Broccoli and Spaghetti Squash Gratin

Broccoli and Spaghetti Squash Gratin

I really loved this recipe for Broccoli and Spaghetti Squash Gratin from the Vegetarian Times website. Spaghetti squash is one of Jake’s least favorite squashes. He’s not a big squash guy. So if I find a good way to cook one up that he’ll eat I take it and run with it. Unfortunately he caught me cooking the squash so he was tipped off as to its inclusion in this particular casserole. But I like to think that if he hadn’t realized it he would’ve liked this a lot more. I certainly loved it. The original recipe called for way more spaghetti squash and less broccoli, but I adjusted the quantities since I know Jake isn’t a fan. I also used cottage cheese rather than ricotta, a trick I learned from my mother. This would be a great brunch dish as well as a dinner one. The picture I managed to get doesn’t do this particular dish justice. I loved how all the flavors melted together in this one. It was rich without being overpowering.

Broccoli and Spaghetti Squash Gratin
1 medium spaghetti squash (1 ½–2 lb.)
4 cups small broccoli florets
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ cup grated Cheddar cheese, divided
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
¼ cup low-fat milk
2 tablespoons low-fat cottage cheese
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1. Preheat your oven to 375°F. Coat a 2-qt. baking dish with oil.
2. Pierce the spaghetti squash in several places with knife. Microwave it for 3 minutes on high power to soften. Slice off the ends, and cut straight down the length of the squash. Remove the seeds with spoon. Place halves cut side down on rimmed baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until the squash yields when pressed.
3. Cool the squash cut side up 10 minutes. Scrape the squash halves with a fork to release the strands. Transfer the strands to large bowl.
4. Toss broccoli with oil in bowl, then add to squash along with 1/4 cup Cheddar.
5. Whisk together eggs, milk, cottage cheese, green onion, and mustard in small bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, then stir into the squash mixture.
6. Spread the mixture in the prepared baking dish and sprinkle with the remaining 1/4 cup Cheddar. Drizzle with olive oil.
7. Increase the oven temperature to 425°F. Bake on the top oven rack for 25 minutes, or until center is set and top begins to brown.

Pepper Potatoes with Tofu or Steak

Pepper Potatoes with Tofu or Steak

I bought my “Flavors of Korea: Delicious Vegetarian Cuisine” cookbook by Deborah Coultrip-Davis and Young Sook Ramsay when I was in undergrad at Bluffton University. I’m pretty sure this was the result of two main things: 1. my cross-cultural experience trip (a graduation requirement at Bluffton that is frankly genius and amazing) to Vietnam my sophomore year and, 2. the lunches at the Lion and Lamb Peace Arts Center that featured a different dish from a different country every time. I don’t remember how often the Lion and Lamb had these dinners, but it was enough that it made me want to challenge myself to eat as many different things as possible. And to pack one Mennonite reference onto another and another, I’m pretty sure I bought this cookbook at 10,000 Villages.
The great thing about this particular recipe is that it’s easily adapted for whatever you want to do with it. The original recipe contained neither tofu nor steak. It was just peppers and potatoes. But I had a block of tofu I was itching to use up and Jake has all this moose steak in the freezer. This is a great recipe if you have multiple types of eaters in your house. I chopped all of the things and split everything in two. I used 2 different skillets to fry the tofu and meat up separately. It wasn’t hard at all. I suppose you could serve this with rice as well, but honestly we ate it as is and didn’t miss anything. After all, there ARE potatoes in this. I also subbed in agave nectar for the sugar because for some reason I have TWO BOTTLES of agave nectar in the house. Instructions below for both meat and tofu, though remember that the original recipe used neither, so that’s acceptable as well.

Pepper Potatoes with Tofu or Steak
if using tofu:
1 block extra tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch chunks
if using steak:
16 oz. steak, cut into strips

for the main part of the dish:
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sesame oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 small leek, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 red bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 yellow bell pepper, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 2-inch length ginger root, peeled and sliced into thin rounds
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
2-3 tablespoons agave nectar
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1. If using the tofu: heat the vegetable oil in your skillet and sauté your tofu on medium heat till it’s browned on at least 3 sides. If using the steak: heat the vegetable oil in your skillet and sauté the steak strips till just cooked on both sides.
2. Add the sesame oil to the pan along with the leek, potatoes, peppers, and ginger. Sauté on medium-high heat till golden brown.
3. In a small bowl, combine the soy sauce, water, agave nectar and cayenne pepper and mix well. Add to the skillet.
4. Bring the mixture to a boil, then cover and reduce the heat to a simmer. Cook till the liquid is absorbed and the potatoes are tender, about 5-10 minutes. Serve hot.

Pepper Potatoes with Tofu

Pepper Potatoes with Steak

Sunrise Pasta

Sunrise Pasta

News news! I got a new-to-me cookbook from the used bookstore I work at. It’s called “The Garden of Earthly Delights Cookbook: Gourmet Vegetarian Cooking” by Shea MacKenzie. I haven’t decided if I like it a lot yet. It has potential, though the author seems to use a worrisome amount of vermouth in her recipes. I don’t have vermouth so I’ve been subbing. This was the first recipe I made from the book and it was super serious. I’m not kidding. I will never make this recipe again. There was so much starch in it that Jake and I almost died from our stomachs exploding. I will make the veggie part of it again for sure as a side dish, or perhaps to eat alongside a small amount of rice. But this AND pasta was such overkill that it shocked me it even made it into this cookbook. I was skeptical about pasta and potatoes, so I’m very happy that I tried it. However, I’m good from now on. Maybe if there’d been LESS potato it would’ve worked well. Five red potatoes was rather overkill. That said, when you make this in your own home, definitely chop your potatoes SMALLER than I did. I followed the directions for chopping in the cookbook that had me making potato chunks rather than smaller ones. I recommend you take a bit of extra time and make the potato pieces a bit smaller. It would’ve helped the madness factor of this recipe A LOT if the potato pieces were smaller and blended in with the rest of the stuff rather than showing up in your mouth as a massive chunk. Although this isn’t my favorite pasta recipe, I do think you should give it a try with smaller potatoes and possibly fewer potatoes. Potatoes and pasta is definitely a thing in many places and I’m glad I tried it at least once. And if you, like Jake and I, find it too crazy for your pasta, just eat the leftover pasta and potato mix separately later in the week. You won’t be sad about it. I promise.

Sunrise Pasta
12 oz. penne
5 small red potatoes, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 large red onion, sliced thin
2 cloves garlic, sliced
1 pound fresh snow peas, de-stringed and trimmed
2 tablespoons white wine
1 17-oz. can corn kernels
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
1/2 cup minced parsley, for garnish
grated parmesan or mozzarella cheese, optional

1. Cook the penne according the the directions on the package. Try to time it so everything is done at just about the same time.
2. While the pasta is cooking, place the chopped potatoes in a medium sized pot of boiling water and cook till just about tender. Drain and set aside.
3. In a large skillet heat the olive oil and all the onion and garlic. Sauté 2 minutes, stirring frequently, before adding in the snow peas and sautéing another 3 minutes.
4. About 3-5 minutes before the pasta is cooked, add the white wine, potatoes, corn kernels, red pepper flakes, salt and pepper to the skillet. Toss to blend well. Cover and simmer 3 minutes.
5. Drain the cooked pasta and return it to the cooking pot or a big old fancy serving bowl. Add the potato and veggie mixture and toss gently.
6. Garnish with parsley and cheese (if using) and serve hot.

Herb-and-Mushroom Rice Casserole

The obligatory just-out-of-the-oven photo.

I found this recipe in the “Vegetarian Times Cookbook” by Lucy Moll. It’s always good to peruse an old favorite and that’s what’s been happening the last month or so. Jake left to go salmon dipnetting in Chitina for the weekend (I cannot fish yet since I haven’t been an Alaskan resident for long enough), but I had to stay home to work. And as usual, when Jake’s gone I make something with one of his hated vegetables in it. Usually mushrooms. Jake is actually at this very moment out on a moose hunt with a couple of his friends and his dad. So once again I’ve found myself making some new yummy mushroom recipes. But you’ll see those a little later.

Herb-and-Mushroom Rice Casserole
2 cups uncooked white rice
4 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 tablespoon butter
3 tablespoons olive oil
5 scallions, chopped fine
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 medium bunch fresh parsley, stems removed, leaves minced
4 cups white button mushrooms, finely chopped
2 medium bunches dill weed, stems removed, and minced
plain yogurt, to garnish

1. In a medium saucepan, cook the rice with 3 cups of the vegetable broth and the butter. Bring the ingredients to a boil and then lower the heat, cover and simmer till the rice is tender. This should take about 20 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat and sauté the scallions and garlic, stirring frequently till scallions are limp.
3. Add the cayenne, oregano, and black pepper to the scallion mixture and cook 1 minute more before adding the parsley, mushrooms, and dill. Then cook 5-10 minutes, till the mushrooms are soft.
4. While the mushrooms are cooking, preheat your oven to 350 F.
5. Combine the rice and vegetable mixture in a 2 1/2 quart casserole dish and pour the remaining 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock over all.
6. Bake uncovered for 30 minutes.
7. Serve hot, garnished with plain yogurt.

Herb-and-Mushroom Rice Casserole

Deep Dish Swiss Chard and Gouda Quiche

The obligatory top-of-the-quiche picture.

Super duper thanks to McGee family friend Iris for providing me with the greens for this recipe. She has started her own CSA here in Fairbanks and Jake’s mom and I split what she brings every week. I love quiche. It instantly makes everyone happy and it’s not that hard if you learn a few little tricks to make the cooking go easier. If you haven’t seen me use my potato crust that my friend Giovanina taught me then you’re missing out. Of course, a flaky dough crust on a quiche is really lovely, but this goes down just as easy and saves me countless minutes in the kitchen. I utilize the preheating time to pre-cook the potatoes a bit. This is so I can cut the potatoes thicker so they make more sense as a crust.
Although I’ve given you measurements below, you’ll notice I’m not super strict on the size of things and even acknowledge that depending on the size of your dish you may need more egg mixture. I look at quiche not as an exact science, but more as an opportunity to ad-lib and make strange decisions. Now that I know the basics that go into making it, I very rarely use a recipe for quiche. The gouda I used didn’t melt all that much (full disclosure: it WAS the cheapest gouda, so that probably had something to do with it), but instead stayed mainly on top and browned up nice and crispy. It was frankly amazing. I didn’t expect that to happen and I was very happy with the results. Meat eaters may want to consider adding chopped ham or bacon into this. Either would go really well with the smokiness of the gouda. If you’re into topping your quiche with things I suggest some extra slices of green onions or fresh chives. Jake hates mushrooms so I almost never put them into a quiche, but you’ll see from the photo that I sautéed some in salt, pepper and butter and ate mine on the side. I highly recommend that as well.

Deep Dish Swiss Chard and Gouda Quiche
1 large potato, sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt, to taste
3-4 cups Swiss chard, leaves sliced or torn, stems chopped
1 cup turnip greens, chopped
3-4 green onions, diced
8 eggs
2 cups soy milk
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1 teaspoon garlic powder
black pepper, to taste
1/4 cup smoked Gouda, chopped or shredded

1. Sprinkle a deep oval casserole dish with your olive oil. Lay your potato slices along the bottom and sides of the casserole dish to cover as much space as possible. You can cut them to any size you need to accomplish this. If you have leftover potato, diced it and use it to fill in any spaces. It doesn’t have to be perfect. Sprinkle the potato with salt.
2. Place the casserole dish with potatoes into the oven and preheat the oven to 400F.
3. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, beat the eggs, soy milk, nutmeg, paprika, garlic powder, and black pepper together.
4. When the oven has finished preheating, check your potatoes. They should be just about cooked through. If they’re still very hard leave them in the oven a little longer. Once they’re just about cooked through take them out and let them cool.
5. Once the quiche dish is cool, pile all your veggies into it, starting with all the greens and leaving the green onions till last.
6. Sprinkle the chopped Gouda onto the veggies and pour the egg mixture over top of all, letting it filter through the greens to the bottom of the pan. If you’re using a REALLY deep dish, remember that you can always beat up another egg or two with some soy milk and a bit of all the spices to fill in the space.
7. Cover the casserole dish with aluminum foil and bake 20 minutes.
8. Take the casserole dish out of the oven, remove the foil and return to the oven. Bake another 25 minutes or till quiche is cooked through and nicely browned on top. Eat hot.

Deep Dish Swiss Chard and Gouda Quiche

 

 

Speedy Burgers

Speedy Burgers

I’ve been eyeing this recipe in the “Vegetarian Planet” cookbook for a bit now. When my old roommate and new vegan Adam was in town and came over for dinner I had the perfect chance to test the recipe. This really was a pretty fast and easy recipe and the burgers themselves grilled up quite lovely (as you can see in the photo) and stayed together really well through grilling. I was actually rather surprised they grilled so well. This recipe was an all-around success. Even Jake tried a bit of my veggie burger and said it was pretty good, which is definitely a compliment coming from a man who loves his hamburger as much as Jake does. I am surprised that I really have no serious notes on this burger, other than that I think grilling this veggie burger is the absolute best cooking option for it. I loved the bit of char Jake managed to get on this thing with his Grillmaster magic. I think it was a big part of what made this burger so delicious…the ingredients in this were really perfect for a bit of grill char.

Speedy Burgers
4 slices toasted bread, whirled into crumbs
1/2 cup almonds, chopped fine
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 small onion, diced
1 cup celery, chopped
3/4 cup cilantro leaves, chopped
1 15-oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 small red bell pepper, seeded and diced
2 tablespoons rolled oats
salt and black pepper, to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, more as needed

1. Place the bread crumbs into a large bowl and set aside.
2. Toast the almonds and coriander in a dry skillet over medium-high heat, stirring constantly till the almonds are lightly toasted.
3. Place the toasted almond into the bread crumb bowl.
4. Add the cloves to the bowl.
5. Add the chopped veggies to the bread crumb bowl.
6. Mash the black beans most of the way and add them to the bowl.
7. Add the oats, salt, and pepper to the bowl and mix well. If the mixture is too dry add water, 1 tablespoon at a time.
8. Flour your hands well and form the mixture into patties. You should be able to get about 6 from this, depending on what size you make them.
9. Brush your grill with the olive oil (use more if needed) and grill the burgers till brown and glorious.
10. Serve on a thick bun, or maybe an onion bagel, with your favorite burger toppings.

Asparagus-Cashew Stir Fry

Asparagus-Cashew Stir Fry

You can make this recipe from “The 15 Minute Gourmet Vegetarian” cookbook without tofu…but what kind of life is that? If you love tofu, this is a great recipe to have it in. However if you don’t it works just beautifully without it. So don’t fret. If you absolutely have to have some meat in here, I’d suggest a little bit of pork. Just a little bit. You definitely want the veggies to be the star of this dish, but I think maybe 1/2 a cup of ground pork would give this a good meaty taste without overpowering the other flavors. You could also use some slivers of beef in this. See? I’m not a totally heartless vegetarian. I understand some of you out there have to eat your meat. 🙂 I definitely recommend cutting the asparagus into bite-sized pieces. Heating up leftover asparagus is not my favorite thing ever. It can get chewy and stringy sometimes. And that’s never super fun to try to bite into. Blech! This is best hot and fresh, but leftovers are great too.

Asparagus-Cashew Stir Fry
for the Soy-Ginger Sauce:
2 tablespoons cold water
2 tablespoons cornstarch
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
3 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon fresh ginger, minced
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
dash of ground white pepper

for the stir fry:
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
3 cups asparagus, cut into 2-inch lengths
1/2 medium onion, diced
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 block extra firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes
1 cup raw cashews
toasted sesame seeds, optional

1. Heat the oil in a large wok on medium-high heat.
2. Add the asparagus, onion, red bell pepper, and garlic.
3. Cook, stirring frequently, for 5 minutes or till vegetables are crisp-tender.
4. Meanwhile, in a bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch till mixed. Then add the remaining sauce ingredients, mix well again and set aside.
5. Reduce the heat on the stove to medium.
6. Re-stir the sauce mixture and pour it over the vegetables. Mix well.
7. Add in the tofu and cashews and mix again.
8. Cook at least 3 minutes more, or till sauce is thick and bubbling. Stir every once in a while.
9. Adjust the seasoning to taste, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve hot over rice.

Macaroni Soufflé

Macaroni Soufflé

I’ve been meaning to try this recipe from the “Encyclopedia of Vegetables and Vegetarian Cooking” for two years now and just never got around to it. For one, I don’t actually keep macaroni on hand at the house. Which means I have to remember to put it on the list so I buy it at the store. I’m terrible at these things. I should be more used to looking at my cookbooks to see what I’d like to make for the week and then writing down a list of all the things I need for each recipe. But my life being one of necessary frugality I usually shop by buying what’s on sale–not always what I would like to get. And so this recipe has lived in its cookbook alone, waiting patiently till my cookbook flipping coincided with a sale on macaroni at the grocery store

Macaroni Soufflé
3 oz. elbow macaroni
melted butter, to coat
3 tablespoons dried bread crumbs
4 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon ground paprika
1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/4 cups milk
6 tablespoons grated Cheddar or Gruyere cheese
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
salt and black pepper, to taste
3 eggs, separated

1. Cook the macaroni according to the package directions. Drain well and set aside.
2. Preheat the oven to 300F.
3. Brush the insides of a soufflé dish with melted butter and then coat evenly with the bread crumbs. Shake out any excess crumbs.
4. In a saucepan, bring the butter, paprika, flour and milk to a boil slowly, whisking constantly till the mixture has thickened.
5. Simmer the sauce for a minute and then remove it from the heat and stir in the cheeses till they’re thoroughly melted.
6. Season well with the salt and pepper and mix in the macaroni, making sure to coat all of the macaroni with the sauce.
7. Beat in the egg yolks.
8. In a clean bowl, whisk the egg whites till they form soft white peaks. Spoon a quarter of the egg whites into the macaroni mixture, beating it gently to loosen it up.
9. Using a large metal spoon, carefully fold in the rest of the egg whites and transfer to the prepared baking dish.
10. Bake in the center of the oven for about 40-45 minutes, until the soufflé has risen and is golden brown. The middle should be just slightly wobbly and the soufflé should be lightly creamy inside.

Yucatan Burgers

Yucatan Burgers

Happy Belated Thanksgiving Everyone! I’m sorry to say I won’t be posting as often for a while now. I’ll tell you why at a later date, but for now I’m going to keep mum till some things get more solidified. I hope you’ll forgive me if I post this recipe from the “Vegetarian Planet” cookbook for a great vegetarian burger. There are two reasons that I liked this particular burger recipe. One of the reasons is that it really sticks together like a champ and I never felt worried that it was going to fall apart in the pan. The second reason is that this recipe is really rather mild tasting. This means two wonderful things to me: 1) I can easily spice it up however I want in the future and do my own thing with it, and 2) if you’re not sure about the tastes of your guests, this is one recipe that will not offend someone who doesn’t like something too this or that. Please note, the pretzel roll bun in the photo. I bought them at Sprouts Farmer’s Market and they’re amazing. They’re not mandatory listed in the recipe, but they should be.

Yucatan Burgers
1 small butternut squash, cut in half
7 slices stale or toasted bread
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 15-oz. can red beans, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped cilantro
1 tablespoon lime juice
salt and black pepper, to taste

1. Preheat the oven to 400F. Place the squash cut side down on a baking sheet and bake 45 minutes or till soft. Let the squash cool. You can even do this a day ahead of time.
2. Break the bread into pieces, place them in a blender and blend them to crumbs. Transfer the crumbs to a bowl.
3. In a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil and sauté the onions over medium heat till soft.
4. Add the garlic, oregano and ground coriander and sauté another 2 minutes.
5. Put the mixture into the blender and add the beans and cilantro. Blend till the ingredients are chopped and transfer to a second bowl.
6. When the squash is cool, remove the seeds.
7. Spoon out the flesh, chop it and add it to the bowl.
8. Add the lime juice, salt and black pepper and 3 cups of bread crumbs to the bowl. Mix with your hands, adding more bread crumbs if the mixture is too wet.
9. In a skillet, heat the last tablespoon of oil and fry the patties over medium heat for 4 minutes on each side or till a deep golden brown. Serve immediately.

Classic Spinach Lasagna

Classic Spinach Lasagna

Let’s be honest about life here. You really can’t go wrong with lasagna. No one is going to tell you: “Oh please don’t feed me MAGIC LAYERED WITH NOODLES.” Okay, so that may be an exaggeration. Not everyone likes lasagna. But we love it and we never make it as often as we should. I tweaked this recipe from the cookbook “How it All Vegan” so you have fewer dishes to wash. Well, maybe not fewer dishes, but by not using a blender you save having to scrub all its hard-to-reach blendery bits. This recipe is vegan, but you can easily add meat or regular milk and cheese to the recipe if you’re not vegan. Try this with the tofu though. You’ve often heard me extol the virtues of tofu as a substitute for cheese in some cases. It cuts the fat content for those of you who are concerned about that, and ups the protein a bit. I know a lot of people have concerns about tofu, but if you take it with an “everything in moderation” attitude then you shouldn’t have to worry. Pull this recipe out of your recipe box when vegan friends come to visit and impress them with how diet-savvy you are!

Classic Spinach Lasagna
1 pound firm tofu, drained and squelched
1/4 cup soy milk
1 teaspoon dried oregano
3 teaspoons dried basil
salt, to taste
2 tablespoons lemon juice
2-3 tablespoons garlic powder
1 small onion, chopped
2 cups spinach, chopped
4-6 cups tomato sauce
cooked lasagna noodles
1/2 cup shredded cheese (soy or real), optional

1. Preheat the oven to 350F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the squelched tofu, soy milk, oregano, basil, salt, lemon juice, garlic powder, onion and spinach. Mix really well.
3. Cover the bottom of the pan with a drizzle of olive oil and a layer of tomato sauce. Put down a layer of noodles.
4. Spoon and spread half of the tofu and spinach mixture over the noodles. Spread a layer of tomato sauce over that. Then a layer of noodles and then another layer of the tofu and spinach mixture.
5. Lay down the final layer of noodles and then drizzle the top with a bit of tomato sauce and cheese, if using.
6. Bake for 30-45 minutes or till golden brown on top.
7. Remove from the oven and let it sit for 10 minutes before serving.