Dinner with Good Friends

We had a most wonderful evening last night with friends. It was a perfect evening to sit on the deck, grill some salmon, drink a little wine, and enjoy lively conversations.

I’ve always heard that you shouldn’t try new recipes when you are entertaining. Personally, I think that’s just plain silly. I look at entertaining as an opportunity to flex my creative cooking muscle and get good feedback from multiple sources. I will admit not all experiments have turned out but by the same token I’ve made a tried and true recipe with equal disaster.

Tossing caution to the wind, I spent a bit of time on Pinterest looking for a roasted cauliflower recipe that was not too spicy, contained fairly common ingredients and didn’t take hours to prepare, after all I want to spend time with my guests not my stove. 

Cauliflower has become one of my favorite foods, it’s so versatile; you can roast, steam, eat raw and grill it. It pairs nicely with other foods and it has some health benefits - like lowering inflammation, it’s high in fiber, and it helps to maintain heart health. 

We had 2 vegetarians among us so and added requirement was that the dish needed to provide some protein on that front. So without further adieu I give you:

Roasted Cauliflower Steaks with Chickpeas, Tomatoes and a Yoghurt Herb Sauce 

Ingredients

2T smoked paprika

1/4 cup olive oil

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 teaspoon turmeric

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1 head cauliflower, cut into four 1-inch thick slabs

1 cup cherry tomatoes

1 cup cooked chickpeas

1/2 cup plain coconut milk yogurt

1/4 cup minced fresh parsley

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C). Whisk together the olive oil, smoked paprika, salt, turmeric, and cayenne in a small bowl. Arrange the cauliflower steaks on the prepared baking sheet so that they are not overlapping. Brush the olive oil mixture over the tops of the cauliflower steaks.

Toss the tomatoes and chickpeas with the remaining olive oil mixture to coat. Arrange them around the cauliflower. Bake in the preheated oven for 15 minutes, flip the cauliflower steaks, and continue baking until cauliflower stems are fork tender, about 10 more minutes.

While the cauliflower roasts, mix the yogurt, parsley, garlic, lemon juice, and salt together in a small bowl. Plate the cauliflower steaks on a serving platter, cover and surround with chickpea and tomato mixture and drizzle with the yogurt sauce. Serve!

We served this with honey roasted carrots and wild rice with onions, mushrooms and cranberries. 

Semantics Matter

In my alternate life I’m a writer for a software company - but not just any software company, one that does a kick ass job at semantics. It’s what we do all day every day. 

Thursday was bookclub (or wine club as Dan likes to call it) and I offered to bring an appetizer. My garden has a full crop of cherry tomatoes and basil so I decided to make those little appetizers with a cherry tomato, 1 basil leaf, a tiny mozzarella pearl and a splash of balsamic reduction. 

As I was assembling my ingredients I realized I didn’t have any toothpicks. In hindsight I should have called my neighbor but I decided to run over to the Dollar Store and get some. When I got there they were closed for some unknown reason but I was confident I could get them at Target, which is right next door. 

After searching for 10 minutes I asked a young man if he could tell me where I might find toothpicks. With a confident air he said of course you will find them over by the toothpaste and dentil floss! Chuckling I tried to explain that I was not looking for dental picks I was looking for little wooden skewers that you used to thread food on and serve as appetizers. Sadly he shook his head and said “Never heard of that kind of toothpick.” 

With no toothpick in sight, I grabbed a veggie tray from the deli and headed home - Semantics Matter!

A few days before the Semantics incident I made a batch of vegan portabella stuffed mushrooms because I had 4 in my refrigerator waiting to be eaten. We’re at that point in the summer where dinner is defined by what’s in the fridge - it’s always an adventure. The recipe I started with was for 2 so I doubled what you see below.

Ingredients:

For the Mushrooms:

2 portobello mushrooms

Avocado oil

Salt and pepper, to taste

For the Stuffing:

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 cup onion diced

1 celery stalk

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 small red bell pepper (approximately 1/2 cup), diced

1/4 cup kalamata olives, sliced

Mushroom stems, chopped

1 large tomato, diced

1/2 teaspoon each rosemary, thyme, and tarragon

1/8 teaspoon red pepper flakes

1/2 cup chickpeas

1 packed cup kale, de-stemmed and roughly chopped

2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

1/4 teaspoon salt

A pinch of black pepper

Instructions:

Mushrooms:

Preheat the oven to 375°F.

Remove the stems from the mushrooms and set aside. Place mushrooms on a baking sheet and drizzle with avocado oil. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and pepper and bake for 20 minutes.

While mushrooms are cooking, prepare the filling.

Stuffing:

Heat the oil in a large frying pan over medium heat.

Add the onion and celery and sauté for a couple minutes, until translucent.

Add the garlic and cook a minute more. Add the remaining ingredients,. Cook, stirring occasionally, until kale is wilted and tomatoes have broken down.

When the mushroom caps are done, remove from the oven and stuff with the filling and add a sprinkle of feta cheese. Depending on the size of the caps, there may be some leftover filling.

Simple ingredients, fantastic results. Thanks for stopping by!

The Bounty of Summer

If you’ve been reading my blog (or the lack of it :-) ) you know that we’ve not been enamored with our harvest this year. I spent some quality time in my flower garden over the weekend and our curb appeal has improved dramatically. 

The tomatoes have started to pick up, I’ve made 2 batches of pesto and I still have 2 large plants waiting to be harvested - I guess it’s gonna be a bountiful pesto year. I’ve found a new pesto recipe - it’s vegan. Instead of cheese I use nutritional yeast and when Dan tasted it - he was amazed (I didn’t tell him what it was but he loved it!) so I’m going to continue to go with that. This morning we had our favorite egg wrap sandwiches with fresh tomatoes, pesto and avocado - I was full until dinner - so many delicious flavors. 

Tis the season for Ratatouille - eggplant, zucchini and tomatoes are in season. If you grow your own garlic then it is in season too (next year garlic will be one of my experiments). 

I started with eggplant, peppers, tomatoes and zucchini from the garden, added 1 yellow squash, onions and garlic (from the grocery store). I mixed in fresh and dried parsley, bay leaf, thyme and oregano - yes I know it is not part of the traditional dish but I love the flavor. We served it with a salad of watermelon, feta and fresh basil - no complaints from the peanut gallery. 

Ingredients:

6T olive oil 

1 medium eggplant - I used a combination of Japanese and regular - sliced and cubed

1 medium zucchini - sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

1 yellow squash - sliced in 1/4 inch rounds

2 onions - thinly sliced

3 tomatoes - seeded and thinly sliced

3 - 4 cloves of garlic

1 - 2 bay leaves

3 - 4 sprigs parsley

2 - 3 sprigs of thyme 

dried parsley

dried oregano

Instructions:

Chop eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash as directed, place in a large bowl and salt - let sit  30 minutes. Slice onions, peppers and tomatoes - set aside. Create bouquet garni by combining bay leaf, parsley and thyme and tying with string. 

Place eggplant mixture on a paper towel and blot moisture away with additional paper towels. In a large fry pan, add 2T olive oil and heat until smoking. Lightly and quickly saute the eggplant mixture in batches and remove to a dish as each batch is cooked. 

Heat 2T olive oil and saute the onions, peppers and garlic until the onions are softened. Add the tomatoes, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Season with salt and pepper.

Remove 2 3rds of the tomato/onion mixture from the pan and set aside. Spread the remaining 1/3 on the bottom of the pan. Add a layer of eggplant/zucchini mixture and continue to layer in this manner until all ingredients are used up. Be sure to season each layer. Tuck the bouquet Garni on the top, cover and simmer for 30 minutes. 

Server with whole grain bread and any sides you like - we served with a watermelon, feta, and fresh basil salad. 

Thanks for stopping by!

Lunch for the Thundering Herd

Wow it’s August and where has the summer gone? i can tell you we’ve been busy; we moved my father in law from a townhouse, which he lived in for 33 years, to an assisted living space. I’ll start by saying that he is an archivist - I don’ t think he ever threw anything away. While daunting at times we found and learned some interesting things about him and his ancestors. 

Our garden is not having a banner year and whether it is because everything is late, we’ve had one hell of a lot of rain or something else, we’re a little sad. I will say the spinach and greens were wonderful, the kale is going strong and we have been flooded with green beans and peas so that’s something. I’ve counted about 10 squash, which is way under last year’s 30 but we’ll take what we can get. 

Dan’s biggest disappointment is tomatoes - he loves a sandwich with toasted whole grain bread, a little mayo and a super thick slice of tomato - it’s what’s on for dinner tonight but this will be the first sandwich of the year. 

We’re heading on a European riverboat cruise this fall but we did take time to head up to the lake for a week with Dan’s family (aka The Thundering Herd). The vacation was not without excitement!

Dan’s youngest daughter got engaged on the beach of Rush Lake on our first night - so exciting. She and her fiancé (who by the way is an awesome cook) have been together for 3 years, they seem to really compliment each other in the best of all possible ways and we are excited to have him join the family. 

Dan’s oldest daughter also had some excitement - gallbladder surgery - it was painful (as I understand) but she is feeling much better and on the mend. It was a little stressful but we are glad she is doing well. 

Our cooking of late has been our standard veggie fare; salads, stir fry, and occasionally something more complicated. We did a veggie grain bowl for our lunch meal at the lake and got good reviews. I made a batch of fermented carrots, cucumbers, radish and onions it adds a nice kick to what we’ve been eating. The recipe below is a scaled down version of what we served, you can easily add or subtract quantities or items as you wish.

Ingredients:

1 jar artichoke hearts in water

1 jar kalamata olives - cut in half

crumbled feta cheese 

1 can chickpeas 

Greek seasoning (oregano, parsley, basil)

lettuce - shredded 

1 zucchini - chopped

1/2 red pepper - chopped

1/2 orange pepper - chopped

1 onion - chopped

cherry tomatoes - sliced in half

1 cucumber - sliced and cubed

Roasted red pepper hummus

Quinoa 

pita bread
fermented veggies (radish, red onion, cucumber)

Vegan tatziki:

1/2 block medium-firm tofu, drained

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar

1 teaspoon dried dill

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/8 teaspoon black pepper

1/2 English cucumber

Preparation:

Vegan tatziki:

Add everything but the cucumber to a blender or food processor and pulse several times until smooth stopping to scrape the sides as needed. 

Slice the cucumber in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds and discard. Grate the seeded cucumber, place in a clean dishcloth and squeeze out as much water as you can. Add it to the blender and pulse to incorporate.

Veggies and Grains:

Roast the chickpeas, onions, zucchini and peppers  with olive oil and greek seasoning until just crisp. Make quinoa according to package directions and chop all other ingredients. 

We served this buffet style with veggie chips and strawberries and nectarines - it was a hit!

Grilled Eggplant Steaks with Tomatoes and Gremolata

Eggplant is one of my favorite vegetables and I love how easily it can be enhanced with a sauce (especially if that sauce contains garlic). It can be tricky to cook though - in the same way it absorbs the spices it absorbs oil - like a sponge. So there is a fine line between it being healthy and fat laden.

I’ve found that lightly brushing eggplant with a little oil and grilling is my favorite and the sauce with this recipe - yum. Top the eggplant with some fresh cherry tomatoes and feta and add grilled mushrooms and onions, some fruit and lightly dressed greens and you have a perfect summer dinner.

Ingredients 

Eggplant

1 large eggplant – sliced into ½ inch -¾ inch thick slices

olive oil, salt and pepper for grilling

3–4 tablespoons Gremolata (see below)

1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

drizzle olive oil

OPTIONAL – crumbled goat or feta cheese

Gremolata

1 cup packed Italian Parsley ( small stems OK)

2 - 3 garlic cloves minced

Zest of one small lemon, plus 1-2 teaspoons lemon juice

½ cup olive oil

⅛ teaspoon kosher salt and pepper, more to taste

pinch chile flakes

Instructions

Eggplant

Preheat Grill to medium high. Slice eggplant into ½ inch thick slices. Brush both sides with olive oil and salt and grill each side for 4 minutes, or until good grill marks appear.  Stack in a baking dish or bowl and wrap up tightly in foil so they cook all the way through and become translucent.

Gremolata

Place parsley, garlic and zest in a food processor and pulse until chopped.

Add oil, salt & pepper and lemon juice. Pulse again, until uniformly combined. Add chili flakes for a touch of heat if you like. Store in a jar in the fridge for up to 1 week.

Tomatoes

Toss the tomatoes with a pinch of salt and some fresh herbs.

Assemble

Lay the eggplant steaks down on a serving dish. Spoon a little gremolata over each one. Top with the tomatoes. Top with crumbled goat or feta if you like. 

Hope you are enjoying the summer and thanks for stopping by. 

Spicy Black Beans with Turmeric Roasted Cauliflower

Summer is here; the deck furniture has been unearthed, the garden planted, and a few gin and tonic’s have been consumed. We’re ready to spend time on the deck with the neighbors and catch up after the long and very strange winter. 

 This year’s garden experiment is patty pan squash and onions. We decided that as much as we love cauliflower and broccoli they take up a lot of space with little return so we’ll leave that to the larger farms and we’ll support them at the farmers market. 

I found this recipe at Rebel Recipes and with just a couple minor tweaks (because either we didn’t have the ingredients or didn’t care for them) it’s the same. 

The blend of cumin, paprika and turmeric provides a rich base of flavors for the cauliflower and compliments the rustic flavor of the beans. For those of you who are purists and want to make your own beans (either in the instant pot or the old fashioned way), I say have at it. Semi retirement has given me more time to do the things I love. Sometimes I choose to start from scratch and others I choose to speed up the process so I can get back to my garden or what ever project I’m working on. 

Ingredients:

For the Cauliflower; 

1 medium head of cauliflower chopped into florets

2 tbsp olive oil

1 tsp turmeric

1/2 tsp cumin

1/2 tsp smoked paprika

Big pinch sea salt

Black pepper

Big pinch chilli flakes

For the Black Beans; 

1 onion roughly chopped

2 tbsp olive oil

3 cloves garlic sliced

1 tsp Turmeric

1 tsp ground cumin

1/2 tsp chilli flakes

10 cherry tomatoes sliced in half

1 can black beans – including the water

1 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Instructions

For the Cauliflower

Pre heat the oven to 350. Combine the oil and spices to a large bowl and mix well.

Add cauliflower and mix well. Place on a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper and roast for 20 minutes. Remove from over, turn and continue to roast for an additional 20 minutes until the cauliflower is cooked and golden brown. Remove from the oven.

For the beans 

Heat the oil in a large frying pan. Add the onion and fry for 8-10 minutes until soft and browning. Add the garlic and and spices and fry for another minute or so. Add the cherry tomatoes and cook until softened - approx. 3 minutes. Add the black beans with their liquid and cover and simmer for 10 minutes

Combine the cauliflower with the black bean mixture, season and serve with flatbread. It was delicious and lucky for me I got the leftovers for lunch the next day!

Thanks for stopping by!

Twisted Tabbouleh

Emily’s deli is a little spot in Northeast Minneapolis that makes hands down the best tabbouleh in the city; the ingredients are fresh the seasonings spot on and the pita bread melts in your mouth - it’s worth the trip. 

A month ago I bought a bag of hemp hearts at Costco - which may or may not have been a good idea. I tried them in an overnight soaked “oats” kind of recipe - skip that; on salads - keep that and sprinkled like sesames seeds to finish off a dish - again keep. 

Hemp hearts may look little, but they contain 10 grams of plant-based protein and 12 grams of omega-3 and omega-6 per 30-gram serving (more than a comparable serving of flax or chia) so they are good for you and they have that nutty flavor I like. 

I had a tabbouleh craving and didn’t really have time for a trip to Emily’s so I did a quick search for a recipe. Knowing I didn’t have bulgar I decided to give hemp hearts a try as a substitute - definitely a good choice. 

I started with all the regular ingredients and simply replaced the bulgar with hemp hearts - done. 

Ingredients

1 cup Manitoba Harvest Hemp Hearts

1/2 cup diced onion

1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered

1 cucumber, chopped into small bits (about 1 1/3 cup)

1 cup fresh mint, chopped

1 cup fresh parsley, chopped

1 clove garlic, minced

1 lemon, juiced

2 Tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

Add all ingredients in a large bowl and toss to combine. Taste and add additional lemon juice, olive oil and pepper, if needed. Serve immediately or chill in the fridge until ready to serve. The tabbouleh may collect a little liquid as it sits, just give it a good stir if this happens.

Serve with pita bread - Nom nom nom.