What's for Dinner: Thursday
Because I get a lot of requests for recipes and such I am going to catalogue this week's dinners. I plan a menu out for a week in advance for dinner, on occasion 2 weeks when I am trying to squeeze 1 week worth of groceries into 2. I will blog about each previous night's dinner with a recipe included so you can get an idea of what dinner looks like at my house for the week. I decided to do this AFTER I had already made my menu this week so you know it's not rigged or anything. My menu varies greatly from one week to the next because I get bored of eating the same stuff fast. Brad always says "Why don't you just make __________ again? I love that." and I will answer, "We just had that 2 weeks ago!" because having something every 2, 3 and sometimes 4 weeks is WAY too often for me. I like variety. In fact, I would say I only make the same exact meal twice a year in that I have the same exact dishes eaten together. When I make the same dish over it is usually with some variation because even if I have made something before I still HATE following recipes so it ends up being slightly different. So this will be the recipe as I made it that night but I may talk about some variation I have done in the past.
Last night we had Tempeh Veggie Salad with Miso-Tahini Dressing
Tempeh is something I could write a blog about in itself because I just love it. I wish I could make it myself but I am not quite sure how to go about. Tempeh is a fermented soy bean patty. Ok, gross sounding I know. But it's so yummy and so good for you. Fermented foods are good for you period and this particular dish features another fermented product, miso. Miso is fermented rice paste. It can also be made out of other things like soy but I always buy the rice kind. Tempeh can be found in the produce section of Harris Teeter and of course Whole Foods and if you are CA then Sprouts. It is also in most well-stocked Asian markets. You can probably also find it in a health food store that is well stocked. Miso may be a little more difficult as I have only found it at Whole Foods and Asian markets. It may also sometimes be found in a health food store. I really like miso for soups but especially for dressings as it is featured here. Finally, the other unfamiliar ingredient is tahini which is pureed sesame seeds. You can find this at Whole Foods or you can just buy sesame seeds (which is what I do) and make it yourself. Make sure your blender or food processor is up to the task of getting the seeds well pureed.
This "salad" is really a smorgasborg as most of my salads are. I dislike most leafy salads and they are rarely found at my house for unless I am just stumped for dinner. So boring! This salad is guaranteed to be super filling and exceptionally good for you. For me, this makes about 2 portions and a little extra that I plate for Beya but I would bet that if you served it to some normal people you could stretch it to 4 easily. I forget what a normal portion is like since I have either been breastfeeding or pregnant for the last 5 years. Plus, Brad eats whatever I put in front of him and he seems to have an exceptionally big appetite.
1- 8 oz package of tempeh cut up into cubes and steamed for 15 minutes.
Prepare the marinade by combining:
1 heaping Tbs of minced ginger (you can never have too much ginger in my book)
1 tbs honey, agave, or just sugar if that's all you've got
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs sesame oil
red pepper flakes to your taste
The purpose of steaming the tempeh is to prep it for marination which can take place the night before if need be but at least allow your tempeh to marinate for 30 minutes.
While that marinates prepare the dressing by combining in a food processor or high speed blender:
1/4 cup tahini or 1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbs white miso (preferably, but you can use brown if that's all you can find)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1/4-1/2 cups of water added last to get the dressing to the desired thickness
For the salad part:
1 cup corn (any kind)
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 apple diced (I prefer granny smith or another "sour" apple but any apple will do, I used red delicious this time because it was all I had)
4 scallions sliced
A couple handfuls of roasted pumpkin seeds (don't forget this part, they really make this salad)
About 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
On medium-high heat brown the corn and red pepper in a skillet.
Set aside in a bowl. In the same skillet pour in the tempeh cubes and marinade and cook them on medium-high heat stirring regularly until all the marinade liquid evaporates and the tempeh is browning. Set aside.
Assemble the salad. About a cup and a half of spinach leaves go on the bottom, then half the corn and red peppers, then half the tempeh, then half of the diced apple, then the dressing, then half the pumpkin seeds and scallions. I usually set a little aside to make a small plate for Beya as well.
Let me know if you try this and if you like it. It is one of my favorites and I make it fairly often. I am big on there being one dish that has everything in it rather than going through the trouble of making sides and all that.
Last night we had Tempeh Veggie Salad with Miso-Tahini Dressing
Tempeh is something I could write a blog about in itself because I just love it. I wish I could make it myself but I am not quite sure how to go about. Tempeh is a fermented soy bean patty. Ok, gross sounding I know. But it's so yummy and so good for you. Fermented foods are good for you period and this particular dish features another fermented product, miso. Miso is fermented rice paste. It can also be made out of other things like soy but I always buy the rice kind. Tempeh can be found in the produce section of Harris Teeter and of course Whole Foods and if you are CA then Sprouts. It is also in most well-stocked Asian markets. You can probably also find it in a health food store that is well stocked. Miso may be a little more difficult as I have only found it at Whole Foods and Asian markets. It may also sometimes be found in a health food store. I really like miso for soups but especially for dressings as it is featured here. Finally, the other unfamiliar ingredient is tahini which is pureed sesame seeds. You can find this at Whole Foods or you can just buy sesame seeds (which is what I do) and make it yourself. Make sure your blender or food processor is up to the task of getting the seeds well pureed.
This "salad" is really a smorgasborg as most of my salads are. I dislike most leafy salads and they are rarely found at my house for unless I am just stumped for dinner. So boring! This salad is guaranteed to be super filling and exceptionally good for you. For me, this makes about 2 portions and a little extra that I plate for Beya but I would bet that if you served it to some normal people you could stretch it to 4 easily. I forget what a normal portion is like since I have either been breastfeeding or pregnant for the last 5 years. Plus, Brad eats whatever I put in front of him and he seems to have an exceptionally big appetite.
1- 8 oz package of tempeh cut up into cubes and steamed for 15 minutes.
1 heaping Tbs of minced ginger (you can never have too much ginger in my book)
1 tbs honey, agave, or just sugar if that's all you've got
3 tbs soy sauce
3 tbs balsamic vinegar
3 tbs sesame oil
red pepper flakes to your taste
The purpose of steaming the tempeh is to prep it for marination which can take place the night before if need be but at least allow your tempeh to marinate for 30 minutes.
While that marinates prepare the dressing by combining in a food processor or high speed blender:
1/4 cup tahini or 1/3 cup sesame seeds
1 tsp dijon mustard
2 Tbs white miso (preferably, but you can use brown if that's all you can find)
2 Tbs lemon juice
1 small garlic clove
1/4-1/2 cups of water added last to get the dressing to the desired thickness
For the salad part:
1 cup corn (any kind)
1/2 red pepper diced
1/2 apple diced (I prefer granny smith or another "sour" apple but any apple will do, I used red delicious this time because it was all I had)
4 scallions sliced
A couple handfuls of roasted pumpkin seeds (don't forget this part, they really make this salad)
About 4 cups packed fresh baby spinach leaves
On medium-high heat brown the corn and red pepper in a skillet.
Let me know if you try this and if you like it. It is one of my favorites and I make it fairly often. I am big on there being one dish that has everything in it rather than going through the trouble of making sides and all that.
Rachel, I'll be making this Thursday night for supper. I picked up some tempeh and miso awhile back, and just about everything else is already in the pantry or fridge. Looks delicious, can't wait!
ReplyDeleteMom
She's right, when we eat the "same thing" I usually end up asking "What did you do differently this time?" and she actually has an answer that she can remember. Whenever Rachel makes the same thing, it's usually because she's being nice to me...like fried wontons and orzo salad tonight...wow. It's one of my very favorites. Rachel DON'T CHANGE IT! :-) Novan and I can eat the same thing over and over and over. Seriously, just ask Rachel how many times Novan has eaten Peanut Better & Jelly, or Mac & Cheese. Although Novan likes the cheap stuff for Mac & Cheese...that stuff is gross, you need the shells & cheese, that's the real stuff. It's hard to complain about food around here though...very little Rachel can't cook. Luckily for Rachel, there's also very little Myself, Beya, & Iyov won't eat. :-)
ReplyDeleteYummm! We had this tonight, and it is a feast of flavors and textures (sorry, Novan, I know that's not your thing!)
ReplyDeleteAs for yield, I kept the dressing qty the same but increased the rest by 1/2. It was just enough for the three of us to make it the only dish for supper. Next time I'll double the main ingredients, and we'll have enough for seconds. The dressing goes a long way, we have some left over. Its flavors were just a little too strong to want to smother the rest of the salad with it. And you're right---those pumpkin seeds are a must-have.
This one goes in my all-time favorites, Rachel.