I Love Chips...Oven-Baked!

/

As seen on The Fruit Guys website.

We love chips.

As I've mentioned before, I don't deep-fry foods very often. My fear is that I'll end up deep-frying everything, including candy bars at all hours of the day and night. Because of this homemade chips were seemingly out of my repertoire of dishes.

At about age two, my daughter Isabella was ready to eat all sorts of foods. I knew I had one shot at getting her to love all manner of root veggies. I chose oven-frying as my cooking method. As one of my sisters said "sure, you can get a kid to eat cardboard if you put some olive oil and salt on it and roast it until it's crispy."

She was right.

Isabella eats all manner of root veggies, prepared in any number of ways. She loves a good roasted veggie, especially brussels sprouts and sweet potatoes.

Oven-Baked Potato  Chips

This recipe will work for any root veggie: potatoes, brussels sprouts, sunchokes or carrots. 

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 5 to 6 potatoes
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.
  • Thoroughly scrub the potatoes to remove any grit.
  • Slice the potatoes into thin even slices.
  • Pour the olive oil onto a baking sheet.
  • Place the potato slices on the oiled sheet. Mix them around to coat all of the slices evenly with the oil.
  • Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  • Cook in the oven for 15 minutes.
  • They are done when the chips turn a nice golden brown.

Cook’s note:  To slice the potatoes you can use either a mandolin slicer or the slicer blade on your food processor. And, cutting them by hand is perfectly fine, just make them as thin as possible and make sure the chips are about the same thickness to avoid burning.

Spring = Salad....Salad Dressings Galore

/

As  featured on The Fruit Guys website

Salad dressing has been on my mind lately. I think it's a sure sign of Spring, what with all the nice greens beginning to show up in the farmer's markets.

In my head, I keep hearing my brother singing a song he made up "All My Dressings", but I can't remember the rest of it. I think this was something he started singing to one of his many nieces and nephews or his kids as pre-dinner entertainment. Salad dressing and I were never best friends. The reappearance of my brother Chris' song, has, however, prompted me to think some more about dressings. I generally like an undressed (naked, if you will) salad. I'm not sure why I have this aversion to dressing, it certainly has nothing to do with calories. There was a time when I did like dressing. I do remember a good vinaigrette that Gran Fran and Joe would make which I ate when we were kids. That said, I'm beginning to wonder if all of the packaged dressings that people offer me are the turn off. There are too many flavors mixed in that take over the taste of the lovely greens.

I set myself a mission: to find not one, not two, but three dressings that I could rotate through my salads. This coincided perfectly with my recent thinking about how to increase the flavor in my salads. In combination with adding fruits, nuts and sometimes rice noodles to my salads, dressing seems the next logical step to bring up the flavor.

A mustard vinaigrette dressing always plays a part in my Salade Nicoise. I know that I can use that same dressing on any number of salads, or even over some warm boiled potatoes. One down, two to go.

Cole Slaw is a big favorite of mine, especially my homemade version. The dressing doesn't have to be exclusively for cabbage, even though it goes so well with it. I figured I could try it with a heartier green, like spinach, add some cucumbers, nuts and shredded carrots and have myself a great salad. I was right.

Dressing number three came to me in my half-sleep the other day, just waking up after a long night of dreaming about food. Those dreams paid off because I came up with an Asian-style dressing that includes orange juice, ginger and sesame oil. A winner when put over romaine lettuce with rice noodles, almonds and orange slices.

I think the vinaigrette and the Asian-style dressing can double as a good marinade for meats, too. So looking forward to trying them out on a variety of salads and reporting back!

My friends came to dinner the night after I made these dressings. It was really great to be able to say, for once, that I did have not one, but three dressings to offer them. They were all a big hit. I'm going to think up a few more dressings before too long. I think I actually *do* like dressing.

Mustard Vinaigrette

Serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon mustard
  • 1 clove garlic minced finely
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Whisk together all of the ingredients in a small bowl, using either a small wire whisk or a fork to fully incorporate all the ingredients

Use this vinaigrette on everything from a side dinner salad to a salade nicoise.

Creamy Salad Dressing

serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1/3 cup mayonnaise
  • 1 small shallot, minced
  • 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons sugar
  • ¼ teaspoon celery salt
  • Black pepper to taste

Method:

  1. Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.
  2. Refrigerate for 20 minutes, or up to overnight.
  3. Add your favorite salad and enjoy.

You can make a traditional cole slaw just by adding two cups of shredded cabbage and some julienned carrots. Or, simply pour some dressing over well-washed spinach, cucumbers, carrots and sunflower seeds.

Asian-Style Dressing

serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 4 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 tablespoon soy sauce
  • 3 teaspoons sesame oil
  • ½ teaspoon honey
  • 1/3 cup orange juice
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

  • Whisk together all ingredients in a bowl.

This dressing is fantastic for a mixed green salad featuring hardy vegetables like red bell peppers and green beans.

You can also add rice noodles to showcase the dressing’s flavor and some cilantro as garnish.

Stuffed Zucchini, Vegan-Style

/

Stuffed zucchini is a delight. I haven't made it in awhile, since I used to cover it in cheese and can no longer do so, dairy-free me and all.

I realized that if I were to put something else with a nice strong flavor in the stuffing, that could complement the mellow sweetness of the zucchini, I might be able to make this taste just as good without the cheese.

Last week, I made this Onion & Shallot Marmalade (click here for the recipe) and thought it could be the perfect accompaniment for the zucchini.

I was right. It added texture and also flavor, both savory and sweet.

Though I did  replace the regular bread with a gluten-free variety (Udi's), all the other ingredients are the same as what Gran Fran always used to make hers. It took me awhile to remember that you have to steamed the zucchini before you stuff and bake it. I did also fry the bread briefly before adding it to the stuffing, to make sure it browned and didn't soak up too much of the oil from the onion & shallot marmalade.

My daughet managed to eat the first batch of chantarelles that I sauteed and I couldn't quite remember how long to cook them in the oven, but in the end, they turned out great. I even managed to get a non-vegetable lover to eat this without any complaint,  and of course, I loved it, too.

 Stuffed Zucchini

Ingredients:

  • 6 Zucchini, cut in half lengthwise
  • 1/4 lb. Chanterelles, cleaned and chopped coarsely
  • 2 pieces Rice Bread, cubed
  • 4 to 5 sprigs fresh Oregano (or 1/2 tsp dried)
  • 6 Tbsps Olive Oil
  • 1 recipe Onion & Shallot Marmalade (click here for the recipe)
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
  2. Steam the zucchini halves until just soft. Do not cook them all the way through, just enough that the meat of the squash is soft to the touch.
  3. Remove the zucchini and allow it to cool.
  4. While you are steaming the squash, heat a saute pan large enough to hold the bread cubes in one layer.
  5. Add the 1/2 of the oil, the oregano, some salt and the bread cubes. Lower the heat to medium.
  6. Sautee the bread for about 4 minutes, keeping the cubes moving with a wooden spoon so that they don't burn, but just brown.
  7. Remove the bread cubes from the pan and set them aside in a medium bowl.
  8. Return the saute pan to high heat, and add the remaining olive oil.
  9. Add the chanterelle mushrooms to the pan and cook until nicely browned.
  10. Remove the mushrooms from the heat and add them to the bowl with the cooked bread cubes.
  11. Take the zucchini halves and scoop out the flesh and add that to the bowl as well.
  12. Mix up all of the ingredients in the bowl.
  13. Put the scooped out zucchini halves into a baking dish, large enough so they aren't touching.
  14. Scoop a layer of the bread/zucchini/mushroom mixture into each xzucchini half.
  15. Top with onion and shallot marmalade.
  16. Bake at 375 degree for 20 to 25 minutes on the middle rack of the oven.

Enjoy!

Simply Baked Potatoes

/

Do you love a good baked potato as much as I do?

I noticed that I rarely make them at home these days. Ordering them in a restaurant is out of the question: they always show up soggy and over cooked. But, they are quite easy to make and reheating them is a snap as well.

A good baked potato can really start your day out well. During High School my Dad (Joe, remember him?) used to give me a baked potato for breakfast on occasion. It was a great, warm breakfast with plenty of butter and I recall it keeping me good and full for the morning.

There were some very nice small russet potatoes available at the market this past weekend. I bought a bunch and cooked them up and cooked them in the evening.

The next morning, I reheated them for a few seconds in the microwave and we enjoyed a lovely breakfast. For myself, I put anchovy butter (recipe here) on one and onion and shallot marmalade (recipe here) on the other. For Ms. Iz (my daughter) I just put plain old butter on the baked potato.

The best breakfast ever! Just as I recalled, it lasted all day and I was happy to pass along a nice breakfast memory from my childhood to my daughter.

Baked Potatoes

Ingredients:

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
  • Scrub potatoes under cool water.
  • Cut an X into each potato, not all the way through, to allow the steam to escape as the potatoes cook.
  • Place the potatoes in the hot oven.
  • Cook for about 1 hour, or until the potatoes are soft enough to give a little when pressed with your thumb.
  • Remove from the oven, pop one open, top with your topping of choice and enjoy!

Jalapeno Butternut Squash Soup Featured: DailyBuzz Healthy Living

/

Hey, thanks, DailyBuzz Healthy Living for featuring my Jalapeno Butternut Squash Soup on their Top 9 today.

Today's my birthday, so what a nice thing to find in my inbox!

If you'd like to make this delicious soup yourself, click here.

Butternut Squash Jalapeno Soup

/

That's kind of a strange color for butternut squash soup, huh?

Well that's because it's got jalapeno and sage added to it.

I may have overdone the jalapeno a bit, thus the extra green color, but the flavor is really nice.

I didn't used to like soups like this. My favorite soups feature meat (usually ham or bacon) and it was kind of a hard sell for me to embrace this fully vegan soup. The turning point for me was that roasting the squash was so easy. It's the kind of thing you can throw in a pan in five minutes, with any number of herbs and spices, and then just put in the oven and forget about it for an hour or so. Once it's cooked and cooled all you have to do it scrape the meat out of the skin of the squash and puree all the good bits from the bottom of the roasting pan.

For this version, I roasted the jalapenos right alongside the squash. The only issue with that is that they don't get as crunchy as they do when I pan fry them, so there wasn't anything to use as garnish in the end. To thicken the soup, I used almonds and almond milk, but if you have any kind of problem with nuts, just leave them out, it's plenty thick on it's own.

Best of all, this is completely vegan and gluten free. For those of you who are trying hard to get back on the right track post-New Year's celebrations, give this soup a try.

Butternut Squash Soup with Jalapeno and Sage

serves 4

Ingredients:

  • 1 large Butternut squash, cut in half lengthwise, seeds removed
  • 2 Jalapeno peppers, cut into rings (remove the seeds if you want to avoid too much spice)
  • 1 Shallot, diced
  • 1 small Red Onion, diced
  • 4 sprigs Sage, shredded
  • 2 cloves Garlic, peeled but not chopped
  • 4 Tbsps Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to taste
  • 10 Almonds (optional)
  • 1/8 cup Almond Milk (optional)

Method:

  • Preheat oven to 425 degrees
  • Position the squash cut side up in a roasting pan large enough to fit both halves of the butternut squash without them touching.
  • Place the sage and garlic in the cavity of the squash.
  • Add some of the olive oil and salt and pepper.
  • Flip over the squash. You may need to move the garlic and herbs a bit to get them to fit back into the cavity no that the squash is skin side up.
  • Place the jalapenos, onions and shallots in between the two halves of the squash.
  • Drizzle remainder of olive oil over the top of all the ingredients.
  • Roast everything for 40 minutes to an hour, depending on the size of the squash, until a knife easily goes through the meat.
  • Once the squash is cool, scrape out the meat.
  • Take everything left in the roasting pan and the meat of the squash and place them in a food processor. Add the almonds and almond milk (optional).
  • Pulse until the texture you desire is reached.

Enjoy!

Featured: The Fruit Guys

/

Hello There.

I just found out that my post for No-Cook Cranberry Relish was featured on The Fruit Guys' website.

What a nice way to end the year. They are deliver great fresh fruit to our office sometimes and it's always a pleasure when the delivery comes in.

Look into fresh fruit and veggie box deliveries in your area, it's totally worth it. You never know what you'll get in the box. The mystery contents can lead to some great off-the-cuff meals.

Hope you are enjoying this 363rd day of the year.

Lettuce on the Grill??

/

I guess the idea first came to me when I was at a Korean BBQ restaurant. You grill your own food at your table (the one and only time Joe and Gran Fran joined me for this sort of dinner when we were finished, Joe asked "So, do we have to go in the back now and do the dishes, too.")

If a fire breaks out (as it often does, due to the lovely sugar-laced marinade and fat dripping from the short ribs), they supply you with large romaine lettuce leaves to put the fire out. Never one to waste anything (especially if it's covered in fat, char and delightful marinade), I ate some of the lettuce. It was almost as good as the short ribs.

Fast forward fifteen years (!) and my brother-in-law (FQ) and I were discussing a recipe for grilled radicchio that we saw in Gourmet Magazine (RIP). We tried it once, and then forgot about it.

Speed ahead, once more, to the present (well, July 4th) and I came up with a great idea for our grilled radicchio. I had two ears of corn, some shallots and a couple of other things, so we made a salad. My main man (CM) grilled up the radicchio, and in no time at all, we had a fantastic salad on our hands (er, our plates).

Grilled Radicchio Salad
Ingredients:

  • 1 head Radicchio
  • 1 large Shallot, minced
  • 2 ears Corn
  • 1 large Heirloom Tomato, chopped
  • 1 bunch Frisee, shredded
  • 1/3 cup Olive Oil
  • Salt and Pepper to Taste

Method:

  • Heat BBQ grill until super hot, but not smoking.
  • Cut up radicchio into chunks.
  • Pour olive oil over radicchio on toss to coat.
  • Place radicchio chunks on grill, grill on one side for two minutes, making sure flames don't get too high.
  • Turn radicchio over, pouring remaining oil onto it. Cook for two more minutes, or until soft. 
  • Remove from heat, and chop into smaller pieces.
  • Take corn off the cobs, placing the loose kernels into a large bowl.
  • Add tomatoes, shallots and grilled radicchio to bowl. Toss, gently pulling the radicchio leaves apart.
  • Sprinkle shredded frisee on top of mix.
  • Finish with a little olive oil, salt and pepper.
Enjoy!!