Rachel O Archives - Page 3 of 15 - De Ma CuisineDe Ma Cuisine

Thursday

12

November 2015

0

COMMENTS

Roasted Broccoli and Squash with a Basil and Tahini Sauce

Written by Rachel, Posted in Condiments, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Gluten Free, Herbs, Main Dishes, Pasta, Quick and Easy, Rice, Roasting, Sauces, Sides, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

As I type this, I’m practicing my songs for the Christmas concert in December. This seems wrong because the weather doesn’t match the feel of the songs. I don’t know if it will ever not be weird to me to have 90 degree weather in October, but I’m coping. I try to avoid using the oven too much when it’s hot. But, today I made an exception. It just has to be done earlier in the day when it’s still cool out. And, even though it warms up the house a lot, it’s worth it to be rewarded with roasted veggies.

Roasted broccoli is one of my favorite things. Sure, it can make the house smell like toots, but it tastes so good that it doesn’t really bother me. And roasted summer squash, I can eat the entire pan by myself. Easy.

I tossed them with some olive oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Simple.

While they roasted I blended together some sauce (which could be a dip, just make it a little thicker). It contained things like garlic, ginger, basil, tahini paste, and homemade yogurt. I’m totally on a homemade yogurt kick right now. It’s the best, and it’s not too difficult to make. When I make it, I feel like I’m winning at life. Same with homemade bread. I guess we all have our things that make us feel like we’ve accomplished something great. Those are two of mine.

This sauce might be another. It’s a bit Asian-inspired, with the soy sauce (liquid aminos if you’re gluten-free) and the tahini. If you have leftovers, you might use it on an Asian Chicken Salad or a Napa Cabbage Slaw. If you don’t have tahini paste (which is ground up sesame seeds), you could use almond or peanut butter.

I served the veggies drizzled with the sauce, over some brown rice. Other options would be to serve it over pasta, spaghetti squash, chicken, tofu, or just dip the veggies in the sauce. They’re great that way too.

I see cooler weather in the forecast. It’s almost the season for all the roasted veggies, soups, and stews.

Happy Eating!

Roasted Broccoli and Squash with a Basil and Tahini Sauce

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 2

Roasted Broccoli and Squash with a Basil and Tahini Sauce

Ingredients

1 head broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces (stems too, just peel the tough outer skin)
1 medium or 2 small summer squash, cut into sticks
1 t olive oil
to taste salt
to taste pepper
pinch cayenne
sauce: 1 T tahini paste
1 t soy sauce or liquid aminos
1 clove garlic
1/2" cube fresh ginger (or good pinch dried)
pinch cayenne
2-3 T plain yogurt (Greek or coconut) or silken tofu
1/4 t dried thyme or 1 t fresh
2-3 T fresh basil
to taste olive oil
cooked rice, rice noodles, spaghetti squash, chicken, tofu, for serving (optional)

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.
Toss broccoli and squash with oil, salt, pepper, and cayenne. Roast for 10 minutes, flip, and roast for 10 minutes more (or until a bit crispy outside).
Blend tahini through olive oil. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
Serve veggies drizzled with sauce (over rice, rice noodles, spaghetti squash, chicken, or tofu, if desired).

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/roasted-broccoli-tahini-sauce/

Monday

2

November 2015

0

COMMENTS

Pumpkin Pie Latté

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

At this time of year my social media feeds become saturated with yummy fall drinks, drunk by people wearing cozy fall sweaters and scarves. While my attire still consists of shorts, tank tops, and flip flops, I’m all in for fall flavors (and so ready to pull out my jeans and scarves).

Pumpkin is always a big fall trend. As it should be. It’s cute, festive, and good for you. So why not add it to a drink!?

I had two different ideas. One was to do something with apple cider, the other with milk. This recipe will work with both. For those who don’t love coffee, or for the kiddos, the cider will be perfect. You could make either one (or both!) in big batches and serve to a crowd. You could use coconut milk and make it vegan. There are so many options for one simple drink.

If you’re opting for the milk and coffee version, depending on how you make it, it can be either a latté or a café au lait. Be definition, the former is made with espresso, the latter with coffee. I used coffee, because that’s what I had on hand. I brewed it strong and it tasted great. I’ve been a decaf drinker for a few years now. But, don’t get all down on decaf now. I choose high quality whole beans, that have been decaffeinated with water rather than chemicals, and I think it tastes just as good as it did when I drank regular. I stopped drinking caffeine because I felt like it was contributing to anxiety. Because I’ve found such amazing coffee, I haven’t missed the caffeine at all.

This pumpkin drink actually contains real pumpkin. I roasted one the other day for some Pumpkin Pasta and had some leftover. It’s combined with the same seasonings I’d add to pumpkin pie, coffee, and milk (or cider). Everything gets heated up or brewed, then it’s strained and topped with some whipped cream and more cinnamon.

I enjoyed this so much that I drank it all and then made some more. It’s probably a good thing I don’t drink caffeine. 😉

Happy Sipping!

Pumpkin Pie Latté

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Yield: 1-2

Pumpkin Pie Latté

Ingredients

1/2 C milk (any kind) or 2 C apple cider (and omit the coffee or espresso)
2 T cooked pumpkin purée
good pinch cinnamon
good pinch nutmeg
good pinch all spice
good pinch ginger
tiny pinch salt
3 t maple syrup (or to taste)
1 1/2 C strong coffee, or 1-2 shots espresso/person
whipped cream (optional), for topping
cinnamon, for topping
caramel (optional), for topping

Instructions

Heat milk or cider through maple syrup over low heat, for about 5-7 minutes (or until it barely starts to simmer, or comes to about 165F), stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon. (Or, steam the milk, then stir in pumpkin through maple syrup. If pumpkin and syrup are cold, they will cool down the milk a bit.)
Brew coffee/espresso, if using. Combine with milk mixture.
Strain the hot pumpkin mixture through a sieve, pressing down to get all the liquid out. Taste for sweetness. Top with whipped cream, cinnamon, and a drizzle of caramel if desired.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/pumpkin-pie-latte/

Monday

26

October 2015

1

COMMENTS

Pumpkin Pasta

Written by Rachel, Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Gluten Free, Herbs, Kid-Friendly, Main Dishes, Meat, Nuts, Pasta, Pork, Roasting, Vegetables, Vegetarian

I’m eating this pasta as I type. I refrained from eating more than a bite or two while I was photographing so I could save it for dinner. It’s creamy, has a hint of spice, and it tastes like fall. It feels like the kind of food that should be enjoyed on a cold night with loved ones at your table… Lost in thought, I was envisioning my next dinner party when an errant noodle flung pasta sauce on to the floor. Distraction over.

It’s pumpkin season and I’m so glad. I love all that there is to do with pumpkins (like I talked about in my Ten Ways to Use Pumpkins post from the other day). They’re versatile and yummy.

For this recipe I roasted the pumpkin almost whole so that I could serve the pasta in it. It’s as simple as a little olive oil on the inside, flip it upside down, and roast for about an hour. I wanted to save some of the roasted pumpkin for a few other dishes, but if you wanted to use it all, you could totally do that.

Pumpkin isn’t the only option. If you’ve got other varieties of winter squash they’d be great too. I might avoid the spaghetti squashes (and those like them), but other than that, whatever you’ve got on hand should be great.

Pumpkin (or winter squash) and browned butter are good friends. As they should be. You can use butter or not, olive oil is a great option as well. Equal parts butter/olive oil and all purpose flour work together to make a nice roux. Or, if you want to skip it all together (and for a gluten-free option), milk and cornstarch will thicken up nicely.

The pumpkin, milk, and thickener heat slowly on the stove until they’re nice and thick. Then cheese and some seasonings are added and everyone gets blended together until you’ve got a nice smooth sauce.

Whatever pasta you prefer will work perfectly. I made some fresh pasta today, cut in a fettuccine (ish) width, so that’s what I wanted to use. But, elbows, spaghetti, or fusilli would be great too. I opted for a creamy sauce without any add ins or toppings. Sometimes I just don’t want anything extra. But, next time I think I’m gonna try it with some mushrooms, greens, and sage… or maybe corn, crispy shallots, and bacon.

Happy Eating!

Pumpkin Pasta

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 11 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 26 minutes

Yield: 6

Pumpkin Pasta

Ingredients

1 small pumpkin or small to medium winter squash (any except spaghetti squash) (about 2-3 C cooked) (could also use roasted or steamed carrots or cauliflower)
1 t olive oil
1/4 C butter or olive oil (optional)
1/4 C all purpose flour or 1 T cornstarch
2 C milk (any kind)
1/2 C plain yogurt
pinch cayenne
to taste salt
good pinch coriander
good pinch ginger
1 C cheese (Parmesan, cheddar, or Gruyère), grated
(could also mix in: 2-4 cloves roasted garlic, sautéed mushrooms, greens, sage, onion, leek, shallot, corn, lemon zest)
6 servings pasta
toppings optional: fresh herbs, chopped; poached eggs, bacon, or nuts

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350F. Cut the lid off the pumpkin (if you're going to serve in it, if not you could just slice in half), scrape out seeds. Rub the inside with 1 t olive oil. Roast for about 1 hour.
Heat a medium sized saucepan over medium-low heat. Add butter, if using. When it starts to brown, whisk in flour. Cook for 30-60 seconds. If doing gluten-free, skip the butter and flour and whisk milk with cornstarch. Pour in milk (with or without the cornstarch), whisking as you do. Add pumpkin. Cook over low heat for about 10 minutes, or until thickened (it should coat a spoon without all running off), stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon.
Remove from heat and stir in yogurt. Season with cayenne through ginger. Stir in cheese. Blend with a hand blender (or in batches in a regular blender with the center plug removed and the hole covered with a clean tea towel) until smooth. Taste and adjust seasoning if desired. Stir in any additional mix ins.
Cook pasta. Drain and toss with sauce. Serve topped with desired toppings, or just serve as it is.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/pumpkin-pasta/

Thursday

22

October 2015

0

COMMENTS

Winter Squash Dip

Written by Rachel, Posted in Appetizers, Beans, Cheese, Dairy-Free, Fruit, Gluten Free, Herbs, Legumes, Nuts, Potlucks, Roasting, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

I’m a big supporter of fall. I love it when the leaves change color, the chill that creeps into the air, and the winter squash that start to appear in our Abundant Harvest Organics boxes. This fall is no different. I’m in the mood for soups and stews, cozy sweaters, and all the winter squash I can get my hands on.

I have a few go to recipes for winter squash. Things like Spaghetti Squash au Gratin (which uses both spaghetti and butternut squash), Vegan Roasted Butternut Squash Soup, and Spaghetti Soup. I’ll make them over and over again for sure. But, it’s fun to get creative with food, so I came up with a fun winter squash dip that will be perfect to snack on while watching post season baseball, for a dinner party appetizer, or as a simple supper.

I used acorn squash this time. But, seriously, any winter squash will do. I’d planned to use pumpkin, but I didn’t have one on hand. If you have pumpkin, and the skin doesn’t get too soft when roasting, it’d make a lovely serving dish. I tried to do that with the acorn squash, but the skin isn’t as tough as say spaghetti squash, so I opted for an oven-safe dish.

This dip is full of options for what to add to it. Not only can you use whatever winter squash you have on hand, there are plenty of possibilities for what to mix in. I used garbanzo beans, basil, cheddar, and parmesan. But, you could substitute white, kidney, or black beans for the garbanzos. Then you could choose between blue cheese, feta, Fontina, Gorgonzola, Gruyère, mozzarella, pecorino, ricotta, ricotta salata, Romano, or Roncal if you don’t have cheddar or Parmesan, or tofu if you want to go vegan. And for the fresh herbs, I’d go with either parsley or thyme if you don’t have basil (or along with it). Just pick things that you think will go well with the other flavors you’ve got going on.

I topped the dip with some halved cherry tomatoes and some nuts. And again, here the possibilities are pretty limitless: hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, pine nuts, pistachios, or pumpkin seeds would all be great in place of almonds. I love the crunch that the nuts bring to the dip.

I’d used half of the cheese in the dip, the rest went on top to get bubbly and browned, along with the tomatoes. One of my favorite things.

You can serve this dip hot, room temperature, or eat it right out of the fridge. If you opt for the latter, you might get the entire previously melted cheese slice in one bite. Not the worst problem you could have. I liked it best cooled slightly, but still warm, with lots of dipping utensils: corn chips and raw veggies were my favorite.

Happy Eating!

Winter Squash Dip

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 35 minutes

Yield: 8-10

Winter Squash Dip

Ingredients

4 C combination of any: (squash) acorn, butternut, spaghetti, buttercup, delicata, hubbard, kabocha, pumpkin; halved or top sliced off and seeds removed,carrots, ends trimmed
1 head garlic, top sliced off
a good sprinkle of cayenne or 1 hot pepper, halved, ribs and seeds removed
2 t olive oil
2 C combination of any: garbanzo, white, kidney, or black beans; cooked
1 C greens (optional), chopped
1/4 C combination of any: fresh basil, parsley, or thyme
2 C combination of any: blue, cheddar, feta, Fontina, Gorgonzola, Gruyère, mozzarella, Parmesan, pecorino, ricotta, ricotta salata, Romano, Roncal; grated (if needed), or may use tofu (silken or firm and crumbled)
1 C combination of any: corn, tomatoes (fresh or dried)
to taste salt
1/4 C combination of any: almonds, hazelnuts, cashews, walnuts, peanuts, pecans, pinenuts, pistachios, pumpkin seeds; chopped
raw veggies (carrots, radishes, broccoli, cauliflower, bell peppers, green beans, celery), roasted veggies (sweet potatoes, summer squash, eggplant, fennel), chips, crackers, or bread; for serving

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 350F.
Brush squash/pumpkin with oil inside and out. Place cut side down on a baking sheet (the lid too, if you didn't halve it - if you halved it and are planning to serve the dip in it, you could slice a bit off the bottom so it sits flat). Drizzle the garlic with olive oil and wrap with foil. Brush carrots and hot pepper with olive oil and wrap with foil. Roast for 45-60 minutes, or until tender (pepper may take closer to 20-30 minutes). If using greens, sauté in 1 T olive oil over medium-low heat for 5-10 minutes.
Scrape squash from shell (reserve shell to serve in if desired) then either mash or purée in food processor with garlic (squeeze cloves from skin) through cheese (reserving half cheese for topping). Taste and adjust seasoning if desired.
Return to squash shell or to a greased oven safe dish, top with remaining cheese and tomatoes/corn/nuts. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes, or broil for a few minutes, or until cheese is melted and browned.
Serve with raw or roasted veggies, chips, crackers, or bread, for dipping.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/winter-squash-dip/

Monday

28

September 2015

0

COMMENTS

Grocery Shopping

Written by Rachel, Posted in How To, Thoughts

I love to plan. Making lists is fun, checking things off a to do list is satisfying, and figuring out my grocery list is rewarding. Last year I worked on a series about menu planning. There are three parts: the reason, the menu, and the staples to have on hand. Now it’s time to tackle the grocery list.

I like to have my grocery list written out in the order that I will find things in the store. I find that I miss less when I do it that way. Plus I save time in the store, as I’m not running from one side to the other, or standing in each aisle scanning the list to see if I need anything. I think I get it from my mom. I seem to remember her lists were always written out this way.

When we were first married, our budget didn’t allow for much in the grocery department. Not a lot has changed since then, so I still plan our menu and grocery trips the same way that I always have.

As I’m planning our menu I will make a list of the things that we have on hand. You know, rice, pasta, beans, veggies etc. I will combine those with what’s coming in the weekly Abundant Harvest Organics box. As the days get filled up with things to eat, I will see what’s missing from our pantry, and add it to the grocery list. As the list fills up, I will keep an eye on the week’s grocery budget. We usually have some staples (like milk, cheese, and eggs) that take priority. They’re the things that I can’t make or grow myself. After that, I’ll take things off or add them based on what’s left in the budget. Some weeks are smaller than others, and I get to be creative with what we eat.

Like I mentioned earlier, I like to organize my list based on the layout of the store I will be shopping at. Some stores are organized a little more by category than others, so I’ve got two list options for you.

You can use these lists (just download and save the photos), or you can download one of the many grocery list apps onto your smartphone. I don’t have one to recommend, sorry, I’m a pencil and paper kinda gal. I know, it’s old fashioned, but I prefer it.

I find that keeping the grocery budget balanced with the overall budget is the key for keeping from overspending. And the key to keeping the grocery list in check is to plan the menu ahead of time. This is my idea of a fun way to spend an hour or two… for real!

Happy Eating!

Hand lettering on the grocery list done by Tim Oberg.

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Rachel O Archive

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Roasted Broccoli and Squash with a Basil and Tahini Sauce

Happy Eating!

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Pumpkin Pie Latté

Happy Sipping!

26

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Pumpkin Pasta

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Winter Squash Dip

Happy Eating!

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Grocery Shopping

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Hand lettering on the grocery list done by Tim Oberg.

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