spanish spiced rubbed quorn with mustard-green onion sauce and israeli couscous

so this little diddy is a recipe that my sister sent me quite some time ago. it is out of some south beach diet cookbook (no idea what one), and the original recipe is from the menu of bolo restaurant & bar (chef bobby flay!). oh, and the original recipe is chicken instead of quorn.

i used quorn cutlets (not vegan) and they worked great in this meal. i'd also like to try it using some extra firm tofu.

this was delightful. the sauce really compliments the spices of the rub. the spices are smoky, and the sauce is nice and acidic. the original recipe calls for just serving the chicken breast with the sauce, alone. but, i decided to serve it on a bed of israeli couscous (cooked in water with a pinch of tumeric for a lovely yellow color). no longer south beach diet friendly, i'm sure. this was actually really easy. i'm used to recipes that require me chopping tons of vegetables. the only thing to cut was scallions. not bad.

so here's my version of the recipe. i was cutting the recipe in half, hence all the 1.5 tablespoon measurements. not my favorite, but just eyeball it. the sauce is very rich with all the olive oil. next time i'll probably cut it down to 1/4 cup.

this served 2 of us, because we like to overeat.

ingredients

mustard-green onion sauce

• 1/4 cup white wine vinegar
• 1.5 TBL dijon mustard
• 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1/4 cup sliced scallions (this was 2 for me, both white and green parts)

spanish spice rub

• 1 TBL paprika
• 1/2 TBL smoked paprika
• 1/2 TBL ground cumin
• 1/2 TBL ground mustard
• 1 tsp fennel seeds, ground (is ok if you don't grind it all the way to powder)
• 1 tsp coarsley ground black pepper
• 1 tsp sea salt

quorn

• 3 quorn cutlets, thawed
  
• more olive oil

israeli couscous

• enough israeli couscous for 2 people
• water to cook the israeli couscous
• pinch of tumeric
  

directions

1. first make the spice rub. thoroughly mix all of the ingredients in a small bowl.
2. now make the sauce. in a medium size bowl, whisk all ingredients until emulsified.
3. start the couscous. bring the water and tumeric to a boil and add couscous. simmer for about 5 minutes. test a piece. if done, drain and set aside.
4. while water is boiling and couscous cooking, do the quorn. rub olive oil on the cutlets. then rub the cutlet with the spice rub. it will stick to the surface. completely cover.
5. set your oven to broil. cover a pan in aluminum foil and lightly cover in olive oil. set cutlets on pan.
6. broil cutlets for about 5 minutes each side, or until it appears to be done. don't let it burn, but you want it to be nice and toasty. some of the edges on my cutlets were starting to get dark.
7. on a platter, put couscous down. then dress with the sauce. slice cutlets and arrange on top. dress with a little more sauce. (you could opt to leave the cutlets whole, but i kind of liked the contrast of the light inside of cutler and the darker outside)
   

braised greens tacos

mmmmmm. swiss chard tacos! i took this recipe and just added in some sliced crimini mushrooms to the onions to cook. b and i decided while it was a delicious add-in, it is pretty unnecessary.

i made homemade corn tortillas. my new press is small, so they were little mini tacos. super cute. i hate store bought corn tortillas. homemade ones are far superior, and i can barely believe they are even related to the mass produced version.

instead of making the salsa from the recipe, i used a roasted chipotle salsa from whole foods. easy and perfect. i left my tacos without cheese. b added goat cheese.

overall, these are delicious and a great way to get leafy greens in your tummy. swiss chard is already on my shopping list so i can make these again.

tempeh reuben

sigh.

one of the whole foods nearby grills up a vegan tempeh reuben sandwich that i really like. or rather, i really like it despite how bland it is. once i add a little mustard, it is quite a treat. but i've known that i can do better at home.

so, tonight i made the tempeh reuben recipe out of vegan with a vengeance. delicious! and so much better than the one that whole foods makes. the dressing is nice and tangy, and the marinade for the tempeh isn't too overwhelming.

+rye bread
+dressing (like thousand island?) - i expected the dressing to be less runny, but maybe my lemon was extra juicy...
+sauerkraut
+grilled marinated tempeh
+melty follow your heart mozzarella

now my house is very very smoky from the grill pan, since there is no ventilation in the kitchen. but it is worth it. i'm very content now. tempeh reuben, i love you. and not just because you have the same name as my dog.

isa's magic bars

aaaaaah! i can't even begin to describe how fantastic these magic bars are.

these are fantastic. graham cracker crust, a layer of gooey sweetened coconut milk, chocolate chips, sweetened shredded coconut and chopped pecans. and really easy to make.

i made these for a party and all of them were eaten - i haven't gotten that many compliments on something i've made in a long time.

make them. you won't regret it. when they come out of the oven, they are super gooey still. just follow the directions and let them sit in your fridge for 4 hours. then they are perfect.

energy bars

ooh! i got the recipe here and made the following changes:

• substitute walnuts for pecans
• substitute currants for the dried cranberries
• add 1/4 tsp raspberry extract
  
• add a dash of pumpkin extract
• sprinkle rolled oats on top before baking
  

yum! i made them last night and had one for breakfast this morning. it kept me a lot more full until lunch than most things i eat for breakfast.

like the original recipe says - substitute away! these are easy easy easy. i can't wait to eat the rest and then make more with a different combination

rosemary and lemon pasta

i haven't cooked anything in forever. tonight i finally felt in the mood to cook. i went through the fridge and cupboards and found enough to make a delicious pasta dish. and quick too! i will definitely make this again. i think some baby spinach would be a great addition. mmm. i love spinach with my pasta.

ingredients

• olive oil
  
• 1/4 of a red onion, sliced thin
• 1 clove of garlic, minced
• 1 portobello mushroom, cut into inch size pieces
• 2-4 servings of pasta, cooked (this of course, depends on what your definition of serving size is. i used some whole wheat shells - about 2 servings...large servings)
• 1/2 to 1 roasted red bell pepper
• 1 can drained and rinsed white beans (i used cannellini beans)
• handful of halved cherry tomatoes
• zest of 1/2 lemon
• juice of 1 lemon
• about 1 tsp dried rosemary, crushed (use more or less depending on your taste)
  
• sea salt and ground pepper, to taste

directions

1. heat about 1 TBL of olive oil in a saute pan
2. add onion and garlic and saute for a couple of minutes
3. add mushrooms, beans, rosemary, some salt, some pepper, and lemon zest and saute until the mushrooms start getting a little browned. add more oil if it gets too dry.
4. add tomatoes, roasted pepper, lemon juice and cooked pasta.
5. cook until tomatoes get soft.
6. add more salt and pepper to taste.
7. serve!
   

baked tofu sticks

when b and i were in college, we made baked tofu sticks all the time. they are simple to make and the ingredients were cheap. i recently made them again, and remembered how much i like them! serve with marinara sauce. the picture above is kinda washed out and ugly, but i promise you, once baked, these are adorable. i believe i originally got the recipe from www.fatfree.com site. the original recipe calls for eg whites instead of flax/water combo.

ingredients

• 3 TBL ground flax seeds+ 9 TBL water
• 1 block of extra firm tofu (not silken)
• 1/2 cup breadcrumbs
• 1 TBL garlic powder
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1/2 tsp black pepper

directions

1. blend flax seeds and water (i used my magic bullet), until it starts getting a gooey consistency.
2. preheat oven to 375 degrees.
3. cut block of tofu into 24 pieces (slice into 2 layers, then slicing through both, cut into 12 pieces).
4. in a shallow bowl, combine the breadcrumbs and seasoning.
5. dip tofu sticks into flax mixture, then crumbs. place on nonstick or lightly oiled cookie sheet.
6. bake for 20 minutes, turning over halfway through. you can bake the sticks for up to 40 minutes. the longer they cook, the chewier the tofu gets (good).
7. serve with marina sauce.