Meatless Monday - Garlic-Ginger Brassica Stirfry

OK, for many of you this might seem like cheating, after all, a stir fry is about as basic as it gets. If this is the case, skip this post and tune in next time.

Still with me?

When I was at the Korean market the other day the bok choy and Japanese broccoli looked good so I got some of each, put them in the crisper and forgot about them.  I found them tonight and in order to use them up I decided a simple stir fry would be in order. Be certain to rinse the bok choy well, it tends to be a bit gritty - and please don't run the rinse water down the drain, save it to water the garden.

If I had to name a single method of cooking in order to have tasty meals in minutes, one that is versatile for vegetables and meat, poultry or seafood; stir fry would be my choice. A little knife prep, a hot wok, a splash of oil and you are good to go. Cooking this way, if done properly - leads to beautiful, colorful plates of food.

Tonight I had the before mentioned bok choy, Japanese broccoli, onions from the garden, a bit of bell pepper, garlic and ginger and garlic chili paste.

Start some rice. After about 15 minutes, put a wok over high heat. Heat for several minutes until wok is very hot.

Add about 2 Tbs oil - peanut or canola - NOT olive oil.

Add garlic and ginger - Stir fry - with metal utensil about 30 seconds,

Add the onions and peppers stir fry another 30 seconds, At this point I remembered I had some julienned vegetables from the Smoked Duck Spring rolls, so I threw them in as well.

Add the bok choy and  broccoli, stir fry - keeping the vegetables moving in the hot wok until they turn bright green and just start to wilt. Add a good pinch of salt.

Add the chili paste

Toss to coat. I added a couple tablespoons of corn starch slurry to tighten up the liquids.

Toss one last time, remove from the heat. Plate with a little rice, a few cilantro sprigs make a nice garnish.

This is an easy - no fuss, yet deeply satisfying dinner. Whip up a stir fry this week!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
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Meatless Monday, Indian Inspired Potato Cauliflower stew

It's been a week sinced I posted here. My apologies.  I've been on holiday, busy in the garden, or haven't been inclined. In fact,  I nearly didn't post tonight. But here you are the stew is simmering on the stove in the background.

It's a matter of checking the pantry and crisper, and seeing what you have on hand.  I have veggies, spices, and potatoes.

Ingredients:
1 large onion, halved lengthwise and thinly sliced
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon Chhole masala
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
3 cups medium cauliflower florets
1 14-1/2-oz can diced tomatoes, juice and all
1.5  cups white potato, 1" cube
1.5  cups sweet potato, 1" cube
1.5 cups vegetable broth or water
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Hot steamed rice if desired.






















Directions:

Cook onion in hot oil over medium heat in a large saucepan until tender. About 5 minutes.

Add curry powder, cumin, masala, and red pepper. Cook and stir for about 1 minute, until very fragrant and spices are not dry.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Stir in broth, cauliflower, undrained tomatoes, potatoes, sweet potatoes, salt, and black pepper.



 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bring to boiling; reduce heat. Cover.
 
Simmer, covered, until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 18 minutes . Time is not critical here.
 
Mash about 1/4 of the vegetable mixture.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Continue to simmer, uncovered until most of the liquid is evaporated.
 
If you get impatient (as I did), you can tighten up the sauce with a cornstarch slurry.

 
 


















I served it with whole wheat pita,  plain yogurt and honey, and a little green chili pickle.

You could also serve the stew over rice.

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!



The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
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Spaghetti Squash Primavera

Spaghetti squash is a wonderful vegetable, it keeps well, kids will eat it, and it is versatile. A colleague gave me a squash late last week that he had harvested in September. I saved it for tonight.

Primavera means spring, so I thought we'd have a little fun, a play on Pasta Primavera using the squash instead of noodles.

You can use any fresh vegetables you have on hand. Vegetables that can retain some crispness when cooked are best.

Ingredients:
1 medium spaghetti squash
1 carrot cut into match sticks
1/2 onion, cut in half and sliced
1-2 cups cauliflower florets
1/2  cup greenbeans
2-3 cloves garlic sliced
sweet peppers sliced
2 Tbs olive oil divided
salt and pepper
water

Stab the squash 4 -5 times carefully, place on a plate and microwave for 10-12 minutes on high. Alternatively you could oven roast it for an hour, or steam it. I choose the microwave because it is fast.

Meanwhile.....

Heat pan over medium high heat, add 1 tbs olive oil and garlic. Cook and stir until fragrant.

Add the other vegetables, longer cooking ones first, in this case I added the carrots and cauliflower, and a generous pinch of salt.

Add a splash of water if needed to gently steam / saute them until tender crisp. Turn heat down to low.

When squash is done, let it rest for about 5 minutes, then using an oven mitt (it will still be very hot) to hold it, cut squash lengthwise.

Scoop out the seeds, - you can let them cool and roast them just like pumpkin seeds if you choose. Use a fork and scrape out the flesh. It comes out in strands that give it its name.

Turn the heat under the pan back up, add the remaining oil  and squash;

Toss to coat and mix with the other vegetables. Cook for a few minutes until squash is tender crisp. Again, if needed, add a splash of water to steam / saute the vegetables. Check seasoning and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

Plate squash and other vegetable. Finish with some fresh grated cheese, I used the Pecorino Romano that I have on hand. Parmesan would work just fine.

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging.


The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener

Meatless Monday - Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe

Meatless Monday - let's keep it very simple. What could be more simple than pasta with cheese and black pepper aka Spaghetti Cacio e Pepe? Not much.  The simple combination of pasta, fresh grated Pecorino Romano,  ground black pepper, and pasta water really is an example of the whole being greater than the sum of all the parts.


Basics ingredients:
1 pound dried spaghetti
4 ounces Pecorino Romano cheese,
1 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper

Additional  ingredients:
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1.5 - 2 cups  pasta cooking water

Grate the cheese.

Cook spaghetti in well-salted water to just short of al dente in a large pot. 

While pasta is cooking,  I put together a quick salad, romaine, sweet mini peppers, carrot, kalamata olives. Pretty, isn't it?

Drain spaghetti, reserving 1 1/2 cups of pasta cooking water.

Dry out the pot, then heat the olive oil over high heat hot but not smoking.

Add drained spaghetti and 1 cup of reserved pasta water. Be Careful! This will spatter and spit!

Add butter, 3 ounces cheese and ground pepper and toss together with tongs. It will come together and become a creamy sauce, hopefully coating each strand of pasta.

Taste, adding more pasta water, cheese, pepper to taste. You don't need salt, the cheese is quite salty already.

Serve immediately, sprinkling with reserved cheese and extra black pepper.






















It's creamy with a little bite, simply delicious!

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!



The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
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Meatless Monday - Moosewood's Carrot Mushroom loaf

Straight from Moosewood cookbook this looked interesting. A couple notes, I don't recommend this for a quickie dinner. Even using the food processor it took a while to get it  all prepped.   Happily Mollie Katzen mentions that once cooked this freezes very well so maybe make it ahead of time.

You'll also see that perhaps I over processed the mushrooms. It'll impact texture. Finally I used reduced fat cheese. I must've grabbed the wrong one at the market, oh well.



2 cups minced onion
1 Tbs butter
1 lb mushrooms, chopped
1 ½ tsp salt
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1 tsp dill
3 to 4 medium cloves garlic, minced
1 ½ lbs carrots, grated (about 6 cups)
2 cups superb bread crumbs
1 cup (packed) grated cheddar
2 eggs, beaten
Black pepper, to taste

Lightly oil a 9 x 13-inch baking pan. Preheat the oven to 350F

In a large skillet, sauté onions in butter over medium heat for about 5 minutes.

Add mushrooms, salt, herbs, and garlic, and continue to sauté for about 10 minutes.

In a large bowl, combine carrots, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, and pepper.

Add the sautéed mixture and mix well.

Has interesting texture

Spread into the prepared pan and sprinkle with your choice of toppings.

Cover the pan with foil.

Bake for 30 minutes covered, then uncover and bake minutes more. Serve hot or warm.

Ya know... gotta say... it's got decent flavor but it is missing something - maybe a full fat cheese. I'd make it again but serve as a side dish or something on a buffet, not as dinner.

Another lesson learned.

Until next time, Eat well & Keep Digging!




The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
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Meatless Monday - Vegetarian Chili with Bulgar

For those of you following along, you know I like bulgar. This vegetarian chili is a perfect use of it as a filler and textural component.  The bulgar provides fiber and has similar mouth feel to ground meat.

I often find vegetarian recipes are light and bright, which I enjoy, but a hot and spicy chili demands a low note, a bass line to follow so to speak, that normally comes from animal fat. With that in mind I've included unsweetened baking cocoa. It does it's job and is definately a background note that you may not be able to place unless told.

I was also happy to use some of the tomato products I put up last summer. It's a satisfying feeling.

As always, this recipe is very flexible, feel free to add shredded carrots, mushrooms, corn, lentils, whatever you like.

Ingredients:
1 cup bulgar
2 onions chopped
2 green bell peppers chopped
1 jalapeno seeded - small dice
3  cloves of garlic minced
2 15 oz cans kidney beans drained and rinsed
16 oz tomato sauce
16 oz whole peeled tomatoes with their juice
1 15 oz can of "chili ready" tomatoes (if you don't have this product you'll want to use more cumin)
1 chipotle pepper plus 2 tbs of adobo sauce
1 tbs oil
1 tsp hot chili powder
1 tbs cocoa (unsweetened)
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put bulgar in a bowl, add hot water to cover, cover bowl and set aside for at least 15 minutes

Break down the vegtables.

Add 1 tbs oil to large pot over medium heat.

Add onions, peppers, garlic and salt to the oil.

Cook stirring often until the vegetables are soft, about 5 minutes. What's the yellow? Good catch! It's a bit of yellow pepper I had left over in the crisper. Use it up!

Add all three canned tomatoes, diced, sauce, and whole.

Add the chipotle and adobo sauce.

Stir and simmer for 5 minutes. Reduce heat to medium low.

Add beans and bulgar.

Stir, add cocoa, and chili powder.

Stir, reduce heat to low and simmer for 30 minutes.

Taste a sample. Adjust seasonings to your liking.

Simmer 5 more minutes.

Serve with corn bread, top with your favorite topping(s).

Hard to believe that it's meat free!

Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging.


The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
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Vegetable Curry - Meatless Monday

This is a quick dish, and very versatile – you may use almost any vegetable you choose. This dish will use the basic curry sauce. To really speed things up, microwave your prepped vegetables in a covered bowl with a little water for 3-5 minutes. This par cooking will reduce the overall time in getting dinner on the table. If you do choose to precook the vegetables, be sure to drain and dry them well before adding them to the hot oil.



Ingredients:
1-3 tbs vegetable oil
3-4 cups of vegetables cut up into bite size pieces and dried on paper towel (didn't parcook them)
½ tsp chili powder
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp ground coriander seed
½ tsp ground cumin
½ cup cooked (or half a can) chick peas
3-5 oz of basic curry sauce

¼  cup water if needed

Directions:

Heat oil in a large pan over medium high heat.

Add vegetables and stir-fry until vegetables begin to brown.  if you need a little more oil, go ahead and add it. Add more water if needed to soften vegetables. If so - cook until water is evaporated

Reduce heat to medium.

Add spices and stir-fry for another minute to coat vegetables with spice.

I like the way the tumeric colors the dish....

Reduce heat to low.

Add curry sauce, I used the whole batch of the sauce, I like my curry saucy.

Toss/stir to coat all vegetables and cook over low heat until vegetables are tender. Add a little more water if needed to thin out the curry sauce.

Garnish with chopped cilantro.  Serve over rice or with Naan. Click the link to see how easy that is to make!

Makes 2-4 servings



 Until next time, Eat Well & Keep Digging!

The Gastronomic Gardener
Garden blog http://amidwestgarden.blogspot.com/
Cooking blog http://ihopeyouarehungry.blogspot.com/
Twitter - www.twitter.com/DavidPOffutt
http://www.facebook.com/TheGastronomicGardener