Hearty Lentil and Veggie Soup 12/13/2009
Last weekend we went on a hut trip with a bunch of friends (20, to be exact). The huts in Colorado's 10th Mountain Division System are amazing--comfy beds, great wood-burning stoves, and kitchens stocked with pretty much everything you need to make a great dinner. While some people think it's easier to just bring in the dehydrated stuff (and keep your pack lighter for the several-mile snowshoe/ski in), I think the meals are an important part of the whole experience. We divided our 20-some into groups, and my group was responsible for dinner one night. As we brainstormed interesting options, I came across a lentil soup recipe from Food and Wine mag. The ingredients were simple enough, and I thought I could tweak it to make it tastier without the smoked turkey the original recipe called for. We chopped the veggies ahead of time in the food processor and brought them up in well-sealed bags. Here's what I ended up with--the most amazing lentil soup I've ever had! It got great reviews from the hungry hut-trippers, too. 1 tbsp Olive Oil 3 Garlic cloves, minced 2 Celery stalks, finely chopped 2 Carrots, finely chopped 1 Onion, finely chopped 3 Tomatoes, chopped 1 small can Tomato Juice 1 Bay Leaf 4 Rapunzel Vegetable Bouillon Cubes (or other good veg version) 2 quarts Water 1 cup Green Lentils 4 small Red Potatoes, peeled and sliced 1/4 inch thick Salt and freshly ground pepper In a large pot, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Add garlic, celery, carrots, and onion. Saute until soft, stirring often, about 7 minutes. Add tomatoes, juice, bay leaf, bouillon cubes, water, and lentils. Mix thoroughly, and allow soup to come to a boil. Partially cover, and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer for one hour, stirring once in awhile, until the lentils are tender. Add the potatoes, season with salt and pepper, and cook for about 10 minutes, until potatoes, too, are soft. Remove bay leaf before ladling out into small bowls. We served with some amazing rosemary-sourdough grilled cheese sandwiches...a perfect and hearty combination. 1 Comment Seven Layer Dip 11/28/2009
An old classic, but with a fresher twist. Try making your taco seasoning mix with easy ingredients you’ve probably got around the house. Whip up your own guac, too. Recipes below. 1 16 oz. can Refried Beans (make sure they’re veg!) 1 package Taco Seasoning Mix* 8 oz. Sour Cream (or Greek Yogurt) 8 oz. Guacamole** 1 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded 1 cup Salsa 1 4 oz. can Diced Green Chiles 2 large Green Onions, sliced 1 small can Sliced Black Olives 1 cup fresh Cilantro, chopped Combine beans and seasoning mix in a small bowl. Spread on the bottom of square baking dish. Top with sour cream/yogurt, then guacamole, cheese, salsa, green chiles, green onions, and black olives. *Taco Seasoning Mix 6 tsp Chili Powder 5 tsp Paprika 4 1/2 tsp Cumin 3 tsp Onion Powder 2 1/2 tsp Garlic Powder 1/8 tsp Cayenne Pepper Mix all ingredients until well blended. You only need about 7 tsp of this mix to equal a package, so pack up the rest in a tightly sealed container and save for later! **Fresh Guacamole 1 ripe Avocado 1 tsp Lemon or Lime Juice Dash Garlic Salt 4 Cherry Tomatoes, diced 3 tbsp Red Onion, diced 3 tbsp fresh Cilantro, minced Smash everything together. Add additional salt to taste. For my bf's birthday a few weeks ago I wanted to do something a little different, a little more autumn-like for dessert. We had some cream cheese frosting left over from a previous cupcake experience, so for mine, I used store-bought and mixed in the maple syrup. But you can also make it from scratch, ala Martha Stewart (where the original cupcake recipe is from), at the bottom. Cupcakes 2-1/4 cups Flour 2 tsp Baking Soda 2 tsp Ground Cinnamon 1/2 tsp Ground Nutmeg 1 tsp Salt 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, softened 1-1/2 cups Sugar 2 large Eggs 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 4 cups coarsely grated Green Apples, such as Granny Smith (about 1-3/4 pounds) Peel apples, then grate on a standard grater. Put grated apples in a sieve to allow some of the juices to drain. Preheat oven to 350*. Line muffin tins with paper liners and set aside. Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a medium bowl, and set aside. In an electric mixer, using the paddle attachment, mix butter and sugar on medium-high speed until pale and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Reduce speed to low, and mix in apples. Add flour mixture and mix until just combined. Divide batter among lined cups, filling 2/3 of the way; bake until tops are springy to the touch, 18 to 20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting/icing with cream cheese frosting. Frosting 8 oz. Cream Cheese, room temperature 8 tbsp (1 stick) Unsalted Butter, cut into pieces, room temperature 1 cup Powdered Sugar 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 1 tbsp Pure Maple Syrup Place cream cheese in a medium mixing bowl. Using a rubber spatula, soften cream cheese. Gradually add butter, and continue beating until smooth and well blended. Stir in powdered sugar, and continue beating until smooth. Add vanilla and maple syrup, and stir to combine. You can either use as is and frost cupcakes, or heat up in microwave for 30 seconds to make a runny icing that can be drizzled over the top. Basic Quiche Recipe 10/24/2009
It's amazing how many quiche recipes there are out there! I sifted through a few yesterday as I prepared to have a few people over for brunch today. The occasion was my four minutes of fame on NPR's Wait Wait Don't Tell Me. I served it with my Snap Pea salad, Poppyseed Bread and fresh fruit. Here's what I came up with--you can fill it with whatever you like. I did one with artichoke hearts, feta and fresh basil, and another with red pepper, onion, mushrooms, cheddar and cilantro, like below. For fresh veggies, I'd recommend sauteing them in a little olive oil for a just a few minutes to soften them up before putting them in the pie crust. 1 frozen pre-made Pie Crust (I used Marie Callender's) 1/4 cup Lowfat Milk 1/4 cup Greek Yogurt (or Sour Cream) 4 Eggs Sample quiche filling: 1/2 cup Cheddar, shredded 1/2 Red Pepper, diced and sauteed 1/2 cup Mushrooms, canned or sauteed 1/2 cup Onion, diced and sauteed 1/2 cup Cilantro, chopped Preheat oven to 375*. Take pie shell out of freezer. Whisk together yogurt and milk, then add eggs and whisk til frothy and well-combined. Lightly brush pie shell with egg mixture. Prebake for 5-7 minutes, til it turns slightly golden. Remove from oven and allow to sit for a few minutes. Fill pie shell with shredded cheese, then veggies and cilantro, then egg mixture. Add a dash of salt and pepper to the top. Place pie on top of a cookie sheet and bake for 30-40 minutes in the 375* oven. Quiche is done when a knife inserted into the center comes out clean. Butternut Squash Enchiladas 10/22/2009
I picked up a good-looking butternut squash when we were out at the corn maze farm the other day. Not wanting to just roast it, I searched for something interesting to do with it. I found a version of the following on the Delicious Living site, upping a few things and downing a few others. I basically halved the recipe because I had way too much filling, but you could always double it and freeze one. Find squash baking instructions here. 1 cup cooked Quinoa 1-1/2 cups cooked Black Beans 1/2 baked Butternut Squash, flesh scooped out and diced 1 small Onion, diced 1 Bell Pepper, cored and diced 14 oz. can Diced Green Chilies, drained 1 cup Cilantro, chopped 8 oz. Cheddar Cheese, grated and divided Salt, to taste 16 oz. Red Enchilada Sauce 2 dozen Corn Tortillas, fresh if possible 2 15 oz. cans Green Enchilada Sauce Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine rice, beans, squash, onion, pepper, chiles, cilantro, and four ounces of the cheese in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and mix well. Pour red enchilada sauce into a deep plate; dip each tortilla to coat. Fill each tortilla with one large spoonful of enchilada mixture, roll tightly, and place in a 9" x 13" baking dish or lasagna dish. When dishes are full, cover each dish with one can green enchilada sauce. Cover with foil and bake 45 minutes. Remove foil and top enchiladas with remaining cheese. Bake 10 more minutes. Serve immediately. Snap Pea, Walnut and Feta Salad 09/30/2009
We bought a huge bag of those sugar snap peas at Costco the other day. It's true you can just eat them raw and they're delicious, but they're also very tasty in this just-steamed format. The warmth of the peas help melt the feta a bit, combining to make one delicious salad. Salad 3 cups Sugar Snap Peas 1 cup Feta, crumbled 1 cup Walnuts, crumbled Dressing 1 tbsp. Olive Oil 1 tbsp. Red Wine Vinegar 1 tbsp. Brown Mustard Salt and Pepper Trim the ends off the snap peas if desired. Place them in a saute pan with a half cup of water, and cover. Steam for 5-7 minutes over medium heat, until tender but not mushy. Meanwhile, mix dressing ingredients together. Drain water from peas, mix with feta and walnuts, and top with dressing. Serve with a light pasta. Seitan and Veggie Fajitas 09/25/2009
Seitan is one of my favorite meat substitutes, great to have around to add a little protein and texture to dishes like fajitas. Last night I looked around the kitchen at a fab looking red pepper I found on sale at Whole Paycheck, the rest of a very large squash from our garden, a just-ripe avocado, and some juicy cherry tomatoes and came up with this…the best fajitas I’ve ever made. Makes about three servings. Fajitas 1 lb carton of Seitan (the non-soy-sauce marinated kind works best for this) 1 small can Mushrooms, or a few fresh mushrooms 1 tbsp. Olive Oil 1 tbsp. Lemon Juice ½ of a Red Onion, cut in one-inch strips 1 medium Red Pepper, cut in one-inch strips (green works too) 1 cup Yellow Squash, diced 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 clove Garlic Dash Salt 3 large Flour/Whole Wheat Tortillas 2/3 cup Cheddar Cheese, shredded In a large skillet, put the seitan and mushrooms in the olive oil and lemon juice. Saute on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. The goal is to get both ingredients to sear up a little, creating those crispy bits we all love in our fajitas. In a separate skillet, heat the olive oil for the veggies. Add the onion first, giving it extra time to cook. After a minute or two, add the pepper, squash, garlic, and salt. Saute on medium-high heat for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently. Meanwhile, whip together a quick guacamole topping like so: Guacamole 1 ripe Avocado 1 tsp. Lemon or Lime Juice Dash Garlic Salt 4 Cherry Tomatoes, diced 3 tbsp. Red Onion, diced 3 tbsp. fresh Cilantro, minced Smash everything together. Add additional salt to taste. Fill tortillas with seitan and veggie mixture, and top with shredded cheese and guacamole. Enjoy. Sauteed Zucchini 09/16/2009
 This one isn't fancy but it's an easy and delicious way to cook up some quick veggies. Especially when you have a lot of them in your garden. Like we do. 2 medium Zucchinis, sliced 1 tsp Olive Oil 1 tbsp Brown Mustard 1 tbsp Parmesan, grated Salt and Pepper Toss sliced zucchinis in a pan with all ingredients, sauteeing over medium heat until slightly translucent and soft. Jalapeno Black Bean Dip 09/15/2009
I love anything with beans and cheese...this one came from my friend AK who served it at her housewarming party awhile ago. You could even use my Salsa Verde or Brent's maple-syrup infused salsa to add to the beans. 1 16 oz. can Black Beans 1 tbsp Jalapenos, chopped (usually 1 small jalapeno) 1/4 cup White Onion, chopped 1/4 cup Sour Cream 1/2 tsp. Salt 2 tbsp Salsa, any kind 2 cups Cheddar/Jack Cheese, grated Preheat oven to 350*. Mash beans in baking dish. Add remaining ingredients, reserving 1/2 cup of the cheddar/jack cheese. Mix well, and bake for 20-30 minutes. Top with remaining cheese, and bake until cheese on top melts. Garnish with cilantro and serve with tortilla chips. Tomatoes Provencale 09/11/2009
I began looking through my recipes to see what we should do with all the tomatoes that are about to burst out of our garden...we've had a bunch of red cherry tomatoes, but it's the huge black heirlooms and beefsteaks that we'll soon be inundated with. I'm thinking this little recipe might be perfect for the heirlooms, alongside a fresh salad and a hearty pasta. 4 large Tomatoes Olive Oil for brushing tomatoes1/4 cup fresh Bread Crumbs 3 tbsp fresh Parmesan, grated2 tbsp fresh Parsley, minced 1 small garlic clove, minced Salt and pepper Halve the tomatoes horizontally and trim the ends so that they will stand level, cut side up. Scoop out a small amount of the tomato pulp to make room for the filling. Brush them all over with the oil and bake them, cut side up, on a baking sheet in the middle of a preheated 325* oven for 20 minutes. In a small bowl combine the remaining ingredients, with salt and pepper to taste, and divide the mixture among the tomatoes. Drizzle oil over the tomatoes and broil them under a preheated broiler about 4 inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes, or until the topping is golden brown. | good eats
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