Glory Bowl (Vegan)

One day I was lamenting about not having any fast and healthy recipes for weeknight dinners.  We always resort to mac n cheese... anyone else?  My friend of mine offered up this recipe.  I was a little wary and only because I feared it would taste too... hippy-dippy healthy.  I was pleasantly surprised!

There is a bit of prep work, but it's very easy, and once you have everything ready you can throw together a meal in record time.  I was in luck that the Husband was cooking up some tofu for a favorite - Tofu & Veggie Stir Fry.  So I batted my eyelashes and asked that he cook up another package.  Cooking the brown rice was a snap because we have a rice maker.  That only left the dressing.

When I set out all of the ingredients for the dressing, I thought it seemed like an odd collection of things.  Tossed it in the blender and bam, done.  I dipped in a spoon to taste it, like a good chef, and nearly fell over from the strength of flavors.  Did I do something wrong?  I only forgot the water.  Oops.  Needless to say, a little goes a long way with this dressing.  Tread carefully!

It seems very unassuming, but the combination of the ingredients and the dressing come together wonderfully.  It was tasty, healthy, very satisfying, and as I hoped - easy.  It's also very flexible in your preference of veggies, so you can adjust it to your tastes.  In fact, next time I think I'll also add some chopped apple, for a bit of added sweetness.  This has earned a place in my lunch/dinner rotation!

Glory Bowl
(from Whitewater Cooks)
Serves 4

1 cup dry brown rice
Baby spinach
Shredded carrots
1 can julienned beets (or you could shred raw carrots)
Mini sweet peppers (Not in original recipe, but I love them and it tasted great)
1 pkg extra firm tofu
Toasted almonds (or your favorite nut)

Dressing:
1/2 cup nutritional yeast flakes
1/3 cup water
1/3 cup tamari or soy sauce
1/3 cup apple cider vinegar
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1/2 cup olive oil (original recipes calls for 1 1/2 cups, which seems extreme!)
2 Tbsp almond butter or tahini paste (I used tahini, since I had it)

Cook brown rice in your preferred method.
Heat 1 Tbsp. oil in wok over medium-high heat.  Add tofu, and cook until golden brown.  Transfer to a plate (and set on paper towels to drain if you're concerned about excess oil).

Put all dressing ingredients in blender and blend until smooth.  Store in airtight container in the fridge.

To serve, place 1/2 cup cooked brown rice in bowl.  Top with 1/4 cooked tofu (warmed), and layer with veggies and toasted almonds.  Pour dressing on top just before serving.

Enjoy!

Melty Cheese Croutons on a Salad

Look, a salad!  Back to some semblance of nutritious and healthy meals.  Well, sort of.  It's a great salad topped with pan-fried, panko-coated, cheesy goodness.  It's protein, so it's fine.  Yes, we're going with that.

This salad has become a weeknight staple for us, and we've got the procedure down pretty well.  We like to serve it with a local artisan rosemary bread, and makes it a wonderful meal.

I've trimmed down the amount of cheese used, only because the original amount was just too much (and we love cheese).  You don't want to finish a salad and have the "ughhhh" feeling.  That's for Thanksgiving.  Or the Super Bowl.  Or a lonely Friday night when you've eaten ice cream straight from the carton.

We also adjusted the ratio slightly as we preferred a bit more of the jack than the goat cheese.  But you can tweak this to your own tastes.  We used a basic goat cheese from Trader Joe's, and a local jack from Mt. Townsend Creamery - New Moon.  This time I also threw in a bit of Beecher's Flagship cheese, just because we had it.

 A tart, fruity vinaigrette cuts through the richness of the cheese in a great way, and is the perfect topping.  This salad has a lot of potential for versatility, and I look forward to updating it with the seasons.

Melty Cheese Croutons on a Salad
(from Smitten Kitchen)
Makes 2 servings of 3 medallions each

Croutons

2 oz. goat cheese, left out to warm and soften a bit
3 oz. semi-firm cheese of choice (we used a jack, Smitten Kitchen used a soft gouda), grated

1 Tbsp all-purpose flour

1 egg
3 Tbsp Panko breadcrumbs
2-3 Tbsp Olive Oil, for frying

Salad
Mixed greens, of choice (we use spinach)
Carrot, chopped
Sweet peppers, chopped
Beets, roasted and chopped (or if you're lazy like us, canned)
Apple or pear, chopped
Craisins
Fruity vinaigrette, of choice (we use a pomegranate vinaigrette)

Prepare veggies, and toss in individual bowls.  Set aside, ready and waiting for the croutons!

Mash together cheeses in a bowl, mixing until combined. Form the mixture into six 1-2 inch balls and then flatten each slightly into thick patties. Arrange three small dishes for dredging stations: Place the flour in the first one, beat the egg lightly in the second, and mix the breadcrumbs and salt in the last one.

Heat olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Once hot, fry each patty until golden and crispy, about two minutes per side. It’s going to get melty, and seem pesky to flip once warm, but that's okay, it's worth it!  Turning with two forks made it slightly less difficult.

If they are quite oily, briefly pause the crouton on paper towels to drain excess oil.  Ours usually aren't, so we put them directly on top of the salad, and top with a fruity vinaigrette.  Serve with your favorite artisan bread.

Enjoy!

Mixed Greens and Bulgur Salad (Vegan)

Happy New Year!  Everyone all cookie-d out?  Feeling the richness of the holidays?  Yeah, me too.  Have no fear, I've got a healthy and tasty dish for you!

This weekend I was doing some meal planning (to avoid the inevitable "oh, we'll just make spaghetti" reaction at the end of the day), and combing through loads of healthy cookbooks and blogs.  I knew I wanted to make my Sweet Potato and Rosemary Soup, but was craving some greens-filled side dish to round out the meal in a healthy way.

I came across two recipes and decided to modify it a bit for my tastes.  They included bulgur wheat as the grain, and I was excited to try something new.  I usually use quinoa in this situation, but the husband was looking for something different.

Look at those greens, don't you feel better already?  I used a mix of baby kale, spinach, mizuna, chard, and arugula.  You could also used mustard greens, collard greens, or turnip greens as well.  Whichever of these (solo or a combo) strikes your fancy would work just fine.

And toasting up some walnuts for a topping - heart healthy and yummy.

This recipe called for white wine vinegar, but I didn't have any on hand, so red wine vinegar was my substitute.  Vinegar can quickly overpower, but in this application it's the perfect amount of acid to add flavor to this dish.

Also, one recipe called for dates, and the other for raisins.  I thought I'd give craisins a whirl, and they worked perfectly in it.

I was going for healthy, but I'll be honest, I was a tad worried it would taste a bit like bird food.  The husband shared my trepidation, but we were pleasantly surprised at the wonderful flavor!  Nutty, chewy, with the vinegar adding a complex aspect to it - yum.  A perfect side dish or even a light main dish.

Mixed Greens and Bulgur Salad
(adapted from Eating Well and Eat Well With Janel)
Makes about 6 servings

1 cup bulgur, dry
2 Tbsp chopped walnuts
5 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
2 shallots, chopped
2-3 cloves garlic, minced
10-12 oz your greens of choice, chopped or thinly sliced, tough stems removed
1/3 c craisins
2-3 tablespoons water
4 teaspoons red wine vinegar
Salt & pepper to taste

Wash greens (if necessary), remove tough stems, and chop or thinly slice.  Set aside.

Prepare bulgur according to package directions. Transfer to a sieve and rinse under cool water; drain. Toast walnuts in a small dry skillet over medium-low heat, stirring, until lightly browned and fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes.

Place 5 teaspoons oil and shallots in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Cook until the shallots start to brown, 4 to 6 minutes. Add garlic and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 15 seconds. Add greens, craisins and 2 tablespoons water and cook, stirring occasionally, until the greens are tender and the water evaporates (add another tablespoon of water if the pan is dry before the greens are tender), about 4 minutes. Stir in vinegar, salt and pepper, and the prepared bulgur; cook until heated through, about 1 minute.  Sprinkle with the walnuts before serving.

Enjoy!

Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan and Herbs, Roasted Potatoes with Rosemary and Sweet Summer Salad

It's been awhile.  I know.  My apologies!  Life happened (highs and lows).  But, finally, on a long weekend, we had a bit of time to make something new and amazing.  And surprisingly easy.  Win all around, really.  And with hints of beautiful weather coming, a summery meal is in order!

I hadn't thought to take pictures as we were cooking (and it went so fast, really), but after we started tasting things we realized it was going to be awesome.  Therefore, here is a recommendation of this meal as a whole.  A tasty, easy, nutritious, and lovely summer meal!

Broiled Tilapia with Parmesan and Herbs
(from Whole Foods)

1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, divided
2 tablespoons light mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Greek-style yogurt or sour cream
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
Juice and zest of one small lemon (about 2 tablespoons juice)
1/2 teaspoon dried basil
1/2 teaspoon dried tarragon
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
4 (6- to 8-ounce) tilapia fillets 

Combine 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese with remaining ingredients (except fish). Coat fillets with mixture and place in a baking dish or shallow platter and let marinate for 15 to 20 minutes. Preheat broiler. Transfer fillets to a foil-lined broiler pan. Spoon a few tablespoons marinade on top and sprinkle with remaining Parmesan. Broil 4 to 6 inches from heat until topping is lightly browned and fish flakes easily with a fork, 5 to 8 minutes.

Rosemary Roasted Potatoes
(adapted from Epicurious)

2 pounds medium boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch-thick wedges
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 to 6 large rosemary sprigs (about 5 inches long)
4 large garlic cloves, smashed and peeled (optional)

Preheat oven to 450°F with a 4-sided heavy sheet pan in upper third.
Toss ingredients with 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Spread in 1 layer on hot pan and roast 20 minutes. Loosen potatoes with a metal spatula and turn, arranging pale potatoes around outer edge of pan and golden potatoes in center (for even roasting). Roast 15 minutes, then loosen and turn potatoes over again. Roast until potatoes are golden and cooked through and edges are crisp, about 10 minutes more.


Sweet Summer Salad
(dressing adapted from my Mom's recipe!)

Spinach
Shredded carrot
Sliced mini sweet peppers
Strawberries
Slivered almonds

Dressing:
2/3 cup light mayo
1/2 cup evaporated skim milk
4 Tbsp. apple cider vinegar
3 Tbsp agave nectar or sugar (more, if it's too sour for you)
3 Tbsp poppy seeds (optional)

Prepare veggies (however much you want) for salad and toss together in a large bowl.  For the dressing, mix all ingredients and add to salad (to taste).

Enjoy!