One or two more dish

On monday morning I recived to calls about a job and made two appointement before christmas. One appointement was today and the talk was very good and the job would be great. At a big company, but in a small part of the company - at the health care station, where people can come in, when they got a problem. I'm really looking forward to get the job. AND tomorrow there will be one more appointement about a job at a doctors office. It would be different than the job today but the same I used to work. Let's see if will get one of the job.

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I was rushing while making dinner and I forgot to write down all the measurements for the recipes. To me the hardest part about updating a blog is documenting all the recipes. I'm so used to adding ingredients to taste (a dash here, a teaspoon there) that I lose track of what I've added. Anyway, everything was delicious.

Veggie Calzone with Roasted Garlic Cream

 

 

If you like garlic then this calzone is for you! This recipe contains two whole bulbs of garlic! And if you're tired of using a standard red sauce for calzone's or pizza, then I really think that you'll love my Roasted Garlic Cream.

 

Roasted Garlic Cream Sauce:

 

1 cup raw cashews, soaked for at least four hours or overnight

1 1/2 cups filtered water

1 bulb garlic

1/2 yellow onion, sliced

4 cloves garlic minced

1 tbsp minced fresh thyme leaves

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

 

Method:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Slice top off garlic bulb, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper and wrap in aluminum foil.
• Roast in the oven for about 40-50 minutes until tender. Set aside to let cool.
• Drain soaking water from cashews and place cashews in a blender. Add filtered water and blend for about 3-4 minutes on high until smooth.
• Heat a sauce pan on medium heat and saute onions, garlic and thyme until onions are soft.
• Add cashew cream, salt and pepper to taste and cook on low for about 15 minutes until sauce becomes thick, stirring frequently to prevent burning. Set aside.

Tomato Concasse:

8 large Roma tomatoes, peeled, seeds removed and diced

2 tbsp finely minced garlic

2 tbsp minced fresh basil

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and black pepper to taste

 

Note: You can use diced canned tomatoes, but since tomatoes are in season, it really makes a difference using fresh.

 

Method:

• Fill a sauce pan with water and bring it to a boil. Slice an X on the top of each tomato and immerse in the boiling water until skins start to peel, about 30 seconds. Remove tomatoes and place in ice water to cool, or rinse under cool water. Peel tomatoes, slice in quarters, remove seeds and then dice.
• Add olive oil to a sauce pan, add diced tomatoes, garlic, basil, salt and pepper to taste and cook until liquid is absorbed and tomato sauce is thick. Set aside.

Calzone Ingredients/Assembly:

 

1 lb whole wheat/grain pizza dough (I used Trader Joe's), divided into 4 portions

1 head broccoli, sectioned into florets and steamed until crisp-tender

12 oz baby spinach leaves

4 cloves minced garlic

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more to brush top of calzone

1/2 package Daiya Mozzarella Cheese Shreds

Kosher salt and black pepper

Cornmeal for dusting pizza peel

 

Method:

• Preheat oven to 500 degrees and preheat pizza stone for about one hour before using.
• Let pizza dough come to room temperature for 30 minutes and then divide into 4 equal portions, roll into balls on a floured surface and cover and let sit for another 30 minutes for gluten to relax before rolling out.
• Place broccoli florets in a steamer and steam for about 1-2 minutes until crisp-tender. Cool and then chop into 1/2" pieces. Set aside.
• Heat a large saute pan on medium-low, add olive oil, garlic, spinach, salt and pepper to taste and cook until wilted. Place spinach in a strainer and press with the back of a spoon to remove most liquid, set aside.
• Roll out pizza dough to about an 8" circle, or to desired thickness and then transfer dough to pizza peel dusted with cornmeal to prevent sticking.
• Place about 2-3 tbsp roasted garlic cream sauce on the bottom half of the circle. Top with chopped broccoli, sauteed spinach, 2-3 tbsp tomato concasse and 1/4 cup Daiya cheese. Fold over top and seal edges tightly. Brush with a little olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt and black pepper.
• Bake for about 7-10 minutes (depending on your oven) until puffy, bubbly and golden brown.

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Tahini Noodles

Tahini used to be one of those misfit ingredients to me. I buy it to make fresh hummus – something that is exponentially superior to the supermarket selection. But afterwards, I used to be left an almost two-thirds full jar which would stare at me from the back of the refrigerator as if challenging me to figure out a use for it. One day, I took up the challenge and in my research, came upon a brilliant solution: tahini noodles! Though it sounds simple on the surface, the bitter flavor and thick, paste-like texture of tahini can complicate matters. Using this recipe from Vegan Yum Yum (which in turn is inspired by one from Coconut and Lime), I made my own version of this recipe.

 

Ingredients:

½ lb (1 box) whole wheat spaghetti

1 head broccoli

1-2 carrots

½ of a cucumber

5 scallions

8-10 mint large mint leaves (plus extra for garnish)

Black pepper to taste

 

For the Sauce:

½ cup tahini

3 tbsp tamari or low-sodium soy sauce

2 tbsp rice vinegar

2 tsp Dijon mustard

2 tsp Chili Garlic sauce

1 inch knob of ginger, grated

1 orange, juiced

1 tsp honey

1 tsp sesame oil

 

I recommend using whole wheat noodles for this recipe because the nuttiness complements the nuttiness of tahini very well. The noodles should be cooked to al dente. While you wait for the water to boil, prepare the other ingredients. Cut the broccoli into small florets and blanche. Shred the carrots, thinly slice the cucumbers, slice the scallions, and julienne the mint. When the water is ready, toss the pasta in and prepare the sauce. All you need to do is whisk the ingredients for the sauce all together. When the pasta is done, drain and combine with the broccoli, carrots, scallion and mint. Pour half of the tahini sauce over and mix very well. Add more sauce to taste and serve the rest on the side. Add black pepper to taste and garnish with the cucumber slices and mint.

While you might notice many similarities to the Vegan Yum Yum recipe, there are a few deliberate distinctions that take the flavor to a new level – and most of them are in the sauce:

• I’ve omitted the cauliflower since I find it to be a too mealy with such a thick sauce.
• I’ve added fresh orange juice to the sauce. This might be the most important addition to the recipe. In addition to brightening all the flavors, the acid cuts through the heaviness of the tahini and the sweetness counterbalances the bitterness of the tahini and the saltiness of the tamari.
• I’ve added ginger to my recipe, which adds a third level of spiciness on top of the chili sauce and the black pepper. I like my food spicy.
• I recommend using Chili Garlic sauce since it adds the garlic element automatically. You can always use chili oil and add a little bit of garlic paste in. I just like the addition of a little garlic to the sauce because, well, who doesn’t like garlic?

This recipe will take tahini from that dreaded item on your grocery list to being one of your favorite secret ingredients that keep your friends guessing and begging for more!



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