Grilled eggplant and leeks

Today's culinary adventure was a spontaneous, original creation designed to utilize my family's super-cool Cuisineart grill/panini press/griddle. I love grilled leeks and eggplant, so I figured they'd taste good together and with some other Mediterranean-themed ingredients.

I started by trimming, halving, cleaning, and grilling 3 leeks while a sliced eggplant was salted. Transferred the leeks back to the cutting board, sliced into 1/2 inch strips, and grilled the eggplant, which was later quartered.

Meanwhile, I cooked up some Israeli couscous. If I had veggie broth, that would've been good instead of water. I put the leeks, eggplant, one can of chickpeas, some canned artichoke hearts, and a bit of sundried tomato in a pan to let the flavors mingle and to warm up the chickpeas. I added some salt, smoked paprika (which is the BEST THING EVER), some cumin, and a spritz of truffle oil (yeah, advantages of cooking at my dad's). Finally, I mixed in the cooked couscous.

This dish is pretty vegan-y (high in fiber, lack of any dairy or egg, and not very energy-dense), and I feel like it was missing something. Maybe balsamic vinegar or lemon juice? Also, next time I think I would only use 2 leeks, and saute them on their own a bit longer.

Southwestern frittata

Coming back to Michigan for Christmas break, I always love shopping at Meijer because of their great vegetable selection. So I picked up some underutilized (by me, anyway) vegetables and decided to try something new. I ended up with okra, tomatillos, and a poblano pepper-- all intended for different recipes, but by the end of the week they just needed to be cooked, and we needed dinner.

Enter the frittata, here to save the day!

I started by slicing up and sauteing half an onion. I sliced a handful of tomatillos and threw them in with the onions once they started to brown. I cooked these just until the tomatillos were tender, added a pinch of salt, then set aside.

Meanwhile, my brother acted as sous-chef by roasting the poblano over an open flame (could also broil it, but I couldn't handle that). He removed the skin then cut it into thin strips. And in a separate pan-- yep, just had to make this complicated instead of sauteing everything in one pan-- I fried up some sliced okra (battered in just flour).

Ok, I promise there's just one more simultaneous step (it helps to have extra family members around!). I mixed together 6 large eggs, a splash of milk and yogurt (it adds extra tanginess and helps with the consistency), and salt. Once the vegetables were fairly cool, I mixed everything together, wiped and reused the large saute pan, and then poured it all it. I kept it at a low heat for about 10 minutes, then broiled until the top started to brown.

After cooling just a bit, I slid the whole thing onto a cutting board and cut it into slices. We enjoyed it with some pumpkin bread and local hard cider. It will also be great for breakfast tomorrow! There are plenty of veggie variations on this recipe, and I also wish I had some queso to sprinkle on top, but so it goes.

Artichoke and goat cheese casserole

Technically this is called a "strata"... but I will stick to layman's terms and call it a casserole. The recipe is straight out of Cooking Light, and you can find it here.

Image source.

This is not exactly "light" fare, but it is delicious and is a hearty vegetarian side dish. Last year I made it with fontina instead of goat cheese, which turned out good, but the cheese didn't really stand out against the other flavors. So this time I'm sticking true to the goat cheese. I also used a slightly larger pan, but it ends up being less deep, obviously.

Vegetarian Pho

Basically, this recipe. With just a regular homemade vegetable broth (with the spices, and some extra onion), and un-charred ginger. And udon noodles, because I couldn't find rice noodles.

Naked veggies.

I was really excited and bought new bowls for today, since I figured I'd make this again and it's good to have some nicer bowls around (technically they are serving bowls).

With the works.

I fried some tofu, steamed some broccoli, and sauteed some mushrooms. We decided not to use sliced raw onions, but plenty of green onions. I might have added mint, but I went to four stores and there must be a national mint shortage. Or not. I used lots of Sriracha because I admit it, I have an addiction. 

There are a lot of moving parts in this recipe, but it only took me an hour to prep- and I only almost forgot the mushrooms! A fair amount of clean up, but so worth it!

Party foods: scones and more

I had parties both nights this weekend, leading to some great food and good times with friends. First I went to an Alice in Wonderland themed girls' night, so I wanted to make a dessert that was somewhat whimsical. But I was biking over, so something fragile like cupcakes was out of the question. I always love scones and they are so easy to make, so I made raspberry and ricotta scones (source: Smitten Kitchen). I used the exact recipe, except that I grated some lemon zest into the dough as well, and I made smaller, more bite-sized scones. They were a hit! And I'm going to use the leftover ricotta for lasagna again!

Last night we had a fall-themed housewarming party, so I knew it was time to break out the apple-cheddar scones again (Smitten Kitchen). I shell out for really nice aged cheddar cheese, which I think makes a huge difference. I didn't peel my apples, but they skins were tart and delicious. Again, a hit! I also make spiked hot apple cider, similar to this recipe (I didn't add any extra sugar), and put it in a crock-pot.

My friends made some fabulous dishes and I got some ideas for more savory party treats in the future: 1) Spinach frittata-like egg bake in a casserole dish, cut into squares with toothpicks for easy eating. 2) Pastry dough rounds with cardamom-carrot topping (like mini pizzas). 3) Black bean dip (pureed black beans, onion, tomato, and spices) with tortilla chips and cilantro.

Spicy Thai soup

I've been sick the past few weeks, which naturally led to my soup-phase 2011. I have been eating more soup this month than all year, likely, both at restaurants and at home. After a week of travelling I wanted to make a spicy, tasty, veggie-laden Thai soup, and I'm pretty happy with it!

I didn't take a photo, but this is close enough. I started by sauteing a diced onion, julienned carrots and red pepper, and garlic in a large stockpot. Then I added slices of red-skinned potato and chunks of cauliflower, along with a ton of grated ginger. I added water and a can of coconut milk (I'm on the fence about whether I should have added more coconut, or whether it was unnecessary for this recipe), a veggie bouillon cube, slices of ginger, and some cubes of tofu, simmered until the potato was tender, then added spices. These included (to taste) Thai green curry paste, lemongrass sauce, chili powder, and a handful of brown sugar. Because the bouillon pastes already have salt, I didn't add any extra salt. I topped it off with some Thai basil leaves, and it would be great with a wedge of lime and some rice on the side.

The best part? Tons of soup (stuck some in the freezer) and only one pot to clean! And loads of tasty, spicy veggies in my stomach.

BBQ tofu pizza

I've been a vegetarian for half my life now, so there are many meat-based foods that I've never even tried. BBQ chicken pizza is one of those foods. But late last summer I had the urge to make BBQ tofu pizza, and it turned out great! I've been experimenting with different iterations of fried tofu, because I like the completely different texture that it takes on.

I started with a whole wheat pizza crust, similar to this one by my friend Brandi. Pizza crust doesn't take too long to make, and I've heard you can start it in the morning, stick it in the fridge, and then it's almost ready by dinner. I think I accidentally used twice as much dough as I should have for this crust, so it ended up pretty thick. Also, my secret to pizza crust is when the dough is still in a ball, plop it on a pile of cornmeal so that as it rolls out, it won't stick to the pan.

While the dough was still rising, I fried up some strips of tofu and then let it marinade in BBQ sauce. I wish I had gotten a more fancy sauce, but I just used the cheapest kind. I also sauteed up some red onions and broccoli, then drizzled on some balsamic vinegar for good measure. When the dough was ready and rolled out, I spread some olive oil and minced garlic on the crust, loaded it with shredded mozzarella cheese, and then laid out all the toppings. I baked it at 400 degrees until the cheese and crust began to brown, but I wish I had broiled it a bit to get the cheese really done.

Altogether, this makes a great stand-alone meal. Clean up was a bit harsh because I used two bowls for the dough plus the large pizza pan, but I did use the same pan to fry the tofu and veggies. But who can argue with homemade pizza?

[UPDATE] This is what happens after broiling on low for just a few minutes. I'm definitely doing this from now on! I made the same recipe, only this time used the right amount of crust, I spread some BBQ sauce onto the crust first, I used Jack cheese instead of mozz., and I used raw onions instead of cooked. I liked the texture of the onions better this way, and caramelized onions would have been a bit too sweet altogether.

Couscous with chickpeas and cranberries

I can't take any sort of credit for this recipe, as it's based on a Trader Joe's cookbook recipe. My boyfriend made it for me last week and it was so simple yet delicious that I had to replicate it.

A lot of my meals end up like this: a hodge podge of grains, protein, and veggies. They're great for packing in lunches and also super nutritious.

To make this, first I sauteed a red onion until it was translucent, then added the couscous, water, and a vegan bouillon cube. I used 1.5 cups of dry Israeli couscous (and water according to the directions). Cooked on low with the lid on, stirring occasionally. When the couscous was almost done, I added a can of chickpeas and a handful of baby spinach. Just before it was done I added a handful of dried cranberries and a few aromatic spices.

The cranberries are totally clutch for this recipe, as otherwise it's a lot of blandish high-fiber foods. The original recipe called for chopped pistachios (yum!) and I could see feta or goat cheese working really well.

Tasty, quick (minimal prep and cooking), and only one pot to clean! Works for me!

Orange oat scones

I admit that I made these last spring, but they're worth remembering. There's not much I love more than getting up early and beating some butter and flour together. I used a maple oat scone recipe, from Smitten Kitchen's recipe. I likely substituted agave syrup for maple syrup because that's what I had. And knowing my usual habits, I probably added a few spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

The most important part of making scones is the "incorporate" the butter into the flour while it's cold. You can cut up the butter into slices, freeze it for a bit, then put in all into a food processor. Works great for this!

Then I happened to have some orange buttercream frosting in the fridge, so I thinned it out to make a glaze. The frosting was made from powdered sugar, milk (or ricemilk), butter, orange zest, and a dash of Grand Marnier. I believe I added water and then microwaved it to make it liquid.

Once the scones were cool, I dipped them in the glaze, twice. They were delicious!

Haphazard spinach lasagna

I had six lasagna noodles leftover, a can of diced tomatoes, two almost-gone blocks of cheese, and the sudden urge to make dinner since I know I'll have no time to cook this week. It actually turned out pretty good!

I *very roughly* followed this recipe, because I had remembered hearing somewhere about making lasagna in loaf pans (in a standard pan, it's always too much for one, or even two people for a week, so I usually freeze it). Here's what I ended up doing:

Parboiled the 6 noodles while thawing a package of frozen spinach. Make cheese filling with 8 oz. of cottage cheese (local! yay! or use ricotta), 1 egg (could have used 2), a handful of laboriously shredded parmesan, and some herbs. Since it's fall, I've been adding freshly ground nutmeg to everything, and it goes REALLY WELL with spinach and lasagna.

In a 9x9 glass pan, I added a layer of sauce (mix of canned tomatoes and a 1/2 jar of roasted garlic pasta sauce), noodles (cut the noodles and save the ends), spinach, cheese filling, more sauce, then repeat (only had 3 layers of noodles, even with the ends patched together). Added a thin layer of monterey jack cheese to the top (mozzarella or provolone would work).

Covered, and baked at 350(F) for 30 minutes. Then baked uncovered for 15. Here I wish I would have raised the temp to 375 to boil some of the excess liquid. Broiled for about 3 minutes (until the cheese starts to brown).

Conclusion: frozen spinach is the best thing ever. Except getting it out of the plastic bag while it is hot and trying to burn you and I am using a knife with my left hand and ineffectively holding it with tongs. There weren't too many dishes, and the overall prep time was only about a half hour! Even in my stressed out, haphazard state, I managed not to burn or cut myself or spill anything. I'll count that as a win.