Thai Quinoa and Tofu Bowl

I've been in a lunch rut lately.

Until this week, I had nearly the same thing for lunch. Every day. Since August. And many dinners too.

One grain + one bean + whatever veggies were in my fridge.

Quinoa and chickpeas with peas and corn.

Buckwheat with mung beans, lima beans and avocado.

By no means am I complaining. The meals were cheap and healthy. They didn't require refrigeration, and they tasted good at room temperature. Best of all, they kept me full until dinnertime.

Despite the ease of preparation, I just couldn't bring myself to eat the same thing again this week.

This dish helped. It's got the same basic breakdown of ingredients as my typical lunch, but it's got something a little more.

Coconut (and a little peanut butter, which never hurts).

It's fabulous. It's loaded with protein from the quinoa, almonds and tofu. The scallions, carrots and lightly blanched peas give it just the right amount of crunch. Every bite explodes with a combination of flavors.

Although it took quite a bit more work than my typical lunch, it was certainly worth it, and this dish will be entering my regular lunch rotation.

Salmorejo

 

This soup is Gazpacho's cousin.

On the surface they seem similar, both a rich red color and loaded with tomatoes. They both feel light and refreshing. Both are loaded with garlic.

That's where the similarities end.

Whereas gazpacho is loaded with veggies, salmorejo gets its heft from a generous dose of olive oil, almonds and toasted bread.

Gazpacho is made at the height of summer, with the freshest vegetables imaginable. Salmorejo is more forgiving. Sure, fresh, ripe tomatoes would probably be best, but it's almost equally delicious in the dead of winter, loaded with canned plum tomatoes.

There's something fantastic about having a soup that tastes this fresh in early spring, months before tomatoes show up in the market. We drank it by the cupful, literally.

I topped it with chopped hard-boiled eggs. The true Spaniard would add chopped ham, but I left it out.

The leftovers froze beautifully and made a perfect meal for another night.

Romesco Sauce

This romesco sauce could have a lot of uses.

McCormick's suggests using it as a salad dressing. Smitten Kitchen recommends it poured over roasted potatoes. The Kitchn provides countless ideas, including adding a layer to your sandwich for lunch and drizzling some over your favorite fish dish. Art & Lemons says its the perfect vegetable dip. Jamie Oliver uses it to dress squid.

I didn't use it in any of those ways. I will.  I'm thankful I've got an extra jarful frozen for just those purposes.

I used it on a Spanish tortilla.

The http://makingmichaelpollanproud.blogspot.com/2011/09/spanish-tortilla-with-artichokes-and.htmlSpanish tortilla is simple and unadorned in its natural state. That makes it the perfect base for this complex, fiery sauce, rich with almonds, roasted peppers and tomatoes, and cayenne. It's got a bit of smokiness and a bit of heat to it.

When I had guests over for dinner, we all drizzled it on top of our tortilla. But later, when eating leftover tortilla by myself, I slathered it on top, totally coating the top of my tortilla with the sauce. The later is what I'd recommend you do.

Raw Kale Salad with Apples and Almonds

Last weekend I walked through the farmers' market with my friend Marie. The farmers' market had the last remnants of summer produce, and all the fall produce was already in. We meandered slowly through the stalls, taking it all in.

The apples kept catching my eye. We debated whether to buy them. They'll be there at the market all winter, holding on long after the grapes and leafy greens and heirloom tomatoes are gone. By February, I know I'll be sick of them.

But these were the fresh-picked apples. It had been 10 months since there were crisp, new apples available. They're fantastically different, almost unrecognizable from their counterparts that had graced farmers' market stands all summer.

I bought them (if you hadn't already guessed I was leaning that way). And they were fantastic.

Those apples and a beautiful bundle of kale inspired this salad. I wanted something that would showcase both ingredients. It comes together in minutes, and the individual flavors elevate when combined.

The salad keeps beautifully over night, so it's perfect to make ahead to bring to a early morning brunch (or mid-afternoon book club meeting). 

Almond-Plum Everyday Cake

I had cake for breakfast.

Two days in a row.

It's a healthy cake of sorts. Only one-half cup brown sugar in the whole cake. Four large plums. Almond flour. I left off the ice cream--that was for dessert the night before.

(Ignore the cup and then some of butter.)

I am a girl who loves baked goods for breakfast. When I was out with my aunt and cousin today, we bonded over how important it was to have a little bit of something baked with our coffee in the morning. I think it runs in my family.

I generally have more everyday baked goods. Muffins are a given, as is toast with almond butter. I'll make a big batch of waffles or pancakes and freeze them, reheating a few in the morning for breakfast. Pre-made, they become easy go-to breakfasts.

This almond-plum cake could be considered an everyday cake. It comes together in minutes, you mix it with your hands, and then throw it in the oven. It's delicious plain or topped with vanilla ice cream. You'll probably have almost all the ingredients for this on hand, and you can swap other fruits in based on what's in season. 

We could also call it a thank you for being amazing friends cake.

Whatever name you give it, have a slice for breakfast. I think it might be good luck. Three fabulous things happened after I had a slice that I'll be sharing with you soon!

Fregolatta

In my family, cookies often played a starring role at dessert. At Christmas each year, cookies were the star, and we made plate after plate of different kinds. Cookies could be the whole dessert, and we would each leave incredibly content.

However, perusing Brooklyn restaurant menus over the past few years, cookies rarely feature on dessert menus. Sure, No. 7 swears by their chocolate chip and bacon cookies, but at most restaurants, cookies only appear on the menu when they are complimenting another dish.

This fregolatta falls into that camp. I needed a cookie to accompany some chocolate pot de cremes that I made. This cookie, described as the little black dress of cookie crumbles seemed just right. Incredibly simple to make, the dough is stirred together and then patted into springform pans. There's none of that fussing to measure exact portions or spending hours pulling out tray after tray of cookies that chocolate chip cookies call for. Instead, two springform pans bake in the oven for 25 minutes each, yielding two huge cookies.

Then comes the fun part. You take the cookie, and you balance it on something. A whole almond is recommended if you want to impress your guests, but any small object will work. You take a wooden spoon, and you whack the cookie as hard as you can. Watch it crumble! Don't be afraid to really hit it.

These crunchy, almond-filled pieces were a perfect compliment to the decadent pot de cremes, and they worked equally as well with coffee for the next few days.

I would have expected nothing left from a Lidia Bastianich recipe. Number 12 on Gourmet Magazine's list of 50 women game changers in food history, she has established quite a food empire for herself.

In selecting Lidia, Gourmet wrote, "Everybody's nonna, Lidia founded an empire, and she does it all: cookbooks, TV shows, restaurants, and wines galore. Then last summer--with son Joe, Mario Batali, and Oscar Farinetti--she opened Eataly, the cucina italiana Manhattan multiverse and basically, took over the world."

Be sure to visit all the other bloggers who made recipes by Lidia Bastianich this week. While you do that, I may just visit Eataly. Fittingly, this post comes on Eataly's 1st birthday:

Val - More Than Burnt Toast
Joanne - Eats Well With Others
Taryn - Have Kitchen Will Feed
Susan - The Spice Garden
Claudia - A Seasonal Cook in Turkey
Heather - girlichef
Miranda - Mangoes and Chutney
Jeanette - Healthy Living
April - Abby Sweets 
Mary - One Perfect Bite
Kathleen -Bake Away with Me
Viola - The Life is Good Kitchen
Sue - The View from Great Island
Barbara - Movable Feasts
Kathleen - Gonna Want Seconds
Amy - Beloved Green