The Obsessed Chef

Green Burrito

2012-02-12T05:58:00.003-05:00

In winter, I don't eat salad every day for lunch like I do in the warmer months. When it's cold, I prefer to fill up on soups and stews with just a raw vegetable or piece of fruit on the side. Although I love spinach in soup, my consumption of greens tends to be more frequently with my evening meal, often sauteed. The upside of this is that because the greens shrink during cooking, I tend to have a lot more of them with just the addition of a tiny bit of oil from fat, if any, or steamed with vegetable stock.

A giant pile of cooked greens can be as good a foundation for a meal as pasta and potatoes, and much more versatile. Frequently, planning a meal about rice or noodles dictates the direction your dish takes. Greens are a perfectly blank slate that can be morphed into myriad dishes with the addition of protein, seasonings, and other vegetables. I used white beans as my protein and decided to head toward Mexico once the tomatoes came into play, so I dashed it with my homemade Mexican seasoning. I served it in a wrap to add some texture. This whole wheat burrito shell worked wonders for adding heft and soaking up the cooking liquids.

Mexican Skillet Green Wrap

Ingredients:
Canola Oil
1/2 Large Red Onion, thinly sliced
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
10 oz Mushrooms,wiped clean and cut into large chunks (I used oysters here)
1/2 Bunch Turnip Greens, washed, dried, cored, and sliced
Vegetable Stock
1/2 Cup Small White Beans
1/2 Cup Grape Tomatoes, halved
Dash Mexican Seasoning

Directions:
Heat about a tablespoon on canola oil in a cast iron pan over medium heat.
Saute Onions until soft and beginning to brown, about 3 minutes.
Stir in Mushrooms, increase heat to high, and cook until lightly browned.
Add garlic and greens and cook quickly, tossing constantly with tongs to coat.
Add tomatoes, skin side down, to sear quickly.
Pour in about 1/8 cup vegetable stock to deglaze the pan.
Stir well with a wooden spoon, being sure to scrape any caramelized bits from the pan's bottom.
Stir in beans, tomatoes, and a little more stock so that it is visible in the pan.
Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover pot with lid.
Cook mixture about 5 minutes until beans are heated through.
Meanwhile, warm wrap directly on the stove's burner and place on serving plate.
Remove lid from vegetable mixture and return flame to cook out any remaining liquid.
Season to taste with Mexican seasoning.
Serve on wrap with cheese if desired, nonfat Greek yogurt, and salsa.

Split Pea Stew as Soup

2012-02-11T06:12:00.001-05:00

Here is my Pea Stew in the spotlight as a traditional Split Pea Soup.

I placed about 12 cup of my thick cooked pea stew base in a medium stock pot and added vegetable stock just to cover. I put the pot on the stove over a low flame and covered it with a lid. I allowed the mixture to cook for a relatively long time - about 30 minutes, for the liquid to come to a boil. Doing this allowed the starch in the peas to break down and thicken the soup without needing to puree any of it or add cream. This left my carrots and celery intact so I was left with a creamy soup with crunchy bits. If I felt it needed more body or creaminess, I might add a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt.

I added a few slices of sun dried tomatoes at the end for color and a bit of saltiness and just a dash of freshly-ground black pepper.

I served this for lunch with whole grain crackers, cucumber spears, carrot and celery sticks, and black seedless grapes.

Pea Stew as Dip

2012-02-10T06:31:00.002-05:00

After my Pea Stew was cooled and refrigerated overnight, I had this lovely base to incorporate into meals. This first thing I did was make this dip.

I'm not a fan of spectator sports and rarely watch them on TV, but, like the rest of American, I usually make an exception for The Superbowl. Superbowl Sunday is becoming a lot like many other holidays here in the U.S. in regard to the fact you don't have to belong to the religion it celebrates to participate. It is for me an excuse to shelf my weekend to-do list and drink beer on a Sunday afternoon. Of course, any holidays in which food plays a large part is also okay with me. So I make some snacks and we watch the commercials, celebrating with the rest of the country.

Although I no longer eat chicken wings and any renditions of pizza or chips I consume are of the healthy, homemade variety, I do like to keep my treats for this day in the same vein. This is a healthy dip I made using my Pea Stew base, inspired by Buffalo Wing. Please don't call them "Hot Wings", btw.

Buffalo Pea Dip

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Cooked Pea Stew Base or any cooked beans such as Edamame or Garbanzos

1/4 Cup Smoked Almonds

1 Tbsp Nonfat Cream Cheese

Nonfat Sour Cream or Baconnaise to thin as desired

Frank's Red Hot Sauce to taste

Distilled White Vinegar to taste

Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper to taste

1 oz Bleu Cheese, crumbled

2 Strips Veggie Bacon, cooked and crumbled

Directions:
In the food processor, pulse peas or beans with nuts and cream cheese.

Thin to desired dipping consistency with sour cream or Baconnaise.

Season to taste with vinegar, hot sauce, salt, and pepper.

Stir in Bleu cheese and "bacon" bits.

Serve with fresh vegetable crudite.

Split Pea Stew

2012-02-09T06:01:00.003-05:00

On an especially cold day (cold for this year, I mean - maybe 35 degrees...not like it snowed or anything) I felt compelled to bring out the crock pot and make a fresh batch of Split Pea Soup. Pea soup is creamy and nourishing and can extremely comforting when you're sick or just cold and tired of winter. I load mine up with carrots and celery to give it some texture and leave out the cream and bacon to make it super healthy.

I make my pea soup using dried split peas and follow the directions on the package. I like Goya, but I've used Iberia and even a store brand and haven't noticed any difference in the final product. I dice my carrots, onions, and celery to the size of the legumes for consistency. It takes a little longer than just chopping the veggies whole, but with something as basic as soup, I find that little touches like this can make it seem special and worth doing it yourself instead of just opening a can. The perfect little cubes of color stay intact and make the soup look professionally-made if you're serving it as is. This is also a great strategy even if you're blending it after it's cooked, so you'll have a nice homogeneous puree. I use slightly less liquid than called for and get a much thicker result. Because we are just two people and a pound of peas goes a very long way, I like to start with a fairly dry base that I can add to and play with for days to follow.

Crock Pot Pea Stew

Ingredients:

2 Large Carrots, cut into small dice

2 Ribs Celery, cut into small dice

1 Large White Onion, chopped

16 oz Dried Split Peas,

rinsed & picked through

1 Bay Leaf

Vegetable Stock

Salt & Pepper

6 Sun dried Tomatoes, sliced

Directions:

Combine Carrots, Celery, Onions, and Split Peas in crock pot.

Add vegetable stock to cover - I used about 6 cups.

Secure lid on cooker and set on low for 6 hours.

Check after 4 hours and add more liquid if necessary.

Season to taste with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

To serve as a thick stew, garnish with sun-dried tomatoes and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil.

Cabbage and Apples

2012-02-08T06:00:00.007-05:00

In keeping with the apple theme, but looking toward dinner, I cooked up this lovely savory braise. I have always loved cabbage and apples together - maybe it's the Pollack in me... The sweetness of one brings out the oomph in the other - and vice versa. I had a head of hearty green cabbage in the fridge and used a golden delicious apple. Those were in the mix of what I have and I've cooked with them before so I am very familiar with their flavor and how they hold up during cooking. As a savory dish, the tastes can be played up with the addition of caraway, fennel, or mustard seeds, vinegar,

mustard, and horseradish. A splash of hot sauce and a dollop of Greek yogurt are, of course, always welcome as well.

Winter Cabbage Braise

Ingredients:

1/4 Head Green Cabbage, cored & sliced with the grain

1/2 Large White Onion, peeled and sliced French-style

2 Cloves Garlic, peeled and chopped

1 Large Carrot, ends removed and cut on a bias

1 Rib Celery, ends removed and cut on a bias

1 Large Apple, cored and sliced

Apple Juice and/or Vinegar

Vegetable Stock

Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Heat about a tablespoon of Canola oil in a cast iron pan over medium-high heat.

Quickly sear the cabbage slices to color and transfer to a large bowl.

Do the same with the onions, garlic, carrots, and celery, finishing with the apple.

Return the vegetables to the pan.

Deglaze pan with vinegar, apple juice, or vegetable stock.

Add vegetable stock to cover.

Add caraway, fennel, or mustard seeds if desired.

Bring liquid to a boil, reduce heat to low and cover pan with a lid.

Simmer ingredients for about 5 minutes until hot and cooked through.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

I served mine with seared veggie sausage and hot sauce.

Apple-Walnut Kale Crisps

2012-02-07T06:16:00.002-05:00

I have an amazingly thoughtful friend who gave me a gift certificate to my favorite health food store in the city - LifeThyme Natural Market - as a Christmas present. The store has fresh produce, healthy packaged foods like cereal and pasta, hot and cold salad bars, a juice bar, and a full prepared foods counter that has some amazing vegetarian takeout. The place is right near the station by the office that I take the PATH train to, so I would frequently stop there on my way into or out of the city. How did she know it was my favorite? The bags could have been a clue, but I'm sure I mentioned it on more than one occasion. Knowing this, she must have had an inkling that as soon as I got my gift, I made a beeline to the store to spend up that generous gift before the dust settled. With a gift certificate, I felt like I had carte blance to pick up extravagant things I would never spend actual money on. One of these pricey items was store-made kale chips. Having made them myself, I know how much time and effort they take -which justifies the hefty price tag. Also, since I know I can buy the ingredients inexpensively myself prepare them at home, I have a hard time spending the $8 on them. At the same time, the ones I make myself aren't nearly as good as the store-bought ones, so more research was in order. On this visit to the shop, I picked up the one variety of kale chips I wanted to try so i could recreate them at home - Apple-Walnut. And now that my house is overrun with apples, it's the perfect time to make them.

This was an amazing treat! The chips were crispy, held together well, and had a fantastic apple-y flavor with crunchy candied walnuts. I ate a few, shared some with Dale, scrutinized them, and read the ingredients before giving them a shot. Here's where you can get them: http://www.lifethymemarket.com/

Here's how I did it at home:

Apple Walnut Kale Chips

Ingredients:

1/2 Bunch Kale, washed, dried, and stems removed

1 Cup Apple Pulp (from juicing apples in the extractor)

Juice of 1 Lemon

1/2 Cup Walnuts, toasted and crushed

1 Tbsp Canola Oil

2 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon

1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg

1/4 Cup Apple Foam (from extracted apple juice)

Apple Juice as needed

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper.

Combine Apple Pulp, Lemon Juice, Canola Oil, Cinnamon, & Nutmeg in a large bowl and mix well.

Spoon in the apple foam and juice a little at a time to thin to a spreadable paste if necessary.

Add the Kale leaves and massage the dressing into each one, adding more liquid if needed.

Spread the kale out on the parchment in a single layer and place in the oven.

Bake the kale for about 2 hours, until dry and crispy.

Remove from oven and transfer to a rack to cool to room temperature if you can wait that long to eat them.

Store in zip-loc bags up to a week if there are any left.

Apple Waffles

2012-02-06T06:00:00.002-05:00

I thought another great way to use my fresh apple juice and apple pulp would be waffles. I added a cup of pulp to my standard recipe from The Joy of Cooking, left out the butter, and thinned it with juice. They were great on the spot, but after the batter sat overnight and the yeast from the apples reacted with the baking soda, they were super fluffy the second time around.

Apple Oatmeal Waffles
Makes 2 Large 4-section waffles

Whisk together in a large bowl:
1/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour

1/4 Cup Almond Flour
2 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal

1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Nutmeg

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats

1/ Cup Toasted Pecan Pieces

Whisk together in another bowl:
3/4 Skim milk
1 Cup Apple Pulp or 1/2 cup Applesauce
2 Large Eggs, beaten
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Apple Juice to thin - I used 1/4 cup day one and another 1/4 cup day two

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients, thinning with juice to pourable consistency.

Transfer to a large measuring cup or pitcher.
Rest, uncovered, in a warm spot 15-30 minutes.
Heat waffle iron over medium heat to nearly smoking and spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Pour batter into center of each section of waffle iron to 3/4 full, spreading batter with a heatproof spatula if necessary.
Cook about 2 minutes and flip to check.
Iron should open easily, which means bottom is cooked and not sticking.
If it doesn't, give it another minute and check again.
When crispy and browned on bottom side, flip iron and cook the other side just under the same amount of time.
Flip to check and cook until both sides are golden and crisp.
Remove from iron with heat-proof spatula.
Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
Serve with chunky applesauce, nonfat Greek yogurt, and cinnamon.

Apple Bread

2012-02-05T06:02:00.004-05:00

I have found myself in the unique position of having just been presented with an abundance of apples. Don't ask. I love apples and I eat at least one a day, but I'm not doing a whole lot of sweets these days and most cooked preparations of this fruit tend to be of the carby variety, which I generally don't indulge in. But since I have all of these apples, I need to find uses for them because there is no way I can eat all of them raw on my own. Since we have our fancy new juice extractor, the first thing we did was make some Apple Juice. We're having that in our evening cocktails, but I certainly don't intend to start drinking apple juice daily - too much sugar - and a girl can only have so many cocktails. The upside of the juice, of course, is that I now have apple froth and apple pulp to work with, so, as time is of the essence with that, I made using that my first order of business. Coincidentally, my niece and I have been having email exchanges about bread recipes, which I don't have a lot of, and recipes for apple bread in particular. So, I thought this was as good an opportunity to seek out a recipe and give it a try before recommending it. After a little thought and a bit of research, I believe that I may have never actually had apple bread as it does not seem to be as common an item as it sounds. There was no recipe for it in my Joy of Cooking , 1001 Muffins, or Fanny Farmer Baking cookbooks. Most of the recipes for Apple Bread I found online were more cake-like, laden with white flour and butter. Since I wanted to use the pulp and juice and make it healthy, I went narrowed my search and found this one on a blog called The Food Love Project. I don't always trust recipes for baked goods from blogs, but I liked the look of this one and the name made me want to trust it. I made so many changes to the original recipe based on my personal preferences that the blogger probably wouldn't recognize it - I took out the 1 1/2 cups of sugar and used just a tablespoon of honey, replaced the oil with applesauce, tripled the cinnamon, added nuts, and swapped some of the whole wheat flour for Almond Meal. However, the base idea and chemical balance is the same and my final result looks surprisingly similar. It came out extremely light and moist and had a bit of an old-fashioned flavor. This recipe made one large loaf and 2 small ones, so I had enough to enjoy some now, freeze one and, and send the other to my niece - with the recipe so she can make her own.

Apple Bread
Adapted from Food Love Project blog
Makes 1 Large and 2 Small loaves

Start to Finish: 2 Hours

Ingredients:

Dry

2 Cups Whole Wheat Flour

1 Cup Almond Meal

2 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal
2 Tbsp Cinnamon
1 Tbsp Baking Soda

1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 tsp Salt

1 Cup Rolled Oats

1 Cup Walnuts, toasted and chopped

Wet
3 Large Eggs, beaten
1 Tbsp Honey
1 Cup Fresh Applesauce or Apple Foam from making juicing apples in an extractor

2 Cups Apple Pulp moistened with fresh apple juice

1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1 Tbsp Vanilla

Apple Juice to thin completed batter - I used 3 cups

Directions:

Position oven rack to center and heat oven to 350 degrees.

Spray loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray.
Mix together dry ingredients in a large bowl with a fork.
In a separate bowl, beat wet ingredients together.
Fold wet into dry with a rubber spatula.

Thin batter to desired consistency with apple juice - I made mine like thick cake batter.
Pour into prepared pans.
Bake for 45 minutes or until cake tester comes out clean.

Enjoy hot, cold, room temperature, or toasted with apple butter, cream cheese, or cheddar.

Baba Ghanoush

2012-02-04T06:24:00.003-05:00

I viewed a slide show on Serious Eats of the editor's favorite eggplant dishes. These slide shows are a great inspiration for me because they spotlight one vegetable prepared in a variety of ways in various dishes at different restaurants in the city. Often the vegetable is an ingredient in a larger dish or a side dish and can sometimes be a preparation I have seen before or that I wouldn't attempt - like breaded or deep-fried. Frequently, though, thanks to such a pool of inventive chefs in this area, these common vegetables are displayed I hadn't thought of. This was definitely the case with the Eggplant episode. In fact, although I eat a lot of eggplant, I rarely order it out and stick to preparations I am familiar with at home because I had several bad experiences where I had an allergic reaction to it. I did a little research and asked my doctor about my "eggplant allergy" but found documentation or reasoning for why some preparations cause my lips and tongue to swell and some don't. However, through trial and error, I know that it's usually in an antipasto-type dish where it's been roasted or grilled with garlic and balsamic vinegar, so I steer clear of that preparation. I do know I have had the eggplant dish Baba Ghanoush without incident and this article made me come to the surprising realization that I had never made my own.

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2012/01/eggplant-dishes-in-nyc-we-love-best-eggplant.html

So, I went to my trusty "Joy of Cooking" and found this straightforward recipe. Since we're just two people, I used just one eggplant and reduced the other ingredients by 1/3 as reflected below.

Baba Ghanoush

Adapted from The Joy of Cooking

Start to Finish: 3 Hrs 45 Min
Makes 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients:
1 Large Eggplant
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice
1/4 Cup Tahini
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper to taste
1 1/2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Chopped Fresh Parsley

Directions:
Preheat oven to 400.
Wash & dry eggplant and pierce skin in several places with a sharp knife.

Roast on a rack on a backing sheet for about 45 minutes, until soft.
Remove from oven and cool to room temperature.

Peel off skin and discard.

Place eggplant in the food processor with the lemon juice, tahini, and garlic.

Pulse until smooth.

With the motor still running, pour in olive oil.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Refrigerate 3 hours before serving.

Adjust seasonings and garnish with parsley.

Brussels Sprouts and Sweet Potatoes

2012-02-03T06:04:00.007-05:00

For my next trick with this week's mushroom soup, I used it as a sauce for caramelized vegetables. I had some lovely Brussels sprouts that I thought would make a nice flavor and color contrast with sweet potato, so I ran with it. The soup already had caramelized onions and big chunks of mushroom in it, so all I had to do to make a completely different meal of it was add some color and switch out the focal point.

To make this dish, I heated up my cast-iron pan on the stove with about a tablespoon of oil over medium-high heat.

I cut the Brussels Sprouts in half so I could get a nice sear on the cut side.

The sweet potato got a good scrubbing under cold water and a drying with a soft cloth.

I left the ends and skin on and cut it into 1/8" slices.

When my pan was nice and hot, I added the Brussels sprouts, cut-side-down.

I did those first because the starch from the potatoes could cause whatever goes into the pan next stick and I don't want to have to add too much fat to keep things moving.

When I had some color on the sprouts, I removed them to a bowl and added the potatoes slices to the pan.

I browned the sweet potatoes on both sides and transferred those to the bowl with the Brussels sprouts. If I had found they were starting to stick, I'd have had to add a bit more oil.

With the cast-iron pan now empty, I reduced the heat to medium and added some of the onions and mushrooms from the soup to the pan with a slotted spoon and gave them a quick stir.

Then I ladled about two cups of soup into the pan and turned the heat up to high.

I brought the liquid to a boil since it had been in the fridge overnight.

The boiling soup in the pan warmed the vegetables and reduced to a nice, thick sauce with still enough liquid to finish the cooking of the potatoes and sprouts.

I added the veggies from the bowl to the pan, reduced the heat to low, and covered it with a lid.

This cooked just 2 minutes or so before everything was heated through and the sprouts and potatoes were tender but not mushy.

I adjusted the seasonings with salt and pepper and served as is, in about 15 minutes.

Portabella Mushroom Soup

2012-02-02T06:09:00.002-05:00

I used my delicious roasted Portabella mushrooms, caramelized onions, and roasted garlic to create this savory soup. I added fresh beans I had cooked to make it creamy so there would be less need for cream. We had this as soup as soon as it came out of the crock pot. I also used it as a versatile sauce and base for future meals throughout the week.

Creamy Mushroom Soup
Ingredients:
2 Cups Sliced Roasted Portabella Mushrooms
6 Cloves Roasted Garlic
1 Large Caramelized Onion
1 Cup Cooked Cannelini Beans, seasoned, and their liquid
About a Quart of Vegetable Stock
2 Cups Heavy Cream
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Parsley leaves for garnish
Stinky Bleu Cheese (optional)

Directions:
Place mushrooms, garlic, onions, and beans in crock pot.
Add bean liquid and vegetable stock just to cover.
Place lid securely on crock pot and set to low for 6 hours.

To serve:
Warm cream almost to a boil.
Stir into hot soup.
Season with salt and pepper and drizzle with olive oil.
Garnish with fresh parsley and crumbled bleu cheese

Soup can be thicken by blending a cup or two in the blender and returning it to the soup.

Roasted Mushrooms and Garlic

2012-02-01T06:55:00.003-05:00

Like caramelized onions, I go through a lot of roasted garlic and roasted mushrooms. Again, like the onions, these are items that can spruce up an otherwise bland meal or nicely top a cracker for a super savory snack. If you're roasting vegetables or spending your Sunday prepping veggies for meals for the week, these are great items to include. If the oven's already on, toss these babies in. You will have no problem finding uses for them in you have them all ready to go.

Roasted Garlic
Ingredients:
1 Large Head of Garlic
Canola Oil
Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper
Water

Directions:
Cut the flowering (not the root) end of the head, just enough to expose the ends of some of the cloves
Rub the entire head with canola oil and sprinkle salt and pepper an a splash of water.
Wrap garlic loosely in foil.
Roast on rack or in pan in 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.
The skin should be dry and papery and the cloves will be soft and slightly browned.
Cool to room temperature.
Remove the outside skin and carefully unwrap each clove.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to a week.
Can be used as a paste, a spread, or in soups and recipes.

A note about choosing garlic: When shopping for garlic to roast in this fashion, you want a nice, firm head that has not sprouted - with large cloves. Removing a million tiny cloves from the skin is a major pain.

Roasted Mushrooms
Ingredients:
Mushrooms, sliced or quartered
- Use twice as many mushrooms as you think you'll need as they shrink significantly
1 Large Shallot, minced
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
Canola Oil
Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper
Water

Directions:
On a large baking sheet, center a sheet of foil about twice the length of the tray. Combine the mushrooms, shallots, and garlic in a large bowl.
Drizzle with oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and toss to coat well.
Spread mushrooms out on the foil in a single layer and sprinkle with water.
Fold the foil over and crimp together in the center and on the sides to seal.
Place in a 350 degree oven and roast about 35 minutes until mushrooms are soft and tender.

Caramelized Onions

2012-01-31T06:50:00.004-05:00

I LOVE caramelized onions. They are an inexpensive, quick, and fairly easy way to add flavor and texture to any dish. Because of their sweetness, caramelized onions go as well in a sandwich as they do in an apple tart. They can be made in advanced and stored in the refrigerator for days, and served hot or cold. They are featured prominently in these pages. I have described the process of making them in detail most times they've been included in a recipe. But, I thought I would be a good idea to dedicate an entire page to making them anyway since I think they are an underutilized resource for home cooks and are such a fantastic way to ramp of the flavor of a dish with little effort and very few calories.

Caramelized Onions

Ingredients:
1 Large White Onion

Canola Oil

Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Cut the ends from onion, cut it in half, and remove the peel.

Slice each half thinly lengthwise along the bulb's natural lines - this is also known as "French style".

Heat a large saute pan over medium heat.

Add about a tablespoon of Canola oil.

Swirl pan to distribute oil.

Add the onions, stir to coat lightly with oil.

Cover pan with a tight-fitting lid and reduce heat to low.

Cook the onions until soft, about 15 minutes.

Remove lid and stir, being sure to remove any onions from the bottom of pan so they don't burn.

Cook uncovered on low, stirring frequently, until onions are browned and fairly dry.

If the onions cook too fast, turn down the heat and add a few tablespoons of water.

The final stage of cooking can be sped up and onions can be browned more by adding a splash of balsamic vinegar or soy sauce, depending on what they're being used for.

Remove from pan and cool to room temperature.

Onions may be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to a week.

Use in panini, on toast with mustard, in French onion soup, or on a sliced apple with a nice, stinky cheese.

Cool to room temperature.

Vegetables Braised in a Spicy Tomato Broth

2012-01-30T06:55:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I decided to spice things up with this hot, broth-y braise.

I made a quick classic braise by sauteing half a sliced onion in less than a tablespoon of Canola oil in a saute pan over medium heat.

I tossed in and sweated, one at a time, 3 sliced garlic cloves, 1/2 each sliced red and greed peppers, and 1 each of sliced zucchini and yellow squash.

When everything had a bit of a sear on it, I warmed up a cup of vegetable stock in a separate pot and stirred in a tablespoon of tomato paste and a heaping tablespoon of Za'atar. The recipe for that is below.

I added the broth to my caramelized vegetables and brought it to a boil.

I put a lid on the pot, reduced the heat to low and let it marinate just while I set the table and made myself a cocktail.

This perfect dinner, fine on its own or improved with Greek yogurt and pita bread, was ready about 5 minutes later.

Za’atar Middle Eastern Spice Mixture
¼ Cup Sumac
2 Tbsp Thyme
1 Tbsp Roasted Sesame Seeds, Ground
2 Tbsp Marjoram
2 Tbsp Oregano
1 Tsp Coarse Salt

Roast Vegetable Melange

2012-01-29T06:23:00.000-05:00

Here are some of the same vegetables I spent the weekend turning into chips - Sweet Potatoes, Butternut Squash, Parsnips, Rutabaga, and Celery Root. Today, I roasted them along with Red and Green Pepper, Red Onions, and Garlic.

I washed everything and cut each vegetable into hefty chunky - I like to see, feel, and taste my food. I tossed them all together just a tablespoon of Canola oil and seasoned them with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

I roasted them on a hot sheet tray in a 400 degree oven for about 40 minutes, until caramelized.

They were crisp on the outside and soft in the center.

Mixed together, these were fantastic with just a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Dried Root Vegetables

2012-01-28T06:37:00.003-05:00

I broke out the dehydrator to make the cauliflower crisps in my previous posts, but since it was my first time making them and I didn't know how they would turn out, I decided to dedicate just one tray to that project and fill the other trays with other vegetables I had on hand. I've had most of them, but as for making them myself, I've only ever done them in the oven. It takes a lot longer, but it saves me from having to keep the oven on all night and my model uses propane, so I like to limit the tips to the filling station when possible. The dehydrator has other bonuses as well. The chips turn out much crispier, use less oil, and are almost impossible to burn. My dehydrator trays and cover are clear, so I have have to disturb them to check their progress and I lose very little heat when I do open it to rotate the trays. This combination of vegetables worked very well and made a tasty variety of chips. However, the parsnips reduce so much that you need to eat them by the handful to get a taste. Halfway through, I had to transfer them to a Teflex mat on the dehydrator tray so they wouldn't fall through the cracks.

Crispy Root Vegetable Chips
Ingredients:
Celery Root, Rutabaga, Parsnip, Turnip, Crimini Mushrooms
Canola Oil
Salt & Freshly-Ground Black Pepper
Other seasonings as desired: White Vinegar, Mustard Powder, Cinnamon, Turmeric, Curry Powder, etc.

Directions:
Wash and dry all vegetables, peeling only the celery root.
Keeping the vegetables separate, cut each of them in half and slice, cut side down, as thin as possible on the mandolin.
Toss each set of vegetable slices separately in a large bowl with the oil and salt and pepper.
Transfer slices to a sheet tray lined with paper towels in a single layer and cover with another paper towel to remove excess oil.
Place slices close together but not overlapping in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.
Put lid on dehydrator and turn it on.
Dry for about 10 hours, rotating trays ever 3 hours or so, until crisp.
When done, sprinkle with salt if desired and transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl.
Serve as a base for hors d'oeurves or mix together in a large bowl with thin but creamy dip.
Enjoy warm or store in a plastic bag up to 3 days.

Sweet Potato and Squash Chips

2012-01-27T06:52:00.002-05:00

While I was filling my dehydrator, I dedicated one tray each to a vegetable and a fruit that I already know that I love as chips - Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato. I did this partly so that the mission wouldn't be a total failure if the experimental vegetables didn't work out. I also did this because both of them are large and sweet would give some heft and variety to my chip mix. I was definitely happy with decision after I saw how tiny those parsnip chips turned out! My consensus after this day of dehydrating and chip-making is that just about any root vegetable works. My favorites were actually the mushrooms, so there is definitely a portabella chip in my future. I am also beginning to really love my dehydrator and plan to spend a lot more time with it in the future.

Butternut Squash and Sweet Potato Chips
Ingredients:
1 Large Sweet Potato, washed and dried, ends removed, but not peeled
The Neck of 1 Large Butternut Squash, end trimmed, peeled, and cut in half
Canola Oil
Salt & Pepper
Cinnamon optional

Directions:
Slice the squash and potato, cut side down, as thin as possible on the mandolin.
Toss each separately in a large bowl with the oil and seasonings.
Transfer slices to a sheet tray lined with paper towels in a single layer and cover with another paper towel to remove excess oil.
Place slices close together but not overlapping in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.
Put lid on dehydrator and turn it on.
Dry for about 10 hours, rotating trays ever 3 hours or so, until crisp.
When done, sprinkle with salt if desired and transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl.
Enjoy warm or store in a plastic bag up to 3 days.

Curried Cauliflower Chips

2012-01-26T06:27:00.000-05:00

In trying to keep abreast of dining trends and new restaurants in NYC for my sales job, I subscribe to many blogs, including one called "Serious Eats". It's a very well-organized and informative newsletter with a full research and writing staff that follows everything from food carts and pizza stands to 4-stars and pop-ups. They also bring into light new and exciting food items available for retail sale locally and online. I highly recommend it and have tried many food items with great success following their recommendations. The blog also has lots of beautiful photos. Although they are not in the business of providing recipes and the pics are meant to entice the viewer into visiting the venue which produced the pictured dish, I often find inspiration for some of my creations there.

Recently, Serious Eats did a story of restaurants that had stand-out dishes featuring cauliflower. Many of the chefs fried theirs, which I won't do, but many of the other applications are preparations I will definitely add to my repertoire.

http://newyork.seriouseats.com/2012/01/cauliflower-dishes-in-nyc-we-love-best-fried-roasted-cauliflower.html

The photo on the main page of the story featured a dish with fried cauliflower chips as a garnish.

They looked delicious on their own and thought I'd try an un-fried version. This was a very exciting and successful experiment for me. As cauliflower is naturally sectioned, I found it best to start with large bulbs, found in the center of the head, to get slices that hold together during slicing and drying. The fleurettes shrink significantly during dehydrating, so the larger pieces, the better. Any bits that crumble during slicing can be added to stew or chili. I seasoned mine with curry powder as that is one of my favorite combos, but I can imagine white vinegar and sea salt or mustard-flavored would be delicious also.

Curried Cauliflower Chips

Ingredients:

1/2 Head Cauliflower

Canola Oil

Curry Powder

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Extract the largest intact flower from the head of cauliflower and cut it in half.

Slice the cauliflower, cut side down, as thin as possible on the mandolin.

Toss the cauliflower slices in a large bowl with the oil and seasonings.

Transfer slices to a sheet tray lined with paper towels in a single layer and cover with another paper towel to remove excess oil.

Place slices close together but not overlapping in a single layer on the dehydrator trays.

Put lid on dehydrator and turn it on.

Dry for about 10 hours, rotating trays ever 3 hours or so, until crisp.

As the chips shrink, I like to move mine closer together and consolidate trays for easier clean-up later.

When done, sprinkle with salt if necessary and transfer to a paper towel-lined bowl.

Enjoy warm or store in a plastic bag up to 3 days.

Beets & Kale

2012-01-25T06:28:00.000-05:00

Here's another incarnation of a warm winter salad made with my oven-roasted and peeled beets. I used the quartered and sliced vegetables this time. This size and shape allows them to heat quickly and slide easily among the dish's other components.

Warm Beet Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 Red Onion, thinly sliced

10 Crimini Mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel and sliced

4 Cloves Roasted Garlic, peeled

1/2 Large Beet, roasted, peeled, cut in half, and sliced 1/8" thick

1/4 Bunch Kale, washed, dried, and ripped into bite-sized pieces

Vegetable Stock

2 oz Danish Bleu Cheese, sliced or crumbled

Directions:
Caramelize the onion in a shallow saute pan with a little bit of canola oil over medium heat.

Add the mushrooms and more oil if necessary.

Turn up the heat and brown the mushrooms, stirring frequently

Stir in the garlic and kale.

Add a generous splash of vegetable stock, reduce heat to low, cover pan with lid.

Simmer vegetables until everything is the same hot temperature, about 5 minutes.

Remove the lid, add the kale, and stir to warm and wilt.

Season to taste with sea salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

Top with cheese and serve with grainy mustard.

Roasted Veggie Braise

2012-01-24T06:18:00.000-05:00

Having a fridge full of roasted vegetables made it super easy to make a fast meal that tasted like it had been cooking all day.

To make this braise, I heated less than a tablespoon of oil in a skillet over medium heat.

I tossed in a handful of cooked onion, garlic, celery, carrots, mushrooms, and cauliflower to get a bit of caramelization going.

Then I added about a quarter cup of vegetable stock and brought it to a boil.

I tossed in a handful of frozen edamame, covered the pan with a lid, reduced the heat to low, and simmered for about 5 minutes.

As with just about any nice winter root vegetable braise or stew, this can be topped with nonfat Greek yogurt, horseradish, and grainy mustard.

Beet Salad

2012-01-23T06:11:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite ways to serve beets is roasted, at room temperature, with toasted walnuts and goat cheese. I decided to change it up just a little bit this time and served it warm with pistachios and Feta. The roasted cauliflower added a bit of crunch and brightness.

Warm Beet Salad

Ingredients:

1/2 Large Beet, roasted, peeled, cut in half, and quartered

1/2 Cup Roasted Cauliflower Fleurettes

Handful Beet Greens, washed and dried

1/4 Cup Pistachios, shelled

2 Tbsp Feta Cheese, crumbled

Vegetable Stock

Balsamic Vinegar

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Directions:

Warm the cauliflower in vegetable stock.

In a saute pan over medium heat, quickly toast the pistachios.

Add the beets and vegetable stock.

Cover and cook until beets are warm through.

Add the greens to the beets and cook until wilted.

Place the beets, greens, and nuts on the plate.

Top with hot cauliflower and sprinkle with Feta.

Drizzle with Balsamic and Extra Virgin Olive Oil.

Roasted Vegetable and White Bean Stew

2012-01-22T06:42:00.000-05:00

Once all of my vegetables were deliciously roasted, it was easy to put together a flavorful slow-cooked dinner.

In the crock pot, I placed about a handful of each vegetable:

Onions, Carrots, Celery, Roasted Garlic, Cauliflower, Mushrooms, Roasted Red Pepper, Parsnips, Turnips, Rutabaga, Celery Root, Sweet Potato, and Butternut Squash.

I added 2 cups of Cannelini beans and enough vegetable stock to cover.

I placed the lid on the crock pot and set it on low for 6 hours.

Because the vegetables were already cooked and cooled, nothing got mushy.

Since everything was seasoned individually before the initial cooking, no additional seasonings were necessary. The stew did, however, benefit greatly from a spoonful of preserved horseradish, a dollop of mustard, and a little bit of nonfat Greek yogurt.

Tomorrow, this will be soup with more cooking liquid and a handful of spinach.

Roasted Vegetable Line Up

2012-01-21T06:12:00.000-05:00

We finally got some winter weather last night. The 7 or so inches of snow we got was the only flurries we've seen since the freak blizzard we had around Halloween. Knowing we were expecting a storm, I stopped on my way home from the city last night and stocked up the fridge.

This morning, I cranked up the oven and got ready to spend the early part of the day roasting. Having plenty of roasted vegetables on hand for soups and stews seemed like a great way to celebrate the season. It's also nice to have prepared food on hand after a day of playing in the snow or shoveling.

Here's what I roasted - all with just Canola oil, salt and pepper -

1st Photo, back row:

Sweet Potato, unpeeled, cut in half and thickly sliced.

Red Pepper cored and seeded, roasted, peeled, and diced.

Turnip, unpeeled, quartered, and cut into large dice

A whole head of garlic roasted in foil with a little water and peeled.

Carrots, unpeeled, cut thickly on the bias

1st photo, front row:

Celery, cut thickly on the bias

Parsnip, cut in half and sliced thickly on the bias

Cauliflower, cut into large fleurettes

Rutabaga, unpeeled, quartered and cut into large dice

Mushrooms, sliced and roasted in foil with a little water

2nd photo, back row:

One large onion cut into a big dice

Beets roasted whole, unpeeled, in foil with a tablespoon of water, diced

Beets roasted whole, unpeeled, in foil with a tablespoon of water, sliced

2nd photo, front row:

Butternut Squash Seeds toasted with smoked hickory powder

Butternut Squash, peeled, quartered, and diced

Veggies cooked, I have access to days worth of 5-minute meals and more time for fun!

Eggless Egg Salad

2012-01-20T09:13:00.000-05:00

When I can't manage to bring my lunch when I'm working in the city, there is a deli near my office that has a few things I like to pick up that are healthy and fairly inexpensive. One is a fantastic 4-bean salad. Another is a vegan egg salad. I've had it a few times and was pretty sure I could recreate it at home by just reading the label.

Here's my version:

Tofu Salad

Ingredients:

1 lb Extra Firm Fortified Tofu, diced finely

2 Ribs Celery, cut into fine dice

1 Large Carrot, cut into fine dice

1/2 Red Pepper, cored and cut into fine dice

1/2 Green Pepper, cored and cut into fine dice

1/2 Red Onion, Minced

3 Cloves Garlic, Minced

2 Tbsp Low Fat Mayonnaise

Splash Rice Wine Vinegar

Splash Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Splash Lemon Juice

Dash Turmeric

Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Mash tofu in a large bowl with a fork.

Fold in all ingredients, one at a time.

Season to taste.

Store in an air-tight container overnight to marinate.

Bring to room temperature and adjust seasonings before serving over greens or on toast.

Quickie Kraut and Vegetables

2012-01-19T09:27:00.000-05:00

Tonight, I used the second half of my head of green cabbage as you would pasta in a vegetable dish.

I started by my dish by slicing the cabbage and half a white onion very thinly on the mandoline.

I warmed up about a tablespoon of Canola oil in a saute pan with a tight-fitting lid over medium heat.

I added the cabbage and onions to the pan and gave them a quick saute to brown slightly.

Then I added a tablespoon of horseradish and a splash of white wine vinegar.

I gave the pan's contents a good stir and brought the liquid to a boil.

I reduced the heat to low and covered the pan with a lid.

Then I thinly sliced 2 cloves of garlic and added that to the pan.

While the cabbage and onions were caramelizing, I cut 1 large carrot and 1 rib of celery thickly on the bias.

I removed the lid from the pan, turned the heat up to medium, and added the carrots and celery.

I pushed the cabbage aside, added just a little bit more oil, and browned the carrots and celery.

Next, I added 1/2 cup of frozen edamame, 2 portions of meatless meatballs, a tablespoon of grainy mustard, and 1/4 cup vegetable stock.

I allowed this mixture to boil and reduce for about 5 minutes, until everything the carrots were tender, beans were cooked, and everything was hot.

I seasoned this dish with salt and freshly-ground black pepper and served it with nonfat Greek yogurt. Great on its own, this dish would be great with egg noodle and, without the meatballs, would be a fantastic side for sausage and

Vegetable Stir Fry with Noodles

2012-01-18T09:51:00.000-05:00

We've been eating a lot of chili lately, on it's own and in dishes as well.
Chili is great for you, but I needed to take a break and have some colorful vegetables. I chopped a little bit of everything I had on hand and created a flavorful stir fry.

Cutting everything in advance and arranging it on the plate in the order you intend to add it to the pan is a good trick to make stir frys, and just about any dish, go faster and more efficiently.

This time, I added kelp noodles. They can add a bit of help to a meal very quickly as they require only rinsing and no cooking. As a bonus, they add calcium and iron to the dish for very few calories - just 6 per serving. They are also low in carbs. A 4 ounce serving contains 1g, which comes from fiber, so there is no Glycemic impact from these tasty noodles.

Kyle's Veggie Stir Fry

Ingredients:

1/2 Onion, cut into large dice

1 Rib Celery, cut thickly on the bias

1/2 Red Pepper, chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

2 Cloves garlic, sliced

12 White Mushrooms, quartered

1 Handful Parsley Leaves

1 Carrot, sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler

Peanut Oil

Sesame Oil

Rice Wine Vinegar

Black Bean Chili Paste

Vegetable Stock

Directions:

Heat about a tablespoon of peanut oil in the wok over high heat.

Add each of the vegetables, one at a time.

Shake the wok and stir constantly to brown each vegetable before adding the next.

Add as little additional oil as needed, specifically for the mushrooms.

When all of the vegetables are seared and in the wok, give it a good stir.

Season with a good splash of Sesame Oil, a little bit of the black bean paste, and vinegar.

Add noodles and stir well with tongs to coat.

Add about 1/4 cup vegetable stick, bring to a boil, cover with lid, and reduce heat to low.

Simmer about 5 minutes until all of the vegetables are cooked through and noodles are hot.

Adjust seasonings to taste.

Serve with chopsticks.

Cabbage Braise

2012-01-17T09:40:00.000-05:00

My busy season is over, I've managed to catch up with chores and organizing and spent the first leisurely day relaxing at home in a long time. As much as I love to cook, sometimes, it's nice to order in. We don't have that luxury where I live and I could not fathom going out to buy prepared food to bring it home now that I have to drive everywhere.

In the city, though, that's just how it is - we run out for lunch and "grab something", pick up dinner on the way home, or order in when it's late and you're tired and there's no food in the place.

One of our favorite places to order in from was Odessa, an eastern European coffee shop on Avenue A. It was open 24 hours, so it was also a great place to go for a bite after a night of clubbing or bar-hopping or even brunch the day after. It is hearty food served in large portions and the meals one received when they ordered in were the same as when dining - which was not always the case in NYC.

Odessa made giant salads that could provide two meals and house-made soups that were a meal in themselves with some of their fresh, hot challah. What they were most known for, tho, were their combination platters - sausage and pirogi with sauerkraut and vegetables or blintzes and potato pancakes with sour cream and applesauce. The food was authentic and fresh and the portions were huge. Tonight, I was wishing I could call Odessa and have them send something over. Instead, I made a pan braise in the restaurant's spirit.

Odessa Vegetable Braise

1/2 Onion, cut into a large dice

1/2 Head Cabbage, cut into quarters

3 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1 Portabella Mushroom, cut into large chunks

1/2 Red Pepper, chopped

1/2 Green Pepper, chopped

1 Carrot, cut thick on the bias

1/2 cup Garbanzo Beans (Chick Peas)

Canola Oil

Vegetable Stock

Malt Vinegar

Salt & Pepper

Directions:

Heat about 2 tablespoons of oil in a large saute pan over high heat and give each of the vegetables a nice browning on all sides, adding more oil as needed.

Cook all the vegetables (not the chick peas) in the above order, removing each to a bowl before searing the next.

When the carrots are browned, return the other seared vegetables to the pan.

Add about 1/2 cup vegetable stock and bring it to a boil.

Add the chick peas and season to taste with vinegar, salt, and pepper.

Cover pan with lid, reduce heat to low, and cook about 8 minutes, until cabbage and carrots are tender.

Serve with horseradish, grainy mustard, and sour cream.

A splash of hot sauce wouldn't hurt, either.

Pea Green Soup

2012-01-16T09:39:00.000-05:00

As we settle into winter, I find myself craving comfort foods like chili and pea soup. I love days when I have time to do a little prep in the morning. I gather and sometimes cook my ingredients and put them in the crock pot early in the day and have a wonderful-smelling house and a prepared dinner by the end of the day.

For this pea soup, I used dried split peas and followed the directions on the bag. Of course I made a few adjustments.
Instead of ham hock or smoked pork necks, I roasted enoki and wood ear mushrooms in foil with salt, pepper, olive oil, and a few drops of liquid smoke. The results were delicious - a thick, creamy soup with large chunks of nearly pork-like mushrooms and layers of deep flavors.

Pea Soup with Smoked Mushrooms

Ingredients:
16 oz Dried Green Split Peas, rinsed
1 bunch Enoki Mushrooms, cooked in foil with liquid smoke
2 bunch Wood Ear Mushrooms, cooked in foil with liquid smoke
2 Carrots, diced
1/2 Cup Caramelized Sliced Onion
2 ribs Celery, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced
1 Bay Leaf
1/4 Cup Parsley, chopped, plus more for garnish.
Water

Directions:
Place ingredients in slow cooker, stir well, and add water to cover.
Cover and cook on high 4-5 hours or low for 8-10 hours.
Check every few hours and add more water if necessary.
Cook until peas are very soft and soup is thick.

Remove bay leaf and adjust seasoning.

Thicken by pureeing some of the beans and returning to the pot if desired.
Garnish with more parsley and nonfat Greek yogurt.
Cool to refrigerate up to a week or freeze.

Burrito-Style Omelet

2012-01-15T08:55:00.000-05:00

For my next chili trick, I turned and omelet into a burrito.
This egg wrap is made by scrambling 2 large eggs with skim milk, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
Warm the chili in a small saucepan or in a covered bowl in the microwave.
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat over medium.
Add the eggs and allow to set, about a minute.
Scrape down the sides and swirl the pan to evenly distribute the uncooked eggs.
When cooked on one side, reduce heat to low.
Flip the eggs and pour the chili onto one half.
Sprinkle with grated nonfat cheddar cheese and fold the plan eggs over the top.
Add a little water to the pan, reduce heat to low, and cover with a lid to melt the cheese.
Slide omelet onto serving plate and garnish with salsa and nonfat Greek yogurt.

Chili Quesadilla

2012-01-14T09:12:00.000-05:00

For day two of the chili, I turned it into a stuffed quesadilla for two.

To make this cheesy sandwich, I added a cup of frozen butternut squash to the chili for an extra dose of vegetables and more body.
Warmed that up in a pot on the stove, stirring frequently over low heat.
Meanwhile, flash-charred 2 low carb whole wheat tortillas directly on the burner.
Sprinkle grated low-fat cheddar cheese on the hot side of each wrap.
Spray a nonstick pan with cooking spray and heat it on the burner over low heat.
Slide in one of the wraps, cheese side up.
Spread the chili-squash mixture over the cheese and cover with the second wrap, cheese down.
Check the bottom and flip with a spatula when golden brown.
Slide quesadilla onto cutting board and cut in half to eat with a knife and fork or into 1/8 triangles for finger food.
Serve hot with sour cream and salsa.

Chili sin Carne

2012-01-13T09:52:00.000-05:00

In the winter time, it's great to make a big pot of chili and eat it all week.
It tastes better every day it sits in the fridge and can be served a million different ways.

Vegetarian Crock Pot Chili
Ingredients:
2 Cups Black Beans, fresh cooked or canned - drained & rinsed
2 Cups Red Kidney Beans, cooked or canned - drained & rinsed
26 oz Stewed Tomatoes in their liquid
1 Large Red Onion, finely chopped
2 Cloves Garlic, minced
10 oz Vegetable Protein Crumbles
1 Tbsp Mexican Seasoning (recipe below)
Dash Capsaicin sauce
Beer, Vegetable Stock, or Bean Liquid
Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper to taste

Mexican Spice Mix
½ Cup Chili Powder
¼ Cup Hungarian Sweet Paprika
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Dried Chipolte Chile Pepper
2 tsp Dried Oregano Leaves
1 tsp Salt

Directions:
Combine all ingredients in crock pot with just enough liquid to cover.
Set crock pot for 6 hours on low. Stir well, season to taste.

Here, I served it with cheddar cheese and parsley with apple slices, cucumber spears, and a quick pan-friend cheddar & salsa quesadilla.

Huevos Con Frijoles

2012-01-12T09:49:00.000-05:00

After a particularly a rigorous morning at the gym, especially if I've overstayed my allotted hour, I get home ravenous and short on time. I like to eat a protein-packed breakfast to make the most of my workout and maximize my calorie burn. When I'm short on time, I will often just put any leftovers I have in the fridge in my nonstick pan and crack an egg over it. Beans work particularly well for this. I get a double whammy of protein, fiber from the beans, and an amazing variety of textures. The yolk running into the beans when broken is also a nice touch. To make a full meal of it, I could also swaddle it in a whole wheat wrap and top it with cheese, salsa, and nonfat Greek yogurt. It would also benefit from some red pepper flakes and capsecin sauce.

Four Bean Salad with Kale

2012-01-11T09:38:00.000-05:00

Here's my delicious 4-Bean salad with steamed kale and a "Chicken Scallopini-Style" vegetable protein patty. The slight bitterness and crunch of the kale were a fabulous foil for the creamy, vinegar-y beans. Both made a lovely backdrop for a bit of vegetable protein with a nice grainy mustard.

4 Bean Salad

2012-01-10T09:47:00.000-05:00

I try to take my lunch with me every time I go into the city, but sometimes it just doesn't happen. Thankfully, there is a deli near my office that has pre-packeged vegetarian meals like "Not Chicken Salad" Sandwiches and Macrobiotic Vegan Sushi. They are made fresh daily, packed to eat on the run, and reasonably priced. One of my favorites is a four bean salad. A 4 oz container is one serving and is nutritious, filling, and cheap.

I brought home the container the last time I bought it and duplicated it based on the ingredients list. I came pretty damned close without adding the sugar, which now makes me not want to buy it anymore.

Four Bean Salad

Serves 4

Ingredients:
½ Cup Black Beans
½ Cup Red Kidney Beans

½ Cup Garbanzo Beans

½ Cup Edamame

½ Red Pepper, chopped
½ Green Pepper, chopped
½ Red Onion, chopped

2 clove Garlic, minced
1 bunch Parlsey, washed, dried, and chopped (about ½ Cup)
3 Tbsp Lime Juice
2 Tbsp Rice Wine Vinegar

6 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Salt & Freshly-Ground Black Pepper to Taste

Directions:

Place beans, peppers, onions, and garlic in a large bowl and stir well to combine.

Stir in parsley.

Season well with salt and pepper.

Add lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil a little at a time, tasting and adjusting as needed.

Spinach and Garbanzo Beans

2012-01-09T10:30:00.000-05:00

I eat a lot of chick peas. I just do. They're a fast snack that's crunch on the outside and creamy on the inside - like M&M's, only healthier. Much, much healthier. When I was a teenager, I remember them being on the salad bar in the school cafeteria and mounding them on my plate because they were so filling that I could get through the afternoon and swim or track practice without hunger pangs. Now, I roast them and eat 'em like popcorn or puree them into dip to have with vegetables when I need a little nosh. Ceci Beans - as we called them when I was a kid - are extremely versatile, and super nutritious. These legumes, also known as Chick Peas, are one of the earliest cultivated vegetables, so nearly every culture eats them.

The food I cook is not particularly "ethnic" and Dale can't tolerate a lot of spice, but some dishes definitely lean in a certain direction. When I cook Garbanzo beans, I tend to veer toward Greece or India. This one is loosely based on Chana Masala.

I started with an onion, as I'm known to do.

I chopped half a red and sauteed it lightly in a shallow pan with a little bit of canola oil over medium heat for about a minute.

I minced 2 cloves of garlic and added that to the pan.

Next, I chopped one large tomatoes and tossed that in.

I added 1 cup of garbanzo beans, reduced the heat to low, added a half cup of vegetable stock, and covered the pan with a lid.

While that was warming, I washed, dried, and de-stemmed a bunch of spinach and added that to the pan.

At the very end, I seasoned the vegetables with curry powder, garam masala (recipe below), salt, and freshly-ground black pepper.

I cooked this one minute more, stirring constantly.

Serve over rice with Paneer, Feta, or nonfat Greek Yogurt.

Garam Masala
1 Tbsp Dried Miniature Rosebuds with stems removed
1 piece Cinnamon Stick, 2” long, broken into shards
2 Bay leaves, broken
¼ Cup Cumin Seeds and or Black Cumin Seeds (Shahjeera)
1/3 Cup Coriander Seeds
1 Tbsp Green and/or Black Cardamom Pods
1 Tbsp Whole Black Peppercorns
2 tsp Whole Cloves
1 Dried Red Chile
¼ tsp Freshly Grated Nutmeg
1/8 tsp Ground Mace
½ tsp Grated or Dried, Ground Ginger

Simmered Vegetables

2012-01-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

I've been really into mushrooms lately. I've been using mostly criminis because that's what's affordable and available here regularly, but I really do love them all. Often, I find myself treating them like meat or in preparations usually associated with pasta, but without adding noodles. This time, it was a Florentine-style stir fry.

This stove top melange started with slicing onions and garlic, chopping red & green peppers, quartering a dozen mushrooms, and washing, drying, and removing the stems from a bunch of spinach.

I caramelized the onions with a little bit of oil in a skillet over low heat, with the lid on, for about 20 minutes.

I removed the lid, upped the heat to medium, added the garlic, red & green peppers, and Crimini mushrooms, and sauteed them to brown slightly, stirring constantly.

I warmed about a half cup of vegetable stock, added it to the pan, and brought it to a boil.

I replaced the lid, reduced the heat to low, and simmered the vegetables about 2 minutes.

Then I added the spinach and stirred to wilt.

The whole deal got seasoned with salt and pepper and a few parsley leaves.

My veggie dish would also be great with pasta or rice or as a side dish for steak.

Light Supper

2012-01-07T09:41:00.000-05:00

I've been buying a lot of parsley lately with the intention of adding it to all the juices I expected to be making by now with my juicer. Unfortunately, because I'm still in the process of catching up from caviar season and getting my house back in order, I still haven't gotten to that point where I have easy access to the juicer and the wherewithal to turn it on in an instant. So toward the middle of each week, I find myself with a bunch of parsley that is beginning to wilt and discolor, which I need to use up before it goes bad. This has actually been a boon. I've been putting parsley in just about everything, which is beneficial to my diet because parsley is really nutritious. This leafy green stuff is full of calcium, magnesium, potassium, beta-carotene, Vitamins A, B, and C. It's great post-workout because of its anti-inflammatory properties, assists in bone health, and can ease muscle soreness. Aside from that, parsley gives food a unique freshness that can be extremely welcoming this time of year when the trees are bare and the ground is covered in frost.

The best way I know to use up a lot of parsley quickly - other than picking the leaves and adding them to a green salad - is Taboulleh. This fresh salad is made from uncooked Bulgar wheat, which is also high majorly healthful. These little low-calorie grains are packed with fiber, aid in digestion, and can help lower cholesterol. Add the parsley, olive oil, and tomatoes, and you've got one fantastic salad. I served it this time with Asparagus roasted with garlic and sliced portabella mushrooms roasted in foil.

Taboulleh for 2

Ingredients:
1/2 Cup Bulgar Wheat, rinsed and drained
1/4 Cup Lemon Juice (from about 2 lemons)
1 Medium Tomato, cored and chopped finely
1 Cup Parsley, washed, dried, and chopped finely (about a bunch)
1/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1/4 Red Onion, chopped finely
1/4 tsp Garlic, minced
Salt & Freshly Ground Black Pepper taste

Directions:
Measure the Bulgar Wheat into a large bowl.

Pour lemon juice over the Bulgar, stir to combine, cover, and set aside for at least 30 minutes.
The grains should be tender and fluffy.
Stir in remaining ingredients, season to taste, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
Keeps in the refrigerator just a day or two.

Vegetable Couscous

2012-01-06T08:47:00.001-05:00

It's cold, it's late, and I'm hungry. I have plenty of raw food int the fridge, but no leftovers I can just heat and eat. Luckily, I have some odds and ends in the freezer I can toss together for a lovely meal.

I decide to start with couscous.

I put water in the kettle to boil, measure a half cup of whole wheat couscous into a bowl and cut a sheet of plastic wrap large enough to stretch over the top.

Still not knowing what the end result will be, I chop half an onion, half each of a red and green pepper, and crush 3 cloves of garlic.

I heat a little bit of oil in my cast iron pan over medium heat, knowing that I am building a base for whatever I come across while this is cooking.

I pour my now-boiling water over the couscous in the bowl and secure the plastic wrap tightly over the top. This will sit, undisturbed and be ready to eat in 15 minutes.

I go to the freezer and find half a bag of Brussels Sprouts & half a bag of diced Butternut Squash.

I add those to the pan, season it with salt and pepper, add 1/2 cup vegetable stock, bring it to a boil, reduce the heat to low, and cover it with a lid.

In about 5 minutes, everything in the pan is hot and cooked through.

I remove the lid again and turn the heat up to high to reduce the liquid to a glaze.

I add the couscous, which immediately soaks up the flavorful broth, and stir everything to combine.

I finish with dish with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Fast & fantastic.

Kale Crisps

2012-01-05T09:51:00.000-05:00

My new quest is to create the perfect Kale chip. I'm definitely getting closer. This is my first try with the dehydrator. Although they were not perfect, I am now sure this is the way to go. They were light and crispy like the store bought ones I've had. Just a little more tweaking with the seasonings and I will be there.
Of course, these are not "chips" at all, but merely kale leaves which have been made crispy, so I prefer to call mine "crisps", especially since I also plan to start research on an actual kale chip, which will be similar to a potato chip.

To make these crisps takes time, but it is not "active time" as the dehydrator does all the work while you wait. The prep is fairly quick.

Kyle's Kale Crisps
Wash, dry, and remove the stems from 1/2 bunch kale.
I use curly Kale because that's what's available here all year.
In the summer, I will use Lacinato or Flowering Kale if I can get my hands on it, but for this usage, the sturdier, the better.
Make a dressing or use what you've got on hand.
I had some Parmesan Balsamic vinaigrette, so I used that.
Put the kale in a large bowl and pour about 1/4 cup dressing over the top.
Massage the dressing onto both sides of each leaf and sprinkle with sea salt.
Add more dressing if necessary
As you go along, place each leaf on the dehydrator tray in a single layer.
Place the lid on the dehydrator, turn it on, and let it do its magic.
These crisps took about 12 hours in mine, which gets up to about 100 degrees.
They were beautifully crisp, which a true taste of kale and just a hit of Parmesan and Balsamic.
I also did a batch with a fruit vinaigrette, which didn't work quite as well as the cheese. Next time, I'm thinking for the Parmesan, I will add more cheese to the mix.
I just had some amazing kale "chips" from LifeThyme Market that were Apple Walnut.
Once I have my juicer set up and get caught up on a few things, I'd like to try making those. And then maybe a chocolate drizzle...

Steel Cut Oat Bars

2012-01-04T09:48:00.000-05:00

I've made several different variations of these bars and I have posted the recipe before, but so far, I think this is my best batch. Pretty sure I thought that last time, too, so I know they are evolving and getting better every time. These bars are healthy because they they are full of nuts, seeds, and grains, but they are a treat because of the butter and sweetener. The original recipe called for brown sugar, which I've replaced with brown sugar Stevia. I swapped out agave nectar for the honey, and used steel cup oats instead of quick oats to make them lower on the Glycemic Index. I'm thinking next time I will use coconut butter instead of butter and they will be as healthful as possible. I load mine with seeds and grains to up the protein and good fats and have been sticking with the almonds on top because I like the way it looks on the finished product. I use whatever dried fruit I have on hand or whatever flavor I'm craving at the time. i used dried cranberries this time because I'm still in holiday mode. I'm finding that most of these ingredients are interchangeable, so you can use any combo you like.

No Bake Steel Cut Oat Bars

Ingredients:
2 Cups Steel-Cut Oats (5 Grain Cereal or Rolled Oats will also work)
1 1/2 Cups Wheat Germ, Nuts, Pepitas, Sunflower, Chia, Flax, Hemp Seeds (any combo)
1/2 cup Agave Nectar or Honey
4 Tbsp Butter or Smart Balance Margarine
2 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/2 tsp Sea Salt
1 Cup Dried Fruit and/or Berries
1 Cup Slivered Almonds

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
Line an 11’ x 13” glass baking dish with 2 sheets of waxed - one vertically and one horizontally. Allow them the one on the long sides yo hang over a few inches on each side.

Spray paper lightly with nonstick cooking spray and spread almonds evenly across the bottom.

Mix oats, wheat germ, seeds, and nuts in large bowl to combine.

Toast mixture on parchment-lined sheet tray in the oven for 10-12 minutes.

Stir and rotate tray few minutes so they don’t burn.

Transfer to a large bowl to cool.

In a large sauce pan over medium heat, combine the Agave, butter, vanilla, and salt.

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly.

Incorporate dried fruit into bowl with oats and stir in liquid mixture until fully combined.

Pour batter over nuts in prepared baking dish and spread out with a wooden spoon or spatula.
Fold the overhanging waxed paper over the pan's contents.
Press down hard on the paper with your hands to make the mixture dense and compact.

Cool completely at room temperature, 2-3 hours.
Open the waxed paper.
Turn the granola onto a large cutting board and peel away the paper.
Cut into bars by firmly pressing down with a large chef's knife - do not "saw".

Wrap bars individually in plastic wrap or waxed paper and store in an airtight container.

Bars keep refrigerated up to 3 weeks and months in the freezer.

Kale Crackers

2012-01-03T10:36:00.001-05:00

Now that my busy season is over, I'm eager to get cracking on some recipes I've been wanting to try. any of them involve my food dehydrator, which I resolve to get to know very well over the next few months.
Most of them also involve trying to duplicate something I've eaten in my recent travels and loved. One such item is kale crackers. I sampled one at Whole Foods from a company called Brad's that I immediately fell in love with. I read the package description and ingredients, did an Internet search for something similar, and adapted the recipe to suit my needs. The recipe I found on a blog called for using the blender, but I did it in my food processor because I used carrots instead of red pepper and was afraid of damaging my blades since there was little liquid. The resulting batter was not at all pourable as the blogger I took it from indicated, but it tasted great. Surprisingly, although the batter was quite dry, they took much longer than the recipe suggested. So long, in fact, that I flipped them before they were really ready, I left the dehydrator on all night and missed the window to score them. Because of that, they broke like brittle instead of being in perfect little squares. This was all likely because my dehydrator doesn't get as hot as the recommended model or have a fan. I will take all of these issues into account on my second attempt.
The crackers were delicious nonetheless, but will be even better next time.

Kale Crackers
Adapted from YumUniverse

Ingredients:
1/2 cup Cashews
1/2 cup Almonds
2 Tbsp Lemon Juice
1-2 Leaves Kale, de-stemmed
1/2 Cup Water
1 Carrot, chopped
1/2 tsp sea salt

Directions:
Cover dehydrator trays with nonstick Teflex sheets.
Place ingredients into blender and liquefy until smooth.
Pour batter onto prepared dehydrator trays and spread to about 1/8″ thick with an off-set spatula coated with nonstick cooking spray,
Place trays in dehydrator and set to 95-100°F.
When mixture is dry to the touch, remove the trays.
Place a new Teflex sheet over the crackers and flip onto a new tray.
Put trays back in the dehydrator for about an hour.
Remove trays.
Cut crackers 95% through in desired shapes with a spatula and score edges if desired.
Transfer trays back to the dehydrator.
Dry another 1-2 hours until crackers are dry to the touch on both sides.
Carefully separate the crackers by folding along the scored lines.
Enjoy plain or with your favorite dip.

Whipped Cream

2012-01-02T09:31:00.000-05:00

There is nothing like fresh homemade whipped cream to top holiday desserts, egg nog, or hot chocolate. When you've taken the time and effort into making beautiful desserts, it is a shame to use anything but. The beauty of making it yourself is that it will likely be less sweet and certainly not be full of preservatives like the store-bought kind. Because of the fat in the heavy cream used to make whipped cream, it takes very little sweetening to be satisfying. Whipped cream can be sweetened with confectioner's sugar, honey, or liquor like Bailey's. I sweeten mine with nothing but ground cinnamon as the sweetness of whatever it's going on is usually enough.

Making homemade whipped cream is very straightforward.
It's best made in small batches as it only lasts a day or two.
Put about a pint of heavy cream in the stand mixer with the whisk attachment.
Now is the time to add anything you'd like to flavor it with - 1 teaspoon of vanilla, a tablespoon of cinnamon, honey, confectioner's sugar, liquor, or even crushed peppermint sticks.
Beat on medium to desired consistency.
I like mine with stiff peaks, about 5 minutes.
Take care not to over-beat or you'll end up with butter.
Scrape the sides well with a rubber spatula to make sure you get every drop.

Fruit & Nut Balls

2012-01-01T09:12:00.000-05:00

On the upside, caviar sales were very good and I have been extremely busy traveling, selling, and training since October. The downside of this is that I don't have the luxury of getting wrapped up in the holidays the way I used to. Gone are the days of leisurely pre-Christmas window shopping, party-going, and preparing. I still get to enjoy some of those things, but they are now done at the speed of light and sandwiched in-between client calls. Any holiday baking was completely out of the question this year as well. Since I don't eat sweets and figure there is so much of that sort of thing around this time of year that my friends and family won't miss any (low-fat and sugar-free) edibles from me. I do like to make food gifts, though, so I decided to start making some when it is convenient for me. I find that folks seem to appreciate my late presents because they are different from what everyone else is making and because their stash of holiday goodies is gone by now. Plus, my treats are healthy, so I can help out with everyone's annual resolution to eat better.

One of the snacks I'm giving this year are Fruit and Nut balls I have posted them here in the past as "Power Balls", but these are slightly different. I rarely make a recipe exactly the same way twice as I like to take advantage of what I have on hand and take the recipient into consideration. Last time I made these, I followed the original recipe and used honey but left out the olives. This time I substituted olive oil for the honey, included the olives, and used dried cranberries, dates, chestnuts, and figs I had left over from Christmas and decorated them festively for the holidays. I edited the recipe below to reflect these changes and made it much more general as I'm finding any dried fruit will suffice. I found this batch to be much moister and less sweet.

Fruit & Nut Balls

Start to Finish: 30 Minutes
Adapted from Elizabeth Falkner’s Recipe for Moroccan Fruit Bonbons

Ingredients
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (I recommend toast them first if using Walnuts or Hazelnuts)
1 lb Dried Fruit, pitted & chopped

4 Kalamata Olives, pitted and chopped
1/2 Tbsp Olive Oil
1/2 tsp Orange Zest, finely grated
1 Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
1/8 tsp Ground Cardamom
1/8 tsp Orange Flower Water
1/8 tsp Salt

For Rolling: Ground Pistachios, Flake Coconut, Cocoa Nibs, Ground Almonds

Directions
Combine all ingredients in the bowl of a food processor.
Process ingredients to a paste.
Scoop up scant tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls.
Place on sheet tray lined with waxed paper.
Roll balls in desired toppings to coat them completely and return to tray.
Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator up to 2 weeks.

Approximate nutrition info per piece:
Calories: 85
Fat: 4 grams
Carbs: 13 grams
Fiber: 2 grams
Protein: 2 grams

Asparagus and Mushrooms

2011-12-31T09:33:00.000-05:00

I have always loved mushrooms. They are meaty and earthy and can be cooked in a variety of ways and completely change the dimensions of a dish. I particularly enjoy their ability to turn a vegetarian dish into something much more substantial.

Lately, my supermarket has offered a good variety of cultivated fungi (as opposed to wild), quite inexpensively, so I've been taking advantage of that to load up.

Among my favorites are oyster mushrooms. These do grow in the wild, quite commonly on trees that are decaying or on the side of the trunk that gets little sunlight. Eating wild mushrooms can be tricky, though, as there are often subtle differences between similar varieties that are inedible. Most supermarket mushrooms are cultivated by professionals in a controlled setting. The oyster is a fleshy, gilled mushroom that sprouts small, umbrella-like shoots from one main stem. Common lore holds that mushrooms have few nutritional benefits, but oysters in particular are full of complex carbohydrates, fiber, vitamins B1, B2, iron, and antioxidants. They are super for fighting cancer and high cholesterol as well as being a good anti-inflammatory, anti-viral, and antibiotic. Mushrooms in general are high in good-quality protein and the small amount they they do contain is of the "good", unsaturated kind.

Fresh mushrooms can be eaten raw, steamed, sauteed, braised, grilled, or roasted.

They are very porous, so they need some sort of fat or liquid to keep them from drying out and they shrink significantly when cooked. To use in cooking later, roasting in foil is a good way to go.

Simply remove the dirty ends and wipe them clean with a damp paper towel.

Depending on how you're serving them, they can be cooking whole, sliced, or chopped.

With oysters, I simply pull the shoots away from the main stalk where they separate naturally.

When they are going to be the star of the meal, I like them in large, discernible pieces, which give you a much bigger taste.

I cooked these in foil, tossed with a little bit of Canola oil, salt, pepper, and minced shallots and garlic. I added a couple of tablespoons of room-temperature water to create steam before closing up the foil package.

I placed these on a sheet tray and cooked them in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

At the same time, I roasted asparagus, tossed with the same ingredients and roasted them on an uncovered pie plate next to them in the oven.

Both were done at about the same time - tender but not browned - and went very well together.

Veggie Burrito

2011-12-30T09:47:00.001-05:00

Inspired by a TGIFriday's commercial,I whipped up my hot & healthy version of a satisfying Mexican favorite.

I used many of my favorite refrigerator staples and cooked them in a straightforward braise to create the filling. I caramelized half a sliced onion and added a few sliced cloves of garlic to soften when they were almost done.
I added quartered crimini mushrooms and halved, sliced yellow squash and zucchini.
A gave everything a quick sear over high heat before adding about 1/2 cup of vegetable stock and some stewed tomatoes before covering the pan with a lid and reducing the heat to low.
While that cooked, I washed I, dried, and chopped about 1/4 of a bunch of kale and tossed that in to soften.
At the every end, I seasoned the pot's contents with salt, pepper, and my homemade Mexican seasoning (recipe below).
To plate, I flashed my low carb whole wheat tortilla wrap directly on the stove burner to soften, warm, and nearly char.
I put the wrap on the plate, poured on the filling, and sprinkled it with low fat sharp cheddar cheese. I put the plate on the still-warm burner and covered it with my wok lid to melt the cheese. Hot food should be served on warm plates - just be sure to warn your guests and provide potholders if necessary.

I decorated mine with a liberal helping of dried red pepper flakes, capsaicin sauce, and a spoonful of nonfat Greek yogurt. The dish was much better looking than the TV ad, with much less fat, fewer calories, and surely less than a quarter the price.

Mexican Spice Mix
½ Cup Chili Powder
¼ Cup Hungarian Sweet Paprika
1 Tbsp Ground Cumin
1 ½ tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Onion Powder
1 tsp Ground Dried Chipolte Chile Pepper
2 tsp Dried Oregano Leaves
1 tsp Salt

Eggplant and Kale Braise

2011-12-29T09:15:00.000-05:00

Ever since I got a smart phone almost two years ago, I've been using that to take my food photos. The pictures are beautiful and clear and it is so much easier to post them directly to my blog. Aside from the amazing photos and getting me hooked on the abilities of that kind of device, that gadget had its issues. When I traded in my phone, I simply upgraded to a different model because it was the height of caviar season and I didn't want to be bothered to learn the nuances of a new system. On of the main reasons I chose the particular model I did was the promise of better, crisper pix. So far, I have not found that to be the case. In fact, the pics I've taken so far have been dark and somewhat blurry in addition to be annoyingly small due to automatic cropping which I have yet to figure out how to reset. As I mentioned, I've been busy and haven't had time to fully appreciate my new friend's abilities, which I will get to after the new year. In the meantime, I will try to remember to photograph my food on my bone-colored plates under bright light, which seems to help. I apologize for the undecipherable images and hope to describe them well enough so you can actually figure out what they're supposed to have captured.

This picture is a pot of slowly-braised vegetables.
I started with caramelized sliced onions and sliced cloves of garlic.
To that I added sliced crimini mushrooms, diced red pepper, and diced eggplant.
These vegetables were cooked, covered, slowly over low heat with just a little bit of vegetable stock. When everything was cooked through and caramelized, I added a large handful of chopped kale and stirred that in to wilt slightly.
The entire mixture was seasoned with salt and pepper and sprinkled lightly with grated Asiago cheese to finish. It was as delicious and hearty as it looked to me at the time.

Festive Wheat Berries

2011-12-28T09:36:00.000-05:00

Instead of potatoes for our Christmas dinner, I went with a whole grain - wheat berries. Wheat Berries are whole, unprocessed wheat kernels that all wheat products are made from. They are delicious and extremely good for you because they contain all 3 parts of the grain - the germ, bran, and endosperm and none of the vitamins, minerals, or phytochemicals have been stripped away through processing like it is in making flour. A 1/2 cup serving of cooked wheat berries is just 151 calories and has 6 grams of protein and 4 grams of fiber.

They are nutty and chewy and extremely filling. Once cooked, they can be eaten hot or cold and can be used in anything from a cold salad to a rice pudding or eating like oatmeal for breakfast.

Wheat berries do not need to be soaked like beans, but they do need a good rinsing and take some time to cook. They can be set to boil and left to simmer on their own for about an hour - 3 1/2 cups of water to 1 cup of wheat berries - but I find the way I cook them makes them more flavorful.

I bring about 7 cups of vegetable stock to a boil and keep it warm on the stove.

Then I place my rinsed wheat berries in a large pot with enough vegetable stock to cover.

I bring this to a boil, reduce to a simmer and cook until all of the liquid has evaporated, about 30 minutes.

I add more hot stock, allow that to reduce, and repeat as many times as necessary until the wheat berries are chewy but cooked through. The flavor of the reduced vegetable stock penetrates the kernels and imparts a heavenly caramel flavor to the nuttiness that is already characteristic of the grain.

To make a seasonal wheat berry salad, I added chopped roasted chestnuts, diced figs, sliced kumquats, and pomegranate seeds. The taste was so complex that it needed nothing more than salt, pepper, and a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.

Sweet Potato and Kale Tort

2011-12-27T09:23:00.000-05:00

This recipe was on the cover of Vegetarian Times last month and I was very eager to try it. Because I can never leave well-enough alone, I changed the recipe a bit and used Kale instead of Swiss Chard. Mine doesn't look as pretty as the magazine photo because a) I am not a food stylist and b) I only had 2 sweet potatoes. I didn't let that stop me, though, because I figured 2 potatoes was plenty for just 2 people. It's not as large and fluffy as the magazine's, but it was truly delicious as a side for our Christmas dinner. If I'm making it for more than two, I would use the recommended amount of potatoes or at least 4 of them, for more layers and a prettier presentation. I need to keep this in mind for a pot luck as it also tasted quite good at room temperature. I think I'd also like with with a layer of sauteed mushrooms.

Layered Sweet Potato Torte

Serves 8

Ingredients
Olive oil
3 Cups Kale, washed, dried, stems removed, and julienned (about ½ bunch)
2 lbs Sweet potatoes, washed, dried, ends removed, and sliced 1/8-inch thick
3 tsp Rosemary, chopped
2 cloves Garlic, minced (3 tsp.)
1 small Red onion, chopped (1/2 cup)
3 oz. Blue cheese, crumbled

Directions
Preheat oven to 450°F.
Brush with oil a 9” tart pan with removable bottom.

Arrange sweet potato slices in a circle, starting along the outside edge, overlapping slices by at least half. Brush potato slices with oil.
Sprinkle with 1 tsp chopped rosemary and 1 tsp minced garlic, and season with salt and pepper.
Spread 1 cup Swiss chard over potatoes.
Sprinkle with 1/4 cup chopped onion and 1/3 of the cheese.
Arrange another layer of sweet potatoes over chard, and press down on potatoes to flatten layers.
Repeat layering twice.

Place torte on baking sheet, and cover with foil.
Bake 45 minutes.
Uncover and bake an additional 15 minutes.
Change oven to “broil” and move oven rack to top position.
Brush top of torte with oil and broil 3-5 minutes, until potato slices begin to brown and start to curl.
Cool 15 minutes before slicing.

Approximate Nutrition Information Per Slice
Calories: 193
Protein: 5g
Total Fat: 10g
Carbs: 23g
Fiber: 4g

Christmas Dinner

2011-12-26T09:31:00.001-05:00

Selling caviar, the holidays are my busy season. Although now more affordable because it is farmed domestically, caviar is still considered not only a luxury item, but it also a special occasion purchase for many of our customers. That means that when most people are shopping or planning their holiday get-together, I'm working and don't have much of a chance to enjoy the holidays until they're almost over. I am not complaining - when sales were down due to the economic slump - I had plenty of time to make homemade cards and gifts and did tons of baking, but was worried about paying my bills. This year, sales are up and I'm frantically getting in orders for my clients, but the cards went out in a rush and there is not a cookie to be hand anywhere near my house. So, it was nice that Christmas fell on a Sunday. Even with potential orders and work-related issues to be dealt with on Christmas eve, I knew that I would have my Sunday free.

I didn't plan my Christmas dinner in advance. I bought a couple of holiday items like kumquats and figs the day ahead when I new I would have time to use them before they went bad. Otherwise, I cooked what I had on hand, but made a few adjustments to some of my favorite dishes to make them special. I spent a leisurely day in the kitchen doing what relaxes me and created a vegetarian feast that looks and tasted like I prepped for weeks. And now we have plenty leftovers for what I hope will be my busiest week of the year, so I won't have to worry about cooking when I should be selling.

Here's an overview of what we had - clockwise from 3 o'clock:
Sweet Potato and Kale Tort, Roasted Asparagus with Oyster Mushroom, and Wheatberries with fruit & nuts.

What looks like Turkey at the very top of the plate is a Nut and Grain Roast.
This was the first time we had had this, but I really enjoyed it.
http://www.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://cdn.nexternal.com/vegane/images/FieldRoastLG.jpg&imgrefurl=http://store.veganessentials.com/field-roast-stuffed-celebration-roast-p2374.aspx&h=275&w=312&sz=46&tbnid=zSmjCXBR3y7AXM:&tbnh=90&tbnw=102&zoom=1&docid=SLDK9ivH7hVGlM&sa=X&ei=NZ_4TsqmNKjj0QH2q8imAg&ved=0CFMQ9QEwBA&dur=635

Dates Stuffed with Goat Cheese and Pistachios

2011-12-25T09:10:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up, Christmases were a huge deal. My brothers and I would go with my dad to the tree farm and pick out exactly the right specimen. When we got home, my mom and sisters would bring down the boxes and boxes of decorations from the attic. Every year in our stockings, each of us kids got a special, personalized ornament that were ours to help decorate the tree with and add to the collection. When our tree was all set up in front of the "picture window" in the "good parlor", we'd sometimes get in the station wagon in our pajamas and drive around town to see the light displays our neighbors had put up. I remember getting so excited to see rows of lighted pines or giant Santas on rooftops.

On Christmas eve, we would sit together in the parlor and talk about what we wanted for Christmas. We'd put out cookies and say our prayers before turning in to get a good night's sleep. Little did we know that while we slept, my parents were up all night, wrapping the gifts our folks had sacrificed and saved for and Mom had painstakingly selected. Some of the older girls would help stuff stockings or gingerly place the presents beneath the tree so as to not wake the younger ones.

On Christmas morning, we all got up very, very early. Me and my brothers were the youngest, so we were usually the first ones up. One of us would peek downstairs and run back up to the bedrooms shouting "Santa was here" Santa was here". The parlor was a sea of paper-encased treasures, often with so many gifts that the room was difficult to navigate. Some years, we stormed into my parents bedroom, excitedly telling them that they needed to get up so we could see what Santa brought us. As we got older, we woke up later and waited patiently for Mom and Dad to come out on their own and perhaps we'd even let them have a cup of coffee first.

Mom may have done the shopping, but Dad doled out the packages. One box at at time, my father would sort through the selection, reading every tag, and systematically allowing each of us to open one present at a time. He made sure we all paused to enjoy everyone else's excitement at their own dream come true instead of just letting us rip through everything like savages. Amid the surprises, each of us dug through the booty to present each other with gifts, proudly nodding to the rest at Mom's satisfaction with the clay sculpture we had made in art class or the scarf we had knit.

When the frenzy was over - in what must have been an hour but felt like a minute - we tidily folded up the paper they came in and placed our new toys neatly under the tree. I don't remember breakfast or church, but I'm sure those things happened amid a haze of the sugar high we all had courtesy of the candy we clandestinely sneaked into our mouths between "Thank you, Santa"s.

Mom, my sisters, and I cooked most of the day - our Christmas dinner was very traditional and quite early in the day. There was ham or turkey with gravy and stuffing, candied yams, mashed or scalloped potatoes, green bean casserole, Mom's famous "Green Rice" made with broccoli and cheese, peas and carrots, and a giant bowl of green salad that we were all required to eat. Mom added the extra leaf to the dining room table, taking it from round to oval and as the family expanded, we also set places at the countertop bar between the kitchen space and the dining room and when that was no longer enough, a card table lovingly referred to as "the kiddie table" was set up in the kitchen. After dinner came the carefully-orchestrated cleanup. The "kids" brought the dirty dishes to the sink where they were scraped and stacked by size. Another brigade brought the leftovers from the dining table to the counter where they would be transferred into storage containers. Sinks were quickly filled and plates, glasses, utensils, and serving platters were washed, rinsed, dried, and put away in the snap of a dish towel.

It was now late afternoon. Some of us would play with our new toys in the parlor, listen to a new record, try on our new clothes, or watch TV until the relatives arrived. We had lots and lots of relatives - aunts and uncles and in-laws and cousins and more cousins. This was the time of year that everyone got together and we got to spend some time, just us kids, with relatives around the same age as us. We loved getting to show off our haul from Santa and take these instant friends to our rooms to show them a cool record or poster.

The guys mostly hung out in the living room, watching sports or in dad's bar in the finished basement while the ladies organized desserts and snacks in the kitchen. This was my favorite part. Must less formal than dinner and a lot more fun. There was music and maybe even some dancing or pool-playing. When I was very young, this was the time I was put to bed or konked out on my own, but as my siblings and I got older, we were allowed to participate and maybe even invite a friend - or a boyfriend if they could take the ribbings from the relatives.

My mother was an incredible hostess and loved to entertain. I believe she did her best work on nights like this. Leftover turkey became miniature club sandwiches and bricks of cheese were transformed into fancy little canapes with cellophane-wrapped toothpicks. From her, I believe I inherited my love of preserved foods like pickled herring, briny olives, pickled eggs, and dried fruit and my ability to turn something in a jar into something fun and delicious. This little hors d'oeuvre - pitted dates stuffed with goat cheese and topped with pistachios - is a nod to my mom, who always had something on hand for company -invited or otherwise.

Black Bean and Avocado Dip

2011-12-24T09:14:00.000-05:00

Since I gave up meat, I've been trying to eat more avocados for the good fat. But an average-sized avocado is 5 servings and I'm just one person. I know each serving is just 50 calories (35 of those are from fat) and 3 grams of carbs (2 of which come from fiber), but I usually eat them with something else, so I try to stick to the recommended portion. I cut out 1/5 of the avocado at a time and eat it over the course of a week, but by Friday, it's pretty gross. So I try incorporating it into meals before it goes bad.

This black bean dip was a great way to use up 3/5th of my fruit.

In the food processor, I combined the following:

1/2 Cup Black Beans

1/2 Medium Avocado

2 Tbsp Chopped Onions

1 Clove Minced Garlic

2 Tbsp Chopped Parsley

A Squeeze of Lemon Juice

A Dash of Capsaicin Sauce

Salt & Pepper to taste

Pulse until smooth, drizzle in olive oil with the motor running to thin if necessary.

Quick Nut Butter "Truffles"

2011-12-23T09:07:00.000-05:00

I've been busy. Super busy. Last week, we were invited to a friend's house for dinner tonight and this afternoon was the first time I had a chance to think about what to bring or a potential gift. As the day went on, it was looking less and less likely that I would be able to finish my work, make myself presentable, and still make something to bring. Then the calls stopped abruptly and suddenly, I had a free hour before we needed to leave. I stormed into the kitchen, whipped up these lovelies, and had them decorated and boxed in under an hour.

Truffle Wannabes
1/2 Cup Peanut, Coconut, or Almond Butter
2 Tbsp Maple Syrup or Agave Nectar
2 Tbsp Cocoa or Carob Powder
Cocoa Powder, Curry Powder, Confectioner's Sugar, Cinnamon,
Chopped or Sliced Nuts, and Rainbow Sprinkles for coating

Line a large plate with waxed paper.
Mix the first three ingredients together in a large bowl.
Rest in bowl in the freezer 5 minutes.
Put on makeup.
Roll into 1" balls, transfer a prepared plate and place in freezer for 5 minutes.
Curl hair.
Roll balls in cocoa powder, rainbow sprinkles, nuts, etc. and return to freezer on waxed-paper-lined plate.
Get dressed.
Transfer "truffles" to fancy box and place in freezer.
Grab your coat, put on some heels, put the candy in a fancy bag and go!

Breakfast Burrito

2011-12-22T09:15:00.000-05:00

When I get home from the gym, I'm very hungry. I am looking for something fast, hot, and filling that won't undo all the good things my workout has done, but will be used as fuel to burn for my day. A post-workout meal should be high in protein and fiber. This breakfast meets all of my criteria and can be made in just minutes.

To make this breakfast burrito, I chopped one quarter each onion, red pepper, and green pepper.

I sprayed my nonstick pan with cooking spray and sauteed the vegetables over medium heat until they begin to soften and brown, about 5 minutes.

I added 1/4 cup black beans, seasoned the mixture with salt and freshly-ground black pepper, and stirred it to combine.

I shook the pan to distribute the vegetables evenly across the bottom.

Then I poured 1/2 cup egg beaters seasoned with salt and pepper over the pan's ingredients and gave it another shake.

I sprayed around the outer rim of the pan, just above the egg, lifting the egg to get underneath.

When the eggs were set, I flipped my omelet over and turned the heat down to low.

I sprinkled the eggs with grated low fat cheddar cheese, sprinkled a little water around the outside of the eggs, and covered the pan with a lid to create steam to melt the cheese and finalize the cooking of the eggs, about a minute.

Meanwhile, I charred a low carb whole wheat burrito wrap directly on the front burner's fire to soften.

I put the wrap on my plate, poured the cooked egg over the top, and folded it over.

This can be topped with nonfat Green yogurt and salsa and would definitely benefit from a sprinkling of red pepper flakes and capsaicin sauce.

Simmered Squash

2011-12-21T09:13:00.000-05:00

This is one of my favorite quick winter braises.

It's just onions, garlic, yellow squash, and zucchini, but it makes a wonderful side dish, base for pasta, or hearty entree with the addition of protein and/or cheese.

To make this dish, I simply heat up a little bit of oil in my cast iron pan.

I slice up the ingredients and give them a quick sear in the pan.

I warm a bit of vegetable stock, add it to the pan, turn up the heat, bring it to a boil, cover it with a lid, reduce heat to low, and cook until the vegetables are tender.

Season as desired with salt, freshly-ground black pepper, and cheese, and herbs.

I topped this one with sliced Asiago cheese which melted nicely over the top.

Ravioli with White Bean Suace

2011-12-20T18:03:00.000-05:00

The farm where we got our Christmas tree this year has an indoor market. There was not much produce on the shelves, but they did have a surprising selection of preserved European and seasonal gourmet items. They also had handmade goods like Perogie. We decided to try some of their house-made ravioli as a treat. We had it for dinner the same night and it really as good as any I've had although I'll admit I'm no aficionado.

The ravioli we chose was whole wheat with wild mushrooms.

I thought I'd play up the pasta's filling by serving it in a mushroom sauce, add to the wheatiness with beans, and ramp up its decadence with butter. Yes, butter. A little bit every once and a while when appropriate is not going to kill you. It will, however, glom on to the starch in the pasta to hold the sauce together and made for an extremely creamy and delicious vehicle for the mushrooms to stick to the pasta.

I cooked the pasta in boiling water with salt and canola oil to keep it from sticking together.

While that cooked - about 8 minutes, I made a quick pan sauce.

I sauteed half a sliced onion & a handful of wild mushrooms in a tablespoon of butter.

Shaking the ban and stirring frequently over medium heat, I added a cup of beans and two portions of chicken-style vegetable protein strips.

I turned up the heat up to high and allowed the liquid to reduce to a thick glaze.

I added the pasta and some of the cooking liquid to thin and gave the pan a good swirl.

I sprinkled the pan's ingredients with grated Asiago cheese and served it piping hot with a green salad.

Layered Vegetable Terrine

2011-12-19T12:10:00.001-05:00

The last vegetable terrine I made for a party was such a huge hit that I decided to do it again for the next event we were invited to. Luckily, I had a little more time to prepare this one and it would be able to get a proper rest in the refrigerator before serving.

I started this one the same as the last, by seasoning and cooking all of my vegetables in advance.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

I sliced one large onion and caramelized it in a little bit of oil in my cast-iron pan, with the lid on, for about 25 minutes.

I washed, dried, halved, and cored one red pepper, rubbed it - inside and out- with canola oil and gave it a sprinkling with salt and freshly-ground black pepper.

I put that in a pie plate sprayed with nonstick cooking spray and set it in the preheated oven for about 40 minutes, until charred and soft.

When cooked, I slid it into a plastic baggie to loosen the skin.

About 20 minutes later, I removed the pepper from the bag and peeled and sliced it.

I sliced a large Portabella mushroom, seasoned it with salt, pepper, canola oil, and just a splash of balsamic vinegar and roasted it in foil in the oven for 40 minutes.

I cut the root end off a head of garlic, placed it on a small piece of foil, rubbed it with canola oil, making sure to get some inside the opening, and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.

I poured about a tablespoon of water over the head, wrapped the foil snugly around it, and roasted it in the oven for 30 minutes.

When the garlic was mushy, I took it out and popped each clove out of the skin.

I washed, dried, and sliced lengthwise one carrot and one sweet potato.

I blanched the carrot slices so they'd be soft and pliable.

Then I gave them a quick flash on the grill pan.

I roasted the sweet potato slices in a single layer on a sheet tray in the oven with canola oil, salt, and pepper.

Next was the eggplant, zucchini, and yellow squash.

I washed, dried, sliced thinly, seasoned, and cooked these, keeping varieties separate, on my stove top grill pan until charred and soft. I laid them all out in single layers on sheet trays, with waxed paper between the layers.

I used Kale again as my outside layer because it looked so beautiful as a border. Last time I removed the stems from the green first. It made them cook quickly and I could fit more into each batch, but they clumped together and were difficult to separate and lay out for drying. With the stems took a little longer, but made more much more regimented mis-en-place. After a blanching in boiling salted water and a dip in an ice bath, took them for a whirl in my salad spinner, and laid them out between layers of paper towels to dry.

Right before using, I sliced the center stems from the leaves, leaving the rest intact.

Lastly, I made of puree of one cup cooked Cannelini beans, the roasted garlic, salt, pepper, and extra virgin olive oil.

Once I had all of my ingredients prepared and cooled to room temperature, it was time to assemble the terrine - the fun part.

Line the terrine mold with enough plastic wrap to cover all sides including the ends.

Allow the wrap to extend beyond the top of the mold by about 2 inches on either side.

Spray with nonstick cooking spray.

Carefully covered the entire inside of the mold with kale leaves - overlapping so there were no holes and there were leaves hanging over the sides - and saving a few for the top.

The next layer is eggplant, which lays horizontally, overlapping slightly & hanging over the sides.

On just the bottom of the mold, spread out mushroom slices to cover the eggplant, pressing down to ensure a flat surface for the next vegetable.

I then did the same with the roasted red pepper slices, caramelized onions, and sweet potatoes.

For the next layer, roll up the zucchini and yellow squash slices to create a row atop the potatoes.

This was followed by a generous spreading of bean and garlic puree.

The carrots came last.

Finally, I folded the overhanging eggplant down over the top of the carrots.

I did the same with the kale and added the reserved leaves where necessary to fill any gaps.

I pressed down hard on the top layer of kale to squeeze out any air bubbled.

Then I lifted the entire mold and gave it a good tap against the wooden butcher block to level it.

I stretched the plastic wrap tightly over the short ends first and then the long ends to cover it completely.

I placed two cans of beans on top of the plastic as weights - a solid wooden or marble rolling pin also works well - and placed the a flat, folded towel (f0r drips) on the top shelf of the fridge.

24 hours later, I opened the plastic from the top and flipped the mold's contents onto my butcher block.

I removed the mold and the plastic to reveal a perfectly formed terrine.

I cut off the short, kale-covered ends and saved those for myself for later.

The rest was sliced with a very sharp knife.

This terrine was delicious, held together, and the flavors blended beautifully.

I would know, since we ended up not going to the party I made it for and we ate the whole thing ourselves.

This terrine is a great appetizer and can also serve as the base of a green salad or a side dish.

Roasted Vegetables

2011-12-15T14:15:00.000-05:00

Root vegetables love to be roasted. They all go so well together, to, so it makes sense to roast them all at once, serve some of them together and use them as a group or individually over several meals.

I really enjoy a colorful combo like this one. I've combined carrots, rutabaga, and sweet potatoes to make a nutritious dish, accompanied by a chicken-style vegetable protein cutlet.

To roast the veggies, I washed and dried them all well. They come out of dirt, after all.

I cut them all into bite-sized chunks and tossed them individually with canola oil, salt, and pepper. A little paprika is also nice. It's important that if they are seasoned separately with different flavors, that those tastes go together in case you do want to mix them together later.

If one vegetable gets dill and another has oregano, for example, any combination of those two will be too overbearing for a salad or gratin.

I don't peel most of my vegetables so I can get the most out of them nutritionally.

Rutabaga has a waxy skin, but that will melt off during cooking.

Just give the pieces a wipe with a damp paper towel while still warm.

I dry-roasted this batch on sheet trays in a 350 degree oven for about 30 minutes.

I prefer my vegetables crisp but tender, especially if they're going to be cooked again.

Preheating the sheet trays will help with that.

Cooked all the way through is only good if they're going to be mashed.

When they're done, I cool them separately.

To make the salad pictured, I pan-roasted quartered mushrooms and chopped onions and tossed the vegetables in at the end with about a quarter cup of vegetable stock to warm. Just a touch more seasoning was needed at the end to bring everything together.

Spaghetti Squash

2011-12-13T10:54:00.003-05:00

Spaghetti squash is a fantastic alternative to pasta noodles for anyone trying to eat healthier. The squash itself is long and lean, bright yellow in color, and has a bulbous end. Looking at it raw would never indicate anything inside resembling pasta. When cooked, however, the meat of the fruit shreds into perfect strands which, like spaghetti noodles, entwine whatever sauces and other ingredients you choose to pair it with. This squash also cooks well in the microwave, so it makes a faster meal than most root vegetables. I prick mine all over with a fork and microwave it in the microwave until soft, which takes about 15 minutes. After that, you cut it in half, scoop out the seeds, and pull back the peel. I also like to roast the seeds. That requires only washing, drying, seasoning, and roasting them for about 20 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Spaghetti squash is very good for you. A filling 5 1/2 ounce serving is just 42 calories, with just 3 of those from fat. It is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and is a good source of Niacin (aka B3 for metabolizing fat), B6 (for Brain Function), C (for immune system support), Potassium (for blood pressure), and Manganese (for bone health). This squash has only 10 grams of carbohydrates. 2 of those come from dietary fiber, which is great. Unfortunately, more than half of the rest (4g) come from sugar, so you'll want to plan out the meal this goes into to create balance. Spaghetti squash doesn't actually taste like pasta, so you wouldn't really want to team it with a sweet tomato sauce anyway. It goes well with other vegetables and cheese.

I prepared my spaghetti squash as mentioned above and gave it a quick toss with white beans, turnip greens, veggie meatballs, and grated Parmesan cheese. The dish was extremely filling and satisfying without being especially weighty.

Broccoli with White Beans

2011-12-12T09:49:00.000-05:00

Tonight I built a filling dinner around a vegetable we probably don't eat enough of - broccoli. This cruciferous vegetable is high in Vitamins A and C, Folic Acid, Calcium, fiber. Broccoli has been shown to assist in preventing cataracts, heart disease, high blood pressure, and certain cancers - particularly prostate cancer. And of course, it is versatile, beautiful, and delicious, so it's very easy to incorporate into meals.

I usually serve my broccoli steamed or blanched.
To mix things up this time, I gave it a quick saute with garlic and then used the steam created from the addition of vegetable stock to cook it through.
I added some beef-style vegetable protein and cooked cannelini beans at the end just to heat and allowed the cooking liquid to come to a boil and reduce.
I seasoned this with just salt and pepper and a little bit of smoked paprika and it was wonderfully satisfying.

Udon Noodles

2011-12-11T09:46:00.000-05:00

My market had some lovely thin asparagus which is perfect for sauteing. I decided to use that as a base for a light pasta dish.

I cut the woody ends off the asparagus stalks and cut them on the bias into thirds.
I also cut the hard end off a portabella mushroom, wiped it clean with a damp paper towel, and sliced it thinly.
I peeled and sliced 3 cloves of garlic and drained and rinsed a package of Shiritaki tofu udon noodles.
Then I heated 2 tablespoons of oil in my cast iron pan over medium heat and gave the mushrooms a quick sear.
When the mushrooms had a bit of color, I added the asparagus and garlic and charred them sightly.
Finally, I added my noodles, some chicken tender-style vegetable protein, and a little bit of vegetable stock, covered the pan, and reduced the heat to low.
Dinner was ready when everything was hot and the stock is reduced to a glaze.
A little salt and pepper, a squeeze of lemon juice, maybe a sprinkling of grated cheese, and it's time to eat.

Eggplant Stew

2011-12-10T08:18:00.000-05:00

I had a fantastic eggplant soup at the Au Bon Pain at the Philadelphia Airport. No, really. It was thick and flavorful and tasted like perfectly roasted eggplant.

When I got home from my trip, I was excited to try to duplicate the recipe at home. I didn't bother looking for a recipe because the tastes in the soup I tried were so pronounced that it was easy to pick them out.

I fired the oven up to 350 degrees and started with the most prominent ingredient.
The eggplant was washed and dried and I made several slits in the fruit's skin.
I peeled, de-germed, and sliced several cloves of garlic and slid them into the punctures in the aubergine.
Then I massaged the eggplant with Canola oil and sprinkled it with salt and pepper.
I halved and cored a washed red pepper and treated that with oil and salt & pepper.
Both of those went on a sheet tray and into the oven for about an hour.
I also diced 2 large carrots, tossed them with canola oil, salt and pepper and roasted those on a sheet tray in the oven for about 20 minutes.
Meanwhile, I caramelized a whole sliced white onion and broke out the crockpot.
The onions went into the crockpot with a bag of ground beef-style vegetable protein crumbles.
When the red peppers were soft and charred, I slid them into a plastic bag for about 15 minutes.
When they came out, the peels slid off easily so I could dice them and toss them into the pot along with the roasted carrots, 2 cups of black beans, a bay leaf and just a dash of turmeric.
The softened eggplant was peeled and the meat was mashed into the other contents of the crockpot.
I went to the pantry for a can of stewed tomatoes, but couldn't find any, so I left them out although I'm quite sure they were in the soup I had in Philly.
I added vegetable stock to cover, placed the lid on the crock pot, and set it on low for 6 hours.
When the timer went off, I gave the stew a good stir and tasted it.
It was extremely close to what I remember tasting on my trip, even without the tomatoes.
I seasoned it with a smidgen of salt and pepper and it was good to go.
For the first meal from this pot, I spooned the stew onto a bed of kale with a slotted spoon.
For future meals, I'll think the broth and enjoy it as a soup.

Roasted Okra and Cheese

2011-12-09T08:16:00.000-05:00

Okra is not in season right now, but I saw it in the supermarket and just couldn't resist. I know, I know...seasonal, local, carbon footprint, blah, blah blah...but it looked so good and I really miss it. This will be that last time I buy it until summer. I promise. in fact, I knew this was a fluke, so I enjoyed it very plainly so i could fully savor its goodness.

For this dish, I just tossed the okra with sliced red and green peppers.

I drizzled it with olive oil and seasoned it with salt and pepper.

I roasted the veggie combo in the oven at 350 degrees for 20 minutes and served it hot with some vegetable protein "fingers" and some runny Noble Road cheese I brought back with me from my last visit to the amazing DiBruno Brothers in Philadelphia.

The simplicity of the dish really allowed me to experience each element's subtleties and bid a fond adieu to Okra. Until we meet again...

Collards and Mushrooms

2011-12-08T08:10:00.000-05:00

In the winter, I often switch up my usual fluffy kale with sturdy collards. I find them to be heartier and better for braises and stews because they can withstand lots of cooking and love liquids. They also have that distinctive taste that imparts a lot of flavor to everything they touch.

Here, I sauteed them with sliced onions, garlic, and portabella mushrooms. I added a little bit of vegetable stock and about half a tablespoon of grainy mustard at the end and served it with chicken finger style vegetable protein and a stinky bleu cheese.

The flavors went remarkable well together without being overbearing and just needed a little pepper since there was plenty of salt in the cheese and the mustard.

Squashed Squash

2011-12-07T16:04:00.003-05:00

This is a typical weeknight winter braise I made in my trusty cast iron pan.

I sprayed my pan with nonstick cooking spray.

Then I sliced all of my ingredients in the following order and tossed them together into the pan as I finished each one:

Half an Onion

2 Cloves of Garlic

Half a Red Pepper

1 Small Portabella Mushroom

1 Zucchini

1 Yellow Squash

1 Ripe Tomato

I put the pan on the stove over medium heat, stirring frequently to give everything a bit of color.

Then I added about a 1/2 cup of vegetable stock, brought that to a boil, reduced the heat to low and covered the pan with a lid.

I let the vegetables stew for about 10 minutes and seasoned them with salt and pepper.

This was delicious and hearty and would be great with pasta and cheese or as a side dish for chicken,

Apple Crumble

2011-11-27T08:52:00.000-05:00

I didn't focus on dessert for this holiday. It was just two of us and since I'm not really into sweets these days, I felt it best not to spend a lot of time planning and preparing something we'd end up freezing or eating for weeks. We live down the street from an orchard and farm market, so we always have apples on hand. Their sweet on their own, so they don't require much of the additional sugar usually added to desserts that contain them. I also thought it would be fun to make small portions so we wouldn't be tempted to overindulge.
This is a standard crumble recipe that works with most fruits that can withstand a lengthy stay in the oven - apples, berries, pears, ext, and can easily be adjusted with herbs and nuts to suit your taste or audience.

FRESH FRUIT CRISP
Makes 4 individual servings
Start to Finish: 1 hour, 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Topping
1/4 Cup Almond Flour
1/8 Cup Stevia Brown Sugar, Packed
1/8 Cup Granulated Stevia
1 Tbsp Cinnamon
¼ tsp Nutmeg
¼ tsp Salt
2 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, cut into ½ “ cubes and softened
¾ Cup Walnuts or Pecans, Finely Chopped

For the Filling
2 Large Apples, Peaches, or Pears – peeled, cored, and cut into 1” chunks, or 1 cup berries
¼ Cup Granulated Stevia
1 ½ Tbsp Fresh Lemon Juice
½ tsp Lemon Zest, grated

Directions:
Mix the Almond flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt together in a large bowl.
Add the butter and toss to coat.
Pinch the butter chunks and dry mixture between your fingers until the mixture resembles wet sand.
Add the nuts and toss to incorporate.
Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Make the Filling
Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat oven to 375 degrees.
Mix the fruit, sugar, lemon juice, and zest together and place in an 8” or 9” baking dish or individual ramekins.
Distribute the chilled topping evenly over the fruit.

Bake until the fruit is bubbling and the topping is deep golden brown, about 40 minutes.
Let cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

To Serve
Scoop crisps into serving bowls.

Spinach and Bleu Cheese Cakes

2011-11-26T08:43:00.000-05:00

While I'm not big on bread, certain occasions demand it. While looking for something bread-like I could serve for Thanksgiving dinner without abandoning my healthy habits, I came across a recipe for Spinach and Parmesan Cakes in Eating Well Magazine.

The photo was gorgeous. I love spinach and idea of a savory muffin really appealed to me. However, the original recipe called for a combination of half Parmesan and half Ricotta or Cottage Cheese. I don't care for either of those, so I altered the recipe to suit my own needs. I had a fantastic Danish blue cheese in my fridge that I just knew would take these babies to the next level, so I used that for all of the cheese. Since that cheese is a bit salty, I left out the 1/4 teaspoon of salt the recipe called for, knowing it wouldn't change the chemistry enough to cause any damage in this case. So my version below now looks very little like the original recipe, but the end result looked very much the same and the end product was exactly what I wanted.

Spinach & Bleu Cheese Cakes

Make 8 cakes
Start to Finish: 1 hour

Ingredients
12 oz Spinach – washed and dried, ribs removed if necessary
1 Cup Parmesan or a combo of your favorite cheeses, grated
2 large Eggs, beaten
1 clove Garlic, minced
¼ tsp Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

Directions
Preheat oven to 400°F.
Coat 8 cups of a muffin pan with cooking spray.
In the food processor, chop the spinach finely in three batches.
Add cheese, eggs, garlic, and pepper and run machine until just combined.
Divide the spinach mixture among the 8 cups - they will be very full.
Bake until set, about 20 minutes.
Let stand in the pan for 5 minutes.
Run a knife along the inside of each muffin cup to loosen the cakes from the pan.
Turn out onto cutting board or serving platter.
Serve warm.

Approximate Nutrition Per Serving (2 cakes):
141 calories
8g fat
6g carbohydrates
13g protein
2g fiber

Vegetarian Thanksgiving

2011-11-25T08:56:00.001-05:00

This was our first official meat-free Thanksgiving. Last year at this time, I was just getting into vegetarianism and our supermarket offers a free turkey as a reward for frequent shoppers, which I definitely am. Last year, I rationalized bringing one home because I didn't pay for it. This year, in addition to turkey, ham, or Stouffer's lasagna as a give-away for shoppers who spent $300 between Halloween and Thanksgiving, my store offered Tofurkey, so I decided to try it.
http://www.tofurky.com/tofurkyproducts/holiday_products.html
It was not bad. The meal came with "jerky", gravy, and an Amy's chocolate cake, which I never would have bought on their own, but were okay.
Surprisingly, having the Tofurkey and not wanting "not meat" to be the star of the show gave me an opportunity to spend more time and energy of the accompaniments, which I believe made for a much better meal in the end.

Here's what we had, clockwise from 11 o'clock:
Tofurkey with stuffing and mushroom-based gravy, fresh cranberry sauce, steamed broccoli, spinach cake, mashed sweet potatoes, roasted vegetables.

Mushroom Pate

2011-11-24T08:26:00.000-05:00

I love mushrooms, especially roasted or sauteed in a little butter. I had read about a company that was making something that tasted like foie gras made out of mushrooms and I knew that was for me. I searched for something like that and found this recipe, which looked similar to what I was looking for, on a blog. The writer had adapted it from one of the Sunset cookbooks. I changed it further, so I'm sure those folks would never recognize it. I used white mushrooms because that was what I had on hand, but next time, I will add more exotic mushrooms, like oysters, porcinis, wood ears, or enokis, which taste very meaty. Portabellas would also work well, perhaps grilled instead of sauteed. The recipe I found called for a cup of hazelnuts, but that was just too much. I trimmed it back. The hazelnut flavor complimented the caramelized mushrooms beautifully, so I don't think I would use any other kind. I loved this recipe and it made a fantastic dip. Next time, I might leave some large chunks of mushrooms and serve it in slices.

Mushroom Pate

Ingredients

1 lb Mushrooms, wiped clean with a damp paper towel and chopped
2 Large Shallots, minced
1 Clove Garlic, minced
3 Tbsp Butter, cut into small cubes
½ Cup Hazelnuts, toasted and skins removed
2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
Juice and zest of 1 Lemon
1 Cup Parsley, chopped
Salt and Freshly-Ground Black Pepper To Taste

Directions

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat.
Add the shallots and cook until translucent, about a minute.
Add the mushrooms and season with salt and pepper, and stir well to combine.
Sautee the mushroom and shallot mixture, stirring frequently, until golden brown and fairly dry.

Pulse the nuts in the food processor until finely chopped and start to form a paste.
With the machine sill running, pour the olive oil into the tube and process until the nuts are smooth.
Turn off the machine and add the mushrooms.
Process until the mixture is thick and homogeneous.
Stir in lemon zest, lemon juice, and parsley, and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Transfer to terrine mold or crock and refrigerate at least one before serving.
Serve with toasted pita bread or vegetable crudite.

Another Saturday Fritata

2011-11-21T08:33:00.000-05:00

I love my leisurely breakfasts! This is my standard vegetable Fritata made by cooking my ingredients in the cast-iron pan I've preheated along with the oven and added beaten eggs over the top. Even though I only use 4 eggs, this panful serves four or breakfast for 2 twice.

Today's fritata contains caramelized onions, sliced garlic, chopped red and green pepper, chopped crimini mushrooms, and diced tomato.

The vegetables are sweated in the pan over low heat with the lid on, for about 15 minutes.

They get a good stir and seasoning with salt and pepper before spreading them evenly across the bottom of the pan.

I pour the eggs over the top of the vegetables and give the pan a shake to ensure even distribution.

Cheese is optional but it can completely change the dimension of the dish.

I used Feta this time and it really gave the vegetables a more Mediterranean feel and added some heft and body.

All loaded up, the pan goes in to the oven to bake for about 10 minutes.

That is just enough time to brew a pot of coffee, heat some veggie sausage, and cut some fruit.

This morning's fruit medley consisted of peeled sliced kiwi, quartered hulled strawberries, and black raspberries.

This egg bake could be topped with salsa and sour cream, but it tasted so great without it that we had it plain, in our pajamas, while we did The New York Times crossword.

Vegetable Pie

2011-11-20T08:30:00.000-05:00

When I have time, I enjoy making vegetable pies, tarts, layered bakes and casseroles. I love preparing each vegetable separately and in a slightly different way from the the rest so they're all flavorful and perfectly cooked and the layers of flavor they create when cooked together slowly. I did this one in the oven in my cast-iron pan, which makes every dish seem more rustic and substantial and makes several meals for two people.

I preheated my oven to 350 degrees with my cast-iron pan still on the bottom rack.

I thinly sliced an eggplant a zucchini, a portabella mushroom, a large tomato, and a red pepper.

I tossed each vegetable separately in a large bowl with Canola oil, salt, and pepper.

The eggplant and squash got a drizzle of lemon juice and sprinkling of dried oregano, the portabella got a little balsamic, and the tomato got some crushed garlic.

I grilled each of the above vegetables separately in batches using my fancy stove top indoor grill pan and laid them out on a sheet tray lined with waxed paper when they were marked and just tender.

I took my pan out of the oven and sprayed it with nonstick cooking spray.

The eggplant served as my base to cover with bottom with the zucchini filling in any gaps.

I sprinkled that layer with chopped parsley.

The next layer was mushrooms, topped by the tomatoes, then red pepper.

I gave the whole thing a flurry of grated Asiago cheese and a drizzle of vegetable stock.

This got baked, uncovered, in the oven for 40 minutes, until soft and congealed.

We ate straight from the oven, but it can be cooled and even frozen and reheated.

The finished dish didn't need a thing, but would only benefit from the addition of sausage and would make a great side dish for steak or chicken.

Another Layered Vegetable Bake

2011-11-18T08:56:00.000-05:00

Here is yet another take on my pizza-style all-vegetable bake. This one starts with a layer of eggplant. I sliced it thinly lengthwise, brushed it with canola oil, seasoned it with salt & pepper and Italian seasonings and grilled it in my trusty "new" stove top grill pan.

For the layers:
I sprayed my baking dish with nonstick cooking spray and arranged my eggplant in a single layer covering the bottom.
I covered that with chopped fresh parsley and basil.
Then I started with caramelized onions that I made in my pan on the stove, slow and low, for about 20 minutes and seasoned with salt and pepper.
A layer of eggplant topped that with more herbs and seasonings.
Next were sliced red and green peppers that I sweated (softened) in my onion pan and perked up with salt and pepper.
Atop that were sliced crimini mushrooms I roasted in foil in the oven with S&P, canola oil, and balsamic.
The last layer was grated Asiago cheese.
The whole mess was baked, covered with foil, in a 350 degree oven for 30 minutes.
A cross between eggplant parm, pizza, and lasagne, this dish was delicious and satisfying, but very, very healthy.

Beans and Greens

2011-11-17T07:45:00.000-05:00

I cooked a whole bag of dried cannellinis, which I probably could have eating all myself as a snack in one sitting, but is actually a lot for two people. So I've been serving them with everything in addition to eating them as a pre-workout snack - which makes meal preparation extremely easy. Tonight, I gave them a quick warm-up in their cooking liquid and served them with a chicken-style vegetable protein cutlet. Sauteed mustard greens with onions and garlic rounded out the plate and gave a much-needed burst of color.

Eggplant Pie

2011-11-16T09:42:00.000-05:00

I didn't make this, I bought it. I have been working like crazy and have been eating a lot of food on the road. Luckily, in NYC, there are lots of places to find delicious, healthy vegetarian cuisine on a moments notice, but you have to know where to find them. One of my favorites is Life Thyme on 6th Avenue at 9th Street. It's near my commuter train, so it is convenient for me to visit on my way into or out of the city. It is a healthy food store with dry goods and produce, where I frequently shop for items I sometimes can't find upstate - like Black Bean Pasta or Agar Agar (seaweed gelatin). The store also has a deli counter, prepared foods section, juice bar, and station of hot and cold soups, salads, and entrees. I find their selection creative and often look at what they've got as inspiration for a dish I'd like to recreate at home. This was one such dish. They called it Eggplant Pie, although I think it really was much more deserving of the title of "Tort" or "Terrine".

This dish consisted of layers of grilled eggplant, grilled zucchini, carrot puree, sauteed kale, and roasted red pepper. It was similar to a lasagna that I make with eggplant instead of noodles, but what appears to be tomato sauce in the photo is actually red pepper and the cheese has been replaced by carrots. It was delicious and very filling. I will definitely try this at home sans the carrot.

Brussels Sprouts with Cannelini Beans

2011-11-15T08:56:00.000-05:00

I've done this recipe in my classes, so it has been posted here before, but I make it a lot, so I thought it was worth posting again as it's my favorite preparation for one of my favorite vegetables. When I have other things going on, I do it in the oven, but it also works well in a cast-iron skillet on the stove, as I've done here.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts with White Beans & Asiago

Ingredients:

Nonstick cooking spray

About a dozen Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

1/2 Large White Onion, cut French style

3 cloves Garlic, chopped

1/2 Cup Vegetable stock

3/4 Cup Cannellini Beans, fresh cooked or canned, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup Asiago Cheese, grated

Salt

Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Spray a cast iron skillet with nonstick cooking spray and heat over medium heat.

Place sprouts, cut side down, on hot pan to brown.

Transfer sprouts to a bowl to rest.

Add about a tablespoon of oil to the pan and add the onion.

Stir well to coat, reduce heat to low and cover.

Cook unions until soft and browned, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.

Remove cover, add garlic, and sauté until brown, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Return Brussels sprouts to pan and add vegetable stock.

Cook until sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.

Add beans, replace cover, and cook about 3 minutes, until beans are warmed through.

Take lid off pan, increase heat to high, and allow stock to boil until reduced to a glaze, about 1 minute.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with grated cheese.

Healthy Gingerbread

2011-11-14T08:45:00.000-05:00

A healthy meal deserves a light dessert. I took an old-fashioned gingerbread recipe and made a few healthy swaps to up the zing, give it a nutritional boost, and significantly reduce the blood sugar spike that can come from a two-sweet, carb-heavy treat. It was still a little warm when we iced it with fresh spiced whipped cream, so slices rested in a lovely sauce that made a scoop of ice cream unnecessary.

Homemade Gingerbread

with Fresh Whipped Cream

Makes 8 servings

Start to Finish: 1 Hour

Ingredients
1 ¾ cup Whole Wheat Flour
1Tbsp Ground Cinnamon
2 ½ tsp Ground Ginger

¾ tsp Ground Nutmeg
2 tsp Baking Powder
½ tsp Baking Soda
¼ tsp Salt
2 Large Eggs
1 Large Egg White
½ cup Canola Oil
½ cup Honey or Agave
1/3 cup Brown Sugar, packed
1 cup Pumpkin Puree

1 qt Heavy Cream for whipping

Directions

Preheat oven to 350F.

Coat a 9" x 9" baking pan with cooking spray.

Combine flour, spices, baking powder, nutmeg, baking soda and salt in a large bowl.

Whisk together eggs, egg white, oil, honey or agave nectar, and sugar in a medium bowl.

Whisk in pumpkin.

Fold wet ingredients into dry ingredients until just combined.

Pour batter into prepared pan.

Bake 35-40 minutes, until gingerbread begins to pull away from pan & toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean. Remove from oven and cool on rack.

Whip heavy cream in stand mixer with whisk attachment.

Flavor to taste.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts and Okra

2011-11-13T08:44:00.000-05:00

Brussels Sprouts are among my favorite vegetables and I find them to go particularly well with holiday meals because they are hearty and roasted, look beautiful and taste earthy and winter-y. I like mine roasted, and with white beans and cheese, this dish is a step up from Green Bean Casserole. However, my market had only one pint of sprouts and that was definitely not enough for an entire class. I decided not to go with frozen or suck it up and pay $4.99/lb for green beans. Instead, I took the few sprouts the store had filled the remainder of the recipe with okra, which also roasts well and can fill the void left by just about any other green vegetable. I was extremely pleased with my choice since it turned out that many of my students have never had it and those who had had only had it fried or in succotash.

Caramelized Brussels Sprouts

with White Beans & Pecorino

Makes 6 servings

Start to finish: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

Canola Oil

2 lbs Brussels Sprouts, trimmed and cut in half lengthwise

1 Large White Onion, cut French style

6 cloves Garlic, chopped

1 Cup Chicken stock

1 x 15 oz can Cannellini Beans, drained

2 Tbsp Butter (1/4 stick)

1 cup Pecorino Cheese (about 4 ounces), grated or sliced with a vegetable peeler

Salt

Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

Directions:

Place a large sheet tray in the oven and preheat to 400 degrees.

Warm a large lidded skillet over medium heat.

Add 2 tablespoons of oil to the pan and add the onion.

Stir well to coat, reduce heat to low and cover.

Cook unions until soft and browned, stirring occasionally, about 30 minutes.

While onions are cooking, place Brussels sprouts in a large bowl.

Drizzle with Canola oil and season with salt & pepper .

Place sprouts, cut side down, on hot trays and return to oven. Save bowl.

Roast vegetables until browned on cut side, about 15 minutes.

Remove from oven and return to bowl.

Add garlic to caramelized onions and sauté until brown, stirring constantly, about 1 minute.

Add broth and Brussels sprouts to pan.

Cook until sprouts are crisp-tender, stirring frequently, about 3 minutes.

Add beans and butter; stir until butter melts and broth is reduced to a glaze, about 1 minute.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Garnish with grated or shredded cheese.

Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing

2011-11-12T08:43:00.000-05:00

For me, Chestnuts, Pecans, and Cranberries are all necessities for holiday dining. I love Chestnut stuffing and often put cranberries and Pecans in mine for a festive trifecta. This stuffing is made with wild rice to make it lighter and more healthy and to add some texture, flavor, and color. There are usually dinner rolls, bruscetta, and carb-laden desserts at most holiday spreads, so nobody will miss it in the main course. And, people tend to eat less of food that tates more time and effort to eat, which coincidentally is also the kind of food that takes longer to digest and will not spike your blood sugar and put you into a coma.

My students were not too crazy about peeling the chestnuts, but using fresh makes a huge difference in the taste and texture of the end result, especially if the stuffing is going into the bird where it will soften and cook further.

Wild Rice & Chestnut Stuffing

Serves 10

Start to Finish: 1 Hour

Ingredients:

1 lb Wild Rice

2 Onions, chopped

4 Cloves Garlic, chopped fine

4 Ribs Celery, chopped

6 oz White Mushrooms

3 Tbsp Sage, minced

2 Tbsp Thyme leaves

1 Tbsp Rosemary, minced

1 Tbsp Savory, minced

1 lb Fresh Chestnuts or 3/4 pound vacuum-packed whole chestnuts (about 2 cups)

½ Cup Parsley, chopped finely

Vegetable Stock

Canola Oil

Directions:

Preheat oven to 45o degrees.

With a sharp knife cut an X on the round side of each chestnut.

Spread the chestnuts in one layer in a shallow pan, add 1/4 cup water, and bake for 10 minutes, or until shells open.

Remove from oven and reduce heat to 325 degrees.

Shell and peel chestnuts a handful at a time while still hot.

Chop chestnut meat coarsely.

Bring vegetable stock to a boil in a medium pot and keep warm on the back of the stove.

Coat the bottom of a large lidded pot with a thin layer of Canola and warm over medium heat.

Pour the rice into the pot and cook, stirring frequently, until toasted and aromatic.

Add onions, garlic, celery, sage, thyme, rosemary, & savory and cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are soft.

Stir in the chestnuts and cook 1 minute more, stirring constantly.

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Pour in boiling stock to cover, place lid on pot and cook in the oven.

Check rice after 30 minutes by tasting from the top with a fork. Do not stir.

Rice is done when it is tender and fluffy, 30-45 minutes total.

Allow stuffing cool completely before using to stuff poultry.

Stuffing may be made 1 day in advance and kept covered and chilled.

Roast Duck with Plum Sauce

2011-11-11T08:42:00.000-05:00

The main course for our holiday dinner was roast duck.
I was actually more interested in doing Goose because it is much more old-fashioned, but I just couldn't find one locally. Ducks are available frozen at my supermarket year round and are fairly inexpensive. I knew there wouldn't be enough time for even a small turkey and I was feeling confident that everyone could figure out how to roast a chicken, so a duck would be more special. Turns out many of my students had never had it and the ones that had were not impressed. This dish was impressive and delicious and added another item to my pupils' growing repertoire.

Roast Duck with Plum Sauce

Serves: 6

Start to Finish: 1 Hour, 15 Minutes

Ingredients

For the Duck:

5 lb Duck

1 tsp Fresh Rosemary, minced

1 tsp Salt

1 tsp Pepper

For the Plum Sauce:

1 lb Ripe, Red Plums

1 Cup Seedless White Grapes

5 Cloves Garlic, crushed

1 Tbsp Peanut Oil

½ Cup Red Wine

1 Tbsp Cider Vinegar

2 Tbsp Honey

4 Whole Serrano Chilies, thinly sliced

1 Tbsp Arrowroot Powder

1 Bunch Green Onions, thinly sliced (optional)

Directions

Roast the Duck:

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Remove neck and giblets from duck cavities.

Trim excess fat and wing tips and rinse bird well in cold water.

Sprinkle inside and out with rosemary, salt and pepper.

Prick duck skin all over with a fork and place in a shallow roasting pan, breast side up.

Roast for 15 minutes at 450°F.

Reduce heat to 350°F and roast for 40 minutes more.

Remove duck from oven and drain.

Rest 15 minutes before cutting.

Make the Sauce:

Pulse plums and grapes in a blender.

In a medium sauce pan, sauté garlic and chilies in peanut oil over low heat until smooth.

Stir pureed fruit, wine, honey, and vinegar into mixture in pan .

Bring to a boil, stirring frequently.

Reduce heat and simmer 10 minutes.

To thicken, dissolve arrowroot powder with 1 tbsp water, then whisk into sauce until thickened.

Serve over roast duck or other poultry.

Garnish with green onions if desired.

Roasted Beet & Butternut Squash Salad

2011-11-10T08:39:00.000-05:00

We started our festive meal with a beautiful plated salad. I went on the assumption that there will be chips and crudite and other munchies available before dinner, as that is not only what most people do, but it serves a couple of other purposes. Snacking keeps people from getting loopy from too many libations on an empty stomach, and keeps folks from being cranky while waiting for the main course. This will start dinner off at a slow pace so dinner doesn't become an all-you-can-eat feeding frenzy. All of the components for this dish can be prepped a few days ahead. The entire salad can be dressed and plated up to an hour in advance if you have the fridge space.

Spinach Salad with Roasted Beets,

Butternut Squash, and Herbed Goat Cheese

Makes10 Servings

Start to Finish: 1 hour

Ingredients

For the Salad

1 lb Small Beets, Scrubbed clean and tops trimmed

1 cup Butternut Squash, peeled and cubed

5 cups Baby Spinach

Canola Oil

Salt

Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

For the Dressing

1 Tbsp Balsamic Vinegar

1 ½ tsp Honey

1 ½ tsp Dijon Mustard

¼ tsp Salt

¼ tsp Freshly-Ground Black Pepper

¼ cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

For the Toppings

½ cup Pecans, toasted

2 Tbsp Honey

2 oz Goat Cheese

2 Tbsp Parsley, chopped

1 tsp Thyme, chopped

½ tsp Rosemary, chopped

½ cup Dried Cranberries

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cover 3 baking sheets with aluminum foil and brush each with Canola Oil.

Toss the beets with oil, salt, and freshly-ground black pepper and spread on prepared tray.

Roast in oven until tender all the way through when pierced with a very sharp paring knife, about an hour.

Remove beets from oven, transfer to a bowl, and rest until cool enough to handle.

Wearing gloves, peel beets with a paring knife and cut into eighths.

Toss squash cubes in a large bowl with canola, oil, salt, and pepper.

Spread on foil-lined sheet in a single layer and roast in oven about 20 minutes until tender all the way through and lightly browned on the outside.

Combine honey and pecans in a small sauce pan.

Cook over medium high heat, stirring constantly until mixture simmers and foams, 4-6 minutes.

Transfer nuts to a prepared sheet tray and separate with fork.

Cool completely.

Combine the chopped herbs in a small bowl.

Cut an approximately 8” x 10” square of parchment paper and lay it out on the work surface in front of you.

Pour the herbs onto the paper in a rectangle about the size of the log of cheese.

Roll cheese in herbs to cover, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate.

To serve, unwrap and slice thinly with string or unflavored, waxed dental floss.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, honey, mustard, salt and pepper.

Slowly whisk in oil until blended.

Taste to adjust seasonings.

Place spinach in large bowl, drizzle with dressing, and toss to coat.

Transfer to individual plates and top with beets, squash, cranberries, pecans, and goat cheese circles.

Finish with a grind of black pepper if desired.

Holiday Favorites

2011-11-09T08:41:00.000-05:00

For the final class of the semester, we selected "Classic Holiday Favorites" as the theme. I chose a colorful and flavorful menu of old-fashioned stand-bys, with a healthy twist, of course.

We made Roast Duck with Plum Sauce, Wild Rice and Chestnut Stuffing, Okra with White Beans, and Spicy Gingerbread.

This class was focused much less of the technical aspects of cooking than usual and we altered the format so that everyone worked as a team on all the tasks at hand. We started the class by talking about how to choose realistic dishes, plan a seasonal and healthy menu and map its preparation to reduce anxiety. This strategy allows the host more time to relax and enjoy their company. I stressed the importance of allowing people to help and remembering that the reason for the gathering is to spend time with friends and not creating a second job or out-doing last year's fest.

Let others bring the snacks, ice, or wine. Make sure you know what others are bringing and know that if you tell them to bring nothing, they will bring something you don't want. The host should be in total control of the menu.

We had a great time sharing stories of events gone right and those gone terribly wrong.

We laughed, traded tips, and, of course, ate amazing made-from-scratch food.

One Sexy Sandwich

2011-11-08T08:45:00.000-05:00

In case you don't know, I read a lot of blogs and get many newsletters. It's part of my job as a good salesperson to know what the trends are in restaurants, but I'm also very curious personally about what everybody else is cooking. Okay, I suppose "read" is a bit strong. I receive them in my email inbox and I look at the pictures, but I definitely have my finger on the pulse. Often, I will see a dish that looks particularly alluring to me and I will try to recreate it at home. Not exactly, of course. Sometimes it's a vegetarian version of a meat-heavy dish or a healthier version of something that looks particularly decadent. I'm not a "sandwich" person as I don't indulge in bread on a daily basis (don't judge me), but I saw a write-up for a diner in Queens that was doing a pocket-meal (as I like to call them) that spoke to me. It was a grilled cheese stuffed with my favorite vegetable combination of caramelized red onion, roasted garlic, roasted red pepper, grilled eggplant and portabello mushrooms. I made this vegetable-laden sandwich at home on low-carb bread in my nonstick pan with low-fat Cabot Extra-sharp Vermont Cheddar cheese. and served it with Tomato soup and a Kosher Dill pickle. It was so delicious and satisfying that it will likely become a wintertime staple around here - on days when I have a lot of time for lunch, of course, It did take a while, but the results were well worth the labor.

Acorn Squash Seeds

2011-11-07T08:48:00.000-05:00

You know how I hate to waste and never throw anything away. Well...here is a classic example. Yesterday, I roasted an acorn squash and felt obligated to save the seeds. I am a huge fan of nuts and seeds and feel like they're a bonus gift from the vegetable that would be rude to turn down. Seeds from all winter squash are edible and make a great snack. They are quite yummy on their own but make a hearty addition to trail mix, granola bars, and maple-walnut ice cream. Of course they have health benefits. Lineolic Acid (polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid) and oleic acid (the same monounsaturated fatty acid that is plentiful in olive oil) account for about 75% of the fat found in the seeds.

When you're cleaning your squash to eat, or even after you've microwaved or roasted it whole, you can scoop out the seeds and save them - up to a week with or without their pulp - in the fridge.

Roast them in the oven the next time you're preheating it for something else.

To get the most of the seeds:
Scoop the pulp and seeds from inside the squash.

Separate the seeds with your fingers and discard the pulp. You compost, don't you?

Rinse the seeds in a strainer under very cold running water and dry them on paper towels.

Toss them in a bowl with canola oil and a sprinkling of salt and pepper.

I also dusted mine with some hickory smoke powder I've been dying to use and it they came out super crunchy and smoky.

Place them in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet and lightly roast them in a 200 degree oven for 15-20 minutes.

They will be dry and crunchy and you will probably eat them all at once.

Acorn Squash with Broccoli and White Beans

2011-11-06T08:53:00.000-05:00

It may be a little early in the season to be getting all "comfort food"y, but Acorn Squash is in season locally and super fresh tasting this time of year. Acorn - as well as all of the other winter squash - as, of course, starchy vegetables, which I try not to eat too much of. Squash, along with Sweet Potatoes are an exception. Both of them are beautiful and delicious and I can feel good about eating them because of their nutritional benefits - as long as they are prepared in a healthful way. Many of the carbs in winter squash come from polysaccharides. These minerals are proven anti-inflammatories, which make them excellent for post-workout and may also regulate insulin and fight diabetes.

I peeled my Acorn squash, scooped out the pulp and seeds, and cut the flesh into large cubes. I seasoned the squash pieces simply with olive oil, salt and pepper and roasted it with sliced white onion and sliced galric. I had my cast-iron pan in the oven while it pre-heated and by the time it was up to temp, the pan was nice an hot. I roasted the squash in the pan for about 30 minutes and served it with steamed broccoli and Cannelinis. The bean liquid made a lovely flavorful broth.

Roasted Garlic

2011-11-05T08:26:00.000-04:00

One of my favorite ways to add rustic flavor to a dish is with roasted garlic. It is also a great way to use up garlic that is past its prime. Especially since roasting softens it and mellows the flavor that may have gotten harsh with time.

To roast garlic, rub the entire head with canola oil and sprinkle it liberally with salt and pepper. Wrap it in foil and drizzle a bit of water inside the package before sealing it tightly.

Pop it in the oven on a sheet tray with whatever else you may have in there.

Bake the garlic at 350-400 degrees - whatever the oven is set at - for at least 30 minutes.

It's done when it is soft - you can poke a sharp paring knife through the skin to test.

Take it out of the oven and rest until it's cool enough to handle, or wear gloves if you want to eat it right away. Peel the head apart and squeeze cloves individually out of their skin.

The result is soft, sweet and creamy.

Roasted garlic cloves can be plopped whole into dishes like pasta or casseroles or pressed into a paste, which makes a lovely spread for baguette or a base for a sauce.

Cooled, cloves can be stored in the refrigerator in an airtight container for up to a week.

Freezing is not recommended.

Sauteed Greens and Beefless Tips

2011-11-04T09:21:00.000-04:00

This quick and hearty meal is packed with vitamins and antioxidants.
The greens are a combination of collards, which are great for lowering cholesterol and Swiss chard, which has been found to regulate blood sugar.

To make this fast and healthy dish, I sauteed half a sliced white onion with a bit of canola oil over medium heat in my cast iron pan.
I pushed the onion to one side of the pan, upped the heat to high, and added some "Beefless" vegetable protein chunks to the empty part of the pan.
I seared the cubes on all sides, turned the heat back down to medium, and stirred in the onions.
I washed the greens separately several times and spun them together in my salad spinner just once or twice to shake off any remaining dirt or sand, but to still leave them fairly wet. The moisture that clings to the leaves will be used to create the steam that cooks them without adding any additional liquid and reserving most of the the vegetable's nutrients.
I added the green to the pan and gave it a stir to coat the greens in the onions' oils and sugars.
I put a lid on the pan, reduced the heat to low, and cooked the dish about 5 minutes, until everything was warm and soft but not mushy and the greens were still bright green.
Dale had his served over white rice, which we've been preparing to keep on hand lately for our sick kitty.

Dale's Birthday Cake 2011

2011-11-03T08:27:00.000-04:00

Dale's Birthday fell on a Wednesday this year, which made me a little concerned about having time to make him a proper cake. This is the beginning of caviar season, my weekend classes are in full swing, and I have a lot of upcoming travel and classes to plan as well. In addition, we are now fostering a stray cat who, while adorable, is consuming all of our time, patience, and energy.

For cake decorating classes, I bake my cakes weeks in advance and freeze them and they are "fine", but fresh really is much better.
I managed to find time on Tuesday to make a red velvet cake in 2 x 9" pans.
I cooled them in the pans on a rack for the remainder of the day and covered them but left them out overnight.
Even though this is a old-fashioned red velvet cake with all the butter and sugar that comes with it, I wanted to keep it light and simple. It is a birthday cake, after all, meant to be enjoyed - meaning it should be enjoyable to the one receiving it - once a year.

I spread wild black raspberry jam between the cakes as torting and filling both cakes would be too much filling. I iced the cake simply with a white butter cream icing and covered the sides with shredded, unsweetened coconut.

The top got a smattering of chocolate sprinkles and a few fresh red raspberries for color.
As a final touch, I strategically place a bottom and top boarder of a minimal amount of dark chocolate chips.

After our celebratory slice, I'll cut the cake into small pieces and wrap them in twos in foil and freeze them. It will probably last us until this time next year!

The Expired Milk Experiment

2011-11-02T08:44:00.000-04:00

I bought a gallon of skim milk for a class and we barely touched it. Since I already had an open container at home, it went untouched for over a week and had reached its "best before" date by then. Afraid of what it would do in coffee but loathing the thought of tossing food, I knew I needed it use it. I'm having a crazy week, though, and don't have a lot of time to be creative. I turned to a recipe I now know by heart and attempted caramel.

I poured the milk into a large, heavy pot, added the seeds of half a scraped vanilla bean and the bean, 1/2 cup Stevia, and brought it to a boil over medium heat.
I reduced the heat to low and added 1 tablespoon of baking soda.
I allowed this milk to simmer, stirring occasionally but not incorporating the foam from the top into the mix, for about an hour.
I removed the vanilla bean, gave it another stir, and continued to simmer the mixture until most of the liquid was reduced and the remaining caramel was golden brown.
I strained the curds into a cheesecloth set in a strainer and tied it tightly.
When the bundle was cool, about half an hour later, I gave it a squeeze to remove any remaining liquid that had become a sweet, light syrup that I will use over ice cream or fruit.
I opened the bundle and inside was not at all creamy dulce de leche but more like maple sugar candy - a very small amount from nearly a gallon of milk.
The palm-sized lump was sweet, salty, and very crumbly.
I'm thinking I will mix it with almond butter and roll it into truffles, possibly finished with flaked coconut.
I

Pumpkin Oatmeal Waffles

2011-11-01T08:40:00.000-04:00

There is exactly one cup of the canned pumpkin puree left, so I used it to make a batch of waffles with a spicy fall feel. I have a great stovetop waffle iron that holds a lot of batter to make waffles that are crispy on the outside and deliciously soft and moist in the middle. This recipe makes 3 batches of 4 waffles to equal 12 pieces. One for me and two for Dale is a filling breakfast with yogurt and fruit. The rest can be refrigerated up to a week or frozen for months. Either way, they can be popped into the toaster for a healthy breakfast on the go.

Healthy Pumpkin Waffles

Whisk together in a large bowl:

1/2 Cup Rolled Oats, 5-Grain Cereal, or Museli
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour (Or combo of 1/4 cup whole wheat, almond,& coconut flours)
2 Tbsp Flax Seed Meal
2 Tbsp Pecan Pieces
1 Tbsp Baking Powder
1 Tbsp Baking Soda
2 Tbsp Cinnamon

1 Tbsp Nutmeg

Whisk together in another bowl:

3/4 Skim milk
1 Tbsp Unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 Tbsp Amber Agave Nectar
2 Large Eggs
1/2 tsp Vanilla

Pour the wet ingredients over the dry ingredients and gently whisk them together, mixing just until combined.
Rest, uncovered, in a warm spot 15-30 minutes.
Heat waffle iron over medium heat to nearly smoking and spray with nonstick cooking spray.
Re beat batter, adding more milk to reach thick but pourable consistency if necessary.
Transfer batter to a large measuring cup or pitcher.

Pour better into center of each section of waffle iron to 3/4 full, spreading batter with a heatproof spatula if necessary.
Cook about 2 minutes and flip to check.

Iron should open easily, which means bottom is cooked and not sticking.

If it doesn't, give it another minute and check again.

When crispy and browned on bottom side, flip iron and cook the other side just under the same amount of time.

Flip to check and cook until both sides are golden and crisp.

Remove from iron with heat-proof spatula.
Serve immediately or keep warm in a 200 degree oven.
Serve with fresh fruit.