A Perfect Start to the Day

Since I have been having really long days of rehearsals and shows, Adam and I haven't had as much of a chance to spend time together in the kitchen. On Friday night I came home to a computer screen full of fabulous Saturday morning breakfast ideas. We decided on Cranberry Scones and homemade butter. To make the butter all you have to do is put heavy cream in to a mixer and turn it on. Wait until it passes the whipped cream stage, letting the mixer keep doing it's thing. All of a sudden, butter will stick to the beater and buttermilk will sit at the bottom of the bowl. If you want to add flavorings or salt, simply add them before turning on the mixer. Sounds daunting, but if you can turn on a food processor and a mixer, you've got this meal made--literally.


Cranberry Scones (www.joyofbaking.com/CranberryScones.html, Stephanie Jaworski)

The recipe calls for topping the scones with sliced almonds, but we didn't have any so we used chopped pecans. You are also supposed to use dried fruit in the recipe in addition to the cranberries, but we didn't have any so we just increased the amount of fresh cranberries slightly. The contrast of the tart cranberries with the sweet bread and savory pecans works perfectly for an early morning treat.

2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white granulated sugar
2 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup cold unsalted butter
1/2 cup fresh cranberries, cut in half
1/3 cup mixed candied fruit and peel
2/3 to 3/4 cup milk
1/4 cup sliced almonds

1. Preheat oven to 400 and place rack in middle of oven. Butter or line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a food processor combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter by pulsing until it has formed a mixture looking like coarse crumbs. Transfer to a medium-sized bowl. Gently stir in the cranberries and candied fruit, making sure not to crush the fruit. Add the milk and stir just until combined. Do not over mix.
3. Gently knead the dough on a lightly floured surface. Roll or pat the dough into a circle that is 8 inches round and about 1 1/2 inches thick. Transfer to prepared baking sheet and then brush scone with milk. Using a sharp knife, score the scone into eight pieces and then sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
4. Bake for about 20 minutes or until lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center of the scone comes out clean.

Empanadas Ole!

Recently we have developed a new tradition with our neighbor by having Wednesday night dinners. We always prepare fantastic foods, drink a little too much for a Wednesday night, and have a glorious time! These nights make me actually look forward to Wednesdays. This past week Adam and I decided to re-create a dish from the Latin cooking class we took in August (as my birthday present--Thanks Mom and Dad!). I wasn't actually able to try the empanadas that were made at the cooking class, but the teacher suggested making them with roasted butternut squash and goat cheese, which is exactly what we did. We also made some more traditional empanadas filled with chorizo. We served both with a cilantro mojo sauce which will blow your mind! Mixed with homemade margaritas and a salad with black beans and avocado, this meal was a perfect hump day celebration!

A few notes:
1. I forgot to take a picture. Perhaps it was the margarita I had had, perhaps not. Nevertheless, there isn't an empanada picture.
2. I am going to give you the original recipe that has chicken and chorizo. For the chorizo empanadas we made, we followed the same recipe but simply omitted the chicken. For the butternut squash emapanadas, we roasted half a butternut squash for approximately 40 minutes in a 400 oven. Then, we mashed the roasted squash, that had been peeled, with cumin, cinnamon, salt, and pepper. Next, we crumbled goat cheese into the mixture. That's it!
3. The dough is incredibly easy in the food processor and incredibly delicious!


Chicken and Chorizo Empanadas with Clinatro Mojo (Penelope Alzamora)

Dough:
1 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup butter (4 oz.)
1 cup cream cheese (8 oz.)
salt and pepper

Cilantro Mojo
1 tsp. toasted cumin seeds
8 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup cilantro
1 medium poblano chile, minced
1 jalapeno, seeded and minced
1/2 cup virgin olive oil
3 Tbs. red wine vinegar

Filling
3 Tbs. olive oil
6 oz. ground chicken
1/4 cup chorizo, casing removed
1/2 tsp. garlic, finely chopped
1 large onion, finely chopped
1/4 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tsp. ground ancho chile
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fresh oregano, finely chopped
2 Tbs. raisins
salt and pepper
12 green olives stuffed with pimento, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten with 1 tsp. of water

1. Dough: To make the dough, place the flour, butter, cream cheese, and a pinch of each of salt and pepper in a food processor until dough forms a smooth ball. Wrap the dough in waxed paper and chill at least 30 minutes. Meanwhile, start making the mojo and filling.
2. Cilantro Mojo: In a mortar crush the cumin seeds. Mash in the garlic and salt, then add and mash to a paste the cilantro, poblano, and jalapeno chile. Gradually stir in the oil and vinegar. Reserve.
3. Preheat the oven to 400.
4. To make the filling: Warm olive oil over medium high heat in a medium-sized pan. Add the chicken and saute, until cooked, about 1 minute. Remove from pan with a slotted spoon and reserve. In the same pan, over medium-high heat, saute chorizo, garlic, onion, bell pepper, ground ancho chile, and cumin until onion is translucent, about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Return chicken to pan; add raisins, olives, salt and pepper to taste. Let it cool.
5. Remove the dough from the refrigerator and place on a lightly floured work surface. Roll out to 1/4-inch thick and cut rounds using 3-inch or 5-inch cutter.
6. On each circle of dough, place about 1 Tbs. of filling. Moisten the edges with beaten egg wash and fold the pastry in half, pressing the edges together with a fork. Brush the empanadas with beaten egg.
7. Bake for 20-25 minutes, until pastry is golden brown. Serve with cilantro mojo sauce.

A Meal to Warm the Soul

While browsing through some of my cookbooks, I found this recipe for Cottage Cheese-Dill Bread and was immediately intrigued. Adam and I are pretty much obsessed with cottage cheese, always having it in the house. It's getting a little colder here in Oakland, so I figured I would pair this bread with a hearty bean and green tomato-based soup. The bread and the soup turned out perfectly, warming the body and soul, head to toe.

Cottage Cheese-Dill Bread (The New Enchanted Broccoli Forest, Mollie Katzen)

Mollie Katzen suggests eating the bread with a thin spread of cream cheese and cucumber or of raspberry jam. Both are absolutely delicious. Adam and I had several breakfasts of an egg and the bread with raspberry jam.

a little butter or oil for the pan
2 cups unbleached white flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
a scant 1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup cottage cheese
2 eggs
6 Tbs. milk
1/4 cup honey or sugar
4 Tbs. melted butter
3 Tbs. minced fresh dill (or 1 Tbs. dried)

1. Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease a medium-sized loaf pan.
2. Sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt into a medium-large bowl. Make a well in the center.
3. Combine the cottage cheese, eggs, milk, sweetening, and melted butter in a separate bowl and beat well. Add this to the dry ingredients along with the dill, and mix just enough to thoroughly blend. The batter will be fairly stiff.
4. Take your time as you spread it evenly into the prepared pan. Let it bake for 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted all the way into the center comes out clean. Remove from the pan after about 10 minutes, and cool on a rack for another 30 minutes or so before slicing.


Collard and Chickpea Soup

I had originally wanted to make this soup with kale, but there was none to be found at Safeway when I went shopping. So, I settled for collards instead, and the soup turned out wonderfully. Any green you have on hand could be substituted if you don't have any collards available. One of the great things about this soup is that you most likely have all of the ingredients in your pantry or fridge already!

1/2 onion, diced
2 stalks celery, diced
1 (24-oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 (15-oz.) can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
4 cups collard greens, chopped
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
salt and pepper to taste

1. Saute the onion and celery in olive oil in a medium-large pot on medium heat. When the onion is translucent add the tomatoes and chickpeas. Add approximately 24 oz. of water to the soup. Add the collards and spices; allow greens to wilt and the soup to come to a simmer.
2. Taste the soup and adjust the spices to your liking. Serve piping hot.

Season of Sweets

Finally, I have a chance to write a new post. Sorry it's been so long. For those of you who don't know, I'm performing in Peninsula Ballet Theatre's Nutcracker. We've had shows every weekend in December and have one more. Really fun, but really exhausting and time consuming. Therefore, I haven't had any time to post my food or even cook amazing meals. We have found time to make a few killer dishes, and now I have time to share them with you.

We hadn't baked in a while, so we sifted through our pantry and came up with the ingredients for blondies with a bourbon sauce. We made the mistake of not using quick-cooking oats, which made them a little under-done while the rest of the blondie was a bit dry. Although our making of these blondies didn't turn out perfect, I would definitely give them another try. With coffee, these are a fantastic way to end the night (or even start the day, if you have a sweet tooth like we do).


Chocolate Chip Blondies with Caramel-Bourbon Drizzle (Cooking Light, November 2006)

We added more bourbon than they called for, so adjust the drizzle to your preferred bourbon level.

Blondies:
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 6 3/4 oz.)
1/2 cup quick-cooking oats
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup egg substitute
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup semisweet mini chocolate chips
1 tsp. vanilla extract
cooking spray

Drizzle:
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. whipping cream
1 tsp. bourbon

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To prepare blondies, lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups, and level with a knife. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients, stirring well with a whisk.
3. Place 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup butter in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium-speed until well blended. Add egg substitute and egg to sugar mixture; beat well. Add flour mixture; beat just until combined. Stir in chocolate chips and vanilla.
4. Spoon batter into a 9-inch square baking pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted into center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack.
5. To prepare drizzle, combine 1/2 cup sugar, 1 Tbs. butter, whipping cream, and bourbon in a medium saucepan over medium heat; bring to a boil. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly with a whisk. Pour mixture into a bowl; chill 1 hour. Drizzle bourbon mixture over blondies; cut into 24 bars.

Savory Napoleons

We are still trying to clean out our fridge from all of the Thanksgiving festivities. Pulling from what we had, I came up with this idea to make a sweet potato Napoleon. We took sliced sweet potato, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta cheese and baked them all together. To top it all off, we mixed together a concoction of yogurt, thyme, lemon juice, and cayenne and drizzled it over the Napoleon. Although we should have sliced the sweet potato a bit thinner, these sweet potato Napoleons were restaurant-quality (almost, at least).


Sweet Potato Napoleons

I am not going to add any quantities for the ingredients because they can be used in any quantity. Roasted red peppers or spinach would be amazing additions to the Napoleon if you feel like straying from what we used.

sweet potato, sliced thinly into rounds
tofu, sliced thinly into rectangles about the size of the sweet potato slices
mushrooms, sliced
sun-dried tomatoes
feta, sliced or crumbled
plain yogurt
lemon, juiced
cayenne
fresh thyme

1. Steam the sweet potato by placing it in a microwavable bowl and microwaving for approximately 7 minutes, or until the sweet potato is tender. Broil the tofu by placing it on aluminum foil, spraying both sides with cooking spray, and placing under the broiler until slightly crisp and brown.
2. Meanwhile, saute the mushrooms in olive oil over medium heat.
3. In a baking sheet, layer the sweet potato, tofu, sun-dried tomatoes, mushrooms, and feta, starting and ending with sweet potato. We used 3 sweet potatoes per Napoleon. Bake in a 425 oven for 30 to 40 minutes.
4. Mix together the yogurt, lemon, cayenne, and thyme (in your preferred portions) in a small bowl.
5. When the Napoleons have baked through, place on a plate and drizzle with yogurt mixture. Serve immediately.

Un-Thanksgiving Meal

Up until the last minute on Thanksgiving, we had planned on making creamed spinach as another side dish. We realized that it was completely unnecessary and decided to wait (thank goodness). So, we made a healthy version of creamed spinach served with smashed potatoes (which I have posted previously). It wasn't the most filling meal ever, but it certainly was a nutritious one.


Zesty Creamed Spinach (Vegetarian Times, November/December 2008)

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 large shallot, chopped (1/2 cup)
1 16-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed but not drained
3/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 1/2 tsp. grated lemon zest
1 1/2 tsp. minced fresh rosemary

1. Heat olive oil in skillet over medium heat. Cook shallot 5 to 7 minutes or until golden, stirring frequently. Add spinach, and cook 5 minutes more. Remove from heat.
2. Stir yogurt, lemon zest, and rosemary into spinach mixture, and season with pepper.

Happy Thanksgiving!

I have so much to be thankful for this year, a wonderful family and plenty of food and drink to share are not among the least. Sadly, I wasn't able to spend this Thanksgiving holiday with the majority of my family, I was able to share an abundance of food with my loving husband, brother-in-law, and two of his friends, which turned out be a fantastic way to spend the holiday. It didn't hurt that we started off the afternoon with a wonderful cheese plate and sherry. Jeremy brought over blocks of bleu cheese, Manchego, and Roquefort. The Roquefort was absolutely to die for. The only unfortunate part was that we couldn't wait for Frank and Lori--they didn't get to try any of it. Oops.

In addition to our cheese course, we snacked on sweet pickles and olives that had been poached in olive oil, rosemary, oregano, and crushed red pepper. Jeremy added salt to the poaching liquid, which I would advise against. The Kalamata and Garlic Stuffed Green olives were salty enough. Other than that, they were a perfect accompaniment to the cheeses.

Because we were still hungry (yeah right), we had dinner not too long after our second course of cheese (because of course Frank and Lori brought over some Brie). Jeremy and Adam have decided that they are not huge fans of turkey. It always ends up dry. So, we decided to roast a duck with a pesto of parsley, thyme, and olive oil under the skin. It roasted for about 2 hours in a 350 oven in a roasting pan. It came out slightly overcooked, but that was because every guide we read said the duck would take 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Everyone said it was luscious though. It certainly looked it.

For me, the sides are the highlight of Thanksgiving dinner. We had the traditional mashed sweet potatoes with Marshmallow Fluff (no gelatin) scooped on top and browned. The sweet potatoes were steamed in a covered bowl in the microwave for approximately 7 minutes, or until softened. Then, the sweet potatoes were mashed with a hand mixer with 1 Tbs. butter, 1/4 cup milk, and 1 Tbs. (or so) of brown sugar. They were then put in a baking dish and topped with Marshmallow Fluff. They were baked in the 350 degree oven for 30 minutes until heated through and marshmallows browned.

We also had my guilty pleasure of green bean casserole. I'm not quite sure why I love this dish so much. I feel like it goes against my everyday eating in all ways. In general, I hate gloopy, fatty things. But, for some reason, on Thanksgiving green bean casserole is where it's at. I mixed approximately 2 lbs. of green beans with 1 can cream of mushroom soup and 1/4 cup milk. I microwaved the casserole for 5 minutes to softened the green beans, topped it with fried onions, and then baked it at 350 for 30 minutes.

Stuffing is another of my Thanksgiving favorites (I know, I have a lot of them). I tried to recreate my parents' stuffing as best I could, and I think I did a pretty good job. I mixed a bunch of leftover bread I had thawed from out of the freezer, including wheat bread, white bread, and corn bread. I sauteed a a finely chopped white onion, 4 finely chopped stalks of celery, and half a bunch of minced parsley with 1/2 Tbs. butter and 1 Tbs. olive oil until the onion is translucent and tender. After the onion mixture cooled, I combined it with the hand-torn bread. I added 2 eggs, 2 Tbs. poultry seasoning, salt, fresh ground black pepper, and water. The salt, pepper, and water will be to taste, as can the poultry seasoning. Mix everything together with your hands. Add enough water to make the stuffing fairly moist. It should be quite sticky. Taste it to make sure it has the seasonings you like. Stuff into the bird or place in a baking dish. Bake for 40 minutes at 350.

Adam and Jeremy really wanted risotto to serve alongside the duck. We made a mushroom risotto with onions, white wine, and vegetable broth. It paired perfectly with the hearty earthy-ness of the duck.

And because that wasn't quite enough food, Frank and Lori brought over a pot of rich Cream of Celery Root Soup. I'm not sure how they made it, but I do know that it was not a low-fat version of anything!

To top everything off, we had, of course, pecan and apple pies. Frank and Lori brought over a pumpkin pie, so we had every kind covered. Adam made the crust by hand, which truly makes all the difference.

Pastry for Pies and Tarts (Betty Crocker Bridal Edition)

We used butter instead of shortening. And, we used a food processor for all of the cutting of the butter into the flour, which makes the process really easy and fast. For the apple pie, the recipe needs to be doubled to make enough for the top and bottom crusts.

1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/3 cup plus 1 Tbs. shortening
2 to 3 Tbs. cold water

1. Measure 2 Tbs. water into liquid measuring cup; set aside. Place shortening, flour and salt in food processor. Cover and process, using quick on-and-off motions, until mixture is crumbly. With food processor running, pour water all at once through feed tube just until dough leaves side of bowl (dough should not form a ball).
2. Gather pastry into a ball. Shape into flattened round on lightly floured surface. If desired, wrap flattened round of pastry in plastic wrap and refrigerate about 30 minutes to firm up the shortening slightly, which helps makes the baked pastry more flaky and lets the water absorb evenly throughout the dough. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.
3. Roll pastry on lightly floured surface, using floured rolling pin, into circle 2 inches larger than upside-down pie plate, 9 x 1 1/4 inches, or 3 inches larger than 10 or 11-inch tart pan. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate; or roll pastry loosely around rolling pin and transfer to pie plate. Unfold or unroll pastry and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side and being careful not to stretch pastry, which will cause it to shrink when baked.


Apple Pie (Betty Crocker Bridal Edition)

We forgot to add the butter on top of the apple concoction, but I don't think it tasted as though anything was missing. Why not drop those few calories from the Thanksgiving feast?

Two pie crusts
1/3 to 2/3 cup sugar
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
dash of salt
8 cups thinly sliced peeled tart apples
2 Tbs. butter, if desired

1. Heat oven to 425. Make pastry.
2. Mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt in large bowl. Stir in apples. Turn into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces; sprinkle over apples. Cover with top pastry that has slits cut in it; seal and flute. Cover edge with 2- to 3-inch strip of aluminum foil to prevent excessive browning; remove foil during last 15 minutes of baking.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is golden brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in crust. Cool on wire rack at least 2 hours.


Pecan Pie (Betty Crocker Bridal Edition)

One pie crust
2/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup butter, melted
1 cup corn syrup
1/2 tsp. salt
3 large eggs
1 cup pecan halves or broken pecans

1. Heat oven to 375. Make pastry for unbaked One-Crust Pie.
2. Beat sugar, butter, corn syrup, salt and eggs in medium bowl with wire whisk or hand beater until well blended. Stir in pecans. Pour into pastry-lined pie plate.
3. Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until center is set.

Apples Galore!

Every day at the school where I teach, the kids receive a basket full of fruit and vegetables, most of which go untouched. Right before Thanksgiving break, we had about 15 apples left over. I decided to take them home and bring them back to school in the form of muffins to share with the kids and staff as a little Thanksgiving treat. I followed a recipe from Cooking Light with only slight alterations. They turned out wonderfully moist and sweet and, best of all, delicious! They have very little butter or fat, so in addition to being delicious, they truly are nutritious.


Apple Muffins with Walnut Streusel (Cooking Light, May 2005)

The recipe calls for 3/4 cup ground flaxseed. We decided, both because we didn't have flaxseed and because we're slightly scared of flaxseed, to substitute oats, which worked perfectly.

Muffins:
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 cup 1% low-fat milk (we used skim)
1/2 cup orange juice
1 Tbs. butter, melted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
2 cup finely chopped Granny Smith apple (about 1 large)
1/2 cup golden raisins
cooking spray

Streusel:
1/4 cup finely chopped walnuts
2 Tbs. brown sugar
1 Tbs. chilled butter, cut into small pieces

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. To prepare muffins, lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, flaxseed, and next 4 ingredients in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture.
3. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients, stirring with a whisk; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Fold in apple and raisins. Spoon batter into 18 muffin cups coated with cooking spray.
4. To prepare streusel, combine walnuts, 2 Tbs. brown sugar, and chilled butter in a small bowl, stirring with a fork until crumbly. Sprinkle streusel evenly over batter. Bake at 350 for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Remove from pans immediately; place on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Parsnip and Sweet Potato Gnocchi

One time last year, we had some leftover parsnips in the fridge and Adam made these fantastic gnocchi out of them. Ever since then, we've been yearning to make them again. Last night was finally the night. I have to warn you, gnocchi-making is quite a process. Not only does it make your kitchen one big, floury mess, it also takes a fair amount of time. But, there is nothing better than some homemade gnocchi over a bed of garlicy, sauteed greens to start the week off on the right foot.


Parsnip and Sweet Potato Gnocchi with Garlicy Kale

We took the basic recipe for the gnocchi off of a recipe by Mario Batali we found on www.foodnetwork.com. We ended up using more flour than the recipe originally called for, but as long as the starch and flour turn into a knead-able dough the amount of flour can vary. We tried to use the least amount of flour possible to keep the integrity of the sweet potato and parsnip flavors. Oh, and this recipe makes a ton of gnocchi. We have plenty of leftovers for several more meals. In my opinion, there is nothing wrong with that!

1 bag parsnips, peeled and chopped
2 medium-sized sweet potatoes, chopped
1 egg, beaten and divided
3 cups flour, approximately
1/2 tsp. salt

1 bunch kale, taken off the stem and chopped
2 portabella mushrooms, sliced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. chili powder

chili oil
paprika

1. To prepare the gnocchi, bring a large pot of water with the sweet potatoes and parsnips to a boil. Boil until the potatoes and parsnips are tender and slightly soft. Transfer the potatoes and parsnips to separate bowls. Mash the potatoes with a fork until smooth and then mix in half the egg and salt by making a well in the center. The parsnips mash better in a food processor with half of the beaten egg and the salt. If you can mash the parsnips with a fork, that works too, although the dough will not be as smooth. Next, add and stir in the flour to each starch, about a half cup at a time. Continue adding and mixing in the flour until you are able to roll the dough. Roll the dough into snake-like rolls that are approximately 1-inch in diameter. Cut into 1-inch squares. Place in another pot of boiling water. Allow to cook until the gnocchi rise to the top, indicating they are done. Then remove to a colander.
2. To prepare the greens, saute the portabella mushrooms in a large skillet with olive oil over medium-heat. Once the mushrooms are tender, add the garlic and kale and allow the greens to wilt. Sprinkle the paprika and chili powder over the greens and add salt and pepper to taste.
3. Place kale on a plate and surround with gnocchi, alternating parsnip and sweet potato. Drizzle with chili oil and sprinkle with paprika. Impress all those who eat!

A Cannelloni Craving

For some extremely odd reason, I had a craving for cannelloni. I know, strange. We had leftover ricotta from the Spinach Gnocchi, so I'm sure that's where I got the idea from. A lot of the recipes I looked at used lasagna noodles for the basis of the cannelloni, but I always thought of cannelloni as Italian crepes. Mario Batali, however, does have a recipe that included a crepe-like batter. I used his crepe recipe (although, I omitted the 4 Tbs. of butter he added) and filled the cannelloni with a hearty mixture of chard and ricotta and topped them all off with a tomato sauce and mozzarella. After baking them for about 20 minutes, they came out perfectly cheesy and everything I had hoped for.


Chard and Ricotta Cannelloni

Crepe
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs
1/4 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup milk

Filling
1 bunch chard, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 cups ricotta
salt and pepper to taste

tomato sauce (canned is fine)
1/2 to 1 cup mozzarella cheese, grated

1. Prepare the crepe batter by whisking the ingredients together until there are no more lumps. Let it stand approximately 20 minutes.
2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic and saute until slightly fragrant. Add the chard and saute until wilted. Allow the chard to cool slightly.
3. Mix the chard with the ricotta in a large bowl. Salt and pepper to taste.
4. To prepare the crepes, heat a scant amount of butter in a small skillet over medium-low heat. Pour approximately 1/4 cup of batter into the skillet and make so that it covers the bottom completely. When the one side has cooked the edges will begin to peel up. At this point, flip the crepe and allow to cook on the other side. Repeat this procedure with the remaining batter.
5. In a 9 x 13-inch baking dish, lay out a crepe and fill it with the chard and ricotta mixture. Roll the edges inward to form a tube and situate so that the seam is on the bottom of the dish. Repeat with the remaining crepes and filling. Top with tomato sauce and mozzarella. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and bubbly. Serve immediately and enjoy!

Grillin' Greek

A few weeks ago we bought some ground lamb at the Lakeshore Farmers' Market. We decided to make a lamb burger for Adam and a grilled portabella burger for me, paired with a Greek salad to make the ultimate grilled Greek dinner. On a freshly baked bun and topped with red onion, tomato chutney, and feta cheese, this was a perfectly flavorful weeknight meal. For the bun, we used a Par Baked Artisan roll from Trader Joe's that you heat through and crisp up right before serving. They are wonderful because you can always have freshly baked bread on your table in 10 minutes. The perfectly spicy tomato chutney is also from Trader Joe's. I'm sure you could find some tomato chutney in any well-stocked grocery store. I must admit that this meal doesn't have a strict recipe; it's pretty much making a simple salad and grilling up meat/mushrooms. I just wanted to show how easy putting together a delicious, unique meal can actually be.

Lamb Burger

1 lbs. ground lamb
1 tsp. rosemary
freshly ground black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste

1. Mix the ingredients together and place on a hot grill. Grill until thoroughly cooked.


Portabella Burger

This isn't so much of a recipe as just placing the mushroom on the grill and letting it heat through. I would suggest two mushrooms stacked on top of each other to help the mushroom stand up to the tomato chutney.


Greek Salad

I'm not going to write the portions for any of the salad ingredients because everyone likes their salads with different ratios of greens to other veggies and toppings. Feel free to elaborate and add your own favorite salad toppers.

spinach or mixed greens
cucumber, thinly sliced
red onion, thinly sliced
tomato, sliced
red pepper, diced
pecans
feta cheese
vinaigrette (a lemon-based or more acidic vinaigrette would work well)

1. Toss all of the ingredients together and top with dressing.

Chili and Cornbread

Things have been quite busy around here, so sorry for the delay in new recipes and postings. This meal here, though, is a great way to sit back, relax, and enjoy the comfort of food. I've always found chili to be a hearty, homey, soothing meal. And, the best part is that it's super easy. Paired with a side of homemade cornbread, nothing could be better on an autumn night.


Three-Bean Chili

This chili recipe is based off of what I remember my mom and dad making when I grew up. I don't know if it's an exact replica of their recipe, but it's pretty close. Come to think of it, it's not an exact replica of itself any time I make it. Make this recipe your own by adding more or less of the spices or switching up the types of beans and toppings. The whole point of chili is to warm your soul, and who knows how to do that better than you?

1 onion, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 bell pepper, any color, chopped
1 (15-oz.) can black beans
1 (15-oz.) can pinto beans
1 (15-oz.) can kidney beans
3/4 cup frozen corn kernels
1 (28-oz.) can diced tomatoes
4 dried chiles, chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. cayenne
1/2 tsp. salt

scallions
jalapeno, diced
avocado, chopped
cheddar cheese, grated

1. In a dutch oven on medium to medium-high heat, saute the onions in a bit of olive oil until nearly translucent. Add the garlic and bell pepper, continuing to saute until the peppers have softened.
2. Add the beans, corn, tomatoes, chiles, and spices. Bring the chili to a simmer, allowing the flavors to meld. Taste to ensure your liking of the spice mixture.
3. Top with the scallions, diced jalapeno, and cheddar cheese.

My Mama's Cornbread

From the title, I'm sure you gathered that this is my mom's recipe for cornbread. I don't know where she got it from, but she gave it to me a few years ago and I've been making it ever since. With a pad of butter (and a dollop of honey for Adam), a slice of this cornbread brings me right back to my parents' kitchen table.

3/4 cup corn meal
1 cup flour
1/3 cup sugar
3 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup milk
1 egg, well beaten
2 Tbs. melted butter

1. Sift the dry ingredients (corn meal through salt) together in a large bowl.
2. Mix in wet ingredients.
3. Spoon into a cast iron skillet. Bake for 20 minutes at 425.

That's in My Cookie?

We had a serious need to use up some zucchini that was at the end of its life. I decided to use it in a bit of an untraditional manner-cookies! I remembered reading the recipe while devouring Animal, Vegetable, Miracle by Barbara Kingsolver. Her daughter Camille inserted stories about growing up surrounded by food and recipes that accompanied the theme of each chapter. This is one of her recipes that will now be part of my cookie repertoire. They are healthier than your average chocolate chip cookie with the whole wheat flour and zucchini additions, yet still wonderfully delicious. The best part is that this cookie makes you think outside the box about what can be considered a dessert ingredient.


Zucchini Chocolate Chip Cookies (Animal, Vegetable, Miracle, Barbara and Camille Kingsolver)

1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 Tbs. vanilla extract
1 cup white flour
1 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. cinnamon [I doubled this]
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 cup finely shredded zucchini
12 oz. chocolate chips

1. Combine the first 5 ingredients, the egg through the vanilla, in a large bowl.
2. Combine the flours, baking soda, salt, and spices in a separate, small bowl and blend into the liquid mixture.
3. Stir zucchini and chocolate chips into other ingredients, mix well. Drop by spoonful onto greased baking sheet, and flatten with the back of a spoon. Bake at 350, 10 to 15 minutes.

Italian Comfort, Veggie-Style

What could be better on a Sunday evening than cooking a hearty Italian meal with the one you love? Last night, Adam and I made Spinach Gnocchi from the Moosewood Cookbook. Although the title implies that they will taste similar to the traditional potato dumpling, we thought they tasted more like a veggie meatball. The ricotta that holds together the "gnocchi" brings in that meaty flavor and texture that is completely and utterly satisfying. Served with a simple side salad, this meal was a perfect way to end the weekend.


Spinach Gnocchi (Moosewood Restaurant: New Classics)

10 oz. fresh spinach
3 large eggs
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 cup ricotta
1 1/4 cups bread crumbs
2 Tbs. chopped fresh basil
1/3 cup chopped scallions
1 garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
pinch of ground nutmeg, or more to taste
1/2 recipe Quick Tomato Sauce (to follow) or 3 cups store-bought tomato sauce

1. Preheat the oven to 400. Oil a nonreactive baking dish.
2. Rinse the spinach well and remove any large stems. Place the spinach in a large pot with only the water that clings to the leaves. Cover and cook on high heat, stirring once or twice, just long enough to wilt the leaves, about 3 minutes. Set aside and drain.
3. In a large bowl, beat the eggs. Mix the Parmesan, ricotta, bread crumbs, basil, scallions, garlic, salt, pepper, and nutmeg. When the cooked spinach is cool enough to handle, gently squeeze more water from it and chop it. Stir the chopped spinach into the cheese mixture. The batter will be wet and rather soft. Drop the batter by rounded tablespoonfuls onto the prepared baking dish to make about 18 balls [mine made about double that, I can't figure out why]. Pour the tomato sauce around the gnocchi to almost cover.
4. Bake for about 25 minutes, until firm and beginning to brown. Serve hot with the tomato sauce ladled on top.

Quick Tomato Sauce (Moosewood Restaurant: New Classics)

2 tsp. olive oil
2 cups finely chopped onion
2 to 3 garlic cloves, minced or pressed
1 tsp. salt, or more to taste
6 cups canned tomatoes with juice, chopped (two 28-oz. cans)
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper

1. Warm the oil in a nonreactive 2-quart saucepan. Add the onions, garlic, and salt and sauce on medium heat for about 7 minutes, until golden. Add the tomatoes, their juice, and the pepper and bring to a simmer. Cook for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
2. Add more salt to taste. Serve immediately or chill or freeze for later use.

An Evening Affair

Adam and I decided to go all out last night and make a really good dinner. And, we did just that! We made a Caramelized Onion Tart and a Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad. Adam's brother joined us for dinner and brought over a fantastic bottle of zinfandel from Dry Creek Valley's Unti Vineyard. It paired perfectly with the rich flavors of the tart and beets and the creaminess of the avocados. The tart takes quite a while to prepare, but with the first bite, you will realize that every minute of the preparation was worth it. If you have a special event coming up, this is definitely a meal that everyone will enjoy and rave about all night.


Caramelized Onion Tart (Moosewood Restaurant New Classics)

It took a lot longer for the onions to caramelize than the recipe denotes. Be patient, it's worth the wait to get perfectly golden brown onions.

Crust
1 1/2 cups unbleached white flour
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup chilled butter
3 to 4 Tbs. chilled water (Adam ended up using about 6 Tbs. to get the right consistency)

Filling
1 Tbs. vegetable oil
8 cup sliced onions
1 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
6 large eggs
1/4 cup unbleached white flour
1 Tbs. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. salt
2 cups milk
1 cup packed grated Gruyere cheese

1. Combine flour and salt in a large bowl. Work the butter into the flour with a pastry cutter [or two knives if you don't have a pastry cutter] until it resembles coarse meal. Sprinkle on the ice water and form the dough into a ball. On a lightly floured surface, somewhat flatten the ball of dough by pressing down with your palm. Roll the dough into a 13-inch circle with a rolling pin. Lift the dough into a 10-inch pie plate. Fold the edges under and crimp the edges high, because the filling is generous. Set aside in the refrigerator.
2. Preheat the oven to 400.
3. Warm the oil in a large, heavy, preferably cast-iron skillet and add the onions and salt. Cook uncovered on medium-high heat, stirring often, for 15 minutes. Add the thyme and continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes. As they cook, the onions will release their juices and then start to caramelize, turning golden brown. Remove from the heat and set aside. In a blender, puree the eggs, flour, mustard, salt, and milk until smooth.
4. Spread the onions evenly on the bottom of the pie shell, cover with the grated cheese, and pour the milk custard over all. Bake until the filling is set and the crust is golden brown, about 50 to 60 minutes. Serve immediately or cool to room temperature.


Roasted Beet, Avocado, and Watercress Salad (Cooking Light, November 2005)

We cut this recipe into a third of what the recipe makes, which was plenty for 3 people. We did keep the whole avocado in there though, because how could anyone resist eating avocado? We used white wine vinegar instead of the sherry vinegar, but I would use plain white vinegar next time for a stronger bite and contrast to the other flavors next time.

6 large red or yellow beets (about 4 1/2 pounds)
1/4 cup water
1 1/2 tsp. finely grated orange rind
1/4 cup orange juice
3 Tbs. extravirgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbs. sherry vinegar
3/4 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 large avocado, peeled
3 bunches watercress (about 9 cups trimmed)
3 cups orange sections (about 3 large navel oranges)
3/4 cup vertically sliced red onion
3 Tbs. chopped pecans, toasted

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Remove root and 1 inch stem on beets; scrub with a brush. Cut beets in half; place beets in a 13x9-inch baking dish. Add 1/4 cup water. Cover with foil, and bake at 375 for 1 hour or until tender. Cool; rub off skins. Cut beets into 1/2-inch slices.
3. Combine rind and next 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Toss half of juice mixture with beets.
4. Cut avocado in half lengthwise. Cut each half into 12 slices. Place watercress on a platter; top with beets, orange sections, onion, and avocado. Drizzle remaining juice mixture over salad, and top with pecans. Serve immediately.

Spicy Hot!

Any one who knows us, knows that we LOVE spicy food. But, we've found that finding truly hot hot sauces is quite difficult. Naturally, we decided that since we couldn't find anything fantastic in the grocery stores, we would just make our own. It turns out that making your own is actually cheaper than buying hot sauces in the store. This first attempt will definitely not be our last. It's really easy and really hot. The faint of heart (or tongue), be wary of this one!


Volcanic Hot Sauce (www.sweatnspice.com)

We ended up adding an extra tsp. of molasses to really make that flavor stand out. It has a unique mustard flavor that goes really well by itself on tortilla chips.

10-12 habaneros, jalapenos, scotch bonnet, or serrano peppers (we had a mixture of habaneros and jalapenos)
6 cloves of garlic, peeled and chopped
1/3 cup fresh lime juice
1/3 cup white vinegar
2 Tbs. Dijon mustard
2 Tbs. olive oil
1 tsp. molasses
1/2 tsp. turmeric
1 Tbs. salt

1. Place all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until smooth. Add more salt and molasses to taste, if needed. Pour into a clean bottle.

Autumn Salad

There's this one small restaurant chain in the Baltimore, Maryland area called Donna's that makes the best roasted vegetable salad. We had some extra arugula left over from the butternut squash pizza and also sweet potatoes and onions, which lend themselves to roasting. When thinking about all those ingredients, I thought of Donna's salad and decide to make my own version. We used only sweet potatoes, onions, and peppers, but you could add any vegetable you have on hand. Adam also added a chicken breast seasoned with rosemary to his. Topping the salad with goat cheese would make a delicious addition, if you wanted to make the salad a little more rich. You could easily make this gorgeous dish for guests by preparing the vegetables before guests arrive, popping them into the oven, and letting them roast while you serve appetizers and cocktails. I can guarantee that everyone will be impressed with the beauty and flavor of this salad.


Roasted Vegetable Salad

The quantities for the vegetables are incredibly loose. The amount that we used, as described below, made approximately three servings. You can't make too many roasted vegetables, in my opinion. Worse-case scenario, you have extras, which you can mix with more greens for lunch salads or simply eat plain.

1 large sweet potato, cubed
1 red onion, chopped
1 small red pepper, chopped
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup arugula per person
balsamic vinaigrette or light dressing

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Place sweet potato, red onion, and pepper in baking dish. Coat in olive oil, salt, and pepper. Roast in oven for 40 minutes, or until potatoes are completely tender.
3. Portion arugula onto plates and top with roasted vegetables and balsamic vinaigrette. Enjoy this healthy, delicious meal.

Pumpkin Continued

The pumpkin muffins only used 1 cup of a large can of pumpkin. What to do with the rest of the pumpkin?! Well the answer is simple--make a pumpkin sauce to top succulent gnocchi. We got the idea from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals, but we created our own version. We paired this with sauteed mustard greens and beans. I really enjoyed mixing the two dishes into one. I thought the flavors melded really well. This meal took less than half an hour start to finish but tasted like it could have taken all afternoon.


Gnocchi with Pumpkin Sauce

1 package gnocchi
1 (24 oz.) can of pumpkin, minus 1 cup
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vegetable bouillon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. dried sage
1 cup gnocchi water
salt and pepper to taste
Parmesan cheese

1. Cook gnocchi according to package directions.
2. Meanwhile, place pumpkin in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add milk, vegetable bouillon, nutmeg, and sage to pumpkin, stirring to combine.
3. Once the gnocchi have been thoroughly cooked, add 1 cup of the water to the pumpkin mixture. Drain gnocchi and toss with the sauce. Salt and pepper to taste. Top with
more dried sage and Parmesan cheese.


Greens and Beans

This dish can be made with any type of green you have on hand. It's a healthy addition to any meal, or it can be served with a protein or grain as the entree.

olive oil
1 tsp. minced or grated garlic
greens, chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
chili oil
salt and pepper, to taste

1. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add garlic and allow to become fragrant. Add beans and greens. Wilt greens and heat beans through. Plate, then drizzle with chili oil and top with salt and pepper.

Adam's Favorite Muffins

Adam loves Pumpkin Muffins. Really, they may be his first love. And tis' the season. So, on Saturday's rainy day, we baked the muffins. They are perfect straight out of the oven or later reheated with a bit of butter. We've been starting our mornings with an egg, a muffin, and a cup of coffee, and there's no better way to greet the day.


Pumpkin Muffins (recipe courtesy of June)

1/4 cup vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 2/3 cup sifted flour
1 1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground clove
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped nuts (we prefer pecans)

1. Combine oil, sugar, eggs, 1/3 cup water, and pumpkin in a large bowl. Sift flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, and salt together. Beat into pumpkin mixture gradually. Stir in raisins and nuts. Pour into greased and floured muffin tins (makes 18 muffins). Bake at 400 for 20 minutes.

The Best Pizza Ever, Really

Last night, we literally had the best pizza we've ever made--and we've made some pretty good pizza. We, of course, made a grilled pineapple pizza, which I've posted before. We switched it up to accommodate our hot pepper supply. We didn't have any jalapenos, so we (Adam) finely diced a habanero. Beware! Everything you touch for the rest of the night will burn! Trust me. We also made a grilled butternut squash pizza topped with blue cheese and arugula and drizzled with olive oil. Fantastic!


Grilled Butternut Squash Pizza with Blue Cheese and Arugula

1/2 recipe pizza dough, made with 1/2 whole wheat and 1/2 white flour)

1 small butternut squash, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, grated (or crushed)
2 oz. blue cheese, crumbled
1/2 cup mozzarella cheese
1 cup arugula
olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

1. Coat the butternut squash with olive oil and place on a medium heat grill. Grill until tender. Slice into half-moons.
2. Meanwhile, grill the pizza dough on one side. It is ready when it can easily be lifted off the grill. Flip the dough and beginning topping.
3. Spread garlic over the dough (don't be shy with the amount of garlic you use). Drizzle with olive oil and top with a bit of salt and pepper. Arrange squash, crumble blue cheese, and sprinkle mozzarella on pizza. Place back on grill until cheese has fully melted. Top with fresh arugula, drizzle with olive oil, and add salt and pepper to taste.
4. Eat whole pizza.

Lemony Chickpea Goodness

Once again I was looking on 101cookbooks and found a recipe that contained only the ingredients I had on hand. Naturally, it had to be made, especially since it looked so wonderful. And it was! The Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry recipe is incredibly quick and easy, yet healthy and delicious. I highly recommend making this stir-fry, but feel free to substitute any vegetables for the kale and zucchini. We actually omitted the zucchini and used chard instead of kale (although we had that too). The key to the recipe is the golden crusted chickpeas and lemon combination. As long as that is kept, you can't go wrong. Once again, a fantastic picture can be found on the 101cookbook website.


Lemony Chickpea Stir-Fry (www.101cookbooks.com, Heidi Swanson)

2 tablespoon ghee or extra-virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
1 small onion or a couple shallots, sliced
1 cup cooked chickpeas (canned is fine, if you don't want to cook up a pot of dried chickpeas)
8 ounces extra-firm tofu
1 cup of chopped kale
2 small zucchini, chopped
zest and juice of 1/2 a lemon

1. Heat 1 tablespoon of the ghee/olive oil In a large skillet over medium-high heat and stir in a big pinch of salt, the onion, and chickpeas. Saute until the chickpeas are deeply golden and crusty. Stir in the tofu and cook just until the tofu is heated through, just a minute or so. Stir in the kale and cook for one minute more. Remove everything from the skillet onto a large plate and set aside. In the same skillet heat the remaining tablespoon of ghee/olive oil, add the zucchini and saute until it starts to take on a bit of color, two or three minutes. Add the chickpea mixture back to the skillet, and remove from heat. Stir in the lemon juice and zest, taste, and season with a bit more salt if needed. Turn out onto a platter and serve family style.

Spicy Slaw

Here's a great way to use red cabbage in a not-so-ordinary slaw. We quartered and grilled the cabbage, then mixed it with a grilled jalapeno and some light mayo. Voila! A spicy, unique slaw that will have everyone asking for more. We made this the other night with grilled chicken/veggie burger and a simple tomato salad. We bought the most fantastic tomatoes at the Farmers' Market on Saturday. They were picked-from-the-garden fresh. We just quartered them and drizzled them with olive oil and salt. Absolutely delicious! The grilled jalapeno and cabbage slaw goes well with any grilled meal--burgers, chicken, tofu, whatever you want.


Grilled Jalapeno and Cabbage Slaw

1/4 head of cabbage, sliced in two
olive oil
1 jalapeno
1/4 cup mayonnaise, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper

1. Spread the a light layer of olive oil onto the cabbage sections. Grill the cabbage and jalapeno over medium heat. When the jalapeno has blackened and the cabbage has grill-marks, chop both into small pieces. Add the mayonnaise and black pepper and stir until well combined.

Fall is in the Air

Adam and I went to the Farmers' Market Saturday and were surrounded by an abundance of fall harvest vegetables. The warming, comforting qualities of autumn's squash and greens make this time of year one of my favorites for food. (Although, I don't like to discriminate.) While I was searching 101cookbooks.com, I found a recipe that would be perfect for my farmers' market stash of butternut squash: Roasted Pumpkin Salad. The squash and onions are roasted to a perfect sweetness; the rice is nutty and adds texture; and the dressing is tart and creamy. It's a wonderfully healthy and complete meal. The only problem is that it's difficult to stop eating! (Sorry, once again, I don't have a picture. I still have to buy batteries. I'll get on it soon! But, you can go to 101cookbooks.com for a gorgeous picture of the salad.)



Roasted Pumpkin Salad (www.101cookbooks.com, Heidi Swanson)

We used brown rice instead of wild rice. I'm sure wild rice would be just as delicious as the brown was.

3 cups of pumpkin (or other winter squash), peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
extra-virgin olive oil
fine grain sea salt
12 tiny red onions or shallots, peeled (OR 3 medium red onions peeled and quartered)
2 cups cooked wild rice
1/3 cup sunflower seeds
1/3 cup olive oil
2 Tbs. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. salt
1 Tbs. honey
2 Tbs. warm water
1/2 cup cilantro, finely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. Toss the pumpkin in a generous splash of olive oil along with a couple pinches of salt, and turn out onto a baking sheet. At the same time, toss the onions with a bit of olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and turn out onto a separate baking sheet. Roast both for about 45 minutes, or until squash is brown and caramelized. The same goes for the onions, they should be deeply colored, caramelized, and soft throughout by the time they are done roasting. You'll need to flip both the squash and onion pieces once or twice along the way - so it's not just one side that is browning.
3. In the meantime, make the dressing. With a hand blender or food processor puree the sunflower seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and honey until creamy. You may need to add a few tablespoons of warm water to thin the dressing a bit. Stir in the cilantro, saving just a bit to garnish the final plate later. Taste and adjust seasonings (or flavors) to your liking - I usually need to add a touch more salt with this dressing.
4. In a large bowl, toss the wild rice with a large dollop of the dressing. Add the onions, gently toss just once or twice. Turn the rice and onions out onto a platter and top with the roasted squash (I'll very gently toss with my hands here to disperse the pumpkin a bit). Finish with another drizzle of dressing and any remaining chopped cilantro.

Pepper and Pasta Perfection

The other night we literally only had leeks and red peppers for fresh vegetables in our house--and I had to make dinner! Being the crafty person that I am, I created a masterpiece of a meal that could actually be served to guests. I roasted the red peppers under the broiler, sauteed the leeks with sage and cannellini beans, and put that all over whole wheat pasta. Not bad for a last minute meal with very limited ingredient choices, if I may say so myself. Sorry, I don't have a picture for this one. My camera ran out of batteries, and we didn't have any replacements. I will try to get some more as soon as possible though!


Roasted Red Pepper and Leek Pasta with Cannellini Beans

2 red peppers
1 medium leek, thinly sliced
1 (15-oz.) can cannellini beans, rinsed and drained
1 tsp. fresh sage, thinly sliced
3 tsp. milk or cream
1 tsp. flour
1/3 lbs. whole wheat pasta

1. Place the red peppers until the broiler, rotating as each side darkens. Carefully watch this process as the peppers can easily burn too much.
2. Remove the peppers and place them in a plastic bag, tying off the open end. Allow to cool. Then, peel and slice the peppers into strips.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet on medium heat. Add leek; saute until slightly browned. Add red peppers, cannellini beans, and sage. Once the beans have heated through, mix in the milk and flour. Stir flour in thoroughly, ensuring that there are no lumps.
4. Meanwhile, prepare pasta according to package directions.
5. Top the pasta with the red pepper and bean sauce.

Variation on a Theme

I know I have already posted a meal very similar to this before, but this variation on a theme is just so perfect for a night when you don't have a ton of energy yet still want a decent meal. We were also a little short on food supplies, so we had to use what we had. We had purple potatoes that we steamed and then smashed and browned with leeks. We also had eggs, three whole and two whites, which we cooked into an omelet with a diced jalapeno and cheddar cheese, then topped with diced tomatoes. The jalapenos had quite a kick that made the meal spicy hot!


Smashed Purple Potatoes

I've found that steaming potatoes in the microwave is quite efficient, and, according to Cooking Light, healthier than boiling them. Supposedly, the vegetables retain more of their nutrients with the steaming process than by boiling. A faster, healthier method? Sign me up!

1 lbs. purple potatoes (or other type of potato), cubed
olive oil
2 leeks, sliced thinly
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chili powder

1. Steam potatoes in a microwave-safe bowl for 4-7 minutes, or until tender.
2. Drain. Smash with a fork, leaving some pieces of potato in chunks.
3. Heat olive oil in a large skillet (does not have be to non-stick) on medium heat. Add leeks and potatoes. Cook until slightly browned. Mix in cumin and chili powder.
4. Serve with Mole sauce and/or ketchup.


Spicy Hot Eggs

3 eggs, beaten
2 egg whites, beaten
splash of milk
1 jalapeno, sliced (you can seed and rib it if you aren't into spicy)
1/4 cup cheddar cheese
1 tomato, diced

1. Heat olive oil or butter in a non-stick skillet over medium-low heat.
2. Beat eggs, egg whites, and milk together. Then, add egg mixture and jalapenos to skillet. Cook until eggs are no longer runny. Add cheese and finish cooking.
3. Plate the eggs; top with diced tomato.

A Tex-Mex Sensation

Our friend Vijay from Rochester was visiting for a few days, and I wanted to make him something with California flare for dinner. Luckily, I also had an intense craving for avocados. Once before Adam and I had made this Crunchy Avocado Salad recipe, and I decided that it would be the perfect thing to serve. I rounded out the meal by filling quesadillas with grilled jalapenos and cilantro chicken sausage. I made the quesadillas in a non-stick skillet by topping a tortilla with a blend of Mexican cheeses, sliced grilled jalapenos, and sliced grilled cilantro chicken sausage (bought from Trader Joe's). It may not have been the most elegant meal in the world, but it was a fast, non-labor intensive meal to make while guests are waiting, not to mention delicious! (Sorry the picture is so dark, I am having issues with Adobe.)


Crunchy Avocado Salad (Grill It! with Bobby Flay, www.foodnetwork.com)

This salad really couldn't be any easier or more delectable. The only things that I changed around were frozen cilantro cubes for the parsley and white wine vinegar for the champagne vinegar.

2 ripe avocados, peeled, pitted and diced
2 ripe beefsteak tomatoes, diced
1/2 cup pitted nicoise olives, roughly chopped
1 cup canned chickpeas, drained, rinsed and drained again
2 tablespoons roughly torn flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup champagne vinegar
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 ounces blue corn tortilla chips

1. Gently toss the avocados, tomatoes, olives, chickpeas, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, cumin, paprika, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Crumble the chips over the top and serve.

Farmers' Market Perfection

This past Saturday Adam and I went to the Oakland Farmers' Market on Grand and Lakeshore Avenues. I've been inspired by the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle to eat more locally produced foods. Going to the Farmers' Market was the first step. At the market, we found a bunch of beautiful leeks and a sack of potatoes. Instantly, we decided to make Potato Leek Soup--and tonight was the night. To accompany our soup, I strayed from our usual bread recipe to cookbook No Need to Knead's Kalamata Olive Filoncino. Each component of the meal was spectacular, as was the pairing. The meal takes a bit of time to prepare, but it's absolutely worth it.


Kalamata Olive Filoncino (No Need to Knead)

There is no need to have a bread maker to prepare this wonderfully delicious bread. And, best of all, it's pretty easy. I used a combination of all-purpose and whole wheat flour, but you could certainly use your preference of whole wheat and white flours.

1 1/4 cups lukewarm water (85 to 95 F)
2 tsp. active dry yeast
4 1/2 cups unbleached bread flour
1 tsp. salt
3/4 cup chopped Kalamata olives (or leave some whole, if you like)
2 Tbs. olive paste (olives pureed in a blender until mostly smooth)
3/4 cup Kalamata olive brine (if there is not enough brine in the bottle add water to the full 3/4 cup measure and add 1/4 tsp. salt)
2 tsp. olive oil
1 tsp. kosher or sea salt

1. Measure the water into a large bowl. Sprinkle with yeast over the water and stir to dissolve. Stir in 2 1/4 cups of the flour, salt, olives, and paste, and stire until smooth, about 2 minutes. Add the remaining 2 1/4 cups flour and the brine and stir. The dough will be fairly wet, the consistency of a very thick batter. If the dough seems too wet, add an additional 1/4 to 1/2 cup of flour.
2. Same day method (what I used): Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and let the dough rise in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes. With a scraper or spatula, fold the dough by gently lifting it up from underneath and turning or folding it over on itself three or four times. Let the dough rise a second time in a warm place until doubled in volume, 30 to 45 minutes. Proceed with shaping instructions.
or
Overnight Method: Cover the dough and refrigerate overnight. The dough will rise in the refrigerator and acquire flavor from the slower yeast action. Remove the dough from the refrigerator 2 hours before shaping and let stand, covered, in a warm place. The dough will rise for the second time. Proceed with the shaping instructions.
3. To shape into loaves: Preheat the oven to 500. Spray a three-loaf baguette pan with nonstick spray or rub with olive oil. [I just heated the pizza stone in the oven and baked the bread on that.] With your left hand (or right hand if you are left-handed), hold the bowl and tip it over the opening of a groove and pour the dough along and into the groove by loosening the dough with a spatula. Carefully move along the groove as the dough pours, keeping it as inflated as possible. With the spatula, cut the dough off at the rim of the bowl as it falls into the groove. The dough should form a nice, rounded cylinder that fills the groove and stands about 1/2 inch above the rim of the pan. Fill the other two grooves. Brush the tops of loaves with the olive oil and sprinkle with kosher salt.
4. To bake loaves: Place the pan in the oven and reduce the oven temperature to 400. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the top is browned and the loaves sound hollow when tapped. Remove baguettes from the pan and cool on wire racks.


Golden Potato-Leek Soup with Cheddar Toasts (Cooking Light, October 2006)

This recipe calls for topping the soup with broiled cheddar toasts. We left this part of the recipe out to accommodate for the olive bread. I'm sure it would be delicious with the toasts, but the soup is flavorful enough to be eaten on its own. It's so easy and takes so few ingredients yet tastes absolutely amazing. Literally, Adam is commenting on how wonderful it was as I am typing this.

Cheddar Toasts
8 (1/4-inch-thick) slices diagonally cut sourdough French bread baguette
cooking spray
1/2 cup (2-oz.) shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 tsp. ground red pepper

Soup:
1 Tbs. butter
3 cups thinly sliced leek (about 3 medium)
6 cups cubed peeled Yukon gold potato (about 2 1/4 lbs.)
2 cups water
1/2 tsp. salt
2 (14-oz.) cans organic vegetable broth (such as Swanson Certified Organic)
2 thyme sprigs

Remaining Ingredients:
1/3 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
thyme sprigs (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375.
2. To prepare Cheddar toasts, place baguette slices in a single layer on a baking sheet. Bake at 375 for 7 minutes or until toasted. Turn slices over; coat with cooking spray, and sprinkle 1 Tbs. cheese over each slice. Bake 5 minutes or until cheese melts. Sprinkle evenly with red pepper.
3. To prepare soup, melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add leek; cook 10 minutes or until tender, stirring occasionally (do not brown).
4. Add potatoes and next 4 ingredients. Bring to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer, uncovered, 20 minutes or until potatoes are very tender.
5. Remove pan from heat; discard thyme sprigs. Partially mash potatoes with a potato masher (or beaters, if you don't have one, like us); stir in cream. Sprinkle with black pepper. Serve with Cheddar toasts. Garnish with thyme sprigs, if desired.

Cookin' Up a Storm

Friday night we had some new friends over for dinner. We thought we should go all out for them. (We have to impress, right?) We came up with a fantastic menu that really may have been one of our most impressive meals we've ever made--and that's saying a lot, if I may say so myself. For appetizers we had Oven-Dried Tomato on Toast Rounds and Pretzel Goat Cheese Bites. Our main course consisted of Sweet Potato Ravioli with Lemon-Sage Brown Butter over sauteed mixed greens. We ended the night by completely indulging in a Turtle Cheesecake. The food and company couldn't have been better.


Oven-Dried Tomato on Toast Rounds (Cooking Light, October 2006)

This recipe takes a long time to prepare. It's very hands-off, but the tomatoes are supposed to bake for 4 hours. We only had 3 hours, and they still turned out magnificently. I would say to just keep the tomatoes in the oven as long as you can but don't stress if can't bake them for the whole time. We used homemade bread that we then broiled until crisp with a touch of olive oil, but store-bought bread would work just fine. Also, we used dried herbs rather than fresh to lower the cost of the evening. I don't think anyone missed the fresh herbs, because the tomatoes themselves were so incredibly flavorful.

12 plum tomatoes, peeled, seeded, and cut in half lengthwise
3 Tbs. olive oil
2 Tbs. chopped fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano)
6 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
24 (1/2-inch-thick) slices French bread baguette, toasted
24 fresh basil leaves

1. Preheat over to 250.
2. Arrange tomato halves in a single layer in a 13 x 9-inch baking dish. Drizzle with oil; sprinkle with herbs, garlic, pepper, and salt. Bake at 250 for 4 hours. Place one dried tomato half on each toast round. Garnish each with 1 basil leaf.


Pretzel Goat Cheese Bites

Adam and his brother had a big tub of pretzels to snack on during their drive out west. We still have them. Needless to say, they are bit stale. Instead of throwing them away, I decided to try my hand at making them into breadcrumbs. I thought the idea of fried goat cheese would be fantastic as well, so we combined the two ideas into one. They tasted pretty good, but I don't think I'll be making these again any time soon. But, if you are looking for a new and innovative way to serve cheese, perhaps you want to try this recipe out.

5 pretzel rods, crushed
1 log of goat cheese, sliced into rounds
1 egg white, beaten
canola or vegetable oil

1. Dip the goat cheese rounds in the egg white and then the pretzel bits, making sure to fully cover the cheese.
2. Heat the oil in a non-stick skillet over medium-high heat. Place the pretzel goat cheese rounds in the oil until crispy on both sides. Remove from oil and serve immediately.


Sweet Potato Ravioli with Lemon-Sage Brown Butter (Cooking Light, October 2007)

Here's a way to use the leftover wonton wrappers from the dumplings I made a few weeks ago! We served these ravioli over a bed of sauteed mixed greens. The flavors of the sauce, ravioli, and greens blended perfectly together. I highly recommend serving this dish that way.

1 (1-lbs.) sweet potato
2 Tbs. grated fresh Parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg
24 wonton wrappers
1 large egg white, lightly beaten
6 quarts water
cooking spray
3 Tbs. butter
1 Tbs. chopped fresh sage
1 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
1/8 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
sage sprigs (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 400.
2. Pierce potato several times with a fork; place on a foil-lined baking sheet. Bake at 400 for 40 minutes or until tender. Cool. Peel potato; mash. (I actually just steamed the potato by cutting it into chunks and microwaving in a covered dish with a bit of water. This is a much faster process.) Combine potato, cheese, 1/4 tsp. salt, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a small bowl.
3. Working with 1 wonton wrapper at a time (cover remaining wrappers with a damp towel to keep them from drying), spoon 1 Tbs. potato mixture into center of wrapper. Brush edges of dough with egg white; bring 2 opposite corners to center. Press edges together to seal, forming a triangle.
4. Bring 6 quarts water to a boil Add 8 ravioli; cook 2 minutes or until done. Remove ravioli from pan with a slotted spoon. Lightly coat cooked wontons with cooking spray; keep warm. Repeat procedure with remaining ravioli.
5. Melt butter in a small skillet over high heat. Add chopped sage to pan; cook 1 minute or until butter is lightly browned. Stir in 1/4 tsp. salt, juice, and pepper. Drizzle butter mixture over ravioli. Garnish with sage sprigs, if desired.


New York Cheesecake (Betty Crocker's Cookbook)

We made this decadent cheesecake and then drizzled caramel and hot fudge on top with chopped pecans to make a Turtle Cheesecake. The recipe calls for a flour crust, but we opted for a Vanilla Wafer cookie crust. We made this by pulsing the cookies in a food processor and mixing it with melted butter. Let me just say that this is the most heavenly delicious dessert I have had in a long time.

crust (of your choice)
5 packages (8 oz. each) cream cheese, softened
1 3/4 cups sugar
3 Tbs. all-purpose flour
1 Tbs. grated orange peel, if desired
1 Tbs. grated lemon peel, if desired
1/4 tsp. salt
5 large eggs
2 large egg yolks
1/4 cup whipping cream

caramel
hot fudge
pecans, chopped

1. Make crust.
2. Heat oven to 475.
3. Beat cream cheese, sugar, flour, orange peel, lemon peel, and salt in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed about 1 minute or until smooth. Beat in eggs, egg yolks, and 1/4 cup whipping cream on low speed until well blended. Pour into crust.
4. Bake 15 minutes.
5. Reduce oven temperature to 200. Bake 1 hour longer. Cheesecake may not appear to be done, but if a small area in the center seems soft, it will become firm as cheesecake cools. (Do not insert a knife to test for doneness because the hole could cause cheesecake to crack.) Turn off oven; leave cheesecake in oven 30 minutes longer. Remove from oven and cool in pan away from drafts on wire rack 30 minutes.
6. Without releasing or removing side of pan, run metal spatula carefully along side of cheesecake to loosen. Refrigerate uncovered about 3 hours or until chilled; cover and continue refrigerating at least 9 hours but no longer than 48 hours.
7. Run metal spatula along side of cheesecake to loosen again. Remove side of pan; leave cheesecake on pan bottom to serve.
*8. Drizzle with caramel and hot fudge, and top with chopped pecans. Indulge!

Fun with Greens

This past week we decided to change up our normal diet of spinach with other greens. We found a bag of mixed greens at Trader Joe's with , kale, chard, collard, and mustard greens. Since we were already changing up our normal routine, we decided to vary our normal risotto recipe as well. We made risotto with broth and wine, added the greens to wilt, and then topped it with the leftover Spicy Pepitas and extra spices. The dish ended up being a wonderfully hearty autumn meal and definitely different from your average risotto.


Mixed Greens Risotto with Spicy Pepitas

You could use any combination of greens you wish. I would stick to the hearty greens like kale, chard, and collards rather than spinach so they will hold up to the intense spices that are also mixed in. The recipe for the Spicy Pepitas is in my last post, "Flavor Explosion!"

1 Tbs. olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
3/4 cup Arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
3 1/2 cups vegetable broth (or whatever broth you prefer)
3 cups mixed greens, chopped
1 tsp. cumin, chili powder
salt and pepper, to taste
Spicy Pepitas
cumin, chili powder, and paprika

1. Heat oil in a medium to large saucepan or pot. Add onion and saute until translucent, and then add rice. When rice has browned slightly, pour in the wine, stirring until combined. In small portions, pour in the broth while stirring. Continue adding the broth until the rice has become tender (you may or may not use all of the broth, and it is possible that you will need a bit more). Mix in the greens until slightly wilted. Stir in cumin, chili powder, salt, and pepper.
2. Serve the risotto by topping it with the Spicy Pepitas and sprinkling it iwith cumin, chili powder, and paprika.

Flavor Explosion!

Monday night for dinner, we had an absolutely fantastic meal. It was spicy and tangy; it was soft and crunchy. It had all of the components you could want in a meal. Pork/Tofu Tacos with Slaw and Spicy Pepitas will be a regular on our dinner table from now on. These tacos, with a rub and a quick lime marinade, have an immense amount of flavor that can't be beat. Although the recipe has a bunch of components, it really doesn't take that long to make. The only part of the recipe that takes much time at all is allowing the pork to sit in the rub for an hour. I'm sure that if this part of the recipe lasted longer the pork flavor would only get better, and if you didn't have time to let it sit for that length of time the spices would still shine through. It turned out that my tofu actually had more flavor than the pork. I used the same rub, but I think I got more of it than Adam. Only those who aren't shy with spices and flavor should try this knockout.


Pork Tacos with Slaw and Spicy Pepitas (Cooking Light, October 2008)

We, obviously, substituted some of the pork for tofu. In addition, we used red cabbage instead of the pre-packaged coleslaw mix, flour tortillas instead of the corn, and fat-free Greek yogurt instead of the light sour cream.

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. ground ancho or chipotle chile pepper
1/2 tsp. black pepper
1 lbs. boneless center-cut loin pork chops (about 1/2-inch thick)
cooking spray
1/4 cup fresh lime juice, divided
1/2 cup sliced red bell pepper
2 Tbs. thinly sliced green onions
1 Tbs. minced jalapeno pepper
1/2 (16-oz) package coleslaw (about 3 cups)
12 (6-inch) white or yellow corn tortillas
6 Tbs. light sour cream
6 Tbs. Spicy Pepitas

1. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl. Lightly coat pork with cooking spray; rub spice mixture over both sides of pork. Cover and refrigerate 1 hour.
2. Preheat grill.
3. Place pork on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 1 minute on each side or until done. Cut pork into 1/4-inch slices. Combine pork and 2 Tbs. juice in a medium bowl, tossing to coat.
4. Combine the remaining 2 Tbs. juice, bell pepper, onions, jalapeno, and coleslaw in a large bowl, tossing well.
5. Heat a nonstick griddle over medium heat. Coat griddle with cooking spray. Arrange 6 tortillas in a single layer; cook 1 minute on each side or until lightly browned. Repeat procedure with cooking spray and remaining 6 tortillas. Divide pork mixture evenly among tortillas; top each tortilla with 2 Tbs. coleslaw mixture, 1 1/2 tsp. sour cream, and 1 1/2 tsp. Spicy Pepitas.

Spicy Pepitas

1 cup unsalted pumpkinseed kernels
1 Tbs. canola oil
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. ground ancho or chipotle chile pepper
1/4 tsp. black pepper

1. Combine all ingredients in a small bowl. Heat a medium nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add kernels to pan; cook 10 minutes or until browned, stirring frequently. Remove from pan; cool completely.