I just made this tasty salmon for dinner. Very quick as far as hands-on time, but there's about 40 minutes of time involved in simmering, marinating and cooking so plan accordingly.
Looking in my fridge for some veggies was a bit disheartening but I came up with a side that went so well with the salmon I will always make them together. I shredded some brussel sprouts and green cabbage and sauteed in olive oil and garlic. Once they were bright green--about 5 minutes on medium high heat, I stirred in about 2 T of the sauce from the salmon and cooked about a minute more. Tasty and crunchy. I served all of this with some Yukon Golds whipped with 1T butter and enough milk to make them smooth.
All in all a fast dinner that was healthy and impressed my hubs. What more can a girl ask for?
VEW
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Wednesday, October 7, 2009
Stocking My Freezer
If there is one comfort to a summer that passes too quickly, it is that the onset of Autumn brings with it an intense nesting instinct in me. Suddenly all the things that I couldn't be bothered with when the sun was shining and the gardens were growing become like long-lost friends with which I can't wait to get reacquainted.
My plans this year are perhaps my most ambitious. Without getting preachy I'll just say that I've learned a lot from reading books, researching, talking with friends and participating in a CSA. The knowledge I've gained demands that I be a better steward of the earth and its inhabitants, as well as my family's health. To that end I'm trying to eat more whole foods, and buy only things that are responsibly grown. I felt like I was doing a good job before, but I want to do more. I've been trying to figure out which staples/snacks in our house I can make from scratch without too much trouble, and thus remove us at least another step from the industrialized food chain. The list will only increase I'm sure, but so far I've been making or planning to make the following things and will post recipes when I am not just satisfied, but thrilled with the results:
Wheat bread for my kids' sandwiches
Artisan breads
Crackers for my husband's snacking
Hummus
Marinara sauce to stave off ordering pizza in a pinch
Various pastas
Bagels
Cheese
Pickles
It's so fun to realize how easy it is to make things that all my life have come in a box or jar or cellophane, and even the most pathetic effort generally bests the store bought version as is usually true with homemade things. Please feel free to share any tips, sites, or recipes that fit the bill!
VEW
My plans this year are perhaps my most ambitious. Without getting preachy I'll just say that I've learned a lot from reading books, researching, talking with friends and participating in a CSA. The knowledge I've gained demands that I be a better steward of the earth and its inhabitants, as well as my family's health. To that end I'm trying to eat more whole foods, and buy only things that are responsibly grown. I felt like I was doing a good job before, but I want to do more. I've been trying to figure out which staples/snacks in our house I can make from scratch without too much trouble, and thus remove us at least another step from the industrialized food chain. The list will only increase I'm sure, but so far I've been making or planning to make the following things and will post recipes when I am not just satisfied, but thrilled with the results:
Wheat bread for my kids' sandwiches
Artisan breads
Crackers for my husband's snacking
Hummus
Marinara sauce to stave off ordering pizza in a pinch
Various pastas
Bagels
Cheese
Pickles
It's so fun to realize how easy it is to make things that all my life have come in a box or jar or cellophane, and even the most pathetic effort generally bests the store bought version as is usually true with homemade things. Please feel free to share any tips, sites, or recipes that fit the bill!
VEW
The Best Hummus
We eat a lot of hummus around here. I used to make it from canned chick peas until one day, desiring to eat foods as close to their natural state as possible, I wondered if I could find dried chick peas at my grocery store. I did and the resultant hummus was fabulous. I will never go back to canned. Not only do more nutrients remain in the final product compared with canned peas, the texture is unparalleled. This was as good as any restaurant hummus I've had and it was really easy. I make it to taste (I love the addition of freshly ground cumin and I like the tang that the addition of sumac adds), and started out working from this recipe.
If you eat hummus you really must give this a try. Yes, you have to plan ahead a bit since the chick peas require overnight soaking, but other than that, there really is very little time different between cracking open a can and giving your soaked peas a quick soak and boil. Oh, and peas you don't use right away can be frozen after they're boiled, making your next batch even easier than your first. I now maintain a steady supply of ready to go chick peas in the freezer.
VEW
If you eat hummus you really must give this a try. Yes, you have to plan ahead a bit since the chick peas require overnight soaking, but other than that, there really is very little time different between cracking open a can and giving your soaked peas a quick soak and boil. Oh, and peas you don't use right away can be frozen after they're boiled, making your next batch even easier than your first. I now maintain a steady supply of ready to go chick peas in the freezer.
VEW
Monday, September 14, 2009
Beet Greens!
I was a skeptic. Worse than that, a non-believer. I had read that beet greens were edible. I may have even read that they were good, but I didn't believe it. I was like my 4 year old who refuses to believe that anything I make for dinner will be remotely edible, let alone palatable. But I finally tried them. I don't remember what sparked it. A conversation with a friend perhaps. Or the fleeting thought as I chopped off a huge bundle of greens from a bunch of beets that I was being wasteful...I really don't know. But now I am a believer. They were so good I went out and bought some more. If you like sauteed spinach I can guarantee you will like beet greens. Same texture, similar taste but without that strange astringent aftertaste you sometimes get with spinach. Furthermore, at least in season, beet represent the greatest value in veggies and the 2 dishes you can get from this one plant are so different, it's hard not to start loving the beet. And all this from a person who last year not only merely tolerated the beet, but tossed the greens with a sneer at the thought of eating them. My apologies to those wasted greens.
Sauteed Beet Greens
Trim greens from one bunch of beets. Submerge in a sink of water to wash. Trim thick, woody ends and ribs. Roughly chop leaves.
In a pan, heat extra-virgin olive oil and add at least 2 cloves chopped garlic. Just as it begins to turn golden, throw in the greens, scant 1t kosher salt and stir. Cook until wilted. Eat. Buy more. Repeat. Become a believer.
VEW
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Pick a Leaf Pesto
Tonight should have been a pizza night: My husband is out of town for the second night in a row, I have 3 small children that never seem to tire, today was the first day we had to all be out the door and 25 minutes south of home in the early (for us) morning...I am tired. But I couldn't bring myself to feed me or my kids a bit of dough with a bit of processed tomato and some poor quality cheese. The scene in the fridge wasn't promising. I had a bunch of singlet veggies and not much else. Upon realizing they would all go to waste since we are headed out of town for the weekend I brainstormed the following tasty dish which I will now add to my repertoire of speedy, good meals.
I had some arugula and decided a pesto topped with my random veggies would be good. I didn't really have enough of any one ingredient for a true arugula pesto so I used what I had and it worked well. I always make pesto to taste rather than by measurements, so I will just try to approximate them here.
2 big handfuls of greens: I used a lot of arugula and added about 10 big leaves of basil, 10 leaves of sage and a bit of parsley.
3 cloves of garlic
6T total of nuts: I used pine nuts and walnuts
Process in a food processor then add:
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 C total Pecorino and/or Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt to taste
To this add pasta water to make the consistency to your liking.
To the cooked pasta and pesto I added one whole zucchini, peeled into ribbons with a veggie peeler--my new favorite thing to do since a friend gave me the tip that I think she learned from Jamie Oliver.
This alone was great, but grilled chicken would be good with it for something more hearty, or you can do what I did and saute whatever veggies you have on hand and top the pasta with them. I used some grape tomatoes, red bell pepper and red onion. It was so much better all around than pizza and just as quick.
VEW
I had some arugula and decided a pesto topped with my random veggies would be good. I didn't really have enough of any one ingredient for a true arugula pesto so I used what I had and it worked well. I always make pesto to taste rather than by measurements, so I will just try to approximate them here.
2 big handfuls of greens: I used a lot of arugula and added about 10 big leaves of basil, 10 leaves of sage and a bit of parsley.
3 cloves of garlic
6T total of nuts: I used pine nuts and walnuts
Process in a food processor then add:
1/3 C extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 C total Pecorino and/or Parmesan cheese, grated
Salt to taste
To this add pasta water to make the consistency to your liking.
To the cooked pasta and pesto I added one whole zucchini, peeled into ribbons with a veggie peeler--my new favorite thing to do since a friend gave me the tip that I think she learned from Jamie Oliver.
This alone was great, but grilled chicken would be good with it for something more hearty, or you can do what I did and saute whatever veggies you have on hand and top the pasta with them. I used some grape tomatoes, red bell pepper and red onion. It was so much better all around than pizza and just as quick.
VEW
Saturday, August 29, 2009
Saturday Morning
Interesting that my first post-baby post was about butter and my first post-baby painting is a still life of a doughnut... It's called Saturday Morning. Many such a morning finds my husband running down the street to a little bakery to bring back a "second breakfast" of treats. I used to find the amount of sugar consumed during this period a bit alarming but have since embraced the glee with which my kids receive the treats. I thought the sprinkle doughnut was the epitome of what Saturday mornings are like around here and I wanted to preserve that memory.
VEW
Friday, August 28, 2009
A Simple Summer Meal
A visit to a local farm and neccessity of quick preparation inspired this meal for friends.
Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables
Country Wheat Bread with Homemade Butter
Peach Tart with Blueberries and Whipped Cream
In a shallow roasting pan toss:
4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
3 baby eggplants, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 portobello mushroom, chopped
1/4 C olive oil
salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour, remove from oven and add 1 zucchini sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler and a handful of chopped, fresh herbs such as basil, sage, thyme, oregano and tarragon. Stir to wilt. Toss with fresh pasta.
The bread is self explanatory, for the butter, see post of the same name.
This tart was great. It reminded me of a peach cobbler but was much more elegant. It looks beautiful and had my guests going back for more. I used regular peaches and added blueberries after I removed the tart from the oven. Serve with freshly whipped cream.
VEW
Pasta with Roasted Summer Vegetables
Country Wheat Bread with Homemade Butter
Peach Tart with Blueberries and Whipped Cream
In a shallow roasting pan toss:
4 cloves garlic roughly chopped
3 baby eggplants, sliced in 1/2 inch pieces
1 pint cherry tomatoes
1 portobello mushroom, chopped
1/4 C olive oil
salt
Roast at 350 degrees for 1 hour, remove from oven and add 1 zucchini sliced into ribbons with a vegetable peeler and a handful of chopped, fresh herbs such as basil, sage, thyme, oregano and tarragon. Stir to wilt. Toss with fresh pasta.
The bread is self explanatory, for the butter, see post of the same name.
This tart was great. It reminded me of a peach cobbler but was much more elegant. It looks beautiful and had my guests going back for more. I used regular peaches and added blueberries after I removed the tart from the oven. Serve with freshly whipped cream.
VEW
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