Mole Chili

It's Superbowl Sunday!  And the Packers are playing!  But nothing feels more like the Superbowl than chili.  Or maybe that's wings.  But I've always had a thing for eating things out of bowls during the various bowls.  And for the Superbowl, it should be something, well, super.  And it's chili time of year.  I was looking for things to bring to for a party, and I bookmarked this recipe a while ago.  It's not a lot different than what I usually make, but cooking the veggies with spices before adding the beans and tomatoes adds depth of the flavor.  I'm found the recipe on Mozzarella and Merlot at some point, and thought it sounded good.  And it is, though I didn't have much chance to savor it since I was trying desperately to find a granola recipe online and then trying to finish before my roommate started the dishwasher so I could put my bowl in.  Usually I think that chili is one of those things you should just wing, but I'm including the recipe since the technique of simmering the flavors first is a worthwhile change.

It was a hearty chili, full of veggies, so it's very healthy, but like I said, just a little more complex than what I usually make, but not that different (except for the extra veggies).  I guess saying "hearty" is a given when we are talking about chili though.  It was good, but probably not ideal with the sourdough I bought yesterday.

To make this more "mole" like, you should probably cook all the spices together for even longer, like a few hours, before adding everything else.

Mole Chili

Adapted (liberally) from Gourmet, when it was still a magazine

1 large dried chili, chopped (you could also you red pepper flakes here)

2 fresh hot peppers (jalapenos, Thai chilis, whatever you got), chopped

1 1/2 tsp cumin

1 tsp dried oregano

Pinch of cinnamon (I used my good, complex, sharp Vietnamese cinnamon)

2 medium onions, chopped

3 tbsp olive oil

5 garlic cloves, minced

2 zucchini or yellow squash, chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

3/4 lb chopped spinach (frozen is fine)

1 tsp grated orange zest

Pinch of sugar

3 tbsp unsweetened baking chocolate (finely chopped) or cocoa powder

1 15-oz can of diced tomatoes

1 tsp paprika

1 tsp chili powder

1 cup water

2 15-oz cans of beans (I used 1/2 cup dry beans that I cooked yesterday, about a half cup each of red beans, kidney beans, and black beans, since that's what I had on hand)

Salt and pepper, to taste

Cilantro/sour cream/chopped chives for garnish

In a large, heavy saucepan/soup pot, heat the oil and butter over medium-high heat.  Add onions and cook until they are softened and begin to brown.  Add garlic, and cook for about one minute.  Add chili peppers, cumin, paprika, chili powder, oregano and cinnamon.  Cook for another minute, then add bell pepper, zucchini/squash, and spinach.  Cover the pot and let it cook for 5-10 minutes, or until the vegetables softened.  Add zest, sugar, chocolate, water and tomatoes (with their juice).  Break the tomatoes up with a wooden spoon so that there are chunks in the chili, but notwhole tomatoes. Cover again and cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Add beans and cook until beans are heated through.  Season with salt and pepper.

Tofu with Brussels Sprouts and Apples

So this is a dish that contains two ingredients that most people avoid, but that's a shame.  This is one of the first times where I actually enjoyed the tofu I cooked.  And the bitterness of brussels plays nicely with the maple syrup.  However, I thought the dish as a whole was a little bland, so I would probably add more garlic next time.  For the record, I halved the amount of brussels and apples to make it for one, since it doesn't work well for leftovers (but 4oz of tofu is roughly a serving, I may have used slightly less than that).  However, I set aside the other half for a quick already prepped dinner on Monday after my run.

But it's a healthy, quick and tasty (vegan) dinner.  I found it as a one pan recipe on 101 cookbooks.  I did  prep everything a little ahead so that I could cut up the tofu and let it dry on a cloth for a little while and then it came together quickly when I decided I was hungry.  I just ate it with some sourdough bread that was on sale.  I was planning on having chili tonight, but decided that was probably too similar too my lunch and dessert, which I'll post about in a little bit.  But my point is that sourdough bread is not the ideal accompaniment.  I'll make chili tomorrow.

1 large, crisp apple, cut into bite-sized wedges
1 lemon, juice only

4 ounces extra-firm tofu cut into tiny-inch cubes (see photo)
a couple pinches of fine-grain sea salt
a couple splashes of olive oil
2 medium cloves garlic, minced
a scant tablespoon of maple syrup
1/3 cup pine nuts, toasted and chopped (I used walnuts because I already had them toasted and they are cheaper, but I didn't chop them)

12 ounces (3/4 pound). brussels sprouts, washed and cut into 1/8-inch wide ribbons

Soak the apples in a bowl filled with water and the juice of one lemon.

Cook the tofu in large hot skillet with a bit of salt and a splash of oil. Saute until golden, about 4 minutes. Stir in the garlic, wait a few seconds, now stir in the maple syrup, and cook another 30 seconds or so. Drain the apples, and add them to the skillet, cooking for another minute. Scrape the apple and tofu mixture out onto a plate and set aside while you cook the brussels sprouts.

In the same pan (no need to wash), add a touch more oil, another pinch of salt, and dial the heat up to medium-high. When the pan is nice and hot stir in the shredded brussels sprouts. Cook for 2 - 3 minutes, stirring a couple times (but not too often) until you get some golden bits, and the rest of the sprouts are bright and delicious.
Stir the apple mixture back into the skillet alongside the brussels sprouts 1/2 of the pine nuts - gently stir to combine. Remove from heat and enjoy immediately sprinkled with the remaining pine nuts. This isn't a dish you want sitting around, the flavors change dramatically after ten minutes or so, and I think that is part of the reason brussels sprouts get a bad rap. Even I don't like them after they've been sitting around.

Serves 2 - 3 as a main, 4 as a side.

Black Bean Burgers with Guacamole

I love veggie burgers.  I love real burgers too, but I consider veggie burgers to be a different food.  My favorite are those that are made with real food, rather than textured soy protein.  EVOS has a nice actual vegetable patty.  I've had some awesome black bean burgers.  I even ate a black bean and (get this, those who know me) mushroom burger once and loved it.  I've tried them before (or was that just lentil burgers) and they turned out a little bland.  So I decided to follow a recipe.  But I changed it.  And I thought they would be a little bland, but they really weren't.  But they are even better with avocado and tomatoes (and spinach and steamed veggies as in the picture).  Or you could top them with barbecue sauce or hot sauce.  To be honest, I tried the little pieces that fell off, and thought they lacked spice, which is probably due to the fact that instead of chipotle peppers in adobo (which I do not like, for some reason).  However, the final product was quite good.  You could add more, or you could leave it as is if you want to eat it with other things and appreciate all the flavors.  For the spice, I planned on using jalepeno, couldn't find my jalepeno, so instead used chipotle and chili powders, quite frankly less than I listed below but I didn't measure, and a little water for moisture.  I'll copy the recipe and change what I did.  But one thing I did do to add more flavor: I used my leftover bread crumbs from the Daring Cooks, which were garlicy and parsley-y.  I didn't have quite enough, so I threw a little wheat bran in to dry the batter a little.  These are probably a little bland to eat bare, but who eats a burger of any sort bare?  They are tasty and a nice canvas that you could dress up, rather than a single entity of goodness. And tomorrow I will serve it with the steamed veggies from last night to make a colorful and healthy lunch.  A few of the faculty members in the Geometry-Topology group restarted weekly lunches of the group, and I'm very excited about this endeavor.  The first one is tomorrow, and I can show off my healthy and delicious lunch.

• 1/2    of a medium avocado, seeded and peeled
• 1  tablespoon  lime juice
•     Salt
•     Ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup garlic bread crumbs
• extra bread crumbs, wheat bran, or oatmeal, enough to make dough hold together
• 3  tsp frozen cilantro cubes
• 2  cloves  garlic
• 1  15-ounce can  black beans, rinsed and drained (or about 1.5 cups cooked from dry, which is what I did)
• 1/8 cup water
• 1/2 tsp chipotle pepper (or really, anything spicy, extra chili powder is fine)
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1  teaspoon  ground cumin
• 1    egg
• 1  small  plum tomato, chopped

directions

For guacamole, in a small bowl mash avocado. Stir in lime juice; season to taste with salt and pepper. Cover surface with plastic wrap and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Place torn bread in a food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend until bread resembles coarse crumbs. Transfer bread crumbs to a large bowl; set aside.

Place cilantro and garlic in the food processor bowl or blender container. Cover and process or blend until finely chopped. Add the beans, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and cumin. Cover and process or blend using on/off pulses until beans are coarsely chopped and mixture begins to pull away from side of bowl or container. Taste and add salt and pepper (or any kind) if needed.  Add bean mixture to bread crumbs. Add egg; mix well. Shape into four 1/2-inch-thick patties.

Lightly grease the rack of an saute pan and preheat. Place patties on pan. Grill directly over medium heat for 8 to 10 minutes or until patties are heated through, turning once halfway through grilling.

To serve, top the patties with guacamole and tomato.

Braised lentils with Winter Greens and a Fried Egg

I'm not Southern, not in the least bit.  I do not eat almost anything considered "Southern," I hate being called ma'am, and, well, I'm from Wisconsin.  Tonight's dinner is probably as close to Southern as I will ever get, and the only thing that made it "Southern" were the steamed greens.  I bought a bag (notice the Wisconsin accent right there) of "steamin' greens" from Trader Joe's to cover this part of it.  I might consider this the perfect winter meal: warm and comforting, not too expensive, super healthy, and delicious.  Too bad today was a beautiful, almost spring day, the winter comfort wasn't really necessary.  However, my schedule is such that I can't cook a real meal on Tuesdays, which means if I want something specific to the weather on Tuesday, I have to cook it Monday, and since this makes 2 servings, I might as well eat it today.  Oh well, the point is it's delicious.  I'll do my best to compute the cost, I'm sure it's over a dollar, but that's okay this week :).

The recipe jumped out at me on my google reader, it came from Serious Eats; this recipe is copied straight from there. No, I am not genius enough to come up with this myself.  Both the lentils and the greens were so flavorful, and the fried egg on top was a great addition, even though I'm (still) terrible at frying eggs.  The yoke is never runny enough.

Also, I'm not sure (if anyone could answer this for me, it would be great) why the lentils are considered "braised."  It never actually specified when to add them (I added that myself based on context clues), but as far as I (and wikipedia) knows braising is reserved for meat.  And this doesn't even mirror the process described there, the only thing special about it is cooking lentils with red wine (best concept EVER).

I do need to start posting my own recipes, otherwise this blog is somewhat useless (except for the fact that I filter a lot of recipes for you, to bring you the delicious grad student friendly meals, and try to throw ethnic twists in it).  This one is especially great since it makes food for 2 (though I could definitely see only one person eating it).  And of course, it is vegetarian.

Braised Lentils with Winter Greens and a Fried Egg

- serves 2 -
Adapted from Last Night's Dinner.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup French green lentils
1 bunch winter greens, such as kale, chard, collards, etc.
1 shallot, peeled and minced
1/2 cup red wine
1 clove garlic, chopped
1/8 teaspoon red chili flakes, or to taste
Splash of lemon juice or sherry vinegar
salt and black pepper
2 eggs

Procedure

1. In a medium saucepan, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the shallot and saute until soft, 2-3 minutes. Add 1 cup water and the red wine, bring to a boil, add lentils, and simmer, covered, until the lentils are tender but not mushy, 30 minutes or so (this took me more than 30 minutes, closer to 45, maybe I should have soaked them?). Add more water as necessary. Season to taste with salt.
2. In the meantime, wash the greens and slice the leaves away from the stems and roughly chop the leaves. Heat 1 tablespoon of the oil, garlic, and chili flakes in a saucepan or large skillet until fragrant, then add the leaves along with 1/4 cup or so of water and a pinch of salt. Cover, turn the heat to medium-low, and allow the leaves to steam as the water evaporates, tasting for tenderness and adding more water as necessary. Finish with lemon juice or vinegar to taste, and perhaps more olive oil.
3. When the lentils and greens are nearing completion, heat the remaining oil in a small non-stick skillet and fry the eggs sunny-side-up, about 3 minutes over medium-low heat, until the whites are set but the yolk is still runny.
Note: I actually fried the egg, so I added a flip, which overcooked it slightly, but at least I'm sure it won't make me sick.
4. Serve the greens on a bed of lentils, topped with the egg and fresh black pepper.

Oops, the cost: using lentils that were 44 cents a cup, Trader Joe's wine, and pre-bagged mixed greens, I'd estimate it at about $3.50 for two servings.  But it's worth it.

Double Broccoli Quinoa

I just made the best dinner.  Seriously, an awesome, awesome dinner.  You look at the title and probably think I'm crazy, and I probably am, but it is seriously awesome.  And pretty easy too, if you have a food processor (or I'm sure a large enough blender would work).  Using a food processor for the first time was the hardest part.

I think it's the garlic that makes this recipe, or maybe the parmesan cheese.  Or maybe, it's the broccoli.  I say that I don't like vegetables so I hide them places... recently that hasn't been true, as I brought back the Carrot Chile and Cilantro Soup and plan on making veggie salads for lunch over the weekend.  Also, broccoli is an exception to that rule.  I love broccoli, I crave broccoli with lemon.  I've been reading "Alone in the Kitchen with An Eggplant," thanks ctheflute, which is basically people gushing about their favorite foods to eat alone.  And these are people who can actually write, so I'm in a gushy mood, especially over food.

Anyway, the point is, I love broccoli so double the broccoli and I'm a happy camper.  And this is a great vegetarian meal because (as I recently learned) quinoa is a complete protein (cough, cough for any vegetarians or people who feed vegetarians, they should include quinoa as a great protein source).  And it is so tasty.  Broccoli pesto?  One of the best ideas ever.  This is from 101 Cookbooks.

3 cups cooked quinoa (one cup dry)
5 cups raw broccoli, cut into florets and stems

3 medium garlic cloves
2/3 c sliced or slivered almonds, toasted
1/3 c grated Parmesan
2 big pinches of salt
2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
1/4 c olive oil
1/4 c heavy cream (I used vanilla soymilk because I didn't have cream)

Optional toppings: slivered basil, fireoil, sliced avocado, crumbled feta
(note, I used avocado and it didn't really add anything and I think I used extra Parmesan so feta was unnecessary.

Heat (or cook) quinoa and set aside.

Barely cook broccoli by bringing 3/4 cup water into a large pot to a simmer.  Stir in broccoli, cover and cook for a minute, just enough to take the raw edge off.  Transfer broccoli to a strainer and run under cold water to end cooking.  Set aside.

Make broccoli pesto: puree two cups of broccoli, the garlic, 1/2 almonds, Parmesan, remaining salt, and lemon juice in a food processor.  Drizzle in olive oil and cream and pulse until smooth.

Just before serving, toss quinoa and remaining broccoli with 1/2 for the broccoli pesto.  Adjust to taste as needed.  Serve with serving toppings.

It was especially nice in comparison with my lunch (Bulgar salad), which didn't turn out as well as I hoped, but am stuck with eating.

Pseudo-Indian Feast

So I'll be cooking a lot this week/weekend so be prepared. The reasons for this: 1) I went to the farmer's market today and 2) I'm moving a lot of my stuff, including most of my pans and what not. I'm cooking ahead, so I can have a bunch of reheatable meals for the future weeks.

So today, I made Indian Flavored Vegetable Pancakes, which aren't too expensive when you go to the farmer's market and get all your veggies and spices for next to nothing and a great way for someone like me to eat veggies. I also attempted a new dahl: Red Lentil Dahl, another ridiculously nutritious for the buck meal. I used red split lentils because that's what I bought today (and I misread the recipe) and reduced the oil by a lot. The were both great dishes and went well together. I forgot plain yogurt for the dipping sauce for the pancakes, but I'll pick that up tonight, I kind of think they needed the lime flavor.