De Ma Cuisine

Milk Archive

Monday

24

August 2015

0

COMMENTS

Cantaloupe Smoothie

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dairy-Free, Drinks, Fruit, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

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There’s nothing like a chilled melon on a hot summer day. Seriously. Nothing. Give me all of the watermelons, honeydews, and cantaloupes and I’m a happy gal. I can’t grow them for anything, so thankfully they know what they’re doing at JND Farms.

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I’ve mentioned before that I prefer melon just plain. Super cold, cut into chunks or sliced, that’s my favorite. But, as I’ve also admitted, I’m loving these new ways to eat them too. Melon and Feta Salad? Yep! Watermelon Gazpacho? Absolutely! And now, a smoothie.

For this smoothie I added some frozen peaches and bananas. Fresh would be great too. I just had some in the freezer to use up. Whatever type of fruit, I’d suggest using as ripe as you can find ’em. Super sweet and juicy. Best way to go. If you wanted to switch things up you could also add some greens (like kale, spinach, or chard), berries, other types of stone fruit, pears, apples, or honeydew melon. Use what you have on hand.

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I used cow’s milk, because it’s what we drink. But any kind of milk will do. Coconut, soy, almond, hemp… use what you prefer. Same goes for the yogurt. Any kind will work. Or, to keep it vegan, try some silken tofu.

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Then grab your favorite blender and blend away. I like my smoothies super smooooooth, so I blended long enough that the guy working at the house next door looked over to see what the noise was (during the break he took from whatever noisy machine he was using 😉 ). I also overfilled the blender just a tad. I got a little cantaloupe happy. If I hadn’t had my hand on the lid we may have had cantaloupe colored walls. Whoops. The good thing about making so much is that I made enough for four, so tomorrow’s breakfast is already done.

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Smoothies are a perfect breakfast, full of protein and nutrients. But, they’re also a great snack, or an accompaniment to a meal. I’m thinking that a Dandy Sandi paired with a smoothie sounds yummy. Maybe the extra servings will become lunch.

Happy Eating!

Cantaloupe Smoothie

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Yield: 4

Cantaloupe Smoothie

Ingredients

  • 3 C cantaloupe, cut into chunks
  • 1 frozen banana, cut into chunks
  • 1 C frozen peaches (or fresh), cut into chunks
  • 1 C plain yogurt or silken tofu
  • 1 C milk (any kind)
  • pinch ginger
  • pinch salt
  • 1 T maple syrup
  • Could also add: greens (kale, spinach, chard), berries, stone fruit, pears, apples, honeydew melon

Instructions

  1. Put all ingredients in a blender and blend well.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/cantaloupe-smoothie/

Monday

9

February 2015

0

COMMENTS

Loaded Chicken and Rice Soup

Written by , Posted in Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, Leftovers, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, One Dish Dinners, Poultry, Quick and Easy, Rice, Soups, Vegetables

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I’m a sucker for a good bowl of soup. I think we’ve had three different kinds over the past four days. I love it. I can’t get enough of it. It can be hearty and filling, or a light start to a meal. It can be simple, like French Onion, or have a myriad of ingredients. Soups are a great way to get loads of veggies into a meal, and they’re a fabulous place to hide leftovers. Yes, soups are my favorite.

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This one is no different. The goal was to make a veggie laden, leftover using, Chicken and Rice Soup.

It started with carrots and radishes. The carrots were fresh from this week’s box of produce. The radishes were extra from another meal, that I’d chopped and frozen so they wouldn’t go to waste.

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We’re getting so many greens in our boxes that I’ve been making a lot of Stir Fry, like this Red Choi Stir Fry from the other week. I’d planned ahead and made double the rice, so there were leftovers for the soup.

Winner winner, chicken and rice soup for dinner.

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After the initial veggies were fairly tender, everything else joined them in the soup pot. I made some Sliced Roasted Butternut Squash for dinner last night, to go along with some chicken thighs that I par-cooked on the stovetop, then finished in the oven. I used the leftovers from both in the soup.

Leftovers 0, Rach 3.

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After everything bubbled around for a while (but not too long, since it was all cooked already), I added some milk. I used coconut milk, because I had some that I needed to use up. Use whatever kind you have on hand. The milk just needs to warm through for a minute or two. Don’t let it boil, or the soup may break.

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And then, for the finishing touches, I stirred in some fresh parsley and a knob of butter.

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This soup is best eaten with your favorite someone or alone standing at the kitchen island while you read a book. Fresh bread is essential for dipping and sopping up anything the spoon leaves behind. A slice of lemon is a perfect way to brighten a bit – just squeeze over top right before eating.

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And, if it’s possible, this soup may be even better the next day (or a few days later – it freezes well).

Happy Eating!

Loaded Chicken and Rice Soup

Loaded Chicken and Rice Soup

Ingredients

  • 1-2 T olive oil
  • 1 C carrot (or parsnip), chopped
  • 1 C radish (or cauliflower), chopped
  • to taste, salt
  • 3 cloves garlic, diced
  • 2 T balsamic vinegar
  • 1/2 t dried rosemary (or 1 t fresh), broken or chopped
  • 1 t fresh thyme (or 1/2 t dried)
  • 1/2 t paprika
  • 1 C cooked chicken, chopped or shredded (I used leftovers)*
  • 2 C rice, cooked (I used leftovers)***
  • 2-3 C greens (like hon tsai tai, komatsuna, Tokyo bekana, chard, kale, collards, or spinach), chopped
  • 1 1/2-2 C winter squash, chopped (I used leftovers)**
  • 5-6 C chicken stock
  • 1 C milk (any kind)
  • 1-2 T fresh parsley, chopped
  • 1 T unsalted butter (optional)
  • lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

  1. (*If you're not using leftover chicken, cook it now, let it cool slightly, remove from bones and shred or chop.)
  2. Heat a soup pot over medium-low heat. Add the oil and when it's hot, add the carrots through salt (**unless you're using uncooked winter squash - if you are, add it now). Cook for 7-9 minutes, or until veggies are relatively tender. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute more. Stir in balsamic vinegar, cook for 1 minute.
  3. Add rosemary through stock. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook for about 13 minutes, or until veggies are tender (***if you're not using leftover rice, also add 1/2 C raw brown rice now, along with an extra 1 C stock and cook until rice is tender). Add milk and cook for 2 minutes more (do not boil).
  4. Remove from heat and stir in parsley and butter. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/loaded-chicken-and-rice-soup/

Monday

5

January 2015

0

COMMENTS

Spaghetti Squash au Gratin

Written by , Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Dinner, Kid-Friendly, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Pork, Potlucks, Roasting, Sauces, Sides, Vegetables

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Haaaaappy New Year!

We’re right smack in the middle of winter squash season. I find that in the middle of a season, I have to get a bit more creative with how to use things. As much as I love Spaghetti Soup or Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, we don’t want to eat it every week. Someone posted on social media that they were enjoying some Spaghetti Squash au Gratin. I knew I needed to come up with a recipe for that. It sounded amazing.

It ended up tasting a little bit like what I think it would taste like if you took grated hash browns and smothered them with cheese sauce.

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It all starts with some squash roasting in the oven for about an hour. I had three squash sitting on my kitchen island. Since I knew we’d be getting another in this week’s Abundant Harvest Organics box, I figured that I should just roast them. That way, even if I didn’t use it all in this dish, I could just freeze what was leftover. Then I remembered that some friends of ours, who just had a baby, might enjoy this too. So all the squash was perfect.

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While the squash roasts, a quick roux is made up. I used butter and olive oil and then added the same amount of all purpose flour (if you’re making a gluten-free version, skip the flour, and whisk 1 T cornstarch with 1/4 C cold water, and whisk it in later on when the milk mixture is really hot).

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To the roux I whisked in some whole milk. A little bit at a time.

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Once the milk mixture thickens, add ons go in. I chose chopped ham (but you could use chicken, beef, turkey… or omit the meat all-together), some dijon mustard, Greek yogurt, and cheese. If you had some leftover cooked veggies (like broccoli, carrots, cauliflower etc…) you could add those now too.

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I added the cheese a little bit at a time, whisking until smooth-ish between additions. Then everything else hops in.

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You know, if you wanted to double the recipe, you could use half for mac and cheese, pour some over roasted broccoli or cauliflower, or dip some crusty bread in it (it’s practically fondue).

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The squash is scraped out of it’s skin and placed in an oven-proof baking dish. The ham and cheese sauce is stirred in.

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Then it’s all topped with a bit more cheeeeeeese!

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It will bake for a little while (which is really optional – you could just top your squash and go!), then stand for a few minutes, if you can handle waiting to dig in!

Happy Eating!

Spaghetti Squash au Gratin

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 45 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 55 minutes

Yield: Serves 6-8 as a side, 4-5 as a main dish.

Spaghetti Squash au Gratin

Ingredients

  • 2 medium-sized spaghetti squash, halved and seeds removed
  • 1 medium-sized butternut squash, halved and seeds removed
  • 1 t olive oil
  • 1 T olive oil
  • 1 T unsalted butter
  • 2 T all purpose flour
  • 2 C whole milk
  • 1 t dijon mustard
  • 1 C greek yogurt
  • to taste salt
  • 6 oz. chopped ham (or chicken, beef, or turkey… or omit the meat all-together)
  • 2 C cheese (combo of any of these: cheddar, gruyere, monterey jack, or mozzarella), grated, 1/2 C reserved
  • pinch cayenne
  • 1 t paprika

Instructions

  1. Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Drizzle squash with 1 t olive oil and place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for about 1 hour, or until flesh is tender.
  2. Heat a pan and add 1 T olive oil and butter. When it's hot, whisk in the flour. Cook for about 30 seconds. Whisk in milk, a little bit at a time, whisking until mostly smooth between additions. Bring to a simmer (but do not boil). Reduce heat to low and cook until thickened, about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
  3. Remove from heat, stir in dijon, yogurt, and salt. Back on low heat, slowly add cheese, a bit at at time, whisking between additions until fairly smooth. Stir in ham. Continue to stir over low heat for about 2 minutes. Stir in cayenne and 3/4 t paprika. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
  4. Scrape squash from skin. Mash together in a greased 9x13 oven-proof baking dish. Stir in sauce. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Sprinkle with reserved cheese and 1/4 t paprika.
  5. Place baking dish on a baking sheet (in case it bubbles over). Bake on a rack in the upper portion of the oven for 15 minutes. Increase heat to 375F and bake for 15 minutes more. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/spaghetti-squash-au-gratin/