Vegetable Rice Pilaf

I found this recipe while looking for a somewhat hearty side dish so that I would be resist the BBQ ribs that I made for the meat-eaters in our family.

Serves: 4
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes

2 Tbsp butter
1 medium zucchini, cubed
About 6 asparagus, cut into 1-inch pieces
2 Tbsp olive oil
1 cup uncooked long-grain rice
2 1/2 cups chicken or vegetable broth
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/2 cup diced carrot
1 envelope Sazon Goya con azafran, optional

In a skillet (that has a lid), saute zucchini and aparagus in butter for 2 minutes.  With a slotted spoon, remove zucchini and asparagus and set aside.  Add oil and rice to pan and stir to coat rice.  Add broth, basil, carrot, and Sazon Goya and stir gently.  Turn heat to high and bring to a boil.  Cover with lid and reduce heat to medium-low.  Simmer 20 minutes or until all the liquid is gone and rice is tender.  Remove from heat and gently stir zucchini and asparagus.

Note: the Sazon Goya con azafran is just for color, you could also add a little saffron.

Other vegetables to use:
1/2 cup frozen green peas - put in 5 minutes before the end
Handful of snow peas - cook like the zucchini
1/2 cup fresh cut green beans - cook like the zucchini
1/2 cup frozen cut green beans - put in 10 minutes before the end
1/2 cup frozen corn - put in 5 minutes before the end
1/2 cup chopped onions - sauté, then leave in to cook the whole time
1 medium yellow squash, chopped - cook like the zucchini
1 cup frozen chopped spinach - put in 5 minutes before the end
1 cup fresh chopped spinach - throw in at the end
1 green onion, sliced - throw in at the end

Cottage Cheese Pancakes

I had some cottage cheese that I wanted to use up and I found this recipe.  We just ate it with syrup, but I bet it would be good with a fruit compote on it.

Serves: 6

6 eggs, separated
2 cups small curd cottage cheese
2/3 cup spelt flour
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt
1 dash cinnamon
1/8 tsp cream of tartar

Beat together egg yolks, cottage cheese, flour, sugar, salt, and cinnamon.

In another bowl, beat egg whites and cream of tartar.

Fold the egg whites into the cheese mixture.

Drop batter by large spoonfuls onto an oiled griddle or skillet over medium-low heat.  Fry until golden brown and carefully flip (batter is very delicate) and cook other side until golden brown.


We got some mixed reviews from the kids - some were expecting them to taste like regular pancakes.  They are different, but I thought they were very tasty.

Butternut Squash Sauce over Pasta

I found this recipe while looking for recipes to use up the rest of my silken tofu.  There are a few changes that I made to it (some of the changes are because my oven isn't working).

Prep Time: 30 minutes
Serves: 8

1 butternut squash
1 pound silken tofu or 1-2 cups plain nonfat yogurt
1/4 cup olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
5-10 fresh, large basil leaves
Kosher salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Vegetable or chicken broth
Gluten-free pasta or spelt pasta
Parmesan cheese

Bring a medium pot of water to boil over high heat.  Meanwhile, peel and cube butternut squash.  Add squash to pot; reduce heat and simmer about 15 minutes or until just soft; drain.

Add oil to a medium sauté pan and heat over medium-high heat.  Add butternut squash and sauté for 5 minutes stirring once.  Reduce heat to medium and add garlic; sauté for one more minute.  Remove from heat.  Let cool for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook pasta according to package directions.

Add squash mixture to a food processor and puree.  Add tofu or yogurt and puree, scraping sides as necessary.  Add basil leaves, salt, pepper, and broth until desired consistency is reached.

Serve sauce over pasta and top with Parmesan cheese.