Pasta with Spicy Cauliflower and Walnuts

19 02 2010

I wouldn’t call myself a picky eater.  Sure, there are things that I’d prefer not to eat, but that isn’t necessarily because I think these items taste bad.  Take, for instance, fugu, the potentially deadly delicacy found in Japan.  I’d definitely prefer not to eat that.  But I’m sure it’s delicious.

I also thought that I preferred not to eat hot olives.  Not hot, like spicy (do those exist?), hot like temperature.  Normally, I’d just avoid dishes that were served warm and contained olives.  Turns out that I like hot olives just fine.  And that’s a good thing, because they add a perfectly unique and subtle flavor to this pasta dish.  Quite frankly, I wouldn’t bother whipping this up if you plan on omitting them.

I’m also loving the addition of toasted nuts in pasta dishes lately.  Don’t bother tossing in a handful of chilled nuts from your refrigerator – toast those puppies.  That’s what makes for an RQ meal.

What’s an RQ meal?  That’s lingo for restaurant-quality here in the Branny household.  Thanks be to the Omnivore for that terminology.

One Year Ago Today: Spaghetti and Wheatballs

Pasta with Spicy Cauliflower and Walnuts (serves 2 inspired by recipes from Mollie Katzen and Deborah Madison)
1.5 cups dry whole wheat penne pasta
1 14oz can diced tomatoes
1/4 cup red wine
1 small onion, diced
1 small can black olives (4oz)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 cup walnuts, toasted
1 T fresh oregano
1/2 of a medium head of cauliflower, diced into florets
freshly chopped parsley, to garnish

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Quickly blanch diced cauliflower for 3-4 minutes in boiling water.  Remove with a strainer.  Boil pasta in the pot.  In a saucepan, sautee onions, adding red wine once they begin to soften.  Add diced tomatoes, olives, and cauliflower as well as red pepper and oregano.  Simmer over low heat as pasta cooks, adding ladels of pasta water as needed.  Once pasta is al dente, plate into two portions, adding spicy cauliflower sauce on top and garnishing with toasted walnuts and parsley.

Serves 2
Calories 346.5
Total Fat 16.5 g
Cholesterol 18.8 mg
Sodium 552.1 mg
Potassium 775.1 mg
Total Carbohydrate 36.4 g
Protein 9.5 g


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Categories : Omnivores add: Chicken, Omnivores add: ground meat, main dish, vegan(izable), vegetables

Sauerbraten Klopse

10 02 2010

I’ve been withholding this recipe for quite sometime from you people.

I think that bluntness is an underrated quality.  I’m all for being polite, but I’m quick to be irritated by unnecessary smiles and sugar-coatings.  I appreciate efficiency and talking around certain subjects just peeves the hell out of me.

So when I ask the Omnivore, “How’s dinner?” and he responds, “It sucks,” he gets nothing but smiles from me.  I don’t want some long drawn out explanation about how Aunt Agnes once served you a lunch that looked like this meal but tasted a whole lot worse and yadda yadda yadda, you just can’t eat sweet potatoes anymore.  Don’t justify it.  Be blunt about it.  Be done with it.  Save the Aunt Agnes story for your coworker.

And now that I’ve sufficiently talked around why I haven’t blogged this recipe, maybe I should get on with it:

The photo is disgusting.

So I guess I’m at a point in my food blogging career where I have to consider to myself whether or not I am willing to share with you recipes that I think are worthy of your kitchen but evaded my ability to photograph them or not.

So let me just scrap the bluntness and justify myself.  This recipe was great.  It was healthy.  We all need new ways to use ground meat.  We’re tired of it being paired with tomato sauce.  It looks like dungballs on a plate.  It may lead you to remove my blog from your Google Reader.  But I’m willing to risk that.  Because if you make this recipe, you’ll like it.  If you can get past the photo.

Frankly, we just don’t eat that much meat around here.  And repeat recipes are far and few between.  And sooner is better than later is better than never, right?  So keep your criticisms about the photo to yourself, unless, of course, you want to visit the website from which I adapted the recipe, check out that photo, and give me a compliment.  I’ll take that.

One Year Ago: Accordion Potatoes, Bagels, and Thai Spaghetti Toss

Sweet and Sour Meatballs (3 servings)
3/4 pound lean ground turkey
1/4 cup dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 cup water
1/2 cup distilled white vinegar
4 tablespoons packed brown sugar
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 bay leaf
2 tsp cornstarch + 2 T cold water

In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey and bread crumbs.  Season with cloves, allspice, salt, and pepper. Shape into 1 inch balls.  Place on a greased cookie sheet.  Bake in a 350* preheated oven for 20 minutes.  In a large saucepan, bring water, vinegar, brown sugar, bay lead, and ginger to a gentle simmer.  Place meatballs in broth and simmer for 20 minutes.  Just before serving, combine cornstarch and water and whisk into sweet and sour broth.

Based on 3 servings:
Calories 214.7
Total Fat 8.3 g
Saturated Fat 2.5 g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Monounsaturated Fat 0.0 g
Cholesterol 80.0 mg
Sodium 167.1 mg
Potassium 33.4 mg
Total Carbohydrate 12.7 g

Dietary Fiber 0.2 g

Sugars 0.3 g

Protein 22.7 g


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Veggie Fried “Rice”

8 02 2010

Some recipes I just never planned on blogging.  Ironically, these are the recipes that we probably eat the most frequently.  Tacos.  Generic burritos.  Pasta and spaghetti sauce.  Fried rice.  Yep, our old standbys: minimal effort with steady, delicious results.

I don’t know why I’d keep these recipes from you.  But I do.  When it comes to fried rice, my lack of blogging the recipe was probably due to the ever-changing characteristics of the dish.  It morphs based on what veggies are on hand, what spices are around, which direction the wind blows.

But I’ll share with you this most recent edition of fried rice, which was particularly delicious.

There are two features of note here.

1) There actually isn’t any rice in this recipe.  You can, of course, substitute day-old rice for the shredded cauliflower you see posing as carby, starchy, grains if you’re a purist.  We, however, loved the use of cauliflower shreds in place of grains.  You eat mostly with your eyes and the flavor is so benign that the substitution turned a normally carbohydrate-laden meal (if fried rice is eaten as the main dish) into a veggie packed course.

2) The crunchy little garlic and ginger bits you see topping the “rice.”  Yes, it takes an extra step, but boy oh boy, it takes your meal up a notch.

2.5) Seasame oil is not optional.

One Year Ago: Mashed Potato Lasagna and Red Beans and Rice

Veggie Fried Veggies (or rice, serves 2)
2 cups shredded cauliflower (1/2 a head) or 2 cups cooked rice (day old!)
2 carrots, chopped
1 onion, chopped
1/2 cup frozen corn
1/2 cup frozen peas
3 T soy sauce, divided
sesame oil (1-2 tsp per person)
1 egg
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp minced ginger
neutral oil (3 T? enough to cover bottom of wok)

Heat a wok over med-high heat and add oil.  When hot, add chopped garlic and ginger and fry until golden brown.

This picture is about 35 seconds shy of being perfectly crisp.  Remove delicious bits and drain on paper towel.

To the wok, add the carrots and cook 3-4 minutes.  Next add onion.  Cook 1 minute.  Add peas and corn, stirring until thawed and warms.  Fold in cauliflower shreds and stirfry until warmed through.  Add 1 T soy sauce.  Push veggies to the side, exposing the middle of the wok.  Crack and egg into the interior.  Allow egg to cook 30 seconds and then vigorously scramble and fold into vegetables.

Cook until all components are warmed through and then, just before serving, add additional soy sauce (to taste).  Distribute between two plates and drizzle with sesame oil.  Top with fried ginger and garlic.

Thanks, Cara, for the cauliflower substitution suggestion!


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Categories : Asian, Omnivores add: Chicken, Omnivores add: ground meat, grains, main dish

Cauliflower Paprikash with Homemade Spaetzle

26 01 2010

I ran across this recipe in a Moosewood Cookbook that featured fast and easy weeknight meals.  I’ll tell you, I thought I must’ve picked up a book with a misprint.  Homemade noodles made from start to finish in 30 minutes or less?  Weeknight meal worthy?  No.  It couldn’t be.  Could it?

So I rolled up my sleeves and got cooking.  Yes.  I timed myself.  Yes, dinner was finished in under 30 minutes.  No, I do not keep a little hidden sous chef elf in my kitchen.  Here is the result: Hungarian Paprikash with homemade wheaty spaetzle.  With time leftover to do the laundry.

I had a few thoughts as I read over the recipe before starting the 30 minutes countdown timer.  And the summation of my emotions after reading the recipe was the feeling of being ripped off.   Who ripped me off?  Not Mollie Katzen.  Not this Moosewood Recipe.  A quick google search indicated that this recipe stayed truer to tradition than my other paprikash recipe.

What’s my bone of contention?  My other recipe calls from tomato sauce!  Can you believe it?  Instead of relying on a heavy dose of pure imported Hungarian Sweet Paprika, this recipe feigned authenticity by turning your noodles blazing red with tomato sauce, an ingredient that should not be included in paprikash.  Ugh.  The horror.  In fact, I need to rename that other blog post to Pasta with Tomato sauce and some Sour cream stirred in.

Read the recipe thoroughly beforehand if you plan on making both the spaetzle and the paprikash.  It is written so that you can juggle the two dishes simultaneously.  Don’t blow your cookies and start chopping cauliflower until instructed!

Cauliflower Paprikash (serves 4, if you are having dessert)
1 medium onion, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
1 green bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 cup)
3 tbsp sweet paprika
1/2 cup dry sherry
1/2 cup water
1 cup chick peas
pinch of salt
1 large head of cauliflower
1 cup sour cream (I used light)
salt and ground black pepper to taste

In a large soup pan or saucepot, saute the onions and peppers in oil for 2-3 minutes. Stir in the paprika, sherry, and water and cook on high heat for a minute. Add chickpeas and pinch of salt to draw out the juices. Lower the heat, cover, and cook for five minutes while you cut the cauliflower into florets.

Mix in the florets and simmer until the cauliflower is tender but still firm, 7 minutes. Remove the pan from heat and stir in the sour cream. Add salt and pepper to taste. Cover the paprikash and keep it warm until ready to serve, but prevent it from simmering or it may curdle.

Spaetzle (4 servings)
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
-I used 3/4 cup white, 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp salt
pinch of freshly ground nutmeg
pinch of ground black pepper
2 large eggs, beaten
1/2 cup milk
4 qts salted water
2 tbsp butter (optional)

Before you begin the paprikash, prepare the spatzle batter: combine flour, salt, nutmeg, pepper, eggs, and milk in bowl, and stir well. When you begin to saute the onions and pepper, start boiling the water in a large pot. After you add the cauliflower to the paprikash, place the thick spaetzle batter into a colander with large holes (or your handy-dandy spaetzle maker).

Set the colander on the rim of the pot of boiling water and using the back of a wooden spoon, push the batter through the holes into the boiling water. Lower the heat to a simmer and cook for 5 minutes, until firm but light. Remove the spatzle with a mesh strainer or large slotted spoon and place in serving dish. Add butter, if desired. Serve immediately.


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Categories : Omnivores add: Chicken, Omnivores add: ground meat, main dish, vegetables

Black Eyed Pea Masala

21 01 2010

Here she is

The first meal the Omnivore cooked for me.  Well, this here photo is actually a replica of that first meal, made with ground turkey instead of ground beef.

Jealous?  What?  Cream of Celery soup + canned corn + shredded cheese + egg noodles doesn’t make your tastebuds tingle?  Come on.  Admit it :-p

The first time my husband made Carla’s Casserole (yes, that’s the name for it, but it never gets baked in the oven in true casserole style and who knows who Carla is…) for me, a long, long, time ago, I ate it gladly.  The second time my husband made it for me, I ate this instead (don’t worry, he wasn’t offended!):

Now, I will make no claims about whose meal was more delicious that night I made black eyed pea masala.  Afterall, neither one of us allowed the other’s food to waft in our general directions.  What I can assure you, though, is that I enjoyed my meal more.  And it was certainly prettier :)

What interested me most about this recipe was the use of black eyed peas is the non-hoppin’ john motif.  No need to be stuck in a southern cuisine rut with these bad boys!  They are delicious in Indian food, too.

Black Eyed Pea Masala (8 small servings, adapted from FatFreeVegan)
2 cups black-eyed peas
1 large red onion, diced
1 teaspoon cumin (ground)
1 tablespoon ginger-root, minced (or ginger paste)
1 tablespoon garlic, minced
1/4 – 1/2 teaspoon cayenne or other red pepper (or to taste)
1 teaspoon turmeric
1 yellow bell pepper, diced
1 15-ounce cans diced tomato
2 teaspoons garam masala
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt (or to taste)
chopped parsley or cilantro, to garnish

Heat a large non-stick pot.  Spray the bottom with cooking spray and add the onions and bell pepper. Cook, stirring, until onions soften. Add the cumin and cook for 1 minute. Add the ginger and garlic and stir for about 30 seconds.

Add the drained peas and all remaining ingredients. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a low boil.  Simmer 20 minutes and serve with your carb of choice.

Nutrition (per serving): 178 calories, 6 calories from fat, 0g total fat, 0mg cholesterol, 517.1mg sodium, 519.3mg potassium, 32.8g carbohydrates, 5.8g fiber, 7.1g sugar, 11g protein, 2.8 points.


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Categories : Indian, Omnivores add: ground meat, beans, main dish, vegan(izable), vegetables

Vegetarian Chili

17 01 2010

I’m just going to put this out there.  I am a die-hard barbecue defender. Here’s the components of my definition of the term:

  • a barbecue is not an appliance
  • barbecue is not an event (Hey!  Come over for a barbecue)
  • barbecue does not refer to hamburgers or hotdogs
  • smothering chicken in barbecue sauce does not make it barbecue

Here’s the kind of barbecue I grew up with:

  • it is only sold on Thursday, Friday, Saturday.  I suppose on Sunday-Wednesday they do the special things to the pig that makes barbecue barbecue and not just pork roast
  • That’s right.  Barbecue is PORK.  Not hamburger.  Not hotdogs.  Not chicken.
  • Barbecue is served out of buildings that look like this -

Yep, this is my old ‘hood back when meat was often and plenty in my life.  And it was served with hash.  Which you don’t really wanna know about.  And white rice.  And Sunbeam white bread.  And you drank Sweet Tea only.

I can’t help it.  That’s just what barbecue means to me.  And I’ll defend it from here to kingdom come.

I don’t, however, have the same opinion when it comes to chili.  So, while I’m a die-hard defender of the barbecue, I’m pretty slack about my definition of chili.  Others, especially from Texas (or so I’ve heard), however, are staunch about their chili.  The following meal would not even approximate what chili means to them.

So, if you must, call this Antioxidant Stew.  Because it is chock full of antioxidants.  Cooking Light calls it chili, though, so don’t blame me.

Vegetarian Chili (6 servings)
2 red bell peppers (these will be roasted, you could sub 1 jar roasted red peppers)
1 cup chopped onion
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
2 cups organic vegetable broth
1 1/2 cups (1/2-inch) cubed peeled butternut squash
1 (28-ounce) can no-salt-added tomatoes, undrained and chopped
1 (15-ounce) can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions

Preheat broiler.

Cut bell peppers in half lengthwise. Remove and discard seeds and membranes. Place pepper halves, skin sides up, on a foil-lined baking sheet. Broil 15 minutes or until blackened. Place pepper halves in a zip-top plastic bag; seal. Let stand 15 minutes. Peel and chop peppers.

Heat a Dutch oven over medium-low heat. Add oil to pan; swirl to coat. Add onion; cook 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in cumin and next 4 ingredients (through garlic); cook 2 minutes, stirring frequently. Add bell peppers, broth, squash, and tomatoes; bring to a simmer. Cook 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add beans; simmer 25 minutes or until slightly thick, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with green onions.

Nutritional Information (6 servings)
Calories: 264
Fat: 8.3g (sat 1.2g,mono 5.2g,poly 1.3g)
Protein: 9.5g
Carbohydrate: 40.9g
Fiber: 10.7g


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Turkey and Tomato Tagine

1 01 2010

I went to bed at 8:15 last night.  This behavior isn’t all together out of the ordinary for me, though, as my closest comrades probably know.  There’s nothing wrong with liking your sleep, right?  And it is perfect because the Omnivore likes his shut-eye, too.  The thing about last night, though, was that it was New Year’s Eve. Yeah.

The one day of the year that even the most adamant sleepers stay up extra late to ring in the new year.  And, in the case of last night, a new decade.

I guess that shows you how much New Year’s means to me.  I find the event and hooplah, in and of itself, mostly optional.  Many years I opt-in.  Most years I opt-out.  I do, however, cherish the mentality that comes with the New Year.

Starting afresh.  Self betterment.  Goodbye to your vices.  Hello to good habits.  Reflection.  Retrospection.  That’s all healthy.  And I believe, very important.  I started the annual bout of end-of-year analysis a few weeks before Thanksgiving in November.

It was then that I decided to try eating meat.  Just for a little while.  Not very often.  Just to see how it felt.  I had been a vegetarian for a solid 5 years by that time, and I think it is healthy to revisit my reasons for avoiding something that many people consider a staple.

Most days I don’t feel like eating meat.  That’s a weird feeling to describe.  Most days I continue to cook one meal for the Omnivore and a different version for myself.  The day I made the following recipe, I really didn’t feel like eating meat.  Especially ground meat.

The thought of rolling these turkey meatballs just annoyed me.  And cooking them in a tomato sauce.  Bored.to.tears.  But it is what had been planned for dinner.  And I had no other options.  And so I followed the plan.  Made the meatballs.  And choked down the meal.

Well…I scarfed down the meal.  I don’t know if it was so delicious because I literally think the last time I had a meatball was 10 years ago, or because this recipe is *that* good.  I think it is the recipe, though, because the Omnivore went crazy over the food as well.  I never new balls of meat could be so light and tender!  I expected chewy beef-jerky type balls in an Italian flavored tomato-y paste.

This meal was nothing like that.  The cumin and cinnamon adds such a Mediterranean and exotic feel.  This dish tasted nothing like Italy.  The combination of both parsley and cilantro took me by surprise but they did not compete with one another.  It was absolutely perfect.

Turkey and Tomato Tagine (the Healthy cookbook)
For the meatballs
1 lb fresh ground turkey
1 small onion, peeled and minced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 T freshly chopped cilantro
1 tsp ground cumin
black pepper

For the sauce
1 onion, peeled and chopped
1 garlic clove, minced
2/3 cup veggie stock or chicken stock
14 oz can diced tomatoes
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground cinnamon
freshly chopped parsley

hot cooked brown rice

Preheat oven to 375*.  Combine all ingredients for the meatballs and shape into 20 walnut sized balls.  In a nonstick skillet, lightly cook the meatballs on 2-3 sides and then place into a 9×13″ baking pan.  Bake the meatballs while making the sauce.

Put onion and garlic in a pan with 1/2 cup liquid.  Cook over low heat until the liquid has evaporated and onions turn brown.  Add remaining liquid to the pan with the remaining ingredients.  Simmer 5 minutes; add parsley.  Add salt to taste.  Add meatballs from oven (after draining away fat) to the sauce.  Simmer 5-10 minutes.  Serve over hot cooked rice or cous cous with plenty of cilantro and parsley.


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Pumpkin Black Bean Chili

22 11 2009

Would you rather me talk about the recipe for a change?  Would that be better than the usual he-said, she-said preamble to the meal?

This meal started out as a soup.  But when I got to reading the recipe, I realized I was going to be straying just a bit too far from the ingredient list to even bother with those advisements.  The first change was the omission of ham.  And then the decrease in the amount of black beans followed by total elimination of the stock asked for to bring the recipe to the proper soup-like consistency.

Then I decided to add a chopped apple and about 4 spices never to be found in the original ingredient list.

And the carnivorous pumpkin soup quickly became a vegetarian chili.  And I think it might just be better that way.

Pumpkin Black Bean Chili
1 can pumpkin puree
1 1/2 cups black beans
1 can diced tomatoes, undrained
1 granny smith apple, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 tsp allspice
1/2 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 t chili powder
salt and pepper

Saute diced onions and apples with allspice, cloves, cinnamon, and chili powder in a large stockpot, adding the minced garlic just as the onions soften and the apples lose their bite.  Stir in the tomatoes and the pumpkin as well as the black beans.  Simmer until some liquid evaporates, until you reach a stew/chili consistency, about 20 minutes.  Salt and pepper as desired.

4 servings, info per serving
Calories: 190
Total Fat: .9 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 220 mg
Total Carbs: 40 g
Dietary Fiber: 12 g
Protein: 9 g


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Categories : Cheap & Easy, Meat Substitute, Omnivores add: ground meat, beans, vegan(izable), vegetables

Sweet Potato Curry

3 11 2009

BAM! November 1st and the grocery store is slammed packed with Thanksgiving suggestions.  You round aisle 11 and there is a mountain of sweet potatoes.  And because you have no idea what to do with yams the grocery store helps you out.

Tangent to the mount o’ orange spuds is a pile of pecans.  Bags of brown sugar.  Itty bitty marshmallows.  And now you’re craving sweet potato casserole.

And you don’t even like sweet potato casserole.

For one, marshmallows only belong toasted between two graham crackers with a slab of chocolate.  And for two, we’re weeks away from Thanksgiving.  Weeks, people!  So ignore those grocery store suggestions, grab the sweet potatoes, and head home to make this super-savory Indian inspired dish.

sweet potato curry

Sweet Potato Curry (adapted from here)
2  teaspoons  curry powder
1  teaspoon  ground coriander
1  teaspoon  ground turmeric
1/2  teaspoon  salt
1/2  teaspoon  black pepper
1/4  teaspoon  ground red pepper
1  bay leaf
1 1/2  cups  vertically sliced onion
1 1/2  teaspoons  minced peeled fresh ginger
2  garlic cloves, minced
1  (14-ounce) can water
1  (14.5-ounce) can diced tomatoes, undrained
2  cups  (1/2-inch) cubed peeled sweet potato
1 3/4  cup chickpeas (drained if using cans)
1 diced bell pepper
1  tablespoon  fresh lemon juice

Combine curry powder, coriander, turmeric, salt, black pepper, red pepper, and bay leaf in a small bowl.

Heat nonstick spray over medium.  Add onion and bell pepper to pan; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.  Stir in ginger and garlic; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Add curry powder mixture; cook 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Add tomatoes and can of water bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 1 hour.

I REALLY don’t think 1 hour simmer time is necessary.

Stir in potato and chickpeas. Cook, uncovered, 30 minutes.  Remove from heat; stir in lemon juice. Discard bay leaf.


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Categories : Indian, Omnivores add: Chicken, Omnivores add: ground meat, beans, main dish, potatoes, vegan(izable), vegetables

Moroccan Flatbreads

30 09 2009

So these little hand held pockets of deliciousness are going to become staples in this house.  I just know it.

You know how when you were growing up, your mom had 6 recipes in her repertoire and rotated them consistently through the week?  You know:
Monday – Spaghetti
Tuesday – Chicken Pot Pie
Wednesday – Lasagna
Thursday – Pork Chops

Wait.  That’s not how your mom did it?  You didn’t have the same meals every week?  *gasp*

Anyway…these little flatbreads are so versatile that you could easily dish them up weekly and your family would still come begging for more!cookedflatbread

The original recipe called for a raw-onion filling; I, however, sauteed those onions and added bell peppers to spice things up.  The Omnivore groaned (and I mean that in a good way) at my suggestion of adding ground beef to the mix and lentils or Mexican flavored black beans would be divine as well.

They cook up quickly stove top.  They’re great reheated in a toaster oven.  And you can eat them with your hands.  And they’re perfect Sunday night football food!

I don’t know why I suggested Sunday night football, though, because I routinely get quite annoyed when my Sunday night plans of watching 60 minutes is preempted by the NFL.

Moving on before I offend someone…

Onion stuffed Moroccan Flatbreads (adapted from CookingLight)
For the dough (8 rounds)
1/2 t dry yeast
3/4 cup warm water
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups AP flour
3/4 t salt
cooking spray

Filling
1 1/2 cups chopped onion
1/2 cups chopped bell pepper
1/2 cup chopped parsley
2 t paprika
1 t ground cumin
1/2 t salt
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper

Dissolve yeast in warm water and let stand 5 minutes.  Spoon flour and salt into mixing bowl and stir with wooden spoon until smooth.  Turn dough onto a floured surface and knead 3 minutes.  Shape dough into ball and invert bowl over dough.  Let rest 15 minutes.

bread

While the dough is resting, saute the pepper and onion pieces in a nonstick skillet.  Add all ingredients except parsley.  Let cool.  Fold in fresh parsley before stuffing flatbreads.

Uncover and knead dough for 3 additional minutes.  Divide dough into 8 portions and form into balls.  Spray lightly with cooking spray and cover with plastic wrap for 15 minutes.

8breaddoug bals

Stretch each ball into a round 6.5 inches across on a floured surface.  Dough may be thin in spots.  Persevere.  Place 2 T of onion filling in the center of each round.

filling

Fold two opposite sides of the circle in a trifold manner like so:trifoldThen fold one end up on top of the packet and the other end underneath.  Yeah, it’s confusing.  Just look:

export2trifold3

Squash down with your floured palm to form into a wider circle, about 3 inches across.  Pat both sides with a little flour so that they do not stick too badly to the surface while you make the remaining flatbreads.

Heat skillet stovetop over medium heat.  Add cooking spray.  Pan fry flatbreads in batches for 2 minutes on each side.  Serve warm.


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