Getting closer to kitchen creativity

I’m settling in gradually to my new digs. I’m trying to make my tiny kitchen functional despite the lack of space for all my necessary kitchen equipment. Well, what I considered necessary when I packed up for this move. I hope to acquire a versatile kitchen cart to house a few items and extend my counter space. Truth be told, I will likely have to let go of some of my hoard of kitchenware after spending some time to determine what I actually find essential to my new life.

It’s getting closer to time for making goodies intended for Christmas gifts, so I’ll be looking at some new alternatives to the old traditions. I’ve come to consider that a good food gift is not only beautiful and delicious, but also contributes to the giftee’s health. One idea that just occurred to me while writing this post is a kit for making Mideastern lentil soup, something the intended recipients would never try on their own but would find delicious.

If any of my readers have ideas to share, please leave me a comment. I appreciate your thoughts, especially on making the most of a small living space, cooking for one, and healthy food gifts. As autumn progresses, I wish you all full and happy hearts as you enjoy the changing seasons.

Eggplant Parm the Healthy Way

As they say, better late than never.  I think that will be my story this summer.  I did cook the Mellanzane Parmigiana (p. 92) and made the Tomato Sauce (p. 62) from Delicious Dishes last week, but then life kind of took over for a few days and so it’s taken me this long to write about it.  We savored the last of it at lunch today, and as is typical of such dishes, it was even better after a few days’ rest.

So here’s the down & dirty details of nearly from scratch tomato sauce.  I followed the recipe to a T because it was my first time.  I bought some genuine San Marzano tomatoes for the purpose.  It’s the first time I’ve used them, expensive as they are compared to regular old store-brand canned tomatoes.  My impression is that the pricey Italian pomodoros taste a little sweeter and mellower than my everyday tomatoes.  I don’t know, but I’ve been told, that the San Marzanos are simply IT for making homemade tomato soup.  Of course the holy grail of tomato cookery would be to pick warm tomatoes off one’s own vines, but I am also advised that the San Marzano tomato is like the true Vidalia onion — has to be grown in that specific place in the world to be the genuine article.

Still, I am out watering my lovely Roma bushes each day to encourage them to give me bushels of fruit destined for the sauce pot and a few other uses.

I did use a stick blender rather than pressing the hot sauce through a sieve.  A sieve — seriously??  I hate losing any tomato-y goodness, even the seeds, in the strainer, and worse than that, I hate washing the stuff out of the nasty little wire baskets.  I use my wire strainers to sift flour or strain liquids or juices and that’s about it.

Enough about equipment — the sauce is incredible in its purity and simplicity!  I did have fresh basil to throw into it.  A little heavy on the olive oil, I thought, but what do I know?  From-scratch sauce I’ve made before can’t touch this.  I’m planning to make batches of this put up in Mason jars as the tomatoes come in.

On to the eggplant.  Robin’s recipe says to put the salted and sweated slices on the grill to cook, which is what I did and it’s the first time I’ve grilled eggplant.  Maybe that’s what gave it the incredible flavor that made me forget about the breadcrumbs and mozzarella I always used in my conventional recipe.

Eggplant slices on the grill

 

Mellanzane Parmigiana (p.92) with Tomato Sauce (p. 62)

 

The eggplant layered with sauce and parmesan nicely filled my casserole dish and the aroma had me ready to eat before it was even halfway done.

 

 

 

 

I cooked some brown rice rotini, tossed with olive oil, garlic and a little butter to serve alongside.

It’s not your mama’s eggplant parm, it’s better!

I thought I’d have to give up my favorite vegetarian main dish, between gluten intolerance and weight loss, but now I can indulge and know it’s healthy as well as delicious.  All the flavors are there, but with much less fat.  I’m hoping I can grow some eggplant in this year’s garden.  I have attempted it many times but the flea beetles get to the plants before they can produce.  I will have to be on the lookout and see if I can prevent the bugs from getting the best of me this year.

The next meal I made was T-bone steaks, grilled to perfection with sauteed mushrooms and sweet potatoes cooked in foil on the grill.  Instead of using a whole stick of butter on the vegetables, I used mostly olive oil with a tablespoon or so of butter for cooking the mushrooms, and dressed the sweet potatoes with EVOO and rosemary and a little sprinkle of sea salt.  I had enough of my steak left over to make a nice lunch of it the next day.  So you see, as much as I love my vegetable dishes, I am still a meat-eater at heart.  I just don’t depend on the meat to star in every meal any more.  It’s more a special treat than the basis of my diet, as I go further down the path of this new way of feeding myself.

 

Frittata — It’s What’s for Supper

I used the frittata recipe Robin blogged today, but since I had no zucchini, but did have a yellow summer squash, I used that, and added a little red bell pepper for color.  I’m not a big fan of eggs, except maybe deviled eggs, other than at breakfast or brunch, but this dish has changed my thinking.  I needed something light yet with a good amount of protein, and wanted veggies but not salad tonight.  Voila!  Squash and onion frittata to the rescue.

A few days ago, I got around to making quinoa tabouli.  I should have taken a picture, but I was so hungry I scarfed it down without a thought about the blog.  No problem — it was so good and so nutritious I will be making it on a regular basis.  I liked it better than traditional bulghur wheat tabouli.  It’s another meatless but protein-packed meal.  I could live on this stuff alone for days if need be.  Next time (which will be soon) I make it I will take pictures and give the recipe here.

I have been busy planting my vegetable garden and trying to do some delayed spring cleaning, which left little time for blogging.  But I can’t stay away for long, so here’s to getting it all in.  I’m planning to do the version of eggplant parmigiana on page 92 of Delicious Dishes tomorrow if possible.  I love the traditional way but it’s too heavy for summer eating, and Robin’s version has nary a breadcrumb in sight, and no mounds of gooey mozzarella.  I will be recording this adventure here, so stay tuned.

Mind-blowing and Meatless

Clockwise from left: Rice and Spinach Torte (p. 34); Cucumber and tomato salad; Sauteed Mushrooms with Parsley and Garlic (p.78).

I did it!  I pulled the trigger and prepared a full vegetarian meal!  And it was GREAT!!

The main course was Robin’s Rice and Spinach Torte, on page 34 of the cookbook.  I have to admit I was skeptical about how this would be.  I was afraid it would come out bland and unappealing.  I’ve eaten a lot of spinach and a lot of brown rice in my life, and I like each as a separate thing, but never thought combining them would be very interesting.  All I can say is that I lacked imagination — it’s the seasoning and the method in the recipe that makes this a satisfying, stand-out vegetarian entree.  My crumbs were gluten free and corn-based, which is why they are so yellow, but they worked wonderfully with the rice and spinach.   The textures of this dish surprised me — an almost meaty center with the wonderfully crunchy “crusts” gave it substantial mouth feel.  The husband is as much a carnivore as I, and he really enjoyed the torte.

The mushrooms seemed a natural accompaniment to the spinachy main dish.  Although the recipe calls for “field mushrooms,” I am not a mushroomer and would certainly end up with terminal liver failure if I tried to be.  Thus, using the old standbys, white and brown mushrooms,  I prepared the recipe as written, but at the last minute threw in a dash of sherry to deglaze the pan, which is a trick I learned long ago and do automatically.  The savory mushrooms complement the torte just as well as they always have done with steak.

Fresh cucumber and tomato salad, dressed simply with olive oil, lemon juice and ground black pepper, provided a cool, snappy counterpoint to the rich, umami flavors of the other two courses.  Dessert was a simple frozen strawberry fruit pop, since I didn’t have any fresh berries.

There was plenty left over of the torte, also some of the mushrooms and a little snack of salad.  This will make a nice packed lunch for my commuting day on Friday.

My Perfectly Vegetarian Plate

I can already feel the difference on my insides of dispensing with meat for the evening meal.  I am fully satisfied, yet my digestive system seems — what should I say — “calmer” might be the word.  And I have noticed that my blood sugar did not spike afterward and then crash.  I sort of expected that to happen, because it seems to, no matter what the meal consists of.  Not this time.  It’s about time for me to turn in, but I don’t feel like I have to crash out, if that makes sense.

So, now that I’ve made the torte, I see what a surprising and impressive dish this would be to serve guests.  I can imagine how good it might be with a bowl of freshly cooked tomato-basil soup and maybe some fennel salad on the side.

And I always thought I had to roast a bird, or throw a steak on the grill for company . . .  Well, the times, they are a-changin’!

Roasted Red Peppers on the Grill

It was a lovely evening to grill out.  I’ve been waiting for a break in the spring rains to try my favorite recipe from Delicious Dishes, page 95, cooked on the gas grill with a new variation,  This time around, I used queso del caribe and a bit of smoked salmon and fresh rosemary on the luscious tomato-stuffed red bell peppers.

Roasted red peppers stuffed with tomato and cheese, from p. 95 of Delicious Dishes for Diabetics, cooking on the grill.

Lentils, prepared as on p. 164

Dinner is Served! Red Peppers Stuffed with Tomatoes, Queso and Smoked Salmon, Comfort Lentils, and Mediterranean Vegetables

It’s been a while since I cooked lentils, so I used the recipe on page164 to make a spicy side dish.  I just had regular green lentils, but they are very good this way.  As with several other dishes in the book, the main flavorings are onion, coriander and cumin seeds, crushed in a mortar, and chili pepper,  I also used a small clove of garlic, chopped fine.  I confess to cooking them a little too soft, so that they tended to mush up like refried beans when I spooned them out of the pot.  Mashed or not, they tasted great with the peppers and the Mediterranean vegetable mix I used to round out the meal.

The husband says he can’t decide between this evening’s version or the original with chevre as his preference so far.  He really liked the smoked salmon, as did I.  It just added to that grilled-outdoors flavor that’s really the point of using the barbeque.  I used a foil-lined pan this time, but I may get more adventurous and use one of those grill-top baskets or perforated pans next try.  I have a lot to learn about grilling vegetables, so it’s all going to be experimental cooking for a while to come.

I bought a bunch of fresh veggies on the weekend, and some Beano 😉 so coming up, we will be trying recipes for cauliflower, broccoli, eggplant (aubergine) and the spinach and rice torte.  I’m trying to take the focus off meat as the main dish of the meal and use it more as an occasional luxury food.  Food prices have gone up so much in the last few months, I’m looking forward to a good garden to feed us toward the end of summer.  Until then, I am practicing on store-bought produce and soon, the farmer’s markets as I find more Delicious Dishes to explore.

Super-spicy Soup

Black Bean Soup with Cilantro-Lime Yogurt — mui picante!

My lunch today was this beautiful Black Bean Soup.  I actually made it the other night as a quick supper.  It consists of onion and garlic sweated for a few minutes in olive oil, then 2 cans of black beans, undrained, about a cup of vegetable broth, one 12-oz. can of beer, and 1 can of Rotel tomatoes with peppers.  I used the “hot” variety, which, had I known it contained habanero peppers, I might not have put in the whole can.  Ay chihuahua! Was that hot!  A generous dollop of  nonfat Greek yogurt mixed with lime juice and fresh cilantro balanced the flavors nicely, but it was still pretty spicy.  But I love nothing better than well-flavored spicy food.

Nevertheless, for the husband’s sake, the next time I make this, I will check to see which can of tomatoes I have grabbed from the shelf BEFORE dumping it in the pot! After the whole thing was bubbling nicely, but not to a full boil, I hit it with the stick blender so the consistency was about like gravy with some whole beans and bean pieces  remaining for texture.  Add the yogurt just before serving and enjoy — perhaps with a cold beer or glass of milk for those without cast-iron stomachs.

 

Feasting without Meat

How is it possible for a carnivore to feast without meat?  I’m finding out.  We had Red Peppers Stuffed with Tomatoes and (instead of chevre, which I honestly just don’t like) Marinated Fresh Mozzarella.  A sumptuous meal, paired with a small side of gluten-free mac and cheese.  It looked beautiful and tasted even better.  So good, in fact, that we devoured it before I thought to take a picture.  (My post “Keen on Quinoa” has a picture if you want to see how they look.)

And the aroma!  The peppers, tomatoes and garlic, with the herbed cheese and olive oil, will undoubtedly scent my dreams and I will probably wish I had leftovers for breakfast.

Possibly the best fast food I’ve ever had — I prepped the peppers at lunchtime and still had time to eat my lunch.  I called the husband when I was ready to head home from school this evening, and he obligingly preheated the oven and put the peppers in to cook.  Only a few minutes after arriving home, I was enjoying a nutritious dinner.  The only one who missed having meat was the dog, and he was more than happy to lick up some melted cheese.

It feels sensational to be well fed and satisfied with a vegetarian meal.  I don’t think I will ever be a full-time vegetarian by choice, and certainly not vegan.  I do like meat, fish and poultry too well to totally abstain, and I have no moral qualms over it.  But I am learning to enjoy vegetarian dishes, and I expect to reap the profits of that in lower food costs and lower numbers on the scale when I weigh in.  I have noticed my energy levels come up as well.

The more I explore the pages of Delicious Dishes, the greater my gratitude to the author.  I can’t say enough about the positive change in my life as a result of adopting this new way of eating.  I highly recommend it.