Zucchini Hummus

For now, it seems like the cure to my 2 years of stomach problems is a low-carb diet. So you may start seeing a slight change in the recipes that appear here, considering most of what's posted are baked goods. BUT I've found some tasty alternatives, which I'd make even if I weren't carb counting, so here's the first one.

I just ate a third of this bowl with celery for lunch. Meet.....Zucchini Hummus! A delicious, slightly lighter version of the traditional dip. I stumbled upon this excellent recipe on www.ibreatheimhungry.com
(I omitted the cumin by accident, but it was still perfectly tasty)

Macaroni Salad

I can't stand the white gloppy mayonnaise-y mess that most places call macaroni salad. It wasn't till last year, that I discovered a deli (St Mark's Market) that sold a version that I found edible. Their main flavor was mustard, with very little mayo, but it contained almost nothing other than noodles and a few carrot strips. I went home and tried to recreate the seasoning. Over time I added to it and made it a little more substantial. I also found that dill really helps prevent the taste from being too flat and balances out the mustard.

(Serves 2)
1/2 cup cooked macaroni
1 hard boiled egg
1 carrot
1 celery stalk
1 Tbsp fresh dill
1 tsp grainy dijon mustard
1 1/2 Tbsp mayo
Salt/Pepper to taste

-Cook your macaroni and boil your egg in advance and let cool. You might want to add a touch of olive oil to the pasta so it won't stick together
-Chop all veggies and herbs. Cut up hard boiled egg
-Combine everything and chill, or serve right away

This recipe works perfectly for potato salad too!

Potato Leek Soup

This is one of my favorite comfort foods, because it's so simple to make and tastes so damn good. And now that I have a great bread book (see previous post) I can have homemade foccacia to go with it.

Recipe from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian, by Mark Bittman

2 Tbsp butter or olive oil
3 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
3 leeks (white part only), sliced into thin rings
salt and pepper
1 quart stock

-Melt butter in a pot over medium heat. Add vegetables, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cook for 2-3 minutes.
-Add stock, bring to boil then reduce to simmer and cook till vegetables are very tender (about 20 min).
-Use an immersion blender or pour into food processor and puree till smooth.

One way to use your Takoyaki pan: Scallion Balls!

I adore scallions, this is one way to honor them....




This is a pretty simple one:

• chop scallions
• mix in some flour and water
• add one egg

(When I asked Yukio "how much of what??" He said "Just make it right")

So here's what it looks like:



Ok got it.

So now heat the pan. He put one burner on top of the other so it's not too direct to the flame.

Throw some water on the pan to know when it's ready. NO OIL

Spoon them in alittle more than half full and wait about 2 min until the edges shrink alittle and turn brown, flip them over to the other side with some kind of poker.


That's it! Quick and easy.

We found that drizzling some Okonomiyaki sauce, Mayo, alittle hot sauce if you like, and sprinkled with this mixture in a shaker you can buy at any Asian mart. This one happened to be seaweed and sesame- there are many different combonations that would work. It DO think the balls need to be dressed with some kind of sauce...

Oh yeah and pink pickled ginger!!!!!!!!

Spinach Tofu Pockets (vegan friendly)

A friend of mine was kind enough to host an event at her apartment in Brooklyn where we learned how to make eco-friendly cleaning products. In return, I made some vegan snacks. I altered my spinach feta pastry recipe, so if you plan to make the non-vegan version, just use feta instead of tofu and ignore the cumin and coriander. The photo above is using regular pie crust dough, which browns, unlike the vegan recipe, which will remain pale.

Makes roughly 16 pastries:

Filling (this can be made a day ahead and kept in fridge):
1 pkg frozen chopped spinach, thawed
1/2 onion, chopped
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1/8 tsp ground coriander
1/8 tsp ground cumin
Salt/pepper to taste
1/4 pkg of silken tofu, drained
1/8 tsp nutmeg
oil for sauteeing

-Sautee onion in oil till soft.
-Add spinach and spices. Cook till excess water from spinach has evaporated.
-Add tofu and continue cooking for another 10 min.
-Set aside to cool completely, or refrigerate. The filling MUST be cool, or you'll run into problems when filling and folding.

Pastry (vegan version. Can substitute with regular flaky crust recipe and use water to seal edges)
2.5 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1 cup veg shortening (chilled)
oil for brushing on top

This was quite a bit of trial and error. If you are used to the way regular flaky pastry dough feels, this will feel too wet and smooth. It also lacks the elasticity of regular dough, so when folding it over your filling, there's a good chance it will crack. Just be patient and experiment with the thickness of the dough when rolling it out. You can try to use water to fix cracking.

-Mix shortening with flour till smooth. Chill for at least 30 minutes.
-Preheat oven to 350. Grease a baking sheet
-Roll out dough on a floured surface and cut 4.5" circles (at this size I was able to make roughly 16 pastries). Fill with a tablespoon of spinach mix. Fold over filling and press edges together.
-Brush pastry with olive oil
-Bake for 30 min. These won't really brown, since they don't have milk or egg wash on them.

French Lentil Casserole

This is my very favourite recipe, found via google by Jeremy a few years back. Only yesterday did we successfully retrace his googling steps and locate it. I'm posting it for safe-keeping. It is extremely flavourful, hearty, and delicious, and it fills your apartment with the most delightful aroma...

Here's the original link (thanks to the original blogger, Cecily, whom I don't know personally).

Cecily's French Lentil Casserole
2 cups white wine
1 t thyme
2 bay leaves
1 1/2 T white sugar
1 t salt
1 tsp Herbes de Provence (see below)
1 cup water
1 cup red, green, or French lentils
1 bunch chopped swiss chard
8 small carrots, diced
1 leek, cut into small rounds
1 cup loosely chopped walnuts
1/4 cup butter
olive oil

For Croutons
5 slices country bread, cut into 1 inch cubes
4 T olive oil
3 cloves minced garlic
2 t Herbes de Provence
salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425.

Make casserole
Mix wine, thyme, bay leaves, sugar, salt, Herbes de Provence, and water in sauce pan. Add lentils for 40 minutes on medium high. Saute vegetables in olive oil. Mix all ingredients in casserole dish (can also do individual casserole dishes) and bake for 15 minutes at 375, covered with foil.

Make croutons
toss all crouton ingredients together until evenly coated with oil. Bake at 425 for 7-10 minutes.

After baking each - the casserole and the croutons separately - add croutons to top of lentil mixture. Add melted butter over croutons. Bake for 20 minutes at 425.

Serves 4-6. Serve with another vegetable side dish. (Greenbeans, potatoes...)

*If you don't have premixed Herbes de Provence, mix the following:
1 T thyme
1 T chervil (I didn't have this, so I skipped it)
1 T rosemary
1 T savoury
1 t lavender
1 t tarragon
1 t marjoram
1/2 t oregano
1/2 t mint
2 powdered or chopped bay leaves

Lentils & Chickpeas with Apples & Grapes

This is my variation on an original recipe sent to me by friend and animator Elliot Cowan. His was a cold salad with a balsamic dressing and required no cooking. Here's what I did with some of the same basic ingredients (plus some) and a little stove top magic... Mine, I think, is better served hot, but would also work as a cold salad for a picnic side dish. It's very flavourful, healthy, and hearty. I'm sure Elliot would be happy to share his version as well upon request.

Ingredients:

2 T extra virgin olive oil (roughly)
2 large shallots
1 Fuji or Gala apple, chopped
1 knob of ginger, grated (about 3/4 - 1 teaspoon maybe)
2 T white wine (roughly)
coarsely ground black pepper
sea salt
1 15.5 oz. can of chickpeas
1 cup lentils, pre-rinsed and soaked
1 cup seedless red grapes, cut into halves

Directions:

Sauté in olive oil the shallots, apple, ginger, pepper, salt until desirably soft and yummy-looking, roughly between 3-5 minutes. Add lentils and chickpeas and stir in white wine. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for about 5 more minutes. Plop all of that into a bowl with the grapes. Stir up, serve, add a little more sea salt to taste, and devour.

Notes:

Ahead of time, I had frozen an additional bunch or two of seedless grapes and served them in a sorbet dish on the side. (As you can see in my picture.)

I think adding some chopped celery to the skillet would be a pretty great addition to this too.

Enjoy!

Black Bean & Tomato Quinoa

This is from Epicurious. It's simple and delicious. If you leave out the butter, it's vegan and, just for you, Jene: dairy-free!

2 teaspoons grated lime zest
2 Tablespoons fresh lime juice
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
1 Tablespoon vegetable oil
1 teaspoon sugar
1 cup (uncooked) quinoa
1 (14- to 15-ounce) can black beans, rinsed and drained
2 medium tomatoes, diced (I used a combo of yellow, grape, and Campari tomatoes)
4 scallions, chopped
1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Whisk together lime zest and juice, butter, oil, sugar, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4teaspoon pepper in a large bowl.

If your quinoa does not say "pre-rinsed" on the package, wash quinoa in 3 changes of cold water in a bowl, draining in a sieve each time. This will get rid of the bitter powder it has in its natural, unwashed form.

Cook quinoa in a medium pot of boiling salted water (1 tablespoon salt for 2 quarts water), uncovered, until almost tender, about 10 minutes. Drain in sieve and fluff with fork.

Add quinoa to dressing and toss until dressing is absorbed, then stir in remaining ingredients and sea salt and coarsely ground cracked pepper to taste.

Indian-Spiced Potato Salad

This is a nice, refreshing variation to my mom's potato salad, to which I am particularly loyal. (Next time I'll post that recipe). I feel like this would have been tastier with a smaller ratio of potatoes, but I swapped out the potatoes the recipe called for with the cheaper russet potatoes, so that may have been the reason it seemed a little on the drier side to me.

Here's the original recipe as it appears on Epicurious.com:

3 1/2 pounds Yukon Gold potatoes
1 cup chopped shallots (about 3)
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup chopped, peeled, fresh ginger
2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 cups (packed) chopped cilantro leaves and tender stems, divided

Bring large pot of salted water to boil; add potatoes. Cook until potatoes are tender when pierced with knife, about 25 minutes (Although, this was too long for the russets I used). Dump water, cover, and refrigerate, at least 3 hours.

Puree shallots, mayonnaise, ginger, and lemon juice in processor. Transfer to small bowl. Stir in 1 1/2 cups of cilantro.

Peel potatoes and cut into 1/2 inch cubes. Place in large bowl, add dressing, and toss to coat. Refrigerate until cold, about 4 hours. Season to taste with salt and pepper (I felt it really needed the salt). Add remaining cilantro and serve.

Yields about 8 servings.

Curried Carrot Soup

I have a whole new appreciation for carrots now.

Recipe from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food. You will need a LARGE pot for this

2 Tbsp butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp salt, 1/4 tsp pepper
3.5 cups low sodium broth
3 cups water
2 lbs carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks (if you use baby carrots, it'll save you a lot of trouble)
2 Tbsp lemon juice

Heat butter in a 4-5 quart pot. Add onion, curry, salt and pepper. Cook till onion is soft. Add broth, carrots and 3 cups of water. Bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer till carrots are tender (20 min). In a blender, puree soup till smooth. Add lemon juice.

Fast & Delicious Pasta with Artichokes, Olives, and Tomatoes

This is a Martha Stewart Whole Living recipe and the only change I made was to swap the whole wheat pasta (which is a crime against the tongue as far as I'm concerned) for the normal stuff. Yes, I could have photographed it when I made it, but why would I when she has a master team of food photographers?

While the ingredients are minimal, this has a ton of flavour and is nice and healthy. Importantly, also, it's really quick and easy.

Ingredients

* Coarse salt and ground pepper
* 12 ounces thin spaghetti
* 2 tablespoons olive oil
* 1/2 medium onion , thinly sliced, lengthwise
* 2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced crosswise
* 1/2 cup dry white wine (I used the $2.98 Goya kind from the grocery store.)
* 1 can artichoke hearts, drained, rinsed, and quartered lengthwise
* 1/3 cup pitted kalamata olives, quartered lengthwise
* 1 pint cherry or grape tomatoes , halved lengthwise
* 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus more serving
* 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, torn

Directions

1. In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook pasta until al dente according to package directions. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water. Return pasta to pot.

2. Meanwhile, in a large skillet, heat 1 tablespoon oil over medium-high. Add onion and garlic, season with salt and pepper, cook, stirring occasionally until browned, 3 to 4 minutes. Add wine and cook until evaporated, about 2 minutes.

3. Stir in artichokes and cook until starting to brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Add olives and half of the tomatoes; cook until tomatoes start to break down, 1 to 2 minutes. Add pasta to skillet. Stir in remaining tomatoes, oil, cheese, and basil. Thin with reserved pasta water if necessary to coat the spaghetti. Serve with additional cheese.

White Bean Dip

1 can Navy Beans
1 scallion
1 clove garlic
1/2 Tbsp chopped parsley
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 lemon juiced
1 1/2 Tbsp olive oil
Dash of paprika
Freshly ground pepper

Rinse the beans. Throw everything into a food processor and serve. It's a nice alternative to hummus.

Tangy Tomato Soup

It's a nice lazy Sunday. I just want to throw things into a pot and do a whole lot of nothing. No shopping for fancy ingredients. I made this recipe based on items I happened to have on hand:

6 plum tomatoes
1 can (14.5 oz) diced tomatoes with chilies
1 celery stalk
1/2 onion
1 garlic clove, crushed
1.5 cups broth (I used chicken)
1/4 lemon, juiced
basil, (a handful)
1 tsp salt

Roughly chop the tomatoes, celery and onion. Place in pot, with crushed garlic clove and bring to a boil. Reduce temperature to low and simmer for 15 min. Add broth and basil, simmer for another 5 min. Use an immersion blender, or pour into a blender/food processor and blend till smooth. Stir in salt and lemon juice. This recipe is going to vary depending how sweet your tomatoes are. If you find it too tangy, add a touch of sugar.

Tofu White Bean Chili with Basil and Cilantro

This is a vegetarian-modified version of my sister's recipe. The original called for chicken broth and chopped chicken, rather than tofu and vegetable broth. My version I found a little bland, so I added lemon juice and mozzarella. The result is tangy and unique! One note: This is more like a bean soup than a chili. It has less body.

1 onion, chopped
1 clove garlic
3-4 T. olive oil
4 cups chopped cooked tofu (you can bake it or sauté it to dry it out and make it a little crusty)
3 cups vegetable broth
2 T. chopped cilantro or 1 T. dried cilantro
1 T. chopped basil or 1 tsp. dry basil
½ to 1 tsp. ground red chiles or cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves
1 T. sea salt
32-oz. canned great northern beans, undrained
2 T. lemon juice
Chopped grape tomatoes to taste (they're more flavourful)
Shredded mozzarella to taste

Sauté onion and garlic in olive oil. Transport to crock pot. Either bake or sauté tofu. Transport tofu to crock pot and add remaining ingredients, except tomato and mozzarella. Cook 3-4 hours. Top with chopped tomato and mozzarella (about 2 T per serving) and enjoy!

Quinoa and Apple Curry Salad

Quinoa is packed with protein and super versatile. This recipe is from Martha Stewart and is easy, refreshing, and delicious. I made it as a main course, but it'd be great with some sort of broiled white fish.

Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup raw whole almonds
• 1 cup white quinoa
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1 tablespoon finely chopped shallot
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
• 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• Freshly ground pepper
• 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons dried currants
• 1 small McIntosh apple (really, you need the McIntosh "tang" so I don't think a gala or a fuji would work quite as well), cut into 1/8-inch-thick wedges
• 1/4 cup loosely packed fresh mint leaves, coarsely chopped, plus more for garnish

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spread almonds on a rimmed baking sheet; toast in oven until lightly toasted and fragrant, about 7 minutes. Let cool; coarsely chop nuts. Don't skip this step. Toasting almonds makes them magical.
2. Rinse quinoa thoroughly in a fine sieve; drain. (If quinoa isn't rinsed thoroughly, it'll be bitter. Most quinoa is "triple-rinsed" though, so you may not need to do this step). Bring 2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add quinoa; return to a boil. Stir quinoa; cover, and reduce heat. Simmer until quinoa is tender but still chewy, about 15 minutes. Fluff quinoa with a fork; let cool.
3. Whisk together honey, shallot, curry powder, salt, and lemon juice in a large bowl. Season with pepper. Whisking constantly, pour in oil in a slow, steady stream; whisk until dressing is emulsified. Add quinoa, currants, apple, mint, and nuts; toss well. Garnish with mint.

beet skordalia dip

this is a recipe i adapted from a basic recipe i found online.
it not only adds some colour to the table, but is one of my constantly requested recipes. beet juice stains like crazy, so wear an apron.

ingredients:

2 cans of beets, drained
½ cup walnuts or almonds

2 garlic cloves
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil

2-3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sea salt or kosher salt, or to taste
1 tablespoon of horseradish (optional)

blend in food processor.

serve on bread or crackers.

Quickie Quiche

I get home at 8pm, so I'm always looking to make dinner as fast as possible. Quiche is one of my standard quick recipes. I always have pre-made pie shells in the freezer for that reason. I prefer the deep-dish kind just to avoid overflows. Normally I go with spinach, because it binds best with the egg, but I had some baby bella mushrooms available so I thought I'd change it up a bit.

This recipe is a variation on the one found in Joy of Cooking:
3 eggs
1 cup of milk or heavy cream
1 pkg of mushrooms
1 frozen pie shell
1 cup of cheese (gruyere is my favorite, but I only had cheddar today)
salt/pepper/pinch of nutmeg/sprinkle of dried rosemary

1. Preheat oven to 350.
2. Melt a Tbsp of butter in a pan and sautee mushrooms. Sprinkle in rosemary. You MUST cook the mushrooms until all the liquid comes out and evaporates. If you don't you'll end up with a soggy quiche.
3. Your oven should have reached the proper temperature by now, so put in your empty frozen pie shell. You want it to bake it very lightly, just so it dries out before you put in your ingredients (again, this is to prevent sogginess)
4. Beat your eggs. Mix in the milk, cheese, salt, pepper and nutmeg.
5. Take the pie shell out of the oven. Spread the mushroom over the bottom of the shell. Pour the egg mixture over top. Pop it in the oven and bake for 40-45 min.

Serve with a healthy side salad!