Balsamic, Dijon, Tomato and Garlic Glaze

Hello,I hope everyone had a great weekend. Ours was low key but that is just what we need to get refueled to start another week. As always Dan went back to work downtown today. Boo hiss. Since it is Monday I have many things on my to-do list. I need to spend some time cleaning and organizing today.

Also I want to spend some time in the kitchen. I soaked garbanzos and almonds overnight so I can make hummus and almond feta today. We haven’t had caponata in a while so I also plan to whip up a batch of that which will be great on salad or over a cooked quinoa. If have time I also want to make some pickled vegetables and dehydrate more Roma tomatoes. I spend time making all these things so I can take it easy later in the week.

As you may have noticed by now when I cook I intentionally make extra servings of things so that we can eat them for a few days. I try to keep soup in the refrigerator since it makes a great lunch item. We also always have salad fixings in the refrigerator too. Frequently there will be a cooked whole grain and bean dish in the refrigerator as well. With all of these items on hand I can usually make us a quick healthy meal in less than 10 minutes. That is why I keep these things around. As much as I enjoy cooking I don’t want to spend hours doing it every single day. If I did there wouldn’t be time to get everything else done that I need to take care of.

Yesterday I made tempeh for the first time in a very long time. While we like tempeh I never think to make it. Since I had a two pound hunk of it in the freezer I made that yesterday. I poached the tempeh quickly to help it absorb the flavors. Here is the glaze I made:

Balsamic, Dijon, Tomato and Garlic Glaze
Makes enough for 1 pound of tempeh

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon country Dijon (with whole mustard)
½ tablespoon tomato paste
1 clove garlic, peeled and grated
freshly ground black pepper

Directions:

Combine everything in a bowl and whisk. Spread on tofu or tempeh and bake.

Nutritional Information (for the entire recipe):

Amount Per Serving
Calories - 50.59
Calories From Fat (11%) - 5.76

Total Fat - 0.71g
Saturated Fat - 0.04g
Cholesterol - 0mg
Sodium - 260.35mg
Potassium - 150.39mg
Total Carbohydrates  8.95g
Fiber - 0.8g
Sugar - 5.81g
Protein - 1.4g

Comments:

This makes a nice thick glaze for tofu or tempeh. Due to the thickness it will remain mostly on top of the product. If you want it to be absorbed thin it with more vinegar or a little water. This is the same mixture I used in the past on pork or chicken to give it more flavor. It is works equally well on tempeh.

Food and other things since the last post:

For the mid day meal with my parents yesterday I served a simple green salad with roasted tomatoes (to enhance the absorption of the lycopene), cucumber, pine nuts and balsamic vinegar. With this we also had the glazed tempeh and quinoa and broccoli topped with walnut parmesan. To my parents I added a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil since they find food without fat to be “too clean”. Dan and I both thought the quinoa was fine without the oil but since I wanted my parents to eat theirs I caved on the oil for their plates.

Last night for dinner Dan and I had a simple salad from things in the refrigerator. I made a salad with shredded romaine, roasted tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, leftover eggplant and cashew sesame crème, cucumber and pine nuts.

This morning for breakfast we had oatmeal with cinnamon, powdered ginger, ground flaxseeds, peaches, blackberries and a sprinkle of sliced almonds.

Lunch was a small bowl of farmers’ market lentil and vegetable soup which I topped with walnut parmesan and dehydrated leeks.

To accompany the salad I had a huge salad of shredded romaine, roasted tomatoes, marinated mushrooms, salsa, cucumber, walnut parmesan and dehydrated leeks.

To replenish the pantry (which is also what I call my remade items in the refrigerator) I made some fat free hummus similar to this one. I used the Vitamix for the first time to make hummus and wow does to work well for that. This may be the creamiest hummus I have ever made. If you have a Vitamix use it to make you next batch of hummus. I think you will be very pleasantly surprised. I know I was.

I also made a cup of quinoa to have in the refrigerator to add to our salads. Next I need to make some pickled veggies and caponata. Today seems to have turned into a cooking day at my house.

Other news:

Apparently my hubby would like me to stop moping around. He bought me a very thoughtful present of blooming tea.

To go with the tea I got a teapot with a built in strainer where the spout attaches to the tea pot body. The teas make a beautiful little flower when they open. I tried to photograph it but they didn’t come out so well. Sorry about the less than stellar pictures.

My friend Louis gave me a beautiful Deruta garlic pot. I love Italian ceramics and particularly those from Deruta. Dan and I visited Deruta on our honeymoon, along with most of the rest of Italy. Looking at the Deruta ceramics always makes me smile and think of our time in Italy. Thank you Louis I love it!

Time for me to get back to my to-do list and get a few more things accomplished. I hope everyone is having a productive Monday and that it is as happy as day as possible. It is Monday after all and no one likes them. ;-) Talk to you all again soon.