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Lentil and Collard Soup

October 10, 2012 in soup

Can we talk about how excited I am for cold weather? Now, I am not good in cold weather. If I have to stand outside in the cold? I’m done. I will whine and complain and probably steal your jacket. But when I’m inside and only have to go outside to check the mail? I love it. And that’s exactly how it was this past weekend. I only opened the door to let the dog out and the cold was fantastic for those 30 seconds.

Having a good soup on the stove really helps with the cold enjoyment too. I made this because I had some collards that needed to be used and didn’t plan on blogging it, but I ended up loving it so much that I had to share.

This is my favorite kind of soup. I love pea/bean soups that get thick and creamy just from the peas/beans breaking down. This one is especially good because it has a ton of cumin, which is my favorite spice, and a bit of cinnamon, which was unexpected but really worked. Right before serving, you stir in some fresh lemon juice and that just takes it over the top.

I typically hate leftovers but I ate this 4 times and could’ve kept going if I didn’t run out of soup!

One year ago: Pumpkin Monkey Bread with Maple Glaze
Two years ago: Brie & Brisket Quesadilla

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Lentil and Collard Soup

about 4 servings

Ingredients

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup dry red lentils, rinsed and picked over
6 cups water
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bunch collard greens, rinsed, stemmed, and roughly chopped
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/3 cup lemon juice

Instructions

  1. Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, stir in onion, garlic and salt; cook, stirring often, until softened and translucent, about 4 minutes. Stir in lentils, and cook for 1 minute. Pour in water, then bring to a boil over high heat; lower heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until the lentils are tender, about 15 minutes.
  2. Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add collard greens, and cook until wilted, about 10 minutes. When the lentils are tender, stir in the collard greens and season with cumin, cinnamon, and garlic; simmer 10 more minutes. Stir in lemon juice before serving.
http://fakeginger.com/2012/10/10/lentil-and-collard-soup/

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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

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Butternut Squash and Black Bean Enchiladas

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

  1. Preheat the oven to 375F and spray a large rectangular baking dish with cooking spray.
  2. 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.
  3. 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.
  4. 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/

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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.

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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. It’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

  1. 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.
  2. 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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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

  1. To make vinaigrette, combine all ingredients in blender and puree until smooth. Set aside.
  2. 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.
  3. 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!).
http://fakeginger.com/2010/11/05/tofu-taco-salad/

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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.)

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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

  1. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs, Jarlsberg, thyme, heavy cream, salt, and pepper. Add orzo and stir to combine.
  2. 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/

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