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Tempeh Shepherdess Pie

I never had the traditional Shepherd’s Pie, which involves beef (or lamb? I don’t even know!) but I have to say, I’ll bet this vegetarian version would rival it.  Tempeh replicates the ground meat texture, mushrooms, gravy and corn give it flavah, and how could you argue with creamy mashed potatoes on top?  Hubby loved this dish too.  And why not?  It’s rich, flavorful, and filling – a great way to get a meatless meal into your man.

Tempeh Shepherdess Pie

Tempeh and Veggie Layer
1 package tempeh (the garden veggie flav is my fav)
1/3 cup soy sauce
1 cup water
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 onion, medium-diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 package sliced shiitake or gourmet blend mushrooms (NOT button!)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
freshly ground black pepper
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup frozen peas, optional*
2 cups veggie broth
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
parsley for garnish (optional)

Potato Layer
6 medium Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and large-diced
1/3 cup skim milk
1/4 cup nonfat Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

  • In a large, preferably nonstick, skillet, crumble tempeh into small bits.  Add soy sauce and water, cover, and allow to boil for approximately 10 minutes.
  • Meanwhile, boil the potatoes.
  • Remove the cover from the tempeh and allow to cook approximately 5 more minutes, until liquid is mostly reduced.  Drain the tempeh and set aside.
  • In the same pan, set over medium-high heat, add olive oil and onion and saute until onion is translucent and beginning to brown, about 5 minutes.  Add garlic and saute for one additional minute.  Return tempeh to the pan and add mushrooms.  Saute all together over medium heat for about 10 minutes.  When the tempeh is brown and the mushrooms have plumped up and browned a bit too, add the corn and (if using) peas.  Cook until veggie mix is heated through, adding extra oil if necessary.
  • Meanwhile, drain and mash your potatoes, then stir in milk and yogurt.  Season with salt, pepper and thyme.  This would also be a good time to preheat your oven to 375 degrees.
  • Mix together veggie broth and flour until mostly smooth.  Add to veggie mix, stir, and allow mixture to cook down until the liquid turns to mmmmmm gravy.
  • Assemble pie in a 9-inch round dish (unless using peas, see Nota Baker, below): spread out a layer of veggie mix on the bottom and top with mashed potatoes.  It doesn’t have to look perfect – in fact, it’s Shepherdess Pie, so it should look a little rustic!  Bake pie for 20 minutes, just until the top is slightly browned (only slightly) and the filling is warm through.  Slice and serve!  It will be a little runny, but that’s okay.  Like I said, it’s supposed to be rustic.

Source: Adapted and non-veganified from Veganomicon, by Isa Chanda Moskowitz and Terry Hope Romero.

*Nota Baker: The original recipe calls for frozen peas.  I included them above but omitted them in my version because the hubs doesn’t care for peas.  I know, he’s crazy.  If you want to add them back in – I would, if it was just for me! – then use one cup and add them at the same time as the corn, as detailed above.  I found that the recipe, without the peas and using only one tempeh block (the original recipe called for two) fit perfectly into my 9-inch pie dish.  If you are planning to “beef” up the dish with more tempeh (if you do, add another cup of water when you’re boiling it at the beginning) or by including the peas, you may need a bigger dish.  I think this would look nice and rustic in a deeper 8-x-8 casserole dish.

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Simple Gazpacho

Believe it or not, this was my first time making gazpacho.  I’ve been eating it forever, it seems like.  I don’t remember how old I was when gazpacho first made an appearance at our summer dinners, but I remember being absolutely enamored of it right from the beginning.  Seriously, what’s not to love?  Cool, refreshing, with a little bit of crunch… Plus, it has cucumbers, bell peppers and tomatoes – my three favorite vegetables!  But I never felt the need to make it myself, because I could always count on my mom to whip out a bowl of gazpacho when I really needed to scratch the itch.  She even made it for me and a group of my friends before we went out for my bachelorette party.  Now, that’s love.

Simple Gazpacho

2 cups tomato juice or V8
1 cucmber, large-diced
2 vine-ripened tomatoes, large-diced
2 bell peppers, large-diced
1/2 yellow onion, large-diced
splash red wine vinegar
kosher salt and black pepper to taste

  • Combine all ingredients except for the vinegar, salt and pepper in blender.  Pulse blender until soup reaches desired consistency; I like it a little chunky, but not overly so.
  • Season to taste with vinegar, salt and pepper.

Source: Loosely adapted from Love Soup by Anna Thomas, and messybaker’s tidy mom

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Refreshing Orzo Salad

Growing up, one of my favorite meals that my mom would make was Grecian orzo salad.  Recently, I was in the mood for orzo salad and I decided to try to replicate hers.  Thinking back, my mom’s orzo salad included Feta cheese, kalamata olives, and red peppers.  Well, I don’t like Feta cheese and I always dug around it in the salad bowl (sorry, mom!), and my grocery store didn’t have any organic red peppers.  Without those two, the kalamata olives just seemed a bit out of place.  So the Grecian orzo salad idea went out the window, and I decided to try my own orzo salad concoction.  Mine is fresh, light and simple – like my mom’s – but it’s not “Grecian.”  Ah, well, the best laid plans…

This was still pretty darn delicious.

Refreshing Orzo Salad with Shrimp

~2 cups cooked orzo pasta, chilled
1 long English cucumber, large dice
2 green bell peppers, large dice
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
~1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
salt and pepper to taste
steamed shrimp

  • Combine orzo, cucumbers, bell peppers, and cherry tomatoes in large salad bowl and mix well.
  • In a separate bowl, vigorously whisk oil and lemon juice until the mixture emulsifies.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.
  • Pour dressing over salad and mix thoroughly until the pasta and veg are coated completely.  Add additional oil sparingly, and only if needed.
  • Serve with steamed shrimp (I tossed mine in lemon-pepper seasoning).

Source: Inspired by my mom!

Nota Baker: This pasta salad recipe makes a TON.  You will not, I promise, finish this in one day.  That’s intentional!  It makes a fantastic lunch for the next week or so.  I’m nothing if not thrifty!

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Take Back Your Time!


Serenity now!

You may have noticed that my blog posts have been somewhat sporadic recently.  Actually, that may be an understatement.  A couple of people have asked me what’s going on, and to put any lingering doubts to rest: I’m alive, I’m not in jail, and I haven’t run off to join a hippie commune.  (Yes, if you’re wondering, they still have those.  I swear I haven’t done that much research.)

The truth is, I’ve just been busy.  Crazy, over-the-top, spinning-around-until-I-fall-down busy.  I’ve had to focus on the most pressing things, like My Job and My Marriage, and things like Returning Phone Calls, Vaccuuming, and unfortunately, Taking Pictures Of My Food And Posting Them On The Internet, have taken a backseat for awhile now.  In addition to work being busy (which is a great thing in my industry, and I’m certainly not complaining!) I’ve had some travel on the agenda, mostly related to my high school BFF’s wedding last month, in which I was thrilled to be a bridesmaid.  (Congratulations again, girlfriend!  Luv you!)  And ultimately, moving to a new town and changing switching from the subway to a driving commute required more of an adjustment than I expected.  It seems I’ve had less time recently, and this blog has suffered for it.  For that, I am truly sorry.  Not only does this blog enrich my life, but I flatter myself that somewhere out there, someone might be trying some of my recipes and getting some joy out of them.  And I haven’t posted much recently, and I hate that.  To those of you who’ve stuck with me, thank you for giving me the time I needed to sort my routine out.

Anyway, from this moment forward, I’m starting a blog challenge to TAKE BACK MY TIME.  No, work isn’t going to get any less busy, anytime soon.  No, my commute isn’t going to change.  And yes, I’m still going to have competing priorities.  But I’ve always believed that there are ways to fit in everything you want to do, if indeed you really do want to do it.  And one of those ways is to find smart little time savers, put them into practice, and make them habits.  I’ve got a number of these time saving tips stored up in my dusty attic of a brain.  Some are kitchen-related, and some aren’t.  Some of them, I use regularly.  Some, I know I should.  Some simply intrigue me.  I’m going to be experimenting with them all and taking you along for the ride.  I hope that, somewhere along the line, this will bring me some sanity and free me up to post more regularly.  And I hope it does the same for some of you out there, too.

So there you have it: something to look forward to.  I’ll be sprinkling in these time-saving techniques along with my usual recipes.  I’m aiming to make this a weekly feature, for as long as that seems reasonable.  And hey, if you have any ideas for me on how you take back your own time, give me a shout in the comments or on Twitter.  I’ll give you a blog shout-out!

How do you save time?

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Tempeh Stroganoff

So, the other day, hubby and I were in Whole Foods, and something unprecedented happened.

Messy: Hey, what do you call it when you have beef in gravy over noodles?  What is that?

Hubby: Ummmmm… Beef Stroganoff?

Messy: Yes!  That’s it!

Hubby: Why do you want to know?

Messy: I want to make it, but with tempeh.

Hubby: How weird is this?  Usually, I’m the one who asks you what a dish is called.

He’s right.  Usually the conversation is reversed.  But I’ve never cooked Beef Stroganoff before.  I just had this thought… tempeh… mushroom gravy… egg noodles… mmmmmm.  And mmmmmm it was.  Hearty and savory, with the earthy flavors of tempeh and mushrooms perfectly complemented by the mild noodles.  I’ll be making this one again, for sure.

Tempeh Stroganoff

extra virgin olive oil
1 package shiitake mushrooms, sliced
kosher salt
1 package tempeh, crumbled
2 cups vegetable broth
2 teaspoons all-purpose flour
black pepper
egg noodles, cooked
chopped chives (optional), for garnish.

  • Heat olive oil (about a tablespoon, give or take) in a non-stick pan until shimmering.  Add mushrooms and salt and saute until golden.  Add tempeh and saute another 5 minutes or so, until tempeh is warmed through and just beginning to crisp up.  Yum.
  • Pour veggie broth into pan, add flour, and stir with a wooden spoon until mixture thickens, 3-5 minutes.  Season to taste with black pepper and additional salt, if necessary.
  • Serve over egg noodles, garnishing with chopped chives if desired.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Apricot-Honey Tart

Honey, you will love this.

Apricots.  Honey.  Ricotta.  Vanilla.  What else can I say?

Oh, I can think of one thing: YUM.

YUM seems to happen when my fabulous friend Rebecca is visiting.  She was in town recently and we squeezed in some kitchen time, as we always must do.  Sightseeing is important, no doubt.  (And Rebecca, I’m sure the federal government will really appreciate your suggestion about zombie-powered cars.  Definitely more environmentally friendly.)  But a visit wouldn’t be complete if we didn’t cook one meal together.  As usual, Rebecca was in charge of dinner – eggplant-mint pesto, anyone? hello! – and I was in charge of dessert.  The heat of summer had set in and I wanted something fruity.  I can’t let summer go by without baking some kind of tart, so Rebecca and I settled on the time-honored combination of honey and apricots.  (Hey, Whole Foods?  You’re welcome for the money.)

Go ahead and drool.  I won’t tell anyone.

Apricot-Honey Tart

1 recipe sweet tart dough from Dorie Greenspan
6 apricots, halved
HONEY!
1 pint ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 tablespoons granulated sugar (more if desired)
vanilla sugar (optional), for garnish

  • Prepare tart dough according to Dorie’s recipe, press into tart shell and parbake until just golden.  (Messy tip – cover the dough in foil and fill the tart shell with pie weights or dried beans to keep the bottom from puffing up.)  Remove from oven and allow to cool in the tart shell.
  • While tart dough is baking, halve and pit 6 apricots and drizzle slightly with honey.  Bake apricots alongside tart dough until tender.
  • Prepare ricotta tart filling: combine ricotta cheese, vanilla extract and sugar in a bowl and beat vigorously until either the filling is smooth or you are tired, whichever comes first.  (Alternatively, you could mix this in a stand mixer.  I have one but was too lazy to get it out, so I beat the filling by hand until the point of exhaustion.  How ironic is that?)  Taste the filling to decide if you want to add additional sugar, and adjust as desired.
  • Spread the filling into the baked tart shell and smooth the top.  Drizzle with honey.  Allow filling to chill in the fridge for about 30 minutes to an hour.  Add baked apricot halves and drizzle with more honey.  If you really want a showstopping tart, sprinkle vanilla sugar over the top.  Remove from tart shell and try to show enough self-discipline to take photographs before you slice it.

Source: Covered In Flour

Nota Baker: You can now follow me on Twitter!  That’s right, I’m slowly joining the 21st century.  I can be found at: http://twitter.com/backyardyogini or you can search for me @backyardyogini.  (Oddly enough, @messybaker was taken!  So I went with a name based on one of my other favorite hobbies: creeping out my neighbors by doing asanas in my yard.  Hi, neighbors!  Namaste!)

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Chilled Cucumber-Yogurt Soup

It’s been another hot-hot-HOT summer in DC.  I’ve been dealing with the heat in many ways: getting up before 5:00 a.m. to get my runs in before the sun comes up, jumping through the neighbors’ sprinklers, and eating plenty of chilled soup.  The first chilled soup I ever had was a classic gazpacho – my mom and little brother make it best – and that’s still my favorite.  But I’ve been on something of a Greek yogurt kick recently and this is a perfect, easy, light and refreshing supper to whip up when it’s so hot you can’t face the idea of turning on the stove.  The “soup” is icy cold and minty, and the radishes add a fun crunch.  It’s the second best way to cool off from the heat of a mid-Atlantic summer.

The best way to cool off?  Well, duh… the neighbors’ sprinklers.

Chilled Cucumber-Yogurt Soup with Mint

1 unpeeled English cucumber, chopped roughly
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt
juice of 1 lemon (or 2 limes)
2/3 cup packed mint leaves
2 cups Greek yogurt
1 teaspoon sugar
skim milk (optional), as needed
thinly sliced radishes and mint sprigs for garnish

  • Add cucumbers to blender and pulse to begin chopping.
  • Add lemon (or lime) juice, salt, mint leaves, yogurt and sugar to blender and blend until pureed and combined well.  Thin with milk as necessary.  When soup reaches desired consistency, taste for seasonings and adjust (adding more sugar or more salt) as you prefer.
  • Chill soup 1 to 2 hours in refrigerator.  Before serving, stir well.  Garnish with thinly sliced radishes and mint sprigs.

Source: Adapted slightly from Love Soup

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Tempeh Hash

I’ve had this post banked for awhile and wasn’t sure I wanted to put it up.  Not because the recipe is bad – it’s most definitely not – but because I’m going to be a bit deeper than I usually am.  Bear with me, because before I get to the recipe for this absolutely divine dish, I’d like to talk a little bit about a subject that I actually spend a lot of time thinking about: vegetarianism.  Now, this isn’t going to be a soapbox kind of post… for the most part, anyway.  So please don’t run away. But I am going to share some opinions.  You have been warned. 

Those of you who know me “in real life” may remember that I was a vegetarian for a few years in college.  Eventually, it became clear to me, for reasons I won’t get into (not everything goes on the blog, peeplz!) that vegetarianism was not an appropriate choice for me at that time in my life.  So I made the decision to add back poultry – but no beef or pork still.  It was a decision that I agonized over, but in the end I decided to do what was best for me.  That was about eight years ago and I’ve been beef- and pork-free ever since, although I do eat fish and poultry.  I’ll cop to occasional moments when I consider trying red meat again, but those moments are few and far between, and they never last very long.  I’ve generally been very happy with my choice to eat poultry, and not to eat beef or pork.  These days, we do fish approximately one night a week, poultry even less (I rarely crave it), and eat veggie the rest of the time – we started with “Meatless Mondays” and just gradually tapered off to eating even less meat, although hubby still has turkey cold cuts at lunch.  When we do have poultry (and eggs and dairy, for that matter), I choose organic for health reasons – because I want hubby and me to be around for a very long time, and I think that nomming lots of chemicals and horomes and pesticides kind of contradicts that goal.  I guess if you want to put a label on what I am now, I’m a flexitarian.  However, I hate labels, and that’s another reason I stopped being a vegetarian.  During a conversation I had on the street with a co-worker the other day, she asked me how I would identify, given my choice to abstain from red meat and to eat only sustainable seafood and humanely-raised, organic poultry and dairy (and that rarely), and I replied, “Um, responsible.” 

Then a stranger tapped me on the shoulder and asked me directions to the nearest Whole Foods.  And I gave them to her.  CRUNCH!  (That was me being a granola-crunching hippie again.  Sorry.)

Okay, so where am I going with this “flexitarian” manifesto?  Well, you know how I said that I think alot about vegetarianism?  What I’m thinking about, specifically, is trying again.  I haven’t made a decision one way or another (so don’t freak out, parents!) but I’m giving it some serious thought.  I know I said that vegetarianism was not appropriate for me when I tried it, and that’s true, and that’s why I went “flexitarian.”  (I gag a little each time I type that… but it’s the easiest way to explain.)  But I’m not sure if that’s because I’m one of those people who are not cut out to be veg (I’ve read that certain blood types are more suited to being veg than others), or if it was just that I didn’t know much of anything about proper vegetarian nutrition when I was 19.  I was basically a Salad Monster.  (Okay, I’m still a Salad Monster, but at least I know what vitamins I’m supposed to have now.)  And no, it’s not easy to get all the nutrients you need if you subsist on salad, chik’n nuggets, and the occasional bowl of dining hall pasta.  (College!  Woot woot!)  These days, I eat a lot more beans, tofu, and other protein-rich veggie staples, because now I actually know how to cook.  And what a difference that makes…

So why am I considering trying vegetarianism again?  After all, I’m pretty happy with things the way they are.  I like chicken, I like eating turkey on Thanksgiving and Christmas, and I really enjoy a lobster or steamed crabs or sole Meuniere.  I’m not sure I’m ready to commit to being a hardcore veggie, but it’s something on my radar screen and hey, this blog is about the food on my radar screen.  As I have become more aware of food and nutrition, I have some serious concerns about the way our current agriculture system taxes the environment and our health.  I am worried about the legacy that I will leave my (as of yet, non-existent) children.  I am concerned about the tremendous amount of resources it takes to supply this country’s meat demands on a daily basis.  I am really worried about chemicals and horomones and antibiotics getting into my system and the systems of the people I care about (yes, even though I choose organic wherever possible).  I worry about the effect that our country’s insatiable desire for meat has on me and my family.  (I do also care about animal welfare.  But my main motivating factor is health.  If yours is different, that’s cool too.)

So, what about this hash?  This hash perfectly illustrates why I didn’t make it as a vegetarian in college.  It’s made with tempeh, which is basically fermented soy beans.  In college, I had no idea that tempeh even existed.  I didn’t hear about it until just a few years ago, and I never bothered to try it until this year.  What a waste!  Tempeh is quickly becoming a staple in my house – hubs loves it too – and it’s a great way to round out a meatless meal with protein.  If I had known about tempeh, would it have kept me a vegetarian?  I’m not sure.  But it would’ve been a start.  I don’t know where I’m going with all of this, except to say that I’m giving serious thought to the way that I eat and feed the hubs – even more than usual.  And here’s a yummy recipe for you, if you made it this far.

Tempeh Hash

extra-virgin olive oil
kosher salt
1 medium yellow or white onion, cut in small dice
3 medium red potatoes, cut in small dice
3 carrots, cut in small dice
1 package tempeh (any flavor, but I like garden veg), crumbled
soy sauce
sesame oil
pepper

  • Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.  Add onions, season with salt, and saute until onions are translucent and beginning to turn golden.
  • Add potatoes and carrots and saute until softened and beginning to form a golden brown crust, about 15 minutes.
  • Crumble tempeh over mix and saute another 5 minutes, until heated through and crispy.  Season with soy sauce (a few shakes), sesame oil (go easy, this is strong stuff), and pepper to taste.
  • Serve, if desired, with a sunny-side-up egg on top.  YUM!

Source: Adapted from How To Cook Everything Vegetarian

Note: This post is about my personal food journey and choices.  First of all, no, hubby will not be going vegetarian – even if I do – this is something that he does not want to do at this time, and I honor his choices just as he honors mine.  He does eat “flexitarian” with me, mostly because I’m the cook in the house.  But he can and does have meat – including red meat – whenever he wants it.  I’m no militant.  Second, my journey and choices probably differ from yours.  Everyone has their own story and their own reasons for their decisions.  So if you choose to leave a comment about this post, please do be respectful.  I’d love to hear about your personal food story – what you choose to eat and not to eat, and why.  But please don’t knock my choices; remember they are my choices.  Mangia!

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Spinach and Pistachio Pesto

This was one of those dishes that was born on the spur of the moment.  The conversation went something like this:

Messy – Hey, what do you want for dinner?

Hubby – Whatever you want.

Messy – Well, I’m asking you.

Hubby – Pesto!  Pasta with pesto!

Messy – I don’t have pesto.  You need basil and pine nuts, I don’t have basil and pine nuts.  Wait… maybe I have something for it?  I have spinach!  Want spinach pesto?  Spinach and pistachio pesto?

Hubby – Whatever you want.

(Most of our “what’s for dinner”  conversations go something like that.)  So I rummaged around in the fridge and found spinach (which I always have) and pistachios.  I wasn’t feeling dairy so I made it without parmeggiano, but hubby grated some over his pasta.  The spinach was mild, and the pesto had a salty-sweet flavor from the pistachios.  It was a little heartier than regular basil pesto – perfect for my healthy hippie whole wheat pasta.  Amazingly for a dish that was whipped up on the spur of the moment from the random contents of the fridge, this is going to be in the regular rotation.  Don’t you just love it when that happens?

Spinach and Pistachio Pesto

3 cups raw spinach
1/2 cup pistachios, shelled (natch)
1/4 cup (approx.) extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated parmeggiano (optional)

  • Process spinach and pistachios in food processor until coarsely ground and mixed together.  Add extra-virgin olive oil, a little at a time or in a slow stream, until the pesto is smooth but runny.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • If desired, add parmeggiano and pulse very quickly to blend.  (If you’re using parmeggiano, go a little easier on the salt when seasoning.)
  • Serve over pasta, crostini, soups, or whatever else you can think of!

Yield: Serves two as a pasta dish, more for appetizers.

Source: Covered In Flour

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Spring Onion Risotto with Roast Chicken

This dish is perfect for a special spring meal… the risotto is creamy and warm, with a subtle flavor from the shallots and spring onions.  And the “spring chicken” adds the perfect touch to make this a meal instead of just a side.  This made a wonderful Easter dinner in this non-ham-eating household, but would be just as good on any mid-spring night.  If you’re not living in DC, where summer has arrived in all its blazing glory, you might just be able to warm yourself up with this on one of the last cool nights of the season.  Please do, and then tell me how it goes.  I’m dying to live vicariously as I dump cold water over my head.  Farewell, spring!

Spring Onion Risotto with Roast Chicken

1 roasted or rotisserie chicken
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 large shallot, sliced (not minced)
1 cup arborio rice
1 cup dry white wine or dry sherry
3-4 cups chicken broth
4 spring onions (scallions), sliced
kosher salt and black pepper
2 tablespoons creme fraiche or sour cream

  • In a large, heavy pot over medium-high heat, melt the butter and olive oil together.  Add the shallots, season with kosher salt, and cook until just beginning to caramelize.
  • Add the arborio rice and toss to coat with the buttery, shalloty goodness.  Toast rice for approximately 1 minute, then add wine and cook down, stirring frequently, until wine is absorbed.
  • Meanwhile, warm the chicken broth in a small pot.  After wine has been absorbed, add a ladle or two of chicken broth to the rice and allow it to absorb, stirring frequently.  Continue adding broth a ladle or two at a time, stirring often, until you run out of broth and/or the rice is tender and creamy.
  • On the last addition of broth, toss in the scallions and allow them to cook briefly with the rice.  Finish off by stirring in the creme fraiche or sour cream.
  • Arrange a bed of risotto in serving bowls and place chicken over the risotto.  (You can either roast your own chicken while making the risotto – you’ll have to give the chicken a head start – or just use a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store and keep it warm while the risotto cooks.  When you are nearing the end of the risotto cooking process, you can take a break from stirring to carve the chicken.)

Source: Covered In Flour