Spaghetti Squash with Tomatoes

The leaves are changing, fall is here, and I can't get enough of squash. Nate tells me all girls like squash, which is really his way of saying he doesn't like squash as much as I do. I tried this garlic-y tomatoey recipe to see if I could change his mind.

Adapted from "Spaghetti Squash with Cherry Tomatoes and Ricotta" from The Martha Stewart Living Cookbook. Serves 4 (or in our case, 2 for dinner and then almost a week's worth of lunch for me!).

Ingredients:
15 oz ricotta cheese
1 TBS EVOO
4 garlic cloves thinly sliced (I used a dollop of minced) plus 1/4 tsp minced
1/4 tsp crushed red-pepper flakes (I used more like 1 TBS. I love these!)
1/4 cup chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped oregano
1 large spaghetti squash
1 large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
2 pints cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup dry white wine
1/2 tsp salt

This one has a lot of steps. It's better if you can do most of them in advance.

The day before, or the morning of:
1. Wrap the ricotta tightly in a piece of cheese-cloth. Put it in a colander over a bowl. Put a couple cans on top and stick in the fridge for at least 3 hours or overnight.

2. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Brush a baking pan with EVOO and place the sliced garlic on the pan. Bake 15 minutes, stirring every 3 minutes. As they turn golden set them aside.

3. Halve the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Bake on a lightly oiled pan with the cut-sides down about an hour, until soft.

Later:
4. Combine ricotta, red pepper flakes, 3 TBS basil, 3 TBS oregano. Cover with plastic and set aside.

5. Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add EVOO, minced garlic, and onion. Cook, covered, about 8 minutes, until translucent.

6. Add tomatoes, wine and salt. Cook uncovered at least 5 minutes but it's better if you reduce it for a while. Stir in remaining basil and oregano. If you cooked the squash a while ago, reheat it while the sauce is reducing.

7. Pull the strands from the squash with a fork and transfer them to a bowl or plate.

8. Top with the tomato mixture, ricotta, and garlic slices. Serve hot.

Chili-Rubbed Steak with Corn Avocado Salsa

Based loosely on a recipe from realsimple.com, tonight we had steak with a corn salsa:

The rub for the steak is simple: 1tsp chili powder and 1/2 tsp salt. I rubbed it all over the meat then let it sit for about half an hour in a healthy pool of olive oil.

The salsa is half homegrown: I diced scallions and yellow tomatoes from the garden and added corn (one ear, steamed for 7 minutes and then the kernels cut off) and an avocado, diced. I sprinkled in lemon juice and a tiny bit of salt.

The asparagus was "marinated" for about 20 minutes (while the grill heated up) in olive oil, lemon juice, salt and balsamic vinegar.

Both asparagus and steak were cooked about 8 minutes- 4 minutes per side for the meat.

It was a big hit! The steak was flavorful but not spicy so we did not end up needing sour cream.

You can find the original recipe here: http://www.realsimple.com/food-recipes/browse-all-recipes/skirt-steak-corn-cakes-00000000060217/

Spring is here!

First day of planting! Our nights are still cold but the crocuses are in full bloom and the first couple of daffodils are popping open! Today I planted: peas, beets, scallions, spinach, and poppies outside. Inside, I planted the 4 healthiest-looking dahlia tubers. The other 4 I have in pots outside, which might be a little early but we'll see how it goes!

Falafel and Quinoa

Tonight we went Turkish—and carbo-loaded—with falafel, quinoa, naan and hummus. The hummus and naan were store-bought. The falafel and quinoa were loosely based on recipes found on Epicurious. The whole shebang took us (2 people) about an hour to prepare, but it would have been better if we had prepared the falafel mix in advance and let it sit for a while in the fridge.

Falafel
Serves about 4. Adapted from Joan Nathan's recipe, "My Favorite Falafel."

Ingredients:
1 can chickpeas [aka garbanzo beans], drained
1/2 onion, chopped
Small handful fresh chopped parsley (2 tbs)
Small handful fresh chopped cilantro (2 tbs)
1 tsp salt
1 tsp hot red pepper flakes
4 cloves garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp baking power
6+ tbs flour
Vegetable oil for frying

Garnishes:
Chopped tomato
Diced onion
Diced green bell pepper
Tahina sauce [Sesame seed based—I skipped this because I didn't have it.]

Prep:
In a food processor or blender, put: uncooked chickpeas, most of the onion, parsley, cilantro, salt, red pepper flakes, garlic and cumin. Pulse until blended but not pureed.

Sprinkle in baking powder and 4 tbs flour, pulse. Add enough flour so the dough stops sticking to your hands. Refrigerate, covered, for a few hours. [I just put it in the freezer for 20 min. but I think it would have been less sticky if I waited longer!]

Form balls about the size of walnuts. [Mine were a little bigger, and I coated them with flour for better frying.]

Heat 3 inches of oil to 375 degrees in a deep pot and fry one ball to test. If it falls apart, add a little flour. Fry falafel balls until golden brown and drain on paper towels.

*The recipe then says to stuff the balls into a pita with all the garnishes. We didn't do that but it sounds delicious!

Quinoa
Serves about 4. Adapted from Bruce Aidells and Nancy Oakes's Bon Appétit recipe for "Quinoa with Moroccan Winter Squash and Carrot Stew."

Ingredients:
1 cup quinoa
1 tbs butter
1 tbs EVOO
1/2 onion, finely chopped
1/2 to 1 sweet potato, peeled and diced [can also use carrot]
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp tumeric
2 cups water
Handful of chopped cilantro
Small handful of chopped mint

Prep:
Rinse quinoa and drain it. Melt butter and oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and sweet potato. Cover and cook until the veggies begin to brown, stirring often, for about 10 min.

Add garlic, salt and tumeric, sautéing for a minute. Add quinoa and stir for a minute. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to med/low and simmer, covered, until liquid is absorbed and quinoa is tender, about 15 min.

Stir in most of the cilantro and mint. Use the rest as a garnish on top.

Skinny Not-Vodka Pasta

I have to admit I don't fully believe the claim that this pasta dish is healthy because it turned out to be so flavorful. That said, the Cook Yourself Thin cookbook says each serving only contains 371 calories. Finding evaporated milk in the grocery store was the hardest part, but I think it was worth it for a rich, creamy texture.

Skinny Tomato Cream Pasta
Serves 4. Based on "Penne alla Not-ka" recipe.

Ingredients:
2 tsp EVOO
3 cloves garlic
1/2 red onion, chopped
3/4 tsp salt
14 oz can diced tomatoes, pureed [I chopped up fresh ones and skipped the puree step.]
1 tsp red pepper flakes [feel free to be liberal!]
8 oz pasta [penne is recommended, we used gemelli]
1/4 cup cream
6 tbs evaporated milk
1/3 cup shaved Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup shredded basil
1/8 tsp black pepper

Prep:
Boil a large pot of water with salt for the pasta.

In a large saucepan on low heat, heat 2 tsp EVOO and garlic about 3 min, until it starts to brown. Add the onion and 1/4 tsp salt, cover and cook about 2 more min until the onion is soft.

Add the tomato, 1/2 tsp salt, and the red pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer, reduce the heat and gently simmer for 10 minutes.

When the sauce has cooked 5 minutes, add the pasta to the water and cook until just shy of al dente, about 6 minutes. Reserve about a half cup of water before draining.

Stir in the cream and evaporated milk and simmer 1 more minute.

Combine the cooked pasta and the sauce. Simmer 1 or 2 minutes until the pasta is al dente, adding a little pasta water if it's dry. Stir in 1/4 cup of the Parmesan, the basil and black pepper.

Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan.