Thursday, April 17, 2014

Spaghetti with Chard and Cheese Sauce

Chard is so over. That bandwagon has come and gone. Only I'm not done yet. It's sweeter than spinach, and a lot less work to prep. What's not to like?

This is a quick cheese sauce with the chard tossed in to wilt. I didn't expect it, but some of the chard clumped into small cheesy morsels. Yeah, yum.

Wednesday, April 16, 2014

Roasted Vegetables and Polenta

Roasting veggies low and slow, provides wonderful texture, with crunchy exterior and soft interior. It also concentrates the sweet flavors.

All discussed at more length here:
http://v-e-g.blogspot.com/2014/04/roast-dinner.html

Tonight I added chunks of leftover cheesy polenta (spell check hint: tadpole).
http://v-e-g.blogspot.com/2014/03/baked-polenta.html

I like to make extra polenta for lunches (well, yeah, I like to make extra of everything for lunches) but this time there was more than enough to make a whole nother meal.

But, if you slow-roast your veggies, there's enough time to make fresh polenta.

Serve with parmesan for grating and a salad.

Sunday, April 13, 2014

Passover

Passover is upon us and, though we didn't go to a Seder, we had Hillel sandwiches with Sephardic haroset (charoset?) and thought about oppression.

Maybe we should review the Monty Python Haggadah.

Back Yard Grill

This Sunday, the first grilling session of the season caught me off guard, but we had all we needed anyway.

I made a dog and buns, potato salad and slaw. Not pictured: mushrooms and onions, a brat for the omnivore, sunshine, and beer.

Everything was great except I was talking to a neighbor and burned the brat. I should not be in charge of cooking meat. So it goes.

Here's the correct way to make your own veggie dogs. I take lots of shortcuts and it turns out fine. I'm not trying to make it look or taste like it's made of meat. If it tastes good, I'm happy.

You can also grill a carrot. Also very good.

Many people like their potato salad without mayo. Me too, sometimes. But other times I like this, with red onions, mayo, and egg.

Have we talked about steaming your hard-boiled eggs? Easier to get the timing right and easier to shell. Try it.
Quick slaw takes about an hour to wilt be worth it. We used both green and red cabbage. Shave, smash and toss with a little sugar, salt and pepper. Weight it down until it starts to brak down and release some liquid, about a half an hour. Add a little vinegar, red onion and carrot. You can add herbs, but not needed.

Saturday, April 12, 2014

Sandwich

Saturday's lunch was a winner - besan bread, kimchi, mozzarella, panelle, more kimchi.

I was going to throw it under the broiler for a sec to get the cheese a little gooey, but really, I couldn't wait to eat it.

Thursday, April 10, 2014

Rice Dumplings

Another steamed rice dumpling breakfast. This one is stuffed with leftover rice pilaf.

Besan Breakfast Quesadilla

Fried egg and cheese in a soft chickpea flour flat bread.

This was a great way to start the day.

Wednesday, April 09, 2014

Rice Pilaf

Yes, another rice pilaf recipe.

Tuesday, April 08, 2014

Cauliflower

Sauteed cauliflower turns into a great sauce and can be flavored a number of ways.

Serve it over pasta, cous cous, or rice.

Monday, April 07, 2014

One-Pot Pasta

This is the one-pot pasta method that makes a nice meal and is so easy. Perfect for a week-night meal.




Friday, April 04, 2014

A Full Lid

What is it? It's dinner. Eat.

Kidding.

It's mushroomy four-rice pilaf, buttery brussels sprouts, and grapefruit.

Empanada

When is dumpling not a dumpling? When it's an empanada. This one is filled with banana.

Thursday, April 03, 2014

Donburi

This is not made with traditional ingredients, but the idea is as old as eating - a rice bowl of Japanese-inspired deliciousness.

I call it donburi to acknowledge the inspiration, not to demean the original.

Sopes Breakfast

Sopes, not just for dinner anymore.

Monday, March 31, 2014

Broccoli Pizza

It's not a problem to get pizza on the table for dinner, even on a busy day.

Sunday, March 30, 2014

Popcorn

Then I remembered that I could make popcorn.

Friday, March 28, 2014

Baked Polenta

It's pretty easy, but it does take a while.



Thursday, March 27, 2014

Chard

Give us, this week, our beautiful chard. This is just an easy weeknight dinner, but it's so good.




Tuesday, March 25, 2014

Dumplings

With a little practice, and good leftovers to use as stuffing, you can make steamed dumplings on a weekday breakfast. They reheat in a microwave really well.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Lentilghetti

Butter is the core of this dish, but you could use EVOO, if you prefer.

Bagel

More magic with your no-knead refrigerator dough - I give you the bagel!

But I'll save mine to bring to work.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Stir Fry

Not just for week nights, you can make a great stir fry on a busy weekend night, too.

Friday, March 21, 2014

Pack a Lunch

Leftovers make great lunches to bring to work, but once in a while you want something fresh and special. Well I do.

Today it's cheese on a whole wheat english muffin, with corn chips.

Monday, March 17, 2014

Eat a Pita

It won't make you falafel.

I had always though of pita as a rugged bread, built to wrangle messy stuffing.

Homemade pita is a delicate wrap, even when half whole wheat flour. It's a joy to watch it magically puff up. As much fun to make as it is to eat.

This one is stuffed with falafel salad.

St. Patrick's Day

What to eat if you don't want meat? Tonight, cabbage two ways and roasted potatoes. And there's beer. Oh yes, there's beer.

OK, I added beets. But you get the point, I started with those base ingredients and went from there.

When you roast beet slices with potatoes, the beet juice caramelizes on the potato skins and, oh my good. You can serve with sour cream or yogurt, or one of those mixed with sriracha, but it's not really necessary.

In this case, just to get done more quickly, I started the beets cooking on the stove while the oven was warming up. So the whole shebang was done in an hour.

I had slaw in the fridge. Not kimchi or sauerkraut, vinegar slaw that keeps really well.

The red cabbage slaw with red peppers and vinegar is warm.

Monday, March 03, 2014

Yogurt

There's been a lot of talk about yogurt lately. How it's good for a woman's digestion and general well-being. How does it know it's been eaten by a woman?

And it's really good for the upstate NY economy. So, rather than help my neighbors, I decided to start making my own. Oh, I buy one cup, now and then, if I forget to make a new batch before the last is all gone. But mostly I keep up. It's so easy.

Start with organic milk. Rinse your pot with cold water to help with cleanup of scorched milk. Measure enough for your container. I use a clean peanut butter jar. Pour milk into a pot and, on medium heat, slowly warm until it's steaming and just forms a skin.

While that's going on, it should just be a few minutes, think about how you're gong to keep the milk warm for a few hours, about 100 degrees. There are lots of options. I warm the oven for a couple of minutes, then leave the light on. It does a great job.

Transfer pot to cold water bath for just a couple of minutes, until the bottom of the pot cools. Put some live yogurt into the container with a pit of warm milk. Not too hot, or you'll kill the bacteria. Stir to mix, add the rest of the milk, secure a top and place in your warm place for at least a few hours.

If I make it in the morning, it's ready by dinner time. If I start it at night, it's good in the morning.

It'll look a bit runny until you refrigerate for a few hours. The first batch from store-bought is usually just runny. You can strain to thicken.



Now I hear that's it's even easier to make paneer. I'm looking forward to it.

White on Rice

The rice takes about 12 mins to cook and another five to steam. The broccoli takes about seven minutes to be perfect, so toss it into the rice pot about half way through cooking and you get a great side dish in one pot.

Saturday, March 01, 2014

Sushi

This veggie sushi was pretty straight forward, and made a nice appetizer. With carrot, cucumber, avocado and sesame seeds.


Club Sandwich

This triple decker started with a whole wheat bun, and featured sauerkraut and a spicy chickpea panelle center. A nice Saturday lunch treat.

Tuesday, February 25, 2014

Slow Cooker Chili Dinner

Chili, wild and brown rice mix, steamed broccoli, pear. February 25. This is a commercial rice mix where the brown rice is par-boiled, so the mix only takes 20 mins to cook. You can get a less processed kind that takes the 40 mins you'd expect.

Slow cooker chili. Here's a recipe that really starts with the old Moosewood basics, but everyone spices it differently. Invent your own.

If you leave out the grains, serve with brown/wild rice mix. Not flavored too much - cooked in plain water, just a little salt and butter or olive oil. Don't forget to let it steam for 5-10 mins before serving

Put out toppings like lime, grated cheddar, sour cream, fresh salsa, sriracha, chopped scallion, cilantro, guacamole ...

Some of us made chili like this for decades before discovering how much better and easier it is using a slow cooker. You know how some food tastes better leftover and reheated? Like chili? It comes out of the slow cooker that way the first time.

It's just amazing to come home from work and find a pot of delicious food waiting for you. And it's a treat to have a Saturday meal on a weeknight.

Friday, February 21, 2014

Sopes

Sopes with refried beans, chickpea nuggets and salsa. February 21.

Sopes? Wonderful corn masa quick bread. Here's a recipe. You can top them how you like. I had these leftovers:

Fresh salsa, pico de gallo recipe.

Slow cooker refried beans recipe.

Chickpea nuggets, from flour. Here's the recipe.


Wednesday, February 19, 2014

Mac and cheese


Easy one pot mac n cheese leaves plenty of time to bake with breadcrumbs. Serve with smothered kale and beans. February 19.

One pot mac n cheese recipe.

Smothered kale and beans, kind of like this recipe.



Saturday, February 15, 2014

Veggie enchiladas

Sauteed zukes and carrots, beans and cheddar, in corn tortillas, baked in a quick red sauce. It came out a bit dry, but served with more warm sauce, salsa, guacamole, sour cream. Slow Saturday, February 15.

Enchilada basics recipe. Other ingredients are really easy:

Slow cooker beans recipe. Use whole beans or refry.

Soft corn tortillas recipe.Corn tortillas bake better than wheat. No, you don't need a tortilla press.

Simple tomato sauce recipe base. Chop the onion and leave it in. Add sriracha. Not too much.








Friday, February 14, 2014

Dumplings

Rice dumplings with stuffed chickpea puree, and wheat dumplings with fried rice. Dipping sauce was soy sauce and white balsamic vinegar. February 14.

Rice dumplings are like this recipe.

Wheat dumplings are based on this wonderful recipe.

Saturday, February 08, 2014

Vegetarian Reuben

A really awesome sandwich based on the reuben, with cheddar and brie, kimchi and mustard (store-bought), on a roll. Slow Saturday lunch, February 8.

This recipe is a pretty good start, but include what you like. I like to make as many of the ingredients as I can.

Choosing your cheese? America's Test Kitchen helped with these suggestions.

Sauerkraut is a standard. Kimchi really steps it up. Recipe here.

Rye bread is standard. Try a whole wheat roll, but add caraway seeds.


Wednesday, February 05, 2014

One pot pasta

After finding out how great and easy one pot mac n cheese is, I tried another one pot pasta. Great mid-week meal! February 5.

Walnut allergy

I'm allergic to walnuts. But only sometimes. I love them, so I eat one now and then. The're only available fresh in the shell in the winter, so, I'll have a couple. Not a big deal.

But when I have bits from a bag, terrible!

Then I tried toasting the bits. Much fewer problems! Not like no allergy at all, but much more mellow. I had brownies that baked with walnut bits on top. Same good reaction.

I can't recommend this or I'd be liable for your terrible reaction. So I don't recommend this. It's just the internet.

Grilled kimcheese sandwich and tomato soup

Lunch from Saturday, February 1. Start with Marcella Hazan's revolutionary, magical quick fresh tomato sauce. It lead to a delicious soup, too. The grilled cheese sandwich can be traditional, tricked up, or made awesome with kimchi. We had store-bought bread, so I didn't have to make a quick roll.

Here's the sauce recipe. It's magic because it's so simple, easy and perfectly delicious.

It's also a great base for soup - include a bit of cumin. I love to make this in late summer when there are so many fresh tomatoes.

Kimcheese? Well first make some kimchi, then we can talk. It's really easy. Everyone has their favorite grilled cheese recipe. That's fine. Just don't be afraid to add some real flavor, like this recipe.


Tuesday, February 04, 2014

Brown rice

Brown rice pilaf from February 4. The rice takes 40 mins to cook, but I'm in no rush.

In our regular dinner rotation, but never the same twice.

Sometimes paired with a bean dish, sometimes mixed beans right in.

Sometimes milky-cheesy and Italian spices, sometimes Greek, Chinese, Thai, or Indian.

In the summer we have fresh veggies to select, in the winter we have the supermarket's greatest hits.

This is a very good recipe, similar to ours.