Sesame-Soy Soba Noodles

I promised a delicious summer evening dinner, and boy do I have one: Sesame-Soy Soba Noodles.

Full of flavor, really easy to make, and not too hot to eat on those summer nights when it's so warm and lovely, you're still in tank tops, skirts, and flip-flops at 9:30pm as you take the dog out for a night-time constitutional.

I got the original inspiration from a quick little recipe for Sesame-Soy Broccoli from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food magazine (one of my all-time fave magazines, as you know). Add some noodles, tofu, and scallions, and you've got a delicious complete meal.

Dena's Sesame-Soy Soba Noodles

• 1 head of broccoli, chopped into florets and stalks chopped into bite-size pieces
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• 1 package soba noodles
• 1/3 cup+ sesame seeds (use more if you like; hubby LOVES toasted seeds so I am very generous with these)
  
• 1 bunch scallion
• Raw firm tofu, baked and marinated tofu, or store-bought pre-marinated and baked tofu to save time
• 1/3 cup+ Toasted Sesame Oil
• 1/2 cup Soy Sauce
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp (or more or less, depending on how spicy you like things) Sriracha Sauce

First, get the broccoli going: turn your oven to 400 and start chopping your broccoli. Spread chopped broccoli on large baking sheet with sides (my fave is my industrial-grade Chicago Jelly Roll pan), drizzle with olive oil, and toss so it's all mixed. Pop it in the oven and roast for 20 minutes.

Set water to boil and cook soba noodles according to package instructions. Don't overcook -- when you drain them, run them under cold water so they stop cooking. Let them sit to drain water.

Spread sesame seeds on baking sheet for oven or toaster oven sheet. Pop them in the oven or toaster oven for about 5-10 minutes, depending on how hot it is. You want them to brown and toast, but not burn -- when they start popping, remove them! They will be fragrant and so delicious-smelling.

Chop your scallions thinly at an angle -- you want a lot, so use the whole bunch, even though it seems like too much. They balance out the other flavors really nicely.

Slice your tofu into bite-size pieces.

Toss all of the above together in a large bowl, mixing well. Add the toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, lemon juice, and sriracha sauce, and mix again to coat everything. Give it a taste and if it needs a little more of the oil or soy sauce, go for it.

Serve in big bowls with forks, chopsticks, or whatever works for you. Enjoy! Happy Tummy, Happy Summer.

My First Chanukkah

Last night was the first night of Chanukkah. As someone studying to convert to Judaism, it was my first one that I celebrated for me. In high school, I went to a friend's house for their Chanukkah celebration a few times, which was great and I loved it, but that was for and about them. This was the first time Chanukkah felt like it was mine, too.

So to celebrate in style, I wanted to do it right, with a proper Chanukkah dinner after we lit the candles. Given that Chanukkah is a "festival of lights," a celebration of the miracle of the drop of oil that should have lasted one night but lasted eight instead, traditional Chanukkah food is all about oil. And dairy, to commemorate Judith, who got Holofernes drunk and full on wine and cheese before she beheaded him. (As a former Art History major, the subject of Judith and Holofernes was one that was done by some of my very favorite artists. And I never knew what the story was until now!)

The Menu:

• Potato Latkes with applesauce and sour cream


• Broccoli with Crispy Shallots


• Garlic-Lemon Roast Chicken Breasts

So.... as you know, I was looking for recipes to make my own potato latkes. Well, friends, not only did I not receive any, the ones I found online looked great, but a little over my head to make for the first time on a school night. So I went with my standby -- you may not believe, you may cringe, you may say "oy vey" -- Trader Joe's frozen latkes. And I am not kidding, they are actually really pretty good! They're not the BEST latkes I've ever had, but they are far, far from the worst, and they are tasty if you fry them up in some oil in a skillet. They're not homemade, and they're not made by me from scratch, but they worked. I commit to working on my own potato latke recipe for next year.

I also made an adaptation of the fantastic French Green Beans with Crispy Shallots recipe I recently discovered. Since my market had no french green beans this week, I mixed it up and made it with broccoli instead. It was still delicious. I think I prefer the green beans, but I love broccoli and let's face it: crispy shallots and a dijon-lemon dressing make anything taste phenomenal.

Here are my shallots crisping up in oil, making this a perfect Chanukkah dish:

As for the chicken, I marinated boneless, skinless breasts in a garlic-lemon-herb concoction and popped them into a 400-degree oven for 40 minutes. Easy peasy. I made everything else while they were roasting.

For dessert, hubby and I shared a doughnut, as doughnuts are another traditional Chanukkah food, being fried in oil and all. We also nibbled on some delicious Gruyere cheese in honor of dear Judith, and of course, no celebratory Chanukkah table is complete without Manischewitz. For my first Chanukkah, I wanted to go classic, so I had to have the Manischewitz. Besides, it'll keep in my cupboard forever.

All around, it was a lovely first Chanukkah celebration. Hubby and I had a great time. And boy was the food yummy!

Megan's Portabello Broccoli Quiche with Tempeh

We have another recipe from Megan. Yay! This one takes about 45 minutes, but is one she makes often, as it is always a crowd (or partner) pleaser. We have Whole Foods to thank for this one. (Who knew they had recipes?)

By the way, I am personally very excited about this recipe because I heart tempeh. Seriously, I think if given a choice between tempeh and any other protein, I would choose tempeh. I know, I'm weird. If you've never cooked or eaten tempeh before, fear not. Think of it as you would tofu. It just has (in my opinion) a much better flavor, texture, and consistency and feels more substantial. (Plus I like it because it is uses the whole soybean, as opposed to tofu which does not, making tempeh a whole food with all of the accompanying health benefits.)

Megan's Portabello Broccoli Quiche with Tempeh

Serves 6

4 ounces tempeh, cut into bite-size squares
2 tablespoons shiitake mushroom sauce, or teriyaki sauce
2 teaspoons canola oil
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
1 1/2 cups Portabello mushrooms, chopped
1 cup broccoli flowers, coarsely chopped
1/2 teaspoon basil
1 tablespoon organic extra virgin olive oil
pinch of salt
fresh ground black pepper, to taste
4 eggs
1/2 cup yogurt or soy yogurt
1/2 cup plain soymilk
salt, to taste, if desired
1 unbaked 9-inch pie shell
1/2 cup grated white cheese, such as provolone, Swiss, or soy cheese
3 thinly sliced red pepper rings

Marinate the tempeh in mushroom or teriyaki sauce for 1/2 hour. Sauté in oil until browned. Set aside. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Sauté the onion, mushrooms, and broccoli in olive oil for 7 minutes with salt and pepper. Add this to the tempeh. In a separate bowl, whip together the eggs with the yogurt and soymilk. Add the tempeh veggie mixture, seasoning with salt, if desired. Pour into pie shell. Top with grated cheese. Lay the red pepper rings over the top and bake for 45 minutes. Allow this to cool for about 10 minutes before slicing.

Dena's Pasta a la Grecque

I lived in Williamstown, Massachusetts for five years, several years ago. During this time, there were few restaurants in this quaint little New England town, and I visited nearly every single one in existence there at the time.

One of Williamstown's restaurants, Michael's, is one of those funny (and, I find, distinctly unique to the East Coast) hybrids of Italian and Greek cuisines. My favorite dish there was what the menu called "Pasta a la Grecque." Where it got this fancy-schmantzy name, I do not know.

Determined to make it at home, I studied the simple ingredients and came up with my own version. I've been making it ever since. It is still yummy.

(A note: when I first started making this dish, I was still eating regular pasta at home. I have since changed my ways and eat only whole grain pasta at home. The choice of pasta you use is, of course, up to you.)

Dena's Pasta a la Grecque

Serves 4

1 lb. pasta of your choice (I use Trader Joe's organic whole wheat)
1 1/4 lbs. broccoli, both heads and stalks chopped - slice the stalks pretty thin
4-5 cloves garlic, chopped
1 medium onion, roughly chopped
1/4 cup pine nuts
Olive oil
Feta cheese (I use light feta, which actually works perfectly fine)

Set pasta water to boil, making sure to salt it. Cook pasta to al dente and drain, reserving 1/4 cup of pasta water.

Set a large skillet on medium heat and add pine nuts. Stir every minute and a half or so, letting them brown and grow fragrant. When they are as brown and toasty as you would like -- for me, this is after about 4-5 minutes -- set the pine nuts aside.

Meanwhile, chop broccoli, garlic, and onion. When pine nuts are done and out of skillet, turn up heat to medium-high and add 2 tbsp olive oil; when it is shimmery, add garlic and onion. When they are fragrant and the garlic is nearly toasted and the onion is translucent, set them aside (with pine nuts is fine). Add 1 tbsp olive oil to skillet and add broccoli. Toss with olive oil to coat; add 1 tbsp water and cover to let it cook through and steam a little, for about 5 minutes.

When broccoli is cooked through, add pine nuts, onion, and garlic back into skillet, along with drained pasta and reserved pasta water. Toss it all together with another tablespoon of extra virgin olive oil if you wish, add salt and pepper, and serve with plenty of feta cheese on top.

And yes, this was last night's dinner, according to plan.