Thursday, December 4, 2014

Cauliflower salad

This is more of a main course than a salad. The dressing for this is super fantastic. I didn't love the lentils in this dish as much as I thought I would.  Next time I will try it with chickpeas. Still it was very good.

cauliflower, lentils, onions, dates, almonds, arugula,oil, spices, salt, and pepper

chop your cauliflower, green onions, and dates

season cauliflower with oil, cumin, ginger, salt, and paprika - then roast until brown in spots

make dressing - blend oil, lemon juice, tahini, salt, and honey

add water until really smooth and creamy

rough smash almonds

cauliflower is nice browned, season with salt to taste

cook and drain your lentils

mix lentils with cauliflower, and dates/green onions into dressing

stir dressing in while lentils and cauliflower are warm, you can eat it hot or let it rest

serve on top of arugula and top with crushed almonds

Bon apetit!

Thursday, November 20, 2014

Potato leek soup with herb pistou

I love potato/leek soup, but I don't love it cold. I also love it with cream, but can't make it that way for my family, so I serve it hot, add a few more things, and make it delish. This recipe includes an herb pistou that I found. Pistou like pesto works well stirred into things as a garnish or as a burst of fresh flavors.

potatoes, leeks, carrots, oil, salt, and pepper

cut the carrots, trim and cut the leeks

wash and save the greens for making veggie stock

saute leeks and carrots in oil

peel and chop the potatoes

add to the pot with lots of water, and some salt and pepper, simmer till veggies are very soft

make the pesto - parsley, oil, lemon, salt, sugar

blend parsley, oil, and lemon together; and season to taste with salt and sugar

blend soup well

season with salt and pepper

serve garnished with pistou

Soup is good!

Thursday, November 6, 2014

Tomato sauce (fresh)

I have posted my canned tomatoes and my slow simmered sauce, but this is my fresh sauce. This is great when you have too many tomatoes, or in the middle of winter when all you have are not so yummy tomatoes but you want to buy them anyway. I made this version with the tomatoes and herbs from my garden.

tomatoes, onion, garlic, parsely, oregano, basil, oil, and salt

saute onions and garlic in oil with herbs

rough chop tomatoes

add to pot, I added some of my canned sauce that I just made

the skins will come off pretty quickly

let simmer for 15 minutes or so

finish pulling out the skins and pull out the herbs

serve with smeatballs!

Enjoy!

Thursday, October 30, 2014

Veggie meatballs

These are our new favorite smeatball . As usual the recipe is from Food and Wine, but it was a real recipe for veggie meatballs, not just my interpretation of one. These are good with pasta, rice, on sandwiches, however you want them. I like to make them a day or two ahead of time, sometimes in big batches to use all week.

eggplant, mushrooms, garlic, eggs, flour, almond meal, bread crumbs, oil, soy, salt

roast your eggplant and then peel

and chop, I like my kitchen shears

mince your mushrooms and saute to release juices

mix eggplant, mushrooms, minced garlic, soy, almond meal, and miso (last minute addition)

then add eggs

then add breadcrumbs

form into balls and roll in flour

chill at least an hour - they need to be firm

then fry in hot oil till brown on all sides

finish or reheat in sauce

eat them up yum

Delish!

Tuesday, July 1, 2014

Irish potatoes

This is the other thing I made for St. Patrick's day dinner. My friends Mother-in-Law told me how to make Irish potatoes, although the very first time I ever had them was at Connie O's in Greenpoint on St. Patrick's day. I still have my hat from that day. I had tried to figure out how to make them on my own but it took three years and one Irish MIL of a friend later for me to learn the art. It is actually quiet simple.

First you want smaller potatoes usually red or yukon. You need to cook them skin on and keep them just barely at a boil, never a hard boil. Then you skin them and fry them in lots of butter. They are so good.

As an added bonus I have included boiled cabbage in this recipe, that's all it is. Boiled cabbage with butter and salt and pepper. It is super simple and super yummy. If you haven't ever made it, make it now. I just boil my cabbage in the same water I used for my potatoes, so by the time I cool them enough to skin them and then fry them the cabbage is ready also.

potatoes, butter, salt, pepper, oil

add water to cover potatoes and keep just under a boil until potatoes are cooked through

remove potatoes from water and let cool slightly

add cabbage quarters and salt to the water and keep it simmering

peel the potatoes with a knife, remove all the bits and nubs

toss in some salt

melt 'butter' in oil (next time I am using real butter, the margerine wasn't as good)

fry potatoes flipping occasionally

meanwhile drain cabbage and toss with 'butter', salt, and pepper

potatoes should be brown and crispy on the outside

drain on paper towels for a minute or two

then serve with cabbage, veggie rashers, bread, and guiness

see here we are post irish potatoes and beer circa 2006

Sláinte!