2018 RECIPE THIRTEEN: Tuesday February 20th - tofu with jelly

BACK STORY:
Carrie and I made hot pepper jelly a few weeks ago and the pectin didn't set. She mentioned she used it in a stirfry so I decided to try that too.

NOTES:
The tofu and veggies were cooked well, but I wish I had added the sauce earlier to try to get it to thicken up as it cooked with the veggies. Instead I added it at the end, which mostly warmed it through but kept it runny.

STARS: 
2 out of 5. Good use of the leftover jelly and sketchy vegetables, but not particularly great. 

RECIPE:
Firm tofu
Oil
Assorted veggies
Hot Pepper Jelly
Rice

Wrap the tofu in a towel and squeeze out liquid with a heavy bowl etc. Start the rice, cooking per instructions. Heat the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan, and cook the tofu in oil until browned. Add assorted veggies and saute for a while. Add the sauce to warm and thicken. Serve over rice.

2018 RECIPE TWELVE: Monday February 12th - cauliflower quinoa

BACK STORY:
I was looking for a quick stir fry to cook as one of my meals in Hawaii. (Who knew cauliflower would be so expensive?) I made this one up from scratch but it was delicious!

NOTES:
First I sauteed a yellow onion with a red bell pepper until the onion was carmelized and gooey. I made the cous cous in a separate pot while the veggies were cooking. Once the onions were mostly cooked through, I added cauliflower, then tomatoes after a few minutes to warm them up. I then tossed the whole sauce pan with the cous cous, topped with a drizzle more of olive oil, salt and pepper, and diced avocado. Delicious!

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy and quick in a pinch. Also good to use up questionable vegetables.

RECIPE:
A few tablespoons oil
Onion, bell pepper, cauliflower, tomatoes, plus any other veggies to taste
Avocado
Salt and Pepper to taste
Quinoa

Cook quinoa according to directions in small pot. In separate deep-bottomed sauce pan, saute onion until partially carmelized, then add bell pepper. Blanche the cauliflower separately, then add to the sauce pan with onion and pepper, along with tomatoes. Cook thoroughly. Toss quinoa in pan to mix. Serve topped with drizzle of oil, salt and pepper, and avocado.

2018 RECIPE ELEVEN: Sunday February 4th - avocado salad recipe

BACK STORY:
It's the Super Bowl and instead of eating nachos and wings, I made two salads to clean out my fridge. This recipe came from Carrie's America's Test Kitchen cookbook in the avocado section.

NOTES:
This ended up being a glorified guacamole unintentionally, as I mixed the avocados (which were overly ripe to begin with) a bit too vigorously, so they lost their cubed consistency and became kind of a mash. The radishes add a great punch along with the shaved cheese. I accidentally added the toasted hazelnuts from the previous recipe to this bowl as I was assembling both salads at once; the toasty nut flavor added a nice dimension to the salad but isn't necessary when replicating.  And I skipped chilling the shallot mostly because I didn't have time, but it would help mellow out that flavor too (not that I noticed).

STARS: 
4 out of 5. A good recipe to make for a summer potluck.

RECIPE:

1 large shallot
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise
Salt and pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 avocados
12-oz cherry tomatoes
3 radishes
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
3 ounces ricotta salata, shaved thin (or substitute Crumbled feta cheese)

1. Slice the shallot thinly and place in 2 cups of ice water. Allow to chill for 30 minutes, then drain and to blot them dry using paper towels.
2. Press garlic clove into a small glass bowl, and add red wine vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon mayonnaise, 1/4 teaspoon table salt, 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper.
3. Whisk until turns milky and there are no remaining lumps. Slowly drizzle oil into bowl, whisking constantly. You should not have pools of oil.
4. Cut avocados in half, remove the pit, and cut into 3/4″ dice. Put in medium bowl with 2 tablespoons of dressing and sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon table salt. Carefully toss until avocado is lightly covered with dressing. Empty onto serving platter.
5. Cut the cherry tomatoes into quarters, and thinly slice the radishes. Chop the basil so that it yields 1/2 cup.
6. Add sliced and dried shallot, quartered tomatoes, sliced radishes and the rest of the dressing to the same medium bowl from step 4. Toss to coat and spread over avocados, and serve.

2018 RECIPE TEN: Sunday February 4th - squash and pear salad with ginger-lime vinaigrette

BACK STORY:
It's the Super Bowl and instead of eating nachos and wings, I made two salads to clean out my fridge. This recipe came from Cindy Witkin at the Changemakers Friday gathering, of all things.

NOTES:
I made quite a few substitutions on this one to fit what I had. I replace butternut squash with a sweet potato, and used raisins (not cherries), olive oil instead of canola, added some romaine to the mixed greens, and used regular balsamic vinegar instead of white balsamic. I also didn't have any candied ginger so tried chopping up some pieces from a ginger chew candy; it didn't work well. Overall the recipe came together nicely, but I'd budget extra time for the roasting and assembly. I tossed everything together in a salad bowl instead of constructing on individual plates - faster and still as delicious!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. A bit pokey and not with ingredients usually on hand. But still delicious flavor and worth it as a side to bring to a meal like Thanksgiving.

RECIPE:
This isn't quite the recipe, but I can't find the exact one. Instead of pecans use hazelnuts; use fresh lime juice and grated or minced fresh ginger in the dressing, instead of Dijon mustard and sugar.

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup pecans, very coarsely chopped
• 2 Tbs. unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 tsp. ancho chile powder
• 3 cups 3/4-inch-diced, peeled butternut squash (from about a 2-lb. squash)
• 1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
• Kosher salt
• 1/4 cup very thinly sliced shallots
• 3 Tbs. balsamic vinegar
• 1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp. light brown sugar
• 6 cups loosely packed mixed salad greens
• 1 small ripe pear, halved, cored, and thinly sliced

Nutritional Information

Preparation

• Position a rack in the center of the oven and heat the oven to 450°F
• Put the pecans and butter in an 8-inch-square Pyrex dish and toss to coat. Sprinkle with the chile powder and toss. Bake the nuts until toasted, about 5 minutes. Set aside to cool.
• Put the squash on a heavy-duty rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle 2 Tbs. of the oil over the squash and sprinkle with 3/4 tsp. salt. Toss to coat. Roast the squash until browned on the bottom, about 20 minutes. Flip with a metal spatula and continue to roast until the squash is tender and nicely browned on a second side, 5 to 10 minutes more. Set aside to cool.
• Put the shallots in a small bowl, cover with hot water, and let soak for 15 minutes; drain in a colander.
• Combine the vinegar, mustard, brown sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt in a small bowl. While whisking vigorously, slowly pour in the remaining 1/3 cup oil.
• Combine the salad greens and shallots in a large bowl; sprinkle with 1/2 tsp. salt. Drizzle just enough of the dressing over the salad to coat lightly, and toss gently. Divide the greens among six plates and scatter the pecans, squash, and pears over the greens. Drizzle with a little more dressing if desired and serve.