Falling Back to Cooking

Even though I've refused to put my sleeveless dresses and short skirts away, I have to admit that summer has ended. My summer was filled with laid-back meals I cobbled together from fresh-from-the-farmers'-markets produce. A typical meal would be sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, cannellini beans tossed with olive oil, and watermelon for dessert...or grilled veggie and tofu skewers. They were simple and delicious, and I rarely cooked.

It's hard to say good-bye to summer, but I've welcomed fall (my favorite season) by getting back into cooking. This week I made some oldies but goodies:

• Unfried Fried Rice, Steamed Broccoli, and Hoisin Mustard Tofu
• Curried Chickpeas and Greens
• Bowls of Brown Rice, Chickpeas, Butternut Squash, Sauteed Red Onions, and Caesar Chavez Dressing from Appetite for Reduction (pictured above)

I nearly forgot how much I love cooking and how delicious a healthy, nutritious, homemade meal can be. I'll wear cardigans over my summer dresses and tights under my skirts because I can't bear to part with my summer clothes just yet, but I'm happy to get back into cooking and experimenting with some new recipes using seasonal produce (Vegetarian Times has had some great ones I want to try.)

Anyone have a great fall recipe they want to share?

Chickpea, Kale, Brown Rice & Sage Gravy Bowl

Appetite for Reduction gave a template for bowl meals, and I've been making them ever since. Bowls are my go-to meal when I want something quick and nutritious that includes a veggie, whole grain, and protein.

Tonight's bowl had chickpeas, steamed kale, brown basmati rice, and sage gravy, a recipe I tested for the new Happy Herbivore cookbook. So delicious and easy! And leftovers will make a great lunch tomorrow.

Baked Tofu, Kale & Brown Rice Bowl with Chickpea Gravy

This was another bowl idea from Appetite for Reduction: Gravy Bowl with basic baked tofu (it called for tempeh, but I substituted tofu), steamed kale, brown rice, and the Silky Chickpea Gravy.

First things first: this chickpea gravy is amazing. You blend chickpeas with onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil, thyme, and rubbed sage; vegetable broth mixed with arrowroot powder; and soy sauce. It's thick and gravy-y and savory and just really yummy. I could eat a whole recipe by the spoonful without much problem. I made the omnivore husband taste it too, and he thought it was pretty good. I'll definitely make this gravy again and smother it over everything. I found the recipe on this blog, so try it!
So what happens when you combine this wonderful gravy with rice, my favorite baked tofu, and steamed kale? You get an absolutely scrumptious, filling, healthy meal...so good that, a half-hour after dinner, I'm looking forward to having it for lunch tomorrow.

Baked Tofu, Spinach & Brown Rice Bowl with Miso-Green Onion Dressing

I've been wanting to try the Appetite for Reduction Miso-Green Onion Salad Dressing, but I don't like sushi and didn't want to make the suggested sushi-like salad featured with the dressing. So I made the dressing by itself, which was as simple as pureeing these ingredients in a blender.I had it over simple salads of spinach, romaine, and spring mix greens, and it was great. The miso flavor really stands out but I couldn't taste the green onions too much; I think I'll use more next time. The dressing was so flavorful; it was wonderful paired with plain greens.

I wanted to use it in another dish, so last night I quickly put together the marinade for the Appetite for Reduction Basic Baked Tofu and let it marinate until I got home from work today.I said before how much I love this, but here it is again: I love this baked tofu! I preheated the oven as soon as I walked in the house and in a half-hour had perfectly baked, wonderful tasting, chewy tofu that, again, was hard for me to not devour right off the baking sheet.

I cut up the tofu, heated some brown rice I cooked last night, steamed some spinach, and combined it all in a bowl with the Miso-Green Onion Dressing.The dressing and baked tofu flavors didn't go together as nicely as I thought they would--each has such a distinctive flavor that they clashed a little. Lesson learned: pair this dressing with very simple flavors, liked simple salads or steamed veggies.

Still, I enjoyed it. For lunch tomorrow I might put the dressing over the rice and spinach and eat the tofu separately.