Easy Weeknight Pasta V: Garlic Noodles

Do not use a non-stick coated pan for this.  The best part about this dish is the great flavor that is developed at the bottom of the pan when the noodles are cooked on high heat to caramelize a bit.  This will involve some sticking to the pan, but nothing too terrible to clean up afterwards if you are diligent about tossing and scraping the bottom of the pan while cooking.

• 2 tablespoons butter
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 6 garlic cloves, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
• 2 tablespoons fish sauce (or additional soy sauce, if you don't eat fish)
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 lb chow mein noodles, ramen noodles, or spaghetti
• salt and pepper to taste

1. In wok or large sautee pan, heat the butter and vegetable oil on medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic and sautee until golden, 5-7 minutes.  Be careful not to burn garlic.
3. Add soy sauce, sesame oil, fish sauce, and sugar. Mix well and set heat to low to keep sauce warm.
4. Cook noodles until tender, according to package directions.  Drain and set aside.
5. Set the wok with the sauce on high heat.  When the sauce is bubbling again, add the cooked noodles and toss until the sauce is well distributed.
6. Cook on high for about 3 minutes, until the noodles in the bottom are slightly brown and crispy.  Toss again to brown some of the noodles on top.   Do this a couple of times to achieve browning on several of the noodles.  You might need to scrape the bottom of the pan every time you toss, as some of the noodles in the bottom will stick.  That is OK.  Just keep scraping and tossing every 3-5 minutes or so until you have a good amount of crispy noodles.

Easy Weeknight Pasta IV: One-pot Penne Alfredo

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon salted butter
• 1 tablespoon garlic powder
• 1 can evaporated milk
• 28 oz vegetarian broth
• 1 lb uncooked penne
• 2 cups shredded Parmesan cheese
• salt and pepper to taste
• roasted veggies (optional)

1. In a large dutch oven, heat oil and butter in medium-high heat.
2. Add garlic powder, milk broth and penne.
3. Bring to a simmer.  Lower heat to low, cover, and cook for 15 minutes, until pasta is al dente.  Uncover and stir a couple of times during cooking.
4. Mix in cheese and salt & pepper, cover, and let sit for about 10 minutes.
5. Toss in roasted veggies, if using.

Microwave Mug Cakes

This is the perfect weeknight dessert.  I microwave them when we are sitting down to eat, and they are perfect for dessert time.   I have been playing with many flavor combinations, and will continue to add them to this blog post as I come up with them.

Serves 4

PROCEDURE:
Place 4 wet ramekins or coffee mugs on a microwaveable platter.  Mix all the ingredients and divide batter evenly among the ramekins.  Top each container of batter with the fillings.  Microwave for 2-2.5 minutes on high, then let cool for a few minutes.  Top with a sprinkling of powdered sugar, whipped cream, or ice cream, and serve warm.

INGREDIENTS:

Chocolate:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/4 cup cocoa powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Recommended fillings: miniature chocolate candies; chocolate chips; peanut butter; Nutella; pie filling; jam

Vanilla:
1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/3 cup sugar, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.

Coconut, guava, and cream cheese:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup cream of coconut (such as Coco Lopez), 1 teaspoon vinegar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Filling: 1 inch piece of guava paste and 1 inch piece of cream cheese.

Key Lime Pie:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour, 1/2 teaspoon baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 cup milk, 1 tablespoon lime juice, 1 tablespoon grated lime zest, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 2 tablespoons olive oil.  Extras: graham cracker crumbs packed in the bottom of the cup before pouring batter, and lime curd injected with a squeeze bottle after baking.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip Cookies

Makes 10 large cookies, soft and chewy.

3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1/4 cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
¼ cup sugar
¼ teaspoon sea salt
⅓ cup maple syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ cup canola oil
1/2 cup vegan chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350.

In a large bowl, mix flour through salt. In a separate bowl, mix syrup, vanilla, and oil.  Add the syrup mixture to the dry mix and mix with a spatula until combined.  Add chocolate chips, and mix until combined.  Scoop onto baking sheet covered with parchment.

Bake on preheated oven for 9-10 minutes, until the edges feel firm to the touch.  At this point, the centers will still be very soft.  Remove from oven, and let cool in pan for 5 minutes.  Remove from pan and place on cooling rack, to cool completely (or eat immediately with ice cream).

Vegan Alfredo Sauce

Makes 2 cups

1.5 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 cup slivered almonds, soaked for at least 30 minutes
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small onion, diced
4 large cloves garlic, minced
1 cup vegan milk (I used refrigerated coconut milk)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Steam cauliflower until tender.  In medium sauce pan, heat oil.  Add onion and garlic and saute until soft.

Combine cauliflower, onion, garlic and the rest of the ingredients in a blender and process until smooth.  Return to pan and heat.

Homemade Cake Mix

Mix in a zip-lock bag and store in pantry for up to 3 months.   Use as you would use store-bought cake mix.


Vanilla cake:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon potato flour
1/2 teaspoon salt

Chocolate cake:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1/2 cup cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt

Kale Salad

The trick here is the hot grains.  They wilt the kale just a bit without taking away too much of the crunch.  This makes the kale a lot more palatable to pickier eaters.  

6 cups shredded raw kale
1 can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
3 cups cooked grains, hot (I usually use a combination of quinoa and brown rice)
1 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup roasted pumpkin seeds
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon maple syrup
1 large clove of garlic
1 pinch Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper to taste
crumbled feta cheese (leave out if making a vegan salad)

In a large bowl toss kale, beans, grains, cherries, and pumpkin seeds until well mixed.

Whisk vinegar, oil, mustard, honey, garlic, salt and pepper until emulsified.  Add to kale mixture and toss to combine.  Serve immediately, or refrigerate up to 3 days.

Southwestern variation: Replace the balsamic vinegar with apple cider vinegar; replace cherries with sun-dried tomatoes; replace the garbanzo beans with pinto beans; replace the Herbes de Provence with cumin and oregano; replace optional feta cheese with shredded Monterrey Jack; garnish with crushed tortilla chips; garnish with crushed tortilla chips.

Raw Oatmeal Parfait

I am so addicted to this breakfast, I prepare 5 jars on Sunday night for the whole work week.  And I miss it on Saturday.

1/4 cup old-fashioned oats
1/4 cup fat-free Greek yogurt (I've been using strawberry, and I don't foresee a change there)
1/4 cup fat-free milk
1 tablespoon chia seeds
1 tablespoon almond butter
1/2 cup frozen berries
2 tablespoons lowfat cottage cheese
2 tablespoons granola

In a large mason jar, combine oats, yogurt, milk, chia seeds and almond butter and mix well. 
Layer berries and cottage cheese.  Refrigerate overnight.  Top with granola.

Pickled Eggplant

I didn't use to care for eggplant, but now I love it. This is one of my favorite ways to prepare it. I love these pickled slices in sandwiches, especially falafel ones, along with pickled red cabagge (same pickle recipe, just sub the eggplant with thinly sliced red cabagge).

1 medium eggplant, thinly sliced
1 1/2 cups white vinegar
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1 teaspoon caraway seeds
1 teaspoon Herbes de Provence

Divide the eggplant between two medium mason jars (I use the 1-pint size ones).

Place the rest of the ingredients in a large microwaveable dish. Microwave on high for 4 minutes, or until the mixture boils and the sugar dissolves. Pour over the eggplant until it completely submerges the eggplant slices. Put on the lids and park the jars in the fridge. The eggplant will be ready in 2 days. Keeps in the fridge for 2 months.

Easy Weeknight Pasta III: Pasta Primavera

I have been intrigued by this technique I heard about in a foodie podcast of cooking pasta like it was risotto. So I tried it, and ended up with what I think is the easiest weeknight pasta ever.

1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 lb small pasta shapes (I used campanelle)
1 cup dry white wine
4 cups vegetable stock, warm
1 cup artichoke heart chunks
1 cup asparagus chunks
1/4 cup fat-free milk
3 tablespoons pesto
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1- In large pot, heat oil on medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute until slightly browned.

2- Add pasta and saute for a couple of minutes. Add wine and stir, until absorbed by the pasta.

3- Add stock and simmer for 8-10 minutes, stirring regularly. The pasta will absorb most of the liquid and release enough starch to make a creamy sauce.

4- Turn heat to low, add the rest of the ingredients, cover and cook on low for 5 minutes. Turn off heat. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Chocolate Oreo Covered Strawberries

Yum. Please bear in mind that I kinda threw these together, so the amounts are approximate. I did not use the expensive long stemmed strawberries for this. I imagine they are pretty pricey, so I just used regular strawberries that had no stems, and used a fork for dipping. They looked and tasted fancy.

12-15 Oreos
12-15 strawberries (the larger the better)
12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips

Crush the oreos with a big mallet or rolling pin and put on a plate. Set aside.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Set aside.

Wash the strawberries. For each strawberry, pat dry with a paper towel, insert fork on the stem end, dip to cover in the melted chocolate, roll on Oreo crumbs to cover, and place on parchment paper lined baking sheet. When all berries are covered, place pan in freezer for about 10 minutes or until chocolate is set.

I know for a fact that the covered berries will keep in the fridge in an airtight container for 24 hours. We ate all of ours by then, but I can't imagine they would last fuzz-free much longer than that.

Christmas Eve Tourtiere

Whenever we get to spend Christmas in Austin, we have the good fortune to dine on Christmas Eve with our dear neighbors, the Fykes. Christmas Eve tradition in the Fyke household involves tourtiere, a meat pie from their native Canada. This year, I was inspired to concoct a vegan version of it.

2 cups cooked farro
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
1 large jar sliced shiitake mushrooms, drained
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 large onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups vegetable broth
1/4 cup soy sauce
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 teaspoon allspice
2 tablespoons sage, chopped
salt and pepper to taste
1 package refrigerated pie dough (enough for a 9" double crust pie)

1- In a large bowl, combine the farro, beans, and mushrooms and set aside.
2- In a skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Saute the onions until lightly caramelized (about 10 minutes in medium-low heat. Add garlic and cook for another 5 minutes.
3- Add broth, soy sauce, and cornstarch to the onions. Simmer while stirring constantly until the gravy thickens (about 5 minutes). Remove from heat and let cool. Add allspice and sage.
4- Add gravy to the farro mixture and mix until well-combined. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
5- Preheat oven to 425. Assemble the bottom crust of the pie on a greased 9" pie plate. Pour the filling mixture and top with the top crust. Crimp to seal and cut some vent holes (I used a small cookie cutter). Brush with remaining olive oil.
6- Cover the edges of the crust with tents made out of foil, and bake for 20 minutes. Remove the foil tents, lower the heat the 375, and bake for another 25 minutes or until the crust is golden. Remove from oven and let cool for 30 minutes.

P. Terry's Veggie Patty Look-Alike

My husband and I love this delicious patty from one of our favorite eateries in Austin, P.Terry's Burger Stand. This was quite easy to reverse engineer, once I found the ingredients on their website. I think the secret is the cheese. It adds great texture and binding.

2 cups cooked short-grain brown rice
2 cups black beans
1 cup old-fashioned oats
10 oz mushrooms sliced
1/2 cup onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
sea salt and pepper to taste

Combine the rice, beans, and oats in a food processor bowl and pulse a few times until beans are roughly choppped. Pour into a large bowl and set aside.

Heat oil in a skillet and cook onions and mushrooms on medium heat until onions are transluscent (5-7 minutes). Add to food processor bowl and pulse until roughly chopped. Add to rice mixture in larger bowl.

Add seasonings, cheeses and parsley, and mix well. Refrigerate until chilled.

Preheat oven to 350 and grease a baking sheet. Form 8 patties with the chilled mixture and place on baking sheet (I like to shape them with a 6-oz ramekin and flatten them on the baking sheet; makes them really pretty and uniform). Bake for 30 minutes, flipping after the first 15 minutes. Let cool completely.

Salsa Ajilimojili

Ajilimojili is a traditional Puerto Rican sauce made with garlic, lemon juice, and olive oil. It is used as a table condiment for everything, especially the traditional holiday roasted leg of pork. Of course, when I sit at the Puerto Rican holiday table, I want nothing to do with the pork. Thankfully, ajilimojili elevates any meat-free side dishes (like salad, plantains, and arroz con gandules) to much more celebratory good eats.

My mom's recipe is spectacular, and for hers she uses these really tiny sweet peppers called "ajies dulces", which are readily available in Puerto Rican grocery stores (or in her backyard garden). I have searched for them here in the continental US, with no success. But, the light bulb went off on my last trip to PR, when I studied the peppers closely and decided they reminded me of pepperoncini peppers! I promptly made a batch of the sauce upon my return, and it is quickly becoming a fridge staple.

And yes, I can say "ajilimojili" ten times really fast.

Salsa Ajilimojili

3 garlic cloves, peeled
1 tablespoon sliced pepperoncini peppers, chopped and drained
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon ground black pepper
the juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Put all ingredients in a blender. Grid until desired consistency (I like to pulse it so I can get it somewhat smooth, but with a few garlic chunks left).

Stuffed Butternut Squash

I made this for my office slow-cooker cook-a-thon. A melon baller made it quite easy to carve a cavity for the stuffing in the squash.

This recipe fits on a 6-quart slow cooker

1 small butternut squash
1 5-oz bag dried apple slices
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 cup cooked short grain brown rice
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup cooked sliced mushrooms
1 cup cooked cannellini beans
1 tablespoon chopped sage
1/4 cup vegetable stock
salt and pepper to taste

1- Grease the insert of the slow cooker with some cooking spray or oil.

2- Cut the squash in half legthwise, then cut each half in half (right where the seeds are, so that 2 of the quarters are have all the seeds).

3- On the quarters that have the seeds: Remove the seeds and discard (or save for roasting).

4- On the quarters that do not have the seeds: Carve out some of the squash flesh so that the piece of squash can hold the stuffing. I scooped out about 1" in width and about half the height of the squash. Transfer the flesh balls that were scooped out into the slow cooker insert.

5- Add the apples, onions, and 2 tablespoons of oil to the squash pieces in the insert. Toss well and season with salt and pepper.

6- In a large bowl, combine the rice, cranberries, mushrooms, sage, and beans. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Scoop the stuffing into the squash cavities.

7- Arrange the squash pieces skin side down inside the slow cooker insert on top of the apple mixture. Drizzle the remaining oil on top of the squash.

8- If the cooker has a warm setting, cook on low for 3 hours then let sit in "warm" for another 5 hours. Otherwise, cook on low for 4 hours, or until the squash is fork tender. Remove from heat and let stand for 10 minutes, then serve.

Tortilla Espa~nola

The first weekend of October found me in a lovely and misty Portland, Oregon. I went up there to visit with some close friends from my Motorola days. On Sunday morning, I contributed to brunch for the gang by preparing one of my favorite childhood brunch dishes.

This dish does double duty as center stage entree for brunch, and simple sandwich filling for leftover re-purposing, kind of like meatloaf.

Update: Christina's comment (below) reminded me about the Manchego cheese... When I made this for them, I sprinkled about 1 cup shredded Manchego cheese on top and put it on the broiler for a few minutes (until the cheese browned a bit) before resting and serving. This was a very welcome detour from the dish I knew as a child. Manchego would be the obvious choice, but Gruyere would work nicely here too.

4 large waxy potatoes (Yukon Gold or red), peeled and thinly sliced
1 large onion, thinly sliced
3 cloves garlic
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, divided
salt and pepper to taste
8 large eggs, at room temperature

1- Preheat oven to 400. Grease a cookie sheet and a 10" nonstick pan or skillet with about 1/4 cup of the oil. Set aside.

2- Toss the potatoes, onion, garlic, remaining 1/4 cup of the oil, and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Spread as a thin layer over a greased cookie sheet and bake for 15-20 minutes, tossing in pan halfway, until the potatoes start to get golden and are soft. Remove from oven and lower oven temperature to 350.

3- Beat the eggs with a pinch of salt and pepper.

4- Add the hot cooked potatoes to the egg mixture and toss well. Do not be shy about mixing hot potatoes into egg! It is a must in this recipe! Pour onto oiled skillet or cake pan (I put parchment paper on mine before oiling some more) and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the mixture is set. Turn onto a cookie sheet and bake for an additional 10 minutes, or until the top starts to brown. Remove from oven, and let rest for 10 minutes before slicing. Best served at room temperature.

Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling

Beef tacos? Yes. Make these instead and it'll be our little secret.

Quinoa Black Bean Taco Filling

1 cup inca red quinoa (regular quinoa would work too)
1/2 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 large carrot, shredded
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
2 tablespoons salsa
1 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup corn kernels
1/2 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste

1- Rinse the quinoa on a strainer under running cold water for a couple of minutes.

2- In medium pot, heat oil and sautee onion and garlic for 5 minutes on medium-low heat. Add carrot and continue to sautee for another 5 minutes, or until the carrot is tender.

3- Add quinoa, water, broth, salsa, cumin, and paprika. Simmer covered for 20 minutes on med-low heat, until all the liquid is absorbed.

4- Toss in the beans, corn, oil, and cheese. Mix well.

Egg Replacers

For baked goods, I replace up to 3 eggs with the following formula:
1 teaspoon cornstarch + 1/2 teaspoon potato starch + 1/4 teaspoon baking powder + 1 tablespoon water + 1 tablespoon olive oil = 1 egg

For scrambled egg applications (such as breakfast taco filling), I saute 1 package crumbled firm tofu in 1 teaspoon olive oil until golden, then add 2 teaspoons nutritional yeast, 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin, 1/2 teaspoon curry powder, and salt and pepper to taste, then toss it up with the usual scrambled egg accompaniments (potatoes, cheese, herbs, etc).

Vegetarian "Chorizo" Hash

Convenient pantry and freezer ingredients make this a good weeknight meal, or a hearty entree for any meal of the day. Double the "chorizo" hash recipe, and enjoy the leftovers as taco fillings or scrambled egg add-ins. Quinoa has a natural pest repellent that can be bitter when cooked, so be sure to rinse it well in a colander under running water for a couple of minutes.

For the "chorizo":
1 cup quinoa, rinsed well and drained
2 cups water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup medium salsa
1/2 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
1 cup canned garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup canned pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1 tablespoon dried onion flakes
1/2 cup choppped fresh cilantro

For the hash:
2 cups frozen hash-brown potato cubes, thawed
1 tablespoon canola oil
salt and pepper to taste

5 large Eggland's Best eggs
1 tablespoon water

1- In a medium pot, combine the quinoa, water and salt. Cover and bring to a simmer. Cook covered on medium-low heat for 15 minutes, or until quinoa has absorbed all the liquid. The resulting cooked grains should be loose, like couscous.

2- Add the remaining "chorizo" ingredients to the cooked quinoa. Toss well to combine and cook until heated through. Remove from heat.

3- With a potato masher or fork, roughly mash the "chorizo". Add the potatoes and toss until well combined. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

4- In a large skillet, brush the canola oil and heat on medium heat. Crack the eggs into a large bowl and pour into the pan. Pour water over the eggs, cover, and cook for 1 minute, or until the eggs are cooked through.

5- In each plate, shape the hash into a 1-cup mound (a ramekin serves as a mold for a pretty presentation), and top each mound with 1 egg.

Makes five 1-cup servings.

Crockpot Mole Sauce

At long last, I found a recipe, tweaked it, and made it ICBINM friendly! Smother on!

Crockpot Mole Sauce

In 4-qt crockpot insert, mix all of the following:
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can tomato sauce
3 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 squares of dark chocolate (I used World Market's Chipotle Chili Dark Chocolate bar; 2 Hershey's Dark mini bars would work here; all you want is a hint of chocolate)
2 tablespoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
4 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1/4 cup raisins
1 whole dried ancho chili pepper

Cook on low for 8 hours. Remove the ancho chili. Cut and discard the stem of the pepper and return the rest of the pepper to the crockpot. Puree sauce until smooth.