Tag Archives: basil

May 8, 2013 · 9:06 am

recipe hall of fame

recipe.hall

When you live with your boyfriend, cooking dinner is a normal part of everyday routine. Obviously you both need to eat, and obviously you’re going to eat together if you both happen to be home from work at a common hour. Sure, there are days when you are both exhausted and run down and the best idea ever includes a takeout menu, the couch, and something dramatic via netflix. Naturally. But cooking together, creating meals from scratch, working alongside one another is one of the best things you can do as a couple. If I were a relationship therapist, that’s the piece of advice I’d give most frequently: cook together.

Color me corny, but I genuinely look forward to cooking dinner with my boyfriend every night. Coming up with new recipes, trying fancy ingredients, or even just adding a bottle of wine into the mix can make a random Tuesday night feel like a date night. And after all, one of the reasons I started this blog to begin with was to share the recipes we came up with to fit both of our tastes, vegetarian and non-vegetarian alike.

Almost four years of co-habitation later though, and we definitely have our favorites. There are meals we’ll make at least once a week, if not more. But we’ve made a lot of dinners. Almost four years of living together equals 1,460 days, and if we stay in and cook approximately 85% of the time, that’s 1,241 dinners. And who says that art girls are bad at math?

So as a tribute to those one thousand plus meals, I decided to compile a list of my favorites. And a link to the recipes. Obvi.

Taco Salad:

recipe.taco.salad

Falafel:

recipe.falafel

Pasta w/ Chicken or Tofu in a Pumpkin Cream Sauce:

 

 

pumpkin_pasta

Pizza, Two-Ways:

pizza

Salad w/ Tofu, Egg, and Avocado:

bigsalad

Veggie or Sausage Fritatta w/ Herbed Potatoes:

veggie

Reader Question: What meal(s) do you find yourself cooking frequently?

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July 23, 2011 · 10:05 am

The Meat Aroma

Here’s a deep dark secret: I like the way meat smells when it is cooking. Especially when it is on the grill. And I’m willing to bet that I am not the only vegetarian who feels this way. There’s something about it that triggers the idea of summertime, and I immediately think of being a little kid at my grandparents’ summer home. Certain scents can take you back to the most specific of places.

However, as much as I may enjoy that smell, it’s not quite enough to make me dig into a hamburger, steak, or sausage. Luckily, the faux-meat world provides an array of products that promise to deliver a meat-esque smoky taste. I’m sure Boyfriend would argue that it’s just not the same, but if it’s nostalgia I’m after, then it certainly will do the trick. When it comes to veggie burgers, I prefer to make my own (here’s our recipe). There’s something more satisfying about a fat black bean burger than a thin sad Boca burger. However, there are some awesome products out there for faux-sausage. Sausage, in my veggie opinion, is a little sketchy to begin with, so there’s nothing wrong with taking random meatless ingredients and creating something akin to sausage that is pig-free. Add pasta, herbs, veggies, and fresh mozzarella and you end up with one awesome meal. Nostalgia included.

Spicy Penne With Sausage (Faux-Optional) & Fresh Mozzarella (serves 2) 

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July 2, 2011 · 10:40 pm

A Salmon Recipe

Considering the fact that it is summertime (not to mention the fact that we live in New England), here’s a recipe for a seafood dish. Truthfully, this could be cooked at any point during the year, but even a vegetarian could tell you that a trip to Boston in the summer would undoubtedly result in smells of fresh seafood from the harbor-side restaurants. This one goes out to all the “pescatarians” out there- we know you exist!

(And don’t worry- you can do this with tofu. We’ll tell you how.)

Seared Salmon or Tofu with Balsamic & Lemon (serves 2)

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June 29, 2011 · 9:13 pm

Tomato/Basil/Mozzarella

It is definitely arguable that the combination of tomato, basil, and mozzarella is one of the best trios that exist in the kitchen. And it’s fairly obvious that we enjoy cooking with these three ingredients, as many of our dishes feature them. This is another pizza recipe, and it stands alone as an entirely vegetarian dish, although you could certainly add sausage to one half. The thing that sets this recipe apart from other pizza recipes we’ve featured is its crust.

While there’s certainly nothing wrong with good, old-fashioned pizza crust, we enjoy experimenting with various forms. This time, we used lavash bread. For the uninitiated, lavash bread is a Middle-Eastern flatbread. Its texture is similar to a flour tortilla, but it’s slightly thicker and much larger. Lavash bread can be found in most grocery stores; check Whole Foods or Trader Joe’s for a guaranteed find.

This pizza does not require a sauce, as it is covered in cherry tomatoes that have been quartered and drizzled with olive oil. The combination of the fresh cherry tomatoes and the fresh mozzarella creates plenty of moisture on the lavash bread crust; a full tomato sauce would most likely weigh this dish down.

Paired with a simple spinach salad and a glass of white wine, it is another perfect dinner for a summertime evening!

Lavash Bread Pizza (serves 2- you may have leftovers!)

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December 8, 2010 · 1:21 am

caprese, the sequel

Sometimes, mainly because I am not Julie Powell and not trying to cook a different dish every night, the boyfriend and I repeat our recipes. Hopefully that’s not too much of a shock. The other night, we revisited our caprese recipe, this time adding a balsamic glaze to the baguette before broiling. The result? Delicious, cheesy, and fresh.

photo © connorgleasonphotography

Recipe can be found here.

More delicious updates coming soon!

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November 30, 2010 · 8:22 pm

dinner in new england

It’s almost impossible to live in the Boston area and not be accosted by images of lobsters, regardless of the season. (But you have to say “lobstah” when in “Bahhstahhn”.) Even just a stroll past a tourist shop in downtown Boston would invoke images of fluffy red lobster toys and shot glasses with lobster claws reaching out at potential buyers. There are those who enjoy the process of eating a lobster, and those who would rather have the work done for them by eating a pasta dish with lobster in it. Then, of course, there are those that don’t enjoy eating lobster at all. Regardless of your lobster tolerance, this is a delicious pasta dinner that would probably appeal to almost anyone.

This recipe is inspired by one of Gordon Ramsay’s dishes. Ramsay, naturally, calls for the whole lobster production with boiling, cracking shells, etc.  He even includes a note in his cookbook that warns readers not to mess with frozen meat. Anyone who has ever watched at least five minutes of any of Ramsay’s tv shows knows that he doesn’t exactly approve of frozen products, which is putting it lightly. Our version is a little rebellious, but just as delicious. Ultimately, the result was a fabulous dinner that didn’t even have any leftovers. I think that’s success, in home-kitchen standards! (Recipe follows.)

photo © connorgleasonphotography

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November 18, 2010 · 11:13 pm

chicken/pasta in a garden: ode to summer nostalgia

To contradict the wintery entry from yesterday, here’s a throwback to the days that contained endless stretches of sunlight and outdoor dinners. Let’s be honest; there’s really no “wrong” time to cook a light pasta dinner flavored with lemon, garlic, and fresh basil. You can replace some of the vegetables with others, depending on the season. This recipe is flexible and adaptable – like a chameleon, fitting in nicely amongst any season.

The other nice thing about this recipe is that is infused with white wine. Oddly enough, one of my favorite parts of cooking a dish like this is the “deglazing” part — when I get to pour the wine into the scalding hot skillet. There’s something strangely pleasant about that loud sizzling sound – something that makes me feel like a “real” cook.

Pasta is invariably easy to customize, as long as you don’t mind the extra pan to wash. This particular dish works well as both a chicken-centered dinner or a vegetarian one, in the style of pasta primavera. And since late November has snuck up on us so stealthily, it might be nice to give your senses a reminder of those July evenings not so long ago. (Recipe follows.)

photos © connorgleasonphotography

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September 24, 2010 · 11:12 pm

easy-peasy caprese

A sandwich dinner is one of the easiest meals to adapt for a vegetarian/omni couple. Since you’re already making two things, it’s super simple to customize. While sandwiches are usually typecast as the star of lunchtime, sometimes you just get the craving for one at dinner. I want to say that culinary inspiration struck me amid the coulior de fromage at the grocery store, but it wasn’t so much “inspiration” as it was a mere hankering for fresh mozzarella and balsamic. I’d say it’s the Italian roots, but I have none and neither does the bf. Regardless, a few tomatoes and basil leaves later, we were well on our way to cooking a stellar pair of caprese’wiches. Mine featured a panfried balsamic glazed tofu, while boyfriend’s sandwich’s foundation was made out of chicken. Who knew that bean curd and the once-feathered bird could get on so well? (Recipe follows)

photos © connorgleasonphotography

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August 10, 2010 · 3:50 pm

frittata festivities

all photographs © connorgleasonphotography

As a couple with busy work schedules, breakfast usually consists of yogurt, quickly grabbed from the fridge, or a packet of oatmeal nuked in the microwave and adorned with a sprinkle of nutmeg. On the weekends, we get the chance to cook more complicated breakfasts, but sometimes the breakfast-food craving kicks in around dinnertime. It’s easy to agree on pancakes or french toast (and the boyfriend is even quite fond of vegan pancakes at a certain Allston restaurant, which we frequented often during my vegan days). However, now that I am eating eggs and dairy again, things get a little trickier, considering that most omnis enjoy some form of meat in their eggs. Instead of making two sets of omelets, or two sets of scrambled eggs (how exhausting!) we’ve devised a clever way of crafting an egg-cellent dish (oh, I had to say it) that satisfies the boyf’s meat-fix as well as my vegetarian tastes. As an added bonus, this is a protein-packed meal with fresh and vibrant ingredients – regardless of the time of day!

A frittata is similar to an omelet or a quiche, and can be as simple or as complex as you want it. Instead of stirred, the eggs are beaten, which creates a fluffy cloud-like texture. Frittatas are often baked, or cooked on a stove top and then broiled. We prefer the latter method, because the broiler gives it an extra kick and allows the cheese to melt perfectly.

Recipe follows…

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July 22, 2010 · 12:49 pm

if giada were vegetarian…

Every amateur chef has some food personality that he/she adores. Inspiration is the fuel for every art, and cooking is part art, part science. For me, it’s Giada De Laurentis. I like that she uses pure, fresh ingredients, and she doesn’t mess around with fat free or other fake products. She’s culinarily European in the sense that she cooks with the ‘real deal’ but utilizes precise portion control when plating her food. What is the saying? French women don’t get fat? I know that’s not entirely true, but if you compare a croissant found in a cafe in Paris to one found in, say, Au bon Pain on 5th avenue in Manhattan, you might understand why people think that.

Anyway, that’s not the only reason I like Giada. I also like her because she cooks things that I always, always want to eat. Even if I would never touch beef, when she cooks it, I think, Hey! That looks pretty good. Perhaps this comes down to style, or the way she presents her dishes. Or maybe it’s because her dishes are simple and complex at the same time – they usually are centered around one or two main flavors, and everything else falls into place. Either way, I usually want to experiment in the kitchen immediately after a good 30 minutes of Everyday Italian.

Recently, I tried Giada’s lemon spaghetti recipe. I paired it with my own creation, a crispy herb and lemon tofu. Now, it’s taken me quite a long time to figure out how to turn tofu into something awesome. I have had my share of tofu disasters, from burnt bean curd to soggy pad thai. But this one…this one kicked some serious culinary butt.

Crispy Herb & Lemon Tofu

You will need…

  • 1 block of extra firm tofu, drained and pressed*
  • 2 1/2 tbsp flour
  • 2 eggs
  • juice of 1/2 lemon
  • 1/2 c breadcrumbs
  • 2 tbsp dried basil
  • 1 tsp thyme
  • 1 tbsp oregano
  • salt, pepper
  • olive oil
  • lemon slices

Method…

1. Slice the block of tofu in half, lengthwise. If there is any moisture left, pat dry with a paper towel.

2. Arrange stations on your counter – flour in one plate, and beaten eggs in a large bowl. Stir in the lemon juice to the eggs. On another plate, mix breadcrumbs with spices. Coat each block of tofu with flour, then dredge in egg/lemon. Finally, dredge the egg-covered tofu in the breadcrumb/spice mixture. Each block should be coated thoroughly.

3. In a large non-stick skillet, heat about 1/2 inch of olive oil over high heat. Pan fry tofu blocks, about 3-4 minutes on each side, or until crispy and golden brown. While they are pan-frying, preheat your oven to 400 degrees F.

4. Once the tofu blocks are browned, remove them from the pan and place them on a baking sheet. Top with lemon slices. Place them in the preheated oven for 10 minutes. In the last 2 minutes of cooking, turn the broiler on to medium heat. Check them often so they don’t burn. Enjoy! Serve over lemon basil pasta.

* To press tofu, I usually place it between two plates, and then put something heavy atop the higher plate to weigh it down. I let the tofu hang out there for a good 30 minutes before cooking…it really gets rid of a lot of the moisture. Another trick is to freeze the tofu the day before — this gives it a more ‘meatier’ texture when it is cooked.

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