2nd Hand Soup

This soup came from my mom who'd had a delicious bowl called Navajo Vegetable Soup in restaurant and decided to try making it at home. She told me about it on the phone and I thought I'd give it a try as well. It is basically a vegetable soup but with American Indian/southwestern flavors . The soup is made up of squash, beans and corn, the trinity of native american cooking. There is also some jalapeno and Green Tabasco sauce to give it just enough heat to take it from boring to "I need more."

I'm going to simply give you a basic recipe and you can change it how you like. For example, my mom used a green pepper, I chose a red one for mine. It starts like any vegetable soup, sweat some onion and garlic in a large pot.... add your vegetables, seasoning and broth and let everything simmer and cook until the squash is tender. I guarantee all veggies will be done by that time. The only thing somewhat odd is that we add the whole can of corn, not drained. It seems that the little bit of sweet liquid from the can of corn helps round out all the flavors.

There's a lot of chopping to be done but it is worth it! You can use any squash but I find that a butternut is easiest to peel and dice. But you will probably only need half of it. There's tons of stuff you can do with the other half, so don't worry about it. I tried it with an acorn and it was just too much work to peel that sucker. But whatever works for you. You can even buy raw squash that's already prepped for you at Whole Foods, it just costs a million dollars a pound.

Here's the basic goods:

1 medium onion, small dice
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/2 cup, squash, peeled and diced
1/2 red bell pepper, small dice
1 zucchini, small dice (optional)
1 jalapeno, teeny dice
-1 can beans, rinsed and drained. (My mom used red beans, I like black because they are smaller and less mealy)
-1 can corn niblets - you could use fresh, but canned works well here
32 to 48 oz low-sodium chicken broth (Swanson is my fave)
-Cilantro, a few sprigs in to cook with the vegetables and some chopped for garnish
-Seasoning, (I have a Penzey's blend, called Arizona that I like) but what's basically in it is: ground ancho chile, cumin, cayenne, paprika - you can play here, just don't use a heavy hand

*Green Tabasco sauce

Sweat the onion until translucent, add the garlic. Do not allow to brown, you just want soft)

Add your squash dice and saute a little bit Add some seasoning, salt and pepper. Toss in the peppers and zucchini. Add your canned beans, corn and a couple sprigs of cilantro, then the broth. You will need to eyeball the broth. You can always add more. Just make it how you like it.

Let everything come up to a boil and then reduce heat and allow to simmer until the squash is very tender (about 1/2 an hour or longer, depending on the size of the squash dice.) Hit it with a few dashes of Tabasco and taste for seasoning. Besides the kick of heat from the Tabasco, it also gives a spark of acid to the broth that really helps. But don't forget you added a jalapeno!

Of course some diced, cooked chicken could also be added if you like. And it also could be made vegetarian using vegetable broth (but I'm not too crazy about the flavor of that.)

Simple, right? And good and hearty and nutritious. You can't go wrong! And, like most soups, it tastes even better the next day. So all that work chopping one day will pay you back the next by providing another meal, labor-free.

Please try this one! I think you'll be really happy with what you make.

Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing

This simple salad is from one of my favorite cookbooks, Clean Food. There's not much to it besides the chickpeas and tomatoes. but they're held together by a delicious sassy cilantro dressing. A food processor is needed for the dressing.

You could use this as a side next to grilled meat or fish or as a dish to share at a dinner. It also makes a nice green salad by tossing it with some baby spinach and a little more of the dressing. Don't add all the dressing at once when you make the recipe. When I make it for just us, I halve it (using a pint of cherry tomatoes and a can of chick peas.) The real value of this salad is what's leftover that you can eat the next day as a quick lunch.

Chickpea and Cherry Tomato Salad with Cilantro Dressing
adapted from Clean Food by Terry Walters

2 lbs cherry tomatoes (mixed varities make it special)
3 cups cooked chick peas (I use 2 cans, rinsed and drained. for the whole recipe) 4-5 chopped scallions

Dressing

1 garlic clove, peeled
1 large bunch of cilantro (about a cup)
1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 T lemon juice
kosher salt and pepper

Cut the tomatoes in half, and add to a large bowl with chick peas and scallions

With food processor running, drop in whole garlic clove and mince. Turn of processor, scrape down sides, add cilantro, olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Pulse to combine. Drizzle dressing over salad, toss and serve.

Couscous Cakes

This recipe for Spinach and Artichoke Salad with Couscous Cakes and Feta is from Fine Cooking #99. I do love couscous; so what could be bad about shaping it into a patty and frying it in a little oil? Plus lately I think this blog could use a post of some substance, like a recipe from a magazine tried and reviewed. My reports on our daily meals tend not to be not so very interesting.

These little couscous cakes are a tasty and substantial accompaniment to a salad for dinner.. They are basically a cake of ground garbanzo beans and grain that's formed into a patty and pan-fried in just a little oil to give the cake a crunchy outer coating. The middle is chewy. Both the crunchy and the chewy textures go well against a fluffy tart salad. When I read the recipe's reviews, the flavor of the cakes was described as a little bland. So I took some liberties and doctored them a bit by adding finely chopped dried cherries and pine nuts to the mixture of couscous, garbanzo beans, garlic and herbs. All in effort to make a really flavorful couscous. Taste the mixture BEFORE you add the egg and make sure that it tastes good to you and is seasoned to your liking.

Also, I halved the recipe for the cakes (and the dressing.) It made exactly 4 (1/4 cup) cakes, 2 per serving. Next time, I would like leftovers so I'll make the whole thing . But just to try it, I would recommend starting with half. Sure, you're stuck with half a can of beans but you can use them on salad.

The salad in the recipe served alongside the cakes is just spinach, canned artichokes, tomatoes and a tart dressing of sour cream, lemon juice and olive oil. Reviewers didn't like the dressing but I thought it was ok on the completed dish. You need that acid next to the bean and couscous cakes, which actually ends up tasting a lot like falafel. And of course you could use any dressing you like. A yogurt based one is what I'm going to try next time I make it.

A good suggestion I saw in the reviewer's comments was to use quinoa instead of couscous and I will try that next time as well. Making these cakes would also be a good way to use up leftover couscous or quinoa. And don't forget you could also take the salad in different directions too, depending on the flavors in the couscous bean mixture. I was thinking with the cherries and nuts in my version of the cakes, I could have used some julienned apple on the salad and skipped the artichokes and tomato. But then I would have had to adjust the dressing too. Well as you can see, there is a lot of room for creativity here. Good choice for a Meatless Monday.

I also wanted to mention that this month's Body and Soul magazine has a great article on salads with some fresh ideas and recipes. Take a look.

Quinoa and Roasted Vegetables

This is how we've been eating lately. Just meager, but healthful, bowls of food at dinner to fill our stomachs for the night. I'm convinced more and more that unless you've been working in the fields all day, there is no need for a western -diet dinner centered around meat. For me, that is a feast or "holiday food" as a friend dubbed it and it is best eaten only once in a while. The most important thing for me is to find a way to pack more nutrients into my day and a nice bowl of whole grains with some roasted vegetables is an easy way to do it.

It may not look like much but this little bowl of food packs a power punch of good things for your booty body. Quinoa is an ancient grain that is a complete protein plus has many other nutrients. It is easy to work with and has a bland taste like rice or couscous and can work similarly to those in recipes. You can make it plain, like it says on the bag, or you can do a quinoa pilaf and flavor it in any way you like. Sometimes I like to mix the pilaf with beans to make it heartier but I also like it just seasoned and on its own as a side next to just about anything or as a vehicle to mix other things into, like veggies or other leftovers, even chicken.

Here I mixed it with roasted vegetables: asparagus, red and poblano peppers and some mushrooms. But you could roast just about anything you like. My go-to quinoa pilaf recipe comes from Veganomicon. I like it because many quinoa recipes start by cooking the quinoa and then flavoring it. This one starts with the flavorings first: sauteeing onions and garlic, then you add just a bit of tomato paste and some cumin and coriander for seasoning. This result is a quinoa that is flavorable enough to stand on its own. Black beans are a natural add-in here. Chickpeas will work too, in fact that's what's called for in the original recipe. I bet you could even do chili powder and kidney beans for a chili quinoa. Anyway, I'm gonna give you the pilaf recipe because it is really great and I think you should try it. Just take it as a formula and feel free to switch things up as you see fit. Fresh herbs can also be added just before serving so think about that too.

Chickpea-quinoa Pilaf
(serves 4-6 as a side)

2T olive oil
1 small yellow onion, chopped finely (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 t ground cumin
1 T ground coriander (I don't add this much, I use about 1/2 t)
black pepper
1/2 t salt
1 T tomato paste
1 c quinoa
2 c cooked chickpeas (or other bean) or 1 15oz can beans, rinsed and drained (optional)
2 c veg broth*

In a small stockpot, over med. heat, saute the onion in oil for about 7 minutes, add garlic and saute for a couple minutes longer.

Add tomato paste, coriander, cumin, pepper and salt and saute for another minute

Add quinoa, and saute for 2 minutes, stirring to coat with oil

Add chickpeas (or not) and broth. Cover and bring to a boil, lower heat to very low and cook for about 18 minutes or until the quinoa has absorbed all the water (usually 20-21 minutes for me) Stir occasionally. This is not rice, so it is ok to peek and see how much water is left when you stir. When all the water is absorbed, fluff it into a wider shallow bowl to release the heat. It will dry out a little more as it cools

*I have used chicken broth before but it feels somewhat irreverent since the recipe comes from a vegan cookbook.

The Artichoke

When I happen to find myself cooking for only myself and it happens to be spring, I turn to the artichoke. A vegetable that my husband may not hold in high regard but I adore. I think he's making a mistake because the artichoke is a very nutrient dense food, high in fiber, folate and all kinds of essential minerals. They also contain a compound good for the liver. Which you know, he might benefit from, I'm just sayin'.

So tonight I pared and I peeled, de-choked and steamed. I toasted some fresh breadcrumbs, added some parmesan cheese and the cooked diced artichoke stems, moistened it all with garlicky butter and seasoned it well. And I would have added some chopped parsley had I had some. Then each of the chokes was given a healthy covering of crumbs and sprinkled with olive oil. Into a hot (425) oven they went until the crumbs began to brown. Then I ran them under the broiler to finish the browning up fast. Keep an eye on them or in a flash all your hard work will be burnt.

I like to eat them with lemon and Tabasco.

Spinach Mushroom Tart

I saw the recipe for this Spinach Mushroom Tart in the current issue of Body and Soul. It is a Mark Bittman recipe from his book How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It has the savory flavors I like all rolled up into one pretty package. Goat cheese custard mixed with roasted mushrooms and scallions, spinach and herbs baked in a phyllo crust. I didn't have an 11 by 7 removable-bottom tart pan, but the recipe says a 10 inch round can be used in its place. I ran into some problems with the crust. It wasn't as firm as I'd like and the finished pie was difficult to cut. I really think the wider shallower pan would have made all the difference. Nevertheless, the filling was fab and I would definitely make again with a few adjustments. And perhaps the purchase of a tart pan. Rectangle tarts are so elegant.

Sorry, it doesn't appear that the recipe is available online yet. I'll link to it when it does.

Catch up!

Here's a sampling of I've been up to in the kitchen.

This is Evelyn's (from CooksTalk) Spanokopita. She lives in Athens, Greece and knows her way around a kitchen. Her recipes are always a hit. And we liked this alot. I also picked up these hand pie molds because I always like to use dough scraps. These are fun but the hand-formed ones are just as charming.

This pie was done with another gadget, a pie stencil.

Asian Noodle Salad

Like the author of the blog where I found it, I love this salad. love. it. I crave asian flavors and this just does it all for me in one big bowl. There some work to be done in putting it together: washing, slicing, chopping, cooking the noodles, making the dressing, but once done, you have lunch for days and dinner too, if you're so inclined. And you get a bountiful serving of crunchy vegetables every time you dig in. It's vegetarian, if you want it to be, or you can slice up some cooked chicken or pork and add it in too. Make note though, I only make half a recipe and it is still a huge amount. This is also a great dish to consider bringing for a potluck since it makes a bunch and is a pleaser to all.

I always top ours with peanuts. And be careful not to just add all the dressing to the salad at first. You might not need it all. Save it in case you want to dress it a little more tomorrow. Highly recommend.

Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomato and Edamame Salad

This is a featured recipe on Fine Cooking's Recipe Page this month. The salad of Toasted Corn, Cherry Tomatoes and Edamame is part vegetable side dish/part relish, perfect for grilled fish or chicken and perfect for this time of year. It has a nice mix of textures and flavors. There's a little basil and mint chiffonade on top too.

Salad of Sugar Snap Peas, Radish and Ricotta Salata

There's a chef's booth at the Evanston farmer's market where each week a chef demonstrates a recipe made of a seasonal ingredients. This week it was this salad made of snap peas and radishes - both very abundant at this week's market. I tried a little sample and was pleased with the crunch and the bright dressing.

Most notable about this salad is that the snap peas are sliced on the bias. They break apart into little ovals and release some of the little peas inside making the snap pea nearly unrecognizable but very interesting looking. The radishes are sliced thin too, so the salad is somewhat labor intensive. If you want to make it for a large group of people, be prepared to be slicing for a while.

The chef at the market (whose name I don't remember (sorry!)) said you could use any salty crumbly cheese. She had used queso fresco (Jeanette! I'm thinking of you) instead of ricotta salata and it was delish. When I made it at home I used feta because I had some to use up. That was also good. You could also use a farmer's cheese and of course the ricotta salata. All are crumbly, salty and very fresh pressed cheeses.

The other thing about this recipe is that it calls for balsamic vinegar. The chef at the market had used champagne vinegar. When I made it at home I went for white balsamic (my fave) I could see using cider vinegar too. You want something with a hint of sweetness, I think.

The main thing is to make this salad now, while its major ingredients are at their peak.

Sugar Snap Pea Salad With Radishes, Mint and Ricotta Salata


3/4 cup sliced radishes
4 ounces sugar snap peas, sliced (about 1 1/4 cups)
4 ounces ricotta salata, crumbled (about 1 cup)
1/2 bunch mint leaves, torn (about 1/3 cup)
1 clove garlic, minced
Pinch kosher salt, more to taste
1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper to taste.

1. In a large bowl, toss together the radishes, peas, ricotta and mint.

2. Using a knife or a mortar and pestle, make a paste of the garlic and salt. Place in a small bowl and add the lemon juice and balsamic vinegar and stir well to combine. Drizzle in the olive oil, stirring constantly, and add pepper to taste.

3. Pour dressing over salad (I didn't use all the dressing) and toss well to combine. Taste and add more salt and pepper if necessary.

Yield: 4 servings.

Stir-fried veggies

Lately this has been my go-to recipe when I can't get to the market or fail to take out anything from the freezer to defrost. Basically I'll just go through the veggie drawer, gather up what I've got and toss it up into a stir-fry. You can use any vegetables + thin-sliced green onion, and minced garlic and ginger to taste.

My basic sauce is:

1/4 cup cool chicken broth or water
1 tsp. corn starch disolved in the broth or water
2 tsp. rice vinegar
2 tsp. soy sauce
2 tsp. hoisin sauce
2 tsp. chile paste with garlic
1/2 tsp. sugar

In a small bowl, disolve corn starch in first, then add the rest of the sauce ingredients. Reserve until the end stir-frying.

I'm figuring everyone here can stir-fry so I'm not going to go through that part of it but I'd be glad to help if you need a run through on the method, just drop me a line.

Frittata

This is my second post on frittata I won't talk much. But I wanted to post about it again because I really like this recipe from Marcella Hazan . If you look at frittata recipes, you'll find they often call for a 10-12 eggs which is crazy if you're cooking for two. This one only uses 5 eggs and I usually eliminate one of the yolks (two, if Steve isn't looking.) It theoretically serves 4-6 (maybe as an appetizer?) But it is not uncommon for the two us to eat the whole thing.

My frittata is comprised of grilled zucchini, roasted red bell peppers and goat cheese (some basil for garnish.) You can use any combination of vegetables that you think will work well together. Vegetables are best precooked before going in the frittata. Even if you just saute them a bit in olive oil, or blanch them. This is a also great way to use up leftover grilled vegetables, a small nugget of cheese, or a little ham or bacon. And the flavor fresh herbs will really shine here. Think of what you like and what you have on hand and be creative. Great for a light lunch or dinner.

*Best cooked in an 8-inch pan. I used a 10-inch here and it's a little thin for my liking.

Poblanos stuffed with Quinoa, Black Beans and Corn.

This recipe is a hybrid of the quinoa pilaf I talked about at the end of my last quinoa post and a recipe from this month's Body & Soul magazine. The magazine has a recipe for great looking poblano pepper stuffed with a mixture of quinoa, black beans, mushrooms and corn, and dotted with goat cheese. But when I read the recipe, the quinoa was just boiled and the salsa didn't appeal to me. I knew my quinoa pilaf (from Veganomicon) would be better because the quinoa pilaf is cooked with sauteed onions, garlic, some tomato paste, and spiced with cumin and ground coriander seed. It has a ton of mexican flavor just on its own. So I decided to use that pilaf and toss it with black beans and corn and stuff it in poblanos a la the magazine recipe.

The poblanos are roasted and skinned. Then you make a small incision to remove the seed pod and seeds and stuff it with the quinoa mixture. Some salsa goes on the bottom of the baking dish (I used a homemade tomatillo salsa instead of the one in the recipe.) and the stuffed poblanos sit on top. Some fresh goat cheese is dotted on and the dish gets covered loosely with foil and goes into the oven to heat through. (The magazine recipe says to stir some goat cheese into the quinoa mixture too, but I skipped that because I thought it would be too rich.)

To plate, you spoon some salsa on the plate and top it with a gorgeous stuffed pepper and garnish with chopped cilantro. These are fantastic! Definitely company-worthy. Should you not like goat cheese, you could sprinkle on some grated Monterey Jack. You could also dot the heated stuffed peppers with some queso fresco just before you serve. And these can easily go vegan just by skipping the cheese altogether. You wouldn't miss it. There's a lot of flavor (and some heat from the poblanos) going on here.

Quinoa Stir-Fry

If you haven't jumped on the quinoa boat, it's about time you did. This ancient Aztec grain is a complete protein and really, really good for you. I can't go into it all, but you can take a look here at its nutritional profile if you're interested. Quinoa is mild-flavored and very adaptable to all sorts of recipes especially as a substitute for rice. I've been playing around with it a lot lately. Take for example this Stir-fry of Quinoa, Cashews, Pineapple, Red Pepper and Peas. Sounds weird? Well, think about it as a fried rice dish where the quinoa is a substitute for the rice. And you may have had pineapple fried rice before. I got this recipe from Veganomicon, a great vegan cookbook. Since I don't eat much dairy, I find it easier to cook from vegan cookbooks than I do many vegetarian ones.

Both I and my husband enjoyed this dish very much. Sure dear husband made faces at first, but that's to be expected when he learns he's getting a vegan dinner. But really, he was fine with it once he tasted it because it was spicy and good. There's heat from the red chile, sweetness from the pineapple chunks and the toasted cashews make it seem very indulgent for a stir-fry.

Another great thing to do with quinoa is to make a pilaf. This Quinoa-Chickpea Pilaf is also from Veganomicon. I changed the recipe up a bit by using less ground coriander, a pinch of cayenne with the cumin and using black beans instead of chickpeas. It tasted like a mexican rice and beans. This one will become a household staple. You could toss in corn, top it with salsa or just chopped cilantro, use it as a taco or burrito filling, spread it on a tostada. Sorry I didn't take a picture, but we loved it. Muy delicioso!

Make a Beet Salad for your Valentine

I've talked about the beet salad before on this blog. But I thought I'd bring it up again today because it is my Valentine's favorite salad and because, for their color, beets are frequently a feature in the Valentine-themed meal. And if you tend toward those ways, you could slice your beets and punch out little red hearts. As this is not my way, I'll just talk about the salad. The basic components are roasted beets, greens, nuts, a creamy cheese and a tart vinaigrette.

The Beets:

I'm going to leave it to your googling abilities if you don't know how to roast beets. I will say they're simple to do but you do need to scrub them well. Also, I've taken to peeling them, roasting first under foil, and then removing the foil toward the end so they can caramelize. They're even sweeter this way (but be careful they don't burn.) But just doing them in foil and slipping the skins off after is the easiest and gives good results. For Valentine's Day, you might want to stick with red. But I like to use different colors of beets. Whatever you do, don't mix the red with the others. Oh, and don't worry about stained hands, it comes off. And your lover will see the pains you've gone through to make them this wonderful salad.

The Greens:

Do what you like here. I usually use spinach. But if you want elegant, Frisee' is the way. It has a little bitterness and a great texture. It also looks fabulous.

The Nuts:

You could do walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts... those would be my top choices. You need to toast them. I like them whole, but you could chop them a little too.

The Creamy Cheese:

In our house, we like fresh goat cheese (chevre) crumbled on top. But often in restaurants, they'll use a blue cheese, like a Gorgonzola, Cabrales or Maytag. (Make sure the cheese has sat on the counter for a little while, so it isn't too cold) For a fancier dish, you can make a little goat cheese cake, coated in breadcrumbs and pan-fried till toasty and warm. If that doesn't say Valentine, I don't know what does.

The Vinaigrette:

For a salad with a sweet component, I like a white balsamic vinegar in my vinaigrette. Regular balsamic or champagne vinegar is also a good choice. And in a pinch, I think a cider vinegar would work. It might be interesting to play around with raspberry too.

For the oil, I like a grapeseed or canola or a really light olive oil. I wouldn't do First pressed extra virgin here. Too much peppery flavor - you want neutral.

For this vinaigrette, you'll also need some minced shallot.

The basic formula for a vinaigrette is 1 part vinegar to 3 parts oil. I like mine tart so I rarely use 3 parts oil, especially with the kinds of vinegars I've suggested. Try 1:2 and taste it. Start with your vinegar, add some salt and a grind of pepper, your minced shallot. Mix it all together and start to drizzle in the oil. Taste along the way until you find the right balance of tart. You might need to add more salt.

The Plate:

Cut your roasted beets into attractive pieces: quarter, slices, hearts. Toss them in a tiny bit of the vinaigrette. Don't mix red beets with beets of other colors or you will have all red beets.

In another small bowl, give your greens a little salt and toss them with a TINY amount of vinaigrette, just to coat.

A white plate will best reflect your efforts toward making this salad. Put a small bunch of dressed greens in the middle of the plate, arrange your beets attractively around or nestled in the greens. Sprinkle on some toasted nuts, and crumble your cheese on top. Or if you've make a goat cheese cake, seductively prop it up on one side of the greens as if to say "Come and get me, baby" ;) Happy Valentine's Day!

Soup and Salad

I've tried a lot of butternut squash soup recipes in my day and I'll be honest, there hasn't been many I didn't like. If they're pureed and seasoned right, well, I'm a happy girl and I won't complain. But one of the best I've ever tried is a gingery one from Vong's Thai Kitchen (VTK) in Chicago. It is so aromatic and delicious that I have to order it everytime I go. Recently I found the recipe and decided it's high time I had those flavors at home. In the restaurant, they garnish the soup with roasted pepitas (shelled pumpkin seeds.) The recipe link doesn't give you directions for doing that, so I will. Oh, and by the way I used low-fat sour cream in the soup with no noticable difference.

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Spiced Roasted Pepitas (adapted from Bobby Flay, Mesa Grill Cookbook)

Heat oven to 325

Toss 1 c raw pumpkin seeds with 2 T of canola oil (I used less.) Sprinkle on 1/2 t chile powder, some pepper, a little cayenne pepper and a healthy amount of salt. Mix a bit.

Lay on a sheet tray and toast for 10-15 minutes until they just show a tiny bit of golden brown and look a little puffy. Let cool and sprinkle on to your bowl of soup. (Do your damnest to not eat them all before you serve the soup) I also gave my soup a little dollop of plain, unsweetened yogurt and a drizzle of sriracha. (IIRC, in the restaurant, the soup gets a drizzle of coconut milk a dusting of spice and the pepitas served on the side so you can put them on yourself. I need to go have it again to make sure)

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My salad today comes courtesy of Cat Cora and her book Cooking from the Hip. This is the first recipe I've tried from the book but I've made it 4 times already. In fact, everytime I find myself with some leftover chicken or turkey this salad comes to mind. There's no meat in the actual recipe for salad. But the salad is so adaptable, you can just follow the model and make it how you like. Her recipe is for Fuji Apple, Walnut and Dill salad, a take-off on the classic waldorf salad. It also has celery, grapes and some dill that makes it a little different. Leftover diced turkey (or chicken) is a natural add-in and makes for a great hearty salad. The tart dressing is the best part. For the creamy component, she uses plain yogurt, instead of mayo or sour cream. Then there's rice vinegar, orange juice, oil and mustard. Really good.

Chef Cora notes that you can play around with this recipe. Use different apples or even pears. Try a different vinegar. Use a different nut. I like it with toasted pecans. Adjust the amounts of things as you please. Like I said, add diced turkey or chicken. Also if you don't like dill, leave it out or use fresh tarragon. The salad is good the next day too. There's enough acid in the dressing to keep the apples from turning brown right away. It is at its best standing in front of the open fridge eaten right out of the rubbermaid container.

Fuji Apple, Walnut and Dill Salad

Dressing

2T rice wine vinegar
2T almond oil, walnut oil, or olive oil
2T plain, low-fat yogurt (greek yogurt will give you a thicker, more coating dressing)
1t dijon mustard
1T finely grated orange zest
2t fresh lemon or orange juice
1/4t kosher salt
1/4 t fresh ground black pepper

Combine all the ingredients and sit in fridge until ready to use

Salad

1c walnuts (I used pecans) toasted
2c chopped apples (fuji or other)
2T chopped fresh dill
1/4 c thinly sliced celery
1/2 c seedless grapes (red or green, cut in half or left whole to your liking)

In a medium bowl, combine walnuts, apples, dill, celery and grapes. Pour dressing over the mixture and stir to coat. Arrange over endive leaves or other lettuce greens or not.

Braised Kale

Now bear with me here, because this post is about kale. Not the stuff used to line salad bars, (however I do think that's edible too) and not the pretty purply stuff that you put in your outdoor pots in the fall. But good eatin' kale, like Cavolo Nero, a delicious Tuscan variety. It is also sometimes called dinosaur kale. I guess because its leaves are bumpy like dinosaur skin might be (?). It is easy to find in most supermarkets now.

This is some really tasty stuff, not strong tasting like mustard or collard greens. It makes a hearty and warming side dish for this time of year and you can't beat it in terms of health-giving nutrients.

The braising isn't a long process because this isn't terribly tough. And you can taste it along the way until it is tender to your liking. Below is a great recipe to start with if you haven't tried kale before. There is lots of supporting flavor of garlic, sun-dried tomatoes and a splash of balsamic at the end to give it a little zing. I frequently leave off the goat cheese if it doesn't go with the other things on the plate. But I could easily see this plated on top of creamy polenta and topped with the goat cheese for a fab vegetarian meal. Especially with some marinara sauce pooled around, yum! This day I served with a small piece of swordfish (done mediterranean-style with herbs and lemon) and half a roasted acorn squash. But the kale was the star of the show.

Garlicky Braised Kale with Sun-Dried Tomatoes

by Susie Middleton

To learn more, read the article:Hearty Greens Can Chase Away the Winter Blues

Braising softens kale, which will be a little tough and leathery if undercooked. Unfortunately, kale also loses its bright green color when properly cooked. As a variation, try using the pretty new variety of kale called cavolo nero, or Tuscan kale, in this recipe. Or use young turnip greens. You can also vary this recipe by sautéing onions or bacon with the garlic, or by adding red pepper flakes.Serves two as a side dish.
ingredients

2 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil

5 cloves garlic, cut in half, smashed, and peeled

2 Tbs. finely chopped oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, well drained

7 oz. stemmed kale leaves (from about 1/2 large bunch kale), washed and cut into 1-inch ribbons

1/2 tsp. salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1/2 cup low-salt chicken stock (canned is fine, but don't use low-fat)

1/2 tsp. balsamic vinegar

1/2 oz. crumbled goat cheese (optional)

Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or a 3- to 4-qt. soup pot over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté, stirring, until starting to brown, 2 to 3 min. Add the sun-dried tomatoes and stir to combine. Add the kale, tossing to coat it well with the oil. Season with the salt and a few grinds of pepper, and continue stirring until all the kale is wilted. Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover and cook until the kale has softened, about 8 min. Uncover, turn the heat to high, and boil away the remaining liquid, stirring frequently, until the pan is almost dry. Take the pan off the heat. Season with the vinegar and stir to combine. Transfer to a small serving dish or plates. Top with the crumbled goat cheese, if you like.

From Fine Cooking 42, pp. 46-50

December 1, 2000

Lentil Stew

Our joke around here is that my husband's favorite vegetarian dishes always include bacon. Case in point: Lentil Skillet with Onions and Bacon from Cooking Light. The bacon makes this dish and, while it is not vegetarian, it is still plant-centered rather than meat-centered because the bacon really only serves as a garnish. You could probably even make it without, but I never have. However, I don't use the 6 slices of bacon called for, usually just 3 strips of thick-sliced applewood-smoked bacon. I also add a little smoked paprika for a spicy note. This isn't one of those "I-don't-have-anything-else-to-make, -so-I'll-settle-for-lentils" type of dinners. I really look forward to eating this, it has a surprising amount of flavor. Sure it looks kind of blah and brown on the plate but the taste makes up for it. (I think the key is 6 cloves of garlic to one cup of lentils!) When served with sauteed greens and a piece of garlic bread, you've got yourself one tasty plate of food.

A Vegetarian Venture

Since I read recently how it could make a positive impact on our environment, I've been trying to eat vegetarian more often. And while I've got a few good meatless meals in my repetoir, it is always good to try some new ones. The Modern Vegetarian Kitchen by Peter Berley of Angelica Kitchen in NYC offered some interesting choices. This amazing book has really enticing, sophisticated recipes (and a cute chef.) Moosewood Cookbook it is not. I started with a pasta of cauliflower, raisins and pinenuts that was like nothing I've ever tasted before and very restaurant-y. Next I went with this recipe of White bean, Squash and Sage Ragout over polenta. I went for a layered presentation of polenta, some sauteed garlicky greens and then the vegetable stew. It looked good and smelled good but I overcooked my beans and they got mushy. I thought it was still OK. Dear husband took a pass on leftovers the next day - not a good sign.

Undaunted by this less than successful attempt, I moved on to another vegetable stew. This one from Deborah Madison's Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone, one of my favorite cookbooks. Moroccan Chickpea Stew is a little labor intensive, but worth it. This stew is like an exotic chili, full of chickpeas, spinach, tomatoes, onions, garlic and spices. Great dish.

Another fun one that scored major points for vegetarianism with Dear Husband is Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burritos. At first he grimaced at the idea of sweet potatoes in a burrito; but he changed his opinion soon after tasting. This one is from Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, an oldie but a goodie in my cookbook library. These are pretty simple to put together and they come off more as a snacky, indulgent dinner, rather than a healthy one. But they are in fact quite healthy, especially if you use some of those health conscious tortillas that are now available in most supermarkets. (They have no trans-fats and usually added fibre. Some are low carb, some low fat, low-cal, some whole grain: pick your fave. I find they taste pretty good) So if you combine that, with beans and sweet potatoes and you don't overdo it with the cheese, then you're golden. Golden and crispy brown, that is.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Burrito

2 sweet potatoes, about 10 oz each
2 T veg oil, plus a little more for brushing
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2t ground cumin
1/2 t ground chili powder
1 1/2 c thoroughly cooked black beans, or one 15 oz can, rinsed and drained
1/2 c veg stock or water
kosher salt, pepper
grated nutmeg to taste
Eight 6 inch flour tortillas
2-3 scallions, white part only, thinly sliced
1 c. monterey jack cheese

For garnishes: grated shredded romaine, sour cream, and/or chopped pickled jalapenos

Preheat oven to 400. Prick the potatoes with a knife in several places and bake in a small baking pan until very tender. 1 to 1 1/2 hours

Meanwhile, heat 2 T. veg oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring often, until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute longer, stir in the cumin and chili powder and cook for 1 minute longer. Add the beans and veg stock, cover and cook until beans are soft and the flavors have blended, about 5 minutes. Use a fork or potato masher to coarsely mash the beans. Taste and season with salt and pepper. You should have about 1 1/2 c.

Remove the potatoes from the oven and cool. (Keep the oven at the same temp.) When the potatoes are cool enough to handle, halve and scoop out the flesh. Place flesh in a small bowl and mash with a fork. Discard the potato skin. Add the nutmeg and season with salt and pepper. (I don't like nutmeg much, so I went really light.) You should have 1 1/2 - 2 cups.

Spread the tortillas with roughly equal amounts of the bean mixture and top with equal amounts of the potato puree. Sprinkle on equal amounts of scallions and cheese. Roll the tortillas into cylinders and arrange seam side down on a baking sheet (large enough to hole them in one flat layer,) Brush the tops with veg oil. For softer burritos, cover with foil and bake until warmed through, about 20 minutes. Bake uncovered for crispy burritos - that's the way we like them.

If you use bigger tortillas, you make less, of course. I made three big ones from one large sweet potato and 1 can of black beans.

For you Fine Cooking readers: I've got the black bean falafel in mind for a dinner very soon. Sheri - I can't forget the picture you posted of those. Plus I think there's a black bean burger from a recent issue that I haven't gotten around to making.

Autumn Scallops

This is a nice scallop dish from The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. It is Sauteed Scallops with Brussels Sprouts and Bacon. I thought the plate would benefit from a butternut squash puree, so I added that. Basically you're cooking the brussels sprouts on the stovetop with onions, bacon and tarragon. When those are nicely browned and tender, you keep them warm in a bowl, wipe out the pan and sear the scallops. Then it is all plated together.

This is a great way to cook brussels sprouts, probably not the healthiest, but delicious. A little bit of bacon flavor goes a long way here. Since scallops, by their nature, are very lean, the bacon flavor helps enrich them and it works wonderfully with brussels sprouts - just like it does with cabbage. Keep in mind you could use them as a side dish to something else besides scallops. I could see pairing them with roast chicken for a nice winter dinner. Here's a blog where the recipe is described in detail.