The EmT Plate

Chard and Sweet Potato Gratin (or winter squash)

2011-11-27T16:52:00.000-05:00

I am a bit late to the party for Smitten Kitchen, but smarter heads prevailed in a recent search for delicious vegetarian dish that would use up some of the chard that is (still!) growing in the garden. The recipe for swiss chard and sweet potato gratin at Smitten Kitchen turns out a delicious crowd-pleaser that I've made twice so far (and will definitely make again!).

The first time around, we had some winter squash puree that we'd frozen amidst the squash deluge from the CSA this fall, so we substituted squash for the sweet potatoes. It was delicious.

[picture #1]

Then for Thanksgiving we followed the recipe more closely, using sweet potato rounds and an applewood smoked gruyere that imparted this dish with an almost bacon-y scent and taste. Everyone (well, almost everyone) at Thanksgiving dinner gave the dish a thumbs up. (A couple folks swore up and down that they don't like sweet potatoes. I don't know how it is that I am related to them.)

[picture #2]

Finally, a friend of mine also made this dish for a fall potluck. Instead of chard, she substituted frozen mustard greens, and she kept the sweet potatoes. It was a hit.

(Vegetarian) French Onion Soup

2011-10-13T20:30:00.000-04:00

Caramelized onions, crusty bread, and melty cheese...what's not to love about French onion soup? If you are a vegetarian, perhaps the strong beef broth that serves as a base of this popular soup. But with the rain pouring down outside and oodles of onions from last week's CSA delivery filling my produce bowl inside, I was determined to make a vegetarian version of French onion soup that could pass muster. This one is lighter in color and sweeter than what you'd get with the traditional recipe, but my fiancee pronounced it delicious - just the thing for a rainy, stormy night. We actually made this one night (through step 3), froze about 2/3 of it, and refrigerated the rest to heat and serve for dinner the following day.

French Onion Soup (~6-8 servings)
1 T. butter
2 T. olive oil
4 large onions, finely sliced
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 tsp. sugar
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
2 T. flour
1 c. white wine
4 c. vegetable broth
1 c. apple cider
1 c. water
6-8 slices French bread, toasted
grated Gruyere cheese, to taste

1. In a large stock pots, heat butter and oil over medium-high heat until melted. Add the onions and cook about 10 minutes, until soft and just starting to go from translucent to brown.

2. Add the garlic, sugar, and thyme. Reduce heat to medium and continue cooking, stirring frequently, until onions are brown - about 30-35 minutes.

3. Stir in the flour, wine, broth, cider, and water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium or medium-low and simmer for 45 minutes.

4. If you are brave and have oven-proof bowls, heat the broiler. Fill each bowl about 3/4 with soup, then add a piece of toast and top with grated cheese. Broil about 3-4 minutes. If you are less brave or don't have oven-proof bowls, float the bread, top with cheese, and microwave for 30-60 seconds, or until cheese is melted.

Acorn Squash Pasta Bake (also good for butternut squash)

2011-10-10T11:48:00.000-04:00

I have been a very bad blogger, and have left this site for over a year (yikes!). However, my culinary adventures have continued...and today, I bring you acorn squash pasta bake!

This delicious autumn dish was born of necessity - our CSA gives us lots of squash, and so we've been very creative in finding ways to use it - in squash soup and baked squash and spaghetti form. But I had committed as the host of a potluck dinner, and wanted to find something really great to make with some of the squash that we'd roasted, scooped, and frozen a few weeks ago. And thus the acorn squash pasta bake was born...(sorry there are no pictures - we ate it too quickly!)

Acorn Squash Pasta Bake (~ 8 servings)
1 lb. pasta of choice (I used mini penne; ziti, penne, shells, elbows, rotini, etc. would all work)
2 cups acorn or butternut squash, already roasted or boiled and mashed*
1 cup ricotta cheese
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 clove garlic, or 1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1 T. olive oil
1 egg
freshly grated black pepper, to taste
salt, to taste
1 bunch spinach or chard, chopped (about 1/2 pound, give or take depending on your taste)
1 cup shredded mozzarella cheese

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Butter or spray a 9x13 baking dish.

2. Boil the pasta according to package directions for al dente. Drain.

3. While the pasta is cooking, puree the squash, ricotta, cinnamon, nutmeg, garlic, olive oil, egg, pepper, and salt in a blender or food processor to make a smooth sauce.

4. Stir together pasta, squash sauce, and chopped spinach or chard and turn into baking dish. Sprinkle with mozzarella cheese.

5. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil and bake 30 minutes at 350F. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

* To prepare squash, slice in half and scoop out the seeds. Rub the cut side with a bit of olive oil or butter and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake at 375F for 30 minutes, turn cut side up, and continue baking until tender, ~15-30 minutes depending on size of squash. Scoop flesh out of shell. If you are using butternut squash, you can also peel the raw squash and slice into 1" chunks, then boil until tender (~10-15 minutes).

Chai-Spiced Applesauce

2010-10-03T20:49:00.002-04:00

A few weeks ago, I noticed that the grocery store was selling chai-spiced apple cider and I thought "I bet I could make a chai-spiced applesauce that is pretty good." I used the following recipe to make two batches of sauce - for one, I cored the apples but left the skins on and did not mash the apples after cooking (making the dish more like baked apples than a true sauce), for the other I skinned the apples and mashed them into a sauce. Both versions came out pretty tasty, so choose the preparation that sounds better to you. As with any applesauce recipe, it is pretty easy to scale up and down on the ingredients depending on the amount of apples you happen to have on hand and on your own taste.

Chai-Spiced Applesauce

4-6 lbs. apples

1 c. water or apple juice

1/2 c. brown sugar

1 stick cinnamon

1-2 tsp. ground cardamom or 3-4 green cardamom pods, lightly crushed

1 tsp. whole or ground cloves

1-2 tsp. ground ginger or 1 T. fresh ginger

1 star anise cluster

1. Core, peel (if desired), and dice apples and place in a large stock pot with water (or apple juice), brown sugar, cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, ginger, and star anise. Cover and simmer over medium heat until apples are soft (~30 minutes), stirring occasionally. Uncover and simmer for another 10-15 minutes to reduce liquid.

2. Remove cinnamon stick and star anise cluster (and caradmom pods and whole cloves, if used). Mash with a potato masher (if desired).

Pumpkin Parmesan Orzo

2010-10-03T20:21:00.003-04:00

When I lived in Syracuse, I spent many a Saturday morning at the Central New York Regional Market, wandering through the many produce, baked goods, and other assorted vendors. The market never disappointed, and when I am back in town to visit friends, I often visit the market to pick up some fresh fruits and vegetables for the weekend's cooking. Last weekend, I found the stand for Flour City Pasta, which offers up organic pastas infused with locally-sourced herbs, vegetables, even fruits. I picked up their "autumn harvest orzo" - a blend of apple cinnamon, pumpkin, parsley sage, and beet orzos. Included in the package was the following recipe for orzo in a pumpkin sauce. If you don't live in Central New York, I'm guessing that it will be almost as good with plain orzo as it is with the flavored pasta. Serve this as a side dish or alongside a fresh green salad.

Pumpkin Parmesan Orzo (~4-6 servings)

1/2 lb. orzo

1 T. butter or olive oil

12 sage leaves, chopped + additional whole leaves for garnish

1 shallot, diced

1/3 c. milk

1 c. vegetable broth

1 c. pumpkin puree

salt and pepper to taste

1/3 c. grated or shredded parmesan cheese + additional for garnish

1. Cook orzo to al dente, according to package directions. Drain.

2. While orzo cooks, heat oil in a medium saucepan and sauté sage and shallots over medium heat, about 5 minutes.

3. Add milk and half of vegetable broth to saucepan, continue to cook over medium heat for 5 minutes.

4. Stir remaining broth and pumpkin puree into saucepan and simmer about 10 minutes or until sauce reaches desired thickness. Add salt and pepper if desired.

5. Toss orzo, parmesan cheese, and sauce. Garnish with additional sage leaves and shredded parmesan.

Whole Wheat Blueberry (Almond) Bread

2010-08-24T21:13:00.006-04:00

Summertime brings lots of fresh fruit to my apartment - or rather, it brings me to berry patches which results in me bringing home lots of fresh fruit. While I use some of the fruit quickly - eaten fresh with yogurt, stirring into scones, mixing into lemonade, or making preserves for future peanut butter and jelly sandwiches - I also store a lot in the freezer to pull out for later. A few weeks back, I was craving some blueberry bread, but wanted something healthier than the muffin-type breads I've made in the past. This loaf fits the bill - whole wheat flour, rolled oats, reduced oil content - and, of course, lots of juicy blueberries. I made the recipe twice over, once in a large loaf with only blueberries, and once in mini loaf pans with both blueberries and almonds. Both came out delicious!

Whole Wheat Blueberry (Almond) Bread (1 large loaf or 3 mini loaves)

2/3 c. packed brown sugar

3/4 c. skim or 1% milk (or try with almond milk, if you are lactose unfriendly or just want a different flavor)

1/4 c. applesauce

1/4 c. canola oil

2 eggs

2 1/4 c. whole wheat flour

1 c. rolled oats

3 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. salt

1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries (if frozen, allow to thaw for 15-30 minutes)

1/2 c. almonds (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease either 1 8-9" loaf pan or 3 mini-loaf pans.

2. In a medium bowl, stir together sugar, milk, applesauce, and eggs.

3. In a large bowl, stir together flour, oats, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt.

4. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients and pour in wet ingredients. Using a wooden spoon, stir until just combined.

5. Fold in blueberries (and almonds, if desired). Pour into prepared pan(s).

6. Bake at 350F for 45-55 min or until a toothpick comes out clean. (I found that the smaller breads took about 45 minutes and the larger bread took about 55-60 minutes). Remove bread from the oven and allow to cool for ~10 minutes. Run a knife around the edges of the pan and turn out onto a wire rack to continue cooling.

7. Slice and serve with a bit of butter, homemade preserves, or just on its own.

Black Bean and Corn Salad

2010-08-20T16:25:00.004-04:00

Hello there, faithful readers (if there are any of you left)! I've been offline for a while, at least as far as The EmT Plate goes, but that doesn't mean that I have abandoned the kitchen. I'll try to catch up with some recent recipes over the next few days...starting with today's contribution.

With summer in full swing here in DC, I've been making a variation on the following salad almost every week to serve at potlucks, pack in lunches, and complement dinners. The base for this salad (black beans + corn + cilantro lime dressing) can be mixed and matched with celery, bell peppers, green onions, red onions, chickpeas, red beans, green beans, or whatever else you have handy. And if there are things on that list that you don't like, just don't include them in your salad - it will still be great. Also, the amount of dressing to make will depend on how big a salad you make and how much dressing you like in the salad - if you are using all of the ingredients for the salad, make more dressing.

A couple of weeks ago I found a package of red sweet corn at the grocery store. When cooked, the kernels fade a bit on the outside, but they are still a beautiful scarlet once you cut them from the cob and thus make a colorful addition to this salad. If you are using fresh corn, boil it for about 5 minutes in lightly salted water, then let it cool before cutting off the kernels. If you are in a hurry, you can run the corn under cool water to speed the cooling process.

Black Bean and Corn Salad (a good size for a picnic or a few days worth of lunches)

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T. fresh cilantro, chopped OR 1 T. dried cilantro

1-2 T. lime juice

1-2 T. white balsamic vinegar or white wine vinegar

1-2 T. olive oil

1 can (15 oz.) black beans, drained and rinsed thoroughly

2 ears sweet corn, cooked and removed from cob OR 1 can (15 oz.) corn, drained and rinsed thoroughly

5-7 green onions (use the white bulb + some of the green stalk), sliced thinly OR 1 small red onion, diced

5-7 stalks celery, diced

1-2 bell peppers (red, yellow, orange, or green), diced

Optional: 1 can (15 oz.) chickpeas, red beans, or green beans

1. Combine garlic, cilantro, lime juice, vinegar, and olive oil in a small bowl and allow to sit while preparing ingredients for remainder of salad (15-30 minutes).

2. Combine beans (black + any optional ingredients), corn, onion, celery, and bell pepper in a large bowl.

3. Pour dressing over salad and stir thoroughly. Ideally, allow salad to sit for at least half an hour before serving to allow flavors to meld.

काला चना का सूप (Kala Chana ka Soop - Black Chickpea Soup)

2010-03-14T20:17:00.003-04:00

काला चना, or black chickpeas, are among my favorite legumes. They aren't available in cans here in the US, though - so if you cook with them, you will have to buy them dried and then soak and cook them - which means that cooking requires some extra planning and time. On the upside, many grocery stores (at least here in DC) are beginning to expand their Asian foods section - just yesterday I saw kala chana at Wegmans. If your local store doesn't carry black chickpeas, however, explore the nearest Indian grocery.

This recipe uses the black chickpeas as the basis for a soup broth. You won't need all of the chickpeas after cooking - the extras can be sprinkled on salads, processed into hommous, or eaten however else you'd like - or you can keep them as a part of the soup if you prefer.

As with my previous black chickpea recipe, this requires the use of a pressure cooker - if you don't have one, you'll need to increase the cooking time for step 1 to 1-2 hours, or until the chickpeas are tender.

काला चना का सूप (black chickpea soup) (~4-6 servings)
1 cup dried black chickpeas, washed in 3-4 changes of water
6-7 cups water
2 1" sticks of cinnamon
4 black cardamom pods, lightly crushed to break the skin
1/2 tsp. salt
1 T. ginger-garlic paste (store-bought or make your own by grinding together 1-2 cloves garlic and a quarter-sized piece of ginger)
1 15 oz. can tomato sauce
2 T. vegetable oil
1 quarter-sized piece of ginger, cut into matchsticks
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 T. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
1 15 oz. can diced tomatoes, drained
1/4 cup fresh cilantro (including stems), chopped

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight in enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Drain and place in pressure cooker with water, cinnamon, cardamom, salt, and garlic-ginger paste. Secure lid and cook over high heat until high pressure is reached, then cook 3 minutes more. Remove from from heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own (approx. 20 minutes). Open the lid and check to see if beans are soft. [If beans are not soft, add additional water, cover, and bring to high pressure and cook another 1 minute.]

2. Transfer the mixture to a large cast iron pan or other large pot [if there is too much liquid, remove some and save it to add as liquid evaporates during cooking]. Stir in the tomato sauce and cook over high heat for about 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally.

3. Heat the oil in a medium saute pan over medium high heat. Cook the ginger sticks (stirring frequently) until golden, about 1 minute. Add the cumin seeds, coriander, and tumeric in quick succession and cook about 30 seconds. Stir in diced tomato and cilantro and cook for 1-2 minutes more.

4. Set a strainer or colander atop the pressure cooker pot and pour soup mixture through in order to separate out chickpeas. Remove and discard cardamom pods and cinnamon sticks. In a food processor, combine tomato mixture and 1/2 - 1 cup of cooked chickpeas and process until smooth. Add this back to the soup, along with additional liquid and some whole chickpeas (~ 1/2 cup), if desired. Return soup to a low boil over medium heat and simmer for a few minutes until heated through.

5. Serve with fresh chapati/roti, or if you don't want to make fresh flatbreads, with crackers or a few slices of store-bought crusty french bread.

Food on the Fly - DC

2010-03-14T14:06:00.002-04:00

Between gigantic snowstorms that shut down the nation's capital for much of early February and travel for work and fun, I've been a bit remiss in posting recently. However, I would like to mention a couple of great places that I have come across recently in my quest for good food in DC...

First, DC sweet teeth have been taken by cupcakes for a couple of years now. However, places like Georgetown Cupcake, CakeLove, Baked & Wired, etc. have one major problem - they aren't very accessible to a large fan base, most of whom are stuck in offices all day and don't have the time to sojourn to Georgetown, U St., or other locales for a cupcake. Enter DC's new favorite trend - mobile eateries that carry their food in a van or truck and drive around downtown until they find a parking spot - then using Facebook and Twitter to broadcast their location. Born of this trend is Curbside Cupcakes, which makes some of the best cupcakes I've had - not too big or too small, priced decently ($3 - it sounds steep, but is actually spot on for perennially-overpriced DC), and most importantly, open to suggestions from their fan base. A few weeks ago I suggested carrot cake, and lo and behold it was on the truck this week (although with a plain cream cheese frosting, not the ginger-infused topping I'd suggested - I guess I'll have to experiment with that on my own). Another fan requested chocolate with a minty green top for St. Patrick's Day and yesterday and this weekend the truck has pulled up at Shamrock Fest and the DC St. Patrick's Day Parade with green cupcakes in ample supply.

Another purveyor of street food that I keep my eye on is Fojol Bros. of Merlindia. They aren't active right now - their latest update says they plan to be back on the streets mid-March (coming right up!) - but last summer their truck of (mostly) Indian food delights attracted large crowds wherever it stopped. In addition to Indian-style curries (both vegetarian and meat-based) served in a range of sizes, they help DC-ites beat the heat with lassipops (frozen lassis) in flavors like ginger and mango.

If you are in the mood for tasty curries before Fojol Bros. hit the streets again, and you happen to be near McPherson Square or Farragut North, check out Spice Express Indian Bistro, with locations at 1025 Vermont Ave. NW and 1020 19th St. NW. A lunchtime plate of rice and two curries (generous portions all around) costs $6.99 + tax. I recently had their palak paneer and chana masala and found both to be excellent. The bistro also has wraps, single curry plates, and other specialties.

An added bonus if you patronize these places - both Fojol Bros. and Spice Express use primarily recycled and biodegradable materials for their carryout boxes and flatware.

Snowmageddon II - Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

2010-02-06T21:04:00.004-05:00

As Snowmageddon blew itself out late this afternoon, moving on after leaving us with something in the neighborhood of two feet of snow here in Arlington, I stayed warm and toasty indoors by baking a strawberry-rhubarb pie. The strawberries were the last of a batch I picked last summer, the rhubarb I found during a 7 am trip to the grocery store yesterday morning before the storm came in (no eggs left, but frozen rhubarb and pre-made pie crust were in stock and on sale!).

The recipe I used was quite similar to the one found in this post from May, with a few changes:
- I also added 1/2 tsp. of orange zest to the sugar / flour mixture.
- I used more strawberries (3 1/2 cups) than rhubarb (2 1/2 cups) this time around.
- Because I was using frozen fruit, I let the fruit / sugar / flour mixture stand for 45 minutes before pouring it into the pie plate - then increased the baking time to 1 hour 25 minutes (keep foil on the edges of the pie for the first hour).

The pie came out quite delicious - although very juicy. To avoid the hassle of having to clean out leaked juices from your oven, place the pie on a shallow baking sheet, or place the baking sheet on the rack below the pie.

Snowmageddon I - Pesto-Spinach Lasagna

2010-02-06T10:26:00.004-05:00

DC is in the midst of its second major snowstorm of the winter (we had Snowpocalypse in December, which brought 18-20") and its third snowstorm of this past week (last weekend we got about 6 inches and on Tuesday we got another 3 inches). With the Capital Weather Gang calling for a total of 16-26" (or even 30"+) and the local network affiliates on overdrive with wall-to-wall weather coverage, it is time for cooking and baking.

First up during the storm (after braving the crowds at the grocery stores, of course): Pesto-Spinach Lasagna. This is my favorite lasagna, and I have my best friend to thank for it. She made me this lasagna to keep me fortified during my doctoral candidacy exams, and I have been craving it ever since. Making this particular pan was bittersweet, though - I used up the last of the pesto I'd make using homegrown basil from this past summer. Well, that's a bit of summer sun to cheer me up amidst all of this snow, at least!

Lasagna freezes quite well in individual servings if you have too much - allow the pan to cool completely, wrap each slice in a piece of plastic wrap, then put the individually-wrapped servings into a freezer bag and freeze - you'll be able to pull out a piece at a time as you need it.

Pesto-Spinach Lasagna (12 servings)
1 T. dried currants, soaked in warm water for 20 minutes
1 1/2 recipes pesto (for recipe, go here)
1 1/4 lbs. spinach or 1 1/2 lbs. swiss chard (or 2 14 oz. cans spinach, well drained)
2 T. olive oil
1/2 c. minced onions
3 T. pine nuts
1 clove garlic, minced
1 lb. ricotta or cottage cheese (low fat, if you prefer)
1 1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1 lg. egg
nutmeg (to taste)
salt and pepper (to taste)
1 12 oz. box no-cook lasagna noodles (or 1 lb. regular lasagna noodles, cooked)

1. Cook spinach "dry" (just with the water clinging to its leaves) over medium heat until just wilted, remove from pan and chop.

2. Heat olive oil over medium heat, brown onions, pine nuts, and garlic. Add chopped spinach and currants, cook about 2 minutes.

3. In a large bowl, stir together spinach mixture, ricotta cheese, parmesan cheese, egg, nutmeg, salt, and pepper.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. In a 9 x 13 baking dish, assemble the lasagna as follows (listed in order from bottom to top - thus start with the noodles and end with the pesto):
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/4 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 pesto sauce
Repeat - Repeat - Repeat (you'll have four layers when you finish)

5. Cover pan with foil and bake at 350F for 35 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and let stand for 5 minutes before serving.

Snowbaking - Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies

2010-02-06T09:43:00.006-05:00

Last weekend the DC metro area was socked with about 6 inches of snow - perhaps not much compared with the 20-30" we are expected to get during our current storm (more on that in posts to come) or the 18-20" we got during the Snowpocalypse of December 2009, but still more than enough to justify a bit of snowbaking. For this endeavor, I decided to try brownies made with the mint & chocolate chips I found at the grocery store during the holiday season. If you don't happen to have mint & chocolate chips on hand, try these with white, milk, or dark chocolate chips, peanut butter chips, or whatever your favorite mix-ins happen to be. These brownies come out moist and on the cakey side.

Mint Chocolate Chip Brownies (~ 24-32 brownies)
3/4 c. butter
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla (or mint extract)
1 1/2 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 c. milk
1 c. mint & chocolate chips + additional chips for sprinkling on top

1. Spray a 9 x 13 baking pan with nonstick spray and preheat oven to 350F.

2. Melt butter in microwave (1 1/2 - 2 minutes). In a large bowl, combine melted butter, sugar, and cocoa powder and stir with a wooden spoon until well mixed. Add eggs and vanilla and stir until just combined.

3. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and baking soda. Alternate adding dry ingredients and milk to the butter mixture, stirring after each addition. Fold in mint & chocolate chips.

4. Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake at 350F for 20-25 minutes, or until a toothpick can be inserted and removed cleanly. If desired, sprinkle additional mint & chocolate chips on top of the batter about 10 minutes into baking.

5. Remove pan from oven and allow to cool on a wire rack for about 2 hours, then cut into squares. If you cut a little earlier, use a plastic knife to reduce the amount of brownie that sticks to your knife.

What I Did During the DC Snowpocalypse: Molasses Cookies and Oatmeal-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies

2009-12-19T18:03:00.006-05:00

The East Coast is getting pounded by a massive snowstorm today - near my house in Arlington, VA the snow measured 17 inches deep at 3:45 pm and it is still going strong now that night has fallen. Most of the region is shut down (even the malls!), the Metro is running only underground, my car has morphed into a snowdrift (see picture at right), but I spent the day indoors in my PJs, watching Anne of Green Gables and baking cookies. Although I doubt anyone will show up for the party I'm hosting this evening, I'm sure that the cookies will still go to good use at the office and for Christmas celebrations in the coming days. In the meantime, I have a great DVD collection, hot cocoa, eggnog, and 9 or 10 dozen cookies to sustain me through the remainder of the storm.

Molasses Cookies (~4-5 dozen)
3/4 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup light brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup molasses
2 1/2 cups flour
1/4 tsp. salt
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
granulated sugar or colored sugar [since it is Christmas-time, I used a mixture of red and green decorating sugar]

1. Using an electric mixer, cream butter and brown sugar together. Continue to mix at low speed, adding egg then molasses.

2. In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt, baking soda, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, and cloves. Add to wet ingredients in several stages, mixing after each.

3. Cover and chill dough in the refrigerator for an hour.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Shape dough into balls about 1 or 1 1/2 inch in diameter, roll in granulated sugar, and place on a greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet with a silicone liner. If desired, press lightly with a fork to flatten slightly and form a grid pattern on each cookie.

5. Bake at 350F for 9-10 minutes, until edges of cookies begin to set. Remove from oven, allow to cool on pan for a few minutes, then move cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Oatmeal-Peanut Butter-Chocolate Chip Cookies (~ 4-5 dozen)
3/4 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup peanut butter
1 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/4 cups flour
2 cups rolled oats
1 cup semi-sweet or dark chocolate chips

1. Using an electric mixer, beat together butter and peanut butter until blended, about 30 seconds.

2. Add granulated sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and baking soda and beat until combined. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well. Add flour in a few batches, mixing well after each. You may need to switch to mixing by hand as the dough thickens.

3. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.

4. Preheat oven to 350F. Drop dough by rounded teaspoons onto a greased cookie sheet or cookie sheet with a silicone liner.

5. Bake at 350F for 10 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Remove from oven, allow to cool on pan for a few minutes, then move cookies to a wire rack to continue cooling.

Carrot Cake (in a Bundt pan)

2009-12-09T21:53:00.002-05:00

My favorite cake of all time is my grandmother's aeblekage (Danish apple cake). However, aeblekage isn't a "cake" in the sense that most people think of cake (it's more wet than dry, since the primary ingredient is applesauce), so when it comes to more traditional cakes, my favorites are carrot and spice.* I've had many good versions of these cakes (even some that have come out of a box - such as quick caramel apple cake), but I've had just as many that have been dry and forgettable. When a really great one comes along - moist, carroty, raisiny, with a cream cheese icing that is delicious without being overpowering - well, that makes me sit up and take notice. I'd like to think that this cake fits that bill - but I'll let you decide for yourself.

* For those who are wondering, chocolate cake is at the bottom of my list - in general, I would to go dessert-less than spend my calories on chocolate cake. However, there are two chocolate cakes that I have had that I think are worth repeating - one is the recipe my roommate uses as the base for her peanut butter-filled cupcakes, the other is the base that Curbside Cupcakes uses for their chocolate cupcake creations (I've tried their peanut butter cup and peppermint varieties so far - both were good).

Carrot Cake (in a Bundt pan)
Cake
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 tsp. orange zest (if desired)
boiling water (enough to cover raisins)
3 cups finely shredded carrots (use a food processor for best results)
4 eggs
1 cup applesauce
2 cups sugar (I used 1 cup white, 1 cup brown)
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1 tsp. salt
1/2 cup walnuts (if desired)

Glaze Icing
1 1/4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla extract
4 oz. cream cheese or Neufchâtel cheese
1 T. light corn syrup

1. Place raisins and orange zest in a small bowl and cover with boiling water. Allow to stand while shredding carrots and preparing wet and dry ingredients so that raisins become plump, about 20 minutes. Preheat oven to 350F and spray a Bundt pan with cooking spray or cooking spray with flour.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, applesauce, and sugar. In large bowl, mix flour, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.

3. Drain raisins and add to dry ingredients, along with carrots and walnuts. Fold in wet ingredients and stir until batter is well mixed. Pour batter into prepared pan.

4. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes; test with a toothpick to determine if the cake is done. Allow cake to cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn cake out of pan and allow cake to continue cooling (at least 30 minutes).

5. While cake is cooling, prepare the glaze icing. Combine powdered sugar, vanilla extract, cream cheese, and corn syrup using a hand mixer at low speed, mixing until icing is smooth.

6. Spread icing over the cake while it is still slightly warm. Allow cake to cool completely, then slice and serve.

Chicken Curry Meatballs

2009-12-05T21:06:00.004-05:00

With the holiday season upon us, it is time to think about whipping up fancy dishes for parties and potlucks. Here is an Indian twist on a party-standby: meatballs. Since these are made with chicken instead of beef and require some additional ingredients as a part of the meat mixture, you can't skimp on time and use frozen - but I was able to whip up a batch in about half an hour and then turn the cooking duties over to the crock pot for a few hours of simmering.

The secret to easy preparation is using an already-made simmer or cooking sauce as the base for the sauce. I used Patak's Mild Curry Cooking Sauce, although there are many options available in the international aisle of your grocery store. Select a sauce and adjust the amount of curry powder below based on your own (or your guests') tolerance for curry and spiciness. The version I made came out fairly mild - acceptable to those who aren't big fans of curry or spicy foods, but with enough flavor to stimulate the taste buds of those who are.

If you aren't serving these up on toothpicks for a party, try ladling a few meatballs and some sauce over rice (I used Lotus Foods Bhutanese Red Rice, a whole grain rice with a lovely reddish tint and good texture). I also included green beans and rose sharbat for my meal.

Chicken Curry Meatballs (~ 30-35 meatballs)
1/4 cup canola or olive oil
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped (~ 3/4 cup)
3 medium gloves garlic, chopped
2 tsp. curry powder [or more, depending on taste]
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
1 lb. ground chicken
3/4 cup bread crumbs
1 large egg, slightly beaten
1/4 cup cilantro, chopped
1 jar (12 - 15 oz.) curry simmer sauce [select mild, medium, or hot to suit your taste]
1 can (14 oz.) light or low-fat coconut milk
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock

1. Heat the oil in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and cook about 5 minutes, until onion is soft and lightly colored. Add garlic, curry powder, salt, and pepper, cook about 30 seconds (until curry is fragrant). Remove from heat (pour into a small bowl, if desired) and allow to cool for a few minutes.

2. Position an oven rack so that it is 4-6 inches from the broiling unit in your oven and preheat the broiler. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray foil with nonstick cooking spray.

3. Combine the ground chicken, bread crumbs, egg, cilantro, and onion mixture in a large bowl and mix well (use your hands if necessary - they are going to get dirty in just a minute anyway). Form the mixture into 30-35 walnut-sized meatballs (I used the tablespoon from my silverware drawer to scoop out just about the right amount of mixture for a meatball) and place these on the baking sheet.

4. Broil about 7 minutes. The meatballs will be more solid - but not cooked through.

5. In a large saucepan [or a crock pot], stir together the simmer sauce, coconut milk, and stock. Add the meatballs and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce heat to medium low and cook gently for 30 minutes, until meatballs are cooked through. [If using a crock pot, simmer four hours on low heat.]

काला चना मसाला (Kala Chana Masala - Black Chickpea Masala)

2009-12-05T19:47:00.009-05:00

While white chickpeas are fairly easy to find here in the United States, the black chickpeas used in this dish are harder to find - unless you go into an Indian grocery. काला चना (black chana) tends to be a bit firmer and nuttier than the white variety and I was very happy with how this dish turned out. This recipe requires the use of a pressure cooker - if you don't have one, change the cooking time in step 1 to approximately 2 hours.

काला चना मसाला (black chickpea masala)
1 1/2 cups dried black chickpeas, washed in 3-4 changes of water
5 cups water
3-4 T. chana masala spice mix
3/4 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 cup finely chopped tomatoes
4 scallions (white parts only), finely chopped
1/4 cup cilantro (including stems), finely chopped
2 T. peanut oil
1 tsp. cumin seeds
1 T. fresh ginger, minced (or paste)
1-3 fresh green chile peppers (e.g., serrano), split lengthwise or minced
1 T. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground paprika

1. Soak the chickpeas overnight (or at least 6 hours) in enough water to cover them by 2 inches. Drain and place in pressure cooker with 4 1/2 cups water and salt. Secure lid and cook over high heat until high pressure is reached, then cook 1 minute more. Reduce the heat to low and continue to cook another 3 minutes. Remove from from heat and allow the pot to depressurize on its own (approx. 15 minutes). Open the lid and check to see if beans are soft. [If beans are not soft, add additional water, cover, and bring to high pressure and cook another 1 minutes - or cover and simmer for about 45 minutes.]

2. Transfer chickpeas and remaining water to a deep-sided saute pan and cook over medium-high heat for 5 minutes, then reduce heat to medium-low and continue cooking (stirring occasionally) until all of the water evaporates, about 40 minutes.

3. Mix in half of the chana masala spice mix, then add tomatoes, scallions, and cilantro. Cook 2 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to a serving dish and sprinkle remaining spice mix over the top.

4. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, add the cumin seeds. Quickly add the ginger and green chile peppers and cook 1 minutes. Mix in coriander and paprika and immediately pour over chickpea mixture in serving dish. Stir lightly and serve.

कद्दू बर्फी - Pumpkin Barfi

2009-11-12T22:48:00.002-05:00

After having decent success with the pistachio barfi and coconut barfi I posted about a few weeks ago, I decided to branch out to other flavors. Inspired by the current fall season, I thought that pumpkin might be a good start. However, I couldn't find a recipe that I was happy with, so I did a bit of experimenting and came up with my own. This came out fairly soft - so you might want to extend the cooking times a bit and allow the mixture to get quite thick before removing from heat and pouring out - but even if yo stick with the times listed below, you should come out with a soft, sweet treat!

Pumpkin Burfi (~ 48 pieces)
6 T. unsalted butter
2 lbs. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup canned pumpkin
2 tsp. spices (cinnamon, nutmeg, etc.)

1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the ricotta cheese and lower the heat to medium. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until liquid evaporates - about 20-25 minutes.

2. Add the sweetened condensed milk and pumpkin and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture begins to thicken and pull away from the sides of the pan - about 10 minutes. Add the spices and continue cooking until all liquid is evaporated - about 5 minutes.

3. Pour mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and use a spatula to spread into a smooth, even layer.

4. Refrigerate until completely cooled. Cut into square or diamond-shaped pieces and serve or store in a tightly sealed container in the refrigerator for up to one month (use wax paper to separate the layers of cut barfi).

बर्फी (Barfi) - Pistachio Barfi and Coconut Barfi

2009-10-25T21:20:00.007-04:00

Last Saturday was दिवाली (Diwali), or festival of lights, celebrated in India and around the world. My friend Nidhi hosted a large party at her house and instructed my friend Emera and I to bring बर्फी (barfi), a fudge-like Indian sweet made with milk, sugar, and a variety of flavorings. While Emera and I both enjoy barfi, neither of us had actually made it previously, so we weren't sure how our attempt would turn out. For our first barfi, we decided to try pistachio barfi.

While the ingredients for barfi are simple - milk, sugar, butter, and pistachios - there is quite a lot of time involved in cooking it down from milk to fudge. Luckily, Emera and I were able to switch off and at times her husband even came in to relieve us. Although the finished product came out a bit gooeier than barfis we'd had in India and here in the States (one person described it as more of a halwa - a thick pudding), it was delicious! In the future, we might try grinding the pistachios even finer or perhaps cooking down the mixture a bit longer. However, even if you aren't able to get a firm, dryish barfi, this recipe yields a tasty treat.

This week, I tried a different recipe for barfi - this one using ricotta cheese and sweetened condensed milk in place of the milk and sugar and coconut instead of pistachios. In addition, the recipe calls for layering two different colors of barfi together. This time around, the barfi came out firmer - although still not quite as dry as what I've had in the past. However, it did cut well, hold its shape, and tasted very nice. More experiementation and repetition is needed, but both recipes yielded positive results. You can store barfi in tightly-sealed containers in the refrigerator for at least a month - use wax paper to separate the layers of cut pieces.

Pistachio Barfi (~ 20-30 pieces)
2 cups milk
3/4 cup sugar
2 cups shelled roasted pistachios (unsalted), processed into a fine powder
2 T. ghee or unsalted butter
2-3 drops केवड़ा (kewda or kevra) water [iris water]
1-2 drops green food coloring, if desired

1. Butter the bottom and sides of an 8 x 8 or 9 x 9 square dish and set aside.

2. Combine milk and sugar in large saucepan and heat over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Continue heating and stirring until mixture is much thickened and reduced to ~ 1/2 cup.

3. Reduce heat to medium, add pistachios and ghee. Continue heating and stirring until mixture begins to form a ball and pull away from the sides of the pan.

4. Stir in iris water and food coloring. Press mixture into buttered dish and refrigerate until completely cooled. Cut into square or diamond-shaped pieces.

Coconut Burfi (~ 48 pieces)
6 T. unsalted butter
2 lbs. part-skim ricotta cheese
1 14 oz. can sweetened condensed milk
1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut + additional coconut for topping
2-3 drops red food coloring

1. Process the coconut in a food processor until very fine; set aside.

2. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. When butter is melted, add the ricotta cheese and lower the heat to medium. Continue cooking, stirring frequently, until liquid evaporates - about 20-25 minutes.

3. Add the sweetened condensed milk and continue cooking and stirring until the mixture begins to thicken and pull away from the sides of the pan - about 10 minutes. Add the 1/2 cup processed coconut and continue cooking until all liquid is evaporated - about 5 minutes.

4. Pour about half of the mixture into a 9 x 13 pan and use a spatula to spread into a smooth, even layer. Add food coloring to the remaining mixture and stir thoroughly, until the remaining mixture is pink. Pour the pink layer over the white layer and use the spatula to spread it into a smooth, even layer.

5. Sprinkle additional coconut on top and refrigerate until completely cooled. Cut into square or diamond-shaped pieces.

Tomato - Basil Soup

2009-10-11T18:51:00.003-04:00

Today I went out to Larriland Farms in Woodbine, MD to take advantage of some of their fall bounty (you may remember Larriland as the inspiration for July's berry spectacular). This time around, I got apples (stayman, jonamac, braeburn, cameo, fuji, and ida red), yellow raspberries, and tomatoes. The apples will have to wait their turn, but I immediately harvested some basil from the windowsill and whipped up a batch of tomato-basil soup. While that simmered, I fashioned the golden raspberries into a crisp (using a halved version of my recipe for peach-ginger crisp). This soup is a great finish to a fall day spent at the farm with friends - and I'll freeze some of the leftovers for deep winter, when I need a bit of sunshine.

Tomato - Basil Soup (enough for a meal and for freezing)
6 -7 lbs. fresh tomatoes, sliced (and peeled and seeded, if you prefer)
1 cup fresh basil
1-2 tsp. black pepper, or to taste
1-2 tsp. salt, or to taste
1 T. olive oil
1 small rind of parmiggiano-reggiano cheese
1 cup milk or cream

1. Use a food processor to puree the tomatoes and basil. For a smoother soup, strain the liquid and reprocess the remaining mash before proceeding.

2. Stir together tomato/basil puree, pepper, salt, olive oil, and cheese rind in a large stockpot. Bring to low boil over medium heat, reduce to medium-low and simmer for 30 minutes.

3. Add milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 more minutes. Remove any remaining cheese rind.

4. Ladle into bowls and serve! This soup goes well with grilled cheese (of course!), a crust bread, or tortilla chips. Store leftovers in the refrigerator or freeze for the bleak midwinter.

Crabapple Butter

2009-09-22T21:11:00.002-04:00

While visiting Syracuse this past weekend, I stopped by the Central New York Regional Market (one of the best farmers' markets I've had the chance to attend regularly - and something that I really miss now that I live down in DC). The market was in full swing and amongst the early fall produce I found some crabapples that looked absolutely beautiful. The fact that I'd never cooked anything with crabapples before didn't stop me - so I bought a small basket and brought them back home with me (along with a larger basket of jonamac apples that have been making my lunch tote very happy). After a bit of scouting about for ideas of what I might actually do with my batch of crabapples (chutney, jelly, preserves, and spiced whole apples all sounded tempting), I settled on crabapple butter. This recipe yields about a pint of ruby-colored crabapple butter that you can use as a spread for toast, quick breads, or just eating by the spoonful.

Crabapple Butter (~ 1 pint)
2 lbs. crabapples, stems removed and quartered (do not peel or core)
1 cup water
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground cloves
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar (adjust if necessary to achieve desired sweetness/tartness)

1. Place crabapples and water in a large pot, spreading apples into a single layer if possible. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until apples are soft (~ 15 minutes). Crush using a potato masher then strain through a sieve, pushing through as much of the pulp as possible. Discard remaining skins, seeds, etc.

2. Combine pulp, cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, and sugar in a saucepan. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and simmer until the sauce thickens, stirring regularly, about 20-30 minutes.

3. Spoon into clean dry canning jar(s) and cover. Cool and refrigerate.

Julia Child, baked cucumbers, and Mastering the Art of French Cooking

2009-09-13T20:38:00.009-04:00

Over the Labor Day weekend I headed out to the movies to see Julie & Julia, which combines the stories from Julia Child's My Life in France with Julie Powell's blog (and later book) about her journey through Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking (actually written by Child and Simone Beck, with some contributions from Louisette Bertholle). I'd picked up Powell's book and leafed through it at the bookstore when it first came out a few years ago, but didn't go any further. However, when the movie came out - well, who can resist Meryl Streep - especially Meryl Streep playing the very unique Julia Child? I'd seen some stories about the rapid rise in popularity of the hefty cooking tome generated by the movie - but before going into the theatre I thought "nah - I'm not soooo interested in French cooking that I'd plunk down big bucks for Child's cookbook." Then there was the scene in the movie in which Powell has a dinner party and serves baked cucumbers.

Baked cucumbers. Who'd have thought that cukes - so delicious when freshly sliced and served with a touch of salt, or blended into a chilled soup (cucumber green tea and gazpacho come to mind) - who'd have thought that these members of the melon family could be baked into anything that didn't resemble a dish of watery mush? Julia Child, that's who. And with that short bit of film I was suddenly hooked. Fast-forward through a few days of contemplation, an emailed coupon for 15% off any book, and a trip to my local Barnes & Noble, and I had my very own copy of Mastering. And on page 499, I found the introduction to a short section on how to bake cucumbers (concombres).

Child helpfully notes that the moisture in cucumbers must be reduced before baking - but blanching removes water as well as taste. Instead, the book suggests "a preliminary sojourn in salt draws out the water...yet leaves the flavor, which a little vinegar and a pinch of sugar accentuates." And indeed this does the trick precisely - combining the newly dewatered cucumbers with a bit of butter, dill, onion, and pepper, then baking for an hour yields a dish that tastes delicious, retains just a slight bit of crispness, and adds a bit of variety to the normal vegetable rotation (okay, technically cukes are a fruit - but like squashes, tomatoes, eggplants, and peppers, they are still "vegetables" to most people).

Stay tuned for more adventures with Mastering the Art of French Cooking - although I don't intend to cook my way through the entire collection of 500+ recipes (aspics, live lobsters, and deboning ducks just aren't my style) - I did spot some recipes in the film and in my perusal of the book since that I am looking forward to testing myself.

Spicy Red Lentils

2009-09-10T21:50:00.004-04:00

My first foray into full-on Indian cooking this past spring was dal - and as you may recall, it turned out favorably. I've decided to return to dal, this time trying a recipe using red lentils (dhulli masoor dal) that is quite a bit spicier than what I've tried in the past. In fact, because the store was out of green chiles, I ended up substituting half a habenero - and consequently this came out very spicy. If you prefer your food to be more mild, you can use a sweeter pepper (e.g., Anaheim or jalapeño) or use only some of the chile. Also, be sure to serve this with naan, chapatis, or rice to help keep the heat under control.

Spicy Red Lentils (~ 4 - 6 servings)
1 T. garlic-ginger paste or 1 T. ginger paste + 1 clove garlic, minced
2 tsp. Bengali five spices (panch-phoran)*
1 cup red lentils, sorted and washed
4 1/2 cups water
1/4 tsp. ground tumeric
3/4 tsp. salt
1 small onion, finely chopped
1 fresh green chile pepper, minced with seeds
1 T. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/4 tsp. ground paprika or cayenne pepper
1-2 tsp. sugar
2 T. peanut oil
4-6 whole dried red chile peppers

1. Combine lentils, water, tumeric, and salt in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally and adjusting heat as needed to make sure that the pot doesn't boil over.

2. Add onion, garlic-ginger paste, green chile, coriander, cumin, paprika, and sugar. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 15 minutes, until dal is soft and creamy. Remove from heat and place in serving dish, covering to keep warm.

3. Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add red chiles and cook about 30 seconds (stand back in case the peppers pop). Add panch-phoran and immediately remove from heat and pour over dal. Lightly swirl oil mixture into dal and serve.

* If you can't find panch-phoran at your local supermarket or Indian grocery, you can make your own by mixing equal parts cumin, fennel, black mustard, kalonji, and fenugreek seeds.

Quick Caramel Apple Cake

2009-09-08T21:50:00.004-04:00

It's fall! If you are looking for a fairly simple (but very delicious) dessert, try sprucing up a regular box o' cake mix and tub o' frosting to make a caramel apple Bundt cake with these simple substitutions...

What you'll need:
1 box of spice-flavored cake mix
1 tub of caramel-flavored frosting
Eggs (as called for by the cake recipe)
Apple juice or apple cider (equivalent to amount of water called for in the recipe - or you can do half apple juice / half water, depending on taste)
Applesauce (equivalent to amount of oil called for in the recipe)

What to do:
1. Prepare cake mix as directed (substituting apple juice and applesauce as explained above) and pour into a greased Bundt cake pan.

2. Bake according to directions on the box for Bundt cakes.

3. Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely. Turn out onto a plate.

4. Heat 1 cup frosting in microwave-safe bowl, 10 seconds at a time and stirring after each cycle, until very soft and pourable (~ 30 seconds total). Pour or ladle frosting over top of cooled cake, allowing frosting to run down sides.

5. Let cake sit until frosting sets, then slice and serve.

Broiled Portobello Mushroom Caps

2009-09-08T21:25:00.003-04:00

While visiting some friends in Syracuse a couple of weeks ago, I had the chance to partake of food from one of my favorite Syracuse restaurants - Dinosaur BBQ. While Dinosaur has lots of delicious meat options, what really caught my tastebuds this time was their grilled portobello caps. So over the Labor Day holiday, I decided to try my own version. Since I didn't have a grill handy, I had to settle for broiling - but if you have a grill, you can certainly throw these on the barbie instead of under the broiler!

Once the mushroom caps are ready, you can serve them as a main dish, put them on a bun with a tomato and other condiments and serve as portobello burgers, or slice and use as a side dish. If you have leftovers, slice and warm in the microwave or on the stove, then serve over pasta or a creamy risotto.

Broiled Portobello Mushroom Caps (4 servings)
4 large portobello mushroom caps
1/3 c. olive oil
1/3 c. balsamic vinegar
1/4 c. chopped sweet onion
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1 T. dried cilantro
grated parmesan cheese (to taste)

1. Set portobello caps gill side up on a broiling pan.

2. Combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and cilantro. Drizzle over mushroom caps and allow to sit for at least 1 hour.

3. Heat oven to broil and broil mushrooms for 7-8 minutes.

4. Sprinkle parmesan cheese over each mushroom cap and broil an additonal 6-7 minutes.

5. Serve and enjoy!

Cold Lentil Salad

2009-08-16T19:13:00.004-04:00

The other half of my cool lunches for the week is this cold lentil salad, also adapted from Moosewood. It combines lentils, veggies, and a tangy mango-yogurt dressing.

Cold Lentil Salad (6-8 servings)
1 1/2 cups lentils
1 cup chopped onion
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 cups water
1 cup chopped bell pepper
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped red onion

Mango Yogurt Dressing
1 cup plain yogurt
3 T. mango chutney
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 T. lime juice

1. Combine lentils, onion, garlic, and water in a medium saucepan. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, until lentils are soft but not mushy.

2. Combine bell pepper, celery, and red onion in a large bowl.

3. Drain lentil mixture and immediately transfer to bowl of veggie mixture. Stir and set aside at least 15 minutes.

4. Combine all ingredients for dressing in a food processor and process until smooth. Stir into lentil mixture [or reserve until just before serving].

5. Refrigerate until ready to serve!

Chilled Beet Soup

2009-08-16T18:57:00.004-04:00

With summer in full swing and a week full of 90+ degree forecasts staring at me, I want to make sure that I have lots of cool foods for lunch. So for starters, I made this creamy beet soup (adapted from a recipe in one of the Moosewood Restaurant cookbooks). It was easy to prepare and comes out a lovely shade of dark pink.

Chilled Beet Soup (4-6 servings)
4 cups cooked beets, coarsely chopped (4 or 5 fresh beets [~ 1 1/2 lbs] or 2 15 oz. cans, drained)
1 cup unsweetened apple juice
2 cups lowfat or fat-free buttermilk
1 T. fresh dill
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in a food processor (in batches, if necessary) and process until smooth. Refrigerate at least 2 hours.

Pesto Hommous

2009-08-02T21:17:00.002-04:00

I was in a pesto mood today [see my earlier post about pesto and pesto - vegetable lasagna], so for my next experiment in hommous-making, I tested out a hommous - pesto combination. Here's what I came up with...

Pesto Hommous (~ 2 cups)
1 cup loosely-packed basil leaves
2 T. pine nuts
1 T. grated parmesan cheese
2 T. tahini
2 cloves garlic
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil
1/4 cup vegetable juice

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, paprika, or pine nuts. Serve as a dip for pita or vegetables, or spread on a sandwich.

Pesto & Pesto-Vegetable Lasagna

2009-08-02T20:14:00.008-04:00

My birthday is coming up tomorrow, and for an early birthday present I got a 10 cup food processor and a pressure cooker. I've yet to break out the pressure cooker (although I can hear lentils, beans, and other foods calling), but I've already put the food processor to good use in making two kinds of hummous, white bean dip, gazpacho, and pesto.

This pesto recipe will make enough sauce for about a pound of pasta. If you'd like to use it in a vegetable lasagna (as I did tonight), make sure you have enough ingredients to make a double batch and follow the recipe further down in this post (modified from this vegetable lasagna recipe).

Pesto Sauce (enough for 1 lb. of pasta)
2 cups moderately-packed basil leaves
1/3 cup pine nuts
2 medium garlic cloves
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
up to 1/3 cup olive oil

Combine basil, pine nuts, garlic, and parmesan cheese in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are evenly chopped and mixed. With processor running, pour olive oil in slowly until desired consistency is reached. Toss with 1 lb. of pasta.

Pesto - Vegetable Lasagna (12 servings)
2 cups diced zucchini (do not peel)
1 cup diced bell peppers
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes (do not drain)
4 cups sliced mushrooms
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1 lb. spinach
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese or ricotta cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
2 batches pesto sauce
1 9 oz. package no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, and salt in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender.

3. Cook spinach (+ up to 1 tsp. water, if needed) in a large pot at high heat for 3 minutes, until just wilted (still bright green). Drain and chop coarsely, combine with cottage or ricotta cheese.

4. Assemble the following layers in a 9 x 13 x 3 in. baking dish (listed in order from bottom to top - thus start with the vegetable mixture and end with the cheese):
1/4 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 vegetable mixture
1 cup mozzarella cheese
1/3 pesto sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/4 vegetable mixture
1/3 pesto sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 pesto sauce
1 cup mozzarella cheese

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350F until noodles are tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Black Raspberry Freezer Jam

2009-07-06T20:20:00.003-04:00

And finally the berries come to an end...late Sunday afternoon, I put several bags of blueberries, raspberries, and black raspberries into the freezer for later berry exploits. But before I did that, I tried my hand at freezer jam. After letting the jam sit for the requite 24 hours needed for set, I had some tonight for dinner (on a PB&J sandwich) and found the jam to be quite thick and very mild in flavor - delicious!

This recipe comes from inside the Sure-Jell pectin package and uses less sugar than traditional jam recipes - if you make it, be sure to get the "pink box" of Sure-Jell (for less and no sugar needed recipes), not the regular "yellow box." The recipe calls for red raspberries, but based on my trial with black raspberries, it works just as well for those!

Black Raspberry Freezer Jam (~ 6-8 cups)
4 cups crushed black raspberries (about 3 pints before mashing)
3 1/2 cups sugar
1 box Sure-Jell for Less or No Sugar Needed Recipes Fruit Pectin
1 cup water
clean plastic or freezer-safe glass containers with tight-fitting lids

1. Crush raspberries using a potato masher, about 1 cup at a time, until amount of crushed berries measures 4 cups. Do not puree berries - there should still be some chunks of fruit.

2. Combine sugar and pectin in a large saucepan and stir until thoroughly combined.

3. Add water to sugar and pectin and bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Boil for 1 minute and remove immediately from heat.

4. Quickly stir crushed berries into hot sugar and pectin mixture until thoroughly mixed.

5. Pour jam into prepared containers, leaving about 1/2 inch space at top for expansion during freezing. Cover containers.

6. Let containers stand at room temperature for 24 hours, until jam is set. Refrigerate for up to three weeks or freeze for up to one year (thaw in refrigerator).

Raspberry-White Chocolate Scones

2009-07-06T19:53:00.004-04:00

Berry bonanza continues with this post - in which I attempt to recreate a raspberry-white chocolate scone from Longbottom Coffee and Tea in Hillsboro, OR. I can't be certain that I've replicated that particular scone, but these did come out quite good! If you happen to be in the Portland area and have a chance to swing by Longbottom, be sure to try their scones - the marionberry are also delicious.

Raspberry - White Chocolate Scones (~12 large or ~24 small scones)
2 1/2 cups flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. baking powder
1/2 cup butter, softened (1 stick)
1/3 cup milk
1/3 cup vanilla yogurt
1 egg
1 T. vanilla extract
2 cups fresh raspberries
1 cup white chocolate chips
raw or granulated sugar (optional)

1. Preheat oven to 375F and line 2 cookie sheets with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, and baking powder. In a separate mixing bowl, combine milk, yogurt, egg, and vanilla extract.

3. Using a pastry blender, cut butter into flour mixture. Add wet ingredients to flour mixture and stir until just combined and moist.

4. Stir in raspberries and white chocolate chips.

5. Drop batter by scoops onto prepared cookie sheets. For large scones, use about 1/3 cup better per scone. For small scones, use about 3 T. batter per scone. If desired, sprinkle with raw or granulated sugar.

6. Bake 25-30 minutes at 375F, until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove cookie sheets from oven and cool for about 5 minutes, then remove scones to wire rack to finish cooling.

Blueberry Muffins

2009-07-06T19:15:00.003-04:00

Still working through the berries from Friday's picking expedition - this time, making fresh blueberry muffins for Sunday morning breakfast. These came out moist and slightly dense, chock full of juicy berries, and perfect either on their own or with just a small bit of butter. They are delicious served warm right out of the oven and hold up well for serving the following day, too.

Blueberry Muffins (~18 muffins)
3 cups flour
1 T. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
10 T. butter, softened (1 1/4 sticks)
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups plain yogurt
1 1/2 cups fresh blueberries

1. Preheat oven to 375F and grease (or line with baking cups) approximately 18 muffin cups.

2. In a medium bowl, combine flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.

3. In a separate large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add eggs one at a time, beating after each until mixture if fluffy.

4. Add half of dry ingredients to butter and sugar mixture, then add a third of the yogurt, stirring after each addition only until just mixed. Continue by adding half of remaining dry ingredients, a third of the yogurt, the remaining dry ingredients, and the remaining yogurt.

5. Fold in blueberries and stir until just mixed.

6. Pour batter into prepared muffin cups, filling about 2/3 to 3/4 full. If any muffin cups are not filled with batter, fill about halfway with water (this will even out baking).

7. Bake at 375F for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove muffin tins from oven and cool for about 10 minutes, then remove muffins to eat or to a wire rack to finish cooling.

Spinach Hommous

2009-07-05T22:38:00.002-04:00

Last week I traveled out to Oregon to visit my friend Melissa. The trip provided plenty of inspiration on the food front: reminding me how much I like fresh berries (see recent posts about some of the treats I've been whipping up after going berry picking upon my return) and finding some delicious spinach hommous at the grocery store that prompted me to whip up a batch of my own. Enjoy this spread with pita or spread it on a hearty whole wheat bread and top it with cheese and sliced veggies (cucumbers and tomatoes, for starters) for a yummy sandwich. Just don't take it to the beach, where you might find that the wind tries to add its own touch - a bit of gritty sand!

Spinach Hommous (~ 1 1/2 - 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
1 cup fresh spinach, coarsely chopped
1/4 c. tahini
2 cloves garlic, minced
3 T. lemon juice
2 T. olive oil

Combine all ingredients and process in a food processor until smooth (in batches, if necessary). If the hommous is too thick, add some vegetable juice, about 1 T. at a time, until desired consistency is achieved.

Raspberry-Peach Smoothie

2009-07-05T22:26:00.005-04:00

The berry parade continues with this quick and easy berry and yogurt smoothie. If you don't happen to have raspberries or peaches on hand, you can use blueberries, blackberries, mango, or whatever other fruits you do have. You can also spruce it up with a variety of mix-ins, depending on how sweet you'd like it (e.g., honey), if you want a boost of protein and vitamins (e.g., wheat germ), or some extra spicy kick (e.g., ginger).

Raspberry - Peach Smoothie (~ 4 servings)
1 1/2 cups vanilla yogurt
1 cup fresh peaches, peeled and sliced
1 cup fresh raspberries
ice (if desired)
mix-ins (if desired)

Combine yogurt, peaches, and raspberries (and any ice and desired mix-ins) in a blender and blend until smooth (about 30 seconds). Pour into a glass and enjoy! Left-over smoothie can be stored in the refrigerator (covered) for a day or so.

Fresh Berries - Raspberry Lemonade and Berry Topping

2009-07-04T13:03:00.006-04:00

Since 4th of July falls on a Saturday this year, Friday was a holiday for most folks around here. And for once, the weather in the DC area was gorgeous - temperatures hovered in the 70s or just at 80 for most of the day, the humidity was low, and the sun was shining. Which means it was perfect weather for going berry picking. This time around, I decided to try a new farm, Larriland Farm in Woodbine, MD. Larriland uses integrated pest management, so their fruits generally have much less pesticide burden than other farms. In addition, Larriland has a large selection of fruits and veggies for people to pick. I didn't get around to everything that was in season yesterday, but I did get about 15 pounds of berries - blueberries and three varieties of raspberries (black, purple, and red).

I'll be posting a number of berry recipes resulting from this haul in the coming day. [UPDATE: Recipes are now posted for raspberry-peach smoothie, blueberry muffins, raspberry-white chocolate scones, and black raspberry freezer jam.]

For starters, here are two fairly easy recipes that I'll be bringing to this evening's Fourth of July celebration.

Sparkling Raspberry Lemonade
I can't claim all the credit, since I found this recipe in the July issue of Martha Stewart Living. However, I have switched the proportions around a bit. Also, Martha suggests spiking with vodka, if that's your style.

Raspberry Simple Syrup
4 cups water
2 cups fresh raspberries (I used a mixture of black, purple, and red raspberries)
1 3/4 cups sugar

Sparkling Lemonade
2 quarts lemonade (homemade or storebought)
1 liter sparkling water
Raspberries and mint for garnish

1. Bring water, raspberries, and sugar to a boil in a large saucepan, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes, stirring occasionally and gently mashing berries as you stir.

2. Strain mixture into a storage container and cool syrup. [Save the mashed berries to eat with yogurt or ice cream.]

3. In a large pitcher or punch bowl, combine raspberry syrup, lemonade, and sparking water. Serve over ice, garnish with fresh raspberries and mint.

Berry Topping (for angel food cake, pound cake, or ice cream)
4 cups berries (blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, etc.)
1/4 cup sugar
2 tsp. lemon juice

Lightly toss all ingredients together in a large bowl. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour. Serve berry topping over cake or ice cream and top with whipped cream.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pie

2009-06-03T21:07:00.009-04:00

A few weeks ago one of my friends down in South Carolina posted pictures of strawberry picking with her girls - and gosh those berries looked delicious! Well, strawberries are finally in season here in the DC area, and last weekend I went strawberry picking at Homestead Farm in Poolesville, MD and stocked up on fresh strawberries.* I used most of my berries (about 12 cups worth) for two strawberry pies - the remainder (about 4 cups worth) I froze. Two notes about this pie recipe: (1) the chocolate is completely optional - if you don't want a chocolate layer in the pie, it will come out delicious with just the fruit; (2) because the berries aren't cooked, the pies will be quite juicy - so be sure to eat within a day or two of making!

*Homestead has a great selection of fruit throughout the summer - check out some of my blackberry and peach (another peach) recipes from last year's haul.

Chocolate-Covered Strawberry Pie (~ 8 servings)
1 pie crust
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup cornstarch
1/2 cup water
6 cups strawberries, hulled
2 T. fresh lemon juice
2 T. butter, cut into small pieces
1/4 c. chocolate chips (I prefer dark chocolate - but white, milk, or dark will all work)

1. Prepare and bake a single pie crust, cool. I suggest using a store-bought frozen crust that is already formed into a pie plate for ease of preparation, but if you like to make your own crust, follow your favorite recipe.

2. Puree two cups of berries. In a medium saucepan, whisk together sugar, cornstarch, and water. Stir in berry puree, lemon juice, and butter. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook for 1 minute, stirring frequently. Remove from heat and allow to cool slightly (up to one hour).

3. Melt chocolate chips. [There are many ways to do this. One of the easiest is to fill a large pyrex measuring cup with boiling water and set a small bowl with chocolate chips on top of measuring cup. As chocolate softens, stir until smooth and liquid.] Pour chocolate over bottom of pie crust, forming a thin layer - use a spoon to spread if necessary.

4. Add 2 cups of berries to pie crust and pour half of puree mixture over berries. Add remaining berries and puree mixture. Refrigerate until cooled throughout, at least 4 hours.

5. Slice and serve. Top with whipped cream or ice cream!

Masala Hommous

2009-05-25T21:57:00.004-04:00

With the heat of summer coming on, I like to trade in the warm soups of fall and winter for something cool in my lunch bag. Last week, I kicked off the season with gazpacho (see last year's recipe). This week, I've decided to bring in fresh vegetables (grape tomatoes, baby cucumbers, and baby carrots), mini pitas, and hommous. The varieties of hommous available at the grocery store appear to be endless, but I decided to try making my own this time around - and to add some Indian spice in the process. I also cut down on the oil and tahini, which add a lot of fat to hommous; in order to restore the moisture needed to achieve a creamy texture, I used low sodium vegetable juice.

Masala Hommous (~ 2 cups)
1 can (16 oz.) chickpeas, drained
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. olive oil
1/4 cup tahini
1 T. lime juice
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. ground coriander
1/2 tsp. garam masala
dash cayenne pepper
up to 1/4 cup vegetable juice

1. Combine all ingredients except vegetable juice in a large bowl and lightly mash together.

2. Process in batches in a food processor. Add vegetable juice as needed to achive desired texture. [I found that processing in three batches, adding about 1 T. of vegetable juice to each batch, worked well. Experiment and see what works for you.]

3. Garnish with diced tomatoes, fresh cilantro, paprika, or pine nuts. Serve as a dip for pita or vegetables, or spread on a sandwich.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ginger Scones

2009-05-21T21:12:00.004-04:00

When I'm running late in the morning or just want a little extra treat, I'll sometimes swing by Breadline to pick up a cherry-ginger scone on my way into the office. These scones are light and delicious and packed with moist cherries and tangy ginger. Since they are among my favorite scones, I decided to try my own variation for my first foray into scone-baking. While they didn't come out the same as Breadline's - a slightly different consistency, and of course my addition of dark chocolate to the mix - judging by the reaction at work today, I'd have to say that they were a success.

Dark Chocolate Cherry Ginger Scones (8 scones)
1/2 cup dried cherries (+ 1/4 c. water or amaretto)
2 cup flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
4 T. cold butter, cut into small pieces
3 T. sugar
1/4 cup crystallized ginger
1/4 cup dark chocolate pieces
1/2 cup light cream
1 egg

1. Place cherries and water or amaretto in a small saucepan, cover, and cook over low heat until cherries begin to plump. Drain.

2. Preheat oven to 425F and line a cookie sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.

3. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Add butter and use fingers to mix with dry ingredients until crumbly.

4. Add cherries, sugar, ginger, and chocolate pieces to batter. Stir a few times to distribute throughout batter.

5. Mix egg and cream in a small bowl. Add cream mixture to batter and stir until the batter is just moistened and mixed.

6. Form batter into a large ball and transfer to baking sheet. Pat into a circle or square of 1 inch thickness, cut into 8 pieces and slightly separate.

7. Bake at 425F for 15 minutes, until scones are golden. Remove from pan and cool on a wire rack.

Sangria for a Party

2009-05-18T21:24:00.007-04:00

Today, a guest post from my parents:

From Tennessee - August 2008

This is one of their favorite sangria recipes - but my mom warns that you should only make this if you are going to have a PARTY - this recipe is not for the small, intimate gathering!* Most recently, they whipped up a batch of this sangria for the "deck christening party" thrown by their neighbors.

* If you're looking for a sangria recipe that serves fewer - say, 4-6 people, try the recipe I posted last summer.

Sangria for a party

1.5 L Brandy (red - fruit flavored - Blackberry is good)

1.5 L Triple Sec

3.0 L Burgundy Wine

1.5 L Simple Syrup**

2.0 L Sprite or 7-Up

Orange/Lemon/Lime Slices to garnish

Mix in a VERY LARGE bowl.

** Simple Syrup: fill one of the empty 1.5 L. bottles with 1/2 sugar and 1/2 water. Shake until sugar is dissolved

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

2009-05-10T11:13:00.003-04:00

Rhubarb is one of those foods that defies classification - although cooked in pies and made into sauces like a fruit, it is actually a vegetable (leaf stalks, or petioles, to be exact). It's also the kind of food that, according to Garrison Keillor, isn't grown anywhere else except for here (here being wherever you happen to be) and which, when baked into a pie, can really revive a guy. My mom always kept a patch of rhubarb in the backyard while I was growing up, and back then the flow of rhubarb seemed endless. Then I moved out into the real world, and my rhubarb supply dried up. Occasionally, I'd find frozen rhubarb at the grocery store, or a stand at the farmers' market might have some. Grocery stores occasionally have it in the fresh produce section, but usually at exorbitant prices ($3.50 - $4 / pound). Then yesterday I found some really nice stalks in the corner of the grocery store - and on sale, too! As it happened, I also had about a half carton of strawberries in my refrigerator that really needed to be used up - and voila! I had the makings for an early summer strawberry-rhubarb pie.

The nice thing about strawberry-rhubarb pie is that you can adjust the ratio of strawberries to rhubarb and the amount of sugar / sweetener you put in, depending on how much of each you have available and how sweet you like your pie. For the pie I made last night, I used 2 cups of strawberries to 4 cups of rhubarb. If you prefer your rhubarb unadulterated, you can cut the strawberries out entirely - although you might want to up the sugar content a bit to offset the rhubarb's sharp taste.

Strawberry - Rhubarb Pie (8 servings)
2 pie crusts (store-bought or homemade)
1/2 cup sugar (or 12 packets no-calorie sweetener + 1/4 cup sugar)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
dash ground nutmeg
6 cups sliced strawberries + rhubarb (2 cups strawberries + 4 cups rhubarb is a good place to start)

1. Pre-heat oven to 375F.

2. Line a 9 inch pie plate with one of the crusts and trim to edge of pie plate.

3. Stir together sugar, flour, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a large bowl. Add strawberries and rhubarb and toss until well-coated.

4. Pour strawberry - rhubarb mixture into pie plate, place second crust, fold edges under bottom crust and seal edge of pie. Cut vents in top crust.

5. Bake 50 minutes. If desired, place foil around edge of pie to protect crust during the first 25 minutes of baking. Cool pie on a wire rack after removing from oven.

6. Slice and serve pie - top with vanilla ice cream if desired!

Curried Egg Salad with Yogurt

2009-04-20T20:04:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite sandwiches is egg salad - but fat, cholesterol, and calories can add up pretty quickly depending on how you make it. This recipe cuts out mayo and some of the egg yolks and uses yogurt and curry to kick up the taste. Warning - this isn't your grandmother's egg salad! (p.s. You might also try replacing the egg with broiled or grilled chicken breast.)

Curried Egg Salad with Yogurt (~4 servings)
6 boiled eggs (remove yolks from 4 eggs or to taste), diced
1 1/2 tsp. curry
3 T. plain nonfat yogurt (more or less, to taste)

One or more of the following (to add crunch and flavor):
1 stalk celery, finely chopped
2 T. cilantro, chopped
1 T. green onion or chives, chopped

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and stir until well-mixed.

2. Make sandwiches using toasted whole wheat bread, wrap in lettuce leaves, or just eat with a fork!

Kheer (Rice Pudding)

2009-04-12T22:03:00.002-04:00

To finish off the Indian dinner party, we had kheer, a milky rice pudding flavored with saffron, cardamom, and almonds. If you'd like to make a lighter version, substitute lowfat milk for whole milk and nonfat sweetened condensed milk for the full fat version. Admittedly, it won't be as a creamy as what you would find in a restuarant, but it will still be very tasty.

Kheer (~6-8 servings)
Dessert Masala
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
1/3 cup shelled raw pistachios
1/4 cup shelled raw almonds, coarsely broken
a few cashews, coarsely broken
1 tsp. ground cardamom

Kheer
1/4 tsp. saffron threads
1/2 gallon milk
1/2 cup basmati rice
1/2 cup slivered raw almonds
1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom
2 drops rose essence or 1 tsp. rose water

1. Prepare dessert masala: Combine all ingredients in a food processor and pulse until all ingredients are coarsely chopped and blended. Set aside.

2. In a small bowl, soak saffron threads in 1/4 cup milk.

3. Place remaining milk and rice in a large saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer (stirring and scraping bottom and sides of saucepan often to ensure that milk and rice do not scorch) until rice is very soft and milk is reduced by about half, approximately 35 minutes.

4. Mix in almonds, condensed milk, cardamom, and half of dessert masala. Continue to cook and stir about 5-7 minutes. Add the rose essence and saffron/saffron-infused milk. Transfer to a serving dish and cool, top with remaining dessert masala. Refrigerate at least 4 hours, serve chilled.

Mango Lassi (Aam Ki Lassi)

2009-04-12T21:52:00.003-04:00

When I dine out at Indian restaurants, I often enjoy starting out with a mango lassi instead of an appetizer. These are remarkably easy to make at home, too - and are a great starter to serve as guests arrive for a dinner party.

Mango Lassi (Aam Ki Lassi) (2 servings)
2 cups plain yogurt (I used non-fat)
1 cup fresh or canned mango
1/2 cup crushed ice
up to 1 T sugar (depending on taste)

1. Combine yogurt, mango, ice, and sugar in blender. Puree until smooth.

2. Pour into glasses, with additional ice cubes if desired.

Spinach with Sliced Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak)

2009-04-12T21:11:00.003-04:00

The feast of India continues in this post (catch up with the main dish here and here) with our vegetable dish. One of my favorite foods is spinach (which explains why one of my favorite Indian dishes of all-time is palak paneer [aka saag paneer], a creamy spinach dish with cubes of paneer cheese), so for my Indian dinner party, I wanted to make sure that I had a spinach dish included on the menu. For that role, I found this spinach, almond, and red bell pepper dish.

Spinach with Sliced Almonds (Badaam vaali Palak) (~4-6 servings)
2 T. sliced almonds
1 T. olive oil
1 T. Bengali 5 spices (panch-phoran)*
1 T. ginger paste
1 clove garlic, minced
1-3 fresh green chili peppers, minced
1/8 tsp. ground asafoetida
1 lb. fresh spinach, coasely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1/4 tsp. garam masala

1. Dry roast the almonds in a small saucepan over medium heat for about 2 minutes, until golden. Set aside.

2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the panch-phoran, ginger, garlic, and green chili peppers and cook about 30 seconds.

3. Add asafoetida and spinach, stir and cook for about 2-3 minutes over high heat. Reduce heat to medium low, cover, and cook for about 5 more minutes. Uncover the pan, increase to high heat, and allow juices to boil off. Transfer to a serving dish and keep warm.

4. Using the same pan, roast red pepper for about 2 minutes, until crisp-tender. Scatter over spinach, along with almonds and garam masala. Serve!

* Mixture of cumin, fennel, mustard, fenugreek, and kalonji seeds - if you don't have all of these, substitute with what you do have on hand out of the five.

Chicken Tikka Masala

2009-04-07T22:33:00.004-04:00

Continuing on with recipes from the Indian feast of a few nights ago, here's the recipe for the chicken tikka masala that we made using the mint chicken tikka kabaabs I described earlier. Since you'll only need about half or three-quarters of the tikkas, you can save the extra tikkas for another meal, or give them to someone who needs a little extra meat with their dinner. If you aren't a fan of chicken, try substituting cooked vegetables, paneer cheese, lamb, or fish (if using fish, add it just before serving so that it does not disintegrate in the sauce).

Chicken Tikka Masala (~ 4-6 servings)
1/2 - 3/4 recipe Mint Chicken Tikka Kabaabs, removed from skewers

Fried Onion Paste
1 cup melted ghee or vegetable oil
2 T. ginger paste
4 cloves garlic, peeled (or minced)
1 large onion, sliced into thin half rings
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt

Masala Sauce
2 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped (or 1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes)
1/2 cup fresh cilantro (leaves + stems)
1 T. dried cilantro
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground paprika
1 tsp. garam masala
1 cup water
1/2 cup light cream

1. Prepare fried onion paste: Warm ghee over medium-high heat. Add onions and garlic (if using minced garlic, do not add) and fry for about 5 minutes, until golden brown. Remove onions and garlic to a paper towel to allow excess ghee to drain off, reserve ghee for masala sauce. Place onions, garlic, and ginger in food processor and process until well minced. Add yogurt and process again until smooth. Set fried onion paste aside.

2. Add tomatoes and cilantro to food processor and process until pureed.

3. In a large pan combine fried onion paste, 1 T. of the reserved ghee, and tomato-cilantro puree. Cook over medium-high heat until juices evaporate, about 7 minutes.

4. Add dried cilantro leaves, cumin, paprika, and garam masala, stir and cook about 1 minute. Add water and chicken pieces, cook about 5 minutes.

5. Add cream and continue to simmer about 5 minutes, until all flavors are well-blended. Serve with a garnish of fresh cilantro.

Mint Chicken Tikka Kabaabs

2009-04-05T22:17:00.003-04:00

After returning from India last year, I vowed to learn at least basic Indian cooking skills so that I wouldn't have to always get my Indian food fix at the restaurant down the street. Never one to just dip my toe in the water, I jumped into the deep end and got Neelam Batra's 1,000 Indian Recipes. After trying out a few of the easier recipes and reading through much of the cookbook to get an idea of what is involved in the cooking, this evening I invited several friends over for an evening of adventures in Indian cooking. Our main course was chicken tikka masala (which is, technically, a British invention if you believe the stories), made with grilled chicken tikkas (chunks of boneless breast meat). I'll post the recipe for the masala portion of the dish in a subsequent entry - for starters, here is the mint marinade that I made for the tikkas. These also make a great entree on their own, if you aren't up for the extra steps needed to make tikka masala.

Mint Chicken Tikka Kabaabs
Marinade
1 medium onion, coarsely chopped
1 small green bell pepper, coarsely chopped
2 small green chili peppers, stems removed
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 T. ginger paste
1 cup fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup plain nonfat yogurt
2 T. fresh lime juice
1 tsp. garam masala

Tikkas
1 1/2 - 2 lbs. boneless / skinless chicken breast, cut into 1 1/2" cubes
8 - 10 bamboo or metal skewers (if using bamboo, soak in water for at least 30 minutes prior to use)

Finishing Glaze
1-2 T. melted butter or vegetable oil
1/2 tsp. sesame oil
2 T. fresh lime juice
1/2 tsp. dried fenugreek leaves or dried cilantro leaves
1/2 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. chaat masala

1. Combine onion, bell pepper, chili peppers, garlic, ginger, and mint in a food processor and process until well minced and mixed.

2. Add yogurt, lime juice, and garam masala and process until everything is well blended and smooth. [Depending on the size of your food processor, you may need to use a blender for this step.]

3. Pour marinade into a large bowl, reserving 1/4-1/2 cup for basting, and add chicken chunks. Stir to make sure that all pieces are coated. Cover and marinate in the refrigerator for 6-24 hours.

4. When ready to cook, prepare finishing glaze by mixing all ingredients together in a small bowl and set aside. Place chicken chunks on skewers, about 5-6 pieces per skewer. Discard used marinade.

5. Grill skewers, basting occasionally, until chicken is cooked thoroughly. Alternatively, broil for about 5-10 minutes, baste skewers, cover with foil, and cook at 450F for about 25 minutes.

6. Just before removing tikkas from grill, baste with finishing glaze and cook for about 1 minute longer.

Potato - Kale Soup (including a sausage option)

2009-03-22T17:41:00.006-04:00

With half a bag of potatoes to use up and a craving for green leafy vegetables (prompted by a delicious cup of wild nettle soup at the Mitsitam Cafe at the National Museum of the American Indian), this morning I decided to make potato-kale soup for this week's lunch rotation. Depending on your taste and status as vegetarian or not, you can make the the soup completely vegetarian, use a chicken stock base, or add sausage (about 1 lb., sauteed along with the onion - this will make a soup similar to the Zuppa Toscana at Olive Garden).

Potato - Kale Soup (6-8 servings)
3-4 medium potatoes, peeled and diced
8-10 cups liquid (I used 4 cups chicken broth, 1 cup vegetable juice, 1 cup white wine, and 2 cups water)
small piece of rind (~ 2 in. x 2 in.) from Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
2 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, diced
4-5 stalks celery
2-3 cloves garlic
1-2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1 lb kale, stems removed and leaves cut or torn
1 tsp. black pepper
1 tsp. dried basil or Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. ground cumin

1. Combine potatoes, liquid, and cheese rind in a large stock pot. Cook over medium heat about 10-15 minutes (until potatoes begin to soften), stirring occasionally.

2. While potatoes cook, heat olive oil in a skillet. Add onion, celery, garlic, and red pepper flakes. Saute until onions and celery begin to soften, about 5 minutes.

3. Add onion mixture, kale, pepper, basil, and cumin to stock pot (don't worry - the kale WILL boil down and shrink!). Reduce heat to medium-low (slow boil) and continue to cook for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. If desired / necessary, add additional water to soup while cooking to achieve desired ratio of vegetables to broth.

4. Remove any remaining cheese rind and serve!

Dal

2009-03-15T19:14:00.005-04:00

Ever since traveling to India last year, I've been working up the nerve to try my hand at Indian cooking. For my first foray into Indian main dish cooking (that is, without a pre-made simmer sauce), I decided to try dal, a lentil stew that can be made in many ways with many types of lentils. This recipe provides a dish that is fairly mild - if you like something hotter, just up the amount of spices in the recipe, substitute cayenne pepper for black pepper, or add a fresh chile pepper. Also, this recipe calls for a full pound of lentils - but can easily be halved if you don't want to have A LOT of dal on your hands.

Dal (8-12 servings)
1 lb. (~ 3 cups) lentils
8 cups hot water
1 stick (2 1/2 inches) cinnamon
1/2 tsp. black or cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground paprika
1 T. curry powder
1-2 T. olive oil or butter
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
1 1/2 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)

1. Combine lentils, hot water, cinnamon, pepper, salt, cumin, paprika, and curry in a large stock pot. Cover and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a low boil and continue cooking untils lentils are soft, about 30 minutes.

2. While lentils are cooking, heat oil in a frying pan and saute onion, garlic, and ginger until onion is clear.

3. When lentils are ready, stir in onion mixture.

4. Serve over rice, with naan, or along side other dishes.

Sweet & Spicy Carrot - Ginger Soup (with Orange and Curry!)

2009-03-13T12:34:00.005-04:00

In the past few weeks, DC has swung from a crippling snowstorm to 70 degree temperatures to flurries. With that sort of range in weather, what's a girl to make for a week's worth of lunches? I settled on a carrot - ginger soup that is both spicy (curry) and sweet (orange). This is a very easy recipe to put together and can easily be altered to fit your own tastes - more or less ginger, curry, and orange juice, depending on how sweet and spicy you prefer. Be forewarned, though - carrots can take a while to soften, so leave plenty of time for this soup to simmer before you puree!

Sweet & Spicy Carrot - Ginger Soup (4-8 servings)
1 lb carrots, sliced thinly
2 T. fresh-chopped ginger or ginger paste
1 T. curry powder
6 cups liquid (I used 2 cups vegetable broth, 1 cup range juice concentrate, and 3 cups water)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large stock pot. Cover and cook on medium (easy boil), stirring often, until carrots are softened (at least 30 minutes).

2. Puree in batches in a food processor or blender. Return to heat and cook and additional 5-10 minutes, stirring often, to make sure that soup is well blended. Adjust sweetness and spiciness by adding additional water or spices as necessary.

3. Serve piping hot, perhaps with a sprig of parsley for garnish!

Cheesy Macaroni with Spinach and Artichoke

2009-02-09T19:24:00.003-05:00

Macaroni and cheese is one of my favorite dishes, despite the fact that it is loaded with things that aren't very good for you. I also really like spinach-artichoke dip, but for many of the same reasons it isn't a great choice for regular meal rotation. However, I think that I've managed to come up with a dish that combines these two favorites AND is somewhat healthier than either of the traditional versions. This recipe uses whole wheat pasta, low fat dairy products, and veggies - to reduce sodium from the canned vegetables, rinse with clean water after draining.

Cheesy Macaroni with Spinach and Artichoke (~8 servings)
1 lb whole wheat pasta (macaroni, penne, etc.)
1 cup skim milk
2 cups lowfat (2%) shredded cheddar cheese
1 14 oz. can artichoke hearts, drained and chopped
1 14 oz. can spinach, drained
1 tsp. ground black pepper (or to taste)

1. Cook pasta according to package directions. Drain and return to pot.

2. While the pasta is cooking, combine milk, cheese, artichokes, spinach, and pepper in a saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring often, until cheese is melted.

3. Stir together pasta and sauce. Serve!

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars

2009-02-07T15:00:00.002-05:00

With all of the news about peanut butter recalls, I've been reluctant to post this recipe - but the truth is, I love peanut butter and find it hard to go without. So in spite of the recalls (which I am hoping will all be sorted out soon), I'm sharing this great bar cookie! I brought these into the office a while back and they disappeared pretty quickly.

Double Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars (enough for a crowd)
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1/4 cup peanut butter
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups flour
2 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup peanut butter chips
1 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350F and grease a 9 x 13 baking pan.

2. Stir butter and peanut butter together in a large bowl. Add sugar and brown sugar and stir until well combined. Add eggs one at a time, stirring well after each addition. Stir in vanilla.

3. Add flour, baking powder, and salt and stir until well blended. Stir in peanut butter chips and chocolate chips.

4. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake at 350F for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.

5. Remove from oven and allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Slice into bars (about 36) and serve.

Vegetable Pasties (PAH-steez)

2009-01-06T11:20:00.011-05:00

One of the delicacies of Michigan - really, of the Upper Peninsula of Michigan - is the pasty. Legend has it that the miners of Cornwall brought these meat and vegetable pastry pockets "across the pond" when they came to work in the copper and iron mines of Michigan. Since then, the pasty has gained popularity in both peninsulas and pasty aficionados can find a variety of pasties at any number of drive-through and take-home pasty shops.

For those brave enough to make their own pasties, or those unlucky enough to live far away from a pasty shop (like me), here's my recipe for vegetable pasties. My recipe uses store-bought pre-made pie crusts - but if you're interested in making your own crust, you'll find plenty of opinions on how to best make pasty crust by googling "pasty recipe." If you'd like a more "traditional" Cornish pasty, add 1-2 lbs. cubed steak or ground beef in place of the sweet potato and mushrooms.

Vegetable Pasties (~ 12-16 half-sized pasties or 6-8 full-sized pasties)
2-3 medium potatoes, peeled
1 rutabaga, peeled
1 turnip, peeled
1 parsnip, peeled
10-15 baby carrots
1 medium onion, peeled
4-5 celery ribs
6 oz. sliced mushrooms
1 sweet potato, peeled
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
6-8 refrigerated pie crusts (3-4 boxes)

1. Dice (~ 1/4 - 1/2" cubes) or thinly slice all vegetables and mix together in a large bowl.

2. Preheat oven to 350F and line baking sheet(s) with foil.

3. Unroll a prepared pie crust. (If making your own crust, roll out a 9" round, about 1/4" thick.) For full-size pasty, place about 1 - 1.5 cups of filling + 1/4 cup cheese on one half of crust. For half-sized pasties, cut crust in half and place about 2/3 - 3/4 cup filling + 2 T. cheese on one half of each piece.

4. Fold crust over filling and pinch edges together, then fold or roll edges to make a double-thick seam (see photo below). Cut a few small vents into top of pastry pocket. Place on foil-lined baking sheet.

5. Bake at 350F for 60 minutes, or until pastry is golden brown and vegetables are soft.

6. Serve hot with plenty of ketchup on the side!

7. Leftover pasties can be refrigerated and reheated later. Heat at 350F for 15 minutes. If you freeze the pasties, reheat at 350F for 45 minutes or until heated through.

Vegetable Lasagna

2008-12-16T21:42:00.002-05:00

I love lasagna, especially vegetable lasagna. This one is filled with veggies and lower-fat cheeses, so is actually fairly healthy!

Vegetable Lasagna (approx. 12 servings)
2 cups diced zucchini (do not peel)
1 cup diced bell peppers
1 14 oz. can diced tomatoes
4 cups sliced mushrooms (about 12 oz.)
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 tsp. salt
1/3 cup dry red or white wine
3 T. chopped fresh basil
1 9 oz. bag baby spinach
2 cups low-fat cottage cheese
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 24 oz. jar pasta sauce
1 9 oz. package no-boil lasagna noodles

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Combine zucchini, bell pepper, tomatoes, mushrooms, onion, garlic, salt, and wine in a deep frying pan or saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir in basil and set aside.

3. Cook spinach (+ up to 1 tsp. water, if needed) in a large pot at high heat for 3 minutes, until just wilted (still bright green). Drain and chop coarsely, combine with cottage cheese, 1 cup mozzarella cheese, and parmesan cheese.

4. Assemble the following layers in a 9 x 13 x 3 in. baking dish (listed top to bottom):
1 cup pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
1 cup pasta sauce
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1/3 spinach - cheese mixture
1/3 vegetable mixture
4 lasagna noodles (overlap slightly)
1 cup pasta sauce

5. Cover tightly with foil and bake at 350F until noodles are tender, 50-60 minutes. Remove foil and top with remaining 1 cup of mozzarella cheese, bake an additional 5-10 minutes, until cheese is melted.

6. Remove from oven and allow to sit for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Vegetarian Black Bean Soup

2008-12-10T21:23:00.003-05:00

Black bean soup is one of my favorite meals - especially with some crusty bread on the side. If you use dried beans for this recipe, make sure that you leave plenty of time for soaking (at least 8 hours, or overnight) and simmering (about 2 hours) before you plan to serve the soup. Leftovers can be divided into single or multiple serving portions and refrigerated or frozen for later use (e.g., lunches or dinners for the week ahead).

Black Bean Soup (~ 10 - 12 servings)
1 lb. dried black beans [or 4 14 oz. cans black beans]
1 T. olive oil
4-5 carrots, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. ground thyme
1 tsp. dried oregano or Italian seasoning
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. ground black pepper
8 cups liquid (I used 4 cups vegetable stock + 4 cups water)
1 6 oz. can tomato paste
2 T. lime juice
grated parmesan or cheddar cheese, scallions, sour cream, diced tomatoes, or other garnish
*If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5-6 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. If using dried beans, sort and wash beans in cold water. Soak beans in 6 cups of water for 8-12 hours, or overnight. Drain and discard soaking liquid.

2. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat. Saute carrots, celery, onion, and garlic for 1 minute, then cover and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally.

3. Stir in cumin, thyme, oregano, bay leaf, and pepper and cook for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.

4. Add beans, liquid, and tomato paste. Increase heat and bring mixture to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for about 2 hours, until beans are soft. (You may want to cover soup for the first hour or so, then remove the cover to allow soup to thicken while it simmers.)

5. Remove soup from heat and stir in lime juice. Serve with desired garnish(es).

Vegetarian Lentil Stew

2008-12-06T15:22:00.007-05:00

With December here and temperatures barely topping 40, I've resigned myself to winter arriving in DC. However, winter is not all bad (Christmas, Inauguration Day, and hearty soups all come to mind as good things about winter...). Earlier this week I had a nice bowl of lentil soup and it inspired me to pick up the makings for some legume-based dishes for the coming week. Today I made vegetarian lentil stew, which is packed with veggies, fiber, and protein.

Vegetarian Lentil Stew (6-8 servings)
1 T. olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 medium onions, diced (~ 2 cups)*
4 carrots, diced (~ 1 1/2 cups)*
4-5 ribs celery, diced (~ 2 cups)*
1 lb. lentils, washed and drained
4 cups vegetable stock
1 tsp. ground sage
1 tsp. ground thyme
1/4 tsp. ground black pepper
9 oz. bag spinach, stems removed and leaves chopped
* If your grocery store carries prepared mirepoix (diced onion, celery, and carrot) in the produce section, you can use this to substitute for the individual vegetables [~ 5 cups is needed, approximately 24 oz.].

1. In a large stockpot, warm oil over medium-high heat; add garlic, onion, carrot, and celery and saute until vegetables are soft, about 10 minutes.

2. Add lentils, vegetable stock, sage, thyme, and pepper. Bring to a boil then reduce heat and cover, allow to simmer until lentils just begin to soften, about 20 minutes; stir occasionally.

3. Stir in spinach [if needed, add up to 1 cup water to replace liquid soaked up by lentils] and continue simmering until lentils are tender, about 10 minutes; stir occasionally.

4. Serve!

Cranberry-Orange-White Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-12-05T20:56:00.003-05:00

A couple of years ago I found a recipe for pumpkin raisin ginger cookies on the side of my Pillsbury Quick Bread mix and quickly added them to the rotation of my fall and winter cookies. Using pumpkin quick bread mix means that these cookies can be whipped up in a jiffy for parties, snacks, and gifts. Inspired by my success with the pumpkin raisin ginger cookies, I branched out to the cranberry quick bread mix and came up with...

Cranberry - Orange - White Chocolate Chip Cookies (approx. 18-24 cookies)
1 box cranberry quick bread mix
1/2 cup white chocolate chips
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
1 egg

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Mix all ingredients together (may be slightly crumbly). Form into balls (about 1.5 inch diameter) and place on an ungreased or foil-lined cookie sheet. Use a fork to lightly flatten balls.

3. Bake at 350F for 12-15 minutes. Allow to cool for 5 minutes, then remove cookies to wire racks to finish cooling.

My Word Cloud

2008-12-02T17:35:00.002-05:00

from Wordle (get the full picture at http://www.wordle.net/gallery/wrdl/356020/cooking)

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce

2008-11-30T15:53:00.004-05:00

As I've noted previously, cranberries are among my favorite holiday dishes. Earlier in the month, I experimented with cranberry relish; today, I am returning to an old favorite, orange ginger cranberry sauce. This recipe requires little prep work aside from opening the bag of cranberries and measuring out a few other ingredients and can be whipped up in about 15-20 minutes, so it is perfect if you are in a hurry and need to put together something fast.

Orange Ginger Cranberry Sauce
12 oz. bag fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup orange juice (with pulp)
1/2 cup sugar
1 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)

1. Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan and heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring often.

2. Reduce heat to medium-low and continue simmering (and stirring often) for about 10 minutes.

3. Remove sauce from heat and mash using a potato masher. Allow to cool and thicken, then place in an airtight container and refrigerate.

Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins

2008-11-30T15:30:00.002-05:00

I've posted a few times previously about ways to spruce up out-of-the-box quick bread mixes (here and here) - today I'm adding the recipe for a batch of banana-chocolate chip muffins that can be made using banana quick bread mix as the base. Eat these plain or serve with peanut butter (or another topping of your choice).

Banana - Chocolate Chip Muffins (approx. 18 muffins)
1 box Pillsbury Quick Bread mix, banana flavor
1 cup milk
2 eggs
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 cup mashed ripe banana
1/2 cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease (or line with baking cups) approximately 18 muffin cups.

2. Stir together quick bread mix, milk, eggs, applesauce, mashed banana, and chocolate chips.

3. Pour batter into muffin cups, about 1/4 cup batter per muffin cup. If any muffin cups are not filled with batter, fill about halfway with water (this will even out baking).

4. Bake 15-20 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out cleanly. Remove muffin tins from oven and cool for about 30 minutes, then remove muffins to wire rack to finish cooling.

Maple Pumpkin Butter

2008-11-23T20:19:00.003-05:00

Whether you've made zucchini - apple bread or another quick bread, picked up some scones or muffins from the store, or need a topping for pancakes and waffles, this maple pumpkin butter is a perfect accompaniment to your Thanksgiving breakfast spread. During the baking you'll need to stir the pumpkin butter quite often, so you might want to make this while already in the kitchen for other reasons.

Maple Pumpkin Butter
1 29 oz. can solid pack pumpkin
3/4 cup apple cider
3/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 cup brown sugar
1.5 tsp. cinnamon
1 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
dash of nutmeg

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Stir together all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Continue stirring as mixture comes to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

3. Transfer mixture to an 8 x 8 baking dish and place in 350F oven. Cook for approximately 1.5 hours, stirring every 15 minutes, until pumpkin butter has thickened and any liquid has cooked away.

4. Remove from oven and cool. Transfer to glass jar or other container, cover, and refrigerate until ready to use.

Zucchini - Apple Bread (and tips for sprucing up some out-of-the-box quick breads)

2008-11-23T19:41:00.005-05:00

With Thanksgiving houseguests soon making their appearances, the time is right for preparing a few quick breads to have on hand for snacks and breakfast treats. Preparing this zucchini - apple bread takes a little time (mostly because of the time needed to grate the zucchini), but isn't something that you'll find in the ready-made quick bread mixes available at the store. If you are a bit pressed for time and are looking for ideas on how to spruce up some of the prepared mixes, scroll down to the bottom of this post for some ideas using pumpkin and cranberry breads.

Zucchini - Apple Bread
1.5 cups flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 egg
1 cup sugar
1 cup finely grated zucchini (do not peel before grating)
1/4 cup applesauce

1. Preheat oven to 350F and spray an 8 x 4 inch loaf pan [or 3 3 x 5 inch mini loaf pans] with non-stick spray.

2. Combine flour, cinnamon, baking soda, salt, baking powder, and nutmeg in a medium bowl.

3. In another bowl, combine egg, sugar, zucchini, and applesauce. Pour zucchini mixture into flour mixture and stir until batter is just moistened, then pour into prepared loaf pan.

4. Bake at 350F for 50-55 minutes [for mini loaves, 35-45 min] or until a toothpick inserted near center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack for 10 minutes, then remove from pan and continue cooling on wire rack until completely cooled. Wrap tightly in plastic or aluminum foil to store.

Easy spruce-ups for quick breads
When I called down to my uncle's house to ask what he'd like me to contribute for the big meal on Thursday, the first thing that he asked for was some of my "magic breads." While these quick bread might be magic, they aren't too difficult to make - in fact, they only require choosing your favorite mix-ins and adding them to a ready-made box mix (like Pillsbury) before baking!

Pumpkin Quick Bread
- 1/2 cup butterscotch or chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1/2 cup chopped nuts
- 1 T. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
- use apple cider instead of water in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)
- use applesauce instead of oil in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)

Cranberry Quick Bread
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
- use orange juice instead of water in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)
- use applesauce instead of oil in the mix (1-for-1 substitution)

Cranberry - Apple - Raisin Relish

2008-11-18T19:53:00.006-05:00

Next up in the preparation for Thanksgiving is a new (to me) variation on an old favorite - cranberry relish. Cranberry dishes are one of my favorites in the holiday meal (along with sweet potatoes) and making one is remarkably easy - not quite as simple as opening a can of jellied cranberry sauce, but much more rewarding (and tastier, too!). I found this recipe in Sunday's Parade magazine and made a few adjustments to reduce the sweetness and up the spice.

Cranberry - Apple - Raisin Relish (about 3.5 cups)
12 oz. bag fresh cranberries
1 large apple, peeled, cored, and chopped
1 cup golden raisins
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup orange juice (with pulp)
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. chopped fresh ginger or ginger paste
1 T. balsamic vinegar

1. Mix together cranberries, apples, raisins, sugar, orange juice, cinnamon, and ginger in a large saucepan or stockpot.

2. Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring often. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer until cranberries begin to soften (about 5-7 minutes). Using back of spoon, lightly mash mixture to break cranberries open.

3. Remove from heat and stir in balsamic vinegar. Transfer to glass jar or other container, cover, and refrigerate.

Orange Velvet Soup (Butternut Squash, Sweet Potato, and Rutabaga)

2008-11-16T21:35:00.002-05:00

One of the best things about living in Central New York during graduate school was being in Wegmans country - one of the best grocery stores that I have ever shopped. When I moved to the DC area, I was quite excited to find that Wegmans had followed me, opening stores in some of the outlying suburbs in Virginia and Maryland. The selection of produce is great - and in addition to the many whole fruits and vegetables available, there are also a number of packaged peeled and sliced options ready for cooking. Today I found both butternut squash and rutabaga, and with a few other ingredients, put together this "orange velvet" soup to combat the chilly November days. To give the soup an extra kick, I used a bottle of pumpkin ale as part of the stock.

Orange Velvet Soup (6-8 servings)
12 oz. rutabaga, peeled and cubed
20 oz. butternut squash, peeled and cubed
1 large sweet potato / yam, peeled and cubed
1 medium onion, diced
1 medium apple, peeled and chopped
3 cups stock (broth, cider, water, etc.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1 12 oz. can fat-free evaporated milk

1. Combine rutabaga, squash, and sweet potato in a large stockpot, add water to cover the vegetables, and bring to a boil. Cover and continue boiling for 15-20 minutes, until vegetables are soft enough to mash. Drain (reserve some water for stock, if desired).

2. While vegetables are cooking, saute onions and apple in a small amount of olive oil.

3. Mix rutabaga/squash/sweet potato and onion/apple together and puree using a food processor or potato masher. Return vegetable mixture to stockpot.

4. Add stock, cinnamon, and nutmeg to vegetable mixture. Simmer on low-medium heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables

2008-11-16T21:04:00.003-05:00

With Thanksgiving coming up in less than two weeks, the race is on to choose and test dishes for the big feast. One of my favorite side dishes is vegetables roasted in walnut oil and balsamic vinegar. This dish can be prepared and baked ahead of time and warmed in the oven for a few minutes closer to the time when you are ready to eat.

Oven-Roasted Vegetables (6-8 servings)
1 large sweet potato / yam, peeled and cubed
1 large fennel bulb, leaves / stalks removed, sliced
2-3 medium red potatoes, cubed
8 oz. baby portabella mushrooms, sliced
4 large shallots or 1 medium onion, sliced
2 T. walnut oil
2 T. balsamic vinegar
1 tsp. salt

1. Preheat oven to 425F.

2. Toss all ingredients together in a large (13 x 9) baking dish until vegetables are well-coated with oil and vinegar.

3. Bake at 425F for 40 minutes or until vegetables are tender. Stir once or twice while baking.

Dining on Lake Tahoe: Evergreen

2008-11-10T21:48:00.003-05:00

From Reno-Tahoe

This past Saturday I found myself in Reno, NV with a day to explore the area before having to catch a red-eye flight back to the east coast. Given that I'd already seen plenty of the casino where I'd been attending a conference and downtown Reno didn't have much to offer, I decided to drive out to Lake Tahoe and take a lap around the shoreline.

The lake has a circumference of 72 miles, so circumnavigating the lake in the space of several hours is quite do-able. Starting out at Incline Village, NV in the morning and driving clockwise around the lake (with lots of stops for photo ops, of course) brought me to Tahoe City, CA just in time for lunch. The weather was beautiful and I was hoping to find a restaurant where I could look out over the lake while dining.

I found a great lunch spot in Evergreen, which bills itself as "a casual restaurant...with a view of Lake Tahoe from every table." Given that much of the vegetation ringing the lake is indeed evergreen, the view of the lake certainly isn't unobstructed, but combined with people watching along the main street and a friendly waiter, there was plenty to keep me entertained while I ate my lunch. I had the special of the day - beef chili with onions, cheese, and an artistic piping of sour cream - and found it to be the perfect meal for a day on the lake. The chili was made with both red and black beans, plenty of beef, and was spicy without being overly hot. The menu also included many other delicious sounding appetizers and entrees (roasted young beets, grilled portobella mushroom sandwich with goat cheese and roasted peppers, sauteed duck breast with roasted plums and wild rice), for those looking for a larger meal. If you ever happen to be out in Tahoe and are looking for a place to eat, Evergreen is definitely worth a try.

Aeblekage (Danish Apple Cake)

2008-11-02T19:54:00.004-05:00

When dessert time came at my grandparents' house, there were usually several desserts waiting in the refrigerator or on the sideboard. Of all of the delicious desserts that my grandma made, one of my very favorite was her apple cake. It is a fairly simple recipe, requiring just three ingredients - but it does require several hours for the cake to cool in the refrigerator, so you may wish to bake the cake the night before you plan to serve it and chill it overnight. Depending on how much time you'd like to put into this recipe, you can either make your own applesauce (see my recipe here) or use chunky applesauce from the store.

Aeblekage (Danish Apple Cake) (8-16 servings)
3 cups applesauce
2 cups graham cracker crumbs (or breadcrumbs)
8 oz. whipped topping

1. Preheat oven to 320F.

2. Butter or use cooking spray to coat all sides of an 8x8 baking dish (or other oven-proof dish). Layer graham cracker crumbs and applesauce in pan, 1/2 cup of crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup crumbs, 1 cup applesauce, 1/2 cup crumbs.

3. Bake at 320F for 1 hour. Cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight, until completely chilled throughout.

4. Slide a knife between cake and edge of pan, then turn out onto a large plate. Frost with whipped topping. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.

Not-Quite-Vegetarfrikadeller (Root Vegetable Bake)

2008-11-02T19:19:00.003-05:00

The Wikipedia article about frikadeller mentions that vegetarians can now enjoy a meatless version of frikadeller and links to a recipe for vegetarfrikadeller. The recipe is in Danish, although that wasn't too difficult to handle, given the wide variety of internet resources that can be called upon to aid in translating Danish to English and metric to units more familiar to folks in the US. However, when I started in on the recipe, I was quickly foiled by the amount of shredding necessary to create the fine-grained mixture needed to create vegetarfrikadeller. Perhaps if I had a full-sized food processor, grating beets, parsnips, and carrots would prove to be fairly easy, but in this case, I decided to use the ingredients I had to create a slightly simpler dish. So in this post, I present two recipes - first, the root vegetable bake I actually made, and second, a translation of the recipe for vegetarfrikadeller mentioned above, should anyone with better shredding or food processing abilities like to give it a whirl.

Root Vegetable Bake (10-12 servings)
3/4 lb. parsnips, cut into thin strips
3/4 lb. beet, cut into thin strips
3/4 lb. carrot, cut into thin strips
1 medium onion, diced
2 cloves garlic
2 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper

1. Preheat oven the 350F.

2. Mix all ingredients together in a large (9 x 13) baking dish and spread evenly in dish.

3. Bake at 350F for one hour, stirring twice. If vegetables are still too crisp, increase heat to 400F and bake until desired tenderness is reached.

Vegetarfrikadeller (translated from Danish recipe)
(note: some measurements have been slightly adjusted to account for differences in measurement systems and the desire to make units more simple)
1 lb. parsnips
1 lb. beets
1 lb. carrots
4 eggs
2/3 cup milk
1-2 bouillon cubes
1 large onion
2 cloves garlic
salt
pepper
2-3 T. flour

1. Shred parsnip, beet, and carrot and mix with eggs.

2. Heat milk and dissolve bouillon cubes, add onion, garlic, salt, pepper, and flour.

3. Combine vegetable and milk mixtures, pour off excess liquid.

4. Shape into balls with a tablespoon and fry in butter or vegetable oil, 10 minutes per side.

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)

2008-11-02T17:37:00.002-05:00

Growing up, my mom would occasionally have a few days (or even a week!) off of work, and if my dad and I were lucky, she would use some of her vacation time to prepare a "golden week of food" consisting of meat pies, sweet potatoes, and (if we were really lucky) frikadeller. Frikadeller, or Danish meatballs, are the national dish of Denmark and can be made with beef, veal, pork, lamb or a combination of these meats. These aren't the kind of meatballs that you serve with spaghetti, though - frikadeller stand pretty well on their own, swathed with a bit of gravy and complemented by rødkål and some potatoes or rice. If you have leftovers, frikadeller reheat well and you might even consider making frikadeller sandwiches.

Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs) (6-8 servings)
2 lbs. ground meat (beef, veal, pork, or lamb - or a mixture)
2 eggs
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
1/4 tsp. nutmeg (or allspice, cinnamon, or other spice)
1/2 cup milk
1 T. flour or bread crumbs
1 onion, diced

1. Combine meat, eggs, salt, pepper, nutmeg, milk, flour / bread crumbs, and 1/2 of onion in a large bowl. Mix well.

2. Caramelize other half of onion in a deep frying pan.

3. Shape meat mixture into balls about the size of an egg and place in pan with caramelized onion. Add enough water to cover meatballs, boil meatballs for 20 minutes. Cook in batches if necessary, add more water to maintain level. [Alternative: Flatten meatballs slightly and fry in butter or vegetable oil, 5 minutes per side or until cooked through.]

4. Remove meatballs from water and add flour to water in pan, stir to dissolve and continue heating until gravy is desired thickness.

Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage)

2008-11-02T17:11:00.005-05:00

When I think back to the many days spent at my grandparents' house, one of the strongest memories I have is of the various smells associated with my grandmother's cooking and baking. On entering their house on the day of a big meal, one of the scents sure to greet visitors was that of Danish red cabbage (rødkål), a sweet and sour cabbage preparation that serves as the perfect accompaniment to frikadeller (meatballs), medisterpølse (sausage), or other main dishes.

Rødkål takes a few hours to prepare and cook and can easily be reheated, so you may wish to prepare this a night in advance and then warming at low heat the next day while finishing up cooking whatever other dishes you are preparing.

Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage) (enough for a crowd)
1 medium head of red cabbage (about 3 lbs.), shredded or cut finely
3 T. butter
1 T. sugar
1/4 cup vinegar
1/4 cup water
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. pepper
2 medium apples, peeled / cored / finely chopped
1/2 cup red currant jelly (I grabbed seedless raspberry from the store by mistake - it also works!)

1. Melt butter in a large pot / kettle over medium-low heat and add sugar, stir until it dissolves in butter. Add cabbage and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring constantly so that cabbage is coated in butter / sugar mixture.

2. Add vinegar, water, salt, and pepper and simmer (covered) for 2-3 hours, stirring occasionally, until cabbage is very tender.

3. Add apples and red currant jelly (and if necessary, additional vinegar, water, or sugar to balance flavor). Simmer for an additional 30 minutes.

Danish Food Festival, Part II

2008-11-02T16:30:00.004-05:00

Last week, I posted a short piece about the Danish food party I was planning in honor of my grandfather, who was born 100 years ago yesterday (November 1). But since it was my grandmother who actually did the cooking in the family, the party was also in honor of her. So...

To Chris and Irene Rasmussen, Skaal!

The menu at the party included:

Danish cheeses: Havarti, Danish Blue, and Fontina
Aebleskiver (Filled Pancakes)
Rødkål (Danish Red Cabbage)
Root Vegetable Bake (with bonus recipe for Vegetarfrikadeller)
Frikadeller (Danish Meatballs)
Aeblekage (Danish Apple Cake)
Danish Butter Cookies
Halloween Candy Cache Brownies
Beverages: Carlsberg Beer, Apple Cider, Wine

Curried Pumpkin Soup (spicy!!!)

2008-10-26T23:02:00.004-04:00

I've already said in previous posts (also here and here) that squash is one of my favorite foods. Pumpkin is also a squash, and today I tried my hand at making pumpkin soup. I decided to try making a curried soup, and I definitely came out with something spicy! The soup goes great with crusty whole grain bread (see the photo). A few variations to try: for the liquid, try using vegetable broth, apple cider, or pumpkin ale (I used 3 cups vegetable broth + 1 cup apple cider); if you don't like your food too spicy, reduce the amount of curry and red pepper flakes in the recipe below.

Curried Pumpkin Soup (6-12 servings, depending on serving size)
1 29 oz. can pumpkin
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2-3 ribs celery, fined chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
dash cinnamon
1 T. brown sugar
1 T. chopped fresh ginger (or ginger paste)
4 cups liquid (vegetable broth, apple cider, pumpkin ale, etc.)
1 12 oz. can evaporated milk (regular or nonfat)

1. Saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Use a food processor to puree mixture.

2. Combine pumpkin, curry, black pepper, red pepper, cinnamon, brown sugar, ginger, liquid, and onion / garlic / celery mixture in a large pot and simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Add evaporated milk and continue to simmer (do not boil) for 10 minutes.

4. Ladle soup into bowls and serve!

Applesauce

2008-10-26T22:46:00.007-04:00

In preparation for the aeblekage (Danish apple cake) I am making for next weekend's Danish food festival, I made a hug pot of applesauce today. If you happen to have a hand crank apple peeler/corer/slicer handy, preparing the apples is much faster and easier. You can vary this recipe by using different kinds of liquids (e.g., cider or other fruit juice), adding additional types of fruit (e.g., cranberries), or stirring in little red cinnamon candies instead of using stick cinnamon.

Applesauce (a lot!)
8 pounds of apples
2 cups water
3 cinnamon sticks, 2 1/2 inches each
1/2 cup brown sugar (or to taste)

1. Peel, core, and slice apples and place in a large stock pot with water, cinnamon sticks, and sugar. Cover and simmer until apples are soft and can be mashed (30-45 minutes).

2. Remove cinnamon sticks and mash using a potato masher (for chunky applesauce) or process in batches in a blender or food processor (for smoother applesauce). If desired, continue to simmer uncovered to thicken sauce.

Danish Food Festival

2008-10-26T22:17:00.006-04:00

Next weekend I am throwing a Danish food festival to celebrate the 100th anniversary of my grandfather's birth. Christian Rasmussen was born in Odense, Denmark (Hans Christian Andersen's hometown) on November 1, 1908 and emigrated to the United States as a young man. Chris settled in Detroit, MI and married Irene Petsch (the daughter of German immigrants) in July, 1933. They had three daughters - Ann Marie, Karen Lee, and Sallylou. By the time my mom came along in 1950, Chris and Irene had moved to Sandusky, MI, where they had a small dairy farm.

When my mom graduated from college, Chris and Irene sold the farm and moved to a small island in Caseville, MI year-round. The "house on the big water" is where I spent many a holiday, family birthday, or plain lazy summer afternoon. Their tiny house was always full of delicious smells - frikadeller, roasts, pies, cakes, or whatever else my grandma happened to be cooking or baking that day. When it was time to eat, Grandma would send me out to call folks to the table with "vaske spise!" (wash up and eat!)

I'm planning several of my favorite Danish dishes for next Saturday's party - so stay tuned for the recipes! I'll be making aebleskiver, rødkaal, frikadeller, vegetarfrikadeller (okay, my grandma would never have made vegetarian frikadeller, but I'm intrigued and will try it), and aeblekage.

Squash Soup

2008-10-20T21:41:00.007-04:00

Squash is one of my favorite foods, and squash soup is one of my favorite autumn dishes. For this soup, you can use any of the hard winter squashes (e.g., butternut, acorn, etc.) - many grocery stores sell peeled and sliced squash if you don't want to do it yourself, or you can get frozen cooked squash in the frozen foods section. If you are using fresh squash, boil it until tender (10-15 minutes, or until a fork can easily be inserted), drain, and mash with a potato masher. Depending on what liquid bases and add-ins you have on hand and whether you use a food processor or not, you can play around with this recipe to make it more savory or more sweet and smoother or chunkier.

Squash Soup (4-8 servings, depending on serving size)
2 lbs. winter squash (butternut, acorn, etc.), cooked and mashed
2 cups liquid (apple cider, vegetable broth, water, etc.)
1 T. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 large ribs celery, finely chopped
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large apple, cut into chunks
1 can (~ 14 oz.) whole kernel or creamed corn (drain if using whole kernel corn)
1 rind parmesan cheese
1 T. chopped fresh dill (or dill paste)
1 tsp. cinnamon
ground black pepper to taste
1 cup milk (optional)

1. Combine squash and liquid in a large pot; simmer over low heat, stirring occasionally to combine squash and liquid.

2. Saute onion, celery, and garlic in olive oil until onions begin to turn clear and celery softens. Add apples and continue to saute for 5 minutes.

3. Add onion / celery / garlic / apple mixture, corn, parmesan cheese rind, dill, cinnamon, and pepper to squash mixture; simmer over medium-low heat for 30 minutes, stirring occasionally. [If you'd like a slightly creamier soup, add 1 cup milk at this point and simmer - but do not boil - for an additional 10 minutes.]

4. Remove parmesan rind (if it has not completely melted). Use a potato masher or food processor to blend soup; ladle into bowls and garnish with fresh dill.

Simple Apple Pie

2008-10-20T21:23:00.002-04:00

This weekend I was up in Syracuse to visit friends and go apple picking (one of my favorite fall activities). After a morning spent picking and tasting apples, drinking cider, eating donuts, and generally having fun, my friend Susana and I settled down to the (not too) hard work of making an apple pie. The recipe we used is very simple and quick to make - adjust the sugar and spices to your taste and to the apples you are using (we used jonagold apples - fairly sweet and crisp, with just a touch of tartness).

Simple Apple Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
6 cups apples, peeled and thinly sliced
1/3 - 2/3 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. nutmeg
1 T. butter, cut into small pieces
a few pinches of flour

1. Preheat oven to 450F.

2. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate and trim to edge of pie plate. Sprinkle flour lightly on crust.

3. Mix sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg in a bowl. Spread a layer of apples in the pie plate, sprinkle sugar mixture, add another layer of apples and sugar, repeat until all apples and sugar mixture are used. Dot top layer with cut butter.

4. Unroll second pie crust and place on top of pie, fold edges under bottom crust and seal edge of pie. Cut 3-5 slits in pie crust to vent.

5. Bake for 10 minutes at 450F, reduce heat to 350F and continue baking for 30-35 minutes more.

6. Enjoy warm or cooled!

Pumpkin Raisin Pecan Muffins

2008-10-12T18:52:00.005-04:00

One of my favorite "bases" to begin baking with is Pillsbury's Quick Bread mixes. They come in a variety of flavors, each of which offers many possibilities beyond just quick bread. The mix that I use most often is pumpkin, and that's what I used today in making muffins to take into the office tomorrow. This recipe uses plain (unsweetened) applesauce instead of oil, so it cuts out some of the fat while keeping the muffins moist - and adds a nice apple undertone to this fall treat.

Pumpkin Raisin Pecan Muffins (12 muffins)
1 box (14 oz) Pillsbury Quick Bread mix, pumpkin flavor
1 cup milk
1/3 cup applesauce
1 tsp. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
2 eggs
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chopped pecans

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease or line 12 cupcake cups.

2. In a large bowl, stir together quick bread mix, milk, applesauce, ginger, and eggs. Stir in raisins and pecans.

3. Pour batter into muffin cups, filling each about 3/4 full.

4. Bake 20 minutes (or until a toothpick comes out clean). Cool in pan 2 minutes, then remove to cooling rack.

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash

2008-09-28T21:31:00.004-04:00

Continuing on the squash theme from the last post, my other foray into squash today used acorn squash...

Maple-Glazed Acorn Squash (2-4 servings)
1 medium acorn squash (~ 1.5 lbs.)
1/4 cup maple syrup
2 T. butter or margarine (melted)
1/4 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish and bake for 45 minutes.

3. While squash is baking, mix maple syrup, butter, and cinnamon in a small bowl.

4. Remove squash from oven and turn cut side up in the dish. Brush maple syrup mixture over cut side of squash and spoon remaining mixture into center of squash. Return to oven and bake for 20-25 minutes or until squash is soft.

Parmesan Spaghetti Squash

2008-09-28T21:08:00.004-04:00

The weather in DC has started to cool off (although the forecast is to go back up to the 80s for at least a day or two this coming week) and the fruits of the autumn harvest are beginning to appear at the farmers markets and grocery stores. This week, I dug into the squash harvest...

Parmesan Spaghetti Squash (~ 6 servings)
1 medium spaghetti squash (~ 3 -4 lbs)
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
2 T. butter or margarine, cut into several pieces
1/2 tsp. black pepper

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Cut squash in half and remove seeds. Place squash cut side down in a large baking dish and bake for 30-40 minutes (until squash is tender).

3. Remove squash from oven and allow to cool for a few minutes, then use a fork to rake squash pulp out of shell so that it forms spaghetti-like strands.

4. Toss squash, cheese, butter, and pepper until well mixed.

Caramel Crispy Squares

2008-09-28T08:08:00.006-04:00

A few weeks ago, I picked up a box of Caramel Delight Fiber One cereal, thinking that it sounded good. While the flavor was decent, it wasn't quite sweet enough to offset the extra-fibery taste of the cereal (35% of your daily recommended fiber intake!). At about the same time, I got a bag of marshmallows that turned out to be a bit stickier than I would have liked. And so the caramel crisy squares were born!

Caramel Crispy Squares
2 T. butter or margarine
3 cups miniature marshmallows
4 cups Fiber One Caramel Delight cereal
1 cup butterscotch chips

1. Microwave the butter in a large bowl until melted (about 45 seconds).

2. Add marshmallows and toss, microwave 1 minute, stir, and microwave 1 more minute or until marshmallows are melted.

3. Stir in cereal and butterscotch chips.

4. Turn out onto a large sheet of waxed paper and press out until layer is about 1.5 inch thick. It will be very sticky, so do you best. (Alternative - press into greased, foil lined 8 x 8 pan.)

5. Allow to cool, then cut into about 12 squares.

Peach Pie

2008-08-23T20:47:00.005-04:00

I'm still working through the peaches from a few weeks ago - I'm now on to the fruit that I put up in the freezer. This time around, inspired by a great deal on pastry cut-out tools at Williams-Sonoma ($1.99!), I decided to try peach pie.

Peach Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
1/2 cup sugar
2 T. quick-cooking tapioca
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. fresh chopped ginger (or ginger paste)
6 cups fresh or frozen peaches (thawed), peeled and diced
a few pinches of flour

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. In a large bowl, stir together sugar, tapioca, and cinnamon. Add peaches and ginger and stir together. Allow to sit for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

3. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate and trim to edge of pie plate. Sprinkle with a few pinches of flour.

4. Unroll second pie crust and use leaf-shaped pastry cutter to cut out three pieces near center of crust. Dot crust with water and affix leaves to alternate with cut out areas (see photo above). [If you are not using pastry cutters, cut three to five slits in crust after placing it on pie and sealing edges.]

5. Pour peach mixture into pie crust, place second crust, fold edges under bottom crust and seal edge of pie.

6. Bake 50 minutes. If desired, place foil around edge of pie to protect crust during the first 25 minutes of baking. Cool pie on a wire rack after removing from oven.

7. Slice and top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream!

Sangria

2008-08-14T20:17:00.003-04:00

Last weekend brought with it a Gipsy Kings concert out at Wolf Trap and the need to use up the last of the fresh peaches, nectarines, and blackberries that I picked the previous weekend. So I thought...What better way to spend a night under the stars listening to flamenco than with a lovely batch of sangria to sip?

The wine that I used is from a Michigan winery (Tabor Hill) and is not available outside of the state. So if you're in Michigan, I encourage you to get some - and if you aren't in Michigan, call on your friends who live or visit and ask them to bring you some.

Sangria (serves 4-6, depending on how much you all drink!)
1 bottle Tabor Hill demi-red or other semi-sweet red wine of your choosing
1-2 fresh peaches, peeled / pitted / diced
1-2 fresh nectarines, pitted / diced (you can leave the skin on or remove it)
1 handful fresh blackberries
1 20 oz. bottle Sprite / 7-Up (regular or diet)

Mix wine and fruit together in a large pitcher, cover, and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Add Sprite / 7-Up just prior to serving. Serve with a ladle or long-handled spoon so that folks can get the fruit!

Sunday Brunch - Bombay Club

2008-08-04T21:35:00.004-04:00

If Washingtonians know how to do one weekend activity really well, it is brunch. This weekend, I found a new favorite Sunday brunch spot - The Bombay Club in downtown DC. I'd been to Bombay Club for dinner before (excellent!), and was quite excited to find that the restaurant also offered a Sunday brunch buffet.

The buffet includes a sumptuous selection of Indian cuisine - appetizers, lamb, chicken, egg, vegetables, lentils, rice, naan, salad, fresh cut fruit, and dessert. The main dishes were hot enough for those in the group who like their food spicy, but those in the group who don't like their food as spicy were also able to find plenty to like. This week's selection included one of my favorite Indian desserts, gajjar ka halwa, a sweet made from carrots. Perhaps I'll try making it myself one day!

The set price for the buffet is very reasonable for brunch in the city - $20/person, or $25/person for the champagne brunch (including champagne or mimosas throughout the meal). In addition, this is one of the nicest settings for brunch in town - a piano player providing light background music, attentive wait staff, and a beautiful dining room.

Peach - Ginger Crisp

2008-08-03T00:08:00.004-04:00

My other baking adventure after returning from the farm today was peach - ginger crisp. It's getting late, so I'll skip the commentary and just post the recipe...

Peach - Ginger Crisp (10-12 servings)
6-8 cups sliced / cubed, peeled peaches*
3 T. sugar (or equivalent amount of Splenda)
1 cup oats
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 T. fresh ginger (or ginger paste)

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Mix peaches and 3 T. sugar. Spread in bottom on 13 x 9 baking pan.

3. Combine oats, brown sugar, flour and cinnamon. Cut in butter and ginger until mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over fruit.

4. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

5. Serve warm, top with ice cream or whipped topping if desired.

* This is also great with apples, apples + cranberries, blackberries, etc.

Blackberry Pie

2008-08-02T23:36:00.006-04:00

At the berry patch today, we were dreaming of many potential treats while picking blackberries. While some of the group headed home to can, I decided to use some of my berries in my first attempt at making a lattice-top pie. Aside from a few oddly-sized strips, it turned out quite tasty!

Blackberry Pie (8 servings)
2 refrigerated pie crusts
5 cups blackberries (or other berries)
3/4 cup sugar (or 9 packets Splenda + 3/8 cup sugar)
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1. Preheat oven to 375F.

2. Place one pie crust in bottom of 9-inch pie plate.

3. Mix sugar, flour, and cinnamon, sprinkle ~ 2 tablespoons on pie crust.

4. Toss berries in remaining dry ingredient mixture until well-coated, then dump into pie crust.

5. Cut second pie crust into 1/2-inch wide strips. Place strips across top of pie in woven lattice pattern. Trim strips to size of pie, then fold extra crust from bottom over and seal edge of pie.

6. Bake 50 minutes. If desired, place foil around edge of pie to protect crust edge - remove halfway though. After removing pie from oven, cool on a wire rack.

7. Slice and serve - top with ice cream or whipped topping!

Fresh Berries and Peaches

2008-08-02T22:56:00.008-04:00

This morning several of us went out to Homestead Farm in Poolesville, Maryland to pick blackberries, peaches, and nectarines. Picking fruit is one of my favorite weekend outings - and today was no exception, as you can see from the photos! I got lots of fruit and after several hours of baking, cutting, and bagging, I've ended up with...

1 blackberry pie
1 peach-ginger crisp
9 cups of frozen blackberries
21 cups of frozen peaches
3 cups of frozen nectarines
lots of fresh berries, peaches, and nectarines for snacks during the week

Stay tuned for more pictures and recipes for the pie and crisp!

In the meantime, take a look at my freezer...

S'mores Mix

2008-07-22T17:11:00.003-04:00

This past weekend I traveled back to Michigan to visit with some of my friends from my days as a Girl Scout camp counselor. Ahh, the life of camp...mosquitoes, swimming in a lake, showering outdoors, living in a cabin (or platform tent!), and cooking over a campfire.

The best thing about camp (aside from the friends and memories, of course!) is seeming unlimited access to s'mores. But my days as a camp counselor are done, and I don't often have access to an open campfire over which to toast marshmallows (a critical ingredient). I could try to puff the marshmallow in the microwave (although that would mean losing the ability to turn the marshamallow into a ball of fire, which is also a critical part of making s'mores) or go to Cosi to make s'mores. There are also some commercially-available substitutes that give you s'mores flavor without the campfire (and without the mess), including Ritz Bits S'mores Sandwiches and Pot Tarts S'mores. Which got me to thinking...how can I capture the essence of s'mores without the campfire and without the sticky mess that comes along with the best (and gooiest) of s'mores? Looking in my cupboard, I found the solution using a few ingredients I just happened to have laying about...

S'mores Mix
Use equal parts of all ingredients, depending on how many servings you need

Miniature marshmallows
Chocolate chips
Bite-sized graham crackers (e.g., Honey Maid Honey Bees, Teddy Grahams, Golden Grahams cereal)

Toss all ingredients together and serve!

Chocolate Chip Cookies

2008-07-12T11:21:00.004-04:00

Earlier this week, the New York Times went on a hunt for the best chocolate chip cookie and offered a recipe that they say is great. I'm sure it is, but my favorite chocolate chip cookies are made using a recipe that I adapted from the top of the Quaker Oats canister. The recipe was originally for oatmeal raisin cookies, but I've used the base to make everything from raisin to chocolate chip to white chocolate cranberry to chocolate butterscotch.

p.s. If you need a quick fix and don't want to make up a whole batch of cookies, I suggest picking up one of the oatmeal chocolate chip cookies at Potbelly.

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (4-5 dozen cookies)
1 cup (two sticks) margarine or butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats (quick or old-fashioned)
1 cup chocolate chips*

1. Preheat oven to 350F.

2. Beat butter, brown sugar, and granulate sugar until creamy.

3. Add eggs and vanilla, beat well.

4. Combine flour, baking soda, and cinnamon, then add to liquid mixute and mix well.

5. Stir in oats and chocolate chips until fully mixed.

6. Drop by rounded teaspoons onto ungreased cookie sheet.

7. Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.

8. Cool for 1 minute on cookie sheet, then remove to wire rack.

*or raisins, or 1/2 cup white chocolate chips + 1/2 cup dried cranberries, or 1/2 cup cinnamon chips + 1/2 cup raisins, or 1/2 cup chocolate chips + 1/2 cup butterscotch chips, etc.

Lemon Blueberry Cloud

2008-07-12T10:53:00.004-04:00

It's summer time, which means that picnic season is in full swing. So, what's a girl to bring to the party? Today, it's lemon blueberry cloud, a fluffy and fruity summer dessert.

A few notes - I like to play around with recipes a lot, substituting in one type of fruit or flavoring for another. So, if you're not a fan of lemon or blueberry, this recipe can easily be modified to accommodate the flavors you do have a taste for. Also, don't be afraid to use the sugar free, fat free, or reduced fat versions of the cottage cheese, whipped topping, and gelatin if that's what you prefer (that's what I use).

Lemon Blueberry Cloud (enough for a picnic / potluck)
1 16 oz. container cottage cheese (small curd)
1 box (4 serving size) lemon-flavored gelatin [or 1-2 boxes of your favorite flavor]
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 quart blueberries [or 3-4 cups fresh or frozen fruit, or 1-2 15 oz. cans, drained]
1 8oz. container whipped topping, thawed

1. In a large bowl, mix cottage cheese and gelatin powder until thoroughly blended.

2. Add miniature marshmallows and 3 cups blueberries (reserve remainder of quart for garnish). Stir until marshmallows and blueberries are well coated.

3. Fold in whipped topping and mix gently until well blended. Do not overmix!

4. Top with remaining blueberries and additional miniature marshmallows. Cover and chill for several hours or until picnic time.

Gazpacho!

2008-06-29T14:36:00.007-04:00

After a few weeks of blissfully cool weather in DC, summer has returned with a vengeance - heat, humidity, and torrential rainstorms. Which means it is the perfect time to make up a big batch of gazpacho. And with today marking Spain's appearance in the EuroCup finals, it's a great time to make this traditionally Spanish soup.

Some interesting facts about gazpacho - did you know that this cold soup was originally made from stale bread, olive oil, garlic, salt, and vinegar? It wasn't until after 1492 and Columbus' voyage to the New World that tomatoes and bell peppers made it back to Europe and the soup evolved into the form we are more familiar with today.

The gazpacho I made up today is fairly simple, although does require a fair amount of chopping - so if you're out of practice, you might want to stretch first ;) Or if you have a food processor, just chop things a bit chunkier and throw all of the ingredients in together and blend until smooth.

Gazpacho (4-6 servings)
2 15 oz. cans diced tomatoes (I like to use the ones that also have green chiles)
1/2 large Vidalia onion, diced
4 large ribs celery, diced
2 bell peppers, diced (green, orange, red, or yellow - use different colors to make your soup prettier)
1 large cucumber, seeded and diced
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup cilantro leaves & stems, chopped
1/4 cup lemon juice
2 cups vegetable juice

Stir together all ingredients in a large bowl until fully mixed or use a food processor to create a smoother soup (process in batches if necessary). Seal and place in refrigerator for several hours. Garnish with fresh cilantro.

Note: If you are making this soup for lunches, as I usually do, make sure to keep any leftover vegetable juice on hand for later in the week, when you might find that the veggies have soaked up more liquid - and thus a few dashes of juice are necessary.

Bananas

2008-06-19T13:20:00.003-04:00

Perhaps the worst food news of the day...the month...or my entire life was delivered in this Op-Ed from yesterday's New York Times: Yes, We Will Have No Bananas (see picture at left).

Looks like we'll soon be forced to explore other varieties of banana - and I'm all for it! While in India this past winter, I had some wonderful small, sweet bananas that had a slight honey flavor and were very smooth. I wonder what else is out there?

Banana Dogs!

2008-06-16T17:04:00.003-04:00

A couple of years ago my mom and I were pondering that age-old question...What can we do with these left-over hot dog buns? Both of us start our mornings with a banana, love peanut butter, and voila! we dreamt up the banana dog. [Yes, I realize that many people think that they invented the banana dog...but within our family, my mom and I were the innovators.] My dad was a bit slower to warm to the idea, but I've received intelligence that he does occasionally partake of a banana dog.

One of the best things about the banana dog is that it makes a tasty, healthy, and portable breakfast or snack. Peel the banana, pop it into a hot dog bun, add your favorite toppings, and you are good to go - just don't try to carry it onto the Metro, where you might get fined for trying to eat and commute. Also, the banana dog is fully customizable, and if you have many mouths to feed you can create a banana dog toppings bar (late night movie marathon with friends? breakfast for a kids' sleepover party?).

Banana Dogs
Basics:
hot bog bun (whole wheat preferred)
medium-sized banana

Toppings: (add as many or as few as you would like)
peanut butter (or almond butter, sunflower seed butter, etc.)
cream cheese
marshmallow fluff
jelly (or jam, preserves, etc.)
honey
chocolate sauce (or caramel sauce, etc.)

1. Toast hot dog bun, if desired. While bun is toasting, peel banana and cut to proper size (eat the ends that don't fit on the bun).

2. Spread toppings on the bun, or put banana in then add the toppings - your choice!

3. Enjoy!

Cool Cucumber and Green Tea Soup

2008-06-15T19:30:00.000-04:00

Lucerne (the "store brand" at Safeway) makes a light green tea yogurt that I've used previously as a fruit dip. I thought that it might also make a good base for a cold cucumber and yogurt soup, so I whipped some up for the coming week's lunches. A small taste test reveals that...this was a great idea!

Cool Cucumber and Green Tea Soup (4-5 servings)
2 large cucumbers, peeled and chopped
1 cup green tea yogurt + 1 cup plain yogurt (or 2 cups plain)
2 T. fresh dill, minced (or dill paste)
1 T. fresh ginger, minced (or ginger paste)
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. lemon juice
pepper and salt to taste
1 cup water (if desired)

1. Mix cucumbers, yogurt, dill, ginger, garlic, lemon juice, pepper, and salt together in a large bowl and stir until the cucumber pieces are coated with yogurt.

2. Use a food processor or blender to puree the mixture in batches. If the mixture is too thick, add water until the desired consistency is reached.

3. Chill for at least 1 hr. and serve. Garnish with sprigs of fresh dill or thinly sliced cucumbers, if desired.

Some good meals from the past

2008-06-15T14:06:00.001-04:00

Here are a few snapshots of good meals that I've had while traveling...

Enjoying the taro in Hawaii

Dinner at LMB in Jaipur, Rajasthan (India) - Emera ordered the thali, and boy was it big!

The cake and other assorted desserts at Emera and Ian's wedding at Wells College in Aurora, NY

Chilled Peach Soup

2008-06-15T13:04:00.000-04:00

The past week or so has confirmed that summer has come to Washington, DC. Last Saturday, as the temperature flirted with triple digits and the city suffered through an early heat wave, visions of Whole Foods chilled soups danced in my head. Last summer I lived a mere half block from Whole Foods, and running across the street to pick up a quart of gazpacho or chilled peach soup was but the work of a moment. I've moved since then - it's about half a mile to Whole Foods from my new apartment - so if I walk over there, I expect to come home with a loaded sack.

Unfortunately, the recent tomato salmonella scare had triggered a decision to pull all fresh gazpacho from the shelves - strike 1. The shelves were also woefully lacking containers of chilled peach soup - strike 2. The store employees also had no idea if or when these summer staples would return to the refrigerated case - strike 3.

All was not lost, however. Instead of resigning myself to eating fresh French bread with no accompaniment, I decided to try my hand at making my own chilled peach soup. I had to use canned peaches, since I didn't have any fresh peaches on hand, but this did have the added benefit of less time spent peeling and slicing! Overall, the experiment worked out pretty well - and cost quite a bit less than the $5.99 Whole Foods charges.

Chilled Peach Soup (2-3 servings)
1 15 oz. can peaches or 3 cups fresh peaches (peeled)
1 cup yogurt
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. almond extract
1 tsp. cinnamon

1. Dice peaches into small (1/4") cubes.

2. Combine peaches, yogurt, lemon juice, almond extract, and cinnamon in a large bowl and mash with a potato masher/ricer until well blended. If the soup is too thick, add syrup from canned peaches, orange juice, or white grape juice until desired thickness is reached. (For those who like a smoother soup, use a blender or food processor for this step.)

3. Chill for at least 1 hr. and serve. Garnish with fresh mint, cinnamon, or peach slices, if desired.

I used peach yogurt when I made this, which made the soup even peachier - others may wish to use plain yogurt or to experiment with other flavors of yogurt (apricot mango? raspberry?). I'm also considering making a larger batch of this soup, using half peaches and half mangoes for the fruit portion.