Spinach Salad With All the Fixins.

I admit it: I had a completely different meal on the menu for tonight up until about 2 p.m.  It was a heavy, labor-intensive affair that was going to be incredibly well-received and (I hope) impressive, but, again, heavy and labor-intensive to get there.  So as I went out on a quick mid-afternoon walk to stretch my legs at work, it occurred to me: Why don’t I just … do something different?  The dinner I’d planned for tonight can certainly keep till tomorrow or next week – there’s nothing that will expire between now and then.

So with that in mind, here came tonight’s spinach salad instead!  Modified from a Pioneer Woman recipe, it has a wonderful balance of light, crisp flavors (spinach, mushrooms), plus some more protein-rich ingredients (hard-boiled eggs, vegetarian bacon) to give the dinner enough heft to carry the day.  Half-moons of sautéed onion rounded out the scenario, and instead of the Pioneer Woman’s dressing suggestion, I used one of my very favorite homemade versions to top everything off!

The dressing, while we’re on the subject, goes like this: Spoon out several dollops (that’s a technical term) of mayo into a smallish bowl, then add salt and pepper to taste.  Next, add a teaspoon or two of lemon juice, and finally about a tablespoon of olive oil.  Then whisk like your life depended on it until everything is combined, and spoon the final product atop the salad of your choosing!

Though the dish still required two pots and pans – one to boil the eggs, one to sauté the onions (the original recipe also calls for sautéed mushrooms, but I like mine raw) – it was still a heck of a lot less to wrestle than a normal midweek meal!  And the final product was gourmet indeed – at least for around these parts!

Traditionally, I look to salads during the warmer months, but I see no reason not to integrate them into the cooler climates every now and again as well.  Autumn is the perfect time to enjoy spinach and kale, which are just coming to full harvest in our area at the moment, and a filling, tasty dinner salad is just the ticket sometimes.  We’ll definitely come back to the well (so to speak) again soon – with both this recipe and others as the weeks go by!

:)

Vegetarian Pho With Tofu.

I ask you, what could be better for evicting a head cold once and for all than a big steaming bowl of vegetarian pho?  Last week, before I got sick, I’d added this to the menu for this week, and now I am so glad I did.  Though the worst part of the cold is over, I’m still fighting a tickly throat, and the pho did wonders at nursing me back to health!  (And unlike last time around, this pho was spicy, but not murderous.)

And it’s very easy to make.  I heated a carton of vegetable broth along with some powdered ginger, onion powder, and a pinch of garlic (and tonight I also added a quick dash of chipotle powder), bringing the liquid to a boil and then turning the heat down to a simmer.  While it warmed, I sliced some tofu into little rectangles and baked them in the oven at 450 degrees for about 30 minutes.

Next up, it was time to prepare the rice noodles (also sometimes called “rice sticks” in the grocery store aisles).  The prep work couldn’t be simpler: Boil some water and then soak the noodles in the water for 10 minutes, then drain.  Easy-peasy!

By the time all of that boiling-water tomfoolery was taken care of, it was nearly time to eat.  So I sliced a jalapeno (I was careful to add just a little bit this time!), washed some basil leaves, sliced a lime, and pulled out my Sriracha sauce – and with that, dinner was ready to roll!

We spooned some noodles into our bowls, then topped the noodles with tofu, and then ladled the piping-hot broth over the top.  After completing the meal with all of the available toppings, it was time to dig in!

LeeLee and I both love pho, so this dinner wasn’t an especially tough sell.  Two bowls apiece later, we were stuffed to the gills, but thrilled to know we still had plenty left for lunch tomorrow.  The only question: Who’s going to get to enjoy it?  Time will tell!

:)

Vegetarian Pizza Soup.

Mondays have quickly become Crock-Pot nights here at Chez Recessionista, since I have a tai-chi class that takes place shortly after work, leaving me very little time to cook anything before or after.  So this morning, I got up, pulled out my slow cooker, and got to work as usual.

The only difference?  I didn’t go to tai chi tonight.  Because, friends, I have come down with a cold following my big half-Ironman, and I want desperately to be a good classmate and not show up places where I could infect the room.  (Thank heaven I can work from home on days like these, as well!)

But who cares?  The pizza soup was just as good, even if I didn’t have to shuffle off immediately afterward.

I’ve described this recipe on these pages before, and I can assure you I’ve never been let down by the final product.  LeeLee and I both love this dish so much – from the tang of the pizza sauce to the chewiness of the vegetarian chorizo to all the veggies that abound within the broth.  And the shell pasta, which we add about 20 minutes before the end of the cooking time?  Magnifico!

And so we chowed down with gusto.  Even with my head cold, I could still taste the wonderful flavors that mingled just perfectly in this soup!  And I am confident in its restorative effects.  Who needs chicken soup – or even chik’n soup – when you’ve got comfort food like this?

:)

Sunday Cook-in: Vegetable Fajitas With Spicy Spaghetti Squash.

Well, friends, as you know, we enjoy cooking out on Sunday evenings.  Whether via the grill or the smoker, it’s a year-round affair here at Chez Recessionista, and I was hoping tonight to squeeze one last meal out of the charcoal grill for the season!

Alas, the wind just would not die down, and after evaluating the situation (read: How badly did I want to have to extinguish any wayward flames from the bush next to the grill?), I elected to cook indoors instead.  Oh, well.  Best laid plans and all that.

So with that in mind, I pulled a pan out of the cabinet and got cooking!

First, I put a spaghetti squash atop a baking sheet in the oven, baking it at 400 degrees for about an hour.  When the hour had elapsed and the squash was soft, I brought the pan out of the oven and began to sauté my fajita vegetables!  (The squash needed a few minutes to cool just a bit before I could handle it, you see.)

Prior to cooking, I cut three peppers (two bell, one poblano, all from Bigg Riggs Farm), and one medium onion into strips, each about a half-inch wide, and then marinated them for half an hour in a zip-top bag with olive oil, chipotle seasoning, ground cumin, garlic powder, and salt.  When it came time to cook, all I did was pour the bag out into a pan and fire up the heat to Medium-High!

After a few minutes, the peppers and onion were beginning to soften and caramelize nicely.  Once I was satisfied with their progress, I added several handfuls of sliced white mushrooms and stirred everything around to coat the mushrooms with oil.  A couple of minutes later, I added several handfuls of cherry tomatoes and let everything cook down for just a few more minutes, until the tomatoes were heated through.

While the sauté pan was working its magic, I heated up a can of refried beans on the back burner on low heat.  Since the fajitas themselves didn’t have a particularly protein-y ingredient tonight, I figured a layer of beans in the tortilla would be a useful addition!

As the veggies finished their cooking time, I split the spaghetti squash in half, scooped out (most of) the seeds, and then transferred the spaghetti-like strands of squash to a serving dish using two forks – I’ve found that’s the easiest way to cultivate the spaghetti texture of the squash!  Once everything was transferred over, I added several pats of butter and then a very generous helping of chipotle powder, stirring to combine.  The end result was a wonderfully zingy side dish, brimming with spiciness!

Finally, I warmed up several flour tortillas in a foil packet at 350 degrees for about three minutes, and when they were heated, it was time to serve the meal!  We spooned beans atop each tortilla, then added the fajita veggies, and then added a series of toppings – sour cream, cheese, Tabasco, some sauerkraut from locally based No. 1 Sons, and black olives.  Then we each enjoyed a hearty helping of spicy spaghetti squash on the side and declared our plates plentifully prepared!

Then it was time to chow down.  We both loved the fajitas – they sizzled just like in the restaurant! – and adored the spicy squash.  Who needs a visit to the Tex-Mex joint when you’ve got a spread like this on a Sunday at home?  We’ll definitely be back to this menu again.

:)

Vegan Chik’n Fried Rice.

Hello, friends!  I’m back from the half-Ironman and somewhat recovered.  It was a hot day on the course, so the run portion was a bit of a slogfest, but that’s OK.  A finish is a finish!  And three days later, I finally have my appetite back to some extent, so it’s time to get back into the kitchen!

Tonight I worked on resupplying my carb stores by whipping up a main dish of vegan chik’n fried rice.  I’ve made this meal with seitan and, I think, tofu, but never with chik’n strips!  Tonight I used Gardein’s teriyaki version (only I didn't use the sauce), and the final product was no worse for wear, that’s for sure.

This is one of those dishes that looks complicated to make but in actuality couldn’t be simpler.  I use Christy Jordan’s recipe over at Southern Plate, and it’s never let me down, even with a few modifications!  Tonight, for instance, I omitted the egg, and I used two packets of Uncle Ben’s Ready Rice to hustle the rice-making portion of the evening along.

First, I heated up the chik’n strips, and once they were warmed through I added the rice, peas, carrots, garlic powder, and soy sauce (actually, I used Braggs Liquid Aminos, a new-to-me ingredient I’ve been playing with lately).  Then, once everything was heated through, I stirred some chopped green onions in, and dinner was done!

I mentioned up above that I’ve managed to find my appetite again – I always lose it for a few days after a big race, even though common sense states that I should be ravenous.  Well, my appetite’s resurgence made itself known with a vengeance tonight, and I mowed down half the pan’s worth of dinner!  LeeLee Hoovered up most of the rest, and now we’re both feeling fat and happy.  (But in fairness, he was in a meeting all day and had a tiny lunch.  So we both were due for a feast.)

This is by far one of my favorite “Chinese takeout” meals!  And I’m sure we’ll enjoy it again in very short order.  I can’t wait to experiment with another protein to see how we can change the flavor profile a bit next time!  Stay tuned.

:)