Spicy Green Beans and Tofu

This is another recipe that has been waiting for my laziness to dissipate, but I thought this one was particularly delicious. I really like green beans when they are only just cooked, but still have a little of that crisp snap.

Chilled borscht with beet biscuits

 After almost two months hiatus (i.e. incredible laziness) I am offering you a recipe for possibly the most beautiful and striking dinner you will ever come across. Chilled borscht with beet biscuits create a delicious and vibrant pink meal.

Smokey Tempeh Salad with Soy-Ginger Dressing

My older brother is visiting me this weekend. I'm downstairs at a coffeeshop waiting for him to wake up. We're two years apart and I spent most of my childhood alternatively worshiping and hating him (like a lot of little sisters, I think). He considers it his job as my older brother to make fun of me for pretty much anything and everything but he particularly likes to tease me about how much of a  stereotypical Seattleite I have become. So in case he needs some more ammunition here is a tempeh salad with local organic vegetables from my CSA. But I don't feel bad because it was delicious!

Honey Lavender Madeleines

These madeleines were delightful. Lavender and honey give them a delicate and distinct flavor. A perfect summer afternoon treat!

Beef with Snow Peas

This was a super delicious meal that took 15 minutes to make. I have gotten snow peas the last three weeks in my CSA box and was a bit at a loss as to what to do with them, but now that I know about this recipe, I am hoping to get them again.

Sesame Tempeh Salad

If you are going to get a CSA box and you happen to live in western Washington, be prepared for a lot of greens. Especially when it is a particularly wet and cold spring. I realize everyone else in the country is hot but we just had about our fifth day where the weather got above 80 this year so yeah, we're feeling a little grumpy about it. Actually, I think people in Seattle have very short attention spans, so if it is a gray week we think it has been a horrible summer and if we have a couple of sunny days in a row, we forget what rain looks like and become unable to drive it in when it comes back.

Strawberries and Yogurt

This isn't really a recipe, more like a serving suggestion but it was so delicious that I had to share it. I didn't actually measure very carefully when I was making it, so these are approximates. Play with the proportions until it tastes good to you. I was lucky in that I had fresh, sweet, melt-in-your-mouth strawberries from my CSA which makes this even more amazing. I think substituting vanilla ice cream for the yogurt or using these strawberries to fill some strawberry shortcakes would also be amazing.

Beet Risotto with Greens

I am doing a CSA (community supported agriculture) share again this year. The idea behind a CSA is you buy a share in a farm (for the season) upfront, which gives farmers money they need and reduces their overhead. Then each week, you get a share in what the farm produces. The weekly box is so abundant I often have trouble getting through it all and it is definitely worth it. Plus you get to try a lot of different vegetables.

Rice and Egg Casserole

I like cereal as much as the next person but it can get a little old after a while.  It is easy to get into a bit of a rut with breakfast but this recipe will give shake things up.

Winter Squash Risotto

Risotto is a perfect combination of creamy and gooey and chewy and warm which makes it one of my favorite comfort foods.  It also scores major points in my book for it's versatility (it can be made with any number of vegetables and turn out delicious) and how pretty it looks.  Plus it reheats well, so I can make a bunch and have leftovers.  When I was a kid, I hated leftovers but then I started being responsible for feeding myself and I totally reversed my position on leftovers.

Kale and Leek Quiche

Quiche is something that seems way fancier than the effort involved in preparing it.  I did cheat with this one and get a prepared pie crust, but even with making homemade pie crust, quiche provides a lot of gratification for a little effort. 

Vegetable Soup and Sourdough Biscuits

Have I mentioned to you how many vegetables I get in my CSA.  It is ridiculous.  It sometimes gets to the point where I'm totally stressed about having too many vegetables and never being able to finish them.  My CSA ends in two weeks and I'm sure after that I will be totally bummed about the lack of fresh vegetables.

Roasted Tomatillo Salsa

As you can probably guess by the trend in my posts this summer, I got a ton of tomatillos in my CSA.  I had previously been aware of tomatillos in an abstract sense.  I knew they were different things than tomatoes and made delicious salsa, but I had never encountered them up close before.

Orange-glazed tofu and cous-cous salad

I often plan my meals to use the fewest pans as possible.  While this tabbouleh-inspired cous-cous salad takes a little prep work, it is nice to be able to throw it all into one dish.  The orange-glazed tofu is really delicious, with ginger and garlic and orange creating a really flavorful sauce.  A great thing about this sort of salad is you can throw in whatever vegetables are fresh and it makes a hearty side dish.

Broccoli Salad

First off, it has been forever since I've posted. I've really no excuse; I have several things I've cooked and just haven't gotten around to posting yet. I started an awesome new job two weeks ago, so that has been taking up some time. I'm starting to get adjusted now, so hopefully I'll be less of a slacker when it comes to posting. This is a quick post; I promise more are coming.

Rice Salad

 Here is another recipe using vegetables from my CSA, specifically an attempt to use up all the lettuce I've been getting.  It was delicious.  Along with the lettuce there was fresh basil and the baby tomatoes were perfect.

Glazed Tofu and Bok Choy

Look, posts two days in a row.  Actually I have a lot of recipes to post, but have gotten a little bit behind.  The last two weeks have been a little crazy here as I am switching jobs.  It is very exciting and also sad and nerve-wracking.  Anyway, I haven't had as much time for cooking and posting as I would like, but I have a little bit of time off between jobs, so I'm hoping for lots more posts to be going up soon.

Tofu and Avocado Salad

I have so much lettuce I do not know what to do.  I have been getting lettuce every week in my CSA share.  Really interesting lettuce too, but I am not usually a salad person so I have trouble eating it.  However, I have made a concerted effort and was inspired by many of Heidi's recipes over on 101 Cookbooks.  All of her recipes are delicious and easy.  This one was original a sandwich with marinated tempeh but it is also delicious as a salad.  It is really simple but immensely flavorful.  The tofu marinade/glaze has an interesting combination of flavors, balsamic vinegar, soy sauce, and adobo sauce (from chipotle chilies).  I have no trouble eating lots of lettuce with this salad.

Tempeh Sukiyaki

One of my favorite cookbooks growing up was Betty Crocker's International Cookbook.  I absolutely loved it.  I liked to plan themed meals out of it where every dish was from the same country.  It had lots of pictures and little blurbs about each dish.  When I moved away from home I made my mom copy a bunch of my favorite recipes and Sukiyaki was one of them.

Sweet Chili-Lime Tofu with Arugula and Quinoa

And now, for something completely different.

I know, I know.  There isn't anything in this dish that is baked, and this is the bionic baker, after all.  Don't worry, I haven't entirely jumped the shark here.  I'll still be posting lots of baked goods (I have a delicious nectarine tart for tomorrow).   However I am going to start including some food that is not necessarily baked.