Homemade croutons

When I was in nursing school and rather poor, I learned to make a lot of pricey things we usually buy at the store from scratch. I never liked store-bought croutons as well as the typically softer, more flavorful ones I'd have at restaurants. And at $2+ a box, I couldn't justify purchasing them while living on student loans. Whenever I buy bread, buns, rolls, etc., one or two pieces go stale before I can eat them, so those become croutons. Croutons are ridiculously easy to make and you can use any old bread-type items you have around. You can even use flavored bread or garlic bread. Today, I used half of a wheat English muffin and the heel of a loaf of bread I bought at the farmer's market almost two weeks ago (pictured below). As long as the bread isn't moldy, it's fine for this recipe.



This is my most basic recipe, but sometimes I'll add other spices, like Italian seasoning or Parmesan cheese. These croutons keep really well in the freezer, so you can make a few batches at once and freeze the extra for later.

Croutons
3 T olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 cloves minced garlic (or 1 teaspoon garlic powder)
2 cups diced bread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place all ingredients in a container with a lid, or in a zip-top plastic bag and shake until bread is coated with oil and garlic. Arrange croutons in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes, until golden brown and crispy, stirring about every 10 minutes. If croutons are still too soft, bake until they reach desired crispness, stirring every 10 minutes. Croutons will become more crisp when they are cooled.

Quick Indian-style tofu

It's cold and rainy today, and I was craving palak paneer, my favorite Indian dish and the perfect comfort food for bad weather. I was quite excited when I realized I had the ingredients to make something close enough to it to satisfy my craving. Palak paneer is chunks of cheese in a spicy spinach sauce, and is usually served with rice. Palak paneer, like all comfort foods, is a little high in fat, doesn't contain much protein, and takes a long time to cook. By using tofu as the base rather than cheese, this version solves these issues- tofu is high in protein, low in fat, and I cooked this whole dish, including chopping the vegetables, in about 15 minutes. This would be good over jasmine rice or with naan on the side and mango chunks for dessert.

People are often turned off by the appearance of Indian food, as it tends to look like mush. Palak paneer looks like green slime with white chunks of who-knows-what, but it's the best tasting green slime you'll ever eat!

Quick Indian-style tofu
3 T olive oil
1 small onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1-7 oz bag spinach
1 medium tomato, cleaned and cut into chunks
1/2 t ginger
1 t turmeric
1 t curry
1/2 t salt
hot sauce to taste
1 12 oz package soft tofu, cut into bite-sized chunks
2 oz paneer, queso blanco, or feta cheese

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion, cook and stir for 5 minutes or until onions become translucent. Add garlic, cook and stir for one minute. Add spinach, tomato, spices, and hot sauce. Cook and stir for 3 minutes. Add tofu, cook and stir until tofu is hot, about 3 minutes. Add cheese, cook and stir one minute.

Although my craving for Indian food has been satisfied, I'm now dying for a chai latte. Off to Java House!

Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies

On Sundays, I usually eat an early dinner and then have a snack during Desperate Housewives (second best show on TV. Of course, the first is Glee). I still had some frozen dough left over from last weekend's bittersweet chocolate tart (from www.101cookbooks.com, my absolute favorite food blog). The tart filling is simply dark chocolate, heavy cream, and an egg, and it is absolutely divine. I decided to make little cookies out of my leftover dough, and, reminiscent of the tart itself, I put a little chunk of good dark chocolate on each cookie. They came out crispy, not too sweet, and very tasty. I could have made them look a little nicer with a cookie press or by rolling them out and using a cookie cutter, but I didn't want to take the time. I had mine with a glass of iced green tea, but these would be perfect with wine, coffee, or milk.

Bittersweet Chocolate Cookies

1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 large egg, room temperature
1 3/4 cup whole wheat flour
70-85% dark chocolate chunks

Cream butter, sugar, and salt until well combined. Add egg and mix until smooth. Add flour and mix until dough comes together. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.

To make cookies, break dough into 1 teaspoon pieces. Roll into little balls, then flatten and place on a baking sheet. Top each with a small chunk of dark chocolate. Bake at 350 degrees for 10 minutes, until browned. Allow to cool completely. Cookies taste best chilled.

Asparagus Feta Tart

I like to make tarts and quiches because they are a great way to use up left over vegetables, cheese, and/or herbs. Plus they look pretty, taste delicious, and are impressive enough to serve to company. Yesterday was the first Iowa City farmer's market (yay!), and I got a little carried away buying asparagus. I also got carried away when I saw feta on sale at the grocery store and bought more than I will use in a long time, hence today's tart.

Quiche and savory, egg-based tarts tend to be very fattening, full of cheese and heavy cream. I have been making this lighter version of quiche for years, using evaporated milk and fat-free cottage cheese to add richness to egg whites. Feel free to change up the vegetables, cheese, and herbs in this tart; use what you've got on hand, or what's on sale. If home made crust is too much time, use a store bought crust or a mix. Sometimes, I don't even make a crust, saving even more time and calories.

Asparagus Feta Tart
1 recipe whole wheat tart shell (see below)
12 stalks asparagus, cleaned, trimmed, and cut into thirds
2 oz crumbled feta cheese, divided
6 egg whites plus one whole egg
1/3 cup fat-free cottage cheese
1 6-oz can fat-free evaporated milk
1 tablespoon fresh thyme or oregano leaves
salt and pepper to taste
1 tomato, cleaned and sliced

Preheat oven to 350. Place asparagus in tart shell, then cover with half the crumbled feta cheese. In a separate bowl, whisk together whites, egg, cottage cheese, and evaporated milk. Stir in thyme, salt, and pepper. Pour egg mixture over asparagus and cheese in the tart shell. Top with the rest of the cheese, and arrange tomato slices on top. Bake at 350 for 45 minutes or until firm. Allow to sit at room temperature for 10 minutes before serving.

Whole Wheat Tart Shell

4 tablespoons chilled butter, cut into pieces
1 1/4 cup whole wheat flour
1 egg, beaten
1/2 teaspoon salt
cold water

Place butter and flour in food processor and grind until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. Alternatively, this can be done with a pastry blender by hand. Add egg and salt, and grind in food processor until combined. Add cold water until dough is moist enough to be formed into a ball. Refrigerate dough for 30 minutes. Press dough into an un-greased, 9-inch tart pan or pie dish.