Upside-Down Mushroom Tartlets

First, thanks to my good friend, Julia, for passing this recipe along, and thanks to another good friend, Lauren, for helping me make and eat these guys. This recipe was actually very easy and the finished product was delicious. These would be great as appetizers or served over a bed of greens.

Ingredients (makes 12 tartlets)
-1.5-2 lbs (24-32 oz) white mushrooms (I used a mixture of baby bellas and white...since baby bellas don't shrink as much when you cook them, you'll only need 24 oz if you use the mixture)
-5 oz Gruyere, shredded
-2 shallots, finely diced
-2 sheets puff pastry, thawed
-3 T thyme
-salt, pepper
-2 T EVOO
-1 egg, butter, or milk (optional)

Steps
(Preheat oven to 375)
1. After thawing your puff pastry, lightly flour it, and cut six rounds (the size of the opening of a large muffin tin) per sheet. We found the easiest way to do this was to push a muffin tin into the dough so that it left the outlines of the circles we needed to cut out. Then we used a pizza cutter to cut out the circles. Place the cut circles on a baking sheet and place back in the refrigerator.

2. Saute scallions with 2 T EVOO for about 3 mins.
3. Add mushrooms and saute for about 12 minutes, or until mushrooms are soft and have reduced a bit.

4. Lightly grease two large muffin tins.
5. Fill muffin tins about 3/4 full with mushrooms, top with about 1 T of shredded cheese, and then top with the puff pastry circle.

6. Brush egg, butter, or milk on top of pastry.
7. Cook for about 25 mins or until pastry is golden brown.

8. Once tartlets are done, use a knife to lightly trace around the edges of each muffin hole. Then place a large plate over muffin tin, and turn muffin tin upside down to release tartlets onto place.
9. Tada!

Greek yogurt snack

So my good friend, Jess, got me hooked on Greek yogurt. This stuff is awesome and packs a TON of protein! However, I find it a little bitter, so I usually add honey or preserves. But recently my cousin, Sarah, taught me this neat trick: add about 1/4 packet of Jello Instant Pudding mix (your flavor of choice) for a delicious snack or dessert. Pictured below is a tiny cat eating some Greek yogurt mixed with pistachio instant pudding mix. Meow! I mean, Yum!

Tofu Orzo Salad

I got this yummy and super simple recipe from my friend and colleague, Therese. It's actually really similar to the Roasted Shrimp and Orzo salad I posted earlier. Her original recipe called for chicken, which she marinated in Greek spices, which I'm sure would be delicious. However, over the summer we've been trying to cut down on meat (and expenses), so we subbed tofu for the chicken. Also, we marinated our tofu in balsamic vinegar.

Ingredients
-1.5 C orzo, cooked per package instructions
-2 small cucumbers, diced
-3-4 Roma tomatoes, diced
~1/2 C feta cheese
-1 package extra firm tofu, diced and marinated 
~2 T balsamic vinegar

Dresssing
-Juice from 2 lemons (about 1/3-1/2 C), and zest of one lemon
-2 garlic cloves, mined
~1/3 C fresh dill, chopped
~2 T EVOO
-salt and pepper, to your tasting

1. Basically just do the following: marinate your tofu, cook the orzo, chop the veggies, tofu, and dill, whisk up your dressing, combine everything, and enjoy!

Noodles with Sauteed Veggies and Lemon Ginger Dressing

First, apologies for the break in posting. We had company in town for about a week and a half, and then were out of town for another several days. Anyhow...I should be around now, and will get back to regular posting!

As you may have noticed, we've been on somewhat of a soba/udon kick recently. This was another really tasty recipe, that was in some ways similar to the Cold Soba Salad, but also different--this recipe was served hot, and was lemony and gingery rather than limey.

Ingredients
-12 oz udon noodles
-1 zucchini, sliced
-1 squash, sliced
-1 package extra firm tofu, diced, and drained of as much water as possible
-2 T fresh herbs (like cilantro or basil)
-2 T diced green onion
~1 T EVOO
Dressing
-3/4 teaspoon Asian chlli powder (or cayenne)
-Grated zest of 1 lemon
-1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
-1 inch section of ginger, peeled and grated
-1/4 cup rice vinegar
-1/3 cup soy sauce
-1 tablespoon honey
-1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil
-2 tablespoons olive oil

Steps
1. Make the dressing by combining all ingredients. I just used a whisk, but if you'd like the dressing to be chunk-free you could use a food processor or hand blender.
2. In a pot, make noodles according to package directions.
3. Heat frying pan (or wok) with a little butter or EVOO. Saute zucchini, squash, and tofu for about 4-5 minutes. Add in noodles, stir in sauce, and toss everything well.

4. Top with herbs and onions.