ginger soba noodles

i'm tired. my eyes are trying to close. i had a long, long day that included getting peed on by a 6 month old (and we're not talking about just a drop...we're talking full stream). i'm exhausted but i can't go to bed until i write this post. i'm that excited about this recipe. 

i made this for dinner tonight for the nanny family. i took one bite and knew i was in trouble...i couldn't stop! the secret is in the ginger dressing. all the ingredients perfectly blended together to create this tangy but sweet sauce to coat the sticky soba noodles. after some coercing we even got the kiddies to eat it. you can serve it as a main course or a side dish.

the recipe comes from heidi swanson at 101 cookbooks. i had to tweak it a little tiny bit based on what i had at the house. here we go!

ingredients:

8 oz dried soba noodles

1 tablespoon freshly grated fresh ginger

1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil

zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

1/2 cup chopped white onion

1 teaspoon mirin (optional)

2 teaspoons honey

1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste

3 tablespoons brown rice vinegar

1 celery stalk, strings removed, then chopped

1/3 cup vegetable oil

a few big handfuls of cubed tofu, pan-fried or baked until golden

1/3 cup toasted pumpkin seeds, plus a little more

1/4 cup green onion, chopped

directions:

cook the soba noodles according to package directions in well salted water. drain, rinse under cold water, and shake off as much of the water as possible.

meanwhile, make the dressing by combining the ginger, toasted sesame oil, lemon zest and juice, onion, mirin, honey, salt, vinegar, celery, and oil in a food processor. blend until very smooth, then press aggressively through a strainer. 

in a large bowl, toss the soba noodles with the tofu, most of the pumpkin seeds, and the dressing. garnish with green onions and remaining pumpkin seeds.

side note: the kiddies asked for some "soy" on theirs...meaning soy sauce. you can add a little of that on top or even some brown rice vinegar.

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vegan roasted vegetable and black bean burrito

last week's patch column was all about eating vegan. my editor asked me to create a vegan recipe for his fiancée that they both could enjoy even though he's the traditional meat-eating guy.

it was a fun project and a little out of my comfort zone (at first i had no idea what a vegan actually was). check it out to see what i came up with over at http://patch.com/A-mM0d

on a side note - i started culinary school this week. it's been amazingly crazy and wonderfully overwhelming. i'm loving every minute of it so far and can't wait to share more updates with you guys.

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israeli couscous and tomato salad with arugula pesto

i have made basil pesto many many times. i had never made arugula pesto though.

so i decided to give it a whirl for the nanny family after finding the recipe in an issue of food and wine magazine.

it was simple and quite delicious. the arugula has a peppery kick and is high in vitamin a & c. and you can put this stuff on just about anything - pasta, shrimp, fish, chicken, beef, veggies. i suggest you give it a whirl sometime too.

ingredients:
6 cups packed arugula (6 ounces), plus whole leaves for garnish
2 cups israeli couscous (12 ounces)
1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1/4 cup pine nuts
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper
1 1/2 pints red cherry tomatoes, halved
4 yellow or orange tomatoes, cut into 1-inch dice

directions:
bring a large saucepan of salted water to a boil. add the 6 cups of arugula and blanch for 10 seconds. with a slotted spoon, transfer the arugula to a colander. rinse under cold water to stop the cooking, then drain.

add the couscous to the boiling water and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until al dente, about 10 minutes. drain the couscous and spread it out on a large baking sheet. drizzle lightly with olive oil and toss to prevent clumping. let the couscous cool to room temperature.

in a small skillet, toast the pine nuts over moderate heat, tossing, until golden brown, about 2 minutes. let cool.

squeeze the excess water from the arugula and coarsely chop it. transfer the arugula to a food processor. add the pine nuts, garlic, cheese and the 1/2 cup of olive oil and process until the pine nuts are finely chopped. season the pesto with salt and pepper.

transfer the couscous to a large serving bowl and stir in the pesto. gently fold in the tomatoes. garnish with the arugula leaves and serve.

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spanakopita bites

when i was planning the menu for kim's bridal shower i asked her what she wanted. she gave me a few suggestions but definitely wanted spanakopita. i knew making these guys the traditional way would be time-consuming and probably not the best idea since i was hosting the party. i didn't want to be greeting guests while i still had food in the oven. so i decided to make spanakopita dip and serve it in pre-made phyllo cups at room-temperature. they turned out great. my favorite part was the hint of garlic at the last second. i found a few different recipes online but ended up tweaking other to make up my own. with this recipe, i made about 60 mini cups and had tons of leftover dip - i've been using the leftovers this week to make meals for dinner...stay tuned.

ingredients:
30 oz non-fat greek yogurt
6 oz light mayo or light sour cream (i used mayo)
2 pounds frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
8 oz feta cheese crumbled
1/4 cup fresh parsley, minced
2 tablespoons onion powder
4 cloves of garlic, minced
4 teaspoons fresh dill, minced
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
s&p
mini phyllo cups (found in freezer section)

directions:
in a large bowl, combine greek yogurt, light mayo, spinach, feta cheese, parsley, onion powder, garlic, dill, paprika, nutmeg, and s&p in large mixing bowl. cover with plastic wrap and keep in fridge for at least one hour prior to serving to let flavors come together. (i did this the night before).

when you're ready to serve, cook phyllo cups according to package. remove from oven and fill with spanakopita dip. serve immediately or at room temperature. pretty simple...right?

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greek orzo salad

this is a great, easy side dish that comes together pretty fast. it's refreshing, light and pretty healthy. you can add any veggies you like. great substitutions would be zuchinni, spinach, capers, or sundried tomatoes.


ingredients:
1 cup dried orzo
2 roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
1/4 olives, sliced
1/4 cup red onion, minced
1/4 cup feta cheese
1/3 cup cucumber, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons parsley, minced
1-2 tablespoons evoo
juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 teaspoon oregano
s&p

directions:
bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  add orzo and cook according to package directions.  meanwhile add tomatoes, olives, red onion, feta, cucumber, garlic and parsley in a large bowl.  once pasta has finished cooking, add hot noodles to vegetable mixture. add evoo, lemon juice, oregano and s&p. serve immediately or at room temperature.

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roasted tomato soup with garlic olive croutons

"what did the mom tomato say to the baby tomato?"

"ketchup, little guy, ketchup."

this is a guest blog post from meagan kessler.

today marks the sixth consecutive day of school without even one minute of recess. i'm definitely over the rain and the only immediate cure was homemade tomato soup...oh yea, and a joke. campbells would have been easier, but this was definitely more delicious. try it tyler florence's way. just do me a favor, and USE the type of blender he suggests - once i figure out what it is, i'll probably invest in one for the next rainy day :) 

i topped it off with toasted garlic rosemary olive bread. i just cubed a loaf from harris teeter, sprinkled with olive oil and garlic powder, and popped them in the oven on 400 for about 10 minutes. it was the perfect addition. oh yea, then i ate the rest of them during gossip girl. good enough to eat all on their own.

p.s. my fortune cookie yesterday said "all things end." here's hoping it was referring to the rain :)

...i'm here for a good time, not a long time.

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homemade reduced fat guacamole

(photo credit - latimes.com)

i got inspiration for this lighter version from whole foods. they sell "reduced fat" guacamole that has half the calories of the regular stuff. i was skeptical at first, but after looking over the ingredient list on the label, i decided to give it a try. the trick is subbing out avocados for peas. you still use an avocado in this recipe, just not as many as you normally would. it turned out really good and i could hardly tell there was an avocado missing. if you don't have peas on hand, you can also try it with edamame.

ingredients:
2 ripe avocados, diced
1 cup frozen peas, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup onion, diced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 jalapeno, minced
1 tomato, seeded and diced
juice of 1 lime
s&p

directions:
place peas and 1 avocado in food processor, blending until smooth. in a bowl, mix together remaining avocado, pureed pea mixture and the rest of the ingredients. mash a little bit with a fork, leaving some chunks of avocado. season with more s&p if needed.

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scalloped tomato casserole with cape cod chopped salad

when i first mentioned to the girls that i would be making a tomato casserole for dinner, i received 3 stink faces staring back at me. no one seemed to thrilled at the idea, but i told them to just trust me and go with it. the recipe is from ina garten and i knew she wouldn't let me down (she is the barefoot contessa after all). by the end of dinner, the girls were proclaiming that this meal was one of the best things i've ever made. i know i say that everything is good (because it is) but this was seriously good. it was the perfect summer dish to highlight the seasonality of fresh tomatoes. i served it with a simple cape cod chopped salad - also from ina. the only changes i made were to swap turkey bacon for regular bacon, swap blue cheese for crumbled goat cheese, swap toasted walnuts for candied pecans and add diced avocado.

my picture didn't turn out as well as i would have hoped, but one of my favorite bloggers, smitten kitchen, also made this dish. check out her masterpiece.

ingredients:
evoo
3 cups (1/2-inch diced) bread from a french boule (we found an asiago cheese boule)
16 plum tomatoes, cut 1/2-inch dice (about 2 1/2 pounds)
1 tablespoon minced garlic (3 cloves)
2 tablespoons sugar
2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup julienned basil leaves
1 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese

directions:
preheat the oven to 350 degrees. heat 3 tablespoons of evoo in a large saute pan over medium heat. add the bread cubes and stir to coat with the evoo. cook over medium to medium-high heat for 5 minutes, stirring often, until the cubes are evenly browned.

meanwhile, combine the tomatoes, garlic, sugar and s&p in a large bowl. when the bread cubes are done, add the tomato mixture and continue to cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes. off the heat, stir in the basil.

pour the tomato mixture into a shallow (6 to 8 cup) baking dish. sprinkle evenly with the parmesan cheese and drizzle with 2 tablespoons of evoo. bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the top is browned and the tomatoes are bubbly.

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grilled eggplant paninis with roasted red peppers and fresh mozzarella

i don't really have anything to say about these delights, except - just trust me. go home right now and fire up your grill to make the sandwiches. there is nothing better than a spicy grilled eggplant paired with gooey warm mozzarella cheese and garlic bread.


ingredients:
ciabatta bread
eggplant, cut into slices
roasted red peppers
pesto
fresh mozzarella cheese, cut in slices
garlic clove, cut in half
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
evoo
s&p


directions:
preheat gas grill to medium heat. in a bowl mix together eggplant slices, evoo, garlic powder and red pepper flakes. grill about 4 minutes per side. meanwhile, drizzle ciabatta bread with evoo and grill for about 3-4 minutes per side. remove from grill and immediately rub with fresh garlic clove, getting bits of garlic in the nooks and crannies of the bread. to assemble the panini, spread pesto on both sides of bread. add 2-3 slices of mozzarella cheese, 2-3 strips of roasted red pepper and 2 slices of grilled eggplant. for this next step you can either use a panini maker or use the grill to finish cooking. if you choose option 2, put the sandwich back on the grill and smush down with a cast iron skillet. cook about 2 minutes per side, just until the cheese melts - you use the heavy skillet to act like a panini press and press the sandwich down.

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