Two Lunches for You

Tofu, Carrots and Labneh & Antipasti Caesar Bean Salad

I suppose I have been on my lunch game lately as there was a lot of commotion in my DM’s for these. I usually don’t share recipes for stuff I’m just riffing on in my kitchen (for the express purpose of feeding myself!), also because I haven’t tested them more than once. But I want you to have fun semi-easy lunches, or inspired you to create your own take on them, so here are the “recipes”. And I’m using that word loosely because they’re pretty customizable and the measurements are like the kind your grandma would give you: not exact. Read on to get them!

Updates

@easygayoven#InstacartPartner Remind your honey bunch (pookie?) why they put up with you — make these chocolate lava cakes for two with ingredients delivered through @Instacart! #Instacart #Ad -2 tablespoons heavy whipping cream (1 ounce) -pinch kosher salt -4 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped -3 tablespoons butter -1/2 teaspoon kosher salt -1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract -1 large egg -3 tablespoons sugar -2 heaping teaspoons flour (6 grams) -Cocoa powder or flour for dusting the ramekins Heat heavy whipping cream in the microwave for a few seconds at a time until hot, then pour over 1 ounce of chopped chocolate and cover. Allow the chocolate to melt for about a minute, then uncover and add a pinch of salt. Stir until smooth. Chill the ganache in the freezer until firm. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Grease two 8-ounce ramekins or cocottes with butter and dust with cocoa powder or flour, tapping out any excess. In the microwave or over the stove, gently melt the butter and the remaining chocolate together and mix until smooth. Stir in the vanilla and a salt. With a hand mixer in a medium-size bowl, beat the eggs and sugar on medium speed until pale and foamy. Mix in the flour. Gently fold the egg mixture into the chocolate and butter, just until combined. Add about a half cup of the batter to each ramekin. Dollop about half of the ganache into the center of each cup. Cover the ganache dollops with the remaining batter. Bake for 12-14 minutes on the middle rack, until the tops are dry but the cakes still wiggle when gently shaken. Remove lava cakes from the oven. Wait a minute or two then run a butter knife or mini offset spatula along the edges of the cakes. Plate immediately: Invert a small plate onto a ramekin, holding them together, flip the ramekin upside down and lift off the cake. Serve with powdered sugar and ice cream, if desired. For baking in a muffin tin, preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour 4 muffin cups. Place ¼ cup of batter in each prepared cup. Dollop a heaping teaspoon of ganache in each cup. Cover the ganache dollops with the remaining batter. Chill the unbaked cakes in the fridge for 15 minutes. Bake for 9 minutes. Place a half sheet tray over the top of the tin. Wearing oven mitts, carefully but quickly, flip both the tin and tray at the same time so that the cakes are inverted onto the tray.

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Mini Lava Cakes
I wanted to share that there’s a new-ish recipe in the caption of this sponsored TikTok post (which I’m just letting you know about here this isn’t sponsored). It’s a play on my mini lava cakes made in a muffin tin. Instead, this adaptation makes lava cakes for two in cocottes or ramekins.

My Day with the Pasta Fairy
My wonderful new friend Alex Borland came over to my apartment on her recent trip to NYC (she lives in Boston) to teach me how to make homemade egg pasta dough from scratch! The yelps and squeals I let out as we sliced squares of dough and laid out strips of spinach dough for a striped effect probably really scared poor Alex but I just couldn’t hold my excitement in. Seriously, we had so much fun and I’ve been eating a lot of leftover fresh pasta ever since. I’m sharing part one of our adventure below and I’ll be posting part two (where we do shapes like farfale) later this week maybe. Substack won’t let me embed it but just click the picture and it will take you to the video.

EGO Recommends

App📱: Two Dots
In an attempt to not scroll as much and at the very least, use my phone for entertainment in ways that don’t absolutely destroy my attention span, I was recommended this game app. Basically, you connect dots of the same color in a Tetris-type way to win points. I have historically not been interested in app games but this one helps me decompress before bed. Is it better than just reading a book? No, but it’s fun and I feel it actually engaging parts of my brain that Instagram and TikTok just rot — or set on fire.

Article 💻 : “Everyone’s a sellout now”
The subhead on this Vox article by Rebecca Jennings reads “So you want to be an artist. Do you have to start a TikTok?” Reading it made the pit in my stomach open up because so many of the sources shared feelings that are uncannily similar to my own about “being a brand” and promoting your work online. And these feelings are not just exclusive to people who set out to make a career in social media. Why now are novelists, musicians, tax people! all charged with not just promoting their work, but becoming full-tilt creators in order to make a living? This article explores that and also contextualizes it in the broader reality of mass media and tech layoffs, job insecurity, and how it seems like we’re all on the path to be small business owners, whether we want to be or not.

Tofu, Carrots and Labneh

Slice 1 block of tofu into 1/2-inch thick triangles. Press the excess water out in between two paper towels.

Chop 3 medium carrots into 1-inch pieces.

In a medium mixing bowl, toss the carrots with a drizzle of olive oil, 1/2 teaspoon paprika, 1/2 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon za’atar, a hefty pinch of kosher salt (I use Diamond Crystal) and a few cracks of black pepper. Air-fry on 400°F for 10 minutes or until fork tender.

In the same bowl, sprinkly one tablespoon of corn starch onto the tofu and toss with 1 teaspoon paprika, 1 teaspoon cumin, 1 teaspoon za’atar, 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt and a few cracks of black pepper until evenly coated.

Heat 1 tablespoon olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Arrange as many tofu triangles as you can in one layer without crowding too much and cook until deep golden brown on the bottoms. Flip the tofu and repeat. You can also cook the sides for extra crispiness. Transfer to a plate and repeat with another tablespoon of olive oil and any remaining tofu, if needed.

Spread about 1/4 cup labneh onto a plate or shallow bowl and top with tofu and carrots.

I also served this with some rice and some tahini and sesame seeds!

Antipasti Caesar Bean Salad

2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1/2 teaspoon anchovy paste
1 tablespoon tahini
1 clove of garlic, finely grated
Salt and pepper
2 teaspoons dijon mustard
1/4 cup parmesan
1 teaspoon sugar
Juice from half a lemon
2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar
1 can cannelini beans, drained and rinsed
4 ounces quick-cooking farro, boiled and drained (known as “pearled”, I get the 10-minute variety at Trader Joes)
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
1/4 large red onion, thinly sliced
3 or 4 artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
4 ounces Genoa uncured salami, sliced into bite-size pieces
1/4 cup roughly chopped Parsley
Arugula, Spinach or another lettuce, if desired

In a large bowl, whisk together the mayonnaise, anchovy paste, tahini, garlic, dijon mustard, parmesan, sugar and a hefty pinch of salt and several cracks of black pepper. Thin out the dressing with the lemon juice and red wine vinegar.

Transfer the dressing to a small bowl and mix the remaining ingredients together in the large bowl. Add dressing to your preference and serve alone or on arugula or another lettuce. It’s even better the next day!

That’s all, have a great week!