RECIPE THIRTY SEVEN: Friday November 24th - protein energy balls

BACK STORY:
Molly Martin brought these "energy balls" to work during an HR health day. I thought they were so great I asked for the recipe. 

NOTES:
This is incredibly easy and I plan to make to just keep a batch on hand for breakfast snacks, camping etc. It calls for an incredible amount of honey which is justified as it (along with the peanut butter) keeps everything together. I had to buy flax seed and chia seed but they both are worth it and you can get in bulk easily. I did not get ground flax seed, and after trying to grind it with my mortar and pestle, I gave up and just put the flax seed in whole. No complaints so far.

STARS: 
5 out of 5. Easy recipe, delicious, healthy, and transportable!

RECIPE:
from Molly Martin:

No Bake Energy Balls:
1 cup old fashioned oats
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 cup ground flax seed
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1/3 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 tablespoon chia seeds (optional)

Combine all ingredients. Cover and chill dough for 30 minutes. Remove dough and roll into balls. Enjoy!

RECIPE THIRTY SIX: Thursday November 23rd - sweet and sour cauliflower with golden raisins

BACK STORY:
I was looking for something to bring to Thanksgiving to complement my green salad and thought a roasted cauliflower would be perfect. If others didn't like it, more the better - leftovers for me!

NOTES:
This took a bit longer than planned but was still easy to make. The hardest thing was assembling some of the unique ingredients like the currants and raisins - not things I usually have on hand! I also chose to skip saffron and used turmeric instead. The flavors were delicious and a good combination. After cooking at home I reheated at Glynnis' house and so it got a little mushy - I'd skip this step and eat straight from the stovetop in the future. 

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Would be 5 stars except the call for ingredients I don't usually have. A delicious twist on cooked cauliflower, which always appeals! 

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019027-sweet-and-sour-cauliflower-with-golden-raisins

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, diced
•  Pinch of saffron or 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1 large or 2 small cauliflowers, trimmed, cut into large florets, florets sliced 1/4-inch thick (about 1 1/2 pounds)
•  Salt and pepper
• ¼ cup light brown sugar
• ¼ cup currants
• ½ cup golden raisins
• ½ teaspoon freshly grated lemon zest
• 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
• 1 to 2 tablespoons sherry vinegar, to taste
• 1 tablespoon snipped chives
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, lightly toasted

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PREPARATION

1. In a large, heavy pot, warm olive oil over medium-high heat until hot but not smoking. Add onions and cook, stirring, until softened and just turning golden, 5 to 8 minutes. Adjust the heat to prevent browning. Add saffron and stir to coat.
2. Add cauliflower, season generously with salt and pepper and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, uncovered, stirring frequently.
3. Add brown sugar, currants, raisins, lemon zest and juice, cider vinegar and 1 tablespoon sherry vinegar. Turn up heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until cauliflower is just tender, about 5 to 8 minutes more.
4. Remove pot from heat, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt and sherry vinegar. Set aside for at least 10 minutes (or up to 2 days, refrigerated) before serving.
5. When ready to serve, transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle with chives and pine nuts. Serve hot or at room temperature.

RECIPE THIRTY FIVE: Monday November 20th - Indian Tofu with Spinach

BACK STORY:
Saw this (where else?) on the New York Times daily digest, and I decided to make it since I had all the ingredients (except spinach) already on hand.

NOTES:
This was actually a pretty easy recipe to make. I pressed most of the water out of the tofu using a towel and heavy water pitcher on top, then put the diced tofu squares into a wok to cook thoroughly. I didn't have fresh ginger so used powdered, which is definitely something to change when making it again. I also didn't mix the yogurt and cornstarch as the recipe recommended, but instead just scooped a spoonful of yogurt on the top when serving. 

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy and fast to make with all the right ingredients on hand, and tasty. 

RECIPE:
https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/projects/well/healthy-recipes/recipes/indian-tofu-with-spinach

INGREDIENTS

• ¾pound firm tofu, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 2tablespoons canola oil
• ½cup coarsely chopped shallot or red onion
• 4lengthwise slices peeled fresh ginger (2 inches long, 1 inch wide, 1/8 inch thick), coarsely chopped
• 1teaspoon cumin seeds
• ½teaspoon fennel seeds
• 2whole dried red chilies, like Thai, cayenne or arbol
• 1tablespoon coriander seeds, ground
• Salt to taste
• ¼teaspoon cayenne
• ¼teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1½pounds fresh spinach, stems trimmed at the end and washed in 2 changes of water, or 12 ounces baby spinach, rinsed
• ½cup drained yogurt
• ¼teaspoon cornstarch

Nutritional information per serving: 212 calories; 12 grams total fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 5 grams polyunsaturated fat; 6 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 milligram cholesterol; 15 grams carbohydrates; 5 grams dietary fiber; 142 milligrams sodium; 15 grams protein

PREPARATION

• 1Drain the tofu on paper towels. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium-high heat in a wok or a large, heavy lidded skillet and add the tofu. Stir-fry until golden brown and remove from the heat.
• 2Combine the shallot or onion and the ginger in a food processor or mini-chop and blend until finely minced, almost a paste.
• 3Heat the remaining oil over medium-high heat in a wok or skillet and add the cumin seeds, fennel seeds and whole chilies. Cook, stirring, for about 15 seconds, or until the spices are fragrant and reddish-brown. Add the onion and ginger and stir-fry until it is lightly browned, about 3 minutes. Add the coriander, salt, cayenne and turmeric, stir for about 10 seconds and add the spinach in batches, adding the next batch after the first batch wilts and stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan to deglaze.
• 4Stir in the tofu, cover, reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 2 to 3 minutes, until the spinach is uniformly wilted and the tofu is warmed through.
• 5Whisk the cornstarch into the yogurt. Remove the pan from the heat, remove the chilies, and stir in the yogurt. Taste, adjust salt and serve with rice or other grains.

RECIPE THIRTY FOUR: Sunday November 5th - Mashed Potato Salad with scallions and herbs

BACK STORY:
Saw this (where else?) on the New York Times daily digest, and it looked like an easy and quick recipe to use up some potatoes I had in my crisper drawer. 

NOTES:
This was delicious - a definite win where the sum of the parts were better than I thought. I cooked the potatoes generously, making sure they were practically falling apart which made the smashing in the bowl easier. The dijon mustard is strong but tastes quite good. I didn't have all the fresh herbs so used dried rosemary and parsley. I also replaced the sour cream with greek yogurt. Good to eat warm or room temperature.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy to make and would be a great side for a party. 

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018913-mashed-potato-salad-with-scallions-and-herbs

INGREDIENTS

• 2 pounds red potatoes, cut into 1 1/2-inch chunks
•  Finely grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, plus more lemon juice for serving
• 2 teaspoons minced fresh rosemary
• 1 teaspoon fine sea salt, more as needed
• 1 teaspoon coarsely ground black pepper
•  Dash or two of hot sauce, to taste
• ⅓ cup extra-virgin olive oil, more for drizzling
• 2 tablespoons mayonnaise, sour cream or crème fraîche
• 1 tablespoon Dijon or whole-grain mustard
• ½ cup thinly sliced scallions (white and green parts)
• ¼ cup chopped parsley
• 2 tablespoons chopped basil or dill

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PREPARATION

1. Cook the potatoes in a pot of well-salted water until they are very tender but not mushy, 15 to 22 minutes. Drain well.
2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together lemon zest and juice, rosemary, salt, pepper and hot sauce. When the salt is dissolved, whisk in the olive oil, mayonnaise and mustard.
3. Add potatoes to the bowl and mix them very well, until well coated with dressing. Then use the spoon to mash about a quarter of them. You want 1-inch (or so) chunks of potatoes coated in some mashed potatoes. Add scallions and parsley and toss well. Taste and add more salt, lemon juice, hot sauce and olive oil, if needed. Scatter chopped basil or dill over dressed potatoes. Serve warm or at room temperature, but not cold.

RECIPE THIRTY THREE: Monday October 23rd - spaghetti with cauliflower, almonds, tomatoes and chickpeas

BACK STORY:
All my favorite things - noodles, tomatoes, cauliflower, beans - all cooked up in a big heap. 

NOTES:
This recipe added flavors that didn't seem to really blend together. I liked roasting the tomatoes to get a cooked sauce, but it didn't seem to be enough to hold together the noodles, so I would like either double the tomatoes, or skip the roasting effort and go straight for a red tomato sauce jar to throw on top. The garbanzo beans were good but could use some additional cooking before being thrown in the pot. I used penne pasta instead of spaghetti and don't think that substitution mattered much. But I do wish I had used a whole head of cauliflower to hold its own with the other starchy materials. Finally the almonds seemed almost too crunch in the recipe, and I would substitute pine nuts instead next time.

STARS: 
2 out of 5. Worth trying again with all the substitutions, but not the best recipe ever.

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016073-spaghetti-with-cauliflower-almonds-tomatoes-and-chickpeas

INGREDIENTS

• 24 raw almonds (about 3 tablespoons), blanched, skinned* and chopped
• 1 small or 1/2 large head cauliflower, broken into florets
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
•  1-14 1/2-ounce can chopped tomatoes in juice
• ¼ teaspoon sugar
•  Pinch of cinnamon
•  Salt to taste
• ½ to 1 teaspoon dried oregano (to taste)
•  Freshly ground pepper to taste
• ½ cup cooked chickpeas (canned or freshly cooked)
• ¾ pound spaghetti
•  Crumbled feta or freshly grated Parmesan for serving

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Fill a large pasta pot with water and bring to a boil. Add salt to taste and cauliflower. Boil 5 minutes, then using a Chinese skimmer, a strainer or a slotted spoon, transfer cauliflower to a bowl of cold water (do not drain the pot; you’ll use the water for the pasta). Drain the cauliflower and chop medium-fine. Set aside.
2. (You can do this step while you are waiting for the water to come to a boil for the cauliflower). Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil over medium heat in a large, heavy skillet or a wide saucepan and add garlic. Cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds, and stir in tomatoes with liquid, sugar, cinnamon, salt and oregano. Turn up heat to medium-high and stir often as tomatoes come to a brisk boil. Turn heat down to medium and cook, stirring often, until tomatoes have cooked down and taste very fragrant, about 10 minutes. Add pepper to taste.
3. Add cauliflower and almonds to the tomato sauce, along with 1/4 cup cooking water from the cauliflower, and stir together. Stir in chickpeas.
4. Bring water in the pot back to a boil and add spaghetti. Cook al dente, following timing instructions on the package but checking for doneness a minute before indicated time on the package. Set aside 1/2 cup of the cooking water from the pasta, in case you want to moisten the sauce more, drain pasta and toss with the tomato and cauliflower sauce and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Add water from pasta only if you think the mixture seems dry. Serve, passing crumbled feta or grated Parmesan at the table for sprinkling.

RECIPE THIRTY TWO: Sunday October 22nd - lasagna with spicy roasted cauliflower

BACK STORY:
Another lazy weekend day to make a menu requiring long cooking times. I have never cooked lasagna before and when I saw this recipe with roasted cauliflower I had to try it.

NOTES:
The recipe calls for half a head of cauliflower but a full head would have been even better as a denser filler. The roasting does take about 20 minutes, and then cooking another 40-50 minutes on top of that once the lasagna is assembled, so a good 1-1:15 should be budgeted. I used no boil noodles from Trader Joes that cooked up mostly well in my rounded casserole dish. The ricotta and parmesan layers added a cheesy zing - especially the pinch of cinnamon in the ricotta - while the cauliflower was mostly tasteless. I'm not sure roasting added much flavor and think if I do it again it's worth steaming or sauteeing over the stove instead of going through the roasting effort (though you do have to pre-heat the oven so maybe the extra 10 minutes doesn't matter so much). The result was delicious but complicated!

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Worth trying agan with some tweaks to make it more user friendly.

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12477-lasagna-with-spicy-roasted-cauliflower

INGREDIENTS

• 1 ½ pounds cauliflower (3/4 of a medium head)
• 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
•  Salt and freshly ground pepper
• ¼ to ½ teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 3 cups marinara sauce, preferably homemade from fresh or canned tomatoes
• 7 to 8 ounces no-boil lasagna
• 8 ounces ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons water, vegetable stock or chicken stock
•  Pinch of cinnamon
• 4 ounces (1 cup) freshly grated Parmesan

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Cut away the bottom of the cauliflower stem and trim off the leaves. Cut the cauliflower into slices 1/3 inch thick, letting the florets on the edges fall off. Toss all of it, including the bits that have fallen away, with the olive oil, salt and pepper. Place on the baking sheet in an even layer. Roast for about 15 minutes, stirring and flipping over the big slices after 8 minutes, until the slices are tender when pierced with a paring knife and the small florets are nicely browned. Remove from the oven, toss with the red pepper flakes and set aside. Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.
2. Blend the ricotta cheese, water or stock, cinnamon, salt and pepper. Set aside.
3. Oil a rectangular baking dish and spread a spoonful of tomato sauce over the bottom. Top with a layer of lasagna noodles. Spoon a thin layer of the ricotta mixture over the noodles. Top with a layer of cauliflower, then a layer of tomato sauce and a layer of Parmesan. Repeat the layers, ending with a layer of lasagna noodles topped with tomato sauce and Parmesan.
4. Cover the baking dish tightly with foil and place in the oven. Bake 40 minutes, until the noodles are tender and the mixture is bubbling. Uncover and, if you wish, bake another 10 minutes, until the top begins to brown. Remove from the heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes before serving.

RECIPE THIRTY ONE: Sunday October 15th - pumpkin black bean dip

BACK STORY:
From Carrie's pumpkin cookbook I won at the pumpkin party a few years ago, I made the pumpkin black bean dip for the first time to bring to the Schmieg hayride party and Cindy and Leon's.

NOTES:
It calls for 3 cups black beans but I just used one can; conversely I used half a can of the pumpkin as my one cup. I didn't have cilantro so skipped the garnish (for better or worse); the dip was great warm from the sauteed onions and peppers, but also passable room temperature or cold. I brought tortilla chips for the party but we also ate it with pita chips at Naomi's, and I think corn chips (like Scoops) would have been good too. Overall it was easy and delicious - if pumpkin is called for, this is a great dish that isn't too pumpkin-y.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy to make and a great appetizer with the right dipping chip.

RECIPE:
(This is not the exact recipe from the book, but it's the best I could mimic online without typing out the whole thing)

http://reedsburgutility.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/11/Black-Bean-Dip-with-Pumpkin.pdf

1 and ½ teaspoons canola oil 1 jalapeno chile, seeds and membranes removed, minced (wear gloves) ¼ cup diced green pepper ½ cup diced onion 2 cloves, garlic, minced 1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed, about 1 ½ cups ½ cup canned pumpkin 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice ½ teaspoon ground cumin ½ teaspoon salt 2 tablespoons water ½ cup cilantro, chopped, plus a sprig for garnish Method: Heat oil in small skillet. Sauté both peppers and onion for a few minutes until starting to soften, add garlic and continue to cook until vegetables are tender. Place beans, pumpkin, lime juice, cumin, salt, water, and chopped cilantro in bowl of food processor. Pulse until blended, but not completely smooth. Add sautéed vegetables and pulse again until blended, but leave a little chunky. Makes about 2 cups. Nutrition information for 2 tablespoons: 30 calories, ½ gm fat, 0 cholesterol, 125 mg. sodium, 5 gm carbs, 2 gm fiber and 2 gm protein, as well as a good source of Vitamin A. (Recip