Twice if it's nice.

Black bean brownies

2011-12-23T07:22:00.000-08:00

The man & I had leftover beans & rice from a Texican restaurant. Normally, I'd throw it in a chili or something. (& the man would grumble that "this isn't chili - there are beans in it.") I had to do something less obvious with our leftovers. No leftovers left behind!!

This time, I decided to make black bean brownies. We've had them before, & they were okay. However, I found a recipe in a new South Beach diet book that I thought would work.

They are excellent! Here's what happened:

Leftover black beans - about a can's worth.
4 eggs
2 tbsp oil (they recommend olive - heart healthy!)
1 tsp vanilla
1 c. sugar substitute (I used 1/2 brown sugar splenda & <1/2 sugar)
3-5 tbsp. cocoa (I used more as - yo, it's chocolate)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
chocolate chips or pecans/walnuts

Blend all ingredients in a food processor (except the chips or nuts if using) until smooth. Put into an 8x8 baking dish lined with parchment or sprayed with cooking spray. Place in 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes. Voila! You have springy, moist, chocolatey brownies. Gluten-free to boot!

So far, I really like this cookbook - many recipes are gluten-free & look delicious. Plus, it's nice to see a cookbook with some nutritional indications.

Crispy skin salmon

2011-12-06T09:56:00.000-08:00

I've been sitting on this recipe for a while now, & I can't imagine why. It's easy, it has only 5 ingredients, & it sounds good. I kept on punting & punting the recipe forward in our calendar. Until last week.

The recipe comes from Claire Robinson's 5 Ingredient Fix. For those of you who don't know the show, she takes 5 ingredients & makes a dish out of it. She considers salt & pepper to be "free" ingredients. Sometimes she has two ingredients combined together (like garlic oil or simple syrup), which is kind of like cheating. (Forgivable cheating.)

In her Crispy Skin Salmon recipe, she broils salmon skin side up until the salmon is cooked thoroughly. Jeffrey & I were super impressed by the crispiness of the salmon skin. It was a big hit! Plus, we can use that behemoth tarragon that's growing in our front yard garden.

We plan on using this recipe for our Christmas dinner party with trout. Since trout is so thin, we may have to put it higher in the oven. We'll see!

A Fish for Everyone to Enjoy

2011-03-23T15:48:00.000-07:00

I have a problem. I can't smell, which means I can't taste. So when a recipe turns out well, I'm happy. When the family proclaims it a favorite, I'm very surprised. My dh loves fried fish. When I mentioned fish stew, he wasn't too happy. After a spoonful, he declared I would become the best cook in the world, because I cook using the force. The kids said they want stew every time they eat fish. Here's the recipe for your enjoyment:

Heat a large pot.

Take out defrosted fish and all the vegetables in the fridge (very lenient in this department):
half a leek
one onion
scallion whites
1/4 cabbage head
4 carrots
what was left of the celery (about 4 stalks)
4 potatoes.

Take out the seasonings:
Nori flakes (a standard in our kitchen, but optional)
dill seed
dill weed, dried
tumeric
cayenne
oil and butter

Rinse the leek, chop. Add oil to the pot, add leek and stir. Chop and add onion, scallions, celery, peeled carrot. I keep the vegetables larger because that's family preference. Add a pinch of dill seed.

Add a half stick of butter. (Think about all the vitamin A you're getting).

Peel and chop the potatoes, add.

Get from the pantry:
One can diced tomatoes
one tablespoon tomato paste
as much stock as covers the vegetables (or use water and extra flavorings). I used vegetable broth.

Get from the freezer:
mixed mushrooms
spinach

Cover the vegetables with liquid. Add about 2 tbl nori flakes, 2 tbl dill weed, 1/4 tsp tumeric and a small shake of cayenne. If you want the soup spicy hot, add more cayenne. Add diced tomatoes, tomato paste, a bag of mushrooms and chopped cabbage. Let simmer until potatoes are almost done. (I quartered the medium sized potatoes, so this took about 25 minutes).

Slice fish into 1.5 inch strips, add to pot for 5 minutes, making sure simmering the whole time. When fish is cooked through, it will flake easily and be a solid color throughout. Add salt, whole bag of spinach, and stir well. Take off heat and serve with lemon squeeze and grated pecorino romano.

We have two children and two adults in the family. I used 3 cod fillets sliced into thick strips. You might use more or less. This recipe made enough for two dinners for all of us.

Enjoy!

Quinoa salad

2011-03-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

The original recipe is here:

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/food-network-kitchens/quinoa-with-garlic-pine-nuts-and-raisins-recipe/index.html

However, it turned out double of this:

1 cup quinoa, rinsed well!
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup pomegranate seeds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
salt and freshly ground pepper
optional - veggie or chicken broth
optional - crumbled goat cheese

Directions
Place the quinoa in a saucepan and cook over medium heat until toasted, about 2 minutes. Add 1 3/4 cups water (or use low-sodium broth) and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer, covered, until the liquid is absorbed, 10 to 15 minutes. Remove from the heat and let sit, covered, about 2 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the nuts in a skillet over medium-high heat, stirring, until golden, about 3 minutes; transfer to a plate. Add the olive oil and garlic to the skillet and cook over medium heat, stirring, until golden, about 2 minutes. Transfer the garlic to the plate, reserving the oil.

Fluff the quinoa with a fork. Add the nuts, garlic, reserved oil, parsley, fruit and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper and toss. Top with crumbled goat cheese.

This receipe (when doubled) served 8 people - with the option for dessert a few hours later.

Buckwheat pancakes

2010-12-04T05:58:00.000-08:00

I was surprised by these buckwheat pancakes. They weren't heavy like buckwheat pancakes of my youth. They were softer, moister, and delicious. Jeff had seconds.

Buckwheat pancakes
1 cup ground buckwheat flour (we used Bouchard Family Farm brand)
1/2 cup applesauce
3/4 cup milk
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tablespoon butter (for flavor - delicious, delicious flavor)
1 or 1 & 1/2 tsp vanilla

Heat your pan to medium on the stovetop (4 was the setting that I used). Combine all ingredients.

I should note - I only intended on adding 1/4 cup of milk in these at first, but the batter was too dry. So, I kept adding. 3/4 cup was the perfect amount.

Mix the ingredients thoroughly. Pour 1/4 cup of batter onto heated pan. Cook & serve like normal pancakes.

Makes 10 half dollar pancakes.

Stuffed baby peppers

2010-11-07T08:16:00.000-08:00

Last weekend ended our CSA. As a thank you, we received 7 pounds of whatever variety of apples they had (which was about 8) and two boxes of potatoes, tomatoes, & baby bell peppers.

I took those baby bell peppers & froze them as an appetizer for the future. Did you hear that echo? Let me say it again - Appetizer Forrrrr the Futurrrrrrrre!!

Here's what happened:

Stuffed baby bell peppers

1 package of cream cheese (1/3 less fat)
1/2 head of garlic (optional)
1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes (or your own oven-dried)
handful of fresh basil or other herbs
a quart or more of baby bell peppers

Preheat oven to 350. Slice one line into the baby bell peppers. This will be where we pipe the filling into the pepper. It makes sense to slice the line where the pepper naturally is face-up. Dig out (if you want) the seeds & ribs of the peppers. (I didn't on the 2nd time making these.)

Mince the garlic, chop the tomatoes into small pieces. Mix into the cream cheese. Place the mixture into a heavy duty quart-size ziploc bag. Snip one of the tips.

Pipe the mixture into each of the peppers. Lay onto a rimmed baking sheet or rimmed dish.

To make now: Bake until the cheese filling looks done - about 15-20 minutes.

To freeze for later: Lay the peppers onto a sheet pan & place in the freezer for about 3 hours. Make sure the peppers don't touch. Then, bag the peppers in a freezer ziploc bag & store for the Futurrrrrrre! I haven't used them since they've been frozen, but I would imagine that you'd bake them for 45-60min at 350 or 375 from frozen.

Yummy!

Tomato overload: oven-roasted, soup, & bolognese.

2010-11-07T07:47:00.000-08:00

Our front yard vegetable garden & our friendly farmer from the CSA provided us with a plethora of tomatoes. We almost had tomatoes up to our eyeballs. Here's what we did with them:

First, we tried oven-roasting them. We sliced them, drizzled them with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, & some fresh thyme (or lemon thyme, which we had in our garden). They were laid out on a baking sheet & baked in a 300 degree oven for over an hour.

Full of tomatoey flavor. Great for salads & recipes that call for tomatoes for an extra tomatoey bite!

Second, we created a tomato soup. This is a little harder to recall from memory. It was definitely an on-the-fly, invented recipe. But basically:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 or 1/2 chopped sweet onion. Cook until translucent. Add about 4-6 chopped tomatoes, & cook for about 2 minutes. (Feel free to add some of those oven dried tomatoes.) Add 2-4 cups of veggie broth. Season with salt/pepper & some lots of smoked paprika. Puree. Heat over low heat, add whatever herbs you want (e.g. basil, thyme, bay leaf, etc), & add more veggie broth if you need. You get a nice smoky tomato soup from this. You can add a little milk or heavy cream for a well-rounded tasty soup.

Deeelish.

Third, we created a bolognese sauce that was out of this world. This took us all summer to perfect. & Again, this was an on-the-fly, invented recipe. Basically:

Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a medium saucepan. Add 1 or 1/2 chopped sweet onion. Cook until translucent. Add a chopped eggplant & chopped zucchini. Cook for about 4 minutes. Add about 4-6 chopped tomatoes, & cook for about 2 minutes. Add a little crushed red pepper, 1 teaspoon of sugar, a handful or two of fresh basil, some fresh or dried oregano/marjoram. Add 1/4 cup of red wine, such as Chianti. Puree if desired.

In a separate pan, heat a 1 lb. mixture of ground pork, beef, & veal. (Giant grocery stores sells this as "meatloaf mix" - no breadcrumbs or seasoning, though! yay!) If you want to keep some sauce vegetarian, pour only 1/2 of the sauce into the meat mixture. Otherwise, you know what to do.

Let the sauce(s) simmer on the stove for hours. Taste periodically to adjust herbs, sugar, salt, etc.

Let me tell you - this is the best bolognese! We had it with a pasta bake (pasta, ricotta mixed with 2 eggs & some parmigiana, & mozzarella on top). It was great!

Pumpkin Pie in Poland

2010-10-07T07:07:00.000-07:00

No one here in Gdynia, Poland, has heard of Pumpkin Pie. So, for my dh's name day party, I made one. It was such a hit, another was requested.

Converting the flour and butter to grams for the dough, and doubling the recipe was too much for my brain. I ended up quadrupling the butter and doubling the flour! The crust was a wonderful butter cookie, but not an acceptable pie crust. Time to try again.

Here's the wonderful site that gave me great results:
http://smittenkitchen.com/2008/11/silky-smooth-pumpkin-pie/

Here are my changes:
Instead of cream, I was able to buy torte cream. It's heavier and thicker and delicious!
I used a fresh pumpkin, and didn't have candied yams. So I used 3 cups pureed pumpkin.
Skipped the maple syrup, and kept the brown sugar at 3/4 cup.
Used ground ginger, not fresh.

Use her all-butter flaky pie crust recipe too. It's wonderful as long as you get the measurements right!

Cheers!

Coconut Oatmeal Cookies

2010-08-30T09:53:00.000-07:00

Craving oatmeal cookies, and loving coconut, I mixed two recipes together and added a touch of my own. They were crumbly, so maybe next time I'll add in a bit of honey. Hubby loves oatmeal raisin cookies, and he declared these better than any he had ever had!

Preheat oven to 375.

Mix dry ingredients together:
2 c. flour (I used brown rice, tapioca, white rice, xanthan gum mix)
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 c. rolled oats
1 c. shredded coconut
1/2 c. chopped almonds
1 c. shredded carrot
1/2 c. raisins and cranberries
1 stick ground cinnamon
pinch or two of ground ginger

Mix wet ingredients:
1/2 c. agave nectar
1/c. melted coconut oil
1/2. melted butter

Mix wet and dry together.

I tried baking this two ways. Teaspoon sized cookies on a cookie sheet for 10-12 minutes, and pressed into a stoneware baking sheet. The cookies were bite-sized and perfect for kids.
The bars took longer to cook and broke apart on their own. Basically, bake until golden brown on top.

Enjoy! And if you have any improvements, I'm happy to hear them.

Leftovers That Became a Tradition

2010-08-02T18:08:00.000-07:00

Dinner started as tofu with a dipping sauce and Millet with Summer Vegetables (p. 239) from The Whole Life Nutrition Kitchen Cookbook. The next day, it turned out to be something spectacular. So wonderful that our six-year-old asked what date it was.

"August 2nd."
"OK. So, every August 2nd we are going to eat this."
"You only want to eat this once a year?"
"Oh, yes! Every year on August 2nd we should celebrate and eat this."
Tradi-TIOOOOOON! Tra-DI-tion!

Here's what we did. It's a bit different than the recipe, but has the same idea.

Dinner One, Millet Pilaf:
Bring to a boil and simmer for 30 minutes 1.5 cups washed millet in 3 cups water with salt.
Dice or chop 1 onion, 2 carrots, 2 cloves garlic and sautee. Add kernels from 3 ears corn, and 2 cups chopped zucchini. When the vegetables are slightly cooked, just warmed through, add millet, a bit of olive oil, too much dill, scallions, parsley, salt and pepper. Serves 4 for 2-3 meals.

Dinner Two, Better-than-Pizza:
Brown ground meat, add millet pilaf and a can of drained, diced tomatoes. When warmed through, top with mozzarella cheese, sliced tomatoes, and green scallions. Broil until the cheese starts to brown. Deeelish! We still have leftovers from dinner one, and will be making dinner two again as soon as we purchase more mozzarella!

Kale chips.

2010-06-16T07:26:00.000-07:00

In our CSA this week, we got 3 bags of fruit & veg. First thoughts? What are we going to do with all of this kale that we're not going to do with all this Swiss chard??

My sister once recommended making kale chips. So, I gave that a try. They were delicious & crunchy & a little salty! All things that I like. The only drawback is that the stalk is still a little chewy after drying.

Here's what I did:

Lay kale on a sheet pan & spray with olive oil/Pam. Sprinkle a little salt over the kale. Bake in a 350 oven for about 10 minutes.

& voila! You have kale chips. Yummy, nutritious, & good for hand-to-mouth repetitions while watching TV/baseball.

Edit: I was just advised to try Indian spices with these. My friend Jaime makes them all of the time!!

Spring meal: White pizza with ramps & strawberry salad.

2010-05-16T18:18:00.000-07:00

From our CSA this week, we received more flavorful salad greens, mustard greens, 2 pints of strawberries, & a bunch of radishes. We hadn't even finished our first set of salad greens yet! Plus, we've had 3 weeks of strawberries. PLUS! We've still have copious amounts of ramps & scallions. What to do!!

So, tonight I made a white pizza with ramps & a strawberry salad. It was a very nice balanced meal. PLUS!! We had a nice white wine with the meal.

Nice.

Just a warning - don't be afraid of the number of ramps. Ramps are much mellower than garlic or scallions/leeks. Don't fear the ramps!

Here's the basic recipe:

White pizza with ramps
10 ramps
1/4 cup parmesan cheese
1 or 3/4 cup shredded Italian cheese (we used Sargento's reduced fat Italian blend)
3/4 cup ricotta cheese
2-3 tablespoons dried basil (or a handful of fresh basil)
1-2 tablespoons dried oregano
1 tomato, diced
1 pizza crust

So, I did a dirty, clever trick with the tomato. I purchased an heirloom tomato from the crappy Giant near me (not the super nice Giant). Mostly, heirloom tomatoes have tons of tomato flavor, which is indicated by their scent & their minimal travel time. However, I screwed up & chose a random heirloom without a good scent that traveled from Canada. After I chopped the tomato, I sprinkled it with a very small amount of sugar & a ton of basil. Then, it tasted more tomatoey. It wasn't perfect, but it was better than tasting like water.

Basically, the pizza crust is topped with ricotta cheese, then 1/2 of the ramps, the seasonings, then the tomatoes, then the shredded cheese. (Jeff says that you can cook all of the ramps in the pizza. I liked a few of them raw on top. But taste a raw ramp & choose your own adventure!) Sprinkle the top with the parmesan. Also, I brushed the exposed crust with some olive oil & sprinkled with some parmesan.

Bake for 30 minutes at 350 degrees. Top the pizza with the rest of the ramps & (if you're feeling feisty, some fresh arugula leaves).

Enjoy with a nice white wine, such as a 2007 Cascina del Pozzo Arneis Roero (Italian white table wine - cheap!). Also, make a nice green salad & top with sliced strawberries & balsamic vinaigrette.

AWESOME!! & very Spring-y!

Aside: Ramps are SUPER ULTRA good pan-fried with potatoes. Just add the ramps near the end of the cooking. Nice onion/garlic flavor with potatoes - very good!!

Berry Crisp

2010-05-13T17:40:00.000-07:00

Note: This week from the CSA, I got a 12 oz jar of wing sauce, a quart of strawberries, MANY ramps, a big bag of strange lettuces (e.g. spicy, flowering, purple, green, etc), & a spice container. The following recipe uses the strawberries, but we found that ramps do very well with pan-fried potatoes.

I read EatingWell's Rhubarb Strawberry Crisp, but I haven't seen any rhubarb at the Farmer's Market yet. Instead, I made a strawberry cherry crisp & modified the recipe a bit.

Keri's Strawberry Cherry Crisp

Filling:
1 lemon
1 pint of strawberries, cored & sliced
10 oz. bag frozen cherries
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons flour or corn starch (I used Jules' Gluten-free flour)

Crisp:
1/2 cup rolled oats
1/2 cup all-purpose flour (I used Jules' Gluten-free flour)
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon canola oil
1-3 tablespoon juice

Preheat oven to 375°F. Toss together fruit, sugar, and 2 tablespoons of flour/corn starch in a large bowl. Juice lemon over fruit mixture. Then, zest 1/2 of the lemon over fruit mixture. Transfer the mixture to a shallow 1 1/2-quart baking dish or deep-dish 9-inch pie plate, pressing down on the fruit to form an even layer.

To make crumble topping: Combine oats, 1/2 cup flour, brown sugar, butter and oil in a bowl; work the ingredients together with a fork or your fingers until the mixture is crumbly. Stir in the juice until the mixture is evenly moistened.

Distribute the topping mixture evenly over the fruit. Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is golden, 35 to 40 minutes.

DELICIOUS! 5/5 stars!!

Ramp pesto.

2010-05-04T17:04:00.000-07:00

Behold, my first CSA delivery. Pardon the mess in the picture. It was hard to get everything in the picture! What you see is:

2 strawberry plants (June bearing, I believe)
10 very large scallions
2 bunches ramps
1 large jar of homemade pasta sauce
1 small jar of peach jam
1 small basil plant
1 small parsley plant

First thing that I thought of - What the heck do I do with RAMPS? My first attempt - mixed into a salmon souffle - did not yield a ramptastic meal. It was good, but it didn't highlight the ramps enough.

Tonight, I made ramp pesto. It was great! 4 out of 5 stars!

Ramp pesto
1 bunch ramps
2/3 cup parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
1/2 cup olive oil
4 oz pinenuts
large bunch parsley

Process everything in a food processor.

I cubed 1 large, flavorful heirloom tomato, zested 1/2 lemon, chopped cooked chicken, sprinkled a little crushed red pepper, & put that over my pasta with pesto. It was delicious!

The ramps added a very nice garlic flavor without being overbearing. Most pestos start with a nice garlic flavor & feel like a kick in the teeth after 4 bites. This was a nice mellow flavor that slightly intensified by the end.

If you make it, I hope you enjoy!!

First try: Ravioli

2010-04-25T18:29:00.000-07:00

Keri here again with a recipe using my brand new pasta maker! I haven't seen gluten-free raviolis yet... Plus, I doubt that they'll ever have pumpkin, butternut squash, or more creative fillings until many years in the future. This year, the man surprised me with a pasta maker to allow me to create pirogies, raviolis, flavored pastas, etc. Let the creativity begin!

We figured that I'd start with something rather basic for my first ravioli recipe. Now, I want to warn you: This isn't an amazing recipe. It's a first try at making homemade ravioli. It was pretty good, but there's room for improvement.

Firstly, the ravioli filling needs to be almost overwhelmingly flavorful. It needs to be able to stand up to the pasta dough - even though the dough is rolled thin.

Secondly, the dough needed to be rolled with a rolling pin prior to going through the pasta maker. Otherwise, the pasta maker couldn't catch the dough.

After that preface, here are my recipes:

Gluten-free pasta dough

I used Mario Batali's Fresh Pasta recipe as a base. For those of you not doing a gluten-free pasta, feel free to use his instead of mine.

4 eggs
3 1/2 cups Jules' Gluten-free flour mix
1/2 cup water (more or less)

Mound the flour in the center of a large wooden cutting board. Make a well in the middle of the flour, add the eggs. Using a fork, beat together the eggs and begin to incorporate the flour starting with the inner rim of the well. As you incorporate the eggs, keep pushing the flour up to retain the well shape.

Start kneading the dough with both hands, primarily using the palms of your hands. If the dough has trouble coming together, add 1/4 cup water. Keep adding water until it becomes a cohesive mass. Gluten-free flour tends to be thirsty, but be sparing after the first 1/4 cup of water. If you overdo it, the pasta maker will shred the dough into little pieces. (Hint: If this happens - just add a little more flour, knead again, & re-roll.)

Remove the dough from the board and scrape up any left over dry bits. Lightly flour the board and continue kneading for 3 more minutes. The dough should be elastic and a little sticky. Continue to knead for another 3 minutes, remembering to dust your board with flour when necessary. Wrap the dough in plastic wrap and set aside for 20 minutes at room temperature. (Hint: Keep most of the dough wrapped until needed.)

Roll 1/4 of the dough with rolling pin until 1/4-1/8 inch thin. Feed through pasta roller at largest setting. Then, feed through pasta roller at the ravioli setting. Cut sheet into large rounds. Add a very small dollop of ravioli into the center of a round. Wet the outer edge of the round. Top with another round & press down gently to seal. You can use a fork to flute the edges if you're feeling crafty. (Hint: If the dough tears, use a dough "band-aid." Wet a small bit of dough, & gently press into the tear. Boiling the pasta makes most of these look fairly normal. Plus, there's sauce, right??)

When done with the prep work, boil the raviolis until they float. Top with sauce, & Done!!

Ravioli filling
1/2 lb. ground pork
1/2 cup ricotta cheese
8 leaves fresh basil, chopped
2 tablespoons dried Italian seasoning
2 tablespoons olive tapenade (optional)
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

Cook pork on stove top until browned. Remove from heat, & place pork into large mixing bowl. Add ricotta, basil, seasoning, & tapenade. Taste. Add salt & pepper. Add more flavorings as needed. If you need, add other/more seasonings - Remember: It should be almost overwhelmingly flavorful.

Sauce

1/4 cup grape tomatoes, quartered
1/4 cup diced roasted red peppers plus 1 teaspoon liquid from jar
2 tablespoons finely chopped sundried tomatoes plus 1 tablespoon oil from jar
3 leaves fresh basil, chopped

Mix all ingredients. Taste. Add salt/pepper. Done!

Food & Wine Steak with Herb Nut Salsa

2010-04-24T17:00:00.000-07:00

Tonight, the man & I had steak with an herb nut salsa. The recipe came with our Food & Wine Adventurer Club wine shipment.

Aside: Food & Wine introduced two wine clubs last Fall/Winter: a collector edition & an adventurer edition. They ship us 6 bottles with a recipe booklet that pairs each wine with a primary recipe (& 3 alternates). Some wineries also do the same, which is pretty awesome.

The wine was really good for a cheapy wine, & it paired really well with the recipe. Good job, Food & Wine!!

Wine: Domaine de Baumard - Logis de la Giraudière - 2005. Fancy name for a red table wine... but it is really nice. Don't pay over $20 for it. Rating: 3.5/5

Recipe: Hanger Steak with Herb Nut Salsa Rating: 3.5/5

The salsa was salty herby goodness - So, I made very simple sides: roasted potatoes & onions with very little salt & some pepper and halved grape tomatoes with leftover herbs, basil, & shallot. Both cleansed the palate nicely after bites of the steak/salsa & sips of the wine. We made a few minor modifications: no tarragon, no chervil, anchovy paste in lieu of anchovies, less oil.

Also, ignore the recipe's note about 12 minutes for toasting the hazelnuts. Toast until fragrant, & don't wander away. Otherwise, it's a mad dash to open the door, turn on the fan, & cover the smoke detector.

Overall, the dish was very good together. We will probably make this again when the vegetable & herb garden is in full force. I recommend the wine & recipe together as a semi-fancy meal.

Loud restaurants make you eat more, leave faster.

2010-04-19T07:34:00.000-07:00

Check this out: Loud restaurants make people eat more, drink more.

Makes sense, huh?

Though personally, the man & I tend to eat more, drink more at a quieter place. However, we aren't big drinkers or big eaters - unless it's sushi.

Post-race Pizza.

2010-04-12T08:11:00.000-07:00

There's nothing quite like home-made pizza. Delicious ingredients combined just the way that we like them... Yum!

For this pizza, I used Jules Gluten-free Flour. It is by far the best gluten-free flour that I've had. No extra ingredients. No adjusting of the recipes. Just use as you would regular all-purpose flour.

I made the dough using AllRecipes Pizza Dough III with a few minor modifications: I gave the yeast about 1/4 teaspoon of sugar for food, I decreased the amount of sugar in the dough, & I added a teaspoon of an Italian seasoning blend into the dough.

Next time, MORE Italian seasoning into the dough!!

For the pizza:
1/4 jar of pasta sauce (leftovers work great for this!)
1 tin of tomato paste
8-12 leaves of fresh basil
Boar's Head pepperoni (gluten-free!)
1 package of Sargento shredded Italian 4-cheese blend
1 diced tomato

I lightly greased the pan prior to putting the dough on it. (Normally, I spread the dough on a flexible, plastic chopping board, & then I flip it onto the baking sheet.) Mix the pasta sauce with the paste. Taste & add any seasonings if needed. (We didn't need any!!) Put down the sauce, then the basil, then the cheese, then the pepperoni, then the tomatoes.

Bake at 350 for about 20-30 minutes. Yummy!!!

Homemade Almond Joys.

2010-03-23T10:30:00.000-07:00

While I haven't tried this recipe, it's potentially too good to pass up.

Homemade Almond Joys without the milk. Nice. Link sponsored by Grist, the environment news website.

Polenta Bake

2010-03-19T15:29:00.001-07:00

This one is easy, easy, easy, and delicious!

1 tube pre-made polenta (or make your own from corn grits, flavored as you wish)
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 carrots, shredded
shredded cheese

Sauce:
1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 tbl seasonings (used no-salt seasoning mix)
1 tbl nori flakes (optional)
salt and black pepper to taste
olive oil

Blend all ingredients, adding a bit of oil at the end.

Preheat oven to 400. Make sauce. Oil loaf pan. Slice polenta in half lengthwise, then into slices about 1/2 inch thick. Line the bottom of the pan with polenta, breaking polenta up if needed to fill bottom layer. Top with black beans and carrots. Top with sauce, then cheese. Do the layers one more time, crumbling any extra polenta on the top of the loaf with the cheese. Bake until warm, bubbly and browned on top.

Serve with a salad, or add some greens into the sauce (for St. Patty's Day) or the bake layers.

Enjoy!

CSA!

2010-03-09T11:37:00.000-08:00

Just a heads up! If you're interested in joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture), now's the time to act.

A CSA is a way to purchase a subscription for a full seasons worth of fresh farm produce. Most of the CSA's here run from the beginning of May (or June) to the end of October. There are options for fresh flowers, eggs, and other items for your subscription. The farm can have drop off locations, deliver to your home/work, or reserve your box at their farm.

For your $$, you get a random selection of in-season produce (fruits, veggies, herbs - depending on the farm) in a bushel or half-bushel box. It's almost like getting a Top Chef/Chopped mystery basket every week.

I like mysteries. & intrigue. & cooking!

I'm going to sign up for my first CSA this year. Very exciting!! I'm eyeing Bigg Riggs' CSA, which has a pick-up option right near my gym every Sunday at the Farmer's Market. So, I can always pick up my supplementals at the Farmer's Market when I scrounge through my box of surprises.

For those of you interested, you can find Farmer's Markets & CSAs through LocalHarvest.org. (Also, if you search by zip code, be sure to zoom to get the slimmed list of what's closest. Otherwise, you've got a 50 mile range of places.)

Yay for spring!!

Quiche me!

2010-03-08T09:38:00.000-08:00

You know what's really hard to screw up? Quiche.

I mean - You add a bunch of eggs, some cheese, & a little bit of dairy, & *poof* quiche.

Or you add a few egg whites, a little bit of dairy, some vegetables, & *poof* quiche.

Or you add a mix of eggs & egg whites, a little bit of dairy, some meat, & *poof* quiche.

But my all-time favorite quiche recipes call for a mix of the above. Since we were doing manual labor this weekend & we didn't have time for cooking/cleaning/etc, I made a quiche with a medley of pantry items. I wasn't sure how it was going to taste - since it had all of the competing flavors. It was, however, delicious. After all, how hard does one have to try to screw up quiche?

Pantry Quiche

1 leek, chopped white part only (mostly, I prefer shallot to leek)
3 egg whites
2 eggs
1/2 - 3/4 cup cheddar cheese
1/2 cup chorizo or other cooked sausage
1/2 cup milk or unsweetened dairy substitute
1/4 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
1/2 - 3/4 cup frozen spinach
1 tablespoon of olive oil
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
couple of sprigs of thyme (chopped) or 1 tablespoon dried
pinch of nutmeg
salt & pepper

1 pie dough (recipe, mix, or store-bought of choice)

0. Preheat oven to 325.
1. Heat oil in a pan. Add leek & cook until limp.
2. Whip eggs, milk, cheese in a bowl.
3. Add the rest of the ingredients into the eggs (including the leek).
4. Mix thoroughly.
5. Pour into prepared pie pan (with dough in it).
6. Place pie pan into oven & bake for 1-1:30 hours or until center is set. You may want to increase the temperature to 350 at the end if it doesn't come together & you're especially hungry.

Onion tart.

2010-03-02T07:39:00.000-08:00

This year, we celebrated Open That Bottle Night with a few friends.

For those of you who don't know:
Ever have a special bottle of wine that is sitting on the shelf... gathering dust... maybe looking a little lonely? Open That Bottle Night was created strictly for that bottle. It doesn't have to be expensive. It just has to be unopened & waiting.

For our Open That Bottle Night, we opened 5 bottles of wine. Of which, the best was last - an amazing 2003 Caymus Cabernet Sauvignon. I'm not a big red drinker, but this one could convert anyone. Anyone, I say!

To pair with the wines, everyone brought a little something. Kate, our hostess, made lamb chops and roasted potatoes. Someone else brought a spinach bread & red wine chocolate cake. The man & I brought an onion tart and tea smoked chicken lettuce wraps.

The onion tart? It was phenomenal - a definite keeper. If you read the recipe, you'll see crème fraîche in the ingredients. Crème fraîche is the delight of sour creams & expensive to boot. If you can't find it or don't want to "waste" $5 for a tiny pot, substitute full fat sour cream. I doubt anyone will notice a difference in quality. (Except the cook - who will not be tempted to repeatedly dip a spoon into the sour cream & lick. At least, not me.)

I ended up making it twice this week. After all, we had the ingredients even the crème fraîche (*lick*lick*), & it was amazing. Even non-onion eaters loved it.

The tea smoked chicken lettuce wraps were also good, but not nearly as amazing as the onion tart.

Make it!! Make it tonight!

Peanut Butter Bisque

2010-02-23T07:37:00.000-08:00

My friend Stacey & I made a peanut butter soup from EatingWell.com. This is probably the most hearty vegetarian soup that I've ever had. It's creamy, spicy, and delicious. Lots of delicious North African flavors... YUM!

I can't give it enough accolades. Also, I can never make it with the man. He HATES peanut butter.

But please, make it! Make it! I plan on eating it when he travels for work.

Eating Well's Sweet Potato Peanut Bisque.

You mean dinner isn't made yet?!

2010-02-20T16:35:00.000-08:00

This was a last minute "look in the pantry for what I can make fast, because it's 5 and dinner isn't started yet" dinner. It came out delicious!

1 can black beans
.5 can coconut milk
2 cups broth
1 can diced tomatoes
2 carrots coarsely chopped
2 yukon potatoes, coarsely chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
1 cup peas (frozen or fresh-add at the end)
4 leaves kale
.5 onion sliced
3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon seaweed flakes (optional)
1/8 teaspoon cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon coriander seeds
1/4 teaspoon tumeric
salt and pepper to taste
top with cilantro or herb of choice, a dash of lime, and a turn or two of pepper

Saute onion and garlic in a bit of oil with cumin and coriander seeds. If you only have powder, use that after the onion and garlic are cooked. Add in the rest of the ingredients and bring to a boil, simmer until potatoes are done. If you chop the potatoes large, add in the beans, kale, peas and coconut milk when the potatoes are almost done. The smaller the potato, the quicker the meal is done. If you dice them and the carrot, you can have this ready to eat in 20 minutes. Enjoy!

Easiest Chilis.

2010-02-08T10:59:00.000-08:00

On a cold day, nothing warms the body like a good bowl of chili. Here are two of my favorites:

This is super easy & really delicious. Sometimes, I add a little cumin & oregano to the mix, but it's almost always well seasoned by the salsa.

Trader Joe's Sample Turkey Chili
1 jar of salsa - preferably something punchy such as mango habenero (same ol' same ol' salsas just don't cut it!!)
1 lb. ground turkey or lean beef
1 box of Pomi diced or crushed tomatoes or a 28oz can
1 bag of frozen roasted corn
(You can also add more veggies etc to this.)

Brown ground meat. Add salsa, tomatoes, corn. Heat thoroughly & serve.

My mom always makes chili on the first cold day of the season. This is a tribute to her tradition.

The First Cold Day Chili
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 box of Pomi diced or crushed tomatoes (or a 28oz can if you can't find the box)
1 green bell pepper
2 tablespoons chili pepper
1 tablespoon chipolte chili pepper (optional - gives a smoky flavor)
1-2 tablespoons of oregano
1 tablespoon of cumin
(sacrilege: Sometimes I add a can of kidney/black beans or corn or carrots depending on if we need more veggies or carbs for the day.)

Brown the beef. If there is fat to skim, skim it. Add the seasonings & mix well. Add the bell pepper & cook it for 1-2 minutes. I like to keep it relatively firm & only slightly cooked. Add the tomatoes & anything else such as corn or beans or both. Heat thoroughly & serve.

Dessert.

2010-01-16T14:43:00.000-08:00

Since the man & I have been together, I've gained 7 pounds of "happy" fat. While I'm still happy, I had decided to make smarter choices for our meals & portion things more realistically.

However, this doesn't mean that we've stopped having dessert. Oh, no. That wouldn't do. There are definitely fewer desserts in a week, though.

Last night, the man & I had a little date night. We opened a bottle of wine (courtesy of Food & Wine's wine club), I made strip steak with garlicky olivada, & then we had poached pears for dessert.

It was a caloric splurge night for sure.

The pears? They were magnificent. We couldn't find star anise, & I didn't want to use my vanilla beans for this. So, we used extracts without any real hit to taste. Also, I used about 1/2 cup agave nectar in lieu of the 1 & 1/4 cup sugar. (That's a LOT of sugar!!)

I ate my half pear plain with a little of the syrup on top. The man had his with a little vanilla bean ice cream. Divine!!!

We gave this 5/5 stars. Make it!!

P.S. We used the small bottles of Robert Mondavi cab sav for this. The bottles come in a 4-pack & are super convenient for cooking.

Black Bean and Yam Stew

2010-01-06T16:08:00.000-08:00

I got the recipe from here: http://www.nourishingmeals.com/2009/09/chipotle-black-bean-and-yam-stew-recipe.html This is quickly becoming a favorite food blog. They also have a lovely cookbook that is gluten, egg and dairy free! All the things our family must also limit.

But I didn't have all the ingredients. So here's what I made:

1 medium yellow onion, chopped
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
3 stalks celery chopped
tiny bit of cumin seeds
good dash of coriander
large bit of dried oregano
chili powder
sea salt
2 yams
4 cloves garlic, crushed
3 cans cooked black beans
3 cups water or bean cooking liquid
1 cup coconut water (I reserved the cream for the kids' porridge)
1 head broccoli
lime

Heat a large 6 or 8-quart pot over medium heat. Add olive oil then add onions and saute for 5 to 7 minutes. Add chopped celery and garlic.

Then add the spices, sea salt, yams, and saute a minute or two more. Add the black beans, coconut milk and water (or bean cooking liquid). Simmer uncovered for 10 to 15 minutes or until yams are barely tender but not yet cooked. Timing will depend on what size you dice your yams.
Then add the chopped broccoli and simmer for 5 minutes more. Taste and adjust salt and spices if necessary.

Ladle into bowls and add lime juice.

Lentil Love! Boats on a Stormy Sea

2009-12-30T19:21:00.001-08:00

We have tried every way of cooking lentils I could find: soup, salad, rice pilaf, dal, loaf, etc. The children never liked them. THIS they loved!

I got the recipe from here: http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=15326.0 and changed it a bit to fit our tastes.

2 cups cooked lentils
1/2 onion
1/4 cup packed cheese
2-3 tbl ground flax seeds
salt, pepper, chili powder, dried marjoram, onion powder, garlic powder
2:1 ration water and oil

First, I cooked one cup of dried lentils in two cups water. After bringing it to a boil, added a bit of salt, one crushed garlic clove and a few springs of thyme. This way, the lentils are delicious and ready for any recipe. Today I added a bit of rind from some good hard cheese. Simmered, covered, for 20 minutes. Left covered until needed. Drained lentils (reserving broth) and discarded the cheese rinds and thyme sprigs.

Boiled two potatoes in salted water. (Saved the potato water and lentil broth for soup later).

Chopped half a small red onion. Mashed the drained lentils, mashed the potatoes, combined them, and added the spices to taste. Added enough water and oil mix to make an eggless binder with the flax seeds and moisten the mix until it's sticky. Let it sit a bit. Preheat oven to 350.

Chop/shredded half a green cabbage, and one and a half red onions. Sauted in oil, browning the onion and cabbage. Added two prunes (or you can add a few raisins). Once browned, add a shot of liquid. I used a sweet white wine. Once dry, added some dill to taste.

While the cabbage browns, shape the mash into boats. Brush with oil and bake for 30-40 minutes until browned and crispy on the outside.

Plate the cabbage, place the boat on top. Stick a small leaf of bok choy or other green into the boat, as a sail. The kids ate it!! Yeay! And DH and I loved it! Hope you do too!

The most fun of this dish? I named it boats on a stormy sea.

Christmas Dinner.

2009-12-25T18:27:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas dinner was a huge success. We had:

An appetizer of bacon-wrapped apricots & bacon-wrapped dates (stuffed with goat cheese)
- 30 minutes in the oven at 350.

A delicious side of kale, green beans, and mushrooms - Found out that the man thinks kale is "too chewy." I loved it, though.

Another delicious side of root vegetable pancakes (similar to potato pancakes but with root vegetables & scallions)

And a main protein of duck breasts topped with a pomegranate sauce. I merged two recipes into one to make the duck breasts. Here's what I did.

Duck Breasts with Shallot & Pomegranate
(Originally from Eating Well)

2-4 duck breasts
1 cup pomegranate juice
1 shallot, minced
1 tablespoon cornstarch

Score the skin of the duck breasts in criss-cross fashion - making sure to not cut the meat. Salt & pepper the breasts. In a low temperature skillet, place the breasts skin side down. Cook the skin for about 30 minutes or until most of the fat is rendered. It should be a lot!! Save the fat for a later use - except for 1-2 tablespoons for the shallot.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Remove the breasts from the skillet, & put into a rectangular baking dish. Bake for 7-9 minutes. Let the duck rest for 10 minutes after removing it from the oven.

In a saucepan, place 1-2 tablespoons of the duck fat & the shallot. Saute the shallot. Add 3/4 cup of the pomegranate juice & reduce to half. Stir the rest of the pomegranate juice & cornstarch in a small bowl until the cornstarch dissolves. Add to the pan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook, stirring, until the sauce is thickened, 1 to 2 minutes. (I was too impatient for the reduction. That's why the sauce in the picture is runny.)

Slice the duck on the bias, & top with the pomegranate sauce.

Enjoy!!

Enchiladas

2009-12-24T11:14:00.000-08:00

The man & I purchase a HUGE pork loin from Costco a few months ago. It's been sitting in the freezer waiting to be eaten.

Tick.
Tock.
Tick.
Tock.

When his dad came for a visit, we defrosted it in hopes of having a family meal together with leftovers the next week. Unfortunately, we got 21 inches of snow, the roads became marginally passable, & the man's dad fled to sleep at airport. So, we had a 4-5lb. pork loin on our hands with only 2 mouths to feed.

Since it was already marinated, I roasted half of it with potatoes & carrots, & we ate the meat sliced. Normal reheated leftovers the next day. No big whoop.

But here's what I did with the other half. It's pretty easy & really delicious. The man's family normally makes this with chicken breasts (4 cooked in the skillet with oil, salt, pepper, whatever spices - then shredded).

Jeff's Family's Enchiladas
2-2.5 lb pork loin in marinade from store
2-3 cans of salsa verde (prefer Herdez brand)
1 cup of chicken stock
1 package of corn tortillas (18 used)
3-5 tablespoons of spicy sauce (we used Thai Chili Garlic sauce but hot sauce would work well)
1/2 - 1 cup of shredded cheese (we used chipotle cheddar)
1/4 cup of oil

1. In a slow cooker, place your pork loin, the spicy sauce, and 1/2 cup of water. Place on low for 6 hours. Pork should shred easy after this. If it doesn't shred easily, turn slow cooker up to high for another hour.
2. Shred all of the pork.
3. Heat salsa verde & chicken stock in stovetop until thoroughly warmed.
4. Place about 1/4 cup of oil onto plate or large shallow bowl.
5. Dip a tortilla in the oil to moisten.
6. Place the tortilla into rectangular casserole dish (or whatever you're going to use to bake the enchiladas).
7. Do steps 5 & 6 for all of the tortillas. Keep in mind that each enchilada is going to be filled. So, you'll want to make sure each looks "like a taco" in the casserole dish. Stack them next to each other. They'll hold each other up.
8. Add a tablespoon of the salsa verde into each tortilla.
9. Add a few tablespoons of the pork into each tortilla.
10. Add a tablespoon of the salsa verde on top of the pork.
11. Fold the tortilla ends over each other, & roll the tortilla so that the bottom is now on top.
12. Top with shredded cheese, & put into the oven until the cheese melts.

These are delicious & keep in the fridge for a few days. I hope you enjoy them!

The Perils of Online Recipes.

2009-12-19T07:31:00.001-08:00

Apparently, the Food Network yanked the chocolate biscotti recipe offline that I just posted. I'm not sure if this is because Gourmet magazine went under, Food Network isn't being paid to publish Gourmet magazine's recipes anymore, or whatnot.

I found a similar recipe online at Epicurious.com from Bon Appetit. At least they're still around!

Regarding the cookies from this year's Christmas Cookie Explosion, I've received some excellent comments from recipients. All of the cookies were favorites of someone. None of them were "okay." The only criticisms were that the thin mint cookies could've been crispier & that the biscotti could be a little less hard. That's not too shabby!

Happy Baking & Happy Holidays, everyone!

It's a Christmas Cookie Explosion!

2009-12-07T11:59:00.000-08:00

Just ask the man. ;)

As gifts for my family, I've decided to make cookies for everyone. The problem is that a few family members have food intolerances/allergies, which makes this a little more creative of a problem. I've chosen these cookies for everyone:

1. Alton Brown's sugar cookies (made gluten-free with Jules' flour)

What I love:

The cookies taste fresh when they are 2 weeks old, the batch of dough makes a lot, & they're really tasty.

What I hate:

All the sifting hurts my hands/arms. I always forget that I can probably just get away with whisking the dough.

2. Heidi's peanut cookies (egg-free, dairy-free, made gluten-free)

What I love:

These cookies are delicioso!

What I hate:

They are a little crumbly & work well as a smaller cookie. It all works out well later as they need a glass of milk as an accompaniment.

3. Heidi's thin mint cookies (egg-free, made gluten-free)

What I love:

I made these years ago using a star-shaped cookie cutter. All of my little points broke when I dipped them in chocolate. This year, I made little rounds, & that worked out swell!!

What I hate:

The dough turns rock-hard if you leave them in the fridge for too long. (Heidi recommends freezing it for 20 minutes, but I refrigerated them since it would be a day or two until I could bake them.)

4. Chocolate chip cookies

What I love:

These are my go-to chocolate chip cookie recipe. My number 1 Taste Tester just smiled, mumbled, & finished his cookie. They are WAY delicious.

5. Almond lemon biscotti (made diabetic-friendly with agave nectar & no white chocolate dip)

What I love:

The flavor of these are amazing. Really lovely. I opted to zest 2 oranges in my 4th batch in lieu of the lemons & swapped the sugar for agave nectar. Really nice!

What I hate:

My first batch turned out mildly crunchy. My second? Extremely hard. I'd kick that second baking time down to 10 minutes.

6. Chocolate hazelnut biscotti
old link: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/sara-moulton/chocolate-hazelnut-biscotti-recipe/index.html

What I love:

The man said these weren't overly chocolately, which was nice.

What I hate:

The dough got a few big cracks in it while it was baking. I didn't think that I overmixed!

7. maybe Triple Chocolate Cranberry Oatmeal cookies

What I love:

You can really hide the flax to go egg-free in these. I haven't made them yet, & I don't know how much more baking I can do this week. I'll keep you posted!

Also, we ran out of tupperware to store all the cookies before shipment. Must ship all cookies tonight!

Leftover Fish?

2009-11-29T11:27:00.000-08:00

Make a salad!

Boil chopped potatoes and hard-boil some eggs. Slice onions and soak in water (it mellows the flavor of raw onion). When the potatoes and eggs are cool, slice or dice to your preference. Chop up some romaine lettuce, shred your leftover fish, add the potatoes, onions and eggs, some tomatoes if you like, a bit of dill and salt and pepper. Toss with your favorite dressing and serve with a carrot spear and broccoli flowerette. Enjoy!

Post-Thanksgiving.

2009-11-28T06:28:00.000-08:00

Well, I hope you all are well-fed, are doing great, & had a nice Thanksgiving. We spent our Thanksgiving at the house of friends of ours. We brought a brined turkey, two pies, & a soup to their house. (We brined the turkey using an Alton Brown recipe.)

The soup was one of my favorites: Roasted butternut squash & pear soup. I got the recipe years ago from Eating Well. It's in regular rotation on the menu around here. What's interesting about the soup is that it calls for sprinkling a little Stilton cheese (or blue cheese) on the top of it. Without the cheese, it's floral & delicately flavored. With the cheese, a sharp flavor and creaminess are added. It's almost two different soups!

Using our leftovers, we've made a turkey stock (about a gallon), & we plan on making turkey quesadillas.

For those of you interested, our menu looked like this:
Roasted butternut squash & pear soup
Crudites with sour cream dip & hummous
Apple Cranberry Almond Stuffing
Mashed Potatoes
Turkey using an Alton Brown recipe
Kris's family recipe cranberry raspberry sauce
An adhoc gravy where we added rosemary and red wine - yielding yummy purple gravy
Pumpkin pie with rum - don't follow the cooking directions - it'll never set
Cherry berry pie
plus a few wines including a Jordan Chardonnay.

Now that the floodgates to Christmas have been opened, it's officially cookie baking time! YAY! I've planned out 13 different recipes that I'd like to make. Today's the day to figure out how many I'm actually making this season. Stay tuned!

Javanese Peanut Pasta

2009-11-18T09:57:00.000-08:00

I'm about to illuminate the largest difference between me & my better half. Here goes. Brace yourself!

I like to cook and eat vegan. He, well, doesn't.

I'll give you an example. Last night, I called to see if he found the concept of peanut pasta palatable.

Me: "What about if we do an Asian peanut butter pasta with veggies?"
Him: "Sounds great!"
Him: .....
Him: "I have to ask the question... because I'm not sure. Does that pasta have meat in it? Because... I need meat in it."

So, lo & behold, there was magically steak in our vegan meal. I found some thin steak on sale at Giant for under $3. The frozen stirfry veggies were on sale too. Score!

The recipe comes from one of my all-time favorite cookbooks, 150 Vegan Favorites by Jay Solomon. It's filling, tasty, quick, & cheap. The only sticky point is that the sauce always manages to need a little tweaking this way or that way. I've minorly adapted it here.

I didn't include the steak recipe. Basically, it was a little bland. I recommend making the steak in the Korean bulgogi way (mirin, soy sauce, something spicy - like red pepper flakes, sesame oil, & garlic).

Adapted Jay's Javanese Peanut Pasta
1 jar roasted red peppers, sliced into strips
1/2 cup of peanut butter (chunky or smooth - chunky gives you peanuts as garnish)
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1/8 cup of water (more or less)
4-6 scallions, chopped
1 package of dried Asian white rice pasta (usually found in 1 lb or 13 oz packages)
2-3 tablespoons fresh ginger, chopped fine or microplaned (or a few squirts of the tube of ginger in the produce section)
1 jalapeno, chopped fine (or 1 tsp cayenne pepper or a squirt of Sriracha)
1 garlic clove
1.5 cups of frozen stirfry veggies, defrosted optimally
2 tablespoons oil - either sesame or peanut - or whatever you've got
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

1. Set the water for the pasta to boil over the stove.

2. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add veggies, garlic clove, ginger, and jalapeno (if using) & saute for a few minutes. Lower heat to medium-low. Add peanut butter and soy sauce. This mixture will melt down a little over the heat & give your veggies a nice coating. Be sure to taste the sauce & add little extra ginger, soy, spice, or peanut butter if needed. If the sauce is too thick, add in a little water. If it's too thin, let it sit on the heat until it thickens.

3. Make the pasta. It normally only takes about 3-5 minutes. If the pasta's done before the sauce is, then strain it & rinse it to keep it from sticking. Rice pasta's always a little more gummy than semolina pasta.

4. Mix the pasta with the veggie sauce in a big bowl. Mix in the roasted red peppers. Top with scallions and cilantro.

OMG, yum. & so filling. 4.5/5 for me.

I can't wait for Thanksgiving dinner dinner!

2009-11-16T17:57:00.001-08:00

A few days ago, I decided that I couldn't wait for Thanksgiving. I really wanted some fancy stuffing. An apple sausage walnut stuffing - to be exact. I'd request it for our upcoming Thanksgiving cook-a-thon, but my kitchen counterpart doesn't eat pork. Shame.

Luckily, I finagled the day off today (they took away my Veteran's Day holiday). So, I decided to make something manageable for two people to eat - a stuffed chicken. I used Anne Burrell's sausage apple walnut stuffing recipe as a guideline.

I stuffed 1/2 of this recipe inside my chicken & 1/2 into muffin tins (so each muffin gets a crispy top). I prepped my chicken per the normal - cover with olive oil & then with salt. I added some chopped butternut squash, acorn squash, and red potatoes into the pan. Then, I zested a lemon over all of it, which added a very subtle lemon flavor. & into the oven at 375 until the chicken thigh reached 165 degrees internal temperature.

The "gravy" from the chicken tasted amazing. It was sweetened by the squashes and had a mellow lemon flavor. I plan on making something from it - or maybe just adding it to my chicken stock for a soup.

Adapted Stuffing for two
1 apple, cored & diced
2 sausage links (potentially sweet Italian)
1 celery rib, diced
1/2 onion
6-8 lightly toasted bread slices
1/2 cup apple cider
1 cup chicken broth
4 leaves fresh sage
1/2 cup walnuts
olive oil
salt & pepper

(Directions mostly copied from Anne's recipe)
Coat a large saute pan, over medium heat, with olive oil and add the onions and celery. Season with salt and cook until the veggies start to become soft and are very aromatic. Add the garlic and cook for another 1 to 2 minutes. Add the sausage and cook until the sausage browns. Stir in the apples and apple cider and cook until the apples start to soften, about 3 to 4 minutes. Sprinkle in the sage leaves and the walnuts and turn off the heat.

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.

Add the diced bread and toss together. Pour in the chicken stock and knead with your hands until the bread is very moist, actually wet. Taste to check for seasoning and season with salt, if needed. Transfer to muffin tins (or a rectangular dish) and bake until it is hot all the way through and crusty on top.

Yummmmmy! We gave the stuffing a 4/5.

Update: Apple & Pear Crisp

2009-11-16T06:45:00.000-08:00

In yesterday's post, I wrote that we were going to have Apple & Pear Crisp for dessert. It called for so much sugar - that I reduced it by 1/4 cup at least.

Still - It was TOO sweet! Ugh!! The man liked it - what a sweet tooth he's got. But I thought it was overwhelmingly sweet. In hindsight, I should have added only 1/4 cup of sugar into the apples & pears. The crumble on top was really good as is.

That's the update! Tonight, I plan on making something special too in anticipation of Thanksgiving. Wait & see!

Dad's Fish Francaise.

2009-11-15T17:02:00.000-08:00

I was speaking with my father about a meyer lemon olive oil that I purchased for use with fish, & he said, "OH! I made a really great fish recently!"

So, we gave that a shot tonight. Here's the recipe. We deemed it a keeper. & it's quick too!

Dad's Fish Francaise
4 fillets mahi mahi (or tilapia or other white fish)
30-45 capers
1 or 1/2 stick of butter
Juice of a whole lemon

Put the butter into the skillet & melt over medium heat. Add the capers. Squeeze in your lemon juice. Heat the sauce until it bubbles. Lay the fish in the pan. When the edges of the fish turn white, flip it. After 2-3 more minutes, take the pan off the heat & let it set for a few minutes. When it's time to plate, you can either do it family style - Let the fish & sauce slide off the pan onto a platter - or you can take your chances on flipping the fish individually onto plates.

DEEElish.

We paired ours with an arugula salad (with meyer lemon balsamic viniagrette, cranberries, and goat cheese - SPLURGE!), steamed carrots, and saffron rice.

And for dessert - Apple Pear Crisp!

Duck Eggs and Waffles

2009-11-15T10:45:00.000-08:00

Start with the waffles. These are gluten-free, egg-free, and dairy-free.

Turn on waffle iron. Mix dry ingredients together:
3/4 cup buckwheat flour
1/4 cup rice flour
2 tbl chickpea flour
2 tbl ground flax seeds
2 tbl ground nuts (optional)
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
Make a well in the dry ingredients. Add wet ingredients to well:
1 1/2 cup water and hemp milk mixture (or milk of choice)
2 tbl oil
2 tbl agave nectar or sweetener of choice
Mix wet ingredients inside well a bit, then mix it all together. Add more water or milk if necessary. Make a thick batter that pours, but sits before slowly spreading outward. (Pancake batter is thinner). If the iron is ready, pour the batter into it. Keep making batches. This made 5 waffles for us. Start on the eggs:

Scrambled Eggs with a savory vegetable topping: (serves 2)

Topping:
1/4 cup Onion
1 clove Garlic
3 diced Mushrooms
2 tbl chopped Tomato
handful of Spinach
salt-free seasoning
salt & pepper

Saute onion in a bit of oil. Add garlic. Cook til browning starts. Crack 2 duck eggs, or 4 chicken eggs, and whisk with salt, pepper and a bit of water. Add tomato, mushrooms and seasoning to the onions. Check Waffles. When mushrooms start to look like they are darkening, add spinach and turn off the heat. Keep stirring until spinach is wilted. Place in a bowl. Add a bit of oil or butter to the hot pan (turn back on the heat). Check waffles. Add whisked eggs. Let sit for a few seconds, until the egg on the bottom starts to solidify. Now continuously move the eggs around the pan until the water evaporates, but not entirely. The eggs should look shiny, but not watery, nor spongy. Plate.

This recipe gave the adults a large spoon of eggs, a large spoon (or two) of topping and two waffles each, with one leftover. It also put a smile on a husband who had been woken at 5am by over-exuberant little boys.

Enjoy!

Quick Beef Noodle and Peas Dinner

2009-11-15T10:39:00.000-08:00

We just bought the organic salt-free seasoning mix from Costco. It worked marvels in this dish.

Ground beef
Noodles of choice
Frozen peas
Salt-free seasoning
Salt, pepper

1. Brown beef or buffalo, enough to feed the family, and season with salt, seasoning, and pepper.
2. Boil water, add salt, add noodles of choice.
3. Strain noodles. In the hot pot, bring a bit of water to a boil and add frozen peas. Cook covered for 2 minutes on high. The peas should look bright and pop with pea flavor.
4. Mix noodles, beef and peas together. Use some pea water, noodle water and/or oil to moisten.

Fish Dinner - Quick, Easy, Delicious

2009-11-11T13:08:00.000-08:00

1. Take fish (4 fillets) out of the fridge. We used Mahi Mahi.

2. Toast one cup of buckwheat while bringing 2 cups water to boil in a kettle. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and 2 cups water to buckwheat and cover. Steam for 20-25 minutes.

3. Make marinade. 1/2 cup soy sauce, 3 tbl apple cider vinegar, 2 tbl sesame oil, 4 tbl brown sugar, 3 sliced green onions, 2 cloves crushed garlic. Keep half for serving and marinade the fish in the other half.

4. Use what hot water is left in the kettle to start a pot for steaming fresh vegetables. We had broccoli florets and stems, and large chunk carrots.

5. Heat a pan, skillet or griddle on medium. Take fillets out of the marinade and discard the juices. Cook on one side until edges are cooked, flip over and cook on other side. Fish is done when it is no longer opaque in the center and flakes (separates) when pressed.

6. Plate the buckwheat and vegetables. Squirt with a bit of lemon juice. Plate the fish, top with a bit of sauce.

The whole family enjoyed this one. Hubby couldn't get over how good it was. I liked it best because it was quick, easy, and nutritious and delicious.

Cauliflower Soup and Spinach Salad

2009-11-10T07:53:00.000-08:00

Traditional Polish cauliflower soup is made a bit differently. Here was our delicious spin on it:

Zupa kalafiorowa

7 cups beef broth (or 3 cans broth and 1 cup water)
1 lb cauliflower
2 baking potatoes
2 wild boar sausages (or sausage of choice)
1 1/2 tablespoons flour (we used tapioca)
1 cup half and half
1 tablespoon dried dill

Chop sausage and brown in a soup pot with a bit of oil. Add broth and bring to boil. Add cauliflower florets and large chunks of potato. Simmer for 25 minutes. Stir flour into warmed milk (mix milk with a bit of soup to warm it). Add dill and milk to pot. Stir and simmer 5 more minutes. Quick, filling and fantastic!

Serve with baby spinach, dried cranberries and toasted sunflower seeds with your favorite dressing. Our favorite is homemade balsamic vinaigrette.

Grrrravy & Pumpkin Bread review

2009-11-01T07:23:00.000-08:00

I posted a recipe for pumpkin bread without trying it. Last night, I made Alton Brown's pumpkin bread recipe (without the seeds). I did add a little more cinnamon, & I pureed my fresh pumpkin innards for it.

"That one!"

It was GREAT! Super moist, delicious flavor. The man gave it rave reviews. He said it's a 4 or 4.5 out of 5 star recipe. The only thing keeping it from being a 5/5 is that it fell apart due to its moistness. SCORE!

We hope you had a happy Halloween!

******************

In my chicken pot pie recipe, I mentioned gravy as one of the ingredients. My sister (who also posts here) requested that I write out how I make my gravy. So, here it is.

Gravy
I feel like there are two schools of thought with making gravy. One way is to make a roux. The other is to add a thickener to fluids. I've made them both, but making a roux with gluten-free flour hasn't worked well for me.

To make a roux with regular all-purpose flour, you use 1 part melted fat to 2 parts flour. For example, I used to use one tablespoon butter melted & then whisk in 2 tablespoons flour. Let it cook while you whisk it. It's done when the roux turns a light brown (i.e. when the flour is cooked). Then, you'll add your stock/broth/fluid & boil it down.

The way that I made my gravy for the chicken pot pie (the gluten-free way):
I was reducing some chicken stock - maybe about 4 cups - on the stove. To it, I added a tablespoon or two of potato starch. (You could use corn starch too.) I whisked it until it wasn't lumpy anymore. If it wasn't thick enough after that, I added a smidgen more potato starch. Cook it until the starch is cooked. Then, I tasted it, added salt, pepper, tarragon, & anything else that I thought it needed.

That's it! I know it's not precise, but it was a "shoot from the hip" sort of recipe. If you guys want, just comment or email me & I'll make it more specific.

Sneak your veggies.

2009-10-30T07:24:00.000-07:00

I was having a discussion yesterday with my sister (who also posts here) about vegetables. She prefers them raw or with a light steam. Strangely, so do I. I say "strangely" because we were raised with a different methodology for "enjoying" vegetables. Our mother would open a can of veggies for dinner, plunk it into a dish, & stuff it into the microwave for 1-2 minutes (where sometimes it was forgotten).

Now, to Mom's defense - She likes veggies. A LOT. & If she could, she'd have many small mainly vegetarian dishes for dinner. However, she was feeding a family of 7 back then, & she was working 8-12 hour days as a nurse.

Anyways - back to the veggies. So, last night, I made a chicken pot pie for me & the man. We used 1/2 of a (leftover) roasted chicken, some homemade gravy (which was mainly low sodium chicken broth), (leftover) roasted carrots & onions, roasted butternut squash, green beans, & some fresh sage. I made a quick crust to cover it all, & that was that.

The kicker? It was MAINLY vegetables. The man didn't even notice. & he's from Texas - So, he'd notice. I thought it was a pretty successful dish. Overall, we just needed more salt in it. I added the recipe for it below.

Also, I watched Top Chef last night. One of the favorites put bananas into his polenta. (If you're Italian & reading this, I do apologize for the shock.) It got a lot of "wows!" from the taste-testers. & I thought - what another clever way to add more nutrients into your meal.

What do you do to add vegetables into your meals? Do you have to sneak them?

*****
Chicken Pot Pie

This is a rough estimate of a recipe - I mainly did a lot of "throw this in, throw that in." I used this recipe as a guideline, but I made it faster & cheaper by using leftovers. When I roasted the chicken, I stuck the carrots & onions into the roasting pan. So, the onions were full of flavor & ready for putting into the pot pie. The carrots - I wish they had been fresh. In the recipe below, I listed it as though you were using fresh veggies. Do either - I'm sure it'll be great either way.

1/2 leftover roasted chicken
4-5 cups of gravy (we had a gravy shortage - so I upped the ante.)
8 leaves of fresh sage, chopped
10-15 baby carrots (or 2-3 larger carrots)
1/2 cup of onions (pearl, boiling, or regular)
2 cups of fresh or defrosted frozen green beans
1-2 lb. butternut squash
1 fresh or pre-made crust
4 individual pie pans, or two medium pie pans. (We used medium casserole dishes, which worked fine.)
salt/pepper
1 egg (if using egg wash for pie crust)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Chop the leftover chicken, carrots, onions, and green beans into bite-size pieces. Peel the butternut squash & chop into cubes.

Drizzle the butternut squash with some olive oil and a little salt, to taste. Toss to coat the squash with the oil and transfer to a baking sheet. Roast until the squash is cooked but still has some texture, about 15 to 20 minutes in a 400 degree oven.

Put the onions and carrots into a pan with a little oil & sweat the veggies on medium heat. The carrots should be more tender & the onions should get a little translucent.

About this time, the squash & the onion/carrot mixture should be ready. When the squash comes out of the oven, reduce the oven temperature down to 375.

Now, it's time to assemble the pot pie. Divvy your veggies (carrot/onion, squash, green beans) & sage with the chicken into your pie-cooking containers. Ladle the gravy in & fill about 3/4 of the container. Add salt/pepper to taste. Top each container with a pie crust. Crack your egg, whip it, & brush the top of your pie crust (if you want to put a sheen on your crust). Cut slits into the top of your crust to allow it to vent.

Put your pot pies into the oven, & bake for about 30-35 minutes. I had extended it to almost 40 minutes b/c I wanted the crust very crispy, which turned out pretty well. However, in tasting it, we would've liked it less crispy. Hindsight!

This made about 4-5 servings of pot pie.

*****
Also - we've been having problems with comments being accepted by Blogspot lately. We apologize, & we hope it's fixed soon!!

Buckwheat Pancakes

2009-10-28T09:14:00.000-07:00

These pancakes are gluten, egg, nut and dairy free.

1 cup buckwheat flour
1/2 cup brown rice flour
1 1/2 cups hemp milk (or milk of choice)
2 tbls ground flax seed
1 tbl oil
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp xanthan gum
1/4 tsp baking powder
dash cinnamon

Heat cast iron skillet on medium heat. In small bowl, mix together flax, oil and 1/4 cup water. Mix together flours, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder, and cinnamon in a large bowl. Add flax mixture and milk. The consistency should be slightly runny. If it's too thick, add more milk or water. If it's too thin, add a bit more flour. Pour mix in 1/4 cup amounts onto skillet and let sit until edges are cooked. Flip. Adjust heat as necessary. Continue until pancakes are all made. Store leftovers for tomorrow's breakfast, or a snack for later. Enjoy!

Variation - Use half hemp milk and half apple cider, and add 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon to the flours. Yum!

If the batter is thin, so will the pancakes be. These are filling, but don't lay like a brick in the belly.

Just in time: Pumpkin bread

2009-10-27T09:16:00.000-07:00

I was reading Food Network's website, & I came across an Alton Brown pumpkin bread recipe. Might be good to try with the leftover pumpkin insides from carving pumpkins. The man bought me 3 (3!!!) pumpkins. So, he'll definitely get some pumpkin treats as a thank you.

I haven't tried the recipe, but I figured that I'd post it in case anyone else was itching for something pumpkiny. In the comments for the above recipe, someone recommended how to implement a gluten-free version with agave nectar, which would be good for me!

What are you going to make with your pumpkin this year?

Apple Galette.

2009-10-25T16:59:00.000-07:00

On Friday, we had some people over to play Winerd, which if you don't know is a wine-related board game. We asked the players to bring a dish or two for sharing. The man made two quiches - one with ham, spinach, cheese, milk & bacon - the other had spinach, cheese, and smoked sun-dried tomatoes. Both had gluten-free crusts, which I made from scratch adapting this recipe with gluten-free flour. Both quiches were excellent & from his family recipe.

I made an apple galette, which was delicious even cold. I followed the recipe from Epicurious (originally from Bon Appetit) to the T. We had an embarrassing moment with it. Everyone had arrived, & I put the galette in the oven at 450 degrees to start.

Then there was smoking. Lots & lots of smoking.

Apparently, the apricot jam partially trickled out of the galette, went down the flat baking sheet, & fell onto the burners. I lowered the temperature to 350 & left it in the oven. Thankfully, the crust hole seemed to be filled, & jam only ran a little.

The guests loved it, & they even raved about it the next day when we saw them again. They even liked the crust! (Which I used sorghum flour & brown rice flour as a substitute for all purpose flour.)

I'd give the recipe 4/5. The man said the same. Sadly, it was all gobbled up before I could remember to take a picture. But do make it!!

Beef Bourguinon

2009-10-19T18:35:00.000-07:00

There are high expectations when you attribute a quintessential French recipe to a renowned French chef. You expect melting deliciousness with a well-rounded flavor profile.

Food & Wine listed a recipe for Boeuf Bourguignon with the name Jacques Pepin with it. I thought, "Well if something can pull me back into the cooking game, it's Jacque Pepin's beef bourguinon."

The Preparation Area: Complete with Digital Recipe laptop

First, let me say: There were a few items that I couldn't/wouldn't comply with. The man called me from the grocery store & couldn't find pancetta or cippolini onions. We got bacon & "white boiling onions" that basically resembled large pearl onions. Also, I didn't peel the baby carrots. Who peels baby carrots? The French, that's
who. Nobody else. Being not French, I plopped those right into the mix. (I blow my nose in their general direction!)

When the recipe called for boiling the pancetta, I cooked my bacon in the skillet instead. I wasn't going to boil bacon. That is le gross. Then, I crumbled it into the vegetables (or garnishes as Chef Pepin calls them).

How was it? Well, the sauce was very good. Originally, I didn't put any butter in the sauce as we were fresh out, but it definitely tasted better once I added it.

Words of advice:
1. Get the pancetta. Bacon didn't make it better. There is something about chunks (not scraps) of lardons that make recipes better.

2. Get a full flavored Burgandy, Cotes du Rhone, or Beaujolais wine. I used a South American Syrah, which was rather flat. The French recipe poo-pooed it.

3. Let it stew for longer. The broth wasn't reduced enough as per Food & Wine's pictures. It would've been much better if it was more concentrated.

The man gives the broth a 4/5 stars - but the stew together got only 2 or 3 stars.
I'd give it a 3/5 stars. I liked it, but I'm on the look out for something better. Neither of us packed it for lunch the next day.

Next boeuf bourguinon is going to be Julia Child's from Mastering the Art of French Cooking (recipe here). I hope it's better!

Review: Arrowhead Mills Gluten-free baking mix

2009-10-18T14:39:00.000-07:00

The man wanted to make eggs for us for breakfast. I was thinking pancakes, but I figured that I'd let him cook. If he cooks, then we're having eggs. But lo & behold, there were only 2 eggs left. (I WIN!) So, I made us chocolate chip pancakes with agave nectar & Arrowhead Mills baking mix.

(Don't know why I put a low glycemic sweetener with a bunch of chocolate chips, though!)

How were they? One word: GRAINY!

We decided that we DON'T like Arrowhead Mills' gluten-free baking mix for tender baked goods (e.g. cookies, pancakes, etc). Next time, we'll stick to heartier things for this mix.

Chicken Soup for the Cold

2009-10-17T14:02:00.000-07:00

Our Chicken Soup

1 whole organic free-range chicken
2 beef marrow bones
8 carrots
6 stalks celery
1 parsnip
1 rutabaga
1 turnip
1 celeriac
2 bunches parsley
1 onion
2 leeks
salt
peppercorns
vinegar
noodles of choice

Find a large stock pot. Quarter the chicken, reserving the organs. With a cleaver, chop the neck and wings. Skin the chicken, keeping the skin on the wings. Add the bones, meat, organs, neck and wings to the pot. Add in the vegetables, all in large chunks. Quarter the round roots, cut the tapered ones into thirds. If they are not organic, make sure to skin them first. Put in a quarter bunch of parsley, a few pinches of salt and two pinches of peppercorns. Add water to cover and two tablespoons of vinegar. Let sit for 30 minutes. Turn heat on high. When the pot starts to boil, pay attention. Any impurities will rise to the top as foam. Skim this off. Keep boiling and skimming until no more foam forms. Then cover and simmer.

The longer you simmer, the yummier this will get. Two hours or more is best. If you want to make this a stock, simmer all night long and the following day. 8-24 hours. In the last 10 minutes of simmering, add in a bunch of parsley to the pot. It adds vitamins and minerals as well as flavor. Remove from heat, strain into another pot. Boil noodles in the hot stock pot. You can use some broth to flavor the water. Search the strained soup mixings for the edible chicken and carrots. Chop or shred the chicken, slice the carrots. Throw away all other vegetables and bones.

Place some chicken, carrot slices, noodles and broth serving bowls. Garnish with fresh parsley.

I've heard of adding garlic and cayenne for their benefits as well. How do you make yours?
Happy healing!

Dinner a Child Can Love

2009-10-16T17:41:00.001-07:00

Tofu with Stir Fried Vegetables (Homemade 'Chinese' Food)

Organic tofu - a 'deck of cards' size per person
Frozen organic stir fry vegetable mix
Organic wild rice and brown rice
Assortment of fresh vegetables - onion, leek, garlic, ginger, mushrooms, etc.
Soy Sauce
Mirin
Olive oil
Sesame seeds

Put rice mixture into pot with water, at the ratio of 1 cup rice to 2 cups of water. I put 1/4 cup wild rice mix per 3/4 cup regular brown rice. It lasts longer this way). Add in some salt, half teaspoon for a cup of dried rice. This feeds our family of 4 once. If you wish to have leftovers, double the rice, water and salt. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 25 minutes. When done, just turn off the heat and let it sit until you're ready to serve it. Don't uncover it.

Prepare the ingredients for the stir fry first. Slice and cube the tofu, then press between paper towels. Start to heat two pans on medium. One for the fried tofu, one (maybe a wok?) for the stir fry. Mince the garlic. Chop the onion, leek, ginger, mushrooms, leftover baked squash, etc.

When pans are hot, add enough oil to the tofu pan to make it rise above the edges of the tofu. As if the pieces are taking a sitz bath in hot oil. You'll know the oil is hot enough if a piece of food sizzles immediately, or the end of a wooden spoon sizzles. Carefully put in the tofu. (Don't stuff them into the pan, you can do this in batches if you need to). Then ignore it. I mean it. Pretend it's not there.

Put enough oil in your wok or larger pan to coat the bottom of it. Add in the onion or leek or shallot. When fragrant, add the garlic. When you start smelling cooked garlic, add the mushrooms, then any other fresh vegetable you have. Sprinkle in soy sauce. When these look like they are starting to warm up, add the frozen veggies. Add more soy sauce. Cover and let steam.

Take a look at the tofu. If the bottom edges look brown, turn to fry the other side.

Check on the vegetables, add some more soy sauce if the vegetables taste bland. Mistake the mirin bottle for the soy sauce and dump a bunch of mirin into the wok, instead of drizzling it down the sides at the end. Stir. Cover if the vegetables aren't fully cooked. Keep an eye on these. Don't overcook them. Once they are done, remove them from the wok with a slotted spoon and place into a bowl.

Remove the tofu to paper towels to dry. They should be tough on the outside, chewy on the inside. If you cook them long enough, they will be crisp on the outside and chewy on the inside. After the vegetables are in a bowl, put the tofu into the wok to coat with the delicious soy sauce, mirin and vegetable juices. Quickly remove to a serving bowl. Continue working in batches with the tofu if need be.

After the tofu is finished, add a bit of cornstarch to the wok. Sprinkle a bit at a time, while stirring furiously. Let simmer while you plate the food.

Put the rice, vegetables and tofu onto each plate. Spoon the thickened sauce from the wok onto dinner. Sprinkle with sesame seeds. If you have another dry clean pan, you could have toasted them first.

Serve to the kids by saying, "Woops! I put too much sweet stuff in the Chinese food! You're gonna love it." Even the three year old will eat a bunch before realizing it's just like regular Chinese take out, only a bit healthier.

Satisfying and Healthy Lunch

2009-10-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

A quick and yummy lunch that is full of raw goodies.

Hummus
Organic Spinach drizzled with Balsamic Fig Glaze or dressing of choice
Organic Carrot Sticks*
Jerusalem Artichoke**
Leftover Rice Mix
Organic Corn Chips

Don't have these ingredients? Use your favorite beans and vegetables, and wrap them in an tortilla. The main point is to make sure we get raw food in our bellies. Enjoy!

Our Hummus Recipe
Pour one can of chickpeas in a processor. Add about 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and blend. If you need to add more water to blend into a paste. Adjust seasonings to suit your taste. If by chance you overpower it with a particular ingredient, don't panic. Add another can of chickpeas and try again, going a bit more cautiously this time.

Spoon into bowl, smooth with spatula, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with paprika and toasted sesame seeds. Or, do it the lazy way and add those into the blender and spoon directly onto your plate. It still tastes great!

Traditional hummus is made with tahini. My son doesn't like the taste of the one we buy. So I omit it for him.

If you have dried chickpeas, they are better than canned. Soak overnight or at least 8 hours. This deactivates the enzyme inhibitors on the bean. Drain and rinse. Place in a pot with water to cover two inches above them. Bring to a boil, skim any foam, drop the heat to a simmer and let simmer until tender. Depending on the age of the bean, this can take from 30 minutes to an hour. Just remember to keep checking them. If you happen to overcook them, strain as usual. You're turning them into a paste anyway!

Have you heard about sprouting? It activates all the good things in the bean for your benefit. Sprouting is an excellent way to get extra live nutrition during the winter months ahead. If you think you're too busy for it, you may find it actually helps with cooking dinners. Sprouted beans and grains cook MUCH quicker than unsprouted ones do.

Sprouting directions: Soak 1 cup beans overnight, drain, rinse and place in one or two jars (not more than half full). Cover with a cheesecloth, screen, or dish towel, and secure with a rubber band or canning jar lid. Leave tilted so air can circulate and excess water can drain. Rinse 3-4 times a day, every day for a few (2-3) days. If you use a dish towel, make sure you change it every day or two. You'll see little shoots start to sprout. When they are ready, follow the cooking instructions above, but be careful! They cook QUICKLY. The taste they give is lighter than an unsprouted bean. You may adjust your seasonings differently.

*Organic baby carrots, while convenient, have been dipped in bleach. Best to make your own.

**The Jerusalem artichoke is a little root vegetable. I love it raw. It can be shredded or cubed and added to anything (veggie medley, meatloaf, salads, soup, etc). For this lunch, the root I had was a small one from the community garden, so I just scrubbed it and ate it whole. It's a great prebiotic, which means it supports the probiotics that keep us healthy.
Want to know more about Jerusalem Artichokes? They are easy to grow and harvest up to zone 4. Check this site.

Stuffed Squash - A Party in a Bowl

2009-10-15T08:23:00.000-07:00

There were two little confetti squash sitting on my counter saying "Eat me, you know you want to." But what to do with them? After a very short search, this recipe jumped off the screen.

http://www.epicurean.com/featured/pecan-and-wild-rice-stuffed-squash-recipe.html

Oh how exciting! Instead of my usual vegan dinner of brown rice and stir fry vegetables, I was making a party in a bowl! No hum drum boring routine dinner here! Where's the confetti?! (I SEE you two, I meant the paper confetti).

Using what was available without a trip to the store, here's the new version:

2 small organic confetti squash
1/2 cup wild rice (I used the organic Harvest Medley mix from Costco)
1 1/4 cups water
3-4 tablespoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 stalks organic celery, minced
1 small onion, chopped
3-4 large button mushrooms, chopped
a few sprigs fresh thyme, taken off the stem
1/4 teaspoon dried marjoram
1/2 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon ground ginger (optional)
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 toasted sunflower seeds
handful of toasted walnuts
1 tablespoon hemp seeds
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup leftover cooked quinoa and lentils

The leftover quinoa and lentils was cooked together with a clove of garlic and some thyme sprigs in water - ratio of 1:2.

Simmer the rice in the water for 25 minutes. Cut squash in half and bake at 350 in a bit of water with the cut side down. Do some web surfing.

Turn all the heat off, take the squash out of the oven. Toast the sunflower seeds, then the walnuts, dump into a big bowl with the rice. Break up any big pieces of walnut with your fingers, or mortar and pestle. Saute onion and celery. While cooking, dump in the mushrooms, some raisins, hemp seeds, all the herbs and spices into the bowl while talking on the phone. This will ensure some mistaken spice gets added. Mine was ginger. Try to take as much out as you can. Dump in the onion and celery when done. Scrape some of the squash flesh out, add to the bowl and mix well. If the squash is still a bit hard, chop it a bit, or smush it up with your fingers. Add in the leftover quinoa and lentil mixture to make sure you have leftovers for lunch. Stuff the squash and bake at 350 for 30-40 minutes. Put the extra rice mix into an ovenproof bowl.

When cool, put the leftover rice mixture into a lunch box for work the next day.

So yummy and exciting!! With fanfare I presented it to the children, much to their dismay. The ginger and nutmeg were too warm in their mouths to enjoy it. They loved poking at the squash though!

Both my husband and I loved the dinner. Next time, I think I'll skip the phone conversation and put in a pinch of nutmeg with a half teaspoon of cinnamon, and no ginger. There will definitely be a next time. This dinner was EASY to make, and could be made in advance too. Just make the rice, quinoa and lentils, and bake the squash in advance. Then saute the onions and celery and add the remaining ingredients before you stuff and bake for 45 minutes.