Test Kitchen Tuesday

It’s been a while, but this week we have a new Test Kitchen Tuesday. Last week, Debbie turned me on to a service called Food on the Table, which is a meal planning and grocery list building service.

It is so cool!

You go through some set up steps so it knows the types of food you like to eat, then, it helps you meal plan and build your grocery list based on what is on sale at stores near you. You can browse through a recipe database and select what you’d like to make that week, and even edit the ingredients in recipes that you put in your meal plan. Pure genius.

I used the service to help me build our grocery list, and, I picked out a few new recipes to try while I was at it, including this one. This recipe is so ridiculously simple you won’t believe it. And, it is so good even the omnivores in your household won’t miss the meat. If you’re looking to try a Meatless Monday or perhaps follow in Lance Armstrong’s footsteps and eat vegan or vegetarian two meals a day, this would be a good recipe in your arsenal!

Original Recipe: Food on the Table Vegetarian Sloppy Joes

Time Required:

• 5 minutes to prep veggies
• 10-15 minutes to sauté (the recipe says 30 total, but that is way too long)

Skill Level (out of 5):

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5):

His exact quote was, “I could eat that again.” Translated, that means, it was yummy!

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5):
Seriously, yum. And easy. And fast.

Makes: The recipe says 6 servings, but I cut it in half and still had enough for six servings! It makes a lot!

Ingredients:

Since this recipe is behind a (free) subscription service, I can’t give you a direct link to it. So, here is a screenshot of the ingredients and how it appeared to me in the service. You’ll see the little icons that show what is on sale at my local Safeway:

Note: I subbed out the vegetable oil for olive oil and the bell pepper for carrots, because Safeway didn’t have organic bell peppers and 2Chili – who did the shopping this week — knows better than to buy non-organic bell peppers (as they are on the dirty dozen). He also bought Safeway brand BBQ sauce because it doesn’t have high fructose corn syrup in it. That boy has come a long way!

Method:

(Click to enlarge.)

See, I told you this was easy!

Nutrition:

Prepared exactly as stated above, which makes HUGE servings. For us, I cut the recipe in half and still had a ton.

It’s back!

After a brief (okay, couple month) hiatus, we are back to doing our Test Kitchen Tuesdays, where I force try a new recipe on 2Chili.

The hiatus was definitely needed, but I am excited to start this back up again. Our weekly menus have fallen into a rut, so a dedicated new recipe night is just want the doctor ordered. Thankfully, our cooktop was successfully repaired on Monday. The days of trying to cook on a single hotplate are done!

On tap this week is a recipe I knew would be a risk. Liking it depends heavily on liking ricotta cheese, and my man about the house does not like ricotta cheese. But, I was hopeful I could sneak it past him because I wanted to try this recipe.

The result?

“It was fine except for the ricotta cheese. I don’t like ricotta cheese.”

Rats! I didn’t sneak it past him. But, for what it’s worth, I thought this take on lasagna was delicious! It was a little high maintenance in that it required dirtying more dishes that I generally prefer to dirty, but well worth it. One note: The recipe says it serves eight. I would highly disagree with that, unless you are serving eight children. This really only serves four adults.

Kale Lasagna Diavolo

Recipe Source: Vegetarian Times

Time Required: 15 minutes prep, 30-40 minutes to bake

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 2

As we discussed earlier, 2Chili doesn’t like ricotta cheese. So…a recipe full of ricotta cheese was probably not the best selection! He liked the noodles and kale, though, so that’s something!

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4

Like “Mikey,” I am prone to like most things, and this was no exception. Perhaps a little heavy on cheese, I otherwise thought this was quite delicious and filling.

Nutrition (for 8 servings – double it if you just divide the pan into quarters):

Calories: 183, Protein: 14g, Total fat: 5g, Saturated fat: 3g, Carbs: 21g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 450mg, Fiber: 2g, Sugars: 5g

Notes: To save dishes, I just cooked the kale in the same pot as the pasta, after the pasta was done. This worked fine! Also, I only baked it for 30 minutes, instead of the called-for 40, and this was more than plenty. 40 seemed quite excessive!

Do you remember the first time you had spaghetti squash? I’m betting it was a significant letdown, as spaghetti squash doesn’t really taste anything like pasta!

But, when prepared and spiced well, it can be a great side dish (or main course). I really like spaghetti squash because you can eat quite a lot of it for very few calories. This particular dish was a side dish for 2Chili’s veggie burger, but a main course for me. This dish is so simple — but also so fancy – it could have been created by someone with an online culinary arts degree.

Alas, we have hit the “dark” months in the Pacific Northwest, so, taking food photos is somewhat frustrating, and my range hood offers the best light (sadly). I think I need to look into creating a light box at some point to pretend like it’s sunny outside!

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Spaghetti Squash Primavera

Recipe Source: Cooks.com

Serves: 4

Time required: 45-60 minutes to roast squash; 15 minutes to prepare primavera topping

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4

He liked this a lot, but will never give a spaghetti squash dish a 5, of this I’m sure.

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4

I thought the dish was quite nice and very filling (thank you fibrous veggies). I added some asparagus, which was not called for in the recipe, but added some extra nutrition in the form of a little protein, vitamin A, and iron. Overall, you get a lot of bang for your nutritional buck with this recipe!

Nutritional Analysis

This is low in protein, so ideally you would serve it as a side dish to a protein-based main course.

Over the weekend, it got really cold in Central Oregon. Really cold! And it has stayed put in the really cold zone, so all I have really wanted is soups and stews. That is a challenge, of course, because 2Chili isn’t into soup or stew (except chili, of course).

I had been wanting to try this Lentil and Black Bean Stew from Runner’s World, so this was the week! Unfortunately, their directions were a little off, so I didn’t get the lentils cooked quite enough. Lucky for you, I have fixed the directions below!

This is an easy, fast, and, in my opinion, quite tasty dinner!

Lentil and Black Bean Stew

Recipe Source: Runner’s World

Time Required: About 30 minutes

Serves: 2

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 2

He didn’t like this, but to be fair, the lentils were not quite soft enough.

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4

I liked this a lot! It is very reminiscent of chili to me. It’s also high in protein and low in calories, and very filling. It just goes to show you two people can disagree wildly about a recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1/2 large onion
• 1 clove garlic
• 1/2 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon paprika
• 2 cups low sodium vegetable broth
• 1/2 cup lentils
• 1 cup black beans
• Juice of one lime
• Salt
• Pepper
• Cilantro (optional)

Method:

• Chop half a large onion and sauté in a pot on medium heat until soft.
• Add 1 minced garlic clove, 1/2 teaspoon chili powder, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, and 1/4 teaspoon paprika; sauté 1 minute.
• Add 2 cups vegetable broth and 1 tablespoon tomato paste; bring to a boil.
• Add 1/2 cup red lentils; cover, reduce heat and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.
• Partially mash 1 cup drained, rinsed canned black beans; add to soup with 1/4 teaspoon salt, juice of one lime, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper.
• Cook five minutes. Garnish with cilantro.

Nutrition:

We have had quite a few kind of “meh” TKTs recently, so I am happy to report a success! I saw this recipe a few weeks ago on my Twitter feed, and it finally felt like the right time to try it.

Butternut squash and apple go really well together, so it is not surprising they pair well in a casserole. This dish is a little high maintenance on the prep side, as there is a lot of peeling and chopping, but, that is par for the course when you’re using winter squash.

I didn’t have celery so I substituted red bell pepper, and didn’t have pecans, so I used almonds, but otherwise stuck to the recipe exactly. Though there is a bit of prep, the recipe is fairly easy and fool-proof, and makes a nice side dish for winter dinner.

Butternut Squash and Apple Casserole

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market

Time Required: This took me about 20 minutes to prep, 20 minutes to cook on the stove, and 10 minutes in the oven.

Serves: 6

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4

I didn’t know how this would go over with my finicky 2Chili, but he quite liked it.

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4.5

I thought this was just delectable. I served it with a side of wild rice and ended up getting the rice mixed in with the casserole – that was so good I will mix the rice in next time I make this. A winner for a side dish or even main course with a couple veggie sides.

Nutrition:

From Whole Foods:

Per Serving: 260 calories (160 from fat), 18g total fat, 5g saturated fat, 4g protein, 23g total carbohydrate (4g dietary fiber, 7g sugar), 15mg cholesterol, 470mg sodium

Happy Wednesday, Friends!

Today’s Test Kitchen Tuesday is particularly fitting to address a conversation 2Chili and I had with a friend the other day. We had gone to lunch, and afterwards, our friend asked about where we buy meat.

I just sort of looked at him for a bit, and then said something to the effect of “we don’t really buy meat.”

Our friend was sincerely shocked, and blurted out “then WHAT do you eat?!” I take this as a huge victory that we go out to eat regularly, and have hosted someone for dinner at our house multiple times, and he never noticed a lack of meat eating.

The truth is, I do eat meat from time to time – usually when we’re out to eat on vacation and there are really no other options. But, even though I eat a 90% veggie diet and 2Chili is served a 90% veggie diet, we are certainly not starving and we are certainly not out of things to eat.

Today’s Test Kitchen Tuesday is a great example of a meatless meal that is perfectly balanced, and was not lacking in taste or substance. I have been making TKT meals once a week for almost a year now, and I haven’t run out of things to try yet!

The purpose of this blog is not to preach vegetarianism in the slightest. I like to cook and I like to write – so the two go together well. Perhaps I can convince our friend that he doesn’t need meat in every meal – perhaps not – but I can say from experience that a flexitarian or even “Meatless Monday” route is not hard at all, and it can be fun to try new recipes that you never would have considered in the past.

Black Bean Croquettes with Homemade Salsa

Recipe Source: Eating Well

Time Required: 10 minutes prep; 20 minutes to bake

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4

He was so not into the idea of a “croquette” before this dinner was served. I think this is because he didn’t know that it was basically a baked blob of a bunch of things he likes. Overall, this was a hit!

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4.5

This was super easy, very tasty, and quite filling. I never underestimate the power of beans to fill me up. I put a side of sautéed asparagus and 9-grain rice with it for a side, which was really perfect. Sometimes “Bean burger” type items can have a hard time sticking together, but I didn’t have a single issue with these.

Nutrition Per serving of 2 croquettes:

405 calories; 12 g fat ( 2 g sat , 8 g mono ); 0 mg cholesterol; 61 g carbohydrates; 0 g added sugars; 16 g protein; 16 g fiber; 438 mg sodium; 621 mg potassium. Folate (81% daily value), Vitamin C (35% dv), Iron & Vitamin A (25% dv), Potassium (18% dv).

This week I had planned for a TKT for one. 2Chili was supposed to be in Seattle until today, and so I thought I was on my own, which is not all bad because I get to try things he would never try in a million years!

But, he surprised me and came home in time for the weekend. We had a great time biking, playing outdoors with the dog, and taking in some fall color. It is simply beautiful right now!

I decided I wanted to go ahead with my originally-planned TKT, but I made it a little early. And, the first go-round, I didn’t like it much. But, I had it for leftovers last night with a few alterations, and it was much, much better! 

This recipe uses a few ingredients you wouldn’t expect: peanut butter and honey. But, really if you think about it, peanut butter on a baked sweet potato is pretty good!

Nutty Sweet Potato Soup

Recipe Source: Ellie Krieger

Time Required: 10 minutes to prep, about 30 to simmer

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): I give this a 4 star rating with a few modifications. In its original form, I thought it was about a 3.

Alterations: I originally made this exactly as called for in the recipe, but it was not nearly as thick as I was expecting. So,when I reheated it, I added about 1.5 cups of cooked brown rice pilaf and a few de-veined and chopped leaves of kale for color. The rice really thickened it up, and the kale added some nice flavor. I didn’t like the first go-round topped with scallions, because all I could taste was scallions! So, I left that out the second time, and it was so much better. I really like this combo now!

Nutrition From the Original Recipe:

Per serving, six 1.5 cup servings in the recipe

Calories 290; Total Fat 18g (Sat Fat 3.5g, Mono Fat 9g, Poly Fat 5g); Protein 14g; Carb 23g; Fiber 5g; Cholesterol 0mg; Sodium 260mg

I’ll tell you up front, this one is just kind of “meh.” The idea is right, and I got close, but no cigar.

Speaking of cigars, why would I say “close, but no cigar” in 2011?  A co-worker mentioned to me the other day that I have a knack for working words or phrases from the past into everyday conversation without really realizing it. A person says “alas” in an instant message or “nary” in a passing hallway conversation and all of the sudden she’s Anne of Green Gables.

But, I digress.

I wanted something with an Asian flair this week, so I thought a tempeh version of Broccoli and Beef would be good. We had a bunch of veggies on hand, so this really became a veggie stir fry with marinated tempeh based off of this recipe.

Marinated Tempeh Stir Fry with Broccoli and Red Pepper

Recipe Source Epicurious

Time Required: About 20 minutes, start to finish, aside from marinade time

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 3

He liked this “alright” and his plate was clean, but I don’t think I’ll be invited to make it exactly as-is again. The sauce was just not quite right.

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 3.5

I also thought this was “alright.” I used low sodium soy sauce (I always do) but omitted the crushed red pepper because 2Chili is not a fan. I ended up adding yellow onion and zucchini as well. It is a nice combination of flavors, but just not restaurant quality.

Nutrition

This dish is pretty high in sodium even with “low sodium” soy sauce, so definitely not for a day when you’ve had a lot of salt already! I did this calculation based on 2 servings. The recipe says it serves 4 as a side dish, but, we used it as a main course.

I am on somewhat of a vacation this week! Not a “real” vacation, where one sleeps in and lounges about and perhaps goes to a destination unknown. No, this week, I am on vacation from one of my four clients, which means I have a more “normal” workweek on my hands.

This has been fantastic! I have cleaned, vacuumed dog hair out of every crevice in the house and car, and had enough time to not rush my workouts. And, I’ve had time to start reading October’s book for the Virtual Book Club: Spirit Junkie: A Radical Road to Self-Love and Miracles by Gabrielle Bernstein.

For TKT this week, I went back to 2Chili’s favorite cuisine: Mexican. He could eat Mexican food morning, noon, and night, and since I like it too, it’s not a compromise to have something out of the wide Mexican food palate.

This recipe comes from Whole Foods Market. They have a great recipe database, and if you’ve never checked it out, it’s worth a visit!

Sadly, this didn’t turn out to be a hit, but the concept is a good one. I think with some adjustments I can make it suit our tastes a little better. I will try this again adding some brown rice on the bean layer, and, using salsa instead of straight canned tomatoes. I’ll also chop up the peppers instead of using them in strips, and perhaps add some squash to the veggie mixture.

Layered Vegetable Enchiladas

Recipe Source: Whole Foods Market Recipes

Time Required: About 25 minutes – 10 to prep and 15 to bake

2Chili’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 2.5
He ate this without complaining, but later revealed he wasn’t keen on the heavy tomato overtones and didn’t even realize it had beans in it. His quote was “it needs beans and rice.”

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 3.5

I liked this quite a bit more than my finicky 2Chili, but, he’s right that the tomatoes overpowered everything else. I used fresh peppers instead of frozen and fresh spinach instead of frozen greens, but that didn’t seem to make much of a difference.

Nutrition – From the Recipe”:

Per serving: 380 calories (50 from fat), 5g total fat, 2g saturated fat, 15mg cholesterol, 200mg sodium, 66g total carbohydrate (14g dietary fiber, 8g sugar), 18g protein

Some weeks, I really search high and low for a new recipe to try. And, some weeks, they just fall in my lap. This would be one of those lap-falling kind of recipes.

2Chili is down in Bend with our pets while I man our Seattle place and go to meetings this week. On my own to make whatever I wanted, I had fewer requirements than usual. This recipe made it into my Twitter feed somehow, and I thought I was the perfect combination of end of summer/beginning of fall veggies. I was able to make this entirely with things I had on hand.

Admittedly, I didn’t have everything –  just like in life, you gotta improvise sometimes. So, instead of lentils (why am I out of lentils?!), I used a can of garbanzo beans. And, instead of Granny Smith apples, I used Fuji. The last of the summer squash from my garden rounded everything out, and, a last minute decision to add some cooked Trader Joe’s multigrain pilaf was a tasty decision.

I have been doing the “Insanity” workout challenge – stay tuned for a review in another couple months – and this was the perfect recovery meal after a workout. I started it before the workout, and the fact that it was ready to go and simmering on the stove when I was done made it even better. After Insanity, the last thing you really want to do is cook. And now, I have dinner for several more days – bonus!

Make this stew for a very comfort-food taste in a short period of time!

Vegetable Stew

Recipe Source: Active.com

Time Required: 10-15 minutes to prep, 35 minutes to simmer

The Cook’s Taster Rating (out of 5): 4.5. This stew is amazing! You won’t believe how good a cooked apple is in a stew with sweet potatoes and squash. I subbed garbanzo beans for the lentils, and I have to say, I think I liked it better because of the chickpeas than I would have with lentils. Filling and deee-lish!

Nutritional Info:

For the original recipe as directed, however, it says it only yields two servings – there is no way! This is at least 4-6 servings, so take with a grain of salt:

410 calories; 9 g fat (1 g saturated, 0 g trans fat); 67 g carbohydrate, 22 g fiber, 19 g sugar, 20 g protein

For my modified version with one can of chickpeas instead of lentils and one cup of cooked multigrain pilaf, only one apple, no added salt and with (5) 2 cup sized servings.