Baby Kale and Spinach with a Roasted Chicken Breast or...

When someone says "greens," I guess I usually think of turnip or collard greens.  Southern parents, I guess.   And while I like those on a  cold day with a big pan of crispy cornbread, that big mess of greens isn't my style all the time.  Give me a sauté pan full of teensy baby spinach just barely heated or even cooked way down with garlic as a base for fish.  Lately I've been adding kale to that mix and having that for lunch. (January, you know.)  A few grape tomatoes and a pinch of crushed red pepper and I'm that happy.  For the solo cook, both baby spinach and baby kale come in those not-so-green (tell me if  you know how to recycle them other than at Whole Foods) plastic boxes.  They keep a long time in your frig, which is useful for anyone who doesn't cook two pounds of vegetables every day.

Here's full-grown kale.  Chop it and saute it if you can't find baby kale.

Vegan Chili with Cilantro Brown Rice and Spinach with Lime Vinaigrette

 While I adore chili (my kids will attest to this), I find that as time goes on I'm interested in many different kinds of chili.  My mom made what I think of as "Irish chili" simmered with her made-every-summer home-canned tomatoes, onions, green pepper, and, I think, a little less meat than I'd wish for.  My mother-in-law tells a similar story:  her mom bought a pound of ground beef and used 1/3 for chili, 1/3 third for spaghetti, and I forget what the other 1/3 was for.  That's skinny chili.  Still, it was tasty, filling, easy, homey and did the trick for a big family.  I, for years, made a similar sort of pot and was never happier than when the spicy smells wafted through the house.  I felt rich.  A whole dinner (with extras) in one pot.

Then SILVER PALATE came along and I made that chili .  Later, living in Texas for nearly four years pushed me toward

If you know beans about chili, you know there's no beans in chili.

Last spring, I tested an incredible Texas-style chili  (make your own chili powder) for Cooks' Illustrated and, while I liked that, too (Dave adored it), I thought it totally lost its flavor the next day.  And what good is chili if it's no good the next day?  If I go to make chili without thinking about it, I guess that by now it's a hybrid of some sort---probably closer to SILVER PALATE.  Some of that is in this chili (Dijon mustard, citrus, vinegar) if you compare the recipes. 

But the recent move toward more vegetables in my life got me thinking about veggie, in fact, vegan chili.  I think I've eaten it somewhere, but I didn't know how it was made.  To make myself smart and inventive, I did not look up a recipe; I just chopped and cooked, looking for an easy version.  I made it two slightly different ways and ended up combining the ideas, though serving it with cilantroed (definitely not a word) brown rice and a limed spinach salad stuck in the final roundup. 

Hearty, inexpensive (hey, no meat), quick (hey, no meat) and healthy, this is a filling, warm weekend lunch or dinner that really works if you've brought home a friend who's a vegan.  While it makes a little bit (limited by can sizes here), it's great for a couple of days in the frig and you can freeze it for a month or so.  I had a friend for lunch today to try it out and neither of us missed the meat; we were stuffed.   Who do you know who's vegan?

 Vegan Chili with Cilantro Brown Rice and Spinach with Lime Vinaigrette  4-6 servings

1 cup brown rice
2  cups water
Pinch salt; several grinds of pepper
A splash of olive oil
1/2 c chopped cilantro, reserved for later

Bring water  to a boil in a 2 or 3 qt. saucepan.  Add other ingredients; stir.  Lower heat, cover, and cook at a medium simmer for 45-55 minutes.  Test for doneness and leave covered to stay warm while you cook the chili.  (You can cook the rice while you cook the chili, of course.)  You'll add the cilantro at serving time.

1 T olive oil (no need for extra virgin)
3 t chili powder, divided
1 tsp freshly ground black pepper, divided

In a small stockpot (4 qt), heat oil.  Add  1 tsp of the chili powder and black pepper. Let cook a minute or two.
 
1 medium onion, chopped
1T finely minced jalapeno pepper
3 stalks celery, minced 

Add onion, jalapeno and celery to the seasoned hot oil and saute 4-5 minutes, stirring often.

2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 ea red and yellow sweet peppers, coarsely chopped
1 each small zucchini and yellow squash, cut into 1" pieces

Add garlic, peppers and squashes to the onion mixture and stir well.  Cover and simmer 10 minutes, stirring once or twice, lowering heat if it starts to burn.

 1 15 oz can chopped tomatoes,
1/2 cup each:  water, red wine (or 1 cup of either)
1/2 t cumin
1t each oregano and basil, dried
Big sprinkle of cinnamon (I like Vietnamese)
1/4 t kosher salt
1 t Dijon-style mustard
1 can of no-salt pinto (or black) beans, drained
3-4 drops Tabasco (or to taste)
2 t red or white wine vinegar

Stir in tomatoes, wine, water, spices, the other two teaspoons of chili powder, mustard and beans.  Carefully shake in Tabasco.  Bring to a boil and reduce heat to a simmer.   Let cook fifteen minutes, stirring occasionally, adding water or wine if the chili becomes too thick or sticks.  Add vinegar.  Taste and adjust seasonings.

4 oz button mushrooms, optional
1 t butter, optional
  If you like them, in a small skillet, saute mushrooms five minutes or so in the butter.  Add to the chili.

6 cups fresh spinach
1 lime, sliced
1 T extra virgin olive oil
3 green onions (scallions), sliced thinly (white and green)
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1 cup tortilla chips

In each of 4-6 shallow bowls or plates, place a cup- or a little more-of spinach.  Squeeze the lime over each salad and drizzle with a bit of extra virgin olive oil. Dust salad with salt and pepper.  Add 1/2 cup rice next to the spinach.  Garnish rice with cilantro.   Next to the rice, ladle in the chili.  Sprinkle sliced green onions over all and place a slice of lime in each bowl.  Garnish with a few tortilla chips.

Note:  For South Beach, skip chips and rice!

Sounds more complicated than it is.  What a meal.

Wine?  Jury's out.  Some say a fruity zinfandel; one friend insists Champagne.  I'm thinking beer.

  Have fun cooking and taking care of yourself,
Alyce 

Tofu Stir Fry

Tofu Stir Fry for One

You might be like me.  You'll eat tofu in an Asian restaurant.  Or when a friend says, "You've got to try this!"  And you like it.  Really you do.   But when you look around the kitchen for dinner, you do not cast around for firm tofu or silken tofu or any tofu.  Time to rethink.  You, too, can make perfectly-cooked tofu so tasty and so fast, you'll want it over and over again.  This stir fry will show you how and the vegetables are almost infinitely changeable.  Note:   if you use brown rice, it takes 45 minutes to cook.  You can make a big batch the night before and use the rest for other things.  You'll have enough  stir fry for lunch or dinner the next day.

Where'd this come from?  I'm rethinking my cooking options lately and after reading Mark Bittman's article in the January, 2011 issue of BON APPETIT ("Mark Bittman Knows What's Best for You",) decided to give the vegan life a whirl for breakfast and lunch only.  Add to that I happened to read a 2008 tofu recipe by Melissa Clark, "Tofu Meets its Match" and  I was off to the store for a piece of tofu.  I had to look for it.  It's in the refrigerated section with things like soy crumbles and soy yogurt.  Read all about tofu here, especially about how to store it.  (It stores, covered in water changed daily, for up to a week in the frig.)

Tofu Stir Fry  serves 2 hungry people or you twice

• 2 c cooked brown rice

• 1 piece of firm tofu approx 2"x4"
• 3t canola, peanut or any vegetable oil, divided
• Kosher salt and pepper, a pinch each

• 1T minced garlic
• 1T minced fresh ginger (more if you love ginger)
• 1 small onion, cut into large pieces
• 1/2 c cabbage, chopped roughly
• 1/2 c sweet red pepper, chopped roughly
• 1/2 c green beans, cut into thirds
• 1/2 c eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2" dice
• Pinch dried red pepper flakes

Sauce:  (Whisk together first five ingredients and then whisk in cornstarch. Simpler sauce in Solo Cook's Note.)

• 1/4 c soy sauce, plus more as a condiment for the finished dish (check for gluten free)
• 1/2 t sesame oil
• 1t honey
• 2t sherry
• 1/4 c white wine or chicken stock (gluten free)
• 1/2-1 t cornstarch (depending on how thick you like your stir fry)

1. Place tofu between several layers of paper towel and lay on a microwavable plate.  Place another plate on top of the tofu.  Microwave on high 2 minutes.  Remove from the oven, unwrap and gently press with another folded towel  to remove excess liquid.  Cut tofu into 1" square pieces.
2. Heat 2t oil over medium-high heat in large skillet or wok.  Place tofu pieces in pan, leaving plenty of room so they brown well. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper.  Let brown well (takes 2-4 minutes) on one side.  Do not move tofu until it's well-browned; let it sit undisturbed.  Turn, using tongs, and let brown on the other side.  Remove to a plate and set aside.
3. Add other tsp of oil and heat pan to high.  Add ginger and garlic and immediately begin adding all the vegetables and red pepper, stirring as you go.  Continue to stir for about 2 minutes until vegetables are barely beginning to soften.
4. Return tofu to the pan and stir.  Add sauce.  Let cook about a minute until stir fry is about as thick as you like it.  Serve over or beside rice.  Shake soy sauce over rice or over all if you like it.

Here it is in pictures: