This Week's Menu (and a recipe!)

This is one of my favorite super-fast go-to recipes for a busy weeknight.

Couscous Topped with White Beans, Tomatoes, and Zucchini
from Jeanne Lemlin's Simple Vegetarian Pleasures

The Vegetables
2 T olive oil
1 onion, finely diced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 medium zucchini, quartered lengthwise and thinly sliced on the diagonal
1 (16oz) can tomatoes, finely chopped with their juice (or use 3 fresh Roma tomatoes)
1 (16oz) can small white beans, well rinsed and drained
1 T chopped fresh basil, or 1/2 t dried
1 t chopped fresh rosemary, or 1/4 t dried, crumbled
Salt
Generous seasoning freshly ground black pepper

The Couscous
1.5 c water
1/4 t salt
1 T unsalted butter
1 c couscous

1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and saute until tender but not brown, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic and zucchini and cook 5 minutes, or until the zucchini is beginning to get tender but is still crisp.
2. Stir in the tomatoes, beans, herbs, salt, and pepper and cook, tossing occasionally, until the zucchini is tender and the sauce has thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. (The vegetables may be prepared to this point up to 4 hours in advance and reheated).
3. Meanwhile cook the couscous. Bring the water, salt, and butter to a boil in a small saucepan. Pour in the couscous, cover the pot, and remove it from the heat. Let sit 5 minutes, fluff with a fork, then cover again and let sit 5 more minutes. Serve a portion on each plate and top with a mound of the vegetable mixture.

YUM! It's SO easy, and crazy delicious. I like to top it with cheese from Parma (I would probably put Parmesan on ice cream if my husband would let me). Make it. Now.

P.S. I'm trying a new recipe for the summer squash gratin from here.

Exciting Idea!

I've got something fun/yummy/charitable in the works! I'll have more details about it next week, but I'm pretty excited about it, and I think you will be, too!

Check in next Monday (theoretically).

In the meantime, keep your fingers crossed for me. I have two exams next week. So far, the class is going great, but it means that every minute of my free time is devoted to studying. It feels good to be smart again!

Father's Day Redux.

This is what we ate:

1. Slow Cooker Moroccan Brisket with Red Onions and Apricot Couscous
   
2. Chocolate Chip Cookie-Topped Brownies from Eggs on Sunday
   

Enough said.

Pancakes

Hal can always count on Grannie and Grandpa to fix him pancakes when we visit. This past week, Grannie made super-special pancakes with this new pan from Nordic Ware:

Cute! It brought back days of when my mom used to make smiley face and puppy pancakes (free hand!) for me.

It was challenging to flip them:


But definitely worth the effort:


Hi, Lion!

For other pretty Nordic Ware things, check out this post...lovely rose pound cakes!

Weekly Menu

For the cookout and the Wii party, I'll be making this yummy (hopefully!) cherry/cornmeal upside down cake from smitten kitchen.



Rachael Ray's balsamic roast pork tenderloin recipe looks pretty simple. I'll let you know how it turns out!

P.S. It's been OK eating meat, I've even enjoyed it. I'm kind of paranoid cooking it, though, and I feel like a total beginner cook again. Lame.

Vegetarian Cookbooks: Jeanne Lemlin

I first discovered Jeanne Lemlin's cooking via the Food Network almost 10 years ago. She was preparing three different vegetarian dishes: a sweet potato/vegetable tian, couscous/spinach/pine nut casserole, and some yummy baked ziti. After trying all three dishes, Tony and I ran out and bought: Simple Vegetarian Pleasures immediately!

As Lemlin states in the forward to this book, her approach to cooking changed dramatically after the arrival of her son. She wanted to prepare delicious vegetarian fare, but no longer had the time and energy to spend hours in the kitchen every night. Thus the concept behind this cookbook, and her James Beard Award-winning Quick Vegetarian Pleasures was born (also on my bookshelf!).

I have yet to be disappointed in any of the recipes (she covers everything from breakfast to dessert) from this book. Here is a Lauren/Tony favorite:

Tortellini with Leeks and Cream

1 lb. frozen cheese tortellini
1 T butter
1 T olive oil
2 large leeks, thick greens and roots removed, thoroughly washed and thinly sliced
(leeks are very sandy! slice in half lengthwise, and fan the layers under running water to clean)
1/2 c heavy whipping cream
salt/pepper


Sauté leeks in butter and olive oil over medium heat until soft (about 10 minutes). Stir frequently, and do not allow leeks to brown. Add cream, and bring to a simmer. Season with salt and pepper and set aside.

Meanwhile, prepare tortellini according to package directions. Drain, and toss with leek/cream mixture. Serve with cheese from Parma!

Pretty cinchy, and SO delicious! Also try this recipe for 10-minute chilaquiles.

Vegetarian Cookbooks: Part I can't remember

Deborah Madison grew up, gastronomically-speaking, at the same time that Alice Waters's school of thought was beginning to take the food world by storm: use locally-grown, in-season, and (hopefully) organically-grown food. It's better for the earth, it's better for your body, AND the food tastes better. She opened her acclaimed restaurant, Greens, in 1979, and has, most recently penned Local Flavors: Cooking and Eating from America's Farmers' Markets, earning her another James Beard award (I have to get that book!).

She has also written my go-to "how can I cook that vegetable?" cookbook: Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone (James Beard award!). It's encyclopedic, like The Joy of Cooking, with different sections for different meal parts (soups, desserts, etc.), AND with an alphabetical listing of many, many vegetables, and how to prepare them in various ways. Want to know what to do with that kohlrabi? It's in there! Madison stresses uncomplicated, fresh cooking. The recipes are homey, delicious, and accessible. It's the perfect book for you farmers' markets shoppers and CSA farm members.

Here is a fantastic and simple recipe for spaghetti squash:



Spaghetti Squash with Gruyère and Parsley

1 large spaghetti squash (3 lbs.)
2-4 Tablespoons butter
1 cup Gruyère grated
1/4 cup parsley chopped with one garlic clove


Roast squash in 375 oven for an hour (or more or less), until the flesh yields easily to the touch (poke a few holes in it first!). Remove from oven, halve lengthwise, and scoop out the seeds. With a fork, scrape out the flesh---it will come off the skin in spaghetti-like strands. Mix with remaining ingredients, season with salt and pepper, and enjoy!

Other ideas for spaghetti squash?:

1. Serve with your favorite marinara sauce and cheese from Parma.
2. Prepare spaghetti squash aglio olio (saute garlic and red pepper flakes in olive oil, toss, season with salt and pepper).
3. Serve in a frittata with ricotta cheese, or maybe something with a bit more tang.

For another great recipe from this cookbook, check out this post.

Yum

I love bread. I also love this book! So far, I've tried recipes for 100% whole wheat sandwich bread (pictured above), and CHOCOLATE BREAD. Wow. Let me tell you, chocolate bread is not for the faint of heart.

The premise behind the book involves creating a really high-moisture dough (no kneading!), that can then be stored long-term, almost like a sourdough starter. This dough, however, doesn't require the maintenance that sourdough would. It's pretty sweet.

If you get the book, you may also want to buy a pizza peel and a baking stone. You need them for many of the recipes in the book (not the ones I made!).

Check out lovely Jenna Lou's blog for a much prettier picture of a boule made from the same premise.

Really Good (and QUICK) Soup

I've been making this soup pretty frequently. It's super-easy, and very yummy.

recipe via Martha Stewart Living

I grind up the spices with a spoon, replace the chicken broth with water (add a little more salt), add a bit more roasted red pepper, blend with an immersion blender, and serve with sour cream (light works great) and cheese from Parma.

Yum

Go forth and make these muffins. Thanks, Everday Food and Neat Receipts!

P.S. Click on the image to see the recipe up close and personal.