Warm Potato Toss with Spinach and Feta

This was a tasty side dish to go with some grilled grub. Neither of us really like typical potato salad, so this was a nice substitute.  The bean sprouts were a great addition for a little crunch, though I wouldn't go out of my way to purchase them next time specifically for this.  The potatoes, spinach, celery, and red onion came from my Green B.E.A.N. delivery, and the local feta, shallot, and bean sprouts came in  my Greener Grocer Market Bag.

Warm Potato Toss with Spinach and Feta

2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed well and cut into 3/4-inch pieces
2 handfuls of spinach
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
2 tablespoons white wine or red wine vinegar
1 1/2 teaspoons Dijon mustard (I used whole grain dijon)
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 ounces crumbled feta cheese (1/2 cup)
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
lots of pepper, to taste
red pepper flakes, if desired
handful of bacon pieces, optional
1/2 cup bean sprouts, optional
1/2 chopped red onion, optional

Cover potatoes with water in a medium saucepan; season with salt, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer until tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 tablespoon cooking liquid. Let potatoes cool for 5 minutes.  Cook spinach and bean sprouts (if usin) in small pan or skillet with a bit of oil until wilted.

Whisk together vinegar, mustard, and reserved cooking liquid. Add oil in a slow, steady stream, whisking constantly until emulsified.

Transfer potatoes, spinach, and sprouts to a bowl, and drizzle with vinaigrette. Gently stir in feta cheese, celery, shallot, and parsley. Season with salt and lots of pepper, plus red pepper flakes, if desired.

Grilled Tofu Satay

We made these for the first grilling day of the season, which sadly, wasn't until April 2, since the weather has sucked - even then it was only about 50 degrees.  But that's the great thing about having a covered patio - we technically can grill in any weather...though grills are technically forbidden at our complex now.  I got the tofu and green pepper in my Greener Grocer Market Bag, 2 weeks ago, and the onion from my Green B.E.A.N. delivery.  I didn't cut the tofu pieces small enough, so the inside of the pieces were a little bland, but I indicated smaller pieces in the recipe below (1 inch).  I also should have brushed the tofu and veggies with the peanut sauce before grilling.  We liked these, even though he's not a big fan of tofu - the outside was nice and crispy and flavorful. 

Grilled Tofu Satay

1 package of extra-firm tofu
1 red or green bell pepper, cut into 1-inch squares
1 red or sweet onion, cut into 1 inch squares or slices
The marinade:
2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (make sure to use gluten free!)
2 tablespoons Asian sesame oil
Juice of half an orange (or 2T oj)
1 tablespoon brown sugar
Minced garlic or garlic powder
1 teaspoon Curry powder
1 teaspoon cayenne pepper

The sauce:
3/4 cup canned coconut milk
1/2 cup natural-style peanut butter, smooth or chunky
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder
1 1/2 teaspoons red pepper flakes or cayenne powder
1 1/2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 1/2 tablespoons tamari soy sauce (gluten-free)
Dash sirarcha sauce

Combine the marinade ingredients in a large bowl. Drain tofu, wrap in a few paper towels or a clean lint-free dishtowel, place on a plate, and set something heavy on top of the tofu to press the extra water out (I used a cast iron pan). Once pressed, cut tofu in 1 inch pieces. Add the dry tofu and red pepper and onions and toss gently with a rubber spatula to coat evenly. Let marinate 30 minutes or up to 8 hours. Refrigerate if longer than 1 hour.

Spray the grill grates and set to medium. To make the sauce, place all the sauce ingredients in a food processor and blend until smooth. Pour into a serving bowl. Remove about 1/3 cup of the sauce and drizzle it over the tofu. Use the rubber spatula to toss the tofu gently with the sauce. Thread tofu and veggies pieces onto skewers (soak skewers for 10 minutes first, if bamboo). Place on grill and close lid, turning every 5-7 minutes when golden brown with grill marks.

Let the tofu cool to room temperature before serving. Serve alongside a bowl of sauce for dipping.

Cabbage and Cheddar Gratin

I got a head of green cabbage in my Market Bag and was disappointed because I don't really like cabbage, or at least I never knew what to do with it.  I searched around for some ideas that wouldn't involve making it into some sort of "slaw", because neither of us would really eat that.  But this - we LOVED.  So much.  For some reason, we both thought it tasted a little like hashbrowns, which makes no sense at all.  We liked it so much that we made another batch 2 days later with the other half of the cabbage.  My suggestions is to just double the recipe in the first place - what in the heck are you going to do with a half a head of cabbage anyway?
Seriously, I'm already eagerly awaiting the day I get another head of cabbage in my Market Bag or produce delivery... LOVE.

Cabbage and Cheddar Gratin
adapted from Whole Foods

1 1/4 cups shredded cheddar, divided (or your preferred cheese - freshly shredded is recommended)
3 cups (about 1/2 head) chopped or thinly sliced green cabbage
3/4 cup vegetable or chicken broth (I had chicken open, so I used that)
1/2 cup medium-grind yellow cornmeal (used GF)
3 tablespoons mixed chopped herbs, such as parsley, dill and thyme (or a couple of shakes of these dried herbs)
2 tablespoons dijon mustard (I used whole grain, check for gluten)
Salt and ground black pepper to taste
crushed red pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350°F. Set aside 1/4 cup of the cheese. Toss remaining ingredients together in a large bowl and transfer to an 8-inch square baking dish. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Uncover, top with reserved cheese and bake until golden brown, 15 minutes more.

*if you double the recipe, just use a 9x13 dish.  Go ahead and double.  I ate this for breakfast once!

LOVE.

*UPDATE - I made this in the slow-cooker too and it turned out great.  I cooked on high for about 4-5 hours, if on low go 8-9 hours.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon and Crispy Topping

I'm always looking for ways to prepare brussel sprouts without using lots of fatty ingredients - mainly heavy cream, as so many brussel sprout recipes do.  While this appears to use quite a bit of oil, most is used to roast the sprouts, so not as much actually ends up in the dish as would appear.  I added the balsalmic reduction before topping with the crumbs to give it a little extra flavor- I try to always keep a reduction in the fridge to spruce up recipes that need a little something, something.

Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Dijon and Crispy Topping

1/8 cup plus 1/2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. Worcestershire sauce (Lea & Perrins is GF)
1/4 tsp. kosher salt; more to taste
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed, cut through the core into quarters
1/2 Tbs. unsalted butter
1/2 cup coarse fresh breadcrumbs (use GF bread if necessary)
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
balsamic reduction, if desired

Heat the oven to 400°F. Line two rimmed baking sheets with parchment. In a large bowl, whisk 1/8 cup of the olive oil with the mustard, Worcestershire sauce, 1/8 tsp. of the salt, and about 5 grinds of pepper. Add the Brussels sprouts and toss to thoroughly distribute the mustard mixture. Spread the sprouts in an even layer on sheets. Roast until the cores of the sprouts are just barely tender and the leaves are browning and crisping a bit, 20 to 25 minutes. While the sprouts are roasting, make the topping: Line a plate with two layers of paper towel. Heat the remaining 1/2 Tbs. oil with the butter in a medium (10-inch) skillet over medium-high heat. When the butter has stopped foaming, add the breadcrumbs all at once; toss to coat with the fat. Reduce the heat to medium, add the walnuts and the remaining 1/4 tsp. salt, and cook, stirring constantly, until the crumbs are browned and slightly crisp and the nuts are golden, 4 to 6 minutes. Dump the breadcrumb mixture onto the paper towels to drain the excess fat. Transfer the sprouts to a serving bowl and season to taste with salt and pepper if necessary. Drizzle with balsamic reduction, if using.  Sprinkle the crumbs over the sprouts just before serving.

Skillet Lasagna alla Vodka

I had some leftover frozen vodka sauce that I was tired of seeing in the freezer so I pulled it out to use in this recipe.  This recipes gives instructions for making the sauce, assuming you don't already have some.  The skillet that I used was a 10 inch stainless steel skillet (the cast iron must have been dirty...) and the recipe calls for a 12 inch, so I just made mine a little smaller and used less ingredients - probably cut everything nearly in half because (it's a shallow skillet too).  I left the ingredients in the amounts that the original called for since I didn't actually measure things. We really liked this - it would have had a little more flavor if it would have had a bit of ground sausage or beef added in, but it was good for what it was. 

Skillet Lasagna alla Vodka

12 oz no-boil lasagna noodles
16 oz. cottage cheese
10 oz frozen chopped spinach, thawed and squeezed
1 t. dried basil
dash of salt
¼ t. black pepper
25 oz. marinara sauce
½ c. vodka
½ c. heavy cream
2 c. mozzarella
Soak noodles in a bowl of hot water for 15 minutes. Mix together cottage cheese, spinach, dried basil, salt, and black pepper. In a saucepan simmer marinara sauce and vodka for 5 minutes. Stir in heavy cream. Spread 3/4 cup of the sauce over the bottom of a 12-inch nonstick skillet. Drain noodles and cut into 2-inch pieces. Arrange a third of the noodles over the sauce. Spoon half of the remaining sauce over the noodles. Top with another third of the noodles and spread the cottage cheese mixture over the top. Sprinkle with 1 cup mozzarella. Top with remaining noodles; spread with remaining sauce. Cover and bring to a simmer; reduce heat to medium and simmer 10 minutes. Sprinkle 1 cup mozzarella over top; cover and simmer 2 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes. Serves 8.

Spicy Stir-Fried Broccoli & Peanuts

I don't know where I got this recipe, but it's really good.  I love spicy peanut butter sauce, so it can't really go wrong.  Some sauces seem to end up clumpy, but I didn't have a problem with that this time.  If you don't have rice vinegar in your pantry, you should add it. I think the original recipe called for you to add chopped peanuts at the end, but I didn't have them so I left them out. 

Spicy Stir-Fried Broccoli 1/3 cup creamy natural peanut butter
1/2 cup water, divided
2 tablespoons brown sugar
2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce, divided (gluten-free)
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 pounds broccoli crowns, trimmed and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4-1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper, or to taste

Whisk peanut butter, 1/4 cup water, brown sugar, 1 tablespoon soy sauce and vinegar in a medium bowl until smooth. Set aside.
Heat oil in a wok or large skillet over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook, stirring frequently, until beginning to soften and brown in spots, about 6 minutes.
Add the remaining 1/4 cup water and 1 tablespoon soy sauce to the pan along with bell pepper and garlic. Cook, stirring frequently, until the pepper has softened and the liquid has evaporated, 2 to 4 minutes. Remove from the heat; stir in the reserved peanut sauce and season with crushed red pepper. Garnish with peanuts.

Black Bean Brownies

I made these brownies for Valentine's Day.  I wouldn't let my husband come into the kitchen while I was making them so that he wouldn't be biased knowing they are made with beans. He really couldn't tell and actually asked if they had coffee in them - I think next time I'll add some instant coffee to give them more of that taste.  They were a slightly odd texture - but good - not quite fudgy, not quite brownie.  I highly recommend making them - especially if you have anyone who is gluten-free.

Black Bean Brownies
adapted from Eco Child's Play

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
3 eggs
3 tablespoons oil
4 tablespoons cocoa powder
1 teaspoon vanilla
3/4 cup sugar
a pinch salt
Handful of M&M's, nuts, or other toppings, if desired

Preheat oven to 350* F.  Pour drained beans into a blender, set on puree and blend until smooth. Add in the rest of the ingredients and continue blending until evenly mixed.  Pour bean mixture into a greased 8 by 8 pan. Toss any topping that you want to use on top.  Bake in oven for 30 minutes, or until toothpick placed in the center comes out clean.

Crock Pot Quinoa Casserole

Crock Pot Quinoa Casserole
Adapted from A Year of Slow Cooking (which is awesome, by the way)

1 cup quinoa (I prefer red quinoa, but used white this time)
2 cups broth (I used 1 c. beef that was leftover and 1 cup turkey broth)
1/2 T olive oil
1/2 t salt
Dash of freshly ground pepper
1/2 t cinnamon
1/3 cup dried unsweetened cranberries
handful of baby spinach
handful of chopped sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 block feta cheese, crumbled (or goat cheese)

I used the 2.5 quart slow cooker, 4 qt. would probably work better as it got a little crowded to stir.  Rinse the quinoa like the instructions say (though I didn't feel like it and it was fine) and put it in the slow cooker.  Stir in the oil, broth, salt, pepper, and cinnamon. Add the cranberries and sun-dried tomatoes. Cover and cook on low for 4-6 hours, or on high for 2-4. When the quinoa is done, most of the liquid will be absorbed and the germ will separate from the grain slightly like a little curly tail - try not to overcook it. Fluff the quinoa with a fork, and add the sun-dried tomatoes and feta cheese. Stir gingerly to mix. Add a large handful of baby spinach to the top of the crockpot, and close the lid. Cook on high for about 20 minutes, or until the spinach has wilted. Stir again to distribute the spinach.

My verdict:
This has a great flavor, but I didn't love the texture.  I cooked mine for closer over 3 hours on high and that was a little too long and it became a bit mushy.  Next time I'd stir in the extras before all of the water is absorbed so it doesn't overcook in the end.  I'd probably actually just cook it on the stovetop instead of in the slow cooker - it would only take about 20 minutes on the stove and if I have to watch it more closely in the slow cooker, it doesn't save me any time/effort.  I would also use red quinoa - I definitely prefer it to the white as it always seems to end up more firm and nuttier - and I don't seem to overcook it like the regular. The cinnamon flavor was fantastic though - especially with the sweet of the cranberries, the savory of the sun-dried tomatoes, and the salty of the feta.

Coffee-Rubbed Roasted Chicken

When Whole Foods put organic chickens on sale during one of their Friday One Day Deals, I knew I wanted to ge ta couple.  I put one in the freezer and one in the fridge to make this chicken and finally got a chance.  Most raw chickens have a little bag of giblets in the cavity and sometimes a neck.  You are supposed to remove these and rinse the inside and outside of the chicken.  If you ask your husband if there is a bag of parts inside and he says no - he's wrong - there is.  You will find it after you/he carves the bird.  I don't really know the purpose of these being included - I know people use them for things (gravy?) but it's just a little gross to me. 

Coffee-Rubbed Roasted Chicken

Serves 4 to 6
3 tablespoons finely ground coffee beans
3 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (3- to 4-pound) whole chicken

Preheat oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, stir together coffee, butter, sugar, garlic, pepper and salt. Rinse the inside and outside of the chicken and remove the bag of giblets and/or neck from the cavity (um…it’s easy to forget..). Pat the outside dry-ish with a paper towel. Arrange chicken, breast side up, in a shallow roasting pan and spread rub all over to coat completely. You may have trouble getting it to “spread”, so you might have to kind of pat it on. Just get it to stick as best you can. You can cover and refrigerate up to two days if you want, but you don’t need to.

Roast chicken, basting every 20 minutes or so with pan juices, until skin is deep golden brown and crisp and meat is cooked through, about 1 hour. Set aside to rest 10 minutes before carving.
The coffee rub stuck to the skin during cooking and was SO good – and I usually won’t eat the skin! The meat was tender – use a thermometer if you are worried of over-cooking. The temp always raises about 5-10 degrees after its removed from the oven, so you can take it out a little early. I served this with Roasted Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese, Crockpot Quinoa, and Steamed Broccolini.

Roasted Red Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese

I made these roasted potatoes to serve with Coffee-Rubbed Roasted Chicken.  They turned out tasty, even though I forgot to stir them and they were a little crispier on one side.  The chipotle ranch dressing was from Whole Foods - the 365 Brand, so it wasn't expensive.  I have this thing...when I see the word chipotle on something I have a really hard time not buying it because I love it so much!  Occasionally, I end up with some failures, like the Spectrum Pomegranate Chipotle Salad Dressing for which I paid WAY too much.  I love pomegranates and chipotle, but this dressing isn't very good - especially for the cost - I think it was $5+!  I typically don't have ranch or chipotle ranch dressing, so in the future I'd probably just toss the potatoes in some oil and sprinkle it with dry ranch seasoning and the rest.  Leave out the real bacon bits if you don't have them - they gave it a nice smokey flavor, but it won't make or break the dish - just don't use those crappy dried bacon bits - make sure they are the "real" bacon bits or "real" turkey bacon bits. 


Roasted Potatoes with Bacon & Cheese
Makes: 8 servings

1/2 cup chipotle ranch dressing or regular lowfat ranch (check for GF)
1/2 cup shredded cheese
1/4 cup real bacon bits
2 lb. potatoes, quartered (red or white)
Sprinkle of garlic powder
Couple of shakes of chipotle flakes or red pepper flakes

Preheat oven to 350°F. Mix dressing, cheese and bacon bits in large bowl. Add potatoes and seasonings; toss lightly. Dump in a lightly greased 13x9-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake for 40 minutes. Remove foil and stir; bake an additional 15 min. or until potatoes are tender.