Enchiladas

These enchiladas are still being experimented with. They originated as a recipe from a guild mate, but I've made significant changes since then. We used to make these with chicken but have begun substituting tofu instead. I like it better with the tofu, honestly, but then I've never been a huge fan of meat, so...*shrug*

2 cooked chicken breasts or 1 block firm or extra firm tofu (can use 1/2 or whole block)
1 medium onion, chopped
2 small cans enchilada sauce
3-4 cups shredded cheese (cheddar and jack)
1 pack 8-10" flour tortillas
1 can chopped green chiles
~1.5 cups of softened cream cheese + sour cream (whatever ratio works)
Oregano
Cumin
Minced garlic
Red pepper
Black pepper
Salt or seasoned salt
Basil
Coriander
Oil

If using tofu: Freeze and thaw the tofu ahead of time to give it a meatier texture. Drain, squeeze out any extra water, and dry.

Prep: Spray a large baking dish with cooking spray and set aside. Preheat oven to 350.

1) Pour oil in large skillet. Brown tofu, if necessary.
2) Add chicken (if using), chiles, and onions. Cook until onions soften.
3) Add all spices, mix well. Sautee for a few more minutes.
4) Pour skillet mixture into a bowl with the softened cream cheese and sour cream. Add a cup to a cup and a half of the shredded cheese and mix.
5) Taste the mixture and adjust spices as necessary. Mixture will gain heat as spices and chiles cook in the oven.
6) Fill the tortillas, roll them up, and place them in the baking dish seam-side down. Spread any leftover filling on top. Pour enchilada sauce over entire dish and top with shredded cheese.
7) Spray a piece of tinfoil with cooking spray and cover the dish. Bake at 350 for 50 minutes or until cheese is melted and gooey.

Nom nom.

(Experiment in the future with adding chili paste or rooster sauce. Try to find better chiles than crappy kroger cans.)

Indonesian Tofu in a thin brown sauce

This recipe doesn't really have a name. It's a random recipe my Indonesian sister-in-law showed me when teaching me how to make tofu the Indonesian way. She doesn't cook using measurements, so this is just a list of ingredients for the most part. I recreated it tonight and it came out pretty much the same as hers, so I'm pretty proud!

Extra firm tofu (cubed, not drained)
1 shallot (or onion)
coriander powder
coconut milk (~1/4-1/5 can?)
vegetable stock (~1/2-3/4 cup)
~ 1 tsp chili paste with holy basil leaf (can sub with sambal oelek + basil puree)
diced or pureed tomatoes (1/4 can?)
minced garlic
lemongrass paste
tumeric
sugar (optional)

I can't remember exactly how she did it, so here's how I did it:

1) Heat oil in a high sided skillet, add cubed tofu. Don't touch it until it's firm, then flip it over.

2) Once tofu is mostly browned, add onions/shallots and cook until brown.

3) Add broth, tomatoes, chili paste (add more for desired heat), basil, lemongrass, garlic. Mix together, then add coconut milk.

4) Add tumeric and coriander. Mix in. Taste the sauce. If it's too spicy, add a little sugar.

5) Let sit so tofu can absorb flavors. This can be done on the stove at a low simmer (covered) or in the fridge overnight. If left overnight, note that it will be hotter and the spices will be more prominent.

Serve over rice or couscous. Well complemented by raisins. Total cooking time shouldn't be more than 30 minutes.

Vegetarian Gravy

Just had my first Thanksgiving as a vegetarian (which I became about 2 months ago), and other than stuffing from inside the turkey, I decided that the only other thing I would miss was GRAVY. Thus began the hunt for a decent-looking vegetarian gravy recipe. I tried this one and it turned out really well!

http://veggieoption.blogspot.com/2009/11/recipe-vegetarian-gravy.html

Vegetarian Gravy
Serves 4

Ingredients:
1 medium onion, thinly sliced
3/4 Cup chopped mushroom
1 clove garlic, minced
2 Tbs butter
2 1/2 Cup vegetable broth (I use McKay's Chicken Style Instant Broth)
2 Tbs soy sauce (or Bragg's Liquid Amino)
4-5 Tbs flour
salt and pepper to taste


1. Melt butter in a large skillet or Dutch oven and add onion.

2. Sauté onion over medium-high heat, stirring frequently until the onion is softened and browned, about 15 minutes.

3. When onions are browned and beginning to crisp, add mushrooms and garlic and sauté two minutes, stirring constantly.

4. Reduce heat to medium and add vegetable broth and soy sauce. Give everything a good stir, then add flour, one tablespoon at a time, stirring between each addition until flour is completely dissolved. Adjust seasoning and continue stirring for 8-10 minutes or until gravy reaches the desired thickness.

NOTE: This turned out rather salty. The raw potato trick helped some, but even better would be using low sodium soy sauce and broth.

Homemade Pesto

This worked a lot better once I realized my Magic Bullet had both a blender blade and a food processor blade. Blending blade = fail. My verdict is MORE GARLIC. Always more garlic! I also added some extra cheese. Tastes rather "green" the day it's made, but is fantastic after that.

INGREDIENTS
2 cups fresh basil leaves, packed
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan-Reggiano or Romano cheese
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/3 cup pine nuts
3 medium sized garlic cloves, minced
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

METHOD
1 Combine the basil in with the pine nuts, pulse a few times in a food processor. (If you are using walnuts instead of pine nuts and they are not already chopped, pulse them a few times first, before adding the basil.) Add the garlic, pulse a few times more.
2 Slowly add the olive oil in a constant stream while the food processor is on. Stop to scrape down the sides of the food processor with a rubber spatula. Add the grated cheese and pulse again until blended. Add a pinch of salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.

Makes 1 cup.

Sausage and Lentil Soup

A tasty soup that can easily become vegetarian.

Ingredients
1 lb Italian sausage (can also use Italian turkey sausage or veggie italian sausage)
1 large onion, chopped
1 stalk celery, chopped
2 large carrots, chopped
1 small zucchini, chopped
6 cups chicken or vegetable stock
2 (14 1/2 ounce) cans diced tomatoes, undrained
2-3 garlic cloves
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups dry lentils
black pepper
red pepper flakes
basil
oregano
parsley
thyme


Directions
Brown sausage; drain off fat.
In a large pot combine all ingredients bring to boil.
Reduce heat,cover.
Simmer for about 1 hour or until lentils are tender. Add water if necessary, for desired consistency.
Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and serve.

Notes
I originally used 1 tsp of each spice, then dumped more in after it had simmered. Final verdict is that it needed yet more! I'll try a tablespoon of each next time, with perhaps the pepper as an exception, since I use spicy italian sausage to begin with.

Curried Chick Peas and Lentils

http://www.bestrecipes.com.au/recipe/Chickpea-and-Lentil-Curry-L3748.html

It won't let me copy the text, so a link is it. Came out really nicely, despite being short one can of tomatoes. We had it as a main course, but it could also be a side dish. I added a little red pepper to the recipe, and a little extra chili powder too. Delicious. Tastes unhealthy, but totally isn't. Would be great on a pita.

Pork Tenderloin with Pomegranate Wine Sauce

I hate pork. But oddly enough...this is one of the best things I've ever eaten. I got this from the grocery store, of all places, where they were giving samples and handing out the recipe. 

Ingredients:

2 Pork Tenderloins
Italian Herb Seasoning, to taste
1 tbsp. Olive Oil

For the sauce:
1/2 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 tbsp. Green Onion, finely minced
1 cup Pomegranate Juice
3/4 cup Red Wine (they say merlot, we just used whatever we had laying around)
1/2 tbsp. Fresh Rosemary (we used 1/4 tbsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. Pepper, freshly ground

Preparation:

Sauce:

Heat a sauce pan over medium heat for one minute. Add olive oil and onion and sautee for 30 seconds. Add pomegranate juice and wine. Summer until liquid is reduced by half. Remove from heat and add rosemary and pepper. Set aside to cool slightly. ((Note: It can take a while for the liquid to reduce, so make sure you do this first so you can prep and cook the meat while it simmers.))

Pork:

Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat for two minutes. Cut the pork tenderloin into 1/2 inch slices. Season both sides of the pork medallions to taste with the italian seasoning. Add olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the seasoned pork and sautee for three minutes per side, or until just done. Place the cooked pork on serving plates and spoon on some of the sauce. 

Notes: 

I suggest serving the pork on top of french bread. They go perfectly together, and the bread soaks up the sauce, which is the best part of this recipe.