A bit of dinner therapy

My mom has always said that you should make bread when you're angry because you can get all your aggression out while kneading the dough. Tonight I found out that there are lots of ways to take out aggression.

I had a conversation this afternoon that made me want to tear my hair out. My friend asked me four times if I was okay ("Because you really sound like you're down") before concluding that I was mad at her. That I could have dealt with, but the pity that went along with it was too much.

I got off the phone feeling all twitchy. I needed do be doing something. Something that wouldn't let me think. So after a bit of Wii Fit boxing (seemed like a good remedy), I decided I needed some cooking therapy.

I decided that some chard and squash enchiladas sounded like a great way to use up my acorn squash, my plethora of corn tortillas and all that frustration.

After banging a squash on the counter to cut it, smashing 6 cloves of garlic to smithereens, hacking some chard into ribbons and letting the onion be an excuse for leaking a few tears I was feeling much better. (There was also an incident with mishandled peppers, but I'll tell that story with a later recipe) My troubles melted away into the smell of cooking onions.

The only problem left now was a dirty pan from last night's dinner.

So my enchiladas became tacos. And tonight's dish was born.

Chard and Acorn Squash Soft Tacos

1/2 small acorn squash *

1/2 medium onion
Sprinkle of sugar
4 cloves of garlic (squished like crazy)*
1/2-1 chipotle, chopped and squished into a paste (the kind that was stored in adobo sauce)*
1/2 lb. chard (washed, stems cut out and leaves hacked into lovely ribbons)*

4-6 corn tortillas
Enchilada sauce (recipe to come later) or taco sauce
Sour Cream

Put the acorn squash cut side down on a greased sheet pan and cook it in a 350 degree oven until its squishy enough for a knife to pass through easily (and not just because its a super sharp knife that could cut through a boot without loosing its edge). I'm gonna say this takes 20 minutes, but I can't exactly say I was paying attention.

Let the squash cool a bit and then peel off the skin and dice as small as you feel you need to (mine were kinda big chunks because it was still really hot)

Film a large saucepan or high-sided skillet with a little oil and place over medium heat. Add the onions, a little salt and that sprinkle of sugar. Cook the onions slowly until the onions get a nice golden color (not browned, no crunchy bits--you want the onions soft and caramelized).

Add the garlic and chipotle and cook for a minute, then add the damp chard. Stir. Cook until the chard has wilted and softened to a texture you actually want to eat.

Add the squash chunks and stir everything around.

Taste to make sure its spicy enough/salty enough/delicious enough for your tastes.

To serve, put a large spoonful of the chard/squash mixture on a warmed corn tortilla, drizzle on some sauce and a dollop of sour cream.

*Feel free to use the food prep time as time to get out all your aggressions.

One thing I know for sure

I keep getting these "25 Things About Me" notes from friends on Facebook so I was trying to think of 25 things I could say about myself.

I think I'm up to 13.

I don't think I'm really all that interesting...I guess that could be my #14.

BUT, #6 ("I would eat a boot if it was covered in barbecue sauce") reminded me of something delicious.

Barbecue Tofu Sandwiches

Take a chunk of tofu (a 1/4 of a block is about two sandwiches, but more is always better)

Put it in a plastic bag.

Put the baggie full of tofu in the freezer.

Leave it there until its good and frozen.

Put it in the fridge. (The day you want to eat, take the tofu out of the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost)

Squeeze the tofu like a sponge to get out some of the water.

Crumble the tofu into a pan with a little olive oil heated in it.

Cook the tofu for a few minutes so you get some crunchy bits.

Add your favorite barbecue sauce and let everything heat together.

Put it on a bun.

Add some coleslaw or pickles and onions.

Freezing the tofu makes it chewier and crumblier. You can also get out a lot of the water by just squeezing it like a sponge.

Did you know coconut milk can go bad?

I had pineapple fried rice for the first time a few months ago and fell in love. It had this lovely curried coconut flavor along with the pineapple bits and a beautiful yellow color that is so appealing. A few weeks ago I made my own version because I was creating a waste-free one-woman menu for my mom and needed to use up some coconut milk.

Problem is, I didn't write it down.

Tonight I decided to re-try the pineapple fried rice recipe I made for my mom's menu. I finished cooking the rice with the onion and curry powder and everything was sticking more than usual because I decided to try a lower fat "saute" with water (bad plan). My coconut milk was in a plastic container because I'd made a curry earlier in the week and I was having a lot of trouble getting the lid off which seemed odd. But once it was open and I saw the weird brownish color the top had achieved I could see why it was sticking. I thought "maybe this is like cheese, I can take off the gross stuff on top and the underside will be fine" but after scraping off the top layer and bravely tasting the tangy, frothy milk I knew that was not the case (ick).

So this is pineapple fried rice without coconut milk

Coconut-Free Pineapple Fried Rice

1 teaspoon olive oil (its so not worth doing without)
1/4 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon curry powder (mine is extremely mild McCormick's, hence the curry paste)
1 1/2 cups cooked white rice
2 tablespoons vegetable stock or water
1 tablespoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon red curry paste
1/2 small can pineapple chunks, cut smaller if you wish (keep all the juice from the can)
1 egg, beaten

Heat the oil in a skillet over medium high heat.

Add the onions and cook until tender and translucent. Add the garlic and curry powder and cook for a minute more

Add the rice and cook for a minute more.

(This was the point when I realized I had no coconut milk, but if yours has not gone off, you can add about 1/4 cup here and skip the stock/water....also go easy on the pineapple juice)

Now mix in the stock or water, soy sauce, curry paste and the juice from the pineapples. Make sure you get all the chunks of curry paste mixed in and then add the pineapple chunks.

Squish everything over to one half of the pan and pour the egg into the other half and scramble it around until it starts to set up. Slowly mix the rice mixture in as you scramble until the whole pan is one big sticky rice mixture.

Make sure to taste and add any salt, pepper or additional curry powder at this point.

You could add some frozen peas and carrots at this point and cook until they heated. Some cilantro or Thai basil is a nice addition right at the end as well.

It still wasn't quite as good as the first time, but it was my cooking adventure for the evening.