Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Those stuffed peppers totally sucked
So I'm not even going to describe them. Just--don't use brown rice to stuff peppers unless you cook it first, no matter what the raw foodies and the interweb recipes say.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Recipes, so far...
Just finished gleaning the Sanctuary blog for recipes. Because I failed to plan ahead, they're posted in exactly backward order, with early spring food first. I've dated the posts so you can tell what time of year they're meant to be!
April 4, 2010
Nothing says Spring like Zucchini
Zucchini Pancakes
1 medium zucchini, grated
1 medium yellow squash, grated
1/2 vidalia onion, sliced in very thin half moons
1 green chili, minced
sprinkle of sea salt
grind of fresh pepper
1 tsp curry powder
1/2 cup stone ground cornmeal
2 tbsp pine nuts
3/4 cup other flour ( I used Bob's Gluten Free all purpose flour)
4 eggs
1/3 cup water or other liquid
olive or coconut oil for frying
a little cheese for topping (we had some creamy farmer cheese from a small grass-fed dairy)
Preheat skillet to medium high, or until a drop of batter dances.
Grate veggies into a big bowl. Mix in the seasonings, pine nuts, and cornmeal until blended, then the flour. Let that stand a few minutes while the skillet heats, then blend in the eggs and water. Scoop by the cupful into your skillet, and cook on one side until set. Flip carefully--may spatter-- and brown the other side. Sprinkle with cheese while the second side cooks so it will soften.
July 6, 2010
Pesto
a couple handfuls of fresh basil leaves
some sunflower seeds--1-2 cup, maybe a little more
maybe 6 or 7 cloves of garlic
olive oil, more than you intended (maybe a cup altogether)
coarse sea salt
At first, the sunnies didn't seem to be grinding up very well. I didn't take the time to soak them and my food processor is faithful, but very elderly and infirm. I drizzled in olive oil. Then more... and more...and suddenly the pesto started looking very smooth, but thick. More oil...lil more...I ended up with a creamy, fluffy, spreadable pesto butter. Incredibly, unctuously delicious. I'm going to dollop it on top of some slices of eggplant baked with sauce and feta cheese.
Alongside the eggplant, we'll have this salad:
two color quinoa
chickpeas
lots of fresh oregano
a big fat shredded zucchini
a little mince onion
a lot of tasty vine ripe tomatoes
fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper
July 26, 2010
Crunchy
I like coleslaw, but since my last encounter with food poisoning all that yucky mayonnaise is just too fraught. This slaw is tasty, crunchy, tangy and a bit sweet. Take the time to enjoy the zen of chopping everything. When you're focused on using your sharpest knife to shred a head of cabbage, you are not doing anything else at all.
Crunchy Veggie Slaw (for 2-4)
half a small head of any cabbage, shredded very fine
a small onion, preferably red or sweet, sliced thin as you can
2 or 3 carrots, grated or julienne
currants, raisins, or diced apple
medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp each of whole coriander and whole cumin seeds
apple cider vinegar
sea salt
olive oil
Place the sliced onions in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and about 1/4 cup vinegar. Add the cabbage , carrots, and fruit and toss to mix well.
In a small skillet, fry the spices in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. When they are browned and fragrant, pour them with the oil over the slaw. The hot oil will slightly soften the veggies. Now add the tomatoes, taste for seasoning.
Other good things to add: fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, or oregano, jalapeno peppers, fresh sweet corn, grated zucchini or summer squash, sesame seeds, any other finely chopped summer veggies such as green beans.
Crunchy Veggie Slaw (for 2-4)
half a small head of any cabbage, shredded very fine
a small onion, preferably red or sweet, sliced thin as you can
2 or 3 carrots, grated or julienne
currants, raisins, or diced apple
medium tomato, chopped
1 tsp each of whole coriander and whole cumin seeds
apple cider vinegar
sea salt
olive oil
Place the sliced onions in a large salad bowl. Sprinkle with sea salt and about 1/4 cup vinegar. Add the cabbage , carrots, and fruit and toss to mix well.
In a small skillet, fry the spices in a couple tablespoons of olive oil. When they are browned and fragrant, pour them with the oil over the slaw. The hot oil will slightly soften the veggies. Now add the tomatoes, taste for seasoning.
Other good things to add: fresh herbs like cilantro, parsley, or oregano, jalapeno peppers, fresh sweet corn, grated zucchini or summer squash, sesame seeds, any other finely chopped summer veggies such as green beans.
August 2,2010
Adventures in Frugality
We live a fairly indulgent life, in our own small way. We're vegetarian, but we make terrific food and there's always plenty of it. However, this week--okay--this month--we've overspent a bit. It's in a good cause: we paid for our cruise and our passports. The expense is right at the edge of our ability to pay--very nearly too much. So I find I need to get a little creative in the kitchen, to use what's in the pantry rather than bring home my usual basketfuls of whatever strikes my fancy.
It's not all bad. For breakfast I fried some leftover cheese grits and baked an omelet with sweet potato greens, a red chili, and basil--all from the garden, with a couple eggs courtesy of the ladies.
Tonight I'm using up a bag of spotty marked-down tomatoes, some leftover cheese, and a batch of hoe-cake style cornbread to make tomato pie. Here's the recipe:
Tomato Pie
Make a half recipe of hoe-cakes, and prepare it like southern cornbread. That is: pour the batter into a hot oiled frying pan, and move it to a 450 oven to bake. After 15 minutes, turn down the heat to 350 to complete baking.
While that's going on, slice 2-3 lbs of tomatoes, not too thin; the tomatoes don't need to be pretty--just ripe.
slice one large onion very thin;
grate a cup or two of cheese, and blend 2 (cheese) to 1 (mayo) with mayonnaise for the topping. This sounds dangerously wierd, but Paula Deane says it's okay, and I trust Paul Deane.
Pick some basil and slice it into ribbons.
When the cornbread is done baking, cover it with layers of tomato and onion, sprinkling each layer with sea salt, a grind of pepper,and some basil. You may need to slice away the top to make a flat crust-- if you do, be sure to save the top. You can eat it for breakfast with butter and honey, or save it to make carrot-jalapeno stuffed something. Spread the mayo-cheese topping over all and return the pan to the oven to bake another 1/2 hour or until the top is golden brown.
This cries out for something alongside, and I opted for Savory Carrot and Spinach Salad. Because I have carrots and the last quarter of a bag of baby spinach. I think the flavor contrast is going to be...piquant.
Grate 4 carrots
crush 2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dijon mustard
balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Toss in 1 or 2 cups rinsed baby spinach leaves.
It's not all bad. For breakfast I fried some leftover cheese grits and baked an omelet with sweet potato greens, a red chili, and basil--all from the garden, with a couple eggs courtesy of the ladies.
Tonight I'm using up a bag of spotty marked-down tomatoes, some leftover cheese, and a batch of hoe-cake style cornbread to make tomato pie. Here's the recipe:
Tomato Pie
Make a half recipe of hoe-cakes, and prepare it like southern cornbread. That is: pour the batter into a hot oiled frying pan, and move it to a 450 oven to bake. After 15 minutes, turn down the heat to 350 to complete baking.
While that's going on, slice 2-3 lbs of tomatoes, not too thin; the tomatoes don't need to be pretty--just ripe.
slice one large onion very thin;
grate a cup or two of cheese, and blend 2 (cheese) to 1 (mayo) with mayonnaise for the topping. This sounds dangerously wierd, but Paula Deane says it's okay, and I trust Paul Deane.
Pick some basil and slice it into ribbons.
When the cornbread is done baking, cover it with layers of tomato and onion, sprinkling each layer with sea salt, a grind of pepper,and some basil. You may need to slice away the top to make a flat crust-- if you do, be sure to save the top. You can eat it for breakfast with butter and honey, or save it to make carrot-jalapeno stuffed something. Spread the mayo-cheese topping over all and return the pan to the oven to bake another 1/2 hour or until the top is golden brown.
This cries out for something alongside, and I opted for Savory Carrot and Spinach Salad. Because I have carrots and the last quarter of a bag of baby spinach. I think the flavor contrast is going to be...piquant.
Grate 4 carrots
crush 2 cloves garlic
1 tbsp dijon mustard
balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper to taste
Toss in 1 or 2 cups rinsed baby spinach leaves.
Saturday, July 31, 2010
Hoe Cakes
Hoe Cakes
1 cup Bob's Red Mill Pancake mix
1 cup stone ground corn meal
1/2 cup hulled hempseed
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp sea salt
two eggs
3 tbsp honey or syrup
3/4 c to 1 cup water
oil for griddle
Blend dry ingredients, and in a seperate bowl beat the eggs with the honey and water. Heat oil on griddle or frying pan. Quickly stir the liquids into the flours, without overmixing, and cook like pancakes, a few minutes on each side. Cakes will puff up. When both sides are browned, remove the cakes to a baking sheet. Just before serving, bake 8-1o minutes at 35o to finish cooking.
August 21, 2010
Cooking in August
Baba Ghanoush Salad
Roast some tasty eggplants and peppers from the farmer's market. Don't over cook the peppers!
While they roast, thinly slice some onion, dust it with salt and sprinkle with fresh, pulpy lemon juice.
Chop some kalamata olives, a handful of basil or oregano, and crush a couple cloves of garlic. Add to the bowl. When vegetables are just right, chop and add them to the bowl. While everything is still warm, squeeze in the rest of the lemon juice, and stir in 2-3 tbsp tahini. Grind sea salt and black pepper to taste. Before serving, when everything is cooled off, add some chopped juicy tomatoes.
Serve on a heap of whatever salad greens you have, with a few slices of fresh mozzarella, and maybe a quartered hard boiled egg. Drizzle with olive oil for extra lushness.
Edible Gourd Casserole
I got this green pumpkin-looking veg at the farmer's market last week (it was only a dollar), and it took me a while to decide what to do with it. It had a tender skin, soft, mild insides, and slightly nutty seeds. I think this casserole would be delish with any kind of squash, gourd, or really any high moisture vegetable.
4 cups diced edible gourd or random vegetable
2 carrots, diced
One onion, diced
a few cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 bouillon cube, crumbled
1/2 tsp ground brown mustard seed, or a spoonful of prepared brown mustard
a liberal sprinkle of thyme, and maybe just a pinch of cumin
2-3 slices stale bread, cut into small cubes and toasted
1-2 cups cheese (your call)
Saute the carrots, onions, and garlic until browned and fragrant. In a large bowl, mix the saute with the chopped gourd. Sprinkle the herbs and seasonings over the veggies and let them stand while you whip up two eggs in the yogurt and grate the cheese. Mix together all the veggies, the eggs and yogurt, the breadcrumbs, and about half the cheese, then spoon it into a baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake about 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender (the smaller you chop, them the less time this will take).
We had gourd casserole tonight, accompanied by a suprisingly good improvised salad, which I liked almost more than the baked veggies. The raw broccoli stems add a nutty crunch to the soft beans and juicy tomatoes.
Butter Bean and Tomato Salad
1 can Eden butter beans, drained
some leftover broccoli stems, peeled and diced up small--not cooked--
juicy ripe tomatoes, in chunks
fresh basil
salt & pepper
lime juice
olive oil
Roast some tasty eggplants and peppers from the farmer's market. Don't over cook the peppers!
While they roast, thinly slice some onion, dust it with salt and sprinkle with fresh, pulpy lemon juice.
Chop some kalamata olives, a handful of basil or oregano, and crush a couple cloves of garlic. Add to the bowl. When vegetables are just right, chop and add them to the bowl. While everything is still warm, squeeze in the rest of the lemon juice, and stir in 2-3 tbsp tahini. Grind sea salt and black pepper to taste. Before serving, when everything is cooled off, add some chopped juicy tomatoes.
Serve on a heap of whatever salad greens you have, with a few slices of fresh mozzarella, and maybe a quartered hard boiled egg. Drizzle with olive oil for extra lushness.
Edible Gourd Casserole
I got this green pumpkin-looking veg at the farmer's market last week (it was only a dollar), and it took me a while to decide what to do with it. It had a tender skin, soft, mild insides, and slightly nutty seeds. I think this casserole would be delish with any kind of squash, gourd, or really any high moisture vegetable.
4 cups diced edible gourd or random vegetable
2 carrots, diced
One onion, diced
a few cloves of garlic, chopped
1 cup plain yogurt
2 eggs
1 bouillon cube, crumbled
1/2 tsp ground brown mustard seed, or a spoonful of prepared brown mustard
a liberal sprinkle of thyme, and maybe just a pinch of cumin
2-3 slices stale bread, cut into small cubes and toasted
1-2 cups cheese (your call)
Saute the carrots, onions, and garlic until browned and fragrant. In a large bowl, mix the saute with the chopped gourd. Sprinkle the herbs and seasonings over the veggies and let them stand while you whip up two eggs in the yogurt and grate the cheese. Mix together all the veggies, the eggs and yogurt, the breadcrumbs, and about half the cheese, then spoon it into a baking dish. Top with the remaining cheese and bake about 30 minutes or until the veggies are tender (the smaller you chop, them the less time this will take).
We had gourd casserole tonight, accompanied by a suprisingly good improvised salad, which I liked almost more than the baked veggies. The raw broccoli stems add a nutty crunch to the soft beans and juicy tomatoes.
Butter Bean and Tomato Salad
1 can Eden butter beans, drained
some leftover broccoli stems, peeled and diced up small--not cooked--
juicy ripe tomatoes, in chunks
fresh basil
salt & pepper
lime juice
olive oil
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