Four Nights A Week

Adapted from Whole Foods Market. “Creamy Curried Cauliflower Soup“. Downloaded from the web on 10 January 2011.

My comments: I love the combination of cauliflower and curry! Here is an economical soup – economical in cost and in Weight Watcher points (4 per serving!).  We like a good crusty bread to go along with the soup — and while good French-style breads can be found in the Boston area, with a little advance planning (make the dough in the morning before work), I generally turn to a no-knead crusty bread that I originally found in Mark Bitman’s NY Times Column, The Minimalist. Of course, not to be outdone, America’s Test Kitchens tweaked this recipe by adding a bit of beer.  While the original ATK recipe is on their website, I also found it on the blog, Serious Eats. Either of these versions is a delicious accompaniment to soup!

Ingredients:

1/4 cup raw sunflower kernels
3 1/2 c unsweetened almond milk (divided)
5 tsp milk curry powder (or make your own concoction)
1 cup chopped yellow onion
3 cloves garlic, chopped
5 cups (which is about 1 lb.) cauliflower florets

Method

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Toss sunflower kernels with 1 tsp of the almond milk and 1 tsp curry powder. Spread the kernels on a small parchment lined baking sheet and bake, tossing once or twice, until the sunflower kernels are fragrant

and toasted.  This should be about 6-8 mins.  Put these aside.

Heat 1/2 cup almond milk in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until soft – about 10 minutes.

Add remaining 4 teaspoons curry powder, remaining almond milk, and the cauliflower florets. Cover and simmer until the cauliflower is tender – about 40 minutes.

Using a stick blender (or as Emeril calls it, the boat motor), puree until smooth. Serve with the sunflower kernels.

Weight Watcher points = 4.

Adapted from Rees, N.  “Dinner for two”.  Vegetarian times. February 2010: Issue 374, Vol. 36 #3.  p 30.

My comment: This is a nice adaptation of what I’ve eaten in Indian restaurants. The curry can be your own

concoction — the hotter the better as far as I’m concerned. And one other change I’d advise: if you are using frozen vegetables, try something other than the peas-carrots-beans combination.  I kind of missed cauliflower in the melange.

Ingredients

1/2 c basmati rice
2 medium tomatoes cut into chunks
1/2 small onion, cut into chunks
1 1/2 T minced ginger root, peeled (fresh!)
1 T oil (I used olive oil)
1/2 tsp garam masala or use your favorite curry concoction
1/4 tsp plus about another pinch of ground cardamom
2 T golden raisins
12 oz. bag of frozen mixed veggies
1 7-oz. can of drained, rinsed chickpeas
3 T fat-free evap milk (I used rice milk because that’s what we had open)
1 T toasted silvered almonds

1. Start cooking the basmati according to directions (water to rice ratio 2:1). When I cook rice I get the water boiling in a saucepan, throw in the rice, cover and turn the heat down on my GAS range to WARM. Let it cook for 20 mins.  This does 2 things – makes perfect rice AND the rice does not boil over on the range.

2. Puree tomatoes, onion and ginger in the food processor.

3. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add garam masala and cardamom – cook 30 second or until you release the oils (makes the fragrance), stirring constantly so it does not burn. Add tomatoe puree and raisins. Simmer 2 min or until the sauce is slightly thickened.

4. Stir in the frozen veggies, chickpeas and evaporated milk. Season with salt and pepper. Cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Allow to simmer for 6 or 7 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and warmed through.

5. Serve over the basmati and sprinkle with almonds.

Should make 2 servings. Weight Watchers Points: 12 (omit the chickpeas and reduce points to 9)

Adapted from Moosewood Collaborative. Moosewood restaurant cooks at home. (1994). New York: Simon and Schuster. p 172-173.

Water, about 2 quarts, for boiling orzo
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
3 TBSP olive oil
About 2 cups diced carrots
1 red or green pepper
1/2 cup orzo* (original recipe calls for 1 cup, I found 1/2 cup was fine)
1 zucchini
1 tsp dried mint (or 1 TBSP fresh)
1 tsp dried dill (or 1 TBSP fresh)
pinch of dried marjoram
14 oz. can artichoke hearts (drained, then chopped)
15 oz. can cannellini beans 0r choose whatever white bean you have in the pantry
14 1/2 oz. can of stewed tomatoes (Italian style is fine)
salt & pepper as you wish
red wine vinegar

Prep the veggies: dice onions, carrots, garlic, pepper and zucchini. Set aside to use as you need.

Bring water to a boil, add orzo and allow it to return to a boil. Simmer the orzo until it’s cooked al dente (follow the directions on the package, but that’ll be about 10 minutes).

While the orzo is cooking, saute the garlic and onions in about 2 TBSP of the oil (I usually do with with – gasp! – cooking spray to cut down on fats).  Add the carrots and peppers to the onion and stir. The carrots should get softened and cooked. Now add the zucchini.  Season with the mint, dill and marjoram. Add in the artichoke hearts, and stir in the beans and stewed tomatoes. Simmer allowing everything to get good and hot – stir occasionally.

When the orzo has cooked, drain it and stir it into the veggie skillet along with the additional tablespoon of oil. Season with salt and pepper.  Serve with a splash of red wine vinegar.

Weight Watcher Points = 8 (using the original amount of Orzo)

Adapted from Whole Foods Market recipe database. Quinoa with Balsamic Roasted Mushrooms. Downloaded from the web 12/29/2010.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
2 tsp Dijon mustard
1 small pear, peeled and cored (cut into chunks)
1 halved garlic clove
2 pounds of portobello mushrooms. Remove stem and take off the gills.
1 cup red (or white) quinoa
3 cups tightly packed spinach (chopped)
4 scallions, sliced
1/2 cup slivered toasted almonds
1/8 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Method

Preheat the over to 475 F.

Pear-Balsamic Dressing: Use a blender to mix the vinegar, mustard, pear and garlic until smooth — also include 1/3 cup water.

Cut the mushrooms into chunks and combine them in a large mixing bowl with 1/4 cup of the pear balsamic dressing mixture. Spread mushrooms in a single layer on a backing sheet and roast them until they are tender (stir occasionally) for 20-30 minutes. Remove from oven and let them cool.

Prepare the quinoa in a medium pan by bringing 1 3/4 cups water to a boil. Stir in the quinoa, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer this for about 15 minutes. Turn off the heat and set aside – keep covered – for 10 minutes more. Uncover and fluff the grain with a fork.

Use a large serving bowl to combine the roasted mushrooms, spinach, scallions, and quinoa. Add about 1/2 cup more of the Balsamic Pear Dressing and salt/pepper to taste. Mix well.

Makes about 6 servings.

Weight Watcher Points = 7

Adapted from Whole Foods Market. Collards with lentils, tomatoes and Indian spices. Downloaded from the web on December 29, 2010.

Ingredients

1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves of garlic, sliced
2 tsp garam marsala
1 15-oz. can diced tomatoes
1 bunch of collard greens, remove thick stems and slice the leaves into 1 inch strips
1 cup red lentils

Method

Bring about 1/2 cup water to a boil in a skillet. Add the onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes until the onion seems translucent. Most of the water will have evaporated.

Stir in the garam marsala and cook about a minute. Now add the diced tomatoes, undrained, and bring the mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to medium low and add the collard green strips. Cover and cook for 25-30 minutes, until the collards are nice and limp.

While the collard mix cooks, combine the lentils in a saucepan with about 2 cups of water. Bring to a boil and then reduce the heat to simmer. Cook for about 8 minutes until the lentils are tender. Stir the lentils into the collards mix and plate it up.

Weight Watcher Points = 5

BTW, this was just as tasty as leftovers.

Cauliflower Paprikash
Adapted from Moosewood Collaborative. Moosewood restaurant cooks at home. (1994). New York: Simon & Shuster.  p 202.

1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 red or green pepper, finally chopped (about 1 cup)
3 Tbsp vegetable oil
2 Tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup water
10 ounces mushrooms, sliced (about 5 cups)
pinch of salt
1 large head of cauliflower
1 cup sour cream (I use Nonfat plain Greek yogurt)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

Prep all the veggies and cut the cauliflower into florets.

Saute the onions and peppers in the oil for 2 to 3 minutes in a large saucepan. Stir in the paprika, sherry, and water and cook on high heat for a minute. Add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Lower the heat to medium, cover, and cook for about 5 minutes.

Mix in the florets and simmer until the cauliflower is tender but still firm, about 5 to 7 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the nonfat, plain Greek yogurt). Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cover the paprikash and keep it warm until ready to serve. If you are using noodles – like egg noodles (NB: points values calculated without them), cook them up and serve the Paprikash on top. Honestly I just enjoyed eating the veggies without them.

Weight Watcher Points = 4