Zucchini and White Bean Sautée with Polenta

Eating Well has a nice-looking polenta and ratatouille recipe, but I just don't like eggplant.  (Judge me if you so choose!)  Here's an eggplant-free version of theirs.

Ingredients

4 T. extra-virgin olive oil, divided
1 large onion, peeled and chopped
1 large bell pepper, seeds and veins removed, coarsely chopped
1/2 t. salt, divided
4 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
3 medium zucchini, sliced in half lengthwise, then sliced into half-moons
2 cans cannellini or Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, any color
1/4 c. sliced sun-dried tomatoes
1 t. dried thyme
freshly-ground black pepper, to taste
1 16-oz tube of prepared polenta, sliced into 1/2-inch slices
1 T. capers
1/4 c. pine nuts (toasted if you have time, raw if you don't)

Method
In a large, deep skillet, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat.  Sauté the onion, bell pepper, and 1/8 t. salt until the onion and pepper soften (5 - 7 minutes).  Add the garlic, and sauté another 1 - 2 minutes.  Transfer vegetables to a bowl.

In the same skillet, heat 2 T. olive oil.  Add the zucchini and 1/4 t. salt.  Sauté until the zucchini begins to brown (about 5 minutes).

Add the beans, cherry/grape tomatoes, sun-dried tomatoes, thyme, freshly-ground pepper, and the onion mixture to the skillet with the zucchini.  Stir to combine, reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until the vegetables are tender (about 10 minutes).

While the vegetables are cooking, heat the last 1 T. olive oil in a large nonstick or cast-iron skillet over medium heat.  Spread the polenta in a single layer in the oil, and cook until it becomes deep yellow on one side.  Flip the polenta slices and cook until it becomes deep yellow on the second side.

Stir the capers and pine nuts into the vegetables.  Serve vegetables immediately with polenta on the side.

Serves 4.

Tofu Zoodle Salad

This is a slightly modified version of a super-healthy recipe I found on a fascinating and beautifully photographed blog called Scaling Back.  Check it out here.

NOTE:  This recipe requires a special tool called a spiralizer.

Ingredients:
1 lb. Chinese tofu  (Tofu has a more desirable texture if it has been frozen for 24 hours, then thawed.  Plan ahead.)
soy sauce (or shoyu or tamari), to taste  (If you need to avoid gluten, check ingredients.  Not all of these are gluten-free..)
2 T. canola oil
1 c. frozen mukimame (shelled edamame)
3 T. peanut butter
2 T. lime juice
2 t. sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
2 t. garlic chili paste
2 medium zucchini
1/2 c. shredded carrot (I buy the kind that is already shredded.  So convenient!)
1/2 avocado, peeled and cubed
1/2 c. chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c. chopped cashews (roasted but not salted)
1 T. toasted sesame seeds

Method:
Squeeze as much water out of the tofu as possible.  Cut the tofu into 1/2-inch cubes.  In a large non-stick skillet, cook the tofu over medium-high heat until water is no longer sizzling out of the tofu.  Drizzle the tofu with soy sauce, to taste.  Drizzle tofu with the canola oil.  Toss the tofu to coat in oil, and cook until browned on one side.  Toss again, and cook until browned on another side.  Remove from heat.

Cook the mukimame according to package directions.

Whisk the peanut butter, lime juice, 1 T. water, sesame oil, minced garlic, and chili paste in a small bowl to create the dressing.  Add water judiciously, if needed to thin the dressing.

Using a spiralizer, spiralize the zucchini on the most narrow setting so that it is about the diameter of spaghetti noodles.  Toss the zucchini, carrot, avocado, and parsley together with the dressing to coat.  Toss in the tofu and mukimame.  Top with cashews and sesame seeds, and serve immediately.

Serves 3 as a main dish.

Orzo with Cannellini Beans and Vegetables

This recipe is from a useful weeknight cookbook called Moosewood Restaurant Cooks at Home.  Most all of the recipes in this book are fast, easy, and vegetarian...necessary for today's busy cooks.

Ingredients:

2 quarts water

3 T. olive oil, separated

1 large onion, chopped (about 1.5 c.)

2 - 3 carrots, peeled and diced (about 2 c.)

1 bell pepper

2 garlic cloves

1 c. orzo

1 6-inch zucchini

2 T. fresh basil, chopped (The recipe calls for a mixture of 1 T. mint, 1 t. dill, 1/2 t. marjoram.  I had basil on hand, so that's what I used.)

14-oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped

15-oz. can cannellini beans (or other white beans)

14.5-oz. can Italian-style stewed tomatoes

salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Bring the water to a boil in a large covered saucepan.

While the water heats, heat 2 T. olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Sauté the chopped onion and carrots in the hot oil.  In the meantime, seed and chop the bell pepper, and peel and mince the garlic.  Add the pepper and garlic to the onions and carrots and stir.

When the water boils, add the orzo and cook according to package directions.  When al dente, drain and stir in the remaining 1 T. olive oil.

With the orzo cooking, dice the zucchini and stir it into the skillet of vegetables.  Add the basil and artichoke hearts to the vegetables.  Gently stir in the beans and tomatoes.  Simmer for several minutes, stirring occasionally.

When the vegetables are hot, stir in the orzo, then season with salt and pepper.  If you final dish tastes bland, you probably need to add more salt.  I usually use around 1 t.

Serves 4.

Stuffed Zucchini

Here is a timely, seasonal recipe from Food Network magazine: stuffed zucchini!  We had this last night with lemony couscous, chickpeas, and steamed carrots.  A lovely Mediterranean meal!

 

 

Ingredients:

2 medium zucchini

salt, to taste

1/3 c. panko bread crumbs

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 c. mixed chopped fresh herbs (I used 3 T. fresh oregano and 1 T. fresh lemon balm.)

2 T. chopped walnuts

1 clove garlic, peeled and minced

2 T. olive oil

freshly-ground pepper, to taste.

 

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

 

Split the zucchini lengthwise.  Use a spoon to scoop out the seeds and make a cavity for the filling.  Season the zucchini shells with salt.

 

In a small bowl, combine the bread crumbs, tomato, herbs, walnuts, garlic, olive oil, and salt and pepper to taste.  Spoon this filling into the zucchini shells and place in a baking dish sized to hold all 4 shells.

 

Bake 25 - 30 minutes, then serve warm.  Serves 4 as a side dish.

 

Kale Calzones

Serve these with your favorite tomato-y pasta sauce (from a jar or homemade), and no side dishes are necessary with this entrée! I wouldn't describe this dish as "easy," but only because it's time-consuming. It is well worth the effort!

about 2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, coarsely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and diced
1 small zucchini, diced (optional - I had one freak zucchini left over from gardening season.)
1 large clove of garlic, peeled and minced (NOTE: A clove of garlic is one section of the head of garlic. Some people don't know.)
1 bunch kale, washed and destemmed then torn into bite-sized pieces
1 can Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
pizza dough for 2 pizzas (This can be your favorite homemade dough or store-bought refrigerated dough. Be sure to check ingredients if you need a vegan dough.)
your favorite tomato-y pasta sauce

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, carrot, and zucchini (if using) to the oil, and sauté until the onion is soft and translucent. Add the garlic and some salt, and sauté 2 minutes more. Add the kale and stir to coat. Keep stirring until the kale has wilted down but not dried out. (You may have add the kale in batches, depending on how large your skillet is. If your skillet gets full of kale, let it wilt down some, and add more. Keep repeating until it's all in there.)

Once the kale is wilted down, add the beans and stir so that everything is mixed. Add salt and black pepper to taste. (Remember that too little salt makes a dish bland, so unless you're watching your salt, taste it and add more if it's bland.) Remove from heat.

Preheat the oven to the proper temperature for your pizza dough, just as if you were cooking pizza.

Divide your pizza dough into halves, then divide each piece into halves, then divide each piece into halves again. You should have 8 equal-sized pieces. Use a rolling pin to roll the first piece into a large circle. Put 1/8th of the kale and bean mix in the middle of the first circle, then fold the circle in half so that it looks like a half moon with the kale mix as the filling. Using the tines of a fork, press the edges of the top and half of your calzone together. Prick the top of the dough several times with the fork, and move it to a baking sheet or pizza pan. Repeat this process with the remaining 7 circles of dough.

Bake your calzones until they are golden brown. In the meantime, heat up your pasta sauce.

Serve the calzones warm, covered with the warm sauce.

Yummy Vegetable Hodge-Podge

Last night I made a delicious dish based on (1) vegetables I had in the fridge that needed to be used and (2) my fond memories from the now-bygone restaurant La Montagne. You can use whatever vegetables you want in this...the main thing is to use a only little bit of each of a lot of things. Try to keep the colors varied and include some type of bean.

I served it over wild rice last night, then over couscous today with the leftovers. With the rice or couscous (or orzo or other pasta or whatever you want) and some bread, it's pretty much an entire meal. Last night we chose to eat it with toasted baguette. It was perfect!

2 carrots, peeled and diced
2 small jalepeno peppers, diced (Again, you can use what you want and don't have to use what you don't want, so don't let the jalepenos turn you off if you don't like spicy food. Maybe try half of a yellow bell pepper instead?)
1/2 onion, diced
2 handfuls frozen chopped broccoli
1 handful frozen green peas
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 medium zucchini, diced (Yellow squash would work just as well.)
2 handfuls chopped sundried tomatoes, reconstituted according to package directions (I freeze the water I use to reconstitute them. I pour it into ice trays then transfer the cubes to a freezer bag. Later I use them to add flavor when I make winter squash soup.)
1 can pinto beans, drained and rinsed
salt and black pepper, to taste
about 2 T. olive oil
(I also used about 2 teaspoons of capers last night, but I think sliced black olives might have been better. Chopped mushrooms and/or asparagus and/or kale and/or Swiss chard and/or cherry tomatoes would be great in this, too.)

Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium to medium-low heat. Add the carrots, peppers, onion, frozen broccoli, and frozen peas and sauté lightly until the onions are becoming transparent. Add the garlic and sauté 1 minute more. Add the zucchini and sauté until it is tender-crisp (or however you like it). Add the tomatoes, beans, salt, and pepper, and toss to coat. When the beans are heated through, serve this over a bed of your choice (rice, wild rice, couscous, orzo, other pasta, etc.) and with bread. Voila! Dinner!

PS - If it tastes bland, you probably didn't use enough salt. You can salt at your plate, too, to fix it. Enjoy!