Tofu Green Curry Bento

Green curry paste

coconut milk 

fried tofu 

baby corn 

zucchini 

snap peas 

asparagus 

carrot shavings

onion

 Fry onion in a small amount of oil, then add curry paste to release aromatic qualities. Stir fry vegetables in the regular way. When done, push veggies to one side of pan, then add second serving of curry paste to empty side of pan. stir coconut milk into the paste to 'loosen it up'. Add coconut milk to taste.

Pesto stuffed pasta

Stuffed pasta, with sauteed tomatoes, pine nuts, and broccoli.

Lemon Cashew Tart

Coconut milk
1 envelope gelatin
2 cups raw cashews soaked in a bowl of cold water overnight
4 dates
1 cup dates
1 cup raw almonds
1 cup raw pecans
1 lemon tested
1/2 c. Lemon juice
1 tsp. Vanilla
Can of coconut milk
Make crust. Puree cashews, milk, salt, vanilla, dates until smooth. In a saucepan heat maple syrup with gelatin. Add to blender. Firms up in about two hours. This does not have the consistency or mouth feel of cheesecake. It has a definite coconut milk after flavor. It makes an interesting nut tart, but a horrible cheesecake replacement.

Pear Salad

4 Royal Riviera® Pears
1/2 cup lime juice
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/4 cup honey or more to taste
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon lemon rind
1/4 cup vegetable oil
4 loose–head lettuce leaves
2 Belgian endive heads


Put aside 2 tablespoons of the lime juice. Mix the remaining juice with the mustard, honey, salt, paprika, lemon rind, and oil. Set aside. Slice each pear into eights, carefully removing the core and seeds. Leave unpeeled. Place on a plate and coat well with reserved lime juice to avoid discoloration. Line a large serving dish or individual serving plates with lettuce. Arrange the pear slices and the endive leaves to make an attractive display. Spoon the dressing over the fruit and serve immediately.

Roasted Herbed Mushrooms

16 even-sized open cup mushrooms, stalks cut level
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped very finely
3 Tbs. unsalted butter, softened
2 Tbs. fresh thyme, chopped
½ tsp. garlic powder
5 Tbs. almond flour
1½ Tbs. lemon juice
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 400*F.  In a skillet, lightly fry the mushrooms, cap-side down, in hot oil for 2-3 minutes.  Arrange the mushrooms in a a 9x13 cooking dish with the stalks facing upwards.In a small bowl, mix together the butter, garlic, thyme, lemon juice and seasoning.  Spoon a little garlic butter on to each mushroom, then lightly press the almond meal on top.  Bake mushrooms 15 minutes until  golden around the mushroom cap.

1,111 calories, 20g carbs, 6g fiber, 117g fat, 14g protein for the entire tray.

Vegetable Terrine

Mine was served with seared tuna.

1/2 C. olive oil, plus extra for oiling pans
some exterior cabbage leaves from several different store cabbages, boiled al detente
1 zucchini, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 yellow squash, stem and bottom ends trimmed, cut lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices
1 C. cauliflower florets cut into tiny pieces
16 ounces fresh chard, washed, stems removed, then blanched, squeezed dry, and coarsely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
10 ounces soft, mild goat cheese
2 Tb.minced fresh basil leaves
2 Tb. extra-virgin olive oil

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.  Line 2 large baking sheets with aluminum foil and lightly grease with olive oil. Arrange some of the cauliflower, zucchini, and yellow squash slices in a single layer on the sheets, slightly overlapping them. Brush with olive oil and lightly season with salt and pepper. Bake until soft and just golden around the edges, 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and transfer to a plate to cool. Repeat with the remaining vegetable slices.

In a large bowl, combine the goat cheese with the basil, parsley, and extra-virgin olive oil. Season, to taste, with salt and pepper and mix well.

In a 6-cup terrine (12 by 3 by 3 inches), arrange the cabbage leaves crosswise over the bottom and up the sides, overlapping the slices to completely cover the terrine. The ends of the slices should overhang the sides of the terrine. Top the cabbage with thin layers of chard, zucchini, yellow squash, and cauliflower. Crumble a layer of the goat cheese mixture on top, and repeat the layering with the remaining vegetable slices. Bring the overhanging cabbage slices up over the terrine. Wrap the terrine loosely in plastic wrap. Top with an equal-size terrine or a piece of cardboard wrapped in aluminum foil. Place a brick or heavy pot on top of the terrine and refrigerate for at least 8 hours or for up to 24 hours.

Remove the terrine from the refrigerator. Remove the weight and unwrap. Slice with a very sharp knife and serve 1 thick or 2 thin slices per person.

Chard

This lovely rainbow chard is being made into a simple quiche.

Pickles

3 c. water
2 C. vinegar
fresh peeled garlic (I used 3 per jar)
fresh flowering dill (I used 2 per jar because I had it)
Jars packed with sliced pickling cucumbers

Stir water, vinegar, and salt together in a saucepan over high heat. Bring to a boil; remove from heat and cool completely. Combine cucumber spears, garlic cloves, and fresh dill in a large glass or plastic container. Pour cooled vinegar mixture over cucumber mixture. Seal container with lid and refrigerate for at least 3 days.

Spinach Puff

1 bag baby spinach
1 bag chopped kale
1 egg
8 oz. ricotta cheese
4 oz. feta cheese
fresh ground black pepper
dill, lemon zest
1 package of puff pastry crust

Boil 6 quarts of water in a 12 qt. pan. Boil the spinach and kale for 3 minutes until wilted. Drain, cool, and squeeze dry. In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients to make a smooth green paste. Use filling inside puff pastry crust, pinch shut. Bake at 400* for 15 minutes.

Pesto Ravioli

Ready made spinach ricotta ravioli, topped with sauteed mushrooms, red Himalayan sea salt, and easy pesto.

Easy Pesto
2 C. assorted basil clippings (I took the flowers this morning from my spicy globe and sweet basil and mixed them with the leaves from sweet, spicy globe, blue, and purple basil)
1/4 C. pine nuts
1/3 C. olive oil or more if needed to blend the pesto into a smooth paste.
Puree in blender until smooth. Salt after serving as needed.

Wild Greens,Quinoa, and Mushroom Linguini

Caprese ravioli

Package ravioli
cherry tomatoes
fresh mozzarella
spicy globe basil
fresh black pepper
balsamic vinegar

Boil ravioli according to package directions, drain, then plate. Decorate ravioli with fresh slices of mozzarella cheese, diced tomatoes, and basil leaves. Drizzle with balsamic vinegar and add pepper to taste.

Vegetable Lasagna

1 container ricotta cheese
1 bunch chard (finely chopped)
1 yellow, 1 green, 1 baby eggplant shredded (with box grater)
1 tsp. garlic
mushrooms, sliced (I used two 8 oz packages)
salt, pepper, garlic powder
2 jars spaghetti sauce
1 bag of shredded cheese
1 box lasagna noodles

Preheat oven 350*. Boil your lasagna noodles. Combine ricotta, vegetables, garlic, and salt and pepper (if needed), in a bowl. This will be for your cheese layers. Saute mushrooms with butter in a nonstick skillet. When you are happy with doneness and flavor, add 1 jar of sauce. This is your sauce layer. Using more mushrooms would make it a thicker sauce. Pour half a jar of sauce on the bottom of your 9x13 pan. Arrange a layer of noodles on the sauce on the bottom, this should not stick after baking. Assemble lasagna layering cheese, noodles, sauce, noodles. The top layer should be noodles. Pour the last half jar of sauce on top allowing it to creep down side edges of pan. (Cooked tomato is easier to clean up than cooked cheese). Pour the shredded cheese on top of lasagna and bake for 1 hour or until the middle is warmed. To prevent cheese burning, use tinfoil if necessary.

More Basil Pasta

1 bunch basil
1/2 C. milk
1/4 cup peeled, sliced almonds
3 Tb. Parmesan, freshly grated
Pinch of salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
3 Tb. ricotta cheese
2 Tb. butter, melted
1 lb pasta
2 cloves garlic

In a blender, combine the basil, Parmesan, milk, garlic, and almonds, salt, and pepper and blend until well-combined.  In a separate bowl, stir together the ricotta and melted butter. Add the basil mixture to the bowl and gently fold the sauce together.   Meanwhile, bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add your pasta and cook until al dente.   Drain the pasta and mix it with the basil sauce while the pasta is still warm. Top with grated Parmesan, if you'd like, and serve warm.  Recipe

Spanakopita

2 small Yukon gold potatoes (about 8 ounces); boiled and peeled
Kosher salt
1 bunch spinach (about 12 ounces), tough stems removed
1 bunch Swiss chard (about 1 pound), stems and leaves separated in two bowls, stems chopped
1/4 tsp. Hungarian paprika
Freshly ground pepper
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup grated kefalotyri cheese (about 4 ounces) I used dry ricotta cheese
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 ounces)
1 large egg
1 teaspoon finely grated lemon zest
8 sheets frozen phyllo dough, thawed

Recipe

Sweet Tofu Pockets

I wanted to make tofu pockets, but to do that I need bean pockets to stuff.  You can buy them or try to make them from scratch.  I am going to try to make them from scratch.

Abura-age (tofu pocket)
1 block extra firm tofu

Cut into thin even slices (I cut mine the width of a chop stick). Arrange slices on a double thick square of paper towel.  Place another double thick topping of paper towel on the tofu slices. Set a cutting board or a cookie sheet on your  tofu sandwich and add a few cans of beans or something to weigh down the cookie sheet.  Press out the water for 2 hours.  Change paper towels as they become saturated with soy bean water. Remove weighs and allow to air dry for 1 hour. You want really dry tofu.
To test, fry one slice for 5 minutes in low temperature (about 110℃). If the tofu has been drained well, it should ideally spread about 1.5 times its original size. If it doesn't, then the draining wasn't enough. If this is the case, use the tofu for some other dish. Mine shrunk, but I pressed forward anyhow.
Drain any excess oil, and fry again in medium temperature (about 160℃). The fried abura-age are quite firm immediately after they've been fried a second time. Wrap them up in plastic wrap, and microwave until the inside of the microwave turns white with steam (600 watts for 45 seconds). Cut pockets open.
When abura-age is cooked in dashi stock seasoned with sugar and soy sauce they are nick-named inari-age or sushi-age because they are used for inari sushi.

Inarizushi (tofu pouch filled with rice)
Marinade for 6 - 10 pieces:
1 C. dashi or just water
1 Tb. sugar
2 tsp. mirin
2 tsp. soy sauce
1 shot of sake if you have

In principle, the marinade is similar to the teriyaki sauce. Whether you use water, dashi, or saki, aim for a sweet , spicy marinade. The amount of marinade should be so much that it covers the abura-age bags at least half (similar to teriyaki). Somebody else's how-to.

Salad Dressing

3 medium-size carrots, peeled and cut into about 1-inch chunks
1 piece (2-inches) fresh ginger, peeled and cut into disks
1 shallot, minced, or ¼ cup minced onion
3 Tb unseasoned rice vinegar, or 1½ tablespoons white wine vinegar
¼ cup canola, peanut, or vegetable oil
1 Tb. sesame oil
1 tsp. granulated sugar
4 tsp. miso paste (optional, but recommended)
2 tsp. mirin (optional)
Puree all ingredients in your blender. Makes 2 cups of dressing; enough for a few salads.

Pork Marsala

Pork tenderloin
flour
salt and pepper
mushrooms
Marsala wine
butter
chicken broth

Cut tenderloin into chops, cover in Saran and pound until flat. Dredge cutlets in flour and season with salt and pepper. Gently fry the cutlets in oil two minutes each side. Remove from oil and let dry on a paper towel. Clean frying pan. Cook mushrooms in butter. Add 1/2 C. wine and boil until no longer smells like alcohol. Add 1/2 C. chicken broth and gently simmer until semi thickened. Spoon sauce over cutlets served on spaghetti.

Waffles

Delicious homemade waffles are only 10 minutes away.  I had a jar of apple sauce made this fall that I ran thru the blender to be ultra smooth.  Caitlyn seemed to enjoy it, but I prefer mine more chunky.  These waffles are a great way to use up the extras.

2 eggs (beaten until fluffy)
2 C. all purpose flour (but I suppose you could use something else)
1 3/4 C. milk
1/2 C. apple sauce
2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. vanilla
a dash of cinnamon for extra flavor
pinch of salt

Mix ingredients in large mixing bowl.  Batter should be smooth and runny like cake mix.  Spoon batter on top hot waffle iron.  Cook waffles until they stop releasing steam around edges and no longer stick to waffle iron.

Rigatoni

2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons Butter
1 whole Medium Onion, Finely Diced
4 cloves Garlic, Minced
2 cans (15 Ounce Each) Tomato Sauce Or Marinara Sauce
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Dash Of Sugar (more To Taste)
1 cup Heavy Cream
Grated Parmesan Or Romano Cheese, To Taste
green olives
1 can drained artichoke hearts
1 bunch minced parsley

Heat butter and oil over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and saute for a minute or so. Pour in tomato sauce and add salt, pepper, and sugar to taste. Stir and cook over low heat for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Remove from heat and stir in cream. Add cheese to taste, then check seasonings. Stir in can of drained artichokes, sliced green olives, and parsley.  Serve over pasta.  Top with cooked butternut squash.