Tag Archives: recipes

Soup Swap Magic

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Tonight, I magically turned six quarts of my Lentil Rosemary soup into six OTHER quarts of soup by attending a Soup Swap in my neighborhood.

As a bonus gift with my soup, I included the bread recipe I posted here, which makes just about any soup into a hearty meal.

My 6 quarts of lentil soup became one quart each of French Onion soup, Cream of Wild Mushroom soup, meaty chili, Mushroom and Barley soup, Beer, Cheese and Bacon soup, and Lively Up Yourself Lentil soup.  And I made a bunch of new friends at the same time.

Magic!

White Winter Dinner: Cauliflower Soup and Pizza Bianca

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The children in my house–those who are old enough to exercise free will, anyway–have developed a color-based hierarchy to determine the acceptability of vegetables.   Orange: yes! Green: probably not!  Yellow: yes!  Red: no way unless it’s pizza sauce! Or something like that.  It’s hard to keep track.  I thought this was ridiculous until I stopped and considered my own palate’s prejudices, which usually demand a variety of colors to find a meal delicious.

Digging through the fridge for tonight’s dinner, though, a single-hued meal started to take shape in my mind.  Maybe all the white, white snow was getting to me.  Cauliflower soup.  A a pale celery salad.  A garlicky white pizza.  I was going to do it.  I got right up to the point of piling on pizza toppings when my resolve failed me and I had to saute a pile of chard and spinach (what is a meal without green?!) and then, having already jumped off the white-meal rails, I crumbled a chunk of smoked salmon over the half the pizza as well and breathed a sigh of relief.  A little color makes the meal, I say.

First, the creamy, delicate, 5-ingredient (counting water and salt!) Cauliflower Soup: Sweat half a thinly-sliced onion in 3 Tb. olive oil for 15 mins without letting it brown, then add a broken-up head of cauliflower, a tsp. of salt and 1/2 c. water.  Cover and cook 15 mins, then uncover, add 4 1/2 c. hot water, more salt to taste, and simmer uncovered 20 mins.  Puree and let stand 20 mins. to thicken; add 1/2 c. or more additional water to thin the soup if desired as you reheat it, season to taste with more salt, and garnish each bowl with cracked pepper and/or a swirl of olive oil.  The recipe is from Food52, a website that I find myself increasingly enjoying.  Is this where all the Gourmet Magazine readers have gone?

While the soup is simmering, make a Spicy Garlic Oil by mixing 2 Tbsp. olive oil with a big minced clove of garlic and 1/4 tsp. red pepper flakes.

Then get your pizza crust started.  Our go-to recipe is from Annie Summerville’s Fields of Greens and makes way more than you need for one pizza, so halve these amounts if you don’t want a pizza crust to use later in the week (you can also freeze it).  Or, hey, use your favorite recipe or a purchased crust.  If you’re doing as I did, whisk 1 Tbsp. yeast into 3/4 c. warm water and set aside.  In the bowl of your KitchenAid, combine 3/4 c. milk, 1/4 c. olive oil, 1 tsp. salt, and a couple Tbsps. each rye flour and fine cornmeal (if you have either handy) for texture.  Stir in your now-foamy yeast mixture then put in the dough hook and incorporate 3 1/2 c. flour (you can use some whole wheat, if you like; we like to use at least part Italian 00 flour for the incredible texture it gives the dough).  Anyhoo, let your machine knead it into a nice ball (add more flour if it is too sticky), then oil the bowl, roll your dough ball around in it, and let it rest covered while you get your toppings ready.

Preheat your oven as hot as it goes, and put your pizza stone in if you have one.  For the Pizza Bianca you can roll the dough nice and thin because your first layer is cheese rather than sauce, which will protect the dough from getting soggy.  So roll or stretch out a nice big thin crust onto a piece of parchment paper, which will make moving it easier later, and layer on shredded mozzarella, chunks of goat cheese, some winter greens sauteed with garlic until fairly dry, and some hot-smoked salmon if you are inclined that way.  Then brush the crust of the pizza with some of the spicy garlic oil (this great tip came from a recipe on Epicurious, although I had made a very similar pizza many times before) and scoop most of the rest of it over the pizza.  Slide pizza, parchment paper and all, onto a pan or straight onto your pizza stone and bake until the bottom is crisp, about 7-9 minutes if the crust is thin. When it comes out of the oven, brush the crust again with the remaining garlic oil.

Serve the soup and pizza with a crisp salad; ours tonight was celery and blue cheese but I think this meal would also be great with another of my favorite winter salads: just celery, a fennel bulb and/or a sweet pepper, and an apple, all sliced paper thin, with the juice from the apple as the only dressing.

Baked Potato Nachos with Cilantro Pesto

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Planning to be snowed in for a few days, I swung by my local grocery store earlier this week.  I got milk and bananas–what are your family’s core needs?  I considered mine, then added an armful of limes, a handful of green onions, and two bunches of cilantro to my cart.  There.  That should hold us until the weekend.

I know that those of you in other parts of the world might scoff at us Seattleites when four inches of snow paralyze the entire city.  When the airport closes and the local government opens late and the Seattle public schools have been in session for only two hours this week.  But the fact is that it doesn’t snow here that often, and we are just too busy having fun to go to work or school when it does.  The streets (yes, streets) are full of sledders and skiers.  There are snowmen and snow angels to make .  And there is hot chocolate to drink.  With marshmallows.

Times like these call for comfort food.  Also, I had that big pile of cilantro.  I considered making nachos but by the time we’d done a jigsaw puzzle and put the kids to bed early there weren’t many chips left.  I baked a few potatoes earlier this week and love the combination of potatoes and Mexican flavors, and hence these “baked potato nachos” were born.  The key ingredient is the cilantro pesto (my brother’s recipe), which you should probably make in huge batches and freeze in ice cube trays so as to have it available all the time.

First, the Cilantro Pesto: buzz a big clove of garlic, a big pinch of salt, and 1/4 c. pine nuts in your food processor until chopped, then add a bunch of cilantro (stems and all), 1/2 c. grated Parmesan and 1/2 c. olive oil and puree.  Taste and adjust the flavors to perfection.

Then pile up your nacho plate. These, of course, are Baked Potato Nachos, but if you’re not trying to use up your leftover baked potatoes, I can heartily recommend a pile of just-roasted potatoes with these toppings as well.  Either way, layer your diced cooked potatoes with shredded cheese.  (I tossed cold potatoes and cheese into the microwave to heat, but if you’ve just cooked the potatoes you can skip this step since the hot potatoes will melt the cheese.  Doesn’t it taste good just to think about?)  Then pile on your toppings: a good salsa, that cilantro pesto, green onions, some chunks of avocado, maybe a spoonful of sour cream.  Serve with a crunchy salad–the one pictured above is shredded cabbage with a touch of olive oil, a big squeeze of lime, more green onions, and a good sprinkling of the chile verde salt I couldn’t resist at SugarPill.

Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cookies

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Ok, so maybe they’re only Chocolate Chocolate Cookies.  The point is, they’re CHOCOLATEY.  I love chocolatey.  At this point I could say something like, “but given their dimunitive size (as compared to one of those cake-sized cookies you could get at the mall in the 1980s, say, or a watermelon), they make a perfect sweet bite after dinner or a nice after-school snack for the children with a glass of milk.”  But that would be disingenuous.  Because, let’s be honest, what I really plan to do with these cookies is sit down and eat a whole plateful.  Or at least two.

I have been thinking about a good chocolate cookie since I saw this post the other day.  I have made, and I do love, that cookie recipe.  But these are something a little different.  The Clinton Street Bakery Cookbook calls them “Brookies,” as in a cross between a brownie and a cookie, and the description is pretty perfect.

Perfectly chewy, with a crispy edge, these Chocolate Chocolate Chocolate Cookies are worth getting 3(!) bowls dirty for.  First, combine 1 c. chocolate chips, 1 Tbsp. canola oil and 1 tsp. butter and melt in the microwave or a double boiler.  In a large bowl, whisk 2 eggs with 3/4 c. brown sugar and 1 tsp. vanilla.  In a third bowl, combine 1/2 c. flour, 1/4 tsp. baking powder, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Fold the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture, then stir in the flour mixture.  Fold in another c. of chocolate chips, then pop the batter in the freezer for about 10 minutes to firm up.  Bake well-spaced 1-Tbsp. scoops of dough on parchment or a buttered cookie sheet at 350 just until the tops are dry and cracked, about 8-10 mins.  Let cool completely before attempting to move (read: eat) them.

Light as Air: Yeast-Raised Whole Wheat Pancakes

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We usually make our pancakes with at least some whole grain flour, and we like the hearty texture of whole grains.  But in these yeast-raised pancakes the whole wheat flour is barely detectable; they bake up airy and light.  Which is delightful for those of you trying to “sneak” more whole grains into your family’s food–and also for those of us who aren’t sneaking them at all.

These Yeast-Raised Pancakes have a well-developed flavor and are fun to make because you start them the night before by mixing 2 1/4 tsp. yeast (1 pkg.) and 1 tsp. sugar with 1/4 c. of warm water and mixing well.  In a separate bowl, combine 2 c. warm milk with 1/2 tsp. salt, then stir in the yeast mixture when it is nice and foamy.  Whisk in 1 1/4 c. whole grain flour and 1 1/4 c. all purpose flour.  Cover overnight (you can leave the bowl on the counter if the room is cool, or refrigerate if the room is warm).  Then in the morning all you have to do is roll out of bed, add 2 Tbsp. sugar, 5 Tbsp. canola oil (or melted butter), 2 beaten eggs, and 1/2 tsp. baking soda.    Cook them up with a few eggs for a great weekend–or snow day!–breakfast.

This recipe, like many of my favorites, is from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Remembering Summer: Fish Taco Spread for a Snowy Day

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It’s charming to be cooped up by a rare Seattle snowfall.  For about three hours.  Snowball fight, check.  Snowman, check.  Snowy tromp through the neighborhood, check.  Hot chocolate.  Um, is the snow starting to melt yet?

Apparently not.  Apparently there is more coming.  It’s gorgeous, of course, and I’m sure we’ll have more fun family adventures in the snow tomorrow–but for tonight we channeled summer, drank beer with friends, and ate fish tacos.

This Fish Taco Spread isn’t the kind of authentic that will transport you to a San Diego beach, but it hits the spot in mid-winter in Seattle.

First, start your quick-pickled onions and hot peppers: combine a small, thinly-sliced red onion with strips of jalapeno in a non-reactive pot and add 1 c. seasoned rice vinegar, the juice of half a lime, and a tsp. of salt.  Bring to a bare simmer and stir for a minute, then remove from the heat and cool to room temperature.

Make a lime crema by combining equal parts sour cream and mayonnaise with a big pinch of salt; zest in a lime and then thin the mixture with lime juice to taste.

Prepare your fish (we used a couple of cod fillets) by making a rub of 1 tsp. oregano, 2 tsp. cumin, 1 Tbsp. chili powder, 1/2 tsp. salt, 1/2 tsp. black pepper, and a Tbsp. or more of brown sugar.  Rub the fish with oil and then pat the spice mixture all over it.  Bake at 400 until the fish flakes (this will depend on the thickness of your fish); turn on the broiler for a minute or two at the end to caramelize the spice mix if it isn’t already bubbling.

Heat plenty of corn tortillas (you can toss them in the oven with the fish for a few minutes) and serve them wrapped in a towel with the fish, pickled onions, crema, grated cheese, shredded cabbage, cilantro, and a good salsa or two.  Everyone grabs a couple tortillas, breaks off chunks of fish, and adorns their own plate of fish tacos.

 

Winter Vegetarian Chili

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The chili purists bicker about beans, no beans, veggies, no veggies, whatever.  This recipe is not for them.  They’d flip out over this one. It’s smoky, meaty, tomato-y, all the things a good chili should be–but it’s vegetarian.

This is a secret, shh, but this chili has wheat berries* in it.  I know, it’s crazy.  But they’re great.  They are combined with black beans to give the chili texture and rib-sticking density, while the flavor is anchored by chipotles and cumin and elevated by lime and cilantro at the end.  This is my go-to winter chili.

To make this Winter Vegetarian Chili, start by cooking about a cup of wheat berries in water to cover by an inch and a teaspoon of salt.  (Cooked wheat berries freeze well, though, so why not make more while you’re at it?)  Bring them to a boil and simmer for about an hour, until pleasantly chewy.  Meanwhile, get your chili going: saute a chopped onion with a chopped red pepper for a few minutes, then add 5 minced cloves of garlic, 1 tsp. oregano and 2 tsp. each of chili powder and cumin.  Once the spices start to get toasty, stir in 1-2 tsp. of pureed chipotles until fragrant (I buy canned chipotles in adobo and puree the whole can with the adobo sauce; the puree keeps in the fridge forever, as far as I can tell).  Then add a big can of chopped tomatoes, 3-4 c. of cooked or canned black beans (with some of their liquid, if you cooked them yourself), some of the liquid from the cooked wheat berries, a Tbsp. of brown sugar and salt and pepper to taste.  Simmer for a while and then add your drained cooked wheat berries and cook for a few minutes longer.  Squeeze in a whole lime at the end.  I first found this recipe in Eating Well, which basically means it’s health food.  But don’t let that stop you from topping your bowl with some grated cheese and sour cream in addition to avocado, a lime wedge and cilantro.  And you can never go wrong with a chunk of corn bread.

*What’s a wheat berry, you ask?  It’s the whole wheat kernel, it looks a little like brown rice, and it cooks up into a nutty, chewy, delicious little bite of good-for-you-whole-grain.  Wheat berries make great salads, I’ll tell you about that another time.  And when you’re shopping for them, pick hard red wheat berries instead of soft white ones–but if white wheat berries are all you have, don’t worry, they’ll work just fine.

Falafel For Dinner

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When I was growing up, our family had a dance that we did on falafel-for-dinner nights.  It was called the “falafel-for-dinner dance.”  Weird, huh?  Other than that we were a pretty normal family.  But moving on…

The thing that matters in a spread like this is the condiments.  Get your falafel going first–we baked them from frozen but you can also pan-fry or bake them from a mix.  Or, you know, you could make them from scratch, but that’s not how we roll these days.  Tonight, our Falafel Platter included sliced tomatoes and cucumbers, crisp lettuce leaves, hummus, ajvar (roasted red pepper and eggplant spread), olives, greek yogurt mixed with crumbled feta, pita bread, and, of course, sweet chili sauce.

The joy of eating like this is in assembling each perfect bite–or one big sloppy sandwich with a bit of everything.  I like using the lettuce leaves as wraps and the cucumber slices to scoop up extra hummus.  (The leftover tomatoes and cukes went into the remaining yogurt/feta mix to be eaten as a salad tomorrow.)

As you can imagine, this meal demanded a cold beer.  Luckily we filled our growlers with Mannys at Georgetown Brewing Company just today!

 

Zippy Noodle Curry with Tofu, Sweet Potatoes and Chard

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J and I spent a week taking cooking classes in Chiang Mai once when we were kicking around Thailand for a few months.  (We also spent a week taking foot massage classes in Bangkok.  Both were pretty nice weeks.)  We love Thai food and occasionally dig into the freezer and pantry to bring the scents and flavors of Thai cooking into our home.

One of my favorite foods in Thailand was a rich, creamy noodle curry called khao soi.  This is not a recipe for khao soi.  You should definitely get yourself a bowl if you find yourself in Chiang Mai, though.  THIS is a very simple recipe based on the Big Curry Noodle Pot recipe in Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Cooking.

In Zippy Noodle Curry with Tofu, Sweet Potatoes and Chard, “zippy” refers to both the flavors and the speed of making the dish.  (I’m funny, huh?)  Saute an onion, 1 big cubed sweet potato (I steamed mine first, but I think it was unnecessary) and some chopped garlic in a glob of heavenly-smelling coconut oil with 1-2 Tbsp. red or yellow curry paste.  Add a cubed block of extra-firm tofu and a few handfuls of chard leaves sliced to ribbons and stir to coat.  Pour in 2 c. veggie stock, 1 can of lite coconut milk, 2 tsp. turmeric, 2 Tbsp. soy sauce, and 1 Tbsp. sugar and simmer until the sweet potatoes are soft.  Meanwhile, cook 8 oz. fresh egg noodles in a separate pot.  Add cooked noodles and the juice of a lime to the curry.  Garnish with chopped cilantro, green onions and peanuts, and serve with chopsticks and a spoon.  Thai chile flakes, soy and/or fish sauce, and lime wedges at the table will let everyone perfect the dish according to their own taste.

Cherry Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies = “Breakfast Cookies”

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The baby is sick, so no one is sleeping–and no one is cooking.

But J made breakfast cookies, which will surely be breakfast tomorrow.

Yes, we call these Breakfast Cookies.  They are our house’s specialty cookie.  The name started as a joke, but–let’s be honest–is there a time of day when a cookie doesn’t sound delicious?  Why NOT for breakfast?  Anyway, they can be varied with different dried fruits and nuts, and we always bake some without chocolate for the child in our family who doesn’t like chocolate (I know, it’s crazy, but we have one).  I like raisins and walnuts, myself.   The kids like dried cranberries.  We were out of both of those dried fruits, but luckily Cherry Chocolate Chip Breakfast Cookies aren’t half bad.

To make a huge mountain of them (for a small mountain, halve the recipe), mix together 1 c. brown sugar, 1 c. granulated sugar, 1/4 c. canola oil and 1/4 c. applesauce, then mix in 2 eggs, 2 tsp. vanilla, and 2 Tbsp. milk.  In a separate bowl, combine 2 c. flour (you can use part whole wheat), 1 tsp. baking soda, 1 tsp. baking powder, and 1 tsp. salt.  Mix these dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.  Adding them a cup at a time, work 4 c. oats into the dough.  Mix in 1 c. chocolate chips, 1 c. dried fruit and 1 c. chopped nuts (or whatever chocolate/dried fruit/nut combo sounds good to you).  Bake at 350 until the tops of the cookies are almost completely dry (how long to cook them depends on the size; we usually cook 2-Tbsp. mounds of dough for about 10 minutes).  The cookies will be soft but you can leave them on the cookie sheet to cool for a crispy bottom.