mark bittman, i love you.

if you think this looks as delightful as i do, read on.

BIG NEWS, YOU GUYS.

want a hint?

it is purple and shiny and i used to be scared to eat it.  and it rhymes with 'schmeggflant'.

i accidentally ate some baba ghanouj the other day with no ill effects or anaphylactic shock.  so last night during a 4th of july cookout, with a newfound sense of bravery, i had a slice of grilled eggplant with some basil, mozz and tomato.  i KNOW, right?!

i think i have officially become an eggplant enthusiast.  and we have some in the garden now that are almost ready to be picked.  what should we make with it?

homemade spinach ravioli

for our first christmas together a few years ago, jordan gave me a beautiful, authentic fire-engine red pasta maker.  we have gotten a lot of good use out of it, but i never remember to document the hours-long event that is making a homemade pasta dinner. a pasta maker is a great investment...you can really tell the difference between pasta from a box and pasta from scratch.  if you put the time in, you will see that it is worth it.

each time we have made pasta, we have always used either the spaghetti or linguine settings.  this time, we wanted to make homemade ravioli instead.  the results were magnificent, and now i'll share the process with you all!

making the dough is not as hard as you think...you just need semolina flour, salt, a little water, some olive oil and a couple of eggs (the best recipes are the simplest ones!)  we always use semolina flour from bob's red mill because it has the best recipe for pasta dough that we've tried.

combine 1 1/2 cups of semolina and 1/2 tsp salt and place on a flat, clean, dry surface.  make a well in the center of the flour and add 2 beaten eggs, 2 tbsp of water and 2 tbsp of olive oil to the well.  using a fork, gently begin to incorporate the flour into the well, starting around the edge of the well and making your way out.  once the dry and wet ingredients are incorporated, begin to knead the dough.

continue to knead for about 10 minutes or so, until the dough is elastic.  then set the dough aside after wrapping in saran wrap.  let rest for 20 minutes.  while the dough is resting, get to work on the ravioli filling.  we used frozen chopped spinach, cooked and drained well, combined with ricotta, garlic and salt.  easy and delicious.  combine to taste, and set aside.

once the dough is ready, roll it out flat and cut in half to begin to process through the pasta maker.

now comes the fun part!  first, roll each half of the dough through the widest setting on the pasta maker 10 times.  between each turn, sprinkle the dough with a little bit of flour, fold in thirds, then pass through with the open side facing downwards.

uno...

due...

tre!

once each half has been through 10 times, roll each half through again, changing the setting each roll from the widest to the thinnest.  (usually for cut pasta, we stop at the narrowest setting before cutting into the noodles.  however, since we were making ravioli, we wanted the dough to be a little thicker to be able to withstand the filling.  if you're in doubt, consult the instructions on your pasta maker.)

 since we didn't have a ravioli cutter (they do exist, however!) we used its bigger, more hulky cousin, a pizza wheel, to cut the dough into rectangles.

we put a little dab of the ricotta mixture in the center of each rectangle, then placed another rectangle on top.  using a fork we gently pressed the edges together to seal.

bring a very large pot of salted water to a gentle boil.  drop in about 5 ravioli at a time, and cook for less than a minute (they will float to the top when they're finished).  

look how precious they are!

 i was so pleased with how this little italian dinner came out.  we served ours with sauteed halved baby portobello mushrooms with red sauce, but i think it would be great with just a little drizzle of oil and some cheese on top too!

mangia!

autumn earth dinner

when life gives you sweet potatoes, carrots, garlic, onions, apples, raisins, quinoa, goat cheese and broccoli...
make this!

preheat oven to 450.
wash all veggies.  peel potatoes and carrots.  roughly chop all veggies and apples.
in a roasting pan, put carrots, broccoli, sweet potatoes and onion.  coat with a light layer of olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and roast for 10-15 minutes.

while veggies are roasting, cook 2 cups quinoa according to the method you prefer.  during the last 3 minutes of cooking, toss in some raisins so they get plump.


after the veggies have roasted 10-15 minutes, remove the pan and add the roughly chopped garlic.  roast for another 10 minutes.

remove pan from oven, mix in the raw apples, quinoa and raisins in the same pan, and season to taste with additional salt, pepper, and cinnamon.

plate and add a little smathering of goat cheese*, if you feel so inclined.  drizzle with a little lemon juice, and enjoy autumn's bounty.


*optional.

soup-stitute

remember this soup?

last week, as the weather had turned colder and the tips of the leaves began to brown, i craved this soup.  but i was sad to think of potentially sacrificing this, one of my most favorite things to eat, in pursuit of my own personal moral enlightenment (read: not eating aminals).  and i knew that the guilt that would consume me for cheating and making the soup with sausage wouldn't justify its deliciousness.

THANKFULLY, jordan with his keen, ninja eyes spotted soy italian sausage during our last trip to trader joe's!  naturally, we bought a couple of packets, made the soup with soy instead of pork, and consequently devoured two entire batches of the soup like crazy people.

personally, i think it tastes BETTER with the veggie sausage!  hooray for better-than-original substitutions!

farm surprise!

yesterday we picked up our first box from our local CSA farm, Calvert Farms.  last year we had volunteered there on Saturday mornings, exchanging a few hours of labor for a beautiful box filled with delicious organic fruits and vegetables (and sometimes even flowers!)

this fall our schedules are too packed to be able to make the drive into maryland to get our farm on.  but luckily we were able to join the cooperative another way.  by making a donation to the farm, we get to take home one giant box of farm-fresh goodies every thursday from now until thanksgiving!

yesterday's box was stuffed with fresh, crisp apples; a HUGE butternut squash; 2 eggplant; a bundle of swiss chard; baby red and yellow peppers; fresh salad greens; and string beans.  it was hard to decide what we should make with this bounty of autumnal treasures.

we sauteed a ton of garlic in some olive oil, threw in the swiss chard and cooked it down in the cast-iron skillet.  then i added some garbanzo beans, a little white wine, and cooked quinoa.  at the end i sliced some beets and mixed everything together.  DE.LICIOUS.

jordan, the bread-meister, had made a beautiful loaf of french bread a couple of days ago.  re-heated in the oven, it was perfectly crispy, and a great complement to the roasted garlic and green beans and salad he made to go with our quinoa.

the most memorable part of this first farm meal was when we had an unexpected dinner guest drop in!
as we were savoring the remaining morsels of our meal, jordan picked up his fork, ready to enjoy the last few leaves of fresh lettuce.  all of a sudden, he emitted a loud (yet manly) yelp and jumped back quite dramatically from the table.  it appears he wasn't the only one enjoying the delicious salad.  this little guy was noshing away at the lettuce, not even seeming to mind the lemon juice and olive oil he was almost drowning in at the bottom of the dish.

meet lonny, the inchworm.

we scooted lonny (as we dubbed the worm) onto the leaf, picked it out of the dish, and took him outside to relish his natural habitat.  obviously, we didn't continue to eat the salad, but i would much rather find a  bug in my food once in a while than eat something that i know has been drowned in pesticides!  we'll just have to be a little more vigilant in our vegetable inspection and washing.  i'm glad i didn't eat lonny, or else i would have felt i had betrayed my vegetarian sensibilities.



can't wait to pick up next week's box!!

mexicali blues

ok.  so this just happened:

mexicali red and white quinoa

then, this happened:

plated with organic blue corn chips, fresh avocado and organic salsa

aaand then, this happened.

clean plate club!!!

here's how you, too, can make this happen.

equal parts red and white quinoa, tomatoes, black beans, red onion, jalapeno, cilantro, alfalfa sprouts, cumin, red pepper flakes, salt, lime juice.

and that's it.  and then you eat it and it tastes really good and you feel happy.  the end!


ps 
anyone want to get me a sweet new camera for xmaskkah?  thankssssss.

what to make when the cupboard is bare, part II

i spent the weekend at my parents' house in maryland.  i enjoyed a much needed break from thinking about, talking about, and being around all things grad school related.

when i came home late this afternoon, i was so high on my wave of weekend serenity that i dreaded the thought of having to go shopping for dinner ingredients.  feeling the frugal fairy on my shoulder, i suggested that rather than spend 25 bucks on takeout to first assess the items already in the pantry and fridge to see if we couldn't invent something ourselves.  here's what we came up with:

ingredients:
2 cups quinoa
1 can chick peas
raisins
1 apple
1 red pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
olive oil
lemon juice
salt and pepper
cinnamon

method:
combine quinoa and water and cook according to method you're using (we use the rice cooker, so it's just 2 parts water to 1 part quinoa.)

while quinoa cooks, mince 3 cloves garlic.  set aside.  core and dice one medium apple and red pepper and set aside.  drain and rinse chick peas and put in serving bowl.  add handful raisins, apple, and garlic to bowl.

rinse cooked quinoa quickly, drain and add to bowl.  stir to combine all ingredients.  season with juice from one lemon, olive oil, salt, pepper and cinnamon to taste.

the addition of cinnamon was a very last minute idea.  i was searching through the spice rack for something "green", but i knew basil, oregano or dill might taste weird.  the cinnamon kind of spoke to me, and it was a delicious decision, albeit one that was unexpected.

next time, if we have a little more green-age in the crisper, i would think of adding sprouts, arugula, or even some sauteed kale or spinach.  i'm starting to really love using quinoa, and i'm sad that we ended up devouring all of this dish, so now there is none left over to have for lunches this week!


p.s.
for part one, go here.

new issue of vegetarian times!

i was excited to receive the latest edition of "vegetarian times" magazine (one of my most favorite and most useful x-mas presents i received last year...thanks, jbl!)

this month's issue is the best yet since i've started receiving the monthly collection of delicious and innovative recipes for myriad vegetarian chefs.  here, the first flavors of fall are presented, and i can't wait until the temperature drops a few more degrees to try out the veg spin on comfort foods like chicken pot pie and hearty soups and stews!

we stopped by the sunday farmer's market and the natural foods co-op to stock our fridge and pantry with everything we need to make some of the meals suggested in the magazine.

in case i don't get around to blogging about them, go pick up the latest issue and see for yourself how delicious and satisfying a meal without meat can be!  your body and the earth will thank you.

monday night meal.

i have noticed that lately the direction of my blog has strayed from its original intention: to share all things about food: recipes, tips, mishaps in the kitchen.  this is partly due to my eagerness to share other happenings in my life, and also due to the fact that while pursuing other avenues, i honestly haven't had much time to cook a whole meal, take pictures, upload pictures, blog, etc. etc.

i know, blah blah blah.  but the point is, i'm BACK.  with a RECIPE.  that you should make immediately because it is DELICIOUS.

israeli couscous with pine nuts and portobello mushrooms.

ingredients:

-1 package israeli couscous (rounder and fatter than traditional couscous...they look like tiny pearls)
-1 large shallot, diced
-2 tbsp butter, plus maybe a little more
-1 3/4 c. water, chicken or vegetable stock, plus more for mixing
-2 portobello mushroom caps, sliced
-handful raisins
-handful pine nuts
-cinnamon, salt, and pepper to taste
-pecorino romano or parmesan cheese, grated to taste for serving

method:

in a large saucepan, slowly melt about 2 tbsp butter.  once the butter is melted, add diced shallots and saute until wilted.  add the couscous, cinnamon salt and pepper (and perhaps a bit more butter if most has been absorbed into shallots) and saute one to two minutes, stirring attentively, until the couscous is golden brown.  

add water (or any kind of stock, either vegetable or chicken...just know it will increase the sodium content) to saucepan, bring heat to high, allow to come to a boil, then reduce heat and cover until the liquid is absorbed.  (it is good to do a few taste tests during this part of the process, to ensure that the couscous is not overly dry or overly mushy).

when the couscous feels like it is getting there, add the box of raisins, the pine nuts, and the sliced portobellos.  continue to mix until the raisins are plump and the mushrooms have begun to lose some of their firmness.

and that's it!!  serve with some freshly grated parmesan or pecorino romano, and a salad of field greens, figs, and goat cheese.

we ate outside, on a glorious summer night, with no humidity, no mosquitoes, and no rain!  rare for the east coast in june, but perfectly enjoyable.

buen provecho!!

crunchy

i am straight up craving granola, but reluctant to buy a box from the store, since the majority are simply loaded with sugar (see: eat this, not that!, the scariest/best book i've come across in a while.)

so after work i think i'll venture to the local co op and pick up some ingredients to try to make my own. am thinking spicing it up with some candied ginger, perhaps...?
will keep you posted...

what to make when the cupboard is bare

full time work and school schedules make grocery shopping next to impossible, unless you like perusing the harsh fluorescent lit aisles at 11:30 at night.

last night we began cooking dinner at 9 pm, and neither of us had the motivation to take a trip to the gro sto. were forced to be creative, since we were running low on a lot of things, except a few staples we had stocked in the pantry and two whole red peppers. the result of our iron-chef level of creativity was delicious!

stuffed red peppers with rice, raisins, and cashews

ingredients:

2 whole red peppers

1 1/2 c. rice

1 large onion

2 cloves garlic

hadful cilantro

1/4 c. raisins

1/4 c. cashews

olive oil

juice of 1 lime

salt, pepper, cumin, chili powder to taste

method

remove caps from red peppers. slice in half lengthwise and remove seeds. brush with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and pepper, and grill on grill pan, about 5 minutes on each side. (put a lid on top of the pepper to push them down and get some nice lookin' grill lines as well). remove from heat, set aside.

cook rice. in large skillet, saute diced onion in a little bit of olive oil. add garlic when onion becomes soft and begins to brown. add rice and continue to saute, adding lime juice to pick up any rice or onion that might have become stuck to the bottom of the pan.

add spices, more lime juice, raisins and cashews. continue to saute another 5 minutes. toss in a handful of chopped cilantro (we have a ton that we needed to harvest from the aerogarden! yum... fresh herbs!!!)

fill each half of the pepper with a generous amount of the rice. serve immediately, with one more squeeze of lime juice. add crumbled feta on top, if you're feeling frisky (and you're not vegan).

quinoa... not just a new "q" scrabble word.

recently, i discovered a possible culprit in my seemingly never-ending bouts with exhaustion and sluggishness: wheat. after doing a lot of research into my condition, i found that lots of people deal with the same symptoms that i do when they lead an otherwise healthy lifestyle. despite exercising, getting proper beauty sleep (i need at LEAST 8 hours), and, of course, eating all non-processed foods, wheat allergies can still affect lots of different people in different ways. some complain of indigestion, others of weight gain or loss. still others, including me, experience an inconvenient lack of energy.

speaking of inconvenient, many of the things i love to cook, and subsequently eat, contain wheat. from the joe's o's in my cereal bowl in the morning to the homemade bread from jordan's new breadmaker with dinner in the evening, i can't get enough wheat. what's a girl to do?

start cooking with quinoa, that's what. it's my new favorite. tastes like cous cous, only nuttier. and i just love its texture, especially the little white squiggles that show up when it is finished cooking!

to prepare, simply combine water with rinsed quinoa in a 2:1 ratio, bring to boil in a cooking pot over high heat, then cover and let simmer for 15 minutes, until all the water is absorbed. this is your base: from here you can let your imagination run wild with this oh-so versatile whole grain.

last night, i made a batch, let it cool to room temperature, and mixed in some fresh feta, diced grape tomatoes, cucumbers, snipped basil, and thin strips of red onion. i whisked together some orange muscat champagne vinegar from t.j.'s with some olive oil and poured it over everything.

mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm. i don't think i'll miss wheat too terribly after all.

oh, beans!

around the end of october when the leaves are blazing vibrantly against a crisp blue autumn sky, there always seems to be a good week's worth of wind and rain that strips the trees bare and makes you wish you were taking a nap in front of a fireplace.

when this happens (and it inevitably does), i know it's time to make chili. it's easy, it's foolproof, it's easy to experiment with, and it makes so much that you don't have to worry about dinner for the rest of the week when it's too nasty outside to go to the store.

my recipe varies each time i make it, but here are the basics that go into mine.

recipe-less chili.

ingredients
1 can pinto beans, rinsed and drained
1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 can red kidney beans, rinsed and drained
1 can diced tomatoes
1 granny smith apple, cored and diced
1 large onion, diced
4-5 cloves garlic, minced
1 green pepper, diced
1 red pepper, diced
1 jalapeno, diced (although i always end up using about half...use more if you like heat)
1 bag frozen sweet corn
olive oil
1/2 c. red wine
cumin
chili powder
salt and pepper

method
dice the onions and garlic. in a large pot heat olive oil and add onions on a medium heat. sweat onions for 5 minutes until tender. add garlic and saute 5 minutes more.

add peppers and apple and saute while adding spices (to taste). then add red wine, tomatoes, and beans. bring to a boil, then reduce heat to a simmer and let cook until ready to serve. (keep adding spices to taste).

five minutes before serving, add corn. (if using frozen, the chili will cool slightly. wait until it is hot all the way through before serving.)

serve with whatever sides you like. shredded cheddar, warm bread, tortilla chips, rice. perect.

roasted veggie pesto flatbread

quick.  easy.  made possible by the help of your friendly neighborhood pizza joint.

ingredients

-one pound of fresh pizza dough (to be procured from your local pie dealer)

-one red pepper

-one red onion

-one head broccoli, chopped

-one quantity fresh pesto

-crumbled feta*

-olive oil

-salt and pepper

*i buy the kind that comes in a solid block in the cheese section of the grocery store; this way i can make custom sized chunks simply by shredding it with a fork.  it is a couple bucks cheaper than already-crumbled feta, too.

method

preheat the oven to 450 with a pizza stone inside.  dice vegetables (onion, pepper, broccoli-stems removed) and place in roasting pan.  toss with olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for about 15 minutes.

while veggies are roasting, make pesto.  set aside.

remove veggies from oven.  toss the pizza dough a few times to thin it out, then roll it out one a well-floured surface until it is about 1/2 inch thick.  using a serrated knife, gently slice the dough into long rectangles.  

brush the surface of the dough with olive oil, sprinkle generously with roasted veggies and feta, and return to oven to bake on the pizza stone for about 15 minutes, or until the crust turns golden brown.

remove from oven, spoon dollops of pesto over the flatbreads, and serve hot.

pesto pea salad

from ina garten's barefoot contessa at home comes my new favorite salad.  srsly.

ingredients

1 package baby spinach

1/2 package frozen peas, thawed and slightly cool

fresh pesto (recipe to follow)

parmesan cheese (for grating on top)

4 tsp. (or whatever) toasted pine nuts

method

rinse and dry spinach.  put in salad bowl.  (duh.)

to make pesto, place 2-3 handfuls fresh basil, 1 clove of garlic, and a sprinkle of salt and pepper in the bowl of a food processor.  turn on machine; as it is blending, slowly add olive oil until it reaches a relatively pureed consistency.  turn off processor.  grate parmesan cheese into the bowl, and add about 5 tsp. toasted pine nuts.  continue to blend, and add ingredients as you see fit.

finally, add peas to spinach, spoon pesto on top, toss, and serve with extra grated parm. and toasted pine nuts on top.

so simple.  so delicious.  so summertime.  yum!

not your mama's brown bag

working at a school, and the subsequently atrocious cafeteria food provided there (cheesy beef-a-roni with a side of soggy fish sticks?  no thanks), on top of a newly acquired penny-pinching mind-set i've adopted, has me brown-bagging my lunch most days of the work week.

pb&j will always have a special place in my heart, of course, but there is a more healthy, more delicious, more sophisticated alternative that takes just as long to make, that blows your old school superhero lunchbox meal out of the water.

 

veggie wrap with cumin ginger hummus

ingredients

for the hummus

1 can chick peas

1-2 teaspoons of tahini (sesame paste)

1/2 small clove garlic

1/2 tsp ginger

juice of 1 lemon

dash cumin, or to taste

salt and pepper to taste

olive oil

room temperature water

method

in a food processor, put drained and rinsed chick peas, tahini, garlic, ginger and lemon juice.  turn on processor, and slowly begin to drizzle in olive oil and water until it reaches desired consistency.  scrape the sides to make sure all the ingredients get processed.  turn off machine, add salt, pepper, and cumin, and pulse a few times to mix.

veggie wrap

ingredients

1 large flour tortilla

1 tbsp. cumin ginger hummus

handful alfalfa sprouts

2-3 strips of red pepper

4-5 slices cucumber, peeled

handful arugula

4-5 grape tomatoes, halved

method

spread hummus over tortilla.  layer arugula, sprouts, pepper, cucumber and tomato.  sprinkle with salt and pepper if you wish before wrapping.

prep tips:

make the hummus ahead on sunday night.  wash all your veggies as soon as you get home from the gro' sto'.  this recipe makes enough for a week's worth of wraps, plus a little extra for after school snacking.

wrapping tips!  i learned from a pro...

it helps if you warm the tortilla slightly before assembly so the tortilla will adhere to itself.  place the ingredients in a little mound towards the bottom center of the tortilla.  bring the two sides in first, then wrap the bottom flap up over the mound of filling and tuck under slightly.  bouche.

stupid-easy portobello mushroom parmesan

you can make this satisfying dinner with your eyes closed and one hand tied behind your back.   but don't let its simplicity throw you off... it's as hearty as a meal that would take hours to prepare.  prep is a snap, which is perfect after a long day when you want a good meal but don't feel like chopping, sauteing, reducing, etc.

ingredients

4 large portobello mushrooms

olive oil, salt, pepper

1 large jar marinara sauce (organic, if you can swing it... trader joe's is really good)

fresh mozzarella, grated

fresh parmesan, grated

method

preheat oven to 400.  heat a grill pan (or outside grill!)  clean mushrooms and remove stems.  brush with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill for about 15 minutes.

butter a baking dish, then cover the bottom of the dish with a layer of marinara sauce.  place the mushrooms on top of the sauce, then cover with the rest of the sauce and sprinkle the cheeses on top.

bake for about 15 minutes, until cheese is melty-gooey-golden.  

we ate this with trader joe’s pesto tortellini (not the greatest, i’ll admit.  other brands of packaged tortellini are much better, i find.) 

 yummy greens and a warm loaf of bread finish it all off.  va bene, ragazzi.

learning to love martha

i have had it out for martha stewart since i was about nine years old.  she just rubs me the wrong way for some reason.  maybe it is her overarching, crippling strive for perfection.  her arrogant tone of voice.  her ability to go to prison for money embezzling and come out even more popular and adored than before she did hard time.

whatever the reason, i made it a lifelong goal to do everything anti-martha.  that is, until i stumbled upon this recipe from her "Food" magazine.  after re-creating this delightful quiche, i am slowly embracing my inner martha (that is my birth name, after all.)

leek, asparagus, and gruyere quiche

ingredients

one pie crust (store bought is fine...maaaartha suggests you make it yourself, but, psssh...)

1 tbsp butter

1 lb. asparagus, sliced thinly on the diagonal

1 leek, rinsed well, halved, and sliced thin

1 c. shredded gruyere

1 1/4 c. half and half

4 eggs

salt and pepper to taste (a couple of teaspoons each, i guess...)

pinch nutmeg

method

preheat oven to 350.  line a 9" pie plate with the crust, crimping it along the edges.  fill the pie crust with the shredded gruyere.

melt butter in a large skillet.  add the sliced asparagus and leeks, and saute for 6-8 minutes.

in another bowl, combine half and half, beaten eggs, salt, pepper, and nutmeg.  whisk together.

to assemble the quiche, pour the asparagus and leek mixture over the shredded quiche, then pour the half and half mixture overtop.  bake for 50-60 minutes, until quiche is firm and crust is browned around the edges.