Mini Snack

Need a little pick-me-up? Something to tide you over until the next meal? These are delicious, easy to make, and healthy. Great to throw in a tuperware and throw it in your bag and head out the door.

Chickpea Nibble
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, pat-dry
2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 tsp salt
pinch ground pepper
1/2 tsp favorite dried herb or spice (I like garam masala, also try thyme or oregano)

Put chickpeas in bowl. Toss with oil, add spices/herbs, salt, pepper. Arrange in single layer on baking sheet. Cook at 300 degrees, stirring occasionally until they have browned and crisped. (Recipe says about 50 minutes, some times it needs longer). Store in air tight container.

Lunch Box Redux

Although I love a good peanut butter and jelly sandwich (no grape jelly please) on some soft bread, it is not something that agrees with us Gluten Freers out there. Plus, by Wednesday you are probably craving something new.
Here is a great alternative for your lunch box that I found in Martha Stewart Living. Make a double batch to last you a few days.

Crisp Tofu with Crudites and Sesame Ginger Dipping Sauce
Martha Stewart Living

FOR THE SAUCE
5 teaspoons coarsely chopped peeled fresh ginger
1/4 cup tahini
5 teaspoons low-sodium tamari soy sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons honey
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

FOR THE TOFU
1 1/2 packages firm tofu (21 ounces total), cut into 2 dozen pieces and pressed (see below)
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1/4 teaspoon coarse salt

FOR THE CRUDITES
1/2 head green cabbage (1 pound), cut into 1/2-inch-thick wedges
8 ounces green beans, trimmed, steamed until crisp-tender
1 red bell pepper, seeds and ribs removed, cut lengthwise into 1/2-inch-thick strips

Directions

1. To press the tofu, place it on a rimmed baking sheet lined with a double layer of paper towels, then cover it with another double layer of paper towels. Place a baking sheet on top, and weight with heavy cans. Let stand for 30 minutes, then pat the tofu dry.
   
2. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Make the sauce: Finely chop ginger in a food processor. Add tahini, tamari, honey, oil, and vinegar; process until combined. With machine running, add 3 tablespoons cool water. Process until smooth.
3. Put tofu into a medium bowl. Add sesame seeds, oil, and salt; toss to combine. Arrange tofu in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake until golden brown and bottoms are lightly crisp, 12 to 15 minutes. Flip tofu, and bake 10 minutes more. Let cool completely.
4. To assemble, divide cabbage, green beans, and bell pepper into 4 servings, and top with tofu. Divide sauce among 4 small cups.

I am feeling souper, thanks for asking.

My hubby was feeling under the weather today and I had all day to kick it in the kitchen. Fall is in the air. There was one obvious answer to what I should cook up for dinner tonight...SOUP!
After some perusing around the Internet to get my appetite going, I decided that I wanted to see what I could make with only the ingredients around the house I already had. No shopping allowed. I came up with a delicious hearty soup that will last us a few days. I will be sure to make it again. And again.

Indian Tomato Lentil

1-2 tbsp Olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
2-3 garlic cloves, chopped or put through garlic press
1 tsp garam masala
1 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 chili (I used a mild one because we don't really like hot food), chopped
1/3 cup sliced mushrooms
1/3 cup white wine (optional)
1 28 oz can diced canned tomatoes or can crushed tomatoes (with their juice)
3/4 cup dried red lentils
1 can chicken or vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

1. Bring medium pot up to heat, add olive oil, onion, garlic and saute until translucent.
2. Add chili and saute a few more minutes.
3. Add garam masala, turmeric, cumin to pot. Stir to cover veggies and leave on heat until fragrant but not burned (about 2 minutes).
4. Throw in mushrooms and stir to combine. Let those saute a little bit. Deglaze the pot with wine. Cook off wine for about 1-2 mins.
5. Add tomatoes and their juice, red lentils and can of stock. Stir until well combined. Bring to a boil, then down to a simmer. Cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes. Salt and pepper to taste.
6. I like a soup that is both smooth with some identifiable chunks left in it. Before serving, I put about half of the soup in a bowl then used my immersion blender for the rest left in the pot. This is optional and depends on your preference.

This is really good with some Dal or garlic bread.

Sweet Goodness

One of my favorite restaurants is Blue Smoke, a BBQ joint in the city. They serve delicious sweet potato fries with this amazing maple dip. I decided to try to make some at home.

Sweet Potato Fries with Maple Dip (Blue Smoke style)
serves 2-4

2 large sweet potatoes, washed and dried, with skin still on, cut into wedges
olive oil
salt and pepper

For Fries:
1. Preheat oven to about 400.
2. Place prepared sweet potatoes on oiled baking tray. Drizzle olive oil, salt and pepper over top, toss with your hands.
3. Bake fries about 15-20 minutes. I suggest flipping them half way through so they get brown and caramelized on both sides.

Meanwhile, make dip:

1/3 cup sour cream (you can use plain yogurt for lower fat version)
1 tbsp (or more if you liked) of real maple syrup (don't bother trying this with the fake stuff!)
few shakes cinnamon
3 tsp powdered sugar

1. Mix above ingredients in a bowl. Season more to taste. Serve with warm fries. Enjoy!

Avocado Heaven

I admit it, I love avocados. I could eat them every day. Several of them. In one sitting. Happily.
Anyway, it is still hot here and I was hungry for something cold and refreshing for dinner.

Cold Avocado Soup
From Joy of Cooking

2 ripe Hass avocados, peeled and pitted (I used 2 1/2)
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 1/2 cups buttermilk
4 tsp fresh lime juice
1/4 tsp salt
dash black pepper

1. Put avocados and garlic into food processor. Process until smooth.
2. Add 2 cups buttermilk, lime juice, salt and pepper. Stir with a spoon (I transferred it into a large serving bowl at this point).
3. Refrigerate until cold. Add rest of buttermilk to thin out soup, to desired consistency. You could also use water to thin.
This could be garnished with a bit of lump crab, cilantro, sour cream or yogurt, or cooked shrimp.

Delish!

Gluten Free Me!

I recently decided to go gluten free for various reasons....which sadly means no bread, cookies, pastries, pasta and much much more. Looking on the positive side, it has opened a new world of recipes and ways to think about food. Here is one of the first main dishes I cooked to satisfy our GF palate. It was so good I would even make it if I didn't have such restrictions!

Polenta Mock-sagna
Taken from Sunset Magazine

Ingredients

5 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
1 can (28 ounces) crushed tomatoes
1 Tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1 med yellow onion, halved lengthwise then cut into wedges
1 medium bell pepper (red, green, orange or yellow), cut lengthwise into thin slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon red chili flakes
1 pound Italian sausage (removed from casings), sweet or spicy
2 pounds of prepared polenta, 1/2-inch slices if using prepared polenta in a tube (can use one recipe of creamy polenta, leave out the cream cheese)
1/2 pound (8 ounces) fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch slices

Method

1 Preheat oven broiler on high. Heat 3 Tbsp of oil in a 2-3 qt saucepan on medium heat. Add tomatoes and oregano, simmer, uncovered for 15 minutes.

2 While the tomatoes are cooking, in a large frying pan, heat 1 Tbsp oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion, bell pepper, garlic, salt, pepper, and chili flakes. Cover the pan, lower the heat to medium, and cook until the vegetables have softened, about 5 minutes. Add the sausage, stirring and breaking it into small pieces as it cooks, about 5 minutes. Cover the pan and cook until vegetables are tender and the sausage is cooked through, about 5-8 more minutes. Add the tomato sauce and simmer for 10 minutes.

3 While the sauce is cooking, coat the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with a 1 Tbsp oil. Add the cooked polenta (or slices) to the pan. Coat the top of the polenta with the remaining 1/2 Tbsp oil. Broil the polenta about 4 inches from the heating element until golden brown and crispy, about 10-15 minutes.

4 Pour sauce over broiled polenta, then arrange Mozzarella slices over the top and return the casserole to the broiler. Broil until the cheese is melted and beginning to brown, about 2 minutes. Let cool for a few minutes before serving.

Makes 6 servings.

Don't get crabby

Crab Dip

This is a modified version of crab dip my mom has adapted from a restaurant in Houston. It is delicious and can be served as an appetizer or for an entree with a light salad.

Mix in a medium bowl:

4 oz sour cream

4 oz cream cheese, softened

1/4 cup mayo

add enough cream to soften

Add to bowl:

1 minced garlic clove

1 small chopped onion

3/4 cup of grated cheeses (combo of monterey jack, American, and parmesan)

1/4 package frozen drained spinach (previously thawed)

2 artichoke hearts (can use frozen-thawed or canned), chopped

1/2 lbs fresh lump crab

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

salt and pepper to taste

Once combined, add to oven-proof serving dish. Top with breadcrumbs, parmesan cheese. Bake 400 degrees in preheated oven for 12-15 minutes. Serve with warm pita chips.