Summer corn, arugula, tomato salad (B+)
After a late-July trip to the Green City farmer’s market in Chicago, I threw together a late afternoon salad with some of my purchases: a large bunch of arugula, red and yellow cherry tomatoes, big handfuls of basil, and the kernels from two pieces of corn. I also threw in a bit of mixed greens that I had leftover from my CSA, and dressed the whole thing lightly with Annie’s. The corn was sweet and delicious, the tomatoes were moist, the arugula peppery, the tahini earthy, and the basil added its own mild bite. The combination was summery and lovely. Derek, after going for a second bowl (and adding more dressing) announced out of the blue “I can understand why you’re vegetarian.”
I tried this later but didn’t have arugula just plain old lettuce and it wasn’t nearly as good.
Rating: B+
Derek: A-
Cornmeal and greens (B)
My friend gave me her version of this unusual “polenta” recipe, originally from the Moosewood New Classics Cookbook. She says it freezes well so she typically doubles the recipe.
1 bunch kale (or broccoli rabe, or whatever your favorite dark leafy green is. Depending on how large your bunch is, you might need to use two bunches.)
3 cups water
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground fennel seeds
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (optional)
ground black pepper to taste
(My friend likes strong flavors, so suggests adding smoked paprika and cayenne)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, pressed or minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
Remove tough bottoms of kale or broccoli rabe stems as needed. Coarsely chop the greens and stems. Rinse well and set aside in colander to drain.
Bring the water to a boil in a 2-4 quart pot and SLOWLY pour in the cornmeal while stirring briskly with a whisk. Break up any lumps that form. Simmer on low heat, stirring frequently, until the polenta is thick and tastes done (watch out for splatters!). Fine ground cornmeal cooks much faster than coarse ground polenta, so be sure to taste! Stir in salt, fennel, and cheese, if using. Add pepper (and other spices) to taste.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy pan. Add the garlic and salt and saute on medium heat just until the garlic is golden. Add the greens, increase the heat to medium-high, and cook, stirring frequently, for 3 to 5 minutes or until tender. Set aside until the polenta is done.
Serve the polenta in a bowl with the greens on top or stirred in.
My Notes
I’ve never put ground fennel seeds in polenta before. Wow, I really liked it, and so did Derek. I used 3/4 tsp. salt, 3/4 tsp. ground fennel seeds, and 3/8 tsp. paprika, and a very large pinch of cayenne, plus about a 1/4 cup parmesan. The flavors were strong so even Derek liked it. I did have trouble with lumps though. The next time I time I made it I just added the cornmeal to the cold water like I normally do, and I thought it worked better. Also, I made it once with curly kale and didn’t cook the greens long enough. I was impatient so just gave up and mixed the two together–crunchy kale in the cornmeal is a bad idea, let me tell you. I’ve also made and enjoyed it with collards. Finally, add the salt to the cornmeal at the beginning rather than the end, since it will distribute more evenly.
Using fine ground cornmeal isn’t quite as tasty as true polenta, but it’s really fast. This whole recipe probably only takes about 15 minutes or so. The last time I made it I used a bit more fennel, and I think it got close to overpowering. 1/2 measured ground or 3/4 tsp. measured whole is probably plenty.
Rating: B
Baked Tofu
This is my mom’s recipe, and I cannot remember where it originated. Maybe the farm tofu cookbook? In any case, it’s a great recipe. Derek and I served it at Thanksgiving and everyone really liked it (and these were not a bunch of tofu eaters!).
Note: I’ve updated the ingredient amounts to reflect my mom’s note below.
Preheat the oven to 375.
Oil two cookie sheets with 1 Tbs. olive oil each. Do *not* use non-stick cookie sheets, or the tofu will not crisp up properly. Dark colored cookie sheets are the best–with lighter colored sheets the tofu doesn’t come out as well.
Cut across the short side of the tofu, slicing it into 1/4 inch slices (about 12 slices per 14-ounce block of tofu, or 14 slices per 16-ounce block of tofu).
- 3 lbs firm tofu
Let the tofu slices sit while you make the breading. Mix together in a flat bowl:
- 1 1/4 cups unbleached white flour (you might get away with 1 cup flour, but you’ll be scrounging at the end)
- 1 – 1.5 tsp. salt (my mom likes it with the higher amount, and it does taste good, but it’s pretty salty)
- 1.5 tsp. garlic powder
- 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes (this can be omitted if you don’t have it–or substitute another herb like oregano)
- 1/4 tsp. black pepper
- 1 tsp. paprika
- 2 Tbs. nutritional yeast
In a small bowl mix together: (lately I’ve been using 2 Tbs. soy sauce and 4 Tbs. water and it seems fine)
- 4 Tbs. soy sauce
- 2 1/2 Tbs. water
Dip each slice of tofu into the soy sauce mixture and then into the flour mixture, covering each side, but shaking off any excess flour so they don’t turn out too “floury”. Place the tofu slices on the oiled cookie sheet. The tofu slices can be placed very close together, as long as they’re not touching they will cook fine. If you made 12 slices per block, you’ll need to fit 18 slices on each cookie sheet, so plan accordingly! (A tip for making the tofu–use your left hand for the soy sauce bowl and your right hand for the flour bowl and you won’t get nearly so glue-y.)
Bake for 20 minutes on each side, or until the tofu starts to brown and the flour no longer looks “floury.” Halfway through flip the tofu. When you flip them, the breading should be slightly browned. If the breading is sticking to the pan or coming off the tofu when you try to flip them that means they haven’t cooked long enough on that side. Also, when you flip the tofu, switch the top and bottom cookie sheets. The cooking time will vary somewhat depending on the color of your cookie sheets, the thickness of your tofu slices, and the water content of the tofu. Be sure not to overcook the tofu, as it will become tough and too chewy. The texture should be crisp on the outside and still a bit moist in the inside, not totally dried out.
Depending on exactly how thin you sliced your tofu, and how closely you place them on the cookie sheet, you may have quite a bit of soy sauce and breading mixture left, and possibly room left on your cookie sheets as well. No matter how many times I make this I never quite use the same amount.
The size of the slices is quite important–too thin and the tofu gets too crisp and kind of tough, and too thick and they don’t brown enough, but it will depend also on the brand of tofu you have. You might try varying the thickness a bit to see what works best with your tofu. I like to use Nasoya firm for this recipe. I find that White Wave firm is a little too firm, and is more likely to get tough. If I use White Wave I opt for the medium tofu rather than firm.
This is a pretty big recipe. I think 3 pounds of tofu will serve 6 to 9 people (6 pieces to 4 pieces each, 1/2 pound to 1/3 pound of tofu per person). Then again, I’ve served it at a dinner with four hungry people and had it all eaten up (9 pieces each, 3/4 pound of tofu per person!).
I often serve baked tofu with a yogurt dipping sauce–yogurt, lemon juice, garlic, and mustard. I’ve also tried it with a yogurt, cilantro, mint sauce, but I think it was a bit too overpowering for the mild tasting tofu.
This recipe always seems quite decadent to me, but it’s actually relatively low calorie when eaten in moderation. Of course, the challenge is to eat it in moderation. It is quite high in sodium though, and high fat and high protein (about 39% of calories, and 29% of calories respectively), so balance it out with some not very salty greens or salad, and a starchy vegetable or grain, and you’ll have a great meal.
Rating: A-
Derek: A-
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Serving Size: 6 slices |
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| Amount Per Serving | |||||
| Calories | 304 | ||||
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| Total Fat | 12.8g | ||||
| Saturated Fat | 0.6g | ||||
| Cholesterol | 0mg | ||||
| Sodium | 2433mg | ||||
| Carbohydrate | 23.9g | ||||
| Dietary Fiber | 2.5g | ||||
| Sugars | 0.2g | ||||
| Protein | 21.2g | ||||
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Black Bean Zucchini Quesadillas
Based on a recipe from the cookbook Fresh Food Fast, by Peter Berley. This recipe is definitely one of my favorite quesadilla recipes. The zucchini adds a moist, sweet, delicate flavor, and the added moisture means that less cheese is needed to achieve the silky mouthfeel expected of a typical quesadilla.
Yields: 4-6 quesadillas, depending on tortilla size and amount of cheese used
Serving size: 1 quesadilla
Remove from the fridge or freezer:
- 8-12 flour or whole wheat tortillas (8 inches in diameter)
In a colander, toss together with your hands:
- 1 pound zucchini, coarsely grated (about 2 medium zucchinis, or 3 small zucchinis)
- 0.5 tsp coarse salt
While the zucchini sits, combine in a a large bowl:
- 2 cups of black beans (or one 15-ounce can), drained well.
- 4-8 ounces of sharp cheddar cheese, coarsely grated (see note)
- 1 jalepeno pepper, with seeds, finely chopped
Squeeze the zucchini well to remove as much of its liquid as possible, then add to the bean mixture and mix well. (You can save the liquid and add it to soup, but it will be salty.)
Warm a large skillet (that has a lid) over medium-low heat. Meanwhile, brush or spray a tortilla with olive oil, place the oiled side down in the skillet, and spread with the bean mixture, spreading the filling all the way to the edges. Top with a plain tortilla and brush or spray the top with oil. Cover the skillet. Cook until the cheese melts and the tortilla is gold brown, about 3 minutes per side. Repeat to make the other quesadillas. To make many quesadillas simultaneously, place the quesadillas on a baking sheet and broil, about six inches from the heat, about 1-2 minutes per side.
Serve with salsa, or a cilantro yogurt sauce.
My notes: I really like this recipe with the red chile tortillas from Whole Foods (but note that they only come 6 to a package, so get two packages to make this recipe). I’ve also tried the whole foods whole wheat tortillas, which weren’t quite as tasty but are whole grain. This recipe made 5 quesadillas with the Whole Foods tortillas (which are a bit small), with each quesadilla having about 3/4 cup of filling. The mixture could probably be stretched to make 6 or even 7 quesadillas if slightly less filling is used. If you use larger tortillas you will get fewer quesadillas.
Do *not* leave the jalepeno out–it really adds an important flavor. The original recipe called for 1.5 tsp. salt which was way too much. I just tried it with a heaping 1/2 tsp. and it was definitely enough for the zucchini to drain. Next time I’m going to try just 1/2 tsp. as I still found them a bit salty. The original recipe called for Monterrey Jack but I prefer a very sharp cheddar instead, or a mix of different cheeses. The original recipe called for 8 ounces of cheese, I believe, but I think these are quite tasty with only 4 ounces of cheese, although they don’t hold together as well. Derek prefers 6 ounces of cheese. It’s pretty flexible, so suit yourself.
Each quesadilla has about 400-550 calories each, depending on which tortillas are used, how much cheese, and how many quesadillas you make. One is enough for lunch, and with a light salad or vegetable side one quesadilla would make a very filling dinner. That said, when I make these for dinner people often eat two, or at least one and a half, so plan accordingly.
Rating: A-
Derek: A
Update Jan 2008: As part of a new food challenge I decided to try to make a recipe using raw winter squash. I picked this one, thinking that grated butternut squash might be an interesting replacement for the zucchini. I guess technically it’s not raw since the quesadillas get cooked, but really the squash just gets warmed up not really cooked through.
I grated my squash, sprinkled it with salt and let it drain in a colander to reduce the moisture. With zucchini I lose a lot of water, but with squash, after 40 minutes draining, nada. I pushed firmly on the squash to try to get all the water out, but still zilch, not a drop of liquid. Apparently, salting and draining butternut squash is not necessary!
I mixed the grated squash with black beans, jalepeno, and 6 ounces cheddar cheese, then put the mixture in a whole wheat tortilla and lightly pan-fried it to make a quesadilla. It had a bit of “raw squash” flavor, but it was very subtle. I didn’t think the squash added as much silky texture or flavor as zucchini, but it wasn’t unpleasant by any means.
The next day I brought the leftover filling and extra tortillas to work with me and made myself a “baked quesadilla” in the toaster oven for lunch. I don’t know if it was because the squash has been sitting longer, or because of the baking (about 4 minutes in the toaster oven), but this time the quesadillas had less raw squash flavor and a bit more good squash flavor. It’s certainly a good way to add some vitamin A to a quesadilla, and an easy way to get rid of leftover squash.
