Chickpea Soup

I apologize for my long hiatus... I appreciate all of you that keep checking in only to find my mother-in-law's dip recipe.  Over the last few months, we have eaten... at home even... a few times I even found the energy to take photos of those meals.  You see, I have found a new respect for all those food bloggers that post weekly (some even more often!).   It takes a grand commitment and a great amount of energy.

All that aside, I was surprised how many times I reviewed my own blog for familiar recipes that can be thrown together.  For that reason, I am plowing forward.

One of the easiest and most comforting meals I've ever made is Mark Bittman's Chickpea Soup.  Another brilliant and more convenient version can be found on Fresh 365.  Each version is simple, satisfying, and is made with everyday pantry items.  Bittman uses dried chickpeas, but I've found that convenience is key with simple meals, so I prefer Fresh 365's version using canned chickpeas.  Either way, you are left with a simple and satisfying meal that is so easy to throw together.  Pretty darn cheap too.

Chickpea Soup

10 cups water
2 T olive oil
2-3 garlic cloves, minced
1 T salt, or to taste
1/2 a box of thin wholewheat spaghetti, broken into fist-sized segments {I do this directly over the pot to catch all those tiny pasta shards.}
1 can of chickpeas (i.e. garbanzo beans), drained and rinsed
black pepper, to taste
Parmesan, freshly grated 

In a large pot, slowly cook garlic in oil.  Once lightly browned and caramelized, add water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat.  Add pasta, chickpeas, salt and pepper.  Boil for 7-9 minutes (following directions on pasta packaging).  Serve with freshly grated Parmesan.

Serves 4.

Seminole Corn Dip

As I sit here perusing the internet for one of the simplest recipes of all time, Mexican Street Corn, I am reminded of another festive corn recipe, perfect for a large party like the one I'm planning.  I'm sure that every family has a variation of a recipe like this, it's just one of those types recipes.  Not quite as simple and weird as "Pink Cloud" from your family reunions.  Similar in assembly, but so much tastier.

Seminole Corn Dip
Recipe from Sherry Bowers

2 small cans of mexi-corn {corn kernels and peppers}
1 bunch of green onion, chopped
3-6 T picked jalapeno
8 oz real mayonnaise
8 oz sour cream
4 cups Mexican cheddar/pepper jack, pre-shredded
1 T cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Drain both cans of corn and add to a large bowl.  Add all other ingredients and stir well.  Taste for seasoning and adjust as needed.  Serve with lots of Fritos.

Serves 15-20.

Farfalle with Asparagus & Mushrooms

Here is another one of our family's tried and true recipes.  Actually, the first time I had this pasta, we weren't yet a family.  It was 5 years ago and I had been on 2 (maybe 3) dates with my husband.  This was one of the first meals he made for me and our great friend Hillary.  Then, David made it for lunch.  For me, it was second lunch... but I don't mind eating an extra meal to make a good impression on a boy.

We have made this recipe differently ever since.  Ingredients are occasionally left out, some times a random ingredient is thrown in. (David, I was not tricked with the fennel... not even a little bit.)  The important thing is to use ingredients that you like.

This is an incredibly simple dinner.  20-minutes simple.  You can have the entire recipe prepped by the time your water has come to a boil and the pasta is al dente. 

Farfalle with Asparagus & Mushrooms
Adapted from Giada's Family Dinners, page 149

1/2 lb farfalle pasta {This time we used baby farfalle, just because it's adorable.}
3 T butter
1 lb baby bellas
1 lb thin asparagus, trimmed, cut crosswise into 1-inch pieces
1 cup mascarpone cheese
Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
3/4 cup walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped {We've also used cashews and pine nuts.  Yum.}
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 T crushed red pepper
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the farfalle and cook until al dente, stirring occasionally, about 12 minutes. Drain, reserving 1 cup of pasta water.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a heavy large skillet over medium heat. Add the mushrooms and saute until tender and most of the juices have evaporated, about 5 minutes. Add the asparagus and saute until the asparagus is crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Season vegetables with salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper.  In a large bowl, add mascarpone, nutmeg, and the farfalle. Stir until the cheese coats the pasta.  If you need to thin the sauce, add the reserved cooking liquid 1/4 cup at a time. Gently stir in walnuts and vegetables. Taste the pasta again for seasoning. Top with freshly grated Parmesan.

Serves 4-6.

Baked Gnocchi and Cheese

I'm in the midst of one of those amazingly restful weekends that I always look forward to (usually Monday around 11am) but rarely ever get.  This meal is just as decadent.  I can't imagine anything more luxurious than soft pillows of gnocchi smothered in cheese sauce.  Maybe a nap on a soft pillow...  I love weekends.

Baked Gnocchi and Cheese
Adapted from Cuisine at Home

1 17.6 oz package of gnocchi
2 T butter
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 T all-purpose flour {I used whole wheat flour, if you're curious about the color of my roux.}
1 cup milk
1/2 T stone-ground mustard
1/3 cup shredded Gruyere cheese
1/3 cup shredded Fontina cheese
Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper,  to taste
2 T basil, finely chopped
1/3 cup shredded Parmesan


Preheat oven to 375. Prepare gnocchi according to package directions. Drain and place gnocchi in a single-layer in a 1-1/2 quart shallow baking dish that has been buttered to prevent sticking.

Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Stir in garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute. Whisk in flour until it thickens and bubbles, then whisk in milk and Dijon. Continue to whisk mixture and cook until slightly thickened, about 3-5 minutes.

Combine Gruyere and Fontina, then add by the handful to milk mixture, stirring until melted before adding the next handful. Once all cheese is melted, season sauce with basil. salt and pepper.

Pour sauce over gnocchi and sprinkle with Parmesan over top. Bake gnocchi until they puff and the cheese is golden and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let gnocchi rest for 5 minutes before serving.

Serves 4 with a big leafy salad, because this meal is decadent!

eggs and honey

In my imaginary future I hope to live farther outside of town and have a few more pets.  I would love to collect my own eggs to make a Sunday omelet.  I would really enjoy swiping my own honey to spread on my homemade biscuits.  The idea of sustaining our family's food needs would be an amazing thing to accomplish, and I would definitely begin with eggs and honey.  Then, cheese...

Perhaps, I can get David on board more quickly with a well designed chicken coop and bee hive.  I've already got him sold on the cow.  Thank you, cheese obsession.

Modern Chicken Coop

Cedar Strip Beehive

Potato Crostini

 

Lately I've taken comfort in cooking "the tried and true". Cooking without a recipe is my new yoga.  It brings a calming productivity to the end of a stressful day.  Hopefully, with enough practice I can "throw together" a meal like this without looking at a computer screen.  Luckily, this one is easy enough to read through once so you can focus on the enjoyment of the slicing and chopping.

Potato Crostini
Ever-so-slightly adapted from Fresh 365
 
20-25 of the teensiest red potatoes
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
4 T chopped chives
4 oz feta cheese, chopped or crumbled by hand
4 T pumpkin seeds
1 t fennel seed
kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375F. Carefully wash each potato and place a baking sheet, be sure to cut down any larger ones to ensure they all have the same cooking time. Cover with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Bake 25-30 minutes, until potatoes are cooked through. Remove from oven and allow to cool.  Meanwhile, mix basil, chives, feta, pumpkin seeds, fennel in a large bowl.  Add potatoes and stir gently.  Return mixture back to baking sheet and continue to bake until cheese is melted and the potatoes begin to crisp. Serve with warm, crusty bread.

Serves 2 as entrée, 4 as a side dish.

Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies

I am not one of those chocoholic girls.  I am one of those freaks that loves really fake, too sweet or too tart, gummi candy.  Gummi Bears have been the most difficult thing for me to give up, since becoming a vegetarian.  No, not bacon, or pepperoni... Although, I do miss pepperoni.  I'm also not much of a baker.  I love baked goods, but I don't have the precision or the patience of a chemist.  It's hard for me to follow a recipe.  Therefore, I've had more baking disasters than I'd care to remember.  That being said, I will bake my husband and my best friend a birthday cake every year and I will always make a cheesecake for Thanksgiving.  Other than these few instances, it is incredibly rare that anything sweet comes out of my oven (unlike my dear friend, Kasey).  This is one of those rare moments.

Bittersweet Chocolate Chip Cookies
Unabashedly taken from the back of the Ghirardelli bag

2 1/4 cups unsifted flour
1 t baking soda
1/2 t salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
2 t vanilla extract
2 eggs
2 cups Ghirardelli 60% Cacao Bittersweet Chocolate Chips (No, they are not a sponsor, just great quality and an amazing snack straight out of the freezer.)

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Stir flour with baking soda and salt; set aside.  Beat butter with sugar and brown sugar at medium speed until creamy.  Add vanilla and eggs, one at a time, mixing on low speed until incorporated.  Gradually blend dry mixture unto creamed mixture.  Stir in chocolate chips.  Drop by tablespoon onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Bake for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown.

Yield: 4 dozen cookies

I halved this recipe, made 4 cookies, and put the rest in the freezer.  To prepare dough for freezing shape it into a log for "slice and bake" cookies (better for sugar cookies) or shape cookies into tablespoon-sized balls and store in freezer bags (best method for any cookie with chips or nuts).  This is a great way to have fresh baked cookies without a lot of effort.  What do you do with 4 dozen cookies anyhow?

Cheese-Stuffed Portobellos

 

I have made this recipe several times as an appetizer, and thought it would make a great entrée if I used a large portobello mushroom in lieu of several tiny ones.  Since our house has become vegetarian, David has been really excited to throw a few bellas on the grill.  We haven't exactly dusted off the grill, but the warm weather is already here, and I'm sure this recipe would be great outdoors.  Here, I use mostly spinach and feta as a filling, but any combination of vegetable and cheese would work well here.  Next time, I'm adding blue cheese and caramelized onions to the spinach mixture and serving it up with some roasted potatoes.  That should nip that meat and potato craving in the bud.

Cheese-Stuffed Portobellos

Adapted from Paula Deen via Food Network

2 Large Portobello mushrooms (for an appetizer use 24-30 baby bellas)

8 oz fresh baby spinach

2 cloves garlic, finely minced

2 T olive oil

2 oz cream cheese

4 oz feta, roughly chopped or crumbled

1/2 cup  green onion, finely chopped

1/2 cup Parmesan, freshly grated

kosher salt and fresh ground pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Clean mushrooms with a damp cloth and remove stems and gills (optional).  Gently sauté spinach with garlic and olive oil until spinach is wilted, be careful not to over cook.  In a mixing bowl combine spinach, cream cheese, feta, green onion, salt and pepper.  Once combined, fill mushrooms and place in a baking dish.  Sprinkle Parmesan on top.  Cover baking dish with foil and bake for 20 minutes.  Remove foil and bake for 10 minutes more, or until cheese is golden-brown and mushrooms are tender.  Serve with quinoa, crusty bread, or other starchy side.

Serves 2, as an entrée.

Sesame Noodles

Thanks to a hectic week, my kitchen has been very clean lately.  Even the meal that we ended up making resembles take-out.  Fortunately, it is much healthier and guilt-free.

David and I ALWAYS cook with whole-wheat pasta.  The texture is so much better and it gives the pasta an opportunity to bring flavor to the meal, not just act as a carrier for sauce (though, this is a very important role).  This recipe could be made with a variety of vegetables and the sauce would make a fantastic dipping sauce on its own.  The whole thing can be whipped up in about 20 minutes, less time then it would take you to get take-out and better for you.

Sesame Noodles
Adapted from Martha Stewart's Everyday Food

12 ounces whole-wheat spaghetti
1 bunch broccoli, cut into florets, stalks peeled and thinly sliced
2 large red bell pepper, ribs and seeds removed, thinly sliced
1/2 large onion, halved and thinly sliced
1/4 cup creamy peanut butter
3 T dark-brown sugar
2 T rice vinegar
2 T soy sauce
1 T toasted sesame oil
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 - 1 t red-pepper flakes {Or leftover dried bird peppers from your favorite Thai restaurant.}
Coarse salt

In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook spaghetti 3 minutes less than al dente.  Add broccoli and continue to cook until pasta is al dente and broccoli is tender.  Saute the red bell pepper and onions in 1T of olive oil.  Reserve 1/2 cup pasta water; drain pasta and broccoli.

Meanwhile, in a large bowl, whisk together peanut butter, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, oil, garlic, and red-pepper flakes. Add hot pasta and vegetables; toss to coat, thinning sauce with a little pasta water, if necessary. Serve at hot, room temperature or chilled.

Serves 4.

Cheese Lasagna

There is nothing more comforting than dinner baked in a casserole dish.  Somehow they always provide simple and humble meals.  Even serving from a baking dish reminds me of family.  This recipe is also comforting and uncomplicated.  With just a few simple ingredients, it is important to choose ingredients that you really enjoy.

David and I are always trying new pasta sauces, and after years of experimenting we have chosen a favorite.  (Of course, this doesn't keep us from trying others.)  Sacla's arrabbiata is our go to tomato sauce.  It is perfectly spicy and has the most delicious whole cherry tomatoes through out the sauce.  For this recipe I mixed in an equal amount of their marinara to add a bit of that traditional sweetness.

 

Cheese Lasagna

15 oz whole-milk ricotta cheese

1 large egg
1 pound fresh mozzarella

1 cup Parmesan cheese, freshly grated

4 cups tomato sauce

1 lb of baby bellas, coarsely chopped

1 T butter

1 T olive oil

6-8 whole wheat lasagna noodles 

salt and pepper, to taste

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine ricotta, egg, salt and pepper in a medium bowl. Coarsely grate 1/4 of the mozzarella, and stir into ricotta mixture. Slice the remaining mozzarella into 1/4 inch slices, and reserve for assembly. 

Saute the mushrooms with a butter and olive oil until tender.  Mix with tomato sauce {or sauces}.

Spread 1/2 cup marinara in a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Place a layer of noodles over marinara. Spread 1/2 of the ricotta mixture over noodles, and sprinkle with 1/2 of the Parmesan.  Then spread 1/2 of the remaining marinara and place 1/3 of the remain mozzarella slices.  Repeat layering, ending with mozzarella. 

Bake until cheese is golden brown and sauce is bubbling, about 45 minutes. Let stand for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Serves 8 

Halloumi Tacos

The only food fusion I'm comfortable with on my own is Tex-Mex.  So tonight I'm trying something new.  Remember this cheese?  We put it in a taco!

Halloumi Tacos
Inspired by Taco Deli's "Heather"
Grilled Halloumi (For more traditional tacos try grilling Mexican queso fresco)
Refried Black Beans
Flour tortillas, warmed 
Roma tomato, diced
Handful of cilantro, finely chopped
Squeeze of lime

Makes 4 tacos

Grilling Halloumi couldn't be easier!  Lightly brush grill (or grill pan) with olive oil.  Place 1/2 inch slices of cheese on a hot grill.  After a few minutes, turn cheese and grill the other side.  Once the cheese is grilled, warm the tortillas on the same grill.  Assemble tacos with refried beans and your favorite toppings.

Yum!

Spring Panzanella

I realize that only small parts of the country are currently experiencing Spring-time weather.  Austin is on the verge of Summer for those parts.  I’m sad that Winter is over.  I feel like it only just arrived.  I suppose this is why I still don’t own riding boots (that and most aren’t designed for those of us that are barely 5’2”) and why I try to justify wearing cardigans throughout the summer. 

Winter leaving is bittersweet.  About this time every year, I am tired of the few seasonal vegetables and I long for a fresh, crisp salad, grilled corn, and watermelon.  Well, we aren’t quite there yet.  Even those of us in 80 degree weather are still in the middle of February.  I have noticed the first of the Spring-time veggies popping up at the market. I know they will only get sweeter as the rest of the world catches up.  As we all patiently wait for the sweet and delicate baby greens of Spring, this is a wonderfully rustic salad that will satisfy those cravings while we sit on the cusp of seasons.

Spring Panzanella

Adapted ever-so-slightly from Smitten Kitchen

For the croutons:
1/4 cup olive oil
3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
6 cups day-old bread, cubed
6 tablespoons finely grated Parmesan, plus more for garnish
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

For the vinaigrette:
Half a red onion, finely diced
2.5 T balsamic vinegar
Juice of half a lemon
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 t Dijon mustard

For the salad:
3/4 lb french green beans
2 teaspoons salt
3/4 lb asparagus
1 19-ounce can of cannellini beans, rinsed and drained

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Fill large pot with water and bring to boil.

Mix the bread cubes with the garlic, olive oil, parmesan, salt and pepper in a large bowl. Toss to coat well. Transfer bread to a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake stirring once or twice, until the croutons are crisp and lightly colored on the outside but still soft within, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside and let cool.

Mix the red onion with the vinegar and lemon juice in a small bowl and set aside for a few minutes before whisking in the remaining vinaigrette ingredients: olive oil and dijon. Set aside.

Add green beans to boiling water, and cooking for about 5-7 minutes or until they reach desired tenderness.

Without draining the cooking water (you will reuse it for the asparagus), transfer green beans to a bowl of ice and cold water to stop cooking, then pat dry with paper towels. Break off tough ends of asparagus and cook it in the boiling water until crisp-tender, no more than three minutes if they’re pencil-thin, more if your asparagus is thicker. Transfer it to another bowl of ice water, drain and pat it dry.

Cut the green beans and the asparagus each into one-inch segments. Place pieces in a large bowl and mix in beans and cooled parmesan croutons. Pour vinaigrette over and toss well. Season with salt and pepper.

As a main course, serves 4.  As a side, serves 6.

Anasazi Beans

This is an example of a food impulse purchase.  Usually those come in the form of gummi bears or cupcakes, but occasionally they are healthier, more beautiful, choices.  Anasazi (ahn-a-sa-zee) beans remind me of a Paint Horse, or an impressionist painting, or a gorgeous progeny of a kidney bean and a Great Northern.  The latter may not be too far off. 

When I bought these beauties I wasn’t quite sure what my plan for them would be.  When in doubt, I read the packaging. Since the recipe on the bag recommends cooking them with hamhocks, I assumed that their flavor was similar to a pinto bean. 

Usually, I cook beans with a 4 (liquid) to 1 (bean) ratio.  This works for my stove, cookware, spot in the universe.  After about 2 hours, these little gems were the perfect texture and had produced a beautiful saucy-gravy that is the perfect compliment to cornbread or chips.  Notable differences between Anasazi and other beans:  They cook faster (Biggie in my book.) and have a slightly sweeter flavor. (They really would compliment ham, for all you omnivores out there.)

Interesting fact: Anasazi is a Navajo word meaning “ancient ones”.

Anasazi Beans

1lb Anasazi beans

1qt vegetable stock

1qt water

1T pinto bean seasoning

salt and pepper to taste

Optional Garnishes:

sharp white Cheddar

sour cream

freshly chopped cilantro

Rinse beans and cover with vegetable stock and water.  Cover and place over medium-low heat.  Stir and check water level occasionally.  Once beans have reached desired texture, season to taste.  Serve with cornbread, corn chips, or tortillas.  

Serves 6

More-Vegetable-Than-Egg Frittata

I’ve always loved breakfast.  I look forward to brunch on weekends and I get really excited about breakfast for dinner.  I even enjoy non-breakfast foods early in the morning, ie for breakfast.  If you’re the same, then I’m sure you can feel my disappointment when I woke up this morning and only found 3 eggs to make breakfast for two.  Fortunately, Mark Bittman can cook anything, and writes recipes open to anyone’s pantry.  Which is perfect for those of us that don’t follow recipes anyway.

More-Vegetable-Than-Egg Frittata

Adapted from Mark Bittman

2T olive oil or butter

1/4 onion, finely chopped

4 to 6 cups of any chopped or sliced raw or barely cooked vegetables {I used asparagus, mushroom and spinach.}

2-3T thyme or any other herb

3 eggs

1/2 cup freshly grated gruyere

Salt and ground black pepper to taste

Put olive oil or butter in a skillet (preferably nonstick or well-seasoned cast iron) and turn heat to medium. When fat is hot, add onion, if using, and cook, sprinkling with salt and pepper, until it is soft, 3 to 5 minutes. Add vegetables, raise heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften, from a couple of minutes for greens to 15 minutes for sliced potatoes. Adjust heat so vegetables brown a little without scorching. (With precooked vegetables, just add them to onions and stir before proceeding.)

When vegetables are nearly done, turn heat to low and add herb. Cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender.

Meanwhile, beat eggs with some salt and pepper, along with cheese if you are using it. Pour over vegetables, distributing them evenly. Cook, undisturbed, until eggs are barely set, 10 minutes or so; run pan under broiler for a minute or 2 if top does not set. Cut into wedges and serve hot, warm or at room temperature.

Serves 2

Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Lately, I’ve been trying to keep my culinary conquests under an hour.  {Hence, the Lunch-for-Dinner posts.}  I’ve also been interested in introducing new foods to our diet.  My new years resolution has cut out all of the most-obvious sources of protein out of our dinner rotation, so I’ve taken an interest in a few new foods that before now I’ve been nervous to try. 

Quinoa is grain-like and is a great substitute for rice or couscous.  Unlike true grains, this pseudo-cereal is high in protein and is gluten-free.  Quinoa can be cooked by using the same method as rice, the 2 (water) to 1 (rice, or in this case, quinoa) ratio.  Of course, I immediately, and correctly, assume that my rice cooker is the proper tool for this task.  After a quick rinse (easier said than done) and a pinch of salt, I set the rice cooker to cook, and 15 minutes later I had a fluffy and healthy new protein to put on the table.

Broccoli, Sun-dried Tomatoes & Goat Cheese

Adapted from Vegetarian Times

1 large head of broccoli, cut into small florets

1/3 cup soft goat cheese

1/4 cup oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, about 5

2 T pine nuts

2 T balsamic vinegar

1 cup quinoa

Once your quinoa is set to cook, toast pine nuts in dry skillet over medium heat 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Transfer to large bowl.

Heat oil in same skillet over medium-high heat. Add broccoli, and cook 2 minutes, or until florets are evenly coated with oil and are beginning to soften and brown, stir frequently. Carefully add 1/3 cup water; cover tightly with lid. Steam broccoli 4 minutes, or until water has evaporated and broccoli is tender.

Transfer broccoli to bowl with toasted pine nuts, and season with salt and pepper, if desired. Sprinkle goat cheese over broccoli, and stir in sun-dried tomatoes. Drizzle vinegar over top, and serve warm over quinoa.

Serves 3

Grilled Halloumi

David and I love cheese.  Our dogs are named after cheeses.  Our cheese drawer is always stocked, even when there isn't a cracker in the house.  Maybe this fact is too obvious to those that know us.  But because we flaunt our cheese obsession so proudly we have wonderful friends that bring us cheese back from their favorite Greek market and change the way I'll look at my grill pan forever.  Before I continue, I have to go back to clarify.  Halloumi is a Cypriot cheese.  It is a cheese made with sheep and cows milk, salt, and a bit of mint.  Halloumi has a very high melting David point so it is perfect for grilling.  I have big plans for my new favorite new cheese in shish kabobs this summer.  I'll even make a few for my omnivore friends.

Grilling Halloumi is simple.  Cut slices about a quarter of an inch thick and lay on a hot grill.  Try not to adjust the cheese, it will be easier to remove once it's grilled.  After a few minutes, flip and grill the other side.  That's it!

I toasted a bit of pita to go along with store-bought hummus.  The grilled lemons and green beans were a wonderful suggestion of 101 cookbooks.  Anytime I try a new ingredient I attempt to read as many recipes as I can to see the common techniques.  Halloumi is simple.  I think it's best when you serve it with other simple foods.  I had never grilled a lemon before, or any fruit now that I think of it, and it is amazing how a bit of heat can transform the flavors and draw so much juice out of this little yellow fruit.  Since becoming a vegetarian, I haven't used my grill pan once.  Now, I see so many other possibilities...  Maybe even dessert?

Deviled Egg Salad Sandwich

 

Some of the best recipes are the simplest.  They use few ingredients and use them well.  Simply put, this is one of those recipes.

Deviled Egg Salad Sandwich

6 hard boiled eggs {see my technique below}
2 T of mayo {or miracle whip, if you live in my house}
1 cup chopped celery, about 2 stalks
4T fresh chives, chopped
1t paprika
salt and pepper, to taste

There are 100s of ways to boil an egg.  If you have a way that works for you, use it.  This is what works for me:  Cover room temperature eggs with room temperature water.  Set burner to almost high {slightly higher than medium high}.  When the water comes to a low boil, remove the pot from the heat source, top it with a lid and set a timer for 7 minutes.  At 7 minutes, drain hot water and run eggs under very cold tap water until they are no longer hot, and thus have stopped cooking.  Cold eggs are easier to peel.  I always try to chill mine before I get started, but since we are crumbling them, I suppose it isn't important.

Once your eggs are ready, crumble them in a medium-sized bowl with the back of a fork.  Stir in celery, mayo, spices and herbs.  Remember that you can always add more mayo if your mixture is a tad dry, but you can't take it out.  Spread salad over toasted bread with a few leafs of lettuce and a bit of yellow mustard.

Serves 4

Ploughman's Sandwich

A great deal of learning to cook, is trial and error.  I think this is where a lot of people get frustrated with cooking.  There is little that can surpass the disappointment of slowly carmelizing 5 onions over and hour and a half, spending 30 minutes more developing this into a vegetarian French onion soup, to then be left with a wine colored soup that tastes exactly the way it looks, like wine.  Yes, I'm speaking from experience.  Yes, this very thing happened to me last week.  But, we ate soup.  And I now know that some recipes take some time and forethought to make them into tasty vegetarian suppers.  This experience, and the many more coming in the future, will make me a better cook.

Last week, I had several unsuccessful meals.  I attribute this to the lack of groceries in our house and the fact that I didn't use a single recipe.  This week, I have a stocked pantry and I have started baby stepping back into success with a couple of easy recipes.  To rectify the waste of caramelized onions with Barney Soup, I've made my version of the Ploughman's Sandwich.  I feel in love with these when D. and I were in London a couple years back.  I've made my version grilled sandwich, but traditionally this simple sandwich is served cold.

Ploughman's Sandwich

2 onions, cooked down into a sweet onion marmalade
bold, sharp Cheddar, room temperature
stone ground mustard
fresh baked sourdough, sliced
3 T butter

Finely slice onions and slowly caramelize over medium with 2 tablespoons of butter.  This should take 45 minutes to an hour, depending on how much liquid your onions produce.  While these are cooking, bring your cheese to room temperature.  Season with salt and pepper to taste.  Heat a large fry pan, with lid, over medium heat.  {I just wiped out the one I was using for the onions.} Use remaining butter for one side of each slice of bread. {Concentrate on the crust, this will make a huge difference once cooked.} Starting butter-side down assemble your sandwich: stone ground mustard, a healthy amount of sliced Cheddar, a few tablespoons of onion marmalade, topped with another slice of bread butter-side up.  Place your sandwich in the the fry pan and cover with lid.  {I always start with the cheese closest to the pan.  This will help make sure your cheese melts and your sandwich is nice a gooey inside.}  After a few minutes, turn sandwich and brown on the other side.  Cover with lid.  Once browned, let sit for a minute or 2 before slicing to let your cheese set up just a bit.

Serve hot with chips, crisps, salad, or your favorite sandwich accompaniment.

Vegetarian Chicken & Dumplings

Okay, you got me.  I’m a vegetarian.  I didn't want to bring this up sooner out of fear that you would freak out and assume that all we eat is tofurkey and Morning Star.  Though, I haven't planned out Thanksgiving...  See, I have never been much of a carnivore, but for my first new year's resolution I've given up meat cold turkey {pun intended}.  Honestly, I have had one dream about Five Guys, but other than that it hasn't been terribly difficult.  This may be one reason that you'll see a lot of recipes from Fresh 365, which are also all veggie.  I really love that her posts aren't about making food vegetarian, but just about really good food that is vegetarian.  That's all I can hope for, because life is too short to eat fake meat.

Vegetarian Chicken & Dumplings
Adapted from Fresh 365

4 T unsalted butter
1 large onion, chopped
6 T all-purpose flour
3 T sherry cooking wine

6 cups vegetable broth {4c broth, 2c H20  I don't use broth often enough to save half a box.  Plus, I always feel like the vegetable broth I buy looks too... concentrated.  I know that it isn't, but I like to water it down anyway.  This may effect your NaCl.  In a good way.}
1/2 cup lowfat milk

2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

2 bay leaves
1 t fresh thyme leaves
3 c chopped mushrooms (10 oz)

2 c chopped celery (6 stalks)

1 c chopped carrots
1 c frozen peas

2 T minced fresh chives

Serves 4-6

Dumplings

Now... I've tried Erin's recipe, and I flubbed it up.  Big time.  So, I called upon my good friend Jiffy.  This is a fail-safe way to make easy, fluffy dumplings.

1 box of Jiffy Buttermilk biscuit mix
1/4 cup of milk

1/4 cup water {because I couldn't decide between milk or water}

1/4 cup minced fresh herbs (I used chives, thyme & sage) {just like Erin}
2 T unsalted butter, melted

In a large skillet, heat butter over medium-high heat. Add onion, and sauté until onion begin to brown, about 8-10 minutes. Whisk in the flour and sherry {I was fresh out of sherry), scraping any brown bits of the bottom of the pan. Add the vegetable broth {and water}, milk, salt, pepper, bay leaves and thyme. Bring to a boil {Once, I forgot this step.  Dinner was still amazing.}, and add mushrooms, celery, carrots, peas and chives. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes, until vegetables are tender. Season to taste.

In a large bowl, stir together flour, baking powder, salt and herbs. Gently mix in melted butter and milk, until mixture just comes together (DO NOT over-mix or dumplings will be dense). {For reals...}
Drop dumpling batter into the simmering stew by heaping teaspoonfuls (about 15 total). Cover and simmer until dumplings are cooked through, about 15 minutes.  Whatever you do, DON’T uncover while the dumplings are cooking, as steam will escape and you’re dumplings won’t cook properly.

Caramelized Onion & Sweet Potato Tart

Unintentionally, David and I have been making too much pizza lately.  Mostly out of convenience and a lack of properly archiving 20 minute meals...  This is something I need to work on.  Rachael Ray has her 30 minute meals, and Pioneer Woman has her 16 minute meals.  If I try really hard, and am quick with a knife, I can attempt the 20 minute 40 minute meal.  {Let's set realistic expectations for ourselves.}  Instead of risking my phalanges, I  have first decided to conquer the frat boy persona of our oven.  I've recently discovered that if you use puff pastry instead of dough, you can call it a tart, which inevitably sounds fancier than pizza.  Ooo la la.

Caramelized Onion & Sweet Potato Tart
Relentlessly hijacked from Erin at Fresh 365.  Erin is brilliant.  If you don't already, read her blog!

3 T butter
3 medium onions, sliced very thin
1/4 cup white wine
2 T olive oil
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and sliced very thin
2 t chopped fresh sage
1 t salt
1/2 t pepper
1 puff pastry sheet, (thawed) {For a party, I've pinched 1 and a half together.  And skipped the cute circles.  Success.  I promise.}
1/2 c grated Pecorino-Romano cheese {Once, I read this at Gruyére.  Great mistake.}

First, pull your puff pasrty out of the freezer and set on floured surface.

In a large sauté pan, heat the butter over medium-low heat. Add the onions, and cook 50-60 minutes, stirring occasionally, until medium-brown and caramelized. Sprinkle with salt and pepper, to taste, and stir in white wine.

In a medium sauté pan, heat the olive oil over medium-low heat. Add the sweet potatoes, 1 t sage, salt and pepper. Cook 7-8 minutes, stirring often, until potatoes have softened. {I found it easier to cook these in small batches.}

Preheat oven to 425F. Place the puff pastry on a floured work surface and roll out to an 11” x 11” square. Using a 6” bowl as a guide, cut out 2 circles, discarding the scraps. Place the circles on a non-stick baking sheet. Using a sharp knife, score a border in each circle, about 1/2" in from the edge (do not cut through the pastry). With a fork, pierce all over the pastry inside the score lines. (The score/piercing is done to ensure that the non-pierced edges will puff and inside will remain flat).

Within the scored border of each tart (the pierced section), divide the caramelized onions. Top each with an equal amount of sweet potato, followed by Pecorino-Romano and 1 t of sage.

Bake 15-20 minutes, until the pastry is golden brown.

Note: The caramelized onions & sweet potatoes can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated for quick assembly. {Told you she was a smart.}

Black Bean Soup & Sweet Cornbread

Winter in Austin is a lot like Summer in Scotland, chilly and wet.  Unlike my dad's neck of the woods, where it's currently 12 degrees, Austin in a Autumnal 53.  Even though we don't have a "real" winter, I still use this time of year to turn my oven on all day and make my whole house smell warm and delicious.  January + Sunday = Black Bean Soup.  Goes together like, Le Creuset and Ground Cumino.  {Which is very well, just in case that isn't clear.}

Black Bean Soup
Adapted from Bon Appétit.  Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen.

The original recipe calls for a slow cooker and takes roughly 6 hours.  Not having a slow cooker or that amount of patience, I've made my soup in a Dutch oven on the stove top.  Cook Beware: Check the liquid in your beans every ~45 minutes.  If you are loosing too much liquid, you have your heat turned up too high. Guess how I learned this lesson...

1 T olive oil
2 medium-size red onions, chopped
1 medium-size red bell pepper, chopped
1 medium-size green bell pepper, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
4 t ground cumin
1 16-ounce package dried black beans
1 finely chopped jalapeno, seeded
7 cups hot water
2 T fresh lime juice
2 t coarse kosher salt
1/4 t ground black pepper

Optional Garnishes:

Creama Mexicana or sour cream
chopped fresh cilantro
chopped green onion

Heat olive oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onions and both bell peppers and sauté until onions are translucent, about 8-10 minutes. Add garlic,  jalapeno and cumin; stir 1 minute.  Add beans and  7 cups hot water. Cover and cook on low-medium until beans are very tender, about 3 hours. Stir frequently adding water when necessary. {I stirred every 30 minutes, which may be the reason I had to add ~6 cups over the 3 hours.  In retrospect, I realize that my heat was too high. I have adjusted this in the recipe.}  Using an immersion blender, blend soup for 15-20 seconds or until the soup has desired texture. Stir in lime juice, salt, and pepper.

Ladle soup into bowls. Spoon dollop of Creama Mexicana into each bowl. Sprinkle cilantro and green onions and serve with warm cornbread.

Serves 6

Sweet Cornbread
Adapted from Jiffy {That's right.}

Okay, this doesn't actually require a recipe, but it's too good not to share.  Sure, I've made cornbread from scratch and it was good.  This, however, is better than good and super easy.

1 package of Jiffy Corn Muffin Mix
1 egg
1/3 cup of milk
1 T butter
1 T sugar
1/2 finely chopped jalapeno, seeded

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Add butter to a small cast iron skillet and place in oven until butter has melted but not browned.  Mix remainder of ingredients and and pour into cast iron skillet.  Bake 15-20 minutes, or until golden and delicious.