Fresh Mango, Avocado & Tofu Spring Rolls with Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

A fact of life: you’re going to cook what you have around the house. Or at least that’s a fact of my life. I’m not trying to reinvent the wheel every time dinner rolls around. The way I’ve been able to branch out – slowly, but surely – is to start accumulating interesting or exotic ingredients. Rome wasn’t built in a day (I became the proud owner of a bottle of soy sauce only earlier this week) but having things like fish sauce and rice noodles around the house encourages stepping-out-of-the-box.

Rice paper sheets are the best because you can stuff them with essentially anything you want. I haven’t yet attempted a dessert version but it is absolutely doable (I’m thinking pan fried banana and peanut butter spring rolls??) This time I had stocked up on vegetables from my neighborhood cheap Asian grocery store – avocados, mangoes, green onions, tofu, etc. Hence: avocado mango spring rolls.

Fresh Mango, Avocado & Tofu Spring Rolls

4 rice paper sheets
4 leaves Romaine lettuce
1/2 block firm tofu, pressed dry and cubed
1 tablespoon peanut oil
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced
1 clove garlic, minced
1 red Thai chili, chopped
1 red bell pepper, cut into thin strips
1 green onion, sliced
1 avocado, sliced
1 small mango, sliced
bean sprouts/carrots/cucumber

Spicy Peanut Dipping Sauce

1/4 cup peanut butter
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon sriracha
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon lemon/lime juice
1 teaspoon rice vinegar

Heat peanut oil in a pan and add garlic and ginger. After about a minute, stir in tofu and sauté until tofu has lightly browned sides – set aside. Dip rice paper sheets into 1 inch of water and soak for 10 seconds.  Remove, lay on plate or flat surface and blot dry with paper towel. Lay leaf of romaine lettuce on top of rice paper and layer tofu and remaining desired ingredients. Scoot lettuce leaf to edge of rice paper and pick up edge of paper to wrap ingredients with rice paper and lettuce together. At the half way point, fold in sides of paper and continue wrapping until a tight spring roll. Set aside, and repeat.

In a small bowl, whisk together dipping sauce ingredients and serve with spring rolls.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Fresh Mint & Sourdough Croutons

My Sunday cooking extravaganza didn’t stop with strata muffins. I still had a big chunk of the whole wheat sourdough bread left to use, and what is more satisfying than dipping a chunk of crusty bread into soup? If you’ve never roasted your own red peppers, I suggest trying it. 450 for 45 minutes and you’ve got tender, charred veggies that beat the hell out of the soggy jarred version.

I know most of you out there are experiencing the sticky heat of summertime and this soup is a refreshing dinner to serve on the porch with a chilled glass of chardonnay. Or sitting in a sweatshirt at your kitchen table, in my case.

Especially if you’re serving overs…how impressive is chilled soup? Recipe inspired by Palate/Palette/Plate.

Roasted Red Pepper Soup with Mint & Sourdough Croutons

Serves 2
2 red bell peppers, halved
6-8 cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup water
1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
1/4 cup greek yogurt
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon lemon juice
salt and pepper
1 ear sweet corn, kernels sliced off
2 tablespoons mint, chopped

2 slices sourdough bread, cubed into 1” pieces
drizzle olive oil

Preheat oven to 450. Place bell peppers sliced-face down on a tin foil covered baking sheet. Roast for 25 minutes, then flip over and roast for another 15-20 more minutes. Wrap peppers in tin foil and allow to cool before peeling off skin.

At same temperature, spread tomatoes, onion and garlic onto baking sheet and toss in olive oil, salt and pepper. Roast for 10 minutes, or until tomatoes start to release their juices. Set aside to cool.

In a food processor, combine all ingredients except for mint and corn and blend until smooth. Adjust liquid to attain desired consistency. Stir in corn and chill for at least 1 hour or until chilled.

In a pan over medium low heat, heat a drizzle of olive oil and add bread cubes. Toast until golden and crunchy. Top soup with mint and croutons.

Kale, Mushroom & Feta Strata Minis

One of my mental shifts that has come with adulthood is the concept of Sunday.I love Sunday. I might like it even more than Saturday. There’s no pressure to be cool (but the option is there if you feel like it), I can wake up late (7:15!), put my proverbial ducks in a row, and cook all day if I feel like it.

Proper Sunday breakfast: Fried egg on toasted chunk of wheat sourdough, with mango and berries sprinkled with chia seeds.

Though I did do a few other things with my day, I spent most of it in the kitchen. After the errands came lunch of course: nectarine, cucumber, corn, tomatoes, parmesan, mint…what didn’t I put in it? Reason #368 why I love summer.

I have yogurt/cottage cheese with fruit for breakfast everyday. I decided to change things up (I live my life on the edge) and make mini veggie packed egg-stratas that I can grab for breakfast instead. This recipe is loosely based off of this strata recipe and a concept I saw on Pinterest.

From basic strata recipe –> to cute muffin portions.

Boom. Breakfast is served…for the next 6 days.

Kale, Mushroom & Feta Strata Minis

1 tablespoon olive oil
1 shallot, minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup mushrooms, chopped
1/2 bunch kale, chopped
4-5 cherry tomatoes, quartered
4 eggs
1 1/2 cups milk of your choice
4-5 cups rustic bread (I used whole wheat sourdough), cubed
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, thyme
1/2 cup feta cheese
1/4 cup shaved parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375. In a large pan, sauté shallot in olive oil for 1-2 minutes before adding garlic. Stir briefly before adding mushrooms and kale. After 2-3 minutes, add in tomatoes and sauté mixture until vegetables are tender – sprinkle with salt and pepper and set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Stir in bread cubes and vegetable mixture. Let sit for 10-15 minutes to soak.

Spray muffin tin with cooking spray. Scoop mixture into cups and fill completely. Sprinkle parmesan over the tops and bake for 20-25 minutes, until cooked through. Allow to cool completely before covering and putting away. Store in the refrigerator for up to a week.

Crunchy Chicken Salad & Watermelon, Feta & Basil Salad

I woke up Saturday morning to a chilly, foggy city. Alanna and I decided to escape to warmer climates – her parent’s house in Saratoga. We spent the day lounging on her back patio, going for a walk around her neighborhood, driving to the grocery store, sipping wine in the sunshine…ahh suburbia.

The weather called for summer salads. Super easy, and great served chilled.

Crunchy Chicken Salad

2 chicken breasts
2 stalks of celery, chopped
large handful of grapes, halved

¼ cup toasted pecans
¼ cup dried cranberries/dried cherries
1 cup plain Greek yogurt
dash of cayenne

2 teaspoons lemon juice
salt & pepper

Preheat oven to 375. Rub chicken with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake chicken for 15-20 or until cooked through. When chicken has cooled, chop into 1” cubs and place in large bowl. Add remaining ingredients to the bowl and stir to combine. Chill until ready to eat and serve over bed of arugula or in a sandwich.

Watermelon, Feta & Basil Salad

½ watermelon, cubed
handful of basil, chopped
1-2 ounces of feta, crumbled
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon lemon juice

2 tablespoons olive oil

Salt & pepper

Red pepper flakes

Combine watermelon, basil, feta and tomatoes in a large bowl. In a cup, whisk vinegar, lemon juice, oil, and spices together. Drizzle over salad.

Garlicky Kale Tzatziki Sauce with Tortilla Chips

Almost everyone loves tzatziki sauce. So next time you need to bring an appetizer to a party, pass on the ubiquitous hummus and whip up a batch of easy, delicious and SUPER healthy garlic kale tzatziki sauce. I brought this to book club last night with some homemade tortilla chips.

Garlicky Kale Tzatziki Sauce

1 tablespoon olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
½ bunch kale, thinly sliced
1 tub plain Greek yogurt (about 2 cups)

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
½ cucumber, peeled and diced
juice of half a lemon

Salt, pepper and cayenne

Sauté garlic and kale in olive oil until wilted. Remove from pan and let cool. In a medium size bowl, combine yogurt with remaining ingredients and stir to combine. Add in cooled kale and chill until serving.

Tortilla chips

Corn tortillas

Canola oil cooking spray

Salt

Cayenne

Preheat oven to 400. Slice tortillas into strips and arrange on foil covered pan. Spray lightly with cooking spray and dust with salt and cayenne. Bake for 10-12 minutes, until lightly brown. Check frequently as these will burn quickly!

Foggy Day Chili & Two Cookies

Lazy Sundays are best enjoyed when it’s foggy outside. Once I got my grocery shopping out of the way, I felt entitled to lay on the couch all day watching Mystery Diners, briefly migrating to my bed to take an hour and a half nap. Somewhere in there I managed to find time to make a pot of chili. Being too lazy to commit to and follow a recipe, naturally, I relied on my instincts to create this batch. Tasting as you go is all it takes.

Seeing as how I tasted as I went, blindly grabbing spices, chopping up vegetables and pouring in liquids, this is more of a chili ingredient suggestion list than a real recipe. Everyone has taste buds – you can be your own chili connoisseur! Alanna came over to sit at my kitchen table and chat over big bowls of foggy day chili, reminding me not to sweat Monday until it’s Monday…make your Sunday nights count. Cheers!

Foggy Day Chili Suggestion List

2 cloves garlic, minced
1 yellow onion, diced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 bell pepper, diced
1 spinach and fontina chicken sausage, diced
handful broccoli and carrot slaw
1/2 bunch kale, roughly chopped
1 can corn, rinsed
1 can kidney beans, rinsed
1 can cannellini beans, rinsed
1 can diced tomatoes
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 cup white wine
2-3 cups vegetable or chicken broth
1/2 lemon, juiced
garlic powder
chili powder (2+ tablespoons)
cinnamon
cayenne
red pepper flakes
salt and pepper
parmesan cheese
avocado slices
Greek yogurt

In a large pot, sauté garlic, onion and bell pepper for a few minutes to soften. Add in remaining ingredients in sequence, stirring as you go and allowing to cook down briefly before adding next ingredient. Finally – taste, taste, taste. Add ingredients to adjust flavor as desired. Simmer away for 15-20 minutes. Top with avocado, cheese, Greek yogurt, tortilla chips, cilantro etc.

I saw this recipe on a blog earlier today and was too curious not to try it: Single Serving Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe. Just right.

Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Chicken Sausage

Sometimes you just need to eat vegetables. And only vegetables. I’ve been trying to work within my constraints of cheap, healthy and relatively quick. I gave the cauliflower pizza phenomenon a try:

As well as Greek vegetable tacos comprised of sautéed broccoli slaw in balsamic topped with mint garlic yogurt sauce and avocado:

When cooking for others, it’s harder to get away with throwing a lot of vegetables on a plate and calling it dinner. Last night I made a couple girls a pumpkin blue cheese pasta dish for our catch-up dinner. It that was inspired by the type of recipe I used to cook with my old (soon to be new again) roommate who loves pumpkin as much as I do.

Pumpkin and Blue Cheese Pasta with Asparagus and Chicken Sausage

1 pound whole wheat penne (or other small pasta)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 cloves garlic, minced and divided
1 bunch asparagus, chopped into 2” sections
2 chicken sausages, sliced (I used TJ’s spinach and fontina version)
½ can pumpkin puree
½ cup white wine
½ cup chicken stock
scoop Greek yogurt
1/3 cup crumbled blue cheese (more or less to taste)
salt, pepper and red pepper flakes
parmesan cheese and/or parsley to finish

Boil penne per instructions until al dente. Sautee asparagus, 1 clove of garlic and chicken sausage in 1 tablespoon of olive oil until cooked through and set aside. In the same pan, heat remaining tablespoon of oil and stir in garlic. Add pumpkin, white wine and chicken stock and cook down for about 5 minutes. Stir in yogurt and blue cheese for another few minutes. Finish with spices and add sausage and asparagus, before adding in pasta. Top with parmesan.