Golden Lentil Dal

If you haven’t noticed by how many times I have posted this meal it is truly one of my favorites!!!  And it freezes incredibly well, which is my goal with cooking right now.  Plus it’s done in the crock pot so it’s super easy to prepare.  So once again here’s the recipe:

Golden Lentil Dal

• 2 cups yellow lentils (I like the yellow for some reason better than the red, but they are pretty much the same)
• medium butternut squash, peeled, deseeded, and chopped
• onion, chopped
• garlic, minced
• can coconut milk
• 2 tsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
• 1 inch knob ginger, grated
• 2 tsp red curry paste
• s&p
• water to cover all ingredients, for me this was 2 cans of water (I used the coconut milk can)

1. Place all ingredients in crock pot and cook on low 6-8 hours.

Roasted Fennel & Pear, Potato Salad, and Collards

Sometimes it’s fun to make a smorgasbord meal.  Each component stands out on its own and there’s really no theme of flavors connecting them together.  I figure since I have the time right now I should enjoy a little bit of kitchen fun.  I took my time with this meal cooking throughout the afternoon doing a little here and there.  I fully enjoyed myself and I kind of saw it at my last hoorah in the kitchen.  I’ll still be cooking up until the baby comes but I’m going to stick with meals that can be frozen to keep stocking the freezer.

I didn’t really have any inspiration for this meal but to make a few things that taste delicious.  Cheesy I know.  I haven’t made collards for quite some time and they have been looking pretty great at the store.  Plus Joshua loves collard greens and he was quite thrilled when he saw me grab them off the produce shelf.  I used a recipe I have in the past that includes fresh grated ginger and a bit of cardamom powder.  The flavor is mellow but unique.  Definitely worth a try.

I did have other plans for the fennel but had a little bit of an issue with the pressure cooker so I cancelled that meal.  Long story short my fava beans were too much for it to handle.  I still have no idea what went wrong.  There was enough water but not too much, a dash of oil, and the heat was on the right temperature.  The little swisher top was doing it’s thing and all of the sudden it stopped and then shot off into the ceiling.  Both Josh and I were in the kitchen for this and ran for cover.  I’m very thankful the lid didn’t blow off.  We did have a nice mess of bean residue to clean off the stove and near surroundings.  But it could have been much worse so no complaining.  Definitely a scary moment though.  In the end it all worked out for the best as I roasted the fennel with my delicious olive oil and blueberry balsamic vinegar.  I also decided to lightly roast a d’anjou pear with the oil and vinegar too.  Together they were SO YUMMY!

And lastly, at this point you know I’m not super into potatoes but fingerling potato salad sounded good.  I like to make mine with ricotta cheese and olive oil;  plenty of creaminess.  For the seasoning I keep it simple using fresh parsley, red onion, Garlic Gold nuggest (fresh garlic would do fine too), celery, and some pecorino romano.  Definitely my kind of potato salad!  I made this early afternoon so I could eat it cold.  To me potato salad is the best cold rather than warm or room temperature.

In the end this was a great vegetarian plate of food, plenty to satisfy my stomach.  I know Josh could have used a little extra to fill him up but overall he said he was pretty full himself.  If I didn’t make the potato salad I would have made a brown rice couscous salad including the roasted fennel and pears, along with some of the fennel fronds and pecorino romano.  Just another ideal to throw out there.  Happy Friday everyone!

Potato Salad Prep

Potato Salad

Collard Greens

Roasted Fennel

Dinner

: )

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Potato Salad

• 2 lbs fingerling potatoes
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4-1/2 cup ricotta cheese
• fresh parsley, chopped (as much as you’d like)
• 1-2 tablespoons Garlic Gold nuggets (or 2 cloves fresh minced garlic)
• red onion, sliced super thin (as much as you’d like)
• 1 stalk celery diced
• s&p

1. Boil fingerling potatoes whole until fork tender.
2.  Meanwhile mix all remaining ingredients.
3. Once potatoes are done, drain and chop.  Mix all ingredients together and refrigerate until chilled.

Collar Greens

• 1 batch collard greens, washed and stems removed
• olive oil
• red onion, chopped
• garlic, minced
• 1 inch knob ginger, grated
• 1 tsp Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
• 1 cup water
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• s&p

1. Boil collard greens for 15 minutes.  Drain, cool, and chop thinly.
2. Heat up a splash of olive oil and fry the garlic and ginger a few minutes.  Do not burn.  Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer until the liquid is gone.  I like to enjoy these at room temperature.

Roasted Fennel & Pear

• 2 fennel bulbs
• 1 d’anjou pear
• olive oil
• blueberry balsamic vinegar

1. Slice both fennel and pear into wedges.  Keep them separate.
2. Just coat each with olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
3. Roast the fennel in a 400° oven for 30 minutes.  Next roast the pear at the same temperature for 10 minutes.

White Chili

The day is quickly approaching when we will get to meet our new addition!  We are both very excited for this.  Could be any day but most likely won’t be for another 2 weeks or so.  Luckily the days seem to be going by pretty fast and I’ve been keeping myself busy.  This being said I’ve started to make meals in large batches where half can be frozen for those nights when we have no energy to cook.  Here I made a white chili.  I’ve never ventured down this road before and it’s an easy yet delicious meal to make.  I did use chicken base for the broth but you could easily substitute veggie base for a vegetarian version.  You could also add some shredded chicken, which I think Josh would have really liked, but unfortunately for him this idea did not appeal to me.  I used 1 lb of dry northern beans, soaking them overnight and cooking them in the pressure cooker, before adding them to the crock pot.  Since I wanted a lot of beans in the soup this proved to be a good idea as I’m not sure the beans would have cooked fully otherwise.

Ready to cook

Cooked

Time to eat

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White Chili

• 1 lb nothern beans, soaked over night and cooked in a pressure cooker
• onion, chopped
• garlic, minced
• 2 14 oz cans diced green chilis
• 29 oz can hominy
• 4-5 tablespoons Better Than Bouillon chicken base
• 2 tsp cumin
• 2 1/2 tsp oregano
• 1/4 tsp ground cloves
• water to fill crock pot
• s&p
• 1 cup frozen white corn

1. In a crock pot add the cooked northern beans, onion, garlic, green chilis, hominy, chicken base, cumin, oregano, cloves and s&p.  Mix well and fill crockpot with water.  Cook on low 7 hours or so.
2. 30 minutes before serving add the frozen corn.
3. Serve with fresh chopped avocado, tortilla crisps, and grated cheese.

Tortilla Crisps

• tortillas, chopped into thin strips
• olive oil
• salt

1. Toss tortilla strips with olive oil and salt.
2. Bake in a 350° oven checking every 10 minutes until crisp.  I used sprouted tortillas (not wheat free) which only took 15 minutes, if you use corn tortillas they will take closer to 30 minutes (from my experience anyway).

Prosciutto & Broccoli Quiche

Let me just start off by saying this quiche was incredible!  I achieved the custard like texture you look for in a quiche while having the perfect balance of veggies with the saltiness of the prosciutto.  I was in the mood to make one, which does not happen often, and I let Josh choose the ingredients for the filling.  His suggestions were both the prosciutto and broccoli.  Good choice!  Of course I could have gone one step further in making my own crust but I chose not to and bought a frozen spelt crust from Whole Foods.  I’ve used them in the past and always have great success.  Along with the quiche we had a simple salad dressed with blueberry balsamic and olive oil.

Broccoli, Onion, & Garlic

Ready to bake

Baked

Perfect!

See the light custard texture of the eggs..

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Prosciutto & Broccoli Quiche

• 1 pie crust
• broccoli, chopped down into florets
• onion, sliced into thin half moons
• 2 garlic cloves, chopped
• s&p
• olive oil
• 6 slices prosciutto
• 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
• 6 eggs
• cheese, I used Dubliner

1. In a blender mix the cream and eggs.  Set aside.
2. Heat up some olive oil and sauté the onion until softened.  Add the garlic and broccoli.  Season with s&p and continue to sauté until just tender.
3. In the pie shell place the broccoli mixture in a smooth layer.  Next add in the prosciutto again in a smooth layer.  Pour the egg mixture slowly in the pie shell until full.  Grate a light layer of cheese on the top.
4. Bake in a 375° oven for ten minutes.  Turn down the heat to 325° and continue to bake for another 30 minutes or so until the quiche is set.  If you can’t tell when it’s set you can use a cake tester.
5. Allow to set for 10 minutes before serving.

GF Banana Pancakes

I woke up this morning knowing it was a pancake day.  I have been lucky enough to have Josh make me pancakes just about every time I want them but for some reason he hasn’t been into making them the last few months.  So this means I get to.  Not that it’s a problem as they are super easy to throw together, I just like having them made for me.  Who wouldn’t?  So today I didn’t follow a recipe or anything but rather threw a bunch on ingredients together that sounded good.  I blended some old fashioned oats into oat flour for the base and added a mashed banana, almond slivers, and coconut flakes.  I did add an egg for some protein but you could easily omit it for a vegan version.  They turned out fluffy and weren’t dense at all.  Oat flour is a great substitute for recipes like pancakes.  Just be sure to adjust your liquid as the oat flour is definitely more absorbent and don’t want thick dry pancakes.

Pancakes

Gluten Free Banana Pancakes (made ~15 pancakes)

• 1 1/2 cups oat flour (food process or blend old fashioned oats)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1 banana, mashed
• 2 cups almond milk, maybe more
• 1 egg
• cinnamon
• vanilla extract
• coconut flakes
• slivered almonds
• butter
• maple syrup

1. In a medium bowl mix together oat flour and baking powder.
2. In another bowl mash banana with a fork.  Add the milk, egg, cinnamon, vanilla extract, coconut, and almonds.
3. Add the wet ingredients to the dry mixing until just incorporated.  If the batter is looking thick add some more milk to thin it out.
4. Heat a large pan over medium low heat.  Once fully heated add a pat of butter and place a bit of batter around pan making 4 or 5 pancakes.  Cook 3-4 minutes until bubbles form on top, flip and continue to cook another 3-4 minutes on the other side.  Remove from pan and repeat until all the batter is used.
5. Serve with maple syrup.

Salad

Every now and then I’m inspired to eat salad.  I guess last night was one of those nights.  I saw a beautiful head of red butter leaf lettuce at the store the other day and it was calling my name.  It’s my favorite lettuce by far especially when fresh.  Delicate but crispy.  So I quickly tossed together a salad containing the head of lettuce, a red d’anjou pear, avocado, and the rest of the garlic dill goat cheese from the previous post.  For the dressing I used olive oil and vinegar.  But not just any olive oil and vinegar.  Both came from Oliverde, the olive oil hojiblanca (previous post) and the balsamic was blueberry flavored.  The store has a huge selection of flavored balsamic vinegars and we tried a bunch of them.  Most were good but nothing you’d actually want to buy.  But the blueberry, WOW, it was incredible.  Seriously tasted like wild blueberries.  So needless to say this salad was right up my alley.

Pesto Pasta

For the pasta I kept it simple, remember I’m trying to make meals with minimal prep.  I rehydrated some sundried tomatoes in a bit of olive oil over super low heat and added some frozen peas.  I tossed this mixture with some store bought pesto and  a box of cooked quinoa shells.  Tasty, easy, and satisfying.  I love pasta.  I know it’s not the best food to eat but it is definitely one of my favorite foods.  If only it were as good for you as grains.

Asparagus Pasta

As I noted in my last post it’s about time I started doing less prep work in the kitchen.  I love a variety of vegetables in my food but this is what accounts for the back pain I have just started to experience.  Take a look at my tom kha recipe a few posts down.  That recipe I truly enjoyed but entirely too many veggies to dice up!  So this recipe is the start to my easier cooking.

Here in Boulder we have an olive oil store called Oliverde.  I recently ventured in and while my parents were in town we made a stop.  It’s amazing the different kinds of olive oils out there.  After trying an assortment they bought me a bottle of hojiblanca.  A spanish oil, very silky in texture and grassy in flavor.  It’s pretty wonderful.  I have chosen to use this oil only where the flavor won’t get lost in a dish so this was the perfect meal to try it out.  I cooked a bunch of asparagus with some tarragon ice cubes (I never use a whole thing of tarragon when I buy it so I freeze what I don’t use in ice cubes for future use) and added lemon zest, fusilli pasta, and goat cheese.  I bought a local goat cheese from Haystack Mountain seasoned with dill and garlic.  It is DELICIOUS!  I used to hate goat cheese.  I know hate is a strong word but that was my true opinion of the cheese.  Now I love it!  It is definitely one of my top cheeses to date.  And this flavor did not disappoint.  It added the perfect spice and plenty of creaminess to tie the dish together.

Olive Oil

Ready to serve!

Good Eats!

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Asparagus & Goat Cheese Pasta

• bunch of asparagus, chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh tarragon, I used 2 frozen ice cubes containing 1 tbsp in each
• zest of 1 lemon
• goat cheese, I used dill and garlic flavored from Haystack Mountain
• olive oil, I used Hojiblanca
• s&p
• rice fusilli, cooked according to package

1. In a nonstick sauce pan heat up a little olive oil over medium high heat.  Once warm add the asparagus.  Cook until just tender and add tarragon and s&p.  Because I used ice cube tarragon I added them in right along with the asparagus and allowed the liquid to cook off.
2. Season with lemon zest, toss in cooked pasta, a bit more olive oil, and goat cheese.  Heat through and mix well.
3. Serve topped with a little goat cheese and lemon zest.

I truly loved this dish.  So much I ate two bowls.  The olive oil was incredible especially with a little salt to bring out the flavor.  And as I mentioned the goat cheese was yummy too.  The tarragon and lemon zest kept the dish vibrant with their cooling flavors.  I wish I had more to eat right now!

Shepherd's Pie

Traditionally shepherd’s pie consists of ground meat and some veggies topped with a layer of mashed potatoes.  Many times the meat and vegetables are mixed with some sort of tomato sauce to make a ‘gravy’ on the bottom of the dish.  I chose to follow this concept but take a different turn.  I used mashed sweet potatoes and carrots for the topping, which to me was a much better substitution.  For the meat I made mini meatballs from some lemon herb and thyme turkey sausages.  I also omitted any sort of tomato sauce.  I have been lucky enough not to have much heartburn at all this pregnancy but as I’m on the home stretch I am more aware of the potential and avoid foods (for the most part) that will bring it on.  The few times I have experienced it I’ve taken a gulp of apple cider vinegar and it’s immediately taken it away.  You can also drink some apple cider vinegar before you eat your meal which will prevent the onset.  This meal was pretty simple to throw together but I have come to realize I need to start modifying my recipes to spend less time in the kitchen.  The prep work takes a toll on my back and by the end all I want to do is sit down.  I feel somewhat conflicted about this as my job just ended so I have the time to cook but not the stamina.  I guess this is all part of the fun.

Mashed sweet potatoes and carrots

Browning the turkey meatballs

Cooking the veggies: leeks, garlic, celery, mushrooms

Meatballs tossed in along with some pecorino romano

Layered and ready to bake

YUM!

Baked until it's heated through and lightly browned on top

Shepherd's Pie

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Shepherd’s Pie

• 2 large carrots, peeled and chopped
• 1 yam, peeled and chopped
• 1 white sweet potato, peeled and chopped
• milk
• leek, sliced into half moons
• garlic, chopped
• 2 large stalks celery, chopped
• 8 oz baby bellas, sliced
• 2 links turkey sausage, I used lemon herb and thyme from Whole Foods
• pecorino romano
• s&p
• thyme, 1-2 tsp
• olive oil

1. First make mashed carrots and sweet potatoes.  Place sweet potatoes and carrot in a pot and just about cover with milk.  Bring to a low boil and cook until all are for tender.  Drain reserving the milk.  Mash, I used my immersion blender, adding milk until desired consistency is reached.  Season with s&p.  Set aside.
2. Remove the turkey sausage from the casing and roll mini meatballs.  In a sauté pan, heat up a bit of olive oil and brown meatballs.  Once cooked remove and set aside.
3. In the sausage drippings add the leek and garlic cooking until lightly browned.  Add in the celery and thyme; continue to cook 2 more minutes.  Next add in the mushrooms and cook until they release their liquid.  Mix in the meatballs and grate in some pecorino romano, as much as you’d like.  Season with s&p.
4. In a casserole dish spread the veggie/meatball mixture in an even layer.  Top with the mashed carrots and sweet potatoes.  Make small peaks for them to brown as the dish cooks.  I was impatient and hungry so I didn’t let mine brown as much as I could have.  Bake for 30 minutes in a 350° oven until everything is heated through.

Lemon Muffins

Refreshing with a little bit of zing and a touch of sweetness.  I’d say that sums of these muffins.  Super easy to make and too delicious to not eat.  I wanted the lemon flavor to come on strong so I used lemon zest, lemon juice, and lemon yogurt.  The recipe is one I threw together quickly, but follows most standard muffin recipes.  I was going to add some chia seeds to the batter for a little extra goodness but conveniently forgot.  No biggie though.  For a little extra fun I did pipe some of my Grams homemade blueberry jam in the center.  She makes the best jams; strawberry rhubarb, blueberry, raspberry, cherry, peach, and my all time favorite grape using her own concord grapes!  She mails them to me and what a great present it is!

Lemon Muffins

Lemon Muffins (makes 12)

• 1 3/4 cup spelt flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3/4 tsp baking soda
• dash salt
• 1 egg, room temperature
• 8 oz lemon yogurt, room temperature
• 1/2 c brown sugar (I use variety called yellow d which contains a high amount of molasses)
• 5 tbsp melted butter
• 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 2 tbsp lemon zest
• 1/4 cup blueberry jam

• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
• 2 tbsp lemon zest

1. Preheat oven to 400° and line a muffin tin with holders.
2. Whisk flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium sized bowl.
3. In another bowl whisk egg, yogurt, sugar, butter, lemon juice, and lemon zest.
4. Add wet to dry and mix until just incorporated.  Batter will be sticky.
5. Fill muffin tins with batter.
6. Using a piping bag squirt a bit of jam inside each muffin.
7. Bake about 18 minutes.
8. While muffins are baking heat up lemon juice, brown sugar, and zest in a small pan to melt sugar.
9. Once muffins are finished and have cooled poke the tops of each with a cake tester a bunch of times.  Then pour the lemon juice glaze over the muffins slowly allowing it to soak in.  This adds the extra zing and is an optional step.  If you’d prefer them to be sweeter add more sugar to the glaze.

Shrimp Tom Kha

Ha, I just realized I forgot to add the Thai basil into my soup last night!  Seriously one of the most important ingredients.  And I enjoyed eating the soup but the entire time I kept thinking something was missing.  Bummer especially when I made this for a friend.  Oh well, you win some and you lose some.  My version of tom kha runs on the mild side using garlic, lemongrass, ginger, tamari, lime juice, and Thai basil for flavoring.  You can easily spice it up with some sort of pepper.  The soup comes together quickly, leaving the majority of the time in the prep work.  I like a variety of veggies in mine.  For this batch I used onion, shiitakes, sweet potato, carrot, celery, baby bok choy, and tomato.  I served  it over some brown rice noodles.  Good eats.

First I soften my onions in some olive oil

Then in the soup pot I brown the garlic lightly

Next goes in the lemongrass, ginger, and majority of the vegetables

Coconut milk and broth are brought to a simmer until veggies are just tender; then last goes in the soft veggies and shrimp. Oh and the Thai basil!

Served with tomato wedges and lime

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Shrimp Tom Kha

• 2 tablespoons garlic chopped
• 1-2 tablespoons grated ginger
• 2 tablespoons lemongrass (I use the stuff in the jar)
• small onion, sliced into half moons
• shiitake mushrooms, sliced
• sweet potato, cubed and steamed until fork tender
• carrot, sliced
• celery, sliced
• baby bok choy, chopped leaves and stems separated
• lime juice, from about 1/2 a lime
• 1 can coconut milk
• 2 cans of water
• 2-3 teaspoons Better Than Bouillon vegetable base
• 3-4 tablespoons tamari
• 1/2 lb large shrimp, peeled, deveined, and chopped into 1″ bites
• tomato wedges
• brown rice noodles, cooked according to box
• grapeseed oil

1. In a pot heat up some grapeseed oil and soften the onions.  You don’t have to do this step but I like my onions soft so I cook them separately first.
2. In a soup pot heat up 2 tablespoons of grapeseed oil over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook until it just starts to brown.  It goes from lightly brown to burnt fast so be aware.
3. Add the onions, shiitakes, sweet potato, carrot, celery, bok choy stems, ginger, and lemon grass.  Mix well.
4. Next add in the lime juice, coconut milk, water, vegetable base, and 2 tablespoons of the tamari.  I start with just a bit of tamari and add more if needed.  Bring to a simmer and cook until veggies are just tender.  Taste broth and adjust seasoning if necessary: more tamari, lime juice, vegetable base, ect..
5. Lastly stir in the shrimp, bok choy stems, and Thai basil.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Serve over brown rice noodles and top with tomato wedges and a slice of lime.  Serve with more Thai basil and some sort of hot pepper sauce if desired.

** I just wanted to post a little update.  As I was eating my leftovers with some Thai basil this soup recipe was officially spot on.  So don’t forget the basil like me!  But I thought of a better idea for cooking the sweet potato.  I chose to steam mine and then add it to the soup, but I would instead cook the garlic and then make the broth adding in only the raw sweet potato.  Let it simmer until tender and then add in the rest of the veggies.  Just a thought.

Oh and check out my awesome bowl!!!

Soup WITH the Thai basil

Bowl designed for easy holding so you can eat on the couch

With nifty chop stick holder!

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