Super-natural Supper

I am lucky to have gotten two cookbooks for my birthday. The first was Vegan Soul Kitchen by Bryant Terry in the previous post, and the second was Super Natural Every Day by Heidi Swanson from my sister. Both of these authors/chefs are local to the Bay Area, which is pretty awesome. These recipes from Super Natural Every Day are also awesome, especially the salad. I think I could eat this salad once a week easily. The quinoa patties were also delicious, but needed a bit of hot sauce to make them fantastic (but that's easy enough). Combined into one meal, these two dishes are a perfect and healthful dinner.

Yellow Split Peas and Greens (Super Natural Every Day, Heidi Swanson)

1 1/2 cups / 10.5 oz / 300 g dried split yellow peas, rinsed and picked over

fine-grain sea salt

1 cup / 4.5 oz / 125 g pepitas, toasted

1 cup / .5 oz / 15 g lightly packed cilantro leaves and stems

1/3 cup / .5 oz / 15 g freshly grated Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, peeled

1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice

1 small serrano chile, mostly seeded and deveined

2/3 cup / 160 ml extra-virgin olive oil

2 large handfuls mixed salad greens

1. Bring 5 cups / 1.25 liters water to a boil in a large saucepan. Add the yellow split peas and simmer, uncovered, for 20 to 30 minutes, until tender. Drain and salt to taste. Make the cilantro pesto by communing one-third of the toasted pepitas, the cilantro, Parmesan cheese, garlic, lemon juice, 1/4 tsp. salt, a splash of the olive oil, and the chile and blend with an immersion blender (or in a food processor or standard blender) until smooth. Continue blending as you gradually drizzle in the olive oil, until the pesto comes together into a vibrant green sauce. Taste and add a pinch or two of salt, if needed.

2. In a large bowl, toss the yellow split peas and remaining pepitas with two-thirds of the pesto. Keep tossing until everything is coated. Add the salad greens and gently toss again. Taste and add more pesto, if needed. You'll have a bit of extra pesto, which can be used to refresh any leftovers.

Little Quinoa Patties (Super Natural Every Day, Heidi Swanson)

2 1/2 cups / 12 oz / 340 g cooked quinoa, at room temperature

4 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp. fine-grain sea salt

1/3 cup / .5 oz / 15 g finely chopped fresh chives

1 yellow or white onion, finely chopped

1/3 cup / .5 oz / 15 g freshly grated Parmesan or Gruyere cheese

3 cloves garlic, finely chopped

1 cup / 3.5 oz / 100 g whole grain bread crumbs, plus more if needed

water, if needed

1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil or clarified butter

1. Combine the quinoa, eggs, and salt in a medium bowl. Stir in the chives, onion, cheese, and garlic. Add the bread crumbs, stir, and let sit for a few minutes so the crumbs can absorb some of the moisture. At this point, you should have a mixture you can easily form into twelve 1-inch / 2.5 cm thick patties. I err on the very moist side because it makes for a not-overly-dry patty, but you can add more bread crumbs, a bit at a time, to firm up the mixture, if need be. Conversely, a bit more beaten egg or water can be used to moisten the mixture.

2. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-low heat, add 6 patties, if they'll fit with some room between each, cover, and cook for 7 to 10 minutes, until the bottoms are deeply browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and cook the second sides for 7 minutes, or until golden. Remove from the skillet and cool on a wire rack while you cook the remaining patties. Alternatively, the quinoa mixture keeps nicely in the refrigerator for a few days; you can cook patties to order, if you prefer.

Boating Bliss

One of Adam's co-workers and her husband took us out on their boat for a day of fun in the sun and water sports. Although I wasn't so great at water surfing, I had a ton of fun. To feed us on the fabulous day, I made a Curried Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Mint Raita that was perfect for the hot day. The warm flavors of the curry melded wonderfully with the cool mango and cucumber yogurt. Take advantage of this salad on the next (and maybe last) warm day of the year.


Curried Quinoa Salad with Cucumber-Mint Raita (Cooking Light, September 2010)

1 tsp. olive oil
2 tsp. Madras curry powder
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 cup uncooked quinoa
2 cups water
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 diced peeled ripe mango
1/2 cup diced onion
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions
3 Tbs. chopped fresh cilantro
3 Tbs. currants [I used dried cranberries instead.]
1/4 cup finely diced peeled English cucumber
2 tsp. chopped fresh mint
1 (6-oz.) carton plain low-fat yogurt
1 (5-oz.) package fresh baby spinach

1. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add curry and garlic to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add quinoa and 2 cups water; bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 16 minutes or until tender. Remove from heat; stir in salt. Cool completely.
2. Add mango, diced celery, thinly sliced green onions, chopped cilantro, and currants to cooled quinoa; toss gently.
3. Combine 1/4 cup cucumber, 2 tsp. mint, and yogurt in a small bowl, and stir well. Divide spinach evenly among 6 plates, and top each serving with about 3/4 cup quinoa mixture and about 2 Tbs. raita.

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.

Deliciously Healthy

Quinoa is one of my favorite new grains. It's packed with protein and adds great texture to any dish. As I was searching 101cookbooks, I found this amazing looking recipe for quinoa mixed with kale, corn, tofu, and then topped with pesto. Coincidentally, I had most of these ingredients. We ended up adding mushrooms and forgetting the tofu, but other than that we kept the recipe pretty much the same. With a meal like this, you know that you truly can get a healthy meal without losing any flavor.

Heather's Quinoa Recipe (Heidi Swanson, www.101cookbooks.com)

a splash of extra-virgin olive oil
a pinch of fine grain sea salt
1 shallot, minced
3 cups cooked quinoa* (or brown rice, or other grain)
1 cup corn, fresh or frozen
1 1/2 cups kale, spinach or other hearty green, finely chopped
2 cups extra-firm nigari tofu, browned in a skillet a bit
1/3 cup pesto
1/3 cup pumpkin seeds, toasted
1/4 cup roasted cherry tomatoes (or chopped sun-dried tomatoes) [we used sun-dried tomatoes]

1. In a big skillet or pot heat the olive oil and salt over medium-high heat. Stir in the shallot and cook for a minute or two. Stir in the quinoa and corn and cook until hot and sizzling. Stir in the kale and then the tofu, cooking until tofu is heated through. Remove the skillet from heat and stir in the pesto and pumpkin seeds. Mix well so the pesto is spread throughout. Turn everything out onto a platter and top with the cherry tomatoes.

Leftovers Gone Good

After making the ravioli, we had some leftover filling and some leftover baked zucchini. I didn't want such delicious parts of a meal to go to waste, so I concocted a whole new meal out of the remains. I cut up the zucchini, saving the breadcrumbs on the side, and mixed the zucchini and ravioli filling with cooked quinoa in a baking dish. I topped the quinoa mix with the zucchini breadcrumbs and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. I baked the dish for approximately 20 minutes until the breadcrumbs turned a golden brown. I sprinkled the casserole with some fresh parsley to spruce it up. And voila! A delicious, healthy leftover reinvention!

Summer Nights

This next meal epitomizes summer. We received our August Food and Wine magazine, and immediately we flipped through the pages finding this perfectly summery sensation. We even paired it with a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc which melded all of the flavors of the meal together. I definitely suggest making this complete menu as the whole is better than all of the parts (although those are pretty good too).


Quinoa Salad with Sugar Snap Peas (Food and Wine, August 2009)

1/2 lbs. sugar snap peas
1 1/2 cups quinoa, rinsed and drained
1/4 cup plus 1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. white wine vinegar
salt and freshly ground pepper
1/2 cup salted roasted pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup minced chives

1. In a small saucepan of boiling salted water, simmer the peas until bright green and crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Drain and spread out on a large plate to cool, then pat dry. Cut the peas on the diagonal into 1-inch pieces.
2. In a small saucepan, combine the quinoa with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Cover and cook over low heat until all the water has evaporated and the quinoa is tender, about 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff the quinoa, then transfer to a large bowl and let cool to room temperature.
3. In a bowl, combine the oil and vinegar and season with salt and pepper. Add the peas to the quinoa with the pumpkin seeds, chives and dressing; stir. Season with salt and pepper and serve at room temperature or lightly chilled.


Chilled Red Bell Pepper Shooters (Food and Wine, August 2009)

These shooters are accompanied by Parmesan dusted tortilla strips, which we omitted. But, I am sure that they would add a nice crunch to the meal.

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
2 large red bell peppers (1 lbs.), thinly sliced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 small onion, thinly sliced
salt
1 tsp. tomato paste
1 cup water
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth [or veggie]
freshly ground black pepper
vegetable oil, for frying
2 6-inch tortillas, cut into 1-inch-wide strips
freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, for dusting

1. In a saucepan, heat the olive oil. Add the peppers, garlic, onion and a pinch of salt. Cover and cook over moderately low heat until the peppers are softened, 8 minutes. Stir in the tomato paste, water and broth and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer over low heat until the peppers are very tender, about 10 minutes.
2. Transfer the soup to a blender and puree. Season with salt and pepper and refrigerate for about 1 hour, until lightly chilled.
3. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1/4 inch of vegetable oil until shimmering. Add the tortilla strips and fry over moderately high heat until crisp. Drain and dust with the cheese. Serve with the chilled soup in shot glasses.