I pickled. I pickled carrots and green beans. I don't have the proper pickling stuff....so I improvise! I have tongs, I have a deep pot and I have old pickle jars (yes, I see the irony).
I haven't eaten dinner yet, I wanted to make pickles and I had a late snack, no worries though, 'bout to heat up left overs and poach an egg.
Pickles. Here's what I did:
6-8 medium carrots, cut into spears
a good handful of green beans, ends cut off
1 1/4 C white vinegar
1 1/4 C filtered water
1/2 T kosher salt
about a palmful of:
crushed bay leaves
yellow mustard seeds
whole black peppercorn
coriander seeds
fennel (much less than a handful)
dill
red pepper flakes
magic spice - if I could tell you what's in this, I would...but I don't know
Put everything in a pot, bring it to a boil. MEANWHILE, put the chopped veggies in your sanitized jar let it hang out. When the mixture comes to a boil spoon over the veggies, leave yourself 1/2 inch head space. Put your lid on, tight. Then fill your big pot with water again, bring it to a boil, place your jar of veggies into this boiling liquid, let boil for 5 - 15 minutes. Use tongs to remove the jar, place it on a flat surface and DO NOT TOUCH it for until tomorrow. Then when the jar is cool, push on the lid a little, if there is give and it makes a popping noise, you can't put these on your shelf, they have to go in the fridge. They'll still be good and will keep for about a month. If your lid has no give, you've done it! You can put these babies on your shelf for up to 6 months (I think...any other picklers out there disagree with me?) If you can't wait to eat your creation - I understand - just give them like 3-4 days before you pop 'em open. my picture is so small. :( Enjoy! xo
I just received my fruits and veggies from the farm share...Fridays are always great days. What I love about summer produce is that most of it is best when raw and fresh.
I just cut 2 cucumbers, a peach, and a tomato up. Combined them in a bowl with a handful of micro greens, a splash of olive oil and balsamic, a smidgen of salt and pepper. Voila - have myself a nice fresh salad for lunch. Thank you earth :)
(i'm laying in a hammock in my apartment. jealous?) but that's not the point the point is i read ree drummond's blog today (the pioneer woman) and she was talking about what it takes to be a good blogger. she points our that you have to write and write often. you have to push through 'blogger' blocks and just produce and, don't talk about the same thing twice! most importantly, make sure you have a perspective, a point of view, a personality...what's you voice? i think i do this. i hope i do. i hope it's not too boring on here.
okay. real point! last night i made my own homemade hot sauce. there was a great post on food 52 about homemade sriracha and there were so many great comments about how easy it was and how good it was. and...lucky me, i just happened to have almost a 1/2 pound of red and green jalapenos. so. task accepted. and its quite simple and pretty good. i didn't follow the recipe fully, which might be better than mine, so if you want it it's here.
jordan's okay hot sauce adapted from the year of eating consciously ingredients almost a 1/2 pound of jalapenos 1/2 cup cooking white wine 1/2 cup apple cider 4 cloves of garlic (i didn't have garlic and sort of wish i had) teaspoon salt pepper 2 tablespoons sugar (the recipe calls for palm sugar, clearly, i didn't have it...) a few pinches of brown sugar
first, you roughly chop the jalapenos. (don't touch your face, eyes, mouth, better yet, wear gloves?) put them in a jar. roughly chop the garlic, add to said jar. pour the liquid over the peppers and garlic. add the salt. cover the jar, this should sit overnight. sort of like a brine.
after those 24 hours have passed the fun begins. place the mixture and the sugar into a medium saucepan, bring to a boil over high heat, then reduce and let simmer for 5 minutes. this is the part in the process that stinks, literally. it smells bad and it burns your eyes and throat so i suggest keeping the top on the pot. once 5 minutes has passed, let the mixture come to room temperature.
once cooled put the mixture in a blender and puree for about 5 minutes or until basically all liquid. then push the mixture through a strainer to get as much of the liquid out as possible into a jar that you can seal tightly and refrigerate. i took the leftover mush (seeds and bits of peppers) put them in a jar and added a little salt and olive oil. chili paste-ish. had it on the eggs this morning. awesome.
i decided after watching FOOD INC. that i was going to try to be a locavore (eat within a 100 mile radius of where you live)...its so hard to do. i imagine its also hard to start in the dead of winter. it also feels limiting and since i love food so much, i didnt want to limit what i could eat, i'm just going to know what i am eating, as much as i can. in order to do this, i have decided to control my produce, meat and dairy as much as possible. i started this week by going to the green market during lunch on monday. what did i see? kale, leeks, carrots, parsnips, and potatoes....LOTS of potatoes. an apple stand here and there and thats about it. not TERRIBLE but also, if i dont want to just consume starch, it seemed daunting. i bought some kale, some apples, onions and eggs. its a start.
i wasnt going to eat pasta or bread this week (i'm going on vacation and want to look my best). ... well, i'm in the dumps and when you're in the dumps you want comfort food. and pasta, well, its a comfort food for me however it is served. and, with all this kale, i figured i'd put it in pasta! lets talk about this kale. it was beautiful. and i'll show it to you...
i've never had kale that was this crinkly. or schrounched. or gnarled. i'm not sure the right word to describe it. but it was that. whatever that is. and it was tough to cut and the leaves were small, but, it was so so good. now, for the pasta. talk about delish. there's something about a lemon sauce with pasta, its fresh. and it always feels right, especially on a day like today in new york. the weather was wonderful and its as if spring is upon us. i'm sure we'll be hit with something nasty between now and then, but for today, it was nice.
4 cloves garlic, minced (i say use however much garlic you can handle)
2 shallots, minced (i had a med. yellow onion, so i used half of that)
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes (again, however much you want)
1 bunch of Kale (or swiss chard) tough stems removed and leave chopped into ribbons
juice and zest from one lemon
1/4 C Parmesan cheese
Preparation
1. boil salted water and cook the pasta as per directions. (dont watch the water boil, that wont help it...) in a large skillet, heat the olive oil over med-high heat and saute garlic, onion and red pepper flakes until fragrant. add in the kale and cook until wilted, stirring a bit, not constantly. if it gets dry, add some of the pasta water to keep it a little wet...sweaty, if you will.
2. drain pasta reserving some of the cooking water. about 1/2 cup of it. this will help create the sauce. add the kale to the pasta pot, dump the pasta back in and add some of the liquid. toss with tongs and add in the zest and lemon juice. when the pasta is well coated, sprinkle with the cheese and give it one (or 8) more tosses. i dont think i added enough cheese, so i sprinkle some onto my pasta when it was plated.
i know i know i know. its freezing in nyc. the snow came. covered the city for a bit now there's piles of grey wet ice and mush covering the streets and sidewalks. its gross really. typically on these cold gross days all i want is a big bowl of something warm....but i made this salad the other night and it was the best thing i could have ever done. it was what i needed. what reminded me that fresh crisp food is so fulfilling. i love this salad, like big much.
i found the recipe while scrolling through molly's recipes. molly has this amazing blog, orangette, her blog was my first foray into the cooking blog world and i guess inspired all of this. i even bought her book, which is also fabulous, you can borrow it if you want. she's a great writer who's life has been shaped by food. its wonderful and romantic.
anyway, she bastardized this recipe from the Balthazar Cookbook. i must admit, i have yet to actually eat there, i've gotten coffee and croissants from the take out place but havent graced the chairs. i'd like to go, it feels like a SoHo experience everyone should have....
the following quantities make a good-size salad for two, enough for a very satisfying dinner, preferably with a hunk of crusty bread and some butter or olive oil and pepper. i ate it for 3 days by my lonesome. the quantities of romaine, frisée, and radicchio purposely ambiguous, because any proportion of the three is delicious. just prepare enough greens to have a couple of handfuls each, and dig in.
Ingredients
¼ lb skinny asparagus spears, trimmed and cut into 2-inch pieces
A handful of skinny green beans or haricots verts, trimmed
A dozen or so thin strips of lemon zest
1 medium fennel bulb, sliced paper-thin
A half-dozen red radishes, sliced paper-thin
Romaine lettuce, cut into ½-inch strips
Frisée, ripped into bite-size pieces
Radicchio, cut into ¼-inch strips
Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette, to taste (see below)
4 ¼-inch slices from a wedge of ricotta salata, cut into matchstick slivers (THIS IS AMAZING CHEESE!!!!)
1 small raw beet, washed, dried, and cut into matchstick slivers
A few thin slices of avocado (optional)
Maldon salt or fleur de sel, as needed
Preparation
1. blanch the asparagus, green beans, and lemon zest. fill a medium saucepan with water, and bring it to a boil over high heat. add a pinch or two of salt, and add the asparagus. while the asparagus is cooking, make an ice bath by filling a medium bowl with ice cubes and cold water. cook the asparagus until it is bright green and barely crunchy, about 3-4 minutes; then, using a slotted spoon, transfer the spears to the ice bath. add the green beans to the boiling water, and cook them until they are bright green and barely crunchy, about 3-4 minutes. remove them to the ice bath with the asparagus. finally, add the lemon zest to the pot of boiling water, and blanch the strips for 1 minute before removing them to a cutting board. Blot the zest dry with a paper towel, and mince it finely.
2. remove the asparagus and green beans from their ice bath, dry them well on paper towels, and place them in a large salad bowl. add the fennel, radishes, romaine, frisée, and radicchio, and toss to mix. add vinaigrette to taste and toss again to coat each leaf and green with a thin sheen. serve, topping each portion with a few fingers full of ricotta salata, a few slivers of beet, and a slice or two of avocado, if you like, and cap with a light sprinkling of minced lemon zest. season with salt to taste.
Lemon-Truffle Vinaigrette (I didn’t make it lemon truffle, I made it lemon vinaigrette and it was just as good!)
Ingredients
2 Tbs fresh lemon juice
¼ tsp salt, or to taste
1/8 tsp freshly ground black pepper
6 Tbs mild olive oil
2 Tbs white truffle oil (did not use!)
Preparation
in a medium bowl, combine the lemon juice, salt, and pepper. slowly add the olive and truffle oils, whisking constantly. continue to whisk until the dressing is thoroughly emulsified. the vinaigrette will keep, refrigerated in a sealed container, for one week.
ps. i cannot tell you wonderfully yummy this salad is. its like a week later and i'm still thinking about it.
stuff done: read and found more food blogs! (obviously...part of the reason i started one...i was inspired.) i have so much to do! 2 weeks, a mere 15 days and our next show, julius caesar opens at the access theater in tribeca. i'm so freaking stoked! here's a confession, i love the word stoked. its totally dumb, but its one of those words thats sort of makes me giddy. my dad has a good friend who's last name is stokes. i used to (yeah right, used to) giggle every time my dad talked about him. just mentioned the fact that he was playing golf with mr. stokes...yeah, dad (smile)? you must be totally stoked! (burst of giggles) that's so embarrassing. and silly. i have some gems that i choose to share.
seriously, i have a lot to do. there's still lines not remembered, beats to nail down, scenes to activate. work to be had...but first...the food. food glorious food!
like i said before, i've found new food blogs. while i was surfing that crazy web thing right here, there, where you're looking...i found the nervous cook. and her post about polenta made me think. i love polenta. i mean, i freaking love it. everytime i go out to eat and its mentioned in the description of a dish, that dish is immediately on my short list of what i will be eating. seriously. but, i cant make restaurant polenta. ive never been able to. i've either bought the stuff already cooked and stuffed in and vacuum packed in plastic OR made it sort of runny and soft and more like goo than anything else. until...thats right, until tonight. tonight i *almost* made restaurant polenta! it was baked and browned and creamy and rich and spicy...eet was, eh, how due you saa', magnifique! and i laid it on top of a bed of greens. collard greens, ya'll.
i sort of blended the nervous cook's meal and this one.
Baked Polenta & Greens
makes about 8 good size slices
ingredients
1/4 cup butter
1/8 cup olive oil (w. the 1/8 cups - i just guessed)
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
good pepper
1 1/2 cup organic chicken stock (if you have homemade - use that)
1 cup half-and-half (this is the key i think to restaurant style polenta!!)
1 cup milk
1 cup cornmeal
1/8 cup grated Parmesan
preparation
1. Heat butter and olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic, red pepper flakes, thyme, salt and pepper and saute for about 1 minute.
2. Add chicken stock, half-and-half, and milk and bring to a boil. 3. Remove from heat and slowly sprinkle the cornmeal into the hot milk while stirring constantly with a whisk (this is important, otherwise your polenta get chunky and you don't want that). 4. Cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for a few minutes, until thick and bubbly. It will bubble a lot, its like hot lava releasing air every two seconds, so be weary of the pops, you can get burned. Off the heat, stir in the Parmesan. Pour into a round cake pan (8 or 9 inches OR you can use a 9 by 13 pan, smooth the top, and refrigerate until firm and cold. 5. Turn the broiler on (rack about 5" from the heat...i dont have the luxury of aduusting my rack, so i would just make do with what you have.) and place a rimmed baking sheet in the oven to heat...i forgot this part... 6. Once polenta has cooled and set, invert your dish to remove and pat the polenta dry. Cut the chilled polenta like you would a pizza or cake and brush each slice with olive oil. 7. Broil until the polenta is golden brown (6-10 minutes...mine took longer than this, so just keep your eye on it.)
greens ingredients
1 small red onion, diced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
1 bunch of collard greens sliced and dices (or, really, whatever you want to use!)
salt & pepper
juice of 1 fresh lemon
preparation 1. Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions and red pepper flakes and cook until soft (3-5 minutes). 2. Add the collard greens and cook until wilted. Season with salt, pepper and lemon juice; toss. 3. Serve underneath the polenta wedges. COOKS NOTE: again, its a lot of food. the next day i had plenty of leftovers, but not enough for 2 people, so i cut up another half of a white onion and threw in a handful of spinach, then mixed in the leftover greens...it was delightful!
there's nothing simpler than pesto. its easy, tasty and quick. last night after rehearsal i didnt want to cook a huge, time consuming meal, i just wanted to eat. so i went and bought spinach, pine nuts, garlic, lemon and Parmesan cheese. spinach? thats right, i substituted spinach for basil; a) basil is not in season and b) spinach sounds like its healthier, right? sure. and, there's really no difference in taste, which is good, 'cause when you want pesto you want the flavor.
i dont measure when it comes to pesto, i just throw it all together. i dont have a food processor, and i recommend using one rather than a blender, but use what you have.
ingredients
makes a lot, i always make too much, use what i want then freeze the rest. i read somewhere a long time ago that you could freeze pesto in an ice cube tray, then you have a small amount of what you need, when you want it.
a big handful (and more) baby spinach
garlic, 3 colves (ish), minced
a handful of pine nuts (or walnuts, chopped)
half a lemon
salt and pepper
olive oil
preparation 1. throw your spinach and pine nuts into your blender (food processor), pulse until combined
2. add garlic, pulse
3. squeeze in as much lemon as you'd like
4. slowly drizzle in the olive oil while blender is on mix/whatever speed you're using, mix for a bit. keep pouring in the olive oil but take a few breaks to make sure you're not over adding; you dont want your pesto to be too oily.
5. when satisfied with the consistency, add approximately 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese and salt and pepper to taste, mix a bit more.
6. add to your pasta - that you already began cooking before you even started making the pesto, so it was all ready at the same time.
additions: i added grape tomatoes to my pasta and pesto, you can also throw in some chicken, other veggies or even a few toasted pine nuts. get creative - thats the fun part of cooking. i even toyed with the idea of adding some hot pepper (surprise, surprise).
stuff done: Mediterrarean Quinoa Bowl. i cannot believe how easy this was b.c it was so good! i discovered this on sprouted kitchen today. i really like that site. it always has tasty (healthy-er) food.
anyway. made it for dinner. tops 30 minutes. i added poached chicken for protien. i also increased the amount of broccolinis. they added a great crunch. i also took out the capers (add a 1/4 cup rinsed and drained when you add the red peppers, if you're interested). the only thing ... i dont think i cook quino right, its always on the mushy-er side, dont get me wrong, this meal was great, but i just think i do something not quite right. 'nuff said. eat up!
mediterranean quinoa bowl
makes 2 big bowls, with leftovers for tomorrow!
adapted from here
Ingredients
1 Cup Quinoa, dry
4 Broccolinis
4 to 6 oz. Block of Feta Cheese, cut in cubes
1 Cup Roasted Red Peppers, cut in slivers (I use jarred in the off season)
1 Chicken Breast (*leave out chicken you have a great veggie meal!)
1 Cup Chickpeas, cooked
3 Tbsp. Flat Leaf Parsley, finely chopped
2 tsp. Dried Oregano
Generous pinch of Sea Salt
Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Meyer Lemon
1 Tbsp. Good Quality Olive Oil
Preparation
1. For the quinoa, typically, bring two cups water and one cup dry quinoa to a boil. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes. Place the broccolini right on top after ten minutes (who wants to dirty another pot? - good point sp.k!) and cover to finish the quinoa and the broccolini will steam on top. (i should have put the broccolinis in for more time, they were more on the crunchy side) Remove the broccolini to a cutting board, and transfer the quinoa to a large bowl and fluff with a fork.
2. While the quinoa is cooking, poach your chicken. To do this, place the chicken breast in enough water to cover it, bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Once it reached a boil, turn down heat to simmer, cover and let cook for about 20 minutes. (until your chicken is not pink in the middle anymore)
3. Toss the red pepper slivers, chickpeas, dried oregano and salt and pepper to the quinoa and stir. Give the broccolini a rough chop and toss it in the bowl. Squeeze the juice of the entire meyer lemon (avoiding seeds) and the olive oil, stir again.
4. Lastly, cut the feta into small cubes (easiest if done straight from the fridge or even let it sit in the freezer for a few minutes). Add the cubes and the parsley to the quinoa and give it a gentle fold. At this point, it is probably a tad warmer than room temperature, which is great. If you’d rather it cold, let it sit in the fridge for about 30 minutes to cool down.
so, for new years, we wanted to do something nice and simple but not boring, so we had a few friends over for dinner and then went our separate ways (read: those kickin' parties we were all invited to...ha).
dinner was delightful and was full of laughs and great music. the after dinner bar adventure was, well, it was fun. however, i think as i get older i am learning that i do not like loud bars. i don't really even like drunk people. i know its hypocritical b.c. on numerous occasions i AM one of those drunk people...but when you're not plastered like the rest of the crowd, it, well, not fun. (am i boring?!?!)
anyway, food...matter at hand. we were going to have a lavish meal of risotto and many (veggie) sides but opted for veggie lasagna and salad and bread and wine, lots and lots of wine. my boss gave me this amazing cookbook by mark bittman, how to cook everything vegetarian for christmas. its lovely, you should get it too.i used that book and a recipe i borrowed from the pioneer woman for my sauce. i added a red pepper at the top, while the pan is getting hot, i sprinkle in some red pepper flakes until they get fragrant, then i follow the rest of the instructions. I also added 3 or 4 shakes of cayenne pepper. also, i'm finding that as i get older i am developing more of a desire to put more hottness into EVERYthing i am eating. maybe my taste buds are failing, maybe i'm copying my father or maybe i have a terrible sinus problem just like he does that eliminates flavors for you so you have to spice everything so that you can taste it. this would be a tragedy if accurate (sorry dad).
(recipes for all to follow.)
for dessert. oh dessert,you guys. it was sweet and syrupy - gooey, flakey and AWESOME with vanilla ice cream. apple dumplings ya'll. apple dumplings. this was again from the pioneer woman, gotta say, i love that ree drumond. she's crazy good in the kitchen, she's funny, she's quirky, she's crazy, she's interesting...i think if i actually knew her, we'd be friends. i mean, i hope we'd be friends. :) the only sort of loonie thing was the fact that dessert calls for a whole can of mountain dew. ew, right? wrong. amazing. i think the mountain dew gives it that gooey effect.
i'd suggest trying all of the food made for our new years...they are simple crowd pleasers. SAUCE
Pastor Ryan’s Bolognese Sauce (sans the Bolognese part)
this recipe is adapted from here
Ingredients
½ cups Olive Oil
1-½ cup Grated Carrots
1 whole Large Red Onion, Diced
2 Tablespoons Dried Oregano
2 Tablespoons Dried Basil Flakes
1 can (6 Ounce) Tomato Paste
5 cloves Garlic, Minced
1 cup (to 2 Cups) Red Wine (i felt like 2 cups was too much, made it too wine-y)
2 Tablespoons Worcestershire
2 cans (28 Ounce) Whole Tomatoes
1 cup Milk
Salt And Pepper, to taste
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
red pepper flakes (for the bold)
cayenne pepper (for the daring)
Preparation Instructions 1. Heat the red pepper flakes in a large Dutch oven or skillet over medium heat until pepper is fragrant, add oil, let heat. Add grated carrots and onions and cook for a few minutes. Make a well in the center of the mixture, and then throw in oregano and basil. Use fresh if you have it; if you don’t, it’s fine. Cook for a few minutes, gradually stirring it into the carrot mixture.
2. Make another well. Add tomato paste and let it heat. Add garlic and stir to combine. 3. Make a well in the center of the mixture and add red wine. Stir together. Add Worcestershire and stir. Add canned tomatoes. Finally, pour in milk, stir, and let simmer for 30 minutes to 2 hours—however long you need.
VEGETABLE LASAGNA from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian by Mark Bittman makes 6 to 8 servings
Ingredients
Salt
12 dried lasagna noodles
2 Tablespoons softened butter or extra virgin olive oil
Tomato Sauce (recipe above)
3 cups cooked spinach, squeezed dry and chopped
1 1/2 cups ricotta, plus more as needed
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, plus more as needed
2 cups freshly grated Parmesan, plus more as needed
Freshly ground black pepper
Preparation
1. Bring a large pot of water to a boil and salt it. Cook the noodles, 6 at a time, until they are tender but still undercooked (they will finish cooking as the lasagna bakes). Drain and then lay the noodles flat on a towel so they don't stick.
2. Preheat the oven to 400F. Grease a rectangular baking dish with the butter or olive oil, add a large dollop of tomato sauce, and spread it around. Put a layer of noodles (use 4) in the dish, trimming any overhanging edges; top with a layer of tomato sauce, one-third of the spinach, and one-fourth of the ricotta and Parmesan. Sprinkle some salt and pepper between the layers of tomato sauce and spinach if needed.
3. Repeat the layers twice and top with the remaining noodles, tomato sauce, ricotta, mozzarella, and Parmesan; the top should be covered with cheese; add more ricotta and Parmesan as needed.
4. Bake until the lasagna is bubbling and the cheese is melted and lightly browned on the top, about 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let rest for a few minutes before serving; cool completely, cover well, and refrigerate for up to 3 days; or freeze. APPLE DUMPLINGS (sadly I have no pictures of these puppies) this recipie was STOLEN from here
Ingredients
2 whole Granny Smith Apples
2 cans (8 Oz. Cans) Crescent Rolls
2 sticks Butter
1-½ cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
Cinnamon, To Taste
1 can (12 Oz.) Mountain Dew Soda
Preparation Instructions
1. Peel and core apples. Cut each apple into 8 slices each. Roll each apple slice in a crescent roll. Place in a 9 x 13 buttered pan.
2. Melt butter, then add sugar and barely stir. Add vanilla, stir, and pour entire mixture over apples. PourMountain Dew around the edges of the pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Serve with ice cream, and spoon some of the sweet sauces from the pan over the top.
WARNING: Prepare this dish at your own risk. It is beyond imaginable.
this may sound lame, but we just got a microwave at work and that warrants soup for the rest of the week. so, its exactly what i set out to do. i love soup. i don't make soup all too often but its something i seem to crave a lot, especially in the winter. perhaps thats just part of what winter does for all of us...nothing beats a warm bowl of soup with some really great crusty bread.
i found this recipe on sprouted kitchen, i really like the simplicity of the site, and their photos are AHmazing. what was exciting about making this soup was the development of the layers of flavors. i had no idea what was going to happen when i put the kale and lemon in, but it totally changed the texture and weight of the soup along with giving it a really fresh kick. i can imagine with the black lentils theres a totally different flavor, but i like what i came out with. its defiantly not as pretty, but, i its just as good! enjoy!
LENTIL SOUP WITH CHIPOTLE YOGURT
Serves 6 this was adapted from here
2 Cups Lentils (French or Black Beluga)...i used plain old lentils
1 Yellow Onion, Diced
1 Fennel Bulb, Diced
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 tbsp. Olive Oil
1 Cup Brown Rice, Cooked (any whole grain will work)
6 Cups Organic, Low Sodium Vegetable Stock
1 tsp. Cumin
1 Large Bunch of Kale, Chard or Combo of Leafy Greens
Salt/ Pepper
1 Lemon
CHIPOTLE YOGURT
1 Cup Plain Greek Yogurt
1 Chipotle Chile in Adobo, Chopped (no more than 2 tsp.)
Preparation
1. Cook your rice or desired grain and set aside. Boil about four cups water, and boil the lentils for 20 minutes until cooked. Add water as needed. Drain.
2. In a large soup pot, saute the yellow onion and the fennel in the olive oil for about 8 minutes, or until just starting to turn light brown. Add the stock and cumin. Bring the heat back up to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes.
3. Add the lentils and the brown rice and simmer about 10 minutes. While you are waiting, stem your greens and slice them into thin strips. Taste the soup for salt and pepper, add seasoning as desired.
4. Turn off the heat and add in the greens, stir. The greens will wilt in the hot soup, and avoid overcooking this way. Stir in the juice of half the lemon, add more to taste.
5. Mix the greek yogurt with the chipotle chile and stir. Serve the soup with the dollop of the chipotle yogurt. Warning, chipotles are pretty spicy, so start with a small amount of sauce and you can add if you like it hot. If too spicy, add more yogurt.
my sister always says she tries a recipe first then experiments with it...not this girl...this girl does stuff! (lame, i know, but i couldnt resist). i was bored. its been one of those "off" days and i was avoiding writing down my goals for 2010 - which i have to do, b.c. if i dont, i may forever do nothing. i also wanted to eat something that felt somewhat healthy, so i decided to make stuffed peppers. i'd say i did a pretty good job, the green peppers were a little al dente, but still good. please also note, i didnt really follow quantity, i just played around, i encourage you to do the same. its liberating, especially when the meal comes out well.
3 green bell peppers, two w. tops removed and seeded, one diced and seeded (save for later)
3 red peppers, two w. tops removed and seeded, one diced and seeded (save for later)
a glug or two of olive oil
1 half of a white onion, diced
1 generous handful sliced mushrooms
as much freshly chopped garlic as you’d like
some cayenne pepper
a dash of red pepper flakes
1 zucchini, diced
2 cups cooked white (wild, may have been better – more texture) rice
1 (14-ounce can) tomatoes, drained and chopped
1 can drained black beans
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 handful (or a few, depends on how much you like) fresh spinach
some (again, as much as you like) shredded cheddar cheese, to finish
Directions
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Wrap the halved peppers in aluminum foil, and bake in the oven until tender, but not falling apart, about 15 minutes – I did mine for about 11 minutes and they were still hard, so I say at least 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, add the olive oil. When the oil is hot, add the onions, mushrooms, garlic, cayenne pepper and pepper flakes (the amount of hot peppers depends on your palette), and saute until the mushrooms are golden brown. Add in the zucchini, rice, tomatoes, red peppers, green peppers and black beans and continue to cook until the vegetables are tender. Adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in the tomato paste. Remove from the heat and fold in the fresh spinach.
4. Spoon the vegetable mixture into the cooled peppers. Transfer the peppers to a heat-proof serving dish and top with a generous helping of cheddar cheese. Bake until the peppers are heated through, about 15 minutes.
5. Remove from the oven and serve.
Cook's Note: This can be served on a bed of fresh tomato sauce or on its own. Enjoy. I had a lot of leftover insides, which I will probably eat tomorrow... also, this is a lot of food. I’d say you could feel 8, if everyone just took on half of a pepper – or 4 with two halves.
i took my breather and now it is time to truly embark on this adventure. i'm going to keep this up. i realized today that i think about food all the time. i wake up and i wonder 'will i just drink coffee this morning, or perhaps i'll make some oatmeal.' i get to work and then i start to daydream about lunch and sometimes even dinner! i wish we had a microwave at the office because then i would be able to bring leftovers, but we make due with what we have. i'm sure it doesn't help (this whole food brain thing) that i read food blogs for about 50% of my day.
i just can't help it. i'm not apologizing for it, its just crazy that it really consumes my brain...its like my tastebuds control what i think about. thats why i started this blog. blog. ha. i know they've been around forever and i am just now joining the band wagon. and maybe i missed it and everyone is doing the next cool thing, but this pace, its good for me. its whatever i make it and i like that. its a little more safe and secure.
i have realized that i have to get better at taking in process pictures. thats what i like most about the other blogs that i read are all the pictures of the process and the process itself, which is also why i love cooking. i'm a process person. i like taking steps, multiple if necessary, to achieve a goal. ! yay process.
okay. this is what i tried tonight! Garlic Butter Noodles This was adapted from here
7 oz dry thin spaghetti (or egg noodles)
3 tablespoons of butter
1/2 cup of basil, chopped (or mint)
a huge handful of spinach
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 tablespoons light brown sugar
1 teaspoon soy sauce (or Maggi Sauce) i just realized this said 1 teaspoon! i read it as tablespoon
1 tablespoon oyster sauce
Preparation
1. in a large pot, bring water to a boil and cook noodles according to the package instructions. drain noodles and wipe pot clean. return pot to medium-high heat and add the butter. once butter sizzles, add garlic. fry for about 1 minute or until fragrant. dont let the garlic burn! (this all happens very fast, so it might be easier to have all of your ingredients preset.)
2. add brown sugar, soy sauce and oyster sauce and stir well. add noodles and toss evenly with sauce. stir in the spinach until it begins to wilt.
3. remove from pan and plate in a large bowl and toss with fresh basil. (i do think this would have been better with mint!)
about a palmful of:
