Good morning, GUSchillblains!!!! Brrrrr, it is danged cold here and winter has yet to begin. It was 42 degrees in my apartment this a.m. (meaning Saturday and probably same on Sunday) and Roger and I didn't want to get out from under the electric blanket. I finally gave in around 1 p.m. and turned one of the radiators on while I made quinoa and stir fry. Dang, that was really yummy. Sunday will/is experimentation with bulgar, mushrooms, kale for soup. I'm sharing the recipe below!!
If I don't answer comments right away it is because Roger and I had breakfast delivered and have the blanket cranked to 11.
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Mushroom Bulgur Soup
Ingredients
½ cup coarse ground, organic bulgur wheat
1 tablespoon canola oil
1 onion, diced (about a cup)
3 carrots, peeled and thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
3 celery stalks, thinly sliced (about ½ cup)
1 pound mushrooms, trimmed and thinly sliced (about 3 cups)
1 cup shredded kale
2 tablespoons soy sauce
3 cups beef broth
2 teaspoons braggs amino acids, optional
Directions
Bring 1 and ¼ cup of water to a boil in a small saucepan;
Add bulgur, stir and cover. Cook for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally; drain excess water.
In a medium stock pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
Add the onions, sprinkle with a pinch of salt and sauté until translucent, about 3 – 5 minutes.
Add carrots and celery and salt. Cook, stirring occasionally for an additional 5 minutes.
Add the mushro
oms, kale, soy sauce, braggs amino acids, and broth and bring to a boil.
Reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer, about 20 minutes.
Add the bulgur and cook for an additional five minutes uncovered.
Notes: I used beef stock because I really wanted that beefy flavor. But you could certainly substitute vegetable or mushroom stock instead.
What you’ll need: A small saucepan and a medium stock pot.
What you want to know: One serving is 158 calories, 4 grams of fat, 7 grams of protein, 29 grams of carbs, 3.5 grams of fiber, and 5 Weight Watchers points.
Mulligatawny
SERVES 4–6
INGREDIENTS
9 tbsp. unsalted butter
1 tsp. Aleppo pepper (optional)
½ tsp. cumin seeds
½ tsp. coriander seeds
½ tsp. black mustard seeds
2 dried chiles de arbol
1 plum tomato, minced
3 tbsp. minced ginger
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 large yellow onion, minced
½ jalapeño, minced
¼ cup flour
1 tbsp. ground coriander
2 tsp. ground cumin
1½ tsp. ground turmeric
9 cups chicken stock or vegetable stock
1¾ cups red lentils
3 tbsp. minced cilantro
1 cup canned coconut milk
¼ fresh lemon juice
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Plain yogurt, to garnish
INSTRUCTIONS
Cook 5 tbsp. butter, Aleppo, cumin, coriander, mustard, chiles, and tomato in an 8" skillet over high heat until fragrant; set sauce aside. Heat remaining butter in a 6-qt. saucepan over medium-high heat. Add ginger, garlic, onion, and jalapeño; cook until browned, 15 minutes. Add flour, coriander, cumin, and turmeric; cook until smooth, 2 minutes. Add stock and lentils; boil. Reduce heat to medium-low; cook, covered, until tender, 45 minutes. Add cilantro; purée. Add coconut milk, juice, salt, and pepper; divide among bowls. Garnish with sauce and yogurt. Serves 4–6.
from Cook's Illustrated
Vegetable Lasagna
Many problems plague vegetable lasagna—soggy vegetables, grainy ricotta, and dull tomato sauce—to name a few. We began by fixing the vegetables. Precooking eggplant, zucchini, summer squash, and spinach not only reduced their juices but also concentrated their flavor. To add richness to the lasagna, we made a no-cook sauce consisting of tangy cottage cheese (not grainy like ricotta), heavy cream, Parmesan, and garlic. And to add brightness, we made a quick, no-cook tomato sauce with crushed tomatoes, basil, and olive oil. These two sauces, along with our improved vegetables, sandwiched between no-boil lasagna noodles and topped with melt-y mozzarella cheese, created an unbeatable lasagna.
SERVES 8 TO 10
We prefer the lasagna made with our favorite wholemilk, block-style mozzarella from Sorrento, but Kraft part-skim preshredded mozzarella is also fine. Our preferred brands of crushed tomato are Tuttorosso and Muir Glen.
INGREDIENTS
No-Cook Tomato Sauce
1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes
No-Cook Cream Sauce
4 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated (2 cups)
1 cup whole milk cottage cheese
1 cup heavy cream
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 teaspoon cornstarch
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
Vegetable Filling
1 1/2 pounds eggplant, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 7 cups)
Kosher salt and ground black pepper
1 pound zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
1 pound yellow squash, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 4 cups)
5 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon extra virgin olive oil
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
12 ounces baby spinach (about 12 cups)
12 no-boil lasagna noodles
1/2 cup minced pitted kalamata olives
12 ounces low-moisture whole-milk mozzarella cheese, shredded (about 3 cups)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil
INSTRUCTIONS
1. FOR THE TOMATO SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.
2. FOR THE CREAM SAUCE: Whisk all ingredients together in bowl; set aside.
3. FOR THE FILLING: Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees. Toss eggplant with 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl. Line surface of large plate with double layer of coffee filters and lightly spray with vegetable oil spray. Spread eggplant in even layer over filters. Wipe out and reserve now-empty bowl. Microwave eggplant, uncovered, until dry to touch and slightly shriveled, about 10 minutes, tossing once halfway through to ensure that eggplant cooks evenly. Let cool slightly. Return eggplant to bowl and toss with zucchini and squash.
4. Combine 1 tablespoon oil, garlic, and thyme in small bowl. Heat 2 tablespoons oil in 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add half eggplant mixture, ¼ teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are lightly browned, about 7 minutes. Push vegetables to sides of skillet; add half of garlic mixture to clearing and cook, mashing with spatula, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir to combine garlic mixture with vegetables and transfer to medium bowl. Repeat with remaining eggplant mixture, 2 tablespoons oil, and remaining garlic mixture.
5. Return skillet to medium-high heat, add remaining teaspoon oil, and heat until shimmering. Add spinach and cook, stirring frequently, until wilted, about 3 minutes. Transfer spinach to paper towel–lined plate and drain 2 minutes. Stir into eggplant mixture.
6. TO ASSEMBLE: Spray 13 by 9-inch baking dish with vegetable oil spray. Spread 1 cup tomato sauce in bottom of baking dish; shingle 4 noodles on top of sauce. Spread half of vegetable mixture over noodles, followed by half of olives, half of cream sauce, and 1 cup of mozzarella. Repeat layering with 4 noodles, 1 cup tomato sauce, remaining vegetables, remaining olives, remaining cream sauce, and 1 cup mozzarella. Place remaining 4 noodles on top layer of cheese. Spread remaining 1 cup tomato sauce over noodles and sprinkle with remaining 1 cup mozzarella. Lightly spray large sheet of aluminum foil with vegetable oil spray and cover lasagna. Bake until -bubbling, about 35 minutes. Cool on wire rack 25 minutes. Cut into pieces, sprinkle with basil, and serve.
STEP-BY-STEP
KEYS TO HEARTY, FULL-FLAVORED VEGETABLE LASAGNA
GO FOR CREAMIER CHEESE
[This recommendation seems anathema to me, but Cook's Illustrated recipes are always perfect, so I'm willing to try it.]
Cottage cheese boasts not only a creamier consistency than drier, more pebbly ricotta but also tangier flavor.
ADD RICH, NO-COOK CREAM SAUCE
Instead of a traditional cooked béchamel, we whisk together a quick version made with heavy cream, Parmesan, the cottage cheese, and garlic, which we add directly to the casserole.
ADD BRIGHT, NO-COOK TOMATO SAUCE Simply stirring together crushed tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil guarantees a sauce with bright flavor—and saves time at the stove, too.
PUT A STOP TO OILY EGGPLANT Salting, then microwaving the cubes of eggplant for 10 minutes eliminates moisture that would flood the lasagna and collapses its air pockets so it soaks up less oil.
“DEHYDRATE” AND BROWN VEGGIES
We toss the microwaved eggplant into a hot skillet with the squashes to rid them of water and develop flavorful browning. (Sautéing the spinach also helps rid it of moisture.)
INFUSE VEGGIES WITH FLAVORFUL OIL
A shot of garlic-thyme oil stirred in with the sautéed eggplant, summer squash, and zucchini near the end of cooking adds depth.
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