Lately, in this freezing cold weather, I’ve been craving comfort food. (I’m pretty sure I’ve mentioned this oh…once or twice! I hate this cold weather!) One pot, one bowl, one pan…anything that can be eaten simply out of one cooking vessel translates to a comforting meal for me. Also, these recipes tend to be easy and low on the clean up front…which is also a bonus. So this past week, as temperatures have now plummeted, I cooked up my kind of comfort food. I started with the “go to” for a winter night…soup. I wanted to make some sort of creamy, thick, vegetable chowder. I remember watching a Food Network Canada show, where Anna Olson made a delicious looking vegetable chowder. I have never made a chowder of any kind before, and for some reason was craving this thick, creamy soup. I have to give myself some credit here…I loosely based my recipe off hers and created a new favorite soup in our household.
Butternut Squash and Vegetable Chowder
1 onion diced
1/2 cup celery, diced
1/2 cup carrots, diced
1 red pepper, chopped
1 zucchini, diced
1 head broccoli, chopped
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 cup corn
2 cups vegetable broth
2 cups skim milk
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dried oregano
1 bay leaf
salt and pepper to taste
In a saucepan, saute onion, carrots, and celery in a little oil until tender. Add red pepper, zucchini, and broccoli and saute until tender. Add remaining ingredients and bring to a boil. Cover and simmer until vegetable are tender, about 20-30 minutes. Remove about 1 cup of soup and puree. Return puree to soup and mix together. This helps thicken the soup. Season with salt and pepper and enjoy!
The soup was delicious served with leftover rosemary beer bread, toasted and topped with melted aged gouda cheese
After this one pot soup meal, it was time for a one pan pasta bake…another comfort food classic. But my twist…whole wheat orzo baked with veggies, tofu, cheese, and beans…vegetarian, filling, healthy, and delicious! And best of all…it gave us four meals! Four meals out of one pan…I think this is a winner!
White Bean, Vegetable, and Tofu Baked Orzo
1 cup whole wheat orzo, cooked according to package direction
1/2 butternut squash, peeled and chopped
1 block tofu, cut into cubes
2 zucchinis, chopped
1 red onion, chopped
handful of mushrooms, sliced
1 red pepper, chopped
a couple handfuls of spinach
1 can white kidney beans, drained and rinsed
3 cloves of garlic, minced
3/4 cup grated mozzarella cheese
Roast tofu and squash in a little oil with salt and pepper in a 400 degree oven for about 30 minutes or until tender and browned. Set aside. Heat oil in a pan over medium-high heat and saute onion, peppers, mushrooms, and zucchini until tender. Add spinach and garlic and stir until spinach is wilted. Turn heat down to low and add white beans, orzo, squash, and tofu and mix to combine. Turn heat off and add 1/2 cup of cheese (I also had a little bit of leftover goat cheese in the fridge so I threw that in too…really, any cheese would be good).
Prior to baking. I could have just eaten it like this!
Place in a baking dish (I used a dutch oven) and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes and then broil for a couple minutes until the top is browned. A complete meal in one pan!
Hot out of the oven
One pot, one pan….one skillet! I created my first frittata the other day. Eggs have only recently been added to our meal rotation as Adam was a previous egg hater. Well he is now an egg convert and can actually make a mean omellete. Frittata is basically an open face omelet but much easier…no flipping or turning. Just pour into the skillet, bake in the oven and you’re set with a meal in a pan.
Artichoke, Spinach, and Mushroom Frittata (Based off this recipe)
1/2 onion, diced
4-6 mushrooms, sliced
10 oz baby spinach, chopped
1 can artichoke hearts, drained, and quartered
2 cloves of garlic, minced
3 eggs
3/4 cup egg substitute
1/2 cup greek yogurt
1/2 tsp dried basil
2 tbsp grated parmegiano-reggiano cheese
handful of goat cheese, crumbled
Mix together eggs, egg substitute, greek yogurt, basil, parm, and some salt and pepper. Set aside. Heat an oven proof skillet over medium high heat and add a little oil. Saute onion and mushrooms until soft. Add garlic and artichoke hearts and cook until tender. Add in spinach and cook until wilted. Even distribute vegetables around pan and add in egg mixture. Turn heat to high and cook until mixture starts to set, a couple minutes. Sprinkle with goat cheese and bake in 400 degree oven for about 10-15 minutes until set and starting to brown along the sides.
What’s so great about the frittata is you can add any veg, meat, cheese you like. I already have my eye on a smoked salmon and arugula frittata…so many eggy meals planned in the future!
Cozy winter meals also includes dining out. Thistle Hill Tavern in Park Slope has been on my radar for a while. A cozy tavern style atmosphere with a very casual and laid back vibe. It’s the perfect spot for a winter dinner. Once I heard about their happy hour deal…$15 dollars for a burger or veggie burger and a beer, my friend and I braved the cold and headed over.
Winter salad: Roasted pumpkin and turnips, pumpkin and pomegranate seeds, apple vinaigrette
Sorry you can't see the delicious burger! Vegan burger: cracked wheat-white bean-mushroom burger on homemade potato bun with salt and pepper fries
The vegan burger lived up to all the hype I had read. Don’t be turned off by “vegan” burger…it was crispy on the outside, with an amazing soft texture on the inside. The bun was incredible! Soft, warm, doughy…might have almost outshone the burger. And the fries…well just look at them! Seasoned perfectly! Some good winter eats this past week!
So much cooking Dara! Everything looks delish too. Gorgeous frittata!
That frittata is so unique – it sounds yummy.
excuse me… fries? keep up the good eats.