Lurkers in the Fridge with Black Bean Sauce

I conducted an inventory of my fridge this afternoon.  I've really been working on keeping it under control except...I found a couple of lurkers in the vegetable bin: beets and green cabbage and some broccolini. Into the wok they go! This meal fed two.

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:



A 1/4 bunch of broccolini, 1/3 head green cabbage, medium onion,
2 beets, 4 shitake mushrooms, 4 small red peppers, 1 jalapeño pepper,
tofu, lime, black bean garlic sauce (available in asian
markets and most grocery stores).

STEP ONE:



Roughly chop the broccolini, slice the cabbage, thinly slice the
onion, peppers and beets, slice the shitake mushrooms and mince
the jalapeño. Cut the lime in half and crumble about 1/4 cup of tofu.

STEP TWO:





Heat 2 T. canola oil in a wok or large skillet over medium high
heat. When oil is hot, add the onions and beets and stir-fry constantly
for a few minutes until the onions soften and start to brown. Add
the jalapeños.

STEP THREE:







Toss in the mushrooms and stir-fry for a few more minutes on
medium high heat.  Add the cabbage and red peppers and keep
on stirring for a few minutes; add the broccolini and stir fry for
another couple minutes until it wilts a bit.

STEP FOUR:



Add 1 T. of black bean garlic sauce to wok and stir well. Keep
stir frying for a couple of minutes to be sure the sauce is worked
through the vegetables. Squeeze in the lime juice.

STEP FIVE:



Add the tofu and enjoy this quick and
nutritious meal.

I served the vegetables with blackened salmon
and basmati rice cooked Persian style but it also
makes a great vegetarian meal.

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!

Vegetarian Squash Blossom Soup

I came across a farm market in Alexandria this morning and had to stop. So glad I did. I picked up some mustard greens, squash blossoms, cauliflower, zucchini, cilantro and some small, sweet strawberries. I wish I had had more time to visit other stalls with breads, cheeses and honey, but I'll be sure to stop by another time since it's on a regular route I travel.

When I returned home after a long day, I decided to make a squash blossom soup since it's not too hot and there's a nice breeze. I just felt like some soup!

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:



Squash blossoms, mustard greens, purple cauliflower, zucchini,
tofu, 1/2 chopped onion, 1clove minced garlic, tumeric, vegetable broth,
cilantro, fresh thyme.

STEP ONE:



Heat one T. of olive oil in a pot or large saucepan. Cook half a
chopped onion for a couple of minutes until translucent. Add the
garlic and cook for another minute. Chop half a small zucchini and
add to the pot along with some cauliflower florets. Throw in a scant
1/2 tsp. of turmeric and stir constantly for 4 minutes on medium heat.

STEP TWO:







Roughly chop the squash blossoms after pulling out the stamens
(use male blossoms) and add to the pot. Cook for one minute,
stirring constantly. Roughly chop the mustard greens (I used about
2 cups) and add to pot. Cook for another minute.

STEP THREE:





Pour 3 cups of vegetable broth in pot and stir.  Toss in some
cubes of firm tofu and let simmer for five minutes. Stir in 1 T. of
heavy cream (optional).  Add salt and pepper to taste (I used
white pepper) along with a 1/4 tsp. of fresh thyme. As an
afterthought, I added the zest of 1/2 a small lemon.

STEP FOUR:


I thought the soup tasted a little bland so I added
a few drops of sesame oil and about a tsp. of soy
sauce to my bowl.  This made a big difference.



A little chopped cilantro on top with a thin slice of
lemon and you've got yourself a good healthy bowl
of soup!

Nutrition Information:  One cup of squash blossoms has:
5 calories, less than a gram of protein, 1 gram carbs,
23% Vitamin C, 13% Vitamin A and traces of calcium
and iron.
One cup mustard greens has: 36 calories, 50% vitamin K,
57% Vitamin A, 39.33% Vitamin C, 34.78% Selenium
and 23% copper. They are also full of fiber and antioxidants.

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!

Almost Classic Pesto

My last post was in April when I collected wild leeks to make...pesto! Obviously I love pesto, and that is what I wanted to make this evening when I came upon a gorgeous pot of basil. This almost classic pesto has pumpkin seeds and sun dried tomatoes added to the basic ingredients. I served it with seafood and was dismayed to discover later that the orange roughy I purchased is on the "avoid" list on the Seafood Watch app I keep on my phone. This fish is on the list because of the damage done to coral reefs due to bottom trawling. I should have checked first. This app is great when shopping for seafood, and I highly recommend it. A better choice would have been pollock, but you have to be careful of its origin. The app gives all the details.

Here's the meal I prepared:

ON THE CUTTING BOARD:

Basil leaves, parmesan cheese, garlic, pine nuts, pumpkin seeds
sun dried tomatoes, olive oil.

STEP ONE:

Start water for pasta.

Place a bunch of basil leaves in a food processor. Add 1/4 cup grated
parmesan cheese, 1/4 cup pinenuts, a handful of pumpkin seeds, 2
sun dried tomatoes, 3 cloves of smashed garlic and 1/4 cup plus
2 T. olive oil. Add 1/4 tsp. sea salt (you can add more later if needed).
Process until well-combined. Set aside.

Preheat oven to 500 and throw in some small peppers.

STEP TWO:







Heat 1 T. olive oil in a skillet on medium-high heat.  Place the fish
in the skillet and sprinkle with hot paprika. Cook for two minutes,
turn fish over and cover with ground black pepper. Add quartered
tomatoes and three cloves of chopped garlic to pan and cook for
another two minutes. Add a little more olive oil if necessary and
sprinkle with a little sea salt.

STEP THREE:





Pour in 1/4 cup dry white wine and add the shrimp and scallops.
Cook for shellfish for two minutes on each side.



Check the peppers. Make sure they have a nice char. Then turn off
the oven and allow them to keep warm.  Cook pasta.

STEP FOUR:





Add a 1/2 T. of butter to seafood and pesto to taste
to the drained pasta. Mix the pesto into the pasta.

STEP FIVE:





Put pesto on a platter and arrange the seafood on top with the
peppers. Serve with a salad (I used lettuce from my garden).

ALLA VOSTRA SALUTE!