Panfried Tofu with Mustard and Caper Sauce

This is a wonderful recipe to cook tofu in a classic European style instead of an Asian-inspired way. I make my own variation of it using a whole egg, instead of the two yolks, and slowly cooking the sauce over gentle heat. I also prefer asparagus to the beans and simply top the salad with the asparagus and tofu then drizzle it all with the sauce. Tatses much better than tofu could ever look.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Panfried-Tofu-with-Romano-Bean-and-Herb-Salad-354152

Smoked Salmon Salad with Asparagus and Avocado Dressing

This is a quick weeknight meal I made up on the fly after a long day. It has a nice flavor and is easy on the waistline. I made this up with what we have on hand, use whatever veggies suit you. Add some thinly sliced radish, or sliced beets. Peas or butter beans would also be nice in here. Explore.

Time it will take
10 minutes

Ingredients

Salad leaves of your choice (I like a dark green baby leafy mix)
1 Heirloom tomato, cut into wedges
8-10 asparagus stalks
6 new potatoes, boiled and quuartered (sounds medieval, don't it?)
1t fresh chives
1T minced red onion
2 oz smoked salmon, thinly sliced

for the dressing

1/2 avocado, chopped
5T olive oil
1T white wine vinegar
generous pinch coarse salt
1T prepared mustard
1/4t dried tarragon or 1t fresh leaves

Directions

Add salad ingredients except salmon and asparagus into a large bowl. Put all the dressing ingredients in a food processor or blender and pulse until smooth. Toss salad with dressing and plate. Top with salmon and asparagus.

Vegetarian Fajitas with Fresh Guacamole

I can't believe it's taken me so long to try doing these at home. Here's an uber simple way of getting a tasty meal on the table fast. I do like to marinate the veggies a little and usually do my chopping at some other point in the day or an hour or two before I plan on cooking.

Time it will take
Hands on 15 minutes, 1 hour and 15 minutes total

Ingredients

For the Fajita Filling

1 onion, cut in half then sliced thinly
1 red pepper sliced into strips
1 green pepper sliced into strips
A bunch of mushrooms, maybe 30 or so cremini, sliced
1T Paprika
1/4 t cumin seeds
1/4-1t chipotle chili powder or cayenne (to suit)
Juice of 1 lime
1t chopped fresh cilantro
3T olive oil
1/4t salt

For the Guacamole

2 ripe avocados
juice of 1/2 lime
2T tomato chopped fine
2T onion chopped fine
1T cilantro, chopped
salt to taste
1 clove garlic, crushed

To Serve

Grated cheddar
low-fat sour cream
tortillas

Directions

Toss the veggies in a large bowl with paprika, cumin, chile, salt, lime, cilantro and 1T of the oil. Let marinate if desired. Heat the remaining oil in heavy skillet over moderate to high heat. When oil is hot (but not smoking) add your veggies and stir and fry until vegetables are soft, slightly blackened and onions are transluscent.

Add all the guac ingredients in a bowl and mash with a fork until you reach the consistency you want. Hint: If your guac tatses bland add a little more salt. If it seems flat add a touch more lime. Too tangy? Add more avocado to smooth it out. No magic to perfect guac, just tatse it before you're done. There's only three main players in this dish, and it's a very forgiving food to make.

Let diners help themselves to the fixins. Serve veggies with the tortillas, cheese, guacamole and sour cream. That's all, she wrote.

Cooks note: You can use a tablespoon of chili powder instead of the paprika. Since we have some non-spice lovers, I often use paprika and mix it with a touch of chipotle to give chile infused dishes a great flavor without the heat.

Tequila Marinated Steak with cherry tomato relish

This isn't my recipe, I discovered it while researching recipes for a paid brainstorming session on the subject. Like many of the recipes on Epicurious (Gourmet and Bon Appettite magazine's website) reading the user reviews was very helpful. The taste was amazing. I followed a reviewer suggestion to reduce the leftover marinate and add a little to sour cream to make a nice sauce. I added a little extra fresh cilantro to the sour cream.

the recipe

Classic Stawberry and Gorgonzola Salad

An easy and delicious salad for a little change of pace. I've always been scared to try this, for some reason strawberries in salad always got a "yuck" from me. On a whim I tossed this together tonight and the results were fabulous. The pecan/strawberry combo gets a punch from the cheese and the balsamic vinaigrette pulls it all together. We had this with leftover rice pilaf from the kids' dinner and it was a light, yet satisfying meal.

Time it Will Take
10 minutes or less

Ingredients

For the salad adjust quantities to suit:
2-3 c dark green salad blend like baby spinach and arugala
5-7 strawberries, stems removed and cut into quaters
1/4 c roughly chopped pecans
1/4 c Gorgonzola or other blue cheese
1/2 avocado diced

For the dressing:
1 small garlic clove peeled and hit with the back of a knife to lightly crush OR 2t shallot minced fine
1/4 c olive oil
1T balsamic vinegar
1/2-1T honey
1/4 t coarse salt
2t mustard

Directions

Toss the salad ingredients together in a large bowl. Rub the inside of a smaller bowl with the garlic clove, discard. If using shallot add shallot to the bowl. Whisk together honey, oil, vinegar, and salt. Toss salad with desired amount of dressing. Done!

Cooks note: I have a bit of a sweet tooth so 1T honey is fine with me. Half would do for most people since the balsamic adds a sweetness of its own. Overall this dressing should be dark, sweet, and tangy.

Chevre Stuffed Mushrooms

I hit the store today with pretty bare cupboards and found a few surprise sale items to make a nice mid-week treat. Everyone's noses perked up when I started cooking, and even my toddler wanted to taste the filling. My husband (not the biggest stuffed mushroom fan) finished every last one, including the extras I had made for lunch. All told I think I spent 6 dollars on the main ingredients. Not bad! I ususally keep a few large bags of nuts in the freezer like Pine Nuts, Walnuts, and Pecans. It comes in handy.

Time it will take
8 minutes hands on, 25 minutes total

Ingredients

6 Baby Bella Mushrooms or other suitable stuffers, rinsed and stems removed
2oz Chevre (Goat Cheese)
1/3 c Pecans finely chopped
1 large shallot
1T butter
1/4c breadcrumbs
1/4t dried thyme
1T finely diced, peeled apple
2t chopped fresh parsley (opt)
pinch of cayenne
generous amount of fresh ground black pepper
Salt to taste


Directions

Heat butter in non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add pecans, apple and shallot and saute for about 5 minutes or until fragrant and golden, and shallots are soft. Set aside in bowl and let cool briefly.

Preheat oven to 375. Brush a baking sheet very lightly with olive oil and place mushrooms cap side down on sheet. Lightly salt the inside of the mushrooms.

Add remainder of ingredients to the bowl and mix with a wooden spoon until everything is blended. Stuff each mushroom with filling (as much as necessary) and bake for 15-20 minutes until tops are golden and mushrooms are cooked through.

Serve with a green salad. Tastes wonderful as is or with a very light drizzle of balsamic dressing.

Grilled Zucchini with Ricotta

Ingredients

2 large zucchini, sliced lengthwise into 1/4" strips
olive oil
fresh basil
2/3c Ricotta
1/4t herbs (oregano or basil)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
2 clove garlic
crushed red pepper (opt)
Cremini mushrooms sliced in half lengthways
Shiitake Mushrooms
Red Wine Vinegar
Mustard
salt and pepper

Time it will take

About 25 minutes

Directions

Whisk 1/4c red wine vinegar with 1t mustard, 1/2c olive oil, a generous pinch of salt, and 1 clove garlic (crushed). Toss mushrooms with dressing and center on a sheet of tin foil. Foil up sides to make an open packet shape. Brush zucchini lightly with oil.

Add mushrooms packet to top rack or side of grill. Put zucchini directly on grill and grill for about 3 minutes per side, until tender. Mushrooms should be done around the same time (tender).

Mix ricotta with the remaining garlic and herbs.

Serve zucchini over a bed of tortellini (or other pasta) tossed with lemon and butter. Add scoop of ricotta and mushrooms on the side. Sprinkle lightly with crushed pepper and torn fresh basil leaves.