Meatless Monday: Pasta with Cauliflower in a Spicy Tomato Sauce

And I'm back!  It's Monday, and we're eating meatless.  Tonight I chose Pasta with Cauliflower in a Spicy Tomato Sauce from Serving Up The Harvest.  Really quick and easy dinner that the boys loved -- they had seconds!  The recipe says it serves four but, as I said, Paul and Kevin had seconds (I only had one serving) and there was still some left over.  Truth be told, I was not as crazy about this dish as the boys.  I'm not a fan of spicy food, and this was a little too much for my tongue.  There wasn't much of a "sauce" to this dish.  It was pretty much chunky cauliflower, tomatoes and olives over pasta.  If I do make it again I think I'll use crushed tomatoes.  I think it'll coat the pasta better.

Pasta with Cauliflower in a Spicy Tomato Sauce
Serving Up the Harvest
Yield:  Serves 4 (I say 6)

1 head cauliflower broken into florets
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, diced
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 anchovy fillets (optional)
1 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup pitted cured black olives, such as Kalamata
1 tbsp capers
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 pound rotini or other short pasta
Freshly grated Parmesan for serving

     Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the cauliflower and boil until just barely tender, about 3 minutes.  Remove from the water and set aside.  Return the water to a boil for the pasta.
     Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.  Gently saute the onion, garlic, anchovy fillets, if using, and crushed red pepper flakes in the oil until the onion is tender, about 4 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add the tomatoes, olives, capers, and cauliflower.  Taste, then season with salt and pepper (the anchovies and olives may contribute all the salt needed).  Simmer for about 15 minutes while you cook the pasta.
     Cook the pasta in the boiling water until al dente, and drain well.
     Serve the pasta with the sauce spooned over the top.  Pass the Parmesan at the table.

Meatless Monday: Black Beans and Rice with Fire Roasted Vegetables

Beans and Rice pretty boring, right?  Yup, that's what I thought before I tried Black Beans and Rice with Fire Roasted Vegetables from The Roasted Vegetable.  It's the roasted veggies that really make this dish.  Sweet, tender with a bit of a zip thanks to the chipotles in adobe sauce.  It's well known amongst my friends that I do not have much tolerance when it comes to chilies.  This meal had enough spice to keep my tongue tingling, and still add a little heat and zip for Paul and Kevin.

Make sure you allow yourself enough time to prepare this dish -- it took close to two hours to prepare.  If you're pressed for time the book says you can substitute of a 19 ounce can of black beans for the dried ones, rinse well and drain, and season with ground cumin.

Black Beans and Rice with Fire-Roasted Vegetables
The Roasted Vegetable
Yield:  Serves 4

Beans
1 cup dried black beans, rinsed, picked over, and soaked overnight in water to cover
4 cups water
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt

Vegetables
1 medium size red bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 medium size green bell pepper, cut into matchsticks
1 small to medium size zucchini, cut into matchsticks
1 medium size onion, halved and slivered
1 cup fresh or frozen corn kernels
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 tsp minced chipotles in adobo sauce
1 tsp ground cumin
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup homemade or store-bought salsa, or more to taste
Hot cooked white or brown rice (I used brown cooked in vegetable stock)
Sour cream

     Drain the beans.  In a medium size saucepan, combine the beans, water, cumin, and salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, partially covered, until the beans are tender, about 1 hour.
     While the beans cook, preheat the oven to 425.  Lightly oil a large shallow roasting pan or half sheet pan.
     To make the vegetables, in a large bowl combine the bell peppers, zucchini, onion, and corn.  In a small bowl combine the oil, chipotles, and cumin.  Pour over the vegetables and toss to coat.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Arrange in a single layer in the pan.
     Roast for about 35 minutes, until the vegetables are tender and lightly browned, stirring or shaking the pan occasionally for even cooking.
     When the beans are tender, drain off the excess water.  Combine the beans and the salsa.  taste and adjust the seasoning, adding more salt, pepper, or salsa as needed.
     To serve, transfer the hot rice to a large serving platter or individual plates.  Spoon the beans over the rice.  Top with the roasted vegetables.  Pass the sour cream at the table.

Meatless Monday: Mujdhara

Muja-what?  Come on...I know you were scratching your head on this one!

Mujdhara (according to Recipes from the Root Cellar) is a Syrian rice and lentil classic dish that has as many variations as it has spellings including:  mjudra, mujadra, and mejadra.  Among Jewish communities in the Middle East, the dish is sometimes nicknamed "Esau's Favorite", after the Biblical story in which Esau sold his birthright for a "mess of pottage".  It is that good.

Maybe in Biblical times it was "that good", but today if Esau told me he sold his birthright for some of this Mujdhara I would have asked him if he lost his mind.  The dish is just bland.  Bland, bland, bland!  I cooked the onions longer than 10 minutes so they would be soft and sweet, and they supplied the only taste to the "pottage".  There is a nice creamy, nutty, lingering on the tongue after you've eaten a bite but even that is not enough to save the dish.  If you think I'm being a bit harsh let me add that even Paul didn't like it!  He said it was really bland, and went to put some salt on it.  When I asked if he liked it better after adding salt he said, yes.  Then he looked a little sheepish, and confessed that he actually put soy sauce on it.

I just figured out what it reminds me of.  When I was a child and my stomach was upset my mom would make me very soft soupy rice (almost a porridge).  As an adult I can't stand the stuff, but as a child I thought it was wonderful.  Maybe that's the appeal of this dish?  Sort of a childhood dish you have a nice memory of?  I don't know.  I'm just happy I decided to halve the recipe since it's only Paul and I for dinner tonight.

Mujdhara
Recipes from the Root Cellar
Yield:  Serves 4

1 cup dried green or brown lentils, rinsed
1 tsp salt, plus more as needed
1 1/2 cups brown rice
3 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
3 large onions, halved and thinly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/4 cups buttermilk
Freshly ground black pepper

     In a medium saucepan, cover the lentils with water by about 3 inches and add 1/2 teaspoon salt.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and boil gently, partially covered, until the lentils are tneder but still hold their shpae, about 25 minutes.  Drain and rinse the lentiles with hot water.
     Meanwhile, combine the rice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 3 1/4 cups water.  Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the rice is tender and the water absorbed, about 30 minutes.
     While the rice and lentils cook, heat the oil over medium-low heat in a large saucepan.  Add the onions, and garlic and cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 10 minutes.
     Add the cooked lentils and rice to the onions.  Add the buttermilk to moisten and bind the mixture.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.  Serve warm or at room temperature.

Variation:  For an interesting variation, substitute cooked wheat berries for the rice.