Category Archives: Vegetarian

April 30, 2013 · 6:15 pm

Life between playoff games

My life over the past few weeks has been happening in between Chicago Bulls playoff basketball games. I plan weekly activities around games and turn down appealing opportunities to be social. I pace around the house in my Bulls t-shirt (which probably needs to be washed by now) when the game gets too close and yell at the TV during missed calls. I talk about it incessantly, saying things like, “We knew these games wouldn’t be handed to us. For one thing, Noah’s been playing on a bad foot.”

In other words, this shit is taking over my life.

The Bulls probably aren’t going to win the NBA championship this year–the team has been riddled with injuries, starting with their star point guard and our city’s favorite athlete: Derrick Rose. But I have come to really love those guys–they’re scrappy, they win ugly, and their coach practically charges onto the court at least once every game because he gets so worked up. What’s not to like?

Last Saturday’s four-hour, triple overtime thriller in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets was partially responsible for me almost not finishing dinner in time to host my parents. Luckily, the Bulls pulled off the win 45 minutes before they arrived so Sean and I were able to shower. Plus, all the dishes I made were ones that could be prepped or finished in advance. The rice was cooked before tip off. Spiced chicken got a quick rub and went into the fridge during halftime. And the black beans were prepped during commercial breaks. It was the frenzied sort of dance only undertaken by a semi-unhinged fan.

That said, I was thrilled with how the beans turned out. I have been trying to master those soupy, Cuban-style black beans for years, and I think I finally got it. Lots of fresh chopped garlic, onion and sweet bell pepper, a splash of cider vinegar and a good sprinkling of Mexican oregano give them the right balance of flavors, and starchy bean water from rinsing out the can made the perfect broth to simmer them in.

Now that I’m winning at black beans, all I ask in return is that the Bulls win this series and make it to Round 2 of the playoffs. I’m fully ready to give up a few more weeks of my life if so.

Cuban-style black beans
Note: You can be extra authentic and buy black beans in their dried form (and use a few cups of the cooking liquid instead), but I just love canned beans. They are one of life’s great shortcuts.

Method: Heat a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium high, and swirl in the olive oil. Add the bell pepper, onion and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Sweat the vegetables until they start to soften, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic, bay leaf, oregano and cumin; cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the black beans. Fill each can with water, swirl it around a bit and add that to the pot as well. Turn the heat up to high, and bring the mixture to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium low, partially cover and simmer the beans for 20 minutes, until the liquid has reduced and thickened slightly. Add the vinegar, and cook for another 3-5 minutes. Check the seasoning, and adjust as needed with salt and pepper. Serves 4 to 6 as a side dish.

Note: Besides dipping Cuban sandwiches in them, my favorite way to eat black beans is spooning them over rice with a couple of fried eggs.

5 Comments

Filed under Side Dishes, Vegetarian

Tagged as Black beans, Chicago Bulls, Cider vinegar, Garlic, Recipes with black beans, Red bell pepper, The secret to Cuban black beans, Yellow onion

February 18, 2013 · 9:27 am

Marge’s first guest!

My older (and only) sister Madeline is my best friend and about half a foot shorter than I am. We love to eat, drink and complain together, and people often mistake our voices on the phone. She is also responsible for many of my and Sean’s nicknames due to a series of Gchat typos. I now answer to Merf, and Sean is affectionately known as Dean.

Here are two pictures of us eating with nice makeup on the day I got married. (Credit: Eric Futran and Andrew Boudreau)

Over the past couple years, Mad has become quite a fierce cook. So when she texted me that she was successful in making a simple mung bean (or bean thread) noodle salad, I replied, “Where do you even buy those?! You have to do a guest blog about it!”

So here it is, in Mad’s–also Maddy, Mat or Mac’s–own words. This also happens to be the 101st blog entry of Marge’s Next Meal! A very fitting way to commemorate 101 posts. (As you can see, I forgot to mention when I hit the 100 mark last week.)

Simple bean thread salad
by Maddy Shea

Growing up in our family, I think it is fair to say that with all the wonderful food provided to us everyday, I was never the one with the obvious talent for cooking. There are a whole host of meals I am loath to eat outside of my family’s versions because I already know that they will never measure up. My mom’s cooking still consists of my personal standard and ideal of what constitutes a homemade meal. So hearty meals like spaghetti and meatballs, German roladen, and stuffed chicken are absolutely never going to taste as good if they come from some outside source. My sister, now an accomplished chef and food expert, has created some of the most delicious foods I have ever tasted–Marge, I recall requesting that pork and ramen soup… where is it?? Even my dad has this one-of-a-kind knack for barbeque chicken so that I tend to stay on the safe side when at a picnic or barbeque restaurant and just go with a burger.

Needless to say, when it came to establishing my own cooking habits, I already had some pretty high standards. In fact, I still won’t eat many of the things I cook myself. One area in which I have begun to feel more confident, however, is lunch. I have always been better off throwing together what our mom has affectionately called “picky dinners,” or meals made up of a variety of small things–sandwiches cut into fours, bowls of nuts, slices of cheese, a fruit salad–rather than cooking full-blown meals complete with all kinds of appropriately coordinated side dishes.

One dish in this vein of “things tossed together” of which I am particularly proud is the bean thread salad. It is roughly based on the bean thread salad you can order at most Thai restaurants and of course largely based on what I find to be enjoyable to eat.

This salad also offers a very malleable palette; you can include whatever ingredients you find to be most enjoyable. I happen to think sugar snap peas, shrimp, and water chestnuts would be great additions if you’re looking for greater variety. In fact, it’s so easy to make and lends so easily to personal taste that it is now a meal that rivals its restaurant-prepared cousin.

But what I love most about this meal is that it would not have been possible without my family’s shared love of savory, simple foods and some important takeaways from my all-time favorite cooks: mom’s homemade salad dressing is proof that all you really need is lemon juice and oil; my sister’s ability to make ordinary food special just by slicing it thinly; and my dad’s love of a little spicy kick to make things interesting.

Bean thread salad with fried tofu

Method: First, put pressure on the tofu to squeeze out all the excess water. This can be done by placing a flat surface on top of it and weighting that down with a dense object like a cookbook or a can.

Once the water is removed, cut the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and sprinkle with soy sauce until each cube has been evenly coated. This will give the tofu a much richer flavor.

Pour the oil in a large skillet over medium-high and add the tofu. Turn the cubes until they are browned and a bit crispy. This will take about 7 minutes. Place the browned tofu on a paper towel-lined plate, and set aside to cool.

Cook the mung bean noodles according to the package directions. After boiling them, I usually rinse them in cold water to speed up the cooling process.

On a large cutting board, thinly slice the green onion and jalapeno pepper. It is important to slice the pepper into very thin slivers to evenly distribute the heat. Next, shave the carrot in long strips with a vegetable peeler. Mince the cilantro.

In a large bowl, combine the lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper. Then layer into the bowl a handful of noodles with a small pile of peeled carrots, some of the chopped green onions and jalapenos, a mini handful of tofu, and a pinch of cilantro. Repeat until all ingredients have been incorporated into the bowl. Layering the ingredients will aid in the mixing process. Toss the ingredients thoroughly with tongs, ensuring the noodles are coated with the lemon dressing and ingredients are evenly spread throughout.

To serve, heap onto plates or into deep bowls, and garnish with a few whole cilantro leaves. Serve cold or at room temperature. Serves 4 (or 2 hungry sisters, plus leftovers).

9 Comments

Filed under Pasta, Salad, Vegetarian, Weeknight cooking

Tagged as Bean thread noodles, Carrots, Cilantro, Fried tofu, Frying tofu, Green onion, Lemon juice, Olive Oil, What to do with bean thread noodles, What to do with mung beans

January 17, 2013 · 6:06 am

And I don’t even like brown rice

It’s true. Try as I might, I have never been that fond of brown rice. I have a similar relationship with whole wheat pasta. To me, both tend to overwhelm the flavor of most other ingredients with their whole grainy-ness. And I refuse to incorporate them just because some study tells me they’ll lengthen my life by five years or reduce my risk of contracting various diseases by 8 to 15 percent. I don’t like haughty ingredients.

I usually go for the more agreeable starches like arborio or jasmine rice or semolina pasta, which never elbow their way into the spotlight and always play nicely with the other ingredients. But I recently came across a recipe for brown fried rice with kale and scallions from Gwyneth Paltrow’s cookbook that inspired me to give it another try.

Steamed kale stands up to the hearty brown rice with its almost bitter, verdant flavor. The sharpness of the scallions and the salty soy sauce make the dish wonderfully savory. I made some adjustments–adding beaten eggs and sesame oil for richness and a little Sriracha for heat–and I was really happy with the result.

It also helped that I was patient enough to cook and cool the rice ahead of time. Fried rice always tastes best with rice made several hours beforehand. And brown rice has a nice hearty texture when cooked properly.

To cook brown rice, I bring 2 1/4 parts water and 1 part brown rice to a boil with a pat of butter and a little salt, then cover and simmer it for 35 minutes. I then turn off the heat and let it steam, covered, for another 10 to 15 minutes. For the best results, cook the rice the night before and keep it in the fridge till you’re ready to make fried rice.

Fried brown rice with kale

Method: Cut the kale leaves in half lengthwise and then cut crosswise into thin ribbons. Heat a large saucepan with 1/4 inch of water in the bottom over high heat. Toss in the kale and steam for 3-4 minutes. Remove, and place in a bowl to dry and cool slightly.

Wipe out the pan, return it to the stove over medium heat and add the vegetable oil. Add the scallions and garlic and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until softened and fragrant. Add the kale and cook for 2 minutes to heat through. Add the rice, and a bit more oil if needed, and cook for another 2 minutes. Pour in the eggs and stir until the rice is evenly coated. Cook for 2 minutes until the egg starts to look opaque. Add the soy sauce, black pepper and sesame oil, stirring to combine. Cook for another 30 seconds. Check the seasoning and adjust as needed.

To serve, pile the rice in deep bowls and garnish with the reserved scallions and a drizzle of Sriracha. Make sure there’s soy sauce and Sriracha on the table for passing. Serves 3 to 4.

4 Comments

Filed under Rice, Vegetarian

Tagged as Brown rice, Cooking brown rice, Eggs, Garlic, Healthy fried rice, How to cook brown rice, Kale, Scallion, Sesame oil

January 5, 2013 · 8:42 am

Roasted tomato soup

I know I should be making lots of dishes with potatoes and turnips and leeks right now given the time of year and our collective obsession with sourcing locally. But damnit, sometimes I just want fresh tomatoes, no matter how far they traveled or how anemic they look in the store. They are too much of a staple in my diet for me to cut them out all winter long.

The best way to make use of the sad, pale wintertime tomatoes is to roast them, preferably with lots of flavorful aromatics like red onion, bell pepper and garlic. Thus the basis of this richly flavorful vegetarian soup, which is the perfect partner for a grilled cheese sandwich.

Or, if you prefer to make a meal out of the soup all by itself, add about 1 cup of small pasta shapes after pureeing and returning it to the stove. Simmer for 8 to 10 minutes until the pasta is al dente.

Roasted tomato soup
adapted from the Soup Bible

Method: Preheat the oven to 375F. Spread the tomatoes, bell pepper, onion (cut side down) and garlic in a single layer on a sheet pan. Drizzle with the olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables are soft and slightly blistered, stirring and turning them halfway through cooking.

Slip the garlic cloves out of their skins and tip the vegetables into the food processor along with 1 cup of stock. Puree on high for about 1 minute, until you have a smooth mixture.

Reserving 1 cup of the puree, strain the remaining puree through a fine mesh sieve with a spatula over a large pot. Note: You can strain the entire puree if you prefer, but I like my vegetable soups to have a little texture.

Add the unstrained puree, the remaining stock, sugar and salt and pepper to taste. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 7 to 8 minutes. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve hot, garnished with fresh basil leaves. Serves 3 to 4.

6 Comments

Filed under Soup, Vegetarian

Tagged as Garlic, Red bell pepper, Red onion, Roma tomatoes, Simple roasted tomato soup, Tomato soup recipe

November 21, 2012 · 2:46 pm

For the Thanksgiving hangover

I’m not even going to try to tackle a Thanksgiving recipe in today’s post. I know I’m far too late anyway. What I can offer are some ideas that will hopefully give you a little burst of inspiration as you prep for the big day. Any of these ideas could be adapted to any entertaining you have planned for the coming weeks–seeing how we’re neck deep in the season now.

Here are three decidedly brown appetizers I made for Thanksgiving last year that were popular with my salt-loving family. Or there are great ideas for party food from Lottie + Doof. I’d also recommend starting things off with a little spiced apple cider, courtesy of A Beautiful Mess.

For the turkey: if you’re into brining, Food & Wine does a wonderful herb roasted turkey. I also was pleasantly surprised to find this foolproof turkey roasting technique from who else but Trisha Yearwood.

As for easy side dishes, my cheddar fresno biscuits would nicely complement turkey with cornbread dressing. Or if you’re looking for something lighter, my raw shaved brussels sprouts slaw is a fresh take on a wintry vegetable (and super easy). Punch it up with some candied pecans and bacon bits. Or, try one or two sides from Martha Stewart. She is the queen of entertaining, after all. If you need cranberry sauce, you could be like my family and just coax it out of the Ocean Spray cranberry jelly can. Or, if you’re feeling industrious, Smitten Kitchen did much of the work for us, with three lovely cranberry dishes that would brighten any Thanksgiving table.

For dessert, I found this absolutely decadent spiced pumpkin cheesecake with caramel bourbon sauce. I also think something light like this simple lemon granita from Pinch My Salt would be lovely with a few lavender shortbread cookies for a lighter end to the day of overindulgence.

Now all that’s left to give you is a detox salad worthy of the day after. This salad combines lots of textures, which keeps things interesting so you forget that it’s so healthy. I also like that it contains feta and pistachios, because even though it’s supposed to be a detox salad, there’s no point to eating salad as a meal unless there’s something substantial in there like nuts or cheese. Add a thick slice of country bread or whole wheat toast and you’ve got a lovely lunch to counter all that Thanksgiving gluttony.

A very green salad
adapted from 101 Cookbooks

Tarragon balsamic dressing

Prep the salad:
Trim the bottom of the broccoli, and cut the stem and florets into small bite-size pieces. Fill a large bowl halfway with ice cubes and cold water.

Heat a medium pot of salted water to boiling, and add the broccoli. Boil for 1 minute, then immediately plunge the cooked broccoli into the ice water bath. Remove after about 1 minute, and set on paper towels to drain.

Slice the lettuce into ribbons. Scoop out the avocado half and cut it into 1/2-inch dice. Roughly chop the pistachios. Add the drained broccoli, lettuce, avocado, pistachios and feta to a large bowl.

Make the dressing:
In a small bowl, combine the shallot, tarragon, Dijon and balsamic. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil, whisking constantly, until blended. Season with salt and pepper and taste. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

Assemble:
Pour the dressing over the ingredients, and toss gently with a large spoon so you don’t break up the avocado. Serve immediately. Serves 2.

2 Comments

Filed under Salad, Vegetarian

Tagged as Balsamic vinaigrette, Balsamic vinegar, Blanching broccoli, Broccoli, Detox salad recipe, Goat cheese feta, Pistachios, Salad with avocado, Salad with broccoli, Shallots, Tarragon, Tarragon balsamic vinaigrette, Thanksgiving ideas, Thanksgiving recipes

November 5, 2012 · 8:36 pm

A galette and a small realization

When looking through my photos last weekend, I noticed a kind of embarrassing little pattern. Dog, dog, food, dog, Sean + dog, food, food, dog, friends, dog, family, dog, food, food, dog. Apparently, the most worthwhile updates of the past few months of my life involved what I ate and how many different napping positions Penny got in.

In my defense, food and dogs are often the most photogenic parts of life–the former because it almost always sits still for me, and the latter because I’m a sucker for animals.

Now on to the galette, otherwise known as a free-form tart. It took me all afternoon to make this autumnal savory tart, but I didn’t care because it was all I planned to do that day. Plus, Sean was out of town and he doesn’t like squash.

I took about a hundred pictures of the galette when it came out of the oven. On the sheet pan, on the cutting board, on the table out on the deck, on the dining room table inside. Penny trailed after me the whole time, gazing up at me blankly. “Why are you carrying that food everywhere just to look at it through that little machine? I will eat it for you.”

Because it’s pretty, Pen. And I already took a bunch of pictures of you napping this afternoon.

Butternut squash and caramelized onion galette
adapted from Smitten Kitchen

For the pastry:

Method: To make the pastry, combine the flour and salt in a bowl or food processor. Cut the butter in with a pastry blender or pulse in the processor until the mixture resembles coarse meal.

In a small bowl, whisk together the sour cream, lemon juice and water and add it to the butter and flour mixture. Using your fingertips or the food processor, mix in the liquid just until large lumps form. Pour the lumpy dough onto the counter and push it together into a ball. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.

For the filling:

Method: Preheat oven to 375F. Peel the squash, then halve it and scoop out the seeds. Cut the squash into a 1/2-inch dice. Toss pieces with olive oil and a sprinkling of salt and roast on foil-lined sheet for 30 minutes or until pieces are tender. Set aside to cool slightly.

While the squash is roasting, caramelize the onions. In a heavy skillet, melt the butter over medium heat and add the onions along with a pinch of salt and sugar. Turn the heat down to medium low and cook the onions, stirring occasionally, until they’re soft and light golden brown, about 30 minutes. Add a few teaspoons of water every 8 to 10 minutes throughout the cooking process to prevent the onions from browning too quickly. Stir in the cayenne when the onions are done.

Raise the oven temperature to 400F. Mix the squash, caramelized onions, cheese and herbs together in a bowl.

Assembly and baking:
On a floured surface, roll out the dough to about 1/4 inch thick. Transfer to an ungreased baking sheet, and spoon the squash, onion, cheese and herb mixture over the dough, leaving about a 1 1/2-inch border around the edges. Fold the edges over the filling, pleating the edge to make it fit. The center will be open.

Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, until the crust is golden brown. Remove from the oven, and let sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing.

The galette is delicious hot or at room temperature. I served it with a mixed green salad dressed with grainy Dijon, mayo, shallot, lemon and lots of black pepper. It was a heavenly dinner for one.

4 Comments

Filed under Baked items, Vegetarian

Tagged as Butternut squash, Caramelized onion, Cheddar cheese, Chives, Dried sage, Fall recipes, Free-form tart recipe, Lemon juice, Roasting butternut squash, Sour cream, What is a galette

Category Archives: Vegetarian

Life between playoff games

Marge’s first guest!

And I don’t even like brown rice

Roasted tomato soup

For the Thanksgiving hangover

A galette and a small realization

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Category Archives: Vegetarian

Life between playoff games

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Marge’s first guest!

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And I don’t even like brown rice

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Roasted tomato soup

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For the Thanksgiving hangover

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A galette and a small realization

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