Mozzarella, pesto & tomato sandwiches before they are pressed. Additional flavor: balsamic reduction, tomato bruschetta, black pepper. The bread is garlic focaccia. All in all, pretty delectable. To go with the souped-up vegetable and lentil soup.

Wow, crêpes seem simple to make. Well the mixture seems simple to make. Cooking it is another story.

Then again, perhaps this is not a good time to introduce a white flour-based element to my otherwise healthy banana.


crêpe batter:
1/2 Cup water
1/2 Cup flour
2 eggs
1 C milk

Blend in blender until smooth. Refrigerate for 1 hour or overnight. Cook them in a non-stick 9" pan with e.v. olive oil. Yes, the recipe calls for butter, but I prefer e.v. olive oil. Call me strange. Also, I think I'd change it to skim milk and whole wheat flour. Then again, I'll probably just stick with a banana with some yogurt. I'll keep you posted.

Salade Niçoise.

I'm not a literalist if that's a word which it probably isn't. This is my variation on a theme. Instead of all the usual ingredients, this one has arugula, artichoke paste, tomato, grilled zucchini, chickpeas, purple potatoes, and of course, tuna! Really really really good tuna! From Spain. Ortiz! In a jar.

This was one terrific pizza that my husband made. Artichoke, zucchini, fresh mozzarella and a bright garlicky tomato sauce. And probably some other secrets like two spicy olives or three almonds chopped finely. How I miss it. I wish I were eating a slice right now.

My gazpacho, pre-good-tomato-season, but hey, at least it tastes good.


Gazpacho Pop Experiment, July 7 & 8, 2011


Success!

It really is delicious. Very gazpacho-y. No veggies were harmed in the making of this popsicle. Extra peppery first bite sets the tone.

Spaghetti with pesto, arugula salad

Monday. Raining. Blah. Tonight was definitely a pasta night; i.e., I had no ideas for dinner, and no gumption. Well, at least it's pesto. That's pretty exciting.

arugula salad with artichoke & lemon


whole wheat spaghetti with pesto, zucchini, carrot, tomato

Soup and "corn dogs" but not real corn dogs (see below) of last night

Last night I made soup with random ingredients in the fridge and blended it up with unsweetened almond milk. Tastes great! Carrot, onion, kale, celery, Indian yellow lentils, black beans, Valentina hot sauce, chipotle powder. Spicy! And good! And what goes great with soup? Corn dogs! Except not corn dogs. Grilled tofu sausage with lots-o-mustard and rolled up in a corn tortilla (and grilled on The George).

Tada! Sushi Party!


My current rice and vinegar of choice. Easy-to-store packaging.


Smoked salmon is what we're calling the Nova we got from ACME
for this sushi party. Wholesale!


Preparing the J omelet in the J egg pan.

Well we didn't get a snow day, my husband and I, but we did have a delicious sushi party after work yesterday, just the two of us. It was totally worth it to lug the 4 pound bag of Japanese rice from Midtown to Brooklyn. I'd do it again. You see, I told you pics would surely follow.

J omelet, cukes, smoked salmon, seaweed sheets


And a little sake, why not.


Lettuce, wasabi, sesame grinder, prepared sushi rice, egg


Roll prep: rice, J omelet (mixed with soy sauce & cut into strips), cukes,
smoked salmon, Boston Lettuce all arranged diagonally on a 1/4 seaweed sheet


Then rolled up into a hand-held sushi trumpet. Dip and eat.
In Japanese, temaki zushi

mini rice paddles at-the-ready
it will be temaki zushi (roll-your-own)

Last night on the eve of Impending Blizzard #2 I thought it be cool if everyone who worked in the Garment District got a call from the CFDA tomorrow telling us it's a Snow Day. Is the president still Fern Mallis? Oh, it's Diane von Furstenberg. It was never Fern Mallis?

Well, I didn't get my call from Diane von Furstenberg this morning, so the sushi party for two will have to wait until after work. Pictures will surely follow.

My first Eggplant Rollatini. So proud.

The other day, I was browsing my friend Sheryl's blog, *Bitch Cakes*: A Neurotic Glamour Girl's WW Experience and Fitness Adventures, and found a great recipe for eggplant rollatini. I never considered actually making this dish -- just ordering it at an Italian restaurant. As soon as I saw how possible it was, thanks to the magic of Sheryl's pictures, I was up the street buying an eggplant, some tofu and some baby spinach. I altered the recipe a bit, replacing the ricotta with a tofu/spinach mixture I concocted. (Or did I find the recipe on a blog?) Anyway, you'd swear this tofu "ricotta" is the real thing, except for it being much easier to digest.



Eggplant Rollatini

1 large eggplant, sliced lengthwise
olive oil
black pepper
oregano
1 package tofu
1 package baby spinach
tomato sauce


You'll also need a food processor, 2 pizza pans, a Pyrex dish, and a good hour to devote to making this recipe. The results are totally worth it. Serves 4.

Fundamental Order of Operations

1. Slice the eggplant lengthwise. Place slices with a little olive oil on pizza pans. Roast in oven at 400 degrees until soft.
2. Cut tofu block in half, boil in water.
3. Place spinach in colander.
4. When tofu has come to a boil, pour water and tofu into colander, blanching the spinach.
5. Put in spinach and tofu together in food processor in small batches. Blend until creamy. It really does get creamy! If you want to be clever, add some roasted garlic here or some sundried tomato paste.
6. Place tofu "ricotta" on eggplant slices and get rolling!
7. Add some tomato sauce, oregano, olive oil and black pepper to bottom of a pyrex dish.
8. Lay in the eggplant rollatini, single layer.
9. Cover with sauce and more black pepper and oregano.
10. Bake uncovered in oven for 20 minutes.
11. Eat! I served this with Italian lentils. Very delicious.
    

It was like rolling up sushi! Very easy. I was lucky that the eggplant
didn't stick to the pan because I didn't use much oil. This was the first pan.


Adding the rollatini into the Pyrex dish with sauce on the bottom.


The second pan. More rolling to do.


2 pans of roasted eggplant slices filled this Pyrex. I had 10.5 rollatini.


After I pulled it out of the oven and served 4 pieces. Done!


Italian lentils made with lots of veggies, tomato sauce, hot pepper, and fennel seed.

The Italian Flag, in veggies! Yes I am corny like that.
[L-R] Roasted cherry tomatoes, chickpeas, Brussel sprout leaves

The New Year always inspires me to breathe new life into my cooking habits. And I've been cooking up a storm lately, thanks to the Internet with blogs like Vegan & Demanding, What the Hell Does a Vegan Eat Anyway? (excuse the title here Mom, I didn't make it up) and the like. I think this idea for Kamut Pasta with Roasted Brussel Sprout Leaves & Portobello Mushrooms more came from a pizza we had at Motorino just before Christmas, and a realization that I should be buying more fancy mushrooms.





So here's what you need
(modify it any which way you like)

1 box Brussel Sprouts,
1 box Cherry Tomatoes
1 can Chick Peas
1 Portobello Mushroom
Kamut Spirals
Sundried Tomatoes (about 10)
Balsamic Vinegar
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
A Pepper Mill

Fundamental Order of Operations

Cut the bottom end off each Brussel Sprout, then slice in half vertically. Peal. You want to get a lot of leaf here, because the roasted leaves taste yummy and carmelized. Mmmm. Do not discard the little bulb that is leftover. Roast it! Marinate in balsamic, olive oil and black pepper.

Put Brussel Sprout leaves, plain chickpeas, and plain cherry tomatoes on a pizza pan and roast in the oven at 400 degrees. Until done. 20 minutes? Less? I didn't time it.

Slice Portobello mushroom. Marinate in balsamic, olive oil and black pepper. Roast!

Boil the pasta water. Throw in the sundried tomatoes for 5 minutes. Scoop out and drain. Then add pasta. Boil, drain, you know how to do this.

Make a simple sundried tomato sauce in the food processor by adding a little water. Stir into pasta when hot. Add all the roasted veggies when hot. Serve! (If you need to reheat, put it all in a pot and stir until hot. Then serve!)

Behold!
Kamut Pasta with Roasted Brussel Sprout Leaves & Portobello Mushrooms
It was delicious.

Tada! My Tofu Florentine!
I can't even believe I made this.
The sauce was delicious.

Tofu Florentine? I know, I had no idea what this was either when I was browsing a British Vegan blog named Vegan & Demanding. I have never had Eggs Benedict (traditionally an English muffin topped with ham or bacon, a poached egg, and Hollandaise sauce), nor Eggs Florentine (which apparently substitutes spinach for the ham). So I thought, well, I don't really miss it like the author of this recipe does, so I may as well modify it. And that is where it all began last Friday when I printed out the recipe and imagined how the Indian coriander chutney we bought in the giant size bottle at Patel Brothers in Jackson Heights would go great with the lemony soy milk Hollandaise sauce.

On Monday, cooking day, I Googled the recipe again to prepare my shopping list and couldn't find it at all, but found oodles of other vegan Hollandaise Sauce recipes instead -- one of which added mustard for color (and taste) instead of turmeric -- and I thought, hey, I love that idea, because again I am not trying to simulate the real thing here, but rather trying to make a packed-with-taste dish. I like packed-with-taste. I also substituted the toast and opted for kasha (a Russian buckwheat fluffy grain) instead. I thought it would soak up the sauce nicely, and it did.

Here is my recipe below, with many many thanks to Vegan & Demanding, a blog I now love. Here is her recipe for your reference. And her sauce.

Vegan Hollandaise sauce

makes enough for 2 dinners plus 2 lunches (haha)

1 1/4 cup unflavored unsweetened soy milk
dash of avocado oil or extra virgin olive oil
zest of 1 lemon
juice of 1 lemon
dijon mustard (to taste; I like a lot)

Whisk together in a saucepan over medium flame until it bubbles around the edges of the pot. Turn off, let stand and thicken a bit. Heat up right before you're going to serve it.

The rest of it

Tofu (see portioning on tofu package and then decide how much you want to eat)
Kasha (I made one rice-cooker-cup's worth in the rice cooker)
1 box of baby spinach
1 box of baby bella mushrooms
1 onion (I used a red onion)
2 T coriander chutney

Fundamental Order of Operations

First I sliced the tofu into 6-1" thick "mini steaks," boiled them, then pressed all the water out. Then I marinated them in the Indian coriander chutney and let them do their thing.

Then I made the Hollandaise sauce, and let it stand.

Next I made the kasha in the rice cooker. Easy. No stirring required.

After that I sauteed onions, added the sliced mushrooms until browned, and lastly added the spinach, put a lid on the pot to steam, an voilà!, done and delicious.

Then I grilled the marinated tofu on the good ole George Foreman grill for 8 minutes. (a dry pan will also be fine) and reheated the sauce.

To assemble, first kasha, then mushroom/spinach mixture on top (if there are any juices, that's fine, b/c the kasha will soak it up) , then tofu, then sauce. Then eat! It is magical with the lemony-mustardy sauce and the coriandery tofu in contrast to the more earthy kasha and mushrooms. So delicious. Hope you enjoy.

Polenta with mushrooms, string beans and leeks
[images from epicurious]

We bought some polenta made from two varieties of heirloom corn at the farmer's market in Greenpoint last weekend. And tonight's the night to attempt to cook it. I am pretty excited!

Some recipes I am considering from Epicurious:

Polenta with Green Beans, Mushrooms, Peas, and Leeks

• 3/4 pound green beans, trimmed
• 1 cup fresh shelled peas (12 to 14 ounces in pods)
• 4 cups whole milk
• 2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 3/4 cups polenta (coarse cornmeal)*
• 2 cups thinly sliced leeks (white and pale green parts only; about 2 medium)
• 1 1/2 cups dry white vermouth
• 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) chilled butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 pound assorted wild mushrooms (such as crimini, small portobello, and shiitake), stemmed, caps cut into wedges
• 3 large shallots, sliced (about 3/4 cup)
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley, divided
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme

Blanch green beans 1 minute in boiling water. Add peas and cook until both beans and peas are crisp-tender, about 3 minutes. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Cut beans on diagonal into 1-inch pieces. Set beans and peas aside.

Bring milk and broth to boil in large saucepan over high heat. Reduce heat to medium. Gradually whisk in polenta. Reduce heat to low. Cook until polenta is very thick, whisking almost constantly, about 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from heat; cover to keep warm.

Meanwhile, combine leeks and vermouth in medium saucepan. Boil over medium-high heat until reduced to 1/3 cup, 8 minutes. Remove from heat. Gradually whisk in butter, allowing each addition to melt before adding next. Add cream and whisk over very low heat to blend. Season with salt and pepper. Set aside.

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add mushrooms and sauté until almost tender, 5 minutes. Stir in shallots, 1 tablespoon parsley, and thyme. Sauté until mushrooms are very tender, about 5 minutes. Add beans and peas, tossing to coat.

Rewarm polenta and spoon into large shallow bowl. Top with green bean mixture and remaining 1 tablespoon parsley. Rewarm leeks over low heat, whisking constantly; spoon evenly over polenta.

or...

Polenta and Vegetables with Roasted Red Pepper Sauce

• 1 cup uncooked instant polenta
• 2/3 cup grated Parmesan, divided
• 1/8–1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• Vegetable oil cooking spray
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 2 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme (or oregano) or 1 tablespoon dried
• cup fresh lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 8 asparagus stalks, ends trimmed
• 8 scallions, trimmed
• 2 small Japanese or Italian eggplants, trimmed and halved
• 1 medium-large yellow squash (about pound), cut into 1/3-inch-thick slices
• 1 cup cherry tomatoes

Sauce

• 1 jar (12 ounces) prepared roasted red peppers, drained
• 1/3 cup vegetable (or chicken) broth
• 1 large clove garlic, chopped
• 3 tablespoon chopped fresh chives, basil or parsley (plus extra for garnish)
• 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium-sized heavy saucepan. Add polenta in a stream, whisking to combine. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer, stirring frequently, until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Whisk in 1/3 cup Parmesan and season with cayenne and salt. Coat a 9-inch pie plate with cooking spray. Transfer polenta to pie plate, smooth into an even layer and let cool 15 minutes. Heat broiler. Whisk garlic, thyme, lemon juice and oil in a bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vegetables with dressing. Coat a baking sheet with cooking spray and arrange vegetables in 1 layer (or in 1 layer in a grill basket). Broil vegetables about 4 inches from heat until tender and slightly charred, 3 to 5 minutes on each side. Transfer to a platter. Combine all sauce ingredients in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Sprinkle polenta with remaining 1/3 cup Parmesan. Broil polenta in pie plate until golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes, then cut polenta into 8 triangles. Divide polenta among 4 plates. Top with vegetables, drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with chives. Serve any remaining sauce on the side.


But what I'll probably do, which I always do, is make some amalgamation of vegetarian polenta recipes from Epicurious. The mushrooms for sure. Asparagus if I can get a nice bunch. Fresh tomatoes sauteed in the pan. A bit of fresh mozzarella. Some Reggiano Parmesan. Oh and some zucchini, cooked in a dry pan to get a good sear on it.

The things you find on your camera... We served this tuna tapas appetizer at Thanksgiving. It was a big hit. And delicious with a Spanish white wine.



Tuna Tapas
1 jar whole roasted red peppers
1 can tuna in water
nonfat plain yogurt
ginger root
3-4 peperoncini peppers
fresh Italian flat leaf parsley
Balsamic vinegar

Drain tuna. Drain peppers and blot dry. Cut peppers in half lengthwise so they are "1-ply". Mix tuna with a few dashes of balsamic vinegar, a few tablespoons of nonfat plain yogurt (amount to your taste), fresh minced ginger, diced peperoncini peppers, chopped Italian flat leaf parsley. Roll up a spoonful of tuna in each half of a roasted red pepper. Serve on plate with a marinated zucchini salad. Eat!

The new recipe inspiration from Epicurious has been serving me well all week. I actually cooked a cauliflower for the first time in my life on Wednesday. Indian style. Cut into small pieces and roasted in the oven with olive oil and Dry Garlic Chutney, a wonderful spice I picked up at an Indian grocery store. Served with yogurt.

Above, the Roasted Vegetable Napoleon I made on Monday with a side salad of mesclun, chickpeas and grape tomatoes. I roasted everything separately on cookie sheets in the oven with garlic. Once cooked, I layered the ingredients: tofu, red onion, red pepper, zucchini, eggplant, then tofu again, zucchini, eggplant, onion, red pepper. I used jarred roasted red peppers and re-roasted them to add more taste. It was a shortcut that worked. Once layered, I popped it back in the oven and served it hot. Roasting time was approximately 45 minutes at 400 degrees.

Avocado & Watercress Salad, a great idea for later this week

Now there is no excuse for me not to cook healthy delicious varied recipes all week. Not that I wanted an excuse. I wanted new ideas. Desperately. Epicurious to the rescue, as usual. I clicked on Healthy, Vegetarian and found more than 99 pages of ideas. I am going to make a tofu & roasted vegetable Napoleon this evening with sides of roasted garlic fingerling potatoes and a mesclun salad with chickpeas and grape tomatoes dressed in Dijon vinaigrette.

the kitchen counter by candlelight

my Mexican lasagna

Last night's meal called for some atmosphere. After the tasty all-smoked-fish-from-Acme NYC Marathon brunch we enjoyed with my parents on Sunday, I was in an entertaining mood. I added a little atmosphere with candlelight and flowers to our evening meal, even though it was just the two of us. I whipped up a Mexican lasagna which worked out rather well.



If you are in the mood to try this dish, I'll tell you the layers from the bottom on up: a little tomato sauce, a little extra virgin olive oil, a lot of Valentina extra hot Mexican hot sauce, which you can find in certain markets in Queens. I recommend buying yourself the 12.5 ounce bottle to start, and then working your way up to the larger size when you realize you cannot get enough Valentina. Valentina is excellent with beans, tortillas, even eggs. But back to the layers. Stir. Layer corn tortillas, black beans cooked with coriander powder and coriander pods, sauted broccoli, carrots, mushrooms, onion. Layer two: repeat with more corn tortillas, tomato sauce, Valentina, beans, veggies. Top with third layer of corn torillas, sauce, Valentina, and sprinkle lots of ground chipotle pepper (gift from my Mom) for that smokey spicy goodness. I didn't have any of that crumbly Mexican cheese, cojita, so I crumbled feta on top, which worked out well too. Serve with cold yogurt to cool the heat.

Pretty darn healthy, wouldn't you say? If I had zucchini on hand I would have added that to the sauted veggies. And corn too. Add whatever you want. Bake in the oven, covered for 15 minutes, and uncovered for 5 at 450 degrees.

I always think of Monday night's dinner as the most important healthy meal of the week. It is a great time to recharge after a hectic first day back to work, and detox from the weekend's indulgences. Here is a healthy quickie veggie dinner that you might like. I am making it for tonight's meal, so I thought I would share it with you, photographing as I go.

Polenta with carmelized onions, baby bellas, broccoli and sun dried tomatoes

Ingredients (serves 2)
1 tube of polenta
1 package of 'baby bella' mushrooms
1 yellow onion
3+ cloves of garlic
balsamic vinegar
extra virgin olive oil
sun dried tomatoes (about 6)
chickpeas
broccoli or zucchini or spinach


Carmelize the onion in a pot with the lid on. After 5 minutes, add 3 cloves of garlic, sliced, and sun dried tomatoes, sliced. After another five minutes add the thickly sliced baby bellas. Add fresh ground black pepper and stir. Replace the lid and lower the heat until mushrooms are tender. Set aside.



Cut the whole tube of polenta into slices. Polenta is surprising low in calories, so you may as well use it all. Then cube the slices as shown. Cut the broccoli into pieces as shown. Using the same pot, add the polenta and 1 cup of water. Add the broccoli on top. Drizzle some balsamic. Cook over medium heat with lid on.



Stir the mixture when you hear it start to bubble. When the broccoli is cooked and the polenta starts to break up, turn off heat.



Add the mushroom mixture back in and stir. Serve the polenta with black pepper and grated peppery pecorino.