Dining In: Mediterranean Chicken and Grains

Sometimes nothing is better than a whole bunch of grains, veggies and meat, all mixed up in one dish (unless you're vegetarian, in which case, not having the meat is better).

I had half a bag of Trader Joe's Harvest Grains Blend (Israeli cous cous, orzo, baby chickpeas and quinoa) to use, so I decided to make a Mediterranean casserole-y dish out of it (although I guess it's not technically a casserole since I didn't cook it in a casserole...)

There isn't really a recipe, but here is the general idea: I cooked the mixed grains according the the package with Better than Bouillion Chicken while I roasted a whole eggplant, cubed, for 20 minutes at 425F with some olive oil and kosher salt.  While that was all going I browned some chicken sausage with rosemary and feta.  Finally, I mixed everything up with red onion, green pepper, kalamata olives, sundried tomatoes, about 3 large handfuls of baby spinach and some fresh mint and thyme from the balcony garden.  Added a bit of allspice, red pepper flakes and salt and pepper (all to taste, I didn't measure), topped it off with some feta, and we were ready to feast!

It wasn't the fastest meal, but it was really delicious and very filling.  We made 5 large servings out of it - hurray for freezer leftovers!

Meatless Monday: Adventures in Tofu

Yes, in a bout of complete non-originality, MG and I have joined the Meatless Monday bandwagon.* Or, I guess I should say, we officially joined the bandwagon, because we've been accidentally having Meatless Random Days of the Week for a while now. I honestly can't tell you how that began - I think it probably stems from last summer, when we started getting produce delivered and were suddenly confronted with having to consume a ridiculous amount of veggies in a pretty short period of time. This forced inspired us to research some new recipes, and that, compounded with our efforts to not buy meat unless it's on sale, led to quite a few days without any meat on the menu.

Recently, however, I read several articles about the impact that going meat-free for one day a week can have on the environment. So, we decided that we'd do what we'd more or less been doing, and just be a little more consistent and deliberate about it. I mean, it's cost-saving, healthier and environmentally-friendly. Plus, it's just so alliterative!

So, today marked our first official Meatless** Monday (tomorrow will be Meatless Tuesday by default, since I'm having the same things to eat).

Today's menu consisted of a fantastic beet, walnut and goat cheese salad for lunch, and Spicy Eggplant and Tofu for dinner. The eggplant dish was especially fun to make because I got to use some green peppers and fairytale eggplants from our balcony garden, and because it was the first time I cooked with tofu and miso paste.

From our balcony garden!

The component parts.

Also from the balcony garden! This never stops being amazing to me.

Where the protein comes from.

Marinating away.

So THAT'S what miso paste looks like. Things I didn't know before last night.

The marinade was a mixture of miso paste, teriyaki, soy sauce, Szechuan sauce, pineapple juice, ginger and garlic.  The flavors were fantastic, although I definitely ended up adding more Szechuan sauce than the original recipe called for - it was more "warm" than spicy. (We also had our good old Sriracha at the table).  Next time I might add some crushed red pepper flakes, as well. Otherwise, the only thing I would do differently is press the tofu (the Internet said you didn't have to if it was firm!) But it was a little softer than I'd like.  I loved the way this turned out, and since eggplant is one of my top three favorite summer vegetables, I'll definitely be making this one again.

The finished product!

Hope you enjoy this for Meatless Monday or any day of the week!

Spicy Roasted Eggplant and Tofu with Sesame and Honey

Adapted from The Whole Foods Market Cookbook

Serves 4

2 medium eggplants (or 6 small eggplants), cut into 3/4-inch cubes (about 4 cups)

1 lb firm tofu, drained and cut into 1-inch cubes

3 tbsp white or red miso paste (I used white)

1/8 cup tamari or soy sauce (I used soy sauce)

1/4 cup water

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1/8 cup grated fresh ginger (about a 2-inch piece)

1 cup canned pineapple juice

1/8 cup teriyaki sauce

2 tsp toasted sesame oil

1/4 cup white sesame seeds

1/4 cup cider vinegar

3 tbsp honey

1 tsp Szechuan sauce (or to taste)

3/4 tsp salt (or to taste)

1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

1 large red or green bell pepper (or 3 baby ones from your garden!), seeded and diced

1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Preheat oven to 450F.

For the marinade:

In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, water, garlic, ginger, pineapple juice, teriyaki sauce, sesame oil, sesame seeds, cider vinegar, honey and Szechuan sauce. Whisk in the miso paste until blended.

For the eggplant and tofu:

In a large mixing bowl, toss the eggplant and tofu with 1 and 1/4 cups of the miso marinade, salt and pepper.  Cover with plastic wrap and let sit at room temperature for 20 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the eggplant and tofu to two nonstick baking sheets. Reserve the excess marinade. 

Bake for 15-20 minutes until the eggplant and tofu are browned, but the eggplant is still somewhat firm. Allow the eggplant and tofu to cool on the pan for about 10 minutes, then add it back into the large bowl with the excess marinade, bell pepper and cilantro, if using. Mix well. 

Serve with steamed white or brown rice, and the additional marinade as sauce (and, if you like things on the spicier side, Sriracha or your hot sauce of choice).

 *Fun fact! According to Wikipedia, the FDA coined the term "Meatless Monday" during World War I in an effort to reduce consumption of certain foods to aid the war effort.  So, apparently the bandwagon originally looked like this:

Photo credit: Early Cars by Michael Sedgewick via Old Woodies

**For now, this means meat and meat products (like broth, stock and lard). Although some people are going egg/dairy-free too, we aren't there yet, and may not ever be. I definitely had my yogurt this afternoon.

For more reading on Meatless Monday, check out these articles:
More Weight on Less Meat by Mark Bittman (NY Times.com)
The Meat Eater's Guide to Climate Change and Health via Climate Change: 3 Proteins with a Big Carbon Footprint (TheKitchn)

Middle Eastern Inspired Dinner Party: Roasted Eggplant Cous Cous

Friday night we had MG's cousin and his wife over for dinner to welcome them back to DC after living for several years in Macedonia (and even more years in several other countries).  Originally we planned to eat on the roof, but the recent warm-up made that seem like a less than desirable idea.

Nonetheless, we still decided to center our dinner around grilled rosemary-lemon chicken kebabs and I cooked up two Middle Eastern-inspired side dishes, a moroccan carrot salad and roasted eggplant cous cous.  Thursday afternoon I hit up the farmers' market by my office to get some necessities for our feast.

Produce.

Crazy carrot!  It was hard to cut.

Roasting up the aforementioned produce.

The finished product, waiting to be consumed.

The moroccan carrots.  There was a final prep stage that involved topping them with toasted pine nuts and fresh mint.  It looked super pretty, so of course I forgot to take a picture.

Devouring my work-product.  

Check out those awesome looking kebabs!  Thanks, MG, for braving the heat to stand on the roof in front of an open grill and cook these for us.

We had a great time relaxing with MG's family and enjoying our dinner with a nice Macedonian white wine.  Dessert was vanilla ice cream and berries.  I don't know about you, but that's basically my idea of a perfect summer Friday evening.

Roasted Eggplant Cous Cous

Adapted from Big Girls Small Kitchen

Serves 8 as a side dish

2 lbs eggplant, quartered and cut into 1/4 inch slices

1 large red onion, quartered and cut into 1/2 inch slices

1 summer squash, halved and cut into 1/4 inch slices

5 tbsp olive oil, divided

1 tsp salt, divided

1 tsp cumin

juice of 1 lemon

zest of 1 lemon

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 cup cous cous (or Israeli, or pearl, cous cous)

1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves (optional - you could also substitute parsley, or you could buy parsley to substitute, and then forget it in the refrigerator)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees - the original recipe set it at 450, but my first batch of onions burnt to a crisp, so I dropped the heat the second time around. 

In a large mixing bowl, combine the eggplant, red onion and summer squash, plus 3 tbsp olive oil, 1/2 tsp of salt, and the cumin.  Toss to coat the veggies completely.

Spread the veggies out on two foil-lined baking sheets, making sure to get them in a flat layer for even roasting.  Roast veggies in 400 degree oven for 20 minutes.  Remove the pans, flip the veggies over so the other side gets roasted nicely, and replace in the oven, making sure to rotate and switch the rack positions of the pans for even cooking.  Continue roasting for another 10 minutes, and then check on them.  The veggies should be soft and golden brown.  Note: if you have a normal sized apartment oven, you'll probably have to do this in 2 batches, so budget your time accordingly.

Meanwhile, cook the cous cous according to the directions on the container.  For regular cous cous (what I used), you'll want to boil about 1.5 cups of salted water.  Add cous cous, cover with a lid, remove from heat and allow to sit for 5 minutes.

While the cous cous is doing its thing, make the dressing.  In the bottom of the serving bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, lemon zest, minced garlic, and remaining 1/2 tsp salt.  Slowly add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil while whisking.   Fluff the cous cous with a fork and add to the bowl with the dressing.  Add the roasted vegetables and mix until everything is covered with the dressing.  

This can be served warm or at room temperature.  Just prior to serving, top with chopped cilantro or parsley (or don't, remember after the fact, and then have a fun time thinking up a way to use an entire bunch of parsley).*

Enjoy!

*Dinner this week: fattoush.