Easy Weeknight Dinners

The good life continues, with lots of great vegetarian meals at our house. We tried pierogis (the kids had never had them before) on Monday, along with a spinach salad; we all enjoyed Five-Treasure Fried Rice, sans Canadian bacon and with a side of broccoli on Tuesday; and last night the ladies dined on Spaghetti Squash with Marinara and leftover broccoli.

I have tried various methods for cooking spaghetti squash, and last night's was the easiest. I poked the squash with a paring knife all over, to help steam escape, microwaved it (whole) for 5 minutes, and then baked it (whole) in a glass dish at 400 degrees for 40 minutes. (If you aren't in a hurry, you can bake it an hour or so and skip the microwave.)

By then, the sides were beginning to cave in and a fork inserted into the squash indicated it was tender. I cut it in half and scooped out the seeds and strings from the middle (trash or compost them), and then scraped the remaining strands back into the glass baking dish - fewer dishes to wash. **Warning: I seem to have burn-proof hands, so handling the hot squash was no big deal. Mere mortals might want to wait 10 minutes or so, or handle the squash with pot holders. Don't say I didn't warn you.**

I drizzled a little bit of Wegmans Basting Oil on the squash strands and sprinkled with some sea salt. Since it was a weeknight, and as mentioned above, I was in a hurry, I used the Silver Palate San Marzano Marinara, a new discovery I made after clipping a coupon and finding it on sale at the store. It was very tasty and has no added sugar, nor any big pieces of tomato, meaning my kids will eat it.

My newest source of inspiration is Veganomicon, a really great vegan cookbook. I'm trying out a few recipes over the next week or so - they won't be as easy as this week's, but I think will be worth the effort. Look for reviews (and pictures) soon!

The Accidental Vegetarian

Exactly two weeks ago, my 14-year-old DD announced she was converting to vegetarianism. That was fine with me, because I think it's a pretty healthy way to eat. Funny thing is, I ended up liking what she was eating so much that I, too, haven't had any meat/fish/poultry in the past two weeks. I didn't see that coming!

The first week, her meals were adaptations of the rest of the family's. For instance, if the guys were having hamburgers, my daughter and I had veggie burgers, and we all ate the same side dishes (salad and waffle fries). When I made meat sauce for pasta, I left some sauce meatless. Pepperoni calzones were easy to adapt - no pepperoni for the girls, soy cheese for me, regular cheese and 'roni for the guys. We always have loads of steamed vegetables, salad and beans to round out the meals. Nothing fancy, but definitely nutritious and easy.

Week 2 arrived, and I was starting to get bored, so I bought a copy of Vegetarian Times. Inspiration hit and I made Cheesy Cauliflower and Tomato and Fennel Soup from the magazine, and created my own Quinoa-Vegetable dish, Tofu-Mushroom-Spinach Stroganoff and Refried Bean Tacos. Of course we had pasta one night, and pizza on Friday. Those two favorite meals are very easy to adapt to please both vegetarians and meat-eaters.

Yesterday, I picked up a couple of vegetarian cookbooks at the library and am overflowing with ideas for the coming weeks. From the Joy of Cooking's All About Vegetarian Cooking cookbook, I've already made a double batch of vegetable stock to use for soups and other dishes, and have put Kasha Varnishkes, Couscous with Chick Peas, and Stir-Fried Vegetables with Lentils on my "to try" list. We just dined on Falafel sandwiches, couscous salad and red grapes for lunch. Since my muse is going out with her friends tonight, I will probably have the leftovers for dinner.

As we enter the third week of her vegetarian diet, I have never felt better, or eaten more produce, in my life. Who says you can't learn a thing or two from your children?

Poached Etruscan Salmon

This amazing dinner had one of us licking her plate clean (I'm not going to say which one), while the other two family members were showering her with compliments about the meal. Picky Teenage Son was at work, which was just as well as he does not enjoy seafood.

The recipe (and the photo above) come directly from the Wegmans website, which I have found to be a very reliable recipe source. If you're not watching your carbs, serve with bread or a little pasta or rice to soak up the scrumptious sauce.

BTW, as far as using a "braising pan:" a 4- or 5-quart straight-sided skillet with a lid that holds the fish without crowding or a Dutch oven would do the trick.

Poached Etruscan Salmon

Serves: 4
Active Time: 15 mins
Total Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Wegmans Basting Oil
1 1/2 Tablespoons finely diced shallot
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper
1 1/2 cups Kitchen Basics Seafood Stock
1 cup Italian Classics Grandma's Pomodoro Sauce
1 Tbsp capers, drained
1/4 cup pitted kalamata olives, sliced
1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh rosemary
4 salmon fillets (about 6 oz each), skinned
Salt and pepper

Directions

Heat basting oil in braising pan on MEDIUM-HIGH. Add shallots and garlic; cook, stirring, about 1 min, until soft but not browned. Add wine and crushed red pepper; cook 3-5 min until liquid is reduced to one-third. Add seafood stock, pomodoro sauce, capers, olives, and rosemary; heat to 170-degree simmer. Reduce heat to MEDIUM-LOW; simmer 5 min to combine flavors.

Season salmon with salt and pepper; place, skinned side up, in pan. Return to 170 degree simmer. Cover; poach 5 min. Turn salmon over; poach, covered, 5-7 min, until internal temp reaches 130 degrees (check by inserting thermometer into thickest part of salmon).

Remove pan from heat; let rest at least 2 min.

Calories: 480
Nutrition Info: Each serving (1 salmon portion , 3/4 cup sauce) contains 480 calories, 8 g carbohydrate, (2 g fiber), 41 g protein, 27 g fat, (4 g saturated fat), 110 mg cholesterol, 1750 mg omega-3 fats, and 730 mg sodium.

Just cook!

Today's post is brought to you by your refrigerator. And your grandmother (or great-grandmother, depending on your age).

Your refrigerator would like you to use up its contents before you open another cook book, watch another cooking show, or print out another recipe from the computer.

And your grandmother would like you to put down the cookbook and cook from the heart. Make something you like, without a recipe, and without making another trip to the supermarket. Like grandma, use the contents of your "icebox" and pantry to create soups, pasta and bean dishes, stir-fries and other simple family fare with little waste and no added expense. If you can boil water, turn on the broiler and chop a vegetable, you've got the skills necessary to make something edible.

Sometimes in my house I ask a family member to name three ingredients from our pantry and fridge, and I make a meal from those. It might be a pasta dish, a soup, a big salad or some grilled meat. I season according to what I know we like (not too spicy), cook in healthy method, and dinner's ready.

In the new year, please JUST COOK. You don't have to be Martha Stewart, Rachael Ray or Bobby Flay - be yourself and create food you'd like to eat. It's that simple. And you'll make grandma very, very proud.

Ranch Oyster Crackers

My last two posts have mentioned that evil chemical product otherwise known as ranch dressing. I can't bring myself to read the entire ingredient list on the back of the Hidden Valley Ranch bottle, that's how bad it is. But now and then it comes in handy to add some zip to a salad or sandwich. Happily, Mama Pea has come up with an all-natural way to enjoy those tangy ranch flavors with this recipe for Ranch Oyster Crackers. Thank you, Mama Pea.

In a happy side note, I developed a ranch dressing for a dairy-free/egg-free client yesterday using this same spice mix. I combined it with some Vegenaise, soy yogurt and red wine vinegar and voila - a ranch you can feel good about.

Ranch Oyster Crackers - by Mama Pea (my notes in parentheses)

2 t. garlic powder
2 t. onion powder
1/2 t. dry mustard
1/2 t. dry dill
2 t. dried parsley
1 t. dried chives (my addition)
1 t. kosher salt
3 T. canola oil
One 8-ounce package of oyster crackers

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.

In a large bowl, combine all the dry seasonings and mix well.

Add oil and stir to combine.

Pour the oyster crackers into the bowl and toss with a spatula to coat.
(at this point I started to taste them, and they were good even before cooking - always a good sign)

Transfer the crackers to a baking sheet (lined with parchment if you hate washing dishes like I do).

Bake for 20 minutes, stirring once halfway through.

Let cool completely and store in an airtight container.

Slow-Cooked Honey Barbecue Ribs and Bacon-Ranch Slaw

If you have a rib-lover in your house, you've got to put this recipe in your rotation. It practically cooks itself in the crock pot, leaving you hours to do other things - like put a CPK Barbecue Chicken Pizza in the oven for the family members who don't like ribs. I also managed to wrap all the Christmas gifts, finish writing out the holiday cards (if yours doesn't arrive soon, you're not getting one), walk the dog and do some paperwork while dinner was cooking.

I created the side dish knowing that slaw is a natural partner for barbecue spare ribs; however, my mayonnaise-hating crew won't touch it. So I substituted Ranch dressing for the mayo (brilliant, I know) and added another known entity, bacon, to make the side dish something they'd eat. And you know what? It worked. P.S. - The slaw was mighty tasty with the Barbecue Chicken Pizza, too.

Slow-Cooked Honey Barbecue Ribs and Bacon-Ranch Slaw
Serves 4

Ribs:
2 racks baby back pork ribs (about 2# each)
1 26-ounce carton reduced-sodium beef broth
2 - 3 T. honey mustard
1/4 cup honey
1/2 cup water
1/4 cup barbecue sauce
1/4 cup soy sauce
1/4 cup maple syrup
extra barbecue sauce for later

Slaw:
1 12-ounce bag Mann's Broccoli Slaw
reduced-fat Ranch dressing (whatever brand you like)
crumbled real bacon bits

1. Remove the silverskin from the ribs and cut them into 4-rib sections. Place in a greased crock pot.

2. Combine all the remaining rib ingredients in a large bowl (except for the "extra barbecue sauce for later") and stir to combine. Pour over the ribs in the crock pot. The ribs should be pretty much submerged.

3. Cover and cook on HIGH for 5 hours. After 4 hours, if you feel like it, open the lid a crack and use a fork or tongs to push down on the ribs that are sticking up out of the liquid.

4. Before serving, preheat your broiler and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil (for easier clean-up). Use tongs to remove the ribs from the crock pot. Lay them, meaty side up, on the baking sheet and pour some of the extra barbecue sauce over them. Broil for 4 minutes or so, just long enough to get the sauce sticking to the meat. Serve with more barbecue sauce if desired.

Slaw:

Pour the bag of broccoli slaw into a large bowl. Add a couple of glugs of Ranch dressing. Stir. If you'd like more Ranch, continue adding it until the slaw looks good to you. Use tongs to put on plates. Top servings with crumbled bacon bits.

Winter Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing

It's so easy to throw together a salad in the summer; in the winter, salads can get ho-hum. This bright salad can be made any time of year, but its colors and flavors are especially welcome in winter.

These vegetables will be quite happy with any sort of dressing, so please use anything you like - a simple vinaigrette, olive oil and lemon juice, or even (gasp) Ranch dressing would be just fine. I was in an Asian frame of mind, so I created the Sesame-Ginger dressing.

I enjoyed this as a side dish with an entree of Orange-Maple Glazed Scallops last night. Today, I had it for lunch on top of brown rice, with a bit of goat cheese crumbled on top. Who knows what I'll do with it tomorrow.

Winter Salad with Sesame-Ginger Dressing
Serves 4

1 head organic broccoli
1 bunch organic carrots, peeled and grated
1 cup of cooked chick peas
1 - 2 beets, peeled and grated
Optional: Sunflower seeds or sesame seeds

Dressing:

1 T. minced shallot
1 t. tahini
2 T. rice vinegar
1 t. Dijon mustard
2 T. canola oil
salt and pepper
squeeze of ginger

1. Cut florets from broccoli. Place in a glass bowl. Cover with a damp paper towel and microwave for 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender.

2. Combine steamed broccoli with shredded carrots and chick peas. DON'T ADD THE BEETS until you are ready to serve - otherwise they will turn the whole salad purple.

3. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients in the bowl of an immersion blender and blending until combined. Taste and tweak ingredients to you taste.

4. If preparing ahead, store the vegetables, beets and dressing separately. When ready to serve, add the beets to the salad and drizzle the dressing over the top.

5. Add sunflower seeds or sesame seeds if desired and serve cold or at room temperature.