It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

Christmas is in the air - I love the sights, smells and sounds that remind me of the holidays. Gifts are purchased (not wrapped yet), tree is up and decorated and the turkey is purchased and quietly sleeping in the freezer until it is time for him to make his debut. 

I had a baking bug this morning so I decided to make my grandmothers molasses cookies with lemon butter cream frosting. If you’ve been reading my blog you know these cookies were my favorite as a kid and I guess I was looking for a little trip down memory lane today. 

I recall asking my mom about the recipe when I was in my 20’s and what she could recall was that things were added in 1 cup increments - which wasn’t overly helpful. After asking at a family reunion - my Aunt Kay (my mom’s oldest sister) gave me the recipe. Incidentally my mom was right things do come in 1 cup increments - go figure. 

Ingredients

1 cup crisco  - melted (in the old days I suspect Grandma used lard)

1 cup molasses

1 cup sugar

1 cup hot water with 1 level tsp baking soda

4 cups flour

1 tsp vanilla

Cooking Instructions

Add sugar and molasses to the melted shorting. Alternately add water/soda mixture and flour to the shortening/sugar/molasses mixture. Add vanilla. Let dough stand in a cool place until easy to handle - the dough will be sticky. Drop dough by tablespoon on to a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or silpat (or a Pampered Chef silicone mat) and bake at 350 degrees approximately 10 - 12 minutes. Cool and frost with lemon buttercream frosting.

For the frosting I used a little butter, powdered sugar and lemon juice - frost and add sprinkles - they are delicious :-) and I am feeling the family love as I eat these!

I couldn’t just make MY favorite cookies without making something for my sweetie. Knowing anything with nuts is his favorite I decided to make him a batch of date and nut pinwheels. I didn’t realize how labor intensive they were until I got half way through the process but the end result was worth it. 

Kudos to A Taste of Home for the recipe. Today no substitutions - with the exception of only making a 1/2 batch because Dan and I don’t need 100+ cookies sitting in the house calling our name while we are trying to work :-). To be honest we’ll be putting many of the cookies in the freezer to use over the holidays and beyond!

They are delicious, see for yourself!

If you are baking at home - let me know about favorite cookies/dishes! Thanks for stopping by!

Good friends, good food and fun

Friday night I hosted my annual Pampered Chef Holiday Kick-off. I’ve been a Pampered Chef consultant for about 7 years and even though I’m at the place where I don’t do a lot of shows, I still enjoy an annual get together with friends and family. We cook, we laugh and we shop and in the end I give 1/2 of the rewards away because one only needs 1 set of knives with a lifetime warranty.

In my holiday shows, I try to focus on quick and healthy recipes that my friends can put together in 30 minutes or less. Last night we made a Chickpea Shawarma dip it was health, spicy and delicious. I served it up with veggies and flatbread crackers - it was a hit!  Thanks to Minimalist Baker for the original recipe.

This holiday season will be different. It's the first without my Dad and the tree somehow doesn't seem complete without Camille sleeping underneath it on her favorite velvet tree skirt. We do have a lot to be thankful for and a joyful event on the horizon; Dan's daughter Alona is getting married in June - everyone is very excited.

CHICKPEA SHAWARMA DIP

CHICKPEAS

1 15-ounce (425 g) can chickpeas, well drained - if you are a bean purest you can make your own from scratch  

1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive or avocado oil

1 tsp sugar

1/2 tsp paprika

1/2 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp ground turmeric

1/2 tsp dried oregano

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp black pepper

GARLIC HERB SAUCE

1/4 cup (60 g) hummus (store-bought or DIY)

1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

3/4 - 1 tsp dried dill

3 cloves garlic, minced 

Water 

PARSLEY SALAD 

1 cup packed (75 g) finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup (75 g) diced cherry or roma tomatoes

1/4 cup (35 g) diced red onion

1 Tbsp (15 ml) lemon juice

1 Tbsp (15 ml) olive oil

Pinch each sea salt and black pepper

HUMMUS

16 ounces (453 g) hummus (store-bought or DIY)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 C) and add well-drained chickpeas to a mixing bowl.

Top with oil, sugar, and spices and toss to combine. Then spread on a bare or parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake for 20-22 minutes or until deep golden brown and fragrant. Set aside.

In the meantime, prepare your sauce by adding all ingredients to a mixing bowl and whisking to combine, only adding enough water to thin so it’s pourable. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed. Add more garlic for more zing, salt for savoriness, lemon juice for freshness, and dill for a more intense herb flavor. I found mine didn’t need anything else.

Prepare parsley-tomato salad by adding parsley, tomato and onion to a small mixing bowl and dressing with lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and pepper. Toss and set aside.

Assemble 

Spread hummus on a serving platter and top with roasted chickpeas, parsley salad, and garlic dill sauce. Serve with chips, or veggies of choice.

I think of the holiday season as a time for reflection and to plan for the new year. I take stock of the goals I set and how well I met them - this year I had a goal of walking 2017 miles and barring any craziness I am on track to meet that goal. Looking forward I want to do more writing, maybe even take one of my NaNoWriMo's and self publish it - still pondering that one. I'd like to spend more time with friends, volunteer at the Arboretum and take classes to become a Master Gardener. I'd say my plate looks pretty full - which is a good thing. 

Thanks for stopping by!

It’s Not Your Mama’s Cauliflower

It’s Thanksgiving week - you know what that means - turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and all the trimmings and the induced food coma after. In all seriousness I love spending time with family and friends - it’s not about the food it’s about the relationships. 

This will be the first Thanksgiving that I don’t spend with my dad I have to say I miss him.Things will be different but time marches on. We’ll spend the holiday with Dan’s family - the food will be delicious, the conversation lively and I’ll get to see many of nieces and nephews it will be a day filled with fun and laughter. 

I have this week off so I took the opportunity to make a batch of herbed cashew cheese, a loaf of banana bread and have lunch with my friend Elaine (from Elaine in the kitchen). We spent 2+ hours catching up, talking about our food adventures and other important life things - she keeps me grounded and she has the best sense of humor. 

Aside from the cheese and bread I’ve been trying some new recipes. My new favorite is Gobi Musallam aka Whole Roasted Cauliflower in Creamy Makhani Gravy - but no matter what you call it - it’s delicious. A bit tedious, but delicious. 

If you want all of the beautiful pictures you can find them here otherwise read on for my condensed version. 

Ingredients:

1 head of Cauliflower head  – leaves, tough stem removed and washed

Water to blanch

2 teaspoons salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/2 teaspoon chili powder (optional)

Sauce

2 teaspoons oil

1 medium red onion chopped

1 inch ginger chopped

5-6 cloves of garlic chopped

1/2 to 1 tsp chili flakes

3 medium tomatoes chopped

1 teaspoon garam masala

1/2 teaspoon cumin powder

1/2 teaspoon coriander powder

1/2 teaspoon turmeric powder

3/4 cup coconut milk(from can)

1/3 cup soaked cashews

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon agave

Cooking Instructions

Fill a large pot with enough water to immerse the cauliflower in and bring it to a boil. Add salt, turmeric and chili and blanch/cook the whole cauliflower. 

Cover and cook for 4 minutes on each side(top and bottom. Flip after 4 minutes)

Sauce:

Soak the cashews in water for at least 30 minutes (the longer the better). 

In a sauce pan add olive oil and onion and saute until golden approximately 6 minutes. Add ginger, garlic, chili flakes and saute for another 2 minutes. Add remaining spices and mix until fragrant.

Add tomatoes, salt, and agave mix and cook covered until tender. Mash the larger chunks of tomato during cooking - cook approximately 8-10 minutes.

Cool sauce mixture, add to a high speed blender, and blend with coconut milk and cashews into a smooth thick puree.Taste and adjust salt, spices as desired. 

Oil the baking dish and place the blanched cauliflower in the dish. Slowly drop the sauce on top of the cauliflower letting cover the entire head of cauliflower. Some sauce will fall on the side and into the pan - that’s ok. 

Place the blanched cauliflower in a baking dish.

Bake uncovered in a 400 degree oven for 40-45 minutes until the sauce covering the cauliflower is dry to touch. Turn the dish around after 30 minutes.

Serve hot with Naan and basmati rice.

Wishing you a Happy and Healthy Thanksgiving filled with good food, great friends and family and lively conversation!

A Curry Affair

Winter, or pre-winter as I like to call it before the snow sets in, has arrived. We were at Dan's favorite big box home store a couple days after Halloween and bought 2 small pie pumpkins. My original plan was to make a pumpkin pie but I hadn't gotten around to that project yet. I’m still picking kale and collard greens and the pantry is full - so I decided it was time for an experiment. 

Since Dan was doing a work thing that evening I decided to use up some of the kale (it's not his favorite thing but he'll eat it if I cook it or add a little bit to a salad). It was a cold night so a curry sounded like just the ticket to warm me up. I tossed this together adding things that looked and sounded good as I went along. My original dish was going to be a simple red lentil curry until I realized I only had brown lentils - but I think of them as interchangeable - I know I know many of you don't. 

I started by microwaving one of the small pumpkins so that I could cut the top off and clean out the insides. After about 3 minutes I was able to cut off the top, scoop out the seeds and then put it in the oven to bake. 

While the pumpkin was baking I prepped the rest of the ingredients:

I cup dry lentils - cooked according to package directions (for those of you who give me a hard time about using canned beans - take note!) 

2 cups of chopped cooked pumpkin

1 medium onion chopped

A handful of kale - rolled and shredded

1 can of coconut milk

2 cans diced tomatoes with juice - I used fire roasted

2 tsp curry powder

1 tsp garam masala

garlic - 3 - 4 cloves minced

ground ginger 

salt and pepper 

Saute the onion in 1 Tbsp olive oil until soft, add all spices and cook 1 minute until fragrant. Add coconut milk, tomatoes, cooked lentils, cooked pumpkin and shredded kale. Bring to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer for 20 - 30 minutes. 

Enjoy!

A “Chili” Kind of Day

From crisp fall days to snow and sleet - Minnesota does not disappoint. I woke up this morning to cold, wind, rain and sleet on my walk - definitely gets the blood flowing. On a happier note Dan’s daughter Alona and her betrothed Nate have set a date - the wedding will be on June 3rd - we’re so happy and excited for them. Lots of great adventures ahead for everyone.

I’ve been eyeing my garden in hopes that the last 2 butternut squash will ripen but today I made an executive decision to pick them (during the rain, sleet and snow) and hope they ripen. If they don’t well the other 12 squash won’t be able to become acquainted with them - but I doubt they will care. 

If you’ve read my blog or you know me, you know that Fall is my favorite time of year - root vegetables, pumpkin, crusty french bread, a glass of wine, a fire and a good book set my evening on the right path. Tonight Dan built an awesome fire and we feasted on a batch of chili made with peppers and tomato sauce (a delicious and spicy red and green tomato sauce) made with ingredients from our garden. 

Two things; there is no such thing as too many onions and spicy is good - but not the kind of spicy that burns your mouth, the kind of spicy that is flavorful. I’d like to tell you I have a recipe for my chili but I don’t - every time I make it, it’s different. A lot of that comes from the ingredients I have on hand, the freshness of the spices and of course my mood. 

Some days I’m feeling spicy some savory and some sweet (but not in chili of course)! This go around I wanted spice, not that kick ass spice that makes you sweat but the kind that warms you and in this go round I achieved it - score!

Ingredients:

2 medium to large onions diced

1 red pepper - chopped

1 orange pepper - chopped

3 small poblano peppers - chopped

1 can black beans - rinsed and drained

1 can white kidney beans - rinsed and drained

1 can chili beans (beans and liquid)

2 large carrots, peeled, chopped and microwaved until soft

3 - 4 cups tomato sauce - I used the sauce that I made from the red and green tomatoes in our garden - you can also use 2 - 3 cans of diced tomatoes with green chilis 

Instructions:

Chop all ingredients. In a medium to large sauce pan, saute onions, peppers, and partially cooked carrots in olive oil until softened. 

To a crockpot add, onion mixture, beans, tomato sauce, garlic, chili powder, crushed red pepper flakes and cumin. Cook on low for 3 - 4 hours to meld flavors. 

Serve with cornbread or a crusty grain bread for dipping - it was delicious!

Stay safe and warm!

Squash with a Twist

With the exception of the few frost hearty crops like kale, collard greens and hard shell squash, we’ve said goodbye to another great garden year. The other day I picked the squash (with the exception of the 2 that are not quite ready), made a batch of green tomato chutney, and a final batch of green/red tomato sauce - the freezer is full.

We’ve got 3 kinds of squash this year; acorn, butternut and buttercup all waiting to be roasted or turned into something wonderful. My go to recipe is simply roasting and serve with a splash of maple syrup - maybe butter if I’m feeling like living life on the edge. 

Squash is extremely flexible it can be cooked, roasted, flattened into patties, fried, or included as a base flavor for soups. The seeds of squash are also edible, and can be made into a number of different forms or their oils can be extracted. 

I've been thinking about using butternut squash for the “cheese” in macaroni and cheese and turning acorn squash into a dessert - a fall custard if you will. This custard is simple to make and has only 5 (seriously count them) ingredients I found the recipe over on It’s a Love / Love Things blog - you can check it out here.

 Ingredients

2 cups of baked acorn squash

4 eggs

1/4 cup of coconut oil

2T butter (or more coconut oil if you prefer)

1/2 tsp cinnamon

maple syrup to drizzle. 

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350. Toss all ingredients into a high speed blender and puree until smooth. Pour mixture into a greased pan (I use coconut oil) and smooth with a spatula. Bake at 350 for 50-60 minutes. When a toothpick inserted comes out clean, the custard is done. Allow to cool on a cooling rack for 20 minutes. You can serve it warm or cold with a drizzle of maple syrup. 

Enjoy!

Adventures and Soup

After a long stretch of amazing warm September weather it seems Fall has arrived in Minnesota - it’s not a bad thing, it’s what we expect when October 1 rolls around. Yesterday I spent 4+ hours at the Minnesota Landscape Arboretum volunteering at the Annual Fall Festival helping families make scarecrows - it was a blast. The day reminded me of when I spent cool fall days with my nieces and step-daughters creating scarecrows - those were some wonderful times. 

Today was a recovery day - I laid around, read and then finally decided that I needed to get up and get my steps in (btw I’m on track to walk 2017 miles in 2017), get groceries and do a bit of yoga. Halfway through my walk the rain decided to pour down and I found my self standing under a tree for about a half hour waiting for the rain to let up, which of course it did not so I decided to brave the elements and walk home. 

About half way home I noticed an elderly gentleman heading toward the senior living center with 2 bags of groceries trying to navigate around the posts and tape keeping would be walkers from messing up  the new concrete. With one leg on either side of the tape he appeared to be “stuck”  and was having a difficult time getting his second leg over the barrier. I ran across the street and helped him get across and into the building, We were both soaking wet - I jogged the rest of the way home. 

When I got home i peeled off the wet clothes and made myself a nice cup of almond milk chai and wrapped up in a blanket to get warm and I started searching for my favorite curried squash soup recipe, which I found almost immediately. 

The original recipe came from Eater’s Choice - A food lover’s guide to lower cholesterol, which I bought ages ago. There are some great recipes in the cookbook, although I was a meat eater in those days so these days I browse the vegetables and soups section. The Apple Squash Soup recipe calls for acorn squash but you can use whatever you have on hand. It also calls for apples (hence the name) and apple cider. I decided to switch it up a bit and use caramelized pears - it was a nice change. The sweetness from the caramelized pears and at the curry were a nice combination. 

Apple Squash Soup

1 T margarine

2 C chopped onions

2 T curry powder

6 cups peeled and cubed squash (I used acorn)

2 pears

3 cups vegetable broth (I used the broth I made from my scraps earlier in the season)

1 tsp salt

1 cup apple cider

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Slice pears in half and place cut side down on a pan to roast (I use my Pampered Chef stone) for approximately 20 minutes - or until they begin to caramelize. 

In a large pot melt margarine. Add onion and saute until tender. Add curry powder and combine. To the onion - curry mixture add squash, pears, stock and salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 25 - 30 minutes. 

When squash is fork tender, puree soup in a high speed blender, add the apple cider and heat until warm. Pour in bowls and enjoy. Tonight we included a whole grain baguette and some brie and cashew cheese the result was delicious. 

Thanks for stopping by!

A Rustic Spanish Dish

If you live in my neck of the woods you know that Summer continues to linger and Fall is working hard to make itself known. 

Fall is my favorite time of year - beautiful trees, apple cider, pumpkin everything and cool, crisp weather. I love hoodies, tights, sweaters, sweatshirts and fires in the fireplace. Spiced Chai, and warm soups and stews. The only downside - putting the garden to bed. 

To be honest, this year rivals last year with respect to harvest and critters. We’ve had amazing cucumbers, tomatoes, greens, herbs, kale, collard greens, cauliflower, pepper (poblano, red, yellow,banana and green), broccoli and beans. Still to come; brussels sprouts, squash (buttercup, butternut and acorn) last count about 15. One pleasant surprise - watermelon at last count we have 6 - 4 will definitely mature and we’ll eat them, other two - not sure - but hey 4 watermelon is better than none right?

On Sunday the weather was cooler and I wanted to make a simple yet warming dish that used up some of the tomato bounty so I opted for a Spanish beans and tomatoes and for good measure I added a couple handfuls of spinach and some olives. The prep time for this dish is about 10 minutes and cook time 25 so dinner in 35 minutes leaves you lots of time to clean up the kitchen and spend the rest of the evening curled up with your favorite book.

I found the base recipe at https://veggiedesserts.co.uk/spanish-beans-tomatoes/

INGREDIENTS

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

1 onion, diced

2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

1 teaspoon sweet smoked paprika 

1 Tbsp or more siracha (to taste)

2 x 400ml/14oz cans butter beans (lima beans), drained and rinsed

chopped fresh tomatoes - enough to fill 2 butter bean cans

Sea salt and black pepper

2 large handfuls spinach, roughly chopped

10 - 12 green olives - sliced in half

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over a medium heat. Add the onions and fry, stirring continuously, for 3-5 minutes until translucent but not browned. Add the garlic, paprika and siracha and fry for a further minute. Add the beans and tomatoes. Stir to combine, add the olives and season with salt and pepper. Stir well and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes, checking regularly so it doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. As it finishes, stir the spinach through to wilt.

Serve hot or cold, as tapas or a side dish, sprinkled with the fresh parsley.

Bursting with Flavors!

We had a fabulous holiday weekend. I took Friday off to catch up on all those things that you never have time to do, one of which was renew my drivers license. While it took 1.5 hours to do that and I realized the process was one of the MOST inefficient I’ve ever seen, I’m glad that is over. Next up, I need to renew my passport; I think I’ll go the mail in route this time. 

We spent Saturday at the Renaissance Festival. I like to go every few years because if I go every year the experience loses its fun - same with the State Fair, which we went to last year - looks like I’m good for about 3 more years on both fronts. My favorite part of Saturday - avocado fries, crispy outside and creamy inside I think I could survive on avocado fries.

Fast forward to Sunday we did a long hike with Dan’s sister Sue and her husband Brian. The guys are heading to half dome in a couple weeks and they wanted to do some training so we tagged along. Our reward was a delicious Indian dinner in St Croix Falls. Dan and I were driving through there a while ago and saw a sign that said vegetarian so we stopped and were delighted with our find. This time we not disappointed. I tried a curry dish that had carrots, broccoli, peppers, onions and plantains; kind of a sweet and savory in one bite - yum.

And what was our garden doing while we were not home? producing more things like this beautiful Brandywine tomato, eggplant, cucumbers, peppers and not quite yet ready we have brussels sprouts and squash - can’t wait. 

Fast forward another week - I’ve not been good about finishing my posts and getting them up there - mainly because I’m exhausted. I’ve been crazy busy at work; we’re kicking off training tomorrow, a webinar on Wednesday add that to my normal stuff and we’re busy. I’ve also been working to keep up with the garden harvest - no small task. 

This weekend I realized that unless I did something with all those tomatoes - we were going to have to trash them. Soooooo I made a tomato pie; flaky crust, caramelized onions, sheep feta and tomatoes, lots of tomatoes. I don’t have a hard and fast recipe but I’ll give you the basics. 

Start by thinly slicing 3 medium to large red onions - if you are a Pampered Chef fan, use the simple slicer on 1 - it makes them paper thin. To a heavy pan add olive oil and the onions. Saute until translucent and then lower the heat, cover and let cook for about 45 minutes, stirring every 15 - 20 minutes. 

While the onions are caramelizing, thinly slice the tomatoes and put them on a paper towel to absorb the moisture.

Assemble the pie; place a layer of tomatoes on the bottom, then a layer of onions and a layer of feta. Sprinkle shredded basil, rosemary and thinly sliced garlic on top. Repeat the layers 2 more times. Bake in a 375 degree oven for an hour. 

That brings me to today. Our neighbors have an apple tree and gave us some apples so Dan hauled out the trusty apple peeler and I tossed them in the crock pot with cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg and 3 Tbsp of brown sugar for 4 hours. I let it cool and then put it in containers - it’s sleeping in the freezer waiting for us to open it after we finish the jar our neighbors gave us. 

I also decided it was time to start working on the collard greens - we have a lot - yikes! I have a favorite recipe, which I refer to as collard green wraps.

Ingredients:

12 - 15 collard green leaves - washed, thick part of stem removed

1 large onion diced

2 carrots peeled and diced

3 stalks celery - diced

1 poblano pepper - seeded and chopped

2 banana peppers - seeded and chopped

1/2 bag of Morningstar farms veggie crumbles

oregano

sage

basil 

3 - 4 cloves garlic minced

Salt and pepper to taste

In a skillet, saute onions, celery and carrots until tender, add peppers, spices (this is a to taste thing) I don’t measure I toss in tsp, stir and taste and keep adding it’s a process. Add the veggie crumbles, stir until heated and then turn off the heat. 

Fill a large pot with water, turn on high and wait until it boils. Add collard green leaves 2 - 3 at a time and blanch for 3 - 5 minutes, drain. Lay a single collard green leaf on a flat surface, spoon 2 - 4 Tbsp filling (depends on the size of the leaf) in the top third of the green, fold in sides and then roll. Place seam side down on a plate, continue until all filling/greens have been used. 

My normal go to recipe/ sauce for the greens is a spicy marinara but today I’m going to pop them into the freezer and wait for a chilly fall day and top them with the marinara I made 2 weeks ago. 

Next up - squash and brussels sprouts

Poblano Peppers for the Win

It’s been a tasty and interesting weekend on many fronts. After a long week at work Friday was a welcome respite - complete with an over the top roasted eggplant (fresh from the garden.) Dan was in charge of dinner on Friday (because I am usually in charge of dinner every day so hey every once in a while I catch a break.) He took one of the freshly picked eggplant and added the following:

2 TBSP balsamic vinegar

1 tsp mustard

1 tsp fresh thyme leaves

2 cloves garlic ( to be honest I am sure he did at least 3 - 4)

1/3 cup olive oil

1/4 tsp sugar

Salt and Pepper to Taste

Combine all of the ingredients in a bowl and whisk until combined. Toss in the eggplant slices and stir to combine. Place marinated eggplant on a stone cookie sheet (Pampered Chef works well) and lay in a single flat layer. Roast at 425 for 30 - 40 minutes, turning half way through. 

We dipped them in a mayo, lime juice and chili powder sauce - they were delicious!

Fast forward to Sunday - I spent some time in the garden weeding and gathering up the latest harvest, which included poblano peppers. What to do with ALL. THOSE. PEPPERS? Stuffed poblano peppers of course. 

This is a totally new recipe (and pepper for that matter). I’ve had them in dishes but we have never grown them - it’s our first harvest - and OMG they are prolific. 

This recipe takes about an hour and a half to prepare so it’s definitely not something you want to do on a week night when you’re starving after a long day at work. Save this recipe for the weekend when you can enjoy both making it and eating it because it’s worth it - so so worth it. 

Before I go any farther I need to give a shout out to Traci York from Vanilla and Bean - the author of this recipe. I made a couple of small - very small - changes but only because I didn’t have the exact ingredient. 

Roasted Stuffed Poblanos with Smoky Quinoa, Sweet Potatoes and Black Beans

Ingredients

For the Peppers:

1 1/2 C Sweet potato peeled and diced

4 tsp Olive oil 

1/4 tsp Chili powder

6 Poblanos peppers

3/4 C Onion diced small

3/4 tsp Sea salt

1 1/2 tsp Cumin ground

1/2 tsp Paprika

1 tsp Chili powder

1/2 tsp Garlic salt

1/2 C Quinoa rinsed 

1 Can tomatoes with green chilies

1/3 C Water 

2 C Cooked black beans

For the Avocado Cream

1 Medium avocado

Fist full of cilantro

1/2 tsp Sea salt

1/2 a Lemon - juiced

1/4 tsp Cumin ground

Water for thinning

Roast the Peppers:

Set one oven rack to the top of the oven and preheat to broil. Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. Make one slit in each of the poblanos from the stem to tip (the seeds will be removed after roasting). Arrange evenly on the parchment lined baking sheet. Place under the broiler and roast being sure to turn the peppers every 2 minutes to ensure an even charring. Remove from the oven and place in a paper bag. Tighten down the bag and let the peppers steam for approx 10 minutes. 

Toss sweet potatoes with 2 tsp of oil and chili powder. Spread evenly on a parchment lined baking sheet. Lower the oven temperature to 450F and roast the potatoes until fork tender. Remove from oven and set aside. Lower oven temperature to 350F.

Once the peppers are steamed, carefully peel the skins off the peppers, working the seeds out with a little bit of running water and a gentle knife keeping the peppers in tact as best you can. Pat dry and set aside.

For the Stuffing:

In a medium sauce pot, add the remaining 2 tsp of oil and heat on medium until shimmering. Add the onion and saute' on medium low for about 5-6 minutes or until softened. Add the sea salt, cumin, paprika, chili powder, garlic salt and stir for about 1 minute or until spices are fragrant. Stir in the quinoa, tomatoes and water. 

Bring to a simmer, place the lid on and cook for 15 minutes on low. Uncover, and stir in the black beans and sweet potatoes. Taste for seasoning adjustment and allow to set for about 10 minutes, without the lid on, before stuffing the peppers.

Spray a large casserole dish with pan spray. Carefully stuff each pepper with quinoa mixture. Bake, uncovered in a 350F oven for about 20 minutes or until heated through.

While the peppers are baking make the avocado cream. In a food processor add the avocado, cilantro, salt, lemon, and cumin. Whirl ingredients while drizzling about 1/3 C of water in. The cream should be thin enough to slather or dip. Thin to desired consistency.

Remove the peppers from the oven, top with avocado cream and enjoy!

A Delicious Weekend in the Kitchen

I hit my cooking rhythm last weekend. It started on Friday after a long and productive day at work. I was planning to make ratatouille but didn’t have zucchini and wasn’t in the mood to drive to the store so I put that on hold, roasted  a batch of tomatoes, sautéed a boat load of garlic, shredded basil and boiled some edamame noodles - tossed it all together - poof dinner.

Ok it took a little bit longer than it sounds but not a lot longer. The roasted, just picked tomatoes were sweet and bursting with flavor and the fresh basil was a wonderful compliment to the tomatoes and garlic it was hard not to eat the entire bowl. 

Earlier in the evening (before dinner was underway) I was thinking of pie - we had a few apples in the pantry trying to get my attention so at 8pm I finally gave in and made an apple crumb pie, which wasn’t actually ready to eat until around 10pm. I know 8:00 probably isn’t when most people are baking pies but I was on a roll and in the end it turned out to be a great decision!

I started by making a standard single pie crust and putting it in the freezer while I made the filling. 

Filling:

7 - 8 cups peeled, cored and thinly sliced apples (I had a mix of Harrison and Fugi)

1/3 cup plus 1 T granulated sugar

1 lemon - juice and grated zest

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1 1/2 T cornstarch

Place the sliced apples, lemon juice and zest in a bowl and let rest for 10 - 15 minutes. Combine the 1 T sugar, nutmeg and cornstarch, add to the apple mixture and stir to combine. 

Remove the pie crust from the freezer add apples and bake in a 400 degree oven on lower rack for 30 minutes. 

While the pie is baking make the crumb topping

Oatmeal crumb topping

1 cup of flour

1/2 cup old fashioned oats

2/3 cup brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

1/4 tsp salt

1 stick of cold unsalted butter cut into small pieces

Combine all dry ingredients in a bowl, cut butter into bowl and mix with your hand until you have small crumbs. 

Remove pie from oven, add crumb topping (note that you will not use the entire amount of topping, store the rest in the freezer), reduce heat to 375 and bake for an additional 30 minutes. At the 15 minute mark you may want to tent the pie with aluminum foil to keep the crust from burning. 

The house smelled wonderful and Dan couldn’t wait; he cut a piece, put a wedge of cheddar cheese on top and dug in - I guess it was okay :-) 

Which brings me to Sunday and ratatouille — one of my favorite dishes; especially when everything is garden fresh. We’ve been picking eggplant and peppers recently and the tomatoes don’t show any sign of slowing down any time soon so it seemed like it was definitely a ratatouille day. 

I got the original recipe from a cookbook Dan brought to the relationship some 14 years ago (wow has it been that long) called The Classic Vegetable Cookbook by Ruth Spear. I checked on Amazon today and you can get a copy for $1.35; in my opinion a great deal. Over time I’ve tweaked the recipe into the version we had last night but to be honest, my recipe is very close to the original - it’s that good! This dish is good hot, cold or warm but best after the flavors have melded for a day or so. Prepare it on a Sunday, pop it in the fridge and serve on Tuesday, you will not be disappointed. 

Ingredients:

2 - medium eggplants 

4 - medium zucchini

2 tsp salt

6 Tbsp olive oil

4 - medium onions - thinly sliced (I used my Pampered Chef Simple Slicer on 1)

2 - small green peppers, seeded, cored and thinly sliced

3 - 5 garlic cloves - depends on your love of garlic - I’m usually in the 5 -7 range

4 - 6 tomatoes, seeded, juiced and chopped

Salt and freshly gourd pepper

1 bouquet of 2 bay leaf, 5 to 6 sprigs of thyme, 4 - 5 basil leaves and 3 - 4 sprigs of oregano

Preparation:

Slice eggplant into 1/2 inch rounds, then cut into medium cubes. Cut the zucchini into 1/4 inch rounds. Toss eggplant and zucchini with the salt in a bowl and let set for about 30 minutes. Drain and pat dry with paper towels. 

Lightly and quickly saute the eggplant and zucchini mixture in 2 - 3 Tbsp olive oil. Make sure that the vegetables are in a single layer - you will need to do it in multiple batches. Remove sautéed pieces to a bowl. 

Heat the remaining oil in a heavy enameled cast-iron pan with a lid. Saute onions, pepper and garlic until softened. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for approximately 5 - 7 minutes. Season to taste with salt and pepper. 

In the cast-iron pan, add the tomato/onion mixture to lightly cover the bottom, then add 1/3 of the eggplant/zucchini mixture. Continue to layer seasoning veggies (if necessary) as you go, and ending with the tomato/onion mixture. Thinly slice 2 small tomatoes and add as a layer on top, add in the bouquet gari and cover. Simmer for 1/2 hour. 

Tilt the pot and pour the excess liquid into a small pan. Boil over high heat until reduced to about 1/4 cup. Add a few shakes of chili flakes, stir and pour over the vegetables. Cook over medium-high heat, uncovered for 15 minutes (until top tomatoes are soft).

Remove the bouquet garni and sprinkle with fresh parsley before serving 

This weekend; Dan’s cooking up something with the eggplant and I have my eye on a recipe for stuffed poblano peppers!

Tomatoes, tomatoes and did I mention tomatoes?

I just came in the house with yet another shirt full of tomatoes - yes I did say a shirt full. I forgot to grab the basket I normally use to bring in the daily harvest and rather than going back in the house finding it and then back to the garden seemed silly after all there were only a few tomatoes right? Wrong - so many tomatoes. 

What to do with all the tomatoes - bruschetta and gazpacho of course!

The tomato harvest has exploded in the past couple weeks. If your a regular reader I’m sure you saw the first tomato and mayo sandwich post - we we so optimistic and naive but then we are every year because you never know what Mother Nature will throw at you and how your little plants will respond. This year she has been generous and the garden has responded in kind. 

Starting with bruschetta - we’ve been doing some entertaining lately; movie night with Gerd and Maria and last night we had a college friend of Dan’s over for dinner (and her daughter too). Her daughter will be attending the University of Minnesota to work on her PhD so we hope to have other opportunities to have her join us for dinner and of course we hope the parents will visit from time to time too. Both evenings were a lot of fun, great opportunities to catch up and perfect for a batch of bruschetta. 

Bruschetta is best when everything is freshly picked from the garden. On both occasions I picked and washed a large batch of cherry tomatoes and about 15 - 20 basil leaves. I sliced the tomatoes into quarters, added olive oil, balsamic vinegar, 6 cloves of garlic, salt, pepper and then shredded the basil and tossed. I served it over lightly toasted, crusty french bread (because Dan does not like crunch bread - it’s a ongoing discussion topic here) it was delicious. 

With Gerd and Maria we served additional appetizers; brie, honeyed goat cheese and marinated cucumbers and roasted beets - quite lovely if I do say so myself. With Dan’s college friend we went a bit simpler; chips, salsa and guacamole - no complaints from either camp. 

So now gazpacho - hands down one of the fastest and easiest soups to put together in my Vitamix - 15 minutes from start to finish and tho I know many recipes suggesting chilling for a couple of hours, I’m fine adding a little chopped avocado to the top and eating immediately - which is exactly what we did. 

I started by taking 1 large and one medium tomato, coring them putting them in the blender and making 1 1/2 cups of tomato juice. To that I added 1 large tomato, 1/2 cucumber (from the garden of course), a green pepper (also from the garden) and a small onion. 

to the veggie mixture I added 2 T olive oil, 1 1/2 T red wine vinegar, a couple of squirts of siracha, and and then salt and pepper to taste. Blend on a low speed for a clunkier soup or on high for something more pureed. Top with chopped avocado and serve - it was delicious. 

Now what to do with the watermelon, cauliflower, cucumbers,eggplant and squash that are soon to be taking over the kitchen. 

Ciao!

Summer Harvest

After a slow start in the garden all I can say is wow. We’ve been eating green beans nearly every night for the past week or so and keeping up with the lettuce and kale is becoming a challenge. 

I planted cucumbers this year and last count we had 2 in the house and 5 will be ready in the next few days. Our Japanese eggplant is doing very well and the squash (3 kinds) are exploding. It’s shaping up to be another wonderful year. The only disappointment - the broccoli; all of the crowns are very small - tasty but small. 

Dan made a delicious dip out of the eggplant. He chopped it fine and added onion, a bit of zucchini, garlic and sautéed it with olive oil - it was delicious on a piece of crusty french bread. 

Those 5 cucumbers followed us to the lake where I made a simple salad of tomatoes, cucumber and avocado dressed with oil, rice wine vinegar, a bit of agave and garlic. I let it marinade for about an hour - and added some salt and pepper it tasted fresh and delicious. 

We also made calico beans - vegetarian and regular two giant crockpots of tasty. Lucky for us some followed us home because for some reason they never made it to the leftover meals. Guess that’s what happens when you leave the husband and step-daughters in charge. Not a problem tho I’ll heat them up for dinner tonight and toss a quick salad to round it out. 

And speaking of tonight, I am going to try to replicate the buffalo cauliflower  we’ve had at J Selby’s - a new favorite vegan restaurant in St Paul. I’ve looked at more than 50 buffalo cauliflower recipes and I think the one I’m going to use will be spot on - I can’t wait. And here is the end result - good first effort but I'l make a few tweaks going forward both in cooking times and saucing the cauliflower.

Next weekend is movie night - I hope our guests are hungry for some veggies - cuz they’ll be a lot of that going on.

Thanks for stopping by!