Salad Okay - Zucchini Not So Much

The week continues with recipes from Moosewood's Low-Fat Cookbook. Wednesday was Quinoa Black Bean Salad with a side of Zuchinni with Cilantro Sauce.

Both dishes were easy to make. The cooking instructions for the quinoa appeared to be a bit off as I had to cook over twice as long as noted.

We thought the salad was pretty good. It reminded me of a black bean and rice salad I used to make with chicken broth and a bit of oil. This was a very satisfying and healthier version. Matt found it to be a little sloppy. Maybe if I dump the seeds from the tomatoes it would work better. The Quinoa does not pick up the extra moisture like rice would.

The zucchini just left us wondering why you would steam a vegetable that is so full of water. I like zucchini sauteed in a pan till the sugars brown a bit and the center melts. Matt reminded me that I used to have this so mastered that I could do it without any oil in the pan. I find that many of the cookbook writers that I like have problems with zucchini. I wonder if they are just used to starting with the big horrible ones.

I will probably never try another steamed zucchini recipe and I will try not to pair an entree in lime dressing with a side dish in lemon dressing. I would definitely make the salad again but probably just for the two of us as a lunch.

We are thinking that the Moosewood cookbook is about 50/50.

Vegetable-Filled Pancakes

I made the Vegetable-Filled Pancakes from the Moosewood Restaurant Low Fat Favorites Cookbook. It was easy to make as promised and salty as warned but it did not add up to the servings noted.

My broccoli netted out at 6 cups of florets and 3/4 cup of peeled stems. This put me at a recipe and a half so that is what I made. This should have thereby made 1.5 cups of filling to fill six of the eight inch tortillas. I got 4 cups of filling.

I guess the calorie count they have is about right for 2 tortillas and half of the filling of the base recipe but you can not fit 2/3 of a cup of filling in a tortilla. Even the recipe says 1/4 cup. To get the serving they have you would have to eat two filled tortillas with a big mound of filling on the side.

If you stick with the 1/4 cup of filling per tortilla you end up with about 170 calories per filled tortilla. So I had three for dinner at 510 calories. Matt had four.

We will be finishing the filling off in pita bread becasue I calculated that I would need 16 tortillas and I only had 10.

This dish is also very salty. I could not find the fermented black beans so settled for a fermented black bean sauce which meant that I could not rinse the beans to reduce the salt.

I had some left overs for lunch and did not heat up the filling. The salt didn't bother me as much today with the chill from the refrigerator or maybe my taste buds are just adjusting.

I might try a version of this again but will not be serving it to others until I work out some of the details.

Quick Pre-Concert Dinner

We were planning on going to a concert around 7:30 so I wanted a quick dinner. I knew that we would be drinking a bit of beer so I wanted to keep the calories around 500.

I created this recipe from 3 sources with my own substitutions and adjustments. I don't usually share recipes here but reference the sources. I will say this recipe definitely starts with Immer's Roasted Okra and Cauliflower recipe but I feel it is adjusted enough to share here. I also referenced Immer's roasted chickpea recipe and Bishop's roasted kohlrabi.

Kristen's Roasted Vegetable and Chickpea Dinner

Preheat an oven to 400 degress.

Toast the following whole spices in a small fry pan and then grind with a mortar and pestle.
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp caraway seeds
1/2 tsp black peppercorns
1 tsp mustard seeds

In a non-stick roasting plan toss the following ingredients:
1 head cauliflower broken into florets (I used green cauliflower)
1 red bell pepper cut into 1 inch wide slices
5 kohlrabi bulbs peeled and cut into 3/4 inch cubes (err on the small side)
4 tsp of the herb mixture
3 tbsp of olive oil

Roast the vegetables in the oven for about 15 minutes, stirring once. Then add the following ingredients and raise the temperature to 450 degrees.

1 can chickpeas rinsed
4 cloves of garlic cut in slices
remaining spices
1/2 tsp of salt

Roast for another 15 minutes until roasted, stirring occasionally.

Sprinkle with
2 tsp of lemon juice (about half a lemon)

Serve.

We ate this as our entree for 2 at about 500 calories. Most people would treat this as a side dish for maybe 4 people.

Matt's Breakfast

Matt has a smoothy most mornings for breakfast. We use at least one fresh piece of fresh fruit and then some lightly defrosted frozen fruit. We use 1/4 cup of walnuts, 1 tbsp of flax seed meal, and 8 ounces of unsweetened soy milk.

On this day we had fresh strawberries and an orange. We had frozen blueberries, peaches, and a little mango. I find that with mango and especially pineapple, a little goes a long way. I also like to add just a few raspberries when I have other berries because the raspberries add a great aroma.

I blend for at least 45 seconds and serve.

Wheat on Wheat Pizza

I made another pizza based on the recipes in the Healthy Hedonist.

I made the 50/50 whole wheat crust. I don't have the fancy pizza paraphernalia so I roll out the dough and put it on a regular baking sheet. I bake it for 10 minutes at 500 degrees in the pan. I then remove it from the pan and bake directly on the oven rack for about another 7 minutes.

I didn't have pesto but I had the left over filling from my wontons. This "pesto" was seitan, spinach, garlic, and ginger. I made the fire roasted tomato sauce and the sauteed mushrooms from the Healthy Hedonist.

The garlic in the "pesto" was raw which provided a strong flavor but not too much bite. The roasted flavors of the tomato sauce and the mushrooms pair nicely with the flavor of the whole wheat crust.


I cut this into 12 slices at about 200 calories a piece. We had 3 slices for dinner and that left extras for lunch where we had 2 slices for a serving. This pizza was pretty good cold and the crust held together well.

I served this with a simple salad of romaine and baby mixed greens dressed with a sherry vinegar and olive oil dressing with a touch of garlic and salt.


If you accept the flavor of a whole wheat crust and you accept that you are not making a 100% whole wheat crust this is a pretty easy way to make a satisfying dinner (and lunch). I would serve this to anyone that eats weird food but not to someone who is expecting pizza.

Wonton Leftovers

I made wonton soup today for lunch using up the wrappers left from Thursday's dinner*. The recipe for the soup was from Culinate.

I used 8 oz of seitan that I had in the freezer. I left out the soy in the filling as the seitan was so seasoned. I used 9 oz of fresh spinach. I left out the egg and just put in one scallion in the filling. I used mirin instead of sugar.

For the soup I used part homemade vegetable broth and part spinach cooking water. I also added 2 tsps of white miso.

I just made 15 wontons which is all the wrappers that were left and this made two nice size bowls of soup. It is not a lot of calories so I will be snacking later. This would be a fine first course but is not a hearty enough soup for a meal.

I also have a lot of broth and filling left that I have saved for future use.

* I don't think I did post about Thursday's dinner with friends this week. I made tofu and spinach ravioli utilizing won ton wrappers from the store and served it with a roasted tomato sauce. Everyone liked it and it was kind of fun to make but way to much work. I am thinking over three hours. It was another success from the Healthy Hedonist but it made me realize that this book is for a different kind of cook. I suspected when I always had to go up a pot size and a stove setting that it was done in a more commercial kitchen. I think it might also be for working with an assistant. I will keep the book and use it when time allows.

Whole Wheat Pasta Hit

Yesterday I made the Braised Broccoli Rabe with (not) Orecchiette from the June 2009 Eating Well magazine that just arrived. I only had linguine which I broke into small bits and used as a substitute for the orecchiette.

The bothering to blanch the broccoli rabe prior to cooking was a step I felt like skipping but I didn't and I do think it helped take a bit of the bite out. There was enought bite left to hold up to the whole wheat pasta and provide lots of flavor.

I made my own vegetable broth. We think maybe a milder broth or a half broth and water combination may be the way to go because by the second serving it was getting a bit heavy.

A technique that appeared to be a real winner was the cooking of the greens and the pasta in 5 cups of broth for 18 minutes. The pasta came out great. Underdone whole wheat pasta is not good and I tend towards that.

We really liked this dish and plan on making it a regular.

Pissaladiere and Kale

I went back to the Healthy Hedonist by Myra Kornfeld tonight. We had a Provencal Onion Tart with a side of Garlicky Braised Kale with Balsamic Vinegar and Capers.

The greens came in at 343 calories or 86 calories a serving for 4 servings. The pizza with crust came in at 2,425 calories or 606 calories a serving for 4 servings. No anchovies included.

I used the 50% whole wheat crust but didn't have the equipment to make the two 10" rounds. I made it on a cookie sheet. Baked it on the pan for 11 minutes and then baked straight on the oven rack for another 7 or so.

I sure liked the pizza. The greens ended up tough. I don't know if I under/over cooked them or if they were just not stellar to start with. Sometimes we love kale but then there are nights like this. The capers and vinegar were a nice flavor but it was not very enjoyable to eat.

Tomorrow night is Wonton Ravioli.

Back to a Basic

One of my old standby cookbooks is Eating Well's Rush Hour Cookbook. It is complete meals that you can make on a weeknight. Most of them include fish or meat but some don't. Last night we had "Dinner at the Oasis."

This was Vegetable Tagine with Couscous and a Romaine and Fresh Herb Salad. It is pretty basic ingredients and easy to put together. I thought it tasted pretty good and enjoyed it although it was quite a bit of food. Matt said it was okay but picked at it and left most of the couscous on the plate. We both enjoyed the salad.

The tagine is 600 calories a serving for 4 servings and that includes the couscous. The salad is reported to be 56 calories for 4 servings but we ate more than one serving.

I would consider this eligible for addition to the regular recipes although probably would need to leave out the saffron (which is listed as an optional ingredient). The raisins and almonds add a nice touch. I will try it again on Matt sometime to see.

I didn't get any pictures last night but might give it a try when I pull out the leftovers for lunch.
Thanks to Jiffer for the saffron.

Homemade Vegan Burgers

Again I was cooking from the Healthy Hedonist. This is Tempeh Burgers served with a side of Swiss Chard with Corn and Balsamic Vinegar.

I made the burgers up in the afternoon and let them chill in the refrigerator for 3-4 hours before I cooked them. There is quite a bit of cooking and quite a few ingredients involved in making up the burgers.

The whole house smelled like burgers. It actually smelled quite a bit like real burgers. I am going to guess that is just the overheated oil smell.

The chard was easy and tasty and is probably a keeper. The burgers were a lot of work. They tasted great but fell apart on the bun even though they survived the pan pretty well. The avocado and mustard sauce on the burgers was great.

If you made the burgers up over the weekend and then just heated them up and ate them in a wrap during the week you might have a winner.

This makes 7 burgers. Each burger with topping is 280 calories without the bun. The buns we had (50% wholewheat) were 170 calories for a total of 450 calories per burger. The chard was about 500 calories for the whole dish or 125 calories per serving based on 4 servings.

Murjadarrah & Middle Eastern Salad

This week I am trying some recipes from the Healthy Hedonist cookbook. This one tasted pretty good but the murjadarrah was on the ugly side. It was a simple version that probably sacrificed a little too much of the look and texture by cooking the rice and lentils together. This simplified version does help make it a weeknight menu item.

I am also working on a healthy living challenge with my sister. One of my goals is to track my food. This means I will have some calorie estimates for my meals. I used to do this but got lazy.

This recipe makes 6 400 calorie servings not including the pita. We went with 4 600 calorie servings providing leftovers for lunch.

I kept the salads separate and heated up the lentils for lunch. I thought it held on pretty well. In the off season I would probably use cherry tomatoes in the salad in the future. This time I used roma tomatoes and I used a thin skinned cucumber and did not peel it.

This could become a weeknight regular when I am working again. That makes it a 3 and a 3.

Make Do Lunch

Nothing for lunch. Found a can of black beans. Mixed them with some corn and salsa in a fry pan over medium high heat. Ate the mixture on some soft corn taco shells. Quite quick and edible but probably not worth writing about. Oops - Too late.

We have a loser

I made the Hearty Spring Vegetable Stew and served it over polenta. I thought it was the just the turnips that were bad but even the carrots were sad. We picked up a frozen pizza for dinner.



Matt just said that this reminded him of what he thought slop was when he read Charlotte's Web as a child.

We had 4 winners this week before this strikeout.

Thrusday Night Dinner with Friends

This week we had Larry and Rebbecca joining Jan and us for dinner. We stretched the Stir Fried Tofu and Fennel with Orange and Basil for the five of us by upping the rice. We served this with Sugar Snap Peas with Fried Ginger. I served strawberries, black berries, and green grapes for dessert.

I did the prep work early including the tofu and ginger. I put the rice on and relaxed. When people showed up Matt helped with the cooking which took about 5 minutes.

This meal tasted great and was easy to serve. It was pretty spicy so most of the rice got eaten. I probably need to work on the fried ginger a bit. Would definitely make again.

Thanks Mr. Bishop for a great meal.

Sorry no pictures.

Redefining Dinner

Matt might have been leery of the lima beans but I was worried about the soft corn tacos with garlicky greens. I knew I would be eating alone last night so I almost didn't bother to make them but I am glad I did. If you think outside the bell, this was a lovely dinner.

If I want to eat healthy, affordable, real food, then I probably do need to rethink what defines dinner. I should not find it surprising that my meals don't meet my nostalgic idea of dinner. The classic idea of dinner based on the now retired four food groups should not be a standard for rating a recipe.

This was an easy and tasty meal that I would be glad to serve to anyone up for redefining dinner.

This would have been a nice appetizer

I made the Chickpea Patties with Arugula Salad for dinner. I enjoyed this but it was a bit odd as a meal. I think one patty as an appetizer might be the way to go.

Matt thought the arugula salad was a little too sharp. I am not sure if it was the greens or the lemon juice. I found it good as long as each bite had some chickpea patty with it. I liked the texture of the smooth patties with the crisp outsides on the greens. The salad was probably a bit over dressed in retrospect as I used all the dressing for about half the greens.

Today for lunch we are having the leftover patties on some less bitter greens so we can see how that goes.

To make the recipe I had to process in the food processor in two batches. I also needed my extra large fry pan to cook all of the patties at once.



For a vegan patty I felt these were pretty easy to make and they held together well. I would definitely make this again either as an appetizer or as a side dish.

He Liked It

I think it took all of Matt's strength to say "okay" when I told him I was making stewed lima beans for dinner. Adding the word stewed to the recipe title really doesn't help the lima beans sound any better. But, stick with this one, it has a happy ending.

This recipe calls for two packages of frozen lima beans. I only bought one but I didn't panic because Bishop said this recipe could work with a variety of beans. I used a can of red kidney beans along side my lima beans.

I made a modified version of Bishops rice pilaf with brown basmati rice, olive oil, and a cinnamon stick. The rest of the dish comes together in about half the time of the rice. I used olive oil throughout this recipe.

We made this into three nice size servings instead of the four.

We both liked this. It might not be gourmet but this is one that is better than its parts. I probably won't be impressing any company with this one but I probably could. For something that is pretty much from the pantry this was great.

Menu for the Week

This week is all from Bishop's book, A Year in the Vegetarian Kitchen.

Monday
Stewed Lima Beans with Tomatoes and Fennel Seeds
over
Basmati Rice Pilaf

Tuesday
Chickpea Patties
with
Arugula Salad

Wednesday
Soft Corn Tacos with Garlicky Greens
with
Lighter Refried Beans

Thursday
Stir Fried Tofu and Fennel with Orange and Basil
with
Sugar Snap Peas with Fried Ginger

Friday
Hearty Spring Vegetable Stew
over
Polenta

3 Green Vegetable Salad in Mustard Vinegarette

The other night (I can't remember which) I worked on cleaning out the refrigerator. The meal was based on the highly successful asparagus and orzo salad from Culinate mentioned on earlier posts.













Here is what was in the fridge and went into the pot:
6 oz baby spinach
8 oz asparagus, cut in 1/2 pieces, tops left whole
1 large head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 small onion, finely chopped
4 Tbsp champagne vinegar
2 tsp dijon mustard
6 Tbsp olive oil
2 Tbsp reserved cooking liquid
2 Tbsp capers, drained
1/2 cup green olives, chopped
1/2 cup parsley, chopped
1 tbsp dill, chopped
2 cups whole wheat orzo

Bring water to boil in large pasta pot. Cook spinach for 1 minute and drain in colander. When drained chop spinach and set aside. Cook asparagus for 2 minutes and cool under running water and drain in colander. Cook broccoli for 4 minutes and cool under running water and drain in colander. Cook orzo for 10 minutes until done and cool under running water and drain in colander.

Add chopped onion to large salad bowl. Add vinegar and mustard and mix well. Add remaining ingredients and toss. Add salt to taste.

Pretty good and three vegetables utilized.

I paired this with a Cabernet. I like Cabernet but I don't cook meat so that always leaves me wondering what to do. I think if you get that nice strong flavor of the capers, green olives, and herbs in the mustard vinaigrette and you have a chance. I am pretty happy with the pairing.

Thanks to Jan for the wine. This is left over from a great meal and wine paring that Jan organized at Slim's for my birthday. Slim's is Serious Yum.

Plans for the Kitchen

This post is not about food but about trying to improve the environment in which I prepare it.

I am doing the Apartment Therapy Spring Cure. Last week was purging cabinets and cleaning in the kitchen. Since then I have been thinking about what I could do to improve my kitchen.

My kitchen is small but my apartment is large. My kitchen works fine for one person cooking for two people so I enjoy it most of the time. I can unload my dishwasher without moving my feet which was helpful when on crutches.

When I am entertaining the kitchen becomes a problem. I have to work with my back to my guests and the guests can't get a glass or throw out a napkin without me moving.

I am not much of an interor decorator and I have no ability to visualize what I want. I tried to collect pictures of what I want but found nothing. I started collecting any picture of a kitchen bar or island to try and figure it out but just got a big stack of pictures. We went to Ikea yesterday and I still couldn't picture anything.

Today I built a counter out of odds and ends. Below you can find pictures of the kitchen before cleaning, after cleaning, and with the counter expansion place holder. I am up for suggestions.

Floor Plan (Counter extension in red)




Before Cleaning:


After Cleaning:

Counter Model: