearl potatoes. You leave the peel on and they turn out great. There is something slightly strange about this dish but we both think we are going to be craving it. I will serve to some guests but I don't know which ones. I look forward to trying this again.

Dinner - February 9, 2010

This was a try at Israeli Couscous & Mushroom Pilaf with Spiced Tofu from Bishop's A Year in a Vegetarian Kitchen served over a mixture of romaine and green leaf lettuce dressed in lemon juice and olive oil. I didn't realize that Israeli couscous was a different size and I just had the little regular stuff. I cut the amount down to 1.5 cups and used 2.25 cups of water. The cherries and crimini mushrooms made for a nice earthy flavor but we were looking for a little tang. Some bites with just the right amount of dressed greens were excellent. I am going to give this a rating of has potential but I may still make it a regular meal here. I hope I am giving the impression that this was a great little meal.

Dinner - February 6, 2010

This is Indian-Spiced Cauliflower, Chickpeas, Potatoes, and Kale from Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist.

The notes in my cookbook said I made a double recipe previously that didn't quite fit in my dutch oven. I also noted that I used coconut oil, diced tomatoes in place of crushed, and 3/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. I also noted that I served it over half a serving of brown basmati rice. I wrote "good" at the top of my notes.

This time I used the the pan from my pressure cooker. I didn't have coconut oil so I used 2 tbsp of canola oil, 2 tbsp of roasted peanut oil, and 2 tbsp of roasted sesame oil. I was gong to go with just 4 tbsp of oil which follows my general rule of double the recipe but not the oil. I opted for 1.5 times on the oil since the pressure cooker is not non-stick. I only had a can of whole tomatoes so I just chopped them before adding to the pot. I think I was a little shy on the coriander.

This dish smelled heavenly and I think it tasted "great". The broth that developed was excellent. As noted in the cookbook this recipe makes great leftovers. I think serving it over a limited amount of rice is good since it is already full of great starches. I think this as the entire meal could serve 6 when doubled. The recipe says 4 to 6 for a single batch which it pairs with some raita and rice pilaf.

This recipe comes together including all the prep and cleanup in less time than it takes to make the rice. I think the taste of this dish is good enough to serve to any guests but I am still reluctant to serve a stew with kale to guests because I fear they will not see it as beautiful.

I also want to note that the vegetables from Farm Fresh Delivery were excellent. I was at about 5 days from the deliver and the vegetables were still in beautiful condition. The Klamath Pearl potatoes were perfect in this recipe and about half of them I left whole. It is now nearly a week since our delivery and I just washed up the remaining lettuce and it still looked better than when I get it at the grocery store.

Lunch - February 4, 2010

This morning I made chili and cornbread for our lunches. The night before we had some prepared soup and bread along side a big green salad for dinner. All of those ingredients were delivered by our new grocery service, Farm Fresh Delivery. It was great to have an easy, healthy, and tasty meal. Next time I will have to order enough for leftovers.

I am working on developing my own chili recipe. Below is a quick rundown on the ingredients.

Kristen's Chili - Try 1
1 onion chopped
2 shallots chopped
1 tbsp olive oil
1 jalapeño chopped
3 mini peppers chopped
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp oregano
1 tbsp cumin
8 oz seitan ground in food processor
2 tbsp tomato paste
12 oz chopped fire roasted tomatoes
1 14 oz can black beans rinsed
1 14 oz can chickpeas rinsed
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 cup frozen corn
1 tbsp lime juice
1/3 cup cilantro
Salt

Vegetable broth
Onion trimmings
Shallot trimmings
Carrot tops
Celery
Olive oil
Water

I made the broth as I was making the chili.

We both thought the chili was quite good. I had planned on developing a chili with pinto beans but I was pretty happy with the texture of the chickpeas today. I am not sure which way to go next.

Dinner - January 29, 2010

From my meal plan for the week we have Black Bean Tostadas with Cherry Tomato Salsa from Berley's Fresh Food Fast. We have liked this recipe for years and have served it to guests.

This night I tried reducing the lime juice in the salsa to half and doubling the black beans in the black bean and seitan mixture. I rounded the measures on the spices to compensate for the extra beans. I used a potato masher to smash some of the beans while they were cooking. I put about half of the seeds and core from the jalapeno in the salsa and that was plenty hot for me.

I think these adjustments are improvements. Next time I think I will try and make a little more salsa to balance the increase in the bean mixture.

I made up all ten of the tortillas in the package into tostadas. Two is probably a meal but I think someone ate four.

Dinner - January 18, 2010

We have two dishes here based on the memory of some recipes. The roasted vegetables are based on Immer's Spicy Roasted Cauliflower and Okra. The beans are based on the white beans from the Pork Tenerloin with Pistachio-Gremolata Crust recipe from Eat, Drink, and Be Healthy.

For the vegetables I substituted bell peppers and zucchini for the okra. I varied the spices and used whole mustard seeds.

For the beans I used lime in place of the lemon, cilantro in place of the parsley, and avocado in place of the nuts and breadcrumbs.

I found the meal satisfying. We were looking for a meal with no pasta or rice and this fit the bill. For a refrigerator clean-out meal I will call it a success.

Dinner - January 17, 2010

This is a variation on Immer's Linguine with Walnuts, Arugula, and Olives. Here we have broccoli rabe in place of the arugula. I blanched the chopped rabe in the pasta water before I cooked the pasta. I also used 50% whole wheat spaghetti in place of the linguine and left out the cheese.

Checking my notes it says that I used two bunches of broccoli rabe and chopped them into 2 inch pieces. I blanched them for 1 minute and then sauteed.

We loved this dish. These are strong flavors so I would be reluctant to serve it to most guests but I think those that really love food will appreciate it.

Lunch - January 9, 2010

I made a last minute trip with my mom down to see my sister and her family before I started my new job. I took three recipes with me from Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist. One was the standard Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry. The second was this salad, Asian Chicken Salad with Crisoy Wonton Strips, that can be made with the same Glazed Tofu. The third was Spinach-Tofu Wontons which is a version of ravioli in red sauce. I picked them because they were three very different dishes that were tied together by several ingredients.

Matt and I had enjoyed this salad before with the tofu. On this day we tried it with the chicken. I didn't have breasts on the bone with skin but rubbed some boneless, skinless breasts with olive oil. I also opted to replace the watercress with arugula. Both of these substitutions worked well. I think I do like the dish better with the tofu because you add a little sweetness.

Dinner - January 4, 2010

My purple cauliflower turned blue and helped me create this red, white, and blue meal. I say it is pretty damn American for not containing any beef.

This is Braised Tempeh with Curried Coconut Sauce from the Healthy Hedonist. I used hard cider for the apple juice and some of the water. I had to fake the spices and skip the dried coconut garnish. I also substituted half the amount of full fat coconut milk for the light type. I guess this is really not all that close to the recipe.

I enjoyed it but was not that impressed. I did keep going back for more so it worked well in a comfort food kind of way. I do think the tempeh ended up a little too salty.

I will not be making this for anyone else but when the ingredients end up in my refrigerator, I would try it again.

Dinner - September 22, 2009

Yellow oyster mushrooms (before) are pictured above. Yellow oyster mushroom (after) with some flat green beans are pictured below. This is again based on the Eating Well recipe that can be found here.


Myra Kornfeld's The Healthy Hedonist has become one of my favorite cookbooks. I don't think I go a week without hitting it. The dish below is Glazed Tofu (with brocolli added) which is part of her Tofu and Vegetable Stir-Fry. The stir-fry is a great dish and works with a lot of vegetable substitutions. I have posted on this one before where I served it with some noodles. You can find the old post here. On this day I just made the Glazed Tofu step and added broccoli.