Eating PRO on the go, part I

Jess Snyder and I are in Houghton MI this week at the National US cross country skiing championships, and to make it a little more affordable we're cooking for ourselves this week. This could be disastrous, but between a microwave, a fridge, and a crockpot, we have a bunch of really good meals lined up. Vegetarian chili, tabouleh with chickpeas and feta, taco night, rice and microwaved stirfry veggies, Moroccan couscous with mint and apricots and almonds, and various yummy snacks, means that we'll be eating well and enjoying life. I've decided to post a picture and recipe of each meal we eat each night, mostly as a distraction from being in Houghton MI.

Tonight was Tabouleh and chickpea night.


Tabouleh:
~1C dry bulgur
1 tomato
1/2 cucumber
~1/2C lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
feta cheese to crumble on top
1 can chickpeas
~1/2C chopped parsley
~1/4C mint leaves

Boil some water either using the coffeepot or the microwave. Pour it over the bulger in the crock pot, cover, and let it sit for 5-10 minutes, until it tastes chewy, not raw.

Chop the cucumber and tomato, add the chickpeas and herbs, add the lemon juice and salt and pepper, and stir it around. Taste it, and adjust the seasonings as needed. Remember that you'll be adding the bulgur, so you want it a little more lemony than you'd normally make it.

Drain the bulgur, and add to the mix. Stir it around, sprinkle cheese on top, and eat.

Pear-Cranberry Coffee Cake

I don't know if this is a bread, or a coffee cake, or a what. Its based loosely off of a bread recipe, but the streusel on top gives it more of a coffee cake feeling. Tastes good, though!

2C flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2C sugar
1 1/2C chopped pears (I used one Bosc pear, skin on)
1/2C cranberries, chopped in half
1/2C walnuts
1C buttermilk
1/4C applesauce
1/4C yogurt
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg

Streusel:
1/4C brown sugar
1/4C flour
1/4 stick of melted butter
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp vanilla

In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, pears, cranberries, and walnuts. Mix well. In another bowl, beat the egg, then add the buttermilk, applesauce, yogurt, and vanilla. Add the bowl of liquids to the dry stuff. Stir just to combine, then pour into a greased 8x8 inch baking pan. You could probably make muffins, too.

Melt the butter, then add the rest of the streusel ingredients. Once they are all combined, sprinkle this over the top of the cake. I added about 2 tablespoons of chopped walnuts, too, but this is optional.

Bake for ~30-45 minutes, until your toothpick comes out clean. Cool briefly, and enjoy!

Beeramisu

Stolen straight from here. But here is the recipe if you're too lazy to click the link:

1 pound mascarpone cheese
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 eggs beaten (I didn't add eggs)
1 tablespoon vanilla
3/4 cup heavy cream, whipped
48 ladyfinger cookies (about 1 package)
6 ounces (3/4 cup) Porter beer (I used Young's Double Chocolate Stout)
1/2 cup brewed coffee, the stronger the better
1/2 cup cocoa

In a large bowl mix together the mascarpone, sugar, beaten eggs and vanilla. Fold in the whipped cream. Set this mixture aside.

In a shallow dish stir together the Porter beer and the brewed coffee, Dip the ladyfingers cookies into the coffee mixture. Don't let the ladyfingers get soggy. Arrange them in a single layer in a glass 8x8 dish. Spread 1/2-inch layer of mascarpone mixture on top of the ladyfingers. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup cocoa. Repeat this for the second layer. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for at least two hours before serving.

Serves 12

I brought this to a weekly gathering of cyclists who run together and then eat together, and it got rave reviews. I will most definitely make it again.

Polenta Wedges

I used a 50-50 mix of polenta and corn meal (the regular stuff). I think you can put just about anything in these lovely golden wedges, this time I just used some herbs, but next time I might use some mushrooms, or sundried tomatoes.

Boil 3C of water. Slowly stir in 1C of the polenta-corn meal mix. Turn down the boil to less of a rollicking boil, and stir the mix constantly. Add whatever things you want to add--I sprinkled in some herbs de provence and salt and pepper. Keep stirring and bubbling until the glop is pretty thick and pulling away from the sides. Then pour it into a dish (an 8x8 baking dish works well) and smooth out the top as smoothly as it can go. Chill this dish.

After about a half hour, the baking dish full of polenta should be pretty solid. Dump it out on a cutting board, and slice into wedges. In a cast-iron pan, melt about half a tablespoon of butter. Add some of the wedges, and cook (without moving them much) until they are golden-brown on the bottom. Flip and repeat. Cool them on a paper towel.