Eggless Egg Salad

The other day I came across this recipe book titled "Mollie Katzen's Recipes--Salads." I love a good salad, so I glanced through the book and realized that whoever this Mollie Katzen is, she sure loves her veggies. It began with a section entitiled, "A pep talk for wilted saladmakers" and I realized I needed a pep talk :) Her recipes are pretty hard-core, veggie-wise, and I was intrigued by the challenge. She has recipes for "Basic Green Leafy Salad," and "Warm Salad" and "Raw Vegetable Salad" and four different types of Waldorf Salad. There is also recipes for Lentil-Bulgur Salad and Perfect Protein Salad which sound like my kind of creations. Needless to say, I bought the book and have been waiting to try a recipe. You'd think I would begin with something easy--but oh no, I just randomly chose the "Eggless Egg Salad." My only reasoning was that I had a box of tofu in the pantry that I needed to use. I love tofu--I order it at restaurants all the time, but I had yet to cook with it and feed it to my non-tofu-loving family. Anyway, I decided to just jump right in and boy, I'm glad I did. I served this Eggless wonder over green lettuce but it would be excellent in a pita sandwich. I didn't tell Nate what was in it until he had finished and he loved it (but he was glad that he didn't initially know it was tofu). Game on, Salad Lady!
Eggless Egg Salad
(Nate suggested we changed the title to something like "Summer Pita Salad" because it didn't really taste like Egg Salad, but was still delish)
3/4 lb. very firm tofu
3 scallions, minced (whites and greens)
1 medium carrot, grated
1 medium stalk celery, finely minced
1/2 small bell pepper, finely minced
1/4 cup toasted sunflower seeds
1 batch Tofu Mayonnaise (too be honest, I just used a spoonful of lite Mayo, which defeats the whole "eggless" point, but I don't have that much time on my hands, you know)
1/2 tsp salt
fresh black pepper, to taste

1. Cut the tofu into small dice, and place in a medium-sized bowl.
2. Add remaining ingredients, and mix gently. Season to taste.
3. Cover tightly and chill until cold.

Tofu Mayonnaise (I didn't use this, but I bet it would be good)
1 12-oz box silken tofu
2 tsp. sesame oil
1 to 2 Tbs cider vinegar
1/2 tsp. (and possibly more) dry mustard
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp soy sauce

1. Whip everything together in a blender. Transfer to a small bowl.
2. Taste to adjust seasonings. Cover and refrigerate until cold.

Spaghetti Squash w/ Meatless Sauce

Veggie Tales is back in business! I'm not sure what happened over the Summer--we ate plenty of veggies, I just didn't have time to blog about it. But now we're finally settling into our school schedule and I'm ready for some veggie-liciousness!

Yesterday I made my favorite lentils and rice. It's not much to look at, but boy is it satisfying and yummy. That's my kind of comfort food. I served it with some sauteed summer squash and everyone gobbled it up.

Today I was watching Rachael Ray and she was making Spaghetti Squash with Super-Thick Bolognese. Mmmmm, spaghetti squash. I ate spaghetti squash quite a bit as a kid, but I hadn't ever made it for my family. It's about time, don't you think? I roasted the spaghetti squash like Rachael, but I made a different sauce. Everyone but Sidney liked it and I let the girls eat theirs out of the "squash boats" which they thought made it taste even better :)
Spaghetti Squash w/ Meatless Sauce
1 large spaghetti squash, cut lengthwise and seeded
1/2 medium onion, diced
1/2 green bell pepper, diced
1/4 cup diced carrots
1/4 cup diced celery
1 garlic clove, minced
1 (15 oz) can tomato sauce, or crushed tomatoes
1/4 cup lentils, rinsed
1/4 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp dried thyme
1/8 tsp salt

Place the spaghetti squash halves, cut side up, onto a baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, salt and pepper. Turn the squash over so they're cut side down and roast until the flesh is tender, about 45 minutes to an hour. Once cooked, use a fork to loosen the squash strands up. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons olive oil, ground black pepper, and a sprinkle of cheese. Reserve squash in the shells.

While squash is roasting, sautee onions, peppers, carrots and celery in olive oil until tender. Add garlic and cook another minute. Add tomatoes, lentils and seasonings. Simmer 45 minutes until lentils are tender.

To serve, ladle sauce over shredded squash and top with parmesan cheese.

Yep, we liked it!
What?! Do I have something on my face?

Turkey Burgers w/ Grated Zucchini

During the months of August and September almost every dinner involves some form of zucchini. This recipe is from Real Simple Magazine, June 2007. I haven't tried for a long time, but I'm pretty sure we liked it :)

Turkey Burgers w/ Grated Zucchini and Carrot
3/4 lb ground turkey
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
3/4 tsp dried thyme
3/4 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 large egg

Combine all ingredients. Form mixture into 4 patties.
Heat 1 Tbsp oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
Cook the patties, turning once, until no trace of pink remains, about 4 to 5 minutes per side.

Serve on toasted bread with lettuce, mayo and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice.

Post edit:
This summer I made these quite often and tweaked the recipe a bit--
1 lb. ground turkey
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium carrot, grated
1/2 red bell pepper, small diced
garlic powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper
a sprinkling of Italian dressing mix (powder)--I don't have a real amount, sorry. I had a 1/4-1/2 packet left one day and just threw it in. It added such great flavor.

Cornmeal Waffles w/ Black Bean Chili

I found this recipe in the weekend newspaper. It sounded fun and different--and I could make the kids think they're getting breakfast when it's actually dinner. Love it.

Cornmeal Waffles
1 cup flour
1 cup cornmeal
1 tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 cup milk
2 Tbsp oil
2 eggs, yolks separated
1 Tbsp sugar

Mix flour, cornmeal, salt, baking powder and baking soda in a medium bowl.
Combine buttermilk, milk and oil and whisk in egg yolks.
Place egg whites in a mixing bowl and with a mixer, beat to soft peaks. Sprinkle in sugar and beat until white are firm and glossy.
Pour buttermilk mixture into flour mixture and whisk until just combined. Add egg whites and gently fold in with spatula until the whites are just combined.
Add batter to hot waffle iron and cook until golden brown.

Black Bean Chili
2 Tbsp oil
1 medium onion, diced
2 Tbsp chili powder
2 tsp cumin
2 cans black beans, drained
1 (14.5 oz) can petite diced tomatoes
1 (14.5 oz) can creamed corn
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro
sour cream

Heat oil. Cook onions until softened.
Add chili powder and cumin; cook until fragrant.
Add beans, tomatoes and corn; bring to a boil.
Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer about 15 minutes.
Take off heat and stir in cilantro.

When ready to serve, add a generous 1/2 cup over each waffle. Top with a dollop of sour cream.