Published by mel on June 11, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Ah, stuffed peppers. They’re so good! They’re especially good when stuffed with spicy, Andouille chicken sausage, corn and brown rice. It’s a delicious little package of protein, vegetables and whole grains.
I’ve made stuffed peppers before, but had never used poblano peppers because the ones at my grocery store are usually sad dried up, dusty-looking things. I found some fresh, shiny ones this week and then spotted some freshly made Andouille sausages in the meat case and knew they’d be perfect for each other.
The stuffed poblanos were topped with Cotija cheese, baked and served alongside a lime-spiked watercress and cilantro salad. I could probably eat these every day and be happy. I’m sure Tom wouldn’t mind. In fact, he’d probably love it. Next time, I want to try a breakfast version stuffed with scrambled eggs, diced potatoes and onion (maybe bacon)…a perfect brunch!
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Published by mel on June 9, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
I spied a sort of recipe for skillet flatbread over at Mark Bittman’s blog a few weeks ago and bookmarked it immediately. It peaked my interest because of its simplicity, its use of Whole Wheat flour and because it doesn’t take yeast. My impatient self loves that. Apparently, it’s also impossible to mess up. The author (Kerri Conan) says you can substitute any kind of whole grain flour and can play with the measurements of the flour and the water depending on whether you want something soft and “custardy” or nice and crisp. I went with the crisp. This kind of improvised, non-exact recipe is exactly how I like to cook!
And the flatbread was wonderful. Simple, hearty and ridiculously easy to make. Five ingredients and 45 minutes is all you need before you’re enjoying the crisp, warm pita-like bread. We topped ours with some freshly grilled and marinated graffiti eggplant, feta cheese and oil-cured black olives. Very delicious on a hot Sunday afternoon. Especially when eaten on a paper towel pool-side.
You can also pile it with pizza toppings and put it under the broiler for a few minutes. It’s not quite as soft and chewy as regular pizza dough, but works well if you have no time or patience for the dough to rise. I also think this would make a beautiful appetizer for guests simply topped with cheese, fresh produce and herbs and cut into pretty squares. Or a simple, sweet snack with cheese, figs and honey.
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Published by mel on April 21, 2008 in entree, recipe and sides & bites.
In honor of Earth Day, I made green rice and beans. Green lima beans, green chives, green spinach, green basil and green lime for lots of color. All natural and organic products for environmental friendliness. I decided not to go the more traditional Latin or Mexican route because I had no cilantro and because it just felt wrong to not use pinto, kidney or black beans. So, I opted for a more Thai-inspired dish with coconut milk, red curry paste, basil and lime.
The dish is fragrant and spicy and wholesome. And it was done in 15 minutes. The perfect lunch.
In other “green” news. Serious Eats has a nice piece on how to decode PLU stickers on produce. Seems like you should stick to 5-digit numbers that start with a 9 and beware of numbers starting with 8!
Conventional produce gets a four-digit number.
Organic produce gets a five-digit number that starts with 9.
Genetically modified items also get a five-digit code, but that code starts with 8.
Examples
4139: Conventional Granny Smith apple
94139: Organic Granny Smith
84139: GMO Granny Smith
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Published by mel on April 11, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Earlier this week I posted a dish inspired by fall. Not very timely, though I hear it’s still snowing in some parts. In an effort to be more season-appropriate, I made a spring soup with a light broth, mini meatballs and fresh asparagus.
For the meatballs, I ground the pork myself from some cutlets. I also threw some turkey bacon in the food processor for that smoky depth and rounded it all out with fennel seeds and crushed red pepper. I’d never ground my own meat before, and honestly, it was a cinch. Just place everything in the food processor and run it for a minute or two. It’s a lot fluffier (for lack of a better word) than the compacted stuff you get at the butcher counter, and I bet freshly ground beef is the key to the perfect burger.
Anyway, nothing says spring like crisp asparagus. Washed and sliced, it went in at the last minute along with some lemon juice. The soup was somehow light and hearty at the same time. All it needed was a nice heap of freshly grated Parmesan cheese and a big spoon.
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Published by mel on April 2, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I’m always looking for lunches that are healthy, filling and really easy to make. Work has been so hectic, I haven’t been able to get to the grocery store in over a week. A new record for me, I believe. So, when I realized I had nothing to pack for lunch this morning, it was time to get creative with leftovers and pantry supplies.
I had a couple of leftover Chicken Garlic sausages, cans of fire-roasted green chile tomatoes, frozen brown rice and a bag of red lentils. A couple of cubes of vegetable buillion, some sherry vinegar and fresh tarragon leaves all went into the pot for a surprisingly flavorful soup. The sherry vinegar and green chiles gave it a really nice kick, and the sausage, lentils and brown rice add a good variety of textures.
Even if you think you don’t have anything to eat, you can usually forage for a good meal in your pantry. It’s a great way to challenge yourself and to use up some of those forgotten items from the back of the shelf.
Continue reading ’simple sausage & red lentil soup’
Published by mel on January 24, 2008 in entree and recipe.
I’m calling this a stir fry, but that’s really not accurate. I just don’t know what else to call it. I could take some inspiration from Chipotle and call it a Bol, or is it more of a rice, um, thing? Not sure. What it really is is a bunch of delicious things sauteed in one big frypan.
I used a combination of tofu and sausage for the protein for contrast of textures. To fulfill the vegetable quota, I added yellow onion and Swiss chard. I also finished it up with some whole grain brown rice, which I buy fully cooked and frozen at Whole Foods. Finally, I tossed it with a spicy curry sauce that I received as a gift, and of which I’ve replicated the flavors in the recipe below.
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Published by mel on January 11, 2008 in entree and recipe.
Not that I’m making any resolutions or anything, but this year I’m going to try to use more and different whole grains in my cooking. I’ve pretty much cut out any pasta that isn’t whole wheat. I just think it tastes heartier than its pale counterpart, and it’s definitely more satisfying. I’m going the same way with rice. I’ve used red, green and black rice. They have a more unique flavor and add beautifully deep colors to a dish. So, out with the white, bleached stuff and in with the multi-colored grains.
That said, I’ve been hearing about farro forever, but have never been able to find it at any of my local stores. Farro is an ancient Italian grain, somewhat like barley, that can be used in soups, salads, or in place of rice. I’ve wanted to make a more nutritious risotto for awhile, but was hesitant to use barley in place of arborio rice. I thought it would be too—for lack of a better word—gloopy. I was delighted when I found a pearled farro at Whole Foods this weekend, and immediately snatched it up for some farroto (that would be risotto made with farro).
I had some extra shrimp, so I decided on cornmeal and cayenne crusted shrimp. To keep with the slightly Creole theme, I stirred some Cheddar and Kale into the farro risotto. The farro risotto was as rich and creamy as traditional risotto; I don’t think I’ll be using arborio again anytime soon. It was a very warm, satiating dish and we ate every last grain of the farro (which probably negated all the health benefits).
Recipe below.
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Published by mel on December 21, 2007 in recipe.
I really wanted to make a simple pasta. Something in the traditional vein of olive oil, garlic and Parmesan. But if I leave it simple as that, I often find myself eating at least half a pound of pasta. Not quite as healthy as I’d like, but that was often my hangover cure in college, and I just can’t seem to stop myself around big bowls of noodles. So, in the interest of health, I wanted to add some kind of vegetable to cut the carbiness (Is that a word?) of the dish. I decided on brussel sprouts because they looked so fresh at the supermarket and because I’ve been wanting to try them raw (or close to it) dressed with olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper as a salad. This was close enough.
The final dish was tangy, light and flavorful and came together in less that 30 minutes. A total winner that will surely be added to the weekly roster.
Continue reading ‘Fettuccini with Marinated Brussel Sprouts’
Published by mel on December 16, 2007 in recipe.
I’ve had 2 peppers in my fridge for a few days, with no plans to use them. Instead of watching them shrivel away, I decided to stuff them with Quinoa and cheese and call it lunch tomorrow. Stuffed peppers are usually meaty and heavy and not very exciting. I try to keep my lunches healthy so that I won’t be sleepy in the afternoon. So, instead of stuffing the peppers with ground beef, I stuffed them with Quinoa, which is rich in protein and amino acids.
I cooked the Quinoa in chicken broth, and then added light havarti, sweet paprika and chopped onions to complete the filling. The peppers were super easy to make, and I’ll be eating something healthy and tasty tomorrow.
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Published by mel on August 28, 2007 in breakfast, recipe and sides & bites.
I tend to get bored with breakfasts, usually because I make the same thing every weekday morning for months at a time. Two years ago, it was smoothies. Every morning I’d throw some protein powder, yogurt, banana, frozen berries and soymilk into a blender. But cleaning that blender turned out to be more than I cared to handle in the morning. I moved on to cereal, but soon grew tired of that. Then it was oatmeal, which I ate every day until I could hardly bear to look at it. Now, I’m back on cereal. This time, with fresh berries and soymilk. Who knows how long it’ll last.
So when I saw these beautiful little muffins that contain hardly more sugar and fat than the cereal I usually eat, I couldn’t resist. I made the first batch with dried apricots and toasted walnuts. They were super delicious, filling and nutritious. AND I could make them start to finish in under 20 minutes. Not that I’ll be baking every morning, but they can certainly be made on a quiet weeknight or on Sunday afternoon. Anyhow, I’ve made them 3 times in the last 3 weeks. The little muffins break up the monotony of the cereal bowl and make me feel like I’m getting a treat mid-week.
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