Wheel Pasta with Parmesan Bechamel

Birk is at an age now where it is fun for him to look forward to meal.  And I get a kick out of making him meals that he really loves.  He has been brainwashed and trained to just eat whatever is served (and, obviously, bribed).  This is a favorite pasta from the archives that I have made many times.  But I have played around with the recipe enough that I thought I'd re-post it.  Birk has never thought twice about it...until I made with pasta wheels.  Now, he has been requesting it.  Here is my original post and look at this oldie:

This pasta has a creamy-Parmesan sauce.  I am not a huge fan of dairy based sauces because they make me feel sad.  This sauce has a healthy amount of butter for the roux, but the bulk of the sauce is made with a stock and almond milk.  Since all the flavor comes from the Parmesan, the dairy base is not missed.  Technically this is more of a gravy than a Bechamel, but we will all survive with this lie.

I think the smoked salmon is essential for me.  It is basically equivalent to the flavor profile of mac and cheese with hot dogs.  Unfortunately, it can't be made as easily with pantry staples or on a whim, unless smoked salmon is a pantry staple for you.  If that is the case, good for you.  But otherwise, the rest of the ingredients are easy to keep stocked. 

Birk has so far opted out of the balsamic drizzle, but I personally love the tang it brings. 

Lastly, I know my photography skills are making you very envious.  That partially eaten bowl of pasta in low lighting...it is just beautiful. 

Wheel Pasta with Parmesan Bechamel 
by foodforscot

2 large carrots, peeled and diced (~1 cup)
1 cup of frozen peas
3 tablespoons of butter
3 tablespoons of flour
2 cups stock (chicken or veggie)
1 or 2 garlic clove(s), smashed
1 cup almond milk (or whatever you want)
2/3 cup grated Parmesan, plus more for sprinkling on top
2/3 lb of wheel pastas (or any short cut, shells would be good)
4 oz. of smoked salmon
(optional) drizzle of balsamic vinegar reduction

Fill a large saucepan (or pasta pot) with enough water to cook the pasta and bring to boil.  While water is coming to boil, continue on with the rest of recipe.  Once it comes to a boil, add pasta and salt and cook it until it is done.  Drain and set aside until the rest of the sauce is done.  But likely the sauce will be done first, waiting for the pasta.  

Place the peas and carrots in a microwave safe bowl and microwave covered for 4 minutes on high, or until carrots are soft.  I use a regular soup bowl and cover with side plate.  If you avoid microwave use to prolong your life, you may steam the veggies some other way (perhaps with your pasta).  The frost on the frozen peas is what makes the microwave method work.

In another saucepan, add the butter and flour.  Cook and stir to make a paste (called a roux, if I want to be a jerk about it).  Cook for a few minutes, this will cook away the raw flour taste.  Add the stock and garlic, bring to gentle boil.  Whisk stock and roux somewhat continuously to avoid any burning on the bottom.  After a few minutes of light boiling, the sauce should thicken.  At this point, add the Parmesan and almond milk and cook for another 5 minutes until Parmesan is melted in and milk is incorporated.  You can remove the garlic, or leave it in for a special surprise.

Once the pasta and veggies are cooked (and pasta is drained), add to the sauce.  Mix to combine.  To serve:  place pasta in bowl, top with a portion of smoked salmon and sprinkle with Parmesan.  You can also drizzle on some balsamic reduction, if you want to be fancy about it. 

(Prep time: 0, Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Subs:
-You can use 2 cups of frozen carrot/pea mixture instead of fresh carrots plus frozen peas.  You might not need to microwave as long, but I trust you can figure it out.
-You can replace all the stock with milk, if that is what you have. 
-You can replace the salmon with other smoked meat, like hot dogs.  But don't tell anyone about it. 
-You can make your own balsamic reduction.  Put about 1 cup of balsamic vinegar in a sauce pan.  Bring to boil.  Boil until it reaches a syrupy consistency.  Or just buy it.  They sell it right by the balsamic vinegar at places like Whole Foods. 

Camping Menu and Meal Ideas

We went camping last week.  We camped at Saranac Lake, NY.  It was peaceful, quiet, and all around relaxing.  Where we live is extremely loud but I never realize until we leave (which hasn't been often lately).  The campsites are accessed by boat only, so we motor boated all of our stuff to our site.  In the above photo, we are all taking a trip to see other parts of the lake.

I wanted to share our camping menu.  I am always looking for good camping recipes.  This trip, we had the luxury of a cooler and basically unlimited space since we didn't have to carry anything.  So here are some ideas for car camping, dump camping, or even boat camping!

I apologize in advance, I did not do a good job photographing the meals.  I don't have photos of everything, but I will provide a menu below with all the details.  Also, the meals are all vegetarian and gluten free.  Vegetarian camping meals are not easy to come by on the internet.  Looking for vegetarian camping recipes?  Look here!  Keyword search.

One dinner was what I called "Camping Nachos", picture above.  It was tortilla chips topped with a warm bean, corn, and red pepper mixture and melted cheese.  Then we added on salsa, sour cream, cilantro, and an avocado at the table.  Super good!  A take on the "walking taco".

Our breakfasts included:  breakfast tacos, blueberry and banana pancakes, and the last morning was going to be oatmeal but we had to leave early that morning to catch a flight, so we never made the oatmeals.  The pancakes were vegan and gluten free, which was convenient for camping since we didn't have to worry about things spoiling.

The last night we had a succotash over quinoa and tomato, cucumber salad.  Not that this horrible photo does much convincing, it was delicious.

One of the tasty lunch items we had was Texas Caviar with tortilla chips (Texas Caviar is pictures above in the plastic container).  My friend made it in advance it was a perfect, easy camping snack, lunch item.

Everything else is listed below with links to recipes when appropriate.  Also, most of the ingredients are in season right now, which made everything extra delicious!

Menu:

Day 1
Dinner - Camping Nachos (recipe below)

Day 2
Breakfast - Breakfast Tacos - scrambled eggs wrapped in a tortilla topped with salsa, queso fresco, cilantro, and avocado.
Lunch - herbed goat cheese and crackers, fruit, and nuts.
Dinner - Potato Boats - pre-baked potatoes, mixed with veggies and cheese, and cooked in a foil packet on the fire.
              - Corn on the cob with compound butter (salted butter, cilantro, lime, garlic, chipotles in adobo)

Day 3
Breakfast - Blueberry and Banana Pancakes (added 1/4 cup of veg. oil to this recipe)
Lunch - Texas Caviar (prepared in advance) and Chips, leftover
Dinner - Succotash over Quinoa (recipe below) and Cucumber Tomato Salad

Day 4
Breakfast - oatmeal

For our full Camping Menu and instructions:  click here.

Camping Nachos
by foodforscot

1 medium onion, chopped
1 can of pinto beans
2 cans of black beans
2 T of pureed chipotles in adobo
2 ears of corn, shucked
2 red peppers
1 lb of Monterey jack cheese, shredded
1 bunch of cilantro
1 container of salsa
3 avocados
1 small container of sour cream
salt and pepper

In a large pot or cast iron sauté pan over medium heat, sauté the onion in some olive oil. Cook for about 5 minutes. Add the beans and chipotles in adobo. Cook until warmed through. Over the fire, using long tongs or some other device, char the corn and red peppers to get some smoky blackened flavor. Once charred, cut kernels off the cob and roughly chop the peppers. Add to the beans. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. (If you are lazy, skip the charring step.)

On a large cast iron skillet, lay out some chips. Top with bean mixture and sprinkle with cheese. Put on hot coals until cheese is melted. Repeat in batches until all bean mixture is used up.

Serve nachos on plates with fresh cilantro, salsa, half of an avocado, and sour cream.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 1 hr., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  7/10
Scot (taste):  8/10
Effort:  3/5
Dishwashing Effort:  3/5

Succotash Over Quinoa
by foodforscot

1 T olive oil
2 T butter
1 medium onion, chopped
1 medium zucchini, chopped
1 small eggplant, chopped
1 lb frozen lima beans
4 ears of corn, shucked and de-kernelled
thyme, minced
salt
pepper
¼ cup sour cream
parsley, minced
1 cup quinoa, cooked

In a large pot, sauté onion in a combination of 2 T butter and 1 T olive oil. Cook for 5 minutes. Add zucchini and eggplant, cook until softened. Add frozen lima beans and corn and cook until warmed through. Season with salt, pepper, a chopped thyme. Cook for 5 minutes. Add sour cream and parsley, cook for 5 minutes. Serve over quinoa.

(Servings: 6, Prep time: 10 min., Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10
Scot (taste):  8/10
Effort:  2/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Found my Week 9 CSA photo:

Week 9 : Golden plums, blueberries, blackberries, green beans (none are part of CSA), garlic, kale, escarole, tomatoes (!), salad greens, eggplant (Asian and Rosa Bianca), cucumber, sweet peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, hot peppers.

Warm Grilled Eggplant Salad

Week 10 - Herbs (basil, chives), peaches, white plums, assorted cherry tomatoes, yellow tomato,  (none of that is part of our CSA), 4 tomatoes!, red potatoes, salad greens, Rosa Bianca eggplant, Asian eggplant, green peppers, hot peppers, yellow squash, zucchini, cucumbers, dandelion greens, corn, Swiss chard.

I lost my week 9 photo.  But it was good stuff.  Similar to week 10.  We are there.  The peak of summer produce.  The pinnacle of all that is good.  We are FEASTING!!!

Can you believe this?  Four of these babies came with our CSA.  I bought the rest.  I did an ok job controlling myself.  We had another 5 or 6 from our garden that we ate this week.  Plus several handfuls of cherry tomatoes to supplement.  I thought I might save some of our tomatoes for winter in some form, but I am not at a point yet where I feel overwhelmed by tomatoes.  I feel happy about tomatoes.  I want more!  

This salad was so delicious.  It is very simple.  Some grilled veggies, tossed with some salad greens and a lemon, herb vinaigrette.  I wanted to pair it with something with a bright flavor, acidic flavor, but I also thought something cheesy would be good.  I made some stuffed tomatoes.  Mine where just stuffed with goat cheese, a little panko bread crumbs, parm, basil, and chives.  I cut a very small hole in the top of each tomato (and then ate the hole), then stuffed the cheese filling in.  I baked for about 20 minutes at 400 degrees.  Might be better to just throw them on the grill to avoid the oven.  It has been cold and rainy here so it wasn't a big deal for us.  

We are equally obsessed with eggplant as we are with tomatoes.  Our eggplants in our garden are doing well.  We will probably have at least ten.  We have been getting three or so in our CSA each week.  So good.  These Rosa Bianca globe shaped eggplants are amazing.  Maybe I will make some Baba Ganoush to freeze for Birk once he is ready to explore non-milk calories.  I very much appreciate the milk-only diet.  Meal prep is pretty easy.  Wish we could ride out that phase a little longer.  

Warm Grilled Eggplant Salad
by foodforscot

1 eggplant (I used Rosa Bianca)
1 summer squash
1 green pepper
1 big bag of salad greens
quarter of a medium red onion, thinly sliced
1 handful of basil, rolled and thinly sliced
10 chives, minced
½ tsp of Dijon mustard
1 lemon, juice
1 tsp of red wine vinegar
olive oil
salt
pepper

Slice the eggplant to make 1/4th of an inch thick rounds. Place in a colander (or lay out on a kitchen towel) and sprinkle generously with salt. Mix (or turn) to evenly coat the eggplant with the salt. Let sit for at least 30 minute (up to an hour or so) to release the water out of the eggplant.

Prepare the dressing: In a medium bowl, combine basil, chives, Dijon mustard, lemon juice, red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. While whisking, slowly add in olive oil. Add more salt, pepper, and oil, to taste. Set aside.

Preheat grill to medium high.

Slice the summer squash and quarter (and core and seed) the green pepper. Season with salt and pepper. Once eggplant is done, pat dry with a kitchen towel. Season with pepper. Drizzle olive oil over everything.

Right before grilling, turn off the flame, brush the grill with olive oil. Turn the flame back on. Grill eggplant, squash, and green peppers until soft with nice grill marks. Remove from grill and chop into bite sized pieces.

In a large bowl, toss together salad greens, red onions, grilled veggies, and lemon/herb dressing. Salad is best served warm and immediately.

(Servings: 3, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 30 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  8/10
Scot (taste):  8/10
Effort:  2/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

CSA Meals - Part 2

Week 5 - chives, pickling cucumbers, greenhouse tomatoes (all not part of CSA), red lettuce, escarole, curly kale, swiss chard, cabbage, radishes, hukuri salad turps, garlic scapes, zucchini, cauliflower.  

Week 6 - garlic, carrots, zucchini, cucumbers, pickling cucumbers (not part of CSA), red lettuce, stir fry mix, fennel, broccoli, broccoli rabe, kale, chives (not part of CSA)

Week 7 - pickling cucumbers (not part of CSA), stir fry mix, kale, japanese eggplant, italian flat beans, bok choy, scallions, zucchini, globe zucchini, cucumbers, yellow summer squash, collards, cabbage, cherries and tomatoes (neither part of CSA)

Week 8 - 10 lbs of peaches, blueberries, apricots, field tomatoes, hot pepper (all not part of CSA), cucumbers, eggplant, zucchini, yellow summer squash, green beans, cabbage, red leaf lettuce, swiss chard, collards. 

Another edition of CSA meal ideas.  We have been enjoying our veggies so so much.  I thought I would share how we have been eating them up.  We get GOOD stuff in our CSA and when I go to the market to pick it up, I always end up buying even more.  They don't grow any tree/bush fruit at the farm.  But they bring in fruits from nearby farms (starting now-ish).  This is dangerous.  So are the quarts of heavy cream from a local dairy farm.  But especially lately, I have been adding more veggies that didn't make the CSA that week.  

We are currently in what is known as...the best produce season ever.  I have been refraining from talking about my one true love: the summer tomato.  I planted 10 tomato plants in our tiny plot of land (in addition to carrots, kale, lettuce, broccoli, cauliflower, herbs, cucumbers, red peppers, habanero peppers, eggplant, pickling cucumbers, zucchini, yellow squash, butternut squash, etc.)  We have like 1 mm^2 of yard space.  So, not everything is happy.  Not to mention, Copper has been very busy killing THREE groundhogs, who have been nibbling where they shouldn't be nibbling.  The first groundhog death was sad for me.  But once I saw a bite out of a cuke...I let nature take it's course...

Anyway, although some of the garden hasn't survived our non-ideal growing conditions (and of course, we can definitely blame our novice gardening skillz), the cream of the crop is our tomatoes.  I care for them nearly equivalently to how I care for Birk.  I check them every day.  I have been tying those babies up.  I have been NOT watering them because it rains too much.  I have been petting them.  I cannnnnnnnot wait for the bumper crop (just learned that phrase).  We are currently enjoying the cherry tomatoes, but in a matter of days, or maybe one week, we will be in the swing of it.  

Alright, that is enough.  Here are some of the ways we have been enjoying the local produce.  Hope it gives you some inspiration for your meals.  

Roasted Beets and Goat Cheese Salad - lettuce, beet greens, pecans, radishes, and roasted beets in a balsamic vinaigrette.

Bok Choy and Garlic Scape Pad Thai - your typical pad thai, but add the veggies.  I added bok choy and another dark green. Instead of scallions, I used garlic scapes.  Some tofu, as usual for pad thai.  I used this recipe, roughly.

Kale, Black Bean, and Corn Taquitos with Guacamole - sautéed kale, black beans, and corn mixed with cilantro and goat cheese, wrapped up in a corn tortilla.  Baked at 400 until crispy.  Served with guac.

Buffalo Cauliflower with Blue Cheese Sauce - Roast some cauliflower and toss with wing sauce.  For the dipping sauce, I mixed full fat greek yogurt with a crumbled blue cheese.  My favorite variety of blue cheese is the soft, creamy kind.  I try to find either a goat's milk blue cheese or a mild brie hybrid.  Jk, I just wanted to sound like an a-hole.  No, actually I am serious, that is the kind of blue cheese that I like.

Pesto and Summer Veggie Cheese Raviolis Salad - Based off of this recipe.  I tossed good quality (you know, not the bad quality kind) little mini cheese ravioli with grape tomatoes, cooked greens, sautéed zucchini, and pesto.  Great hot or room temp.

A Simple Slaw - Cabbage is not the most exciting vegetable out there.  But it is good.  You have to have slaw at least once a summer.  I don't like creamy slaws or creamy salads.  This was just thinly sliced cabbage, salad turnips, cucumber, green onions tossed in some apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper.  I added some raw escarole.  Don't do that.

Cauliflower, Black Bean, and Avocado Waffle - We made some whole grain waffles.  Scot's special, secret recipe (yeah, I just don't know what it is).  Then we topped them with roasted cauliflower, black beans cooked in chipotles in adobo, shredded mont. jack, avocado and a fried egg.  This only uses cauliflower so WHATEVER.

Apple, Chickpea, Almond Salad - yum.  This was some lettuce, cucumbers, shredded carrots, chickpeas, diced apple, and chopped almonds tossed in a sweet honey and mustard vinaigrette.

Zucchini, Leek, Broccoli Rabe Fritters with a Cucumber Tzatziki Sauce - Take that! If you haven't made fritters yet...do it.  Shred the veggies (or finally chop), add some flour, egg, salt and pepper until fritter like consistency.  Fry up in some olive oil.  These fritters had zucchini, leeks, and broccoli rabe (any dark green would be fine).  Tzatziki is a cucumber yogurt suace.  You dice up the cucumber, salt it (liberally) and let is release some of its liquid in a colander for 30  min. - a few hours.  Dry the cucumbers in a kitchen towel (it removes some of the salt too).  Toss with green yogurt and season with pepper.  I added the fennel tops to the sauce too.  I congratulated myself on this dish.    

Tempeh and Veggie Stir-fry - If you don't know what to do with a veggie...stir fry ti up!  This was broccoli, red onion, carrots, stiry fry greens (probably like bok choy type things), and tempeh over brown rice.  The sauce was some weird thing I threw together:  mango habanero jelly, fish sauce, sriracha, ... probably more things.  It was good!  Sweet and spicy.

Fried Zucchini Sandwiches with Cucumber, Tomato Salad -  We got these beautiful globe zucchinis.  I breaded and fried them for a sandwich.  Also topped with lettuce, sliced tomato, thinly sliced red onion and a honey, mustard sauce (dijon, honey, sour cream).  When I lived at home, I ate cucumber, tomato salads daily when my dad's garden was taking off.  It is simply sliced cucumbers, diced tomatoes, thinly sliced red onion tossed in red wine vinegar, olive oil and salt and pepper.  It is what summer is all about.

Kimchi - The best use of cabbage?  Kimchi.  If you aren't familiar it is a Korean condiment similar to sauerkraut...but Korean.  It is spicy and sour and lasts forever in the fridge.  You are supposed to eat fermented things if you want to be healthy.  So think about that.  My little sister helped me make a gigantic batch of kimchi.  I used this recipe.  I am going to make sauerkraut next using this recipe.  Don't think you like these types of condiments?  Try making them.  They are totally different than the store bought stuff.  A friend back in Boulder gifted me some of her homemade sauerkraut, which I used up instantly (like for this pizza).  So good.

Salad with Grilled Halloumi Cheese - salad is diced cucumbers, cherry tomatoes, blanched green beans, lettuce, green onions, with a honey mustard vinaigrette.  

Thai Millet Salad with Peanut-Ginger Dressing

Happy Birthday to my sister, Jen!!!  

Several years ago, Jen decided to be a vegetarian.  Something about how humans aren't supposed to eat meat.  She rode that out for many, many years.  Recently, due to other allergies, she has started eating some meat again.  It is funny because right around the time she stopped being a strict vegetarian, I started being more strictly vegetarian.  

Luckily, our family eats lots of veggies, so catering to vegetarians is no problem.  And because of Jen (and many of my other vegetarian friends), I have always enjoyed finding and eating delicious vegetarian dishes.  

This is a very easy dish to throw together.  These types of grain/pasta/seed salads are perfect summer dinners.  They don't take a lot of effort.  They are quick, healthy, and don't heat up the house.  

This salad has millet as its grain.  Millet is a popular grain in parts of Asia and Africa and grows well in dry, hot climates.  It is not popular in the US, where is it predominately used as bird seed.  You will see it on occasion in some whole grain bars.  It is on our favorite bread baked at Whole Foods called Seeduction.  By the way, we always have a loaf of Seeduction at home.  

Cooked millet tastes pretty much like any other grain.  It tastes like grain.  It does have good texture.  It could be used any time you are using quinoa or rice (or barley, or couscous...who uses couscous anymore, what happened to the poor couscous?).  I like having a variety of whole grain options.

What else?  The dressing here is delicious.  It is a Thai-inspired peanut-ginger dressing.  I used freshly ground peanuts, but any peanut butter is fine.  If you use a non-natural peanut butter, just keep in mind it will be sweeter.  

Other than that, the salad is filled with whatever veggies you want or have and then some beans.  I used Savoy cabbage and broccoli, since both are in season.  Then, I also used shredded carrots and pinto beans.  For veggies, you could do bell peppers, cucumbers, zucchini (shredded), any cabbage, cauliflower (roasted would be good), any dark greens (cooked), etc.  For beans, I would recommend a white bean or maybe edamame.  Anything other than black or chickpeas, I think.    

Thai Millet Salad with Peanut-Ginger Dressing

adapted from Eats Well with Others

1 cup uncooked millet
2 cups shredded Savoy cabbage
1 head broccoli, chopped
1 cup shredded carrots
1 bunch of cilantro, chopped
4-6 scallions, finely diced
1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts
1 can of Pinto beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup peanuts, freshly ground into butter
2 tsp freshly grated ginger
3 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tsp sesame oil
1 tsp olive oil

Put the millet and 2 cups water in a medium saucepan. Add a pinch of salt and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 15-20 minutes or until water is evaporated. Let sit, covered, for 5 minutes.

Toss the millet with the cabbage, broccoli, carrots, cilantro, scallions, peanuts, and beans.

To make the dressing, whisk together the peanut butter, ginger, soy sauce, honey, red wine vinegar, sesame oil and olive oil. Season to taste with salt. Add the dressing to the salad and toss to combine. Season to taste with salt and black pepper.

(Servings: 4-6, Prep time: 30 min., Cook time: 15 min., Difficulty: Easy)

Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (taste):  9/10
Scot (taste):  9/10
Effort:  1/5
Dishwashing Effort:  1/5

Ideas for Local/Now Produce

I am four weeks into my CSA.  Above I have the first, third, and fourth weeks of produce.  Right now I am enjoying the fourth week.  From left to right in the bottom photo, I got beets, gigantic dandelion greens, collards, kale, two broccoli, escarole, two bok choy, two red leaf lettuce, radishes, salad turnips, garlic scapes, and some chives (chives didn't come with CSA).

I love greens.  And I am not just saying that.  The salad greens, so far, have changed my life.  I look forward to the days immediately following my CSA pick up because that is when we consume all the lettuce.  I have made many different salads, but haven't photographed them all.  Here are a few ideas if you are needing some:

A BBQ Seitan salad.  I made this twice actually.  This is some romaine and green leaf lettuce (my favorite).  Mixed with some thawed frozen corn, rinsed black beans, diced red pepper or roasted red pepper, finely diced red onion, and diced avocado (just put avocado on top, don't toss with the rest) tossed in a creamy yogurt with fresh herb dressing.  For the Seitan, simply slice, pan fry in a skillet with olive oil and toss with BBQ sauce.  We also ate with some cheese quesadillas (whole wheat tortillas grilled with cheese inside).

A Shaved Salad.  A great way to eat delicious, delicate salad greens is to do a shaved salad.  Using a mandolin or mad knife skills, thinly slice a tart apple, celery (do it even if you think you hate celery), and red onion.  Scatter of lettuce and dress with an herb yogurt dressing and some crumbled goat cheese.  It is SO refreshing.  I could eat it every day.

Other salads we have been enjoying:

Greek ish - lettuce, chickpeas, fresh goat's milk feta, thinly sliced red onion, roasted red peppers, diced cucumber tossed with a red wine vinaigrette.

Cherry dressing - Lettuce, goat cheese, salad turnips, chopped broccoli, chives, almonds tossed with a cherry vinaigrette (cherry jam, dijon mustard, apple cider vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper).

Green pizza.  I cooked down an entire bunch of kale and an entire bunch of spinach from our week 2 CSA (just chopped them up and sauteed them in olive oil).  I dried the greens a bit by pouring them onto a kitchen towel.  Then, using a whole wheat pizza dough from Whole Foods, I topped it with cilantro pesto (bought from Whole Foods), fresh mozzarella, fresh goat's milk feta packed in liquid, ALL the greens, thinly sliced red onion.  It was SO delicious.  Two whole bunches of greens on one pizza.  You could grill this since it will soon be way too hot for pizza in the oven.

Puree those greens.  Saute the greens in olive oil and then add a rinsed and rained can of white beans (like Cannelloni, Navy, or even Pinto would be fine).  Puree until smooth and season with salt and pepper.  Here I used collards and Cannelloni beans and also flavored it up with some of the cilantro pesto.  I topped it with some fatty white fish.

Stir fry!  An obvious use for all the produce that grows right now is stir fry.  Which seems boring, but by switching up the sauce, you can do a lot.  Here I have cooked up all the bok choy with some onion and red peppers.  I also did a shallow pan fry of some extra firm tofu that has been drenched in corn starch.  The sauce here is a sweet and sour (mix 1/3 c. red wine vinegar, 1/3 cup orange juice, 1 tbsp honey, 3 tbsp ketchup, 1 tsp cornstarch, 1/2 tsp salt).

Another sauce option is a curry:  1 cup coconut milk, 1 tbsp fish sauce, 2 tsp Thai curry paste, 1 tsp packed brown sugar, and 1 tsp corn starch.  I made this with some of the other greens and added smoked tofu (which tasted like hot dogs, so don't use that).  Both of these are from (with some modification) Cook's Illustrated magazine.  For either of these, whisk together in a bowl and add to the stir fried veggies at the end and just cook until warmed through.  Make sure to stir fry your veggies in batches.  If you keep adding more to the pan, they steam and aren't as flavorful.

A warm cabbage slaw.  Here I sautee shredded savoy cabbage with some other dark greens (a type of kale, I believe).  It also has some carrots, onions, and shredded green apple.  I seasoned the slaw with soy sauce and rice vinegar.  I topped it with a fried egg (runny yolk).

Green Chips.  It is almost like cheating.  You just tear the leaves up, toss with some olive oil, salt and pepper.  Spread out on a sheet pan and bake in the oven until crispy.  Lower over temp is better, like 350.  But they work in any temp really.  I made these kale chips with these Roasted Mustard Potatoes, which were amazing.  I could easily eat like two bunches of kale like this in one sitting.  Easily.

Roasted kale, potatoes, and tempeh tossed with parmesan and lemon.  Here I roasted the kale, tempeh, and potatoes (all separately-ish, since they take different amounts of time).  I think I roasted the potatoes and then added the kale at the end.  I think I might have browned the tempeh in a skillet.  Then, I just tossed them all with some lemon juice and parmesan.  This is an old recipe I never posted.

Smoked Salmon, Kale Carbonara - Add your greens to some whole wheat pasta!  I used Cara's recipe here (with some modification).  Really delicious.  I also have made Eats Well with Other's recipe for White Bean and Kale pasta.  It was another great, fast pasta dish with kale.  I made the smoked salmon carbonara when Birk was only a few weeks old and remember eating it almost 100% cold while feeding him in my arms.  Why I took the time to take a blurry photo is beyond me!

I think you are getting the theme.  With the salad greens, you pretty much have to make salad.  Try to be creative.  Add beans and nuts for protein.  Cheese.  With the dark greens, there are so many options but you must add some fat.  If you want to be hard core, fine.  Eat dark greens straight up in your face. But I am telling you, it isn't sustainable.  You will eventually give up on eating greens and will only eat french fries the rest of your life (sounds threatening).  You will see a theme with my greens...cheese, potatoes, fatty fish, coconut milk, tofu, an egg.  It needs that balance in my opinion.  Also adding acid really helps balance out the bitter.

For the rest of the meals we have had with our Local/Now produce, I hope to share a detailed recipe with you.  We have tried some good recipes lately!  Also, it has been bothering me that I am cooking with all these greens but then buying things like cucumbers and red peppers at the grocery store to make things a little more exciting.  Am I a horrible person for relying on these out of season veggies?  Will I be able to live with myself.  Stay tuned to find out.

Greek Veggie Wrap

I am going to tell you a story about my journey with food.

Let's start with my parents.  Growing up, especially when I was young, my mom did a lot of cooking.  She made all the 80s and early 90s favorites like beef stroganoff, tuna casserole, swiss steak, tuna salad, cream chipped beef, meatloaf, roasts, goulash, etc.  But my mom is also 50% Italian, so she also made family recipes like huge vats of homemade marinara with ribs, meatballs, and sausage, stuffed artichokes, salads, sausage and peppers, stuffed peppers, stuffed squash, etc.  Like most families at that time, mine was influenced by popular food culture and marketing.  I think we were all brainwashed into thinking that buying fresh produce was somewhat of a luxury.  Therefore, we ate plenty of canned veggies.  Did the cream of mushroom soup thing.  Plenty of velveeta.  Margarine happened (it is healthier, duh!)

But my mom's core food knowledge was real food.  My family definitely followed the pre-made, packaged, canned food trend, but didn't stray too far and for too long from the real stuff.

My dad also did a lot of cooking.  I remember him making things like drip beef sandwiches, chicken and dumplings, stir fry, etc.  Also, I think for a good 5 years of my life, my dad ate a large, fully loaded salad for dinner.  Every night.  And I share many of my dad's taste buds.  We both like spicy food and now that I am an adult, I realize I share my dad's lack of a sweet tooth.

As a result of mostly positive food influences, I was never in too bad of shape with my general food knowledge.  Especially since my extended family and friends have taught me a lot too.

However...I, too, fell for much of the crap (aka "food") out there at your typical large supermarket.  When I went off to college and started 100% feeding myself, I started with what I knew.  Diet drinks and Sweet N' Low were a part of my regular diet.  Thought it was healthy.  Once I came to my senses and stopped (it was easy), I started noticing it was in EVERYTHING.  Anything labelled "light", which at the time, I thought meant "light on the sugar".  For example, light yogurt, I thought just had less sugar...but no, it just had fake sugar.  I was so mad.  Furious.

And probably my saddest realization was "coffee creamer".  I bought it thinking it was just cream.  Like what comes from a cow.  At one point I was looking at my Coffeemate bottle and noticed it said non-dairy.  WHAT!?!?  Non-dairy?!?!  That is when I decided to start seriously looking at labels and not be tricked again.  This was about 10 years ago.

As I have been continuing to grow my food knowledge and trying more and more types of foods and recipes, I (like so many others) have come a long way.  I never thought I would eat homemade granola for breakfast (and not be able to buy it from the store...)  I never thought I would prefer whole grain wraps to white wraps.  I never thought I would eat a pound of beans each week and only eat meat on occasion.  I never thought I love kale and other dark greens.  I never thought I would be such a...hippie.

Ok, that is a lie.  I always hoped I would.

The point is...I started out with a good relationship to food.  With reasonable knowledge.  With a decent diet.  But it wasn't easy to sort through all the crap that is thrown at us at the grocery store.  You almost have to have a PhD in Food to understand what food trends to follow and what marketing is actually true.

This is the reason that you should never let any package tell you what is good for you.  If food needs to convince you to eat it, they are probably lying.  Have you ever picked up a head of broccoli and pondered whether or not it will do your body any good?  No.  Broccoli has dignity.

Everyone has a journey with food.  I just thought I'd share mine.  Maybe you are at a different stage in your journey.  And I hope you are enjoying it!  :)  My journey is partly being recorded on this blog...so the archives hold my deepest and darkest secrets.  Don't get too excited though.

Now, here is another "burrito" for you.  This time, I went with a Greek-ish filling.  We have baby spinach, a warm chickpea mixture, a greek salsa and some feta cheese all wrapped up in a whole wheat tortilla.  It is summer in your hand.  I will remind you one last time (ha...), buy the feta that comes packed in a liquid.  It is about 7 times better.

Greek Veggie Wrap

2 14.5 oz. cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ tsp of coriander (heaping)

a pinch (or more) of cayenne

½ of an English cucumber, diced

1 large tomato, seeded and diced

¼ of a medium red onion, finely minced

handful of kalamata olives, chopped

2-3 tbsp of finely chopped flat leaf parsley

1-2 tbsp of white/red wine vinegar (or lemon juice)

1-2 tbsp of olive oil

2 burrito-sized whole wheat tortillas

feta cheese, crumbled

several big handfuls of baby spinach

salt and pepper

Prepare the bean mixture:  put the chickpeas, coriander, cayenne, salt and pepper, and a good splash of water in a skillet.  Cook over medium high heat until water evaporates.  Taste, adjust seasonings and repeat process (add more water, cook until evaporated, taste), until desired texture is reached.  I usually do the process twice.

Prepare the Greek salsa:  combine cucumber, tomatoes, red onion, olives, parsley, vinegar, and olive oil.  Season with salt and pepper.

Prepare wraps:  warm a tortilla over an open flame, the microwave or in the oven.  Put a healthy layer of baby spinach down.  Top with bean mixture, feta cheese and salsa.  Wrap, burrito-style. 

(Servings:  2, Prep time:  20 min., Cook time:  20 min., Difficulty:  Easy) 


Printable Version


foodforscot Ratings:  


Shanon (taste):  8/10
Scot (taste):  7/10
Effort:  2/5
Dishwashing Effort:  1/5

Black Bean and Guacamole Burritos

Burritos in the daylight.  

I make guacamole a lot.  Especially lately.  And every single time I make it, I profess my love for it.  It might be my current answer for, "What is your favorite food?"  And when we eat it with chips, we have been buying these black bean tortilla chips.  I don't get them because they are healthy, I just love those chips.  And they come in a reasonable sized bag.  

Also, we have been cooking up a batch of beans and eating them throughout the week in various ways.  It is a nice thing to have around.  And it is a really easy ingredient to make various dinners from.  Still haven't perfected the bean making process, but you can't really mess it up.  

This burrito is a combination of black beans, brown rice, queso fresco, lightly dressed greens and guacamole.  I rated it a 10/10 of because it is everything it needs to be.  And we have had it three times in the past week.  

Try brown jasmine rice...it is very good.

Try this brand of whole wheat tortillas.  Not all whole wheat tortillas are created equally.  Whole Foods Boulder makes some amazing burrito sized whole wheat tortillas (in house).  But don't get the 365 brand or the generic whole foods brand...not good.  

Also, queso fresco is amazing and I love it in these.  But with the guac, you could easily leave the cheese out.

Someday I should consider shooting in such a away that avoids AC units and cords in general.  It's art guys.  

Black Bean and Guacamole Burritos

2 cups cooked black beans (or 1 can, drained and rinsed)

1 tbsp pureed chipotles in adobe sauce

2 cups of cooked brown rice

2-3 ounces of queso fresco

1 avocado, seed and skin removed

1 lime

1 small tomato, squeezed lightly to remove some juice and diced

¼ of a small red onion, minced

handful of cilantro, chopped

1 tsp of light oil

4 large handfuls of spring mix or baby spinach

2 burrito sized whole wheat tortillas

salt and pepper

Prepare guacamole by mashing the avocado together with some salt and the juice of half the lime.  Add the diced tomatoes, minced red onion and cilantro and mix to combine.  Taste, adjust seasonings and set aside.

In a skillet over medium high heat, add black beans, pureed chipotles in adobo, and enough water to allow the beans enough liquid to simmer in.  Season with salt and pepper.  Bring to boil and simmer until all the water has evaporated.  Taste, adjust seasonings, and repeat process of adding water and simmering off until you reach the desired texture.  Add brown rice, mix and set aside over low heat until ready to assemble burritos.

Combine the juice of the other half of the lime, salt, pepper and 1 tsp of light oil.  Add in the spring mix or spinach and toss to coat.

Assemble the burrito:  Start by warming one tortilla to make it more pliable (either over an open flame or in the microwave wrapped in a damp towel).  Mound up half the spring mix or spinach, top with half the rice and bean mixture, crumble on half the queso fresco and top with half the guacamole.  Wrap it up burrito style.  Repeat with remaining ingredients to make a second burrito. 

(Servings: 2, Prep time:  25 min., Cook time:  20 min., Difficulty:  Easy)


Printable Version


foodforscot Ratings:


Shanon (taste):  10/10
Scot (taste):  9/10
Effort:  3/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5

Broiled Fish over Warm Olive Tabbouleh

HI!

I am wondering if anyone else has been wondering about something.  The thing is: reusable baggage discounts.  I mean, thanks, grocery store, for giving me such a generous discount.  Every week I spend $150 on food and receive 40 cents back for bringing in my own bags.  Sometimes I wonder if they reallllly think I bring in those bags to receive this discount and not because if I don't bring in those bags, they force me to go home with 15 paper or plastic bags that are hardly sturdy enough  to carry more than three apples and a bag of spinach.

Yeah, it is definitely for the 40 cents.

In which case, is it really necessary to religiously count the number of bags?  From the produce bags, to the grain bags, to the grocery bags...it gets complicated.  But the worst for me, is my grocery store actually asks the bagger once they are done bagging...how many bags they actually USED.  i.e. if I brought five bags and he only put food in 4, I only get 40 cents...not 50 cents.  IT IS A BIG DEAL!

It is just one more thing I miss about my Boulder Whole Foods.  They never even would mention the bags.  Once in a while, they would thank me for bringing bags.  But they just weren't so stingy.  And they repeatedly gave me free chocolate at the register.

This is by far the most interesting post I have ever written.  Honestly, the grocery store is a big part of my life.

This is another great recipe from The Food Matters Cookbook.  Warm olive tabbouleh was probably originally part of my soul in a previous life.  I have openly admitted on this blog that I am on the fence about mint in my food.  However, I continue to eat it and try it in different combinations.  There has never been an ingredient that I truly do not like in anything.  So, I figure if I keep eating it, I will eventually come around to it.  And it always works.  I particularly like mint in savory dishes when it is used in combination with another fresh herb like cilantro or parsley.

Also, the original recipe here was for grilled fish kebabs.  I made this under the broiler, but either would work fine.


Broiled Fish over Warm Olive Tabbouleh

adapted from The Food Matters Cookbook

½ cup bulgur

salt

2 tablespoons olive oil, plus more as needed

½ black olives, pitted and chopped (I used kalamata)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped

1 cup chopped fresh parsley

1 cup chopped fresh mint

3 lemons:  1 juiced and 2 cut into wedges

Black pepper

12 ounces of firm white fish, cut into 4 chunks

2 cups cherry tomatoes

1 small red onion, finely chopped

Preheat the broiler on high.  Place the rack about 4-6 inches from the heat source.

Put the bulgur in a small pot with a pinch of salt and water to cover by about 1 inch (no more).  Bring to a gentle boil and cook, without stirring, until the water boils off and the bulgur is tender, 5 to 10 minutes, depending on the grind.

On a large baking sheet covered with foil, toss the fish, tomatoes and red onions in some olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Put under the broiler and cook for about 10 minutes until fish is cooked through and tomatoes and red onions have some color.  (Alternatively, you can skewer tomatoes, onions and fish and grill kebabs). 

Put 2 tablespoons oil in a large, deep skillet over medium heat.  A minute later, add the olives and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the garlic beings to color, 3 to 5 minutes.  Add bulgur and mix to combine.  Take off heat and add the cucumber, parsley, mint, and lemon juice.  Toss to combine adding lots of pepper and enough oil to moisten everything.  Taste and adjust seasoning. 

Serve warm olive tabbouleh with fish and veggies.  Put bowl of lemon slices on table and use liberally. 

(Servings:  4, Prep time:  20 min., Cook time:  20 min., Difficulty:  Easy)


Printable Version

foodforscot Ratings:

Shanon (tastte):  8/10
Scot (taste):  8/10
Effort:  3/5
Dishwashing Effort:  2/5