Eda- What?

On the opposite page from the artichoke ragout is a delicious looking sandwich that sounded really interesting with an edamame pate spread. And best yet, we had just bought some edamame! This sandwich was a sure thing for our weekly dinner menu. I accompanied the sandwich with a homemade tomato soup that would have been delicious all on its own. A perfect soup and sandwich combo!


Edamame Pate Sandwich (Vegetarian Times, March 2010)

This edamame pate is so good that I would just eat it on pita chips or raw veggies as a dip.


1 1/4 cups frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1/2 cup walnuts
1/3 cup mint leaves (packed)
1 green onion, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
3 Tbs. lemon juice
8 slices whole-grain bread
2 cups arugula
4 jarred red peppers, drained
2 small cucumbers, thinly sliced

1. Puree edamame, walnuts, mint, green onion, and salt in food processor until finely chopped. With motor running, add lemon juice and 3 Tbs. water. Process until smooth.
2. Spread each of 4 bread slices with 1/3 cup pate. Add 1/2 cup arugula, 1 roasted red pepper, and cucumbers to each. Top with remaining bread slices.


Theresa's Double-Tomato Soup (Cooking Light, March 2007)

1 Tbs. butter
1 cup chopped onion (1 medium)
3/4 cup shredded carrot
1 Tbs. minced garlic
1 Tbs. minced shallots
1 tsp. sugar
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/8 tsp. salt
10 large basil leaves, divided
3 drain sun-dried tomato halves, packed in oil with herbs (such as California Sun Dry brand)
2 (14.5-oz) cans organic diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14-oz.) can fat-free less-sodium chicken broth [or veggie broth]

1. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and shallots to pan, and cook 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring frequently. Add sugar, pepper, salt, and 4 basil leaves, and cook 5 minutes. Add sun-dried tomatoes, diced tomatoes, and broth, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour. Remove from heat. Place half of soup in a blender. Remove center piece of blender lid (to allow steam to escape); secure blender lid on blender. Place a clean towel over opening in blender lid (to avoid splatters). Blend until smooth. Pour into a large bowl. Repeat procedure with remaining soup. Divide soup evenly among 6 bowls. Garnish each serving with 1 basil leaf.

San Fran Worthy

I have gotten really into soyrizo--the soy version of chorizo. And, it's a soy product that Adam doesn't seem to mind at all. It's full of fantastic flavor and isn't nearly as greasy as it's meaty counterpart. We became inspired by walking around our farmers' market and decided to create a warm soyrizo, arugula, and tomato salad topped with breadcrumb encrusted goat cheese rounds and served with a side of polenta. This meal was super easy, even the goat cheese rounds! Adam and I decided that this meal was fit for a posh San Francisco brunch spot, but perhaps we're a bit biased.


Polenta with a Warm Salad and Goat Cheese Rounds

1 cup polenta
1 package soyrizo
3 cups arugula
1 pint grape tomatoes, halved
4 oz. goat cheese, sliced into rounds (it works well to cut the cold cheese with a piece of dental floss)
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup breadcrumbs

1. Prepare polenta according to package directions.
2. Heat a bit of olive oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Add soyrizo and cook until it browns. At this point, add the arugula and grape tomatoes. Stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste, then turn off the heat.
3. To prepare the goat cheese rounds, dip the goat cheese into the beaten egg, and then coat with the breadcrumbs. Heat some canola or olive oil in a small skillet on medium-high heat. Place the coated goat cheese rounds in the hot skillet until browned on one side. Flip the rounds and brown on the other side.
4. To plate the meal, put polenta to one side of the plate. Cover with the soyrizo and arugula mixture and then top each plate with two goat cheese rounds.

Change of Mind

Adam and I had both made up our minds that cooked carrots were just no good. But, we decided to branch out and give them a try after looking in this month's Food and Wine Magazine. And I am glad we did! Apparently cooked carrots doused in butter and herbs are fantastic; we couldn't get enough of them. Adam followed the recipe and had seafood with his carrots, but he changed it from bass to scallops which he just seared with some salt and pepper on each side. We also made some quinoa with arugula and savory-spiced baked tofu stirred in at the end. I was more than happy that we had leftovers and that we had changed our mind about cooked carrots!


Striped Bass with Sweet Carrots and Cider Glaze (Food and Wine, November 2009)

1/2 cup apple cider
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 Tbs. unsalted butter
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 lbs. carrots, peeled and sliced on the diagonal, 1/8 inch thick
2 garlic cloves, crushed and peeled
2 rosemary sprigs
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 Tbs. chopped parsley [we used cilantro]
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
4 (6-oz.) skinless striped bass fillets or other sustainable meaty white fish fillets

1. In a nonreactive saucepan, boil with cider and cider vinegar over high heat until reduced to 2 Tbs., 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the butter.
2. Meanwhile, in a nonstick skillet, heat the olive oil. Spread the carrots in an even layer and add the garlic and rosemary. Cook over moderately high heat, without stirring, for 3 minutes. Reduce the heat to moderate and cook, stirring until the carrots are just tender and richly caramelized, 5 minutes longer. Discard the garlic and rosemary. Season the carrots with salt and pepper. Stir in parsley and half of the cider glaze.
3. In a nonstick skillet, heat the vegetable oil. Season the fish with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook over moderately high heat until the fillets are lightly browned, 4 minutes. Turn and cook until the fish is just white throughout, 2 minutes longer.
4. Transfer the caramelized carrots to plates and set the fish on top. Drizzle with the remaining cider glaze and serve.

Completely Homemade

When all of our wonderful guests had finally gone, Adam and I wanted to make a fantastic meal for each other completely from scratch. The weather was beautiful and so we wanted something really fresh and light. We decided to make homemade fettuccine with an arugula pesto accompanied by a simple salad of greens with a homemade balsamic vinaigrette. To make the meal really simple, buy fresh pasta from the grocery store--it will still taste absolutely wonderful. (The recipe for the pasta is in Impress the Guests.) We are still using the leftover arugula pesto to adorn various snacks and sandwiches.
Linguine with Arugula Pesto (Cooking Light, April 2009)

12 oz. uncooked linguine
1 Tbs. pine nuts, toasted
1 garlic clove, crushed
2 cups loosely packed arugula
2 cups loosely packed basil leaves
2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 tsp. fresh lemon juice
3/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper
6 Tbs. grated fresh pecorino Romano cheese

1. Cook pasta according to package directions, omitting salt and fat. Drain in a colander over a bowl, reserving 1/2 cup cooking liquid. Place pasta in a bowl.
2. Place 1 Tbs. pine nuts and garlic in a food processor; process until minced. Add arugula and the next 5 ingredients (through black pepper), and process until well combined.
3. Add arugula mixture and reserved cooking liquid to serving bowl; toss well to coat. Serve with cheese.