dissertation meals, continued.... ten minute miso and soft polenta topped with dandelion and pepper pure

there is nothing, absolutely nothing, about these dishes that makes it necessary for one to have academic pursuits... the reason i call these meals, "dissertation meals", is to highlight just how non-time-consuming they are.  this is not to say that graduate studies and/or the life of a graduate student is somehow busier or more taxing than lives of people with full time occupations, be they the care of one's home and children, other dependents or a paid job.  not to even mention the legions of people who are juggling both, and more... compared to these folks, graduate students who have no caring responsibilities or sufficient funding to not have to subsidize their research with other work, such as myself, are perfectly, spoiled...  it is a well known fact that graduate students have more time on their hands than the average person... but there is something about having to juggle this massive project that makes it seem like there is NO TIME AT ALL... it never really leaves your vision... whether it is on the periphery, the horizon, or right there in front of you... its all about the thesis...  many of us have seen the graduate students who are too pale, too unhealthy, because they spend so much time at the library that they forget to eat, socialize, exercise.

well, i'm not about to do that! i think all of those things are crucial to keep sanity and have a healthy perspective - including an academic one.  that's why food and sharing it is a very important part of my academic life.  but time is still precious, so quick meals are good meals.  the dissertation series is precisely about that: good food, in no time (so that you can take more time to share it, or do other things you have to do!).

and the awesome thing about this is that most of us can use more time to share meals, rather than prepare them.  so, no dissertation-in-progress is required for you to enjoy these recipes!

today, i have 2 more...  the first is a ridiculously easy miso soup that takes ten minutes (its not really a recipe, but i'm putting it up anyways because sometimes its the very things that we don't need recipes for that we forget about).  unlike my usual miso soup, i made this one with sauteed peppers, zucchini and black kale... slightly different set of flavours than my usual shitake, nori miso.  not only delicious, this miso is a reminder that not having the ingredients that you "need" for a recipe should never, ever stop you from making food.  just open your fridge or pantry and substitute .... a dash of creativity and a willingness to stray from the recipe is fun and almost always yields good results!

the second dish is and a delicious soft polenta with goat's cheese, topped with dandelion greens and roasted red pepper pure.  this dish takes about 30 minutes to prepare, but the taste is pretty wonderful so you or your guests would never know!  and you can always veganize it by omitting the goats cheese and maybe substituting some blended silken tofu (with a little garlic and salt). or just adding some olive oil or a spoon full of earth balance margarine.   the goats cheese is really there to make the polenta creamy, but either of the options i mentioned will do the trick too.

ten minute miso

1 bell pepper, sliced thinly

1/2 white onion, sliced thinly
1/4 block of tofu, cubed
1 yellow or green zucchini
2-3T miso (any kind)
2-3 cups water
1T tamari or good quality soy sauce
1t sesame seeds
dash of chilies
1-2 sheets nori
1T sesame oil (though olive or grape seed would do as well)

boil the water.  

heat the oil, stir fry the onions, bell pepper, yellow zucchini and tofu for about 5 minutes, add the tamari half way through.

while stir frying, boil the water in a kettle or in a medium size pot. when boiled, turn off, let sit for 1 minute. add the miso and stir to dissolve (i find that using an egg beater works well for this, or just use a fork).  add the stir fried veggies and tofu to the miso.  cut or rip the nori into strips or chunks. add to the soup.  pour soup into bowls, garnish with sesame seeds and chili flakes.

soft polenta with goats cheese, dandelion greens and roasted red pepper pure. 

1 cup fine or medium cornmeal
1 small jar of roasted red peppers
1 bunch dandelion (but you can also use rappini/broccoli rabe, kale, mustard greens or watercress)
6 cloves garlic
4 cups of water or veggie broth
100g soft unripened goats cheese
1/3 cup almond meal
1-2 t coarse salt
1/2t dry rosemary
1t brown sugar
3T olive oil and more

bring the water or broth to boil.  if using water, salt it sufficiently.  add the rosemary.

while waiting for the water to boil, blend the roasted red peppers, 1T olive oil, 1t brown sugar and 1/3 cup blanched almond meal in a food processor or with a hand blender.  set aside.

when water is boiling, turn down the heat.  gradually add the cornmeal, stirring while adding.  keep the heat low because otherwise you'll be dealing with a geyser/volcano...  cover with a lid.  let simmer for 5-10 minutes.

while the polenta is cooking, heat 2T of olive oil in a pan.  add the garlic and saute for 1 min.  add the washed dandelion greens, cut into 2 inch long pieces.  saute with a dash of coarse salt for about 2-5 minutes.  if using other greens, such as broccoli rabe, it might take longer.  also, if using broccoli rabe/rappini, blanching it first helps to rid it off the bitterness... unless you like that flavour (i do!).

uncover the polenta, stir and taste it.  add a little more salt if necessary.  add 50g of goats cheese and stir it in gently until there are no chunks.  this will make the polenta very creamy!  you can now turn it off the heat.

serve the polenta by placing 1 generous ladle-full of polenta, topped with some greens and a dollop of roasted red pepper pure.  crumble some goats cheese and sprinkle some olive oil on top.  coarse/ground black pepper is nice too.

enjoy!

and this time, the real (slow) mushroom risotto

my commitment to whole grains cost me a very very late dinner, but boy, was it worth it!

i adore risotto, but don't like the fact that it's made with white arborio rice. so, in a bid to "healthify" it, i decided to use short grain brown rice.  i knew it would take longer to cook, but i didn't anticipate that it would take nearly 2 hours! but time consuming as it was, it was completely divine and every bit worth the effort.  because of the time commitment, it may not be a week night quick meal, but it would make a great special saturday or sunday meal. so if you want to spend a little time in the kitchen, indulge, and still keep it healthy, i highly recommend it...just make sure you give yourself plenty of time, have a good glass of wine to sip on while cooking and some good music in the background!

world's fastest risotto

let's face it, fast risotto is a bit of an oxymoron. real risotto takes time and a lot of stirring! and if you have ever tried to make it with brown rice - and yes, this is possible - it takes even longer.  but if you don't have 2 hours to spare and have some left over brown rice in your fridge, you can try this short-cut version.   sure, it doesn't have the same creaminess as the masterfully executed "real thing", but it is tasty all the same.  and it can save you some precious time and help you dress up your leftovers.

quick risotto with tomatoes, spinach and olives

vegan eggplant mushroom antipasto

this antipasto will knock your socks off! its a bit of a hodge-podge but the end result is a delicious versatile concoction that can go on a cracker or crostini, be a pasta or pizza topping, or can add lots of flavour to your breakfast tofu scramble or poached eggs (for the non-vegans). bring it to a potluck or pack it into rustic jars to take along as a hostess gift.

the return of the dumpling

when i was a little girl i had exceptionally round cheeks, and so "dumpling" was essentially my second name. this was not a bad thing then although if you called me dumpling today i may just take offense.

dumplings are the ultimate in comfort food which is probably why so many world cuisines have their own versions. being polish, i've had my share of various dumplings: filled or not, sweet or savory, the list goes on. but its been a while, since making dumplings is rather time consuming and, let's be honest, they are not the "healthiest" food out there. but even though i'm a bit of a wheat and dairy-phob and usually aim to pack the maximum nutritious value (as opposed to caloric value) into any meal (which means opting for foods that are whole, unprocessed, etc.) i lost my head for these wonderful northern italian dumplings that my friend marc oliver prepared for me yesterday. made with all the things i usually stay away from, they were TOTALLY worth the departure. the lesson here is that eating healthy is not just about what's good for your body, but also about what's good for your soul. and these delicious dumplings definitely fit that bill. a pleasure to look at and a pleasure to eat, they were exceptional!

p.s. amazing as they were, i am on a bit of a mission now to make them with brown/non-wheat bread and less dairy. i'll report back whether they are successful and get the "dumpling master's" stamp of approval.

marc oliver's spinach gorgonzola dumplings

1 french baguette (about 250g); dry
3 free run eggs
100g gorgonzola or other sharp cheese
150g spinach (sauteed)
1 stick butter, melted
80g flour
flat leaf italian parsley, chopped
0.5 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tomatoes, chopped
salt and cracked black pepper to taste

cut the dry baguette into small chunks. place the bread in a large mixing bowl, add the eggs, crumbled gorgonzola, cooked spinach, half of the melted butter, flour, parsley, chopped onion and minced garlic. mix well to integrate (tip: wash your hands and get into it that way). the dough should be sticky and hold together; if it is still too loose, let stand for a few minutes for the bread to absorb the excess liquids.

in a large pot, bring water to boil. add some salt. form the dumplings into desirable size - marc oliver's were about the size of a tennis ball, but i assume you can make them smaller if you prefer. place in the boiling water for about 5 min (by then they should be floating on the surface and the water boiling again). remove from the water, drain on a plate or in a strainer.

while the dumplings are cooking, melt the remaining butter and chop the tomatoes. in a separate pan, saute the tomatoes and chopped parsley for a couple of minutes just to warm up. plate the dumplings, drizzle with the butter and decorate with the tomatoes and grated parmesan cheese. as you can tell by the picture, marc oliver LOVES his parmesan.