Portabella Fries

There are lots of recipes online for portabella fries.  Some literally fry them and some bake.  I definitely wanted to bake them.  Not only that but I wanted to eliminate dipping the mushrooms in whole eggs before crumbs.  I used a mix of egg white and vegetable stock.  I think just vegetable stock would work fine.  Or buttermilk if you don't mind dairy.

Slice 1/8'-1/4' thick

I also used some nutritional yeast along with grated pecorino and grated parmeggiano to add a cheesier flavor without too much cheese.  For 2 portabella caps I used 1.5 TB grated cheese total.  No oil was used, but I did spray with cooking spray.
These were nicely browned and crunchy on the outside.  I mixed whole wheat bread crumbs and some crumbled up wheat crackers for the coating.  Watch out if using panko bread crumbs--many have hydrogenated oil! 
The inside came out tender and delicious.
These pictures don't even do them justice!

Seitan Burgers

The weather was reminiscent of summer this week. Holding out a promise of what is soon to come.  It seemed a good time for a cookout.
I thought about making some burgers and fries.  As long as the burger didn't have meat, and the fries weren't fried.  So I made seitan burgers (and confession: ended up baking them!) and eggplant chips.
The next day I tried the portabella fries recipe that will post soon after this.  It's a great side for the burgers--definitely will pair those together in the future. 

Don't worry about following this recipe as is, use whatever spices that appeal to you.  Maybe you want to make a curry burger or add oregano, grated cheese, etc....

 I used serrano relish, lettuce, tomato preserves and carmellized onion.  This was my partners who had avocado, tomato, onion, mustard, relish....
it goes on!





 These were REALLY tender and had great texture.  The addition of the black beans and flours was to help bind them for if I grilled them.  Definitely going on the grill next time.  May increase the oat flour though.

Fava and Greens (Foole M'Damas and Greens)

I love foole m'damas and anything with fava beans.  We are on the cusp of getting the first fresh fava beans of the season.  Meanwhile I have plenty if dried ones to use--a quick dish when the fava beans are split (called habas).
Even quicker if you have a few hours to soak the beans, then they will cook in about 30 minutes!

Serve as a side dish or an appetizer. I made tempeh the evening we had this.  A simple white fish would work really well and for some color on the plate how about some roasted peppers?

Erbazzone

Wow-- we had these when in the Emilia Romagna region of Italy.  We were staying in an agritutrismo in Reggio Nell'Emilia and wandered into the small piazza nearby.  There we stopped into a tabacchi to get an aperitif and that was store selling homemade erbazzone.  It was our first exposure to them and the senses were overwhelmed.  The smell of the fresh, flaky dough and parmeggiano that was inside the onion-garlic-greens filled pastries.  They were served to us warm and we took them to an outdoor table and enjoyed with a Campari.  La vita e bella!

I used a mix of greens I had on hand--spinach or swiss chard alone would be fine and you could add meat if you like, actually it's traditional to use pancetta.

These make a great addition to the Easter table and also perfect for lunch with a salad!

Brushing the dough with garlic oil midway through
 baking makes for a golden , flavorful crust

Lentil Loaf

Meatloaf substitute--and a great way to get more beans in your kids diet.  Top with a savory tomato based sauce and bake, serve with mashed cauliflower and a salad.  The lentil loaf can be made a day or two ahead and kept in refrigerator until baking.  I bake this in a 4 x 8 loaf pan but you can use any size you like, even muffin tins!
I served ours with a cauliflower, turnip and sweet potato mash, roasted baby carrots and swiss chard.

Leftovers freeze and reheat really well!

Mashed Root Vegetable Medley

Cauliflower makes such a great substitute for potatoes but I had only a small amount left from another recipe.  I had various odds and ends of vegetables around.  I figured the sweet potato added a sweetness and the parsnip a bit of pepperiness to the dish so in the pot they went.  Then I found a small turnip that had to be used-- everyone in the pool!

Serve under the Lentil Loaf posted above.


So fast to make it will be done if you start it when the lentil loaf goes in the oven.

Dawali Green Bake

You can make this in a smaller pan for more distinct layers. Or individual ramekins
and throw in the oven just before serving.  Would be great with a simple white fish
like tilapia and roasted carrots.

Inspired by grape leaves but I had oodles of bags of frozen, blanched greens in the freezer.  I particularly like the stuffed grape leaves at a Turkish restaurant I go to.  They are filled with rice, currants, dill and mint (and whatever magic they use to make them delicious!)
I used a blend of chard, kale and chickory.  Use what suits you, if you like mild greens then swiss chard and spinach would work equally well.
I like coarse wheat bulgur because it is light but still has substance.  I think quinoa could be used but it's such a small grain that it may be lost among the other ingredients.  Stick with white or brown rice or freekeh if you want even more texture.
The sweetness of chopped raisins plays really well with the herbs in this dish, dates would work really well too!  This comes together quickly and bakes just long enough to heat through.  Also this can be made a day ahead and refrigerated until ready to use then heat--easy!

Roasted Butternut Squash Risotto

There is a stand at the local farmers market that sells a wonderful variety of spices and grains.  On one of my visits I spotted brown arborio rice.  Finally I felt a bit better about eating risotto!  Trying to consume whole grains to me means consuming the entire rice kernel when possible.
This risotto comes out still creamy but the rice has more bite to it.  If you prefer one that is softer by all means use the white arborio--or any grain you like!  No reason farro, spelt, etc can't be used--just adjust cooking time for each grain.

How do you like your squash?  I couldn't choose between a puree or roasted cubes of butternut squash so I did both--again you can just use the squash with one preparation.  The puree added even more creaminess and the roasted squares had a carmelly taste that heightened their sweetness.  Combined with fried sage leaves and chopped hazelnuts this was irresistible!

Served with roasted mushrooms and homemade seitan "sausage"

Pastiera di Grano

I fell in love with the traditional rice/custard pie produced for Easter in many Italian households.  Particularly filled with candied fruit peel.  This is served room temperature.  Or it can be served cold the next day, but if you heat it the next day in the oven you will find the ricotta and marscapone blend that goes in here (along with eggs) makes the custard like consistency come forward.  And I find the orange and lemon peel stands out more as well.
The one I made I used wheat berries instead of rice--it has a chewier texture that I love.  You can also use spelt berries.

Not the prettiest lattice, mine sunk during baking.  All the same it tasted great!

This can be made 3-5 days ahead.  It keeps incredibly well and the flavors develop more!
I used orange flower water in the dough and the filling--it added a great underlying orange character to the taste.  It can be found at Middle Eastern grocery stores, and sometimes Whole Foods carries it.
I made my own candied citrus peels because I don't like the mass produced corn syrup laden peels.  But whatever makes it work for you-- the rest can come together quick once the grain is cooked.

Chock full of citrus peel and wheat berries

Guiness Three Bean Chili

A healthy, hearty meal in itself--perfect when winter just keeps hanging on!  How about serving this up St. Patrick's Day?  It goes great with traditional toppings like sour cream (or greek yogurt) and sliced scallions or leeks.  Use this recipe as a guideline but it can easily accommodate almost any veggie variations you want to add.  I included acorn squash in this because I had it here and need to use it. 
Really want a meat based chili--add some browned meat or use veggie/soy crumbles.  Serve over pasta for chili-mac...

Tuscan Maki

 Inspired by sushi and a story I read about Giro, sushi master in NYC.  I had nothing on hand to try to do any sort of sushi or maki in the true sense.  But I started to think about what I did have that visually might have familiarity with a maki roll.
I was wondering what I had on hand to roll anything with, I had roasted seaweed but small squares, more or less these are sold as a snack and wouldn't do at all for how I needed to use them.
I abandoned the thought of a traditional route and decided I could use pasta to roll up my maki.  I chose to use some swiss chard I had already blanched and in the freezer, you could use spinach easily.  I incorporated the pureed swiss chard into the dough to give the green color of seaweed.
Then I set about coming up with a filling that could be used to replace the sticky rice.  I had half a block of tempeh in the refrigerator and decided to use it.  Crumbling it and cooking it in liquid and allowing that to sit made it sticky enough to use here.
For o top of the tempeh and inside the roll I used some roasted peppers cut very thin and some eggplant I pan fried to get a bit crunchy, giving a texture difference I think was necessary.
In the end I did top it with a bit of a very simple red sauce--just sauteed onion with garlic in some olive oil, seasoned with salt and added tomato puree I had canned the summer before.
I sprinkled some black coarse salt and some merlot salt on top of the "maki" slices to mimic fish roe.

So this may be more steps than you want, but the idea is a fun starting point.  Buy pasta sheets, use a quick cooking rice, roasted peppers and assorted items from the salad bar at any good grocery store.  Making it simple so you can get on with it!

Sweet and Spicy Roasted Plantains

I first was introduced to plantains by a friend from Mexico, they were a crispy fried bite of sweetness and saltiness.  Her family made them pan fried-- not once but fried twice.  I can recall they would slice them and fry them on each side and place each batch on a paper towel lined platter.  On the second time of frying they would smash them a bit with a spatula and then remove them and place on a paper towel again and this time sprinkle them generously with salt.  It was a divine treat and something unlike anything else I had tasted.  Yes, potato-ey but also sweet and the double frying made them crisp and really smooth inside (I guess from the smashing!)
I have also had sweet roasted plantains, all caramel-like from slow roasting and adding maple syrup.  These are a good dessert, delicious but too sweet for eating with a meal.  I would try these with toasted coconut on ice cream or greek yogurt. Oh and if there's extra liquid in the roasting pan--drizzle that over the top and add chopped roasted pecans.
But enough of all that, I'm presenting a simpler, and more health conscious, approach that would make a great starch side dish.  Keep in mind plantains in general are still high in sugar so they will get a nice golden color. 
Also, being as they are starchy and sweet I think pairing them with something like roasted broccoli works well.  I think these would be great with a stuffed poblano--a tofu mixture similar to what I had in the tofu stuffed peppers on this blog would work.  Or use just a grain like rice or quinoa and mix some grated queso fresco into that and fill the roasted poblano peppers and just bake to melt the cheese.
As for other alternatives--baked tofu, roasted chicken breast, tilapia or rainbow trout, or serve the plantain over a vegetable and seitan stir fry.

Eggplant Napolean

The description may look involved, it's actually not.
Sauce comes together quickly, or you can use canned.
While eggplant raosts you can make the filling.
Bakes just to heat through and brown on top

I would also think of this as individual eggplant lasagnas. The filling becomes a tofu "ricotta".
Roasted eggplant round layered with a tofu and grain filling.  The filling is moist like a ricotta but without the saturated fat.  I used quinoa and freekeh but you could use either, both, or add amaranth. 
I used 4" metal round molds to assemble these.  Just give them a quick spray with olive oil spray and start layering.  The eggplant should be roasted long enough so it's tender inside but not mushy.
I like finishing these of under the broiler--I like the dark crispy bits as the tomato sauce caramelizes and the sprinkling of cheese becomes golden.  I served these with glazed carrots and also broccoli that was blanched and then sauteed with garlic and dried hot peppers. 

Cod En Brodo

Perfect weeknight recipe--quick, satisfying yet light and warming in the winter months. 

I recently picked up more cod than I could use.  So I placed some pieces in the freezer.  I wanted to use the cod in such a way to overcome the fact that it had been frozen.  Cod can be dry as it is, so I figured introducing more liquid would be ideal.  I decided to poach it in liquid (in this case a small amount of white wine and then homemade vegetable broth).
This is very simple and you can use any fish you like.  I've used salmon, halibut, grouper.  You can even use something like tilapia, but it may break up in the broth--taste will be the same but presentation will vary.

By the way, this same broth makes a great soup on it's own, just serve with a salad and crusty bread to soak up all those flavors!   Wouldn't radicchio be great with this?

Broiled Artichokes

Yum, Yum!  Forget those jarred and canned artichoke hearts.  If you haven't been using whole fresh artichokes here is a nice introductory to preparing them.  These are boiled and then broiled (or grilled if weather allows).

Sometimes I blanch the artichokes after prepping them and stuff them with a mix of quinoa stuffing or bread crumbs and bake them until the stuffing gets golden.  It lends good variety to artichoke dishes and can be served as an entree but it does take a bit longer.

The easiest is boiling until tender and peeling the leaves off and dipping in sauce, lots of people do that and use an aioli for dipping.  That's fine but rather bland if you make artichokes often.

Mussels Rockefeller

I've had stuffed mussels in a french restaurant in Washington DC (but not when I was at a french restaurant in France--so maybe not so genuine?)  Anyway, I remember really liking them and when I was coming up with appetizer ideas I decided to do a take on oysters rockefeller.
I like this preparation a lot.  I made a more refined version that I brought to my sisters house but I did not like them as much.  For those I put the ingredients (minus the mussel) into a food processor.  The result was a finer stuffing that easily packed the shell of the mussel but the flavor wasn't as good.  I like what roughly chopping the herbs, greens and dried bread does to the texture of these.
Decide for yourself what kind of preparation suits you, if you put all the ingredients in a processor then the stuffing will have a more green appearance overall.  Chopping the greens distributes them differently and the bread crumbs and dried bread stand out more.
Also, I used more of the herbs de provence blend when I brought these to my sisters.  I would say stick with the amount I have below--using more was a bit overpowering.  Unless you use only chives and parsley or tarragon which have a less pronounced flavor.
This recipe makes 12 and is easily doubled, tripled, etc...