Slowly I Turn...

That old Vaudeville line always reminds me of my Dad, though it's in I Love Lucy and a Three Stooges skit too. All the authors / relayers of that line have one thing in common though - a reference to Niagara Falls. As you (should) know from reading my previous posts, Andrew and I took a few days earlier this week and drove to the gorgeous, romantic region for a break away from family and work. Sorry guys, we love ya, but we needed it! It was a rest we thoroughly enjoyed, with the exception of some poorly labeled streets in New York (where we went originally to procure some groceries - supposedly at Wegmans, but because of the bad directions we wound up at Tops instead). I'll have to go back over the border again soon, though, since I didn't buy nearly as much as I wanted to! We also stopped in at Target, just because we could. Andrew (who had never travelled into the US before, or even to Niagara Falls) was in awe at the selection of beer available at the grocery store - not something you find here in Ontario! He also loved the discovery of pretzel Goldfish crackers, so I'm going to be attempting a recreation of those soon.

Touristy-wise, we did almost everything: Ripley's and Guinness museums on Clifton Hill, the Maid of the Mist (that's us in our cheesy - but free - blue ponchos), the Hershey's store (where I learned just how much of a sucker Andrew is for chocolate-covered pretzels), stops at almost all the tacky tourist gift shops, and on our way home we even took a side trip to the Butterfly Conservatory and Niagara Botanical Gardens, where I got to explore the veggie gardens of the students at Niagara College, marvel at the things I never knew would grow in Ontario (kohlrabi, plantains and pak choy!) and try to figure out what some of the plants actually were!

As a side note from there, if anyone can help me out figuring out what this plant is to the left, I'd appreciate it! All I know is that it looks like a totally black pepper plant, with black and dark red small round fruits. It was in the veggie gardens, and I'm figuring a pepper of some kind, but I'm at a loss as to what kind.

Foodie-wise, our (purchased) lunches were pretty standard. Because I can't have a lot of traditional restaurant fare without crazy alterations to the menu or calling ahead to special-order, we stuck to Subway. Mind you, I'm a Subway fan - I am totally content with a Veggie Delite, no cheese, double toasted, soaked with mustard and loaded with pretty much every veggie offering they have (including hot peppers, but no olives... ewwww olives). Both our dinners were sushi from a place near our (dive of a) hotel that you would have walked right past if you weren't looking for it - not really being in a great-looking neighbourhood, and it's outer shell looked like an abandoned warehouse. Inside, though, was gorgeous, and styled in a very traditional Japanese decor. Suisha Gardens (suisha coming from Japanese for waterwheel, apparently) did not disappoint when it came to freshness, politeness or speed, and since it is a teppanyaki grill as well we got to watch a performance that was being put on for another group. I would definitely go back there if I'm in the area again, especially since the fish quality and prices were both awesome.

We did eat breakfast in our hotel room to save some cash, though, and the very first day we packed this fritatta that I made for lunch once we got into the city. It was okay in taste - Andrew liked it more than I did - but I think I was jaded since I got to taste it hot right out of the oven. To me, cold egginess is, well, not too yummy. It's saving grace is that when it's nice and hot, this tasted like Egg Foo Young, which I totally gorged on back in the day! Next time I'll ditch the peppers though, and swap in some cherry tomatoes or maybe caramelized onions. Peppers are better friends with Andrew than I. As far as being nutritionally sound goes, though, you can't beat a slice of this with a hunk of crusty bread. Yummmm!

Italian Flag Frittata
Serves 4
10 oz frozen spinach, thawed and squeezed dry, chopped
1/3 cup roasted red peppers, diced
12 oz silken lite tofu, pureed
4 egg whites, beaten slightly
1/3 cup fat-free, unsweetened soy milk
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
2 tbsp nutritional yeast
Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Preheat oven to 350°F, and grease a 9" springform pan with PAM, lining the bottom with parchment paper.
2. Scatter chopped spinach and peppers into the bottom of the pan.
3. Beat tofu, egg whites, soy milk, herbs, garlic and onion powders, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.
4. Pour over vegetables, smoothing down with a spatula.
5. Bake for 50 minutes.
6. Cool 10 minutes before turning out and serving.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 90.1
Total Fat: 1.0 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 382.3 mg
Total Carbs: 7.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.7 g
Protein: 14.0 g
WW Points: 1.5

Drying Out

I'm back from Niagara Falls, and bringing you more of my favourite veggifruit! Yes, more tomatoes! Sorry, but when you're as deep in them as I am lately, they tend to dominate the kitcheny universe!

Having already filled my slow-cooker with tomatoes to make passata, I figured I would take a cue from David (from Wish I Were Baking...) and dry some of them out for salads and pasta. Heck, most of these babies never made it to a salad or bowl of spaghetti - they're like candy! Just as sweet and addicting, but without the whole sugar-rush and extra caloric thing happening.

I took the basic method from Trattoria by Patricia Wells and let them sit in the oven all day while I ran around packing for my trip, which I'll tell you all about later. Can you tell I like lazy cooking?

Oven-Dried Tomatoes
As many "meaty" tomatoes as you want to preserve (I used baby Romas, they're about cherry-size)

1. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. Halve each tomato lengthwise. Arrange the tomatoes, cut side up, on a parchment lined baking sheet.
3. Place in the lower rack of the oven and bake until the tomatoes are shriveled and feel dry, anywhere from 6 to 12 hours (mine took about 12 hours, and some could have gone longer).
4. Check the tomatoes from time to time: They should remain pliable.
5. Once dried, remove the tomatoes from the oven and store in a Ziploc.

You Say Puree, I Say Passata!

Remember that pile of Summer's bounty I wrote about a couple days ago, the one that came in the form of a ton of tomatoes? Well, I'm finally getting around to writing about what I did with them all, and it's so simple it's inane. I threw them in my slow cooker with a head of garlic, turned it on, and walked away for 12 hours. I'm a genious.

Slow cookers are God's gift to the lazy chef. Especially when the lazy chef is me, and the recipe has a grand total of two - yes, two - ingredients! Heck, you can even get away with just the tomatoes in this recipe, but you know me... I'm a garlic freak! Since the puree (essentially the purest form of crushed tomatoes you can make) is unsalted, unpeppered, unherbed (well, apart from the garlic) and totally smooth, it's the perfect base for your favourite pasta sauce, soup or stew. I, for one, have plans for an eggplant casserole, and I'm sure that once my garden spits out another load of goodies I'll have to put together a lasagne or two!

The only things you need for this sauce are a sharp knife, a large slow cooker, and a food mill (either manual or electric). The one I used is plastic and metal, and cost $6 downtown (my dad got it for me on our Chinatown trip). It's one of my favourite pieces of equipment. The pulpy bits of skin and seeds left behind I scattered back into my garden... instant compost!

Passata al Pomodoro
Makes 13 half-cup servings
2 1/2 kg fresh tomatoes, chopped
10 cloves garlic

1. Place all ingredients in a crockpot.
2. Cover and cook on HI for 8 hours, stirring occasionally (if you happen to be around).
3. Process through a food mill, discarding skins and seeds, and place puree back into the crockpot (it will be very watery).
4. Cook, uncovered, on HI for a further 4 hours, stirring every hour, until thickened and reduced.
5. Portion into bottles and store in fridge or freezer (if you don't want to can it properly - I never do).

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 43.8
Total Fat: 0.6 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 17.7 mg
Total Carbs: 9.7 g
Dietary Fiber: 2.2 g
Protein: 1.8 g

Middle Ground

**Note: I'm coming to you today from beyond the computer screen... I'm off enjoying a couple laptop-free days in Niagara Falls!**

Where is the Summer going? It seems only yesterday that I was planning Andrew's birthday cake and frolicking at Canada's Wonderland, and now I'm caught up in the throes of pre-college planning, and trying my best to hold onto the last rays of sun! Ah, well, 'tis still the season for BBQs and picnics (at least for a few more weeks!), and whenever I think of those types of group events I always think of salads. Whether they're pasta, rice, cabbage or potato based, at least one offering of every summer party I've been to has had one thing in common - a creamy, mayo-based, super-heavy dressing. For some odd reason they seem to be "the thing" for Summer, though why - seeing as the whole non-refrigeration thing is an issue in the heat - is a mystery.

I personally prefer my salads to be more on the leaft green side, but I will be the first to admit they aren't exactly filling. I mean, as a side dish, sure, but if you want a real meal of a salad you have to pile on the toppings, taking away from the lightness of it all!

Enter, the middle ground.

I like to think of this recipe as more of a salad component rather than a meal in it's own right, since on it's own it is rather carb-heavy. Garlicky and spicy from a hint of Dijon mustard, this is a creamily-dressed potato salad - but it's light on the goo-factor, and you'd never know it was mayo free! If you use it to top off a bed of mixed greens or baby spinach (go iron-building!) it's a yummy, protein-packed salad dressing. No picnics calling for your services? Serve it up for lunch or as a dinner side too, since this is one of those awesome seasonal recipes that works hot, room temperature or straight from the fridge. Do make sure to store it in the refrigerator though, the tofu may not be as volatile as mayo, but it will spoil! And, like any good potato salad, make sure you use a good "boiling-style" or "waxy" potato that holds up to cooking... I like to mix Yukon Gold and red-skinned ones for colour.

Roasted Potato-Soy Salad
Makes 4 one-cup servings
2 1/2 lbs mixed Yukon Gold and red potatoes, unpeeled and cubed
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
5 oz (1/2 block) low-fat silken tofu - try Mori Nu brand
2 tbsp lemon juice
1 tbsp fresh parsley
1/2 tbsp fresh rosemary
1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF.
2. Spread potatoes on a parchment-lined sheet pan and roast 25 minutes.
3. Add garlic, and roast for 5 minutes longer.
4. Put tofu, lemon juice, herbs and mustard in a blender and blend until smooth.
5. Toss potatoes (while still hot) with dressing.
6. Season with salt and pepper.

Amount Per Serving
Calories: 230.4
Total Fat: 0.8 g
Cholesterol: 0.0 mg
Sodium: 188.8 mg
Total Carbs: 46.6 g
Dietary Fiber: 4.9 g
Protein: 8.2 g

Oh... waiter! There's a salad in my picnic!

More Tomato Love!

I told you I'd try to make those ugly heirlooms pretty! I figured I'd stick this photo out there quickly before running off with Andrew for our vacation in Niagara, since there isn't going to be any cooking for the next couple days! I do have a post or two lined up in the queue, though, including just what I did with the tomato glut, so never fear! This shot is also my entry to the Red & White Foodie Photography Contest being hosted by new (to me) blogger Fitri at Rumah Manis. Thanks to IMMB for clueing me in!

If you want to take part in the colourfest too, send in your entry to the hosts at redwhiteevent@gmail.com by midnight on August 15, 2008. There are even prizes to be won, but I'm more interested in seeing the pretty offerings on display!