Zippy Cheese Sauce

This was a quick and rich cheese sauce I made the other day to go with some steamed vegetables. The whole process took about ten minutes, which is part of the reason why there are no photos! I did manage to get a photo before packing my dinner up and heading to school, hence the Tupperware.  Zippy Cheese Sauce is very similar to the cheese sauce I made for Spaghetti Casserole. I added dry ground mustard and a little minced garlic to this version, which certainly added a nice zip.

Cauliflower Marranca

This Cauliflower Marranca was so stinkin' delicious. I love the combination of flavors: soft and simple cauliflower, slightly sweet and nutty millet, cheese, and pan cooked mushrooms.  It was so great!  I had two servings and will definitely pack leftovers for school tomorrow.

This was the first time I cooked with millet and I really liked it. It's a little crunchy and reminds me of a sassier cous cous.

Cauliflower Cheese Soup

Cauliflower Cheese Soup... one of the best soups I have ever had! Creamy, but not too rich, with lots of fresh veggie flavor.

First you boil cauliflower, potato, carrot, garlic, and onion.Then you blend it up!
Lastly, you add cheese, milk, and herbs. Then you EAT it! Yum!!!

Alsatian Salad

If you follow my twitter, you would know that I unintentionally spent $25 on baked tofu the other day. I bought the tofu for Alsatian Salad. This salad calls for either cheese or baked tofu, and I decided to do a little bit of each. Unfortunately, the grocery store I chose was a liiiiiittle pricey. Oh well.

The salad is a combination of cubed tofu, low moisture mozzarella, cucumber, red bell pepper, and a little green onion. The dressing is yogurt, a skosh of mayonnaise, Dijon mustard, horseradish, and a pinch of herbs. Super light! I served the salad over a bed of greens. Mmm!

Polenta Pie and Danish Cherries

Last night I made Polenta Pie and Danish Cherries at Weave's new apartment. I was a little weary of making polenta from scratch, but it turned out to be easy and tasted amazing! The pie was similar to a deep dish pizza minus the red sauce and with a thick, cornmeal crust. We used about twice as much cheese as the recipe called for, because, well, I love cheese and Charlie is an excellent grater.Each piece had a thick cornmeal base, a layer of mozzarella cheese, fresh tomato slices, sautéed veggies (mushroom, bell pepper, zucchini, onion, garlic) and herbs, and another layer of mozzarella cheese on top. We broiled the pie for the last five minutes to give it a crisp, golden brown top. The slices came out easily (I am notorious for ruining the first piece out of the pan) and tasted divine! The polenta was creamy and rich and you could really taste the oregano in the veggies.

For dessert, I made Danish Cherries. I used frozen, pitted, unsweetened cherries. We warmed them on the stove and let them thicken. Then we stirred in lemon zest, lemon juice, and almond extract. Served warm over vanilla ice cream with an episode of Sex and the City. A perfect Tuesday night!

Rarebit

Dianna and I made Rarebit this week. Rarebit is a Welsh sauce made of butter, cheese, and beer. We dipped baked potato frites and green apple slices in the sauce. So delicious! It reminded me of fondue sauce and was easy to make!
Here is Dianna's super dope recipe:

Baked Potato Frites

You will need:
Potatoes
Olive oil
Salt

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees.
2. Wash and cut potatoes into fry-sized slices.
3. Place on cookie sheet and douse with olive oil.
4. Make sure each potato is coated in oil and arrange in precise rows on cookie sheet.
5. Bake for 15 minutes. Remove from oven and flip. (Helpful tip! If the potatoes stick to the cookie sheet, return to oven and bake for another 3 minutes or so, until they flip easily.)
6. Bake for another 15 minutes until brown thoroughly and potatoes are soft.
7. Transfer to eating vessel, sprinkle salt liberally over tubers, and eat!

Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling

Last week, Charlie and I made Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling. The crust was crunchy and light and the filling was perfectly cheesy and full of leafy spinach flavor. Calzones are a labor intensive endeavor but being able to eat the finished product is particularly fulfilling reward.

We started by making Moosewood's basic calzone dough. It was simple enough: yeast, a little sugar, water, salt, and flour. The dough had to rise for about an hour and during that time we prepared the filling. Onions, garlic, spinach (We used chopped frozen, which was thawed and pressed dry on paper towels), spices, and lots of salt and pepper came together on the stove. We then mixed this with ricotta, mozarella, and parmesan cheeses. Next, we assembled! To start, Charlie rolled out the dough.Then we filled each circle of dough with spinachy cheesy goodness. Crimping the edges and getting each pocket to stay sealed was a little challenging and the oven got a liiiiiittle smokey in the final moments of baking... but overall, we did well!Calzones with Spinach Cheese Filling, a little marinara sauce for dipping, apple slices, and a fresh green salad. Perfect!