Indian-inspired Broccoli and Cauliflower

No need to take out Indian with this recipe on your finger tips. I whipped this up with cauliflower and broccoli but other veggie combinations work very well (think zucchini, bell peppers, carrots, potatoes, peas...). Serve over rice or eat plain.

Indian-inspired Broccoli and Cauliflower
4 servings

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
1 cup water
1 14.5 oz can of diced tomatoes
1 medium head cauliflower
1 medium head broccoli
1 heaping tablespoon of fresh ginger, minced
8 cloves of garlic, minced

Heat olive oil over medium heat. Saute onions with next four ingredients (cumin through red pepper) until onions are golden (about ten minutes). Add remaining ingredients and simmer until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes). Lap up!

Tabouli

This is a fantastic meal for the multi-tasker. I set up the bulgar and hot water before running to class. When I came back, the only "cooking" in this recipe was taken care of. All I had left to do was chop away. The best part about tabouli is it only gets better as it's refrigerated. No mediocre left-overs when you've got it whipped up.

Tabouli
6-8 servings

1 cup bulgar
2 cups boiling water
1 bunch of parsley, chopped (about 1 packed cup)
1 large tomato, chopped
1 medium cucumber, seeded and chopped
6 green onions, chopped
5 gloves of garlic, minced
1 lemon, juiced
1 tablespoon olive oil
1/2 teaspoon vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper

Place the bulgar in a large boil and add boiling water. Cover the boil with a plate and let sit. After an hour, mix in everything else.

Roasted Parsnips, Potatoes, and Butternut Squash

I love roasted vegetables and find this combination particularly successful. I don't peel the parsnips or potatoes but I do peel the butternut squash. If you don't have a heavy duty vegetable peeler, chop the squash with the skin on and then chop the skin off each piece (much less efficient but definitely a possibility-- confession: I don't have a heavy duty peeler).

A general note about parsnips: I remove the tough part that runs down the middle by first cutting the parsnip into fourths (lengthwise) and then removing the darker colored interior. This helps ensure a more uniform texture in the cooked parsnip.

There isn't much to this recipe, but it's as tasty as it is easy. A nice perk: there's no need to cook up a grain to go with these veggies. The starch in this dish will fill you right up as is.

Roasted Parsnips, Potatoes, and Butternut Squash
4 servings

4 medium parsnips, fibrous insides removes and discarded, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 medium potato, chopped into bite sized pieces
1 medium butternut squash, peeled and chopped into bite sized pieces
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. In a large roasting pan, mix the potato, parsnips, and squash. Add remaining 4 ingredients (salt through olive oil), tossing to coat. Roast vegetables for 45 minutes, tossing every 15 minutes to prevent burning. Eat up.

Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions

I love a tasty, filling pilaf and this recipe fits the bill. The brown rice and lentils make a very substantial (and nutritious!) meal. I toast my rice before cooking it, a little trick I picked up from my parents-- it lends rice a deeper, richer taste.

Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions
3 servings

1/2 cup lentils
3 cups water
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 brown rice

In a saucepan, bring the first 6 ingredients (lentils through salt) to a boil. Reduce to medium heat and simmer for 15 minutes, uncovered.

While the lentils simmer, heat the olive oil in a large frying pan over medium-high heat. Add the onions and red pepper and saute until the onions are caramelized (about 10 minutes). Remove the onions from the pan and set aside.

Add a little water to the frying pan to deglaze the pan. While deglazing, add the brown rice to the frying pan and toast rice for 2 minutes.

After the lentils have simmered for 15 minutes, add the toasted rice to the saucepan and simmer, covered for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally until water is absorbed and rice is cooked. Add caramelized onions and eat!

Tzatziki Stuffed Pita Bread

I happen to be a yogurt fanatic (keep your eyes peeled for a post on making your own yogurt... coming soon). One of my favorite breakfasts/ snacks: yogurt and cereal. Just mix for instant heaven. As with everything, it's important to look at ingredients and nutritional information when buying yogurt. Watch out for outrageous amounts of sugar. Even a plain yogurt may have upwards of 30 grams per cup. Try to stay in the 15-17 grams per cup zone.

The tzatziki sauce recipe is adapted from Cooking Light's recipe found here. The pita bread recipe is adapted from this recipe. Don't worry if your dough is particularly wet and sticky. All the better for the final texture. I just knead quickly so that the dough doesn't stick too much to my kneading surface. The time involved in making your own pita bread is worth seeing it puff up in the oven, honest.

Tzatziki Sauce
4 servings

1 cup plain, nonfat yogurt
1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 lemon, juiced
3 cloves garlic, minced

Place yogurt in a coffee filter and strain for at least an hour (the longer you strain, the thicker the yogurt becomes-- no need to buy expensive Greek yogurt, just strain plain yogurt overnight). Mix all ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Stuff into pita, dress a Greek salad, or spoon directly into your mouth.

Pita Bread
8 pitas

2 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
2 teaspoons yeast
1.5 teaspoons salt
1.5 cups water
2 teaspoons olive oil

In a large bowl, mix the flour and water and let sit for 20 minutes. Then, add the yeast and salt and knead dough for 10 minutes (want a cool way to knead?). Oil the bowl, return the dough to the bowl, cover with a towel and let rise for 45 minutes in a warm area.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Separate the dough into 8 pieces, coating each piece with the olive oil in the bowl. Roll-out each piece of dough into a flat circle of 5 inch diameter. On a baking sheet, bake each pita for 3-4 minutes (watch them puff up!).

Artichokes and Peas

This recipe comes from Claudia Roden's cookbook, Invitation to Mediterranean Cooking: 150 Vegetarian and Seafood Recipes. And it is fantastic-- the flavors blend together so well. Plus, the preparation and cooking time are minimal. I'm not usually a fan of frozen veggies, but in this recipe they work (neither taste nor texture are compromised). Using frozen vegetables seriously saves time by cutting down on chopping... good news: you'll have more time to read Gogol.

Left-over idea: mix refrigerated left-overs with cold pasta for a tasty pasta salad. Save the extra fresh mint, dill, and half of a lemon for tzatziki sauce.

Artichokes and Peas
4 servings

1 medium onion, chopped
4 tablespoons olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb bag of frozen peas*
12 oz bag of artichoke hearts
2 tablespoons fresh mint, chopped
2 tablespoons fresh dill, chopped
1 teaspoon pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 lemon, juiced
2 teaspoons sugar
4 tablespoons water

In a large frying pan, saute onion and garlic until browned. Add peas and artichokes and continue sauteeing for 2 minutes. Add the remaining ingredients and cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

*In Claudia's recipe, she uses a combination of fava beans and peas. I couldn't find fava beans, but if you can, experiment with them. Try also substituting frozen edemame for the peas.

Shopping List

Meals:

Peas and Artichokes
Tzatziki Sauce Stuffed Pita
Lentils and Rice with Caramelized Onions
Roasted Parsnips, Potatoes, and Butternut Squash

Come shop with me. Above, I've mapped out dinner for the upcoming days (I'll be rethinking left-overs for lunches) and below have compiled a shopping list. I'll be posting my recipes as I cook... just follow along and you'll be all set food-wise. First step, the grocery store.

Shopping List:
Cost: about $15.00

1 large tub of plain, nonfat yogurt
1 lb bag of frozen peas
12 oz bag of artichoke hearts
4 medium parsnips
1 medium butternut squash
1 bunch of fresh dill
1 bunch of fresh mint
1 lemon
optional*: whole wheat pita bread

If you don't have these following foods as staples (see The Essentials: the food), you'll also need to buy:

Cost: about $40.00... but you'll be well on your way to a stocked pantry. Buy extra potatoes and onions to stock those too.

1 bag brown rice
1 bag dried lentils
1 medium potato
4 medium onions
1 bulb of garlic
unbleached flour*
whole wheat flour*
yeast*
olive oil
ground cinnamon
ground nutmeg
crushed red pepper flakes
pepper
salt

*Note: I'm going to be baking my own pita bread-- alternatively, you can buy whole wheat pita when you shop

Oooh I just love grocery shopping...