Ginger-Miso Yam Wraps

You might be able to relate to my habit of zealous recipe bookmarking online, in magazines, and in cookbooks. I have the best intentions, of course, but you and I both know that many of these recipes never see the light of day.

When I spotted the recipe for Ginger Miso Yam Wraps, I had more than good intentions. The only thing that caused a few day delay from these making it from the pages of my Vegetarian Times magazine to my plate was having to collect some of the ingredients. Allow me to encourage you to bookmark this one as well and try it as soon as possible! The base ingredients are sweet potatoes, miso paste, and peanut butter. What an odd combo right? Just trust me on this one! Please don't be discouraged by the particularly bad photography, I just think that these babies aren't very photogenic.

I made these in the evening and chilled them overnight to eat for lunch the next day. Helpful note: look for the least stalky collard greens possible. The bundle that I picked up had really huge leaves and thick stalks and I struggled at first rolling these up. After experimenting I found that using the top of the leaves where the stalk was the thinnest and rolling against the stalk worked the best (NOT as pictured below, that was when I first started rolling these, and the stalk prevented at least one end from folding in). If your greens are large enough like mine were, another option is to make two wraps out of each by cutting each in half lengthwise on either side of the stalk and throwing away the stalk. Vegetarian Times notes that chard or flat-leafed kale will also work in place of the collards.



Ginger-Miso Yam Wraps
(from vegetarian times)

2 small yams or sweet potatoes (1 lb.)
2 Tbs. white miso paste
1 Tbs. smooth peanut butter
2 Tbs. finely chopped shallot
1 Tbs. minced fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
1 cup frozen shelled edamame
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
6 oz. firm silken tofu, crumbled (1 cup)
2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
8 collard green leaves, stems removed

Preheat oven to 400°F. Cut thin slice off both ends of yams, and poke skins with knife in several places. Bake 50 minutes, or until soft, turning once. Halve yams, and scoop flesh into bowl. Mash in miso and peanut butter.

Meanwhile, coat skillet with cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Sauté shallot, ginger, and garlic 3 minutes, or until soft. Add edamame, 1/4 cup water, and cayenne; cook 3 minutes more. Remove from heat, and stir in tofu,cilantro, and yam mixture. Cool.

Place 1 collard green leaf on work surface. Spoon 1/3 cup yam mixture in center of leaf. Roll bottom edge over mixture; tuck in sides. Roll up to top edge. Place, seam-side down, and repeat with remaining ingredients.

Aloo Gobi

I had a wonderful visit to a local Asian supermarket recently. I left with all sorts of goodies like thai basil, coconut milk, panang curry paste, soba noodles, and miso paste. In addition - for just $1, a bag full of these cute little guys got to come home with me. They look so innocent don't they? :)

I have featured these chillies in a few dishes this past week, and the first was Aloo Gobi. This common Indian dish is aptly named in Hindi after the two main ingredients:

Aloo - potato
Gobi - cauliflower

I adapted this recipe from epicurious which involves roasting the vegetables instead of pan frying. On the advice of most of the people who commented on the original recipe I doubled most of the spices, and I was glad that I did. The dish was full of flavor and had a definite kick, but not too overpowering. I would have been able to handle even more spice (almost never too spicy for me!), but I wanted to give my poor roommate a break. If you are looking for very mild spice follow the original recipe.



Aloo Gobi
(adapted from epicurious)

1 (1 3/4-lb) head cauliflower, cut into 3/4-inch-wide florets
1 1/4 lb Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
3/4 cup fresh or frozen peas
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 teaspoon black mustard seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 fresh chopped chilli peppers, including seeds (or 2 tsp fresh jalapeño chopped, including seeds)
3 teaspoons minced peeled fresh ginger
2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon turmeric
1/4 - 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/2 cup water

Put oven rack in upper third of oven and place a shallow baking pan on rack. Preheat oven to 475°F.

Toss cauliflower and potatoes together in a bowl with 2 tablespoons oil, mustard seeds, and1/4 teaspoon salt. Spread in hot baking pan and roast, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is tender and browned in spots and potatoes are just tender, about 20 minutes.

While vegetables are roasting, cook onion, garlic, chillies, and ginger in remaining oil in a 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring frequently, until very soft and beginning to turn golden, 8 to 10 minutes. Add ground cumin, coriander, turmeric, cayenne, and remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and cook, stirring constantly, 2 minutes. Stir in water, scraping up any brown bits from bottom of skillet, then stir in roasted vegetables and peas. Cook, covered, stirring occasionally, 5 minutes. Serve over rice.

Spinach and Tomato Quiche with Garlicky Breakfast Yukons

There are many reasons that I look forward to the weekends, but one of my favorite things is having a home cooked breakfast. The only thing I have time to cook on weekdays is oatmeal, which is fine and all, but that cannot compare to goodies like this Spinach and Tomato Quiche with a side of Garlicky Breakfast Yukons.

I saw the Spinach and Tomato Quiche recipe in the April issue of Vegetarian Times and I have been wanting to make it ever since. The main reason that this jumped out at me is the phyllo dough crust. This light crispy crust is much easier to make than a typical pie crust, and it doesn't weigh you down. Note: If you prefer pie crust this recipe for filling will still work. For larger pie pans add 1/2 cup milk per extra egg.



Spinach and Tomato Quiche
(from Vegetarian Times)

Crust
6 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed
3 Tbs. olive oil
1 1/2 tsp. toasted sesame seeds

Filling
1 10-oz. pkg. frozen spinach, thawed, all liquid squeezed out
1/2 cup finely chopped red onion
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
10 cherry tomatoes, halved (I used sliced roma tomatoes)

Quiche Batter
2 eggs
1 cup low-fat milk
Pinch ground nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350°F. To make Crust: Coat 9-inch pie pan with cooking spray. Lay 1 phyllo sheet on work surface, and brush all over with oil. Sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds. Top with second phyllo sheet, and brush with oil. Top with third phyllo sheet, brush with oil, and sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. sesame seeds. Repeat phyllo and oil layers twice more. Sprinkle fifth phyllo sheet with remaining sesame seeds, and top with sixth phyllo sheet. Press into prepared pie pan; trim edges with scissors.

2. To make Filling: Stir together spinach and onion. Sprinkle feta cheese over Crust. Top with spinach mixture. Arrange tomato halves over quiche.

3. To make Quiche Batter: Whisk together all ingredients in medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper, if desired. Pour Quiche Batter over Filling in Crust. Set quiche on baking sheet, and bake 45 to 50 minutes, or until top is brown and center is set.




Garlicky Breakfast Yukons

3-4 medium yukon gold potatoes, halved and sliced
1/2 small onion, chopped
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 tbsp olive oil
seasoning salt to taste
handful of chopped parsley

Heat oil in skillet. Add potatoes and garlic and fry over medium heat for 5 minutes, add onion and saute for an additional 10 minutes or until browned to your liking. Sprinkle lightly with all purpose seasoning salt. Remove from heat, stir in chopped parsley, and serve.

Miso Soup

Whenever I go out for Japanese food I always order miso soup for starters. Typically it is the simple combination of miso broth with tofu, seaweed, and green onions. This week I decided to try the variation to the classic recipe that I found on 101 cookbooks. The addition of soba noodles turned this from being just an appetizer into a stand alone meal. This recipe also swaps out the greens from seaweed to baby spinach. I must admit I ended up really missing the yummy salty seaweed, but it's really the only thing I'd change about this recipe.

Miso paste is available in a variety of colors white, yellow, red, and black. Generally the darker the color the saltier and deeper the flavor is. I used yellow miso paste and ended up needing 3 tablespoons for this recipe. I recommend starting with 2 tbsp and adding an additional tbsp until it is to your liking.

Miso Soup
(from 101 cookbooks)

3 ounces dried soba noodles
2 - 4 tablespoons miso paste (to taste)
2 - 3 ounces firm tofu (2 handfuls), chopped into 1/3-inch cubes
a handful of watercress or spinach, well washed and stems trimmed
2 green onions, tops removed thinly sliced
a small handful of cilantro
a pinch of red pepper flakes

Cook the soba noodles in salted water, drain, run cold water over the noodles to stop them from cooking, shake off any excess water and set aside.

In a medium sauce pan bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and remove from heat. Pour a bit of the hot water into a small bowl and whisk in the miso paste - so it thins out a bit (this step is to avoid clumping). Stir this back into the pot. Taste, and then add more (the same way) a bit at a time until it is to your liking. Also, some miso pastes are less-salty than others, so you may need to add a bit of salt here. Add the tofu, remove from the heat, and let it sit for just a minute or so.

Split the noodles between two (or three) bowls, and pour the miso broth and tofu over them. Add some watercress, green onions, cilantro, and red pepper flakes to each bowl and enjoy.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup

It has been the most mild weathered summer in Chicago that I can recall. No real complaints other than it required me to fly to another state to get some pool time in. Now facing the end of August we have been confronted with weather more typical of the end of September. It's been chilly and rainy all week. Again, no complaints, it gave me a great excuse to make this creamy and comforting Hungarian Mushroom Soup.

Hungarian Mushroom Soup
(from eat me, delicious.)

1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 tablespoon oil
2 cups chopped onions
1 pound fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 cups vegetable broth

1 cup milk
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
ground black pepper to taste
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/2 cup sour cream

1. Melt the butter in a large pot over medium heat. Saute the onions in the butter for 5 minutes. Add the mushrooms and saute for 10 more minutes (or until most of the water has released from the mushrooms). Stir in the dill, paprika, soy sauce and broth. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 15 minutes.

2. In a separate small bowl, whisk the milk and flour together. Pour this into the soup and stir well to blend. Cover and simmer for 15 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Finally, stir in the salt, ground black pepper, lemon juice, parsley and sour cream. Mix together and allow to heat through over.

Broccomole

Broccomole was on my list of must-try's for a few months, and I finally made it this week. I am always up for trying new ways to enjoy broccoli and this is one of the most creative I've ever seen. This simple spread was ready in a matter of minutes, and I immediately enjoyed some with a few pieces of melba toast. I stored the rest in the fridge for a picnic lunch the next day, when we enjoyed it on top of mini whole wheat pitas with tomato slices, perfect!

This spread has my imagination going, I think I might try blending some tomatoes right in. Perhaps chickpeas in going the direction of broccoli hummus? I'll let you know if this develops into something new, but for now it is great just the way it is! Thanks to Johanna at Green Gourmet Giraffe for sharing this one.

Broccomole
(from Green Gourmet Giraffe)

1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
2 tbsp tahini
2 tbsp olive oil
juice of one small lemon
1 clove garlic, chopped
Seasoning to taste

Lightly steam broccoli in microwave for about 2 minutes. Refresh and cool under cold water. Place in food processor with remaining ingredients and blend to a smooth paste.

I'm back!

Hi friends!

It's been a month since my last post.. simply terrible!
I could make all sorts of excuses such as fabulous trips to Las Vegas...



and friends babies being born..



..but I suppose you'd see right through that, wouldn't you? I guess there's always time to eat and to post about it! Anyway, I'm back and I have a few great recipes ready to post about, and several others on the way.. so stay tuned!