17th April, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Here’s a vegetarian recipe that’s healthy, filling, and not pasta or tofu based: Kale and White Bean Soup. I got this recipe from epicurious and thought it was fast and easy to make. It just has a little olive oil in it, and that’s all for “unhealthy” ingredients, and the beans give protein for a vegetarian diet, while the kale gives some protein and iron.
1 1/2 pounds kale leaves, center ribs and stems removed
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup chopped peeled carrots
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped shallots (about 4)
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1 cup dry white wine
2 15-ounce cans white beans (preferably organic), drained
4 cups (or more) vegetable broth
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf
1 tablespoon Sherry wine vinegar
2 tablespoons assorted chopped fresh herbs (such as tarragon, parsley, and chives)
Cook kale in large pot of boiling salted water 1 minute. Drain. Transfer to bowl of ice water to cool. Drain. Squeeze out excess water. Coarsely chop kale. (I skipped this step and just added the chopped, raw kale in at the end and found that the 5 minutes of simmering cooked it)
Heat olive oil in medium pot over medium heat. Add chopped carrots, celery, shallots, and garlic; cook until soft, stirring, about 15 minutes (do not brown vegetables). Add white wine and simmer until liquid is slightly reduced, about 7 minutes. Add white beans, 4 cups broth, thyme sprigs, and bay leaf and bring to boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer 20 minutes. Add kale and simmer 5 minutes longer. Remove thyme sprigs and bay leaf. Add more broth by 1/2 cupfuls to thin stew, if desired. Mix in Sherry wine vinegar and chopped fresh herbs. Season with salt and pepper.
10th April, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I made this recipe from epicurious yesterday for dinner and thought it turned out pretty interesting. The mix of jalapeno, raisins, tomato, and feta cheese was unusual. I just so happened to need to use up some green onions, beets, and swiss chard from our vegetable box, so this recipe was great for accomplishing that. People on epicurious RAVED about this, so I gave it a try even though it sounded a little funny. I wasn’t as blown away as many of the other reviewers, but I would make it again if I had these veggies on hand. Served with some crusty bread or pita, this is a healthy vegetarian meal.
Here’s the recipe:
1 1/2 pounds red beets (about 3 large)
4 pounds Swiss chard
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large red onion, halved lengthwise, cut thinly crosswise
3/4 cup sliced green onions (about 3)
5 garlic cloves, chopped
2 jalapeño chiles, thinly sliced crosswise with seeds
3 14 1/2-ounce cans diced tomatoes in juice, drained
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons golden raisins
1/4 cup fresh lime juice (I skipped this one)
1 51/2-ounce log soft fresh goat cheese, crumbled (or you can use feta)
2 tablespoons pine nuts
Preheat oven to 400°F. Wrap beets individually in foil. Roast until beets are tender, about 1 hour. Cool. Peel beets, then cut into 1/2-inch cubes. (Can be prepared 2 days ahead. Cover; chill.)
Fold Swiss chard leaves in half lengthwise and cut stalks away from leaves. Cut leaves coarsely into 1-inch pieces. Slice stalks thinly crosswise. Reserve stalks and leaves separately. Cook chopped leaves in large pot of boiling salted water until just tender, about 1 minute. Drain and reserve.
Heat oil in heavy large pot over high heat. Add sliced stalks; sauté until starting to soften, about 8 minutes.
Add onion and next 3 ingredients; sauté 3 minutes. Add drained tomatoes and 1 cup raisins. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until vegetables are soft, stirring occasionally, about 15 minutes.
Add chard leaves to pot; stir to heat through. Remove from heat; add lime juice and stir to blend. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer chard mixture to large platter. Sprinkle with beets, goat cheese, pine nuts, and remaining 2 tablespoons raisins. Serve warm or at room temperature.
The epicurious photo by Pornchai Mittongtare looks a little more appetizing
27th March, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I’ve made this recipe 3 times now and really love it, so I wanted to share it today. Normally I like to try and share a vegetarian main entree recipe on Tuesdays, but I haven’t made anything too exciting for dinner over the past week, but keep making this beet cake or some variation of it every week (we’ve been getting beets in our CSA box each Thursday for the last few weeks). It sounds weird, but is really dense and chocolaty. I don’t think it tastes like beets at all, but the beets give the cake batter a nice deep red color.
I found the recipe on epicurious. I don’t have a bundt pan, so I just use a 9 inch cake pan and it works out just fine. Also, I don’t normally have exactly 2 cups of boiled, pureed beets, and it’s turned out fine using a little more or a little less than that recommended amount – I just add in however much I get from my CSA box, which is usually 3-4 medium sized beets. To get the beets ready for this recipe, you need to wash them really well and then quarter them and throw them into a small pot. Cover them with water and boil until soft, about 30-40 minutes.
Here’s the recipe:
1/2 cup (120 ml) canola oil or vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups (340 g) packed dark brown sugar
2 cups (450 g) puréed cooked (boiled or steamed) red beets (about 3 medium-size beets)
1/2 cup (90 g) semisweet chocolate chips, melted
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons (9 g) baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C, or gas mark 5), and lightly oil a Bundt pan (or 9 inch cake pan).
In a mixing bowl, cream together oil and brown sugar. Add beets, melted chocolate chips, and vanilla, and mix well.
In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to wet beet mixture, and stir until just combined.
Pour into prepared Bundt/cake pan, and bake for 45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.
Cool in pan for 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Cool completely. Before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar and top with blueberries, if desired.
For this week’s vegetarian recipe, I have something to share from Food and Wine, which my CSA (Johnson’s Backyard Garden) had recommended on their facebook page. I gave it a try and thought it turned out really well. I used my own vegetable broth that I had made and frozen earlier this month, and along with one bunch of chard, I also added in one bunch of beet greens since I had those on hand as well, and didn’t add lemon juice. It turned out great and there’s a lot of room to make your own changes and still have this turn out well. Here’s the recipe without my modifications:
1 cup brown lentils, rinsed
4 cups water
4 cups chicken stock or low-sodium broth
Salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, plus more for serving (optional)
1 large onion, finely chopped
Pinch of crushed red pepper
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
1/2 cup coarsely chopped cilantro
1 bunch green Swiss chard (1 1/4 pounds), ribs removed and reserved for another use, leaves coarsely chopped
1/3 cup fresh lemon juice
Freshly ground pepper
In a medium saucepan, combine the lentils with the water, stock and 1 1/2 teaspoons of salt and bring to a boil. Cover partially and cook over moderately low heat until the lentils are barely tender, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat the 3 tablespoons of olive oil in a large skillet. Add the onion, crushed pepper and a pinch of salt and cook over moderately high heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes. Add the garlic and cilantro and cook for 1 minute. Gradually add the chard leaves and cook, stirring occasionally, until wilted, about 3 minutes.
Add the chard to the lentils, cover partially, and simmer until thickened, about 15 minutes. Stir in the lemon juice and season with salt and pepper. Ladle the soup into bowls, season with pepper and olive oil and serve
6th March, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I made this vegetarian recipe a couple of weeks ago and it was soooooo good. I loved eating the leftovers. I modified it from this epicurious recipe to make it a little less fatty and have double the greens.
1 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stems and center ribs removed, roughly chopped
1 1/2 pounds spinach, roughly chopped
12 ounces elbow macaroni
1/3 cup breadcrumbs (I used packaged)
Preparation:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Stir in garlic, then flour; stir constantly 1 minute (don’t let the flour burn). Gradually whisk in milk. Cook, whisking occasionally, until mixture begins to boil, about 5 minutes. Add cheese. Stir until cheese melt, about 2 minutes. Stir in cayenne and nutmeg. Season sauce with salt and pepper.
Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter 13x9x2- inch baking dish. Cook chard and spinach in large pot of boiling salted water until tender, about 1 minute (may have to cook in batches). Using slotted spoon, transfer veggies to plate; cool. Reserve pot with water. Squeeze water from chard and spinach.
Return water in pot to boil. Add macaroni; cook until tender but still firm to bite, stirring occasionally. Drain. Stir macaroni into warm cheese sauce. Place macaroni in dish. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over mac and cheese.
Bake mac and cheese until breadcrumbs are golden and edges are bubbling, about 20 minutes. Let stand 10 minutes.
31st January, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I don’t have a picture of this epicurious recipe, but it’s pretty easy to imagine; it’s basically just shredded veggies in a roll with some dressing and cheese. Maybe it’s not very creative, but it is a super fast way to make a healthy, meat-less dinner. Since the veggies are all raw, it’s pretty nutritious, and I was able to use local, organic carrots, cabbage, and spinach from our vegetable box, so that was great too. If you use a food processor to shred everything, this meal takes less than 10 minutes to prepare.
Ingredients:
2 flour tortillas, 10″ each
1/4 medium avocado, lightly mashed
6 leaves green- or red-leaf lettuce
2 small tomatoes, thinly sliced
1/2 cup shredded carrot
1 cup torn spinach leaves
1/4 cup thinly sliced red onion
1 cup shredded red cabbage
2 tsp red wine vinegar
1/4 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
Preparation:
Spread tortillas with avocado and top with lettuce and tomato. In a bowl, combine carrot, spinach, onion and cabbage; toss with vinegar; add salt and pepper to taste. Divide salad among tortillas and top with cheese. Fold tortillas around salad.
24th January, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I made these vegetarian calzones yesterday and they were the tastiest thing I’ve made in awhile. I got the dough recipe from Epicurious here but made up the filling recipe.
Ingredients for Crust
1 1/2 cups warm water (105°F to 115°F.)
1 envelope dry yeast
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
4 cups (about) all purpose flour
Ingredients for Filling:
1 small package pre-sliced mushrooms, cut into bit sized pieces
1 onion, diced
1 large bunch swiss chard, leaves roughly chopped with stems removed. Chop stems into 2 inch pieces
about 2 cups shredded mozzarella
Preparation
Pour 1 1/2 cups warm water into large bowl. Stir in yeast. Let stand until yeast dissolves, about 5 minutes. Mix in oil and salt. Add 3 3/4 cups flour, about 1/2 cup at a time, stirring until blended. Turn dough out onto floured surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, sprinkling with more flour if sticky, about 10 minutes.
Place dough in oiled large bowl; turn to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled, about 1 hour 15 minutes.
Meanwhile, saute the diced onions on medium high heat for about 1 minute, seasoned lightly with salt. Add mushrooms and swiss chard stems and cook until onions are browned and mushrooms and stems are softened (about 8 minutes). Add swiss chard leaves and stir everything together, and cook till leaves are just wilted, about 2 minutes.
Position 1 rack in top third and 1 rack in bottom third of oven and preheat to 400°F. Dust 2 baking sheets with flour.
Punch dough down. Knead on lightly floured surface until smooth, about 1 minute. Divide into 4 equal portions; shape each into ball. Roll out dough balls on lightly floured surface to 9-inch rounds. Spread 1/3 cup cheese mixture over half of each round, leaving 3/4-inch border. Cover cheese on each with 1/4 of veggie mixture. Fold plain dough halves over filling, forming half circles. Pinch edges of dough firmly together to seal.
Using spatula, transfer 2 calzones to each prepared sheet. Pierce tops in several places with small knife. Bake calzones 15 minutes. Reverse baking sheets and bake until tops of calzones are golden brown, about 15 minutes longer.
This makes 4 very large calzones, so really it’s about 8 servings. Below is a picture of a leftover half I had for lunch today. Delicious!
17th January, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I tried out this recipe last night and was pleasantly surprised at how good it was. Sometimes blended soups can be too baby-foody, and this soup was fairly watery in consistency but it tasted really great. It was also pretty easy to make and doesn’t require a lot of oversight while it’s cooking. If you have an immersion hand blender that makes things even faster and easier. It’s also a great recipe to use up greens (like beet or turnip greens) that are sometimes hard to use up. For mine I used collard greens.
I will admit though that it’s not entirely vegetarian as I used chicken stock rather than water, which I think made the soup. Reviewers had noted they used vegetable broth rather than water and credited that substitution with giving the soup flavor, so I decided to use some home-made chicken stock I had on hand. I think veggie stock would be just as good too though, just so long as it’s flavored well. Also note that the original recipe calls for 6 cups of water, but I only used 4 cups of stock. I think 6 cups of either water or stock would make it way too watery.
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 fennel bulb, trimmed and chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 pound mixed dark leafy greens such as collard and beet, coarse stems and center ribs discarded and leaves chopped
6 cups water (or for more flavor, use about 4 cups of veggie or chicken stock)
3 cups baby spinach (2 ounces)
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Directions:
Heat oil and butter in a 6-quart heavy pot over medium heat until foam subsides. Add fennel, onion, 3/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened and lightly browned, 7 to 8 minutes.
Add leafy greens (but not spinach) and water (or stock) to pot and simmer, covered, until greens are tender, about 30 minutes. Stir in spinach and cook, uncovered, just until wilted, about 1 minute.
Purée soup in batches in a blender (use caution when blending hot liquids) until smooth, then return to pot. Stir in cream and lemon juice and reheat over low heat. Season with salt.
I didn’t take a picture but Epicurious had a nice one on their website, above. It’s not super filling though, so I made some biscuits and sweet potato fries to eat with it. Very tasty!
10th January, 2012 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Last week’s JBG veggie box contained dill, fennel, green onions, spinach, collard greens and turnip greens, all of which could be used in this recipe from epicurious. I changed the recipe below to fit what I had on hand, using collard and turnip greens rather than kale and chard, and leaving out the mint and regular onions (I only had green onions). It turned out really well, was great for using up veggies that are in season now, and was pretty healthy. Plus I used my own home-made vegetable broth for this recipe (See Carsi’s write-up for making your own veggie broth here. The broth was very easy to make, and considering it’s made using parts of veggies you would otherwise throw away/compost, it’s a lot better than having to pay ~$3 for veggie broth at the store).
Bring 4 cups water, 2 cups broth, barley, and 1 scant teaspoon sea salt to boil in large pot. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer until tender, about 40 minutes.
Meanwhile, heat 2 tablespoons oil in heavy medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onions, sprinkle with sea salt, and sauté until golden brown, stirring often, about 15 minutes. Add sautéed onions and remaining 6 cups broth to pot with barley. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and chill. Rewarm before continuing.
Add kale and chard to soup. Simmer until greens are tender, about 15 minutes. Add spinach, green onions, dill, fennel fronds, and mint; simmer 5 minutes. Add 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Season soup with sea salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice, thinning with more broth, if desired.
Divide soup among bowls. Sprinkle feta cheese over, drizzle with oil, and serve.
But wait! What’s that delicious-looking little roll in the background, bringing visions of Red Lobster to your eyes? It’s a cheddar dill biscuit, which was pretty easy to make with a food processor and made the whole meal more filling. I had more dill to get rid of, and these biscuits helped me use up a little more. This is also an epicurious recipe:
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, cut into bits
2 oz coarsely grated extra-sharp Cheddar (3/4 cup)
1 1/2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
3/4 cup whole-milk plain yogurt
1/3 cup whole milkp
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 400°F.
Pulse flour, baking powder, sugar, baking soda, and salt in a food processor until combined. Add butter and pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal. Add Cheddar and dill and pulse until just combined. Whisk together yogurt and milk, then add to food processor and pulse until dough just comes together. Spoon 12 (1/4-cup) mounds of dough about 2 inches apart onto an ungreased large baking sheet and bake until puffed and pale golden, 12 to 15 minutes.
The soup was really easy to make once all the veggies are washed, and I think it’s a good recipe to make on a weekend and then eat leftovers of for the rest of the week. Making my own biscuits was fun but a little more work than usual for me (I usually would just buy some crusty bread at the store to go with soup), so I don’t think I would get around to making these ever during the week, but for a nice meal on the weekend when you have time to relax in the kitchen, it’s a nice touch. We also had some rutabaga pie for dessert (recipe here) to use up the rutabaga from the box, which was surprisingly delicious but unlike any pie I’ve ever had before. All in all a great vegetarian/local meal!
6th December, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I made this easy recipe from BigOven.com a couple of weeks ago and will make it again for sure. Since you only need to microwave the broccoli after you cook the quinoa, and then you basically just mix everything together and bake for a short time, it’s a very fast, low effort meal. Plus is seems pretty healthy since quinoa is supposed to be better for you than rice, and the broccoli in there is good for you.
Ingredients
1 1/2 cups quinoa
1/2 medium Onion; chopped
2 cups broccoli florets; cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup shredded reduced-fat sharp cheddar cheese; divided 3/4 cup and 1/4 cup
1/4 cup Grated Parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic; crushed
1/2 tsp Paprika
salt and pepper; to taste
How to Prepare Quinoa, Broccoli, & Cheese Casserole
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Wash and drain quinoa in a fine mesh strainer 2-3 times.
3. Combine quinoa with 3 cups of water in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and cook for about 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
4. Meanwhile, saute onion for a few minutes, and cook broccoli in microwave for about 4 minutes.
5. Combine vegetables and spices in a mixing bowl, adding in hot, cooked quinoa, parmesan and 3/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese.
6. Mix well and press into an 8×8 baking dish, greased lightly with cooking spray or olive oil.
7. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar cheese on top.
8. Bake uncovered for 15-20 minutes, until cheese is melted on top
22nd November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
Last week my husband made these mac-and-cheese stuffed acorn squashes from brokeassgourmet for dinner, and they turned out really well. The prep time of 30 minutes was accurate, the combo of cheese and squash was very tasty, and serving the mac-and-cheese in the acorn squash made a pretty presentation for a simple dish. We ate ours with a salad and it was a nice comfort-food-type meal for a week night. This would also be a cute, inexpensive side dish for Thanksgiving. Here’s the recipe from brokeassgourmet:
1 cup macaroni elbows
2 medium-sized acorn squashes, cut in half, lengthwise
2 tbsp unsalted butter
2 tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese, plus a few extra pinches for garnish
4 sage leaves, chopped finely, plus more for garnish
few dashes of nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste
1/8 cup bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
Cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to package directions. Drain and return to pot. Set aside.
While pasta cooks, use a metal spoon (or a serrated spoon, if you have one) and scoop most of the flesh and seeds out of the squash halves, leaving about 1/2” in the skin (this is a little tricky and takes a bit of time, but is an important step). Discard the seeds and transfer the pieces of squash a medium pot.
Cover squash with water and cover pot with a lid. Turn heat to medium-high heat and cook, covered for 8-10 minutes or until squash is very soft. Drain and mash with the back of a fork (or puree in a blender, food processor or with an immersion blender) until very smooth. Set aside.
Melt the butter in a medium pot over medium heat and cook just until lightly browned. Whisk in flour to form a sticky dough. Slowly whisk in the milk to form a very creamy sauce.
Stir in the butternut squash and the cheese until completely distributed. Add the sage, nutmeg and salt and pepper to taste. The sauce should be very thick and creamy at this point.
Scrape the sauce into the cooked pasta and stir well to ensure all the pasta is coated. Divide between the hollowed-out squashes and top each with a few pinches of cheese and a sprinkle of bread crumbs.
Place on a baking sheet and bake for 25-30 minutes, or until the tops are browned and bubbly.
1st November, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I tried out this new recipe last night for butternut squash and roasted-garlic bisque and really enjoyed it. It was pretty easy to make with a hand blender, and it had relatively few ingredients. I like to try and make recipes that use up a lot of things from our CSA veggie box, and don’t like to buy a lot of extra vegetables, so while I did buy some carrots from HEB for this recipe, I opted to leave the celery out since I knew we probably wouldn’t eat the leftover celery. I followed the advice of some of the reviewers on Epicurious and roasted the squash first while I roasted the garlic, and then took it out of the oven at about 30 minutes. This made it easier to get the squash separated from its skin and cut down on the time the coup had to simmer. I also left out the sage and I made this vegetarian friendly by using vegetable broth. Here’s the original recipe from Epicurious:
Ingredients:
2 heads of garlic, halved crosswise
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter
3 cups chopped onions
3/4 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped celery
4 pounds butternut squash, peeled, seeded, cut into 1-inch pieces
6 cups canned low-salt chicken broth
3 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon whipping cream
preparation
Preheat oven to 350°F. Rub cut surfaces of garlic with oil. Put halves back together to reassemble heads. Wrap each tightly in foil; bake until tender, about 40 minutes. Cool garlic in foil.
Melt butter in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions, carrots and celery; sauté until onions are beginning to soften, about 5 minutes. Add squash, broth and 2 tablespoons sage. Bring to boil. Reduce heat; simmer uncovered until squash is tender, about 25 minutes.
Meanwhile, unwrap garlic. Squeeze from skin into small bowl. Discard skin. Mash garlic with fork until smooth.
Stir garlic into soup. Working in batches, purée soup in blender until smooth. Return to pot. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Refrigerate uncovered until cold. Cover and keep refrigerated. Bring to simmer before continuing.) Stir in 1/2 cup cream. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Transfer soup to tureen. Drizzle with remaining 1 tablespoon cream.
25th October, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
For this weeks vegetarian meal, I wanted to share this Epicurious recipe for chard, onion, and swiss chard frittata. The original recipe had some sausage in it, which I left out and the flavor wasn’t lacking at all as a meatless dish. This was extremely easy to assemble and tasted delicious. Plus our CSA veggie box came with swiss chard and onion so I didn’t have to run out and get anything.
This was supposed to be an appetizer, but I made it our main course. An egg dish like a frittata or omelet is an especially good vegetarian meal for a busy weeknight since you can quickly whip it up, sneak in some veggies, get some protein, and usually get away with only dirtying one or two dishes.
Here’s the recipe, as modified to be vegetarian:
Ingredients:
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
1 12-ounce bunch Swiss chard, stems and center ribs removed
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onion
8 large eggs
1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 4 1/2 ounces)
Fresh Italian parsley leaves
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 325°F. Spray 8 x 8 x 2-inch glass baking dish with nonstick spray. Bring large pot of salted water to boil. Add Swiss chard and cook just until wilted, about 2 minutes. Drain. Finely chop chard, then place in kitchen towel and squeeze dry. Set chard aside.
Heat oil in large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion to skillet and sauté until soft, 7 to 10 minutes. Remove from heat and cool.
Whisk eggs, cream, salt, and pepper in large bowl to blend. Add chard, then feta; stir to blend. Transfer mixture to prepared baking dish.
Bake frittata until set in center, 45 to 55 minutes. Transfer baking dish to rack and cool frittata 15 to 20 minutes. Place platter atop dish with frittata. Using oven mitts, hold baking dish and platter firmly together and invert frittata onto platter; place another platter atop frittata and invert again so that frittata is right side up; serve warm or at room temperature. DO AHEAD: Can be made 1 day ahead. Place frittata pieces on rimmed baking sheet. Cover and chill. Rewarm in 325°F oven until heated through, about 10 minutes.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Frittata-Bites-with-Chard-Sausage-and-Feta-359351#ixzz1bpnIpPYP
11th October, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
A friend recommended I try this recipe from smitten kitchen to use up some of the butternut squashes I’ve been getting in my CSA box, and man was it good. I tend to make too many Italian type dishes, so this was a good change. Paired with some crusty break or a side salad, it makes a light, healthy vegetarian meal or snack. Here’s the recipe from smitten kitchen:
Warm Butternut and Chickpea Salad with Tahini Dressing
Adapted from Orangette, who adapted it from Casa Moro
Yield: 4 servings
For salad:
1 medium butternut squash (about 2 to 2 1/2 pounds), peeled, seeded, and cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium garlic clove, minced or pressed
1/2 teaspoons ground allspice (I skip this)
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt
One 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed (1 1/2 cups)
1/4 of a medium red onion, finely chopped
1/4 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
For tahini dressing:
1 medium garlic clove, finely minced with a pinch of salt
1/4 cup lemon juice
3 tablespoons well-stirred tahini
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more to taste
Preheat the oven to 425°F.
In a large bowl, combine the butternut squash, garlic, allspice, olive oil, and a few pinches of salt. Toss the squash pieces until evenly coated. Roast them on a baking sheet for 25 minutes, or until soft. Remove from the oven and cool.
Meanwhile, make the tahini dressing: In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic and lemon juice. Add the tahini, and whisk to blend. Add the water and olive oil, whisk well, and taste for seasoning. The sauce should have plenty of nutty tahini flavor, but also a little kick of lemon. You will probably need to add more water to thin it out.
To assemble the salad, combine the squash, chickpeas, onion, and cilantro or parsley in a mixing bowl. Either add the tahini dressing to taste, and toss carefully, or you could serve the salad with the dressing on the side. Serve immediately.
Check out smittenkitchen.com for some step-by-step pictures and give it a try!
7th September, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I realize it’s not Tuesday but with the short week I didn’t get to post this recipe I’ve been meaning to put up. I found this recipe at the cupcakeproject.com. Needing to find a way to get rid of all the okra we get each week in our CSA box, I decided to give it a try.
If they look unappetizing in the picture, it’s because they are in real life. Not to say they weren’t good – it’s hard to make a cookie turn out really badly unless you under- or over-cook them, and of the 5 people I’ve fed them to, only 1 looked dismayed as she bit into it (I think she had preconceived notions about okra in pastry form), but if you read the recipe, the chef describes these cookies as “less a dessert than a snack” and I think that’s true. They aren’t super sweet or decadent, and you feel a little healthy eating them. Mine came out with a plastic-y sheen to them, but they served their purpose extremely well, using up a vegetable I otherwise would have had to eat raw in my lunch everyday (the only other way I’ve been able to enjoy okra, which gets old fast). In the picture above, I experimented with adding cocoa powder and chocolate chips, but they turned out better using the original recipe, which is as follows:
Yield: 12 large cookies
1 C all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground fennel
1/2 C unsalted butter, room temperature
1/2 cup dark or light brown sugar, packed
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1arge egg
1 cup oats, old fashioned or quick (not instant)
3/4 cup pulverized raw okra (okra that’s been chopped and food processed so it looks like chunky guacamole – I pulverized part of a defrosted bag of frozen okra)
Preheat oven to 350 F.
In a small bowl, thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, ginger, and fennel. Set aside.
In a large bowl, beat the butter and both sugars until creamy.
Beat in vanilla and egg.
Slowly mix in the flour mixture until just combined.
Fold in the oats and okra.
Scoop approximately 1/4 cup balls of batter onto a Silpat or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Place 6 balls to a sheet and bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 18 minutes.
30th August, 2011 - Posted by katherine - 2 Comments
I was surprised how easy this recipe was considering it sounds very fancy, but it was a fast and easy meal, the hardest part was thinly slicing the eggplants with my dull/cheap all purpose knife. Broiling the eggplants was quick, throwing together some basil and cheese in a bowl made a simple filling, and making the rolls was a 10 minute process – broiling the slices first made the eggplant very easy to work with and they stayed rolled up once assembled. I used a 16 oz can of tomato sauce rather than fresh tomatoes, and didn’t therefore have to mess with the forcing “the mixture through the fine disk of a food mill” step.
Here it is: For the tomato sauce
1 onion, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small garlic clove, minced
2 pounds tomatoes, chopped coarse
a pinch of sugar
For the eggplant rolls
a 1-pound eggplant
1 cup grated mozzarella (about 1/4 pound)
3 1/2 ounces (about 1/2 cup) mild, soft goat cheese such as Montrachet, at room temperature
1/4 cup shredded fresh basil leaves
2 to 3 tablespoons olive oil
Make the tomato sauce:
In a heavy skillet cook the onion in the oil over moderately low heat, stirring, for 3 minutes, stir in the garlic, and cook the mixture, stirring, until the onion is softened. Add the tomatoes, the sugar, and salt to taste and cook the mixture over moderate heat, stirring, for 20 minutes. Force the mixture through the fine disk of a food mill set over a saucepan and cook the sauce over moderately high heat for 5 to 10 minutes, or until it is thickened to the desired consistency.
Make the eggplant rolls:
With a hand-held slicing device or large sharp knife cut the eggplant lengthwise into 1/4-inch slices. Sprinkle the slices on both sides with salt and let them drain in a colander for 30 minutes. In a bowl stir together the mozzarella, the goat cheese, and the shredded basil. Pat the eggplant dry, arrange one layer of it on the oiled rack of a broiler pan, and brush it with some of the oil. Broil the eggplant under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 3 to 4 minutes, or until it is golden. Turn the eggplant, brush it with some of the remaining oil, and broil it for 3 to 4 minutes more, or until it is golden. Transfer the eggplant to a large platter to cool and broil the remaining eggplant, brushing it with the remaining oil, in the same manner. Spread a mounded teaspoon of the cheese mixture lengthwise down the middle of each eggplant slice, leaving a 1-inch border at the wide end, and, beginning at the narrow end, roll up the eggplant jelly-roll fashion. Arrange the rolls, seam sides down, in an oiled flameproof shallow baking dish just large enough to hold them in one layer and broil them for 3 minutes, or until the cheese is just melted and bubbling.
Transfer the eggplant rolls with a spatula to serving plates, spoon the tomato sauce over them, and garnish the rolls with the basil leaves. Makes about 12 rolls.
2nd August, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
I tried this vegetarian recipe from Epicurious out a few weeks ago and it turned out really well. It was a nice variation on a traditional lasagna -the sweetness of the squash was unexpected and delicious. And it made enough for several meals!
Here’s the recipe: Ingredients for squash filling
1 large onion, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
3 lb butternut squash, peeled, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch pieces
12 (7- by 3 1/2-inch) sheets no-boil lasagne (1/2 lb)
Make filling:
Cook onion in butter in a deep 12-inch heavy skillet over moderate heat, stirring occasionally, until golden, about 10 minutes. Add squash, garlic, salt, and white pepper and cook, stirring occasionally, until squash is just tender, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in parsley, sage, and nuts. Cool filling.
Make sauce while squash cooks:
Cook garlic in butter in a 3-quart heavy saucepan over moderately low heat, stirring, 1 minute. Whisk in flour and cook roux, whisking, 3 minutes. Add milk in a stream, whisking. Add bay leaf and bring to a boil, whisking constantly, then reduce heat and simmer, whisking occasionally, 10 minutes. Whisk in salt and white pepper and remove from heat. Discard bay leaf. (Cover surface of sauce with wax paper if not using immediately.)
Assemble lasagne:
Preheat oven to 425°F.
Toss cheeses together. Spread 1/2 cup sauce in a buttered 13- by 9- by 2-inch glass baking dish (or other shallow 3-quart baking dish) and cover with 3 pasta sheets, leaving spaces between sheets. Spread with 2/3 cup sauce and one third of filling, then sprinkle with a heaping 1/2 cup cheese. Repeat layering 2 more times, beginning with pasta sheets and ending with cheese. Top with remaining 3 pasta sheets, remaining sauce, and remaining cheese.
Tightly cover baking dish with buttered foil and bake lasagne in middle of oven 30 minutes. Remove foil and bake until golden and bubbling, 10 to 15 minutes more. Let lasagne stand 15 to 20 minutes before serving.
28th June, 2011 - Posted by katherine - No Comments
This was the first time I had eaten ratatouille, and I thought it turned out well enough that I would make it again. This recipe from epicurious was highly rated by reviewers and used up a lot of the vegetable from our CSA box, so that’s why I chose it. It was pretty easy to make, I just had to cut up a lot of vegetables, but was able to work on other things while the veggies cooked. It’s an extremely healthy vegetarian meal, and the spices make the whole kitchen smell nice while it cooked. I served it with some buttered bread and a nice glass of malbec. Delicious! Here it is:
Ingredients and directions
1 onion, sliced thin
2 garlic cloves, minced
5 tablespoons olive oil
a 3/4-pound eggplant, cut into 1/2-inch pieces (about 3 cups)
1 small zucchini, scrubbed, quartered lengthwise, and cut into thin slices
In a large skillet cook the onion and the garlic in 2 tablespoons of the oil over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until the onion is softened. Add the remaining 3 tablespoons oil and heat it over moderately high heat until it is hot but not smoking. Add the eggplant and cook the mixture, stirring occasionally, for 8 minutes, or until the eggplant is softened. Stir in the zucchini and the bell pepper and cook the mixture over the moderate heat, stirring occasionally, for 12 minutes. Stir in the tomatoes and cook the mixture, stirring occassionaly, for 5 to 7 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender. Stir in the oregano, the thyme, the coriander, the fennel seeds, the salt, and pepper to taste and cook the mixture, stirring, for 1 minute. Stir in the basil and combine the mixture well. The ratatouille may be made 1 day in advance, kept covered and chilled, and reheated before serving.
Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Ratatouille-12164#ixzz1QabUFZa8
Earlier this week I posted a link to 25 green cleaning recipes from re-nest’s website. Anyone who has been to my house knows I like to keep it pretty tidy, and I won’t use green products unless they really work. So far I’ve switched to some green products: I use all natural surface cleaners (7th Generation is my first choice- the smell of it reminds me of saxophone reeds, which is a weird smell but makes me happy because it reminds me of 6th grade band), Mrs. Meyer’s toilet bowl cleaner in lavender, Kirkland brand (Costco) environmentally friendly liquid detergent, and Bona hardwood floor cleaner. In addition to a vacuum and a Shark steam floor cleaner, those are pretty much the only cleaning products I use aside from Pledge, fabric softener sheets, the occasional bleach-based bathroom cleaner for the shower, and regular dish detergent (haven’t found a green one yet that works well). So I”m excited to explore some of the ideas on the re-nest website and see if I can replace some of those latter products with something greener (and maybe even less expensive).
Anywho, I know Pledge is probably full of chemicals but it smells so nice and toxic-y at the same time. So when I saw the re-nest post, the first thing I wanted to try was the DIY wood polish, which I tried today. It’s very simply, just lemon juice, olive oil, and water. You can find the recipe here. I quickly made up a batch and had enough to use it on our coffee table and dining room table.
I thought it seemed to work pretty well. The olive oil definitely made the wood look nice and polished, and like Pledge, it stayed shiny looking for quite some time after I had cleaned it. Did my living room smell a little like salad dressing afterward though? Yes. It surely did. Plus whatever you make in a batch is supposed to be used up that same day, so you can’t make a large quantity ahead of time and use it up over several weeks. So I think it is something I will try from time to time when I happen to have an extra half lemon to use up, but I probably will also look for some other commercial wood cleaner that’s greener than Pledge as well.
21st June, 2011 - Posted by katherine - 2 Comments
I just saw this post from a few months ago on re-nest. It’s a list of 25 green cleaning recipes that you can use to clean your home. Some I probably won’t be trying, such as cleaning my wool rugs using snow, but I’m going to try to test out a new recipe each week and then post on here whether it worked for me, starting with the “make your own wood polish one” - so look for that in the next couple of days, and check out the recipes yourself here!
or parchment-lined cookie sheet. Place 6 balls to a sheet and bake one sheet at a time on the center rack for 18 minutes.
