Tofu Scramble

I'm tired of looking at that vegan mac and cheese...so even though I've been cooking plenty of new things and just couldn't be chuffed to take quick photos, I did manage to snap one the other night, if only to banish the mac and cheese from the top of my blog!

Can't believe I just got around to making this vegan standard. Found Isa Chandra's basic recipe in my search for something "new to us" to do with tofu the other night and this recipe will be a keeper. I served it for dinner with a coconut oil slathered piece of toasted Brown Soda Bread for a very satisfying meal.

Basic Tofu Scramble:
(Isa Chandra Moskowitz)

2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried thyme, crushed with your fingers (I used less and used fresh)
1/4 tsp ground tumeric
1 tsp salt (used less)
3 Tbsp water
1 lb firm or extra firm tofu, crumbled (used extra-firm and our pkg was only 14oz. so I didn't use as much of the spices as listed above)
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
Fresh black pepper to taste
1 sliced red pepper
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets, stems chopped small and lightly steamed
couple of green onions, sliced
extra water

First blend the spices and salt together in a small cup. Add the water and mix. Set aside.
Preheat a large, heavy-bottomed pan over medium-high heat. Not non-stick.
Sauté the sliced red pepper, in olive oil for about 4 minutes, add garlic for 1 more minute.
Break the tofu apart into bite-size pieces and sauté for about 10 minutes, stirring often.
Get under the tofu when you are stirring, scrape the bottom, and don’t let it stick to the pan; that is where the good crispy stuff is.
Use a thin metal spatula to get the job done; a wooden or plastic one won’t really cut it
The tofu should brown on at least one side, but you don’t need to be too precise about it
The water should cook out of it and not collect too much at the bottom of the pan. If that is happening, turn the heat up and let the water evaporate. Conversely, if the scramble seems dry add splashes of water until it’s nice and moist.
Add the spice blend and mix to incorporate. Add the nutritional yeast and pepper (I had to add splashes of water at this point). Add broccoli, cook for about 5 more minutes. Serve warm.

Cornbread and Beans Skillet

This recipe has been stewing in my "to try" file for a good while and finally made it to the top of the list. The recipe is an adaptation of Modern Beet's. All I did to her adaptation was add a little agave nectar to the beans and change up the cornbread topping so as not to include any white flour. Check out Modern Beet's recipe if you'd like to just use regular non-whole grain cornmeal and white flour. I'll be making this again for sure! Must be served with a side of braised greens liberally doused in hot sauce. :-)

Cornbread and Beans Skillet:
(adapted slightly from Modern Beet's recipe)

Pinto Beans
2 1/2 c. cooked pinto beans (homemade, from about 1 c. dried beans, or store bought)
2 Tbs. olive oil, or butter
1 small (fist-sized or smaller) onion, chopped
3 large cloves garlic, chopped
2 T. tomato paste
1 T. molasses
1/2 t. cayenne
1/2 t. chili powder
1/2 t. salt (I didn't add any since my beans were salty enough, so taste before adding)
1/4 t. black pepper
1/4 -1/2 c. bean cooking liquid or water
1 1/2 t. red wine vinegar

Cornbread Topping
3/4 cup Bob's Red Mill wholemeal corn flour (not cornstarch!)
1/2 cup Bob's Red Mill fine ground corn meal
1/2 t. salt
1 t. baking soda
2 c. buttermilk (I used slightly less...try adding slowly until you get a consistency you're happy with)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 T. butter, melted.

Special Equipment: 9 inch cast iron skillet

Preheat the oven to 400.

Heat oil in the cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute until translucent, about 4 minutes. Add the tomato paste, molasses, cayenne, chili powder, salt if needed, pepper and mix well. Add beans and enough bean cooking liquid or water so that the mixture is slightly soupy. Reduce the heat to low and simmer mixture for about 10 minutes or until reduced enough that it's not too liquid when you add the topping. Add the red wine vinegar, and adjust seasonings. I added some agave nectar for a touch more sweet. Remove from heat and spread the beans into an even layer in the skillet.

Mix the corn flour, corn meal, salt, and baking soda in a mixing bowl and stir to combine. In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk (I used 1 cup in the wet mix then added the rest into the whole batter until I reached a consistency I was happy with), egg, and melted butter, and I also added in a little more agave even though that wasn't in the original recipe. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and stir until thoroughly combined. Pour batter over the beans in the skillet and smooth the top.

Transfer skillet to oven and bake for about 30 minutes, until the top is golden, the cornbread starts to pull away from the skillet at the sides, and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cornbread comes out clean. Allow to cool for about 10 minutes, then slice into wedges and serve.

This should feed 4 good appetites.

Turkey Tetrazzini-esque

Your average turkey tetrazzini calls for salt-and-who-knows-what-else-laden cans of condensed soup. Ick. Full stop.
In my search for a non-gross recipe I came across an unassuming site that had what appeared to be a nice little recipe to base my casserole off of. The original called for a can of sliced mushrooms...a no-no in our house due to Monster Law.
NO MUSHIES. None. Ever. Okaaaaay. I had a beautiful bunch of Swiss chard in the fridge, along with a couple of zukes that needed using...in they went.
I didn't have the evaporated milk called for, so just cooked down, stirring constantly, 3 cups of unsweetened soy until I had 1 1/2 cups of liquid (12 oz worth). Fat-free cheese originally called for? No. Cave-aged Gruyere? YES! :-)
I might add that the impetus for making a casserole came from the need to use up some awesome Central Market in-house roasted Provencal turkey lunch meat coated with herbs (that I'd bought too much of). Don't you just love fridge cleaner meals? They really can leave you feeling quite virtuous.
Oh one more thing, if you can't get a turkey that's coated in herbs de Provence, then you might consider adding some when the onions and garlic are sauteeing.

Turkey Tetrazzini-esque:
(Based off a recipe gleaned from Mehani's Kitchen)

5 oz spelt elbows, cooked (original called for 8 oz whole wheat spaghetti, cooked...any whole grain pasta should be great)
2 cups chopped, cooked turkey (I just used what I had and it was sliced for sammies. I'll make this again and buy a turkey steak to dice)
1 cup chopped onion
1 large clove garlic, minced
2 cups organic reduced salt chicken broth
1 can fat-free evaporated milk
1 bunch of Swiss chard, de-stemmed and chopped
1 large zucchini, diced and sauteed over high heat in a bit of olive oil til it gets a little color on it.
1 TBS olive oil
3 TBS cornstarch
salt
pepper
grated cheese (Cave-aged Gruyere cheese = NOM)

Heat a large skillet you have a cover for. Add wet chard along with a little extra liquid (chicken broth or water) and braise for about 5 min, or until chard is wilted and tender. Drain and squeeze to get much of the liquid out of the chard. Chop after it's cooled a bit.

Saute up your zucchini in olive oil with a bit of salt and set aside.

Cook pasta for the minimum time if using spelt elbows (5 min), drain, and set aside.

Preheat oven to 350.

Combine cornstarch and chicken broth until smooth. Heat a small dab of butter and ~1Tbs of olive oil in a non-stick skillet.
Saute onion and garlic until tender. Add chicken broth/cornstarch mixture and cook until thickened.
Stir in milk and cook for 2 - 3 minutes.
Turn off heat and add chard, zucchini, turkey, and pasta, then season to taste with salt and pepper.

Add the mix into a lightly greased casserole.
Sprinkle grated cheese over the turkey noodle mix, then cover with foil.
Bake at 350 for ~20, then remove foil and bake for ~10 minutes more, or until hot and bubbly.
Place about 6 inches from broiler, and broil until lightly browned.

Kitchen Sink Pasta

As in it's got a little bit of everything except...
Fridge cleaner meal here, and super tasty to boot, if a little homely in the picture. I had more than half a tub of ricotta left from the omelet cannelloni, so decided to use it up in a pasta dish. I'm afraid the amounts are going to be kind of wishy washy on this one...but basically if it sounds like it might be good in your pasta toss it in!

Kitchen Sink Pasta:

1 preternaturally large chicken breast, pounded to ~1/4", salted and peppered, pan sauteed in a little olive oil, and cut into ~1" pieces
~10 oz ricotta cheese
freshly grated Parmesan
freshly grated nutmeg
~10 oz fresh spinach, washed but not dried
2 zucchini, cubed and roasted with a little olive oil and salt at 400 til done.
2 roma tomatoes, cut into 8 pieces each, then roasted at 400 til they start to collapse.
~1/4 cup chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil
1 large jarred roasted red pepper, chopped
brown rice elbows, or pasta of your choice
a bowl of the pasta water reserved
~1/4 cup packed torn fresh basil

After all your ingredients have been prepped, cook your pasta as per package instructions, making sure to reserve some of the cooking water.
In a small bowl, combine the ricotta and some Parm, freshly grated nutmeg, salt and pepper to taste.
In the same (still chickeny) pan you cooked the chicken in, add the still damp spinach and cover, cooking ~3-4 minutes, or until tender, then remove from heat.
Add ricotta mixture to spinach in the pan stirring to combine.
You can start to thin with some of the pasta water at this point.
Add the rest of the ingredients including the now cooked noodles until heated through.
Add more water until it's a consistency you're pleased with, adjust seasonings if needed, then enjoy the cheesy goodness.