Spaghetti Squash with Roasted Vegetables



 

Ever since I realized how easy it is to microwave spaghetti squash I have become obsessed with it.

 

Just make pierce the skin of the squash a few times to prevent the squash from exploding in the microwave and then nuke it for 12 minutes. It comes out steaming hot so be careful when you slice it open. Scoop out the seeds and then break up the strands of squash with a fork.

 

Last night I paired topped my spaghetti squash off with some roasted vegetables. I roasted eggplant, peppers, and zucchini coated with olive oil in the oven for 40 minutes at 375' but any vegetables would work.

 

 

Black Lentil & Tomato Soup

After a weekend on the beach in Miami, I was not very excited to come back to 40 degree rain in Boston this week. This lentil stew by Heidi Swanson made the cold, dark weather a bit more bearable. Plus, the ingredient list is short which made my trip to the grocery store very easy.


Ingredients:
2 cups black beluga lentils (or green French lentils), picked over and rinsed
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon fine-grain sea salt
1 28-ounce can crushed fire roasted tomatoes
2 cups water
3 cups of a big leafy green (chard, kale, etc), rinsed well, deveined, finely chopped

Directions:
Bring 6 cups of water to a boil in a large saucepan, add the lentils, and cook for about 20 minutes, or until tender. Drain and set aside.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a heavy soup pot over medium heat, then add the onion and salt and saute until tender, a couple minutes. Stir in the tomatoes, lentils, and water and continue cooking for a few more minutes, letting the soup come back up to a simmer. Stir in the chopped greens, and wait another minute. Taste and adjust the seasoning if need be.

Spicy Potato & Cabbage Soup

I based this recipe off of Heidi Swanson's Rustic Cabbage Soup, but decided to use tri-colored potatoes to make it more visually appealing.  I also added a bit of spice to make it more interesting. A meal in itself, this soup is very hearty.

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
a big pinch of salt
1/2 pound tri-colored potatoes, skin on, cut 1/4-inch pieces
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1/2 large yellow onion, thinly sliced
6 cups stock (see head notes)
1 1/2 cups white beans, precooked or canned (drained and rinsed well)
1/2 medium cabbage, cored and sliced into 1/4-inch ribbons
more good-quality extra-virgin olive oil for drizzling
1 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:
Warm the olive oil in a dutch oven over medium-high heat. Stir in the salt and potatoes. Cover and cook until they are a bit tender and starting to brown a bit, about 10 minutes - it's o.k. to uncover to stir a couple times. Stir in the garlic and onion and cook for another five minutes. Add the stock and the beans and bring the pot to a simmer. Stir in the cabbage and cook for a couple more minutes, until the cabbage softens up a bit. Now add the cayenne pepper and adjust the seasoning depending on your taste.

Serve drizzled with a bit of olive oil and/or sriracha.

Teriyaki Tofu over Shirataki Noodles

 

I have a lot of travel scheduled this month so I have been a bit lax in stocking my fridge. That said, I always have tofu and shirataki noodles on hand so this recipe was a cinch to whip up last evening when I needed a quick meal. Added bonus - low carb & low fat!

 

Ingredients:

 

1 block of tofu
1 bag shirataki noodles

 

Teriyaki Marinade:
 

1/4 cup low-sodium soy sauce

2 tablespoons brown sugar

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 tablespoons rice vinegar

2 garlic cloves, crushed with a garlic press or minced

1 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon red pepper flake

 Combine all ingredients to make the teriyaki sauce.

 

Drain, press, and cube a block of tofu. I wrapped the block of tofu in paper towels and place a firm cutting board with a few canned goods on top for 30 min to drain/press the tofu.
 

 Marinate the tofu in the teriyaki for at least 1 hour. Line a baking sheet with tinfoil and preheat oven to 375 degrees. Place tofu pieces on baking sheet and bake for 35 minutes, shaking tray a few times during the cooking to loosen. Reserve the remaining marinade. Drain the shirataki noodles and microwave for 1 minute. Drain again. Add 1 tbps of the remaining marinade to the noodles and combine. Add tofu and sprinkle with sesame seeds. I added some sriracha to mine as well.

 

 

 

Baked Tofu over Edamame, Corn, & White Bean Salad

I got this tofu marinade from Caitlin, over at her Healthy Tipping Point blog.  

I paired the tofu with a salad of white beans, edamame, and corn - dressed in a equal ratio of olive oil, soy sauce, and red wine vinegar. ( I used 1 tbsp each).

This is going on my list of my favorite baked tofu recipes!

 

Ingredients:

• 2/3 block extra firm tofu
• 2 tablespoons EVOO
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1/2 tablespoon chili powder
• 1/2 tablespoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon paprika
• 1 tablespoon sesame seeds

Directions:

• Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
• Press excess liquid from tofu. Wrap several paper towels around tofu, and place tofu in between two plates. Let stand for 15 minutes.
• Cut tofu in 1 inch by 1 inch pieces.
• In a small, microwave-safe bowl, mix EVOO, honey, chili powder, black pepper, and paprika.
• Microwave marinade for 35 seconds and stir thoroughly.
• Spray cooking sheet.
• Coat each piece of tofu in marinade and place on cooking sheet.
• Sprinkle sesame seeds on top of tofu.
• Cook at 375 for 30 minutes, turning once.

Broccoli and Spinach Vegan Quiche

I have had this recipe from Lindsey Nixon's book "Everyday Happy Herbivore" on my "Try" list for some time. Working from home today gave me the ability to give it a shot for a quick lunch. Very easy and made from ingredients I usually have in my fridge every day. Lindsey mentions using any type of greens that you want - I used some broccoli and spinach. I also subbed out the garlic and onion powder (personal taste) and added in harissa powder in their place for some spice.  I will post my modified recipe below - Lindsey's recipe can be found here.

Ingredients

• 1 pound extra-firm tofu
• 1 tsp harissa powder
• ½ tsp turmeric
• ½ tsp salt 
• ¼ cup nutritional yeast
• ¼ cup cornstarch
• 1½ tbsp Dijon mustard
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 cups fresh spinach chopped
• 2 cups of broccoli florets, chopped very small. 
• 1 tsp red pepper flakes                                      

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease a shallow 9" pie dish and set aside. Steam broccoli (I used my microwave) until bright green and slightly tender. Combine all ingredients, except spinach and broccoli, in a food processor or strong blender and whiz until smooth and creamy, stopping to break up chunks and scrape the sides as necessary. Mix in the vegetables in and transfer batter to pie dish. Using a spatula, spread the mixture around so it's even and tight. Bake 30-40 minutes, until golden and the center is not still mushy. Allow to cool at least 10 minutes before slicing.
 

 

White Chili & Cornbread

Yesterday it was cold outside. Not really cold, but cold enough to require a sweater for the first time in months. Which caused me to start to panic about the approach of winter.

Growing up in North Carolina and Italy, snow was a fun novelty. Living in New England, snow has become a dreaded hassle. I feel like everyone in New England gets excited about the approach of winter. Personally, I feel like once it snows here in Boston everything just becomes harder. The T is more crowded, you have to lug a huge down coat with you everywhere in order to not get frostbite when you step outside for two minutes, and the perils of walking down cobblestone streets multiply with hidden ice patches.

OK so maybe I am overreacting. Maybe September is a bit too early to panic about snow. I am going to focus on the positive things this month brings with it - pumpkin beer, apple picking, and falling leaves. And of course the things that I can cook again...stews, soups, chili, pies.

And those thoughts put me in a good mood....a good enough mood to make my first chili of the season. I love Ellie Krieger's white chili recipe so I veganized it and whipped up a quick cornbread on the side.

Chili Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium onion, diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 2 stalks celery, diced (about 1/2 cup)
• 3 medium poblano peppers (about 4 ounces each), seeded and white ribs removed, finely diced (about 1 1/2 cups)
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper, more to taste
• 1 pound ground soy crumbles
• 2 (15.5-ounce) cans white beans such as cannelini, preferably low-sodium, drained and rinsed
• 4 cups low-sodium veggie broth
• 3/4 teaspoon dried oregano
• 1 (15.5-ounce) can hominy, drained and rinsed
• Salt
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
• Lime wedges

Directions:

Heat the oil in large pot or Dutch oven over moderate heat. Add the onion, celery, poblanos, and cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are soft, about 8 minutes.

Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and cayenne and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

 

Add the ground soy crumbles and cook for 2 minutes. Add the white beans, broth and oregano. Cook, partially covered, stirring occasionally, for 25 minutes.


Add the hominy and salt and more cayenne pepper, to taste, and continue cooking, partially covered, 10 minutes longer. Ladle into individual bowls and top each serving with cilantro and lime.

Cornbread Ingredients:

1 cup corn meal
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tablespoon of baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup almond milk
1/4 cup canola oil
1/4 cup raw agave nectar
1/2 cup frozen corn
2 "flax" eggs (2 tablespoon ground flax + 6 tbps water)



Directions:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees
Mix "flax" eggs and set aside.
In a bowl, mix together the cornmeal, flour, baking powder and salt. Add the corn.
Add the wet ingredients to  the dry ones and stir until well combined. Pour into an oiled 8-inch square baking pan. Bake for 20 min or until a toothpick comes out clean.