The calm before the storm

So it's Sunday, another weekend has come and gone. I am of the firm opinion that weekends are for premeditated comfort food. We spend all week rushing about usually not really spending too much time on what we eat and thinking about it even less. So when the weekend rolls around I like to spend long lazy afternoons in the kitchen making some of our more elaborate family favorites. This is one of Mr. Diva's favorite meals. Truth be told we were supposed to have it for lunch yesterday, but I spent all morning failing miserably at my first attempt at making tortillas (yes you read correctly, not only can make everything posted here, but created most of it, and yet unleavened bread eludes me) So I cheated and went to the store to get corn tortillas today. If you make your own though feel free to use them here (and let me know your secret?).

This recipe makes a pan of 20 enchiladas. Enough for 6-8 servings in our house, so it's a great option if you need/want leftovers for the next day's lunches! If you eat meat you can also substitute one of the cans of black beans for some ground turkey or lean ground beef. Just brown the meat for a few minutes at the very beginning and follow the rest of the recipe as is adding each ingredient to the meat.


Black Bean & Spinach Enchiladas

20 small corn tortillas
1Tbsp canola oil
1 large onion diced
3 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
4 mild green chilies finely chopped
1/4 cup water
4 PACKED cups of fresh spinach washed, shaken dry and roughly chopped or torn
2 15oz cans black beans, drained and rinsed
1 1/2 cups enchilada sauce (I use mild for Baby Diva's sake)
1/2 cup salsa
2 Tbsp sour cream (and more for serving if you like)

- I a large saute or frying pan, saute the onions and garlic in the canola oil over a medium heat for about 3 minutes
- Add the spices and cook additional 1 minute
- Add chilies and water. Cook 1 minute
- Add spinach and cook until just wilted. About 3-5 minutes.
- Add beans and cook for 3 more minutes until beans are warmed through.
- Remove pan from heat and mix in the salsa and sour cream.
- Preheat oven to 375*
- Fill each tortilla with about 1tsp of enchilada sauce and 2Tbsp of bean and spinach mixture.
- Roll filled tortilla and place it seam side down in a large (8x13) lightly oiled casserole dish or baking pan.
*NOTE* Corn tortillas can be a little finicky to work with since they are more brittle than flour ones. Try microwaving them for 20-30 seconds in batches of 5 at a time to avoid breaking them as you fill and roll them.
- Once pan is filled, pour remaining sauce over the enchiladas. You should not be able to see any white so use more if you need to. Or use a basting brush to move the sauce around as you don't want your enchiladas to be swimming in sauce either.
- Sprinkle the cheese over top and cover with foil.
- Bake for 30-40 minutes, removing the foil in the last 10 minutes so that the cheese gets nice and brown and bubbly.
- Serve with additional sour cream and salsa if you wish.

Laziness creates yumminess!

So this is one of my favorite "I really don't want to cook right now" dinners. It is so simple and only takes about 20 minutes from pot to plate. It is also a really versatile potluck dish too. Here I used quinoa and served it hot, but substitute the quinoa for orzo or another small pasta, add a cup of your favorite vinigarette dressing and serve it chilled for a fantastic pasta salad!

As it appears here it feeds 2 adults and 1 child nicely, but as always feel free to multiply measurements as per your own needs.



Quinoa with Kale and Beets

1 cup quinoa
1 Tbsp olive oil
1 small onion diced
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1 large fennel bulb topped, tailed and roughly chopped
2 cups fresh kale
1/2 can sliced beets
1/4 cup crumbled feta
salt and pepper to taste


- Cook quinoa as per package instructions and keep warm.
- Sautee garlic and onion in oil over a medium-high heat until onion is just translucent (about 3 minutes)
- Add fennel and sautee another 5 minutes
- To prepare the kale trim the leaves away from the tough stems and roughly chop or tear into 1/4 inch ribbons. Rinse it well making sure no soil remains trapped in the curly leaves. Lightly shake to remove most, but not all of the water.
- Add kale to fennel and onions and reduce heat to medium-low cook until kale is wilted (about 5 minute)
- Drain, pat dry and dice the beets and add to the kale. Continue to cook for a couple of more minutes until the beets are warmed then remove from heat.
- Mix in the quinoa and feta and toss to combine all ingredients.
- Serve with salt and pepper to taste, and some additional feta if you wish.

Some days Joni Mitchel fixes everything

So it was pretty slim pickings in the Diva refrigerator and pantry tonight. Especially after I discovered that the asparagus I had planned on using was destroyed with freezer burn! GRRRR! On to the perpetual plan B: making it up as I go :)
I grew up in house where when all else failed there was always pasta, so as an adult my pantry staples are usually boxes of pasta, cans of tomatoes and a freezer full of frozen veggies that can be mixed accordingly. The asparagus may have been ruined..but the broccoli was just dandy :)
Our experiment du jour ended up taking the form of tofu parmesan over whole wheat spaghetti with broccoli. It was unbelievably yummy, really! I even surprised myself. Combine it with Mr Diva's initiative to open a bottle of wine and throw on some Joni Mitchel and dinner was oh so very satisfying!

This recipe will feed 3 adults generously or 2 adults and 2 kids nicely also and only took me about 45 minutes from inspiration to table.




Tofu Parmesan & Whole Wheat Spaghetti w/Broccoli

1 pkg whole wheat spaghetti
3 cups frozen broccoli
1 pkg extra firm tofu (12oz)
3/4 cup freshly grated parmesan divided into 3 equal portions (plus a little more for serving if you wish)
1 cup plain bread crumbs
1 Tbsp dry oregano
1 tsp dry marjoram
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/4 cup olive oil equally divided into 2 portions
2 shallots roughly chopped (1 diced, medium onion will work also if you don't have shallots)
2 cloves garlic roughly chopped
1/2 a large can of whole tomatoes (about 15oz. Or a whole can if you can find whole tomatoes in 15oz cans)

- Mix together bread crumbs, 1 separated portion of parmesan (1/4 cup) , herbs, salt and pepper in a large bowl until well combined
- Slice the tofu into 6 equal slabs and pat with a paper towel until just moist enough for the bread crumbs to stick.
- In a large skillet or sautee pan heat 1 portion of the oil with the shallots and garlic. You will want to heat the oil very, very slowly to really infuse it with the taste of the shallots and garlic without burning them. It should take 5 or 7 mins (you can use this time to preheat the oven to 375*)
- While the oil is heating coat tofu with bread crumbs on all sides.
- When oil is nice and aromatic turn up the heat to med-high and quickly fry the tofu to a light golden brown, about 45 seconds to 1 minute on each side. Do this in 2 batches and keep moving the tofu around the pan to keep the heat even and stop the shallots and garlic from burning; you will be using them and the oil from the pan again, so if they do start to over brown remove them from the pan and reserve in a small bowl for later.
- Remove tofu from the pan and place in a very lightly oiled casserole or baking pan in a single layer.
- As long as the remaining oil in the pan is not burned (if it is skip straight to the blender with the oil/garlic/shallots that you reserved while cooking) de glaze the pan with the canned tomatoes adding back any garlic or shallots that you removed and scraping up any browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Blend tomatoes in a small blender or food processor to a sauce consistency
- Spoon tomato sauce evenly over tofu and bake for 20 mins
- While tofu is baking boil the pasta in lightly salted water. About 5 mins before pasta is ready add broccoli and bring to a boil again.
- After 20 mins turn off the oven and put the broiler on LOW
- Sprinkle second portion of parmesan over the tofu and sauce and put under the broiler until golden and bubbling (about 3-5 mins)
- While broiling, drain the pasta and broccoli and toss with remaining portions of oil and parmesan.
- Serve 2 slices of tofu over a bed of pasta and broccoli with an extra sprinkling of parmesan and some fresh cracked pepper!

Birthdays

Today was my mom's birthday and I am so glad I was here to share it with her. It was a quiet uneventful day, we opened cards and presents first thing this morning over coffee and then all piled into the car and drove about an hour south to Cincinnati to one of our favorite grocery stores; Fresh Market. She picked up some applewood smoked bacon that is absolutely to die for if you eat meat and I picked up some fresh, dark, rich ginger bread and my favorite food vice: dark chocolate almonds :) I also made a mental note to get back there before Thanksgiving for black truffle oil and figs for my holiday cheesecake!

Dark Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal Cookies

1 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup rye flakes
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp sea salt
1/2 stick butter, softened
2 Tbsp Flax meal
4 Tbsp boiling water
3 Tbsp brown sugar
3/4 cup unsweetened apple sauce
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup dried cranberries
1 bar dark chocolate roughly chopped (at least 60% dark)

Preheat oven to 350* Fahrenheit and use a tiny smear of the butter to very lightly grease a cookie sheet.
Combine flax meal and boil water in a bowl, cover with a towel and set aside until room temperature and really gooey (it's you egg substitute but if you want you can use 2 large eggs)
In a mixer or food processor cream together the butter and sugar until well combined, pushing down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Add the flax meal and beat well
Add the apple sauce and vanilla beat well
Sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt
Transfer to a large mixing bowl (or use the bowl from your mixer if it detaches) incorporate flour mixture and combine well
Add oats and rye mix well
Finally stir in the cranberries and chocolate

Spoon dough onto cookie sheet in Tbsp portions and about 1inch apart
Bake 15-20 mins

Learning Curve

So as the spouse of a service member, I have been very lucky that up until now I have never had to be a single parent. Mr. Diva was deployed to Iraq before Baby Diva arrived, but since he was born hasn't had to leave my side more than a usual 8 hour work day. And for that I have been very blessed. The down side to this is that now I am alone with my 13 month old beautiful, bundle of boy energy and I am EXHAUSTED!! I love my son dearly..but there are days when mommy needs a time out, a good book, a hot cup of tea and a freshly made batch of dark chocolate, cranberry oatmeal cookies!