Orzo and White Beans with Parsley Pesto

from Complete Vegetarian Kitchen by Lorna Sass. This was adapted to add in the orzo, because a whole plate full of beans did not excite me!

Orzo and White Beans with Parsley Pesto

1 cup orzo, uncooked
1 can white beans
4 cupsloosely packed parsley, leaves only
¼ cup olive oil
1-2 small garlic cloves
¼ cup coarsely chopped walnuts
1-3 Tbs freshly squeezed lemon juice
2-3 tsp minced lemon peel
1-2 tsp balsamic vinegar
¼ tsp salt

Drain and rinse beans; leave in strainer. Cook orzo according to package instructions.

Meanwhile, place parsley leaves, olive oil, garlic, walnuts, 1 Tbs lemon juice, 2 tsp lemon peel, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, and salt in the bowl of a food processor.

Process until smooth, scraping down sides of the bowl once or twice. The volume will reduce drastically, to about ½ cup.

Taste and add more lemon juice, lemon peel, and vinegar as desired. The predominant taste of the pesto should be parsley and lemon.

When orzo is done, drain over the beans. Transfer bean mixture to pot and add half of the pesto mixture. A few minutes later, or right before serving, toss in the remaining pesto. If the flavor is not distinctly lemony, add more lemon juice and toss again.

Egg Foo Yung

from The New Legal Sea Foods Cookbook by Roger Berkowitz and Jane Doerfer. We made this with leftover trout. The fresh pineapple is really key to an amazing taste.

Egg Foo Yung

Omelet:
4 large eggs
1 tsp dry sherry
1 cup cooked fish or shrimp, coarsely chopped
1 cup fresh bean sprouts
1/3 cup celery, chopped
1/3 cup scallions, white part only, chopped
grapeseed or peanut oil
salt

Sauce:
½ cup chicken broth
½-1 tsp ketchup
2 tsp light soy sauce
¼ tsp fish sauce (optional)
¼ tsp dry sherry
quarter-sized piece of fresh ginger
1 Tbs cornstarch
½ cup fresh pineapple, chopped
1 Tbs scallions, sliced diagonally

Beat the eggs in a large nonreactive bowl. Mix in the sherry, fish, bean sprouts, celery, and scallions. Let sit while you prepare the sauce.

In a nonreactive saucepan, mix together the chicken broth, ketchup, soy sauce, fish sauce, sherry, and ginger. Place over medium heat, and cook for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, mix the cornstarch with 1 Tbs water. Lower the heat, remove the ginger, and stir in the cornstarch. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from heat.

Place about 3 Tbs of oil into a large skillet, preferable nonstick. Heat it until hot. Add salt to taste to the egg mixture, then pour it into the hot oil. Let cook for 2 minutes, or until the bottom is slightly browned, but the top is still slightly runny. Cut the omelet into 4 quarters, then turn each section over. Let the other sides set. Top with pineapple chunks and serve with sauce.

Serves 4

Carrot Slaw

from cdkitchen.com - adapted slightly

Carrot Slaw

2 cups carrots, shredded
1 Tbs sugar
1 Tbs lemon juice
½ clove garlic, pressed
2 tsp apple cider vinegar
3 Tbs mayonnaise

Combine all ingredients together. Stir until well mixed. Serve chilled.

Serves 2-3

Baked Trout Fillet with Buttered Almonds

from Fish by Mark Bittman - This originally called for salmon. You can also substitute char.

Baked Trout Fillet with Buttered Almonds

1 Tbs vegetable oil
3 Tbs butter
1 cup blanched slivered almonds
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
1½-2 lbs trout fillet (one whole side), skin on

Preheat the oven to 450°. When the oven is hot, add the oil to a baking dish large enough to hold the trout (you can cut the fillet in half if you need to). Heat the baking dish for 5 minutes or so.

Meanwhile, melt the butter over medium heat in a small saucepan, add the almonds, and season with salt. Cook, stirring, until some of the almonds start to brown.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and put the trout in it, skin side down. Season with salt and pepper; spoon the almonds on top. Place fish in the oven and set the timer for 10 minutes. Check for doneness and serve immediately.

Serves 4-6

Spicy Tofu

from Vegetarian Cookbook by Nicola Graimes

Spicy Tofu

Marinade:
5 Tbs vegetable stock
2 tsp cornstarch
2 Tbs soy sauce
1 Tbs superfine sugar*
pinch of red pepper flakes

Stir Fry
9 oz firm tofu - rinsed, drained, and cut into ½-inch cubes*
4 Tbs peanut oil
1 Tbs freshly grated ginger
3 cloves garlic, crushed
4 scallions, thinly sliced
1 head of broccoli, cut into florets
1 carrot, cut into thin sticks
1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
9 oz shiitake mushrooms, thinly sliced*

steamed rice, to serve

Blend all the marinade ingredients together in a large bowl. Add the tofu and toss well to coat. Cover and set aside to marinate for 20 minutes.

Heat half the oil in a preheated wok or large skillet over high heat, add the tofu with its marinade, and stir-fry until browned and crisp. Remove from the wok and set aside.

Heat the remaining oil in the wok, add the ginger, garlic, and scallions and stir-fry for 30 seconds.

Add the broccoli, carrot, yellow bell pepper, and mushrooms and stir-fry for 5-6 minutes. Return the tofu mixture to the wok and stir-fry to heat through. Serve immediately with steamed rice.

Serves 4



*We used regular sugar, 12 oz of tofu, and 5 oz mushrooms