Flash Roasted Veggies with Chipotle Tomato Sauce

Again, I apologize for being behind. To make up for it, today you will get two posts! Hooray!

This came from Tuesday night. That was my first day of classes for the semester, so I wanted something that would come together quickly and easily, but still be delicious and hearty, because it was COLD.
This was delicious. We have a big thing for Mexican food this house and well, this is a very Mexican flavored dish. I really liked the sauce, it was spicy without being too hot and it was a complete meal in a casserole dish. I love that. It is a bit like a deconstructed veggie burrito. yum yum yum yum yum! I served this with some sauteed kale, but you certainly don't need to. This is fine all by itself.

Flash-Roasted Vegetables and Rice with Chipotle Tomato Sauce - adapted from Vegetarian Times
Vegetables & Rice:
1 c white rice
2 small zucchini, cut on a bias into 1/4 in slices
2 small yellow squash cut on a bias into 1/4 in. slices
2 small red bell peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4 in rings
2 tbs olive oil
1 tsp chili powder
optional -cheese for the top (The recipe calls for queso fresco, I used shredded cheddar because that is what we had.)

Chipotle Tomato Sauce:
2 chipotle chiles in adobo
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 14.5 oz can of fire roasted diced tomatoes
1 tbs olive oil
1 large white onion, halved and cut 1/4 in thick

Preheat oven to 475 degrees. Coat 2 large baking sheets with cooking spray.
Place rice and 2 c cold water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low cover and simmer until liquid is absorbed and rice is tender, about 15 min.
Meanwhile, toss together zucchini, squash and bell peppers with oil and chili powder in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Spread on baking sheets an roast 20 -25 min or until tender and beginning to brown.

To make Sauce: Blend chipotles, garlic and tomato in blender until almost completely smooth.
Heat oil in skillet over medium high heat. Add onion, and cook 5-7 min or until browned and softened. Stir in tomato mixture, reduce heat to medium and simmer 5 min or until thickened.

To serve: Spread rice in bottom of casserole dish. Top with vegetables then sauce. Sprinkle with cheese.

Moroccan Carrot Salad

I apologize, I am about 3 posts behind. School started this week and I have been lazy. But, never fear! I will catch up in the next few days.
On Monday Bob went out for lunch with a friend and I went out for dinner. I was going to just make a PB&J for lunch, but I thought, this is a great time to make a smaller recipe. This recipe, with a few modifications because of what we had in the house, comes from another one of my favorite blogs 101cookbooks.
It was a nice light, fresh lunch. I used canellini beans, because we were out of chickpeas and I didn't realize it, but I definitely think this would be much better with chickpeas, as the recipe suggests. I think it would have a much nicer texture.  I also used prunes, but this would be great with dates. It would probably be good with dried apricots as well, but they might be a little too sweet.
The dressing is fantastic. I would use it on lots of things.

Moroccan Carrot Salad - adapted from 101cookbooks
Dressing:
1 tbs cumin
1/3c extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon agave syrup
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

Salad:
 3 large carrots shredded on a box grater
 one 15- ounce can canellini beans, drained and rinsed (recipe calls for chickpeas. Use chickpeas if you can)
2/3c prunes cut into small pieces
1/3c fresh mint, torn
For serving:
toasted almond slices,  optional

To make the dressing:
In a bowl or jar, whisk together the olive oil, lemon juice, ground cumin, salt, and cayenne pepper. Set aside.
In a medium bowl, combine the carrots, beans, prunes, mint, and almonds, and rose petals (if you're including those as well.) Gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. (You can toss this salad, minus the almonds, hours in advance. Remove from the refrigerator 30 minutes before serving.)

Baked Hush Puppies

Well, last night's recipe was not one of the best. The batter came out wrong. It was too thin, but I was afraid to add too much more flour because I didn't want it to be too heavy. It was heavy any way, an the batter was super think. Maybe it didn't work because hush puppies are supposed to be fried.
Here is the problem. I am scared of frying things. Oh, I can shallow pan fry, but proper deep frying on my stove scares me. I am very accident prone and the idea of having a huge pan of hot oil somewhere that it could spill all over me is slightly terrifying. We love hush puppies, though, and I may just have to get over my fear of frying to make these right.

Baked Hush Puppies - adapted from Vegetarian Times
1 1/2 c fine ground cornmeal
1/2 c cake flour
1Tbs plus 1tsp cane sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt, pus more for sprinkling
1tsp creole seasoning
1 large egg
1c low-fat soy milk
1/2 large sweet onion (1c) finely diced
3/4 c vegetable oil

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Coat baking sheet with cooking spray.
Whisk together cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and creole seasoning. Whisk together egg and milk in a separate bowl. Stir onion into cornmeal mixture, then fold in egg mixture. Shape batter into small balls and place on prepared baking sheet Bake 10 min. Brush tops with oil and sprinkle with salt. Bake 3 min more.

Now, as I said, my batter was too thin. I couldn't make these into balls, they ended up being more like johnny cakes. They tasted ok, but they were too heavy since I had added more cornmeal. If you make them and they work out, let me know! I really wanted them to be good.

Roasted Portobello Sandwiches with Parmesan Mayo

 We are back from vacation! Yes, there was a little break there because we were down in Florida enjoying the sun and the 85 degree weather. Now we are back in the cold. So sad.
It was hard to choose what to make for our first dinner back. I didn't want something too heavy because we had been eating lots and lots of food on vacation. And I wanted something with lots of veggies because, as I said, we ate lots of food on vacation.
I settled on Roasted Portobello sandwiches with Parmesan mayo. Substantial enough to feel like a real meal, but light enough that we wouldn't feel overstuffed.
They were pretty good. Not great. They were missing some kind of zing. I am not sure what I would add to them, but they need something.

Roasted Portobello Sandwiches with Parmesan Mayo - from Cooking Light's Fresh Food Fast Cookbook

1 package (6oz) presliced portobello mushrooms
balsamic vinegar
4 slices crusty bread sliced about 1/2 in thick (I used sourdough)
6oz bottle of roasted red bell peppers, drained
1 c baby arugula

Preheat broiler
Place mushrooms on baking sheet and brush with vinegar. Broil 11-12 min or until browned and tender

Spread toasted bread slices with Parmesan Mayo (see below). Top 2 of the slices with about half of the bell peppers and 1/2 c of arugula. Arrange mushrooms over top of arugula. Top with remaining bread slices.

Parmesan Mayo
1/2c light mayonnaise
1 garlic clove, pressed
2tbs grated parmesan cheese
2tbs minced red onion
1/4ts black pepper

Combine all ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until well blended.

You will have leftover mayo. I used mine in some egg salad, but you could easily use it on sandwiches or anything else the needs a little zing.

Maple-Glazed Chicken

It's a rare chicken post! Yes, last night we had maple-glazed chicken. This was a good recipe that was made far more complicate than necessary.
First, it calls for bone in skin on chicken breast cut into large chunks. This is completely unnecessary. I'm not sure what the point of having the bone in was, but it doesn't cook long enough to get the flavor from the bone, which is usually the point of having it. It just makes it difficult to eat. If I made this again I would use boneless. Possibly still skin-on, though I don't think that is necessary either. Obviously, if i were to do that I'd cook it for less time.
Next, the apples you add to it were too mushy. The texture was just strange. I would have cooked them for less time, and I might have taken the skin off, or cut them smaller or something. They became a bit difficult to eat because they were being held together by the skin, but they were mushy. Odd.
Finally, I would have cut back on the 'glaze'. There was too much of it and it was too watery. I think I would probably have cut back by about a third.
I did taste good though. There was just something missing. We couldn't figure out what it was. Maybe some fresh parsley or something at the end. If you can figure it out let me know.It was a nice meal for a cold winter evening. I served it with a warm farro salad.

Maple Glazed Chicken

Farro salad

Maple Glazed Chicken - From the Food Network Magazine
2 lbs skin on, bone in chicken breast, cut into large chunks (See above)
kosher salt
2tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 apples cored and cut into wedges
8 medium shallots quartered lengthwise
1/4 c fresh sage, torn
1/2 c chicken broth
1/4 c maple syrup
1/4 c apple cider vinegar

Pat chicken dry and season with salt. Heat a large heavy skillet over high heat and add oil. When oil is hot, add chicken skin side down and cook, undisturbed, until browned and crisp, about 5 min.
Turn chicken and add apples, shallots and sage to the skillet. Reduce heat to medium high and cook until chicken is browned on the bottom, 4-5 min. Transfer chicken to plate and continue to cook apples and shallots, stirring until golden, about 2 more minutes. (This is probably where I would have added the apples so they weren't too mushy)

Meanwhile, mix chicken broth, maple syrup, vinegar and a pinch of salt in a small bowl. Add mixture to skillet and boil until reduced by about three quarters - 3-4 min. Return chicken to skillet, turning to coat, and cook until cooked through about 2-3 more minutes.

Tonight we are having leftovers. Because when you are cooking constantly, there are lots of leftovers.

Catfish en Papillote

You can't win them all. This recipe was ok. When it was finally finished. The directions said to cook for 10 to 12 minutes. I thought, 'great, we'll have dinner around 7:30, I'll start the catfish at 7:15. Should be plenty of time.' I was wrong. The fish took almost 30 minutes to complete cooking.
I'm not sure what went wrong. They were not particularly thick cuts of fish. The oven was the correct temperature. I had wrapped the fish en papillote as directed. It just took forever.

Aside from that little snafu, the fish itself wasn't bad. It wasn't great either. I'm not sure I'd put this on the make again list. The papillote is impressive looking, it's a technique I have used before, though that time it came out much better. This looked a lot better on TV than in real life.

Catfish en Papillote - from Guy's Big Bite
Marinade:
1/2 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh thyme
1/4 teaspoon finely minced garlic
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Peppers:
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 small red onion, julienned
1 medium yellow pepper, cleaned, membrane removed and julienned
1 medium red pepper, cleaned, membrane removed and julienned
Kosher salt and freshly cracked black pepper
Catfish:
Four 6-to 8-ounce catfish fillets, cleaned and skin removed
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons very finely sliced scallions
1 lemon, cut into wheels

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
For the marinade: Combine the balsamic vinegar, lemon juice, thyme and garlic in a small mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside until ready for use.

For the peppers: Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium-high heat. Once hot, add the onions and saute until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add the peppers and continue to cook to just get a little color on the vegetables, about 2 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and saute until just fragrant, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and reserve.
For the catfish: Take four 12- by 12-inch sheets of parchment paper and place on a clean work surface. Working with one packet at a time, begin by folding a piece of parchment paper in half to make a crease down the middle. Open it back up and spoon about 1/4  of the sauteed peppers and onions onto the middle of the parchment paper. Place a fillet of fish on top. Drizzle 2 tablespoons of the marinade over the top and sprinkle with salt, pepper and a pinch of paprika for color. Fold the parchment back over the fish to enclose. Working from one corner and around the fish to the other corner, make small folds that overlap one another so the packet gets tightly sealed. Continue to fold crease over crease until the packet is sealed. Tuck the last fold under the packet to hold in place.
Repeat with all four packets, and then place on a sheet tray and into the oven. Bake until the packets puff up completely, 10 to 12 minutes. (Or 30 if it is anything like mine. I'd check it after 12, but be prepared to need longer)

before wrapping

wrapped

To serve: Open the parchment packet tops with scissors and garnish with parsley, scallions and lemon wheels.

Black Bean Lasagna

I watch a lot of Food Network. I know, I know, you're shocked. One of the new shows that I didn't think I would like, but I have ended up loving is Trisha's Southern Kitchen, starring none other than singer Trisha Yearwood. She's fun, down to earth and her food is always incredible. When I saw her make black bean lasagna I knew I would be making it.
There is so much about this recipe I love. First, black beans. I love black beans. I could eat them all day long. Second, lasagna. Pasta, sauce and cheese in one easy to eat package? Perfect. Finally, this recipe is vegan! Vegan lasagna you say? That is crazy talk. Oh, it's not. It is delicious.
Bob was more impressed with this recipe than I was. He really liked it. So did I, but I thought there wasn't enough sauce. However, I like my lasagna covered in sauce. If you like more sauce, make the amount that is called for here. It is also a very thick sauce which is different from what I am used to, but quite yummy. Below is the recipe that I made, about half the amount. I would also have cooked it just a bit less than the 45 minutes that was called for. It was a little too crunchy on top.  All in all it was yummy. It was great for lunch this afternoon too.

Black Bean Lasagna - adapted from Trisha's Southern Kitchen

One 15-ounce can fire-roasted diced tomatoes
One 6-ounce can tomato paste
1/2 tablespoon dried oregano leaves
1 teaspoons salt, plus more for pasta
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1 small onion, finely chopped
One 15-ounce cans black beans, rinsed and drained
8 ounces lasagna noodles
1 recipe Tofu Ricotta, recipe follows

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
In a large saucepan, combine the everything except the lasagna noodles and the tofu ricotta. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, and then reduce the heat and simmer, uncovered, for about 30 minutes.
Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the lasagna noodles and cook to al dente according to package directions. Drain the noodles well.

Spread 1 cup of the prepared sauce in a 8x8 baking pan. Make three layers each of noodles, sauce and Tofu Ricotta. End with the sauce and make sure the noodles are completely covered or they will dry out during baking. 
Bake for 45 minutes, uncovered. Allow the dish to stand for 15 minutes before cutting into squares and serving. 

Tofu Ricotta
1/4 cup raw cashews, finely ground
14 ounces extra-firm tofu, drained and pressed  (To press, drain liquid from tofu. Fold paper towels around the tofu and then set a big wrought iron skillet on top of it to press out the excess moisture. Allow to sit for about an hour to press.)
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh basil, or 1 tablespoon dried basil
Salt and pepper 

Add the cashews to a food processor and grind them. Then crumble in the tofu, and add the yeast, olive oil and basil. (I do all of this in the food processor. I don't mind the smoother consistency for the lasagna and  I find that it is just simpler to do it all in the food processor.If you want it to be more of a ricotta consistency you should use a fork to mix in and break up the tofu.) Season with salt and pepper. Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use. Keeps well for at least a week. Yield: about 2 1/2 cups. 

Tofu Ricotta