Vegetarian Etouffee

A few months ago, my friends and I conspired a trip to New Orleans for New Year's Eve. The trip didn't end up happening, but an excitement for Cajun-style cooking happened instead.

In October, Garret and I went to a restaurant in San Jose's Santana Row, called Roux, where we had a sampling of cheesy grits, crawfish etouffee over rice, fried okra and Mississippi brews. The food was great and I especially enjoyed the etouffee. Etouffee (eh-too-fay) means "smothered" in French. In this case, covered in a rich tomato gravy.

When I came back from my trip up North, I decided to try and make etouffee, but in a vegetarian-friendly way. Here are my findings from digging through the internet and compiling this recipe. I can't guarantee it's authenticity to real Cajun food, but it's delicious and a great comfort food in cold weather.

Ingredients (serves 4)

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup all purpose flour
1 chopped onion
1 chopped green bell pepper
1/2 chopped red bell pepper
3/4 cup finely chopped celery
1 heaping tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon chopped fresh thyme
2 tablespoons tomato paste
2 cups vegetable stock

1, 8 ounce block tofu, chopped into small cubes (carnivores may like shrimp or chicken)

Salt, cayenne, and black pepper

Tabasco sauce

juice of half a lemon

chopped parsley

4 servings cheesy grits or rice

I used this recipe for grits, but substituted broth for milk and used Quick Grits instead of polenta.

Directions

Melt the butter in a heavy pan until melted. Sift flour into butter mixture and whisk. Stir constantly for 15-20 minutes over medium heat until mixture becomes a brown color— be careful not to burn. You will smell it if the butter burns and you will need to start over.

Add the vegetables to this mixture and saute until the onions become translucent. Add thyme, tomato paste and stock and simmer for 20 minutes. Add tofu in the last 10 minutes of cooking. To finish, add salt, pepper and Tabasco to taste and squeeze in half a lemon. Stir and serve over cheesy grits. Top with parsley.

Stovetop Macaroni and Cheese with Roasted Tomatoes

Fall is in the air. Even though it is 85 degrees outside in San Luis Obispo, I am dreaming of stews, soups and braised everything, so I figured it was time to post my favorite mac recipe. This recipe originated in a Cooking Light circa 2005 when Melanie and I were roommates in college. We love it so much we still both make it and modify it accordingly.

Ingredients (serves 8)
3 cups halved cherry tomatoes
Cooking spray or spray olive oil
a sprinkle of Italian seasoning
1/4 teaspoon black pepper

3 ounces sourdough bread, torn into pieces
1 teaspoon butter, melted
2 cups cheese- I use a combo of blue cheese, extra sharp cheddar and fontina
1 egg, whisked
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1 (12-ounce) can evaporated low-fat milk

12 ounces large elbow macaroni or medium size shells

Directions
Line a baking sheet with foil and spread out tomatoes. Spray with cooking spray and sprinkle with Italian seasoning and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes to an hour until the tomatoes blister and start to appear sun dried.

Meanwhile, in a blender or food processor, combine bread pieces, melted butter and a pinch of sea salt until crumbs are formed. Lay out crumbs on a separate baking sheet and cook 15 minutes or until golden.

Boil pasta for 7 minutes or until al dente by package directions. In a bowl, combine remaining ingredients. After draining pasta, return to a medium heat and stir in your bowl of cheese, milk, egg and spice mixture. Cook for 4 minutes or until cheese melts.

Serve immediately topped with bread crumbs and tomatoes.

Leftovers are good, but fresh is best with this recipe. Enjoy!

Tuscan Potato Soup

In the spirit of fall being in full effect, I made this soup the other evening. The gist of the recipe came from a recent Cooking Light, but I changed it up a bit. This was a pretty easy weeknight dinner to make (I recommend an immersion blender) and the leftovers were great in lunches for the week! The Yukon potatoes gave this soup a very creamy texture without all the added fat of using a lot of butter or cream. I have never done crumbled sausage on top before, but now could not imagine this soup without it.

Ingredients

2 heads garlic
2 1/2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cups finely chopped onion, divided
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
2 1/4 pounds cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 6 cups)
4 cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
1 cup half-and-half
4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese
3 green onion stalks, chopped roughly

6 ounces hot turkey Italian sausage, casings removed

Directions

Preheat oven to 400.

Cut off pointed end of each garlic head to partially reveal cloves, place each head in the center of a small sheet of heavy-duty aluminum foil. Drizzle 1/2 teaspoon oil over each head; wrap each in foil. Bake at 400° for 45 minutes; cool 10 minutes. Squeeze to extract pulp; discard skins.

Heat 2 teaspoons oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add 1 1/2 cups onion; sauté 4 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in pepper, 1/8 teaspoon salt, and potato; sauté 2 minutes. Add broth; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender, stirring occasionally. Stir in half-and-half. Squeeze roasted garlic into pot, blend entire pot with immersion blender until smooth (can be done in a real blender if you do not have an immersion blender). Finely grate 2 ounces cheese to yield 1/2 cup; stir into soup. Cook over medium heat 5 minutes or until thoroughly heated.

Heat 1 1/2 teaspoons oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add remaining 1/2 cup onion; sauté for 6 minutes, stirring frequently. Stir in 1/8 teaspoon salt and sausage cook 8 minutes or until browned, stirring to crumble sausage.

Divide soup into bowls, top with remaining cheese, sausage crumbles, and green onions.

Butternut Squash Lasagna

Nutty and cheesy with a toasty hazelnut crunch. Not meant to be eaten alone. Not meant for those watching their caloric intake.

This was a pretty darn good version of roasted butternut squash lasagna that I found on Food Network via Michael Chiarello. I made this for a small dinner with friends and we really enjoyed it. It was a balanced, hearty meal that went well with wine. In addition, it was also my first successful venture at creating a bechamel sauce that didn't resemble paste.

Ingredients

2 large butternut squash, about 3 to 5 pounds
3 T extra-virgin olive oil
1 T finely chopped fresh sage leaves
1 t Fennel seeds, crushed
1 t cinnamon
2 t salt
1/2 t freshly ground black pepper
1 t freshly grated nutmeg
2 cups ricotta cheese (or a 15-ounce container)
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan
2 large eggs
1 pound dried lasagna sheets (about 24 sheets), each 6 1/2 by 3 inches
Extra-virgin olive oil
1/8 cup toasted, crumbled hazelnuts

For the sauce:
2 quarts 2 percent milk
6 T unsalted butter
1 T sage, minced
2 t minced garlic
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
2 t salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1/2 t freshly grated nutmeg

Lasagna Assembly Extras
Butter, for dish
1 pound mozzarella, grated
1 cup freshly grated Parmesan

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

Using a vegetable peeler, remove the squash's hard shell. Trim about 1/2-inch off the top and bottom ends so you can set each section of the squash flat on a cutting board. Cut the squash in half lengthwise. Scoop the seeds out with a spoon, and coarsely chop the squash into 1/2-inch chunks. Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil. In a bowl, toss the squash with the oil, sage, fennel, cinnamon and 1 teaspoon salt and fresh ground pepper. Spread the squash in a single layer on the baking sheet. Roast the squash in the oven until very soft and beginning to brown, 40 to 50 minutes, stirring once or twice. Remove the squash from the oven and puree in a food processor with fresh nutmeg.

In a large bowl, mix the squash puree, ricotta, Parmesan, eggs, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Cover and refrigerate the mixture until ready to use.

In a large pot of boiling, salted water, cook the lasagna sheets until al dente. Drain the sheets and spread them on a baking sheet. Drizzle them lightly with oil and set aside.

Prepare the sauce: In a large saucepan, bring the milk to a slow simmer over medium heat. In a large pot, melt the butter over medium-low heat. Add the sage and garlic to the butter, cook for 30 seconds, then add the flour and stir. Add about 3 cups of the milk, and whisk vigorously to prevent lumps. Bring to a boil, while whisking continuously. Add the remaining milk and whisk again. Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Adjust the heat to low to maintain a slow simmer, and cook until the sauce coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes, whisking frequently. Remove the saucepan from the heat. Makes about 8 cups.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish. Spoon a ladle of bechamel into the dish and spread to coat the bottom. Place a single layer of lasagna sheets on top of the bechamel. Spread some of the squash mixture evenly over the lasagna sheets and sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of mozzarella cheese and 1 tablespoon of grated Parmesan on top. Repeat this step until all ingredients are used, starting with 2 to 3 ladles of bechamel for each layer. Keep building the layers until the pan is full to about 1/4-inch from the top. Finish with cheese and sauce directly over the noodles. Bake in the middle of the oven for about 1 hour. Remove the cover, and continue cooking for another 15 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. Right before removing from oven, sprinkle with hazelnuts. Allow lasagna to rest before slicing. Serve warm.

Notes:

• The leftovers of this are especially delicious
• I made a half version of this recipe (it would still be enough to serve 6 people minimum because it is such a rich dish)
• If you have extra bechamel sauce- mix it with marinara and toss over whole wheat spaghetti for a quick meal
• This recipe is quick for a weeknight if you roast the squash the day before
• You can also use frozen or prepared butternut squash cubes to cut out extra prep time
  

Sour Cream-Hazelnut Waffles with Warm Berry Coulis

I saw these in this month's Bon Appetit and just had to find an occasion to make them. I am not much of a pancake person, but when it comes to waffles, I love their crunchy outer layer, delicate fluffy inside AND the infinite flavor/topping possibilities!

The random twin ESP hit again as Melanie and I happened to make the same recipe on the same day. She will probably add her notes to this post later as we both used different modifications.

Waffle Ingredients (adapted from Bon Appetit, AUG 2009) -makes about 20
1 stick butter, unsalted
1/4 cup honey
3 cups flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
1/4 t baking soda
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup sour cream (I actually used nonfat organic Greek yogurt)
2/3 cup chopped toasted hazelnuts (reserve some for topping)

Pure organic maple syrup
warm berry coulis (see recipe below)

Directions
Melt the butter with honey in a small saucepan over low heat. In a large bowl, whisk together flour through baking soda. In a smaller bowl, whisk together eggs through sour cream. Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until well blended. Add the honey butter mixture and sprinkle with hazelnuts.

Heat oven to 250 degrees. This is to keep the waffles warm while you take the time to make them all one-by-one in your waffle iron. Heat your waffle iron and spray lightly with nonstick spray. Depending on the size of your iron, add about a ladle full of waffle batter to the iron and cook for 5 minutes or until the steaming stops and the outside of the waffle is crispy. Place in oven until remaining waffles are finished.

Serve waffles warm and drizzle with maple syrup, a spoonful of berry coulis and sprinkled hazelnuts.

Warm Berry Coulis Ingredients- makes 3.5 cups
2 cups fresh strawberries, divided
2 cups fresh raspberries, divided
1 cup fresh blueberries, divided
1 cup fresh blackberries, divided
1/2 cup sugar
1 T fresh lemon juice

Directions
Place half of every berry in a medium saucepan. Add sugar and lemon juice to the berries and let stand for 30 minutes or until the natural juices are released. Bring the berry mixture to a simmer over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer uncovered until berries are soft- about 10 minutes. Strain mixture through a fine mesh strainer into a medium bowl, pressing on solids to release as much juice as possible. Discard the solids in the strainer.

Return the berry puree to the saucepan. Add remaining reserved berries to the saucepan over medium heat and stir until warm- about five minutes. Spoon over waffles.

Notes

• The actual recipe calls for full-fat versions of everything. I did not do this and I don't think the recipe was missing anything.
• This recipe was originated at Balthazar restaurant in New York
• I love fresh berries and I didn't see the need to spoil beautiful, expensive, edible berries in a sauce. I used this handy frozen mix from Trader Joe's that has all these berries in it already and probably saved myself ten bucks.
  

Comfort Food: Broccoli Chicken Cheddar Casserole

Our mother used to make this casserole for us kids growing up when her and our father ate grown up food for dinner. I still am quite fond of this dish and love to make it on rainy days. I called my mom to tell her what I was making for dinner and she definitely got nostalgic— and maybe a little jealous.















Ingredients:
2 cups shredded rotisserie chicken
2 cups chopped steamed broccoli
1 can cream of chicken soup (low salt)
juice of half a lemon
1/2 cup low fat mayonnaise
1/2 cup low fat sour cream (for me it has to be Daisy)
1/2 t Worcestershire sauce
1 t Dijon mustard
1/4 t pepper
1/4 t sea salt
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4 t cayenne pepper
1/2 c panko bread crumbs
1/4 c prepared bread crumbs
1 c extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease a 9x9 baking dish. Combine all ingredients through nutmeg in a bowl. Add about a third of the cheddar and mix well. Sprinkle baking dish with some of the panko bread crumbs (this will help keep casserole from sticking and will make it look nicer when served). Add bowl mixture to the baking dish and pat down with a spatula. Top with remaining cheese, panko and bread crumbs and then sprinkle with cayenne. Bake for 30 minutes or until cheese is bubbly and crumbs have turned golden.

This recipe can be made with all the full-fat, full-salt ingredients as well (eat your heart out) I just try to be conscious of my family history of heart disease. As tradition goes, serve this with a side of full grain brown rice with soy sauce- kind of weird but delicious!