Okay so this recipe kinda came out of a Mac and cheese craving, but also a desire to make it a bit more healthy than just opening a boxed version... And it came out great! This would be great for my gluten free friends, although it is by no means vegan!
1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups veggie broth (this is super easy and gives it soooo much more flavor)
One shallot, thinly sliced
Half cup chopped scallions
About a cup of assorted cheeses (I used a combo of soft goat cheese, Romano and sharp cheddar)
1/4 cup milk
Salt and pepper to taste
Combine quinoa and broth, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 15 minutes. While this is simmering, sauté the shallot and scallions in olive oil. When they are tender, add the cheese, the goal is to melt the cheese smooth,so it doesn't have to be anything but cubed. Add the milk stirring often. Combine with the quinoa and serve!
Thursday, October 3, 2013
Monday, June 17, 2013
Flavored Vinegar
In a similar vein to extracts, flavored vinegars are super easy. Pour hot to boiling vinegar, white or cider is best, over some herbs or other flavoring agents into clean jars or bottles and seal. Wait at least a week. My favorites so far have been garlic dill, blood orange, oregano, and basil. Oh the basil is so good on a summer salad! Or just on tomatoes and cucumbers. My latest is chive blossom, which is the most beautiful jewel toned pink purple color ever. I even did a Scarborough Faire one last summer, you know parsley, sage, rosemary, and thyme. Best chicken marinade ever. As my friend Marta mentioned on facebook these vinegars are also good sprinkled on potatoes, drizzled on salad, pasta, used as a base for dressing, or homemade mayonnaise, any number of things. Also good for cleaning, as white vinegar is a great cleaner, and things like thyme, or rosemary are antibacterial. Later in the summer I will post a picture tutorial on how I do these, as well as the finished results. Make room on the shelf with the extracts :)
Extracts!
Okay, so I haven't exactly tried this yet... And I promise to post more when I actually do, but I'm suddenly in love with the idea of making various extracts. Gonna try vanilla and lemon first, and then really the sky's the limit... At least if you can find a use for them (not sure how useful borage extract would be - hmmm unless you make your own cough drops...)
Anyway, using this recipe as a baseline
http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/11/homemade-vanilla-extract.html
I'm gonna get some alcohol and jars and see what happens!
Anyway, using this recipe as a baseline
http://www.averiecooks.com/2012/11/homemade-vanilla-extract.html
I'm gonna get some alcohol and jars and see what happens!
Wednesday, March 20, 2013
My green bucket list
Okay, so I've been giving a lot of thought to the "greening" of my lifestyle over the last few years. As with any lifestyle change (at least the ones that stick) its been a slow process. I've started a mental list of things I would like to accomplish and the things I already have. I'm going to start documenting my journey here (in addition to the recipes and such) so let me begin where I do best, with a list!
Things I've already done:
1. Gone from using paper napkins to cloth. This was really a no brainer, I had lots of napkins I inherited from my grandmother, back when they USED these thing regularly! At first I wasn't sure what to do with the dirty ones, but a friend of mine came up with the DUH idea of putting a small stainless trash can in the kitchen to use as a hamper... So there we go. I love it, and it even has a removable hard plastic liner with a handle that made it ridiculously easy to bring down to the laundry.
2. Gotten rid of my old Teflon pans. I didn't realize how scary a substance this was, especially when you're an idiot like me and used metal forks and stuff to stir your food (hey I didn't know!) and scratched the hell out of them. So yeah, ten years of digesting Teflon, probably not good... But I am feeling good about the cusinart green gourmet ceramic pans I bought recently. And now I use only soft things to stir with! Also, the 50% off sale on amazon helped (going green is infuriatingly expensive, but that's a whole post).
3. Reduced my paper towel usage by 90% by buying cheap dish rags and using them for all but the most gross of messes... Sorry but anything poop or throw up related does NOT go into my washer! I also had a duh moment for this as I thought more about it. Instead of buying brand new rags, as these wear out I plan to start saving and cutting up old clothes that aren't donatable.
4. My family has made a huge commitment to eat organic, with no HFCS, food dyes, additives or other ingredients that I can't pronounce. This has been tough, but I've gotten to be a decent chef in the last couple of years, and have gotten into the habit of cooking A ALOT. It's a pain in the butt, and has increased my food budget by at least 30%, but I don't really feel like a have a choice these days. Soooooo much crap in food. Can't even really call half of it food. Going to be starting a garden (hopefully!) this spring, so here's hoping to offset the costs a bit. My attempts at gardening for the first time since I was 10 years old ought to make for some amusing stories for this blog project! Feel free to laugh at me, I do it all the time!
Okay that's enough for now, I've promised my son some outside time today (and I'm a horrible horrible mother if I ignore my sons desire to go play outside because I'm too busy blogging about how cool and green I am!)
Things I've already done:
1. Gone from using paper napkins to cloth. This was really a no brainer, I had lots of napkins I inherited from my grandmother, back when they USED these thing regularly! At first I wasn't sure what to do with the dirty ones, but a friend of mine came up with the DUH idea of putting a small stainless trash can in the kitchen to use as a hamper... So there we go. I love it, and it even has a removable hard plastic liner with a handle that made it ridiculously easy to bring down to the laundry.
2. Gotten rid of my old Teflon pans. I didn't realize how scary a substance this was, especially when you're an idiot like me and used metal forks and stuff to stir your food (hey I didn't know!) and scratched the hell out of them. So yeah, ten years of digesting Teflon, probably not good... But I am feeling good about the cusinart green gourmet ceramic pans I bought recently. And now I use only soft things to stir with! Also, the 50% off sale on amazon helped (going green is infuriatingly expensive, but that's a whole post).
3. Reduced my paper towel usage by 90% by buying cheap dish rags and using them for all but the most gross of messes... Sorry but anything poop or throw up related does NOT go into my washer! I also had a duh moment for this as I thought more about it. Instead of buying brand new rags, as these wear out I plan to start saving and cutting up old clothes that aren't donatable.
4. My family has made a huge commitment to eat organic, with no HFCS, food dyes, additives or other ingredients that I can't pronounce. This has been tough, but I've gotten to be a decent chef in the last couple of years, and have gotten into the habit of cooking A ALOT. It's a pain in the butt, and has increased my food budget by at least 30%, but I don't really feel like a have a choice these days. Soooooo much crap in food. Can't even really call half of it food. Going to be starting a garden (hopefully!) this spring, so here's hoping to offset the costs a bit. My attempts at gardening for the first time since I was 10 years old ought to make for some amusing stories for this blog project! Feel free to laugh at me, I do it all the time!
Okay that's enough for now, I've promised my son some outside time today (and I'm a horrible horrible mother if I ignore my sons desire to go play outside because I'm too busy blogging about how cool and green I am!)
Thursday, January 3, 2013
Berber Omelet Tagine
8 eggs
1 medium onion, diced (red or sweet onions are best)
1 clove of garlic, minced 1 bell pepper, finely chopped (original recipe calls for green, but I used yellow and it was fine)
2 ripe tomatoes, diced and de-seeded (ok, so when I started to make this, I was out of tomatoes, so I used about half a cup of mild salsa and it worked great)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
8-10 kalamata olives
Salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
cumin
In a large fry pan that can be covered Sauté the pepper and onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender, add the salt, ground pepper and garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add the tomatoes and 2 tbsp of water to the pan, cook until soft. Meanwhile whisk 6 of the eggs together until light and fluffy, add the last two eggs without breaking the yolks. Pour the eggs over the vegetables, move the unbroken yolks carefully away from the middle of the pan. Sprinkle the cilantro, olives and 2-3 pinches of cumin around the top of the eggs. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set.
1 medium onion, diced (red or sweet onions are best)
1 clove of garlic, minced 1 bell pepper, finely chopped (original recipe calls for green, but I used yellow and it was fine)
2 ripe tomatoes, diced and de-seeded (ok, so when I started to make this, I was out of tomatoes, so I used about half a cup of mild salsa and it worked great)
2 tbsp chopped cilantro
8-10 kalamata olives
Salt, fresh ground pepper to taste
cumin
In a large fry pan that can be covered Sauté the pepper and onion in olive oil over medium heat until tender, add the salt, ground pepper and garlic and sauté for one more minute. Add the tomatoes and 2 tbsp of water to the pan, cook until soft. Meanwhile whisk 6 of the eggs together until light and fluffy, add the last two eggs without breaking the yolks. Pour the eggs over the vegetables, move the unbroken yolks carefully away from the middle of the pan. Sprinkle the cilantro, olives and 2-3 pinches of cumin around the top of the eggs. Reduce heat to low, cover and cook for 15 minutes or until the eggs are set.
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Perfect Winter Supper
We just had such a yummy, and healthful supper, perfect for after all the junk from the holidays.
Winter Stew
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 can white beans or 1 pound chicken chunks
Half a bulb of fresh fennel chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic minced, I use garlic paste
2 good size potatoes chopped
1 cup white wine
3 - 5 cups veggie stock, or chicken stock, or water, but stock is better
2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, mine had salt, so I didn't add any salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat a large pot over medium to medium high heat. If using chicken season it with half the lemon pepper seasoning. Brown on all sides then stir in veggies and garlic, and add rest of seasoning. If not using chicken, saute all the veggies and beans and garlic together with the seasoning till the onion starts to become translucent. Add in the wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Stir in stock and simmer covered till everything is tender and sort of thick. I start with the lower amount of stock and add any if it gets too thick while it cooks. This took about 40 minutes for me. Stir in fresh parsley. Serve hot with crusty bread and the following cole slaw.
Winter Cole Slaw
Half a head of cabbage shredded
About 1 cup of shredded kale
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup yogurt or sour cream or mayonnaise for dairy free folks
2 T lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all together in a bowl and let set while you make stew.
Eliza ate two bowls of cole slaw and ate up an entire huge bowl of stew. Rich ate three! CJ wasn't home, but loved it the last time we made it. I love how light and refreshing the cole slaw is and how well it complements the stew. Plus it is really easy except for the chopping, which can be done early. Both can be made ahead, too. Hope you try it :)
Winter Stew
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
1 can white beans or 1 pound chicken chunks
Half a bulb of fresh fennel chopped
1 large onion chopped
1 stalk celery chopped
2 carrots chopped
2 cloves garlic minced, I use garlic paste
2 good size potatoes chopped
1 cup white wine
3 - 5 cups veggie stock, or chicken stock, or water, but stock is better
2 tsp lemon pepper seasoning, mine had salt, so I didn't add any salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsley
Heat a large pot over medium to medium high heat. If using chicken season it with half the lemon pepper seasoning. Brown on all sides then stir in veggies and garlic, and add rest of seasoning. If not using chicken, saute all the veggies and beans and garlic together with the seasoning till the onion starts to become translucent. Add in the wine, stirring to scrape up any browned bits. Stir in stock and simmer covered till everything is tender and sort of thick. I start with the lower amount of stock and add any if it gets too thick while it cooks. This took about 40 minutes for me. Stir in fresh parsley. Serve hot with crusty bread and the following cole slaw.
Winter Cole Slaw
Half a head of cabbage shredded
About 1 cup of shredded kale
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/3 cup yogurt or sour cream or mayonnaise for dairy free folks
2 T lemon juice
2 T extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tsp sugar
Salt and Pepper to taste
Mix all together in a bowl and let set while you make stew.
Eliza ate two bowls of cole slaw and ate up an entire huge bowl of stew. Rich ate three! CJ wasn't home, but loved it the last time we made it. I love how light and refreshing the cole slaw is and how well it complements the stew. Plus it is really easy except for the chopping, which can be done early. Both can be made ahead, too. Hope you try it :)
Tuesday, July 17, 2012
Perfect Summer Supper
I am sitting on my deck, enjoying a summer breeze, and the smell of my lavender and other flowers in the garden. Tonight we ate out here, and had what I consider the perfect summer supper. Easy, cool, light, but extremely filling and nutritious. Salad Nicoise, homemade bubbly lemonade, and rhubarb blueberry pie.
Salad Nicoise
salad greens from the garden or farm market, I used about 8 cups for 4 of us
3-4 hard boiled eggs chopped
2-3 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked fresh green beans, you want them still a touch crisp, not soft
1 cup of your favorite olives
2 cans water packed tuna, rinsed and drained well, optional for our resident vegetarians
What I like to do is put everything out in bowls and let everyone fix their own, like a salad bar.
The dressing is 2 T. country french vinaigrette seasoning from Penzey's mixed with 2 T. water, let sit a few minutes, mix with 1/3 cup each red wine vinegar and olive oil and 1 tsp dijon mustard, you can use any homemade dressing you like best though.
Pile on a platter or individual bowls and pour some dressing over. I like to have the greens, beans, olives and tuna cold, and the rest still slightly warm. Yum.
Homemade Bubbly Lemonade
I have a bit of an obsession with seltzer. When it went on sale one time I bought 31 bottles. 31! Obsession, like I said. So recently we decided to invest in a soda stream machine, which makes liters of seltzer in seconds with just water and a co2 cartridge. We LOVE it and use it daily. So now we are working on mixing seltzer into all sorts of things, tonight lemonade.
Juice into a saucepan:
1 huge orange, or 2 regular
2 lemons
2 limes
Mix in 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, we did about 1/3 cup and it was just right for us.
Heat just till sugar dissolves. Pour over a pitcher with a couple cups of ice, and stir in 2 liters of plain seltzer. So incredibly refreshing!
Later on I will post the pie recipe, with a half whole wheat crust. It was so good! Happy summer!
Salad Nicoise
salad greens from the garden or farm market, I used about 8 cups for 4 of us
3-4 hard boiled eggs chopped
2-3 potatoes, cooked, peeled, and chopped
1 1/2 - 2 cups cooked fresh green beans, you want them still a touch crisp, not soft
1 cup of your favorite olives
2 cans water packed tuna, rinsed and drained well, optional for our resident vegetarians
What I like to do is put everything out in bowls and let everyone fix their own, like a salad bar.
The dressing is 2 T. country french vinaigrette seasoning from Penzey's mixed with 2 T. water, let sit a few minutes, mix with 1/3 cup each red wine vinegar and olive oil and 1 tsp dijon mustard, you can use any homemade dressing you like best though.
Pile on a platter or individual bowls and pour some dressing over. I like to have the greens, beans, olives and tuna cold, and the rest still slightly warm. Yum.
Homemade Bubbly Lemonade
I have a bit of an obsession with seltzer. When it went on sale one time I bought 31 bottles. 31! Obsession, like I said. So recently we decided to invest in a soda stream machine, which makes liters of seltzer in seconds with just water and a co2 cartridge. We LOVE it and use it daily. So now we are working on mixing seltzer into all sorts of things, tonight lemonade.
Juice into a saucepan:
1 huge orange, or 2 regular
2 lemons
2 limes
Mix in 1/4 to 1/2 cup sugar, we did about 1/3 cup and it was just right for us.
Heat just till sugar dissolves. Pour over a pitcher with a couple cups of ice, and stir in 2 liters of plain seltzer. So incredibly refreshing!
Later on I will post the pie recipe, with a half whole wheat crust. It was so good! Happy summer!
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