ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES WITH MISO-LIME DRESSING

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

Long name for a great side dish that might turn into a full meal if coupled with goodies such as barley, couscous, quinoa, or a nice helping of soft-cooked polenta… Once more the inspiration to make this recipe came from Fer’s site, Chucrute com Salsicha. She always shares interesting recipes that take ingredients through some unusual path. I love it!

ROASTED WINTER VEGETABLES WITH MISO-LIME DRESSING
(adapted from Chucrute com Salsicha, originally published in The Kitchn)

8 ounces Brussels sprouts, trimmed and halved lengthwise
1 medium sweet potato, peeled, cut in 1/2-inch cubes
1 medium head of cauliflower, cut into bite-size pieces
1 tablespoon olive oil (I needed to use a little more)
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons lime juice
2 teaspoons yellow miso paste
2 tablespoons walnut oil
Black pepper

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Place sweet potato and cauliflower pieces on a large bowl. Place Brussels sprouts in a separate bowl. Drizzle all veggies with olive oil, sprinkle with salt and toss to thoroughly coat. Add the sweet potato and cauliflower to a baking sheet and roast, moving them every once in a while. Total roasting time for sweet potato and cauliflower will be about 25 minutes. After they have been in the oven for 10 minutes, add the Brussels sprouts.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl whisk together the lime juice and miso paste until smooth. Slowly drizzle in the walnut oil, whisking constantly, until thoroughly combined.

Place the roasted vegetables in a large bowl, pour in the dressing and toss to coat. Adjust seasoning. Serve warm or at room temperature.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: If you visit TheKitchn for the original recipe, you will notice they recommend using three baking trays, but Fer, in her version, simplified quite a bit, and I did the same. One large baking sheet was more than enough to handle all the veggies, just add them in the order they cook, Brussels sprouts going last. Other than that, the recipe was followed closely enough.

Miso and lime might become my favorite flavor combo for this year, the miso is sweet and funky, the lime is the life of the party, and if you ask me, a mandatory guest when Brussels sprouts are around. Fer served her veggies with barley, I went with Israeli couscous. But being the omnivores we are, this super delicious side dish was paired with (vegetarians, close your eyes now) grilled flank steak. A great dinner! Leftovers were amazing for lunch next day, by the way.

ONE YEAR AGO: 2012 Fitness Report: P90X2

TWO YEARS AGO: Caramelized Bananas

THREE YEARS AGO: Roasted Lemon Vinaigrette

FOUR YEARS AGO: Whole Wheat Bread

7Feb2014

ALMOND MILK CREAMED SPINACH

Posted in Side dishes, Veggies by sallybr

Remember my cauliflower puree made with almond milk instead of cream? In that post I mentioned another recipe from Food and Wine that uses almond milk: a creamed spinach finished in the oven with a coating of bread crumbs and Marcona almonds. Of course, right after publishing that post, Marcona almonds were nowhere to be found… Apparently there has been a shortage of these almonds in Spain, so if you happen to find them where you live, act fast. Our Dillon’s store got a shipment last month, and I grabbed a bag faster than Buck catches a cookie in mid-air.

ALMOND MILK CREAMED SPINACH
(from Food and Wine magazine)

Four 5-ounce bags baby spinach
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 shallots, thinly sliced
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups unsweetened almond milk
1/2 cup grated Cotija cheese
Salt
Freshly ground pepper
3/4 cup panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
2 tablespoons finely chopped marcona almonds

Preheat the oven to 425°. In a large saucepan, heat 1 inch of water. Add the spinach by the handful; allow each handful to wilt before adding more. When the spinach is wilted, drain it, pressing out as much water as possible. Wipe out the pot.
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Melt 2 tablespoons of the butter in the pot. Add the shallots; cook over moderate heat until softened. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute. Add the almond milk and simmer until very thick, whisking occasionally, 5 minutes. Stir in the cheese and spinach. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon into a baking dish.
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In a small bowl, melt the remaining 2 tablespoons of butter. Stir in the panko and almonds and sprinkle over the creamed spinach. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

Comments: My Mom used to make creamed spinach the old-fashioned way, basically a bechamel-sauce into which some sautéed spinach was mixed in. Much to her despair, I never touched it. I actually never touched spinach in any type of recipe, raw, cooked, even a ravioli with spinach filling was not welcome on my plate. But, of course I wised up at some point and to quote my virtual friend Sawsan: “I made peace with spinach”. 😉

When I made this recipe, I did not think it would have a happy ending. The key point is to have the right proportion of almond cream to spinach, and that’s not very easy to achieve. I printed the recipe exactly as published in Food and Wine, but I halved it. To do so, I needed only 10 ounces of spinach, but more spinach would have been better. I advise you to made the almond cream, wilt all the spinach you have and then hold back some of the cream. You want the spinach to be nicely coated by cream, but not swimming in it. I did not add melted butter to the Panko, just sprinkled all over the dish and half way through baking I softly pressed the coating into the cream. Since my concoction already seemed to have too high a cream to spinach ratio, I thought the melted butter would complicate matters further. So, to summarize, I think this recipe has potential, but it needs some tweaking.

Creamed spinach goes very well with fish, so I served it with grilled salmon & white rice. Simple, but very tasty. Almonds and spinach make a very nice combination. If you don’t like almond milk, a regular bechamel sauce like my Mom used to make, decorated with toasted slivered almonds would be a nice dish too.

31Jan2014

ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH CILANTRO-CASHEW PESTO

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

I won’t lie to you, making zucchini pasta with the spiral cutter is a task that requires patience (a virtue that I lack) and probably one or two less than spectacular outcomes. By that I mean overcooked zucchini that will lay as a limp mass on the plate and make you wonder if take-out sushi was that bad an idea after all. If you want to see the gadget I used in action (by someone who is a lot better than me at handling it), take a look at this youtube video.

Once you master the spiral cutter and how to deal with the zucchini strands, you will be on your way to a satisfying, flavorful and unique dish. After butchering a few Cucurbita pepo, I was rewarded with a beautiful bowl of veggie strands.

ZUCCHINI PASTA WITH CILANTRO-CASHEW PESTO
(adapted from Martyna’s recipe at Wholesome Cook)

for the pesto:
2 bunches fresh cilantro leaves, chopped
1 Serrano chile, seeded and minced
¼ cup raw cashews
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup grape seed oil
½ tsp sea salt flakes
freshly ground black pepper to taste
zest of 1/2 lemon
squeeze of lemon juice

for the “pasta”:
enough zucchini to make a large bowl of strands
(save the collateral damaged ones for veggie stock, stir-fries, soups)

Make the pesto by adding the cilantro, chile, cashews, and cheese to the bowl of a food processor. Process until a paste forms. Add grape seed oil until you achieve a consistency you like. I tend to add a lot less oil than most recipes call for. Adjust to your taste. Process until smooth, season with salt, pepper, the lemon zest, and juice. Process again. Reserve.

Cook the zucchini by placing the strands in boiling water for 20 seconds, drain well, incorporate with the pesto and serve. Alternatively, you stir-fry the zucchini quickly in a small amount of olive oil, then mix with the pesto.

Sprinkle roasted cashews, and…

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

My beloved mini-food processor did a great job on the pesto…

Comments: On my first attempt at making zucchini “pasta”, I overcooked the strands, which is very easy to do. The taste was still pretty good, but the poor zucchini looked almost gray. No bueno. This time, the 20-second blanching worked much better. I might even cut the cooking shorter next time. You can sauce this dish any way you like, including a marinara sauce, which was on our menu the following week, by the way. I still need to master the spiral cutter better, our kitchen looked like a crime scene when I was done, and zucchini bits were found on my hair later that evening. That’s some wild cooking prep. 😉

For those interested in gluten-free side dishes, or low carb pasta-like concoctions, this recipe fits the bill nicely. For those who simply enjoy trying a new preparation for the under-appreciated zucchini, the same applies.

A little shredded Asiago to gild the lily…

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TWO YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

THREE YEARS AGO: Mogo Mojo

FOUR YEARS AGO: Slow-Roasted Chicken Thighs: an Ice-Breaker

24Jan2014

HAVING FUN WITH JACQUES PEPIN

Posted in Side dishes, Veggies by sallybr

I wish the title of my post could be taken literally, because I’d love to meet Mr. Pepin… Unfortunately (or perhaps I should say malheureusement), I was just playing with one of his recipes: a broccoli puree from his book “Fast Food My Way” that might very well be one of the side dishes I make most often. I am not the only one who loves it, Phil asks me to make it whenever he is grilling a side of salmon or cooking fish filets. It is a perfect accompaniment for seafood, but I also like to pair it with roast chicken or pork. Versatile, non?

BROCCOLI AND SPINACH PUREE WITH BROWN BUTTER
(inspired by Jacques Pepin)

2 large heads of broccoli, florets only
1 garlic clove, peeled
2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
pinch of nutmeg
2 cups spinach leaves (or more, to taste)

Bring 3 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add the broccoli florets and the garlic clove. Bring back to a boil, reduce heat, and cook until tender (about 10 minutes). Drain and reserve some of the cooking liquid.

Melt the butter in a small skillet and cook it over low heat until it turns golden brown. Do not let it burn.

Put the broccoli and garlic in the bowl of a food processor, add salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Process until almost smooth, open the processor, drizzle the browned butter and add the spinach leaves on top. Process again until fully smooth, adding a bit of the reserved cooking liquid until the puree achieves a consistency you like. Taste and adjust seasoning. Serve right away, or refrigerate. It reheats well in the microwave.

ENJOY!

to print the recipe, click here

I do hope you’ll try my version of Pepin’s recipe, it is amazing how just a little spinach took this puree to a higher level. A subtle change in texture, a real bump in flavor. I normally don’t preach on nutritional content of food, but the humble spinach always makes me feel great. Old Popeye cartoons speaking (and dating me), I suppose.

This puree matched nicely with a simple tilapia filet prepared according to this recipe. Leftovers can be either enjoyed after a quick tour in the microwave, or… go the indulgent route and use it as a basis for a souflee. I suggest following the basic method from Julia Child. You simply cannot go wrong by joining Julia & Jacques. Almost as good as Sally and Phil… 😉

ONE YEAR AGO: Brined-Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

TWO YEARS AGO: Pork Ragu

THREE YEARS AGO: Friendly Kuri Squash

FOUR YEARS AGO: Green Light for this Salad

9Dec2013

BRAISED FENNEL WITH SAFFRON AND TOMATO

Posted in Side dishes, Vegetarian-friendly, Veggies by sallybr

This side dish is elegant and luscious. Perfect to pair with chicken, pork or a mild fish like cod or sea bass. But, if you prefer to walk the vegetarian path, enjoy it over farro, barley, or as we did, a colorful quinoa. Add a hearty loaf of bread, and you will be all set…

The recipe is published in Vegetable Literacy the latest cookbook from Deborah Madison. Lisa from “Lisa is Cooking” wrote a great review about the book a few months ago, and shared a recipe from it, check it out by jumping here. Deborah Madison has the amazing ability of bringing the best out of the most humble vegetable. I do not own a copy of this particular book (bravely resisted so far), but her classic Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone is part of our collection.

The recipe is available online, just click here.

Definitely the most important advice is to take the time to brown the fennel well, that will ensure a deeper flavor in the end. I don’t recommend this dish for those who have issues with fennel, because its flavor is very prominent. I crumbled goat cheese over the braise, allowing it to melt down in the liquid, and right before serving added the greens from the fennel, minced. As the recipe states, if your fennel bulbs came without the tops, use parsley instead. My main modification from the published recipe was to squeeze a little lemon juice all over, and reduce slightly the amount of tomato paste. I thought three tablespoons seemed excessive, so I added only two. Capers and saffron are fantastic together, by the way.

Because we have nothing against a little meat with our veggie goodness, a boneless, grilled chicken breast was part of our dinner too. As far as looks are concerned, I suppose a fully white quinoa would have been better, but the bag of tricolor quinoa acquired months ago at a Trader Joe’s was winking at me from the pantry. I spooned a little of the braising sauce over the chicken, so that it all got tied together in a beautiful caper & saffron glory!