I really enjoy comfort foods, especially this time of the year. Last night I decided to make a vegetable pot pie. I like to make mine with a buttermilk biscuit top (here’s the photo tour recipe for buttermilk biscuits http://deglazing.com/2007/02/21/buttermilk-biscuits-a-photo-tour/), but you could also use a pie crust if you like. Don’t feel like making your own pie crust or biscuits, you can purchase them at the grocery store.
Veggie Pot Pie
4 Tbs. butter
1 chopped onion
1/4 cup flour
2 1/2 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock, if you prefer)
2 Tbs. heavy cream
pinch of saffron
pinch of Italian Herb Seasoning
Salt and Pepper to taste
1 1/2 cups potatoes medium diced
1 1/2 cups green beans chopped in 3 inch pieces
1 1/2 cups carrot medium diced
1 1/2 cups butternut squash medium diced
1 cup frozen peas
1 pie crust, or 12 biscuits
Preheat the oven to 375° F. To make the sauce - melt butter and saute onions for 10 to 15 minutes. Add flour and cook for 3 minutes. Add the vegetable stock and bring up to a boil, the sauce will get pretty thick. Add the saffron, Italian Seasoning, heavy cream, and salt and pepper to taste.
Meanwhile, in a pot of boiling salted water, drop the potatoes and cook for 10 minutes or so. Use a sieve to remove the potatoes from the water and add to the sauce. Then add the green beans, carrot, and butternut squash to the water and cook for 8 minutes. Drain and add the veggies to the sauce. Stir in frozen peas. Put the filling mixture into a oven safe pan. Top the filling either with cut biscuits or pie crust. Pop into the oven and cook until the biscuits or crust are browned (20 minutes or so).
I wouldn’t really call this one a recipe, but more a method for cooking your corn. I love Ina Garten and I think she hits the nail on the head with this one. I found cooking corn with this method brings out its best flavor. I cook my corn like this all the time. It really is delicious. And like with any recipe, feel free to experiment with flavorings.
So, here it is Ina’s Sauteed Fresh Corn:
8 to 10 ears of corn on the cob (yellow or white corn) 3 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 teaspoon kosher salt 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
Remove the husks and the silk from the corn and cut the kernels off as close to the husk as possible without removing any of the husk. You should have about 7 cups of kernels.
Today I did a post on roasted red peppers, so I thought it might be nice if I did a recipe review using this kitchen technique. I chose Rachael Ray’s Romaine Salad with Red Pepper Vinaigrette. I wasn’t quite sure what to expect from this dressing, but I thought I would enjoy it. It has two things I really love roasted red peppers and balsamic vinegar. I read the reviews over at Food TV for this one and the only complaint that seemed to keep coming up was the dressing was too sweet. I did not find this to be the case. I thought the dressing was a nice balance of sweetness from the red peppers and sharpness from the balsamic vinegar. I had to wonder if some of the people who made this added a lot more honey then I did because I simply didn’t taste anything too sweet. All in all I think this is a tasty dressing and would be interesting change up for your next Greek salad. I think it’s a very nice combination. You should give it a try, if you really like roasted red peppers.
Romaine Salad with Roasted Red Pepper Vinaigrette (Rachael Ray)
2 roasted red bell peppers, drained well, chopped Salt and pepper 1 small clove garlic, chopped 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar, eyeball it 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, eyeball it A drizzle of honey 4 romaine hearts A handful pitted kalamata olives, chopped
Place roasted red bell peppers in food processor bowl. Season them up with salt and pepper. Add garlic and vinegar to food processor. Turn processor on and stream in extra-virgin olive oil and some honey. When dressing is smooth and combined, stop and adjust seasonings.
Chop romaine into bite-sized pieces and put in a salad bowl then pour the dressing over lettuce, toss and serve. Garnish with chopped olives.
I have always been a fan of good granola. A few years ago I went on a kick to find a recipe so I could make it myself. After testing many recipes out, I developed my own version of a maple granola. I particularly love to use this granola in fruit and yogurt parfaits like the one pictured above. It couldn’t be simpler really - take your choice of cut fruits (I really love berries) and any flavor yogurt, layer with homemade granola and viola!
Nicky’s Maple Granola
1/2 cup canola oil
2/3 cup pure maple syrup (I like grade A)
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 cup almonds (feel free to also use walnuts, pecans, or macadamia nuts)
1 cup shredded coconut
4 cups old fashioned oats
2 1/2 cups dried fruits (I often use cranberries, banana chips, apple rings - you could also use apricots, raisins, blueberries, dates, etc.)
Preheat oven to 350°.
In large bowl combine the cinnamon, almonds, coconut, and oats. Stir in canola oil and maple syrup to coat evenly. Spread the granola out on a half sheet pan. Bake until golden - 20 minutes or so. Keep an eye on the granola as it cooks and turn it a couple of times during baking.(otherwise, it may burn around the edges)
Let cool. Transfer the cooled granola to a bowl with the dried fruits. Can be stored in air tight container in pantry for 2 to 3 weeks or in freezer for up to 2 months.
My friend Jeff was kind enough to send over his mom, Barbara Gerber’s Creamy Curry Vegetable Soup recipe to post on the site. The artwork was done by Barbara. If you want to check out more of her work please visit her website at www.barbaragerber.com.
Here’s a typed version in case the artwork doesn’t render well. If you have any recipes you would like to share with us and the rest of the world, then please send them along and I will include a post about the recipe with credit to you.
28 oz. vegetable broth
1/2 onion minced
2 big carrots chopped (I think probably a pretty good size chop since it is going into the crockpot and the same with the sweet potato)
1 big sweet potato chopped
1 can unsweetened coconut milk
1/2 cup raisins
2 - 3 tsp. of curry powder
2 1/2 flakes crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. of freshly grated ginger
1 can of garbanzo beans
Cook everything together on stove top in pot, except coconut milk until potatoes are soft. Just before serving, mix in coconut milk.
Crockpot - Layer everything in pot except coconut milk. Cook on high for 4 hours or low 8 hours. Just before serving, mix in coconut milk.
Brown rice is an excellent choice for any diet, but with such a long cooking time, most people avoid using it. A few months ago I found a fully cooked brown rice in the frozen section of the grocery store and was very happy. The package contained four individual packets of rice. Wow! Brown rice, no work, you have to love that! So, now you can find the brown rice, what should you do with it?
I found I really love a rice dish that Ina Garten made over at Food TV. I did change the recipe slightly, Ina calls for champagne or rice wine vinegar in this recipe, I went for the sweeter balsamic. I found the balsamic really highlighted the flavors of the tomatoes and basil well. It’s a very simple recipe and great as a side dish. So here’s the recipe.
Brown Rice, Tomatoes, and Basil
1 cup Texmati brown rice (You can use frozen)
2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
1/4 cup Champagne or rice wine vinegar (I used balsamic vinegar, instead)
2 teaspoons sugar
1 tablespoon good olive oil
Freshly ground black pepper
1 pound ripe tomatoes, large-diced
1 cup packed basil leaves (1 large bunch), chopped
Bring 2 1/4 cups water to a boil and add the rice and 1 teaspoon of the salt. Return to a boil, cover, and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, until the rice is tender and all the water is absorbed. Transfer the rice to a bowl. ***(Or you can skip this step and use already prepared frozen brown rice in the grocery store)***
Whisk together the vinegar, sugar, olive oil, remaining teaspoon of salt, and a pinch of pepper. Pour over the rice. Add the tomatoes and basil. Mix well and check the seasonings. Serve at room temperature.
This recipe is an adapted version of the Potato and Cheddar Quesadillas recipe found in Didi Emmons cookbook, Vegetarian Planet. This is an excellent dish to have as either a dinner or to cut up and serve as appetizers with a chili dinner. I added the sweet potatoes to the dish, I think it provides a nice balance for the regular potato. So here is the modified version of Potato Cheddar Quesadillas.
2 Tbls. canola oil
1 cup slice onion
1 1/2 large carrots, chopped fine
1 large garlic clove, minced (I find this recipe is equally as good without the garlic)
3 medium new potatoes, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds (about 1 1/2 cups)
1 large sweet potato, sliced into 1/4 inch rounds
6 8 or 10 inch flour tortillas
6 ounces of sharp cheddar, sliced thin or grated (I have found a nice four cheese mexican blend works really well in this dish, as well)
salt and pepper to taste
Preheat oven to 400° degrees. Wash new potatoes and slice. Peel or wash very throughly the sweet potato. Slice into 1/4 inch rounds. Place potatoes and sweet potatoes onto cooking sheets that have been sprayed with a non-stick spray. Spray the tops of the potatoes or lightly coat with oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Put in oven until cooked through. I would separate the sweet potatoes from the regular potatoes, they have a tendency to cook faster. Allow to cool.
In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbls. oil over medium-high heat, add the onions and carrots. Saute for 5 minutes or until tender, stirring frequently.
In another large skillet (at least 10 inches wide), heat 1/2 tablespoon oil over medium heat. Add one tortilla. Spread with cheese. Top with one third of the onion, carrot, sweet potato, and potato. Top with more cheese and another tortilla. Once the cheese has melted a little flip the quesadilla to toast the top. Remove from pan and repeat with the remaining ingredients.
This week I am posting more video recipes. I hope you find these helpful and informative. If you have any suggestions on future recipes you would like to see me do, then please email me.
Today’s video recipe is for Mac n’ Cheese, this recipe is adapted from Jeanne Lemlin’s - Vegetarian Classics.
Mac n’ Cheese
1 cup cooked pasta
2 Tbls. butter
2 Tbls. flour
1 cup milk
pinch of cayenne
1 cup smoked gouda
1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
fresh breadcrumbs (from 2 pieces of whole wheat bread)
1 Tbls. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
Cook pasta according to package directions, set aside, drizzle with olive oil to prevent sticking.
Start with pan over medium to medium high heat, melt butter. Add flour to melted butter and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Once the flour is incorporated into the butter whisk in milk. Keep stirring milk mixture until it starts to thicken. Once it has thickened slightly stir in cayenne pepper. Turn heat off and add the cheeses. Add pasta to cheese mixture and stir. Place in oven-safe dish.
Coat breadcrumbs with olive oil. Sprinkle breadcrumbs over the macaroni and cheese and place in 400° preheated oven. Cook for 10-15 minutes or until breadcrumbs have browned. Serves 2 as main course, and four as side dish.
Couscous is an excellent grain to have in your pantry, if you want to get meals out quickly. Couscous takes 5 minutes to make and is practically fool proof. Couscous is delicious, nutty, and slightly buttery. Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. Wondering what to do with couscous? It makes a fantastic bed for a vegetable or meat stew. Here is a nice spicy vegetable couscous from the Williams Sonoma Savoring Series. This is an excellent dish that does not take advantage of the quick cook time of couscous, but is definitely worth the extra time.
For the vegetables:
2 Tbls. unsalted butter
2 Tbls. extra-virgin olive oil
2 yellow onions, chopped
2 garlic cloves, chopped
2 small dried red chiles, such as arbol or birds eye, seeded and crumbled
2 Tbls. ground turmeric
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. fresh thyme leaves (or 1/4 tsp. dried)
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
1/8 tsp. saffron threads (feel free to experiment here, saffron is very expensive)
8 small new potatoes, unpeeled, halved
1 small head cauliflower, cut in small florets
2 large carrots, peeled and cut into 2 inch lengths
2 cups veggie or chicken stock
1 cup shelled English peas
For the couscous:
3 cups boiling water
2 cups couscous
1 Tbls. unsalted butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 cup minced fresh mint
1/4 cup minced fresh chives
1/4 cup minced fresh tarragon
And harissa to serve on the side - harissa is a spicy red chili sauce that is used as a condiment, you can omit this, or you can purchase it at food stores like Williams Sonoma.
To prepare the vegetables, in a deep, heavy saute pan or fry pan over medium heat, combine the butter and olive oil. When the butter foams, add the onions and garlic and saute until translucent, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the chiles, turmeric, cumin, thyme, salt, pepper and saffron. Add the potatoes, cauliflower and carrots and turn them gently in the butter mixture for 1 to 2 minutes. Add the broth and stir for 1 to 2 minutes. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to low and cook until the potatoes are almost tender when pierced, 15 to 20 minutes. Add the peas, cover an cook until the peas and potatoes are tender, 5 to 7 minutes more. Remove from the heat and keep covered.
To prepare the couscous, in a large bowl, combine the boiling water, couscous, butter and salt. Let stand until the water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Turn the couscous into a fine-mesh sieve and press gently with the back of a spoon to remove excess water. Transfer to a bowl and, using a fork, gently fluff.
To serve, heap the couscous into a serving bowl, spoon a little broth and vegetables over it and sprinkle with fresh herbs. Serves 6.
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