BBQ Lunch Box

So- my new phone has a camera and I thought it would be a great way to take a picture of my lunchbox for the blog. As you can see, it was not the best idea ever and the rice looks positively radioactive, which I promise you it was not. So, if you will excuse the picture, let me tell you about my lunch.

First off, I like tofu. I always have and it's nothing that I'm forcing upon myself (or Zach) for the vegan challenge. I don't really understand it when people say they don't like tofu, as I think it's fairly neutral in terms of taste and texture. What I love about tofu is it's ability to soak up flavors in a sauce or a marinade. I would say that about 90% of the time that I eat meat, I'm not actually after the meat itself, but the delicious curry, sauce or marinade that it's in, so tofu is a perfect substitute for me. In preparation for the Vegan MoFo, I got Vegan with a Vengance from the library and marked a ton of recipes that I wanted to try, including BBQ Pomegranate Tofu.

I'd never made BBQ sauce before, so I thought I would try it, along with some coconut rice and roasted broccoli. I made a few changes to the recipe, substituting fresh pomegranate for the pomegranate molasses as my grocery store didn't have it, and leaving out the peanut butter, since Zach can't stand it. I've also decreased the amount of oil and soy sauce that the tofu is baked with, as I thought it could do with less. The BBQ tofu took a bit longer to make than expected (45 minutes total) so by the time dinner was finally ready, I was starving, but it was totally worth it. I can't remember the last time I made a protein plus two sides, so that in itself was novel. The BBQ sauce was great on the tofu, and the roasted broccoli was crisp and delicious, both with and without the sauce. I overcooked the rice a bit, but I'm sure you won't have that problem. Recipes after the jump.

BBQ Pomegranate Tofu
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance
Serves 4

For the tofu
1lb/450g firm tofu, cut into 12 pieces
1 t. olive oil
2 t. tamari

For the BBQ sauce
1 T olive oil
1 C/2 large shallot, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1t five-spice powder
4oz/120g tomato paste
2 C/500ml vegetable broth
2 T pomegranate molasses
1/2 C pomegranate arils
1T Tamari or soy sauce
1/4C/60ml maple syrup
1t hot sauce (or to taste)
1t liquid smoke

-Preheat oven to 350. Put the tofu in baking dish, pour the olive oil and soy sauce over it, and turn to coat. Bake for 15 minutes. Carefully remove the pan from the oven, flip the tofu and bake for another 15 minutes. While the tofu is baking, start the sauce.

- Heat a saucepan over medium. Add the oil and saute the shallots for about 5 minutes or until softened. Add the garlic, 5 spice and tomato paste and sauté 1 minute more. Add the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and let simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

-Put a few ladle fulls of sauce over the tofu and bake for 15 minutes longer.

Coconut Rice
Adapted from Vegan with a Vengeance
Serves however many you'd like it to

Jasmine Rice
Light coconut milk
1 Lime

- Prepare rice according to package directions, substituting coconut milk for about 1/4-1/2 of the water.

- When rice is finished cooking, add the zest of one lime and fluff.

Roasted Broccoli
Serves 4

1.5lb/700g broccoli
olive oil
salt
pepper

- Preheat oven to 350F (you may already have it going for the tofu).

- Cut broccoli into florets, put in on a large baking sheet, drizzle on a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Give it a good mix and stick it in the oven for 20-30 minutes, stirring once. It's done when it's crisp-tender and starting to brown.

Moroccan Couscous Salad

To go with the roast chicken dinner this weekend I decided to keep with the Mediterranean theme and make a couscous salad. The current issue of Cuisine at Home had a recipe for Moroccan Couscous Salad that looked great- it was gorgeous, full of vegetables and the best part- I could make it before anyone arrived and serve it at room temperature. It seemed like a winning combination to me. I made a few modifications to the recipe along the way, to accommodate the Israeli style couscous I had on had (and that I knew one of my friends prefers) and to reduce the fat and up the flavor content a bit.  I used minimal oil to roast the vegetables and toasted the spices to refresh their flavor (mine have been in the cabinet for a while- if you have very fresh spices you may want to use a bit less).  The salad was a hit- the cumin and coriander gave it a deep flavor and a bit of cayenne pepper added some heat. The roasted veggies had a sweet flavor that balanced out the spice. The best part- there was even enough leftover for me to have for lunch the next day.

Moroccan Couscous Salad

Serves 8 as a side, 4-5 as a main course

For the veggies
1 lb. baby carrots, cut into 1 in. chunks (not the bullet shaped ones in the plastic bags but thin, young carrots, if you can find them)
1 large red onion, cut into large cubes
3-4 small yellow squash, cut into 1 in. cubes (about 4 cups) 
olive oil, salt and pepper

For the couscous
8 oz. Israeli style couscous
2 t. olive oil
1.5 t. cumin
1.5 t. coriander
pinch of cayenne pepper, according to taste
juice and zest of one lemon
1/4 c. honey
2  c. vegetable or chicken broth

1/2 c. chopped parseley
2/3 c. raisins

- Preheat oven to 450F. Put a large baking sheet into the cold oven to heat up. Meanwhile, toss the carrots with just enough olive oil to coat them, salt and pepper. When the oven comes to temp, carefully spread the carrots out on the baking dish. Bake for 5 minutes.

- Toss the onion and squash in the same bowl you used for the carrots, adding just enough oil to coat and seasoning with salt and pepper. Add them to the carrots, making one even layer of veggies in the pan. Roast for about 20 more minutes, stirring once or twice, until the carrots are tender and the veggies are starting to brown.

- While the vegetables are roasting, juice the lemon into a large measuring cup (you'll need the zest so you might want to grate it off first), add the honey and then add enough broth to equal two cups.

- Heat a saucepan over medium, add the olive oil and spices. Toast for a minute or two. Add the couscous and stir till the couscous is coated and slightly toasted. Pour in the liquid and bring to a boil; cove and cook for 8 minutes.

- Gently mix the couscous, roasted vegetables, raisins and parsley in your serving bowl. Serve immediately or at room temperature.

Breakfast

Growing up, I always preferred cold cereal to oatmeal. Crunchy cereal swimming in milk seemed more satisfying than a warm bowl of soft and often bland porridge. Lately though, I started thinking that oatmeal deserved another chance because A) it's cheap B) it can help reduce your cholesterol and C) why not?

After a few weeks on the quick cook oats (which were less mushy than the instant kind but still pretty tasteless) I came across a package of steel cut oats at Trader Joe's. The price, $2.69 for 21 servings, was right so I tossed it in the cart. Steel cut oats (often called Scotch or Irish Oats) are the whole oat grain, chopped into pieces instead of being rolled into flat little disks like most quick cooking oatmeal. In addition to a chewy texture, steel cuts oats may take longer for your body to digest since they are in a more natural form leading to less rapid release of sugars aka- you feel fuller longer and your blood sugar doesn't spike.

The only issue with the steel cut oats is the cooking time- 30 minutes, something I think few of us have in the morning. Luckily my friend M--- came up with a way to cheat (although he actually doesn't remember telling me this). You can soak the oats overnight in the cooking water, then pour the whole think into the pot the next morning, cutting the cooking time to about 20 minutes. Also- I've started prepping 2 or 3 breakfasts worth of oats at once and popping the leftovers into the fridge in bowls; then I can just pull one out and nuke it for a minute or two and add a bit of brown sugar or, for a treat, some golden syrup and milk and breakfast is ready.*

Steel Cut Oats
Makes 4 servings, can easily be halved or doubled

1 c. steel cut oats
4 c. water
pinch of salt
milk, brown sugar, cinnamon, golden syrup, ect. for topping

- Before you go to bed, put the oats and water in a bowl and cover with plastic wrap.

- As soon as you wake up, pour the oats and water into a small pot and bring to a boil. Lower heat to a simmer and cook for approx. 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

- The oats are done when they are chewy but not crunchy; start tasting at 20 minutes and stop cooking when they are done to your liking. Stir in the pinch of salt and serve. They'll firm up as they sit.

- Serve with milk and your favorite toppings.

*In the interest of truth I should add that while I prep the oats at night, Zach is pretty much always the one that starts them in the morning since I can never seem to get myself out of bed....

Election Rice

Last Monday I had a work event before class, just a little reception after a lecture. I always try to have some healthier options available and at this one I ordered a vegetable tray... that no one ate. I'm not sure what that says for the general state of health of our attendees, but it did mean that I could bring the leftovers home.

It was also the night before the primary and since I volunteer as an election officer in Arlington County, I needed to make and pack enough food to last me all day. I was thinking about what to make on the ride home after class when one of my friends suggested a fried rice with the leftover veggies. When I got I discovered that Zach had some leftover white rice from Chinese takeout. I don't usually use white rice but at ten o'clock on a night before I had to get up at 4:45, I wasn't in the position to be picky.

I've never made a fried rice before so I consulted quickly with Rachel Ray's 30 Minute Meals: Volume 2 for an idea of how to make it and get the general proportions. I ended up lightly scrambling 2 eggs in a non-stick skillet, then sauteeing onion, peppers, and squash. I tossed about 1 T. of curry powder into the veggie mix, then thought it looked too dry and chipped some frozen lowfat coconut milk out of a plastic bag in the freezer and added that too. There was a bit of broccoli left, which I quickly boiled in salted water. I added the rice and eggs and the final product was really bright- canary yellow rice, bright green broccoli and red peppers and made for a great lunch the next day.

Election Rice
1 small takeout container of white rice (or the equivalent)
2 eggs
1/2 small onion, diced
1 bell pepper, cut into largish chunks
1/2 c. squash or zucchini, diced
1 small head of broccoli, chopped into florets
a few button mushrooms, cut into quarters
1-2 T. curry powder*
1/4 c. lowfat coconut milk
2 t. olive oil

- Boil a few inches of water in a small saucepan. Add a fat pinch of salt and the broccoli. Cook for 2 minutes or so, until the color has set in the broccoli but it's still crisp.

- Beat the eggs and scramble them in a large skillet over a medium flame. They should still be quite runny. Take them off the heat and put them back in the bowl you scrambled them in.

- Wipe out the pan, return to medium high heat and add 1 t. olive oil and the onions. Cook for 2-3 minutes and add the bell peppers and mushrooms. When the mushrooms start to brown add the additional teaspoon of olive oil and add the curry powder and sauté for one minute.

-  Add the coconut milk and broccoli and stir to coat all the vegetable.  Add the rice and mix till well coated and heated then gently stir in the eggs.  Serve hot (also keeps pretty well for lunches)

* I had curry powder on hand but I think that curry paste would work well too, you might just have to adjust the amounts to get the strength of curry flavor you are looking for. 

Quinoa Couscous Salad

Last night I needed to cook dinner but I also needed to get to the gym, desperately. I wanted to make something before I left that we could eat at room temperature when I got back. The protein was taken care of, or rather would be since Zach could put a piece of salmon into the oven while I was gone, so we just needed something to have on the side. I thought couscous, in a salad form, with some peppers that I nabbed from a catered event at work.

Once I got home I realized that the bag of Israeli couscous was nearly empty so I decided to make the salad with couscous and quinoa. Quinoa (keen-wah) is a grain originally from the Andes that has become sort of hip lately. It's very small and round and cooks quickly, plus is one of the most complete vegetarian protein sources out there. It doesn't have much of a taste on its own so its a good substitute for white rice or other starch, especially if you're looking for a bit more fiber and protein... but let me get back to dinner.

I rinsed the quinoa and started it cooking in enough water for it and the couscous (which I added part way through the cooking). While that was going, I sauteed some onion and then added red, yellow and orange bell pepper, which cooked just for a few minutes, so it would retain its color or texture. To dress the salad, I made a lemon vinaigrette. When the grains and pasta finished cooking (I left them a bit on the al dente side since they were going to sit for at least an hour before dinner) I mixed them into the veggies, added the vinaigrette, threw in some raisins for sweetness, then literally ran out the door to get to class at the gym.

When I got home the salmon was just coming out of the oven and the salad had cooled to room temperature. It was bright without being overly acidic and light- it would make a great lunch on top of some mixed greens. You could even add some chopped parsley (which I didn't have on hand) or feta (which I did have but forgot about) for some added color or flavor.

Quinoa Couscous Salad

For the salad:
1 C. quinoa
1 C. Israeli style couscous
1 small onion, diced
2 bell peppers, your choice of colors, cut into short, fat strips
2 t. herbs de provance
2 t. olive oil
2 handfulls of raisins

For the dressing:
Juice of one lemon
1 T. olive oil
1/2 t. mustard
1 t. honey
1 t. herbs de provance
salt and pepper to taste

- Rise the quinoa (if your brand calls for it) and add it to a saucepan along with the recommended ammount of water to cook it and the couscous. (ex. my couscous calls for 2 C. of water per 1 C. quinoa AND the couscous needs 1 C. water for 1 C. couscous, so I added 3 C. water to the pan.

- Bring the pot to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cover. Wait 4 minutes and then add the couscous and replace the lid. Set your kitchen timer to 9 minutes

- Meanwhile heat the olive oil for the salad in a non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until it becomes translucent. Add the bell pepper and herbs and cook for another 2 minutes.

- While the onion and pepper cooks, wisk all the ingredients for the salad together.

- When the timer goes off, add the quinoa/couscous mixture to the veggies and pour the dressing on top and toss in the raisins. Mix well.

- Serve hot or at room temperature as a side or over some mixed greens for a light supper or lunch.