Meatless | Fake Ginger

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

December 20, 2011 in Meatless

Remember when I said that the Beer & Brown Sugar Kielbasa was the best thing I’ve made probably all year? These enchiladas are number 2 on that list, maybe even tied with the kielbasa!

I can’t begin to explain how delicious they are. I mean, sweet butternut squash with spicy enchilada sauce? That doesn’t even sound good! But they are amazing! We fought over them. No lie. Then I cheated and snuck to the fridge when the husband was in the shower so I could have the last one. I win!

For the pureed squash, I steamed mine and then mashed it like I would potatoes. You could bake them or even go for a canned puree. Also, I realized halfway through cooking that my can of enchilada sauce was too small and ended up making this recipe - it was really good and took no time at all!

Two years ago: Pumpkin Caramel Coffee Cake

Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

from Cassie Craves

Ingredients

3 cups cooked, unseasoned, mashed or pureed butternut squash

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

1 teaspoon cumin

2 teaspoons chili powder

1 teaspoon salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 jalapeno, seeded and minced

1 15-ounce can black beans, rinsed and drained

10 flour tortillas

2 cups shredded Mexican-blend cheese, divided

1 (16 ounce) can enchilada sauce, divided

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 375F and spray a large rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the butternut squash and cream cheese until well-mixed. Stir in spices, garlic, jalapenos and black beans. Add in about half a cup of the enchilada sauce and 1 cup of the cheese.
Place a generous amount of filling in each flour tortilla and roll tightly. Place in baking dish and pour remaining enchilada sauce over the top. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup of cheese.
Bake, uncovered, 30 to 40 minutes until they’re bubbly and the cheese is slightly browned.

http://fakeginger.com/2011/12/20/butternut-squash-enchiladas/

Tags: beans, butternut squash, Meatless
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Spicy Tofu Stir-Fry

November 15, 2010 in Meatless

I’m home from the bake-off and unfortunately I did lose. Sara and her cute cupcakes won the whole thing and maybe one day when I’m over the loss, I’ll share the pictures from the bake-off. Maybe I’ll even show you the lobster pad thai we had the night before.

(You know, I am joking about not being over the loss.)

Traveling always throws my life out of balance off for a few days which is why I haven’t blogged. On top of the exhaustion that traveling brings, my husband has this habit of “cleaning” while I’m gone. And by “cleaning” I mean he takes everything and shoves it somewhere else. Admittedly, I do leave cookbooks, notebooks, magazine pages, things like that all over the kitchen and my desk but that’s how I work. So when my notebooks end up on top of the refrigerator during his “cleaning” spree, it takes me days to find them. And that’s my excuse for not blogging. And not cooking. And you know what, for not doing anything this weekend.

I did make this stir-fry the other night because what’s easier than a stir-fry? I used tofu but shrimp or chicken would be delicious in this. If you’re doing shrimp, I would either remove the shrimp from the pan before you do the vegetables or cook the shrimp last so you don’t overcook them. Any vegetable would be great: carrots, cauliflower, bell peppers, just whatever you want pretty much.

Spicy Tofu Stir-Fry

Ingredients

5 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce, divided

2 teaspoons cornstarch, divided

1 pound extra-firm tofu, pressed and cubed (I buy the pre-cubed. Itâ€™s perfect for this!)

1 tablespoons vegetable oil

½ cup vegetable broth (or water)

splash of seasoned rice wine vinegar

2 tablespoons minced green onions

1½ tablespoons minced peeled fresh ginger

5 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon chile paste with garlic

2 cups broccoli, chopped

1 cup drained, sliced water chestnuts

1 cup (1/2-inch) sliced green onion tops

¾ cup dry-roasted peanuts

brown rice, for serving

Instructions

Combine 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce and cornstarch in a large bowl. Add cubed tofu and toss to make sure all the tofu is covered. Refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.
Heat vegetable oil in a wok or large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the tofu and brown on all sides. While that is working, combine the remaining 3 tablespoons of low-sodium soy sauce, 1 teaspoon cornstarch, vegetable broth, seasoned rice wine vinegar, minced green onions, ginger, garlic, and chile paste in a small bowl. Add to pan and cook, stirring constantly, for about 1 minute until thickened. Add broccoli; cover the pan and cook for just a few minutes, or until broccoli is tender. Add water chestnuts, green onion tops, and peanuts; stir to combine. Serve on top of hot rice.

http://fakeginger.com/2010/11/15/spicy-tofu-stir-fry/

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Tags: Meatless, tofu
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Tofu Taco Salad

November 5, 2010 in Meatless, salad

How obvious is it that I’m not feeling the sweet stuff lately? I haven’t been in the mood to bake or taste sweets which is why you guys have been seeing lots of “real” food. Boo! Today I’m making a bunch of cupcakes so I promise we’ll get back to our regular scheduled programming very soon. PLUS I’ve got something really fun coming up next week. Trust me, you’ll want to be here for that.

Anyway.

I’ve been trying to make more salads lately which is hard because my 3 year old won’t eat them. In an effort to make them more fun for him, I made this guy which has tofu, black beans, tortilla chips, and cheese – all things he loves. Did he eat it? Nope. The rest of us loved it though!

My word of advice? Don’t try the vinaigrette before you dress the salad. It’s way too spicy on it’s own but it’s so delicious once you actually toss it in the salad. Also, add avocado. I forgot to buy one but it would be so perfect in this!

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Tofu Taco Salad

adapted from Cooking Light
Ingredients
Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup chopped seeded tomato
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon grated lime rind
1 tablespoon fresh lime juice
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon chili powder
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 garlic clove, peeled
Salad:
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 pound tofu, pressed and cubed
8 cups thinly sliced romaine lettuce
1 cup chopped tomato
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 cup sharp cheddar cheese
1 (15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
tortilla chips, for serving
Instructions
To make vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
Heat olive oil over medium-high heat; add tofu and stir-fry until brown on all sides. Remove to a plate and allow to cool.
Once tofu is cool, combine all salad ingredients except the tortilla chips. Right before serving, toss in vinaigrette. Serve with tortilla chips (they were great crumbled over the top like croutons!).
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http://fakeginger.com/2010/11/05/tofu-taco-salad/

Tags: beans, Meatless, salad, tofu
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Jarlsberg Frittata

November 4, 2010 in Meatless

Recently, Foodbuzz and Jarlsberg sent me a huge chunk of Jarlsberg cheese and said, “Do something with it!” So I did. I made the best sandwiches – they had ham, and the cheese, and red pepper jelly and then I grilled them until the cheese was melted and delicious. They were so good but photographed so horribly. I put the cheese in my fridge and forgot about it until I went to make one of my favorite meals: a frittata.

Can we talk about Jarlsberg before I go on? Up until now the only thing I knew about it is that it was good enough to get a mention in one of my favorite movies ever (which is how I came up with the sandwich idea. Shh!). It’s the texture of a Swiss but has the nuttiness of Parmesan. I’m not the kind of girl to eat plain cheese but I found myself cutting small slices off the wedge every once in a while. That good.

I make my frittatas the same every time: eggs, pasta, thyme or rosemary, and cheese so why mess with a good thing? I did use orzo in place of a larger pasta, which if you can’t tell, didn’t work out so well. I didn’t take into consideration that the large pasta shapes hold the frittata together so when I went to flip it, it kind of all fell apart. I love how the orzo looks in it but I’m not sure if it was worth all the trouble.

The Jarlsberg was so perfect in this. I think I liked it better than my usual Parmesan because it was much more subtle. It was delicious with the thyme and I would gladly use it again.

(The Jarlsberg was sent to me for free. I was not paid to write about it and the opinions are all mine.)

Jarlsberg Frittata

Ingredients

6 eggs

1 cup shredded Jarlsberg

1 tablespoon fresh thyme, minced

1 tablespoon heavy cream (or milk)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

3 cups orzo, cooked and cooled slightly

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 clove garlic, minced

Instructions

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Jarlsberg, thyme, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Add orzo and stir to combine.
Heat oil over medium heat in a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Once hot, add the garlic and saute just until fragrant. Working quickly so the garlic doesn’t burn, add egg mixture and cook for 7 to 8 minutes, without touching it, until the edges begin to brown. Using a spatula, slide the frittata onto a large plate. Invert back into the skillet and continue to cook until firm and cooked through, about 5 minutes. Cut into wedges and serve warm.

http://fakeginger.com/2010/11/04/jarlsberg-frittata/

Tags: eggs, Meatless
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Falafel

October 30, 2010 in Meatless

Last night when I was making our little falafel balls, I got to thinking about how easy meal prep is when the meal is meatless. There’s no meat to worry about – don’t have to stress over expiration dates (don’t tell me I’m the only procrastinator here), don’t have to pull anything out of the freezer, etc. I just opened the cabinet, grabbed a can of chickpeas, and was ready to cook.

To make this recipe even simpler, I went ahead and processed everything but if you don’t have a processor, just diced your veggies and use a fork to mash the chickpeas. You don’t want a smooth paste so mashing works just fine.

I’ve made these twice in the past 2 weeks. That’s saying something because you know I hate frying things. (I burnt my eyelid last night, thanks for asking.)

We love this recipe, obviously. Sometimes I make pita to go with them and sometimes we make lettuce wraps with broken up falafel, tomatoes, and yogurt sauce. It’s good just about any way you can think of.

Falafel

adapted from AllRecipes

Ingredients

1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained

1 onion, quartered

1 tablespoon dried parsley

2 cloves garlic

1 egg

2 teaspoons ground cumin

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon salt

1 dash pepper

1 pinch cayenne pepper

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 cup panko bread crumbs

oil for frying

Instructions

In the bowl of your food processor, add chickpeas, onions, parsley, and garlic (I have a very tiny processor and just did this in 3 batches). Process until pieces are small but havenâ€™t turned into a paste. You want it a little chunky. Pour into a large bowl and add egg, cumin, coriander, salt, pepper, lemon juice, and baking powder. Stir together to make sure everything is evenly distributed. Add bread crumbs and combine.
In a large, heavy bottomed pan, heat about 1 inch of oil over medium high heat. When oil is ready shape falafel into balls or patties and fry until golden brown, just a couple minutes per side. Drain on paper towel lined plate.

http://fakeginger.com/2010/10/30/falafel/

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Tags: chickpeas, fried, Meatless
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