April begins with Polenta and Quinoa

I’m starting to get my groove back. It’s April 3, 2012 and I’ve tried 2 new recipes this week. One came from Veganomicon, and the other is from Quinoa 365: The Everyday Superfood. It seems that buying a couple of nice new cookbooks is inspiring me this spring!

Broccoli Polenta

p 114 of Veganomicon

I’m not sure why I’ve always been so scared to make polenta. It was not that difficult and I think it came out good. I can see how it could be bland, but adding the broccoli gave it some texture and flavor. I served this with marinara sauce and expect to be eating it all week, since the recipe makes enough for a whole family.

3 ½ cups vegetable broth or water

½ tsp. salt (optional)

1 cup polenta

2 Tbsp. olive oil

4 cups well chopped broccoli

1. Bring salted water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the polenta slowly, mixing with a whisk as it is poured in. Add the broccoli and olive oil. Lower heat, cover, and simmer 15 minutes, stirring often. Turn off heat and let sit 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Mold the polenta. I poured the polenta into a greased 9-inch square pan and refrigerated 1 hour.

3. Slice the polenta into squares, then broil (for about minutes 3-4 inches from flame) or panfry (5 minutes each side)the polenta.

4. Serve with marinara sauce.

Quinoa Chickpea Salad

p 52 of Quinoa 365

I know I should eat more Quinoa so I picked up this cookbook that another blogger was raving about. This is the first recipe I’ve tried out of the cookbook and it’s delicious. I ate it for dinner last night, and took it for lunch today. It makes a great lunch! Delicious…I wouldn’t change a thing. Cooking the quinoa in broth as opposed to water gives it a nice flavor. I never did that before.

2 cups vegetable stock

1 cup quinoa

1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 cup diced bell pepper (red preferred)

1/3 cup dried cranberries

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

3 Tbsp. chopped fresh parsley

1. Bring the stock and quinoa to a boil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 10 minutes. Turn the heat off and elave the covered saucepan on the burner for 4 more minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool.

2. Transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and mix in the remaining ingredients. Chill before serving.

Far From the Ides of March Madness

March came and went so quickly that I never posted new recipes to my blog! Luckily, my New Years Resolution was to try new recipes, not to blog about them. I was pretty lazy in February and only tried 4 new recipes. However, near the end of the month, I finally purchased a copy of Veganomicon: The Ultimate Vegan Cookbook. I came to the realization that I like all of the recipes on theppk.com, so I ought to support them and find more recipes by buying the book. So far, I’m happy with my purchase!

Here’s what I tried in March with notes about each recipe.

Gluten-Free Chickpea Cutlets

p 133 of Veganomicon

I modified this recipe just a bit to make it gluten-free. Good stuff. I don’t know how mine compare with the original ones, which call for ½ cup of wheat gluten, but I thought they were good. I really like the flavoring. I’d like to try baking the cutlets sometime, except I’m worried they’ll be chewy. I ate them one night with marinara sauce and a second night with gravy. They were great both ways! Final verdict: This recipe's a winner!

1½ cup cooked chickpeas

2 tsp. olive oil

2 tsp. xanthum gum

½ cup gluten-free bread crumbs

¼ cup vegetable broth or water

2 Tbsp. soy sauce

2 cloves garlic, finely grated

½ tsp lemon zest

½ tsp. dried thyme

½ tsp paprika

¼ tsp. dried rubbed sage

Olive oil for pan-frying

1. In a mixing bowl, mash together chickpeas and oil, until no whole chickpeas remain. Add the remaining ingredients and knead about 3 minutes.
2. Divide the dough into 4 equal pieces. Form cutlets by flattening and stretching dough into roughly 4” x 6” cutlet shape.
3. Heat oil in cast iron skillet over medium heat. Place cutlets in the pan and cook each side 6 to 7 minutes.

4. Serve with marinara sauce or gravy!

Spinach Salad with Sun-Dried Tomato Vinaigrette

p52, Vegetarian Times April/May 2012

I had this with the chicken-free cutlets. The recipe calls for homemade croutons, but I was not up to it. I paid the price, since the croutons I bought were not too good, and full of gluten. However, the dressing is excellent. I ate this salad for lunch for a full week, and did not get sick of it until day 4. Verdict: A dressing worth making again.

Croutons

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbsp. chopped sundried tomato (jarred type)

1 Tbsp. red wine vinegar

1 Tbsp. balsamic vinegar

4 Tbsp. Olive oil

½ tsp. honey

5 oz. baby spinach

Blend ingredients except spinach and croutons in food processor and blend until mostly smooth. Season with salt and pepper. Toss vinaigrette with spinach and top with croutons.

Mom’s Best Irish Soda Bread

(originally from Anne-Marie Kalinsky)

My mom shared this recipe with me and it is delicious. It’s not all dry and crumbly like you’d expect an Irish bread to be. Verdict: I’ll be making this regularly, not just on St. Patrick’s Day!

2 cups milk

2 Tbsp. vinegar

4 cups flour

½ cup sugar

½ tsp. salt

1 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. baking powder

1 Tbsp. butter

2 tsp. caraway seeds

1 cup raisins

1 Tbsp. melted butter

2 tsp. sugar

1. Sour the milk with the vinegar. Sift dry ingredients into a bowl. Add butter, caraway seeds, and raisins. Mix together with fork. Add milk and stir with wooden spoon till thoroughly mixed. Do not beat.

2. Pour into buttered 8” round cake pan. Pour melted butter over the top of the dough. Sprinkle with the 2 tsp. sugar.

3. Bake at 375 degrees for 10 minutes. Then reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue to bake for 50 minutes.

Tempeh Helper

http://www.theppk.com/2009/08/tempeh-helper-just-like-mom-used-to-never-make/

This was not an amazing dish, but it was what it promised to be: easy, nutritious comfort food. Final verdict: might eat again...maybe.