Cashew Falafel

This recipe was in the Tennessean a couple weeks ago.  Doug and I first had falafel on a trip to visit our friend Emily while she was studying in Heidelberg, Germany.

Sauce:
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons tahini
2 tablespoons lemon juice (first zest 1/2 of lemon for falafel recipe)
4 scallions, thinly sliced
4 plum tomatoes, finely chopped
salt and pepper, to taste

Falafel:
2 medium red onion
4 cloves garlic
1/2 cup fresh cilantro
1/2 cup fresh parsley
15-oz can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup cashews
1-2 tablespoons hot sauce (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
zest of 1/2 lemon

Whisk together yogurt, tahini, and lemon juice; add scallions and tomatoes.  Season with salt and pepper.  Place sauce in fridge until ready to eat.

For falafel:
Use food processor to pulse together onion, garlic, cilantro and parsley.  Then add chickpeas, cashews, and remaining ingredients.  Pulse about 7-8 times.

Divide mixture into 12-16 balls, flatten slightly.  Heat 2 tablespoons canola oil in large skillet over medium heat.  Add patties, working in batches, and brown for about 2 minutes on each side.  Place on baking sheet in 200-degree oven to keep warm.  OR, skip the skillet and just bake the falafel at 425 for 10-12 minutes.

Serve with sauce over bed of greens or in a pita with tomato and onions.  Goes well with tabouleh.

Versatile Lasagna

I've been making variations of this recipe for a few years.  I like to add LOTS of veggies to it.

1 lb ground beef or turkey
1 onion, diced
4 cups pasta sauce (I sub part of this for shredded carrots, shredded zucchini, chopped spinach/kale, diced tomatoes, diced mushrooms, etc.)
16 oz ricotta cheese
1 egg
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, to taste
2 cups mozzarella cheese- I usually get by with less than this
6 lasagna noodles

In a soup pot, brown meat, add diced onion.  Add sauce and veggies.
In a bowl, whisk ricotta, egg, and parmesan.  Season ricotta mixture with salt, pepper, onion powder, and garlic powder, as desired.

In a 9x13 dish, cover bottom with sauce.  Top with 3 noodles, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.  Cover with sauce, noodles, ricotta mixture, and mozzarella.  Top with sauce.  Cover tightly with foil and refrigerate or freeze until ready to cook.

When ready to cook...
Bake at 375º for 45 minutes COVERED, then remove foil and bake an additional 10-15 minutes uncovered.  VERY IMPORTANT: let stand for at least 10 minutes before serving!

If you are baking the casserole frozen, add an additional 15 minutes to covered baking time and 10 minutes to uncovered baking time.

Wild rice and goat cheese stuffed acorn squash

From Publix Family Style magazine...

to serve 4:

2 fresh acorn squash, cut in half lengthwise and seeds removed
1 tablespoon butter, melted
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
2 oz goat cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup toasted pecans, chopped (or walnuts or almonds)
1/3 cup chopped pitted dates (or raisins or dried cranberries)
1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

Preheat oven to 425.  Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil.  Place squash halves on the baking sheet, cut side up.  Brush with some melted butter and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Roast 25-30 minutes or until tender.  Remove from oven.

In a bowl, combine rice, cheese, pecans, dates, olive oil, salt and pepper.  Place mixture in the center of each cooked squash.  Turn oven to broil and .  Broil for 2-3 minutes or until cheese is slightly melted.

Dijon-pecan tilapia

This recipe was easy and great.

1/4 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
8 oz tilapia filets
2 tablespoons finely chopped pecans

Preheat oven to 350 and lightly butter or spray a baking dish.  Pat filets with paper towels to dry, then place filets in the dish.  Mix mayonnaise and mustard and cover the tops of the filets.  Top with pecans, pressing down gently.  Bake for 12-15 minutes.

Nut-crusted tilapia

We have made this twice and it is quite tasty.

4 six-oz tilapia or snapper fillets
1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
2 tablespoons finely chopped nuts- pecans, almonds, or cashews
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1 1/2 teaspoons lemon juice or white vinegar)
1/2 teaspoon hot sauce, more if you prefer
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, divided
4 lemon wedges

Combine breadcrumbs, nuts, salt, garlic powder, and pepper in a shallow dish (pie plate works well).  Combine buttermilk and hot sauce in a bowl.  Place flour in a shallow dish.  Dredge fillets in flour, then dip in buttermilk mixture, then dredge in breadcrumb mixture.  Heat half of the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.  Add two fillets and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until fish flakes easily.  Continue with remaining oil and fillets.  Serve with lemon wedges.

Tangy bean salad

This was a good lunch a couple of days this week:

3 tablespoons apple cider vinegar or rice vinegar
1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari (or cheat and use soy sauce...shhh)
1 teaspoon mustard
1 tablespoon sesame tahini
3 tablespoons water
2 1/2 cups cooked and drained no-salt-added garbanzo or cannellini beans
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/2 cup grated carrots
1/2 bunch parsley, chopped

Whisk together vinegar, tamari, mustard, tahini and water in a medium bowl. Add beans, green onions, carrots and parsley, toss to combine and set aside at room temperature to let marinate for at least 15 minutes before serving.  Serve in pitas or over spinach.

BBQ veggie pizza

Despite being meatless and cheeseless, we were quite impressed with this pizza!
We had some open tomato sauce, so we used that rather than paste.

4 oz tomato paste
1 cup barbecue sauce
2 teaspoons dried oregano (or 2 tablespoons fresh)
1 large wheat pizza crust
1/2 small red onion, sliced
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and sliced
2 handfuls fresh spinach
1 small jar pineapple chunks, drained
1/3 cup finely ground cashews

Preheat oven to 425.  Mix the tomato paste, barbecue sauce, and oregano.  Spread the sauce on the crusts, then layer with vegetables, pineapple, and sprinkle with cashews.  Bake for 15 minutes.

Red beans over quinoa (or rice)

Red beans over quinoa 
We forgot to buy quinoa, so we substituted brown rice.

• 2 servings quinoa or brown rice, cooked 
• 6 oz onion
• 1 bay leaf
• 2 garlic cloves
• 10 oz green bell pepper
• 1 oz cider vinegar
• 15 oz kidney beans, mashed a few times with a potato masher

Cook quinoa or brown rice.  Meanwhile, sauté the onion and bay leaf on medium heat in sprayed saucepan for 5 minutes, until onions are translucent.  Add the garlic and green pepper and cook for 5 minutes.  Add the thyme, vinegar, beans ., and 1 cup water and cook on low heat for 5 minutes, or until broth thickens.   

Serve over fluffed quinoa or brown rice.

Spinach-tomato-mushroom risotto with goat cheese

I had some leftover arborio rice and some random freezer and pantry items, so I played around with a few recipes (like this one) and made this for supper last night.

2 tablespoons butter
1 cup arborio rice
2 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 small onion, diced
10 oz package frozen spinach, thawed
mushrooms- canned, or fresh, sautéed
1 can diced tomatoes, well drained
2 oz goat cheese- soft or crumbled
finely chopped chicken/ham/bacon, optional

I started with Rebecca Lang's risotto technique...

Place 2 tablespoons butter in 9x13 baking dish and place in oven while oven is preheating to 400.  When butter is melted, add broth, diced onion, and rice.  Cover tightly with aluminum foil and place in oven for 35 minutes.  Meanwhile, thaw and drain spinach, drain tomatoes, prepare mushrooms, etc.

After 35 minutes, remove foil (but keep), fluff rice/onion mixture with a fork, and stir in spinach, tomatoes, mushrooms, and goat cheese.  Cover with aluminum foil and return to oven for 5 minutes so all ingredients are warmed.

Slow cooker rotisserie-style chicken

Doug has made this chicken a couple of times and it has turned out perfectly tender and delicious.

1 whole chicken
salt based seasoning
whole garlic cloves, peeled and cut in half lengthwise
rosemary or other fresh herbs- thyme, sage, etc.
aluminum foil

Make 3 balls of aluminum foil and place them in the bottom of the slow cooker.  Rinse chicken and pat dry with paper towels.  Place chicken on its back on a plate so the breast is facing up.  Pull the chicken's skin up and place the garlic clove halves under the skin.  Also place fresh herbs under the skin.  Rub salt-based seasoning all over the skin of the chicken.  Place chicken breast up on the foil balls in the slow cooker and cover to cook on low for 7-8 hours.  Serve immediately or shred chicken to freeze and use later.

Celery soup

This celery soup was a perfect recipe to use leftover celery... and a good variation from asparagus soup.

• 1 teaspoon butter or oil
• 1 large onion
• 6-7 stalks of celery, cleaned and chopped
• About 3 medium potatoes, diced
• 4 cups water/stock
• 1 tsp celery seeds
• 1 tbsp curry powder
• Fresh herbs (I used parsley)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Sauté onion in butter/oil.  Add celery and potatoes and sauté for 5 minutes.  Add other ingredients and simmer covered until vegetables are soft, about 15 minutes.  Purée with a blender, food processor, or immersion blender.  Serve topped with cheese.

Pesto-Mozzarella Chicken

This recipe was easy, quick and good.  Below is the full recipe, but we cut our recipe in half to serve 2 people.  I used the pesto I made this summer that I have in the freezer.

4 boneless chicken breasts, fat trimmed and cut into long strips
1/2 cup basil pesto
2 oz grated mozzarella cheese

Preheat oven to 375.  Spray 9x13 baking dish with non-stick spray, then spread 1/4 cup pesto on the bottom of the dish.  Lay chicken over pesto and spread 1/4 cup more pesto on top of chicken.  Cover the baking dish with aluminum foil and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until chicken is barely cooked through.

Remove foil, sprinkle chicken with cheese and bake another 5 minutes.

Then, turn oven to broil and broil for 5 minutes until the cheese is browned.

Serve with rice, noodles, quinoa, or couscous to soak up the pesto sauce.

Pulled pork tacos

These are easy and delicious.

• 2 cups salsa, plus more for serving
• 2 tablespoons chili powder
• 2 tablespoons dried oregano
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• kosher salt
• 2 1/2 lb boneless pork butt or shoulder, trimmed of excess fat
• 18 corn tortillas
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro sprigs
• 3/4 cup sour cream
• 1 lime, cut in wedges
  

1. In a 4- to 6-quart slow cooker, combine the salsa, chili powder, oregano, cocoa, and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the pork and turn to coat.
2. Cook, covered, until the meat is tender and pulls apart easily, on high for 4 to 5 hours or on low for 7 to 8 hours.
3. Twenty minutes before serving, heat oven to 350° F.
4. Stack the tortillas, wrap them in foil, and bake until warm, about 15 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, using 2 forks, shred the pork and stir into the cooking liquid. Serve with the tortillas, cilantro, sour cream, lime, and extra salsa.

Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas

Recipe from Publix.

8 oz orzo or other pasta

1/2 pesto

1/2 cup frozen peas

1 medium tomato

leftover baked salmon

shredded Parmesan cheese

Cook pasta. Combine cooked pasta and pesto. Stir in peas, tomoato, and salmon. Top with cheese.

Baked Salmon with pesto

This Publix recipe was easy and delicious!

2 6-oz salmon fillets (fresh or frozen)

ground black pepper

salt

3/4 cup pesto

If frozen, thaw fillets. Preheat oven to 400. Line a large baking sheet with foil. Place salmon (skin side down) on foil lined sheet, top with salt and pepper, then cover with foil. Bake 15-20 minutes or until fish flakes easily with fork. REmove foil and spoon pesto onto each fillet.

With leftovers, make Pesto Pasta Salad with Peas.

Eggplant penne pasta

original recipe here

2 small eggplants
dash salt
16 oz. whole wheat penne pasta
1-2 tsp olive oil
Pepper
Bunch of parsley, basil leaves and rosemary leaves
2-3 garlic cloves
1 cup crushed tomatoes
1/2 – 3/4 cup mozzarella cheese

Cube eggplant, place in colander with salt and allow to sit while you prepare the pasta. Boil pasta according to package directions. Saute garlic, herbs, and eggplant in olive oil. Add tomato and cooked pasta. Top with mozzarella cheese.

Apple-cranberry tuna salad

This recipe turned out great.

1 Fuji apple, diced

1 Tbsp lemon juice

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1 stalk celery, diced

2 tablespoons fresh (or 2 teaspoons dried) dill

2 cans/ packets white tuna in water

1/2 cup mayonnaise

In mixing bowl, combine apples and lemon juice. Add cranberries, celery, and dill. In a separate bowl, break up tuna with a fork. Add tuna and mayo to the apple mixture. Serve over a salad or on a sandwich.

Mexican Layered Pie

original recipe here: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/mexican-bean-pie/Detail.aspx

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (16 ounce) can refried beans
½ cup salsa, plus extra for serving
1 (2 ounce) can sliced black olives
1/2 (15.25 ounce) can whole kernel corn, drained
1/2 cup chopped green bell pepper
1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
ground black pepper to taste
5 (10 inch) whole wheat tortillas
1 1/2 cups shredded Cheddar cheese
1/2 cup sour cream (optional, for serving)
cilantro (optional, for serving)

Prepare to freeze:

• Lightly grease a 10 inch round cake pan or springform pan.
• In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, mix black beans, pinto beans, refried beans, salsa, olives, corn, bell pepper, and jalapeno pepper. Season with cumin, chili power, and black pepper. Cook and stir until thickened, about 10 minutes.
• Lay one tortilla flat on the bottom of the prepared baking pan. Spread 1/4 of the bean mixture on the tortilla. Sprinkle 1/4 cup Cheddar cheese lightly over the bean mixture. Repeat layering, ending with a tortilla. Top with remaining Cheddar cheese.

Prepare to serve:
Thaw in refrigerator. Bake 20 minutes at 350. Allow to cool slightly before serving. Serve with salsa and sour cream for garnish.

Parmesan tilapia

This was so easy, and very good. I served it with a side of rice and green beans.

• 2 tablespoons Parmesan cheese
• 1 tablespoon butter, softened
• 2-1/4 teaspoons mayonnaise
• 2 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
• 1/4 teaspoon fresh basil
• 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon lemon pepper
• 1/8 teaspoon celery salt
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/2 pound tilapia fillets
• 
  

1. Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
2. In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and other ingredients (except tilapia). Mix well and set aside.
3. Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Chickpea Sliders

This week I volunteered at a "Flexitarian" class at Whole Foods. We made these Chickpea Sliders and they were delicious!

2 teaspoons canola oil, divided

3 green onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1 teaspoon chili powder

1 cup finely diced sweet red or green pepper

1/2 tomato, chopped

1 19-oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1/3 cup dry breadcrumbs

2 tablespoons cilantro or parsley, chopped

8 mini buns

In nonstick skillet, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat and cook onions, garlic, oregano and chili powder, stirring for 2 minutes. Add red pepper and tomato. Cook for bout 3 minutes or until pepper is tender and liquid is evaporated.

In food processor, mix pepper mixture with chickpeas; transfer to bowl. Stir in breadcrumbs, parsley/cilantro, salt and pepper (to taste) until well combined. Pressing firmly, shape into 9 portions and pat into 2" rounds. In nonstick skillet, heat oil over medium heat and cook burgers for 4 minutes on each side or until heated through. Serve on buns with chutney or condiments.