She's Cookin' Again

So, maybe it's been three months....aaaand more than a few days on top of that. I've missed you. And I see that I've gotten a few hits here and there since I've been gone, so maybe you missed me too. :)

This little guy has stolen my heart and my spare time. But I wouldn't trade it. He's pretty fun to hang out with. And, as you can tell, he likes to eat just like his mama.

If you've wondered, I have been cooking. It's less frequent than before, but I still find immense joy in the kitchen. It's life-giving. Especially when I feel sucked dry. Literally. Too much information?

I'm starting small on this post, but I have more up my sleeve. Not to worry. I am back. Maybe not as often, but I will be posting new stuff soon.

For now, I finally got around to making kale chips!

These have been around for a while. In fact, they are even selling them in bags at the grocery store now. For some reason I was always afraid of messing them up, so I didn't try it. But it's really not that difficult. I've been missing out.

They are crispy and flaky-like and addicting! I haven't figured out how to store them well, though. I tried to save them in a Ziploc bag and they got sort of chewy. Not the consistency you want in a chip. But, straight out of the oven, they are yummy. You should just eat them all in one go.

Here's how I did it:
I used one bunch of kale and one bunch of beet green leaves. They were washed and spun dry in a salad spinner, then dabbed even drier with paper towels, and torn into chip-sized pieces. Be sure they are really dry. Preheat your oven to 275F.

Lay the greens on a foil-lined cookie sheet in one layer. Drizzle about 2 tablespoons of olive oil over the greens with a few pinches of kosher salt. Toss well so that all the leaves are coated. Bake for 25 minutes.

Let rest a few minutes. Enjoy with a friend or two.

Stay tuned for more fun recipes and food adventures. Happy cookin'!

Roasted Veggie Salad

 

We were invited to dinner at our friends' house this summer, and she made a really yummy salad. She combined pan-roasted vegetables and raw vegetables to make a nice mix of colors, textures, and flavors.

My CSA box a few weeks ago had small garnet sweet potatoes, zucchini, green lettuce, and apples (among other delicious things!). I wanted to make a hearty salad to accompany some pan-grilled catfish for a healthy dinner. Then I remembered Erin's salad! I love these veggies when they are roasted because the sugars get carmelized and bring out such good flavor. I thought it would go great with the fresh, crisp apples.

I cut the zucchini and peeled sweet potatoes in rounds, lay them on a baking sheet, drizzled on olive oil, and sprinkled salt and pepper to cover them lightly. I roasted them at 425F for about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, I washed the green lettuce, diced a couple of apples, and whipped up a quick sweet vinaigrette:

Peach Balsamic Vinaigrette

2T peach balsamic vinegar (or any fruit-infused balsamic)

1T dijon mustard

4T extra virgin olive oil

pinch of salt & pepper

Whisk all ingredients together and dress your salad!

 

When the veggies were done in the oven, I let them sit and cool for just 10 minutes or so. Then I combined the lettuce, apples, zucchini, and sweet potatoes with the vinaigrette.

 

Served beside a simple pan-grilled catfish filet (seasoned with salt, pepper, and paprika), we had a light and healthy dinner during a busy weeknight. And I didn't even have to go to the store! Think outside the box, and you could end up with a new favorite!

 



My First Try at Indian Cooking: Aloo Gobi

My husband and I love Indian food. We have a couple of favorite restaurants in the LA area. One is Jaipur in West Los Angeles and the other is called Al-Noor in Lawndale. The food is so fragrant and flavorful, it's something we crave quite often. But until this month, I'd never attempted to make it at home...despite the frequent requests I get from my man.

I took baby steps to get there. About 5-6 months ago, I ventured into the spice aisle at the grocery store and found turmeric, cumin seeds, and even bought a Garam Masala mix at a specialty spice store, Penzey's. So that, you know, I would have the spices on hand whenever I was ready.

Months passed, and then a couple of weeks ago, my cousin invited us over for a BBQ and asked me to make a vegetarian potato dish. I thought to myself, "well, here's my chance!" There are lots of Indian dishes with potatoes. I found an easy {recipe} on foodnetwork.com from Aarti Sequeira for a cauliflower and potato dish called Aloo Gobi.

I needed to double the recipe for the small crowd I was feeding, so I used one large head of cauliflower and 3 good-sized russet potatoes. I cut them all up in similar sized pieces so that they cooked evenly in the pot.

I used two serrano peppers, split in half, but joined at the stem. These little babies released quite a bit of heat, but it mellowed out after it sat for a while. I also made some of Aarti's signature ginger-garlic paste. I used about 1/2 cup of both fresh ginger (stored in my freezer) and garlic (stored in my fridge), and about 1/4 cup of canola oil. I blended in the Magic Bullet blender, and it came out perfect. I had more than enough to keep for later use too.

The veggies were the vehicle for the incredible spices to shine. The scent of the masala mix of turmeric, coriander, ginger-garlic paste and water, added to the cumin seeds that popped away in the oil filled my whole house! It was wonderful!

I added the veggies with 1/2 cup of water to let it all cook without burning and about 1-2 teaspoons of salt to bring out all of the flavors. I gave it a good toss, and let it soften up and cook for about 20 minutes.





Before serving, I removed the serrano peppers. the mixture turns a nice golden yellow color because of the turmeric. It tasted so good - warm spices and soft potatoes and cauliflower...it made for a hearty side dish that everyone enjoyed!

I was shocked at how easy this dish really was to make. I think it can be intimidating to cook with spices and ingredients that are unfamiliar, but if you have them all, the technique is actually really simple for any cook.

It's good to try new things! I hope this inspires you to try something you've never tried before. :) Happy cookin'!

Gluten-Free Fruit Crumble

More and more people in my life have switched to gluten-free diets, after finding out that gluten was the culprit in making them feel awful or just plain sick.

Before last month, I had never baked anything gluten-free. Honestly, I've looked at recipes and they often require ingredients that I don't have in my pantry, like xanthum gum. Yeah, I haven't expanded my staples to include that...yet.

So, I was pleased when I finally found a recipe from the NY Times for a dessert that only called for things I already had in my pantry shelves (minus one thing!). We were having our neighborhood BBQ, and I wanted to make some options for our next-door neighbors who are gluten-free peeps.

While I was at the store for the gluten-free rolled oats, I picked out some ripe nectarines and blueberries.

I prepped the fruit right in the glass dish that I was going to bake it in. So, I greased the edges on the pan and added the sliced nectarines and blueberries. To that, I added agave nectar, vanilla extract, and almond extract. The recipe calls for cinnamon, but I think I left it out on accident. The recipe has you bake the fruit mixture before adding the topping. I baked the fruit for 20 minutes while I worked on the crumble topping mixture.

The topping actually takes two steps as well. You also have to bake it on its own before adding it to the fruit and baking it a second time.

The topping is made from gluten-free oats, quinoa flour, turbinado or raw sugar, nutmeg, salt, and unsalted butter. The recipe can be found {here}.To make the quinoa flour, you grind up quinoa in a blender or spice grinder. I used my handy Magic Bullet. It worked quite well!

Then you blend all the dry ingredients in a food processor. Then you add the butter and pulse it until it's well-combined. I doubled the recipe because my dish is slightly bigger than your standard 9 x 13. I had plenty left over, so I froze it and kept it for future crumbles!



In a 350 preheated oven, you bake the mixture on parchment paper (or foil) on a baking sheet for 20 minutes, rotating the pan if needed at the halfway point.

Here's the before (top picture) and after (bottom picture). You can see how the quinoa and oats brown and crisp up in the oven.

By the time the topping was ready, the fruit had been sitting for about 30 minutes, and the juice from the fruit had collected in the dish. It seemed a bit watery without any thickener, so I added mixed a little bit of water with about a tablespoon of corn starch and tossed it in with the fruit before sprinkling on the oat topping. I then baked the whole dish at 350 for another 20-25 minutes until it was bubbling at the bottom.

The crumble was a hit! Our neighbors loved it and kept all the leftovers (it was one of four desserts that night). I've since made another crumble with pluots, apples, and cherries, which was equally as yummy. It's definitely a healthy dessert, low in added sugar, and high in fiber and protein!

Baked Egg Cups On The Go

When I first got married, I was in graduate school and worked part-time. For the first four months or so, I would wake up each day when my husband got up for work and make him an egg sandwich to eat on the way to work. Toasted bread with a little bit of butter and cheesy scrambled eggs, all wrapped up in a papertowel and a cup of coffee in a travel mug. I was ambitiously domestic.

Five years later, even though I work at home, let's face it...I'm not always motivated to make breakfast early in the morning. However, I've discovered a few shortcuts in order to still have a healthy, filling meal on the go for my man. :) Food is my love language.

One of my shortcuts is the baked egg cup. I found the idea in the South Beach Diet book. You can make a bunch of them early in the week and they will last for a few days!

They are like mini omelets that you can fill with whatever you have on hand. I use egg substitute or just egg whites, but you can just as easily scramble up whole eggs and fill up the muffin tin in the same way.

Preheat your oven to 325F. Generously coat the muffin tin with cooking spray. Add 2-3 tablespoons of veggies and cheese (and meat if you like) - whatever you have in your fridge.  Then pour in the egg so there's about a 1/4 inch from the top of the tin. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. If you like it spicy, you can add a dash of hot sauce too.

These egg cups had sauteed asparagus, green onion, and shredded cheddar cheese.

Bake them in the oven for 30 minutes or until the egg sets. They will puff up quite a bit, but they deflate once you let them rest on the counter. They keep in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or can be stored in the freezer for a couple of months. The muffin size is great for portion control. Two or three of these heated up in the morning will fill me up for the entire morning. Kids will love them too. And, they are carb-free. Try adding these to your breakfast repetoire...happy cookin'!

Mediterranean Flank Steak & Lemony Pasta With Greens

This was successful meal. And it felt fancy, but it's pretty simple to make. The pasta dish is completely vegetarian, and can be made as the main dish for non-meat eaters. I just decided to grill up a steak to go with it. It was a great compliment to the pasta and greens.

I had seen the recipe for the pasta on Cookie and Kate, while browsing the site one day. It looked yummy and healthy and simple. So, when I received some beautiful swiss chard in my CSA box, I knew it was time to make it happen.

I've also been trying to clean out my freezer, and came across a frozen flank steak. With all the turkey we've been eating, a nice steak sounded wonderful. I pulled it out and let it defrost.

The pasta dish is sort of Mediterranean, with pine nuts and citrus, topped with parmesan cheese. I searched the internet for Mediterranean steak marinades, and gathered ideas to make my own. This is what I put in mine:

Salt, pepper, 3 cloves of crushed garlic, 3-4 tablespoons of roughly chopped rosemary (from my garden), the juice of one large lemon, a drizzle of olive oil, and about 1 cup of red wine.

I let it chill in the refrigerator while I prepped everything for the pasta.

I took the white stem/rib off of each chard leaf, stacked them up, rolled them up and then chopped them into long thin ribbons, about 1/2 inch thick.

Then, in a large, empty sautee pan, I toasted about 1/8 cup of pine nuts. When they were fragrant and a little brown, I removed them from the pan and set them aside for later.

Then I added 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil to the hot pan and sprinkled in a pinch of red chili flakes. This infuses the spicy flavor into the oil and flavors the greens perfectly!

My pasta water was boiling, so I added the thin whole wheat spaghetti to the pot, and the greens to the pan, letting them cook at the same time.

As soon as the pasta was al dente, I added it to the greens and let them "get happy" (as Emeril LaGasse would say).

Meanwhile, I got the meat on the grill pan, letting it sear on each side for about 5 minutes. When it was firm to the touch and seared on both sides, I removed it from the heat and wrapped it in aluminum foil to rest and let the juices redistribute throughout the steak.

To plate, take some pasta and greens and top it with the toasted pine nuts, shaved parmesan cheese, and a squeeze of lemon juice. Slice the flank steak against the grain, and garnish with a lemon wedge.

You will not regret this meal. It's fresh, and light, but filling at the same time. You could serve it with chicken breast or sweet Italian sausage instead of steak. You can make the pasta with spinach or collards instead of chard. Use what you have and enjoy it!

Our Valentine's Day Tradition: Fondue At Home

On February 14, 2006, the guy I was dating had a very special evening planned for me. It was a total surprise, but I went to his place prepared - with a card and two wine glasses (and maybe a bottle of wine too. I can't remember...) as a small gift.

I walked in to his apartment but he was no where in sight. But then behind the door to his room (he was sharing a place with two roommates at the time), there he was. He had set up a makeshift table with a red tablecloth, candles, and the fixings for fondue for two.
I'd never made fondue before - I probably had only had it at restaurants in Paris where I had been living the year before. He knew how to make fondue? Cool!
So we enjoyed a romantic dinner, shared cards, and headed out to a jazz concert. Such a great memory. That night I told this guy that I loved him for the first time. And every February 14th since then, I've had fondue with the same guy and I've told him that I love him. I love traditions and I love that the fondue-maker is now my husband of almost 5 years.

We've varied the type of fondue we make each year. The first year was Welsh Rarebit. The 3rd year we were in Paris, so we went out to a fondue restaurant there.

This year, our seventh year, we did one of our favorites: gruyere cheese and leeks made with beer. Mmm, good.

First, saute the leeks in a little bit of butter, then add 2 tablespoons of flour to create a roux - the thickening agent to make the cheese a nice consistency.

Add a cup of beer. We used Blue Moon Winter Ale - it's what we had on hand. Then add 2 cups (more if you like) of shredded gruyere cheese. It would work with white cheddar as well.

It should be nice and gooey after all the cheese melts. Yum.

This time we did a vegetarian version and used a whole wheat french bread, cut into cubes, and roasted fingerling potatoes and romanesco cauliflower from our CSA box. Other nice dippers are green apples (sweet and salty are good together sometimes!), sliced sausage, carrots and/or broccoli. Veggies can be steamed, boiled, or roasted - whichever way you like.

Here's my valentine enjoying fondue, some Alsacien Gerwurztraminer, and Leffe Brune, a Belgian ale. And yeah, your eyes are correct. We have drum kit in our dining area. :)

We have an electric fondue pot by Rival, but you can use a traditional pot with a flame underneath, or just make it over the stove in a pot then transfer it to a dish for dipping at the table. The benefit of an actual fondue pot is that it keeps it melted and hot during the whole meal.
Here's the recipe:
Leek & Gruyere Fondue
1 cup finely chopped leeks (be sure to clean all the sand out from each layer)
2T butter
2T flour
1 cup beer
2 cups shredded gruyere cheese
pepper to taste

In a small pot or a fondue pot, melt butter and add leeks. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until leeks are transparent but not browned. Sprinkle in flour and stir for 2 minutes. Add beer and stir until thickened. Add cheese and continue to stir until completely melted. Top with cracked black pepper. Enjoy with dippers and a glass of wine or beer!

Pumpkin & Butternut Squash Ravioli

This dish was my favorite discovery from our Thanksgiving meal. I hadn't made it before, so it was risky to serve it for a holiday dinner, but oh my, was it worth the risk.

I found a recipe on foodnetwork.com - click {this link} for the web page. I guess Emeril was my go-to guy for T-Day. I made two of his recipes on the same day!

I did almost everything the same, except that I used a mixture of butternut squash and pumpkin puree, I used wonton wrappers in place of homemade pasta dough, and I added balsamic vinegar to the sauce (at the suggestion of a friend).

And, the result was delicious, rich, and left folks wanting more. Just what a cook hopes for, right?



You start by sauteeing finely diced shallots in a little bit of butter, then add in the squash puree and cook it for a few minutes, so that the moisture evaporates a bit.



Then you add half & half, grated parmesan, and nutmeg.

Then, you assemble the ravioli. This job is most enjoyable with help. That's my niece, Rowan. She was a great help and we finished so much quicker with her assistance! As you can see, we used wonton wrappers and sealed the ravioli with egg wash, and then cut the edges using a cookie cutter. On Thanksgiving we made hearts, but with the leftovers I just did circles.

Once the ravioli is put together, I found that it helped to separate each layer with plastic wrap or parchment paper, and then let it sit for a while so that the pasta dried out a bit.

Slip each ravioli in the boiling water individually, so that they don't stick to each other, and stir the pot to keep them separate. Then when the pasta floats up to the surface, they are ready to fish out.

Meanwhile, let a good amount of butter melt in a large pan and let it cook at a low temperature until it starts to brown. Add sage leaves to the butter, then add the ravioli. Coat the pasta with butter, and then drizzle about 2 tablespoons of balsamic vinegar over the ravioli (about 15 ravioli at a time). Work in small batches if you're making a lot so that the ravioli don't break in a crowded pan.



Top with shaved parmesan cheese, and enjoy!

"Chile Rellenos" with Cilantro Avocado Sauce

It's time to post a recipe from my own kitchen! Its inspiration came from a combination of our trip to Cancun a couple of weeks ago and the veggies came my box of organic farm goodies the week we returned. It was as if I was destined to recreate our favorite dish from vacation. I love that. And I put it in ""s because my version is not really a chile relleno, but rather a stuffed chili pepper. Anyway...

The idea came first from the Chile Relleno we had at La Destilería, a Mexican restaurant we've come to love in Cancun. We just found out that it's actually a local chain restaurant owned by the same company as Chili's, but this place is on another level. It's delicious. Unfortunately, I don't think I have a photo of the dish, but I can describe it. Take a normal Poblano chili pepper (traditionally used in a chile relleno), stuff it with a mixture of goat cheese, cream cheese, pine nuts, and a few other things that make a creamy consistency. Wrap that stuffed pepper in puff pastry dough and bake it 'til golden brown. Serve it over a creamy cilantro sauce. Sounds pretty good, right? It was so good we went back for a second serving 2 days later.

So, imagine my delight when we get home to Torrance, California, and find that my CSA box of fruits and veggies contained a large bunch of cilantro, avocados, and 5 beautiful sweet, pale yellow chile peppers - perfect for stuffing! Score! Needless to say, the minute I saw those items, I had a plan. Here's what I did:

Out of the oven, cheese mixture has set and the peppers are slightly browned

First, I charred the peppers on my stove's gas burners so that the skin would peel off and the flesh of the peppers got tender and soft. I threw the peppers in a paper bag to let them steam, and got as much of the skin off as I could. I could have charred them a little more, but I got too excited = impatient. You can see in the picture above that they have remnants of burnt skin. Oh well.

The night before, I made the cheese mixture. I used goat cheese, cottage cheese, and neufchatel cheese (a French version of cream cheese with less fat), an egg (to bind it), a little milk, salt, pepper, coriander, and cumin. I just threw things in my stand mixer and let 'er rip.

After all the peppers were stuffed with cheese I baked them in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes, until the cheese was set and the tops were a little brown. We're trying to keep our carb intake low, therefore I chose to omit the puff pastry this time. But maybe there will be a grand occasion to pull out the buttery dough in the future.

Then I made a sauce in my new food processor. I've only used the machine twice, but I'm in love. I added the whole bunch of cilantro leaves (no stems), lime juice, a small avocado, neufchatel cheese, salt, pepper, coriander, cumin (see a theme?), and some chicken stock to thin it out (you could also use vegetable stock or milk). Beautiful, tangy, creamy. Mmm. I heated up the sauce, poured it on a yellow plate, and plopped the stuffed pepper on top. Garnished with avocado slices. This is the final product:

Yes, that black blob in the top right corner is the reflection of my cat, Rhett. He likes pretty food too.

I served this with seared salmon and it was pretty delicioso, if you know what I mean. I'll need to test the recipe a couple of times before I hand it out, but this is just an example of how I take something I see in a restaurant and make it my own with things that I already have in my fridge. You can do it too! Have fun with it. :)