I've been truly addicted to food52 lately, and testing many more recipes from that site than creating my own (though I rarely leave any recipe alone!), but here's one more "share." I thought I've roasted cauliflower to death, but this dish really caught my eye and proved to be a popular one with my tasters. I tested this for food52 several weeks ago during the contest for "your best cauliflower." This one, as well as one of mine, were selected as Editors' Picks, which means something but I'm not sure what. I guess it's like getting Honorable Mention.
If you like the flavor of curry, and have a decent powdered blend or a recipe to make one, I highly recommend you try this out soon! It is an easy, easy, recipe to prep - just cut up the cauliflower, open a can of chick peas, cut an onion and toss it all in a curry vinaigrette. Then just pour yourself a glass of wine and relax while your oven does the rest, roasting until the cauliflower mellows and starts to brown and the chickpeas get crispy and delicious. OK, maybe stir it up once or twice. It can be a vegetarian dinner for 3 or so with just some rice alongside, or can be a side dish for four with some protein, maybe shrimp or salmon roasted at the same time.
I cut the oil and vinegar back by half but kept the amounts for the spices the same. After tossing the veggies with the vinaigrette and arranging them on the baking sheet, I then added about one more tablespoon of olive oil to the bowl in which I made the vinaigrette to get out the rest of the spices stuck to the bowl, and then drizzled that over top of the cauliflower. I also set my oven at 425 instead of the 400 degrees specified.
Delicious!
Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vegetables. Show all posts
Monday, November 8, 2010
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Mixed Grill - Vegetables, That Is
This dish is just amazing. It comes from my sister-in-law, Liz, and is healthy as can be. The first thing you have to do is get the right pan for cooking vegetables on the grill. I found the perfect one at Bed, Bath and Beyond and it was under ten dollars. It's a non-stick pan about the shape of a wok, with holes all over it. It holds a large amount of cut up vegetables and is easy to clean.
I made this just last night and forgot to photograph the results so you'll have to trust me that it is colorful and appealing as well as delicious and healthy.
I am not even going to write this out as an actual recipe it's so simple. Just fire up the grill if you're using coal, and then cut up the vegetables. If you're using a gas grill, you can light it after cutting the vegetables. Medium heat is best -- not too hot -- you don't want the vegetables to burn, just soften and get some attractive grill marks and flavor.
Cut up a combination of vegetables into bite sized pieces. I would recommend always using onion for flavor, but any combination works. Last night I used about half an Asian eggplant (long, skinny kind), a small zucchini, two large onions (one red and one white) cut into wedges, a yellow pepper, and some broccoli. Everything but the broccoli was from the farm stand. I like to add some cherry tomatoes at the end just for a little extra flavor. They also provide a little "sauce" to the mix.
You'll want to spray the pan with cooking spray or olive oil from a mister, and either spray the vegetables as well or put all the cut vegetables into a Ziploc with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and mix it around so that all are lightly coated. Put the vegetables in the pan on the barbecue and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. If you like, you can also sprinkle on some other herbs or even some garlic powder.
The vegetables take a while to cook -- that's why you should wait to add the tomatoes if you're adding them -- they cook very quickly. If you're grilling anything else that cooks quickly, start the vegetables first. Depending on the heat of your grill, it could take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. Check the pan and stir up the vegetable mix frequently, but between stirring, close the top of the grill. When the majority of the vegetables seem soft and slightly charred, add the cherry tomatoes if you're using them. Cook for about 5 more minutes. The tomatoes should look slightly shriveled but not burst when done.
You can serve this as a side dish with meat or fish or as a main dish with some pasta or quinoa and a little cheese such as mozzarella, parmesan or goat cheese crumbled on top.
I made this just last night and forgot to photograph the results so you'll have to trust me that it is colorful and appealing as well as delicious and healthy.
I am not even going to write this out as an actual recipe it's so simple. Just fire up the grill if you're using coal, and then cut up the vegetables. If you're using a gas grill, you can light it after cutting the vegetables. Medium heat is best -- not too hot -- you don't want the vegetables to burn, just soften and get some attractive grill marks and flavor.
Cut up a combination of vegetables into bite sized pieces. I would recommend always using onion for flavor, but any combination works. Last night I used about half an Asian eggplant (long, skinny kind), a small zucchini, two large onions (one red and one white) cut into wedges, a yellow pepper, and some broccoli. Everything but the broccoli was from the farm stand. I like to add some cherry tomatoes at the end just for a little extra flavor. They also provide a little "sauce" to the mix.
You'll want to spray the pan with cooking spray or olive oil from a mister, and either spray the vegetables as well or put all the cut vegetables into a Ziploc with a tablespoon or two of olive oil and mix it around so that all are lightly coated. Put the vegetables in the pan on the barbecue and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. If you like, you can also sprinkle on some other herbs or even some garlic powder.
The vegetables take a while to cook -- that's why you should wait to add the tomatoes if you're adding them -- they cook very quickly. If you're grilling anything else that cooks quickly, start the vegetables first. Depending on the heat of your grill, it could take anywhere from 20 to 30 minutes. Check the pan and stir up the vegetable mix frequently, but between stirring, close the top of the grill. When the majority of the vegetables seem soft and slightly charred, add the cherry tomatoes if you're using them. Cook for about 5 more minutes. The tomatoes should look slightly shriveled but not burst when done.
You can serve this as a side dish with meat or fish or as a main dish with some pasta or quinoa and a little cheese such as mozzarella, parmesan or goat cheese crumbled on top.
Friday, March 6, 2009
How Green Is Your Dinner?
There are many things that I will not do for my health until such time, if ever, as I am pressed completely to the wall. For example, I will never completely give up pasta. Some people feel this type of strong commitment to chocolate. For me, it's pasta. I will limit my portions, I will try each generation of whole grain pastas and I'll cook it al dente to lesson the amount of starch and, therefore, decrease the speed at which it is converted to sugar in my body (this one sounded reasonable when I read it, but boy, does it sound completely desperate now). But, I don't think l will ever be able to completely excise it from my diet. And if I eliminated it from my family's, there'd likely be a mutiny.
Eating extra vegetables at every meal is one way I've found to cut back on the pasta. Dark, leafy greens seem to do the trick really well. They are packed with good vitamins, calcium, anti-oxidants and fiber, and when cooked well, taste great. They taste great with pasta and grains as well as beans. And the best part is that it's so easy to prepare them.
So, kale. I love kale. My family tolerates kale. But they eat it! Kale was another vegetable I had never eaten before last winter and now serve regularly. Often, I just saute it in a large non stick frying pan in a little bit of olive oil, with minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Pretty much the same way I've done spinach over the years. Kale retains a little more body than spinach and doesn't get as mushy when sauteed, which I really like. I'll provide the recipe below. Recently, I threw some leftover kale, as well as the tougher ribs I'd cut from the kale leaves the day prior, into a beef and barley soup that was cooking away on my stove. It was delicious and there was not a word during dinner. Just a lot of noisy slurping.
I do, however, use spinach in just about everything else I can think of. If it seems to go with a winter soup, I throw some in just before serving. Sometimes, I buy the big bags of spinach at Costco and then it's a spinach week around here. Sauteed. Swirled into soups. Spinach salad. With pasta. I prefer baby spinach when I'm buying at the grocery store this time of year. It cooks more quickly, and there's usually no trimming of tougher stems required.
After mastering spinach and kale, I turned to chard. Turns out, my husband likes the mix of chard and spinach as a sauteed side dish. Chard comes in a red tinged form, too, which can be fun on the plate. Chard is a little milder and softer than kale.
Broccoli rabe intimidated me. Is it broccolini? Is it kale? How to cook it? Trader Joe's used to sell it already cut up in salad like bags, so when I came across this Giada De Laurentiis pasta recipe, I decided to try it. The trick is to boil the broccoli rabe briefly before cooking it further in a skillet. Takes out some of the bitterness. Sadly, the Oz-like brains behind Trader Joe's have decided to no longer carry that item, so I have had to start cutting my own rabe.
I noticed just yesterday, however, right in my neighborhood Safeway, an entire rack of precut and bagged greens: mustard, kale, chard and collard. No excuse not to try them any longer.
Sauteed Greens (works with spinach, kale, chard, or a mixture of them)
(serves 4)
1 bunch kale, chard or spinach, or bag of precut greens
2-3 large cloves garlic, minced
pinch dried crushed red pepper
kosher or sea salt
If using a bunch of kale or chard, cut the tender leaves away from the tougher, spiny stems. You can save the stems for a soup or other longer cooking stew if you like. I try to do that if possible, but sometimes they are wasted. Cut up the leaves into smaller pieces, the size you like for salads.
Wash the greens in cool water, and spin dry lightly, leaving just a touch of water on the leaves.
Heat a tablespoon or so of extra virgn olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. If you prefer, you can use a mister or olive oil spray. Add the minced garlic and let it soften just briefly. You do not want it to brown.
After about a minute, put a large handful of the greens into the pan and stir frequently from the bottom. As the greens soften, add the rest of the greens by handfuls until all of the greens have softened. If the pan seems dry during the process, add a 1/4 cup of water or stock. Once the greens have softened and darkened, add a pinch of kosher or sea salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
You can serve this as a side dish with a pasta dish, or most meat or chicken dishes. I like it over brown rice or quinoa.
Orecchiette With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian)
(serves 4 with leftovers, unless you have a teenaged son )
We love this dish with broccoli rabe as well as with kale or chard. With kale or chard, you don't have to boil the greens first.
2 bunches broccoli rabe (or 1 large bunch chard or kale)
16 ounces dried orecchiette pasta or other small shape like penne or farfalle (for this dish we go traditional and use white pasta. Feel free to try whole wheat or rice pasta if it suits your diet better)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound Italian chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed (if you like it very spicy, use spicy Italian sausage, if you like it less spicy, use mild sausage)
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) - use a real Parmigiano Reggiano, please. no green cans!!!
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe out of the pot and set aside in a bowl, leaving the pot ready for cooking the pasta.
-Cook the pasta in the same pot of water, stirring occasionally, until tender, but al dente, or firm to the bite. Reserve one cup of the pasta cooking liquid and then drain the pasta.
-Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the larger pieces with the back of a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Spoon most of the resulting liquid out of the pan and discard. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil, the minced garlic and the crushed red pepper to the pan and cook about 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Cook until greens are soft and tender. Add the pasta and enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, if using, and the black pepper into the pasta mixture. Serve.
So, kale. I love kale. My family tolerates kale. But they eat it! Kale was another vegetable I had never eaten before last winter and now serve regularly. Often, I just saute it in a large non stick frying pan in a little bit of olive oil, with minced garlic and crushed red pepper. Pretty much the same way I've done spinach over the years. Kale retains a little more body than spinach and doesn't get as mushy when sauteed, which I really like. I'll provide the recipe below. Recently, I threw some leftover kale, as well as the tougher ribs I'd cut from the kale leaves the day prior, into a beef and barley soup that was cooking away on my stove. It was delicious and there was not a word during dinner. Just a lot of noisy slurping.
I do, however, use spinach in just about everything else I can think of. If it seems to go with a winter soup, I throw some in just before serving. Sometimes, I buy the big bags of spinach at Costco and then it's a spinach week around here. Sauteed. Swirled into soups. Spinach salad. With pasta. I prefer baby spinach when I'm buying at the grocery store this time of year. It cooks more quickly, and there's usually no trimming of tougher stems required.
After mastering spinach and kale, I turned to chard. Turns out, my husband likes the mix of chard and spinach as a sauteed side dish. Chard comes in a red tinged form, too, which can be fun on the plate. Chard is a little milder and softer than kale.
Broccoli rabe intimidated me. Is it broccolini? Is it kale? How to cook it? Trader Joe's used to sell it already cut up in salad like bags, so when I came across this Giada De Laurentiis pasta recipe, I decided to try it. The trick is to boil the broccoli rabe briefly before cooking it further in a skillet. Takes out some of the bitterness. Sadly, the Oz-like brains behind Trader Joe's have decided to no longer carry that item, so I have had to start cutting my own rabe.
I noticed just yesterday, however, right in my neighborhood Safeway, an entire rack of precut and bagged greens: mustard, kale, chard and collard. No excuse not to try them any longer.
Sauteed Greens (works with spinach, kale, chard, or a mixture of them)
(serves 4)
1 bunch kale, chard or spinach, or bag of precut greens
2-3 large cloves garlic, minced
pinch dried crushed red pepper
kosher or sea salt
If using a bunch of kale or chard, cut the tender leaves away from the tougher, spiny stems. You can save the stems for a soup or other longer cooking stew if you like. I try to do that if possible, but sometimes they are wasted. Cut up the leaves into smaller pieces, the size you like for salads.
Wash the greens in cool water, and spin dry lightly, leaving just a touch of water on the leaves.
Heat a tablespoon or so of extra virgn olive oil in a large non-stick skillet on medium heat. If you prefer, you can use a mister or olive oil spray. Add the minced garlic and let it soften just briefly. You do not want it to brown.
After about a minute, put a large handful of the greens into the pan and stir frequently from the bottom. As the greens soften, add the rest of the greens by handfuls until all of the greens have softened. If the pan seems dry during the process, add a 1/4 cup of water or stock. Once the greens have softened and darkened, add a pinch of kosher or sea salt and a pinch of crushed red pepper.
You can serve this as a side dish with a pasta dish, or most meat or chicken dishes. I like it over brown rice or quinoa.
Orecchiette With Sausage and Broccoli Rabe
(adapted from Giada De Laurentiis, Everyday Italian)
(serves 4 with leftovers, unless you have a teenaged son )
We love this dish with broccoli rabe as well as with kale or chard. With kale or chard, you don't have to boil the greens first.
2 bunches broccoli rabe (or 1 large bunch chard or kale)
16 ounces dried orecchiette pasta or other small shape like penne or farfalle (for this dish we go traditional and use white pasta. Feel free to try whole wheat or rice pasta if it suits your diet better)
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1 pound Italian chicken or turkey sausage, casings removed (if you like it very spicy, use spicy Italian sausage, if you like it less spicy, use mild sausage)
3 garlic cloves, minced
pinch of dried crushed red pepper
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese (optional) - use a real Parmigiano Reggiano, please. no green cans!!!
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
-Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the broccoli rabe and cook until crisp-tender, about 1 minute. Strain the broccoli rabe out of the pot and set aside in a bowl, leaving the pot ready for cooking the pasta.
-Cook the pasta in the same pot of water, stirring occasionally, until tender, but al dente, or firm to the bite. Reserve one cup of the pasta cooking liquid and then drain the pasta.
-Meanwhile, in a large, heavy skillet, heat 1 tablespoon of the oil over medium heat. Add the sausage and cook, breaking up the larger pieces with the back of a spoon, until the sausage is brown and juices form, about 8 minutes. Spoon most of the resulting liquid out of the pan and discard. Add the other tablespoon of olive oil, the minced garlic and the crushed red pepper to the pan and cook about 1 minute. Add the broccoli rabe and toss to coat. Cook until greens are soft and tender. Add the pasta and enough of the reserved cooking liquid, 1/4 cup at a time, to moisten. Stir the Parmesan cheese, if using, and the black pepper into the pasta mixture. Serve.
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Welcome!
Welcome to my cooking blog! I'm starting this to document and share what I've been cooking for dinner lately in hopes that other families can use the healthier recipes that my family has enjoyed. Look at it this way, I'm doing hours of work culling and testing recipes so you don't have to!
I have close to 100 cookbooks, plus an entire shelf of books about food and cooking in general. I have recently, due to a lack of space, started borrowing cookbooks from the library and photocopying the recipes I want to try (Karen - is that a copyright violation?). I reserve them right from the comfort of my home office and get a lovely email from the library system advising me when they're ready for me to pick up. Not as satisfying, I'll admit, but I've completely run out of shelf space. I also read and tab Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Coooking Light and often Saveur and Food and Wine each month. I clip both the Washington Post and New York Times food sections every Wednesday. And, I am sometimes the annoying person who has ripped out a recipe from a magazine at the hairdresser, doctor, or car dealership. When I have time, I read 5 to ten food blogs per week, as well. I always search out recipes that are relatively healthy, easy and delicious sounding.
Some of you know that I took many recreational cooking skills classes over the years at the noted French culinary school here in Bethesda. I was most inspired by a series of culinary skills classes that covered, in an extremely abbreviated way, the essence of French culinary training. I learned to make creamy, delicious, rich foods such as cauliflower gratin, proper mashed potatoes (use a ricer and LOTS of butter), pate a choux and the like. Most importantly, I learned about tastes that complement each other and how to think about cooking without a recipe, or, at least, using a recipe only as a starting off point.
Then, just over a year ago, I had a horrible and startling wake up call about the fragility of life, health, and my genetic predisposition for really bad heart problems. And I learned that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. From there on out I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could help my and my family's health through what and how we eat. How to reconcile the French cooking with heart health?
So, during the last year, I have read everything I can about heart health and diet, and general health and diet. I've read Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, Gary Taubes, The Glycemic Revolution, and more recently, Mark Bittman. I've also read any number of cookbooks. I subscribe to the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Nutrition Action newsletter.
Just over a year ago, I began my journey, limiting saturated fats (no more mashed potatoes with butter), sodium, white flour, white rice and highly processed products whenever I cook. It wasn't as hard as it sounds, and when not at home cooking myself, I'm just not obsessive about it. At home, I try to make vegetables and whole grains the basis of our meals. And, yes, I'm dragging my family, which includes a teenaged boy and girl, along on this journey.
My primary goal is to have my family enjoy our dinner, while doing no major harm to our bodies. We are a family that, against the greater tide in our area, eats dinner together most weekday nights. Many weekend evenings we gather together, adults and kids, with relatives and friends to share homecooked dinners. This is home, not restaurant cooking. I will be cooking with lots of vegetables and grains that may be as new to you as they were to me until last year. Give them a try. And then try them a couple of more times. Some will grow on you. Eventually, they may grow on your family, too. I'm guessing that you and your families will not realize the healthier nature of most of these recipes (OK - some of my beloved nieces and nephews always know). These are recipes that I hope you can share with your families and friends, healthy, yet luscious, heart-warming and heart healthy. However, there is no magic bullet here, and no guarantees about health - I'm a cook, not a doctor or a scientist. This just seems to make sense. Join me for the ride.
The following recipe was a revelation for me. It epitomizes all I'm trying to do. As simple as can be, relatively healthy and truly delicious. It makes cauliflower eaters out of everyone who tries it. The value added of a little bit of olive oil is astonishing.
Roasted Cauliflower
(adapted from Gourmet magazine)
Serves 4
1 head cauliflower (for my family, the bigger the better. The leftovers are great)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
-Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
-Cut up cauliflower into bite sized florets. Toss with olive oil in a bowl or ziploc bag. When coated, spread cauliflower in a single layer in a large shallow baking dish. I use a half sheet pan lined with tin foil.
-Roast cauliflower, stirring and turning over occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.
-sprinkle salt over cooked cauliflower
*If you are cooking something else in the oven at the same time at a lower temperature, this works just as well. Simply leave the cauliflower in the oven a bit longer.
I have close to 100 cookbooks, plus an entire shelf of books about food and cooking in general. I have recently, due to a lack of space, started borrowing cookbooks from the library and photocopying the recipes I want to try (Karen - is that a copyright violation?). I reserve them right from the comfort of my home office and get a lovely email from the library system advising me when they're ready for me to pick up. Not as satisfying, I'll admit, but I've completely run out of shelf space. I also read and tab Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Coooking Light and often Saveur and Food and Wine each month. I clip both the Washington Post and New York Times food sections every Wednesday. And, I am sometimes the annoying person who has ripped out a recipe from a magazine at the hairdresser, doctor, or car dealership. When I have time, I read 5 to ten food blogs per week, as well. I always search out recipes that are relatively healthy, easy and delicious sounding.
Some of you know that I took many recreational cooking skills classes over the years at the noted French culinary school here in Bethesda. I was most inspired by a series of culinary skills classes that covered, in an extremely abbreviated way, the essence of French culinary training. I learned to make creamy, delicious, rich foods such as cauliflower gratin, proper mashed potatoes (use a ricer and LOTS of butter), pate a choux and the like. Most importantly, I learned about tastes that complement each other and how to think about cooking without a recipe, or, at least, using a recipe only as a starting off point.
Then, just over a year ago, I had a horrible and startling wake up call about the fragility of life, health, and my genetic predisposition for really bad heart problems. And I learned that heart disease is the number one killer of women in America. From there on out I spent a lot of time thinking about how I could help my and my family's health through what and how we eat. How to reconcile the French cooking with heart health?
So, during the last year, I have read everything I can about heart health and diet, and general health and diet. I've read Marion Nestle, Michael Pollan, Gary Taubes, The Glycemic Revolution, and more recently, Mark Bittman. I've also read any number of cookbooks. I subscribe to the Center for Science in the Public Interest's Nutrition Action newsletter.
Just over a year ago, I began my journey, limiting saturated fats (no more mashed potatoes with butter), sodium, white flour, white rice and highly processed products whenever I cook. It wasn't as hard as it sounds, and when not at home cooking myself, I'm just not obsessive about it. At home, I try to make vegetables and whole grains the basis of our meals. And, yes, I'm dragging my family, which includes a teenaged boy and girl, along on this journey.
My primary goal is to have my family enjoy our dinner, while doing no major harm to our bodies. We are a family that, against the greater tide in our area, eats dinner together most weekday nights. Many weekend evenings we gather together, adults and kids, with relatives and friends to share homecooked dinners. This is home, not restaurant cooking. I will be cooking with lots of vegetables and grains that may be as new to you as they were to me until last year. Give them a try. And then try them a couple of more times. Some will grow on you. Eventually, they may grow on your family, too. I'm guessing that you and your families will not realize the healthier nature of most of these recipes (OK - some of my beloved nieces and nephews always know). These are recipes that I hope you can share with your families and friends, healthy, yet luscious, heart-warming and heart healthy. However, there is no magic bullet here, and no guarantees about health - I'm a cook, not a doctor or a scientist. This just seems to make sense. Join me for the ride.
The following recipe was a revelation for me. It epitomizes all I'm trying to do. As simple as can be, relatively healthy and truly delicious. It makes cauliflower eaters out of everyone who tries it. The value added of a little bit of olive oil is astonishing.
Roasted Cauliflower
(adapted from Gourmet magazine)
Serves 4
1 head cauliflower (for my family, the bigger the better. The leftovers are great)
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon kosher or sea salt
-Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 450 degrees F.
-Cut up cauliflower into bite sized florets. Toss with olive oil in a bowl or ziploc bag. When coated, spread cauliflower in a single layer in a large shallow baking dish. I use a half sheet pan lined with tin foil.
-Roast cauliflower, stirring and turning over occasionally, until tender and golden brown, 25 to 35 minutes.
-sprinkle salt over cooked cauliflower
*If you are cooking something else in the oven at the same time at a lower temperature, this works just as well. Simply leave the cauliflower in the oven a bit longer.
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