Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans

So one thing about my current rotation is that their food is GREAT. They are a vegetarian residency and every day they have salad and the best fruit salad and I am just in eating heaven because I can eat a lot of volume with few calories. A few days ago they had this amazing couscous chili with garbanzo beans and kidney beans and couscous and tomatoes and it was so so good. But on to this couscous. This couscous, also so so good. Light. Tasty. I thought the finely chopped pecans were essentially to giving it an underlying nutty, tasty flavor but then the Robber thought they weren't needed as much. Who knows, but that this was delicious.

From the NYTimes Well Vegetarian Thanksgiving 2010 blog:
http://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2010/11/08/health/20101108_thanksgiving.html#Couscous_Salad_With_Dried_Cranberries_and_Pecans

Ingredients:

1 C. couscous, preferably whole wheat
Salt
2 large carrots, grated
1/2 C. chopped pecans
1/2 C. chopped dried cranberries
1/4 C. chopped scallions
1/4 C. olive oil, or more as needed
Grated zest and juice of 1 lemon, or more juice as needed
1 tsp. coriander
Pinch of cayenne, or to taste
Black pepper
1/2 C. chopped fresh parsley
1 T. chopped fresh sage, or 1 teaspoon dried

Directions:

1. Put the couscous in a small pot and add 1 1/2 cups water and a pinch of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then cover and remove from the heat. Let steep for at least 10 minutes, or up to 20.

2. Put the slightly cooled couscous in a large salad bowl along with the carrots, pecans, cranberries, scallions, oil and lemon zest and juice, and sprinkle with the spices and salt and pepper. Use 2 big forks to combine, fluffing the couscous and tossing gently to separate the grains. (The salad can be made up to this point and refrigerated for up to a day; bring to room temperature before proceeding.)

3. Stir in the parsley and sage. Taste and adjust the seasoning, moisten with a little more oil and lemon juice as you like, and serve.

Yield: 4 servings.

Rosemary Chicken Salad

I made chicken salad on Saturday for M.'s baby shower and, loving this new blog, looked to it for some inspiration. What I ended up making was a hybrid between my standard chicken salad and this one-- basically I just made my old salad but used some of her ideas (using one half Greek yogurt instead of straight mayonnaise, a hint of Dijon, rosemary) and was very pleased with the results. I use toasted slivered almonds, cucumber, and celery in my salad and also threw in some green onions this time, for effect. Anyway, everyone liked the salad, so I'll blog this recipe here as a remind to myself that next time I made chicken salad I might make my hybrid again.

From a Hint of Honey:
http://www.ahintofhoney.com/2009/01/rosemary-chicken-salad-sandiwches.html

Ingredients:

1 lb. chicken breast, cooked and diced
1/3 C. green onions, thinly sliced
1/4 C. smoked almonds, chopped (I use toasted slivered almonds)
1 tsp. fresh rosemary, chopped
3 T. nonfat Greek yogurt
3 T. mayonnaise
1 tsp. Dijon mustard
salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste

Whole wheat bread or pita, for serving (I still think eating chicken salad with a cheddar dill scone is amazing.)

Directions:

1. Toss to combine chicken, onions, almonds, and rosemary in a medium bowl. Add yogurt, mayonnaise, and Dijon, stirring to coat. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Yield: Serves 4

Curried Lentils With Sweet Potatoes And Swiss Chard

So the Robber makes these amazing lentils and I asked him where he got the recipe from and he sent me this link which I kept to try out... but truthfully the Robber's lentils aren't really much like these at all, and are actually better. Which is not to say these are not good. They are really good, and I was surprised how much I liked the Swiss chard. Who knew Swiss chard? Anyway. If you have a good peeler and can get around the annoyance of chopping sweet potatoes, and if you like pea soup, these are for you. Perfect for a cold Rochester day when I want something warm and healthy and feel good. Would be good with some pita.

Note: I didn't have garam masala and I think it would have made a difference in bringing this from good to great. Also, self, try using chicken broth next time instead of vegetable stock.

Adapted from the NYTimes by Smitten Kitchen: http://smittenkitchen.com/2007/11/curried-lentils-and-sweet-potatoes/

(Note again to self: the above link has a link to this blondie recipe you want to try...)

Ingredients:

2 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1-inch piece fresh ginger root, peeled and grated
1 1/2 tsp. garam masala
1 1/2 tsp. curry powder
1 jalapeño pepper, seeded if desired, then minced (I omitted this)
4 to 5 C. vegetable broth as needed
2 lbs. orange-fleshed sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch cubes (about 4 cups)
1 1/2 C. dried lentils
1 bay leaf
1 lbs. Swiss chard, center ribs removed, leaves thinly sliced (I used 2)
1 tsp. kosher salt, more to taste
1/2 tsp. ground black pepper
1/3 C. chopped fresh cilantro
Finely grated zest of 1 lime
Juice of 1/2 lime
1/3 C. finely chopped tamari almonds, for garnish (optional)
1/4 C. chopped scallions, for garnish

Directions:

1. In large saucepan, heat oil over medium heat. Add onion and saute until translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Add garlic, ginger, garam masala, curry powder and jalapeno. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute.

2. Stir in 4 cups broth, sweet potatoes, lentils and bay leaf. Increase heat to high and bring to a boil; reduce heat to medium, partially cover, and simmer for 25 minutes. (If lentils seem dry, add up to 1 cup stock, as needed.) Stir in chard and salt and pepper, and continue cooking until lentils are tender and chard is cooked, about 30 to 45 minutes total.

3. Just before serving, stir in cilantro, lime zest and juice. Spoon into a large, shallow serving dish. Garnish with almonds if desired and scallions.

Yield: 8 to 10 side-dish servings; 6 main-course servings.

Black Beans With Roasted Tomatoes and Feta

I went through a two and a half month phase there where I didn't cook anything new at all. The cooking bug died in me. I ate. I slept. I worked. In different proportions. I worried about what I ate. But now that I am forced into feeding myself and only myself for a month here in Rochester, the desire to cook has returned again and with it, the digging into my file of recipes to try. This is one I found a while back but didn't make because when I asked the Robber if it sounded good he said, "Meh." There is nothing like a "Meh" for quashing one's plans. But as the Robber is not here I decided to make it for myself along with some pumpkin cornbread (previously posted on this blog) and eat it ala ratatouille-and-cornbread style, which is my new favorite way to eat roasted vegetables.

Truthfully speaking, this dish was a little "meh"-- good, but not great. Better with the cornbread, though perhaps not quite the exact right combination. Easy on the tastebuds, healthy feeling, and certainly worth making and eating again, but nothing stunning.

Notes: I doubled the feta and grape tomatoes (and oil but not the sugar)-- more out of what I bought than any rhyme or reason. When I roasted the tomatoes I was dumb enough not to put foil or parchment on the pan and a few of the tomatoes and some seeds stuck to the pan and now I am soaking it and paying the price. So next time self, foil it first.

From Super Natural Every Day by way of Annie:
http://annies-eats.com/2011/11/02/black-beans-with-roasted-tomatoes-and-feta/

Ingredients:

1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved
2-3 T. olive oil
Pinch of kosher salt (I used sea salt)
2 tsp. sugar
3-4 C. cooked black beans (2 cans, rinsed and drained)
4 oz. crumbled feta
Juice and zest of one lemon
3-4 scallions, chopped

Directions:

1. To roast the tomatoes, preheat the oven to 350˚ F. Combine the tomatoes, olive oil, salt, and sugar on a rimmed baking sheet and toss well to coat. Bake for about 40 minutes, tossing once or twice during cooking. Remove from the oven and let cool.

2. In a large bowl, combine the beans, feta, lemon zest and juice, scallions, and roasted tomatoes. Toss well to combine. Adjust seasonings to taste. Serve cool or at room temperature (on an open slice of pumpkin cornbread, if you desire).

Vichyssoise

Or Cold Leek and Potato Soup, from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. R. made this for our family's Christmas dinner and claims she didn't follow the instructions well and of course served it hot rather than cold but it was so delicious that my non-soup-enthusiast husband demanded that we blog and save this recipe. So here goes:

Ingredients:

3 C. peeled, sliced potatoes
3 C. sliced white of leek
1 1/2 quarts of white stock, chicken stock, or canned chicken broth
Salt to taste

1/2 to 1 C. whipping cream
Salt and white pepper

2 to 3 T. minced chives

Directions:

1. Simmer the vegetables in stock or broth instead of water as described in the master recipe. Puree the soup either in the electric blender, or through a food mill and then through a fine sieve.

2. Stir in the cream. Season to taste, oversalting very slightly as salt loses savor in a cold dish. Chill.

3. Serve in chilled soup cups and decorate with minced chives.

Serves 6-8.


Other Variations from Mrs. Child:

"Using the master recipe for leek and potato soup [above], a cup or two of one or a combination of the following vegetables may be added as indicated. Proportionas are not important here, and you can use your imagination to the full. Many of the delicious soups you eat in French homes and little restaurants are made just this way, with a leek-and-potato base to which left-over vegetables or sauces and a few fresh items are added. You can also experiment on your own combinations for cold soups, by stirring a cup or more of heavy cream into the cooked soup, chilling it, then sprinkling on fresh herbs just before serving. You may find you have invented a marvelous concoction which you can keep as a secret of the house."

To be simmered or cooked in a pressure cooker with the potatoes and leeks or onions at the start:
-- Sliced or diced carrots or turnips
-- Peeled, seeded, and chopped tomatoes
-- Half-cooked dried beans, peas, or lentils including their cooking liquid

To be simmered for 10-15 minutes with the soup after it has been pureed:
-- Fresh or frozen diced cauliflower, cucumbers, or broccoli, lima beans, peas, string beans, okra, or zucchini
-- Shredded lettuce, spinach, sorrel, or cabbage

To be heated in the soup just before serving:
-- Diced, cooked leftovers of any of the above vegetables
-- Tomatoes, peeled, seeded, juiced and diced

Corn Cakes with Tomato-Avocado Relish

Last Friday I stole a meal from Annie and made this along with her amazing raspberry-lemonade bars and some roasted potato wedges for the Robber. It was a variation on the ratatouille-on-cornbread theme, and received with almost equal enthusiasm. The meal just tasted healthy and the flavors of the cakes and relish worked together well. In fact, the cakes do a little better with the relish than as stand alone, but they would also be good with regular salsa and some melted cheese or sour cream. I made larger cakes-- using 1/4 C. and frying them like a pancake, and they turned out puffy and golden and just the right size for piling on lots of the relish. Annie also recommends eating them with some ranch dressing, but I don't think that is necessary because the relish is so delicious by itself.

From Ezra Pound Cake by way of Annie's Eats:

http://annies-eats.net/2011/08/25/corn-cakes-with-tomato-avocado-relish/

Ingredients:

For the cakes:

3 large ears of corn, shucked

1 cup all-purpose flour

½ C. cornmeal

¼ C. red onion, finely diced

¼ C. thinly sliced fresh basil

1 tsp. baking powder

½ tsp. baking soda

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

2 T. buttermilk

2 T. unsalted butter, melted

Canola or vegetable oil, for frying

For the relish:

1 large tomato, cored and chopped

1 scallion, minced

1 T. minced fresh basil

1 clove garlic, minced

Juice of half a lime

1½ tsp. olive oil

1½ tsp. white wine vinegar

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 ripe avocado, pitted and diced

Directions:

1. Cut the corn kernels off of the cobs and place in a large bowl. Place 2 cups of the corn kernels in the food processor and pulse several times, until the corn is slightly pureed but still chunky. Scrape the mixture into the bowl with the remaining corn kernels.

2. Add the flour, cornmeal, onion, basil, baking powder, and baking soda to the bowl. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Stir to mix well. Add the eggs, buttermilk, and butter, and stir just to combine.

3. To make the relish, combine all of the ingredients except the avocado in a medium bowl and mix well to combine. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve, up to 2 days. Just before serving, mix in the avocado.

4. Place a large skillet over medium heat. Add just enough oil to barely cover the bottom of the pan and heat until sizzling hot. Scoop the batter into the skillet a heaping tablespoon at a time, cooking the cakes in batches of 4 or 5 so that they are not touching. Fry 1-2 minutes per side, until golden brown. Transfer the cooked cakes to a wire rack and repeat with the remaining batter.

5. Serve immediately topped with the relish and drizzled with ranch dressing, if desired.

Enchiladas

I decided to make enchiladas. I am on a Mexican food kick, having escaped the dreary North-ness of Rochester and come back to the land of mangoes and strawberry. I made Bob purchase some Mexican hot chocolate at the grocery store (they have Mexican hot chocolate! and tostada shells here!) and I have been drinking it, with my Mother's almond cookies and whipped cream, like a mad woman. What a world.

It turns out that enchiladas can be found in great variety, and upon reflection, don't require a recipe. Nonetheless, I went forth in search of enchilada recipes, and considered especially these listed below:

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Layered-Chicken-Enchiladas-with-Tomatillo-Cilantro-Sauce-232700

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Garden-Vegetable-Enchiladas-5672

http://www.wordofwisdomliving.com/home/beths-vegetarian-enchiladas.html

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Chicken-and-Green-Olive-Enchiladas-4965

http://joeandanna.blogspot.com/2008/06/beef-enchiladas.html

In the end, I parselled together a pan of chicken and a pan of beef enchiladas, with similarities between the two, out of what I had available. Unfortunately, as it was all parselly, I don't have recorded some of the exact measurements or amounts. It mattereth not. The Robber fell head over heels for the chicken variety-- thanks in part to the secret ingredient (feta cheese!)-- and I was, perhaps, more satisfied with the beef. A lovely meal that has stretched over dinners and lunches and only now is on its last legs. I present to you:

Chicken Enchiladas

Ingredients:

12 wheat tortillas (the medium size 8 inches?)

4 chicken breasts, boiled and diced
1 cup fresh spinach leaves
2/3 diced red bell pepper
5 green onions, chopped
1 green zucchini, chopped
1 container feta cheese (4-6 oz.)
1 big old can green enchilada sauce (removed 1.5 cups for topping)
8 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
1 can olives, minus some for topping

On top I put:

1.5 cups green enchilada sauce
4 oz. pepper jack cheese, grated
Remainder of olives
2 small tomatoes, chopped
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro


Directions:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a big bowl. Use 1/3 to 1/2 cup filling per tortilla, put all 12 tortillas in 9 x 13 pan. Top by pouring remainder of sauce over enchiladas evenly, then the cheese, and finally olives, tomatoes, and cilantro.

2. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes on middle rack, then increased temp to broil and broiled 5-10 minutes until top of enchiladas becomes light brown and toppings are crispened, just a little. Serve with sour cream.


Beef Enchiladas

Ingredients:

18 corn tortillas (smallest size 4-6 inches?)

1/3 diced red bell pepper
1/3 bag frozen corn, thawed
5 green onions, chopped
1 can black beans
8 oz. colby jack cheese, grated (use sharp cheddar in the future)
1.5 lbs. ground beef, browned and cooked with 1/2 of a chopped onion
1 big old can red (picante hot) enchilada sauce minus 1.5 cups
1 cup Mexican hot chocolate! (This was just a random add-in. So unnecessary, but why not?)

On the top I put:

1.5 cups of red enchilada sauce
4 oz. pepper jack cheese
2 chopped small tomatoes
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:

1. Mix all the filling ingredients together in a big bowl. Use 1/4 cup filling per tortilla, put all 12 tortillas in 9 x 13 pan. Top by pouring remainder of sauce over enchiladas evenly, then the cheese, and finally olives, tomatoes, and cilantro. There was some filling left over, which we froze and hopefully can use in the future. Could also use bigger tortillas, maybe that would help use all the filling.

2. Bake at 375F for 25 minutes on middle rack, then increased temp to broil and broiled 5-10 minutes until top of enchiladas becomes light brown and toppings are crispened, just a little. Serve with sour cream.

Peppery Bean Salad

From the Best Ever Indian Cookbook by Baljekar et al.

Ingredients:

15 oz. can red kidney beans
15 oz. can black-eyed peas
15 oz. can chickpeas
1/4 red bell pepper
1/4 green bell pepper
6 radishes
1 T. chopped scallion

1 tsp. ground cumin
1 T. ketchup
2 T. olive oil
1 T. white wine vinegar
1 garlic clove, crushed
1/2 tsp. hot pepper sauce

Directions:

1) Drain the red kidney beans, black-eyed peas, and chickpeas and rinse under cold running water. Shake off the excess water and put them in a large bowl.

2) Core, seed, and chop the bell peppers. Trim the radishes and slice thinly. Add the bell peppers, radishes, and scallion in the bowl.

3) Make the dressing. Mix together the cumin, ketchup, oil, vinegar, and garlic in a small bowl. Add a little salt and hot pepper sauce to taste and stir again thoroughly.

4) Pour the dressing over the salad and mix. Cover the salad and chill for at least 1 hour before serving garnished with the sliced scallion.


Notes:

For the salad I used 1 15 oz. can black beans instead of black eyed peas, used 1 whole red and 1 whole green pepper for extra vegetables and omitted the radishes.

For the dressing I omitted the ketchip and hot pepper sauce and added in chili powder and lemon juice to taste.

Robber and I both agree this would be delicious when served along with some hot cornbread.

Cajun Chicken

Another recipe from kt-recipe-box.blogspot.com. This recipe is one her father, the illustrious D.T., uses and as he is a fine cook, I decided to invest in this recipe for lunchtime eating at school when the Robber is here which proved to be a wise choice.

The recipe is solidly good and appropriate for many occasions, especially if you are feeding a crowd, but it wasn't-- in the end-- exciting for me. Hmmmm. I wonder why. I didn't use lemon pepper or black pepper, so maybe it had less zing? Maybe I expect too much zing out of everything?

I ended up with one big container that we ate and one that I froze for later. You could easily half it and end up with enough.

Ingredients:

16 ounces linguine pasta
4 green onion, chopped
4 skinless, boneless chicken breast halves - cubed
3 cups sour cream
1 teaspoon dried basil
4 teaspoons Cajun seasoning
1 teaspoon lemon pepper
8 tablespoons butter
2 red bell peppers, sliced
2 tablespoons crushed garlic
2 green bell peppers, sliced
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
16 fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions:

Note from D.T.: I have to do the final cooking in two batches as my skillet is not large enough to hold all of it...

1. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until al dente; drain.

2. Place the chicken and the Cajun seasoning in bowl-toss to coat. In a large skillet over medium heat, saute the chicken in butter until almost tender (5 to 7 minutes).

3. Add the red bell pepper, green bell pepper, mushrooms and green onion. Saute and stir for 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat.

4 Add the sour cream, basil, lemon pepper, garlic and ground black pepper. Heat through. Add the cooked linguine, toss and heat through. Sprinkle with grated Parmesan cheese and serve.

Potato-Apple Pancakes

From Epicurious. First the original recipe, then my modifications:

Ingredients:

1 pound russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
1 medium onion, peeled, quartered
1 2-inch cube peeled celery root (celeriac)
1 medium Granny Smith apple (unpeeled), quartered, cored
1 large egg
1 green onion, finely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped fresh marjoram
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4 cup all purpose flour

Vegetable oil (for frying)

Garnish

1 8-ounce container crème fraîche or sour cream
2 tablespoons drained prepared white horseradish
8 ounces thinly sliced smoked salmon
Chopped fresh chives

Directions:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Place colander in large bowl. Line colander with kitchen towel. Using processor fitted with shredding blade, coarsely grate potatoes, onion, celery root and apple at the same time. Transfer potato mixture to towel. Gather towel tightly around potato mixture and squeeze out as much liquid as possible into bowl; discard liquid. Place potato mixture, egg, green onion, marjoram, salt and pepper in same bowl; toss to blend. Mix in flour.

Pour enough vegetable oil into heavy large skillet to cover bottom. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop 1/4 cup pancake mixture into skillet for each pancake. Using bottom of metal spatula, flatten each mound to 3-inch round. Fry until cooked through and crisp, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer pancakes to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Repeat with remaining pancake mixture, leaving behind any liquid that collects in bottom of bowl.

Mix crème fraîche and horseradish in small bowl. Arrange 2 pancakes on each plate. Garnish pancakes with dollop of horseradish cream and smoked salmon. Sprinkle with chives and serve.

Read More http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Potato-Apple-Pancakes-with-Smoked-Salmon-and-Horseradish-102616#ixzz0kH1q6Yqh

Hmmmm, let's see, I:

Used 3 large russet potatoes
1/2 one large onion
Omitted the celery root (like virtually all the reviewers)
1 large fuji apple
2 large eggs
Omitted the green onion and the marjoram
1 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Added some various spices

I also did not make the garnish. I served these with cherry salsa and sour cream at an Easter dinner and they were well received! Not my favorite ever, but a good exercise in using what I already had to make something new.

Note, I think these cook better with less oil in the pan than with more.

Cream of Broccoli Soup

There are reasons why kiddoes don't like cream of vegetable soups.

The other day I was flipping through the Moosewood cookbook trying to choose the next recipe to try and happened upon Cream of Broccoli Soup. It looked delicious! The pictures of the broccoli was so appetizing!

I said to R., said I, "I think I will cook the Cream of Broccoli Soup!"

She turned to me and said, "You are engaged."

Says I, "I know! Aren't you glad I'm learning to cook?"

She looks at me like I am crazy. "Do you really expect your husband to eat cream of broccoli soup?"

"Well yes," says I, but I know she's got a point.

"Maybe you should start cooking towards your fiance instead of away from him," she tells me.

I decide to make the Cream of Broccoli soup after all. From the Moosewood, I present:

Ingredients:

4 T. butter
1 1/2 C chopped oniom
1 medium green pepper, chopped
4 C chopped broccoli
1 C broccoli flowerets, thinly-sliced
1 tsp. salt (more, to taste)
2 1/2 C water or stock
2 C milk
1/2 C heavy or sour cream
1 bay leaf
pinch of allspice
black and/or white pepper to taste
dash of tamari
dash of thyme or basil (optional to taste)
optional: 1/2 C buttermilk, whisked in right before serving

Note: I used water, sour cream, and basil, black pepper, and omitted the tamari. I added dried mustard and paprika in its place, and added allspice generously.

Directions:

1. Chop up broccoli, flowerets, onion, pepper. You can chop the scallions while the broccoli cooks.

2. Saute the onions in butter with bay leaf (don't forget to remove the bay leaf before pureeing!) until the onions are translucent.

3. Add the chopped green pepper, chopped broccoli, water or stock, and salt. Cook about 10 minutes, covered (until broccoli in tender, but still bright green.)

4. Puree little by little with milk, in the blender. Make sure its pureed until absolutely smooth. (The texture is very important to the success of this soup.)

5. Whisk in the sour cream or heavy cream and the seasonings. Adjust the salt and pepper, if necessary. Steam the broccoli flowerets (do this while sauteeing everything else, duh!) until just done (again, tender, but full of color.)

6. Combine flowerets with soup in a large double boiler or kettle. Heat gently and serve right away. Whisk in the optional buttermilk as you serve. Top it with minced scallions.

Notes:

1. After I blended everything, I poured it all back into the ginormous skillet to season/whisk/warm. It makes so much more sense to do that in the pan than in the blender, don't you think?

2. I found this soup to be way, way, way too thin. Do people really want to drink broccoli-flavored water? So I boiled it for another 20 minutes or so after blending and seasoning, and would have been happy having thickened it another 10 minutes maybe.

3. In the future, I will boil it to thicken it and then add the buttermilk and scallions AFTER the thickening, to avoid funny boiled buttermilkness.

4. This soup is tasty if you are a rabbit. No really, the sour cream and milk and spices and broccoli taste really are quite satisfying! Especially if eaten with fresh chunks of Mom's cornbread dunked in the soup, which is how I ate my first bowl.

5. This will probably not feed the fiance, who (unlike me) is not a rabbit.

Pepper & Onion Shortcake

This recipe is also from the New Moosewood Cookbook by Katzen, and drove the making of the cornbread, see below. After a few days of perpetual exhaustion right before finals later this week, I needed something warm and comforting. I also had some chopped vegetables left over from Mormon Med Student dinner on Sunday, so in the spirit of Vegetable Tuesday I went looking for a recipe that would use the vegetables I had while satisfying my need for sustenance. In the end, I was surprised by homeyness of the simple combination of cornbread and sauteed vegetables. Why did we never try this at home? I think the coarser cornbread that my mom makes would suit this dish even better. After eating, I went and studied for three and a half hours without falling asleep and came home and did my Lenten exercise while watching The Office.

Ingredients:

1 batch corn bread (see previous post)
2 Tbs. olive oil, butter, or margarine
2 cups thinly sliced onion
1/2 tsp. salt
3 medium sized bell peppers (any color), in thin strips
1/2 tsp. cumin (optional)
black pepper and cayenne to taste
3 medium cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup yogurt at room-temperature (optional: add 1 to 2 Tbs. sour cream)
freshly minced dill, if available
paprika

Directions:

1) Make a batch of corn bread ahead of time. You can warm it in a 300F oven while preparing the topping, or toast corn bread chunks or slices just before serving. This makes a perfect lunch on a chilly day, especially when served with Spicy Tomato Soup.

2) Heat oil (or melt butter or margarine) in a medium-large skillet.

3) Add onion and salt, and saute over medium-low heat for 10 to 15 minutes, or until onion is very soft and beginning to brown.

4) Add bell peppers, cumin, black pepper, and cayenne, and continue to saute until the peppers are tender (about 10 minutes more.)

5) Add garlic, and cook just a minute or two more. Remove from the heat and stir in the yogurt (and optional touch of sour cream).

6) Serve immediately, spooned over split chunks of warmed or toasted corn bread and garnished with dill and paprika.

Having cut my vegetables previously, they were mostly diced instead of thinly sliced, but I don't think that affected their cooking time or meshing with the cornbread too much. But then, I haven't had the original. I used Mayan Sweet Onion, a green and yellow bell pepper (it would have been prettier with red), and Italian sweet pepper, some celery, and a little bit of green onion along with fresh garlic and dill. I thought about adding some mushrooms, and refrained. I seasoned it according to the recipe, adding a just a bit of black pepper and a dash of cayenne.

This might be another recipe that's forgiving of some vegetable mix-and-match, but I can imagine some larger vegetables (like broccoli) being hard to mix with the cornbread.

Russian Beet Borscht

Another loose adaptation of a recipe from a book, my borscht is hopelessly bright pink and perhaps not like Sokolov's at all. How will we ever know if Sokolov is worth his ego is I never make his recipes straight? Perhaps we will never know. First the borscht recipe from Sokolov, then how I adapted it to suit my moment at hand. Unlike Sokolov, I ate my borscht warm (cold beets = gross), used the beets stalks but not the leaves, and added the flavoring directly.

I served this borscht at Mormon Med Student Dinner, and no one really ate it except T., who lived for a summer in Russia and knows her borscht. I'm stuck with the leftovers, but I'm loving it. Nothing is cheerier for the soul than inhaling bright red beets during Valentine's week in the middle of winter.

SOKOLOV

Ingredients:

2 dozen medium beets with their greens
1 tablespoon lemon juice
Salt
1/2 teaspoon sugar
Sour Cream
Snipped dill leaves

Directions:

1. Cut off the beet greens and wash thoroughly. Chop into 2-inch lengths. Peel and slice the beets.

2. Bring 6 cups of water to a boil. Add the beets and greens. Stir in the lemon juice, salt to taste, add the sugar. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the beets are tender but not mushy.

3. Remove the greens and reserve for use as a vegetable. Let the soup cool completely, and then chill.

4. Serve well chilled. Pass the sour cream and dill separately.

Serves 10


ME

Ingredients:

4 large beets with their beet stalks and greens
1 onion, diced
4 green onion stems, chopped
2 tablespoons olive oil
2-3 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt
Pepper
1 1/2 teaspoons sugar
Nutmeg
Mace
Cinnamon
1/2 cup half and half
1/4 cup sour cream

Directions:

1. Cut off the beet greens and discard. Cut off the beet stalks at the base and cut into 2-inch pieces lengthwise. Peel and slice the beets.

2. Add 8 cups of water to a large pot and boil. While waiting to boil, saute 1 diced onion and beet stalks in olive oil.

3. When water is at a boil, add beets, beet stalks, and onions. Simmer for 20 minutes or until the beets are tender but not mushy. Add the green onions and stir in.

4. Pour contents of pot into a blender and blend on high long enough to produce a mostly (but not entirely) pureed soup.

5. Pour blended soup back into pot, add lemon juice, sugar, salt, and generous dashes of the remaining spices. Go easy on the pepper. Add the half and half and immediately stir in to avoid curdling. Stir in sour cream.

6. Serve warm.

Should serve 8-10.

(Like all my vegetables, my borscht has some flavor from the spicing. Sokolov seems to favor a less interesting palette with his vegetables, so if you don't like spices you may want to try Sokolov's version, or mine minus the mace, nutmeg, etc. The cream gives the borscht a feeling of comfort and luxury most likely absent from the traditional Russian borscht, which is a peasant staple.)

Turkish Zucchini Pancakes

This Tuesday I tried out making some Turkish zucchini pancakes. I got this sweet recipe from Epicurious.com.

http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/TURKISH-ZUCCHINI-PANCAKES-1208

Here's what Epicurious has to say about the recipe:

Ingredients:

1 pound zucchini, trimmed, coarsely grated

2 cups chopped green onions
4 eggs, beaten to blend
1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/3 cup chopped fresh dill or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried dillweed
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
2 tablespoons chopped fresh tarragon or 2 teaspoons dried
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese (about 3 ounces)
2/3 cup chopped walnuts (about 3 ounces)

Olive oil

Preparation:

Place zucchini in colander. Sprinkle zucchini with salt and let stand 30 minutes to drain. Squeeze zucchini between hands to remove liquid, then squeeze dry in several layers of paper towels.

Combine zucchini, chopped green onions, 4 eggs, flour, chopped dill, parsley, tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon salt and pepper in medium bowl. Mix well. Fold in crumbled feta cheese. (Zucchini mixture can be prepared 3 hours ahead. Cover tightly and refrigerate. Stir to blend before continuing.) Fold chopped walnuts into zucchini mixture.

Preheat oven to 300°F. Place baking sheet in oven. Cover bottom of large nonstick skillet with olive oil. Heat skillet over medium-high heat. Working in batches, drop zucchini mixture into skillet by heaping tablespoonfuls. Fry until pancakes are golden brown and cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Transfer each batch of pancakes to baking sheet in oven to keep warm. Serve pancakes hot.

My Comments:

I made a few modifications to this recipe. I grated one yellow zucchini and one green zucchini and used maybe 1 1/2 cups of green onion. Also I used 1/2 C. dill, no pepper, and 4 oz. feta cheese.

These were super delicious, but next time I would cut some of the dill, add more cheese, and use a little more salt and just a pinch of pepper. These were a little more time consuming (total time about 2 hours) than I want most Vegetable Tuesdays to be, but today was fine because I didn't have a lot of homework today so it was pretty chill.

I ate mine with sour cream, which I found improved the experience. A. ate hers with ranch dressing and ate a second one the same way. B. and R. also had these without complaint.

I def. don't see little kids loving these, but for a vegetarian these could be another great vegetable option. Maybe next week we'll branch out of the zucchini.