recipejournal

cauliflower fritters.

1 large head cauliflower, trimmed and chopped
1/2 cup flour
1 large egg, beaten
extra virgin olive oil

steam cauliflower until tender, 10-15 minutes.  transfer to large bowl and mash.  let cool for 10 minutes.  stir in flour and egg and season with salt and pepper.  refrigerate for 15 minutes.

heat two tablespoons extra virgin olive oil over medium high heat.  roll 1/4 cup portions of cauliflower mixture into balls, then flatten into patties.  working in batches, fry the patties until golden brown, about 4 minutes on each side.

please don't let the name of this dish scare you - it's good.  i promise!  if we're being honest, i don't even really like cauliflower unless it's mashed like potatoes and this was quite good.  especially when i kept wanting another one and let myself because, hey!  it was cauliflower and it's good for me, right?  i served these to myself for lunch on a bed of mixed greens and made a vinaigrette out of juice from half a lemon and extra virgin olive oil.  the girl ate one by itself and seemed to enjoy it as well.  and since we're being honest, i wouldn't think of making these for my husband.  he'd likely laugh in my face at the notion.

cherry tomato + ravioli soup.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 pints cherry tomatoes
2 cloves garlic, chopped
4 cups chicken stock
1 pound fresh cheese ravioli
1 cup basil leaves, torn
1 bunch scallions, chopped

in a dutch oven, heat oil over medium-high heat.  stir in cherry tomatoes and garlic and season with salt and pepper.  cover the pan and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, for approximately 10 minutes or when tomatoes burst.

add chicken stock and 2 cups water and bring to boil.  add ravioli and cook until tender.  remove from heat and stir in basil and scallions to wilt.

as featured in week six of environmom.com's meatless supper club.  i'm going to be honest and admit i didn't share a single drop of this soup with anyone else.  it was that good.  i topped the first serving i had of it with parmesan shavings but found it really didn't need it.  it's fresh and hearty and absolute breeze to whip together, even for a quick lunch.  my new favorite soup.

corn chowder.

4 cups water
2 cups carrots, sliced
3 cups potatoes, diced
5 celery hearts, sliced
2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup butter
4 cups milk
1/2 cup flour
2 cans creamed corn 

bring water, carrots, potatoes, celery and salt to boil.  in a separate pan, combine butter, milk and flour.  when bubbling, add to vegetables.  stir in corn.

as featured in week five of environmom.com's meatless supper club.  i know i posted a different chowder recipe recently, but this one is seriously a-maz-ing.  the meat eater of a husband i have even agree.  so incredibly easy to put together and with a fabulous end result.  a definite win/win in my book.  all i topped it with was some shredded cheddar, salt and pepper and i was in heaven.  the girl isn't quite of the age to eat soup well but demanded that i pick out carrots from my bowl for her.

butternut squash risotto.

1.25 cups arborio rice or other medium grain rice
2 teaspoons olive oil
2.5 cups chicken broth
1 cup water
1 12 oz. package frozen pureed butternut squash
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/3 cup shredded parmesan cheese

combine rice and oil in 1.5 quart microwave-safe dish, stirring to coat.  microwave uncovered on high for 3 minutes.

add broth and water to rice mixture; microwave uncovered on high 9 minutes.  stir well.  microwave uncovered on high for 6 minutes.  remove from microwave and let stand 5 minutes or until all liquid is absorbed.

while risotto stands, heat squash in microwave following package directions.  add squash, salt, pepper and cheese to risotto.  stir well to combine. 

as featured in week four of environmom.com's meatless supper club. this makes a LOT surprisingly.  the girl and i both enjoyed it and will have plenty to enjoy for lunch as well.  obviously, if you have fresh squash - go for it!  i had forgotten to pick up my CSA box last week so had to go with frozen.  a super easy dish to make, especially when someone is anxious for dinner, and requires hardly any prep work besides grating the cheese.  i paired it with some homemade applesauce i had just made and it was the perfect compliment of savory to sweet.

black bean tostadas with corn relish.

1 lime
1 bunch scallions
1 12 oz. package frozen corn
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 pint grape tomatoes
8 ounces shredded cheddar cheese
4 flour tortillas
1 can black beans
2 avocado

preheat oven to 475 degrees.

thinly slice scallions and add to bowl along with corn.  add 1 tablespoon oil and juice of half of lime.  season with salt and pepper.  

halve tomatoes and place in small bowl.

arrange torillas on two baking sheets covered in foil.  brush both sides with remaining oil.  rinse and drain beans and sprinkle over tortillas.  top with tomatoes and cheese.  bake until golden, about 10 minutes.  rotate baking sheets halfway through if needed.

while tostadas are baking, peel, pit and dice avocado.  juice remaining half of lime and add to corn relish to taste as well as to avocados to prevent browning.

to serve, top tostadas with corn relish and avocado.

as featured in week three of environmom.com's meatless supper club.  super fabulous.  loved this so much that i had it for lunch again the following day.  the girl enjoyed it as well - more than i even thought she would.  i'd say a serving size is approximately 1.5 tostadas per person.  at least that's what left me feeling satisfied.  andy wasn't around to try this but i'm assuming he'd eat two as a meal.  super easy - the hardest part of the meal was waiting for the oven to preheat.  definitely adding this one into the mealtime rotation!

sweet potato chili.

3 sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped in 2" chunks
1 onion, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz. can red kidney beans
2 garlic cloves, minced
1.5 tablespoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 teaspoon smoked paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup orange juice
1 cup water

layer ingredients in crockpot in the order listed.  cover and cook on low 6-8 hours.  the longer you cook the chili, the less chunky the sweet potatoes will be.

as featured in week two of environmom.com's meatless supper club.  a great change of pace from the usual heavy, sit in the bottom of your stomach chili.  i'm not usually a fan of kidney beans, but everything worked really well together.  i topped my serving with a bit of sour cream just because that's how i like my chili.  i was fine with just a large bowl of this as my meal, but i can definitely see a side of cornbread as a great alternative.

potato chowder.

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 onions
5 cloves garlic
5 cups 1/4" diced unpeeled new potatoes
2 teaspoons salt
4 cups milk
1 tablespoon dijon mustard
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

saute onions and garlic in olive oil until soft, approximately five minutes.  add potatoes and one teaspoon of salt and saute for about two minutes.  stir in mustard and milk.  bring to boil and then let simmer for 30 minutes.  whisk in remaining teaspoon of salt and cheese.  season to taste.

as featured in week one of environmom.com's meatless supper club.  this could really be called something like "csa box in soup form" as the onions, garlic, potatoes and chives i garnished with all came from my csa farm.  that was part of the fun in this recipe.  although both andy and i enjoyed it last night for dinner, i'll admit that the leftovers for lunch were better as it gave all the flavors a chance to meld together.  the mustard is the secret ingredient, giving it a bit of punch to brighten up the flavor of the potatoes.

coconut curried pork, mango and snow pea stir fry.

 

2 pound pork tenderloin, trimmed
2 tablespoons canola oil
2 teaspoons curry powder
2 cups snow peas
2/3 cup light coconut milk
2 tablespoons fish sauce
2 teaspoons red curry paste
2 cups mango
1 cup sliced green onion
rice
coconut
lime wedges

cut pork into 1-inch cubes. heat oil in a large nonstick skillet or wok over medium-high heat. sprinkle pork evenly with curry powder. add pork and snow peas to pan; stir-fry 3 minutes.

combine coconut milk, fish sauce, and curry paste, stirring well. add milk mixture to pan; bring to a simmer. stir in mango and onions; cook until thoroughly heated. remove from heat.

server over rice and garnish with shredded coconut and lime wedges.

a recipe i adapted from cooking light.  i used frozen sugar snap peas as my grocery store didn't have enough fresh snow peas when i went.  i also defrosted some frozen mango i had on hand already and used that as well.  great flavor.  especially with a squeeze of lime.  had this for dinner last night and leftovers for lunch today.  there is no more to speak of.  a nice addition to the meal rotation.

citrus cranberry sauce.

1 pound fresh cranberries
1.5 cups sugar
1 cup water
2 clementines, unpeeled, seeds removed and chopped fine
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 can crushed pineapple, drained
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
ground cinnamon 

wash cranberries and set aside.

bring sugar and water to a boil.  add cranberries, clementines and cloves.  simmer over high flame stirring frequently until berries pop open.  fold in pineapple, walnuts and a sprinkle of cinnamon.  cool and serve.

a recipe from my boss that i tweaked just a bit.  a hit with my mom and i'm thinking that leftovers would be great warmed and served over vanilla ice cream.  a nice fruit side dish with a hint of spice from the cloves.

spiced polenta steak fries.

1 tube polenta
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon paprika

cut polenta in half widthwise; cut each portion in half lengthwise.  cut each section into eight strips.  arrange strips in a single layer on baking pan coated with nonstick cooking spray.

combine oil and seasonings; drizzle over polenta strips.  bake at 425 degrees for 10 minutes on each size or until golden brown.

not quite as crispy as traditional fries, but a nice stand-in for those of us, a.k.a. me, who are trying to eat a little better.  andy had no problem eating the majority of the pan, so if there are four or so of you, you might try doubling this one.