De Ma Cuisine

Abundant Harvest Organics Archive

Wednesday

7

November 2012

1

COMMENTS

Roasted Fennel Mac and My Little Cooking Show Turns 1- Episode 45

Written by , Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Cheese, Dinner, Fruit, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Roasting, Sides, This Week's Feast, Thoughts, Vegetables, Vegetarian

This week marks a year since A Cooking Show with Rachel O made its debut into the world of culinary entertainment (or whatever you want to call it). Armed with my Minestrone Soup recipe and a lot of excitement, I began. Now, a year later, I’ve learned a lot, eaten a lot… I’m not sure which I’ve done more of… I’ve also burned myself, pinched my hand, scared the dog with my horn thingey (that was today), dropped tons of food on the floor, eaten lots of veggies, laughed a lot, knocked the iPad/second camera off the counter‚ pronounced things incorrectly, learned how to cook new things, invented dishes I’ve loved, made a few things I wasn’t absolutely crazy about, learned some more, ate some more, chopped about a million veggies, and developed a new found respect for those who wash dishes and/or edit video for a living. Neither is my favorite part of the job (although one is definitely more favorite), but both are necessary.

My favorite part of the job… favorites actually: Chopping food, the smell of Bari‘s olive oil, the smell of garlic when it hits a hot pan, photographing food, editing my photos, the inspiration that comes when I open the box of Abundant Harvest Organics produce, planning a menu, writing furiously so I don’t forget the recipe idea that popped into my brain, hearing Husband exclaim “MMMMMMMMMmmmm” after taking his first bite (it happened with this meal!), watching the dog pretend not to watch us eat because he too would like a bite, laughing at myself, eating amazing organic produce, working with a company I respect, sharing my love for food with you… I could go on for hours. I feel truly blessed to do what I do.

Thank you for being a part of that. Thanks for watching, for reading, for commenting, for telling me that you liked a recipe. It means so much to me. I create these dishes, write about these foods, share my ideas because I think they taste good. But, I also share them because I want you to enjoy them just as much as I do. I hope this is happening.

I also hope you like Mac and Cheese as much as I do. We can still be friends if you don’t, but it is one of my favorite go-to/comfort/quick meals. I know it’s tempting on a tired night to grab a box of the really quick stuff. I’m not judging if you do. I’ve done it. Buuuut, I’ve also discovered that homemade Mac and Cheese is almost as fast. Really! You have to wait for the water to boil regardless. So while you’re standing in the kitchen, starving, staring at the water, willing it to boil, trying to keep from eating peanut butter out of the jar with a spoon, grab some milk, olive oil, salt, pepper, and flour, grate some cheese and make a simple sauce. If you have a few more minutes, roast some fennel and add it to some sautéed onion and garlic. It’s a good idea.

I didn’t think I liked fennel. Then I roasted it. Roasting is the key to making almost any vegetable a thousand times better (even though I usually like them just the way they are! Here’s how: Buy olive oil (personally, I like Bari‘s). Turn on oven. Combine olive oil with halved fennel. 350F. Done. Boom. Roasted. Good right?!

Now it’s your turn. Have fun!

Happy Eating!

Roasted Fennel Mac
Recipe Type: Main, Pasta, Dinner, Oven, Stove Top
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time:
Cook time:
Total time:
Serves: 2-4
When fennel is roasted it becomes sweet and slightly caramelized. It’s paired with pears and Gruyère and added to traditional Mac and Cheese to dress it up.
Ingredients
  • 1/2 to 1 C onion, chopped
  • 1 fennel bulb, halved
  • 3-4 T plus 1 t olive oil
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 1 carrot, grated
  • 1/2 to 1 t salt
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1 t apple cider vinegar
  • 1 1/2 C cheese (combination of Gruyère and Parmesan), grated (1/4 C reserved for topping)
  • 2 T flour
  • 1/4 C cream
  • 1/2 to 1 C milk
  • 1/2 to 1 C vegetable stock
  • 1/4 C pasta water
  • 2 C pasta
  • 1 pear, thinly sliced (for topping)
Instructions
  1. Drizzle fennel with 1 t olive oil and a pinch of salt. Place cut side down on baking sheet. Bake at 350F for 25-30 minutes (or until fennel is tender).
  2. Cook pasta.
  3. Heat pan over medium heat. Add 2 T oil. When oil is hot, add onion, carrot, and a pinch of salt. Cook 3-5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 2 minutes more.
  4. When fennel is done, remove from oven and let cool slightly. Chop. Add to pan with veggies.
  5. Move veggies to one side. Add 1-2 T more oil. When it’s hot, whisk in 2 T flour, cook 30-60 seconds. Slowly, a little bit at a time, whisk in milk, stock, cream, and pasta water. Let it thicken a little after each addition of more liquid. Add pasta water. Cook until just before it boils.
  6. Remove from heat and whisk in cheese, apple cider vinegar, and pepper. Taste and add more salt if needed.
  7. Toss pasta with sauce. Top with thinly sliced pear, and top pear with cheese and a pinch of salt and pepper. Bake for 15 minutes, or until cheese is bubbly and melted.

 

This episode is sponsored by:

Abundant Harvest Organics

Bari Olive Oil Company

Waterfall Creative

Molly Jenson

Wednesday

8

August 2012

0

COMMENTS

Ta-may-toh Stuffed with Keen-Wah – Stuffed Tomatoes – Episode 34

Written by , Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Cheese, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Grains, Herbs, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Pork, Quinoa, Roasting, Sides, This Week's Feast, Vegetables

It’s almost lunch time as I type this post. I’m hungry. I want to eat everything.

When I was looking at what was going to arrive in this week’s box, the tomatoes (“Ta-may-toh”) kinda jumped out at me. I’ve made stuffed peppers before. Why not stuffed tomatoes?! I’ve heard of other people doing it. I guess we just use our tomatoes up too quickly to get around to doing this. Tomatoes are really good for us: We’re talking lycopene (a natural antioxidant) and it’s thought to benefit the heart*!

Do we really need an excuse to eat tomatoes though?!

I often have leftover quinoa in the freezer. It’s pronounced “keen-wah”. Did you know that? I’d been calling it the wrong thing for years. Now I know. It’s easy to make, higher in protein (about 14g/3.5oz.) than rice or pasta (I still totally eat rice and pasta), and is very versatile. It’s not just a protein, but a complete protein and is high in dietary fiber**. Yay Quinoa!

This could be a dinner, going alongside some Roast Beef (haha I typed “meef”: meat + beef = funny), Pan Seared Pork, Roasted Chicken… You could chop up any of said meats (cooked first) and add to the filling and have this as your main dish with a big salad.

You could eat it as a light lunch (or even breakfast), alongside a Fried Egg and a slice of hearty toast! You could make this vegetarian by omitting the bacon and adding chopped almonds for crunch. Get creative with your food!

Happy Eating!

Stuffed Tomatoes
Recipe Type: Side
Author: Rachel Oberg – De Ma Cuisine
Prep time: 15 mins
Cook time: 28 mins
Total time: 43 mins
Serves: 2-6
Summer tomatoes are stuffed, roasted, and topped with crunchy bacon!
Ingredients
  • 4-6 tomatoes, seeded and cored
  • 1 T fresh oregano, diced (1 leaf reserved per tomato for topping)
  • 1 ear of corn, off the cob
  • 1 onion, diced
  • 1 C squash, diced (I used a small zucchini, but any summer squash would work)
  • 2-3 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 C quinoa, cooked (I used leftovers)
  • 1/2 t salt (I used Lemon, Thyme, and Bay Sea Salt, but regular salt would work just as well)
  • 1/4 t pepper
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 T tomato paste
  • 1 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/4 C parmesan cheese, grated (reserve 2 T for topping)
  • 2 pieces bacon, cooked and crumbled (for topping)
Instructions
  1. Heat a medium sized pan. Add oil. Add onion, squash, salt, and pepper. Cook over medium heat until veggies are tender, about 5 minutes. Add garlic, oregano, corn, tomato paste, vinegar, and quinoa, stir (make sure tomato paste is combined) and cook 2-3 minutes.
  2. Remove from heat, taste and adjust seasoning if needed, then stir in parmesan cheese (reserving a bit for topping).
  3. Stuff filling into hollowed out tomatoes. Bake at 350F (I used the toaster oven) about 20 minutes.
  4. Top each tomato with crumbled bacon, 1 T parmesan and a fresh oregano leaf.
Notes

If you’re not using leftover quinoa: Bring 1 C water to a boil. Add 1/2 C quinoa. Cook about 15 minutes. Will yield about 2 C cooked. It freezes well.

 

Sponsored By

Abundant Harvest Organics

Bari Olive Oil Company

Llano Seco Organic Pork

Molly Jenson

Waterfall Creative

*Info from Wikipedia

**Info from Wikipedia

Wednesday

13

June 2012

0

COMMENTS

Summer Chili – Episode 27

Written by , Posted in A Cooking Show with Rachel O, Abundant Harvest Organics, Beans, Beef, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Herbs, Kid-Friendly, Legumes, Main Dishes, Meat, Soups, This Week's Feast, Vegetables

I made some yummy summer chili this week! It’s kinda like regular chili, except it has summer veggies. Like summer squash, green beans, basil, and other more year rounders like carrots and onions, all from this week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box. The squash and carrots are grated, so you don’t even notice they’re in there (not that I’d mind, but it’s fun to hide veggies sometimes, just because). Was it ever goooooood!

I forgot to eat lunch before I started filming. It was just torture to be smelling that chili for an hour. After I finally finished and plated and took photos I was going to try a bite. One turned into half the bowl and most of the cornbread… it was delicious. I ate it again a few hours later as real dinner.

I served it with this cornbread. It’s my go-to recipe. It’s easy and so delicious. (It’s even good the next day.)

We had it for dinner, and we also shared some with some friends who had a baby over the weekend. Even their picky eater ate some of it. 😉

The little “song” at the end had been stuck in my head ALL day. While editing, I think I counted 5 different times that I sang parts of it. It’s in my head again today. It makes me giggle a little.

Summer Chili

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Yield: 4-6

Summer Chili

Ingredients

  • 1-2 lb. ground beef
  • 4 C beans, cooked
  • 2 carrots, grated
  • 1 lg. summer squash, grated (squeeze to remove excess water if needed)
  • 1 C green beans, diced
  • 5 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 T tomato paste
  • 3 T olive oil
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar, divided
  • 1 T dijon mustard
  • 1 T honey
  • 2 C water (or red wine, or stock, or beer)
  • 1/2 C decaf coffee
  • 2 t salt
  • 1 t pepper
  • 1/4 t allspice
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1 T sweet paprika
  • 2 T chili powder
  • 1 T smoked paprika
  • 1/2 t ginger
  • fresh basil, torn (for serving)

Instructions

  1. Heat soup pot. Add beef and cook. Drain fat and return beef to pan. Add olive oil, veggies, and seasonings. Cook about 5-7 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
  2. Add tomato paste, stir in, cook 1 minute. Add 1 T balsamic vinegar, stir, cook 1 min.
  3. Add honey, dijon, water, beans, and coffee. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Cook over med-low heat for about 55 minutes.
  4. Add 1 T balsamic vinegar and cook 5 min more.
  5. Serve topped with fresh basil.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/a-summery-take-on-chili-ep27/

This episode is sponsored by: Abundant Harvest Organics, Bari Olive Oil CompanyMolly Jenson, and TX Bar Organics.