palak tofu with fire-roasted tomatoes.

i've found it: my new favorite greens dish. while i would never dissuade you from my trying my earlier saag tofu recipe, this newer version comes together much quicker and with fewer ingredients, making it an ideal weeknight recipe. from start to finish, this dinner will take you no more than forty-five minutes to throw together. 

i piloted the recipe using spinach but look forward to trying it out with kale or chard next time around. serve with some rice, dal, and naan for a hearty, well-balanced meal.

palak tofu with fire-roasted tomatoes

adapted from pinch of yum

for the palak:

1 tablespoon oil

1 red onion, minced

1 teaspoon cumin seeds

2 teaspoons garam masala

1 teaspoon ground coriander

1-2 teaspoons fresh ginger

3 teaspoons minced garlic

1 14-ounce can fire roasted tomatoes, drained

1 huge carton of spinach or other greens (you can use as spinach as you want, but i would suggest no fewer than 8 handfuls)

1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped

½ cup water

1 teaspoon salt, a few grinds of pepper

for the tofu:

8 ounces extra firm tofu, drained and cubed

1 teaspoon oil

salt and pepper

prepare your tofu by first removing all of the excess water. you can do this by wrapping it in paper towels and setting a plate or something heavy on top of it for a couple of minutes. repeat as necessary until it feels firm and dry.

heat one tablespoon of oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. once your oil is hot, toss in the cubed tofu and pan fry until lightly browned on both sides. when it’s cooked, add a pinch of salt and pepper, stir, and then dump into a small mixing bowl to cool (note: you could also do this step in advance to save time).

in the same skillet, heat a tablespoon of oil over medium heat. sauté the onion until soft, about 8 minutes. push the onion to the side of the pan and add the cumin seeds. stir the cumin seeds around in the middle for about a minute so they can crackle and pop.

add the garam masala, ground coriander, ginger and garlic. sauté everything together for 2-3 minutes. add the fire roasted tomatoes and sauté for another 5-10 minutes.

now add the spinach, a few handfuls at a time, to the mixture. to help the leaves cook down, keep scooping the tomato mixture over the greens. when all of the spinach is cooked, add the fresh cilantro to the skillet. sauté for another couple of minutes.

transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor. pulse a few times until you get the desired consistency. I like mine mostly smooth with a few chunks (not pureed). return the mixture to the skillet, and stir in the water. add the salt, pepper, and tofu. simmer for 5-10 minutes. serve immediately.

lasagna tart.

last week i had the privilege of attending a cooking class with one of my all-time favorite bloggers: dana of danatreat.com. if you ever find yourself in the oakland area, take one of her classes. it involved 3 delightful hours of tasting a bunch of different dishes, sipping wine, chatting with the other students, and absorbing some tiny fraction of dana's expansive culinary knowledge. everyone walked away with a nifty booklet of 5 inspired late summer recipes, from a shaved summer squash salad to a blueberry crisp. i'm a sucker for a good crisp - as evidenced by my last post - but by far my favorite dish we learned was a goat cheese and heirloom tomato tart. i was particularly excited because my sore inability to knead dough (and one especially scarring galette making experience a few years back) has always left me pretty weary of venturing into the world of doughs. but after watching the ease with which dana made, baked, and filled her tart, i decided it was time.my first tart endeavour involved an incredibly simple, whole wheat olive oil crust. the dough comes together in minutes and is sturdy enough for you to transport into the tart pan without having to worry about it falling apart. after refrigerating it for a few hours and baking it 20 minutes, i filled it with layers of caramelized onions, shaved zucchini coins, tomato sauce, and cheese.

i was really pleased with the result. the crust was flakey but not at all crumbly, and the filling held together quite well when i cut into it. if you're looking to venture into the world of tarts, this is a great pilot recipe.

lasagna tart

heavily inspired by 101 cookbooks

tart crust


2 cups whole wheat pastry flour

1 teaspoon fine grain sea salt


zest of one lemon


1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 cup cold water

tomato sauce


3 cloves garlic, minced


1 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil


2 heirloom tomatoes, diced

1 teaspoon salt

filling

2 yellow onions, diced

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 zucchinis or summer squash, sliced into thin coins

1 teaspoon sea salt

1 cup chopped herbs (i used basil, rosemary, thyme, and chives)

1/2 cup grated cheese

preheat the oven to 375F degrees, and place a rack in the middle. get your 10-inch tart pan out.

toss the sliced zucchini with the salt in a colander and let it drain while you make the tart shell, caramelized onions, and tomato sauce. once you’ve let the zucchinis drain, wash them off thoroughly to remove the salt. pat them dry using a paper towel to remove any excess water. set aside.

to make the tart shell combine the flour, salt, and lemon zest in a large mixing bowl. drizzle the olive oil over the flour and stir that in. now drizzle the cold water over the flour and mix with a fork just until it is absorbed. knead the dough in the bowl one or twice until it comes together into a ball. now lightly flour a flat surface and use a rolling pin to roll the dough into a circle roughly 13-inches across. with great finesse, ease the pastry into your tart pan and press it into the corners and up the sides without stretching the dough. trim away any excess dough, and place the pan in the refrigerator for at least thirty minutes (but up to 10 hours).

in the meantime, start caramelizing your onions. add the olive oil to a skillet, then cook the onions on medium high for about 10 minutes, stirring every few minutes. turn the heat down to medium low, and let the onions keep cooking for another 45 minutes. stir them every 5-10 minutes so that they don’t burn, but you do want them charred. once they give off that dark brown, glazed appearance (and your kitchen smells amazing!), you know they’re ready. transfer to a bowl and let cool.

at this point, your dough should be ready to bake. prick the crust with a fork a few times. line the pastry with parchment paper and fill the tart with pie weights. bake for 15 minutes. remove the paper and pie weights, then toast the tart crust in the oven for another five minutes or so before transferring it to a rack to cool. dial the oven temperature down to 350F.

now, using the same skillet you caramelized the onions in, you can make the sauce. add the olive oil to the pan. once hot, add the garlic and cook over medium high for a few minutes. toss in the tomatoes and salt, bring to a simmer, and cook the sauce down a bit, 10 minutes or so. add in the herbs and remove from heat.

when you are ready to assemble the tart, use a spatula to spread the caramelized onions across the bottom layer. arrange the zucchini in a single layer on top of the onions. pour the sauce on top and spread around, then top with the cheese.

place the tart on a rimmed baking sheet - in case you end up with an overflow - and bake for roughly 40 minutes. remove and let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

labor-intensive-but-totally-worth-it polenta pizza

warning: this is not a weeknight kind of pizza. this is a "lazy sunday afternoon and i have some time to kill and some laundry to do and some reruns of parenthood to watch" kind of pizza. this is a "i'm having friends over and want to impress them with how creative and unconventional i can be in the kitchen but i'm also afraid to take too too much of a risk" kind of pizza. this is the kind of pizza that people ooo and aaah at, if only because it never occurred to them before that you could make a pizza dough out a polenta. (and have it taste good!). this is a pizza you should make time for next weekend. neglect your laundry all week, clear an afternoon, and get ready to experience a whole new kind of pizza (crust). 

you'll need about 3 hours altogether to make this pizza, but it's not like slaving over a risotto for 3 hours. here are the steps: 

1. make the polenta. 
2. refrigerate the polenta. 
3. bake the polenta. 
4. add pizza toppings and bake some more. 

the crust comes out deliciously herby and crunchy, and depending on how thick or thin you like your crust, you can save some of the leftover polenta and make this incredible polenta casserole later in the week.  

polenta pizza

from terry walter’s clean start

for the crust:

3 cups vegetable stock

1 teaspoon sea salt

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon dried parsley

Freshly ground black pepper

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

11/4 cups polenta

for the topping:

1-2 cups tomato sauce (fresh or canned)

2 zucchinis, sliced

1 red pepper, diced

1 orange pepper, diced

1 bunch kale, washed and cut into thin strips

1 cup shredded cheese (your choice!)

start by making the crust. over high heat, bring stock to boil. reduce heat to medium and add salt, basil, oregano, parsley, pepper and olive oil. whisking continuously, pour in polenta and continue whisking for 5 to 7 minutes until smooth and thick. pour into a 11 x 7 baking pan and spread evenly over bottom of each pan. you may have some polenta leftover, depending on how thick you like your curst. cool slightly and then refrigerate for 30 minutes.

preheat oven to 350°F and place baking sheet on middle rack. remove polenta from refrigerator, sprinkle pizza stone or baking sheet with cornmeal, transfer polenta to stone or baking sheet and bake 40 minutes. remove from oven and set aside.



prepare your toppings. sauté zucchinis and peppers in some olive oil for a few minutes. add in the kale. season with salt and pepper to taste.

assemble your pizza by spreading a thin layer of tomato sauce on top of the polenta, leaving a 1/2 inch edge. spread the vegetables across evenly. top with cheese.

bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is melty. let cool 5 minutes, then slice and dig in.

ratatouille in four steps!

i've been waiting months to share this recipe. as a compulsive consumer of tomatoes in the summer and a huge fan of one pot dinners, i've made my fair share of ratatouilles in the past few months. and this is, by far, one of the simplest, tastiest recipes i've come across. the ingredient list is minimal, but taking the time to cook the vegetables slowly in a dutch oven gives the dish ample time to absorb all the herbs and let the flavors build.

the original recipe comes from molly katzen's the new moosewood cookbook, which i used as inspiration but made some changes to. whatever herbs you chose is up for grabs, but i recommend fresh over dried. i also used canned tomatoes in this particular version to simplify the process even further, but you should definitely definitely definitely substitute in fresh tomatoes if you can get your hands on them (should still be possible!). i particularly love buying colorful heirloom tomatoes that can be cooked down into a bright yellow or orange sauce! if you're feeling adventurous, feel free to add in other spices at whim: i've recently starting throwing in a little ground cumin and curry at the end for kick.

“purple” ratatouille

adapted from molly katzen’s the new moosewood cookbook

** purple because of the purple garlic and purple basil :)

3 tbsp olive oil

2 spring onions, chopped (stems and all!)

5 small zucchini, cubed

1 large eggplant, cubed

4 cloves of garlic, minced

1 bay leaf

½ cup chopped fresh purple basil

1 tbsp each: fresh oregano, thyme, parsley, and marjoram

1 ½ 14.5 oz can of stewed, chopped tomatoes

½ cup sundried tomatoes, reconstituted in warm water and chopped finely

2 tsp. salt

a few big grinds black pepper

1. heat the oil in a large skillet or dutch oven. add the onion, garlic, and bay leaf. sauté over medium heat until the onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

2. add eggplant, herbs, and salt, and stir. cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for about 15 minutes, until the eggplant is soft.

3. add the zucchini, sundried tomatoes, and canned tomatoes. mix well. grind in the pepper. cover and continue to cook on low heat until all the vegetables are tender (15-30 minutes or so). stir occasionally to make sure it is not sticking on the bottom. remove the bay leaf and add more salt or herbs to taste.

4. serve with polenta or couscous and a hunk of ciabatta for soaking up the juices!

early summer panzanella.

this panzanella is exactly what spring's transition to summer calls for: a final chance to make use of those last bright green asparagus spears and a perfect potluck contribution. start by purchasing one too many baguettes. let the bread sit out overnight, uncovered. in the morning you'll have no other choice but to saw your bread knife through it and turn it into crusty, garlicky croutons. 

i love the mix of textures in this salad, from the soft chard leaves to the crunchy edamame and salty almonds. it makes a great main course for two or a side dish for four. you can also easily liven up any leftovers the next day by tossing in a few extra handfuls of uncooked spinach or other salad greens.

early summer panzanella

a muffins on sunday original

for the croutons:
4 cups day-old bread, cut into 1-inch cubes

4 cloves garlic, minced
a couple of pinches salt
a couple of grinds pepper
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
10 yellow cherry tomatoes, halved

for the salad:
4 green onions, white and green parts, roughly chopped

1 bunch asparagus, cut into 2 inch segments

6 baby portobello mushrooms, sliced
1 bunch chard of your choice, finely chopped
1/2 cup fresh edamame

1 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil

for the grand finale:
2 tablespoons fresh cilantro, chopped

1 tablespoon fresh mint, chopped
1/4 cup marcona almonds, toasted

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste

start by making the croutons. preheat the oven to 350F. in a large bowl, toss the bread cubes and halved tomatoes with the garlic, olive oil, salt and pepper. transfer to a baking sheet and bake for 10-15 minutes, stirring once or twice. they should be slightly browned around the edges but still soft (for soaking up juices!), and the tomatoes should be a little wrinkled. set aside to cool. once cool, place in a large serving bowl.

ohop the onions, asparagus, and mushrooms and place in a small bowl. stem and all, chop the chard very finely and set aside.

in a non-stick pan or cast iron skillet, heat a tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. toss in the onions, asparagus, mushrooms, and a pinch of salt. give a quick toss and let them sear on one side for 1 minute. give another toss. when they are looking almost done, add in the chard, a handful at a time. when that’s all just cooked down, throw in the edamame and one generous pinch of salt. toss to combine, then pour the contents into the serving bowl with the bread.

add in the finely chopped herbs and toasted almonds. toss to combine, and let cool for about a half hour before serving. right before serving, drizzle in a little balsamic vinegar, and give it a quick stir to coat. enjoy!

simple, perfect salsa.

full disclosure: these past few months, i feel like i've lost sight of why i started this blog in the first place. 

i created this space over a year and a half ago as a way to share dishes i was cooking and culinary discoveries i was making. it was an exciting time: i realized why you heat the oil in the pan before adding garlic and onion. i figured out why you cook said garlic and onion before adding other ingredients to the mix. i found out how amazing vegetables can taste when prepared under medium-high heat while being seasoned along the way. i discovered grains for the first time: quinoa, polenta, farro, bulgur, (forbidden) rice. i started explored how soothing and therapeutic stirring, braising, and simmering could be. recently, i realized why people swear by their dutch ovens. most importantly, though, i recognized that relationships with family and friends could be cultivated in the kitchen. 

basically: i got why people cook. together. it turns out mealtimes are not just about calorie consumption or satisfying taste buds. food's potential is so much greater. it can bring people together over a hot stove. it can create a space for creativity and collaboration. 

since then, however, i feel like i've caught a case of blog insecurity! i've felt like my photos aren't quite good enough or my recipes aren't quite high end enough. but this week, as i've been looking through earlier posts and reflecting on how far i've come in my culinary pursuits, it's been a wake up call. my recipes - both the failures and the successes - though they may not involve rare ingredients or specialized cooking techniques.. they have all been tasty. and healthy. 

i offer today's recipe in honor of that original blog ideal: my version of mollie katzen's classic salsa. simple, delicious, flavorful. i hope it inspires you this summer. more importantly, i hope it helps you to pursue your own culinary passion, however modest or simple it may seem. cooking is about so much more than just being fancy. 


mollie katzen’s salsa perfection

from the new moosewood cookbook

3 ripe roma tomatoes

3 scallions, finely minced

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

a big handful cilantro, finely chopped

1 tsp lightly toasted cumin seeds

1 tsp salt

1 tbs apple cider vinegar

1 tbs olive oil

1 tbs fresh lime juice

throw the tomatoes into a pot of simmering water. wait 10 seconds, then remove and peel off the skins. discard the seeds and dice the remaining pulp. throw everything together in a small bowl. refrigerate until ready to eat.