mignon mange

Bhutanese Red Rice and Broccolini

I was given this special red rice and asked to make something with it. I wasn’t feeling particularly inspired or ambitious today, so I didn’t do much in the way of a recipe, but luckily the rice is almost enough on its own. If you can find it, I recommend it—it has the heartiness of brown rice and it maintains its deep red color so it makes a beautiful dish.

For the rice:

Combine 3 cups water, 2 cups rice and a pinch of salt. Bring to a boil over high heat. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for about 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Let stand covered for a few minutes to cool.

For the rest:

One head broccolini, rinsed and chopped

3 cloves of garlic, minced or crushed

1/2 red onion, chopped

1/2 white onion, chopped

3 tbsp soy sauce

1/2 cup vegetable broth

1 sprig dried rosemary

Sauté the onions in a large pan coated with olive oil. Once they are on their way to translucent, add the broccolini. Wait about five minutes, stirring incrementally, then add the garlic, broth, soy sauce, and rosemary. Let it all get nice and incorporated and then let it cool. Mix the vegetables into the rice and enjoy!

JURASSIC PARK SALAD

As I hope you all already know, Jurassic Park is being re-released in theaters starting April 5th. In 3D. It’s one of those movies that gets better with time, I think, and also one of the few movies in the horror (sort-of) genre that I can watch and enjoy without fear of painful nightmares. Dinosaurs I can handle. Happily. Sharks, serial killers, psychos, and paranormal activity: another story.

Which brings me to the recipe (long, long overdue, I am afraid. I dropped off the face of the foodblog world there for a second.)

Last night I came home from class, weary and hungry, and my lovely boyfriend had this tremendous salad waiting for me with a glass of wine and a lit candle. It was the perfect combination of sweet, crunchy, and onion-y. Dinosaur kale, as its so aptly called, provides a great base for a meal-salad. And, as far as I’m concerned, this is the perfect way to start to celebrate the excitement that is the 20th anniversary (whoa) of a Spielberg classic.

Makes one huge salad or two starter size salads

1 bunch of dinosaur kale, rinsed and chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced/crushed

12 Brussels sprouts, give or take, cut in quarters

a generous handful of Medjool dates, chopped

1/2 red onion, chopped

shaved Manchego or a nice hard salty cheese

sea salt and pepper

Dressing:

olive oil, balsamic vinegar, hummus, Dijon mustard lemon, salt, pepper (This really doesn’t involve specific measurements. Mix these together until you get a taste you like. Depending on how much I make, I usually do equal parts oil and vinegar, add a dollop or two of hummus and mustard, and add the seasonings to taste.)

1. Sauté the onion in olive oil, until it gets slightly transparent. Add the garlic after a few minutes, stirring periodically. Add the Brussels sprouts and cook until browned on the surface. You may want to cover the pan for a few minutes to get them evenly cooked.

2. Put the chopped kale in a large bowl, stir in the mixture of onion, Brussels, and garlic, add the dates, and toss with the dressing. Season as you like and top with cheese.

Almond Lemon Blueberry Muffins

Last night I audited a class taught by Michael Pollan at UC Berkeley. In the food world, he is it. He has popularized and given a powerful vocabulary to the slow food movement, being a prominent “liberal foodie intellectual,” as a 2006 New York Times book review put it.

He introduced his friend and colleague, Peter Sellars—a professor at UCLA, an opera and theater director, and a scholar of all things religious, spiritual, artistic, and food-centric. In short, his lecture was inspiring. He talked about the evils of the Coca-Cola corporation, the futility of GMOs and the toxicity of processed food, food karma, and told us we were responsible as the next generation to do something. One of his basic points was that food made with love will nourish you on a level beyond the food’s nutritional content. I woke up and, maybe not surprisingly, wanted to make something I could share with other people. I do believe food is meant to be shared. I’m no better than the next person when it comes to making the right moral food choices all the time, but I think a home-cooked shared meal does way more for the body than even an expensive restaurant meal. I made a salad this weekend with lettuce and tomatoes from our garden, and felt extremely satisfied. (Talk about knowing where your food comes from; I didn’t have to walk as far as my mailbox.)

Last night, I was a guest of Alice Waters’ Edible Schoolyard, which was fantastic, but all I wanted to be was a student. College Nostalgia big-time. I even miss the feeling of uncomfortable lecture hall chairs and the stuffiness of packed rooms.

Adapted from emilylovesfood.com

1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1/2 cup almond flour/meal
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
pinch of salt
1 cup brown sugar
3 eggs, separated
1/4 cup boiling water
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbs fresh lemon juice, plus 1/4 tsp for egg whites
1 tsp vanilla
1 cup blueberries (I used frozen wild blueberries, which are smaller)

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 12-muffin pan.
2. Mix together the two flours, the baking soda, and the salt and put aside.
3. In a large bowl, whisk the 3 egg yolks, adding the brown sugar until it is all incorporated. Then add the boiling water, lemon zest, lemon juice, and vanilla and beat more.
4. Slowly add the flour  mixture to the egg mixture, a third at a time.
5. In a separate clean bowl, whip the egg whites and 1/4 tsp lemon juice until they are light and fluffy.
6. Slowly add the egg whites to your mixture, folding it in a little bit at a time.
7. Evenly spoon the mixture into the pan. Add some blueberries on top of each muffin. They will sink to the bottom since they’re heavier than the mixture, but it adds a nice little pop of flavor. Bake for about 20 minutes, cool, and give to someone.

White Peach-Blueberry Cobbler

It’s Labor Day. A cobbler seems appropriate.

The smell of peaches and blueberries cooking in their own delicious + Otis Redding Pandora = a damn good morning.

Adapted from whatsgabycooking.com

For the filling:
6 ripe white peaches, diced
2 cups blueberries, frozen or fresh
1 tsp lemon juice
1 tsp salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon

For the topping:
1 1/4 cup flour
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/3 cup canola oil
1 egg
1/2 cup whole milk with a squeeze of lemon juice (or buttermilk if you have it)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. In a large bowl, mix together the peaches, blueberries, and other filling ingredients.
3. In a separate bowl, combine the topping ingredients and mix well until it is the consistency of a batter.
4. Spoon the filling into a baking pan or casserole dish, cover evenly with the topping, and bake for 45 minutes.

S’mores-ish Cookies

This summer, unlike any other since my camp days, has been the Summer of the S’more. Living in a place that has not one but two fire pits and an ample backyard, s’mores have become a staple on these cool summer nights. Our shelves are always stocked with at least a few chocolate bars and a box of grahams. We keep it classic, too—only Honey-Maid, Hershey’s, and Kraft Jet-Puffed will do. And no man-made skewer sticks for us; we rock the sticks from the garden. A little grit, maybe some dirt, always makes s’mores taste more authentic. 

Adapted from Food.com

2 1/4 cups almond flour
4 graham crackers, roughly crushed
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup canola oil
2 tbsp applesauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 1/2 Hershey’s chocolate bars (none of that fancy stuff that actually melts properly)

1. Preheat oven to 300°F.
2. Mix all ingredients together and mix well. Batter should be fairly wet.
3. Form dough into little balls (should make about 8-10, depending on what size cookies you like; mine fit in the base of my palm) and place onto greased cookie sheet. Place one square of chocolate on each cookie and press.
4. Bake for about 15-17 minutes or until cookies are browned on the bottom.

Chickpea and Black Bean Burgers

I love me some veggie burgers, but don’t always find them satisfying. Bean-based burgers usually come closest to meeting my burger needs—these especially, since the key ingredient here that makes them more substantial is walnuts. They are flavorful, hearty, and great for grilling. Plus, they take probably twenty minutes start to finish.

Adapted from The Earthbound Cookbook by Myra Goodman

Makes 6 burgers

1 cup black beans

1 cup chickpeas

1 ½ tsp salt    

2 large garlic cloves, minced

3 tbsp soy sauce

1 ½ tsp ground cumin

2 large egg whites

2 tbsp olive oil

½ red onion, chopped

1 ½ cups walnut pieces

1.     Blend the beans together in a food processor, but leave them relatively roughly chopped.

2.     In a large bowl, combine the beans and the rest of the ingredients and mix well.

3.     Heat one or two tablespoons of olive oil in a cast iron pan, with the flame on medium. Form individual patties, using about ½ cup of the mixture for each burger. Fry the patties until both sides are brown and crispy, 3-5 minutes on each side. Enjoy with any of your favorite toppings.

 

Tahini Dressing

This was passed on to me by a dear friend of my mom’s, a woman who is like a second mom to me and is legendary for her cooking. Pure and simple, this will make you want to eat every vegetable in your fridge. It’s a perfect summer dressing, or even a dip if you add more tahini and a tablespoon of hummus. Here’s to summer…


2 tablespoons tahini
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 large garlic clove, minced and mashed to a paste with 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste (depending on if you like spice)
1/3 cup olive oil

Blend together until emulsified.

Goat Cheese, Heirloom Tomato and Kale Frittata

(Very loosely) adapted from Food to Live By

Nothin’ like a good frittata. Made while listening to The Replacements. 

• A whole bunch of kale (let’s say 4-5 stalks), de-stemmed and chopped
• 1 heirloom tomato, sliced
• Goat cheese in a quantity that feels comfortable to you
• 6 eggs
• a dash of milk

1. Preset your broiler to high. On the stovetop, heat up a large skillet, preferably a deep one, and saute the kale in a generous amount of olive oil.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk together the eggs and milk. Add the cheese and mix.

3. When the kale is cooked about halfway through, add the eggs to the skillet and let sit without stirring at medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until the eggs set at the edges.

4. Add the tomatoes to the top, add some more goat cheese, and stick the entire skillet into the broiler and let cook for about 5 minutes. Take it out and let it cook through a little more, then serve!

Chia Seed Pudding

My godmother Barbara gave my dad a recipe for chia seed pudding and he went crazy for it. Her recipe required more time and energy than I wanted to commit this weekend, so I found this one, which took all of ten minutes to prepare. Chia seeds, magically and with the smallest input of effort, make a wonderful, healthy pudding. Much like the way they take on a tapioca-like texture in the kombucha drinks, they gelatinize when soaked in water or nut milk. Add a little sweetener, and you literally have instant pudding. Plus, they’re packed with fiber, calcicum, and omega-3s. As I have been finding out, they are very versatile in cooking, and you can also eat them raw sprinkled over cereals or grains. Enjoy!

Adapted from Food and Wine

2 1/2 cups almond milk

3 tablespoons agave nectar or honey

1/2 cup chia seeds

1/2 teaspoon finely grated orange zest

In a large jar (or two small jars, if you divide the ingredients), combine the almond milk and sweetener. Close the jar and shake to combine. Add the chia seeds and orange zest to the jar, then close and shake well. Refrigerate until thick and pudding-like, at least 4 hours or overnight, shaking or stirring occasionally. Serve with fruit, a drizzle of honey, cinnamon, or whatever other toppings you like.

 

Classic (But Gluten-Free) Chocolate Chip Cookies

Adapted from Elana’s Pantry          

I heard someone the other day say he/she didn’t like cookies. Or rather, my wonderful roommate and friend Becky told me she heard someone say that, and she and I got into a discussion about how on earth that could be possible. My point—a strong one, I might say—is that cookies can actually be made of anything. There are as many types of cookies in the world as there are stars in the sky, no?

Also, maybe I am slow to catch on, but my new favorite baking ingredient is almond meal, also known as almond flour. I don’t have a gluten allergy, but I love baking with it as an alternative to flour because then everyone can afford to indulge in a sweet treat. I find that baking with it yields lighter results, and adds a bit of protein and texture to boot. This recipe is a take on the classic, but made a little healthier. Obviously, glass of cold milk required. 

2 ½ cups almond meal

¼ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon baking soda

10 tablespoons butter, melted

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

½ cup honey or agave nectar or brown sugar

1 cup dark chocolate chips

1. Combine all ingredients in a large bowl and mix together until they are well incorporated.
2. Form 1-inch balls of cookie dough and press onto a parchment paper-covered baking sheet.
3. Bake at 350° for 7-10 minutes, then cool and serve!

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