Main Dishes

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TOFU VEGETABLE CURRY: Filling, Flavorful, & Low In Calories!!!

tofu veg curry1 text

I love vegetarian curry dishes! The warm spices wake up your mouth, it fills you up, and – best of all – they’re low in calories! Without the rice, TOFU VEGETABLE CURRY is about 200 calories per cup. Yay!

TOFU VEGETABLE CURRY also has the benefit of being easy and fairly quick to prepare – about 40 minutes total (and the last 15 minutes are hands off simmering).

If you’ve already glanced at the recipe below, you may be leery of making it due to the long list of ingredients. Fear not! Notice that most of them are spices. If you’ve been cooking for awhile then you may already have many, if not all – they’re very common in cooking.

Note:  If you prefer, you can substitute 2 T garam masala spice blend for the first 10 ingredients.  Then start with the chili powder.

Additional Note: Don’t skip the cream – it truly makes all the difference in the world. (There’s only 1/4 cup in the whole batch anyway.)

TOFU VEGETABLE CURRY – makes about 8 cups

  • 1 T coriander
  • 1¼ tsp cumin
  • 3/4 tsp turmeric
  • 1/2 tsp powdered ginger
  • 1/2 tsp dried mustard
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1/8 tsp cinnamon
  • 1/8 tsp ground cloves
  • 1/8 tsp cardamom
  • 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 2 tsp chili powder
  • 4 T vegetable oil, divided
  • 2 cups  onions, chopped
  • 1 cup red potatoes (or Yukon gold), unpeeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces
  • 3 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1 serrano chili, minced
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 1/2 head of cauliflower, cut into bite-sized pieces
  • 14 oz canned whole tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 15 oz can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
  • 6 oz extra firm tofu, cut into 1/2″ cubes
  • 1½ tsp sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1½ cup green peas
  • 1/4 cup heavy cream

Have all ingredients prepped, in order to speed things up.

Place a small bowl near the stove. Into a dry Dutch oven add the coriander, cumin, turmeric, ginger, mustard, black pepper, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, cayenne, and chili powder. Turn flame on to medium/high. Stir constantly for 1 minute – you’re toasting the spices. You’ll notice a puff of smoke at about the 1 minute mark. Immediately empty the spices into the bowl and set aside.

Into the now empty Dutch oven add 3 T oil, onions, and potatoes. Sauté over medium/high until browned – about 10 minutes. Turn off heat.

Shove the onions and potatoes to the edge of the pot. Into the center place the remaining 1 T oil, garlic, serrano, and tomato paste. Over medium flame stir just the tomato paste mixture for 1 minute to bloom them. Then stir the onions/potatoes and tomato paste mixture together, cooking an additional 2 minutes.

Add in the cauliflower and spices (from bowl),  and cook 2 more minutes, stirring often.

Pour in the canned tomatoes, water, chickpeas, sugar, tofu, and salt. Bring to boil, cover, then turn down heat to keep a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes.

Stir in the peas and cream. Serve as is, or over rice with NAAN BREAD (which I prefer!).

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CHEESY BRUNCH POTATOES: They’re Delicious All Day Long!

cheesy brunch potatoes textI’m a fan of potatoes – dressed up or dressed down, they’re pretty much always good. I’m, also, a fan of brunch….only for dinner. So CHEESY BRUNCH POTATOES is an Antonini family favorite evening meal.

Served with a vegetable, salad, and a yogurt shake, you’ve got yourself a fast, filling, and kid-friendly meal.

CHEESY BRUNCH POTATOES – serves about 6 (unless you have teenagers – then it’s 2)

  • 1½ lbs red potatoes (Yukon gold potatoes are fine, too – just not russet)
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 cup onions, chopped
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1¼ cup jalapeño jack cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup medium cheddar cheese, shredded
  • 2-3 Roma tomatoes, chopped
  • 1 cup avocado, cubed

Get a pot of salted water boiling. Cut unpeeled potatoes into 3/4″ cubes. potatoes choppedWhen water reaches boil, drop in potatoes and cook about 5 minutes – just to par-cook them. potatoes boiled(You don’t want them completely cooked or they’ll start to mash when fried.) Pour into sieve to drain.

In a large nonstick skillet (at least 12″), melt butter over medium-high heat. Add potatoes, flipping them with non-metal spatula every few minutes. After about 5 minutes add in the onions (they cook faster than the potatoes – you don’t want to burn them). potatoes onions friedContinue flipping until the potatoes are browned. potatoes onions fried2Turn off flame.

Stir in salt and cheeses to blend. Gently fold in tomatoes and avocado. Add salt and pepper, if desired.brunch potatoes beauty

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CRISPY EGGPLANT PARMESAN: New And Improved!!!

eggplant parm textPreviously, I posted an Eggplant Parmesan recipe made in the traditional manner:  coated fried eggplant, slathered with marinara sauce, and topped with mozzarella. This was baked to fully cook the eggplant and melt the cheese. What I ended up with was mushy eggplant, soggy crust, bland marinara, and rubbery mozzarella. I knew no different.

Until I watched an America’s Test Kitchen episode where they made Chicken Parmesan. Significant changes were made, thus producing a crispy crust, fresh-tasting marinara, and melty cheese. Of course, I substituted eggplant for the chicken.

What changes, you ask? They used panko crumbs in lieu of bread crumbs for a crunchy coat. They cut the mozzarella with Italian Fontina to achieve a nice melt without being rubbery.  They added the marinara sauce at the end to retain the fresh tomato taste and crispy crust. And, finally, they didn’t bake the heck out of it – in fact, they merely broiled it enough to melt the cheese. Brilliant!!!

NOTE:  A Queen Of Freeze time-saving tip is to double or triple the marinara recipe. Then freeze it in portions for future use. Don’t add the basil before freezing, though – it will lose it’s potency.

CRISPY EGGPLANT PARMESAN

  • 2 eggplants (about 1½ pounds total)
  • kosher salt
  • 2 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 2 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/4 tsp table salt
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano, divided
  • 1/8 tsp dried red pepper flakes
  • 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped (discard stem ends & peels)
  • 1/4 tsp sugar
  • 2 T  fresh basil, chopped
  • 1/2 c panko crumbs
  • 3/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 tsp garlic powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 1 T flour
  • 1 egg
  • 1 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded
  • 1 cup Italian Fontina cheese

Remove ends of unpeeled eggplants and discard. Cut into 3/4″ pieces. Lay rounds on a wire rack and sprinkle 1/8 tsp of kosher salt on each side of slices. Set aside for 20 minutes to allow the salt to draw out water from the eggplant. eggplant salt sprinklePrepare the marinara:  In a saucepan, heat 1 T olive oil. Add in the garlic, 1/4 tsp table salt, 1/4 tsp oregano, and red pepper flakes. Cook for about 30 seconds to bloom. Add the canned tomatoes and sugar. Bring to simmer and cook 20 minutes, uncovered. Stir now and then. After 20 minutes, remove from heat and stir in the basil and remaining 1 T olive oil. Set aside.marinaraIn a bowl, mix together panko, Parmesan, garlic powder, 1/4 tsp oregano, and pepper. Pour onto a large plate.

Using a spoon, mix together the flour and egg, smashing out the flour lumps as best you can. Pour onto a large plate.

Wipe down both sides of eggplant slices with paper towel to remove excess salt. Heat several tablespoons of vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium/high heat. Dredge eggplant slices first into egg (both sides),eggplant dipped in eggand then into panko mix (both sides)eggplant dipped in pankoPlace into skillet, frying both sides to golden brown.eggplant friedPlace eggplant on a broiler pan and preheat broiler with rack in upper third of oven.

Combine Fontina and mozzarella. Sprinkle cheese on eggplant. Broil about 3 minutes, until cheese is melted.eggplant melted cheeseTo serve, top with marinara. Sprinkle on additional basil, if desired.eggplant parm cropped

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GIAMBOTTA – Low Cal Doesn’t Have To Mean Low Flavor!

giabotta2-textIt’s that time of year again when spring is just beyond the horizon. Soon we’ll be able to leave the house without bulky sweaters and coats. This means, of course, we won’t be able to hide those holiday pounds anymore.

Soooo, let’s do something about it NOW!

Just because I’m slimming down doesn’t mean I’m about to sacrifice taste. There are plenty of delicious meals one can prepare to keep the calories at bay. Giambotta is one such recipe. It’s a delicious stew that’s quick to put together and makes enough to last for several days.

TIP: Don’t leave out the tomato paste – it adds flavor.  You may be reluctant to open a can for just 1 tablespoon.  As Queen Of Freeze, my advice is to spoon out 1 tablespoon mounds of the remaining tomato paste onto a piece of waxed paper and freeze.  Once frozen, roll the waxed paper around the paste blobs and place in a freezer bag.  That way you’ll have tomato paste for future recipes.

GIAMBOTTA – makes about 9 cups (I forgot to measure)

  • 1 eggplant
  • 2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 1 lb russet potatoes, chopped into 1/2″ cubes (don’t peel)
  • 2 red bell peppers
  • 2 zucchinis
  • 6 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
  • 28 oz can whole peeled tomatoes
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 2 cups water
  • 1  1/3 cup fresh basil, divided (USE FRESH!)
  • 1 T dried oregano (or 1/3 cup fresh)
  • 6 cloves garlic, pressed
  • 1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
  • optional:  hard cheese such as Pecorino-Romano or Parmesan, grated

Cut unpeeled eggplant into 1/2″ cubes. Place in a sieve and sprinkle on 1½ tsp of the salt. Toss cubes and salt together with your hands. The salt will draw out some of the water from the eggplant. Let drain for about 1/2 hour.

While eggplant is draining, chop the tomatoes, discarding the stem ends and any peels or imperfections. Also, chop the onion and potato.

Into a Dutch oven, heat 2 T of the olive oil over medium/high heat. Add in the drained eggplant, onion, and potatoes. Sauté until potatoes just start to brown – about 7 minutes.

Lower flame to medium and shove the veggies to the sides of the pot, leaving the center empty. Place the tomato paste in empty center and pour 1 T olive oil over it. Cook this mixture 2 minutes in the center, stirring often. This will bring out the flavor the tomato.

After cooking the paste, stir it into the veggies. Pour in 2 cups of water, scraping up the fond (the burnt bits stuck to the bottom of the pot). Add in the tomatoes (including the juice) and bring to boil. Cover pot and lower heat to maintain a simmer. Cook 20-25 minutes, just until potatoes are done (test by poking with fork).

While this is cooking, chop the zucchinis and bell peppers. Set aside.

Chop the basil and make a paste by mixing 1/3 cup basil (save the remaining 1 cup for later) with the oregano, 2 T olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes.

In a skillet, heat 1 T olive oil over medium/high flame. Add in the zucchini, bell peppers, and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook 10-12 minutes, until browned.

Shove the zucchini and peppers to sides (like with the eggplant), leaving the center clear. Place the basil paste in center and cook 1 minute. Mix the paste and zucchini/pepper mix together. Pour into a bowl until ready to use.

Add 1/4 cup water into the now empty skillet. Notice all the blackened bits. This is called ‘fond’ and it’s full of flavor!

Over medium-high heat, scrap fond off bottom. Save.

When eggplant mixture is done, add in the zucchini/red peppers and fond water from skillet. Cover pot and let sit off-heat for 20 minutes to combine flavors.

When ready to serve, stir in remaining 1 cup chopped basil. Top servings with grated cheese, if desired. (I highly recommend using the cheese!)

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VEGETARIAN CHILI For Those Chili Nights!

vegetarian-chili-textI recently watched an America’s Test Kitchen episode which featured a vegetarian chili recipe. Years ago, I developed my own Vegetarian Chili recipe, using imitation ground beef. There are many excellent fake meat products (and some really bad ones), and I use them from time to time. However, they are a processed food, so I limit my usage of them.

I decided to try ATK’s version – tweaking it, of course – to see if I could replace it for my imitation beef recipe. It was absolutely delicious!

The hands-on preparation is easy and fairly quick, but the overall cooking time is about 4½ hours, so plan accordingly.

Note: It’s best to use fresh shiitake mushrooms, if you can find them. If you can only find dried, place them in a bowl, cover with 1/2 cup water, and soak them for 20 minutes to soften, so they can be ground in a food processor. Dried shiitakes will NOT be ground in a food processor – they’re that tough!

VEGETARIAN CHILI – makes about 9 cups

  • 454g /1 lb dry pinto beans
  • 3 T + 1¼ tsp salt, divided
  • 2 ancho chilies
  • 2 Anaheim chilies
  • 3 shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded (they’re too tough)
  • 1½ tsp dried oregano
  • 44g / 1/2 cup walnuts, coarsely chopped
  • 425g / 15 oz canned whole tomatoes
  • 3 T tomato paste
  • 2 T soy sauce
  • 1 T pressed garlic
  • 1 large jalapeño chili, stem and seeds removed, coarsely chopped
  • 46g / 1/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 270g / 2 cups chopped onions
  • 1 T cumin
  • 107g / 2/3 cup dry bulgur
  • 8g / 1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped

PREHEAT OVEN TO 300°F (149°C)

Thoroughly wash pinto beans, discarding any small stones (I’ve never found any, but recipes always say this). Place beans in a stockpot with about 3 litres (12 cups) of water and 3 T salt. Bring to a boil, cover, and turn off heat. Let sit for 1 hour. Drain beans in a sieve, rinsing well.

While beans are cooking, chop walnuts into small bits.

Add chopped walnuts to the food processor and pulse about 4 times to chop them finer (but NOT into a paste). If you don’t have a food processor, just chop them by hand as fine as you can. Empty the walnuts into a small bowl and set aside.

Put the Anaheim chilies on a cooking sheet and bake at 300º Fahrenheit for 10 minutes. Cool 10 minutes, then discard stems and seeds. Coarsely chop by hand the Anaheims and ancho, then put in food processor but don’t run it yet.

Coarsely chop mushrooms. Add them and the oregano to the chilis in food processor. (If using dried shiitakes, process with the soaking water.)

Pulse about 7-10 times to get a coarse paste. Pour into a bowl and set aside.

In the empty food processor put the canned tomatoes (I always discard the stem end and any skin or imperfections), tomato paste, soy sauce, garlic, and jalapeño. Pulse 5 or 6 times to chop.

Once the beans are out of the stockpot, heat the vegetable oil in the now empty pot. Sauté the onions and 1¼ tsp salt until browned – about 9 minutes.

Add in the mushroom/chili mixture and cumin. Cook for 30 seconds in order to bloom the spice. Then add in the beans, plus 7 cups water. (If using dried shiitakes, then only add 6½ cups water – you already added the 1/2 cup soaking water.) Bring to boil on stove, cover, then place in oven and bake at 300º F for 45 minutes.

Note:  Make sure your stockpot is oven-proof.

After 45 minutes, stir in the tomato mixture, walnuts, and bulgur. Cover and bake 2 hours.

Remove from oven and let set 20 minutes uncovered. Stir in cilantro.

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GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA: Fast & Filling!

green-bean-potato-pasta-textThe hectic holidays are done. Time to relax, but there’s dinner to make. No problem!

GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA is a quick and easy recipe that can feed an army. Perfect for potlucks. Of course, you can half the recipe, if you can’t eat it all – unfortunately, this is NOT a recipe that can be frozen. (big frown from the Queen Of Freeze!)

GREEN BEAN-POTATO PASTA – makes about 15 cups

  • 1/4 cup pine nuts
  • 3 garlic cloves
  • 2 cups fresh basil
  • 7 T extra virgin olive oil
  • 1/2 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 T lemon juice (fresh or bottled)
  • 1 lb white potatoes, peeled and cubed into 1/2″ pieces
  • 12 oz fresh green beans, cut into 1½”-ish size for easy eating
  • 1 lb gemelli pasta (or a skinny tubular pasta, such as penne)
  • 2 T butter
  • 1/2 tsp pepper

Toast the pine nuts and garlic cloves (unpeeled) either in a toaster oven (which is what I do), a regular oven, or a dry skillet. Whichever you choose, keep an eye on it – the pine nuts go from perfectly golden brown to black in an instant. Remove peels from garlic.

Into a food processor or blender, make a pesto by combining the pine nuts, garlic, basil, olive oil, Parmesan, salt, and lemon juice. Purée. Set aside.

Steam green beans.

Boil potato cubes in a large pot of salted water. When they can be pierced by a knife (about 5 minutes), remove to a bowl, leaving water in pot. Bring water back to a boil and cook pasta.

When pasta is done, drain over a container to save 2 cups of the pasta/potato water. Return pasta to the now-empty pot. Vigorously stir in 1¼ cups pasta/potato water, potatoes, pesto, butter, and pepper. You want to kind of break up the potatoes to thicken the sauce. Gently stir in the greens beans.

 

 

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ONE-DISH “TURKEY” FEAST- Something Different For Thanksgiving!

turkey-pie

I’m not sure how it came to pass that American Thanksgiving became firmly linked with turkey, but people don’t feel like they’ve celebrated properly without it. Of course, this is a dilemma for vegetarians.

Fortunately, there are some good imitation turkey products out there – and some NOT good ones, too. My favorite is Worthington’s Smoked Turkey Roll. This 4 lb log comes frozen and can be a little tricky to find. I’ve had luck at Adventist Book Stores and some natural food stores. It, also, can be purchased on Amazon.

Turkey fake color bkgBut let’s be honest. A slice of fake turkey is NOT the same as a slice of the real thing. So I decided to create a layered Thanksgiving pie, incorporating the fake turkey into the bottom layer with the dressing, thus giving the essence of turkey flavor. Layer  with other traditional Thanksgiving dishes of mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, and gravy – and you’ve got yourself a vegetarian Thanksgiving.

By the way, if you’re not a fan of turkey, real or fake, then leave it out completely. It will make a delicious and very pretty side dish.

WARNING:  Make sure you tell people this is NOT a dessert.  It’s so pretty, my husband took a bite, thinking it was a pie (probably because I originally called it Thanksgiving Pie), and spit it out. Very disconcerting to expect pastry crust, cream filling, and cherries, getting instead , “turkey”/stuffing, mashed potatoes, and cranberry sauce.

ONE-DISH “TURKEY” FEAST

  • 8 oz whole cranberries
  • 1/2 cup water
  • 1/2 cup brown sugar (I use dark)
  • 1 cup onions, chopped small
  • 1 cup celery, chopped small
  • 7 T butter, divided
  • 2 tsp salt, divided
  • 1/2 lb imitation turkey
  • 5 cups herbed bread cubes (I used Mrs. Cubbison’s)
  • 1 cup vegetable stock (I used my homemade VEGETABLE STOCK)
  • 2 lbs russet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3/4″ slices
  • MUSHROOM GRAVY (you don’t have to use my recipe – but it’s delicious & super easy)

Make the cranberry sauce ahead of time to give it time to thicken. In a saucepan combine the cranberries, water, and brown sugar. Bring to boil, and let simmer UNcovered for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat. Refrigerate when cooled.

Preheat oven to 350º fahrenheit.

In a large pot melt 4 T butter. Add in onions and celery. Sauté until onions become translucent – about 10 minutes, stirring often.

Note:  I used herbed bread cubes. You can use plain ones and add your own herbs to the cooked onions and celery.

While onions are cooking, cut the fake turkey into 3/4″ cubes and pulse in food processor 12 times to form crumbs.

Cook potatoes in salted water until easily pierced with a fork. Drain, add 3 T butter, and 1 tsp salt. Mash. Add milk, if needed so they’re not too dry. Cover to keep warm.

When onions are done, turn off flame and mix in crumbled “turkey”, bread cubes, 1 tsp salt, and vegetable stock. Stir several minutes to moisten the bread cubes – add in extra stock (or water), if needed. (The mixture will need to stick together.) Pat firmly into a greased 10″ x 7½” casserole dish or a 10″ pie pan. (or any other size equivalent).

Cover with foil and bake at 350º F for 15 minutes. Remove foil and bake another 5 minutes.

Spread mashed potatoes on “turkey”/stuffing layer. Top with cranberry sauce.

Pass the gravy separately.

Note: This dish can be created with Thanksgiving leftovers – just to perk up those bits and bobs.

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SAAG PANEER -Surprisingly Simple!

fullsizerender-20SAAG PANEER is one of my favorite dishes to order when we go to Indian restaurants. And, as it turns out, it’s quite easy to make.

One thing to bear in mind when shopping for the spinach is to buy the amount specified in the recipe – 20 ounces. It may look like enough to feed an army, but spinach wilts down tremendously when cooked.

I recommend making the paneer cheese ahead of time – even a day or two – before serving. This gives the cheese plenty of time to drain.

NOTE: In reading through the directions, you may be tempted to skip the separate cooking steps and just throw everything into the pot at once. Don’t! The onions take longer to cook than the jalapeño and garlic, which takes longer than the tomato. Cooking things in stages allows the ingredients to end up at their peak of flavor.

SAAG PANEER – makes about 1 quart

  • 1½ quarts whole milk
  • 2½ cups buttermilk, divided
  • 1/2 T salt
  • 20 oz fresh spinach leaves
  • 3 T butter
  • 1 tsp cumin
  • 1 tsp coriander
  • 1 tsp paprika
  • 1/2 tsp cardamon
  • 1/4 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp ginger
  • 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
  • 1 onion, chopped
  • 3/4 tsp salt
  • 1 jalapeño, finely minced (remove seeds and ribs)
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 14 oz tomatoes, chopped (fresh or canned)
  • 1/2 cup cashews, toasted, divided

To make the paneer cheese, heat whole milk just to a boil. Stir in 1½ cups buttermilk and 1/2 T salt. Remove from heat. Let sit 10 minutes to coagulate. Line a colander with 3 layers of cheesecloth and set in sink. Pour in milk and let drain 15 minutes. Bring the 4 corners of the cheesecloth together to form a sack. Gently twist to expel more liquid. Finally, hang the bag for several hours to complete the draining process. To do this, tie corners together, insert some sort of stick (such as a long wooden spoon), and rest the ends on something tall enough to allow the sack to hang freely. Be sure to place a container underneath to catch the liquid unless you’re doing this over the sink.

Thoroughly wash spinach – it can be very muddy. Place in a large bowl (you may need to do this in batches), cover with a plate, and microwave for 3 minutes. Discard liquid.

In a large skillet or saucepan, melt butter. Add in cumin, coriander, paprika, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger, and cayenne. Stir over medium heat for 30 seconds to bloom spices. Add in onions and 3/4 tsp salt. Cook for 5 minutes.

Add in the jalapeño and garlic, and cook for 2 more minutes. Add in tomatoes and cook 3 more minutes.

Chop 2/3 cup of the cooked spinach – I use my kitchen shears for this. Set aside.

Into a food processor or blender put the unchopped spinach, half of the cooked tomato mixture, 1 cup water, and 1/4 cup of the cashews. Pulse several times to purée. Pour back into saucepan with the other half of the tomato mixture. Add in the chopped spinach and remaining 1 cup of buttermilk. Bring to simmer, cover, and cook 5 minutes to heat through.

Cube the paneer cheese into 1/2″ pieces. Stir into the spinach mixture.

Serve over rice, topped with cashews.

 

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BEEF-LIKE BISCUIT CASSEROLE – Better Than The Real Thing!

beef-like biscuit cass text

Fake meats (or “faux” for you fancy people) have not only expanded my cooking repertoire dramatically, but they also help keep me from falling off the vegetarian wagon.  When you grow up eating meat, AND really like the taste, it’s sometimes hard to resist. Fake meats have talked me off the ledge many times when I was tempted by a burger commercial.

There are quite a few really good imitation products out there now. Yes, there are some real duds, but search around and you probably can find ones that you like. They’re so common now that even the average supermarket carries, at least, a brand or two.

All that being said, I limit my use of these foods to once or twice a week – they are a processed food, after all.

Beef-like Biscuit Casserole is a kid favorite. It’s, also, one of mine. The recipe calls for making a biscuit dough. If this idea fills you with fear, then buy a tube of biscuit dough in the refrigerated section. But, honestly, it’s really very simple and I recommend giving it a go.

BEEF-LIKE BISCUIT CASSEROLE

  • 1 tsp olive oil
  • 50g (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
  • 1 clove garlic, pressed
  • 12 oz fake ground beef (I use Morningstar Grillers Crumbles)

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  • 425g (15 oz) tomato sauce
  • 1 T fresh basil, chopped  (or 1 tsp dried)
  • 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  • 223g (1¾ cup) all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp salt, divided
  • 1 T baking powder
  • 1/4 tsp black pepper
  • 56g (4 T) butter, cold
  • 1 egg
  • 125g (1/2 cup) milk (any kind – I use nonfat)
  • 120g (4 oz) medium cheddar, shredded
  • 17g (1/4 cup) Parmesan cheese, shredded

Early in the day I try to remember to remove the Crumbles from the freezer to thaw so it cooks faster. Don’t worry if you don’t – it’ll still cook if it’s frozen.

Heat oil in a 10″ skillet and sauté the onions and garlic for about 5 minutes. Add the fake ground meat, 1/2 tsp salt, oregano, dried basil (if using fresh, don’t put this in yet), and tomato sauce. Bring to simmer, cover, and let cook 10 minutes. Stir now and then, particularly if fake meat is frozen. If using fresh basil, stir it in after the 10 minutes cooking time, to retain its flavor.

Remove lid from skillet, and skillet from heat. Let cool while you prepare the biscuits. (Deep breath!)

If you have a food processor, place flour, 1/2 tsp salt, baking powder, and pepper in the workbowl. Pulse a couple of times to mix. Cut butter into 4 or 5 pieces and add to workbowl. Pulse about 7 times to break up the butter so the mixture becomes cornmeal-like.

If you don’t have a food processor, put flour, salt, pepper, and cut-up butter in a bowl. Using 2 knives, cross-cut until mixture resembles cornmeal (a pastry cutter won’t work – the cold butter will just bend the tines…been there, done that!).

In medium sized bowl, beat egg and milk together. Add in flour mixture and gently stir until blended. Empty dough onto floured surface and, with floured hands, knead dough 10 times. Don’t over-knead or the dough will toughen.

Preheat oven to 400º F / 200°C

Divide dough in half. Take one half and cut it into 1/4″ slices. Lay them out on the bottom of an 8″ x 8″ glass baking dish. With fingers, press the dough pieces together so they cover the entire bottom of dish.

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Sprinkle on half the cheddar cheese.

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Spread “meat” sauce evenly on top.

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Sprinkle on remaining cheddar and the Parmesan.

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Flatten the remaining biscuit dough with your hands or a rolling pin to about 1/4″. Cut dough into several pieces – the number and shape is up to you. Lay them out on top of casserole.

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Bake at 400º F / 200°C, uncovered, for 20 minutes – until biscuits are golden.

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Let set for about 10 minutes before serving.

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EGGPLANT POLENTA – Super Easy!

eggplant polenta text3

My boys grew up watching me cook up a storm on a daily basis. I baked whole wheat bread (sadly, quite often the slices kind of fell apart as you ate it – this was before I understood about gluten), juiced 400 lbs of organic apples every fall, and made pasta and baked goods from scratch.

To my chagrin, they showed no interest in learning how to cook. Until now. Yay! Both my sons have finally grasped the benefit to health and pocketbook by cooking from scratch. Last night my oldest made a delicious, fast, and easy polenta topped with eggplant and Parmesan.

Thus, the student becomes the teacher.

Of course, like all cooks, I made a couple of changes. As it’s zucchini overload season, I decided to incorporate this prolific squash into the recipe (one can only eat so much zucchini bread!). Also, I exchanged Fontina cheese for most of the Parmesan. It has a nice melty property.

NOTE: With a little forethought, you can shave half an hour off the cooking time for the polenta. All you need to do is combine the cornmeal and water the night before (or even the morning of) and let it soak (just soak – no cooking yet) until you’re ready to make dinner. This step takes seconds and you save half an hour!

EGGPLANT POLENTA – makes about 4-6 servings

  • 1 cup medium grind cornmeal
  • 4 cups water
  • 1¼ tsp salt, divided
  • 28 oz can whole tomatoes, chopped
  • 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 lb eggplant, unpeeled & cut into 3/4″ cubes
  • 1 zucchini, sliced into quarter moons
  • 3 garlic cloves, pressed
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil, chopped
  • 3/4 cup Fontina cheese, shredded
  • 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Soak cornmeal and water the night before or the morning of preparing this dish. This will expedite cooking dramatically. If you don’t do this, you’ll just have to allow more cooking time – it could take an hour to absorb the water and be soft enough to eat.

Either way, cook the cornmeal, its water, and 1/2 tsp of the salt uncovered over a medium flame, bringing it to a boil. Then decrease heat to medium/low. Stir often, but not continuously (unless you have nothing better to do).

While the polenta is cooking, heat olive oil over medium flame in large skillet. When it shimmers (the sign for when it’s hot enough), add in the eggplant, zucchini, and 1/4 tsp salt. Sauté for about 7 minutes, stirring often, until browned. Turn off heat.

Add in garlic and cook for 30 seconds with the heat off (this prevents scorching the garlic). Turn the heat back to medium, and stir in the tomatoes (with its juice) and 1/2 tsp salt. Cook another 2 minutes to thicken a bit.

To serve: On either individual plates or a large platter, layer the polenta, topped with Fontina, the eggplant mixture, fresh basil, and then sprinkle with Parmesan. Let set a few minutes so the Fontina gets nice and gooey!