Friday

It's finally Friday. Here's hoping for a good weekend, especially if temperatures cool off a little. (Parts of the U.S. have been a little on the hot side, even for summer!)

Of course, we do have to eat, so, to that end, here are six yummy recipes to help you through the weekend, including Crispy Tofu and Cabbage Stir-Fry, Best Black Bean Soup, and, for dessert, either Strawberry Shortcake Mini Taco Bowls or Classic Birthday Cake. Enjoy!

SPINACH SALAD WITH ROASTED BEETS AND DRIED FRUIT

This was in the November 2013 issue of Vegetarian Times (page 38). It begins, "This celebratory salad is packed with complementary sweet, sour, earthy, and savory flavors. For color, choose a mixture of beets, such as golden and Chioggia (candy cane), in addition to the usual red." Makes 8 servings. Great for holiday meal

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/spinach-salad-with-roasted-beets-and-dried-fruit/.

Ingredients

1 lb. beets, scrubbed and trimmed

1/2 cup fresh orange juice

1/3 cup dried goji berries

1 Tbs. Dijon mustard

1 Tbs. balsamic vinegar

2 Tbs. olive oil

10 oz. baby spinach leaves

1/3 cup dried cranberries (apple-juice sweetened)

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds

Preparation

Preheat oven to 375°F. Wrap beets individually in foil, and place on baking sheet. Roast 1 hour, or until tender. Cool.

Meanwhile, pour orange juice over goji berries in small bowl. Soak goji berries 1 hour, or until plump and softened.

When beets are cool enough to handle, rub off skins using paper towel, then cut beets into thin slices.

Strain goji berries into small, clean bowl, and reserve juice. Whisk together 2 Tbs. reserved juice with mustard, vinegar, and oil in separate bowl.

Toss spinach with dressing in large bowl, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle with goji berries, beets, cranberries, and pumpkin seeds.

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKE MINI TACO BOWLS

This is from Old El Paso, and begins, "Looking for a dessert big on flavor but small in portion? These individual strawberry shortcakes are a delicious match. Strawberry shortcake tacos are perfect for summer desserts, picnics, potlucks, or as a snack when you need to satisfy a sweet craving! Fresh strawberries, whipped cream and crushed shortbread cookies are nestled in an Old El Paso™ Soft Tortilla Mini Bowl. Enjoy the sweet flavors and delightful crunch of a mini strawberry shortcake."

Prep Time: 30 minutes; Total Time: 45 minutes; Makes 10 servings

To view this online, go to https://www.oldelpaso.com/recipes/strawberry-shortcake-mini-taco-bowls.

Ingredients

1 lb strawberries, sliced (4 cups)

7 tablespoons sugar

1 tablespoon melted butter

10 Old El Paso™ Taco Bowls™ mini soft flour tortillas (1 sleeve from Party Pack)

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 cup crushed shortbread cookies

Mint leaves

Preparation

Mix strawberries with 3 tablespoons of the sugar; refrigerate while juices develop, at least 30 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat oven to 375°F. Line cookie sheet with foil. Lightly brush melted butter on all sides of each bowl. Place 3 tablespoons of the sugar in large resealable food-storage plastic bag. Place bowls, a few at a time, into bag, and gently shake until bowls are coated in sugar. Place bowls on cookie sheet. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until browned on edges and firm to the touch. Bowls will crisp as cooled. Remove to cooling rack to cool.

In chilled small bowl, beat whipping cream, remaining 1 tablespoon sugar and the vanilla with electric mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.

Use slotted spoon to divide strawberries among bowls. Top with a dollop of whipped cream; garnish with crushed shortbread cookies and mint leaves.

Expert Tips

If you like your strawberries with chocolate, drizzle the filled mini strawberry shortcake bowls with a little chocolate sauce.

Sliced bananas make a nice addition to the strawberry filling in the strawberry shortcake tacos.

If your strawberries are less ripe, refrigerate them with the sugar for longer, up to overnight. The sugar will help soften and break down the fruit.

CHEESE AND BEAN QUESADILLAS

This is from the June 2004 Vegetarian Times, page 24. It begins, "Any time of day you yearn for Tex-Mex flavors, whip up one of these quesadillas for a filling, nutritious meal. These work well with a creamed corn soup to start and a bowl of sweet seasonal berries to end the meal. To drink? Chilled fruit juice." Makes 6 servings.

To view this online, go to https://www.vegetariantimes.com/recipes/cheese-and-bean-quesadillas/.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups no-fat refried beans

1 cup corn kernels

1/2 cup salsa

6 8-inch low-fat tortillas, preferably flavored

2 cups grated cheddar-flavored soy cheese

1 tsp. chili powder, or more as desired

3 tomatoes, stemmed and chopped

1 avocado, peeled and chopped

1 tsp. ground cumin

Preparation

Combine beans, corn kernels and salsa in a saucepan, and cook, stirring, over medium heat until hot.

Place a tortilla flat on a work surface. Sprinkle about 1/3 cup cheese over tortilla. Spread about 1/2 cup bean mixture on one half of tortilla, and fold tortilla over to encase filling and cheese. Set aside. Repeat with remaining ingredients until 6 quesadillas are ready for cooking.

Spray a large nonstick skillet with nonstick cooking spray, and heat over medium heat. Put 3 quesadillas into skillet, and cook, turning 2 or 3 times, until tortillas brown slightly on both sides and cheese melts. Remove from skillet, and place on individual serving plates. Repeat with remaining quesadillas. Respray skillet as needed to prevent any sticking.

Toss together chili powder, tomatoes, avocado and cumin. Sprinkle mixture with lime juice, and season with salt and pepper. Spoon equal portions of mixture over quesadillas, and serve.

BEST BLACK BEAN SOUP

This comes from Julia Moskin in The New York Times cooking e-newsletter. Julia wrote, “This American classic can be a perfect dish: big-tasting, filling, nutritious, easy and very possibly vegetarian. With their rich natural broth, turtle beans do not need bacon, ham or any meat ingredient to make a satisfying soup. Black bean soup recipes have a tendency to turn out sludgy or bland, but the trick here is to season generously, and purée sparingly. The beans should be swimming in liquid, not sitting in sludge: The more beans are puréed, the more starch is released into the soup. For flavor, this recipe deploys marinated chipotle chiles, but a tablespoon each of ground cumin and ground coriander make a good heat-free substitute. (A note: Since there is acid from the wine here, if your tap water is hard there might be a reaction that will prevent the beans from softening. To be safe, add the wine later, along with the stock. And if there is any question about the hardness of your water, use distilled.)”

Yield: 10 servings; Time: About 2 hours

This was featured in “Rediscovering Black Bean Soup”, and can be viewed online at https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1018592-best-black-bean-soup.

Note: The recipe originally called for vegetable or chicken broth. Since I’m posting here on a vegetarian blog, I’ve omitted the “or chicken” part.

Ingredients

For the Soup

1 small (7-ounce) can chipotle chiles in adobo (see note)

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 onions, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 cup red wine

2 jalapeño peppers, seeded and chopped

1 pound dry black beans (do not soak)

2 quarts mild vegetable stock

1 tablespoon dried oregano, preferably Mexican

2 bay leaves

1 tablespoon kosher salt

1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Red wine vinegar, to taste

For the Pickled Onions and Garnishes (Optional):

1 small red onion, peeled and thinly sliced

Freshly squeezed juice of 2 limes

Salt

Sour cream or Mexican crema

Whole cilantro leaves

Thinly sliced fresh chiles

Sliced avocado

Preparation:

Empty the can of chiles into a blender or food processor. Purée until smooth, scrape into a container, and set aside. Put on a teakettle of water to boil, and keep hot.

In a large, heavy pot, heat olive oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add carrots, onions and garlic and cook, stirring, until softened but not browned, 5 to 8 minutes.

Pour in wine and let simmer until pan is almost dry and vegetables are coated. Add jalapeños and cook, stirring, just until softened, 2 minutes. Push the vegetables out to the edges of the pot and dollop 2 teaspoons of chipotle purée in the center. Let fry for a minute and then stir together with the vegetables.

Add beans, stock, oregano and bay leaves. Stir, bring to a boil, and let boil 10 to 15 minutes. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, partly covered, stirring occasionally and adding hot water as needed to keep the soup liquid and runny, not sludgy. Continue cooking until beans are just softened and fragrant, 1 to 2 hours. Add salt and pepper and keep cooking until beans are soft.

Meanwhile, make the pickled onions, if using: In a bowl, combine sliced onions, lime juice and a sprinkling of salt. Let soften at room temperature until crunchy and tart, about 30 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Squeeze dry in paper towels and refrigerate until ready to serve. If desired, chop coarsely before serving.

Adjust the texture of the soup: The goal is to combine whole beans, soft chunks and a velvety broth. Some beans release enough starch while cooking to produce a thick broth without puréeing. If soup seems thin, use an immersion blender or blender to purée a small amount of the beans until smooth, then stir back in. Continue until desired texture is reached, keeping in mind that the soup will continue to thicken as it sits.

Heat the soup through, taste and adjust the seasonings with salt, pepper, drops of red wine vinegar and dabs of chipotle purée.

Serve in deep bowls, garnishing each serving with sour cream, pickled onions, cilantro leaves, sliced chiles and avocado as desired.

Tip

If chipotle chiles are unavailable, use 1 tablespoon each ground cumin and ground coriander. Add to vegetables at the same point in the recipe, in Step 3.

CRISPY TOFU AND CABBAGE STIR-FRY

This is from Ali in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. The recipe begins, "This tumble of crisp tofu, charred cabbage and citrusy coriander includes a couple tricks you’ll want to employ in other dishes. The flavor of the stir-fry is propelled by using the coriander plant multiple ways: Combining coriander seeds with fresh stems and leaves — also known as cilantro — creates a range of complex but related flavors. Then there’s what might be the quickest — and your new favorite — way to cook cabbage: When large pieces of cabbage are cooked undisturbed in a hot pan, they don’t have a chance to turn to mush. Instead, the cabbage becomes sweet and crisp-tender, with a smoky edge. Eat the stir-fry with grains or noodles, like rice noodles or soba.

"To get vegetarian recipes like this one delivered to your inbox, sign up for The Veggie newsletter."

Yield: 4 servings; Time: 25 minutes

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1022830-crispy-tofu-and-cabbage-stir-fry..

Ingredients

1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Kosher salt

1/4 cup cornstarch

1 (14-ounce) package extra-firm tofu, patted dry and torn into 1-inch pieces (see Tip)

1/4 cup neutral oil (such as canola or grapeseed), plus more as needed

About 1 1/2 pounds green or red cabbage, cored and cut into 1-inch pieces, leaves separated

1 tablespoon low-sodium soy sauce or liquid aminos, plus more to taste

1 tablespoon coriander seeds, crushed

1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro leaves and stems

2 tablespoons lime juice (from 1 large lime)

Directions

In a large bowl, sprinkle the red onion with salt and stir to combine. In a medium bowl, stir together the cornstarch and 1 teaspoon salt. Add the tofu and toss to coat.

Heat 2 tablespoons of oil in a large (12-inch) cast-iron skillet over medium-high. Add the cabbage and cook, undisturbed, until charred underneath, 3 to 4 minutes. Stir, spread into an even layer, and cook, undisturbed, until charred in spots and crisp-tender, another 3 to 4 minutes. Stir in the soy sauce, and season with salt. Transfer to the bowl of red onions.

In the same skillet, heat the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil over medium-high. Add the tofu and cook until golden on all sides, 2 to 3 minutes per side, adding more oil and scraping the bottom of the pan as necessary. Remove from heat, add the coriander seeds and stir gently until fragrant and toasted, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the cabbage-onion mixture and stir to combine, then stir in the cilantro and lime juice. Season to taste with soy sauce.

Tip

It can be tricky to tear pieces of the same size, so start by slicing the tofu crosswise so that you have 1-inch-thick slabs, then tear off cubes from there.

CLASSIC BIRTHDAY CAKE

This is from Alison Roman in The New York Times cooking enewsletter. Alison wrote, "A birthday cake needn't be elaborate. A few layers of tender yellow cake and creamy chocolate frosting will do the trick. In this version of the classic pairing, brown sugar and buttermilk provide a sophisticated flavor to the cake, and sour cream adds a slight tang to the chocolate frosting. It’s worth noting that both the cake and frosting can be made ahead. Just make sure you bring the frosting to room temperature before assembly so that it spreads easily. One note: The buttermilk and brown sugar in the batter means that the cake might appear slightly darker on the outside after baking than your typical yellow cake, but don't worry. The inside will be tender and moist."

Yield: 10 to 12 servings; Time: About 1 hour 15 minutes plus chilling

To view this online, go to https://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/1019045-classic-birthday-cake.

While you're at it, check out Melissa Clark's wonderful guide, "How to Frost a Cake".

Ingredients

For the yellow cake:

Nonstick spray or butter for the pan

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature, cut into 1-inch pieces, plus more, if necessary, for greasing the pans

3-2/3 cups all-purpose or cake flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1-1/2 teaspoons kosher salt

1-1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1-1/2 cups buttermilk

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups granulated sugar

1/2 cup lightly packed light brown sugar

5 large eggs

3 large egg yolks

For the chocolate frosting:

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped (chocolate chips are fine)

8 ounces sour cream, room temperature

2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, room temperature

1-1/2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Generous pinch of kosher salt

Lots of sprinkles

Preparation

For the cake: Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spray three 9-inch cake pans with nonstick spray or grease with softened butter. If your oven cannot accommodate all 3 pans on one middle rack, while the oven is still cool, arrange 2 racks as close to the middle as possible, allowing enough space between them for the cakes on the lower rack to rise without touching the one above it.

In a large bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, salt and baking soda together; set aside. In a medium bowl (or a measuring cup), combine the buttermilk, vegetable oil and vanilla extract; set aside.

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and light brown sugar. Using an electric mixer (or the stand mixer) on high, beat everything together until it’s very light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Add in the eggs and egg yolks one at a time, beating between additions. Beat the batter until it’s almost doubled in volume and very light and fluffy, about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl.

With the mixer on low, gently beat in 1/3 of the flour mixture. Before it’s fully combined, add in 1/2 of the buttermilk mixture. Repeat with remaining flour and buttermilk until everything is well blended and no lumps remain.

Divide the cake batter equally among the three cake pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, rotating the pan or rack placement halfway through baking. You’ll know the cakes are done when they are golden brown, pulling away from the sides of the pan, and the tops spring back ever so slightly when you press them.

Remove the cakes from the oven and let sit for five minutes to cool slightly before inverting them onto a wire baking rack to cool completely.

Make the frosting and assemble the cake: Melt the chocolate either in a bowl in the microwave in 30-second intervals until melted, or in a double boiler or makeshift double boiler (a bowl set over a bowl of barely simmering water on the stove, but not touching the water), stirring occasionally until melted. The melted chocolate should be warm but never hot, with no visible chunks left.

Add about 1/3 of the sour cream to the melted chocolate and using a spatula, combine until no white streaks remain. Repeat with another 1/3, and finally the last 1/3. The chocolate will stiffen a bit as you add the sour cream, and this is O.K.

In a large bowl, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Using an electric mixer (or the stand mixer) on low speed at first to avoid showering yourself with sugar, and then increasing to high speed, beat until everything is fluffy and almost pure white, about 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, slowly add in the chocolate mixture and blend. Increase the speed to high and beat until everything is very fluffy and well combined, about 2 minutes.

Once cakes are cooled, transfer one layer of cake, top side up, to a large parchment-lined plate. Use an offset or regular spatula to spread frosting onto the first layer of cake. Place second layer of cake on top, bottom side up (layering the rest of cake with the flat bottoms on top makes a cake with a straight shape, rather than domed). Repeat with remaining layer.

Once all the layers are assembled, apply a thin layer of frosting all over the cake, making sure to cover the whole cake. Chill the cake for 2 hours, keeping the frosting out at room temperature.

Remove the cake from the fridge and using either an offset spatula or a butter knife, give it another coat of frosting, doing whatever decorative patterns or swirls you wish: very smooth, or peaks and valleys.

Finish and decorate with sprinkles however you please.

Tip

This cake might appear slightly darker on the outside after baking than your typical yellow cake, but don't worry. The inside will be tender and moist.