De Ma Cuisine

red choi Archive

Monday

16

February 2015

0

COMMENTS

Vegetarian Lasagne

Written by , Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Herbs, Main Dishes, Pasta, Roasting, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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I think that homemade pasta is one of the most rewarding things to eat. Maybe after baguettes… maybe tied. In any case, gosh it’s good. Every time I make it I swear that I’m never buying pasta again (and then I totally do). Since homemade lasagne is one of Tim’s favorite meals, I know that I’ve always got a winner on my hands when I combine the two.

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If you’re not quite up to the homemade pasta challenge, that’s totally fine. But, if you are, I used a recipe from Alana Chernila’s cookbook, The Homemade Pantry. It turned out great. In the past, I’ve used another recipe that called for waaaaay more eggs. I thought that this one tasted just as good, and it only called for three eggs. Winner.

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Making homemade pasta is a seriously time consuming task. It’s well worth it though. It was nice to be forced to do just one thing. To stand and wait for the pasta to roll through the attachment that I have for my KitchenAid. How often am I still, just listening to the food as it’s being shaped? Not often enough.

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Maybe because I was already tuned in, I noticed the way the sage popped and crackled after I took it out of the pan of hot browned butter.

Things like this make my heart a little bit lighter.

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Once the pasta was rolled out and drying, once the sage was cooked and set aside, fresh greens were chopped up for the tomatoey sauce. Tons of greens. I used chard, collards, and white choi. Any greens that you have on hand will do just fine.

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Now, here’s where I need to make a small note. I used diced tomatoes in the greens. My preference would be tomato sauce. But, since I’d already spent like five hours on the dish at this point, I didn’t want to take an extra ten minutes to blend the tomatoes. Tim didn’t mind them diced though. So, just a note that you could do it either way, and I think it would be great. Ok? Ok.

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I roasted some butternut squash. This recipe needs about the equivalent of one large squash. I had two on the counter, so I roasted them both at the same time. One for this dish, another to go in the freezer for another time. The squash is mixed with some salt and pepper. Easy.

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I went simple when it came to the cheese in this dish. You could also add mozzarella or ricotta (or both!), if you want to. I’m not usually opposed to more cheese, ever. But, parmesan is what I had in the fridge, and I’m trying to be better at using what we have on hand.

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I let the pasta dry while I cooked up the tomatoes and greens. Then, once everything else was ready, the pasta got a quick dunk in some boiling water. Just for a minute, if it’s fresh pasta (if you’re using store bought, follow the instructions on the package).

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And finally, assembly time (which means closer to eating time). Greens in the bottom, noodle, squash, cheese, repeat. I made two individual ramekins for dinner, and then a loaf pan sized one to put into the freezer for another day. You could also make an 8x8ish pan and I think the amount of ingredients would come out about the same.

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The lasagne is served topped with those crunchy sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon.

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Happy Eating!

Vegetarian Lasagne

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 4

Vegetarian Lasagne

Ingredients

  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1 butternut squash, halved, seeds removed
  • 10-12 lasagne noodles, fresh if you have them
  • 2 T butter, divided
  • 8 sage leaves
  • 6-8 C greens (any greens will do: chard, collards, red or white choi, bok choy, kale, spinach, Tokyo bekana, mizuna...)
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 2-3 C diced tomatoes (or 3 C tomato sauce)
  • to taste salt
  • to taste pepper
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1 1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated
  • lemon slices, for serving

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Drizzle squash with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 60 minutes (or until flesh pierces easily with a fork). Scoop out flesh and mix with some salt and pepper.
  2. While squash roasts, heat skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T butter. Fry sage, 1 minute per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
  3. Add 1 T butter to the sage skillet and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add greens, salt, and pepper. Wilt down, turning often, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes through cayenne. Increase heat to medium and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  4. Par cook lasagne noodles in boiling salted water for about 1 minute (fresh) (or according to package directions for store bought). Remove with a slotted spoon and spread out on a plate.
  5. In a greased 8x8 or 9x9 oven proof pan (or 2 individual ramekins and 1 loaf pan), spread a bit of the tomato mixture on the bottom, top with a noodle, a scoop of squash, and some cheese. Repeat 4 or 5 times, or until pan is full or ingredients are gone, ending with squash and cheese.
  6. Bake for about 30 minutes.
  7. Serve topped with crumbled sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/vegetarian-lasagne/

Thursday

29

January 2015

0

COMMENTS

Red Choi Stir Fry with Tofu and Almonds

Written by , Posted in Dairy-Free, Dinner, Lunch, Main Dishes, Nuts, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Quinoa, Rice, Sauces, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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It makes me super happy when I’ve made something that’s loaded with veggies, and Tim, unprompted, tells me how much he likes it. What a guy! Good thing he liked it so much (even the tofu!), because I am sold.

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First of all, tofu is a cheap way to get some protein into a dish. I know, I know, not everyone is crazy about soy. So, if you’re not a tofu fanatic, that’s awesome too! Be who you are, right?! If you’d like, add some chicken instead, Tempeh is great too (but also a soybean product), beef and pork would also be super yum. Or, go totally vegetarian and add some more nuts (even a scoop of peanut or almond butter mixed into the sauce would be great).

See how easy that was?! Substitution central over here. This is one where there’s something for everyone.

Oh yeah, and if you’re vegan, omit the fish sauce. (No duh, Rachel. You knew that… We taught our 2 year old niece to say, “No duh, Uncle Tim” over the holidays. It was one of the highlights of the trip. Especially when she started saying it to Oma too.) I’d planned to make this a vegan dish. I was going to add some honey, then remembered that some vegans don’t eat honey. I finished cooking and realized that fish sauce is obviously not vegan. Eye roll and shrug of the shoulders. I can’t expect my brain to work perfectly all the time. 😉

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This is my go-to stir fry sauce. It’s simple. Soy sauce (or a gluten-free version, which tastes remarkably similar), fish sauce, and rice vinegar. Sometimes I use cornstarch and water, to act as a thickener. Either way, we think it tastes great.

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Stir Fry is one of those awesome meals for using up whatever veggies are hanging out in the fridge. It’s also a way to pack in many many veggies, but can also be great if you’ve just got broccoli and an onion left at the end of the week. My goal, this time, was to find a way to use the red choi. The rest of the veggies are kinda just a bonus. Plus, it’s a great dish for cabbage using up. And, tastes great with an Asian slaw on the side. Yep, do it, get your cabbage on!

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Anoooooother reason I love Stir Fry, it’s so incredibly quick to prepare. Veggies cook over higher heat, so they cook fast and retain their bright color. A friend gave me a wok, so now I don’t throw veggies all over the stove.

Don’t forget, keep those veggies moving. High heat means they’re gonna burn if you leave them unattended.

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Once the veggies are cooked (see how greeeeeeeen they are still!?), sauce goes in, cooks for like 2 minutes more, and then you’re done!

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You could stand there and eat it out of the wok. Totally fine with me.

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But, maybe a better option is to scoop some rice onto a plate, slide some tofu next to it, and pile on those veggies.

If you’ve already eaten 5 pieces of the crispy tofu, I understand. I may have done the same.

May have.

Happy Eating!

Red Choi Stir Fry with Tofu and Almonds

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 21 minutes

Total Time: 31 minutes

Yield: 2-4

Red Choi Stir Fry with Tofu and Almonds

Ingredients

  • 1 C brown rice (rice noodles, quinoa, or bulgur wheat would also be great)
  • 2 C water
  • 1 block firm tofu, sliced about 1/8" to 1/4" thick
  • to taste salt
  • pinch cayenne
  • pinch ginger
  • 2 t olive oil, divided
  • 1 T soy sauce
  • 1 T rice vinegar
  • 1/4 C cold water
  • 1 T cornstarch
  • pinch ginger
  • 2 T olive oil
  • 1/4 C carrots or celery, thinly sliced
  • 1-2 C broccoli or cauliflower, cut into bite sized pieces
  • 2-4 T radish, thinly sliced
  • 1 C cabbage (or collard greens or kale), chopped
  • 1 head red choi stems, chopped
  • (could also add: snap peas, bean sprouts, green beans, summer squash, butternut squash)
  • pinch salt
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 head red choi leaves, chopped
  • 2 T almonds, chopped, for serving

Instructions

  1. Cook rice.
  2. While rice cooks, sprinkle both sides of the tofu with salt, cayenne, and ginger. Heat skillet over medium to medium-high heat, add 1 t olive oil, when it's hot add tofu, working in batches so the pan isn't overcrowded, cook for about 2-3 minutes per side (or until sides are browned and crispy), adding more oil as needed. Remove from pan and place on a paper towel lined plate.
  3. Whisk together soy sauce through ginger. Set aside.
  4. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add 2 T olive oil. When oil is hot, add carrots through salt. Cook, stirring constantly (picking veggies up with tongs and moving them around works best for me), for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and red choi leaves and cook for about 2 minutes more.
  5. Stir in sauce. Cook for 1-2 minutes (or until sauce has thickened).
  6. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
  7. Serve over rice, topped with chopped almonds.

Notes

If it's not essential for this to be vegetarian, 1 t fish sauce is a good addition to the sauce.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/red-choi-stir-fry-with-tofu-and-almonds/

P.S. Those leftovers, plomp it all together in a pan and heat it up. The rice will love the sauce, and get a little bit crispy and extra yummy.