My Favorite

This carrot/ginger soup I've made before ... but it is one of my most favorite meals. Tonight I added chicken, a little rice, and cilantro.

Guess what I had for lunch today?

I know, I know...I shouldn't be posting a blog entry without a picture, but there isn't one available and I had to share the news that I had RICE HOTDISH for lunch today! (and white bread on the side and girl scout cookies for dessert)

In the very small town where I work the "cafe" is not open as it is between owners. So a few of the locals who also work in town (the majority of who go to my church) have been getting together for lunch every week day. They take turns bringing meals each day.

Well today they were meeting at the house across from church...They noticed my car, and I got a phone call inviting me over for lunch (actually, dinner!)

I wanted to share the story of ricehotdishnomore.blogspot.com but held my tongue as I didn't feel it was appropriate.

BTW, it was dee-lish! And, of course, I silently enjoyed some nice memories of Sara making it!
-Martha
p.s. Besides me, can anyone else say that they had lunch/dinner with the Mayor today?!

Lentils and Pasta with Greens

I gave up meat for Lent, so I've been on a hunt for good vegetarian recipes. I found a couple of cookbooks at the Library, and am going to go and buy a copy of Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Veggie Meals. Everything I've made out of this book I'd definitely make again.

I've made:

• Three Bean Soup
• Spinach Calzones
• Portobello Burgers with Roasted Pepper Spread
• Ratatouille Pasta

And tonight ... Lentils and Pasta with Greens:

2/3 cup lentils, green or other variety
2 bay leaves, fresh or dried
3 tablespoons EVOO
1 onion, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 red bell pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup red wine
2 tablespoons tomato paste
1 can (14 ounces) vegetable broth
1 pound Swiss chard, washed, dried, and chopped
1/4 teaspoon allspice
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Course salt and black pepper, to taste
10 to 12 ounces pasta (bowties or wide egg noodles), cooked until al dente
a handful chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

Cover lentils with water and bring to a boil. Add a bay lelaf and cook lentils until tender, 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.

While lentils cook, add olive oil to a hot large skillet. Add 1 bay leaf, onion, carrots, red bell pepper, and garlic. Saute 10 minutes over medium heat. Add wine and reduce liquid for 1 minute. Stir in tomato paste and cook 1 minute more. Add vegetable broth and Swiss chard, then cover. Once greens have wilted, season with allspice, cumin, and salt and pepper, then continue cooking. Steam greens 10 minutes until tender.

When greens are tender and no longer bitter, uncover and stir in drained pasta, lentils, and parsley. Adjust seasonings and serve.

I couldn't find Swiss Chard, so I used Spinach and I used chicken broth instead of vegetable broth (no, I'm not a true vegetarian - its just for Lent.)

Curried Carrot Soup

I got this recipe from Ed and Linda (via their "Everyday" cookbook, I believe). Based on Ed's suggestion, I doubled the amount of curry powder...and I would ALSO recommend this!
I would love to say that Charlie gobbled/slurped this soup right up, but in all honesty that wasn't the case.* I, however, thought it was sensational! Especially with the cilantro garnish.

*At least he was clothed in orange head to toe so when he spit it out, it wasn't that noticeable!


Curried Carrot Soup
serves: 4
Prep time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 40 minutes

2 T butter
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp curry powder
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp fresh ground pepper
2 cans (14.5 ounces each) reduced-sodium chicken broth (about 3.5 cups)
2 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into 1 inch chunks
1 to 2 T fresh lemon juice
2 T coarsely chopped fresh cilantro, for garnish

1. Heat the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion, curry powder, 2 teaspoons salt, and 1/4 tsp pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onion is soft, about 5 minutes.

2. Add the broth, carrots, and 3 cups of water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat; cover, and simmer until the carrots are tender, about 20 minutes

3. In a blender, puree the soup in batches until smooth; hot liquids will expand when blended, so be careful not to fill the jar of the blender more than halfway. To prevent the liquid from spattering, allow the heat to escape: Remove the cap from the hole in the lid, and cover the lid with a dish towel when blending. Transfer to a clean saucepan. Add more water to thin to desired consistency. Reheat, if necessary. Stir in the lemon juice. Serve garnished with the cilantro, if desired.

Senegalese Peanut Soup with Chicken

Yum yum!

3/4 pound sweet potatoes
5 tablespoons peanut oil
8 each Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 cup onions, julienned
1 1/2 teaspoons minced garlic
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 quart chicken broth
1/2 cup smooth peanut butter
1 cup unsweetened coconut milk
1 3/4 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon fresh ground white pepper
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken breast, diced into 1-inch cubes
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoons chopped, roasted peanuts

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Coat the sweet potatoes with 1 tablespoon of the peanut oil and place in an oven-proof pie tin. Place the pie tin in the oven and roast the sweet potatoes for 50 minutes to 1 hour, or until the potatoes are fully roasted and fork tender. Once the potatoes are cool enough to handle, remove the skin from the potatoes and discard them. Reserve the sweet potato flesh until ready to use.

Place the tomatoes in a small mixing bowl and coat with 1 tablespoon of peanut oil. Lay the tomatoes on a baking sheet, skin side up, and season with salt and pepper. Place the sheet pan in the oven and roast the tomatoes until the skins are caramelized and wilted, about 25 to 30 minutes. Remove the tomatoes from the oven, discard the skins, and set the tomatoes aside until ready to use.

Set a 1 gallon stockpot over a medium high heat and add 2 tablespoons of peanut oil. Add the curry powder to the pot and toast for about 30 to 45 seconds, stirring constantly. Add the onions and saute for 3 to 4 minutes. Add the minced garlic to the pot and cook, stirring, for 30 seconds. Add the cayenne pepper and chicken stock to the pot and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to a simmer.

Add the roasted sweet potatoes and tomatoes to the soup. Add the peanut butter and coconut milk to the pot and stir to blend. Let simmer for 10 minutes, and blend with an immersion blender or in batches in a bar blender until smooth. Season with 3/4 teaspoon of the salt and, if necessary, more pepper.

Season the chicken pieces with the remaining teaspoon of salt and the white pepper, and sear in a hot saute pan with the remaining 1 tablespoon of peanut oil for 5 minutes. Add the seared chicken to the pot. Cook until the chicken is tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.

To serve, ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with extra cilantro and the chopped peanuts.

Shredded Beet and Carrot Salad

Yum!! I love this salad. And it is super healthy with only 1 Tbls of oil (though I think you could omit that if you really wanted to). I tried to take pictures of it, but the salad kept coming out looking hot pink and not too appetizing. Use your imagination. The color is wonderful - beet red, orange and green. It is just slightly spicy and will be loved by those that like Indian spices. The cookbook recommends serving with roast pork or chicken. Prep is a snap if you have a food processor to shred the beets and carrots, but you could use a box grater, too.

1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 Tbls extra-virgin olive oil
1 Tbls honey
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8-1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2-3/4 tsp coarse salt
1 pound raw beets, peeled
4-6 carrots, peeled (The recipe called for 2. I put in 4, but next time would still put in more, I think. There was plenty of the spice mix to cover it.)
1/3 cup coarsely torn fresh parsley

1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the lemon juice, oil, honey, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, cayenne and salt.
2. In a food processor fitted with the shredding disk, shred the beets and then the carrots. Add to the bowl along with the parsley, and toss all of the ingredients to combine.

Rainy Day and Stew

I found this recipe on Saturday and it was warm out so I didn't think stew was really appropriate, sunny and warm again on Monday, blah. But today, it rained. The second day of fall, rain, and stew go together right?

So I give you, (by way of Martha Stewart and friends) Vegetable and Navy Bean Stew. Here's where you can get the recipe.

Chicken Pot Pie

Chicken Pot Pie is a definite comfort food. (Which I need after the week I've had. See this post.)

I had two chicken breasts (bone and skin included) in my fridge and Martha suggested I check out this everyday food recipe. This was good, but fillo dough is hard to work with so I'm not sure I'd use that topping again. But I've got plenty of it left in my freezer so now I'll be looking for some good recipe's to use that up. Ideas?

The pictures of the inside did not look that great.

More Beets!

I've got lots more beets. I woke up this morning having dreams about picking and cleaning beets from my garden.

Ed suggested I make a Roasted Beet Salad as found in Betty Crocker's cookbook. That one calls for orange slices and goat cheese. I just used the beets and some toasted walnuts.

This salad went nicely with some Fresh Brewed Jasmine Green Iced Tea.

Chicken Roll-Ups

I saw this one on Everyday Food on Saturday. Chicken Roll-Ups. Their recipe was with Arugula and Goat Cheese, instead I used Spinach, Ricotta Cheese, and Red Pepper, and I added some steamed broccoli on the side.



Their picture looks much better than mine, when I cut them they really fell apart - but that didn't change the flavor. Yum, I'll definitely make this one again.

Garden Fresh Beets

These fresh beets from my garden just became Roasted Beet Borscht.

The recipe is here.



I asked Ed if he thought I should make this recipe - he said "I love Borscht." So I decided that was as good a reason as any to give it a try. Plus, I've got a lot of beets to do something with.

I'd never even heard the word Borscht before little Benjamin fell asleep over "Too Much Borscht" back in January. According to Wikipedia, Borscht is the Yiddish word for soup. More here.

Mine doesn't look anything like the pictures on Wikipedia, but I followed this recipe exactly. (All except for I didn't use dill, and I used yogurt instead of sour cream.)

This was actually much like the Carrot Ginger Soup. So if I made it again, I might not blend it up quite so much - just for something different. I also used Ed's idea of toasting a Pita with a little EVOO for a nice bread to go with it.

If you like beets - you'll like this! Yum!

Let me know if you try it.

Sara

Trying to Beat the Heat

So my air conditioner is on the fritz. (Not a great thing when you live in Nebraska, in July.) So that makes my nightly cup of hot tea sort of a stupid idea.

Lately I've been taking to brewing a couple of pints of tea in the evening and letting them sit. Before I go to bed I stick them in the fridge. Then the next day I add ice and enjoy this freshly brewed Iced Tea.

Obviously not a new idea by any means, but new for me. I've always hated iced tea (or thought I did) because my dad always made the mixed stuff with the creepy artificial sugar taste. This is just so much better. Tonight I'm brewing a cup of Moroccan Mint Green tea, and a cup of a tea called "The Magic of Hawaii" its an herbal brew with some tropical hints. Delicious!

Speaking of nice summer time drinks I wonder if Linda will share her Mojito recipe . . that sounds good right now too!

I'm also enjoying a bowl of ice cream tonight, that's keeping me cool too!

Sara

I hear Ed's got a great new idea for a quick and delicious pizza crust - I can't wait til he blogs it and we all can learn something new!

Transition

I've gotta rip a line off from a blog I just read because it articulates fairly well my own continuing adventure in the food department.

I love The Oven. It is probably the most important restaurant in my transition away from the limited diet of my youth to the expanded, diversified diet I enjoy today. For that reason it will always hold a special place in my heart.

For me it wasn't The Oven, but a restraunt called Tandoor (also Indian, also in Lincoln). Mara made me go there one day (she paid, so I didn't put up too much of a stink) and I loved it. Of course I'm still pretty far away from having a truly expanded diet (with in the last week I have been labeled a "culinary nightmare") but I'm getting closer. Thanks to Tandoor which got the ball rolling!

Sara

btw - I didn't link to this person's blog because they went on to give a bad review of The Oven, I didn't find that all together helpful and I made an executive decision that you wouldn't want to read it either!

Carrot Cake

A Carrot Cake for the 4th of July. I guess they don't really go together, but its what I had the ingredients for! Yum! I can't wait to dig into this one. Hopefully it makes the trip to Filley without getting too much frosting on the upholstery of my car.

Both the Carrot Cake and the Cream Cheese Frosting are in the Betty Crocker Cookbook, everybody has that one right?

Happy 4th!

My Summer Favorite

So I jumped the gun a little bit on this one. My favorite summer food is Tomato Basil Pizza, especially when all I have to do is walk out the garden and pick the tomato and basil. My garden isn't quite ready yet - but I am.

I'm working on perfecting my pizza crust recipe, tonight's recipe follows.

Pizza Crust:
2 1/4 tsp. yeast
1 cup hot water
1 tsp salt
2 Tblsp EVOO
1 Tblsp honey (if you use the same measuring spoon and measure the oil first the honey slides right out - a little trick I accidentally discovered.)
2/3 cup white flour
2/3 cup wheat flour
1/3 cup corn meal
1/3 cup oatmeal
Then add alternating 1/3 cup portions of wheat and white until you achieve bread dough consistency. Knead for about 10 strokes (with a bit more flour) and let rise.

Butternut Squash Risotto

I've made this one a ton of times, but I guess I've never blogged it! Mary is responsible for introducing this delicious dish. It's Butternut Squash Risotto - I think she got it from an Everyday Food magazine. This one could be a side dish or an entire meal.

I've lost the actual recipe - but here's how I make it.

Cut up one medium sized squash into about 1 1/2 inch cubes. Cook for about 5 minutes on medium heat with 2 Tbs. of butter.

Add 1 cup of Risotto rice and mix in with 1/2 cup white cooking wine.

When all of the liquid is dissolved add warm chicken broth in 1/2 cup increments. About two cans of Chicken broth are needed.

When the rice is all cooked (this takes about 45 minutes) add approx. 1 Tbs. of fresh Sage and 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese.

I had this one tonight in my new pottery bowl from the empty bowls luncheon for the Food Bank. Isn't it a great bowl??

Fruit and Lemon Cheesecake

I just put the finishing touches on a Memorial Day cheesecake! I can't wait to take a bite of it. Doesn't it just look spectacular??

Mom had a great cheesecake recipe with fruit and a lemon glaze on top - that is still the best cheesecake I've ever had. She couldn't find it so I came up with my own version.

This is a New York Cheesecake - here's the recipe. This recipe is for a 10 inch pan - I only have a nine inch pan so I made 4/5 of the recipe. (Ah, see - this is why we are forced to learn to divide fractions in middle school!) This particular recipe calls for a shortbread crust - I used it even though usually I make a graham cracker crust.

Then, I toped it with strawberries, kiwi, and Lemon Curd. Here's the recipe for the Lemon Curd - I only used half of the recipe. You should surf around on this blog while you're checking out the Lemon curd - this girl takes the best pictures!

One more picture just to make your mouth water!

Beef Bulgogi

Here's a recipe I found in the Everyday Food cookbook. All I have to say is - Delicious!! I am definitely going to make this one again!

Beef Bulgogi
1 1/2 pounds rib-eye steak, trimmed of excess fat
1/4 cup soy sauce
1 Tablespoon hot chile sesame oil (or add a dash of red pepper flakes to 1 Tbls toasted sesame oil.)
2 Tbls dark brown sugar
6 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbls finely grated peeled fresh ginger
2 medium red onions, halved and cut lengthwise into 1-inch wedges
1 green bell pepper, seeds adn ribs removed, sliced into 1/2-inch strips
4 teas EVOO
1 small head Boston lettuce, separated into leaves

1 - Freeze the beef for 20 minutes; transfer to a clean work surface. Slice diagonally (across the grain) into 1/8-inch-thick strips. In a small bowl, whisk together the soy sauce, sesame oil, brown sugar, garlic, and ginger. Place the onions and peppers in a small bowl; toss with half the soy marinade. Toss the steak int he remaining marinade; let stand for 15 minutes.

2 - Heat 2 tsp EVOO in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Add the onions and peppers; cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a plate.

3 - Heat the remaining 2 tsp EVOO over high heat. Cook half the meat, turning often, until browned, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a plate. Cook the remaining meat. Return the first batch and any accumulated juices to the pan; add the onion mixture. Cook, tossing, until heated through, about 1 minute. To serve, roll up the beef mixture in lettuce leaves.

That's the recipe as its written. I didn't have any lettuce so I cooked rice and served it on top of that. Though I think it would have been great in a lettuce wrap! I only used one onion and that was plenty.

I've never heard of Bulgogi before - Its a Korean dish - I found that out from wiki!

Ginger Carrot Soup

This one reminds me of a great vacation...

Last summer when Ed, Linda, Bill and I went to Duluth we stopped at this "fancy pants" restaurant on the way back. After looking at the menu I was less than excited about my choices. I finally settled on a bowl of Ginger Carrot soup and some bread. Best soup ever, well maybe not ever - but close. It was served in a teapot, with a dollop of cardamom ice cream.

Tonight's recipe is Ginger Carrot Soup. Here's the recipe. I used a dollop of vanilla yogurt because where does one get cardamom ice cream anyway? I didn't serve mine in a teapot - in fact my tea kettle has lots of spurts of the soup splattered on it - ah well - it was worth it. I got a kitchen to clean up - let me know if you try this one.

Broccoli Tortellini

Tonight's recipe is from the book Stylish One-Dish Dinners - I got it at the Library.

The meal is Broccoli Rabe with Italian Sausage, Tortellini, and Fresh Cherry Tomatoes. It was tasty - although if I made it again I'd add about twice as many tomatoes. It is also very pretty - lots of colors! Check out the cooking pic - I took it because it was so pretty.

Here's the recipe:
2 Tbls. EVOO
1 Pound Italian Sausage
2 Cloves Garlic, finely chopped
1 Onion, coarsely chopped
2 (13-ounce) cans chicken broth
2 Cups water
1 Pound fresh tortellini filled iwth sausage or cheese
1 bunch broccoli Rabe, chopped and without stems
15 cherry tomatoes, halved
salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Freshly shaved Parmesan

In a 12-inch skillet, heat the EVOO and saute the sausage and onion for 5 minutes. Add the garlic and saute for 2 minutes more. Remove from the pan and deglaze the pan with the chicken broth and water, scraping up all the bits from the bottom.

In a large sauce pot, bring the broth and water to a boil, add the tortellini, and cook for 5 minutes, then drain.

Return the sausage, onion, and garlic to the skillet, add the broccoli and tomatoes, and cook for 5 minutes more. Top with the Parmesan. Serve immediately.