best soba noodles yet (with red cabbage, zucchini and radish)

I thought about also calling this post "I finally mastered cooking tofu!" But it's about much more than just the tofu. Look at those colors. :) I was pretty proud of this bowl of lunch deliciousness. The tofu is a pretty funny story though. I have made tofu before and I could never seem to get it crispy (my friend Jessica is super good at this). Turns out it's pretty easy to google "fried tofu" and have the internet come to your aid. As I understand it, the biggest thing is just getting out most of the moisture. So I put the block of extra firm tofu on a plate with some paper towels, put a plate on top, and then put the heaviest thing in my kitchen on top of that: my cast iron le Creuset. It seemed pretty balanced, so I went for a quick run. When I came back, the paper towels were soaked and there was water even dripping over onto the counter. So I guess that's a pretty good technique to press the water out. Then I put some coconut oil in the pan and fried the tofu (leaving it a good 6-8 minutes to brown) and it turned out great. I did have to do two batches though, and on the second batch the oil was starting to get pretty hot and smoke a little bit... and I set off our fire alarm. Turns out it doesn't only beep, but a woman's voice yells "FIRE! FIRE!" Seriously! I've never heard of that before. I was a little scared someone from the building was going to burst in and see what was going on, but I managed to circulate some air and the thing stopped. A bit dramatic, when probably 99% of the time when the alarm goes off it's not FIRE, but due to cooking. (Right?!)

Back to the noodles. Soba noodles are a great go-to recipe to use up whatever vegetables you have left in the drawer. You can use carrots, cabbage, cucumber, whatever. In my case it happened to be red cabbage, zucchini, green onion and radish, which made a really beautiful combination. And they pack really well for lunch. The raw vegetables made it nice and crunchy and the tahini dressing was perfect sweet-salty.

ingredients (for 2):
soba noodles
1 package extra-firm tofu
3-4 green onions
1/2 - 1/3 head of red cabbage, finely sliced (mandolin)
2-3 radishes, finely sliced (mandolin)
1/2 zucchini, julienne cut (I love my julienne peeler!)

for dressing:
tahini (about 1/4 cup)
olive oil (1 tsp)
rice vinegar (1 T)
soy sauce (just a dash)
maple syrup (1-2 tsp)
grated ginger (about 1/2 inch)
optional: garlic, sesame oil

1. Make noodles according to package and rinse with cool water.

2. Mix dressing. I just kept tasting it until it had the right sweetness/tanginess. Sorry I didn't get exact measurements. You could also make a peanut dressing, or something with sesame. There are lots of good recipes out there.

3. Make tofu: Press/drain tofu between paper towels for 30 minutes. Cut into 1/2 inch slices. Fry on medium heat with vegetable oil or coconut oil, do not disturb while it fries 6-7 minutes. Season with salt + pepper while in the pan. You can see it start to brown and the brown creep up the sides. Then you know it's time to flip. The other side will only take 4-5 minutes. Just keep an eye on it. Remove to a cutting board and slice.

4. Cut all vegetables and mix everything together. Top with tofu, cilantro and/or nuts if you have them. Enjoy!

turkey and zucchini meatballs with green onion and cumin (and sumac-yogurt sauce)

I think this might be the first thing I tried from Ottolenghi and Tamimi's cookbook Jerusalem. I love Ottolenghi's Plenty, which Synne introduced me to, of course. I have absolutely loved everything I've made from it. He has great, flavorful food which isn't too difficult, but it pushes me to try new things. My friend Rachel gave me some sumac spice a while back, and I see that lots of the Jerusalem recipes call for it. This was my first time using sumac. It has a mild flavor, I guess slightly tart and lemony. We had the zucchini meatballs (or "burgers") with a salad of baby kale with toasted pine nuts and parmesan - a really wonderful dinner.

ingredients:

1 lb ground turkey

1 large zucchini, coarsely grated

3 green onions, thinly sliced

1 large egg

2 T chopped mint

2 T chopped cilantro

2 cloves garlic, crushed

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp fresh black pepper

1/2 tsp cayenne

vegetable oil, for browning

sumac-yogurt sauce: mix in a bowl: 2/3 cup yogurt, 1 tsp grated lemon zest, 1 T lemon juice, 1 small clove garlic, crushed; 1 T olive oil, 1 T sumac, 1/2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp black pepper 

1. Make the sauce and set aside. 

2. Preheat oven to 425 F. Ina bowl, combine all meatball ingredients. Mix with your hands then shape into about 18 patties. I noticed that the mix seemed really wet. the zucchini isn't drained first (as it often is in such recipes), and when I browned them, they started to fall apart a bit. But when I finished them off in the oven (a step that I almost skipped...I have to admit), they got a really nice consistency.

3. Pour oil into a large pan, heat over med until hot, then sear the meatballs in batches on all sides. Cook each about 4 minutes. You may have to add a bit more oil. 

4. Carefully transfer to a baking sheet (I lined it with alu-foil) and bake 5-7 minutes until cooked through. 

5. Serve warm with the sauce. 

exploring Providence: another morning at the farmer's market (and another slaw recipe)

Today was another gorgeous Saturday morning, so after a short jog I biked up to the market to get some veggies for the week. Our CSA share starts in two weeks, so after that I probably won't go to the market anymore. And the weather probably won't be as nice, so I wanted to appreciate it while I can. I still was surprised the farm stands didn't have more greens (didn't see any fresh herbs, salad greens), but they did have lots of end-of-summer fruit - and one stand even had winter squash already! Below is a nice assortment of what they had. Lots of tomatoes, peaches, plums, pears, some corn, watermelon, green beans, potatoes, onions. Lots of good produce!

I also stopped at this Indian spice store (Not Just Spices) on Hope St on my way up there. That will be a good resource. I will really miss By The Pound, an amazing bulk spice/food store in Ann Arbor. But now I at least know where I can get some cheap spices and dried beans. Maybe it will inspire me to try cooking more Indian food. that's something I've always wanted to learn. I also need to explore that area (Summit?) on Hope Street more. They have lots of shops and restaurants and it's really cute looking.

okonomiyaki - japanese cabbage "pancakes" with shrimp

I took my first bite of these savory pancakes and thought...ummm...what did i just make?! i made this?! It's so delicious! Just from the list of ingredients I had no idea it would turn out this tasty. I found this recipe a while ago while looking for ways to use up cabbage (a common predicament), and had been meaning to give it a try. After making that slaw I still had quite a bit of cabbage left. Still do of the red variety.

The recipe is from Midge from Food52, and I altered it slightly to make just enough for myself for dinner. The good thing is if you have cabbage on hand, you probably have most other ingredients. Okay, maybe not the shrimp. I did buy that for the recipe. But the scallions could be substituted with onion, and you could use another kind of fish.

makes about six pancakes - double for 2-3 people

sauce:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 T soy sauce
1 tsp sriracha, more or less to taste

pancakes:
3 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 T white flour
1 cup cabbage, shredded with a mandoline or finely chopped
1 bunch scallions, trimmed and chopped

freshly grated ginger
1/3 cup (roughly) baby or chopped shrimp
canola oil for frying
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

1.Mix sauce and set aside: spoonful of mayo, some soy sauce and some hot sauce. 

2. Mix eggs, soy sauce, sesame oil and salt. Slowly whisk in flour, then add in cabbage, scallions, ginger, and shrimp. Mix together. 

3. Heat oil in a pan on medium, fry pancakes. sprinkle with sesame before you flip. Cook about 3 minutes each side, or until brown and crispy.

 recipe from food 52

summer slaw with peanut sauce and avocado BLTs with my sisters!

I'm in Minneapolis staying with my twin sister for a few days. Yesterday morning we went on a 15-mile run along the Mississippi River - so beautiful. Okay, my legs were throbbing a bit... but it was so nice to explore a new route and get to chat the whole time. I actually don't know Minneapolis very well. So many of my Duluth friends have moved to "the Cities," as we call Minneapolis/St. Paul in Minnesota, but I actually haven't spent much time here. And when I am here, I am usually with my sisters and not out exploring too much. So the run was really nice. From Northeast, we crossed over the Broadway bridge and then went down the West River Parkway, past the Mill City Museum and Guthrie Theater, with views of the University of Minnesota campus overlooking the other bank, and on the way back we crossed the Stone Arch Bridge with beautiful views of downtown Minneapolis.

And then our younger sister and her boyfriend came over for dinner and we had BLTs and salads al fresco. Really feels like summer. Elisabeth said "I feel like I'm in a health food magazine." :) Then we baked cookies and played Settlers of Catan - can it get any better than this? The three of us aren't together very often, so I always really appreciate these days.

Anyways, dinner was really good. Click "continue" for the slaw recipe. I will post the second salad tomorrow. :)

spring green minestrone

This is another recipe inspired by Anna Thomas's Love Soup and Nigel Slater's post for a green minestrone. I got all kinds of green things at the farmer's market and wanted to try a green spring soup. Anna Thomas purees her green soup, but I liked the idea of keeping things small and whole so you can see all the good veggies swimming around. :) It was veggie-packed and tasty, but rather subtle and needed some red pepper flakes and/or ground pepper at the end for a little kick.

2 leeks, white and light green parts
2 T olive oil
garlic
sea salt

2 small green zucchini, halved and cut in thin slices
half bunch asparagus, cut in small slices
1 can cannelini beans (or potatoes)
about 3 c basic light vegetable broth
fresh lemon juice (2-3 T)

sorrel and chives
red pepper flakes
fresh ground pepper
garnish: spring onions, parmesan or pecorino romano shavings

Wash and drain leeks, slice. In a soup pot, saute leeks with butter or oil and a little salt. Try not to get brown, just soft. Add garlic and zucchini and asparagus, cook a few minutes then add liquids (stock and/or a little water). Add beans or potatoes, let simmer a few minutes until everything is hot. Top with fresh chives, sorrel, a squeeze of lemon juice and garnish with spring onions and cheese. 

Serve with good bread and cheese.

quinoa salad with black beans, mango, and more

This is a veggie-packed quinoa salad with lots of flavors. The mango and lime juice really make it fresh and add a nice sweet-sourness.

ingredients: 
2 cups cooked quinoa (1 cup uncooked - mix of red and white)
1 mango, cut into small dice (see how to cut a mango)
1/2 can black beans (rinsed, drained) or a full can if you want more black beans
1/2 bell pepper (red or yellow), small dice
3 chopped scallions
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
diced jicima
5 radishes, thinly sliced

dressing: oil / vinegar (red wine, cider, or rice) / lime juice / bit of sugar / lime zest

Cook the quinoa, 1 cup quinoa to 2 cups water (simmer 15 minutes covered).
Chop all your veggies: bell pepper, scallions, jicima, radish, and mango (see instructions). Rinse beans, zest lime, add everything together in a big bowl. Let the quinoa cool slightly before mixing it with the veggies.

rice noodles and cabbage with ginger-honey-almond sauce and spring-omelette strips

Okay here's a recipe from Dennis Cotter's For the Love of Food, another great recommendation from Synne. :) As far as Cotter's recipes go, it's one of the easier ones (in terms of finding ingredients and steps), but it does dirty three pans. The flavor makes it well worth it though. It's one of those, "I made this?" meals. So easy and so tasty. One of my favorite go-to lazy take-out meals is pad thai, so this rice-noodle dish is a good comfort meal, and I can think of good ways to vary it.  The ginger-honey-almond sauce is also really good, and I will use this again on soba noodles or veggies at some point. Just a warning though, the rice noodles stick and it's not as good left over.

root vegetable ragout with tarragon wild rice "pancake" topping

Tonight's Saturday day night dinner was a delicious, veggie-packed feast. We got a big new load of vegetables from the CSA on Friday, including parsnips, and flipping through cookbooks (a weekend hobby...) I saw this tasty-sounding recipe from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Suppers. This helped us clean out the odds-n-ends of the vegetable drawer (some beets, carrots, parsnips). Jessica and I cooked together, which helped cut down the somewhat long prep time. But it is worth it. It makes a lasagne-pan size casserole of root vegetables, topped with a tasty wild rice "pancake" topping. It was a nice, fitting comfort-food for this unseasonable April weather (blgh).

Deborah Madison points out you could also make wild rice "crepes" and serve the ragout filling inside. I love any form of pancakes...but this makes the cooking time less hands-on than making individual pancakes.

Like all brown food, it didn't photograph super well, but I just have to convince you of the deliciousness: crunchy wild-rice tarragon topping...bright pink root vegetables and cabbage with a goat cheese sauce underneath. Yum.