Thyme Archives - De Ma CuisineDe Ma Cuisine

Friday

26

February 2016

0

COMMENTS

Baked Onion Rings with Herb Dip

Written by Rachel, Posted in Baking, Condiments, Dairy-Free, Eggs, Gluten Free, Herbs, Quick and Easy, Roasting, Sides, Snacks, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

I’m not a sweets person. I don’t often crave chocolate, I can go without candy, and if given the option, I’d take potato chips over a donut. I do really love ice cream, but I think that’s because Tim is so good at making it. But, even then, I might take onion rings over ice cream. Because I really really love crunchy deep fried foods. French fries, tempura, onion rings… They’re so tasty.

We don’t need to talk about the dangers of fried foods. I’m well aware. You’re well aware. We’ve got that covered. It’s a treat, not an everyday thing.

When it comes to guilty pleasures, these onion rings seem like they’d fit in. But, they’re actually pretty innocent. They’re dipped in eggs (you could use coconut or almond milk if you want to keep them vegan), then coated in flour. I double dipped some (you know, egg, flour, egg, flour). I’m not sure which turned out better. They all tasted great.

All.

I ate them all.

The first secret to this delicious treat is baking them at a high temperature for a short amount of time. We’re talking 425°F for 18-20 minutes total. The second secret is the dip. It’s made up of things like yogurt or silken tofu or mayo or avocado (or ALL!) blended up with some blanched greens, herbs, garlic, and olive oil. I fully submerged each onion ring in the dip before devouring.

If you wanted to make a huge platter and call this dinner, you might also do some green beans, par-cooked potatoes or root veggies (and in a few months summer squash), and add the beans to the dip. Serve it with a big salad and some other fun finger foods (like nachos with refried bean dip) and you’ve got a winner. In fact you’ll most likely find us eating this for dinner sometime this weekend.

Happy Eating!

Baked Onion Rings with Herb Dip

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes

Total Time: 40 minutes

Yield: 2-4

Baked Onion Rings with Herb Dip

Ingredients

2 C any of your favorite greens
2.5 C any combo of: yogurt/crème fraîche/mayo/sour cream/avocado
1 T dijon
1 T olive oil
1 t lemon zest, chopped
1 t lemon juice
to taste salt
to taste pepper
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
pinch cayenne (optional)
handful chopped herbs like: parsley, basil, thyme, rosemary, oregano
1-2 onions, sliced
2 (or more) eggs, whisked (or coconut, almond, or cow's milk)
2 C flour (AP or GF)
to taste salt*
to taste pepper

Instructions

Pre-heat the oven to 425°F.
Blanch greens in boiling water for 1 minute. Transfer to an ice bath to cool. (Or, use leftover sautéed greens.)
Whisk yogurt through cayenne. Add herbs and blanched or leftover greens. Blend. Taste for seasoning. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
Mix flour with salt and pepper. Taste (for real). Separate onion into rings. Dip veggies in egg/milk then flour. Repeat if desired. Tap off excess flour. Place on a parchment or Silpat lined baking sheet. Do not let the veggies touch. Bake for about 10 minutes, flip, bake about 8-10 minutes more (or until crispy and browned).
Serve with dip.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/baked-onion-rings-with-herb-dip/

Friday

19

February 2016

0

COMMENTS

Savory Crêpes

Written by Rachel, Posted in Beans, Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Herbs, Leftovers, Legumes, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Nuts, Poultry, Quick and Easy, Vegetables, Vegetarian

Right now my thoughts are flipping between crêpes and the onion rings I ate right before I made the crêpes. Of both, I couldn’t wait to eat more. But, let’s talk about the crêpes today (those onion rings can wait until next week). When I was a kid, mom made crêpes every once in a while. If she made them for supper, we usually had to eat a savory crêpe or two before we were allowed to eat one covered with maple syrup, powdered sugar, or honey. I may have turned my nose up at it then, but now I see the merit in the savory crêpe.

Crêpes are what I’d imagine would result if a tortilla and a pancake had a baby. A delicious baby… This is getting weird… They’re light, soft, and a bit crispy around the edges. They’re great with butter and maple syrup, of course, but also the perfect vessel for some savory goodies.

I like the idea of a multifaceted filling. It starts with a purée. I had some pumpkin in the freezer that I reheated and seasoned with salt and cayenne. Simple. You could also try cauliflower, sweet potato, or beets.

I topped the purée with some sautéed broccoli rabe, peas, and radishes. You might substitute with roasted or raw garlic, broccoli, any greens that you have on hand, apples, cabbage, summer or winter squash, carrots, or even white beans. If you have some fresh herbs on hand, things like basil, thyme, rosemary, or mint would be great. Just use whatever herbs would go well with the veggies that you’re using.

If you wanted to add a little more protein, throw in some leftover shredded chicken or chopped up crispy tofu.

And then, to top it all, I like a spoonful of plain or Greek yogurt, some walnuts, parmesan, and a squeeze of lemon. You might substitute with silken tofu or coconut milk, browned butter or cream, ricotta or cream cheese.

If you’ve got any left, they will make the perfect dessert (Nutella crêpes anyone?!), or can be reheated the next day for a quick and easy breakfast. You could do simple, just maple syrup, or maybe top them with some ricotta, cottage cheese, or silken tofu, and some chopped apples sprinkled with cinnamon and a squeeze of lemon. Two meals, one dish.

Happy Eating!

Savory Crêpes

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 20 minutes

Total Time: 35 minutes

Yield: 4

Serving Size: 2 crêpes

Savory Crêpes

Ingredients

1 C purée (any: winter squash, cauliflower, sweet potato, beet)
1 T olive oil
1 C any mix ins: broccoli rabe, peas, roasted or raw garlic, kale, radishes, apples, cabbage, white beans, summer squash, carrots; chopped if warranted
1 C any proteins (optional): cooked chicken, crispy tofu
1 t to 1 T any: thyme, rosemary, basil, mint; chopped
to taste salt
8 crêpes
1 C any toppings: ricotta, cream cheese, yogurt, silken tofu, parmesan cheese, browned butter, cream, coconut milk, walnuts, almonds, lemon zest; chopped if warranted
lemon wedges, for serving

Instructions

(Prepare crêpe batter if it needs to sit for an hour in the fridge.)
Make your purée (roast or steam veggies, blend, season with salt and, if desired, cayenne).
Heat skillet, add olive oil. Sauté mix ins until tender (about 10 minutes, depending on the veggies) over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally. Add things like greens and garlic near the end. Re-heat protein, if using. Add to mix ins. Add herbs. Taste for seasoning.
While mix ins are cooking, prepare your crêpes (keep them warm in a 200F oven on a baking sheet).
To assemble, spoon some purée down the center of the crêpes. Top with mix ins. Roll up (the easiest way to do this is to hook a fork inside the edge of the crêpe and roll it in on itself). Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/savory-crepes/

Friday

5

February 2016

0

COMMENTS

Kohlrabi Stuffed with Cabbage and Apple

Written by Rachel, Posted in Cheese, Dairy-Free, Dinner, Fruit, Gluten Free, Grains, Herbs, Leftovers, Main Dishes, Meat, Nuts, Poultry, Quinoa, Rice, Sausage, Vegan, Vegetables, Vegetarian

When I think of kohlrabi, I think of a taste that’s like a combination of broccoli and cauliflower. It’s kinda sweet and mild and buttery. When I look at kohlrabi, I think of Yoda… Green, kinda funny looking, but really awesome when you give it a try.

Steaming seemed like the best way to soften the kohlrabi without rendering them tough. They’re pretty dense, so it took a while, but that gave me plenty of time to work on a nice filling. I used leek, radish, cabbage, and apple. If you wanted to change those out for something else you could try shallots, onions, or carrots. Any type of cabbage would be great. Purple cabbage would add some great color, but I had green, and it was great. Thyme, basil, and parsley were the perfect herbs to compliment the kohlrabi and the filling. And some protein rounded out the dish to make it a main, rather than just a side. I used turkey, but chicken, tempeh, or even tofu would be awesome too!

Nuts and parmesan cheese are perfect for topping. If you want to keep it vegan, some nutritional yeast would be a great alternative to the cheese. I love to squeeze some lemon over most everything. This dish was no different. I prefer to have two lemon wedges at the ready. One for the start, and one to use partway through.

Happy Eating!

Kohlrabi Stuffed with Cabbage and Apple

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 50 minutes

Yield: 4

Kohlrabi Stuffed with Cabbage and Apple

Ingredients

4 kohlrabi, top and bottom sliced off, peeled if desired, but it's not necessary, greens reserved
1 T olive oil
1 C leek/shallot/onion, diced
1/2 C radish or carrot, diced
1 C cabbage, chopped
1 apple, diced
to taste salt
to taste pepper
1 t fresh thyme (or 1/4 t dried)
1 T fresh basil (or 1 t dried), chopped
1 t dried parsley (or 1 T fresh), crushed
pinch cayenne (or 1/2 hot pepper, ribs and seeds removed, minced) (optional)
1 C turkey or chicken or sausage (cooked)/tempeh/tofu
1 C brown rice or quinoa (cooked)
1 bunch kohlrabi greens (or kale, chard, spinach, bok choy etc...), chopped
parmesan cheese, grated, or nutritional yeast, for topping
almonds, chopped, for topping
lemon wedges, for serving (2/serving)

Instructions

Place kohlrabi cut side down in a steamer basket with about 2" boiling water in the bottom of a pot. Cover and steam for about 30-40 minutes, over medium heat, until kohlrabi is tender and pierces easily with a knife. Remove, let cool slightly, and scoop out the middle (and mash or chop and set aside).
While kohlrabi steams, heat a skillet and add olive oil. Add leek through thyme and cook over medium-low heat for about 10 minutes. Add basil through kohlrabi greens, plus any of the center of the kohlrabi. Cook until all veggies are tender and the meat or tempeh/tofu is heated through, about 5 minutes. Taste for seasoning.
Spoon filling into hollowed out kohlrabi. Top with parmesan or nutritional yeast and almonds. Serve with lemon wedges for squeezing.

http://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/kohlrabi-stuffed-with-cabbage-and-apple/

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

12

October 2015

0

COMMENTS

How to Make Herbal Teas

Written by Rachel, Posted in Herbs, How To

We see a lot of herbs come through our kitchen. Most from the weekly Abundant Harvest Organics box, a few from my garden. Many of them are the perfect compliment to soups, pastas, or pizza. Some stand on their own as the star in dishes like pesto. Last summer I tackled cold drinks using some of our favorite herbs. Now that we’re in the full swing of fall, let’s sip some tea together.

I will admit that I’m not a big tea drinker, although I like it a lot more than I used to. In the past, I only drank tea when I was sick, giving it a negative connotation. I have now found some teas that I really enjoy, no matter how sick or healthy I’m feeling.

One of my favorite uses for tea is as a stress reliever. Just the act of sipping a hot beverage is soothing. But, even more than that, many herbs are known to be relieve stress. Some that are more commonly known are lavender and chamomile. But, basil and lemon balm can be added to that category too.

Here are a few things that some of my favorite herbs are known for:

Lavender

A part of the mint family, lavender is said to aid with sleep and relaxation and to be anti-inflammatory.

Basil

I love it for its taste and smell. It’s a big part of some of my favorite dishes. But, basil is also known to be a digestive aid, to help with headaches, and poor circulation. It’s also said to be an antioxidant, anti-viral, antimicrobial, and a stress reliever.

Chamomile

My go-to tea when I’m not feeling well, chamomile is known to aid digestion, relieve hay fever, anxiety, inflammation, muscle spasms, insomnia, ulcers, menstrual cramps, and gastrointestinal disorder.

Lemon Balm

Another member of the mint family, lemon balm is said to soothe jittery nerves, improve mood and mental performance, relieve stress, and contain antioxidants. (It’s also used by some as a mosquito repellant.)

Rosemary

I haven’t tried rosemary in a tea, but it’s supposed to help relieve gas and colic (although too many cups/day could irritate the stomach).

Thyme

Another favorite of mine when cooking, thyme is said to help alleviate lung congestion. It’s also said to be helpful for gastrointestinal problems.

Mint

One of my favorite herbs to grow, because of how easy it is and how much I use it, mint is known to stimulate digestion, help alleviate hay fever, nausea, stomach ache, and irritable bowel syndrome, and it is also said to be an antioxidant.

Tea Parings

I’ve come up with a few ideas for herbs that I think might taste good together in a tea.* I’ve added a few extras, like honey and citrus, where I think they’d be especially nice.

To Soothe

basil + mint + lavender + chamomile + honey

basil + mint + lavender + chamomile + lemon balm

lavender + basil + lemongrass

lavender + orange zest + cinnamon

For the Tummy

lavender + thyme + mint

basil + chamomile + mint

mint + ginger + lemon zest

basil + ginger + thyme + lemon

mint + ginger + lemon zest

Under the Weather

lemongrass + ginger + cayenne + honey

rosemary + lemon balm + thyme + honey + cayenne

thyme + cayenne + honey + lemon zest + lemon juice

chamomile + thyme + mint + honey + lemon juice

thyme + basil + lemon balm

Just Because

rosemary + lemon balm + mint

mint + lemon zest + honey

Tea can be made tea with fresh and dried leaves. It can be hot, cold, or somewhere in-between. Tea can be comforting, invigorating, and healing… Now I think I’ll go make myself a cup.

Happy Sipping

*If you are pregnant (or trying to conceive), nursing, have health conditions, or take medication that may be interfered with, please consult your health care professional before using. Possible health benefits of herbs are my opinions and ideas, based on the research that I’ve done, but are in no way intended to replace the advice of a qualified health care professional.

Sources:

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D., and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., with Lara Pizzorno, M.A., L.M.T., Atria Books 2005

Reader’s Digest Foods That Harm Foods That Heal, The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. 1997

Wikipedia

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Lavender

Basil

Chamomile

Lemon Balm

Rosemary

Thyme

Mint

Tea Parings

To Soothe

For the Tummy

Under the Weather

Just Because

Happy Sipping

Sources:

The Encyclopedia of Healing Foods by Michael Murray, N.D., and Joseph Pizzorno, N.D., with Lara Pizzorno, M.A., L.M.T., Atria Books 2005

Reader’s Digest Foods That Harm Foods That Heal, The Reader’s Digest Association, Inc. 1997

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