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Miso-Curry Delicata Squash

26 Oct

This meal cannot get any more “fall.” There is bright orange, deep purple, and forest green. Delicata squash gets roasted in the oven with purple potatoes and tofu and then everything gets combined with raw dino-kale and toasted pepitas. Dressed to the heights with a miso-curry sauce. Yum yum in the tum. I could eat this for days.

The dressing (or sauce?) is my favorite part about this dish. There are only 3 ingredients: olive oil, Thai red curry paste, and white miso. So easy and perfectly salty and savory, I was literally licking my plate clean because this sauce was so perfect. And what a great way to use more of the Thai red curry paste that I had from when I was making this Tofu Panang Curry. I recently bought a small tub of sweet white miso from Whole Foods and this was the perfect opportunity to use some (I’m also dying to make miso soup and this vegan fettuccine alfredo with my white miso).

This past Monday, October 24th, was “Food Day.” From the website:

Food Day seeks to bring together Americans from all walks of life—parents, teachers, and students; health professionals, community organizers, and local officials; chefs, school lunch providers, and eaters of all stripes—to push for healthy, affordable food produced in a sustainable, humane way. We will work with people around the country to create thousands of events in homes, schools, churches, farmers markets, city halls, and state capitals.

In honor of Food Day I went to Eataly in NYC where farmers working with Eataly were there to give samples of their produce, dairy, meat, wine and chat with the customers. I purchased all of my produce and the pepitas for this Miso-Curry Delicata Roast from Eataly. And the best part? I only spent $12 (including a few other fruits and miscellaneous nuts and seeds purchased)!! Granted, I already had olive oil, red Thai curry paste, and miso at home. But 4 servings worth of food for only about $12 is dang-good. And this is what Food Day is all about. Healthy food should be affordable, accessible, easy to prepare, and tasty.

I feel healthy and comforted. Rock on.

Miso-Curry Delicata Squash

adapted from Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Everyday 

serves 4

Ingredients

12 ounces/ 340 g delicata squash (aka 1 decent sized squash)

1/4 cup/ 60 ml extra-virgin olive oil

Scant 1/4 cup/ 2.5 oz/ 70 g white miso (I purchased mine at Whole Foods, I bought the “sweet” one)

Scant 1 tablespoon red Thai curry paste

1 package of extra firm tofu, cut into small cubes (I used a 14-oz pkg)

1 large handful of small purple potatoes, unpeeled and cut into chunks

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1 bunch of dino-kale, tough stems removed and leaves chopped

1/3 cup/ 1.5 oz/ 45 g pepitas, toasted

optional: 2/3 cup/ 1 oz/ 30 g chopped fresh cilantro

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut the delicata squash in half lengthwise and use a spoon to clear out all the seeds. Cut into 1/2-inch thick half-moons.

In a medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, miso, and curry paste.

Combine the tofu, potatoes, and squash in a large bowl with 1/3 cup/ 80 ml of the miso-curry paste. Use your hands to toss well, then turn your vegetables onto a rimmed baking sheet lined with parchment and arrange everything in a single layer. Roast for 25-30 minutes, until everything is tender and browned. Toss once or twice along the way, after things start to brown a bit. Keep a close watch, though; the vegetables can go from browned to burned in a flash.

In the meantime, whisk the lemon juice into the remaining miso-curry paste, then stir in the kale until coated.

Toss the roasted vegetables gently with the kale, pepitas, and if using, the cilantro. Serve family style in a large bowl or platter.

Tofu Panang Curry

5 Oct

I’ve been having cravings up the wazoo lately. Everything from pizza and burgers to dumplings (soup dumplings!) and curry, from fresh pasta with a buttery sauce to a giant burrito packed with beans rice guac and cheese. From pancakes to French Toast to ice cream and a brownie. I want it all.

I don’t go out to eat very often. I like to make my own breakfasts and lunches. I work in a restaurant at night where they feed me dinner. And on my days off I just want to cook something homemade and hearty.

This Panang Curry really hit the spot for me today. I made it for myself for lunch, my roomies will eat some for dinner, and there will still be enough for leftovers tomorrow and the next day.

The curry is filled with dark green kale, bright orange sweet potato, and soft lean tofu. Fresh ginger and garlic and some spices give this curry a lovely flavor balance of tangy spicy and smooth. Garnished with lime and cashews for a crunchy top-note and spooned over protein-packed quinoa.

As the weather is turning to fall, this curry is the perfect way to warm your body up and keep your spirits high with all the colors and texture and good-for-you nutrients. And leftovers make it so easy to just reheat and not have to worry about cooking for the next few days.

Meat-eaters, gluten-free goers, vegans, vegetarians, and locavores will all delight in the Thai-inspired stew. Now give yourself a pat on the back and serve this up for dinner tonight.

TOFU PANANG CURRY

adapted from Chole Coscarelli

*I find it useful to have all my ingredients chopped, measured out, and ready to go before I start cooking

**Also, feel free to sub out the sweet potato for some winter squash, the kale for chard or collards or spinach, feel free to add cauliflower or bok choy, tempeh instead of tofu…

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 tablespoons canola oil

1 small onion, thinly sliced

4 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 tablespoon finely minced/chopped fresh ginger (peel with a spoon and grate on your microplane, or just chop by hand)

1/4 cup peanut butter

2 teaspoons turmeric

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon Thai Red Curry Paste (just look near the isle where you buy the soy sauce, teriyaki sauce, etc.)

1 1/2 cups water

1 14-oz can coconut milk

zest of 1 lime

2 tablespoons brown sugar (or maple syrup)

2 teaspoons sea salt

1 14-oz pkg of extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 sweet potato, peeled and cut into cubes

1 bunch of kale, cut off the stem and torn into pieces

juice of 1 small lime

1/2 cup roasted cashews (I have used those Chili Lime Cashews from Trader Joe’s in this curry before, SO GOOD!)

PROCEDURE:

(If making a grain, start cooking your rice or quinoa first so that it will be ready around the same time as your curry.)

Heat oil in large pot over medium-high heat. Add onions, garlic, and ginger and let cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Stir in peanut butter, turmeric, cumin, and curry paste and let cook until fragrant, about 2 minutes. Whisk in water, coconut milk, lime zest, brown sugar, and salt until combined. Add tofu, sweet potato, and kale, and bring to a boil. Let simmer, covered, for 30 minutes, or until sweet potatoes are fork tender. Stir in lime juice and adjust seasoning to taste. Garnish with cashews and serve over rice or quinoa.

Quick Dinner: Charred Corn, Zucchini Slaw, Black Bean, and Feta Tacos

1 Aug


Last night I made some quick tacos for dinner. I think my go-to summer vegetable this year has definitely got to be corn. I’ve been using it in everything I make from savory to sweet. For the tacos, I charred the corn over and open flame on my stove-top. It sizzled and popped and suddenly there were beautiful char marks all over my corn. It was the perfect addition to my vegetarian tacos.

(blurry photo, delicious charred corn, about to be sauteed into an oniony garlic mess)

I love the crunchy zucchini match-sticks and the salty cheese. I love the “grilled” corn and onions and the creamy black beans. And the hot sauce definitely makes the tacos complete.

SmittenKitchen has got some nicer photos than I and she also has a nice array of mis-en-place and step-by-step photos for you to gawk at. Check her out!

These tacos are an easy throw-together dinner that you could make for 1, 2, 3, 4 people or a huge crowd. These won’t overheat your kitchen in the summer time (no oven necessary, just a quick saute and you are done) and are super filling (you won’t miss the meat).

Throw together some margaritas or a fruity Pimm’s cup to sip alongside your tacos, and you’ve got yourself a party.

And if you are left with loads of extra corn tortillas, you could make migas, which I am sooo wanting right now.


Quick Charred Corn, Zucchini Slaw, Black Bean, and Feta Tacos

adapted from SmittenKitchen

1 small zucchini

1-2 limes

salt

2 ears corn

a dollop of butter and a splash of olive oil

1/2 large onion, finely diced

2 cloves garlic

1/4 tsp chilli powder

1 can black beans, drained and rinsed

feta cheese, crumbled

black pepper

hot sauce

corn tortillas

1. Slice your zucchini into thin match-sticks. You can take a peeler and peel thick ribbons down the long side of the zucchini. Stack the ribbons and cut them crosswise into thin matchsticks. Toss in a bowl with the juice of half a lime and some salt. Set aside.

2. Take the husk off your corn. Heat an open gas-stove flame and char the two ears of corn until well-blackened but not completely burnt. You will probably, quickly, notice that corn likes to pop and snap, occasionally spraying you with splats of corn. It will all be okay, and the char-taste is worth it. Remove cobs from heat, and when cool enough to handle, shave off kernels using a large knife. Set aside.

3. Heat a large sauté pan over medium heat. Melt a small dollop of butter and splash of oil together and once hot, add the onion. Cook the onion for about 5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Add the corn kernels and sauté until corn is just cooked through, about three to five minutes. Season with salt and chilli powder. Squeeze more lime over it.

4. To heat the tortillas: Coat the bottom of a cast-iron skillet with olive oil and wipe it out so on the thinnest slick remains. Heat the skillet on high. Once hot, cook a tortilla for about 30 seconds to 1 minute on each side, until lightly blistered. Repeat with remaining tortillas but if your skillet is well-seasoned, no need to repeat the oiling process.

5. Fill each taco with a bit of the zucchini mix. Fill with a few small spoonfuls of the corn mixture. Top with a spoonful of black beans and crumbled cheese. Add some fresh ground pepper. Serve with an extra lime wedge on the side and whatever fixings you like (sour cream, avocado wedges, hot sauce…).

Sweet and Savory Quinoa Salad

2 Jun

I’ve got another quinoa salad for you. This time I packed it with roasted cauliflower, spinach, garlic, lemon zest, dried apricots, golden raisins, and Marcona almonds. I also threw in some leftover chopped roasted chicken.

I roasted my cauliflower at a high heat (about 450-475 degrees F) and I lightly sprinkled on some Middle Eastern spices. Hawaji is a spice from Yemen, it is made of cumin, black pepper, turmeric, and cardamom. Sumac powder comes from the sumac fruit and is a red in color, and provides a tart element in cooking. Sumac is essential to making za’atar, a mix of ground sumac berries, sesame seeds, and crushed dried thyme. I also used a sprinkle of za’atar on my cauliflower. Typically za’atar is used on flatbreads and in yogurt or with kebabs or veggies.

(P.S. I researched my spices using Jill Norman’s herbs&spices)

In addition to a nice subtle flavor, I really loved the yellow-red color that the spices gave to the cauliflower. This went nicely with the green spinach and orange apricots. The whole theme of this quinoa dish is a play on the salty almonds with the sweet dried fruit, the savory roasted vegetable with the garlicky spinach and tangy lemon zest. I almost threw in some chopped mint, but in the end I decided to leave it out just for simplicity sake.

This dish would be smashing with a nice cinnamon roast chicken or a brisket or a fish or on its own with some flatbreads and yogurt dip. In other words, this dish goes with pretty much anything. Enjoy!

Sweet and Savory Quinoa

aka

Quinoa with Middle-Eastern Spiced Cauliflower, Spinach, Marcona Almonds, Golden Raisins, Dried Apricots, and Lemon Zest

**After rinsing my quinoa I put in in a wide and relatively shallow pot to toast with some garlic (just as you would make rice). The quinoa was still a bit wet from the rinse, but as it kept toasting on the dry pan, eventually it dried and started to do its thing (I’m not positive about the need to rinse quinoa, I’ve definitely made it without rinsing and it turns out fine, too).

1 head cauliflower, chopped
olive oil
salt
spice mixture (Hawaji, Sumac, Za'atar--or any spices you fancy...tumeric, cumin...) **you can also use harissa and spread it over the cauliflower before baking
1 cup dry quiona, rinsed
2-3 garlic cloves, peeled and chopped in half
2 cups water (or broth)
2 handfuls fresh spinach
1/2 cup dried fruit (I used golden raisins and chopped dried apricot)
1/2 cup marcona almonds
1 teaspoon lemon zest
optional: chopped chicken or garbanzo beans

1. Preheat oven to about 450 degrees F. Place your chopped cauliflower on a parchment lined baking sheet and sprinkle just a touch of olive oil. Add a small sprinkle of salt, and your spices. Roast in the oven for about 25 minutes.

2. Have your 1 cup of dry quinoa ready. Heat your pan and add the quinoa with the garlic and toast for about 5 minutes. Add your 2 cups of water (or broth) and bring the mix to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once the mix starts to boil, add the spinach and reduce the heat to low. Cover and let quinoa sit for about 10-15 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add the roasted spiced cauliflower, dried fruit, almonds, lemon zest, and chicken or beans. Serve with cracked black pepper.

Want MORE QUINOA recipes?

Steph’s Granola

Pumpkin Chickpea Quinoa with Haricot Vert and Almonds

Roasted Beets, Sauteed Chard (and Yuba) Quinoa

Quinoa with Greens, Grapefruit, and a Runny Egg

Garlicky Roasted Chickpea Salad with Feta, Herbs, and Lemon

1 Jun

 

Roasted chickpeas with salty feta and herbs so bright they taste like sunshine.

Now that’s a salad, folks. Or an appetizer. Or a side. Or whatever you want to call it.

You can make a healthy and delicious meal for yourself and/or company just by making a bunch of little salads (and having some crusty bread on the side). You can mix and match with different types of grains and proteins, herbs and veggies to give you a natural energy boost of protein, vitamins, healthy oils, and good-for-you-herbs.

My favorite way to dress a salad is simply, with lots of cracked pepper, some lemon and olive oil, and coarse salt.

Check out these recipes that I made last year for Shaved Zucchini Salad with Parmesan and Pine Nuts and Tomato, Cucumber, and Haricot Vert Salad with Feta.

Back to chickpeas, I really like them warm from the oven as they develop a slight crunch but still have that creamy center. And I picked the mint and basil from my mom’s (small yet pleasant) herb garden.

In the words of Bon Appetit, this salad is fast, easy, fresh.

Garlicky Roasted Chickpea Salad with Feta, Herbs, and Lemon

adapted from Kayln’s Kitchen, originally from The Bon Appetit Cookbook: Fast, Easy, Fresh
4-5 servings (this recipe can easily be halved or doubled or tripled, etc.)

2 cans of chickpeas (15 oz each), rinsed and drained until any foam is gone

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 fresh minced garlic cloves

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

salt and pepper, to taste

3/4 – 1 cup feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 to 3/4 cup chopped herbs (I used a combo of mint and basil)

lemon wedges

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Mix together oil, garlic, pepper flakes, and salt and pepper. Pour into and over the chickpeas, stirring so that everything is coated. Place into a baking pan and bake for 15-18 minutes, until the chickpeas are hot and just beginning to crisp on top. Remove from the oven and let cool for 5 minutes.

While the chickpeas bake, chop your herbs and have your feta ready. When the chickpeas are ready, stir everything together in a bowl and squeeze some lemon on top, adding more salt and pepper if needed.

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