Broccoli Polenta

It's pretty clear, if you browse this site, that I love polenta.  I don't often make it the two-step way; that is, cooking it, cooling it, then cooking it again.  This method of making polenta results in a more solid base that can be topped with any number of things and possibly even treated as a finger food.  It's kind of fun, really.

This variation not only involves the two-step cooking process, but it mixes good old broccoli into the polenta itself, making it hearty and chunky and more like a meal than an appetizer.  I chose to drizzle marinara sauce over the top, but you could eat it plain, with meat, or with other veggies on top.  It's basic and good.

Broccoli Polenta

adapted from Veganomicon

serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1 3/4 cups vegetable broth

pinch of salt

1/2 cup polenta (the grain, not the pre-prepared stuff)

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups very finely diced broccoli, florets and stems

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Bring the broth and salt to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Add the polenta in a slow, steady stream, whisking as you add it.  Add the broccoli and olive oil, stir well, and reduce heat to low.  Cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, stirring often.

2.  Turn off the heat and let sit for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.  By the end it should be very thick.  Transfer the polenta to a small greased baking dish or casserole, and refrigerate for one hour.

3.  Preheat the broiler (preferably in your toaster oven, if you have one).  Grease a baking sheet with olive oil.  Cut the set polenta into squares and transfer to the baking sheet.  Cook under the broiler for 7-10 minutes, or until golden-brown.  Serve.

Enjoy!

Baked Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Crumb Topping

I posted a pumpkin pasta recipe once before, but believe it or not, this one is completely different.  Some of the ingredients are the same, mostly because there are certain flavors (sage, nutmeg) that simply have to go with pumpkin.  But this is a great example of how the same basic flavors can be combined in a variety of ways to make utterly different dishes.

This is a crunchy, flavor-packed, spicy and sophisticated pasta dish that's a fun twist on flavors you think you know well.   And it's not even decadent.  Pumpkin is so good for you, it's ridiculous.   We just have psychological associations with pumpkin and nutmeg that make us think "Oooh, I'm indulging."  But in this case, it's really not true.

This is a great way to use up leftover canned pumpkin from, oh, perhaps pumpkin muffins or cookies.   Enjoy the fall flavors and surprise your family with a completely unexpected variation on a familiar theme.

Baked Pumpkin Pasta with Sage Crumb Topping

adapted from Veganomicon

serves 4-5

INGREDIENTS:

the topping:

3 slices of stale (i.e. not super soft) whole grain bread

handful of walnut pieces

4 or 5 fresh sage leaves

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/4 teaspoon ground paprika

salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

1/4 cup grated parmesan

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

the pasta:

cooking spray

1/2 pound short cut whole grain pasta

1 medium onion, thinly sliced

1 1/2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

1/2 tablespoon light brown sugar

pinch ground nutmeg

pinch cayenne pepper

1 cup pumpkin puree

1/4 cup low sodium vegetable broth

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Make the topping by putting all the topping ingredients in a food processor, except the oil.  Process until a coarse bread crumb mixture forms.  With the processor running, stream the oil into the bread crumb mixture.  Set aside.

2.  Preheat oven to 375 and spray an 8 x 8 or similar sized casserole dish with cooking spray.  Bring a medium pot of water to a boil and salt it.  Cook the pasta according to package directions, until al dente.  Drain, rinse with cold water, and drain again.

3.  While pasta is cooking, heat remaining olive oil in a heavy skillet over medium heat.  Saute the onion, stirring only occasionally, until onions are browned and starting to caramelize, about 10 to 15 minutes.

4.  Combine the pasta, onions, sugar, nutmeg, cayenne, pumpkin, and broth in a mixing bowl until well mixed.  Pour into the prepared casserole dish.  Top with the bread crumb mixture.  Bake 25 minutes, or until bread crumb topping is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Israeli Couscous with Pistachios and Apricots

I don't even know what to say. The mere name of this recipe makes me salivate. I had to try it. And it was delicious.

Israeli couscous, that fun-sized pasta/grain that is oh so versatile, strikes again. Today it is commingling with fresh apricots and crunchy pistachios, along with fresh mint, lime, and fragrant spices. It's like a Middle Eastern festival in your kitchen. The original recipe called for dried apricots, but I figured while fresh ones are still in season, we ought to take advantage. You can certainly substitute dried if you make this at a time of year when fresh is not available.

This dish works well as a main course, side dish, or salad. Serve at any temperature you like. I can promise you, it will be good, it will be different, and it will be gone before you know it.

Israeli Couscous with Pistachios and Apricots
adapted from Veganomicon
serves 2

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon vegetable oil
2 small (or 1 large) cloves garlic, minced or pressed
1 cup Israeli couscous
1 1/4 cups water
1 cinnamon stick
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
pinch ground cardamom
salt and pepper to taste
zest from 1 small lime
2 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
2 small apricots, pitted and chopped
1/4 cup shelled pistachios
juice from 1/2 small lime

DIRECTIONS:

1. Preheat a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-low. Add oil and garlic, and saute for one minute. Add couscous, raise heat to medium, and cook, stirring constantly, for 4 to 5 minutes, or until couscous starts to get golden brown and toasty. (This seriously amps up the flavor. Don't skip this step!)

2. Add water, cinnamon stick, cumin, cardamom, pepper, salt, and lime zest. Raise heat and bring to a boil. When it's boiling, lower heat to low and cover with a lid. Let cook for about 8 minutes, or until most (but not all) of the water is absorbed. Stir in the mint, apricots, pistachios, and lime juice, and cover again. Cook for about 4 more minutes, or until all the water is absorbed.

3. Remove cinnamon stick, fluff couscous with a fork, and serve.

Enjoy!

Vegan Caesar Salad

Normally when I make a vegan recipe I don't actually call it "Vegan So-and-so," as the term "vegan" is apt to turn some people off. But in the case of caesar salad, I think it is relevant. So many people happily eat caesar salads their whole lives without thinking about what is actually in that mysterious, tangy dressing. Well some of us are perfectly happy to eat it, even knowing what's in it. I, for one, am not afraid of anchovies. Where I draw the line, however, is the raw egg.

I know, I know. I'm sure it's perfectly safe. And it's never stopped me from tasting cookie batter. But the idea of eating salad with raw egg dressing...well, it just doesn't appeal to me. And my husband is vehemently anti-anchovy. Hence, the vegan caesar salad to keep everyone happy.

I was really happy with how this recipe came out - creamy, tangy dressing with none of the guilt or fear of salmonella. The flavors are fabulous, and with the quality romaine and asparagus that I used from my CSA bag this week, the salad just had that extra special something.

We had this for our 4th of July dinner, and there's an ice cream sundae with my name on it as soon as I finish this blog entry...if there are typos, you'll know why.

Vegan Caesar Salad
adapted from Veganomicon
serves 3-4 (you'll have leftover dressing)

INGREDIENTS:

Dressing
1/3 cup slivered or sliced blanched almonds
2 large cloves of garlic, peeled and crushed
3/4 pound silken tofu
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon capers
4 teaspoons caper brine
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon mustard powder

Croutons
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
2 slices whole wheat bread
salt

Salad
cooking spray
1 bunch thin asparagus, cut into 2-inch pieces
1 head romaine lettuce, chopped
freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS:

1. Make the dressing: pulse sliced almonds in a food processor until crumbly and set aside. Blend garlic, tofu, and oil in the processor until creamy and smooth. Add lemon juice, capers, brine, sugar, and mustard powder, and pulse until blended. Pour into the container with ground almonds and whisk to combine. Cover and chill for at least 30 minutes.

2. Make the croutons: Preheat toaster oven (or oven) to 400. Whisk together the olive oil, minced garlic, and lemon juice until well combined. Cut the bread into cubes and toss the cubes in the oil mixture until fairly well coated. Place bread cubes on foil-lined baking sheet and bake until crispy and brown, about 12 to 14 minutes, tossing a couple of times during the baking process. Set aside to cool.

3. Heat a small skillet over medium heat and spray with cooking spray. Saute the asparagus pieces until just cooked, about 3 minutes. Set aside to cool.

4. Assemble the salad by putting lettuce and asparagus in a large bowl. Pour on about 1/3 cup of dressing (or however much you like) and toss well. Add croutons and toss again. Serve.

Yes there are a lot of ingredients and a few complicated steps, but it's actually really easy, and will please even the anchovy and raw-egg haters in your family. Enjoy!

Pasta della California

I consider myself a pretty adventurous eater. I also consider myself a faithful lover of the avocado. Yet I'll admit to some skepticism when I first saw this recipe. Pasta with avocado in it? Get out. But wait, what's that you say? It also has lime juice? Garlic? Red pepper flakes? Crunchy broccoli? Arugula? Maybe you can stay.

I bought Veganomicon on a whim, thinking it would be fun to have in my collection, but that I'd hardly ever use it. Well I was wrong. This recipe came straight out of the pages of that beautiful, high-school-chemistry-textbook-looking book, and I have to tell you. It's absolutely delicious. Everything I've made out of this book so far has been a winner. This one is the best yet.

Creamy avocado, tangy lime, spicy garlic and red pepper flakes...well I don't need to tell you the ingredients again. But I promise you. Make this. Please. My plate was empty after an embarrassingly short period of time.

Pasta della California
adapted from Moskowitz & Romero's Veganomicon
serves 2-3

INGREDIENTS:

1/4 pound whole wheat spaghetti
1 head broccoli, chopped into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon EVOO (extra virgin olive oil)
4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
zest of 1/2 a small lime
pinch red pepper flakes
3 tablespoons white wine
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
juice of 1 lime, divided
pinch black pepper
2 cups loosely packed baby arugula
1 avocado, peeled, seeded and cut into large bite-size pieces

DIRECTIONS:

1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Prep all your ingredients during this time, because this recipe goes fast! Add pasta to boiling water and cook according to package directions, probably about 8 minutes. When one minute is remaining in pasta cooking time, you will add the broccoli. So be ready.

2. Meanwhile, heat a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add EVOO, garlic, lime zest, and red pepper flakes, and gently heat, stirring often, for about 2 minutes, careful not to burn the garlic. Pour in the wine and bring to a boil, to reduce the wine, about 2 minutes. Add broth, 1/2 the lime juice, and pepper, and bring again to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and wilt in the arugula.

3. By this point pasta should be almost done, so add the broccoli to the boiling pasta and cook for one more minute. Drain all into a colander, then add it to the skillet with the wilted arugula and sauce.

4. Toss everything together with a pasta spoon to distribute garlic and spices evenly. Cook for about 3 more minutes. Add the avocado and turn off the heat. Gently toss for another minute to incorporate the avocado without smushing it, just until it is warmed through.

5. Serve drizzled with remaining lime juice, if you want that extra lime kick.

If you're too skeptical to try avocado in your pasta, well, I'm sorry. You're really missing out here. For those of you bold enough to try it, enjoy!

Jicama-Watercress-Avocado Salad

Jicama is an excellent ingredient for salads, and in this one it is the main event. If you've never tasted jicama, or always avoided it at the salad bar, you don't know what you're missing. It tastes a lot like an Asian Pear, only more subtle. It's crunchy and juicy and slightly sweet. It looks so unassuming in the grocery store, like a squat potato of sorts.

This salad also features watercress, one of my recent favorites, and avocado, which needs no introduction. The dressing is slightly spicy and beautifully citrusy, so it feels very appropriate for winter. I had this as my entree, but you could make smaller servings and have it as an appetizer. Either way, it's full of underrated flavors that combine to make something fantastic. And it's unusual enough that you can feel proud of yourself for not just serving up the same-old salad.

Jicama-Watercress-Avocado Salad
Adapted from Veganomicon, by Moskowitz & Romero
serves 2 to 3

INGREDIENTS:

2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh orange juice
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon EVOO or vegetable oil
1 tablespoon hot pepper sauce or chile sauce
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon toasted sesame oil
1 small (or 1/2 large) jicama, peeled and grated
small bunch watercress, roots and bigger stems removed
1 ripe avocado, peeled, cut in half and sliced
1/4 cup roasted unsalted peanuts, chopped coarsely
6 mint leaves

DIRECTIONS:

1. The dressing: combine vinegar, orange juice, lime juice, EVOO, hot sauce, soy sauce, sugar, and sesame oil in a glass jar or salad shaker. Shake vigorously to combine. Let sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes so the sugar dissolves. Shake again before using.

2. Place the shredded jicama in a bowl, and pour most of the dressing over it, reserving about 4 tablespoons worth. (Use your judgment - you might not need to use up all the dressing). Mix to coat.

3. On each plate, place a bunch of the watercress, dividing evenly. Place about a cup of the jicama-dressing mixture on each pile of watercress. Sprinkle with peanuts. Place avocado slices around the perimeter of the salad, or on top. Drizzle with additional dressing, garnish with mint, and serve.

It tastes like something you might find in a trendy Los Angeles restaurant. Only you'd probably pay about three times as much as it cost to make! Enjoy.