Wednesday

18

February 2015

4

COMMENTS

Turnip Hash with Bacon and Gouda

Written by Rachel, Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Gluten Free, Lunch, Main Dishes, Meat, Nuts, Pork, Potatoes, Quick and Easy, Vegetables

Lunchtime is often spent at my desk. Sometimes it’s what I’ve cooked for a post, maybe it’s leftovers, occasionally it’s an almond butter and honey sandwich with some fruit and a glass of milk. Whatever it is, it’s usually eaten while I do something else, often standing at the kitchen island because I don’t have time to sit down.

I sat down for this one.

I would argue that almost anything is better with bacon. I could probably give up any other meat. But, bacon, it’s not going anywhere. Paired with crispy on the outside, tender on the inside turnips, and these two things alone could win me over.

They took less than ten minutes. This is a quick one to whip up.

Once the veggies were done, they got moved over to the side so an egg could be fried. I like to get the skillet really hot, so the edges can crisp up a bit. Then I flip, turn off the heat, and let the top set just a bit. I like the yolk to be runny, so it will combine with the veggies to make a dressing of sorts. However you like to cook your eggs will be perfect though. You could even scramble them if you’d like.

And then, the dish came together with some gouda cheese, chopped spring onions, roasted and salted almonds, and a squeeze of lemon.

I sat and ate this while making yummy sounds and writing happy notes in my recipe notebook.

Is it weird that I want to have this again for dinner instead of the homemade pasta with homemade tomato sauce that I’ve got planned. Yeah, I liked it that much.

Happy Eating!

Turnip Hash with Bacon and Gouda

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2

Turnip Hash with Bacon and Gouda

Ingredients

4 slices bacon
2 T olive oil
3 small turnips (or potatoes or rutabagas), chopped
1 carrot, chopped
to taste salt
to taste pepper
pinch cayenne
2 C broccoli, chopped
1 egg/person
2 T gouda cheese, chopped
1 T green or spring onion, chopped
2 T almonds, chopped
lemon slices, for serving

Instructions

Cook bacon. Remove from pan and drain on a paper towel lined plate. When cool, crumble.
Add olive oil to bacon grease. When it's hot, add turnip through cayenne. Cook over medium or medium-low heat for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add broccoli and cook another 3-5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Move veggies over to the side of the skillet (or remove and keep warm). Fry egg(s).
Divide the veggie mixture between two plates. Top with egg, cheese, onion, almonds, bacon, and a squeeze of lemon.

https://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/turnip-hash-with-bacon-and-gouda/

Monday

16

February 2015

0

COMMENTS

Vegetarian Lasagne

Written by Rachel, Posted in Cheese, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Herbs, Main Dishes, Pasta, Roasting, Vegetables, Vegetarian

I think that homemade pasta is one of the most rewarding things to eat. Maybe after baguettes… maybe tied. In any case, gosh it’s good. Every time I make it I swear that I’m never buying pasta again (and then I totally do). Since homemade lasagne is one of Tim’s favorite meals, I know that I’ve always got a winner on my hands when I combine the two.

If you’re not quite up to the homemade pasta challenge, that’s totally fine. But, if you are, I used a recipe from Alana Chernila’s cookbook, The Homemade Pantry. It turned out great. In the past, I’ve used another recipe that called for waaaaay more eggs. I thought that this one tasted just as good, and it only called for three eggs. Winner.

Making homemade pasta is a seriously time consuming task. It’s well worth it though. It was nice to be forced to do just one thing. To stand and wait for the pasta to roll through the attachment that I have for my KitchenAid. How often am I still, just listening to the food as it’s being shaped? Not often enough.

Maybe because I was already tuned in, I noticed the way the sage popped and crackled after I took it out of the pan of hot browned butter.

Things like this make my heart a little bit lighter.

Once the pasta was rolled out and drying, once the sage was cooked and set aside, fresh greens were chopped up for the tomatoey sauce. Tons of greens. I used chard, collards, and white choi. Any greens that you have on hand will do just fine.

Now, here’s where I need to make a small note. I used diced tomatoes in the greens. My preference would be tomato sauce. But, since I’d already spent like five hours on the dish at this point, I didn’t want to take an extra ten minutes to blend the tomatoes. Tim didn’t mind them diced though. So, just a note that you could do it either way, and I think it would be great. Ok? Ok.

I roasted some butternut squash. This recipe needs about the equivalent of one large squash. I had two on the counter, so I roasted them both at the same time. One for this dish, another to go in the freezer for another time. The squash is mixed with some salt and pepper. Easy.

I went simple when it came to the cheese in this dish. You could also add mozzarella or ricotta (or both!), if you want to. I’m not usually opposed to more cheese, ever. But, parmesan is what I had in the fridge, and I’m trying to be better at using what we have on hand.

I let the pasta dry while I cooked up the tomatoes and greens. Then, once everything else was ready, the pasta got a quick dunk in some boiling water. Just for a minute, if it’s fresh pasta (if you’re using store bought, follow the instructions on the package).

And finally, assembly time (which means closer to eating time). Greens in the bottom, noodle, squash, cheese, repeat. I made two individual ramekins for dinner, and then a loaf pan sized one to put into the freezer for another day. You could also make an 8x8ish pan and I think the amount of ingredients would come out about the same.

The lasagne is served topped with those crunchy sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon.

Happy Eating!

Vegetarian Lasagne

Prep Time: 20 minutes

Cook Time: 60 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour, 20 minutes

Yield: 4

Vegetarian Lasagne

Ingredients

1 t olive oil
1 butternut squash, halved, seeds removed
10-12 lasagne noodles, fresh if you have them
2 T butter, divided
8 sage leaves
6-8 C greens (any greens will do: chard, collards, red or white choi, bok choy, kale, spinach, Tokyo bekana, mizuna...)
3 cloves garlic, diced
1 T balsamic vinegar
2-3 C diced tomatoes (or 3 C tomato sauce)
to taste salt
to taste pepper
pinch cayenne
1 1/2 C parmesan cheese, grated
lemon slices, for serving

Instructions

Pre-heat oven to 350F. Drizzle squash with olive oil. Place cut side down on a baking sheet. Roast for 60 minutes (or until flesh pierces easily with a fork). Scoop out flesh and mix with some salt and pepper.
While squash roasts, heat skillet over medium heat. Add 1 T butter. Fry sage, 1 minute per side. Remove from skillet and set aside.
Add 1 T butter to the sage skillet and turn the heat down to medium-low. Add greens, salt, and pepper. Wilt down, turning often, for about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook 1 minute more. Add balsamic vinegar and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes through cayenne. Increase heat to medium and simmer for about 5-10 minutes. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed.
Par cook lasagne noodles in boiling salted water for about 1 minute (fresh) (or according to package directions for store bought). Remove with a slotted spoon and spread out on a plate.
In a greased 8x8 or 9x9 oven proof pan (or 2 individual ramekins and 1 loaf pan), spread a bit of the tomato mixture on the bottom, top with a noodle, a scoop of squash, and some cheese. Repeat 4 or 5 times, or until pan is full or ingredients are gone, ending with squash and cheese.
Bake for about 30 minutes.
Serve topped with crumbled sage leaves and a squeeze of lemon.

https://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/vegetarian-lasagne/

Thursday

12

February 2015

2

COMMENTS

Cornmeal Pancakes with Almond Butter and Apples

Written by Rachel, Posted in Breakfast, Brunch, Dinner, Eggs, Fruit, Gluten Free, Kid-Friendly, Lunch, Main Dishes, Quick and Easy, Vegetarian

Breakfast food is good any time of the day. Take these pancakes for example. They’re simple enough to whip up in the morning when it’s a little earlier than you might like to be up. And, they’re filling enough to be eaten for lunch or dinner.

I’ve made cornmeal pancakes quite a few times before. I’ve written about different ways that I like to top them. Of course, they’re amazing just out of the skillet with nothing but maple syrup. But, I love to make a pancake breakfast (or lunch or dinner) into a hearty meal, so I like to add a bunch of toppings.

Today, I went with Burroughs Family Farms almond butter. If you haven’t tried it before, you are missing out… It’s seriously good stuff. (It would also be great on Stuffed French Toast, if you’re looking for another way to use it.) I thought that apples would be great with the almond butter (whatever fruit is in season will work: pears, persimmons, peaches, plums, nectarines, cherries… they’d all be amazing, or if you’ve got some homemade Peach Sauce, that would be delicious too). Then for a bit of brightness, I added some lemon zest. Do this. So tasty!

The pancake basics come together pretty quickly. The dry ingredients are whisked together separately from the wet ones. The wet ones include a Burroughs Family Farm egg. Love the color of that yolk!

Everyone gets whisked together to make a not too thin, not too thick batter.

These are smaller pancakes (which is why I can eat the whole batch on my own if I’m not careful). Just 2-3 tablespoons of batter is all that you’ll need for each one.

They cook a bit quicker than regular pancakes too. They just need about one minute on each side.

And then they’re ready to be topped with that almond butter.

Go for it!

You can top each one with apples and stack ’em, or just arrange them on the plate. Then add some lemon zest, a squeeze of lemon, and some maple syrup. If you wanted to make this meal even better, you could add a fried egg on the side… because a fried egg makes pretty much any meal just that much yummier. 😉

Happy Eating!

Print
Cornmeal Pancakes with Almond Butter and Apples

Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes

Yield: 2
Serving Size: 4-5 small pancakes

Ingredients
1 apple, chopped
1 t lemon juice
1/2 C cornmeal
1/2 t baking soda
1 t baking powder
pinch salt
1 egg
1/2 T maple syrup
1 t coconut oil (plus more for cooking)
1/4 C buttermilk (or 1 T white vinegar and pour in milk to 1/4 C, stir with a fork and let sit 5 min)
almond butter, for serving
lemon zest, for serving
maple syrup, for serving
lemon juice, for serving
Instructions
Toss apples with lemon juice. Set aside.
Whisk together cornmeal through salt. In a separate bowl whisk egg through buttermilk. Add wet ingredients to dry. Stir to combine.
Heat a skillet over medium-low heat. Add a bit of coconut oil. When oil is hot add about 2-3 T of the batter. Cook for about 1 minute on first side (or until bubbles appear and do not pop), then another minute (or less) on the second side. Cook in batches until all batter has been used.
Serve topped with almond butter, apples, lemon zest, maple syrup, and lemon juice.
3.1
https://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/cornmeal-pancakes-with-almond-butter-and-apples/

Monday

9

February 2015

0

COMMENTS

Loaded Chicken and Rice Soup

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

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.

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.

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.

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.

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.

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

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.

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

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

(*If you're not using leftover chicken, cook it now, let it cool slightly, remove from bones and shred or chop.)
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.
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).
Remove from heat and stir in parsley and butter. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Serve with a squeeze of lemon.

https://www.de-ma-cuisine.com/loaded-chicken-and-rice-soup/

Thursday

5

February 2015

0

COMMENTS

Rachel Reviews – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible

Written by Rachel, Posted in Books, Reviews, Thoughts

I have to admit that I was a bit biased when it came to The Vegetarian Flavor Bible. I’ve been using The Flavor Bible for years. It quickly became a well used kitchen tool. I have come to trust Karen and Andrew’s insight completely. So when I heard that there was a second version, a vegetarian edition, I knew that I would love it. I just knew.

And I was right. It’s phenomenal. I use it for everything from recipes for blog posts, to dinner party menus, to what to use to top our pizza. It’s definitely one of the most valuable kitchen tools that I have.

Every kitchen should come equipped with one.

What I Love About the Vegetarian Flavor Bible

It’s Alphabetical

Each letter is highlighted throughout the section, so it shows on the side of the book, making it easy to find what I’m looking for.

The Amount of Information

In the original Flavor Bible they have information about the season, taste, weight, tips, volume, and techniques. In the new Vegetarian Flavor Bible, they also provide guidance on flavor, nutritional information, cooking techniques, facts, botanical relatives, and more. It’s obvious that a lot of work went in to this book. The result of which is that food has become more understandable and accessible.

The Quantity of Ingredients

I have yet to look for an ingredient and not find it in this book. From goat cheese to spelt berries, burdock to ramps, kelp noodles to liquid smoke. You name it, and I’d guess that it’s in there.

(Since we don’t eat exclusively vegetarian, I have the older Flavor Bible to reference when I want to pair foods with meat.)

The Paring Suggestions

In both versions of the book, I’ve loved that they’ve gone beyond the extensive list of what to pair an ingredient with and have taken three or four ingredients and put them together. You really could just flip to a page, point to an ingredient, go down to the “Flavor Affinities” section, and plan your next dinner party accordingly. All they’ve left for you to do is prepare the food and do the dishes.

The Photography

I’m a sucker for a great photo of food. While they’re plentiful in both, for some reason I forgot to notice them in the first book. Maybe it’s the white cover on the newer one that just feels so clean and lets the photo stand out. The photos on the interior pages seem to jump out at me too, maybe more noticeable because the front cover caught my eye from the get-go. In any case, whatever the reason, they’re beautiful, and I’m always happy to have a well photographed book as a part of my collection.

The Flavor Bible and The Vegetarian Flavor Bible have taught me so much over the years. Without them, I never would have thought to pair black pepper with apricots, cilantro with lentils and sweet potatoes, or apples with bulgur wheat. They’ve given me the confidence to try new things, expand my culinary horizons, and cook my heart out.

A copy of The Vegetarian Flavor Bible was provided by the authors for this review.

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Turnip Hash with Bacon and Gouda

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Vegetarian Lasagne

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Cornmeal Pancakes with Almond Butter and Apples

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9

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Loaded Chicken and Rice Soup

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Rachel Reviews – The Vegetarian Flavor Bible

What I Love About the Vegetarian Flavor Bible

A copy of The Vegetarian Flavor Bible was provided by the authors for this review.

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