Mom's Taco Salad 2.0

One of my favorite dishes growing up was my mom's taco salad.

And, being a woman of Swedish decent from upstate New York, you know her recipe was muy auténtico.  Ground beef became delicioso taco meat thanks to the chemists at Old El Paso and their rust colored taco seasoning packet.  Iceberg lettuce, kidney beans, tomatoes, and onion were tossed together with almost an entire bottle of Thousand Island dressing (for a true south of the border taste) then topped with a pound of cheddar cheese and half a bag of crushed taco flavored Doritos.  Mmmm...yummy and olé.

Of course I would love this as a kid.  In fact, there are several adults I know now who would eagerly devour this concoction.  And need a side of defibrillator in between bites.

Challenge:  take a delicious taco salad and figure out how to make it healthier.

Replace ground beef with a flavorful combination of mushrooms, walnuts, onions, and garlic.  A combination of spinach, arugula, and Romaine replaces the bland iceberg lettuce now dressed with a fresh pico de gallo.  And, top off with shredded carrots instead of cheese.

¡Olé!


Meatless Taco Salad

16 oz crimini mushrooms, roughly chopped
1 cup onion (about 1/2 an onion), roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1 cup walnuts
2 tsp olive oil
1 Tbl groun cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp chipotle powder
a pinch of cinnamon
2 tsp Kosher salt
6 cups greens (Romaine, spinach, arugula, shredded cabbage if you like)
1 cup black beans, drained and rinsed
2 avocados, sliced
4 oz. cherry or grape tomatoes, halved
2 carrots, grated

For the pico de gallo

4 oz cherry or grape tomatoes, roughly chopped
1 clove garlic
1/2 cup red onion, roughly chopped
1 jalapeño, diced (ribs and seeds removed)
3 Tbl cilantro
1 lime, zest and juice
splash of red wine vinegar 
pinch of salt

In a food processor, combine mushrooms, walnuts, onion, and garlic and pulse until mixture is a chunky paste.  In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and add mushroom mixture.  Season with cumin, coriander, chipotle powder, and salt, stirring occasionally to prevent sticking. Cook until slightly browned, about 5 minutes.  Set aside and cool slightly.

To prepare the pico de gallo, combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until combined. This should be slightly chunky.

In a large bowl, toss greens, black beans, and 2/3 of the carrots with enough pico de gallo to coat.  Divide evenly on four plates.  Top greens with mushroom mixture, halved tomatoes, avocado slices, and remaining carrots.  Add more pico de gallo if you wish!

Umami Love

Salty, sweet, sour, bitter, and...umami?

Yep.  There's a fifth taste out there.  Umami is that deliciously savory taste usually found in meat and seafood.  However, many vegetables are filled with umami.  Tomatoes, celery, cabbages, mushrooms, and spinach are rich in umami flavor, as are soy sauce and green tea.  So if you are looking for something that satisfies your savory urges without eating anything with a face, try incorporating these flavors into your food. (My favorite new trick:  grating dried porcini mushrooms into vegetable soups and stews before adding the liquid and using soy sauce instead of salt.)

So try this quick umami-licious recipe!

Mushrooms and Wilted Spinach with Barley

I felt like a rock star when I discovered Trader Joe's has a quick-cooking barely!  Ten(-ish) minutes and you have something satisfying on a cold Chicago night.  It's been raining all day, so I needed the savory comfort of umami.

8 oz baby bella mushrooms, sliced
8 oz oyster mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
8 oz button mushrooms, sliced
1 large onion, chopped (about 1 1/2 cups)
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
16 oz. baby spinach
2 tsp olive oil
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
pinch of crushed red pepper
1 tsp fresh thyme, chopped
2 tsp fresh rosemary, chopped
2 Tbl fresh parsley, chopped
3 cups cooked barley, divided.

In a large skillet, heat oil until it shimmers.  Add onions, season with salt and crushed red pepper, and saute until tender (about five to seven minutes).  Add mushrooms and saute until browned, roughly 10 minutes.  Stir in garlic, rosemary, and thyme, and cook for two minutes.  Deglaze pan with the vinegar, and add spinach, parsley, and 1 1/2 cups of barley.  Remove from heat and toss to wilt the spinach.  Divide remaining barley onto four plates, and spoon mixture on top.  Serve immediately.

Note:  You can use only one kind of mushroom.  I just like the subtleties the variety provides.  This also turns into one heck of a soup.  Just add all of the barley with 4 cups vegetable stock or water, bring to a boil and simmer for ten minutes.  Add spinach at the very end.

Tip:  Dried rosemary and thyme are great in this dish, if you don't have fresh herbs on hand.  General rule of thumb, use half the amount of dried herbs as fresh.  But never use dried parsley.  It's gross and flavorless and annoying.

Taking Stock in Stock

I've always thought making your own stock was a big waste of money.  Basically you are boiling the crap out of whatever you are using, making it inedible by the end.

And then, I tried making a roasted vegetable stock.

Great Gaia, is this stuff good!  And, when you come right down to it, it basically costs the same since you make about 3 quarts of the stuff.

I made a batch last week, and I have been amazed at how many ways I've found to incorporate it into my cooking.  Here's one of the dishes I came up with...

Roasted Vegetable Stock

1/2 pound carrots, cut into 1" pieces
2 parsnips, cut into 1"pieces
3 ribs celery, cut into 1" pieces
8 oz crimini mushrooms, halved
2 red onions, quartered with skins on
1 red pepper, cut into 1" pieces
1 head of garlic, halved
thyme bundle
1 bunch fresh parsley
3 bay leaves
2 Tbl tomato paste
1 tsp crushed red pepper
12 cups water
2 Tbl olive oil
salt 'n pepper

Heat oven to 450.  Arrange vegetables on a roasting pan or baking sheet in a single layer.  You may need to use two pans.  Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt, pepper and crushed red, and toss to combine.  Throw on the thyme bundle and bay leaves, and roast those suckers for 35-40 minutes, turning veggies half way through the cooking time.

Once veggies are nice and roasty, transfer to a large stock pot and cover with 12 cups of water.  Add parsley and tomato paste.  Bring to a boil.  Reduce heat and simmer covered for one hour.

Pass stock through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on solids to release as much liquid as possible.  Discard veggies and store in air tight containers.


Baked Polenta with Mushroom Gravy

I love this dish on a cold night.  The crispy polenta is the perfect vehicle for the earthy mushrooms, and it comes together quickly, especially if you use store bought polenta!

For the gravy
8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
8 oz oyster mushrooms, sliced
8 oz shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2 Tbl olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1/4 cup cognac
2 Tbl fresh rosemary, minced
2 sage leaves, minced
2 cups Roasted Vegetable Stock
2 Tbl flour *
fresh parsley for garnish

Over medium heat, saute onions until golden about five minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one minute.  Season with salt and pepper.  Add mushrooms and cook until browned, about five to seven minutes. Stir in sage and rosemary.  Add cognac, and flambe to burn off the cognac.  Once the flames have extinguished, sprinkle with flour and cook for about two minutes until the flour has browned slightly.  Add stock.  Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer for five minutes. Adjust seasoning to taste.

Preheat oven to 425.  While mushrooms cook, slice polenta into cakes.  Place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper and brush lightly with olive oil.  Bake cakes in the oven for 10 minutes, flipping half way through, or until lightly browned and crisp.

Place the polenta cakes on individual plates, spoon over gravy, and sprinkle with chopped parsley.

*If you are avoiding flour, bring stock to a boil with 1/2 cup diced potato.  Once a fork slides easily into the potatoes, transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. Add to the pan.

For the polenta

This takes a little bit of care, but it's a great work out for your arms!  Polenta can be made without the dairy, if'n you have a mind.

2 cups water
1 cup milk
1 cup polenta
pinch cayenne pepper
1 bay leaf
4 sage leaves, minced
1/4 cup mascarpone cheese
salt

Bring milk and water to a boil with plenty of salt, bay leaf, and a pinch of cayenne pepper.  Slowly whisk in polenta, reduce heat, and continue whisking for about 10 minutes.  We don't want a clumpy mess.  Once the polenta is incorporated, switch to a wooden spoon, stirring occasionally, and continue to cook until polenta is smooth.  You may need to add more milk or water.  Discard bay leaf and stir in sage and mascarpone.

Line a 9 x 9 class dish wish plastic wrap, allowing for overhang.  Spoon polenta evenly into dish and cover with the extra plastic wrap.  Chill in the refrigerator until it is firm. 

Terrine Terrain

As you might suspect, I love Thanksgiving.

It's a holiday that is a celebration of food, family, and...er...football.  While I don't necessarily care about the latter, although I have been known to jump into a friendly Turkey Bowl competition with friends, the thing that tugs on my heart strings most is having the opportunity to give thanks for loved ones near and far and to eat some deliciousness.  And to spend the day cooking, drinking, and laughing with a glorious bunch of fools I call "family."

I have always thought that preparing a meal has more to do with self-expression and love than sustenance. As my former professor at Northwestern, Dwight Conquergood, so wisely spoke, "Food is not feed." It tells a story of who we are, where we come from, and brings communities together. 

Folks are usually obsessed about The Bird on the big day.  But what about the other, veggie friendly contributions to the feast?  It takes a village, no?  Our table is filled with roasted Brussels sprouts, braised turnip greens with apples, mushrooms, peas, and sweet potatoes (without the marshmallow, thank you very much).  There are a host of dishes that capture the flavors of the season and are still healthy!

So, if you are headed off to a potluck Thanksgiving (or hosting one yourself), might I suggest bringing along some Pomegranate Couscous with Grilled Eggplant and Kale or Farro with Butternut Squash, Apples, and Dried Cranberries. 

Or, if you have the mind, take some time to assemble this delicious terrine.

Grilled Vegetable Terrine

This is a total showstopper and is surprisingly easy to make.  Yes, there are many steps, but you are basically layering veggies in a pan and turning it upside down!  Your friends don't have to know and you receive the accolades from serving this beautiful dish!

1 large eggplant, cut into 1/4" rounds
2 large zucchini. cut lengthwise into 1/4" strips
1 red pepper
2 yellow peppers
1/2 cup quinoa, cooked
16 oz frozen spinach, thawed
3 cloves garlic
1 cup sun-dried tomatoes
1/2 cup almonds
1 cup basil leaves
2 Tbl balsamic vinegar
2 tsp tahini
Walnut and Fig Pâté (recipe follows)
4 Tbl olive oil (divided)

Char peppers directly on gas burners, turning frequently until completely blackened (or roast in a 450 degree oven for approximately 30 minutes until charred).  Place peppers in a large bowl and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside.  Once cool enough to handle, remove core, seeds, and skin and slice into 1/2" wide strips.

Squeeze thawed spinach in a dish towel to remove as much of the liquid as possible.  Heat 1 Tbl olive oil with one one clove of garlic smashed.  Once garlic has browned, discard and quickly saute spinach in garlic oil for 1-2 minutes, until aromatic but still a vibrant green.  Transfer to a bowl and set aside to cool.

On a grill pan over high heat, grill zucchini and eggplant slices in batches.  Lightly season with salt and pepper.  Set aside.

In a food processor, puree sun-dried tomatoes, almonds, basil, and balsamic vinegar.  With the motor running, drizzle in remaining 3 Tbl olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, combine cooked quinoa, tahini, and 1/4 of the cooked spinach.

Now we're ready to get down to business.  Line a 9 x 5 loaf pan with plastic wrap, allowing for at least 4" overhang.  Of the remaining spinach, gently press 2/3 onto the four edges of the pan.  Place eggplant in a single layer on the bottom and cover with half of the pesto.  Layer on zucchini slices and cover with mushroom pȃté. Layer in peppers and spread over quinoa mixture.  Add another layer of eggplant, pesto, and zucchini.  Cover with remaining spinach.  Fold excess plastic over terrine.  Cut a piece of cardboard to fit snugly inside the rim of the pan.  Place a couple of cans on top to weigh it down and refrigerate over night.  Unwrap plastic wrap and invert on a serving platter.

Pat yourself on the back for a job well done.


Mushroom, Walnut, and Fig Pâté

This earthy spread is as delicious as it is versatile.  Spread it on dark bread toast point with some arugula as an appetizer, thin it out with roasted vegetable stock for a hearty pasta sauce, or spread it on sandwiches with roasted veggies.

8 oz crimini mushrooms, sliced
2 medium shallots, chopped
1/2 cup walnuts, toasted
1/4 cup dried black mission figs, sliced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 bay leaf
1/4 cup cognac
thyme bundle
3 Tbl olive oil, divided

Heat 1 Tbl olive oil over medium flame and saute shallots until translucent, about three minutes.  Add garlic and cook for one additional minute.  Add mushrooms, thyme, and bay leaf and saute until browned, about five to seven minutes.  Season with salt and pepper.

While mushrooms brown, toast walnuts in a dry saute pan until aromatic.  Add walnuts and figs to mushrooms, and cook for two to three minutes.  Add cognac and cook until the cognac is completely evaporated.  Remove from heat, and discard herbs.

Pulse mixture in a food processor while drizzling in just enough oil to provide some moisture.  Mixture should be smooth but still slightly chunky.  Allow pâté to come to room temperature before serving.  Keeps in refrigerator covered for three days.

Cookbook Inspiration

I love a cookbook.

Not only do they provide you with tasty morsels to satisfy your belly, but they are snap shots of a particular time in culinary history.  You have your classics; Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking comes to mind, in which time honored techniques and traditions are carefully laid out for the reader.

Who doesn't love cooking over an open flame in your living room?

You have little gems from particular eras that highlight, thankfully, times gone by.  A favorite of mine is Life's 1958 Picture Cook Book with chapters titled "Man's Job: Steak," "French Lesson in Innards," and "Luxury with Leftovers,"filled with such delicious ideas as Fried Celery with Chicken Livers and Flaming Fruitcake.  I swear one day, I'm going to cook my way through that thing.

As cooking trends change and develop, nothing is better for information and inspiration.  A fabulous cookbook is Plenty: Vibrant Recipes from London's Ottolenghi by Yotam Ottolenghi.  Nothing but veggies in this one and the photographs qualify as food pornography.  It was the photo of Black Pepper Tofu that enticed me, but the recipe is far from what you would call healthy.  Fried tofu in a rich sauce that calls for 12 tablespoons of butter...oy.  Of course I had to make it.  And then I had to figure out how to make it a bit healthier.  Here's what I came up with.

Healthier substitutions:  coconut oil instead of butter, tofu noodles instead of fried tofu, added veggies.

Black Pepper Tofu Noodles with Shiitake and Crimini Mushrooms

The sauce is the star here: warm, bold, and spicy without too much heat!  And it's basically a chop and drop kind of dish!  If substituting rice noodles, slightly under cook them and don't let them linger too long in the pan, otherwise they might disappear on you!

tofu noodles (16 oz package)
1 1/2 cups shiitake mushrooms, stems removed and caps sliced
1 1/2 cups crimini mushrooms, sliced
3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 shallots, sliced into rings
2 red jalapeños, sliced into rings (remove seeds if you want to take the spice level down)
2 Tbl fresh ginger, peeled and cut into matchsticks
3 Tbl whole black peppercorns
2 Tbl coconut oil
3 Tbl soy sauce
1 Tbl honey
1 Tbl cider vinegar
1/4 tsp sesame oil (optional)
2 green onions, thinly sliced lengthwise
cilantro for garnish

In a large saute pan, heat oil over medium heat and saute mushrooms, browning them slightly. About five to seven minutes.  Add garlic, shallots, jalapeños, and ginger and continue to cook until the shallots are translucent.

In a small bowl, whisk together soy sauce, honey, vinegar, and sesame oil until honey is fully dissolved.  In a spice grinder (or, if you want to be old school, you can bust out your mortar and pestle), coarsely grind the peppercorns.  You don't want whole chunks, but you don't want finely ground pepper either.

Once the onions have cooked, add sauce to pan and scrape the bottom with a wooden spoon.  Add peppercorns and stir.  Add tofu noodles and toss to combine.  Allow to cook for about three minutes so noodles can absorb the sauce.  If sauce is too thin, add 1/4 cup vegetable stock.

Garnish with thinly sliced green onions and cilantro.