{Dal with vegetables} from Bittman's Food Matters Cookbook

We ventured into Indian territory today thanks to my new Food Matters cookbook from Mark Bittman and my first CSA bounty from Johnson's Backyard! I had lentils I'd been trying to come up with something to do with as well as TONS of cauliflower. My CSA box had two kinds of squash, two kinds of eggplant and some darling onions. So when I saw this recipe, it seemed a perfect fit! I used long eggplant (what may be Chinese) and yellow squash for this. I'm saving my big, globe eggplant, my pattypan squash as well as some of the peppers for roasted ratatouille. 


Dal with lots of Veggies

{INGREDIENTS}

1 T. butter

1 T. olive oil

1 c. chopped onion

1 T. minced garlic

1 tsp. ground ginger

1 c. cubed eggplant, bite sized

1 c. cubed squash, bite sized

1 c. bite sized cauliflower florets
1 c. lentils
2 T. garam masala
2 cloves
pepper
salt
cilantro
{DIRECTIONS}
Heat oil and butter in large, heavy bottomed pot on medium. When butter is melted add ginger, onions and garlic. Sautee until soft, about 5 minutes. Remove garlic and onion mixture from pot and increase heat to medium high. Add cauliflower and satuee until browned 5-10 minutes. Remove cauliflower and reduce heat to medium. Add eggplant and squash and brown, about 5 minutes. {do all this browning at once if your pan is big enough} Return cauliflower and onion, garlic mixture to pot. Add garam masala, some generous shakes of pepper and cloves, along with lentils, stir about a minute. Add enough water to cover ingredients by an inch. Bring to boil then reduce heat so contents are gently bubbling, cover and cook 25-30 minutes until lentils are tender. Add more water if necessary. Should be saucy but not too watery. A thick soup or something that could also be served on rice or pita bread.


Yum!

grilled skewers

I love vegetables. My husband loves meat. I had been wanting to do skewers since, well, last summer when I bought some metal skewers.

We called these shish-ka-bobs growing up. It was a super easy very flavorful and flexible summer meal. Surprisingly, this was my first meal to ever grill myself. I was really proud of myself. Next up: grilled pizza.

Summer Skewers on the grill
makes eight skewers {or five skewers plus about 4 cups side veggies in a grill basket}
INGREDIENTS
1 squash
1 zucchini
2 cups sliced mushrooms
1 onion
2 heads garlic
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
1 chicken breast (or more if you don't want to have just veggie skewers. Next I want do shrimp.mmmm.)
1/4 c. olive oil
2 t. pepper
Old Bay Seasoning
seasoning salt
DIRECTIONS
Heat grill to medium, somewhere between 300 and 350. Slice all vegetables. See pic above. Peel garlic into individual cloves. Toss vegetables and garlic cloves with olive oil, pepper, a few dashes of seasoning salt and generous amounts of Old Bay Seasoning, maybe 1-2 tablespoons. Cut chicken into bite sized pieces and sprinkle with Old Bay. I'd allow this to marinate in something if I'd had the forethought.

Skewer everything in a fun alternating pattern. Be sure each skewer gets a clove of garlic or two. Be sure that you hog the mushrooms for yourself. I made sure as many cloves, onions and peppers were touching the chicken pieces as possible.

Grill for about 35 minutes, depending on the heat of your grill.

I tossed some corn with old bay and olive oil and put that on the grill as well along with the extra veggies in a basket. It was awesome and great the next day too!


yay!

Eggplant Caponata

Another veggie dish! I had been wanting to cook eggplant more and try another, more summery way of cooking squash besides roasting it. Because I freeze my herbs, it wasn't a problem to use the fresh herbs this called for, and I knew the combo of sauteeing and balsamic vinegar had to be a winner.


My only beef with this recipe was that even though I reduced the portions to about 2/3 of the recipe, I still couldn't do it all in one skillet. Next time I'll make a smaller quantity or just use the same skillet twice rather than having two going simultaneously.


You don't have to use heirloom tomatoes --they're pricey. I used one heirloom tomato and one really ripe beefsteak tomato. This dish alone would have cost about 12 bucks had I bought two big heirloom tomatoes. Bet this would be a great dish to make after hitting up the farmer's market though!




Eggplant Caponata
from happyyolks
INGREDIENTS
1 lb eggplants {I used the long, skinny ones}
¼ cup olive oil
1 chopped yellow onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 large heirloom tomatoes, in chunks
3-5 yellow squash, into bite-sized chunks
2 cups crimini mushrooms, quartered
2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar {don't skimp!}
1 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1 cup chopped basil
salt and pepper, to taste

DIRECTIONS
Prepare the eggplant first by chopping the bulbs into bite sized chunks, and sprinkling with salt in a strainer. {Many chefs say this draws out the eggplant’s bitterness.} Let sit while you prepare the squash, tomatoes, onion, and mushrooms. In a heavy skillet over medium-high heat, add 2 tbsp of olive oil and minced garlic to simmer. Add eggplant cubes and cook for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally, until browned and soft. Remove from heat. In a second large skillet {or the same one} over medium heat, add the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil and simmer onions until barely translucent. Add squash and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute for 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes last along with the balsamic vinegar and simmer for 4-5 minutes. Remove from heat. {I would have done this all in the same skillet had there been room.}

Stir chopped basil, parsley, and a dash of salt and pepper over all veggies. 

stuff your salad in a tomato

Tomatoes are huge and inexpensive right now, and I've been looking for ways to mix up my habitual lunch salad with toppings like tuna and a bunch of different types of beans, but when I picked up a Runner's World magazine while I was at the airport this weekend, I was inspired by a bunch of their great recipes. Who knew they'd have recipes? Guess I shouldn't be that surprised, but I was quite impressed.... 

Among other healthy, fresh, balanced and light recipes was one for a stuffed tomato. I found a bunch of varieties on stuffed tomatoes when I went to Runner's World's site to look for the recipes ones I'd seen in the magazine and now plan to chop up my salads and try a few of these variations among others on their site. Maybe they will come up with a cheap {and non-clutter causing}Nook version of the mag so I don't drown us in magazines saved merely for their recipes. Image belongs to foodstuff, who also has a great looking recipe.

farmer's market lunch. farmer's market salsa

I've been making my own salsa recently. I use it sometimes as salad dressing and sometimes when I make a couple corn tortilla chips for a midafternoon snack. I've used canned diced tomatoes because I had tons of them, but it's obviously great with higher quality tomatoes, especially those that are about to be a little too ripe to enjoy on your salad. 

The farmer's market today was crazy with peppers, tomatoes, cucumbers and of course peaches. One stand was giving away cucumbers! Sliced salted cold cucumbers is one of my favorite summer snacks so I will certainly be enjoying that this week...

I had a little over a pound of tomatoes in my bag so they threw in a handful more to make it at least 2 pounds, though I'm sure it was more, and gave it to me for an even $2. I will be baking them in big slices, maybe attempting a summer tomato feta tart similar to this one, this one or this one, and of course eating them raw with salt and pepper and enjoying them in this salsa I just made. Yessss.

Salsa is flexible. Throw in whatever you have. I had onions and tomatillos already so I used:

the ripest tomato in the lot + one and a half tomatillos + a fourth of a large white onion. I also seeded and added half a jalepeno + a half a serrano pepper + fourth of a poblano pepper. Plus a dash of white vinegar + a dash of lime juice + a few generous sprinkles of salt. 

Process it all in a food processor. Eat.

It turned out pink! I really like the taste of tomatillos in salsa, Chuy's uses them. When I asked about cilantro, they said it's dried up in the heat, as had mine. So no cilantro in my salsa.

 

If you've never shopped a farmer's market, you're missing out! If nothing go for the experience. It's really fun to see and talk to the people who live and work around the food they produce. Oftentimes families are there selling their goods. You'll find great fresh juices and baked goods such great breads and baked goods handmade soaps, cheeses, herb mixes, candles. Samples of it all galore and of course great produce. I think a gentleman literally gave me the equivalent of a loaf of bread in all his variety of samples he was enthusiastically explaining and handing out. So fun. 

Some of it may be more expensive than the grocery store, cantelopes and watermelons were today, but a lot of it isn't and it's all much better and more fresh, my huge $2 bag of tomatoes, $5 bin of peaches and $2 bunch of kale for example. Plus it's fun to support the people who grow food locally and now that it's moved right down the street from me, I need to go more. I'm suuuuper excited about my farm fresh eggs! They were $5 a dozen, though, so part of me hopes I don't like them too much...

fall stuffed squash

how cute is that round "8 ball zucchini"??? kinda reminds me of cinderella's carriage. 

goal: reproduce stuffed bell pepper and make more fallish.

why i hesitate to share this recipe:

there are not many measurements or times. i just threw a bunch of stuff together that i thought sounded and looked good at Central Market today. it’s very adaptable to your preferences, cravings and current kitchen stock.

but. what is essential here:

1. a zucchini squash vessel. a lighter crispier squash was a good light flavor and crisp to go with the creamier, heartier filling. i don’t think a more dense, hearty, almost nearer potatoey butternut squash or pumpkin vessel would have worked as well. plus i found perfect little ball shaped zucchinis! they were more “seedy” (heh. pun) than long zucchini, which you could certainly use, so not as much of their pulp was as usable. in my opinion. but the cooked outside and layer of flesh left was perfect with the filling.
2. butternut squash, though next time i want to try pumpkin!
3. toasted pecan pieces: crunch and flavor. i just toasted them on pan in same 400 degree oven til crispy and fragrant, about 4 minutes
4. a good cheese that can hold its own. parmigiano reggiano has done wonders to my stuffed bell peppers and i liked the manchego cheese i tried today.
5. pumpkin pie spice and brown sugar (partially cuz it’s fun. partially cuz it’s good)

{fall stuffed squash}

place 3 “8 ball zucchini squash,” with tops cut off * and 1/2 butternut squash face down in baking dish with a bit of water in the bottom.

bake in a 400 degree oven, covered with foil for 30 min, or until tender. i finished the squash in the microwave. 

while the squash are baking:

saute diced onions until tender in olive oil on medium heat

season with kosher salt and cracked pepper

add chopped cremini mushrooms and a bit of butter

saute til tender, but not all the way wilty

reduce heat to low and add

roughly chopped roma tomatoes

more kosher salt and cracked pepper

cover and simmer for about 10 minutes

uncover, increase heat a bit and stir, breaking up tomatoes and allowing liquids to reduce significantly

mix in about a fourth a cup good bread crumbs or cooked brown rice**

stir in pulp {flesh?} from zucchini and butternut squash

and a few dashes of pumpkin pie spice, pepper and brown sugar to taste

stir to combine for a few minutes and season to taste

remove from heat and stir in:

grated Manchego cheese

generous amounts of toasted pecan pieces***

a bit of parsley

fill hollowed zucchini squash with mixture, top with more cheese, 

cover in foil and bake for 10-15 minutes in 375 degree oven, removing foil about half way through.

top with more cheese and parsley if desired

*or large zucchini, halved, lengthwise (will need less cooking time)

**did brown rice, will try bread next time, not even sure if it’s necessary but the rice was nice for texture

  excuse my phone pics!

{asian salad}

a really great way to get your veggies and mix up the flavors! the peanut butter gives this a nutty flavor as well as a tiny bit of hearty creaminess.

{asian salad}

adapted from hungry girl

INGREDIENTS

1 16oz package broccoli slaw mix (a bagged mixture of shredded broccoli and cabbage)

1 cup canned mandarin orange slices

2 cups shelled and cooked edamame beans (find shelled edamame in the frozen vegetable section)

1/3 c. cilantro leaves

2 tablespoons crushed red pepper flakes or 1 T. sriracha sauce

1/3 to 1/2 c. asian dressing such as Newman's Own Low Fat Sesame Ginger dressing. I used Central Market's Ginger Sesame Vinaigrette 

1/4 to 1/3 cup peanut butter.

{additional veggie options}

1 cup steamed broccoli

1 cup steamed snap peas

1/2 c. water chestnuts

1 cup steamed asparagus pieces

DIRECTIONS

Whisk together pepper flakes or sauce with dressing and peanut butter. Toss well with combined slaw mix, cilantro and edamame. Chill covered for at least and hour before serving. Adapt to taste!

{home fries}

are you imagining things?? has vittles just posted two recipes within days of each other? has the dead come back to life!? 

home fries are essentially pan fried potatoes. i like them with skins and think red potatoes are best, but any of them work. i had been wanting to duplicate magnolia cafe's home fries. i think these were quite good and pretty darn close. next time I want to try rosemary.

Home Fries

from CHOW

INGREDIENTS

5 lb red potatoes

4 tablespoons unsalted butter (1/2 stick)

2 tablespoons canola oil (i may try olive oil next, but supposedly canola oil heats at a higher temp, according to something i read, something to make it more conducive to frying than olive oil)

4 cloves garlic, crushed

2 medium shallots peeled and minced (i thought i had a shallot but alas, i did not)

1/2 T. paprika

coarse salt

fresh cracked pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. Halve potatoes lengthwise and place, cut side up, directly on the oven rack. Roast until entire cut surface of potatoes about 20. Until outsides are cooked but insides are not. About 1/2 way cooked. Let potatoes cool until they are easy to handle, then cut into large dice (you should have about 8 cups).

Melt butter with oil in a large, heavy frying pan over medium-high heat. When mixture foams, add shallots. Cook until vegetables are softened and edges are beginning to color, about 3 minutes. Halfway through, add garlic.

Add potatoes and spices, tossing to coat. Allow to cook undisturbed about 5 minutes. Toss and cook again. Avoid much stirring so that they have a chance to get crisp. Total crisping time about 15-25 minutes. Remove them as they look done and crispy to give others a fair shot :) Cover pan if they’re not cooking all the way but are getting crispy. Liberally season with more salt and pepper. 

I actually did this in two skillets because I didn't have one that was big enough. While it did not facilitate clean up, it did probably facilitate the browning, crisping action.

try with scrambled eggs or in breakfast tacos.

::pizza margherita::

pizzas have proved to be a yummy and versatile way to incorporate veggies and good cheese into our lives. i've successfully frozen the dough after rising and then on the designated day, allowed it to thaw through the day in the fridge, and then come to room temperature before rolling out.

{ pizza margherita }
INGREDIENTS
this pizza dough
1/2 a roma tomato, thinly sliced, then cut into bite sized pieces
about  3 tablespoons to 1/4 c. good basil pesto (homemade or fresh from a Central Market or Whole Foods type food bar)
fresh mozzarella cheese
freshly cracked pepper
DIRECTIONS
oven to 500. roll out prepared dough. spread pesto generously and evenly on the pizza, leaving a little crust. crumble/drop/ small cheese chunks. cheese spreads significantly when it melts, so don't fee like you have to cover up the pesto. leave holes, a little bit goes a long way. place tomatoes evenly around pizza. sprinkle tops of tomatoes with pepper.

bake for about 10-12 min on a pizza pan or a cookie sheet covered in parchment paper.

enjoy!

{roasted asparagus with wine mushroom sauce}

here's another recipe owing credit to the costco overload. fortunately, you can't go wrong with these veggies, or with this combo so, it's all good.
{roasted asparagus}
INGREDIENTS
12- 15 asparagus spears, ends trimmed where necessary
1/2 tablespoon seasoning salt
1/2 - 1 tablespoon fresh cracked pepper
1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
DIRECTIONS
cover roasting pan or baking dish in foil. heat oven to 425. mix all ingredients well. roast for 25 minutes.
while that's baking make...
{mushroom sauce}
INGREDIENTS
1 T. butter
1/2 T. oil
3 cups chopped cremini mushrooms {or mushroom of your choice}
pepper
1/4 c. dry white wine
DIRECTIONS
heat oil and butter over medium heat until foam subsides. add chopped mushrooms and pepper to taste. sautee for 3 minutes, until barely soft. add wine and stir, allowing to reduce. stir, while simmering and steaming, for another 3 or 4 min.

remove asparagus from oven and pour mushrooms over them to serve.

...mine are in foil in the picture because i removed them using the foil from the pan and made a little foil packet to keep them warm.

yum!

dark beer braised chicken, asparagus and mushrooms

i have tons of asparagus and mushrooms due to a costco overload. plus i've been wanting to practice braising. i like braising because it's a one-pot-meal and keeps the meat nice and moist. this was roughly adapted from a cooking light cookbook i got for christmas. you could make it with any vegetables you have. just saute root vegetables a bit longer than you would something more tender like asparagus. i used a lemon pepper seasoning mix i have to season the chicken, but imagine fresh lemon zest would be even better. it had coarse pepper though so definitely use coarse or freshly ground pepper.


{chicken braised with dark beer}
adapted from cooking light: way to cook
3 T. flour
salt
freshly ground black pepper
1 T lemon zest
4 boneless chicken thighs
2 T. butter
1 T. canola oil
1 to 2 c. cut asparagus
1 to 2 c. sliced mushrooms
1/2 c. chopped shallots (i just used a yellow onion b/c i had no shallots but they'd be much better)
2 T. dry parsley
1 bay leaf
8 - 10 oz. dark beer (I used Fireman's Four --which isn't really dark)
2 t. white wine vinegar
DIRECTIONS
Combine flour, salt, pepper and lemon zest. Coat chicken in flour mixture. Heat butter and oil in large, deep skillet over medium high heat. Add chicken to pan; saute 5 minutes on each side or until browned. Remove from pan. Add shallots and a tablespoon or so of the beer, saute until opaque. Add asparagus, reduce heat to medium, saute until just tender. Add mushrooms, dried herbs and more salt, pepper and lemon zest if desired. Return chicken to pan, nestling into vegetables. Stir in beer until chicken is mostly but not all the way submerged. Bring to a simmer. Cover, reduce heat. Simmer 30 minutes or until chicken reaches 160 degrees.

Remove chicken and vegetables from pan. Add vinegar, 2 T. flour to liquids in the pan and increase to medium. Stir constantly while bubbling until reduced and slightly thickened. Pour over veggies and chicken. Add fresh chopped parsley if you have it.

This can be done with any cut of meat, bone-in pieces may take longer to cook.

{image via apartmenttherapy}

{stuffed bell peppers remix}

i made these tonight. I used two bell peppers, a can of black beans, two little zucchinis, one little potato, two celery stalks and Gruyere cheese. Onion garlic, parsley and spices the same. So yummy once again. I liked the addition of the black beans a lot but missed the creaminess afforded by the tomato.make them with whatever's in your veggie drawer! eat the leftover insides for lunch or mixed with orzo or rice!

chicken and root veggies with wine & rosemary

i think this is called braising. it was good and i think next time i will try it with a non-non-stick pan to be sure that the chicken as well as the carrots and potatoes, or whatever root veggies i use next, really brown a bit before adding the liquid. i think a big pot or dutch oven may be best, rather than a large covered nonstick sauce pan --which is what i used and it got a little crowded. i also think after browning everything, you could throw all this in the oven and it would turn out just great. i, however, was interested in minimizing clean up. but then that brings us back to the dutch oven idea.
anyway, this was good and is something i am interested in perfecting since, as i've previously mentioned, we have rosemary growing wild around here.
i think i'm done. here's the recipe.
chicken and root veggies with wine & rosemary
adapted from all recipes & the two of us and friends by jessie carry saunders
INGREDIENTS
4 bone-in chicken breast thighs or breasts, with skin
2 teaspoons seasoned salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
1/2 large onion, finely chopped
1 carrot, chopped into bite sized pieces
2 small potatoes chopped into bite sized pieces
4 cloves garlic, minced & divided
2 cups chicken broth
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary
2 sprigs fresh rosemary
{optional sauce}
1 tablespoon lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons flour

DIRECTIONS
this would have been even better if i had NOT used a non-stick pan. more crispy goodies.
Season the chicken liberally with pepper and seasoned salt. Loosen skin and stuff half of diced garlic and chopped rosemary into skin. Heat oil and butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Once butter’s foam subsides, add chicken and cook until well browned on all sides. Remove chicken from pan and set aside.

Lower the heat, add the onion, and cook and stir until translucent, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic, carrot, and potato, and cook and stir an additional 3 minutes.

Pour the chicken broth into the pan {I added only about 1 1/2c. because my pan was getting crowded}, and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits of food off of the bottom of the pan with a wooden spoon. Stir in the wine and reduce heat back to low.

Return the chicken to the pan and place rosemary sprigs among them. Simmer covered on low until chicken breasts are no longer pink at the bone and the juices run clear, about 40 minutes. Serve chicken and vegetables with sauces from pan or make separate sauce {it's just thicker}
{sauce}
Remove chicken and vegetables from pan and remove pan with liquids from heat. Allow to cool enough to skim off some fat and remove rosemary sprigs. In another pan, heat 2 T. olive oil over medium heat and once glistening, add flour, stirring or whisking continually. Add slowly until desired thickness: chicken and wine juices from pan, lemon juice and salt and pepper to taste. Serve over chicken.

happy birthday vittles!

the 23rd marked the one year anniversary of {vittles!} i missed it!

happy birthday vittles!

and now a recipe for my loyal readers having nothing to do with cupcakes.

fall roasted veggies part deux
::ingredients::
1 zucchini
1 squash
1/2 red bell pepper, large dice
1/2 yellow onion, diced
1 cup / can of chickpeas, drained
1 carrot, peeled
seasoning salt
garlic salt
pepper
olive oil
3T finely grated parmesan cheese
1 T dried parsley or other similar seasonings such as italian
::directions::
oven to 425, cover rimmed baking pan with foil. cut squash and zucchini in to large yet bite-sized pieces. cut carrots into pieces half the size of zucchini and squash pieces. if you are adding any potatoes or sweet potatoes {which would be good} cut them the same size as well.{see note} add veggies with peppers, onions and chickpeas to mixing bowl

drizzle with a few tablespoons of olive oil, sprinkle with a few shakes of each of the seasonings, mix well and spread onto baking pan. bake 30 min.

the toasted chickpeas with the bell peppers is such a treat!!

note {the carrots and potatoes take about 20 min longer to cook than the squash and zucchini if they're all about the same size. i tried making the soft veggies larger than the root veggies and it worked fine, but be aware.}

{image belongs to pinkbow}

vegetable pasta toss

wondering what to do with all those great vegetables from the stuffed peppers?? here's a yummy, fresh, flexible pasta sauce and you don't even have to turn on the oven. next time i try this, i might put a little white wine in there with the tomatoes.

{vegetable pasta toss}
serves 4
a few drizzles of olive oil

2 small, diced

1 T minced garlic

1 slender zucchini, small dice
1 slender yellow summer squash, small dice

1 sweet bell pepper, small dice
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed {or 1 c cooked ground beef}

1 1/2 cup cherry tomatoes halved {or 1 15 oz can of chopped tomatoes}
1 T ground cumin

1 T ground coriander

1 t cinnamon

1/2 lb whole wheat penne pasta or pasta of choice
juice of one lemon, divided

salt and pepper to taste

chopped parsley
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
::directions::


Bring a large pot of water to boil.

 Cook pasta according to package directions. Heat up a large skillet with a lid on medium high heat. Depending on whether it is nonstick or stainless steel, drizzle a very little oil or a tablespoon or 2 into the pan, and heat it up. When it is shimmering, add the garlic and let it toast briefly, 15-30 seconds. Do not let it burn. Add the onions and cook until caramelized, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Sprinkle with salt.



Add veggies {and chickpeas if you're using them}. When the onion has totally caramelized and the zucchini is a little tender, add the spices and stir. Do not allow the spices to stick and burn. Add the juice of half of the lemon to the pan to deglaze it. Then add the tomatoes. Stir the mixture and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and cover the pan. Let it cook for 10 minutes. Taste for salt and pepper.

Uncover and stir to allow tomatoes to break up and liquids to evaporate. Add breadcrumbs if you want it thicker. Remove from heat and add meat if you're using it, 2 tablespoons of chopped parsley and cheese. Toss the cooked noodles with the juice from the remaining half of the lemon. Serve combined or separately.

{image belongs to themarmot}

stuffed red bell peppers

Turns out I was inspired after my sad farewell for a bit and decided to cook dinner. I'm on a bell pepper kick now that I've decided I like them after 23 years of marked repulsion to even the smell of them sharing space in a salad with similarly colored tomatoes.

This came from smitten kitchen who had it as a vegetarian dish. I added meat based upon some other recipes. You're just going to have to guestimate the vegetable quantities based upon the size of the veggies you end up with and what you like more. Don't skip on the spices though and save yourself some time by just throwing all your parsley leaves in a food processor. I've decided I hate washing, drying, pulling leaves off and cutting herbs like parsley and cilantro. So I just lightly washed them, barely dried them and threw them in the food processor. Now have a parsley pesto foundation for later and am not picking herb leaves out of my nails.

These were good and very flexible.

roasted vegetable stuffed peppers
inspired by smittenkitchen.com

5 bell peppers halved and seeded {see note}
2 bell peppers - small dice {see note}
1 zucchini - small dice
1 summer squash - small dice
1 onion - small dice
6 cloves garlic - minced
1 c frozen corn
1 c grape tomatoes halved or quartered
4 tbs chopped fresh parsley
3/4 c panko breadcrumbs
salt
pepper
1 tbs essence {i used a dash of paprika and cayenne pepper}
3 tbs olive oil
2 tbs butter
1/4 c parmesean plus more for sprinkling {or whatever cheese you have... but i strongly recommend using GOOD freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano and this will change your life.}
1/2 lb ground beef or turkey

cumin

coriander

oven to 375. cook meat in a skillet with a few dashes of coriander and cumin and a bit of salt and pepper. set aside. saute onion in butter and olive oil over med high heat until translucent. add garlic and cook til fragrant. add vegetables and saute until just softened. add salt, pepper and essence. {don't be shy with your spices! taste it!} add parsley and breadcrumbs. you may need to add more breadcrumbs if the liquid is not absorbed. add parm and meat and take off heat. combine.

stuff the peppers with the vegetable stuffing mix. place in baking dish with a little olive oil in bottom. put in oven and bake until peppers are softened (about 20-25 minutes). just before they are done (5 minutes early) take out and sprinkle top with parm.
{note} I cut the top off of my peppers, then diced the de-stemmed, de-cored top as the “diced” pepper. I then stuffed into the topless peppers.
{post note} BUT I think this recipe was designed so that each pepper would equate two halves for stuffing if you cut each lengthwise. Since I made them stuffable by cut the tops off, one pepper only equaled one pepper, rather than one turning into two, if that makes any sense. I halved all the quantities shown here, didn't add corn and added only a few cherry tomatoes and it filled three peppers perfectly. We each ate one as a meal.


Taylor said these were good because the "bell pepper tasted fresh" I think the yummy, gooey innards were a good contrast with the cooked but still crisp bell pepper on the outside.

{image belongs to tdfl}

rosemary roasted potatoes

Do you live in Texas? Are there plants growing around where you live? Chances are you have rosemary growing nearby. I think since it's very resilient and stays green despite droughts, many neighborhoods have rosemary planted all over the place. Our apartment complex certainly has about a dozen gigantic rosemary bushes that I smell all the way up to my walk to the pool. So I found this recipe in a new Tapas book I got and walked out my front door with a pair of scissors. 90 seconds to free and fresh rosemary.
rosemary roasted potatoes
INGREDIENTS
5 "old" potatoes {the white small ones, the size of new potatoes but not red skinned}
the leaves from 1 large sprig of rosemary, finely chopped {about 3 teaspoons}
5 tablespoons olive oil
1 small scallion, diced
2 cloves of garlic, diced
1 tablespoon fresh cracked black pepper
DIRECTIONS
Oven to 400. Cover roasting pan with foil. Spray with cooking spray. Skin potatoes, cut into bite sized pieces, and toss with all remaining ingredients in mixing bowl. Pour into roasting pan. Pour or spread with spatula any remaining liquid, onions, etc. from the bowl over the potatoes.

Bake for about 25 - 30 minutes. Stir in the middle but not necessary -- I like one really brown and crispy side rather than a couple lightly crisped sides. Remove from oven and make a pocket over the potatoes with the foil. Allow to sit about 4 minutes. Dump into serving bowl.

I've found that creating that foil pocket for roasted vegetables to cool in allows the moisture to gather and makes it easier to remove the veggies along with their crispy sides, rather than scraping them off the foil and sacrificing that crispy side while it sticks to the foil. But. To each his own.

Don't worry about the neighbors when you go boldly snip your rosemary. Some may realize and admire your genius...and bravery. And don't forget to wash it.

green pizza

Pizzas are such a great leftovers meal. Especially since I'm overcoming my fear of yeast. Since we've been frequenting The Grove, it's inspired me to throw just about anything on there. Too bad I didn't have any mushrooms, then it'd be heavenly. But then I probably couldn't call this Green Pizza.


I realize I'm using spaghetti sauce on this but I sort of like how it's sweeter and plus this jar is much more versatile if I use it for more than just spaghetti. I also like how these come in flavors. The tomato & basil has chunks of tomato that add to pizzas. In my honest opinion. Obviously you could just use marinara sauce or even tomato paste with some garlic but that wouldn't be as random....
Note the feta placement in the bottom picture. Taylor claims to not like strong cheeses, but I really do. And they make pizzas and a lot of other dishes much more fun. So I thought I start him out on feta {since blue cheese would probably be a criminal starting place....but we'll work up to that}. I put a little cluster to see what would happen, and he ate it! I informed him later, at The Grove actually, that he likes feta. Was that mean? I'm not sure but it makes it easier to cook for both of us if I can work on cheese diversification.


green pizza
INGREDIENTS
this pizza dough, or prepared dough {some hebs sell raw dough near their deli section}
1/4 cup thinly sliced and then quartered zucchini
1 cup uncooked baby spinach leaves
4 tablespoons of this pesto, or basil pesto
1/3 cup cooked chicken, diced
1/3 cup shredded colby jack cheese
1/4 cup shredded parmesean cheese
3 tablespoons crumbled feta cheese
1/3 cup of your favorite, well seasoned tomato sauce {or omit and increase the pesto!}
DIRECTIONS
Lightly saute zucchini and spinach {or zap in the microwave} until just beginning to look and feel cooked. I cooked the spinach just about all the way and then squeezed out the moisture and diced it. I cooked the cut zucchini till it was tender but not completely cooked. {see note}

Oven to 550. Cover pizza stone or baking sheet with parchment paper if you have some. {I'm never consistent about using parchment paper}. Roll out pizza dough to desired thickness, will {or should} rise some. Spread pesto then tomato sauce. Sprinkle with about 2/3 of the cheeses. Add zucchini, spinach and chicken evenly. Sprinkle the rest of the cheeses. Bake for 10-12 minutes.

{note} I'd never tried these veggies on a pizza and wasn't sure if they'd cook all the way, being put on the pizza raw. So I gave them a head start. I have no idea if it was necessary but they turned out great.


{recommended variations for your green pizza} asparagus, green peppers, green tomatoes, arugula. ooooo arugula...

vegetable latkes

My friends are going to look at this and roll their eyes. Oh, Erin and her self-inflicted, heath freakish oddities. I thought these were good. They're really healthy and feel like a heartier way to eat vegetables. The recipe I found originally used peas, which I omitted, but substituted for soy beans in this recipe to add some protein. I think you could eat these for a main dish. My husband, on the other hand, would disagree. To his credit, these are a little on the strange side for his preferences.


It's pretty flexible too. I think you could use just about any vegetable that meets your fancy. You probably have some articles in your vegetable drawer right now that would be happy to offer their services.
My super cool mesh colanders enjoyed participating. That bottom one suspends itself over the sink. I know you're j.

Mmm carrots. I hadn't peeled a carrot in a looooong while. It was a job given to me once upon a time. Probably since my mom succumbed to the convenience of those bagged baby carrots. This picture reminds me of making carrot cake cupcakes.... go ahead. Check them out, I'll wait for you.
I stored half the grated vegetables and spice mixture for later in the week, then mixed them together with 2 eggs when I made them again.

Indian-Spiced Vegetable Latkes
adapted from smitten kitchen
Makes about 24 pancakes.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup frozen soy beans, shelled*
1 medium onion, peeled
1 medium sized russet or Idaho potato, peeled
1 yam or sweet potato, peeled (I used half an eggplant)
1 large carrot, peeled
1 zucchini
4 large eggs
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
A pinch of cayenne
1/2 teaspoon ginger
3 tablespoons minced fresh cilantro

Preheat oven to 200°F. Place two nonstick baking sheets in oven.

In small saucepan, bring salted water to boil. Add soy beans and cook, uncovered, until heated through, about 2 to 3 minutes. Drain, then rinse in colander under cool, running water. Set aside in colander to drain completely. (Or, you could do this step in the microwave, and save yourself a good bit of effort.) Mash or add to food processor in step below.

Using box grater or food processor fitted with grating disc, coarsely grate onion, potatoes, carrot and zucchini and place in colander set in sink, setting aside to drain.

In large mixing bowl, lightly beat eggs. Whisk in flour and spices. Mix in cilantro.

Press vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible, then add to bowl. Season mixture with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Using wooden spoon or hands, mix well, but do not overwork.

In heavy-bottomed, 12-inch non-stick skillet over moderately high heat, heat 1-2 tablespoons oil (I used an extra-virgin olive oil spray to lightly coat the pan); until hot but not smoking. Drop 4 scant 1/4-cup portions of potato mixture into pan and flatten with spatula to form four 3-inch pancakes.

Fry until bottoms are golden-brown (the color really counts on this; the darker you let it go, the more the pancake holds together - this goes for both sides.), 4 to 5 minutes, then turn over and fry until golden-brown and crisp, an additional 4 to 5 minutes. Transfer to paper towels to drain; season immediately with salt and pepper. Keep warm on baking sheets in oven while making remaining pancakes.

Using paper towels, carefully wipe out pan. And 1 tablespoon oil to the pan and fry 4 more pancakes. Repeat with remaining batter, wiping out pan and adding 1 to 2 tablespoons oil before each batch.

*Found in the frozen food section likely called edamame

Now, eat your veggies!

parsley pesto

I've been making a few recipes recently that call for parsley. Please tell me I'm not the only one to have noticed this issue. A recipe calls for, oh maybe a couple tablespoons chopped parsley so I head to the store (NOT out my backdoor....which is another lamentation all together) and buy a formidable BUSHEL of parsley. Granted, it's like 65 cents. But still. I mean, if I put three tablespoons of parsley in three meals a day for a week, I still wouldn't use it all. Good thing it's biodegradable because surely 1 in 3 households across the nation are chunkin' out loads of parsley like it's going out of style.

Then to add insult to injury. I went to the store and utterly forgot that I already had a bale of perfectly good parsley pining away its fate in my vegetable drawer. Oh boy.

So I get home and begin to struggle with two issues: 1. I have parsley coming out my ears. 2. I have tortellini (good and SO easy, by the way) that lacks a sauce. Now granted, tortellini is sometimes eaten without a sauce, or just with an olive oil drizzlish thing, but I thought my skeptic of a husband would be more inclined to try a new pasta if it wasn't just sitting there staring him in the face without some savory looking sauce.

Enter parsley pesto. Taylor likes basil pesto (though he doesn't know it's made with basil) and it's good on everything from sandwiches to pizza to obviously pasta. I thought, well, if there's a pesto looking substance on there, he will probably eat it. AND parsley is an herb so surely I can make pesto out of it. Really, more people should do this because, golly, parsley at your local grocery is very cheap and very .....ominous in quantity.

parsley pesto
{special equippment alert: food processor needed}
INGREDIENTS
5 cups parsley leaves
1 cup to 1 and 1/4 cup finely grated parmesean cheese
1/3 cup pine nuts {see note}
1 garlic clove {see note}
2 T. cracked pepper
1 T. salt
2/3 to 3/4 cup olive oil
DIRECTlONS
Mix it all up in your food processor. Add more olive oil if needed. Will yield about one and fourth cup pesto. I have a small food processor and just added everything incrementally, pulsing in between addtions.

{note}
I do not care for the taste of raw garlic. Also pine nuts are MUCH better toasted. If you want to invest a little extra time, I think this will be worth your while. Mince the garlic. Heat skillet on medium heat and add the pine nuts. Cover if your skillet has a lid. Stir every two or three minutes until toasted and delicious smelling. Remove nuts, though I don't think it matters if they stay, and add 1 -2 tablespoons olive oil. Add the garlic and stir often until slighly changed in color and fragrant, about 4 minutes. ...And then start pesto instuctions. If you cook the garlic first, I bet it would be good with two or even three cloves. Raw, I'd say one, or even a dash of garlic powder instead.

So ingenious. Put it on this pizza or make this penne pasta or even this stuffed chicken or cook it on this salmon!

{image belongs to sweetfineday}