What do you eat on a rainy evening after having worked in the yard all day? Add to that Mike and I are both struggling with sinus infections and you now have a super need for a super nutritious and warming dinner. So, with some acorn squash sitting on the counter I figured a nice curry filling would give the warmth we both needed. This makes enough curry stuffing for 4, but I only did 2 (1 acorn squash) and am saving the rest for a later meal - maybe by itself for lunch.
1 acorn squash, split in half and cleaned of seeds (save the seeds for toasting later)
olive oil
salt & pepper
Preheat oven to 350, drizzle the squash all over with oil and season the cavities with salt and pepper. Place squash halves open side down in a roasting pan (or 13x9 dish) and place in oven. Roast about 40 minutes until fork goes smoothly through the flesh.
Meanwhile,
1 T butter
2 T olive oil
1/2 C sliced almonds (or a combo of almonds and pumpkin seeds)
3 t curry powder
1 t tumeric
cayenne pepper to taste (I use a pinch)
1 T ground ginger
1 t salt
2 cloves garlic
1/2 small white onion, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 bell pepper, chopped
1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
1/2 C raisins
1 C grain (I used quinoa)
2 - 2 1/2 C vegetable broth
1 T butter, melted
1/4 C almonds, run through food processor to make a crumble
In dutch oven over medium heat, heat butter and olive oil until foaming. Add almonds and cook until golden and lightly toasted. Add curry, tumeric, ginger, and cayenne and stir for about 30 seconds until fragrant. Add garlic, onions, and peppers, stirring frequently about 2 minutes, add carrots and stir 2 more minutes. Add cauliflower and stir (add a bit more oil if it is starting to dry out) about 5 minutes until the cauliflower starts getting toasted edges. Add raisins, grain, and broth, stirring to mix well. Return to boil, reduce heat to medium low and cover until grains are cooked adding more liquid if needed(follow package directions for whatever grain you use). Once grains are cooked, remove from heat and adjust seasoning as desired, leave lid on and allow to sit 15 minutes so all the liquid is absorbed and the starches have thickened the mixture.
When the acorn squash are done, immediately after removing from the oven, turn the squash over so the cavity is up. Allow to cool a few minutes (it makes it easier to stuff them if you can stand to touch them). Using a large spoon, stuff the cavities of the squash with the curry mixture, loosely packed. Drizzle the melted butter over the top of the squash and top with the almond crumble. Place in oven under high broiler for a few minutes until the top is a deep, toasted brown.
There are a lot of ingredients and a lot of steps, but the warm comfort of the curry makes you feel good. The combination of grains and nuts means you are getting the necessary complete proteins. On top of that, you are getting a healthy dose of anti-inflamatories with the garlic, ginger, and tumeric. The cayenne will help open you sinuses and all the great veggies and spices are a great immunity booster. Definitely a feel good food. Wash it down with some green tea and you've just done something really good for your health. Enjoy! :)
Saturday, November 28, 2009
Sunday, November 1, 2009
The flavors of fall
Today was a good day, okay it started out rough but ended well. This morning one of the heads on the garden's irrigation system popped off, so when the irrigation ran the garden got incredibly flooded. Mike and I used shovels and buckets to bail water out for over 1/2 hour this morning until there was no standing water left, but it was still pretty wet, I just hope we got enough out that nothing drowns. Since we had worked hard so early in the morning, I decided a nice, big breakfast was in order. I have been getting tons of sweet potatoes from the farm and found some some white onions from a pesticide-free farm just across the border in Nevada, so I decided to try a sweet potato hash.
Sweet Potato Hash
3 or 4 small to medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 slices applewood smoked bacon (preferably nitrate free)
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh sage, chopped
1 t fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Steam sweet potatoes in a little water in the microwave for 3 minutes. Strain and set aside. Cut bacon in to small pieces. In large skillet over medium high heat cook bacon until just crispy. Remove bacon from skillet to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving a bit of bacon fat in the skillet. Off heat, add the onions and garlic to the skillet and return to the heat. Add the sweet potatoes, salt, and pepper, stir to mix. Cook covered about 10 minutes. Remove cover, add herbs and bacon, mix well and press down slightly. Continue to cook for 6 - 10 minutes stirring occasionally until the pototoes are starting to get crispy brown edges. If desired, add a bit of paprika or cayenne pepper before serving.
I made shirred eggs to serve on top, but it would pretty much go with any sort of eggs.
Sweet Potato Hash
3 or 4 small to medium sweet potatoes, cut into 1/4 inch cubes
2 slices applewood smoked bacon (preferably nitrate free)
1 small white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T fresh sage, chopped
1 t fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste
Steam sweet potatoes in a little water in the microwave for 3 minutes. Strain and set aside. Cut bacon in to small pieces. In large skillet over medium high heat cook bacon until just crispy. Remove bacon from skillet to a plate lined with paper towels, leaving a bit of bacon fat in the skillet. Off heat, add the onions and garlic to the skillet and return to the heat. Add the sweet potatoes, salt, and pepper, stir to mix. Cook covered about 10 minutes. Remove cover, add herbs and bacon, mix well and press down slightly. Continue to cook for 6 - 10 minutes stirring occasionally until the pototoes are starting to get crispy brown edges. If desired, add a bit of paprika or cayenne pepper before serving.
I made shirred eggs to serve on top, but it would pretty much go with any sort of eggs.
Saturday, October 10, 2009
fall is in the air . . . time for some chili
The CSA has started again for the fall and my school schedule is lightening up, so I'm back to recipe creation. I've started an inside herb garden so I can keep my fresh herbs going year round, I'm really excited about capitalizing on the great flavors of fresh herbs. I got this recipe by adapting one from Natural Health magazine, adjusted for local ingredients (and capitalizing on all the tomatoes I froze in the spring because my fall crop isn't ready yet).
White bean chicken chili
1 3/4 C white tepary beans, soaked overnight and cooked until al dente (or one 15 oz. can of navy beans)
1T canola oil
1 lb. chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used some organic breasts that were on sale this week, but thighs would work great too)
2 anaheim chilis, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle lager style beer
2 C diced tomatoes or 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 t chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 t dried)
1 t chili powder
1 or 2 (to taste) serrano chilis, finely chopped
1/2 C water
salt and pepper to taste
plain greek yogurt for garnish
In dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat until warm but not smoking. Add about 1/2 the chicken sprinkled with a bit of salt and cook until starting to brown on the outside, using spatula or slotted spoon, remove from pan and place in seperate bowl. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Add the onion, anaheim chilis, and garlic to the pan, saute until tender and browning (2 or 3 minutes). Add about 1/2 C of the beer and loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, let cook about 1 minute until most of the beer is gone. Add the chicken, the rest of the beer, the beans and the remaining ingredients (except the yogurt). Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 3o minutes, taste and add salt or additional serrano chilis to taste. Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt on top.
Pairs great with a nice fresh salad with ranch dressing (the ranch helps cool any residual pepper burn). Serve it with an IPA or a South African chardonnay. :)
White bean chicken chili
1 3/4 C white tepary beans, soaked overnight and cooked until al dente (or one 15 oz. can of navy beans)
1T canola oil
1 lb. chicken, cut into 1 inch cubes (I used some organic breasts that were on sale this week, but thighs would work great too)
2 anaheim chilis, chopped
1 white onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bottle lager style beer
2 C diced tomatoes or 1 can no salt added diced tomatoes
1 T tomato paste
2 t chopped fresh oregano (or 1/2 t dried)
1 t chili powder
1 or 2 (to taste) serrano chilis, finely chopped
1/2 C water
salt and pepper to taste
plain greek yogurt for garnish
In dutch oven, heat oil over medium high heat until warm but not smoking. Add about 1/2 the chicken sprinkled with a bit of salt and cook until starting to brown on the outside, using spatula or slotted spoon, remove from pan and place in seperate bowl. Repeat with the rest of the chicken. Add the onion, anaheim chilis, and garlic to the pan, saute until tender and browning (2 or 3 minutes). Add about 1/2 C of the beer and loosen any brown bits from the bottom of the pan, let cook about 1 minute until most of the beer is gone. Add the chicken, the rest of the beer, the beans and the remaining ingredients (except the yogurt). Return to a boil, reduce heat to medium low and simmer 3o minutes, taste and add salt or additional serrano chilis to taste. Serve in bowls with a dollop of yogurt on top.
Pairs great with a nice fresh salad with ranch dressing (the ranch helps cool any residual pepper burn). Serve it with an IPA or a South African chardonnay. :)
Sunday, July 26, 2009
Summer Marinara
When the Roma tomatoes are in their prime, there is nothing like some fresh, homemade marinara to show off their great flavors.
1 - 2 lb. roma tomotoes, quartered lenghtwise
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 - 4 anchovies (optional but it adds great depth to the flavor)
2 T olive oil
3 - 4 T fresh basil (or about 1/2 of that dried)
If you have some oregano or thyme, include 1 T or so of them too
salt to taste
In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to get fragrant, add the anchovies and stir until the anchovies start to disolve. Add the tomatoes and let them sizzle for 2 or 3 minutes until they start to render their juices. If using dried herbs add them now. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. Remove from heat and using immersion blender (or in small portions in a stand blender) pulse until the sauce is the consistency you like - I prefer to leave some chunks. Add any fresh herbs. Either use immediately or cool and store in fridge for later use.
1 - 2 lb. roma tomotoes, quartered lenghtwise
3 cloves garlic, chopped
3 - 4 anchovies (optional but it adds great depth to the flavor)
2 T olive oil
3 - 4 T fresh basil (or about 1/2 of that dried)
If you have some oregano or thyme, include 1 T or so of them too
salt to taste
In a dutch oven or soup pot, heat the olive oil and garlic over medium heat. When the garlic starts to get fragrant, add the anchovies and stir until the anchovies start to disolve. Add the tomatoes and let them sizzle for 2 or 3 minutes until they start to render their juices. If using dried herbs add them now. Cover pan and reduce heat to low. Let simmer for 30 - 45 minutes. Remove from heat and using immersion blender (or in small portions in a stand blender) pulse until the sauce is the consistency you like - I prefer to leave some chunks. Add any fresh herbs. Either use immediately or cool and store in fridge for later use.
Cucumber Salad
It seems that now we are in the depth of the desert summer the only plant still booming is the cucumber. I discovered a great little farm near us - Grandma's Farm (19th Ave just north of Dobbins) - and she has had no shortage of Armenian cucumbers. Mike loves my cucumber salad, so I make a batch every weekend.
1 large or 2 medium armenian cucumbers (if you use traditional or english you'll need 3 or 4), thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 C white vinegar
3/4 C raw sugar
3/4 C water
1 T dried basil
Combine the water, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl, stir until sugar disolves. Add the cucumber and onion; crumble the basil over top. Cover and let stand 2 hours at room temp or overnight in the fridge. Serve. This will stay nice all week, so add it to every meal. If your eat all the cucumbers, you can always add more. I just make fresh pickling liquid every weekend.
1 large or 2 medium armenian cucumbers (if you use traditional or english you'll need 3 or 4), thinly sliced
1/2 white onion, thinly sliced
1 C white vinegar
3/4 C raw sugar
3/4 C water
1 T dried basil
Combine the water, vinegar, and sugar in a bowl, stir until sugar disolves. Add the cucumber and onion; crumble the basil over top. Cover and let stand 2 hours at room temp or overnight in the fridge. Serve. This will stay nice all week, so add it to every meal. If your eat all the cucumbers, you can always add more. I just make fresh pickling liquid every weekend.
Tuesday, June 9, 2009
Summer in Phoenix
I know, I know, it has been a long time. Not to make excuses but I'm back in school (I'll finally be a college grad next year - yeah!) and work has been keeping me busy. One of my co-workers inspired me to get back on my blog posting after she was asking me some questions yesterday and I rattled off about 3 recipes in a minute. So, I promise I will try to do better. Just to get up to speed, we are well into summer veggies here in Phoenix and I have tomatoes coming out my ears. I've started getting ulcers in my mouth from eating them 3 meals a day and I can only give away so many because people start to get sick of me showing up with a bag of tomatoes everywhere I go. And 4 of my plants are barely even producing yet. We have 1 beautiful plant that popped up all on its own in our backyard (I must have dropped some seeds when carrying tomatoe waste to the composter last summer) that has been producing enough tomatoes to feed a small country. So, I did some research and have discovered how easy it is to make sun-dried tomatoes. Now I'll have tomatoes later in the year when they are well past in season. Here's how to do it:
* Fashion a rack to hold cheese cloth (I used the lid of a casserole dish that is inset about 1 inch, so the cheese cloth could be well suspended above the surface when attached firmly with packing tape)
* Cut tomatoes into pieces, basically you want each to be about the size of a quarter
* Lay the cut tomatoes on the cheesecloth rack leaving space between them for air to circulate
* Sprinkle with salt and dried oregano
* Cover with another piece of cheesecloth
* Place the rack in a warm sunny place with lots of sun for several days, bringing it inside at night
* Once the tomatoes have no internal moisture, they are done. I put mine in a jar with some olive oil and put them in the fridge.
So easy and a huge pile of tomatoes now fits into a small jar.
* Fashion a rack to hold cheese cloth (I used the lid of a casserole dish that is inset about 1 inch, so the cheese cloth could be well suspended above the surface when attached firmly with packing tape)
* Cut tomatoes into pieces, basically you want each to be about the size of a quarter
* Lay the cut tomatoes on the cheesecloth rack leaving space between them for air to circulate
* Sprinkle with salt and dried oregano
* Cover with another piece of cheesecloth
* Place the rack in a warm sunny place with lots of sun for several days, bringing it inside at night
* Once the tomatoes have no internal moisture, they are done. I put mine in a jar with some olive oil and put them in the fridge.
So easy and a huge pile of tomatoes now fits into a small jar.
Tuesday, March 10, 2009
Spring Herb Souffle
What to do when you have TONS of eggs? Make a souffle, of course! I was always afraid of them until I found an Emeril recipe that is pretty simple. I've had to make a few changes, not sure if it is the low humidity or low altitude here or what, but if I followed the recipe exactly it didn't rise nicely. Here's how I do it, the original recipe called for a little more flour, so just adjust it accordingly to get a nice texture. I make one big souffle, but it can certainly be divided into single souffle dishes.
3/4 C milk
1 1/2 - 2 T flour
1 T butter
3 eggs, seperated and at room temperature
2 baby garlic, sliced
2 - 4 T fresh herbs chopped finely
2 oz. cheese (I prefer Asiago or Parmesan for this but Feta is great too)
A bit more butter and flour for the souffle dish (or dishes)
In a saute pan over medium low heat, cook baby garlic in olive oil until just tender (about 5 minutes). Set aside and let cool slightly.
In a small saucepan heat milk over low heat until just below boiling and hold, keeping warm.
Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour souffle dish(es).
In another small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until it bubbles, add the flour and wisk for a minute or so until it becomes fragrant but don't allow to start browning. Wisk in the warm milk and continue wisking for 2 - 3 minutes until milk mixture begins to thicken. Wisk in the egg yolks until well blended. Remove from heat and transfer to mixing bowl. Add the baby garlic, herbs, and cheese.
In a seperate bowl wisk the egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in thirds, stirring gently until just mixed.
Transfer mixture to souffle dish(es) and bake until risen and golden on top. For one large souffle it will take about 20 - 25 minutes, for smaller ones it will take 15 - 18 minutes. Don't keep opening the door, keep an eye on it through the window.
This is really yummy with a nice mixed green salad or served over sauteed chard.
3/4 C milk
1 1/2 - 2 T flour
1 T butter
3 eggs, seperated and at room temperature
2 baby garlic, sliced
2 - 4 T fresh herbs chopped finely
2 oz. cheese (I prefer Asiago or Parmesan for this but Feta is great too)
A bit more butter and flour for the souffle dish (or dishes)
In a saute pan over medium low heat, cook baby garlic in olive oil until just tender (about 5 minutes). Set aside and let cool slightly.
In a small saucepan heat milk over low heat until just below boiling and hold, keeping warm.
Preheat oven to 375. Butter and flour souffle dish(es).
In another small saucepan, melt butter over medium heat until it bubbles, add the flour and wisk for a minute or so until it becomes fragrant but don't allow to start browning. Wisk in the warm milk and continue wisking for 2 - 3 minutes until milk mixture begins to thicken. Wisk in the egg yolks until well blended. Remove from heat and transfer to mixing bowl. Add the baby garlic, herbs, and cheese.
In a seperate bowl wisk the egg whites until firm peaks form. Fold the egg whites into the yolk mixture in thirds, stirring gently until just mixed.
Transfer mixture to souffle dish(es) and bake until risen and golden on top. For one large souffle it will take about 20 - 25 minutes, for smaller ones it will take 15 - 18 minutes. Don't keep opening the door, keep an eye on it through the window.
This is really yummy with a nice mixed green salad or served over sauteed chard.
Monday, February 16, 2009
Valentine's dinner
With Mom & Dad visiting I wanted to do something really fun and special for Valentine's dinner. So I decided to go all red and pink and heart healthy for dinner. We even splurged and had dessert.
Beet risotto
3 medium red beets (reserve the greens for another use)
3 cloves garlic, choppped
4 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C arborio rice
Start about 2 hours before dinner by cleaning the beets and wrapping them in foil along with a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in a 425 oven for 45 minutes to an hour until very tender. Remove from oven, open foil, and let beets cool until they can be easily handled.
When beets have cooled, use your hands or the side of a fork to remove the skins. Either pulse in a food processor or run through a ricer to extract juices and get the beets into very small pieces. In a large fry pan over medium heat add 2 T olive oil. Add garlic and beets and beet juices and cook until garlic is fragrant. Meanwhile, heat the broth (I like to do about 4 minutes in the microwave). Add the rice and cook about 5 minutes to allow the rice to toast lightly and absorb the beet juices. Add 1/2 C broth and continue stirring the rice nearly constantly. Continue cooking adding the broth in 1/4 to 1/2 C increments until rice is creamy and has is no longer "sucking in" the liquid. You can test the doneness by tasting a few grains, it should be very smooth and creamy on the outside with just the slightest resistance as you bite through. It takes about 25 minutes. This is so thick, once its done you can turn off the heat and just leave it on the warm burner to hold while you finish the rest of your dinner, it won't cool much at all.
Salmon with dilly yogurt sauce
1/4 C plain yogurt
2 T fresh dill, chopped
splash of dill pickle juice
fresh ground pepper
At least a few hours before dinner, mix all 4 ingredients in a bowl until smooth, cover and refrigerate until dinner time.
4 4oz. salmon fillets
dried herbs (I have "fish mix" of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary that I like to use)
Season salmon well and bake in 325 oven until cooked to your desired doneness. I did about 15 minutes for ours, they were cooked just perfect. My rule of thumb with salmon when they have a nice white liquid sqeezing out of them, they are done just right.
Top the salmon with the dill sauce and some fresh dill to serve.
Steamed spinach
On the plates I had the beet risotto, steamed spinach, and the salmon with the dill sauce garnished with fresh dill. I then served some toasted fresh baked break slices rubbed with garlic on the side.
Drunken raspberries
2 C fresh or frozen red raspberries
1 shot of chambord
Combine in bowl and mix well, cover and set aside at room temperature 2 - 3 hours.
Serve over vanilla ice cream or by themselves. I love to top these with some dark chocolate that I grate over it using my lemon zesting grater.
Blood orange mimosas
6 - 10 blood oranges juiced and strained
1 bottle brut sparkling wine
In champagne glass, fill 1/4 full with blood orange juice, top with champagne.
Beet risotto
3 medium red beets (reserve the greens for another use)
3 cloves garlic, choppped
4 C chicken broth
1 1/2 C arborio rice
Start about 2 hours before dinner by cleaning the beets and wrapping them in foil along with a drizzle of olive oil. Roast in a 425 oven for 45 minutes to an hour until very tender. Remove from oven, open foil, and let beets cool until they can be easily handled.
When beets have cooled, use your hands or the side of a fork to remove the skins. Either pulse in a food processor or run through a ricer to extract juices and get the beets into very small pieces. In a large fry pan over medium heat add 2 T olive oil. Add garlic and beets and beet juices and cook until garlic is fragrant. Meanwhile, heat the broth (I like to do about 4 minutes in the microwave). Add the rice and cook about 5 minutes to allow the rice to toast lightly and absorb the beet juices. Add 1/2 C broth and continue stirring the rice nearly constantly. Continue cooking adding the broth in 1/4 to 1/2 C increments until rice is creamy and has is no longer "sucking in" the liquid. You can test the doneness by tasting a few grains, it should be very smooth and creamy on the outside with just the slightest resistance as you bite through. It takes about 25 minutes. This is so thick, once its done you can turn off the heat and just leave it on the warm burner to hold while you finish the rest of your dinner, it won't cool much at all.
Salmon with dilly yogurt sauce
1/4 C plain yogurt
2 T fresh dill, chopped
splash of dill pickle juice
fresh ground pepper
At least a few hours before dinner, mix all 4 ingredients in a bowl until smooth, cover and refrigerate until dinner time.
4 4oz. salmon fillets
dried herbs (I have "fish mix" of garlic, salt, pepper, thyme and rosemary that I like to use)
Season salmon well and bake in 325 oven until cooked to your desired doneness. I did about 15 minutes for ours, they were cooked just perfect. My rule of thumb with salmon when they have a nice white liquid sqeezing out of them, they are done just right.
Top the salmon with the dill sauce and some fresh dill to serve.
Steamed spinach
On the plates I had the beet risotto, steamed spinach, and the salmon with the dill sauce garnished with fresh dill. I then served some toasted fresh baked break slices rubbed with garlic on the side.
Drunken raspberries
2 C fresh or frozen red raspberries
1 shot of chambord
Combine in bowl and mix well, cover and set aside at room temperature 2 - 3 hours.
Serve over vanilla ice cream or by themselves. I love to top these with some dark chocolate that I grate over it using my lemon zesting grater.
Blood orange mimosas
6 - 10 blood oranges juiced and strained
1 bottle brut sparkling wine
In champagne glass, fill 1/4 full with blood orange juice, top with champagne.
Roast beets with mixed greens and multi-grain pilaf
We were all in the mood for some vegetarian cooking on Thursday and I had lots of veggies to use from the farm share that we needed to use since we were going to a cooking demonstration on Friday night, so I came up with this to use up what I had left - swiss chard, candy cane beets, and spinach.
Multi-grain pilaf
2 cups multi-grain or rice mix (I get a mix that is brown & red rice, pearled barley, and rye berries)
4 C onion broth (or any other broth would work)
2 scallions, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
In large sauce pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat, add the scallions and the celery and cook about 5 minutes until tender. Add the grain or rice mix and stir to toast slightly about 2 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Allow to cook according to package directions for the grains. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
For the veggies:
1 bunch of swiss chard (seperate the stems from the greens)
a big pile of spinach roughly chopped
bunch of beets, seperate the beets from the greens and roughly chop the greens
First, cut the beets into a large dice, then chop the chard stems into chunks. Heat oven to 425. Toss the beets and chard stems with olive oil, dried thyme, and a bit of sea salt. Place in 13 x 9 pan and roast in oven for 30 - 40 minutes until tender.
When the beets are starting to get tender, roughly chop the chard greens and add to the other chopped greens. In a large fry pan over medium heat add 2 cloves of garlic chopped and a pinch of crushed red pepper, cook until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add the greens and cook stirring constantly until all the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
Turn the greens out onto a serving platter, top with roasted beets, and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Serve with the multi-grain pilaf.
Multi-grain pilaf
2 cups multi-grain or rice mix (I get a mix that is brown & red rice, pearled barley, and rye berries)
4 C onion broth (or any other broth would work)
2 scallions, chopped
2 stalks celery, diced
In large sauce pan, heat a bit of olive oil over medium high heat, add the scallions and the celery and cook about 5 minutes until tender. Add the grain or rice mix and stir to toast slightly about 2 minutes. Add the broth, bring to a boil, then cover and reduce heat. Allow to cook according to package directions for the grains. Season with salt & pepper to taste.
For the veggies:
1 bunch of swiss chard (seperate the stems from the greens)
a big pile of spinach roughly chopped
bunch of beets, seperate the beets from the greens and roughly chop the greens
First, cut the beets into a large dice, then chop the chard stems into chunks. Heat oven to 425. Toss the beets and chard stems with olive oil, dried thyme, and a bit of sea salt. Place in 13 x 9 pan and roast in oven for 30 - 40 minutes until tender.
When the beets are starting to get tender, roughly chop the chard greens and add to the other chopped greens. In a large fry pan over medium heat add 2 cloves of garlic chopped and a pinch of crushed red pepper, cook until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add the greens and cook stirring constantly until all the greens are tender, about 10 minutes.
Turn the greens out onto a serving platter, top with roasted beets, and sprinkle with fresh grated parmesan cheese. Serve with the multi-grain pilaf.
Turnip Soup
I know, I know, it has been a long time since I've posted. It's been a little crazy around here and it just kept slipping my mind until I talked to my sister this weekend and she told me I'd better update my blog since she's sick of looking at beet soup. So here we go.
My parents got into town last week and it was a pretty crazy day - work until 5, then a community council obligation, then off to the airport to pick up Mom & Dad. By the time we got home it was a little after 8 and none of us had eaten. I knew it would be nuts, so in the morning before work I had pulled out my 2 quart size crockpot and made some turnip soup.
4 - 5 cups of chicken or veggie broth (I used a combination since I make my own from leftovers and had only about 2 cups of chicken broth left)
1 bunch of turnips with greens (about 6 medium sized turnips
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs rosemary
Seperate turnips and tops trimming any dried tops off. Quarter the turnips and roughly chop the greens (I only throw out the area where the greens attach to the turnip since it normally has too much dirt to get clean). Dice the carrots and celery, roughly chop the garlic. Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low 8 - 10 hours or on medium for 6 - 8 until the turnips are tender. Serve with grainy rolls or crackers.
My parents got into town last week and it was a pretty crazy day - work until 5, then a community council obligation, then off to the airport to pick up Mom & Dad. By the time we got home it was a little after 8 and none of us had eaten. I knew it would be nuts, so in the morning before work I had pulled out my 2 quart size crockpot and made some turnip soup.
4 - 5 cups of chicken or veggie broth (I used a combination since I make my own from leftovers and had only about 2 cups of chicken broth left)
1 bunch of turnips with greens (about 6 medium sized turnips
2 carrots
2 stalks celery
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs rosemary
Seperate turnips and tops trimming any dried tops off. Quarter the turnips and roughly chop the greens (I only throw out the area where the greens attach to the turnip since it normally has too much dirt to get clean). Dice the carrots and celery, roughly chop the garlic. Combine all ingredients in the crockpot and cook on low 8 - 10 hours or on medium for 6 - 8 until the turnips are tender. Serve with grainy rolls or crackers.
Thursday, February 5, 2009
Beet Soup
I got some more beets this week and the two that came up in my garden are ready, so tonight is beet soup night. It is a really simple recipe, I can't say I make it exactly the same every time because I pretty much do it by eye, but it is delicious.
4 - 6 beets, cut into large chunks
1/2 onion
2 stalks celery
garlic to taste
2 t chinese five spice
1 T fresh grated ginger
3 - 4 C vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
In a stock pot over medium heat add the onion and celery, cook until it begins to get tender. Add the garlic, chinese five spice, and ginger, stir for about 1 minute. Add the beets and enough vegetable broth making sure to cover the veggies, bring to a boil, cover and cook about 45 minutes until the beets are very tender. Using blender or immersion blender, blend until smooth. Serve topped with some yogurt or sour cream, the braised greens, or some green onions (or any combination of them).
I was never a huge beet fan, but I've been learning to really enjoy them and this soup is incredible. It comes out to a gorgeous purple red puree, as always though with beets, make sure you don't drip it anywhere or you'll have stains forever. I love to have the leftovers with a small salad of field greens, pecans, and blue cheese.
4 - 6 beets, cut into large chunks
1/2 onion
2 stalks celery
garlic to taste
2 t chinese five spice
1 T fresh grated ginger
3 - 4 C vegetable broth
salt & pepper to taste
In a stock pot over medium heat add the onion and celery, cook until it begins to get tender. Add the garlic, chinese five spice, and ginger, stir for about 1 minute. Add the beets and enough vegetable broth making sure to cover the veggies, bring to a boil, cover and cook about 45 minutes until the beets are very tender. Using blender or immersion blender, blend until smooth. Serve topped with some yogurt or sour cream, the braised greens, or some green onions (or any combination of them).
I was never a huge beet fan, but I've been learning to really enjoy them and this soup is incredible. It comes out to a gorgeous purple red puree, as always though with beets, make sure you don't drip it anywhere or you'll have stains forever. I love to have the leftovers with a small salad of field greens, pecans, and blue cheese.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Green pasta & an overload of citrus
I am now the proud owner of a computer box full of grapefruit. One of Mike's co-workers has an overachieving grapefruit tree and he volunteered to take some of them off her hands, so after eating dinner last night (I will admit, I bought dinner out and brought it home, I was working until after 7) Mike announced he had a gift for me in the car. A moment later he came back in the house huffing and grunting as he carried in this big box and set it down on the table to show me what he had found. He was so proud! While he thinks he can eat them all, I'm not so sure. Thankfully, my mom will be here in 2 weeks so I'm going to enlist her help in teaching me how to can so I can preserve all the great citrus we are getting for free and really cheap right now to eat later in the year when all the citrus trees are back to just being green. Speaking of green . . . .
I had a big bunch of what I believe to be chard, but a variety I've never had before from this week's farm share. It had larger, smoother leaves than what I'm used to but had that same distinct flavor. I also had some leftover broccoli from a veggie tray I had made last weekend, so I decided to do a pasta with greens dish. I don't have a name for it other than "green pasta", but here's the recipe:
1 large bunch of chard
1 head broccoli
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t red pepper flakes
1 T olive oil
Begin by trimming the stems out of the chard and chopping them rather fine. Then roll the leaves like long logs and cut in slices to make ribbons. Trim the broccoli into medium sized florets (you can also peel and chop the stems and use them as well, they are very tasty). Once the veggies are prepped, add the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes to a very large fry pan over medium heat until fragrant. Add the chard stems and cook for about 5 minutes until just starting to get tender. Add the chard leaves and allow to cook down. Meanwhile, if you like your broccoli well cooked, give them a quick steam for about 3 minutes in the microwave.
Pot of water for cooking pasta
3 - 4 servings of whole wheat pasta
olive oil and salt for the pasta pot
While the chard cooks down start the water boiling with the olive oil and salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I suggest basil and oregano)
Break the egg into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Strain the pasta once it is al dente, reserving 1 C of the cooking liquid. Place the hot pasta over the egg and mix well so the heat of the pasta softly cooks the egg. Toss the fresh herbs into the hot pasta, season with salt & pepper to taste.
Once the chard is getting tender (it will take 10 - 15 minutes) add the broccoli to the pan and continue to stir adding some of the pasta water as needed to help tenderize the greens (don't let them get wet, add it just a splash at a time). It actually helps the flavor if you don't stir too much so you get some "singed" edges on the chard. Once the veggies are cooked, add just a bit of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the veggies to the serving bowl on top of the pasta, drizzle with some good quality olive oil and top with some fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Serve.
The closer you can time the veggies and the pasta, the better; pasta always tastes best within minutes of coming out of the water.
I had a big bunch of what I believe to be chard, but a variety I've never had before from this week's farm share. It had larger, smoother leaves than what I'm used to but had that same distinct flavor. I also had some leftover broccoli from a veggie tray I had made last weekend, so I decided to do a pasta with greens dish. I don't have a name for it other than "green pasta", but here's the recipe:
1 large bunch of chard
1 head broccoli
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 t red pepper flakes
1 T olive oil
Begin by trimming the stems out of the chard and chopping them rather fine. Then roll the leaves like long logs and cut in slices to make ribbons. Trim the broccoli into medium sized florets (you can also peel and chop the stems and use them as well, they are very tasty). Once the veggies are prepped, add the olive oil, garlic, and pepper flakes to a very large fry pan over medium heat until fragrant. Add the chard stems and cook for about 5 minutes until just starting to get tender. Add the chard leaves and allow to cook down. Meanwhile, if you like your broccoli well cooked, give them a quick steam for about 3 minutes in the microwave.
Pot of water for cooking pasta
3 - 4 servings of whole wheat pasta
olive oil and salt for the pasta pot
While the chard cooks down start the water boiling with the olive oil and salt. Cook the pasta according to package directions.
1 egg
1/2 cup chopped fresh herbs (I suggest basil and oregano)
Break the egg into the bottom of a large serving bowl. Strain the pasta once it is al dente, reserving 1 C of the cooking liquid. Place the hot pasta over the egg and mix well so the heat of the pasta softly cooks the egg. Toss the fresh herbs into the hot pasta, season with salt & pepper to taste.
Once the chard is getting tender (it will take 10 - 15 minutes) add the broccoli to the pan and continue to stir adding some of the pasta water as needed to help tenderize the greens (don't let them get wet, add it just a splash at a time). It actually helps the flavor if you don't stir too much so you get some "singed" edges on the chard. Once the veggies are cooked, add just a bit of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the veggies to the serving bowl on top of the pasta, drizzle with some good quality olive oil and top with some fresh grated Parmesan or Romano cheese. Serve.
The closer you can time the veggies and the pasta, the better; pasta always tastes best within minutes of coming out of the water.
Sunday, January 25, 2009
Week 2 - Sunday
We had lots of stuff to get done around the house today and I had a ton of school work, so this morning started with coffee and toast. For lunch I picked clean what was left of a roast chicken I had made last week (from the same place I got the bison - it was a heritage breed) and made some chicken salad, just chicken, some fresh herbs, celery (okay, that came from the grocery store), and mayo. After getting most of our work done, we sat down to chicken salad on a bed of salad greens with some roasted pumpkins seeds (left over from fall). We had one of our grapefruit for dessert. I got the chicken carcass going in some water for stock for later.
I needed to figure out how to use all the lemons we've been accumulating from friend's trees and the CSA; so I decided to try my hand at preserved lemons. It was actually pretty easy, other than almost burning myself sterilizing the jar. After the jar was sterilized, I just sliced the lemons in quarters, ending just before reaching the bottom so they'd stay together, coated them well with coarse salt, and smashed them into the jar. You have to really shove them in and let the juices come out, then I topped it with more salt, sealed it up; and according to the web site I found, if I shake the jar every once in a while, in about a month, my preserved lemons will be ready to use.
We haven't decided on dinner yet, I'm leaning toward just breaking out leftovers from last week and calling it a day. I still have tons of lemons and some really beautiful blood oranges I need to decide what to do with.
I needed to figure out how to use all the lemons we've been accumulating from friend's trees and the CSA; so I decided to try my hand at preserved lemons. It was actually pretty easy, other than almost burning myself sterilizing the jar. After the jar was sterilized, I just sliced the lemons in quarters, ending just before reaching the bottom so they'd stay together, coated them well with coarse salt, and smashed them into the jar. You have to really shove them in and let the juices come out, then I topped it with more salt, sealed it up; and according to the web site I found, if I shake the jar every once in a while, in about a month, my preserved lemons will be ready to use.
We haven't decided on dinner yet, I'm leaning toward just breaking out leftovers from last week and calling it a day. I still have tons of lemons and some really beautiful blood oranges I need to decide what to do with.
Week 2 of my CSA
I was too chicken to start posting with week one - afraid I'd get stuff I wouldn't know what it was or how to use. So let's just start with this week.
My share: lots of carrots (tops included), turnips with greens, chard, basil, mixed salad greens, beets, onions, and lots of citrus. Along with one very pretty bouquet of flowers. I also picked up a fresh loaf of roast garlic bread (there is a gentleman who sets up a table at the farm every Saturday selling homemade baked goods).
Leftover from last week: onion, eggs, turnip greens, salad greens, variety of herbs.
I picked up a bison roast from a local farmer's market this week, so yesterday morning before heading to the farm for my pickup (and breakfast at the farm), I put the roast in the crockpot on low with lots of red onion, some garlic, a little red wine, and 1/2 cup of water. When we got home from the farm and I was able to check out my share and decided to use last week's turnip greens combined with this weeks and some of my carrot tops to add some veggies to the roast, so I threw those in along with 3 chopped up carrots. This cooked all day while we ran errands, got haircuts, and weeded the yard. By dinner time, the house smelled awesome! I sliced some of the garlic bread and threw it under the broiler to toast it, served that along side all the goodies from the crockpot on a big platter, and set up the whole thing on the outside table (we've had some gorgeous evenings this week, so we've been making a habit of eating outside). Dinner was deemed a great success and I enjoyed the first red meat I've had in over 6 months!
My share: lots of carrots (tops included), turnips with greens, chard, basil, mixed salad greens, beets, onions, and lots of citrus. Along with one very pretty bouquet of flowers. I also picked up a fresh loaf of roast garlic bread (there is a gentleman who sets up a table at the farm every Saturday selling homemade baked goods).
Leftover from last week: onion, eggs, turnip greens, salad greens, variety of herbs.
I picked up a bison roast from a local farmer's market this week, so yesterday morning before heading to the farm for my pickup (and breakfast at the farm), I put the roast in the crockpot on low with lots of red onion, some garlic, a little red wine, and 1/2 cup of water. When we got home from the farm and I was able to check out my share and decided to use last week's turnip greens combined with this weeks and some of my carrot tops to add some veggies to the roast, so I threw those in along with 3 chopped up carrots. This cooked all day while we ran errands, got haircuts, and weeded the yard. By dinner time, the house smelled awesome! I sliced some of the garlic bread and threw it under the broiler to toast it, served that along side all the goodies from the crockpot on a big platter, and set up the whole thing on the outside table (we've had some gorgeous evenings this week, so we've been making a habit of eating outside). Dinner was deemed a great success and I enjoyed the first red meat I've had in over 6 months!
Let me tell you why I'm doing this . . . .
Over the last year I've been making a lot of changes in the way I view food. It started with a move away from processed foods for my whole family (the dog included) and we began examining ingredients more carefully and shopping the outside edge of the grocery store. Then, this past summer I found some lumps in my throat that the specialist I was referred to described as nodules in my thyroid; they were unable to get a good samples so I was told what my chances were that this was cancer. Being really stubborn, I refuse to admit that my body could turn on me like that without me having any symptoms, so after talking to the doctor, I was given 6 months to try to eliminate these things on my own. I want to an accupuncturist and Chinese herbologist who recommended I follow an anti-inflamatory diet, including cutting out all sources of animal protein but fish. Without going into a long explaination, this made me start doing a lot more reading about healthy eating and the effects of what we eat on long-term health, particularly related to cancer. I've now passed the 6 months and the "nodules" still aren't gone, but the doctor has said I can continue on this path as long as I get regular checkups to make sure nothing has changed. However, I am making a move away from the pescatarian diet and beginning to again eat animal proteins but instead being very careful about the sources.
The reading I've done talks so much about how the chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, etc. . . leach into our food system and into our bodies and our bodies don't know what to do with all these things. So, in going natural, the best way I found to do that was to go local, so I know where the food came from, can see where it was raised or grown and come into contact with it before it heads for my dinner table; so I joined a CSA. If you don't know what that it, it stand for "Community Supported Agriculture," it basically means for the next 3 months I've purchased a share in a farm, in exchange I get to pick up my share of the products of the farm once a week.
This begins my encounter with eating local.
The reading I've done talks so much about how the chemicals, pesticides, herbicides, etc. . . leach into our food system and into our bodies and our bodies don't know what to do with all these things. So, in going natural, the best way I found to do that was to go local, so I know where the food came from, can see where it was raised or grown and come into contact with it before it heads for my dinner table; so I joined a CSA. If you don't know what that it, it stand for "Community Supported Agriculture," it basically means for the next 3 months I've purchased a share in a farm, in exchange I get to pick up my share of the products of the farm once a week.
This begins my encounter with eating local.
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