Whew....

Where did that week go?

And not a single picture this week - we scarfed all our food down too quickly to mess with photography!

Sunday: empanadas
-We made empanadas stuffed with various combinations of black beans, queso fresco, onions, and red bell pepper.  We fried most of them and baked a few.  While the baked ones were fine (and would be improved by brushing them with oil next time) the fried ones?  Wow.  That was a dangerous little discovery.  So, so good, and pretty easy.  Probably not a weeknight meal, but still, so good.

Monday: mac n cheese
-made from this recipe, using 1/2 mozzarella and 1/2 havarti with dill cheeses, gluten free flour and corn macaroni.

Tuesday: black bean tacos using leftover black beans and corn tortillas made from the last of the empanada dough.

Wednesday: celeriac and potato rosti
-coarsely grate one large potato and one medium celeriac.  mix with enough flour and egg until you think you can press it together to make a patty.  mix in chopped celery and press the whole deal into the pan.  cook over medium to medium high for 5-8 minutes, flip, repeat.  We made two rosti and put the first one in the toaster over at 350 while the second one cooked, and we both enjoyed the baked rosti more than the griddle-only one.  Serve with a mix of plain yogurt, sour cream, and dill.

Thursday: Indian take-out!  yum.  I was looking forward to this all week!

Mu Shu with Baked Teriyaki Tofu and Rice Paper Wraps

Tonight we made mu shu wraps with teriyaki tofu, based on this recipe: http://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/10240

We both really enjoyed them.  I'm not sure I'd do anything different next time.  The recipe says it serves 6.  We finished off the whole pan, but we also had only 2 cups cabbage, and not 6.

I made baked tofu earlier in the day by slicing a block of tofu into squares, pressing it, and then marinating in teriyaki sauce for about 1/2 hour.  I then baked it at 375 for about 45 minutes, turning about every 15 minutes.

1. Rehydrate 1 package shiitake mushrooms.  The package I found was about 4 oz of already-sliced mushroom pieces.

2. Scramble 3 eggs in large pan.  Remove from pan and set aside.

3. Saute mushrooms and garlic in oil.  Add about 2 cups shredded carrots and cabbage (leftover from making coleslaw awhile ago, conveniently).  I added several spoonfuls of the mushroom-rehydrating water to help the cabbage cook.

4. Add teriyaki tofu (about 3/4 a block, baked), cut in matchsticks, and 3 sliced green onions.  Cook until warmed through.  Remove from heat and stir in the eggs.

5.  We served the mu shu with rice paper wraps, rehydrating the wraps as we ate.  No hoisin because I couldn't find any gluten free variety, but I don't really think it needed it.

Veggie Lasagna Florentine

Ingredients:

9 lasagne noodles

-I used 12 Gluten Free Tinkyada lasagne noodles

2 Tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup chopped onion

1 8oz can sliced mushrooms

-I used about 4 fresh sliced button mushrooms

2 Tbsp minced garlic

1 zucchini, finely chopped (about 2 cups)

-I used 2 small zucchini

1 28oz can crushed tomatoes

-I used 1-28oz can diced tomatoes, and smashed them in the pan

1-6oz can tomato paste

-I used about 3-4 Tbsp of double-strength tomato paste from a tube I had in the fridge

1 Tbsp dried oregano

pinch brown sugar (optional, I used it this time, but I don't normally)

salt to taste (I also added black pepper and about 1 tsp crushed red pepper)

1-10oz package frozen spinach

1-16oz container ricotta cheese

2 eggs

3Tbsp dried basil, divided (I didn't have any, left this out)

1/4 cup grated parmesan (I used pecorino romano)

1lb shredded mozzarella or mixed cheese

-I used 8-oz shredded mozzarella and 8oz "Italian Blend" with mozzarella, provolone, Parmesan, asiago, fontina, and Romano.

*Saute onion, garlic, mushrooms, zucchini in oil until soft. Stir in tomatoes, tomato paste, oregano, brown sugar, and salt to taste. Reduce hit and let simmer for 15 minutes. Mine took a bit longer to thicken up.

*Microwave spinach until cooked. Cool, squeeze out excess water. Blend spinach, ricotta, eggs, and 2 Tbsp basil.

*In separate bowl, mix together shredded cheeses.

*Cook noodles. For the Tinkyada gluten free noodles I erred on the side of under cooking them, and cooked them about 6-8 minutes instead of the 14-16 the package said. They start falling apart after 10, I can't imagine the mush you end up with after 16 minutes.

*Layer sauce, then noodles, then spinach, shredded cheese. Sauce, noodles, spinach, cheese, etc., ending with shredded cheese.

*Bake for 60 minutes in 350 degree oven. I held it in the fridge for two days before baking.

While layering:

Thursday night: nachos.  Chips, black beans, queso, onions, tomatoes, salsa, sour cream.

Friday night: egg fried rice with onion, carrots, red pepper, bird's eye chilis, mushrooms, garlic, ginger, tamari and sesame oil.  

Seared Scallops with Creamy Risotto

Seared scallops served over creamy risotto made with spinach, mascarpone, and parmesan.

Risotto:

saute some onion and garlic in butter and olive oil until soft. add rice and stir until rice is lightly toasted. add hot chicken stock 1/4 cup at a time, stirring slowly until stock is absorbed before adding more stock. when rice is tender, stir in scoop of mascarpone, a handful or two of fresh baby spinach until wilted, and give a squeeze of lemon at the end.

I don't mind making risotto, even with all the stirring and whatnot, but I can't figure out why it always takes me a lot longer and a lot more stock than most risotto recipes I've seen. This took nearly 7 cups of stock for 1 1/2 cups of rice and nearly an hour.

Husband even called it the best risotto he's ever had.

Productivity

Happy President's Day!

Let's wrap up since last post:

Thursday: was still a snow day. For dinner, we had giant salads (yum! green things!), the husband's topped with leftover chicken with a side of cornbread. Mine was just veggies, with chicken and melted cheese toasts on the side. Or was that Wednesday? We also had toasted chicken & cheese sandwiches sometime last week.

Friday: back to work for me. Dinner was mild Italian chicken sausage sandwiches with slaw.

Saturday: I had some sort of stomach bug, so I had plain white rice. Husband ordered a pizza from the Italian Pizza Kitchen with sausage and kalamata olives. I snuck a bite (or ten). It was delicious.

Sunday: pan-fried potatoes with onions, garlic, mild Italian chicken sausage, and chard.

Today, I took a trip (via Metro, since the car is entombed in snow) to Whole Foods and Giant to pick up a few things. Then, I bade a big pot of black beans in the oven and a veggie florentine lasagna to get ready for Lent. We've decided to go vegetarian for Lent, which starts on Wednesday.

Black Beans:

1/2 small onion, finely diced

3-4 garlic cloves, smashed

1lb dry black beans

saute 1/2 a small onion and a few smashed garlic cloves in a large pot

pick over the beans, removing any stones or broken beans

add beans to the pot and add water to about 1 inch over the level of the beans

cover the pot and place in a 325 degree oven for about an hour and a half. check after an hour or so and see if you need to add more water.

Tonight, I'm making seared scallops with creamy spinach risotto. Pictures to come!

Vegetarian Lasagna recipe coming on Wednesday!

Barbecue Chicken Nachos

There's this concession stand in the Verizon Center that serves barbecue chicken nachos.  They are messy and delicious.  Since we had leftover pulled chicken and queso from the Super Bowl, we decided to recreate them.  They were messy and delicious.  And probably something that should NOT become part of the regular rotation around here, despite how tasty they are.

Tortilla chips, black beans, barbecue chicken, onion, queso (Velveeta and Rotel), salsa, sour cream.

Snowmageddon and Snoverkill (or Snowfecta, if you prefer)

Well, after 25" of snow Friday-Saturday we are set to get another 10-16" tonight. Federal Government (and thus, the entire city of DC) closed early Friday and has been closed Monday and Tuesday. Here's how we've been spending our time:

-knitting

-reading

-playing Wii fit

-watching bad tv and movies.

We've been eating well, though! We might be a little too well-stocked for the storm. There's no way I'm getting through this storm without gaining a good 5 pounds.

Saturday: freshly baked pumpkin bread with pecans, chicken sandwiches for dinner, leftover cornbread and pinto beans.

Sunday: our Super Bowl party of 7 turned into 2 so we've had lots of food! Pulled chicken sandwiches, potato chips, veggies and dip, chips and queso (Rotel dip), chocolate chip bars, and chocolate brownies, and of course, beer.

Monday: Our Super Bowl guests spent the night because Metro was so slow, so we started the day with pumpkin bread, cheesy ranch scrambled eggs, and bacon, with a game of Blockus on the side. Monday night we made arepas and stuffed them with some of the leftover pulled chicken. Chocolate chip ice cream on brownies for dessert.

Today, Tuesday, I think we'll be eating lots of leftovers. I made a big salad for lunch - the anti-brownie.

Week ending with: Snowmageddon!

Monday: turkey and swiss sandwiches with Utz sour cream and onion chips.

Tuesday: fried brown rice with onion, carrots, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, and frozen broccoli, tossed with sauce of chili paste, tamari, and fish sauce. Topped with a fried egg. Condiments of gomasio, kimchi, and sesame oil.

Wednesday: nachos! Tortilla chips topped with canned black beans, shredded Mexican blend cheese, onion, and cherry tomatoes.

Thursday: gluten free pizza from Lilit Cafe! Chicken, red peppers, onions, and green olives.

Friday: pinto beans (cooked earlier, from the freezer), prepared with onions, garlic, and bacon, served with Bob's Red Mill cornbread mix, to which we added shredded cheese, green onions, and jalapeno.

On tap for the weekend: cooking chicken for pulled chicken sandwiches, caramel-pretzel-peanut brownies, chocolate chip cookie bars, and pumpkin quick bread. I may make another batch of black beans too. And 20-30" of snow. Hooray for snowy, productive weekends!