Tag: Vegetarian
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad
We’ll get to this delicious roasted butternut squash salad with maple-mustard dressing, I promise. But first, a little digression. Last Friday our family returned from five days in central Illinois for a fall break trip to visit family. We enjoyed some gorgeous fall colors,
a visit to Wildlife Prairie Park (a combination park/zoo/recreated prairie farmstead),
a daytrip to Chicago, where the kids and I explored the Field Museum,
quality time with grandparents and great-grandparents,
and a hike that dead-ended at this picturesque-but-creepy abandoned woodcutter’s cottage.
The weather was just what you’d idealize for fall–crisp but not too cold–and the kids behaved really well overall. Can’t ask for much more than that! If I could lodge just one complaint, though, it would be this: MEAT OVERLOAD. I had forgotten how much people in the Midwest eat meat, breakfast, lunch, and dinner. This half-time vegetarian was not prepared for the amount of (especially red) meat that is standard on Midwestern menus. I enjoy a good burger as much as anyone else, but by the time we got home, I was ready to bathe myself in vegetables. So when I meal planned for this week, I made sure to include some uber-healthy vegetarian meals. Hence this butternut squash salad.
I had made this meal once before, but this time decided to tweak it a bit, and was delighted with the results. The mix of nutty butternut squash roasted with honey and spices, salty pepitas, sweet cranberries, and a maple-mustard dressing made for an awesome, hearty fall salad. For lunch today I had the leftovers and they were just as tasty as night before. How often does that happen with a salad?
Full disclosure, though: not everyone in our family loved this salad as much as I did. My 8-year-old, who apparently detests butternut squash with a level of intensity most people reserve for Donald Trump and dental work, gave us MAJOR grief over eating that part of the salad for dinner. When my husband told him he had to eat the squash before he could get dessert, my son shoved it in his mouth, and moments later…..vomited.
Yep. Vomited. He wasn’t sick; he just hates squash THAT MUCH.
So, word to the wise: if your kid as much as much loathing for butternut squash as mine does, you may want to shy away from this meal. On the other hand, if you’re a grown-up who enjoys healthy, flavorful food, allow me to introduce you to a new favorite fall salad.
Roasted Butternut Squash Salad with Maple-Mustard Dressing
(Inspired by Two Peas and their Pod)
Ingredients:
For the salad:
12 oz. (about 1 small) butternut squash, peeled and diced into 1/2-inch cubes
1/2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. honey
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. dried parsley
salt and pepper, to taste
8 c. spinach or mixed greens
1/2 c. roasted salted pepitas
3/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
1/2 c. dried cranberries
For the dressing:
1/4 c. maple syrup
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp. + 2 tsp. cider vinegar
1 tsp. grainy mustard
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
1/3 c. canola oil
salt and pepper, to taste
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Spread butternut squash chunks on a large baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil and honey. Sprinkle with nutmeg, parsley, salt, and pepper and toss to coat. Roast 25-30 minutes, stirring once halfway through cooking. Cool to room temperature.
- Meanwhile, prepare the rest of the salad: in a salad bowl or platter, toss spinach/salad greens with pepitas, feta, and cranberries. Add roasted squash.
- To make the dressing, combine maple syrup, garlic, cider vinegar, grainy mustard, and Dijon mustard in a measuring cup. Add canola oil and blend with an immersion blender until emulsified. (Alternatively, you could use a regular blender or food processor.) Serve on the side or tossed in the salad.
Serves 4 as a main dish.
7-Layer Mexican Tortilla Pie
If there’s one visual trick that makes me want to eat a food, it would have to be layering. I don’t care if it’s a dip, a cake, or a sardine-ketchup pudding, if it has layers, it needs to get in mah belly. There’s something so showy and almost whimsical about a stratum of food on top of food, like a circus pyramid or an awesome architectural feat. So when I was browsing Allrecipes.com recently and found that not only is there a Mexican entree I have yet to eat, but that it also has LAYERS, I knew it had won a spot on our weekly meal plan.
While it may not be a traditional Mexican dish, this 7-layer tortilla pie is certainly a fun way to use Mexican flavors. Cheesy, gooey, and salsa-y, with not too much spice, this was a hit even with my kids. And with its two types of beans (black and pinto), corn, and fresh tomatoes, I think you may actually reach your RDA of fiber in one meal by eating it. So check that off your bucket list.
The other great thing about this recipe is that, with relatively inexpensive ingredients, one pie feeds a small army. When friends of ours came for dinner the other night, we fed both of our families (4 adults and 6 kids) with just one of these. Hooray for fiber and yummy Mexican flavors and layers–LAYERS FOR EVERYONE!!!!
7-Layer Mexican Tortilla Pie
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
2 15-oz. cans pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 c. salsa
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
3/4 c. frozen roasted corn, thawed
1/2 c. tomatoes, diced
1/4 c. cilantro, chopped
3/4 tsp. taco seasoning (see here for how to make your own)
7 (8-inch) flour tortillas
2 c. shredded sharp cheddar cheese
diced tomatoes and cilantro for garnish, if desired
Directions:
1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Wrap tortillas in foil and bake 8-10 minutes. Leave tortillas in foil until you are ready to assemble the pie.
2. Increase oven temperature to 400 degrees. In a large bowl, mash the pinto beans. Add 3/4 c. salsa and garlic cloves and stir to combine.
3. In another bowl, combine black beans, roasted corn, tomatoes, cilantro, taco seasoning, and remaining 1/4 c. salsa.
4. Place 1 tortilla in the bottom of a 9-inch springform pan (or a pie plate). Spread 3/4 c. of the pinto bean mixture over tortilla to within 1/2 an inch of the edge. Sprinkle with 1/4 c.. shredded cheddar. Place another tortilla on top and spread with 2/3 c. black bean mixture, topping with 1/4 c. shredded cheddar. Repeat these layers two more times. Cover with remaining tortilla, spread with remaining pinto bean mixture, and sprinkle with remaining cheese. Top with cilantro and diced tomatoes, if desired.
5. Cover with foil and bake in the preheated oven for 40-50 minutes. Slice into wedges.
Serves 6 generously.
Spicy Pan-Fried Noodles with Tofu
It’s rare that one dinner gets made twice in two weeks at our house–or even twice in a month. I’m too fond of variety (and of trying new recipes) for that to happen very often. But every once in awhile a dinner recipe comes along that makes me want to make it EVERY. DAY. Like these spicy pan-fried noodles with tofu:
I gave these a try a couple of weeks ago on a Friday when our family was gathered around the TV for our semi-monthly Family Movie Night. It’s kind of a shame I was in the kitchen cooking during part of the movie, because it was Phineas and Ferb the Movie: Across the Second Dimension. I may have mentioned before that Phineas and Ferb is, in my opinion, the greatest kids’ show of all time. I’ve actually thought about getting on Twitter just so I could stalk follow Dan Povenmire, one of the show’s creators. Anyway, since I made this delicious meal to the sounds of the movie in the background, I now associate the tantalizing blend of lime, brown sugar, and Sriracha with the voice of Dr. Heinz Doofenschmirtz (AKA the best character in the best kids’ show of all time).
Fast forward two weeks to our next Family Movie Night. I had been craving these noodles so much since the Phineas and Ferb movie night, I decided to bend my usual rules and make them again. Now I’m going to associate their taste with a combination of Dr. Doofenschmirtz and Judy Garland’s Somewhere Over the Rainbow, because this time around we watched The Wizard of Oz. So that’s a weird mental picture.
Regardless, I stand by my fortnight-long craving for these spicy noodles and tofu. They are absolutely restaurant quality, like something you’d get at Pei Wei (and then order every time you go there from here to eternity, like I do with their honey-seared chicken). For little ones or picky palates, the spice level can be adjusted by scaling back the Sriracha. I also realized after making this twice that it happens to be vegan. So there’s that, too, if that floats your boat. Or if it doesn’t, forget I said it and enjoy this meal for the spicy-sweet deliciousness it is!
Spicy Pan-Fried Noodles with Tofu
(Adapted from Fine Cooking)
Ingredients:
1/4 c. soy sauce
3 Tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. fresh lime juice
1 1/2 Tbsp. Sriracha, adjustable to taste
2 large cloves garlic, minced
3 Tbsp. vegetable or peanut oil, divided
14 oz. extra-firm tofu, pressed as dry as possible and sliced into 3/4 inch cubes
5 carrots, peeled and sliced into 1 1/2 inch long matchsticks
1/4 c. shallot, minced
16 oz. cooked Udon noodles*
2-3 c. green cabbage, thinly sliced
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, lime juice, Sriracha, minced garlic, and 2 Tbsp. water. Set aside.
2. In a large non-stick skillet, heat 1 Tbsp. of oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add tofu, season with salt and pepper, and sauté until golden brown on all sides, about 7-10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl.
3. Off the heat, add another 1 Tbsp. oil to the pan. Return to heat and add sliced carrots, cooking and stirring occasionally 3-5 minutes or until tender and browned in spots. Transfer to bowl with the tofu.
4. Off the heat, add the remaining 1 Tbsp. oil to the pan. Add shallot and return to heat, sauté about 1 minute, then add cooked noodles. Saute 2-3 minutes until noodles have browned in spots. Stir the sauce and carefully add it to the pan. Toss well to coat and cook and stir until the sauce reduces to a sticky glaze, about 2 minutes.
5. Return tofu and carrots to the pan. Add sliced cabbage and toss until heated through.
Serves 4.
*To make preparation faster and easier, consider using microwavable steam-pack noodles such as these:
Microwave while carrots are cooking in the skillet–voila! Instant cooked noodles!
Zucchini Cheddar Fritters
Tomorrow marks the halfway point of my summer school chemistry class, which I (perhaps foolishly) figured I could “knock out” over the summer and put behind me as I progress in my nutrition degree. Whoa, did I have another thing coming. As it turns out, “Fundamental Chemistry” is no hippety-hop down the primrose path of the periodic table. The last four weeks have been a brain-bending blur of memorizing chemical nomenclature, struggling to recall math principals I haven’t used since high school, and spending my mornings doing things like decompose potassium chlorate. Gradually my comprehension has caught up with the material and I finally feel like I get most of what we’re doing……for now.
In the meantime–and when you’re in an intensive 8-week chemistry class, there’s not a whole lot of meantime–at least cooking serves as a stress reliever. And it’s especially a boost when what I’m cooking takes wholesome ingredients and turns them into something delicious. Which is its own kind of chemistry, right? Making these zucchini cheddar fritters the other night was a simple pleasure that went a long way toward shaking off some of the stress of summer school. Their soft-on-the-inside, crispy-on-the-outside texture, plus the yin-yang balance of sharp cheddar with mellow zucchini is is one of those food gestalts that is more than the sum of its parts. My only concern is whether to call them fritters or pancakes. Or pitters or francakes.
Well, it’s been a nice little break–now back to molecular mass and stoichoimetry! Maybe someday I’ll be able to share about the chemistry of cooking. After all, that’s the best kind.
Zucchini Cheddar Fritters
(Adapted from Allrecipes.com)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil
3 c. grated zucchini
1/2 c. grated onion
1 1/4 c. shredded cheddar cheese
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
salt and pepper, to taste
Additional vegetable oil for pan-frying
Directions:
1. In a small bowl, combine flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar. Add 2 1/2 Tbsp. vegetable oil and mix with a fork. Texture should be slightly lumpy.
2. In a large bowl, combine zucchini, onion, and cheddar. Stir in eggs, paprika, garlic powder, and flour mixture until evenly distributed. Season with salt and a few grinds fresh-cracked pepper.
3. Heat additional vegetable oil (about 2 tsp.) in a large non-stick skillet over medium heat. Once oil is hot, scoop batter by 1/4 cups into skillet, smoothing the tops to flatten to about 3/4 inch height. Cook 3-4 minutes, then flip and cook 3-4 minutes on the other side. Repeat with any remaining batter, using additional vegetable oil if necessary.
Serve with ketchup, sour cream, or any other dipping sauces you enjoy!
Serves 4-5.
Lemon-Dill Orzo with Chickpeas and Artichokes
I have a friend who used to say in the summer that she had “broken up” with her oven. It’s a mental image I’ve carried with me for years. I always picture this friend engaged in a painful split from Mr. Kenmore Oven. She tells him she can’t take the heat. First he wheedles, then he sends flowers, makes promises–he even bakes cookies. He writes love letters to prove his emotional range. She resists, ignoring him each time she walks through the kitchen, flaunting her new-found relationship with no-cook meals in his shiny metal face. But we know where this cat-and-mouse game ends when fall rolls around. Every year she comes running back to his warmth–how could she stay away when he’s SO HOT??–and the sizzling romance resumes. (Are you rolling your eyes at the oven puns yet?)
Awful oven puns aside, I get what my friend means. The to-oven-or-not-to-oven question is a seesaw many of us who love to cook tend to ride as seasons change. It seems counterintuitive to heat a metal box to 450 degrees in the middle of your house when every other effort you make all day is to stay cool. So while June hasn’t started off too terribly here in the Phoenix area (no temps soaring over 110–that’s what we call moderate), I still feel the pull to keep the oven off and serve something closer to air-conditioned room temperature.
When we tried this vegetarian orzo salad last night, it hit the non-piping-hot spot. The recipe does, admittedly, use the stovetop to boil the orzo, but 15 minutes on the range beats a lasagna in the oven for an hour, and the end result is a refreshing blend of cool flavors perfect for a warm day. It’s packed with:
- Chickpeas for fiber and protein (see my ode to the nutritional value of chickpeas here)
- Feta for a non-fatty cheese indulgence (the Pasta Salad Code of Ethics states that every pasta salad needs a cheese indulgence)
- Artichokes for veggie goodness including additional fiber and Vitamin C
- Fresh dill, lemon juice, garlic, and olive oil to add flavor without overdoing it on calories and fat (in keeping with the ideology of the Mediterranean diet).
Put them all together and you have a quick, light one-dish dinner or a hearty potluck side. So, sorry, Mr. Oven. Like my friend, I’m off for my annual summer fling without you. Or at least a few days’ break…you know I still need you for cookies.
Lemon-Dill Orzo with Chickpeas and Artichokes
(Adapted from Cooking Light)
Ingredients:
1 1/4 c. uncooked orzo
1/2 c. sliced green onions
3/4 c. crumbled feta cheese
1 14-oz. jar marinated artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
5 Tbsp. chopped fresh dill
2 15-oz. cans chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans), drained
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbsp. cold water
scant 3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. minced garlic
Directions:
1. Cook orzo according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water.
2. In a large bowl, combine cooled, rinsed orzo, green onions, feta, artichoke hearts, dill, and chickpeas.
3. In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, water, salt, and garlic. Drizzle over pasta mixture and toss gently to coat.
Serve immediately or refrigerate.
Serves 5-6 as a main dish, 8-10 as a side dish.