Buckwheat, Broccolini and Kale

Lately I’ve been in a rut - not a bad rut where you don’t cook or don’t try new things, I’ve been in a flavor rut. I love soups, stews and curries and now that winter has arrived (with snow and everything) it’s what I gravitate toward; there is nothing better than a nice steaming bowl of curry on a cold evening. 

We’ve got a little Asian grocery store not far from our house - although these days getting to and from it with all the construction is a challenge. Sometimes you’ll do anything for some broccolini - because they don’t carry that in the big box grocery store - you’d think they had room with all the romaine lettuce in the trash. 

Dan and I were talking the other day about an article he recently read about labeling lettuce and how a simple bag or covering would allow us to track where the lettuce came from and then we wouldn’t necessarily need to toss out every piece of romaine from here to Canada. Seems like a good idea to me not sure why someone hasn’t done this already.

This recipe contains all of my favorites; mushrooms, broccolini, kale and soba noodles and at the fact that the kale is cooked makes Dan like it too. He’s definitely not a fan of raw kale - in large quantities. So last night we started chopping, shredding, roasting and sautéing and in about 40 minutes we had dinner. 

Ingredients

Mushrooms:

2 8 oz containers of mushrooms - I used one baby bella and one button 

1 tbs high heat oil

1 tbs rice wine vinegar

2 tbs honey

2 tbs tamari 

1 tsp grated ginger

Soba Noodles & Vegetables:

1 package of buckwheat soba noodles

1 tbs olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 onion diced

2 bunches broccolini, ends cut off and if the stems are thick cut them in half lengthwise

5 stalks kale, cut into shreds

Sauce For Soba Noodles:

¼ cup tamari 

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon chili oil

Juice of 1 lemon

1 tablespoon toasted sesame oil

1 tablespoon honey

1 tsp grated ginger

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 425 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Trim mushroom stems wipe any dirt with a paper towel, cut mushroom in half, (the larger ones I quartered) and place them in a large bowl. Whisk together the mushroom glaze ingredients. Pour the glaze over the mushrooms and mix until all the mushrooms are evenly coated. Pour the mushrooms onto the parchment lined baking sheet and roast for15 minutes. Remove and toss so they cook evenly. Roast for another 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, cook soba noodles to package directions and heat a large skillet with 1 tbs olive oil over medium heat. Add minced garlic and diced onion and cook for 1 minute. Add broccolini, kale, and salt and pepper to taste, and cook until just tender, about 5 minutes.

While vegetables and noodles are cooking, whisk together the soba noodle sauce ingredients in a bowl.

Add cooked noodles to the pan of broccolini and kale, add the sauce, and stir until all the vegetables and noodles are evenly coated in sauce. Add roasted mushrooms and stir to combine - enjoy!

Warding off the Chill

Imagine spiced carrots, onions and cauliflower simmering in a tomato and coconut sauce making your kitchen smell wonderful in less than 45 minutes - that was dinner, and it was delicious. 

We’ve barely had Thanksgiving and already Mother Nature is taunting us with snow and cold - although she did give us some sunshine last weekend to enjoy. We all know that is short lived. I spied some kale still thriving in the garden the other day, it seems some things are impervious to her  taunts. I’ll have to make a batch of squash, freekah and kale this week for dinner. 

I’ve been binge watching the latest season of The Great British Baking Show lately and with the exception of Paul, I do enjoy it. He’s a bit too much for my tastes - and yea I get that is part of his “charm” but it’s charm I think the world can do without these days. 

We spent last weekend with friends, seeing Bohemian Rhapsody, and getting the Christmas lights up on the house (before it’s too cold to do that). They aren’t on yet, just sitting on the house waiting for Thanksgiving to be over. I believe the “official” turn them on date will be Thanksgiving evening - and it was! 

And then what happens, everyone runs around like crazy, shopping for just the right gift, decorating the house, cooking and baking cookies. This year a friend and I opted for a cooking baking class at the Community Ed center. They bring the ingredients and you mess up their kitchen, you bring the enthusiasm and containers to take them home in - 3 hours from start to finish and you are done. 

Until all that craziness begins I’ll opt for some Indian comfort food with just enough heat to keep that cold away. The original recipe calls for potatoes and cauliflower, but since I’m not a potato fan (unless it’s sweet potatoes), I used carrots, cauliflower, and onions and topped it with cilantro. 

Ingredients

3 - 4 carrots, washed, peeled and sliced

1 cauliflower, cut into small florets

1 onion, medium, chopped

1 15 ounce can diced tomatoes with chilies

2 T tomato paste

1/2 teaspoon ground cumin

1.5 teaspoons ginger-garlic paste

1/4 teaspoon red chili powder or to taste

1/4 teaspoon garam masala powder

1 teaspoon coriander powder

3-4 teaspoons oil

2 tablespoons chopped cilantro

salt, to taste

Cooking Instructions

Heat 1.5 teaspoon of oil on medium heat and add cumin, and red pepper flakes stir for 30 seconds. Add the onions and cook until translucent. Add the ginger-garlic paste and garam masala cook for another 2 minutes.

To the onion mixture, add the tomatoes, tomato paste and cook for 1 minute. Add 1 can coconut milk and 1 cup water, stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium, add the cauliflower and carrots and cook for 3 - 4 minutes. Add chili powder, coriander leaf, cover the pan and simmer for 30 - 40 minutes until the cauliflower and carrots are soft. 

Remove from heat, add chopped cilantro and serve with basmati rice and Indian bread.

Chickpea Stew Voted Best on Election Day!

I voted - yep got the sticker to prove it and I voted my conscience, which will be good news for most of my friends and relatives. Troubled times call for comfort food and tonight, watching election returns, is no exception - I need something to soothe my political soul. 

Like most of you I’ve seen the divisiveness on social media, between friends, and in the news - we could all use a little comfort and kindness. If you are a fan of Penzy’s spices, you have seen Bill’s commentary on the state of the world and his great deals. I like a business that speaks their mind. Will the election stop the madness? Unlikely there is still too much hate in the world. And regardless of who wins/loses a seat, haters are gonna hate.

On this election day - snow is part of the deal, I know, I know it’s only the 6th but we have a broad range of “first snowfall” here and I’m never surprised, unhappy but not surprised. Dan built a fire and I made a chickpea stew that if I do say so myself is delicious - and I got a thumbs up from my sweetie. 

Election Chickpea Stew

Ingredients:

1 cup chick peas, dry or two-15 ounce cans chick peas, drained

1 tbsp olive oil, 

1 medium onion, minced

4 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 red bell pepper, chopped

1 can diced tomatoes with chilis 

2 carrots, diced

1 small sweet potato - we had a few from the garden

1 tsp dried parsley

1/2 tsp dried basil

1/2 tsp dried oregano

2 cups liquid from boiled chickpeas, or vegetable broth

1/2 tsp sea salt

1/4 tsp Cayenne pepper

A few shakes of red pepper flakes

Instructions:

If you are using dried chickpeas, sort, wash and soak them overnight. The next day drain and rinse chickpeas.

Cover with water about 2 inches above chickpeas and bring to boil on medium heat. Lower heat to simmer and cook until tender, about 1 hour. Drain chickpeas and reserve 2 cups of liquid, set aside.

If using canned chickpeas, start here!

Heat oil or water in a large saucepan on medium-high heat. Add onions and cook until soft, about 4 minutes.

Add garlic and cook for 30 seconds stirring. Add bell pepper, tomatoes, carrots, chickpeas, parsley, basil and oregano.

Add vegetable broth or reserved chickpeas water, cover and bring to boil. Reduce to a simmer for 20-30 minutes or until thickened.

Mash some of the chickpeas, with the back of a fork to thicken stew.

Check seasoning, add cayenne pepper, red pepper flakes and extra salt and pepper as needed.

Serve with a crusty bread and a glass of wine or a beer - comfort food is the best. 

Thanks for stopping by!