Tag Archives: meatless meal

Eat your greens the Moosewood way–with tofu and spice

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I first heard of Moosewood Restaurant sometime in the 1980′s when I lived in Fargo and often took cooking classes from Andrea Halgrimson. She spoke highly of the restaurant located in Ithaca, New York that serves natural, healthful food, making it sound exotic, alluring and hippie-ish and very alternative to the common, everyday meals I was preparing and eating for my young family in Fargo, North Dakota.

Visiting Ithaca and eating at least one meal at Moosewood Restaurant has been on my “Must Do” list ever since those cooking classes in Andrea’s kitchen. In the meantime, I’ve been collecting the cookbooks that keep coming from the Moosewood collective.

One of the Moosewood books I’ve used most is “Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home: Fast and Easy Recipes for Any Day.” That book holds the recipe for the first Pad Thai I ever prepared in my own kitchen. It’s the only one I will ever make. It is that delicious.

Earlier this summer, a young friend of mine prepared a meatless meal that I was so lucky to be invited to eat. She used a recipe from a cookbook she’d gotten as a gift from a friend, “Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: fresh ideas for the weeknight table.”

I enjoyed every flavorful bite of Scrambled Tofu with Greens & Raspberry Chipotle Sauce. I came home with the a copy of the recipe. Last week, with a 3-pound bag of beet greens from the farmers market in my refrigerator, I knew it was time to pull out the recipe from “Simple Suppers.”

This meal takes little time to prepare. The recipe suggests using kale, chard or collards. I’ve discovered beet greens work spectacularly well. Beet greens are thin, allowing them to wilt quickly. Tofu takes on the flavors of whatever it cooks with. In the original recipe, the greens, onions and garlic offer their deep flavors to the tofu. I added half of a hot yellow banana pepper and some minced garlic chives from my CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) basket. A smoky sauce of jam and chipotle is served along side. I used some homemade strawberry-blueberry-Grand Marnier jam a friend shared with me. I like the dish spooned over cooked brown rice.

A friend of mine ate at Moosewood Restaurant last week. She sent me an email to tell me she had enjoyed a meal of quinoa and marinated vegetables with a cup of gazpacho. Sounds so healthful, doesn’t it? Not to mention hippie and alluring :) One of these days I’ll get to that restaurant myself.

My husband and I gobbled the scrambled tofu and beet greens right up. It completely vanished before I even thought to take a picture. My bag of beet greens is gone, but I’ll be making the dish again tomorrow with spinach or chard.

Scrambled Tofu with Greens & Berry Chipotle Sauce

(adapted from “Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers: fresh ideas for the weeknight table,” by the Moosewood Collective.)
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 cup chopped onion
  • 1/2 of a hot banana pepper, seeds removed, chopped
  • 1/4 cup minced garlic chives
  • 3 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 3 cups chopped beet greens
  • 1 (14-ounce) cake extra firm tofu, drained and mashed with a fork
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce

For sauce:

  • 1/3 cup berry jam
  • 2 teaspoons adobo sauce from canned chipotles
  • 1 to 2 tablespoons water
  • 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice

Pour olive oil into a large skillet over medium heat. When oil is hot, add chopped onions, banana pepper and chives. Saute until onions and pepper are tender. Add beet greens and stir to coat with mixture in pan. Cover with tight-fitting lid and steam until greens wilt.

Remove lid from skillet. Increase heat to high and cook off any remaining water in the pan. Add mashed tofu and stir. Cook for 3 or 4 minutes. Use a spatula to turn over the tofu mixture. Cook for another 3 or 4 minutes, until tofu begins to brown.

While the tofu cooks, make sauce by mixing jam, adobo and water together in a small saucepan. Simmer on low heat until hot and slightly thickened. Add lemon juice.

Serve tofu and greens with warm sauce. Brown rice is a nice accompaniment. Makes 3 or 4 servings.

See and/or purchase the book “Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers” at BetterWorldBooks.

Learn more about Moosewood Restaurant and see some of their recipes at their website:

http://www.moosewoodrestaurant.com/index.html

If you are intrigued with this recipe, you will find my recipe for Brunchschetta, an anytime meal� using beet greens with bacon and a poached egg on toast in my column this week. Click here to get to the recipe.

 

 

Autumn Chili–You Won’t Even Miss the Meat

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I’ve been preparing for my trip to Willmar, where I’ll be doing a couple of cooking demonstrations at their Women’s Expo on Saturday. One of the things I most look forward to when I travel to do these programs, is the opportunity to meet some of the people who read my column.

During my visit to Willmar, I’ll be meeting one very special person who likes to cook and who has been reading my column for a few years in the West Central Tribune and following my blog. We’ve been communicating by email for quite some time about meatloaf and muffins and all kinds of food. And today, this 94 1/2-year-old man is going to teach me how to make crullers. He says there’s nothing better to go with a cup of coffee. I’ve never eaten a cruller. I don’t know a thing about them, other than what my cruller teacher has explained to me. Have you ever had a cruller? Have you ever made crullers? Tell me about it in a comment.

I made a pot of Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili. I’m taking a tall jar of the meatless, healthful chili to Mr. Cruller-Maker. He can store it in the refrigerator or freezer and just heat some up when he’s ready to eat it.

I’ve been making this chili for a few years. I kept the cumin toned down in the recipe, but when I make it for my own family, I kick up the heat factor with a full tablespoon of the cumin and add a tablespoon or so of chili powder, which isn’t in the original recipe.

I like to serve the chili with a dollop of sour cream on each serving and a sprinkling of chopped green onions, chives or cilantro. Tortilla chips can be crumbled over the top of each bowl, too. My husband likes to sprinkle some shredded Cheddar over the top of his chili.

It doesn’t take long to prepare Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili. I cook a full cup of lentils which yields a little more than two cups of cooked lentils. I use a cup in the chili and freeze the remaining lentils for another time. I like stirring lentils into rice with some seasonings that depend on my mood at the time. Cooked lentils make a nice addition to soup, too.

You won’t even miss the meat in this chili. It’s a mixture full of texture and high on flavor.

I’ll be eating my first cruller this afternoon. And I’ll bet my new friend will be eating his first bowl of Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili this evening.

Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili

1 cup uncooked lentils                                    1 (15-ounce) can black beans,

2 cups water                                                           drained and rinsed

1 cup finely chopped celery                            1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 cup finely chopped carrots                           1 (28-ounce) can ground peeled tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped onion                            2 teaspoons ground cumin
Several cloves garlic, minced                          1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil                                       Seasonings to taste
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
Sour cream for garnish

Sort through lentils to remove any debris. Rinse the lentils. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Slowly stir in lentils. Reduce heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.

Coat bottom of a soup pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add celery, carrots and onions. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. You don’t want the garlic to brown. Stir in black beans and pumpkin, continuing to stir until the pumpkin is blended into the mixture. Add cumin and paprika and stir to disperse into the vegetable mixture. Stir in tomatoes and bring mixture to a simmer.

Use an immersion blender to gently pulse about half of the vegetable mixture. I like to leave some texture to the soup. Add half of the vegetable broth (2 cups) to the soup mixture in the pot. Bring to a simmer. Gradually add broth until you achieve the texture you desire. Add 1 cup of fully cooked lentils. Simmer the soup, add spices and keep tasting until it’s just right. Serve piping hot with a dollop of sour cream.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole

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If there’s one thing to love about zucchini, it has to be its versatility.

For years, I’ve been grating zucchini every August and September, stirring the moist, flavorless shreds into quick breads, muffins, cakes and cookies. Occasionally, I would cut young, tender zucchini in half, scrape some of the centers from the long, narrow zucchini boats and stuff them with a ground beef or Italian sausage mixture to make an oven-baked seasonal main dish. But, I’ve always been partial to sweet, baked goods made moist with zucchini.

This zucchini season I’ve been much more adventuresome. I’ve grated zucchini, skin, seeds and all, mixing it into casseroles and stirring it into egg- and cream-rich filling for quiche. I’ve even created towers of fresh mozzarella, tomato and zucchini slices, marinating them in olive oil and vinegar dressing teaming with fresh herbs from my garden, giving them plenty of time in the refrigerator to chill and absorb delicious summery herb flavors.

Adding zucchini to savory dishes makes me think I’m getting more benefits of the dietary fiber coming from the skin and seeds, as well as all the vitamins (especially A and C) and minerals this summer squash has to offer. It might be just because the zucchini in the savory dishes I’ve been preparing combine with other healthful ingredients rather than butter and sugar and flour.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole is a meatless main dish. It takes little time to prepare. It’s full of tortilla-chip crunch, black bean protein, spicy flavor, melted cheese…and zucchini. Grated. Skin, seeds and all.

Children enjoy assisting with meal preparation as they crush tortilla chips in a plastic bag, using a small rolling pin or just pinching the chips through the plastic with their fingers. They can also help layer the ingredients into the baking dish.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole — another way to provide a tasty, healthful meal for your family and eliminate one more zucchini from your kitchen.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole

  • 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups crushed corn tortilla chips
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 medium zucchini, shredded
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2.5- to 3-quart baking dish. Set aside.

Cook onion and green pepper in olive oil in large skillet until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, oregano leaves and ground cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Layer half of crushed tortilla chips, tomato mixture, black beans, zucchini and cheese in prepared baking dish. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until mixture is heated through.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Tips from the cook:

  • I like to offer sour cream and chopped avocados on the side for adding to individual servings.
  • Leftovers only get more flavorful and heat up easily to eat in the next day or two.

Put the pilaf in some peppers

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It was always this time of year, when fresh green peppers were being picked from a garden at a small farm near our home in a suburb of St. Paul, that my mom would make Hungarian stuffed peppers. They were a family favorite. I still look forward to the first big pot of stuffed peppers I make each summer. They are packed tight with uncooked rice, ground beef and ground pork and paprika and simmer in a large pot of tomato juice. And served with a very generous mound of mashed potatoes. I posted that recipe a couple of years ago. You can get right to that recipe by clicking here.

The stuffed peppers I made this week were far from those Hungarian-style peppers. I used leftover Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf (recipe in my column this week), filled with fresh, local vegetables to stuff the first peppers of the season that I bought at my local  farmers market. I mixed some chopped tomato and some rinsed and drained chickpeas to make the peppers a meal.

The photo above shows the stuffed peppers ready to hit the oven. Some folks may like to blanch the pepper halves before stuffing so that they become very soft during the baking time. I prefer more texture. When the peppers are baked without being blanched they are crisp-tender.

I had a chunk of tomato basil goat cheese in the refrigerator that I was trying for the first time, a purchase from a new farmer at the market this year. Her family raises the goats on their farm near Motley and Eichten’s in Center City, famous for their gouda cheese, make the cheese for them using the milk from their goats. The farmer said she uses the goat cheese on grilled sandwiches, so I knew it must be a good melting cheese. I grated some up and sprinkled it over the peppers during the last minutes of baking.

These peppers make a satisfying meal. And, when you’re using leftover Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf, the meal takes only minutes to make. They’re not my mom’s Hungarian stuffed peppers, yet they are surprisingly delicious.

Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf Stuffed Peppers

I had about 2 cups of leftover Pilaf. It was enough to stuff 4 pepper halves.

  • 2 cups Rice and Orzo Summer Pilaf
  • 1 large fresh tomato, chopped
  • Chickpeas, rinsed and drained, as many as you desire to add to the stuffing
  • 2 medium green peppers, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 1/4 cup grated cheese of your choice
  • 1/4 to 1/2 cup vegetable broth or beef broth

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Mix Pilaf, tomato and chickpeas together in a bowl. Generously stuff each of the four pepper halves with the mixture. Arrange in a baking dish. Pour just enough broth into the baking dish to cover the bottom, about 1/4 inch deep. Cover the dish with aluminum foil and seal tightly. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Remove foil from baking dish. Sprinkle cheese on each stuffed pepper. Return to oven and bake, uncovered, about 10 minutes or until cheese is melted and slightly browned. Serve immediately.