Category — Vegetarian
Garlic Scape Pesto
In last week’s CSA share, we got some garlic scapes . . . have you tried these delicious creatures? All curly and full of whimsy, yet with a garlicky zing that’ll knock your socks off. I’d had them before, but never cooked with them myself, until Saturday night when I decided to whip up a pesto with them – and wow, were D. and I psyched. It was garlicky and cheesy and nutty and coated the linguine so well. A minimum of effort and fuss yields spectacular results here. A perfect recipe for hot days – all you need to do is pull out your Cuisinart or blender and boil a pot of water. Whip up a side-salad dressed simply with oil and vinegar (your tastebuds will need a breather after the pesto). A loaf of nice bread, some fresh berries and cream for dessert, and you’ve got a lovely summer repast.
Garlic Scape Pesto (adapted from Umami Girl)
1 1/4 c. chopped garlic scapes
1/2 c. pine nuts, toasted
Juice and zest of 1 lemon
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
3/4 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/2 c. Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, cut into chunks
Combine scapes, cheese, pine nuts, lemon juice and zest, salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor fitted with the blade attachment.
Pulse until well combined. Pour in the olive oil slowly through the feed tube while the motor is running. Process until the mixture is fairly smooth and emulsified. Taste for seasoning and add more salt and pepper if necessary.
Makes 2.5-3 cups.
Serve over pasta (you might want to reserve some of the cooking water to thin out the pesto a bit so it spreads over the pasta more easily). This would also be delicious as a base for a grilled pizza or as a spread for crusty bread. This’ll freeze well – think of how psyched you’ll be in January if you have a pot of this up your sleeve! I have 2 cups in the freezer right now . . . .
June 21, 2010 4 Comments
Thai Red Curry With Chicken (or Tofu!)
Monday, Monday. Hope you all had a good weekend and are revved up for what the week brings . . . for us, it’s the last week of school, which makes L. very sad . . . yes, my girl LOVES school. If you have kids, this is a CRAZY-making time. There are so many end-of-year events/gifts/tributes/cards/etc. it can make your head spin. I’ve said it before, but I’m gonna say it again, when times get tough, it’s even more important to eat well and take care of your body. Whether you have kids or not, if you’re under stress and start shoveling too much junk in your face, you’re going to succumb to sickness. Trust me on this one. Garbage in, garbage out. Eat those greens, friends! [Read more →]
June 15, 2010 1 Comment
CSA Inspirations
This spring and summer, I have the pleasure of being part of the Picadilly Farm CSA. Each week, I get to pick up a box of goodies, grown organically in New Hampshire. This past Wednesday was my first pickup, and the box was packed with salad greens, radishes, hakurei turnips, cilantro, bok choy, pea tendrils and some lovely red Russian kale.
I started getting creative from day one – I love the challenge of being presented with ingredients and having to dream up recipes. I had a rotisserie chicken in the fridge and so we had whole wheat rollups with lettuce, cilantro, chicken, grated sharp cheddar and enchilada sauce. The next night was steamed tofu with bok choy and pea tendrils over rice, with a sauce made from low-sodium soy sauce, rice wine vinegar, sesame oil, tabasco and chopped cilantro. It was tasty, and it was pretty:
Saturday night, I sauteed the kale and added spicy Italian chicken sausages, tomatoes and garlic and served that over whole wheat penne with Parmesan cheese sprinkled on top. Delicious comfort food – and the kale was tender and sweet.
And last night, it was giant salads. Red leaf lettuce topped with halved cherry tomatoes, sliced radishes and salad turnips. I added some buffalo chicken meatballs from Trader Joe’s (pretty good and heat ‘n’ eat to boot!) and this delicious ranch dressing, inspired by a recipe in Eating Well magazine:
1/2 c. buttermilk 1/4 c. reduced-fat mayonnaise 2 T. white wine vinegar 1/2 t. granulated onion 1/2 teaspoon Kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 1/3 c. chopped fresh chives
Combine all those in a jar and shake it up – preferably a little bit before dinner so that the flavors have some time to mesh . . . it’s creamy, tangy and a great compliment to the spicy meatballs and crisp lettuce. Here’s what the final creation looked like:
So hearty, and healthy . . . and once you start making your own ranch dressing, you’ll never long to go lookin’ for that hidden valley again!
Eating veggies this fresh spoils a girl . . . even for premium produce the likes of Whole Foods’. There is just no substitute. I’ll keep filling you in on what I’m doing, and for even more inspiration, check out this great blog, A Bushel of What?
Do you belong to a CSA? What’re you whipping up from your spring share?
June 14, 2010 2 Comments
Brown Rice Salad With Pesto & Cherry Tomatoes
Two posts in as many days? Starting to feel like my old self again!
This “recipe” originally appeared in Body + Soul magazine in a piece on using up leftovers . . . it’s good enough, though, to purchase ingredients for – or to use up what’s in your pantry. I always keep a package of Whole Food’s frozen pre-cooked brown rice handy, and there is always basil pesto base in the fridge. This goes together in a is infinitely customizable – no brown rice? Try farro or wheat berries. Don’t have Parmesan? Romano or an Italian blend would be great. This makes a great side dish for almost any protein . . . we noshed on leftover rotisserie chicken, but it’d be tasty with Italian chicken sausages, tofu, chicken, burgers (veggie, beef and/or turkey), etc. etc.!
Brown Rice Salad With Pesto & Cherry Tomatoes (adapted from Body + Soul)
Cooked brown rice Prepared pesto Kosher salt & freshly ground black pepper to taste Halved cherry or grape tomatoes Parmesan cheese, grated Fresh basil, shredded
Stir pesto into the rice and season with salt and pepper. Mix in the tomatoes, Parmesan and basil and serve! This is great leftover – try some in your lunch the next day . . . .
June 9, 2010 2 Comments
Teriyaki Tofu Salad
Hey friends, remember me? Despite what you might think, I haven’t forgotten about the blog . . . truth be told, I’m actually beginning to miss blogging. I miss interacting with people about food. Lately I’ve been interacting with people about floor refinishing, wall-painting, hauling our crap from one house to another, end-of-year teacher gifts, etc. etc. etc. All good, but as you know, food’s my real passion. [Read more →]
June 7, 2010 4 Comments
The Yummiest Bulgur Pilaf
Oh friends, today’s recipe’s a treat. A healthy, tasty treat brought to you by another blogger I follow. Her real name’s Dara Michalski, but she goes by the moniker “Cookin’ Canuck” – she’s originally from Canada, you see.
Dara adopted this from Deborah Madison’s bible Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone and I tweaked Dara’s take yet again. Serve this flavorful pilaf alongside a nice piece of broiled fish (brush it with olive oil and dust it with cumin and salt and pepper too, if you like) or a piece of grilled chicken. Just be forewarned – the side dish might steal the show at supper.
Spiced Bulgur Pilaf With Dried Cherries & Pine Nuts (adapted from the Cookin’ Cunuck’s recipe)
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1 medium onion, diced 1 clove of garlic, crushed 1 t. ground coriander 1 t. ground cumin 1 c. bulgur Kosher salt to taste 1 ¼ c. low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you wish) 1/3 c. dried cherries, coarsely chopped 2 scallions, sliced thinly 1/3 c. pine nuts, toasted
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over low heat. Add the onion, garlic, coriander, cumin and a sprinkle of salt. Sauté until the onion is translucent. Add the bulgur and the broth, turn the heat up to medium-high, and bring to a boil. Lower the heat, cover and simmer for 10 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Remove from the heat and mix in the cherries. Let stand for 5 minutes. Just before serving, stir in the green onions and pine nuts, fluffing the pilaf as you go.
Serves 4.
April 28, 2010 2 Comments
Thai Turkey Cabbage Rollups
This is a great little recipe. It may be quite different from what you’re cranking out on a typical weeknight, but it won’t be much more difficult. Don’t be afraid of the chopping – that’s almost the entire time-cost of preparing this dish – so really, in just 30 minutes, you can serve your family a healthful meal that is high protein, low calorie, tasty and fun. Keep a fork handy – because although you’re supposed to eat these with your hands, they can get a little messy. And put a bottle of sriracha on the table, so those who like heat can spice things up!
Thai Turkey Cabbage Rollups (adapted from Cooking Light)
1 T. canola oil 1 t. minced ginger 1 lb. ground turkey ½ c. thinly sliced scallions 1 T. brown sugar 2 T. cilantro, chopped 2 T. mint, chopped 2 T. fresh lime juice 1 ½ T. fish sauce Cayenne pepper, to taste 1 t. sesame oil 12 large napa cabbage leaves ¼ c. chopped lightly- or unsalted dry-roasted peanuts
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the ginger and turkey to the skillet and cook, breaking up the turkey, until the meat is no longer pink. Place the turkey in a large bowl. Add the remaining ingredients and stir well. Spoon turkey mixture into cabbage leaves, roll up, and enjoy!
Serves 4. I served this with Chinese noodles dressed with some sesame oil and soy sauce (one of L’s favorite comfort foods) and some Asian Slaw on the side.
To make this vegetarian/vegan, sub in vegetarian fish sauce (although Cooking Light says you can omit the sauce, I think it’s essential to the flavor of the dish) and crumbled tofu instead of turkey.
April 27, 2010 1 Comment
Chickpeas & Chard
On Saturday morning, I headed out in the chilly rain to gather some appetizers to take to our friends’ house that evening. In old-world-style, I made a couple of stops – collecting my favorites from Sevan Bakery(Watertown) and Eastern Lamejun (Belmont). At Sevan, I got some hummus (theirs is the only purchased hummus L. will deign to eat), some whipped feta spread (really, you’ve GOT to try this – whipped feta and red peppers – so yummy I want to put my face in it), and some muhammara (Aleppo pepper, walnuts, pomegranate molasses – rich and a deep rich flavor unlike any other – great as a dip or slather it on baked chicken or fish). At Eastern Lamejun, I bought ½ dozen meat lamejunwith garlic and a bunch of house-made pita chips.
Have you ever had lamejun? They’re delicious – a piece of very thin round dough is covered in minced meat (lamb, beef, and E.L. makes them with chicken, too) and spices. You heat ‘em and eat ‘em. They even freeze well. By the way, keep this idea in your back pocket, because they’re a great summer convenience food – think 2 or so per person and whip up a nice fresh salad – stuff salad inside the lamejun, roll and eat. Dinner, done!
Anyway – this is all a long lead-in to today’s recipe. Because I had a minute to browse at Sevan, I sought dried bean inspiration. I came away with a big bag of dried chickpeas, just like mama used to make. As you know, I’m trying to eat fewer canned foods, and one of my canned-goods staples is chickpeas. I came home and cooked up ½ the bag to use later in a recipe. Now be forewarned – should you get bold and try to cook these at home, they take a super long time to cook – something on the order of 2 hours! Not for the faint of heart . . . but you’ll be richly rewarded for your efforts. Freshly cooked chickpeas are firmer and more flavorful than their canned cousins. And much, much cheaper.
This easy Armenian recipe is not only tasty, but it’s a nutrient blast – chard, chickpeas, lycopene from the tomato paste and a little olive oil to help you absorb all the nutrients . . . do yourself a favor and serve it over brown rice, at least, to keep up the momentum!
Chard ‘n’ Chickpeas (adapted from this recipe at The Armenian Kitchen)
2 T. extra-virgin olive oil 1 head chard, thick stems removed and coarsely chopped 1 medium onion, chopped 1 t. crushed garlic 3 T. tomato paste 3 c. chickpeas (or two cans, drained and rinsed) ½ c. low-sodium chicken broth (or vegetable broth if you’re vegetarian) Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Heat the oil over medium heat and sauté the onions until they’re translucent. Add the chard and sauté until it is wilted. Add the chick peas, tomato paste, broth and a sprinkling of salt and pepper. Cover and simmer on low heat until the chard is tender, about 20-30 minutes. If you have any Aleppo pepper on hand, it’d be awesome in this dish. I sadly forgot to pick some up that day!
Serve over brown rice pilaf.
Serves 4.
April 22, 2010 1 Comment