Saag Tofu...Take 1

I finally have an oven....YAY! It has felt like I was missing a limb not having an operable oven (yes, I am that attached).

Anywho, back to cooking!

This is a wink & a nudge to saag paneer. I was inspired when watching "Aarti Party" a few weeks ago and was going to try to make my own paneer but had some tofu I needed to use up hence tonight's recipe.

I happen to love any indian flavored food. Well, anything vegetarian these days. I've been eating a lot of curry dishes lately so I thought I would branch out and try another indian favorite.

This is my first run...it was good. But it will get better. Couldn't wait to share though (since I got a new oven!!!).

You will need....

For the "paneer"
1 Package Extra Firm Tofu

Marinade:
3 T canola oil
1 t turmeric
1/2 t crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 t garlic
1/2 t kosher salt
1/4 t paprika

Drain Tofu and cut into 32 squares. On a baking sheet, layer squares between a clean dish towel. Top with another baking sheet and cover with a couple heavy objects that you may happen to have lying around....I used a gallon of water. Allow to press for at least 30 minutes to remove all extra moisture. In the mean time, in a small bowl (preferably one with a tight fitting lid), mix together marinade ingredients and set aside. Once tofu is pressed add to marinade and toss (lightly) to coat. Place in fridge and allow to marinate for at least an hour (I left mine in for about 5.5).

Preheat oven to 375. Place tofu squares on a baking sheet lightly coated with cooking spray. Cook 20 minutes, turning halfway.



Next comes the "Saag"
2 T Unrefined Coconut Oil
1 t coriander seeds
1 t cumin seeds
1/2 medium (or 1 small) onion, diced
1 jalapeno, deseeded & diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 t minced ginger
1 10 package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
3/4 c coconut milk
1 t salt
1/2 t garam masala
1/8 t cinnamon
1/8 t nutmeg

In a large saute pan, heat coconut oil over medium high heat. Once heated, add cumin & coriander seeds~allow to "cook" (and by cooking I mean popping in the hot oil until you start to smell them--will be very quick). Add onion, jalapeno, garlic, ginger and some salt and saute until tender~about 5 minutes. Next add spinach breaking apart to separate and allow to warm through about 1 minute. Pour in coconut milk, garam masala, cinnamon, nutmeg and remaining salt and allow to come to a boil. Let cook for a few minutes. Next, add in tofu and toss lightly to incorporate with the spinach.



Doesn't it look just like paneer?!?! So delicious. Serve along side grain of choice (I cooked up rice in the rice cooker with some coconut milk & water) and/or (whole wheat) naan {why not have both}. And feel good knowing that although this seems really intense, it took me about as much time to cook this as it did for my rice cooker to lazily cook my rice...about 25 minutes.



Enjoy!
Do you have any favorite indian recipes besides curries? Please share...I am always looking for new Indian food to make :)

Romesco's

So, first things first. Let me just share my sob story. My oven is broke. We had a temporary replacement for a while but that had to go back to it's rightful owner. So I have been without an oven for about 2 weeks now. So cooking has gone to the side and in it's place we have cooked on the grill a couple times, went out to eat lots of times and ate foods that needed no cooking (i.e. raw veggies & hummus, cereal & salads). All those are fine and dandy..but honestly, who wants to live like that. Needless to say, I am ready for a new oven to come my way...and fast.


Ok, now that i've got that off my chest, let's get on to the real reason i'm here.

Food.

There used to be this fabulous little restaurant and wine bar about 15 minutes south of where I lived called Romesco's. I loved the vibe, the decor and, of course, the food. Anytime someone wanted to eat? Let's go to Romesco's! I brought anyone who had an appetite there because I loved it so much. And as unimaginative as this may be, aside from 1 visit, I ordered the same thing everytime. Grilled vegetable panini with romesco sauce. Oh, and a peach tea :)

It was worth every visit.

Romesco sauce, by definition, is a sauce originating in Tarragona (Catalonia, Spain) that is typically made from almonds, pine nuts, and/or hazelnuts, roasted garlic, olive oil and nyora peppers, a smaller, sweet, dried variety of red bell pepper. Other common ingredients include roasted tomatoes, red wine vinegar and onion.

And it's vegan too~something i'm trying to eat a little more of these days.

Unfortunately, the restaurant closed when it's neighbor (a furniture store) caught on fire and burned half of the building down including some of Romesco's. I prayed and prayed that they would reopen but to no avail.

I'm not sure what made me think of it as it's been closed now for about 4 years but I started craving that sandwich it was soon all I could think about.

So, here we are. Tonight's dinner. My way.

Grilled Vegetables with Romesco Sauce
Serves 4

Veg:
1 large Eggplant, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices
1 large Zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices
2 large Portabella Mushrooms, sliced into 1/2 inch thick slices

Marinade (for the veggies)
3 T canola oil
2 T lemon juice
2 t dried thyme
3 garlic cloves, minced
salt & cracked black pepper

Mix marinated ingredients in a large bowl. Add veggies and toss to coat. Let marinate for about 15~20 minutes stirring often. Set aside

Preheat grill. I found I needed no oil to grill my vegetables but lightly oil the grates if you'd like. Cook about 3~5 minutes per side until tender. Time will vary based on the type of grill you use.

Cheater's Romesco Sauce, makes 1 c sauce
1 roasted red pepper (jarred, in water)
1/2 c fire roasted tomatoes (from the can)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T red wine vinegar
3 T whole almonds
3 T whole hazelnuts
1 T ground flax meal Normally, bread is used to thicken. I have no bread in house so there you go.)
2 T water

Blend all ingredients in a food processor on high stopping every so often to scrape down the sides of the processor. Continue to process until it forms a smooth sauce, about 5 minutes. Season with salt to taste (I needed no salt~something I am trying to use less of). Refrigerate until ready to use.

This sauce was made for veggies but would be equally delicious over fish if you are so inclined. I would even go so far as to dip raw veggies in this (but i've had my fair share the last 2 weeks thank you very much).

I served mine over brown rice but obviously this would be great on a panini (Duh! Did you read the beginning of this post?) in a wrap, or even over greens. No salad dressing needed :)



Please excuse my sorry excuse of a photo. I was hungry and light was minimal thus flash was used. No bueno. I blame it on the oven.

*5 Ingredient Friday*

Happy Friday everyone! Hope you all had a lovely *quick* work week :)

It's time for another round of 5 Ingredient Friday! If you missed last weeks post, you can click on the link here & read all about my new series.

This Friday, I figured there was no better way to end the work week than with a dessert. A Granita to be exact. If you are unfamiliar with what a Granita is, it is a Sicilian semi-frozen dessert made from sugar, water and various flavorings.

The only thing with granita's are that they tend to be a bit time consuming. So make this on a day off..when you plan to spend your day at home :)


Coconut Chai Tea Granita



1 can coconut milk, preferably full fat
4 chai tea bags
2 +1 c water
1 c sugar

*Place 1 c water + 1 c sugar in a small sauce pan. Cook over medium heat until sugar is dissolved. Set aside & allow to cool.

*In a medium sauce pan bring 2 c water to a boil. Once water has reached the boiling point turn off the heat & place tea bags in water. Cover with lid & allow to steep until cool.

*Place glass baking dish in freezer while everything cools. ***Size DOES matter :) I would choose a bigger dish~More surface area=quicker freezing time!

*Once simple syrup & tea are cool, combine with Coconut Milk in baking dish and place in freezer.



*Check after about an hour to see if ice crystals have started to form. If so, rake through mixture with a fork to help separate.

It will start like this...


And eventually look more like this...


*Repeat this process every half hour to 45 minutes for about 4.5-5 hrs (depending on the size of the dish). I believe mine was 9x13 and I felt like it took FOR-EV-ER! Eventually, it will resemble what we know as italian ice..When it has reached this stage, it's ready :)

*Scoop it into your dish of choice and enjoy!


Slightly Creamy. Coconut~y. With a hint of chai. Mmmm

Definitely cooling and palate cleansing!

This will stay good in the freezer for a couple days, just rake it through with a fork before serving.


What's your favorite frozen treat to keep you cool during the summer?

*5 Ingredient Friday*

I love Claire Robinson from Food Networks "5 Ingredient Fix". She makes such amazing food using 5 ingredients (or fewer!). Salt, pepper & water are "free" ingredients i.e. they don't count towards the 5 ingredients in the recipe.

Can you see why I love it?!?

As we all know, it's so easy to get carried away & spend far too much to add this or that to a recipe.

So, in an effort to save desperately needed money (who doesn't need to do that?), I decided to start a series of my own.

Starting with dinner. Tonight :)

I have had this delicious beauty sitting in my fridge for far too long.

Tonight we end that :)

Beans & Greens (keep it simple~in all areas of recipe creating)
Serves 2-4
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed & drained
1 bunch of swiss chard, removed from stems & sliced* (about 2 cups)
1 can of diced tomatoes
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, whole
1 T minced garlic in olive oil

*1 c water, salt & pepper (to taste)

Heat large saute pan over medium heat. Add 1 T minced garlic & some of the garlic oil to the pan and cook for about 1 minute. Add chard & toss with garlic. Add diced tomatoes, whole rosemary sprigs, beans, water, S&P to pan. Cover pan and cook over medium high heat for about 25 minutes.

Serve with a hunk of crusty bread & call it a meal.

My meat loving man did :)

It was seriously SO good. It honestly tasted like Olive Garden Minestrone soup. Phil should know, he used to work there :)

I am seriously so excited about this series...and I hope you will be too :)

Now, for some more ideas....
~No chard? Sub in (fresh or frozen) spinach or kale.
~No fresh rosemary? Use 1 T dried (or to taste..I really love rosemary)
~Sub black beans for the cannellini beans, spinach for chard & dried cumin for the rosemary OR kidney beans & chili powder. Serve with tortilla chips or cornbread.

*Note~the stems are perfectly edible..I just let my chard sit too long & they were too soft so I added them to the compost pile*

Have you ever watched "5 Ingredient Fix"? Do you have a favorite 5 ingredient recipe?

Saturday, Saaaaturday

That was my attempt at Elton John singing my blog title. :)

Anywho, what a great saturday it was. Gorgeous, sunny. I'm really enjoying biking in this weather :) I started out with a quick 30 minute ride. Decided to ride up to my office to pick up something I left there and made my return journey along the river. The water was sparkling despite being murky blue :)

After my walk, my pups were anxious to get outside too so I had two quick walks as well. Taking the two together is impossible. For me anyway. They are only this big...

...but they are strong little stinkers and when they try to run towards something, it feels like they are about to pull my arms out...so, ya. I will walk them one at a time. Plus I get more activity :)

After I ate and showered, I headed out the buy the BF a birthday present (his birthday is Tuesday~which will remain a secret until then in case he happens to read) and headed down to see my friend Dani (who just found out she is having a baby boy in the near future~congrats!!). She had some clothes she was getting ready to donate and was kind enough to offer first dibs to me :) Got some new-to-me workout gear out of the trip so I was a happy camper! She and her fiance has just purchased a new harley which was shipped since my last visit. I've only been on a motorcycle once and really enjoyed it so I casually mentioned i'd like to ride :) Clay came home from work before I was planning to head home so he agreed to take me out (yippee).

I will now insert some nerdy photos of my very biker friendly outfit (complete with flip flops) and the massive & heavy head gear Dani gave me to wear....




It was so much fun..I can't wait to do it again. I unselfishly offered to be Clay's riding buddy as Dani can't ride due to being prego ;)

I had my heart set on making a curry dish this week but things get in the way so it got pushed off until today. This is in no way an authentic curry but it turned out delicious just the same....

I'll call this one, Cauliflower Curry :)
2 T Canola oil
2 t minced garlic
1 t minced ginger
1/2 t coriander seeds
1 T cumin seeds
1 cinnamon stick
1 t fennel seeds
1 T dried cilantro
2 T turmeric
1 t sea salt (to taste)
2 T curry powder
1 T ground cumin
1 T garam masala
1 can coconut milk
1 can no salt added fire roasted tomatoes
3- 3/1 c Mixed veggies (I used cauliflower (mainly), carrots, green pepper & asparagus)

In a saute pan, heat oil over medium high heat. Once oil is hot add garlic, ginger & spices through fennel seeds. Allow them to "fry" in the oil until fragrant. About a minute or two. Add veggies and toss to coat. Next, add remaining spices, tomatoes & coconut milk. Bring to boil, reduce to simmer and cook 20-30 until veggies are tender (I like my vegetables "al dente" so I cook on the shorter time frame).

Don't mind the color, it tastes good :)


Garnish with lime wedges & serve with Naan bread or rice. Enjoy.

Question, can anyone recommend a good salt substitute? I don't mean something like Mrs. Dash but an actual salt substitute. I would like to cut back but I really feel it makes food taste better.

My bowl overfloweth....

I am really enjoying the simplicity of taking a bunch of different food, throwing it in a bowl and mixing it all up (which is really no ground breaking concept, I know). It's just never been my style~until lately.

In the mix:

Veggies {sauteed or roasted~ depending on how busy I am} (some faves: broccoli, sweet potato, zuchinni, red pepper, spinach, asparagus, eggplant) you really could put anything in here obviously.....
+
Protein (roasted tofu, quinoa, roasted chickpeas (mmmmm mmmmm mmmmm), hummus, guac, nuts, seeds)
+
Whole Grain (mostly brown rice, couscous, pita bread, naan)
=
YUM. And SIMPLE. which quite frankly is about all I have time & patience for lately. This really comes in handy for the (MANY) nights I find myself starting to think about dinner around 7:30p.

Even my seasonings (for the most part) have been simple...

Italian: Oregano + Basil + Red Pepper flakes (OR you could use the premade Italian Seasoning)
Mexican~ish: Cumin + Oregano
Indian: Garam masala + Cumin + Turmeric OR Curry Powder + Cumin + Fennel Seed + Paprika + Turmeric
Asian: Sesame Oil + Soy Sauce + Toasted Sesame Seeds

(I eyeball the amount of spices based on the amount of veggies/chickpeas I am cooking)

I mainly use these seasonings for the veggies but they also have come in handy for the roasted chickpeas. Seriously, i'm obsessed with them lately. Oh, and hummus too! Like eating it 3 or 4 days a week sometimes twice a day.

Case in point. 7:30p rolls around. Start to think about dinner as a result of a late lunch with my mama. Started to think about the lunch I had the other day. I enjoyed it so much I was craving it.



What's in my bowl of goodness?

Roasted Veggies (zucchini, asparagus, red pepper & broccoli) + Indian spice blend #1
Roasted Potatoes (from my garden!!) + Indian spice blend #2
Brown Rice
Sunflower Seeds
Baba Ghanoush

So satisfying. So yummy. So healthy. This time last year, I can't say that I was craving vegetables. Or chickpeas. Proof that people CAN change.