Spinach Cakes

Oh, man, it's been so long! Must have a kid or something.

Owen loves his greens (for now) so I'm taking full advantage.

1/2 c. uncooked quinoa

1/2 c. Onion, finely chopped

2 cloves Garlic, minced

Olive oil

1 10-oz pkg frozen spinach

1 egg

vegetable oil

salt and pepper

Cook quinoa according to direction in chicken broth or water. Spin your spinach a salad spinner or squeeze out as much water was you can. Saute onions and garlic in olive oil on med hi heat until translucent with a dash of salt (add more if you used water to cook your quinoa and didn't season it); mix in cooked quinoa and spinach. While the mixture cools for a moment, heat a thin layer of vegetable oil in a big fry pan. Stir in one egg to the mixture and form patties.

Fry in oil until firm, about 3 minutes per side. Let drain on towels before serving.

Next time, I might add some feta cheese. Yum!

Ratatouille

Andy complains that I watch too many cooking competition shows (the Top Chef franchise, Chopped, Next Food Network Star, Next Iron Chef, Champions, ETC) but I learn so much! Like, last season the winning Next Food Network Star taught me in passing how to make ratatouille: EZPOT!

E- Eggplant
Z- Zucchini
P- Peppers
O- Onion
T- Tomato

It's so easy to remember and, now that I have a shiny new mandoline, it's easy to make!

Slice all the vegetables thin and layer in order starting with Eggplant at the bottom of an 8X8 baking dish; drizzle the top with olive oil and generously salt (while it cooks the olive oil and salt will get to the rest of the layers).  Cook for 30-40 minutes at 375. You can add whatever spices and herbs you want through the layers like basil, oregano, thyme, red pepper flakes, anchovies, the works! Go nuts! Oooh, pine nuts would be good...

Serve over brown rice or pasta or cous cous or white beans or sourdough bread or under chicken or a flaky white fish. Etc.

Tofu with Rice Noodles and Bok Choy

adapted from the best of Cooking Light everyday favorites


Rice Noodles
red pepper, julienned
bok choy, chopped
firm tofu, drained and cubed
garlic
red pepper flakes
honey
4 tbs soy sauce
4 tbs rice vinegar
2 tsp sesame oil
olive oil

Prepare rice noodles according to package directions.

Meanwhile, whisk together honey, red pepper flakes, soy sauce, rice vinegar and sesame oil (use about 1/4 oil to rice vinegar).

In a large pan, heat your olive oil over medium high heat. Sautee red pepper for two minutes; add bok choy and sauté for 1 minute; add tofu and garlic and sauté for 2 minutes. Add cooked noodles and sauce and heat through. Serve immediately.

Roasted Stuffed Acorn Squash

This is FALL.

2 acorn squashes, halved and cored
pecans, rough chop
onions, chopped
garlic, minced
fresh rosemary, sage, parsley, chopped
dried cranberries
1 cup couscous
olive oil
1 tbs Earth Balance
S+P

Preheat oven to 375. Oil up your halves, season with salt and pepper and place meat down on your baking sheet. Roast until your fork can pierce the shell, 20-30 minutes.

Meanwhile, sauté onions and garlic in oil and Earth Balance until translucent. Add your rosemary and sage and sauté til fragrant, 30 seconds or so. Add 1 1/2 cup water, bring to a boil. Mix in couscous, parsley, dried cranberries, and pecans. Remove from heat, cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

Stuff your mix in the squashes and serve.

A non-vegan might top with parmesan cheese. ;)

Moroccan Inspired CousCous and Butternut Squash with Spiced Tofu

Okay, this came out really great and I have no idea how. It's an amalgam of three different recipes and had the potential to go terribly wrong. Andy wanted me to look at something on TV and I literally could not leave the stove for a few seconds or lose the plot of the whole thing.

Anyway, it was delicious! As usual, all quantities are approximate.

Tofu:
1/2 tsp Cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp Cumin
1 tsp Brown sugar
1/2 tsp Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 tsp Salt + 1/2 tsp Pepper
1/2 tsp dried mustard
Tofu

CousCous:
2 tbs toasted pine nuts
dried cranberries
1 cup couscous
handful chopped parsley

Dressing:
Orange zest
juice of one lemon
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
olive oil

Butternut squash, cubed

1. Preheat oven to 375 and position rack to the tope 1/3 of your oven. Cube squash and toss with olive oil and a dash of salt. Arrange in a single layer and roast til tender (20-30 minutes depending on the size of your cubes). Set aside.

2. Cut your tofu into slabs and drain by wrapping in paper towels and setting a plate on top for weight. Leave for 15 minutes.

3. In a small bowl, mix together your rub ingredients. When tofu is drained, dredge in rub. Pan fry in a couple teaspoons of olive oil. Keep in a warm oven (225) until you need them.

4. Toast pine nuts in a small pan. Boil 1 cup of water; add dry couscous, cranberries, parsley, and pine nuts. Stir, remove from heat, cover and set aside for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

5. Toss together dressing ingredients in a large bowl. Toss in prepared couscous and squash.

6. Plate with tofu on top.

Black Bean Hummus and Tabouleh

Thanks, Mark and Kristi for the black bean hummus suggestion; I will seriously never use chickpeas again.

Black Bean Hummus

1 can black beans with 1/2 their juice
juice of 2 lemons
3 cloves roasted garlic
7 tbs tahini

Puree all in your food processor and refrigerate.

Tabouleh

(play with the quantities)
juice of 2 lemons
1c cooked bulgar wheat
cucumber, diced
mint, chopped
parsley, chopped
tomato, diced
scallions, chopped
olive oil
salt

Prepare bulgar wheat according to package directions (cooks a lot like cous-cous or quinoa: bring water to a boil and simmer for 12-15 minutes). Mix in with the rest of your ingredients and refrigerate. Serve chilled.

Vegan Whole Wheat Pancakes

Adapted from here

I like this recipe because it doesn't make too much batter, they are super light and vegan!

1c whole wheat flour
1c almond milk (or soy)
2tsp baking powder
2tbs veg oil
pinch salt

Mix ingredients. Use margarine or Earth Balance to make the pancakes on your griddle or fry pan on medium high heat. Lower the heat to medium after the first flip. I topped mine with raspberries, yum!