A post only about my husband!!!

Well, this is the first time I am actually writing about my husband. I want to dedicate this post to his incredible creativity in the kitchen. Not to brag but he is not just a great cook but his plates look like art work...much much better than mine. His creativity goes beyond the plate decoration...I usually need a recipe to follow when I cook, he can make a meal using anything we have in the fridge or the pantry. I am so grateful for him, for thinking so out of the box....totally the opposite of me, this way we complement each other. So, here are some of the delicious and beautiful plates he has cooked for us. Oh, and I usually take pictures of his plates. He likes when I praise him, and keep record of his talent. hihihihi


Rice, lamb, and bean sauce

Lamb, sauteed vegetables, and tzatziki 

This was from the time we were single, and I honestly can't exactly remember what it was, but it looks like meatloaf with sauteed vegetables, and soup. :-)

Fried rice, pouched egg, vegetables, and chicken. His plate has hot sauce on top

Again I can't remember this one either, but I think it is bread ball filled with vegetables, lamb, and salad with homemade croutons. 

Shrimp in a stick, sauteed vegetables and lamb

That is all I have in my camera. Next time you see him, please tell him how good he is, it will make him so happy!! Haha

Well, thank you for stopping by and hang in there because the weekend is here.

Warmly,

Juliana

Vegetarian for a week (part 2)

Last week, I posted two tofu recipes. This week, I have experimented cooking meatless on of my favorite dishes of all. LASAGNA!!! I love lasagna! I love any pasta, but lasagna has everything in it, cheese, sauce, ground beef, and more cheese. This time though I tried to make it a little bit healthier.

The first lasagna was a Vegetable Lasagna.

Vegetable Lasagna

Ingredients

• 10 ounces, weight Lasagna Noodles
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 whole Medium Onion
• 4 cloves Garlic
• 1 whole Red Bell Pepper, Diced
• 24 ounces, weight White Mushrooms, Chopped
• 4 whole Squash (yellow Or Zucchini), Diced
• 1 can (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
• 1/2 cup White Wine
• 1/4 cup Fresh Parsley, Chopped (more To Taste)
• 1/2 teaspoon Kosher Salt (more To Taste)
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
•  1/2 Teaspoon Red Pepper Flakes
• 30 ounces, weight Ricotta Cheese
• 2 whole Eggs
• 1/2 cup Grated Parmesan
• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher Salt
•  Freshly Ground Black Pepper
• 1 pound Thinly Sliced Mozzarella Cheese
•  Extra Parmesan Cheese, For Sprinkling

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cook noodles according to package directions. Drain and lay flat on a sheet of aluminum foil.

Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and garlic and cook for a minute. Add diced red peppers and saute for another minute or so. Add squash and mushrooms and cook for a few minutes. Pour in wine, add salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes, and stir.

Pour in tomatoes. Use hands to squeeze/crush them. Stir to combine and let simmer for 20 minutes or so. Stir in chopped parsley.

In a separate bowl, combine ricotta, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.

To assemble, spread a little of the vegetable/tomato sauce in a lasagna pan. Layer four cooked noodles in the pan, slightly overlapping them if necessary. Spread 1/3 of the ricotta mixture on the noodles. Top the ricotta mixture with mozzarella slices. Spoon a little less than 1/3 of the veggie/sauce mixture over the mozzarella.

Repeat the layering two more times, ending with a large helping of vegetable sauce and a sprinkling of Parmesan.

Bake at 350 degrees, covered in foil, for 20 minutes, then remove foil and continue baking for 5 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven and allow to stand for 10 minutes before cutting into squares and serving.

The second recipe, omits pasta. It was a different kind of lasagna. I mean a lasagna without pasta, it's not really a lasagna. I guess for this reason my husband was a little bit surprised to see what was inside the lasagna, and honestly, he didn't end up liking it. However, I loved it and I think all lovers of sweet potato and quinoa will love it as well, because this is a Sweet Potato Quinoa Lasagna.

Sweet Potato Quinoa Lasagna

Click here for the recipe.

I hope you all like these recipes. And if you ever try any of them, please let me know if you like them or not.

I love your comments so keep them coming!

Warmly,

Juliana

Vegetarian for a week!

Last week, I wanted to cook vegetarian. I don't know if that was because we were short in meat :) or because vegetarian recipes always sounded so delicious to me! So, I decided to try some meatless recipes. One of the food items that I never figured out a way to cook and to make more tasteful, is tofu. Finally I found two recipes that tasted absolutely worth eating tofu. I hope you enjoy them! Please follow the next post to check out the rest of the recipes from our meatless week!!

Sweet and Sour Tofu

INGREDIENTS

• 1 20-ounce can pineapple chunks or tidbits, packed in juice
• 3 tablespoons rice-wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons ketchup
• 2 tablespoons reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon brown sugar
• 1 14-ounce package extra-firm water-packed tofu, drained, rinsed and cut into 1/2-inch cubes
• 2 teaspoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons canola oil, divided
• 2 tablespoons minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips
• 1 large green bell pepper, cut into 1/2-by-2-inch strips

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pREPARATION

1. Drain and set aside pineapple, reserving 1/4 cup of the juice. Whisk the reserved pineapple juice, vinegar, ketchup, soy sauce and sugar in a medium bowl until smooth. Place tofu in a large bowl; toss with 3 tablespoons of the sauce. Let marinate for at least 5 minutes and up to 30 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, add cornstarch to the remaining sauce and whisk until smooth.
3. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Transfer the tofu to the pan using a slotted spoon; whisk any remaining marinade into the bowl of reserved sauce. Cook the tofu, stirring every 1 to 2 minutes, until golden brown, 7 to 9 minutes total. Transfer to a plate.
4. Add the remaining oil to the pan and heat over medium heat. Add garlic and ginger and cook, stirring constantly, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add red and green peppers and cook, stirring often, until just tender, 2 to 3 minutes. Pour in the reserved sauce and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 30 seconds. Add the tofu and pineapple and cook, stirring gently, until heated through, about 2 minutes more.

Tofu Kale with Spaghetti

INGREDIENTS

1 container of firm tofu

kale, as little or as much as you want, rough chopped. i usually use the entire bunch of kale

2 cloves of garlic, minced finely

2 shallots or a small onion, diced

very generous sprinkling of salt/pepper for taste

red pepper flakes

handful bread or panko crumbs

olive oil to quick fry the balls and cook up the vegetables

PREPARATION

1. Prepare the spaghetti according to package instructions

2. For the Tofu, squeeze as much water out of it as possible. I wrapped the block in a kitchen towel and press heavy pan on it for about an hour or so.

3. Meanwhile, in a pan, heat up some olive oil. When hot add in the onions/shallots and garlic. saute until fragrant and translucent, anywhere from 3-8 minutes. Add in kale (or whatever greens) and ensure the oily mixture coats the bunch thoroughly. Season generously. Set aside to cool.

4. In a mixing bowl crumble the tofu. add in the sauteed veggies, mix well. If it cool enough, use your hands. At your discretion add in the crumbs, a little at a time until you're able to shape the mixture into balls. Fry them up in a bit of oil until you get a nice browning on the edges.

5. In the same saute pan toss the pasta in warmed olive oil + minced garlic. when you plate the pasta, add in the tofu balls.

ENJOY THE RECIPES!

Warmly,

Juliana Kostandini