Frittata Goodness

I recently learned that a Frittata is an Italian omelette that reminds me of a quiche sans the crust. The wonderful thing about making this dish is that it's really easy and doesn't take much time at all because you can use whatever leftover ingredients you have. It's almost like making a pizza, but even easier! And you don't have to worry about carbs or starch.

Ingredients
Olive Oil
6 Free-Range Eggs
Your favorite type of grated cheese
Your leftover whatever vegetables (broccoli shown here)

Optional
Avocados

Take a look at what you have in your refrigerator. What do you like to eat? What would go great together? A few nights before, I had sauteed some broccoli using soy sauce and some cayenne pepper. I decided to use it in the Frittata.

Preheat oven at 400º. If your vegetables/ingredients are not chopped, please start by chopping. Crack the eggs into a bowl. Take a fork and whisk until mixed well. Pour eggs into a well-oiled pan. Sprinkle ingredients, add cheese, salt and pepper for taste. Turn to high heat until and cook until cheese is melted and eggs are nearly cooked through. Place pan in oven and cook for another 10-15 minutes. Once you see a browned edge and it looks as though it has cooked through, take it out of the oven.

Using a plastic or rubber spatula, lift the Frittata out of the pan and onto a plate. Slice like a pizza. Optional: top with avocado. Yummy, good for you, and quick!!

Polenta and Broccoli with Chicken-less Strips

Here is my shot at using the Chicken-less strips from Trader Joe's for the first time. (Click here for my beef-less strip recipe.) My instinct was to sauté them with broccoli using a Italian-inspired sauce. Luckily, I happened to have a tube of polenta (also from TJ's) which was pre-prepared. 30 minutes later I had a yummy meal that I couldn't stop eating. It got the seal of approval from the super-picky boyfriend too.

Ingredients:
Broccoli
Tomatoes
Trader Joe's Chicken-less strips
Olive Oil
Tapatio Sauce
Red Chile Pepper
Salt and Pepper to taste

Prepare two pans. If possible, one of them should be non-stick. Spray or cover both pans with Olive Oil. First slice open the plastic containing the polenta. Make 1/4 inch slices after peeling away plastic. Turn on heat for the non-stick pan. In the meantime, chop tomatoes. Check the non-stick pan to see if the oil has heated. If so, then place as many slices of polenta that will fit onto the pan. While polenta is frying, chop broccoli if necessary. Normally, I buy the already chopped broccoli - it's a great time-saver.

Once the polenta turns brown on one side, you may flip it with a spatula. As long as you've oiled the pan enough, it takes a lot to burn them, so don't worry about it too much. Go back to the regular stick pan that you oiled and start heating that one too. Tomatoes should go in after the pan has heated. Meanwhile watch your polenta. Flip and flip. Once they're completely done you can retire each slice onto a plate and then start adding more. They keep really well and can be re-heated without losing a lot of flavor so it's good to cook the entire tube.

By now the regular pan with the tomatoes should be ready for the broccoli, then chicken strips. Add about 4 Tbsp of Tapatio, 1 Tbsp of red chile pepper and salt and pepper to taste. The dish can get salty pretty quickly so taste it before adding more salt. Stir and cover. Turn to low heat. Check after a few minutes. Make sure that the broccoli has cooked all the way through before turning off heat. You want it to be soft yet crunchy.

Periodically check on your polenta during the entire cooking process. There's a little mult-tasking involved in this dish, but I guarantee it's easy and definitely worth it. Once all of the polenta is pan-fried go ahead and place a couple pieces of polenta and a spoonful of the broccoli mix next to it. The way to eat this dish is to use the polenta as if you would bread. Spoon some broccoli onto the slices and take a bite! Great for breakfast or brunch! Mmm.

Japanese Style Noodle Dish

I was inspired by the Sansai Udon Noodle dish I usually order at my favorite restaurants. All you need is miso and some key ingredients and you're good to go. I cheated by using Trader Joe's instant miso soup, which by the way is very yummy on its own.

Ingredients:
Miso (instant soup from Trader Joe's)
Broccoli
Shiitake Mushrooms
Canola Oil
Somen or Udon Noodles

Optional:
Panko Flakes

Preheat oven 400º before chopping broccoli and slicing mushrooms. Place veggies on oil lined pan dashing with some canola oil, salt, and pepper. Roast for about 20 minutes. Prepare one packet of miso soup. Boil the soup then place noodles in soup. Cook until noodles are done. Noodles should absorb most of the liquid.

Take out crispy vegetables from the oven and top the noodles in the miso base. Sprinkle with panko flakes for extra flavor.

Gnocchi and Greens

It's not my fault I've been overworked lately. Blame it on the economy and the fact that we all have to wear many hats at our jobs. Rest assured, however, I am still cooking simple and good food. Here's a recipe featuring gnocchi (potato dumpling) - my favorite quick Italian food ingredient.

Ingredients:
Broccoli
Asparagus
Gnocchi (Trader Joe's has it)
Your Favorite Tomato Sauce (I use Trader Joe's Vodka Sauce, MMM)
Olive Oil

Start by pre-heating your oven at 400º. Chop bottoms of asparagus off. Then cut remainder in half. Place asparagus and pre-chopped broccoli in pan and spread olive oil evenly. Shake some salt, pepper, and a little garlic powder. Bake in oven approximately 25 minutes. Meanwhile boil some water with a splash of olive oil. Once boiled place desired amount of gnocchi in water. Boil until little dumplings float to the top. Drain. Sprinkle with olive oil.

Heat sauce. Prepare plate by covering desired amount of sauce on gnocchi. Place greens next to gnocchi. The best part about gnocchi is that it's easy to make. Whenever in a time crunch you can always count on the potato dumplings.

Broccoli Shiitake Somen

Wow, I'm just now coming up for air. I was working 12 hour days right before the holidays. I still have to post my Thanksgiving feast, but first try this light (as in not how heavy Thanksgiving food can be) dish that's simple and easy to make. Good especially if you're tired of cooking and eating Thanksgiving leftovers. Or if you just want a break from rich food. All you need are a few ingredients.

Ingredients:
Shiitake Mushrooms
Broccoli
Somen Noodles
4 Tbsp Vegetarian Oyster Sauce
1 Cup Vegetable Broth
1 Tbsp Canola Oil or Sesame Oil

Boil somen noodles in vegetable broth. Prepare broccoli and shiitake mushrooms. Slice and chop. Take a pan and sauté mushrooms and broccoli in oil. Sauté until broccoli has soften and turned bright green. Mushrooms should soften as well. Cover for a few minutes while you drain the somen noodles. Make sure to keep about 1/4 cup of vegetable broth to add to the noodles once you are finished with the vegetables.

Uncover veggies and add oyster sauce. Stir until ingredients are mixed well. Place noodles in a bowl, stir in veggies, add in broth. Add additional amounts of oyster sauce as needed.

Salt and pepper to taste.

Stuffed Mushroom and Carrots

Pictured here are some julienned carrots and a stuffed portobello mushroom. Thank you guest chef Steve for making the yummy carrots!

Julienned Carrots
Required: Carrots, Spinach, Canola Oil, Sugar, Salt, Soy Sauce, Black pepper

First you'll want to take your desired amount of carrots. We used baby carrots so it was easier to cut them. Julienne basically means to cut into long thin strips. Steve prepared this, by cutting the carrots first. Mix 1 1/2 of Tbsp of oil, 1 Tbsp of sugar, 1 Tbsp soy sauce, salt, black pepper in a separate bowl. Make sure the pan is heated for a few seconds before placing the mix in. Place the carrots in the pan. Use high heat. The carrots should caramelize a little. Stir. Once the carrots look nearly blackened on one side, you'll want to put in some spinach. Carrots should be crunchy on the inside and sweet on the outside. Spinach goes into the pan last since it cooks very quickly. Add salt to taste.

Stuffed Portobello Mushroom
Required: Broccoli, Tofu, Shredded Cheddar Cheese, Onions, Black pepper, Salt, Olive Oil, Garlic, Cayenne Pepper

For this dish, you'll need to preheat your oven at 350 degrees. Make sure you have a small oven tray or baking sheet to place the stuffed mushroom on. You could also use aluminum foil if you don't have either.

Prepare a mushroom or two by chopping off the stem and boiling for a little bit in a pot. For the stuffing, take a few pieces of broccoli and mince. You'll want to do the same to the onion. Use about half of a block of tofu. Smoosh with fork in a bowl. Oil your pan. Throw in the onions and a small clove of garlic. Stir. Cook onions until soft. Next throw in broccoli. Finally toss in the tofu. Continue stirring. Add some cayenne pepper, black pepper, and salt for taste. I like it spicy so I put in a little more cayenne pepper than usual. Keep stirring.

Once your mushroom is cooked, place it on the baking sheet. Spoon in some stuffing. Top it off with a lot of cheddar cheese. It's better if you use more than you think you'll need. Take your baking sheet and place it in the oven. Cook until cheese is fully melted. I would give it a good 10-15 minutes depending on how quickly your oven cooks.

It sounds complicated, but this stuffed mushroom is really not hard to make at all. It does take a bit more preparation and it's a small and light meal. Don't expect to be very full after having one mushroom. Personally, I had a fun time making it and it was super yummy!

Tantalizing Tempeh

A lot of people including vegetarians will ask me, what is tempeh and how do you cook it? Tempeh is made from fermented whole soybeans and comes in a cake-like form. Although made from the same ingredients as tofu, it has different nutritional properties. The texture is very different as well. Here's a picture of what it looks like in it's raw form:

I bought this block of regular flavored tempeh at Whole Foods and cut it in half lengthwise. Then I sliced it horizontally.

Required: Garlic powder, Soy sauce, Tempeh, Shiitake mushrooms, Chili oil, Canola oil or Sesame oil if you're feeling brave

Optional: Rice, Broccoli

Slice shiitake mushrooms and tempeh as shown above. Prepare pan by placing 3 Tbsp of canola oil and 1 Tbsp of chili oil. You may need to add more oil depending on the size of your pan and tempeh block. Tempeh can easily turn dry, so you want to make sure that you add enough oil.

Place pan on high heat with oil. Add tempeh and mushrooms. Add a few splashes of soy sauce for taste. Let the tempeh cook for a minute until it absorbs the soy sauce. Tempeh is good at absorbing soy sauce and will turn a brownish color (see top picture). Do not stir yet. The other reason you don't want to stir too soon is that the tempeh will start to crumble. You want the tempeh to get brown! Have I made my point yet? Keep cooking. If it looks like you need more oil, put in more.

After you see the tempeh get a bit brown, you can then start to stir. But please do it gently. Take a spatula and lift up and down. Add a dash of garlic powder. Stir again.

You can serve this over rice and/or with broccoli. (See broccoli recipe).

Tempeh is high in protein and yummy!

Broccoli is Good for You

Mom would be proud if you ate this broccoli dish. You could make this with your eyes closed.

Required: Broccoli, Chili Oil, Canola Oil, Sea Salt

Take desired amount of broccoli and dump it in a pan. Add 2 Tbsp of Chili Oil (this will give your dish a hint of spiciness.) Then add a couple of tsp of Canola Oil. Saute on high heat until broccoli gets a little charred. Yes, I said charred. See the dark brown spots in the picture above? You want it to look like that. Although you DON'T want to overcook it. I usually don't like my broccoli soggy. I like it soft yet fairly crisp. You can serve this with rice or pasta or use it as a side vegetable dish in a multiple course meal.

Don't forget to add Sea Salt to taste. Salt makes everything taste better!

Spicy Chinese Inspired Scramble

Broccoli, tofu and bean sauce are featured in this dish. It's easy, I promise!

Required: Broccoli, Bean Sauce (you can get this in any Asian grocery store), Spices (black pepper or Sri Ra Cha - pictured here), Sesame Oil or Canola Oil

Optional: Somen Noodles or Rice, Tofu, Peanuts or Cashews, Chili Oil

I always have to have carbs with my dishes, thus the Somen. But you can make this without noodles or rice. If you want to make the noodles, I would suggest boiling the noodles first. If you are making rice, you should prepare it well in advance. The noodles took less than 5 minutes to cook.

While the noodle was boiling. I crumbled the tofu. (After the noodles were finished boiling, I added some Sesame and Hot Chili Oil as well as a little soy sauce to the drained noodles.) You can use a fork for mushing. Then I used about 1 to 2 tablespoons to oil a pan with sesame oil. I let the pan heat up. I added pre-chopped broccoli into the pan and sauteed for a bit. I like my broccoli crispy but not soft; use your own judgement here. After I decided the broccoli was almost where I wanted it, I added the crumbled tofu. I then took another 1 to 2 tablespoons of black bean sauce and added to the mix. Black bean sauce is very salty so there's no need to add salt. (I learned this the hard way once.) After that, you have to push everything around in the pan until the ingredients are mingling well enough. Cook to taste. I added a little black pepper and Sri Ra Cha which is Chinese hot sauce.

This saute went over Somen noodles.

Done in 20 minutes!