It's Monday, time to get the week started. Today's meatless offerings include Cauliflower Stir-Fry with Toasted Peanuts and Taco Zucchini Lasagna. Enjoy!
RED LENTIL SOUP
This is from Melissa Clark in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Melissa wrote, "This is a lentil soup that defies expectations of what lentil soup can be. Based on a Turkish lentil soup, mercimek corbasi, it is light, spicy and a bold red color (no murky brown here): a revelatory dish that takes less than an hour to make. The cooking is painless. Sauté onion and garlic in oil, then stir in tomato paste, cumin and chile powder and cook a few minutes more to intensify flavor. Add broth, water, red lentils (which cook faster than their green or black counterparts) and diced carrot, and simmer for 30 minutes. Purée half the mixture and return it to the pot for a soup that strikes the balance between chunky and pleasingly smooth. A hit of lemon juice adds an up note that offsets the deep cumin and chile flavors."
Total Time: 45 min utes; Yield: 4 servings
This was featured in "A Lentil Soup to Make You Stop, Taste and Savor," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1016062-red-lentil-soup.
Check out Melissa Clark's guide, "How to Cook Beans." While you're at it, if you haven't already signed up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter, I highly recommend it.
Note: This recipe originally called for 1 quart chicken or vegetable broth. Since I’m including it here, I removed the chicken broth and left it at just veggie broth.
Ingredients
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for drizzling
1 large onion, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and black pepper
Pinch of chili powder or ground cayenne, plus more to taste
1 quart vegetable broth
1 cup red lentils
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
Juice of 1/2 lemon, more to taste
3 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
Preparation
In a large pot, heat 3 tablespoons oil over high until hot and shimmering. Add onion and garlic, and sauté until golden, about 4 minutes.
Stir in tomato paste, cumin, 1/4 teaspoons each salt and black pepper and the chili powder, and sauté for 2 minutes longer.
Add broth, 2 cups water, lentils and carrot. Bring to a simmer, then partly cover pot and turn heat to medium-low. Simmer until lentils are soft, about 30 minutes. Taste and add salt if necessary.
Using an immersion or regular blender or a food processor, purée half the soup, then add it back to pot. The soup should be somewhat chunky.
Reheat soup if necessary, then stir in lemon juice and cilantro. Serve soup drizzled with good olive oil and dusted lightly with chili powder, if desired.
ROASTED RHUBARB AND STRAWBERRIES
This is from LadyStiles at Food52. (You can also view her blog here, though it looks like it might not have been updated for a while.)
Anyway, the recipe begins, "The more I shop at the local farmers' market (we have four each week) and find the best sources for local and organic produce, our meals radiate with simple fruits, vegetables, and good-quality meats. Sadly rhubarb is just passing the peak and strawberries are giving way to other summer berries. This is one last hurrah to the first sweet bounty of the season. I'm regretfully used to overly sweetened rhubarb dishes that tend to mask the bite that rhubarb offers. This, thankfully, is not one of those sugar-laden dishes. The rhubarb is delightfully roasted, holds its shape, and is complemented with a delicious syrup. Simplicity at it its finest."
Prep Time: 20 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Makes About 5 cups
To view this online, go to https://food52.com/recipes/12406-roasted-rhubarb-and-strawberries.
Ingredients
3 cups coarsely chopped rhubarb
2 cups hulled strawberries, cut in half
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup sweet vermouth
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt
Directions
Place a rack in the middle of the oven; heat to 350°F. Line a rimmed baking sheet or large baking dish with parchment paper (this is a juicy dish and you don't want the delicious juices all over your oven).
In a large bowl, mix the rhubarb and strawberries. In a small bowl, whisk the maple syrup, vermouth, vinegar, and salt. Pour over the rhubarb and strawberries, gently tossing to coat.
Spread the fruit on the prepared sheet in a single layer, drizzling the juices over the fruit. Roast for about 40 minutes, until the juices are thickened and the rhubarb is tender to the touch.
Transfer to a serving bowl and serve warm.
Do Ahead: The fruit can be roasted 1 week ahead. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
ALL-PURPOSE BISCUITS
This is from Sam Sifton at The New York Times cooking enewsletter. For this recipe, Sam wrote, "Homemade biscuits are what take us into the kitchen today to cook: fat, flaky mounds of quick bread, golden brown, with a significant crumb. Composed of flour, baking powder, fat and a liquid, then baked in a hot oven, they are an excellent sop for syrup, molasses or honey. They are marvelous layered with country ham or smothered in white sausage gravy, with eggs, with grits. They make a great Thanksgiving side. And if you've never made them before, you'll be delighted to know that biscuits are easy to make. Really. Discover more ideas for the big day in our best Thanksgiving recipes collection."
Prep Time: 5 minutes; Cook Time: 45 minutes; Total Time: 1 hour; Yield: 6 to 8 servings
This was featured in "A Quest for New York’s Perfect Biscuit," and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1013741-all-purpose-biscuits. While you're at it, sign up for The New York Times cooking enewsletter. I highly recommend doing so, if you haven't already. Great recipes, guides, and more.
Ingredients
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 tablespoons baking powder
1 scant tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold, unsalted butter, preferably European style
1 cup whole milk
Preparation
Preheat oven to 425. Sift flour, baking powder, sugar and salt into a large mixing bowl. Transfer to a food processor. Cut butter into pats and add to flour, then pulse 5 or 6 times until the mixture resembles rough crumbs. (Alternatively, cut butter into flour in the mixing bowl using a fork or a pastry cutter.) Return dough to bowl, add milk and stir with a fork until it forms a rough ball.
Turn the dough out onto a well-floured surface and pat it down into a rough rectangle, about an inch thick. Fold it over and gently pat it down again. Repeat two more times. Cover the dough loosely with a kitchen towel and allow it to rest for 30 minutes.
Gently pat out the dough some more, so that the rectangle is roughly 10 inches by 6 inches. Cut dough into biscuits using a floured biscuit cutter (or even a glass, though its duller edge may result in slightly less tall biscuits). Do not twist cutter when cutting; this crimps the edges of the biscuit and impedes its rise.
Place biscuits on a cookie sheet and bake until golden brown, approximately 10 to 15 minutes.
TACO ZUCCHINI LASAGNA
This comes from Linday Funston on Delish, and begins, “So flavorful, you won't even notice the noodles are gone.”
Total Time: 45 minutes; Prep Time: 20 minutes; Level: Easy; Serves: 4 - 6
To view this online, click here.
Ingredients
1 tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 lb. ground beef
3/4 c. ricotta
1/2 c. sour cream, plus more for drizzling
1 large egg
1/3 c. salsa
3 large zucchini, thinly sliced lengthwise
2 c. shredded Cheddar
2 c. Shredded Monterey Jack
Fresh cilantro, for garnish
Directions
Preheat oven to 350º. In a large skillet over medium heat, heat oil. Add onion and cook until tender, 5 minutes. Season with cumin, chili powder, salt and pepper. Add ground beef and cook until no longer pink, 8 minutes more. Drain fat.
In a small bowl, stir together ricotta, sour cream, and egg. Season with salt and pepper.
In a large baking or casserole dish, spread a thin layer of salsa. Top with a layer of zucchini noodles, sour cream mixture, ground beef, cheddar, and Monterey Jack. Repeat until all ingredients are used up, ending with zucchini noodles.
Bake until noodles are tender and cheese is bubbly, 25 minutes.
Drizzle with sour cream, garnish with cilantro, and serve.
ROASTED POTATOES AND ONIONS
This comes from allrecipes, and begins, "Roasted potatoes and onions are a tasty alternative to mashed potatoes, fries, chips, and all the other ways potatoes are prepared. If you are looking for an uncomplicated and flavorful roasted vegetable dish, then this is it!"
Prep Time: 15 minutes; Cook Time: 40 minutes; Total Time: 55 minutes; Servings: 6
To view this online, go to https://www.allrecipes.com/recipe/241713/roasted-potatoes-and-onions-easy-and-delicious/.
Ingredients
2 pounds potatoes, sliced into 1/2-inch-thick pieces
1 onion, halved and each half cut into quarters
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup olive oil
4 cloves garlic, chopped
1 envelope onion soup mix
1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary, or more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly ground black pepper
Directions
Gather the ingredients.
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
Combine potatoes and onion in a roasting pan; cover with canola oil and olive oil. Add garlic, onion soup mix, rosemary, and black pepper; stir until potatoes and onion are evenly coated. Cover roasting pan with aluminum foil.
Roast in the preheated oven for 25 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until potatoes and onion are browned and edges are crispy, 15 to 30 minutes.
Serve hot and enjoy!
Recipe Tips
For really crispy potatoes, remove the foil after 10 minutes. For softer potatoes, keep the foil on the entire cooking time. Softer potatoes can be whipped or mashed to make incredible mashed potatoes.
Sauté bell peppers on the stovetop for 10 minutes before serving them on top of roasted veggies.
Stir with a large spoon every 15 minutes if you don't want pieces seared to the pan.
CAULIFLOWER STIR-FRY WITH TOASTED PEANUTS
This is from the Food Network, and begins, "This vegan dinner comes together super fast but is also very hearty. Toasting the peanuts in oil not only flavors the oil, it makes the nuts extra toasty and crisp. Broiling the cauliflower before adding to the skillet cooks out some of the water in the vegetable so the stir-fry stays nice and crisp-tender."
Active Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 30 minutes; Level: Easy; Yield: 4 servings
To view this online, go to https://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchen/cauliflower-stir-fry-with-toasted-peanuts-3589680.
Ingredients
1 cup jasmine rice
1 head cauliflower, cut into florets
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
1/4 cup salted roasted peanuts
1 cup snow peas (about 4 ounces), trimmed
1 yellow bell pepper, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons chopped peeled fresh ginger
3 scallions (white parts sliced, green parts cut into 2-inch pieces)
1/3 cup sweet Thai chili sauce
1-1/2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup fresh cilantro
Directions
Preheat the broiler. Cook the rice as the label directs. Meanwhile, toss the cauliflower with 2 tablespoons vegetable oil and a generous pinch each of salt and pepper; spread on a rimmed baking sheet. Broil, stirring occasionally, until lightly charred and tender, about 10 minutes.
Heat the remaining 1 tablespoon vegetable oil in a large nonstick skillet over high heat. Add the peanuts and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 1 minute. Remove to a small bowl with a slotted spoon and season with salt and pepper.
Add the snow peas, bell pepper and ginger to the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until crisp-tender, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the scallions (white and green parts) and cauliflower; toss. Add the chili sauce and soy sauce and continue to cook, stirring often, until the vegetables are glazed, about 2 minutes.
Fluff the rice with a fork; top each serving with the stir-fry, toasted peanuts and cilantro.
