Blueberry Basil Quinoa Tabouli Salad

Today was one of those days where I felt like I needed a break from too much rich food.  Too many sweets and indulgence on Saturday was the problem, but luckilly I had lots of fresh produce in my fridge.  Nothing but fresh, cool vegetables or fruit was sounding good to me for dinner.  I had a large container of blueberries from Wisconsin that were some of the best I have tasted in years, plus a large pile of cucumbers from my Grandpa's garden so I decided that those two things needed to be included in whatever I decided to make.  For some reason quinoa tabouli came to mind.  It is a favorite of mine in the summer, classic, or a twist changing up the veggies and dressing.  Although I had some tomatoes from my Grandpa's garden as well, I decided swap them out for blueberries to be a little different and not make classic tabouli this time! 

I threw in basil and toasted almonds, and it was delicious!  It was a little like original tabouli in that it contained mint, cucumbers, lemon and garlic, but it was something a little different as well!  I had used a mixture of black and white quinoa because I enjoy both, but it made the salad a little more appealing to the eyes as well as the taste buds.  It was fresh, and like something you would enjoy at a spa, or a light dinner to leave you feeling healthy.  The berries provided welcome little tart sweet pops of flavor among the savory ingredients! So much for feeling yuck from over indulgence.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try it!

Blueberry Basil Quinoa Tabouli Salad

2 cups water

1 cup quinoa, rinsed (I used a mixture of black and white)

1 cup fresh organic blueberries

1 large cucumber peeled, seeded and diced small

2 scallions, sliced

1/2 cup fresh organic basil leaves, minced

1/4 cup fresh organic mint, minced

3/4 cup toasted almonds

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp lemon juice
1 Tbsp lemon zest
1 large garlic clove, minced
sea salt
freshly ground pepper

Place quinoa and water in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until all the water is absorbed about 15 minutes, or when all the grains have turned from white to transparent, and the spiral-like germ has separated. Drain, and let cool. When quinoa is cool, combine with the berries, cucumber, basil, scallions, and almonds. Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, lemon zest, garlic, and sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste. Toss dressing with salad, and chill.

Melange of Roasted Summer Vegetables with Poached Eggs and Basil Chevre Cream

When summer is at its peak, I can think of nothing better than a nice big pile of roasted veg.  Eggplant, corn, peppers, zucchini...I love it all, the beautiful colors like confetti on my plate.  A few nights back I raided my fridge, and found lots of veggies to roast.  I tossed them with a little olive oil, threw them in the oven, combined them, and what resulted was an intensely flavored beautifully colored dinner, just what I crave in the summer.  I call it a melange, because it was many different veggies, contributing different delicious flavors and textures. 

I topped my veggies off with poached eggs for protein, because I love the way they ooze silky rich yolks when you cut into them.  They were the perfect accompaniment to my veggies with some crusty bread for dinner.  I also included a bit of creamy chevre to add some richness and textural contrast to the veggies.  It was a delicious hearty meal showcasing local prouce at its best!  This is the way I feel I should eat every night.  Whatever veggies you have laying around you should try this out, feel free to substitute for my list with veggies local to your neck of the woods! 

Melange of Roasted Summer Vegetables with Poached Eggs and Basil Chevre Cream

Serves 3

Olive oil

1 large eggplant, cut into large dice

2 medium zucchini, halved and sliced thickly

1 cup fresh corn kernals

12 crimini mushrooms

2 red bell peppers, cut julienne

1 bunch scallions, cut into 1 inch pieces

1 Tbsp olive oil

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 15 oz can diced tomatoes

sea salt to taste

red pepper flakes, to taste

1/4 cup fresh basil

2 Tbsp fresh oregano

2 Tbsp fresh parsley

Chevre Cream:

3 oz chevre

goat milk (enough to thin)

2 Tbsp fresh basil, minced

Poached eggs:
1 tsp vinegar

1/2 tsp sea salt

3 cups water

6 large organic eggs

To roast veggies, preheat oven to 475 degrees, line 2 large baking sheets with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss eggplant, zucchini, peppers, mushrooms, corn and scallions with just enough oil to coat and spread out on 2 pans.  Roast for about 15 to 20 minutes, until veggies are tender and starting to brown at edges.  Remove from oven.  Meanwhile, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil in a large saucepan and add garlic.  Saute for a minute until fragrant, then add balsamic, tomatoes, sea salt, red pepper flakes, and let simmer for 10 minutes.  When other veggies are done roasting add them to the pot, along with the herbs and stir to combine.  Remove from heat and keep warm. 

To poach eggs, heat water to a simmer in a medium saucepan with the vinegar and salt. Crack an egg into a ramakin. Stir water with a spoon to swirl, and carefully pour egg into it. Let cook for 3-4 minutes or preferred doneness, and remove with a slotted spoon to a paper towel lined plate. Repeat with other eggs.

To make chevre cream, mix chevre with just enough goat milk to make it the consistency of sour cream, then stir in basil.

To plate, spoon the veggie mixture between each of 3 plates dividing evenly, then top each with 2 poached eggs and a little of the chevre cream.  Sprinkle eggs with a little fleur de sel and freshly ground black pepper if desired.  Serve!

Thai Tofu Lettuce Cups

I am all for simple things for dinner as of lately as it seems like I never have a free moment to just sit.  So last week when I wanted something fast for dinner, I decided that the tofu I had in the fridge was a good option, combined with veggies I simply needed to chop. 

I have seen lettuce wraps on restaurant menus, but they almost always have pork, beef or some other sort of meat...and being vegetarian I would never try them.  But I would try and make some for myself which is exactly what I did with the tofu. 

I combined it with a sweet savory dressing and some local peppers and scallions, then simply wrapped it in lettuce I had bought at the farmer's market.  Super simple, but that is what was needed and it was delicious!  I don't know why I waited until now to try making them! 

I even made a Thai Pineapple Martini to go along with it...and if you are interested the recipe will be on my other blog, Fragrant Vanilla Cake! 

Happy Monday, and hope you all have a wonderful week, even if it may be busy. 

Thai Tofu Lettuce Cups

Serves 2

Tofu:

10 oz tofu, cut into small cubes

1 Tbsp tamari
1 Tbsp peanut oil

Dressing:

1 Tbsp tamari

1 Tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 Tbsp maple syrup

1 Tbsp peanut oil

1 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tsp fresh ginger, minced

1 garlic clove, minced

1 red bell pepper, minced

2 scallions, sliced

6 large leaves of lettuce

To make tofu, preheat oven to 475 degrees, line a sheet pan with foil, and spray with non-stick spray.  Toss tofu with tamari and peanut oil and spread out on pan.  Roast for about 15 minutes until starting to brown and remove from oven.  Whisk together dressing ingredients.  In a bowl, combine tofu, pepper and scallions and toss with dressing to coat.  To serve spoon tofu mixture into the lettuce leaves and eat taco style. 

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Pecorino Romano, Toasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Last weekend my Grandpa brought me over a bag of home grown cucumbers from his garden and I have been enjoying them all week.  There is simply no substitute for growning them yourself, the ones from the store never taste the same!  I love to simply eat them with hummus for a snack, or blend them up into a cold soup, they are so good!  I was given a watermelon yesterday, and so I thought, what better to pair it with than the cool cucumbers! 

It has been hot and humid all week afterall, and I think we are all in need of a bit of cooling from the inside out.  Nothing complicated here, just the cukes and melon, to which I added a bit of fresh basil from my herb garden and some pine nuts and pecorino romano for richness.  Then to top it off I drizzled it with a bit of lemon juice and basil oil I had on hand.  So refreshing!  Simple summer produce at its best!  This is a wonderful combination you can only enjoy at the peak of summer.  Here is the recipe if you would like to try some for yourself!

Cucumber Watermelon Salad with Pecorino Romano, Toasted Pine Nuts and Basil

Serves 3

1 medium organic cucumber, sliced into rings

1 1/2 cup organic watermelon, cut into chunks

3 Tbsp pine nuts

3/4 oz pecorino romano cheese, shaved

a few fresh basil leaves cut into chiffonade

Dressing:

1 Tbsp lemon juice

2 Tbsp basil oil

sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

On each of 3 plates, arrange cucumber and melon decoratively, sprinkle with pine nuts, pecorino and basil leaves.  In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice and basil oil and drizzle over the salads.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt and pepper if desired. 

Mid-Summer Slaw with Roquefort

One salad that is often seen on a picnic buffet in the summer is coleslaw.  I can see why so many people love it due to its creamy dressing and cooling effect on the body.  However, when I was younger I didn't have a taste for it.  Even now as an adult, it has to be really good coleslaw in order for me to eat it, or at least the creamy homestyle kind.  I am all about the ones made with light Asian dressing.  It is the heavyness of the loads of mayonnaise in most classic recipes I don't care for.  Which is exactly why when my Mom said I should make some classic coleslaw for her, and I agreed, I tweaked the recipe quite a bit. 

First off, I figured if it was going to have richness it wasn't going to come from the mayonnaise so I added some local roquefort style cheese to it.  I love how it adds so much flavor without having to add a large amount.  Second, I made a vegannaise based dressing and laced it with lemon nstead of the usual vinegar to keep it summery and added some honey for sweetness instead of the large amount of sugar in most recipes.  Fresh herbs were a must as well, so I picked some basil and chervil from my patio and added them for freshness.  I thought it was delicious, the best creamy slaw I have ever tasted!  The roquefort giving it that something special that other slaws do not have.  The big test however was if my Mom would approve...and she did!  She told me that I would need to make this a few more times before summer is over.  I have included the recipe if you would like to try my version of creamy coleslaw.

Mid-Summer Slaw with Roquefort

Serves 4-6

Slaw:

1/2 1 small red cabbage, thinly sliced

1/2 1 small green cabbage, thinly sliced
 3 medium carrots, cut julienne
1 medium shallot, thinly sliced
1/4 cup fresh basil, chopped
1/4 cup fresh chervil, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled roquefort cheese

Dressing:
1/4 cup vegannaise
juice of one lemon
1 Tbsp honey
1 garlic clove, minced
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

In a large bowl, combine cabbage, carrots, shallot, basil, chervil, and roquefort.  In a small bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth, then pour over the slaw and toss well to coat.  Serve chilled.

Black Raspberry Ginger Lemonade with Mint

It feels like 105 degrees today and yet I still managed to spend some time outside.  I was only out for an hour, and when I got back inside I felt as if someone had dumped a bucket of water over my head from sweating so much, as the dewpoint is at 79%.  Why do I live in Minnesota again? Despite the humidity, my time outdoors was worth it.  I went berry picking.  Beautiful wild black raspberries to be specific! 

 

They are like little delicious deep purple jewels of goodness!  I actually prefer the flavor of the black ones to the red, they are sweeter and the flavor is more concentrated.  I wish I could have a large bush of them growing in my back yard, but I have to settle for going elsewere to find them.  That is ok though, it is more interesting that way. 

 

So today when I came home all hot and sweaty, full of bug bites and scratches from the raspberry bushes and I needed something cold and refreshing to drink to cool off.  I decided a black raspberry ginger lemonade with mint.  I figured I might as well make something featuring the delicious harvest I had just gathered.  It hit the spot and cooled me off.  The drink was sweet and tart, refreshing and cooling, perfect for curing the effects of the nasty humidity!  Hope it is cooler where you are, but if not, make one for yourself and enjoy!

 

 

Black Raspberry Ginger Lemonade with Mint

Makes 1

6 fresh mint leaves

about 6 ice cubes

1/3 cup black raspberries

2 Tbsp ginger syrup* or to taste

1/3 cup lemon juice

ice cubes
ice water

In a large glass, muddle mint with ice until mint is crushed up, then add berries and mush a bit to release juices.  Add ginger syrup, 1/3 cup lemon juice, and a few ice cubes, along with enough cold water to fill the glass and stir until blended. 

 

*Ginger Syrup

1 inch piece of ginger

1/2 cup boiling water

1/2 cup agave nectar

 

Combine all ingredients in a clean jar and stir to dissolve agave nectar.  Place in the fridge and let sit overnight, or a few days before using.  Remove ginger and use to sweeten drinks with a kick!

 

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken Style Seitan

I always have to have a large industrial sized jar of peanut butter in my fridge.  It is a staple, used for everything from on toast, to creating delicious desserts, to snacking on celery with.  One of my favorite applications for peanut butter however, is in a dressing, especially one with thai flavors!  It is great on a tossed salad with veggies, but I especially love it when paired with noodles!  When I used to be a pescatarian, I made one with shrimp and veggies, and it was always something that I loved so much I licked the plate clean.  I hadn't made it since becoming a vegetarian, but decided to this week with sauteed chicken style seitan in place of the shrimp. I was going over to my boyfriend Scott's house for dinner and wanted something that could be made a day ahead of time and taste delicious, since I didn't want to cook after work.  It was a risk, as he is not a vegetarian and seitan is something that was new to him.  But I had confidence that it would be good, afterall, how could anyone resist a silky peanut butter sauce on noodles!  I added lots of crunchy local veggies, radishes, snap peas and carrots, with cilantro and scallions.  I wanted to add red pepper, but local and organic ones weren't available and I wasn't about to buy an expensive pepper shipped half way around the world that wasn't even organic.  I didn't miss the pepper, and there was plenty of veg as was.  I laced the dressing with lots of ginger and spicy pepper, and it had a nice kick, spicy enough to warm you up, but not so much that you burn your face off.  The salad was satisfying and just as I had remembered it...I even liked the seitan better than the shrimp!  Best yet, I got Scott to try seitan.  He may not be a vegetarian, but that's alright, at least he eats my food, and in his own words the thai peanut noodles were yummy! Try it for yourself if you are a peanut butter lover like me! 

Spicy Thai Peanut Noodles with Chicken Style Seitan

Serves 2

1 Tbsp peanut oil
16 oz chicken style seitan, cut into bite sized pieces
1 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
1 large garlic clove, minced
1 Tbsp tamari

4 oz linguini or other long noodles, cooked and cooled to room temperature
1 1/2 cups sugar snap peas
1 cup carrots, cut julienne
1/2 cup radishes, sliced
1 bunch scallions, sliced
1/4 cup fresh organic cilantro, minced

Dressing:
1/4 cup peanut butter
1/4 cup water
2 Tbsp tamari
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 Tbsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp red pepper flakes (or to taste)
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper (or to taste)
sea salt (to taste)

1/4 cup toasted sesame seeds

In a medium non-stick skillet over medium heat, heat peanut oil and add seitan, ginger and garlic, and saute until ginger and garlic are fragrant and cooked, about 3-4 minutes.  Add tamari and cook a minute more.  Remove from heat and let cool to room temperature.  In a large bowl, combine seitan, noodles and veggies.  In a medium bowl, whisk together dressing ingredients until smooth, then pour over veggies in the larger bowl.  Toss to coat, sprinkle with sesame seeds, and serve!