Good evening and welcome to another Saturday here at What's For Dinner! I'll be your gracious hostess with the mostest for the evening and am pleased to offer you some delicious results from my latest attempts to reduce my meat consumption. Hence the title Meatless Wonders!
If any of you have had the pleasure of reading beach babe in fl's wonderful series Macca's Meatless Mondays then you know there are tons of reasons to reduce meat consumption both for health and for the environment. I am certainly no vegetarian but I don't need to eat meat for every meal so in my efforts I have found some wonderful and tasty recipes that I would like to share with you tonight!
Roasted Cauliflower & Potatoes with Lemon & Feta
Serves 2 people as an entree.
1/2 head of cauliflower trimmed and broken into florets
6-8 small yellow potatoes such as Dutch yellow or Fingerling
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp cumin
coarse kosher salt
lemon pepper
olive oil
2 tblsp lemon juice
handful of fresh chopped cilantro
about 1 cup of crumbled feta cheese
Preheat oven to 425 °
Place cauliflower and potatoes in a shallow baking dish large enough to accommodate as a single layer. Drizzle about 2 tblsp of olive oil over them. Sprinkle with smoked paprika, cumin, a couple of good pinches of salt and lemon pepper. Toss to coat evenly. Roast for about 20-25 minutes occasionally shaking and stirring to rotate potatoes and cauliflower throughout. When potatoes are fork tender and cauliflower is deep golden brown remove from the oven. While oven is still hot place 2 pita breads on oven rack and let toast until slightly crispy and charred. Meahwhile sprinkle lemon juice and cilantro and feta over the potatoes and cauliflower and toss together.
Serve with toasted pita and a dollop of hummus on the side.
Polenta "Pizza" with Parsley & Walnut Pesto Topped with Kale, Red Onion & Tomatoes
This was a mashup of the 2 recipes found here:
Polenta Pizzas with Kale, Chard and Parsley Pesto
Note: this recipe is vegan & gluten-free!
If you have the means and the desire you can follow the linked recipe and make polenta from scratch and then pour into a pan. I chose to go with a shortcut:
1 tube of refrigerated pre-made polenta (usually found in the deli meat & cheese case or near the fresh pasta case) which I then cut up into chunks and softened in the microwave with a little bit of water or milk (obviously using milk would negate the vegan aspect;) then mash it all up using a potato masher until it's soft enough to scoop into a pan and mold. Bake at 350° for about 40 minutes then set aside.
Topping
1 clove of garlic
1 bunch of kale
1 small red onion or 1/2 of a large one
2 tblsp of olive oil + more as needed
dash of red wine vinegar
salt & pepper to taste
Parsley & Walnut Pesto
2 cloves of garlic
1 cup of fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/2 cup of toasted walnuts
2 tblsp of lemon juice
2-4 tblsp of olive oil for desired consistency
salt & pepper to taste
I made the pesto first so it would have time to sit and let the flavors really develop. I did not have toasted walnuts so that was my first task. I toasted them in my dry skillet on low heat, occasionally shaking the pan and stirring them until they seemed nicely fragrant and faintly golden colored. Note: if you have a food processor this is all very easy. Drop in the garlic cloves and process until minced. Add the walnuts, parsley, lemon juice and a couple tablespoons of olive oil and process until finely minced and blended. Add more olive oil as needed to reach your desired consistency.
I do not have a "food pro" so I did it by hand, using a ziploc baggie and a meat mallet to crush up the walnuts, mincing the garlic and parsley by hand then blending it all together in a bowl. Then give it a taste and add salt & pepper as needed. Set aside while you make the topping.
Heat 2 tblsp of olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the red onion sliced thinly and the minced garlic clove. Saute until soft and fragrant. Add the kale and saute, stirring often to coat with the oil in the pan until it begins to wilt. Sprinkle with a dash or two of red wine vinegar and add a pinch of kosher salt and a few grinds of black pepper. Continue sauteeing until kale is desired degree of softness. (do avoid over-cooking as it will start to turn grayish-green and become bitter). Drizzle with a bit more olive oil to taste.
Spread the pesto over the polenta leaving 1/2 inch border all around. Top with kale & red onion mixture then add some halved cherry tomatoes. Return to the 350° oven and bake 15 minutes. Cut into squares or wedges and serve.
Tomato & Bell Pepper Pasotto
Regular followers of WFD may remember my Pasotto diary from last year. It has easily become a regular dish for me because it is one-pot cooking and is so accommodating to whatever ingredients I have on hand. Here's an example of a filling and hearty pasta dish that needs no meat.
8 oz farfalle (bowtie) pasta
1 14.5 oz can of fire-roasted tomatoes
2 orange, red or yellow bell peppers seeded and diced
1/2 white or yellow onion diced
1-2 cloves garlic minced
2-3 tblsp olive oil
1/4 cup white wine
About 3 cups of vegetable stock
Fresh grated Parmigiano Reggiano, Romano or Asiago cheese for garnish
Heat the olive oil in a large deep skillet. When it is shimmering but not smoking add the bell pepper and onion and saute until beginning to soften. Add the garlic. Let saute until nicely fragrant and add the pasta. Toss to coat with the oil and continue to saute until the pasta is heated through. Add the white wine and stir and let simmer reducing the heat if necessary until most of the liquid is absorbed. Add the canned tomatoes and their juices. Add vegetable stock to just cover the pasta and simmer. Stir occasionally and once absorbed add more stock to once again cover. Repeat until pasta is tender to your liking. Spoon onto a plate or into bowls and top with grated cheese. Serve with some crusty Italian or French bread lightly toasted with butter and garlic.
Our upcoming What's For Dinner schedule
version |
date |
host |
featured topic |
|
v5.37 |
April 9 |
TigerMom |
Spring Has Sprung |
v5.38 |
April 16 |
Cordelia Lear |
|
v5.39 |
April 23 |
Bill O Rights |
All Day Mexican |
v5.40 |
April 30 |
JayinPortland |
This Week at the Farmers' Market |
v5.41 |
May 7 |
Azazello |
Chiles Rellenos |
v5.42 |
May 14 |
commonmass |
Foraging for Wild Food (on the Rock) |
v5.43 |
May 21 |
Translator |
Obscure Kitchen Science |
v5.44 |
May 28 |
zenbassoon |
Up in Smoke |
If you would like to host a WFD please send a message to the group with your preferred date and your topic. It's easy, fun and we'd love to have you!
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Thanks for coming by and please pour yourself a nice glass of whatever you're having and share what's for dinner at your house tonight!