RECIPE TWENTY SEVEN: Tuesday September 26th - hot and sour seared tofu with sugar snap peas

BACK STORY:
Another New York Times recipe, easy and fast tofu recipe. I actually had all the ingredients for once, and it was a quick and easy meal to make.

NOTES:
I made this with Trader Joe's extra firm tofu, which seared nicely in the wok. Instead of fish sauce I put in extra soy sauce and used lime juice from the container because I didn't have any fresh. The peas and scallions were perfect and I sauteed them together with the tofu for a few extra minutes to get a crispy texture. Ate over brown rice.

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Easy to assemble ingredients and quick to cook, but not as much flavor as I would have thought. I think I maybe cooked the sauce too long, so I added a little more soy sauce and TJ's green dragon sauce to the leftovers. 

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1014774-hot-and-sour-seared-tofu-with-sugar-snap-peas

INGREDIENTS

• 1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu
• 4 large garlic cloves, grated
• 2 small jalapeño chiles, seeds and veins removed if desired, thinly sliced
• 1 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 ½ teaspoons grated ginger root
• 1 ½ tablespoons fresh lime juice, more to taste
• 1 ½ teaspoon toasted (Asian) sesame oil, more for drizzling
• 1 ½ teaspoons Asian fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil, more if needed
• 6 ounces sugar snap peas, trimmed and thinly sliced
• 3 scallions, thinly sliced
•  Sesame seeds, for serving
•  Cooked rice, for serving
•  Chopped cilantro or basil, for serving

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Drain tofu, wrap it with a clean dish towel or several layers of paper towels and place on a rimmed plate; top with another plate and a weight (a can works). Let drain further.
2. Meanwhile, make the sauce: In a small bowl, combine garlic, chiles, soy sauce, ginger, lime juice, sesame oil, fish sauce and honey.
3. Unwrap tofu and cut crosswise into 3/4-inch-thick slices. Pat slices dry.
4. Heat a large skillet over high heat until very hot, about 5 minutes. Add peanut oil and let heat for 30 seconds, then carefully add tofu. Don’t touch tofu for 2 to 3 minutes, letting it sear until golden brown. Flip and sear for another 2 to 3 minutes. Move tofu to one side of pan (or stack pieces on top of one another to make room in pan), then add sugar snap peas, scallions and, if needed, a few drops more peanut oil. Stir-fry vegetables until they start to soften, 1 to 2 minutes. Add sauce and stir well, cooking until peas are done to taste, another minute or two. Spoon sauce all over tofu, unstacking it if necessary.
5. Sprinkle sesame seeds over tofu and vegetables and serve over rice, sprinkled with cilantro or basil.

RECIPE TWENTY SIX: Monday September 26th - roasted cauliflower and broccoli

BACK STORY:
Another New York Times recipe, this one combines my favorite roasted veggies in sauce with almonds. Sounded easy and like a perfect recipe for a cool rainy night.

NOTES:
The recipe calls for anchovies but I added capers, otherwise I followed it exactly. The roasted almonds added a subtle smoky flavor which was unexpected and good. I would cut out some of the oil - adding a bit more to roast the veggies, and very little in the dressing. I also used an onion instead of shallot, and a full lemon.

STARS: 
5 out of 5. Easy to assemble ingredients, quick to put together, and the flavors were delicious. I ate it plain but bet it would be delicious on top of couscous or other grains, or as a side with a veggie burger or tofu. Can't wait to make again!

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/11350-roasted-cauliflower-and-broccoli-with-salsa-verde

• ¾ cup whole shelled almonds
• 1 large head broccoli, cut into florets (about 1 pound florets)
• 1 large head cauliflower, cut into florets (about 1 pound florets)
• 10 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, plus more for dressing
• 1 shallot, minced
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 3 anchovy fillets, minced
•  Juice of 1/2 lemon
• 1 cup coarsely chopped Italian parsley leaves

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread almonds on a baking sheet and toast until brown and fragrant, 8 to 10 minutes. Leave oven on. When almonds have cooled, chop coarsely.
2. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss broccoli and cauliflower with 4 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Spread on two baking sheets and roast until tender, 20 to 30 minutes.
3. In a large bowl, mix shallot and vinegar and set aside for 5 minutes. Whisk in anchovies, lemon juice, remaining 6 tablespoons olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in almonds and parsley.
4. Remove vegetables from oven, add to bowl and toss with sauce. Taste and add more salt, pepper, vinegar or lemon, if needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

RECIPE TWENTY FIVE: Tuesday September 19th - pressure cooker black bean soup

BACK STORY:
Another New York Times recipe, I misread this as a slow cooker black bean soup. I don't have a pressure cooker so needed to make a ton of edits, but it still sounded simple and delicious.

NOTES:
Brought this to Dylan and Rachael's to eat and meet Calvin! I made this on the stove and with canned beans instead of dry, to accommodate not having a pressure cooker. I used Trader Joes soy chorizo, and simmered the soup for about 30 minutes. The avocado salsa was delicious as a topping and I also made it with the yogurt/cumin/lime juice mix from Smitten Kitchen.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Could be super easy with a pressure cooker but the stovetop version was also fairly simple and came together quickly.

RECIPE:
https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1015847-pressure-cooker-black-bean-soup?mcubz=1

INGREDIENTS

FOR THE SOUP:

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 cup coarsely chopped onion
• 1 tablespoon mild or hot chile powder
• 1 ½ teaspoons whole cumin seeds
• 1 ½ teaspoons dried oregano leaves
• 7 cups water
• 1 pound (2 1/2 cups) black beans, picked over and rinsed
• 4 ounces diced Spanish chorizo
• 4 to 6 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 bay leaves
•  Salt to taste

FOR THE AVOCADO SALSA:

• 1 large, ripe Hass avocado, diced
• 2 large plum tomatoes, seeded and chopped
• ⅓ cup chopped red onion
• ¼ cup chopped cilantro
• 1 jalapeño, seeded and diced (optional)
• 2 to 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lime juice
•  Salt

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  Nutritional Information

PREPARATION

1. In a 6-quart or larger stovetop pressure cooker or an electric pressure cooker, heat the oil over medium-high heat or using the sauté function. Stir in the onions, chile powder, cumin and oregano and cook, stirring frequently, until the onions begin to soften, about 1 minute.
2. Add the water, beans, chorizo, garlic and bay leaves.
3. Lock the lid in place. Over high heat, bring to high pressure. Reduce the heat just enough to maintain high pressure and cook for 30 minutes. If using an electric pressure cooker, cook on high pressure for 30 minutes.
4. Turn off the heat if using a stovetop cooker, and allow the pressure to come down naturally, about 15 minutes. Remove the lid, tilting it away from you to allow the steam to escape.
5. Stir well. Discard the bay leaves and add salt to taste. The soup will thicken on standing.
6. Just before serving, prepare the avocado salsa by tossing the ingredients together in a bowl. Ladle the soup into bowls and top each portion with a large dollop of salsa.

RECIPE TWENTY FOUR: Monday August 14 - lazy taco slaw

BACK STORY:
Read this slaw while making the charred cauliflower quesadillas. Mixed up as a salad to blend with the leftover pineapple and pepper salad from yesterday.

NOTES:
This recipe was modified all over the place. I didn't have plain yogurt so used Greek Gods honey; mixed extra hot sauce and a little cumin to overcome the sweet flavor. I also didn't have scallions or cilantro, but blended the slaw with the leftover pineapple salad for a good blend.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. Definitely worth trying again with all the ingredients!

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2015/02/charred-cauliflower-quesadillas/

Lazy Taco Slaw

1 bag coleslaw mix or (as used here) 3 cups finely shredded red cabbage and 1 coarsely grated carrot
Coarse salt
Juice of half a lime
2 scallions, sliced thin
A dollop of mayonnaise, sour cream or plain yogurt
A dash of hot sauce (optional)
1/4 cup roughly chopped cilantro or flat-leaf parsley leaves

Toss cabbage mix, salt and lime together in a large bowl; set aside for 5 minutes. It will shrink down a bit. Stir in scallions, then mayo and hot sauce. Adjust seasonings/ingredients to taste, then stir in cilantro leaves. Serve alongside quesadillas or any of your favorite tortilla-clad meals.

RECIPE TWENTY THREE: Saturday August 12 - spicy pineapple and pepper salad

BACK STORY:
Another recipe from the Chopped Salads article in the Star Tribune.

NOTES:
I made this for a salsa/side salad at our post-triathlon party. The serrano gave it a good kick! I let it chill overnight and we ate it the next afternoon; the juices were well blended to the point where a little bit of pineapple juice could be drained out before eating. I ate mine with lime chips - delicious. Because of the chips I eliminated the pistachio nuts, to great effect.

STARS: 
3 out of 5. A good non-traditional salad for a potluck! Leftovers with quesadillas or over grains would be good.

RECIPE:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/spicy-pineapple-and-pepper-salad/15965/?utm_term=.37a89797345a

Tested size: 6 servings; makes 6 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 2 cups fresh pineapple, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 1 pound)
• 2 cups red bell pepper, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (14 ounces total)
• 2 cups orange or yellow peppers, seeded and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (about 14 ounces total)
• 1 medium serrano pepper, seeded and minced
• Juice of 1 lime
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1/4 cup shelled, chopped roasted/unsalted pistachios, for garnish

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DIRECTIONS

Combine the pineapple, peppers, lime juice, oil and salt in a mixing bowl, tossing to coat and incorporate. Cover and refrigerate for at least an hour or two.

Garnish with the chopped pistachios just before serving.

RECIPE TWENTY TWO: Tuesday August 8 - chickpea apple and coconut salad

BACK STORY:
Another recipe from the Chopped Salads article in the Star Tribune

NOTES:
I had purchased items for this salad specifically - like chopped coconut - but forgot vital ingredients like chickpeas and bean sprouts. So, I made it with pinto beans and skipped the bean sprouts altogether. It was fine but not as amazing as the spicy beet and carrot coleslaw. The ingredients didn't seem to blend together particularly well, though the flavor was good. The first night I ate it plain; then I finished the bowl with chopped romaine lettuce and other salad ingredients, where it fit in much better.

STARS: 
2 out of 5. Not worth the ingredients, though I did like the flavor of shaved coconut in a salad!

RECIPE:
https://www.washingtonpost.com/recipes/chickpea-granny-smith-and-coconut-salad/15966/?utm_term=.04fa205ae319

Tested size: 6 servings; makes 6 cups

INGREDIENTS

• 2 tablespoons minced shallot
• 1 small jalapeño pepper, seeded and minced
• 1 tablespoon liquefied coconut oil
• 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/4 teaspoon cane sugar
• 2 cups Granny Smith apple, cored and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (from 7 ounces total)
• 1/2 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 2 cups rinsed and drained no-salt-added canned chickpeas (from one 14.5-ounce can; may substitute raw sprouted chickpeas)
• 2 cups fresh mung bean sprouts
• 1 cup fresh or frozen/defrosted grated coconut, at room temperature
• 1/2 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 1/4 cup roasted, unsalted sunflower seeds, for garnish

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DIRECTIONS

Whisk together the shallot, jalapeño pepper, coconut oil, vinegar, sea salt and cane sugar in a mixing bowl. Let sit for 5 to 10 minutes.

Toss together the apples and lemon juice in a separate bowl, until well coated; this will help keep them from browning.

Combine the chickpeas, sprouts, coconut and cilantro in a mixing bowl. Stir in the apples, then add the shallot mixture and toss to coat evenly.

Cover and refrigerate until well chilled.

Garnish with the sunflower seeds just before serving.

RECIPE NINETEEN: Saturday August 5 - tortilla de patatas

BACK STORY:
I saw this on Smitten Kitchen's instagram. A lazy Saturday means I had time to play with a recipe that takes 1.5 hours to make!

NOTES:
I didn't have big potatoes so I used some older, shrively small ones from Trader Joe's. I cut up about a dozen which I think was the same as her calculations, but it may have been too small because the cup of oil to cook the onion/potato mixture seemed grossly exaggerated - I could have gotten away with 1/2 to 3/4 cup I think. I let the mixture cook for an extra five minutes (so 20 total) and let it sit for the 10 minutes recommended to blend the egg and potato/onion mixture. 

STARS: 
4 out of 5. Actually fairly easy to make if you have the time.

RECIPE:
https://smittenkitchen.com/2007/09/tortilla-de-patatas/

Serves 4 as a generous main, 6 as a small dish, 8 as a side.

Time estimate: 1 to 1 1/4 hours, including peeling/prep

3 to 4 (1 1/4 to 1 1/2 pounds) Yukon Gold potatoes
1 small onion
1 cup olive oil
6 extra-large or 7 large eggs
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Prepare potatoes and onions: Peel potatoes and onion and slice them very thin with a mandoline, the slicing blade of a food processor, or by hand. If either are on the large side, first cut them in a half lengthwise so the slices will be in half-moons.

Cook potatoes and onions: Heat oil in an 8- to 10-inch skillet, ideally nonstick, over medium-high until very hot, about 3 minutes. Add potatoes and onions in even layers and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes, flipping and nudging potatoes around to ensure they cook evenly. Potatoes are done when they are tender when pierced with the tip of a knife. They should not get brown or fall apart in flipping (unless you like your tortillas with softer, more broken-up potatoes, as some do).

Drain potatoes and onions: Transfer potatoes and onion to a colander set over a bowl and drain them. Season potatoes and onion with salt and pepper and let cool slightly, about 5 minutes. [Go make your salad now! Or start cracking those eggs…]

Make the tortilla batter: In the bottom of a large bowl, lightly beat eggs with a couple good pinches of salt and freshly ground black pepper. Stir in drained potatoes and onions. If you have 10 minutes, definitely let them soak together for that long; it makes a difference in how well the finally tortilla stays together. If you’re in a rush, it’s not going to ruin the dish if you skip it.

Cook the tortilla: Add 2 tablespoons of the drained cooking oil* (back to the skillet over medium-high heat. Pour potato mixture into skillet and flatten the potatoes with a spatula until they’re mostly even. Reduce heat to medium-low. Cook, moving and shimmying the skillet and nudging the egg around (so it runs underneath) for a minute before letting the tortilla cook undisturbed until the top is wet but not very runny, and it is golden underneath.

Loosen the tortilla with a spatula then slide it onto a large dinner plate. With your hands in potholders, invert the skillet over the plate, take a deep breath, and flip it back into the skillet. You can do it! Shake the skillet to straighten the tortilla and use a spatula to gently tuck the edges back under, if needed.

Return the skillet to the stove and cook tortilla to your desired doneness, another 2 to 3 minutes if you like an ever-so-slightly loose center (try it and see if you can go back), 3 to 4 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out dry, for full doneness.

Serve: Slice onto a plate and serve in wedges, hot, cold or at room temperature, plain, or with a dusting of smoked paprika and/or squiggle of aioli or mayo.

* Save the rest of the cooking in the fridge for future tortillas, or eggs, or potatoes, or anything you want with a faint onion infusion.