Italian lentil "soup"

I was really in the mood for lentil soup, but also craving tomato sauce.  The result was something that was more like an Italian flavored vegetarian chili than soup, but still good. Next time I make chili, I will definitely add lentils as well.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup of dry lentils (I think I used green lentils)
  
• 4 oz of tomato sauce (I would probably have used crushed tomatoes if we had them)
  
• 1/2 an onion, diced
  
• 1 carrot, diced
  
• 4 cloves of garlic, minced 
  
• 1/2 cup of frozen spinach
  
• 1 bouillon cube
  
• olive oil
  
• balsamic vinegar
  
• a bunch of water
  
• 1/2 cup of rice (or kashi pilaf)
  
• fresh basil
  
• salt, black pepper, oregano, basil, thyme, crushed red pepper
  

I cooked the garlic, onions, carrots, lentils, and crushed red pepper in olive oil until the onions were translucent.  Next I added the tomato sauce, about a cup of water and a bouillon cube (plus lots of dried basil, oregano, and thyme) and let simmer while covered.  I basically kept adding more water until the lentils were cooked (it took maybe 1.25 hours)...I didn't really pay attention to how much I was adding.

While waiting for the lentils to cook, I cooked the rice/pilaf.  When the lentils were finally cooked, I stirred in a little balsamic vinegar, spinach, and rice/pilaf.  Before serving, I added some fresh minced basil and added salt and pepper to taste.  

If we weren't out of it, I would have added some romano/parmesan on top.  White beans would have been a good addition to this, as would potatoes and really anything you find in minestrone soup.  

Israeli couscous with shrimp and broccoli

I went to the beach with Nicole on Sunday so she could work on her open water swimming and for some reason, the smell of the ocean made me want shrimp in a butter and wine sauce.  This is what I came up with.  The proportions below made enough for about 3 servings.

Ingredients:

• Shrimp (maybe 30 medium shrimps)
  
• 1 small onion, diced
  
• 2 cloves of garlic, minced
  
• 1/2 carrot, diced
  
• 1-2 tablespoons of butter
  
• 1 head of broccoli
  
• 1 cup of Israeli couscous
  
• 1 cup white wine
  
• 4 cups stock (I just used a vegetable bouillon cube + water) 
  
• chives, salt, black pepper, oregano, crushed red pepper
  

I cooked the couscous much the same way I make risotto. I started by cooking the onions, garlic, carrots, and a dash of crushed red pepper in about 1 tablespoon of butter.  Once the onions were about half cooked (not translucent yet),  I added the couscous.  I continually stirred the mixture for a few minutes until the onions were completely translucent.  

At this point, I turned the heat down to low and began adding liquid.  I added probably a 1/4 of the total liquid (1/4 cup wine, 1 cup stock)...just like risotto, I added enough to cover the couscous.  I covered the pan and let cook, stirring frequently and adding more liquid when necessary.  

After adding the last bit of liquid, I added a dash of oregano and chives and placed the broccoli on top of the couscous to steam.  When the couscous was tender, I added probably a 1/4 a cup of water, since the pan was getting a bit dry, and then added the shrimp (they didn't take long to cook).

When the shrimp were fully cooked (about 30 seconds later), I remove the pan from the heat, stirred in a small pad of butter (less than a tablespoon) and let the sauce cool/thicken for about 2 minutes.  The final step was to salt and pepper to taste.  

The sauce was pretty good...next time I'll get some crusty bread to dip in it.  In the future, I may add some steamed clams and/or mussels (well, steam them with the cooking couscous).

Crab Cakes

I made a batch of crab cakes for dinner last night. I've tried several recipes in the past and they all seemed to have too many ingredients with conflicting flavors. So I went simple in my recipe and made something similar to a really good batch Dre and I made (recipe here).

Ingredients
8 oz of crab meat (or whatever two cans amounts to)
1/4 cup bread crumbs
1/2 cup finely diced red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely diced onion
1 clove of garlic, minced
3 tablespoons of mayo
1 egg
1/4 cup grated parmesan/romano
4 teaspoons of chives (fresh or dried)
1/2 teaspoon of ginger
1 teaspoon of chili powder
1 teaspoon of paprika
black pepper

Mix ingredients together and pan fry in canola oil. I really like the flavor of the bell pepper in them.

We ate them with a squeeze of lemon juice on top, although the aoili from this recipe is really good.

White bean spread

I've made this a few times as both a dip and on toasted bread topped with tenderloin and bacon (mmmm).

Ingredients

• 1 can of great northern beans
• 1 clove of garlic
• 1/4 cup (or more) of grated parmesan/romano
  
• salt, black pepper, oregano, basil
• nutmeg
  
• balsamic vinegar (optional)
• olive oil (optional)

The first step is to drain most of the water out of the beans leaving just enough to make it easy to puree. Next, add the beans and garlic to the food processor and blend until smooth. Add more water if necessary to allow it to attain the consistency of hummus. Add the cheese, a dash of oregano and basil, a few grinds of black pepper, and salt to taste. I often add a dash of balsamic vinegar and a tablespoon of olive oil, and a really small amount of nutmeg, but these are all optional.

It's good either warm or cold...I think it's best on some warm, toasted bread.

Asparagus Risotto

I actually made this a while ago...

Ingredients:

• 1 cup of arborio rice
• 1/4 cup of onion
• 1 clove of garlic
  
• 1/2 cup of grated parmesan/romano
• 4 cups of vegetable stock
• asparagus (probably about 10 spears)
• olive oil
• salt, black pepper, basil

Lightly toast the rice, onions, and garlic in olive oil. Slowly add the stock about a cup at a time, stirring continuously.

I chopped up the asparagus into 1 inch pieces and steamed them. Once the rice was cooked, I added the asparagus, cheese, basil, salt and black pepper. It was pretty easy.

From YummyFood

Sesame Marinated Tofu

I never really liked tofu, mostly because I found the texture unappealing and often times it was just really bland.  Recently, I've discovered that I only really dislike the texture when the tofu is warm...I really like firm tofu when it is cold, especially if it's in a good marinade.  On several occasions I've gotten the sesame marinated tofu from the Whole Foods deli.   The other day, Nicole made soba noodles with cucumbers, sesame oil and sesame seeds, topped with marinated tofu that was even better than what I've gotten from Whole Foods.  She diced the cold, firm tofu into small cubes, placed them in a container that seals well, added a little bit of toasted sesame oil, Soyaki sauce, and sesame seeds, and shook it all up.  I was a fan.

Cabbage and broccoli slaw

I made fish tacos for Nicole and Alli yesterday, and as a result, had most of a head of red cabbage left sitting around and a lot of cilantro.  Nicole decided to make the 10 minute couscous soup, with the addition of cabbage and cilantro, and decided to make up a cabbage and broccoli slaw.  I used the stems of the broccoli for this recipe.  Once the "bark" has been removed, the stems are actually pretty tasty--they are sweet and crispy.  

Ingredients:

• 1-2 cup of shredded red cabbage
  
• 8 baby carrots, julienned
  
• 3 broccoli stems, outer portion removed, julienned
  
• 2 tablespoons cilantro, chopped
  
• 2-3 tablespoons of Soyaki sauce
  
• 1 teaspoon sesame seeds
  
• mung bean sprouts (optional, will try next time)
  
• 1/4 cup quinoa, cooked (optional)
  

Just mix everything together, really not all that hard.  Just make sure to remove the outer "bark" of the broccoli stems.  The Soyaki sauce is from Trader Joe's and is basically a mixture of soy sauce, garlic, sesame seeds, ginger, sesame oil, onions, and onion powder (according to the ingredients). Soy Vay makes a similar sauce called Very Very Teriyaki which is also very good (my family loves the stuff).

The slaw came out pretty good and took almost no effort...it would probably be good in a wrap with shrimp or marinated tofu.  I will definitely try adding some mung bean sprouts the next time I make it.

From YummyFood

Couscous and Quinoa Salad

After moving into the new apartment, we stocked up with tons of food, but didn't really get anything for a cohesive meal.  We had some salmon, broccoli, tons of grains, chickpeas and misc frozen vegetables.  I combined our misc grains and frozen vegetables into a pretty good salad to go along with the fish and broccoli.  

Ingredients:

• equal parts of couscous, quinoa, and Kashi pilaf equalling about 1 cup, cooked
  
• 1/4 of a small onion, diced
  
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
  
• 1/2 cup of frozen peas
  
• 1/2 cup of frozen corn
  
• 1/2 cup of diced carrots
  
• 3/4 cup of chickpeas
  
• olive oil
  
• balsamic vinegar
  
• 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
  
• 1/4 cup of almonds (roughly chopped, but slivers would work well)
  
• salt, black pepper, chili powder
  
• dried cherries (optional)
  
• fresh parsley (optional)
  

I sauteed the garlic, onion, frozen peas and corn in a little olive oil (mostly to thaw the corn and peas and take the edge off the onion and garlic).  Once everything was thawed/cooked, I removed it from the heat and mixed this with the grains.  I added about a tablespoon more of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar (amount can be adjusted to how much you like vinegar), lemon juice, carrots, chick peas, and almonds.  A few grinds of black pepper, dash of chili powder, and salt to taste.  We didn't have any dried cherries or parsley, but that would have been a great addition.  I topped this with a little grated parmesan/romano cheese...feta would probably be really good too.  We ate this when it was warm (not hot, not cold)...basically I prepared this right before I cooked the salmon.

We the salad with steamed broccoli and pan-seared salmon.  I marinated the salmon for about 10 minutes in a very basic marinated (lemon juice, olive oil, salt, pepper, paprika...basically the same as for the fish tacos, minus the cilantro) before cooking.  Pretty easy overall and good.