Day #5, Veggie Challenge

Full disclosure: we may have consumed some chicken wings in a night of drinking for a coworker's good-bye. What can I say, except that meat eating habits tend to resurface after four gin and tonics, oops. But, we did get back on the wagon yesterday, starting with a lunch consisting of slices of Zucchini and Gruyere, Cauliflower and Gruyere, funghi, and tomato pizza from Grandaisy Bakery.Our day ended with a restaurant quality dinner of Jamie Oliver's Mushroom Risotto with Garlic, Thyme and Parsley. Definitely don't miss the meat in this dish. It requires a bit of attention and frequent testing to make sure the rice isn't overcooked, but is otherwise an easy, but impressive meal -- and the last of our vegetarian challenge.All in all, a good week of delicious eats!

Mushroom Risotto with Garlic, Thyme and Parsley
From Jamie Oliver's The Naked Chef
Serves 6

approximately 1 quart stock (chicken, fish or vegetable as appropriate)
1 T olive oil
3 finely chopped shallots or 2 medium onions
1/2 head of celery, finely chopped (discard any tough outer ribs)
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cloves of garlic, finely chopped
14 oz risotto rice
1/2 c dry white vermouth (dry Martini or Noilly Prat) or dry white wine
5 T butter
3-3 1/2 oz freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Sauteed Mushroom Recipe
9 oz fresh mushrooms (one type, or a mixture)
3 T olive oil
1 small handful of thyme, chopped
salt
1 handful of parsley, roughly chopped
1 pinch of chili powder
a squeeze of lemon juice
freshly ground black pepper

Stage 1: Prep the mushrooms
Slice the mushrooms thinly, or tear depending on the type (see above), in half. Don't cook all the mushrooms at once - do them in 2 or 3 batches. In a very hot pan, heat a tablespoon of olive oil and add the mushrooms and thyme. Cook for a bout 1 minutes, toss them, then add the garlic and a pinch of salt. (It is important with mushrooms to season them slightly, as they cook.) Cook for another couple of minutes then taste, then add some parsley, a very small pinch of chili powder, a squeeze of lemon juice and a little pepper. Toss again, taste again - by now they should be pretty much perfect.

Stage 2: Start the basic risotto recipe
Heat the stock. Then, in a separate pan, heat the olive oil, add the shallot or onion, celery and a pinch of salt, and sweat the vegetables for about 3 minutes. Add the garlic and after another 2 minutes, when the vegetables have softened, add the rice. Turn up the heat now.

While slowly stirring, continuously, you are beginning to fry the rice. You don't want any color at any point. Keep the rice moving. After 2 or 3 minutes, it will begin to look translucent as it absorbs all the flavors of your base. Add the vermouth or wine, continuing to sir as it hits the pan.

Stage 3: Add the stock to the rice
Once the vermouth or wine seems to have cooked into the rice, add your first ladle of hot stock and a pinch of salt (add small amounts of salt to taste while you are adding the stock). After the first ladle of stock has been added, add 1/2 of the sauteed mushrooms.

Turn down the heat to a high-ish simmer (the reason we don't want to boil the hell out of it is because, if we do, the outside of the rice will be cooked and fluffy and the inside will be raw). Keep adding ladlesful of stock, stirring and allowing each ladleful to be absorbed before adding the next. This will take about 15 minutes. Taste the rice -- is it cooked? Carry on adding stock until the rice is soft but with a slight bite. Check seasoning.

Stage 4: Finish the risotto
Remove from the heat and add the butter (yup, all 5 tablespoons of it) and the Parmesan, saving a bit of the latter to go on top if you like. Stir gently and add other 1/2 of sauteed mushrooms. Eat as soon as possible while it retains its moist texture. Serve it on its own with a crisp green salad. Enjoy!

Veggie Challenge, Day #4

It's a chilly 15 degrees outside, an airplane fell out of the sky earlier today (just a few blocks away from my building), and I'm still stuck at work. Alas, I'm sticking to the veggie challenge. Tonight's dinner: delivery in the form of a ginormous serving of spaghetti with eggplant parmesan from Angelo's Pizza across the street. Not homecooked, but not DiGiorno's either. The recipes will continue tomorrow night. At least I hope!

Veggie Challenge, Day #3

Day 3 and still going strong! I didn't even succumb to the free samples of various salami slices set out at the deli of our local Garden of Eden market, which says a lot from a girl who considers pork products crack.

Tonight's dinner is both good for your health and your wallet. Turning back to Deborah Madison and unattractive looking dishes, we made Mujadarrah, a Middle Eastern dish of lentils, rice, and slowly caramelized onions. Adding a side of garlicky kale and several dashes of Crystal hot sauce turned our Middle Eastern affair into a version of pure Southern comfort. Lest you think we've become total health nuts, we finished our meal with homemade Scharffenberger chocolate pudding, mmm.Thanks, Deb and John!

Lentils and Rice with Fried Onions (Mujadarrah)
From Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Serves 4

6 T olive oil
1 very large onion, sliced into rounds 1/4 inch thick
1 1/4 cups green or brown lentils, sorted and rinsed
Salt and freshly milled pepper
3/4 c white or brown long-grain rice

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring frequently, until it's a rich, dark brown, about 12 minutes. Meanwhile, put the lentils in a saucepan with 1 quart water and 1 t salt. Bring to a boil, then simmer for 15 minutes. Add the rice, plenty of pepper, and, if needed, additional water to cover. Cover and cook over low heat until the rice is done, about 15 minutes. Stir in half the onions, then cover and let stand off the heat for 5 minutes. Spoon lentil-rice mixture onto plate or platter (insert Arrested Development reference here) and cover with the remaining onions.

Veggie Challenge, Day #2

Apologies for the belated post. Was anyone else very technically challenged yesterday? Not only did I jam a printer and copy machine at work AND break my DVD drive, but I came home to find our internet down, blerg! But alas, we have not fallen off the veggie wagon yet! Last night's dinner was a lovely Quinoa Chowder with Spinach, Feta, and Scallions. Though certainly not much to look at, it's very fresh, light and wholesome.
A bowl of this chowder with some simply roasted beets will definitely keep you on the veggie wagon too.

Quinoa Chowder with Spinach, Feta, and Scallions
From Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone

The soup tastes quite bland until you add the scallions, feta and cilantro. After that, it really blooms.

1/4 c quinoa, rinsed well in a fine sieve
2 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, finely chopped
1 jalapeno chile, seeded and finely diced
1 t ground cumin or to taste
Salt and freshly milled pepper
1/2 lb. boiling potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
1 bunch scallions, including an inch of the greens, thinly sliced into rounds
3 c finely sliced spinach leaves
1/3 c chopped cilantro
1 hard-cooked egg, chopped (we omitted)

Put the quinoa and 2 quarts water in a pot, bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. While it's cooking, dice the vegetables and cheese. Drain, saving the liquid. Measure the liquid and add water to make 6 cups if needed.

Heat the oil in a soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and chile. Cook for about 30 seconds, giving it a quick stir. Add the cumin, 1 teaspon salt, and the potatoes and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently. Don't let the garlic brown. Add the quinoa water and half the scallions and simmer until the potatoes are tender, about 15 minutes. Add the quinoa, spinach, and remaining scallions and simmer for 3 minutes more. Turn off the heat and stir in the feta and cilantro. Season the soup with pepper and garnish with the chopped egg.

Veggie Challenge, Day #1

It's a new year, and everyone is making all sorts of crazy promises to themselves that, let's face it, they probably won't keep. (And yes, this means that I have yet to arrive at work earlier or at least on time.)

This week, we're trying out one of Evan's goals -- a week of vegetarian eating! A challenge for him...not so much for me (even if it does look like I'm eating a burger every other day). Tonight's dinner? Hashed brussel sprouts with whole wheat spaghetti, a dusting of parmesan and a drizzle of top (Fairway) shelf extra virgin olive oil. This dish is a healthy, easy, and delicious keeper. Care to join us? For a recipe, click here. Tune in for tomorrow's meal!