Kale or chard withtahini
March 24, 2014
Ok, so it’s been ages since I put anything on the blog, but that does not mean I have not been cooking all the time. Here is my current favorite way to cook greens.
ingredients:
1 bunch of kale or chard roughly chopped
2 to 4 cloves garlic minced
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp tahini
2-4 tbsp water
salt and pepper to taste
heat the oil in a large skilled over medium heat. Sautéed the garlic for about 15 seconds. Put in the greens, salt and pepper. Cover if you have a lid for the pan, if not, just stir it more frequently. While the greens are wilting, mix the tahini and water in a little bowl until they are smooth. After the greens are a bit wilted, add the tahini mixture. Mix everything around and you’re all done. It should have a little bit of sauce, but not be soupy.
thanks to Mark Bittman for the recipe.
Posted in dinner, sides, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Tags: chard, Kale, side, vegetarian
Lemon Pie made byNiko
May 8, 2013
This is a fantastic pie, hands down, excellent, excellent, excellent. Niko made it the day before my visit and thank heavens there was some left for me to steal a slice. It is slap-your-momma-good and you’ll never guess how to make the crust. Try it.
*This recipe appears on NPR and is from chef Bill Smith from Crook’s Corner where we had Annie and Andrew’s wedding dinner. Here’s a link to the NPR site: http://www.npr.org/2013/04/11/176279512/a-north-carolina-pie-that-elicits-an-oh-my-god-response
Atlantic Beach Pie
“This is a newer version of a pie that is commonly served at seafood restaurants on the North Carolina coast. Chef Bill Smith has been serving it atCrook’s Cornerand at special events for about a year. He calls it the easiest recipe in the world.” — from NPR
Makes one pie
For the crust:
1 1/2 sleeves of saltine crackers
1/3 to 1/2 cup softened unsalted butter
3 tablespoons sugar
For the filling:
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk
4 egg yolks
1/2 cup lemon or lime juice or a mix of the two
Fresh whipped cream and coarse sea salt for garnish
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Crush the crackers finely, but not to dust. You can use a food processor or your hands. Add the sugar, then knead in the butter until the crumbs hold together like dough. Press into an 8 inch pie pan. Chill for 15 minutes, then bake for 18 minutes or until the crust colors a little.
While the crust is cooling (it doesn’t need to be cold), beat the egg yolks into the milk, then beat in the citrus juice. It is important to completely combine these ingredients. Pour into the shell and bake for 16 minutes until the filling has set. The pie needs to be completely cold to be sliced. Serve with fresh whipped cream and a sprinkling of sea salt.
Posted in dessert, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Homemade Graham Crackers
February 8, 2013
Jitterbug Crackers aka Homemade Graham Crackers
I went looking for a recipe for crackers, as when the kids were little I used to make them and they were a real favorite. I happened upon a recipe from Allrecipes for homemade Graham Crackers and happened to have all the ingredients. WOW, they turned out good. I thought they would be a healthy treat for toddlers for Valentine’s Day, but everyone loves them. They are just a little sweet and perfect with peanut butter smeared on top!
After I rolled out the dough, I cut them out with cookie cutters to make them special.
Ingredients
1/2 cup shortening (I used butter)
3/4 cup brown sugar
2 cups whole wheat flour (works best with W.W. pastry flour)
1 cup A.P. flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup + 1 — 4 tsp milk
Directions
- In a medium bowl, cream together the shortening and brown sugar. Stir in the vanilla. Combine the whole wheat flour, all purpose flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, stir into the creamed mixture alternately with the milk. Cover and chill dough until firm.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease cookie sheets. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/8 inch thickness. Cut into rectangles. Place 1/2 inch apart onto the prepared cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, or until crisp. Edges will be golden brown. Remove from baking sheet to cool on wire racks.
Posted in bread, breakfast, dessert, lunch, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Dilly Dumpling Stew from the Post PunkKitchen
January 23, 2013
Driving home in today’s frigid weather, I thought to myself, I really want some stick to your ribs fare for dinner, but i don’t feel like eating a gut bomb. Oh yeah, and my wife is a vegetarian, so no goulash or stoovles. I was trying to wrap my head around making a weeknight, vegetarian version of chicken and dumplings, and then remembered this great recipie from the Post Punk Kitchen. I made it last winter, and it was fantastic, everything I want to eat on a cold night.
~I use a Le Creuset Dutch oven for this. You don’t need to use cast iron, but the wider the pot the better, because you need lots of surface area to make the roux and cook the biscuits later. If you don’t have a wide pot, then using a large, deep pan will work, too. Make sure whatever you use has a tight fitting lid, or else the dumplings won’t come out that great.
The original PPK recipe can be found here:http://www.theppk.com/2011/11/dilly-stew-with-rosemary-dumplings/
Serves 6 – takes about 1:15 including prep time
I made some changes that I like better.
For the stew:
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup all purpose flour
1 medium sized sweet onion (like Vidalia or Walla Walla), quartered and thinly sliced
1 teaspoon salt
3 cloves garlic, minced
7 cups vegetable broth, at room temperature
2 stalks celery, tops removed, sliced 1/4 inch thick
1 1/2 pounds potato, in 3/4 inch chunks (peel if they’re russets)
1 cup carrots, peeled and diced
1 tablespoon fresh thyme
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill (dried is fine, but use 1 tbsp or so)
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika
Fresh black pepper
1 15 oz can navy or other white beans, rinsed and drained (about 1 1/2 cups)
For the dumplings:
1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 tablespoons dried rosemary, finely chopped (fresh works as well)
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsweetened almond milk (or soy) – I just used milk, from a cow.
2 tablespoons olive oil
First we’re going to make a roux, but it has a little less fat than a traditional roux, which means it doesn’t get as goopy. If you’d like a more traditional roux, just add extra oil.
Preheat a large, heavy bottom pot over medium-low heat.
Add the butter and sprinkle in the flour. Use a wooden spatula to toss the flour in the butter, and stir pretty consistently for 3 to 4 minutes, until the flour is clumpy and toasty.
Add the onion, carrot, celery and salt, and toss to coat the onions completely in the flour mixture. As the onions release moisture, they will coat more and more. Cook this way for 5 minutes, stirring often. Add garlic and stir for 30 more seconds or so.
Stream in the vegetable broth, whisking constantly to prevent clumping. Add the potatoes, dill, thyme, paprika and black pepper, then turn the heat up and cover to bring to a boil. Keep a close eye and stir often, so that it doesn’t clump or boil over.
Once boiling, reduce the heat to a simmer and let cook uncovered for 20 to 25 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the stew is nicely thickened and the potatoes and carrots are tender.
In the meantime, prepare the dumplings.
Sift the flour, baking powder and salt together in a large mixing bowl. Mix in the rosemary. Make a well in the center and add the milk and olive oil. Use a wooden spoon to mix together until a wet dough forms.
When the stew is ready, mix in the beans and plop dough right on top of the stew in spoonfuls. You should get about 14 dumplings. Cover the pot tightly and cook for about 14 more minutes. The dumplings should be nice and firm. Use your ladle to dunk them into the stew to coat.
Ladle stew into bowls, topped with dumplings. And serve!
Posted in dinner, lunch, soups, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Quintessentially summer: Watermelon with KalamataOlives
July 20, 2012
I know, I know, who would ever put these two things together? I never like anyone messing with something so perfect as a dead ripe watermelon, it might be the most perfect food ever grown.
As most of you know, I have a lust affair with Tyler Florence. His recipes are fabulous and he looks pretty darn great cooking them! Well this is a take off on one of his from his cookbook “Tyler Florence’s Real Kitchen”, and also found here on his website: www.tylerflorence.com/?p=759. His recipe calls for cooked salmon which I omitted and tweaked a little. It’s great, especially paired with Sam’s previos recipe for his “Fantastic Summer Salad”. The recipe is easy to do, and will wow anyone that tastes it.
One of the things I love best about all those contributing to this blog, is that everyone probably has all these ingredients in their fridge!
Watermelon and Black Olive Salad – for 2
3 or so cups of seedless watermelon in 1″ cubes
2-3 green onions sliced
1/2 jar Kalamata olives – I bought the ones that were already pitted and was sure glad I did
Salad greens to lay the salad on – I had arugula and spinach from the garden
1/3 cup olive oil – the good stuff this time
1/2 of 1/3 cup of wine vinegar
1 tsp honey – NC honey from a boutique beekeeper would do nicely
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp cardamom
Black pepper
*Mix watermelon, olives, and green onions in a bowl. Mix remaining ingredients separately and pour over salad. Let this chill an hour or two in the fridge. Serve on the greens. WOW!
Posted in lunch, salads, sides, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Tags: fruit, salad, side dish, summer, vegan, vegetarian, watermelon
Fantastic Summer Salad
July 16, 2012
I made this salad from the NY Times last week. It was absolutley fantastic. I omitted the anchovies and doubled the capers in the dressing to make it vegetarian. Also, I served it over lettuce instead of arugula, since that’s what I had. It came out great.
Here is the article:http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/27/dining/a-summer-salad-in-the-french-style.html
INGREDIENTS
- 2 pounds medium potatoes, like Yukon Gold or Yellow Finn
- Salt and pepper
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 large thyme sprig
- 3 garlic cloves, smashed to a paste with a little salt
- 1 tablespoon chopped anchovy
- 1 tablespoon chopped capers
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 4 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 pound small French beans, or small romano or wax beans
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon thinly sliced chives
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped parsley
- 2 tablespoons roughly chopped basil
- 6 to 8 anchovy fillets, optional, for garnish
- 8 ounces arugula, optional.
PREPARATION
- 1.
- Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Add the potatoes, bay leaf and thyme branch. Cook at a brisk simmer until the potatoes are firm but easily pierced with a skewer, about 30 minutes. Remove and let cool slightly.
- 2.
- While the potatoes are cooking, make the vinaigrette: In a small bowl, stir together the garlic, anchovy, capers, mustard and vinegar. Slowly whisk in the olive oil. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Whisk again before using if the dressing separates.
- 3.
- When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skins with a paring knife and carefully cut into pieces 1/4-inch thick, or slightly thicker. Put the slices in a low bowl, season lightly with salt and pepper and add half the vinaigrette. Using your hands, gently coat the potatoes with the vinaigrette, taking care not to break them. Cover and set aside at room temperature.
- 4.
- Top and tail the beans. Simmer in salted water until firm-tender, about 3 to 4 minutes, then cool under running water and pat dry.
- 5.
- To cook the eggs, bring a medium pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the eggs and cook for 8 minutes for a somewhat soft-centered yolk or 9 minutes for a firmer yolk. Cool the eggs immediately in ice water, then crack and peel. Cut each egg in half and season lightly with salt and pepper.
- 6.
- When ready to serve, season the beans with salt and pepper, then dress with the remaining vinaigrette. (Reserve 2 tablespoons vinaigrette for the arugula, if using.)
- 7.
- Combine the dressed beans and potatoes, using hands to toss, and pile onto a platter. Sprinkle with chives, parsley and basil and arrange the eggs over the top. Garnish with anchovy fillets, if desired. Dress the arugula and send it to the table separately.
- YIELD
- 4 to 6 servings.
Posted in appetizers, dinner, lunch, salads, sides, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Kick-Slaw
June 22, 2012
This insanely delicious cole slaw recipe comes from one of our new favorite cookbooks: Fast, Fresh & Green by Susie Middleton. Everything we’ve made from this cookbook has been a win.
Ingredients
1/2 small head red cabbage
5 oz. snow peas trimmed and cut on a diagonal into 3 pieces
4 ox. carrots, shredded
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. minced garlic
1 tbsp. finely chopped fresh ginger
1 tbsp. lime juice
2 tbsp. orange juice
2 1/2 tbsp. hoisin sauce
1 tbsp. soy sauce
1/2 tsp sesame oil
1 1/2 tbsp. peanut oil
1/4 c. fresh cilantro
Directions
1. Combine cabbage, snow peas, and carrots in a large mixing bowl; sprinkle with salt; mix well.
2. Combine garlic, ginger, lime juice , orange juice, hoisin sauce, soy sauce, sesame oil, and peanut oil. Mix well and pour over cabbage mixture. Mix thoroughly, then add cilantro and mix again.
3. Serve!
Posted in salads, sides, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Escarole (or mixed greens)Tart
June 18, 2012
On a quest to add more vegetarian meals to our diet, and at the same time, use the bounty of greens from the garden, I happened upon this recipe. This is an adaptation from a Jamie Oliver recipe. It comes out looking quiche-like, but the sour cream makes it different.
I liked this pie better the next daycold!
Preheat oven to 375
Crust
2 cups of flour
7 tablespoons of cold butter
1-3 Tablespoons of milk
1/3 cup grated parmesan
dash salt
1 egg
Work butter into flour as you would any pie crust, add in beaten egg and salt with milk until the dough feels workable. Roll out and fit into your pie pan. I used a 10″, but use what you have on hand. Put in freezer for 30 min, then blind bake in 375 degree oven for 10 minutes.
Filling
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion chopped (not fine)
1 garlic clove minced
1 cup sour cream (I used reduced fat)
2 eggs
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
10-12 oz fresh mixed greens (I use a combination of spinach, escarole, and chard).
Heat olive oil in large pan, add onions and cook until translucent but not brown. Remove to a bowl. Put garlic in pan and heat through, addd mixed greens in pan and heat until completely wilted. Gently squeeze off any water the greens put out.
Mix sour cream and eggs together add in parmesan cheese.
In the bottom of the pie crust, spread out the cooked, drained greens. Top with onions. Pour sour cream and egg mixture over all, using your spatula to cover everything evenly. Dust with grated cheese if you have it (I sprinkled with a bit of shredded cheddar I had left over from a mexican dinner). Bake 375 about 25 minutes until the custard is set but not hard, (you do not want a liquid center).
Serve with a salad and you will feel like you’re eating in the Italian countryside!
Posted in appetizers, dinner, lunch, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Tags: chard, Escarole, greens, spinach, vegetarian, vegetarian entree
Japanese Rice or NoodleBowl
December 15, 2011
Here is an absolutely fantastic and versatile dish that can be assembled in as little as 15 minutes. It is Japanese comfort food, adapted from an Eating Well recipe. I have made it both with meat and vegetarian, both are great.
Japanese Chicken Scallion Rice Bowl
Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups any rice, preferably short-grain japanese –OR–
4 oz. per serving of udon or soba noodles (I prefer udon)
2 onions, thinly sliced (not diced)
2-3 cups any broth (depending on how soupy you like it)
1 tbsp. sugar
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1 tbsp mirin or sake
2 eggs, beaten
1 bunch chard or spinach, chopped (optional)
8 oz. chicken, turkey, pork, beef or anything else you want to put in this cut into 1/2 inch chunks (optional)
1 bunch of scallions, thinly sliced
3 or 4 inari wrappers per serving (optional)
Directions:
If you are making it with rice, cook the rice according to the package directions first so it will be ready when everything else is done. Cut everything up so it is ready to go. This dish assembles very quickly. Heat a large saucepan or soup pot over medium high heat. Coat the bottom with 2 tbsp of vegetable oil. Cook the onion, stirring occasionally until beginning to brown.
Next, dump in your broth, sugar, soy sauce and mirin or sake. Bring to a boil, then reduce to medium low.
If you are making the soup with noodles, dump them straight into the broth and cook them until a bit underdone. I really like doing this with the semi fresh, refrigerated udon noodles that you can get at Japanese markets.
Now, dump in your meat and chard or spinach if you are using them. Cover the pot and let it hang, unattended for about 1 minute. If you cut the meat into 1/2 inch pieces, it should only take about 3 minutes to cook. If you kept them larger, it will take a bit longer.
After the meat has been there for about 2 minutes, remove the cover, stir and gently por in the eggs. You want to try and keep the eggs kind of floating on top of everything. Dump in the scallions on top and cover the pot. Let it sit unattended for about 2 or 3 minutes.
When the egg is set, run a chopstick or knife through the egg a few times to break it up and you’re ready to eat. Spoon some rice into the bottom of a bowl, top with the brothy goodness and enjoy. If you are using inari wrappers, just place a few on top of your dish. The bowl will be rocket hot, and heat the inari up very quickly. There’s no need to add it to the broth.
Posted in dinner, lunch, soups, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
Tags: chicken, japanese, noodle, quick, rice, vegetarian
Strawberry Cake
August 14, 2011
I don’t remember where I originally found this—maybe smitten kitchen? But it’s so easy to make and is so delicious that it has become my go-to summer dessert.
Ingredients
6 tbsp butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 cup + 2 tbsp sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup milk
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 lb strawberries
Directions
Beat butter and 1 cup sugar until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Mix in egg, milk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients gradually, mixing until just smooth.Pour into prepared pie plate. Arrange strawberries, cut side down, on top of batter. Sprinkle remaining 2 tablespoons sugar over berries.
Bake cake for 10 minutes then reduce oven temperature to 325°F and bake cake until golden brown—about 50 minutes.
Posted in dessert, vegetarian | Leave a Comment »
« Previous Entries
- appetizers (9)
- bread (5)
- breakfast (6)
- dessert (15)
- dinner (25)
- drinks (1)
- lunch (15)
- salads (7)
- sides (18)
- soups (5)
- Uncategorized (4)
- vegetarian (50)
Search
- Register
- Log in
- Entries feed
- Comments feed
- Create a free website or blog at WordPress.com.
