Pecan-Crusted Trout

This was so good. I felt like I was eating at a gourmet restaurant. And it was easy to make, too. I used halibut instead of trout and it was great. The notes also mention you could use cod or catfish as well as halibut.

1/4 cup pecan halves

1/4 cup panko (Japanese breadcrumbs)

1 Tablespoon olive oil, divided

4 (6-ounce) rainbow trout fillets, halved

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Place pecans in mini chopper or food processor; pulse until pecans are finely ground. Combine pecans and panko in a shallow dish. Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Sprinkle fish evenly with salt and pepper. Dredge tops of fish in nut mixture, pressing gently to adhere. Place half of fish, breading side down, in pan; cook 4 minutes or until browned. Turn fish over; cook 4 minutes of until fish flakes easily with a fork or until desired degree of doneness. Remove fish from pan; cover and keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining 1 1/2 teaspoons oil and remaining fish. Yield: 4 servings.

recipe from Cooking Light, October 2009, page 84 (subscribe here)

Chickpea Croquettes with Greek Salad Topping

These tasted alot like falafels, but were very tasty in their own right. I had some leftover dill yogurt sauce from making falafels earlier in the week, so I served them with that instead of the Greek Salad Topping and the flavors went really well together. I froze the leftovers to eat for lunches during the week. They're almost like chickpea pancakes, if you can imagine. I liked the soft texture of the cooked batter mixed with the firm, dense texture of the chickpeas.

Topping

1 cucumber, quartered and sliced (1 cup)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered

2 green onions, chopped

2 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

1/2 cup crumbled low-fat vegan feta cheese, optional

Croquettes

1 cup chickpea flour

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. chili powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 15-0unce can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

4 green onions, chopped (1/2 cup)

1/2 cup diced red bell pepper

1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 Tbs. lemon juice

1 Tbs. olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)

To make topping: Toss together cucumber, tomatoes, green onions, lemon juice and oil in bowl. Gently stir in feta crumbles. Season with salt and pepper, if desired, and set aside.

To make croquettes: Whisk together chickpea flour, cumin, chili powder, and salt in bowl. Whisk in 3/4 cup hot water. Stir in remaining ingredients, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Coat nonstick skillet with cooking spray; heat over medium heat. Scoop four 1/4-cup dollops of chickpea mixture into skillet, and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook 3 to 4 minutes, or until golden. Flip with spatula, and cook 3 to 4 minutes more. Repeat with remaining chickpea mixture. Serve each Croquette topped with 1/4 cup topping.

recipe from Vegetarian Times, October 2009, page 32 (yes, I'm a subscriber)

Greek Pasta with Spinach, Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans

Greek Pasta with Spinach, Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans

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Greek Pasta with Spinach, Olives, Tomatoes and White Beans

Ingredients:
2-3 Tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped coarsely
3-4 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
3 (14.5 ounce) cans plain diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 ounce) can small white beans, rinsed well and drained
1 cup olives, pitted (canned okay)
black pepper to taste
About 4-5 ounces (about 4 cups) fresh spinach
1 lb penne or other similar pasta

1/2 to 3/4 cup (3-4 ounces) crumbled or cubed feta cheese

Directions:
1) Saute onion and garlic in olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat for 4-5 minutes, until tender.
2) Add tomatoes, olives and beans, bring to boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, for 10 minutes while the pasta cooks.
3) Add the spinach to the sauce, combine well, and continue simmering for 1-2 minutes. Let spinach wilt a bit, but not too much.
4) Place cooked pasta into shallow plates or bowls, add sauce on top of the pasta. Crumble feta cheese on top.

Serves 5-6.

We had this tonight, it was super easy and good. We ate it over quinoa macaroni which is actually pretty good. Paired with a greek salad it was perfect. Romaine lettuce, tomatoes, olives, red onion, marinated artichoke hearts, feta cheese, olive oil, basil, and lemon.
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Creamy Breakfast Oatmeal (Rice Cooker)

I usually have oatmeal for breakfast and I like steel cut oats best, but they take a long time to cook, plus they leave my stovetop super messy from all the bubbles spurting out. So I thought I would try some cooked in a rice cooker. They were so good. I just put them in my rice cooker and while I was feeding my kids, they cooked. It was so nice to have a hot breakfast with such little effort. I didn't add the dates or syrup and I used water instead of milk and they turned out great. It would be good served with chopped walnuts and any dried fruit (cranberries, dates, apricots).

2/3 cup steel cut oats
1 2/3 cups milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 pinch fine sea salt
2 tablespoons pure maple syrup
1/2 cup chopped dates

Place all ingredients, except dates, in cooker; stir gently to combine; sprinkle dates on top.
Close the cover, set on Porridge cycle.
NOTE1: This recipe is designed for a rice cooker with fuzzy logic - use the porridge setting. If you have a regular rice cooker, you will need to watch it to determine when the oatmeal is done, probably 25 to 30 minutes, depending on your cooker.
NOTE2: Steel cut oats vary slightly. With some brands I find I need to reduce the milk to 1 1/2 cup to get the right consistency.
NOTE3: You can substitute vanilla flavored soy milk for the milk plus vanilla extract.

original recipe

Easy Vegetable Coconut Milk Curry

At lunchtime today, I began preparing an old standby, stir fry with tofu, when I thought to myself, hey, why don't you switch it up a bit today, get adventurous, like add chicken broth to the vegetables instead of water? So I did just that. I sauteed my usual onion and celery, then added some carrots, asparagus, red pepper, broccoli and spinach. When all of the pan juices had cooked off, I added 1 1/2 cups of water mixed with a large chicken bouillion cube and let that simmer. Then I added 2 good spoonfuls of minced garlic and about a teaspoon of ginger paste I had sitting in my fridge. I added a few generous shakes of seasoning salt and pepper, and a few dashes of red pepper flakes (for some heat). Then I got the idea to make it into a curry, so I added half a can of coconut milk. Voila! It was really tasty, if I do say so myself, and it actually tasted like something one would find in a Thai restaurant. The nice thing is you can adapt it to whatever vegetables you have on hand, and it makes ordinary vegetables seem exotic and almost sweet. I will definitely be scarfing up the leftovers during tomorrow's lunch.

1 yellow Vidalia onion, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

2 tablespoons olive oil

seasoning salt, to taste

pepper, to taste

1 small head broccoli, florets only

1 bunch asparagus, hard ends snapped off

1 cup baby carrots

1 red pepper, diced

2 cups fresh spinach leaves

1 1/2 cups water

1 large chicken bouillion cube, or 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

dash red pepper flakes, or to taste

1/2- 15 ounce can coconut milk

In a large frying pan, heat olive oil over medium heat, then add to that onions and celery. Saute until onions are soft, about 5 minutes. Add a few dashes of seasoning salt and pepper, then add the broccoli, asparagus, carrots and red pepper. Saute until the vegetables soften, about 5 minutes, adding the water and bouillion cube when the vegetables start to brown and the juices have evaporated. When the vegetables are tender, add the spinach and saute. Add the red pepper flakes and coconut milk and simmer for about 5 minutes. Can serve alone or with brown rice.

Quinoa Vegetable Stew

Anyone who knows me well knows that I sometimes can take the term "pour it in the pot" a little too literally. I've had some good and not-so-good experiences cleaning out my fridge and combining everything into a meal. (Travis won't let my infamous barley crockpot dish rest). But, this, I can assure you, is not one of those disasters. I have made several different versions of this stew and it is delicious, if I do say so myself. You can't go wrong. Feel free to adapt the recipe according to what you have in your fridge. Just be sure to serve it with some good bread. Pictured here is Fire Bread from Whole Foods bakery.

1 yellow onion, diced small

3 ribs celery, diced small

Olive oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 large carrots, diced

1 can corn, drained

1 can kidney beans (or any bean of your choice), drained

1 red pepper, diced

1 medium zucchini, diced

1 cup dry quinoa

6 cups water

4 chicken or vegetable bouillion cubes

1/2 jar spaghetti sauce

Salt and pepper, to taste

In a large stockpot, saute onion and celery in olive oil until onion is translucent, about 6 minutes. Add the garlic cloves and saute 1 minute. Add the carrots, corn, beans, pepper, zucchini, quinoa, water and bouillion cubes and stir well. Bring to a boil and then turn down to medium-low and cover to simmer for 30 minutes. Watch to make sure there is enough water and add water if it needs. Once the quinoa is cooked, add the spaghetti sauce and the salt and pepper. Serve with your favorite bread.

Roasted Eggplant Ratatouille

I have seen Disney's "Ratatouille," but have never actually had the stuff. I've always wanted to try it though, and when I came across Molly Wizenberg's version (of Orangette fame), I decided to bite the bullet and give it a try. And, as I type this, I'm polishing off my second bowl of the succulent stuff. It is amazing. I made the recipe and then sauteed some firm tofu in breadcrumbs, flour and seasoning salt in an oiled pan, to serve with it. And, then I crushed some Melba Toast in place of the baguette. Heavenly. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.

(from A Homemade Life)

Yield: 4 servings

1 pound eggplant, sliced crosswise into 1-inch-thick rounds

Olive Oil

1 pound zucchini, trimmed, halves lengthwise, and sliced into 1/2-inch-thick half-moons

1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced

1 large red bell pepper, cored, seeded, and chopped

4 large garlic cloves, thinly sliced

5 Roma tomatoes, seeded and chopped

3/4 teaspoon salt + more for seasoning

3 springs fresh thyme

1 bay leaf

1/4 cup finely chopped fresh basil

Position rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat to 400 degrees.
Arrange the eggplant rounds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Pour 2 tablespoons olive oil in s small bowl and brush onto eggplant. Flip the slices and brush the second sides as well, taking care that each has a thin coating of oil. Bake for 30 minutes, flipping the slices halfway through, until lightly browned on each side. Remove from the oven and cool. Cut into rough 1-inch pieces and set aside. (This can be down a day or two ahead, refrigerating the eggplant until you are ready to use it.)
Warm 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium-high heat in a Dutch oven or large, deep skillet. Add the zucchini and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden and just tender, 10 to 12 minutes. Remove it from the pan, taking care to leave behind any excess oil, and set it aside.
If there is no oil left, add about 1 tablespoon of oil. Reduce the heat to medium, and add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly softened, 4 to 5 minutes. Add the bell pepper and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until just tender, but not browned, about 6 minutes. Add the tomatoes, salt, thyme, and bay leaf and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook for 5 minutes. Add the eggplant and zucchini, stir to incorporate, cover and cook until everything is just tender, 15 to 20 minutes more.
Meanwhile, butter the bottom of a 2 quart heavy saucepan. Add 11/4 inches water and 1 teaspoon distilled white vinegar. (The acid makes the whites set faster.) Bring water to a simmer. Break one egg into a small bowl and slide into water. Poach at a bare simmer until egg whites are firm but yolks are still runny, 2 to 3 minutes.
After it is cooked, transfer egg with a slotted spoon to paper towels to drain. Season with kosher salt and pepper. Repeat with as many eggs as desired.
Return to the Ratatouille, taste, and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Discard the bay leaf, and stir in the basil.
Serve hot, warm, or at room temperature, with addition salt for seasoning, and the poached egg atop. Also, crusty bread is necessary for sopping up all the wonderful juices at the bottom of the bowl!