Open Face Vegetable and Herb Cheese Melts

Once upon a time, there was a fantastic restaurant in my city that happened to be vegetarian. It was called “The No Bull Café”. Get it—no bull-no beef, no meat. Anyway, I wasn't vegetarian, but they had the most amazing veggie melt ever. Unfortunately, they are no longer around, but they got me hooked on sandwiches like this.

You won't believe how deeply satisfying this sandwich is. The juices from the veggies soak into the crusty bread and then you have all the seasonings and the creamy cheese to savor. 

Ingredients (serve 4 or 8, if you cut the melts in half):

2 Tablespoons olive oil

1 small eggplant

2 Tablespoons kosher salt

1 medium onion, diced

10 ounces mushrooms, sliced (I like cremini)

1 small zucchini, cut into slices

2 tomatoes, diced

½ cup each red and yellow bell pepper, cut into thin strips

2 teaspoons of Montreal Steak seasoning (or your favorite seasoning blend)

2 teaspoons salt or to taste

2 demi French baguettes (each about 12 inches long), or 1 long baguette, cut into four equal pieces

2 (5.2 ounce) packages of garlic and herb cheese, like Boursin®

Extra virgin olive oil and fresh chopped chives for garnish

Directions:

Peel and cut the eggplant into ½ inch pieces. Place in a colander and sprinkle with the kosher salt. Let sit in the sink for 30 minutes. When the 30 minutes is up, run cold water over the eggplant to wash off the salt and the bitter juices that came out of the eggplant. Let drain and set aside. Some people skip this step and are very happy. Some people also leave the peel on the eggplant. You do you.

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add in all the veggies. Cook for about 10-12 minutes or until all the veggies are softened. Add the Montreal Steak seasoning and salt and pepper if using. Continue cooking several more minutes until there is little or no liquid left in the bottom of the skillet.

Cut both of the demi baguettes along the equator (side to side). Open the halves and place them on the baking sheet. Pull out a little of the soft center bread to make little canoes. Just be sure not to go all the way to the bottom. Just a little bread out will do.

Fill each piece of bread with the veggies. If you have trouble having them stand up, just place them tightly side to side with the bottom pieces on the outsides or roll a piece of aluminum foil into a long rope and wrap that around the sides.

Top with ¼ of the cheese. Place in the oven on the top rack until the cheese melts, about 10 to 12 minutes. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil and chives if you wish. 

Note: you may have a little of the vegetable mixture left-I had about 1/3 cup. If you do, save that in the fridge and add to eggs, put it on your Dagwood, put it on a grilled cheese, whatever.

Parmesan-Dijon Crusted Cod on Burst Tomatoes

Back in the days when I worked in group homes supporting people with disabilities, fish was often on the menu. I came across this idea of mixing Parmesan and mayo way back then and I’m happy to see it crop up once in a while on the internet as a good way to serve fish. Trust me, this sounds fancy, but it is really simple and fast. 

The Parmesan, Dijon and mayo crust not only provides lots of flavor, but it helps keep the fish moist and tender. I like that all the flavors come together and no one flavor overpowers the dish.

Ingredients (serves 4):

2/3 cup mayonnaise

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

½ cup grated Parmesan cheese

½ teaspoon lemon zest

½ teaspoon garlic salt

1 Tablespoon olive oil

1 garlic clove, peeled but left whole

2 cups cherry tomatoes

¼ cup thinly sliced onion

1 cup corn kernels

1 cup shelled edamame

Salt and pepper to taste

2 Tablespoons water

4 fillets of cod

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Mix the mayonnaise, Dijon, parmesan, zest and garlic salt together in a small bowl. Set aside.

Heat the oil in a large skillet on medium high heat. Toss in the tomatoes, garlic clove, onions, corn and edamame. Season with salt and pepper and add the water. Cook, stirring often, until the tomatoes burst, about 8-10 minutes. Remove and discard the garlic clove. Remove the skillet from heat and keep warm.

Season the cod fillets with salt and pepper on both sides and place on a parchment lined baking sheet that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place ¼ of the Parmesan-Dijon topping on each filet and bake for 8 minutes if they are thin, 10 if they are thick. Turn the oven heat up to broil and broil for 2 minutes or until the topping becomes lightly golden.

Serve each filet on a bed of the warm tomato mixture.

Japanese Style Vegetable, Meatball and Broth Hot Pot

My stars. This smells incredible. It tastes incredible. I could easily exist on this, cheese and fruit for my whole life. 

I was doing some reading last night and everything kept coming up ‘broth’. I’m a huge broth fan and will choose a brothy soup over a cream one any day. A cup of broth can be just the pick me up you need when you are feeling kind of hungry, but don’t really want a meal. It’s also great for when you are feeling blue, or tired, or just not up to par. I always keep vegetable bouillon cubes at home and at work that I can just put in a mug and add hot water to. It’s great when I have a sore throat.

Last night I was especially entranced by the Japanese Sumo wrestlers making Chankonabe, the traditional food for Sumo training. The meal itself seemed healing and healthy (if you don’t eat 2 gallons like those guys do). I knew today was going to be a lovely rainy day, so I decided to try my hand. This meal will make you feel whole again.

I’m sure my spelling of Chankonabe is off, but then again, I didn’t set out to make a ‘traditional’ Chankonabe-I just wanted what I liked.

Big bonus: The ingredients I used can be swapped out, added to, removed, whatever you want. You can make this vegan, you can add noodles/rice,  potatoes, chicken, or seafood and make it the kind of hearty meal Sumo wrestlers eat.

Ingredients:

Meatballs:

1 pound ground turkey or chicken

2 teaspoons cornstarch

1 egg white

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon finely sliced green onions

1 teaspoon salt

Stock:

4 cups chicken stock

4 cups vegetable stock

2 teaspoons miso paste

2 teaspoons soy sauce

1 Tablespoon mirin (optional)

1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger root

Salt to taste

Everything else:

1 cup carrots, cut into matchsticks

1 medium onion, thinly sliced into half-moons (about 1 cup)

3 cups chopped bok choy

1 small daikon radish, peeled and diced (about 1 cup)

2 cups Napa cabbage, thinly sliced

8 ounces mushrooms, thinly sliced (I’m using cremini, but shitakes would be awesome)

8 ounces extra firm tofu (not silken), squeezed dry between paper towels and cut into bite sized cubes (if you see fried tofu, get that-it will hold up better as you cook)

4 green onions, sliced on the diagonal

A few drops of toasted sesame oil

Directions: Mix all the meatball ingredients together in a mixing bowl and refrigerate until ready to cook.

Place the chicken and vegetable stocks in a large Dutch oven and add in the miso, soy, mirin and ginger and some salt (maybe a teaspoon). Bring to a boil and reduce the heat to medium or medium low-you want it simmering, not boiling. Simmer for 15 minutes. Put some in a bowl, let it cool slightly and taste. Adjust the seasoning to your liking.

Add in the carrots, onions, bok choy, daikon and Napa cabbage to the stock. Drop the meatballs carefully in. Cover and let cook for 20 minutes.

Add in the mushrooms, tofu and green onions. Cook for another 20 minutes. Add a few drops of toasted sesame oil and taste one more time. Adjust the seasonings and serve in big bowls.

Chicken, Lemon, Egg and Spring Vegetable Soup

This is simply a take on Greek Avgolemono Soup and it is a deeply comforting dish on a cool spring night. The chicken stock and eggs make it rich and satisfying while the lemon and veggies brighten it all up.

Ingredients (makes 3-4 bowls):

4 cups chicken stock (I’m using the good quality, salted box o’ stock)

1 cup cooked chicken breast, shredded

2 eggs

¼ cup half and half or milk (I’m using fat free half and half)

1 cup fresh asparagus, cut into bite sized pieces

1 cup fresh peas

1 handful of fresh baby spinach leaves, torn into pieces

2-3 Tablespoons lemon juice (start with 2 and taste—I like more, so I use all 3 TB)

½ cup grated parmesan

Salt and pepper to taste

Maybe some chopped fresh chives or parsley to garnish

Directions: Heat the stock to a boil in a sauce pan. Lower the heat to medium and add the chicken breast.

While the stock is heating up, whisk the eggs with the half and half and set aside.

Add the asparagus to the chicken stock and cook for about 3 minutes. Then add the peas and spinach and slowly whisk the egg mixture into the soup. Cook for 2-3 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat and whisk in the lemon juice and parmesan. Taste and add salt/pepper if you like and then ladle into big bowls, garnish if you want and serve. 

Three Pea Salad with Sweet Vinegar and Oil Dressing

It’s spring, it’s spring, it’s spring!! I love a fresh pea salad, especially when it’s paired with mint. I was able to find fresh pea shoots and fresh sugar snaps at Trader Joe’s, so I wanted to do something light, simple and fresh. This salad is just slightly sweet and so crunchy from all the fresh peas. Honestly, I could eat this every day and be happy. You could make this an easy main meal by chopping up some ham or bacon and adding some diced cheddar cheese. PS-it’s spring!

Ingredients (serves 4 as a side):

Sweet Vinegar and Oil Dressing:

½ cup apple cider vinegar

2 Tablespoons canola oil

2 Tablespoons sugar

½ teaspoon garlic salt

½ teaspoon celery salt

¼ teaspoon dry mustard (optional, but awesome)

Freshly cracked black pepper and kosher salt, to taste

Three Pea Salad:

2 cups frozen sweet peas, thawed

1 cup sugar snap peas, cut in half

1 cup fresh pea shoots

2 large radishes, thinly sliced

2 green onions, sliced

4 fresh mint leaves, cut into thin strips

For serving:

Iceberg lettuce leaves

Sliced hard cooked eggs

Directions: Couldn’t be simpler: Whisk the dressing ingredients in a mixing bowl then taste and adjust seasonings to your liking. Toss in the salad ingredients, stir and let sit in the refrigerator for an hour or two.

Remove the salad from the fridge, drain off any excess liquid and plate on large iceberg lettuce leaves. Put a sliced hard cooked egg on the side.