lemon & thyme roasted vegetables

my mother-in-law, cindy, has a great abundance of herbs growing on her ever hip rooftop garden. every time we see her, she’s handing us bags and bags of basil, oregano, thyme, etc. i would never ever turn down fresh herbs. i will always be able to find some way to “get rid” of these herbs for cindy. i’ve posted my recipe for lemon & thyme chicken on the grill before, and i wanted to share my recipe for the mushrooms and carrots that so well accompany this wonderful summer dish. (yes, we do have 3 days left of summer, so i can still be posting summer recipes!) thanks again for the freebies, cindy!

lemon & thyme roasted vegetables

1 lb carrots

1 lb mushrooms (i love crimini for this recipe)

1/2 lemon for juice

1/2 tsp lemon zest

1 tbsp fresh thyme cleaned from the stem

1 tbsp oil

S&P to taste

method: preheat oven to 475f. oil a large metal broiler pan.

put thyme and salt into large glass bowl. mash the salt into the leaves of the thyme. this will release their flavor in a similar way that bruising basil to make pesto works. let it set for a minute or 2 before adding the lemon juice. add the pepper and zest and stir well. let this sit for 10 minutes or so before using.

clean and chop carrots to desired size. i never peel my carrots, i scrub them with a brush to remove dirt. the “peel” retains a lot of flavor. halve or quarter mushrooms, depending on size.

throw veggies into lemon mixture and toss well. i like to let this sit for an hour or so before roasting.

pour olive oil onto veggies to coat liberally. don’t be afraid of using too much, olive oil is delicious. roast for 20 minutes or so, until veggies begin to brown. serve with more lemon zest if desired.

loaded mushrooms

cheesy, meaty, & saucy

i am wayyy into easy meals lately. i think it’s because it is summer, and i’m not wanting to spend a lot of time indoors. this was a quick and easy thing to stack together and stick under the broiler a few times, and chow down. it seriously takes about 10 minutes to whip together, and is a pretty well-rounded meal. this would also make a great side or appetizer.

brian and i love sausage, and this was the perfect facilitator for it. this would be easy to modify to exclude or include any ingredient as you see fit. subbing tempeh for the sausage would be a wonderful way to make it veg.

loaded mushrooms

4 big portabellas, stems snapped off and caps cleaned

1/2 lb cooked sausage or tempeh

1/4 cup mozzarella, provolone, or any lovely cheese you have

1/4 cup of your favorite marinara sauce

roasted bell peppers, cooked onion, black olives, cooked spinach, or any other veg you like and happen to have in the fridge

few leafs torn fresh basil

4 tbsp ricotta cheese

1/4 tsp garlic powder

s & p

method: turn on broiler. prep cookie sheet by slicking it with olive oil. mix ricotta cheese with garlic, salt, and pepper.

place mushrooms on cookie sheet and broil for a minute, just until they release their liquid. tilt the shrooms to pour out excess juice.

divide cooked sausage among 4 caps. top with veggies, then ricotta. stick under the broiler for 1 minute or less, just until the ricotta begins to bubble.

pull out cookie sheet. divide marinara among caps, top with basil, and stick under broiler for 1 more minute or less. just until sauce bubbles.

pull out cookie sheet. finally, sprinkle cheese on the mushrooms and stick under the broiler for 1 minute, until cheese browns and bubbles.

let them cool for a few minutes before digging in. enjoy your lazy, fast, delicious meal with 2 glasses of wine, followed by a chocolate bar and a long walk by the river. i love summer.

sweet quinoa breakfast cereal

it is a cold, rainy morning for the end of march. -44f and windy, and we may even get a little flurry today. ick. it’s a little depressing to have a sunday morning, aka my day off, be so crummy. i am, however, thankful that it gave me enough time to try our a new comforting, warm breakfast that i wouldn’t have time to prepare throughout the week. -though i must say, it was relatively simple, not unlike oatmeal. just heat it, stir it, and let it stay hot.

i got the idea from 101 cookbooks. my picture is nothing like heidi’s, but my breakfast was delicious! i made a few changes to suit my taste, but the idea is the same: take an ancient grain and treat it like you would oatmeal.

not a grain:

quinoa is an old plant that isn’t actually a grain. it’s actually a “pseudocereal”, related to beets and spinach. it digests much easier than grains such as oats, rice, or wheat, and is a complete protein. -i believe it is one of the only known vegetarian sources of complete protein known.

it is a little higher carb than i am used to, so i’ll stick this into the “once a week breakfast treat” list, along with waffles and pancakes. quinoa is an excellent stand in for other cereals, though. so i will enjoy it without guilt weekly.

its nutritional profile is about as standard as most grains at first glance. per 1/4 cup, quinoa has more fiber and more protein, but is slightly higher in the carb department. HOWEVER, if you believe in the atkins system, you can do the “net carb” math. quinoa is known for it’s super easy digestibility, and lack of gluten. i personally find that it digests easily, and filled me up very nicely. the taste and texture was awesome. i added flax meal to thicken it and make it a little creamier like oatmeal. the cereal was sweet and nutty, much like oatmeal. i cooked in raisins and cinnamon just like i do steel-cut oats. feel free to stir in any fruits, seeds, and spices you would for any breakfast grain. brian had walnuts, bananas and blueberries on his, while i had raisins and walnuts on mine. it was perfect!

heidi’s recipe calls for 1% milk, but i like whole milk much better, and it is nutritionally much more dense. fat is good for you, people.  heidi’s recipe also calls for 4 tsp agave nectar, but i found that 1 tbsp of brown sugar was plenty for me. add as you see fit. oh, and one of my favorite “hot cereal cooking tips”: stirring raisins in while cereal is cooking plumps the raisins and sweetens the cereal slightly. it’s amazing!

this recipe serves 3-4

sweet and comforting quinoa

1 cup whole organic milk

1 cup water

1 cup quinoa*

teeny sprinkle of salt

1 tbsp brown sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

2 tbsp flax meal (optional)

1/4 cup raisins (optional)

method:

begin by toasting any nuts you will want to serve with cereal. these can be toasted in a pan (over low heat) then cool while the cereal is cooking.

in cold water, rinse quinoa well for a few minutes and drain the water. you can use a colander lined with a dishtowel for this.

place rinsed quinoa into a pot all other ingredients. stir well until combined, and turn heat on medium. bring to a boil. let cereal boil for 15 minutes with lid off, stirring frequently and adding water if it dries up.

turn heat off after 15 minutes, and place lid on pot. let it sit for 5-10 minutes to absorb liquid.

serve with nuts, a few drops of milk, dried fruits, and some brown sugar (if you need it).

*i used red quinoa, but white is easier to find and just as tasty. it is very important that you rinse the quinoa before cooking.

almond scones

sparkly maple syrup tops these sweet breakfast treats

i made these for brunch with brian’s parents yesterday, and i couldn’t wait to post the recipe. i’d been looking forward to making them all week! i enjoy scones very much, and haven’t eaten any since i’d given up grains in the summer, so they were a very special treat for me! i am happy with the way these turned out. they look beautiful, and taste amazing. they are moist, crumbly and tender, like a delicate cookie.

this recipe is based on one i found by ginger lemon girl, though i can’t find the recipe on her blog! i am often inspired by the many beautiful sweets she produces, and i’m glad i finally took the plunge and tried making one of her recipes. i did make a few changes, and my recipe reflects those differences. her’s calls for blueberries, but since they’re not in season for several months, i stirred in almonds instead. among other changes, i also gave these a thin coating of cinnamon maple syrup, and twice baked them. the second round of baking helped make the scones sturdy, and also crisped up the cinnamon maple syrup to give the top a delightful crunch. i think this recipe could easily be converted into a savory one with a few adjustments. -omitting the sugar, extracts, and sliced almonds,. maybe adding cheddar or rosemary?

ingredients:

3 cups almond flour*

3/4 cup arrowroot

1/2 cup sugar**

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup coconut oil or butter, at room temp or cold

1 egg

2/3 cup coconut milk***

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

1/4 cup maple syrup + 1/2 tsp cinnamon combined

method:

preheat oven to 350f. cut round or square of parchment to fit 9″ (round or square) cake pan, and grease sides of cake pan.

in a large bowl, combine almond flour, arrowroot, salt, sugar, and baking powder with a whisk, and set aside.

in separate bowl, combine egg, milk, and extracts.

with pastry cutter or fork and knife, press coconut oil (or butter) into flour mixture, creating pea sized balls into the dough. continue until large clumps are no longer visible. make a well in the center of the dry ingredients.

pour wet ingredients into well, and with a rubber spatula, gently fold ingredients together until just combined.

briefly fold almonds into mixture, then pour batter into prepared pan.

bake for 25 minutes, until top looks set and toothpick comes out mostly clean. some crumbs will cling to toothpick, this is ok.

remove from oven. let it cool for 5 minutes or so. invert onto cutting board. using very sharp knife, carefully cut as many even slices as you can manage (8-12) most of the way through, without making too many crumbles. let it cool like this for 15 minutes.

gently transfer slices to large pizza or cookie sheet lined with clean parchment. spread ’em out. using clean pastry or silicone brush, paint maple syrup mixture on the tops and sides of scones, (you could sprinkle some sugar on, too) and bake for an additional 5 minutes. remove from oven and let cool on sheet until they are pretty firm. i served them with some pear jam on the side, and although they are very tasty on their own, they are irresistible dipped in coffee.

*i used bob’s red mill brand almond flour without issue. you could also grind your own blanched almonds into a flour in the food processor.

**i always use raw organic cane sugar. you may want to add more or less than the amount i listed. taste the batter and add as you go.

***any dairy or non-dairy milk would do

one thick breakfast treat!

prosciutto and sage wrapped sweet potatos

salty sweeties

brian and i made this recipe from mark bittman for thanksgiving, and it was quite lovely! it’s a very simple and loose recipe, so it was a breeze to execute. we will be making it for christmas gathering at my parent’s since it’s so easy to put together.

the delicate, salty meat is so wonderful when baked to just crisp slightly around the soft potato, so be sure to leave it in the oven long enough!

ingredients:

6 sage leaves

6 thin slices of good quality prosciutto

1 sweet potato

salt & pepper

method:

get a big pot of water on the boil. preheat oven to 425f. peel potato and cut it lengthwise into 6 pieces.

boil it for 10 minutes or so, until potato slices are tender, but not thoroughly cooked. drain them, and let them cool a bit, until they are cool enough to handle.

coat a good sized shallow baking dish with olive oil.

place 1 sage leaf on a potato slice. lightly salt and pepper it, then wrap it in a slice of prosciutto. repeat with other 5.

bake for 10 minutes or so, until potatoes are completely cooked soft, and meat is slightly crispy.

serve while still hot, or even at room temp.

red beets

baithing beauties

i think that red beets appear to be difficult to prepare. they look funny. they have papery, dirty skin and long stalks that are just daunting. what the heck are you supposed to do with all of that stuff? is there really food in there under that nasty peel? yes there is. ruby, sweet, buttery root vegetable. i love beets in a salad with a little blue cheese and citrus dressing. lately, we’ve been having beets on a salad with dried apricots and apricot jam honey mustard. what a tasty meal! root vegetables are in abundance this time of year, so stock up. my mom cooks a bunch of them in the fall, then puts them in the freezer to keep through the winter. she’s so smart! i remember eating lots and lots of beets as a child, i’ve always loved them. i also remember my dad hating them. without exception, every time i would eat buttered beets in front of him, he would proclaim “eeeewwww, beets”. which meant mom, sister and i were alone in our beet loving dinners.

not only delicious, but healthy too: beets have proven in studies to be effective in protecting against colon cancer, heart disease, and birth defects. they are really cheap, too. we bought a big fat bunch of them at the farmer’s market for $3.

beets will stain anything they touch. anything. a gross but essential bit of knowledge: they will also stain your *ahem* insides, if you know what i mean, especially if you have been consuming them for several days. no need to be alarmed, beeturia is a harmless condition that will pass after a few days.

a tip for keeping your hands skin colored when prepping beets: cover them in olive oil before you peel and cut them.

there are probably a kabillion ways to prepare them, but my favorite is roasted. some will tell you to scrub the skins before you cook them, but i know that there are precious minerals stored in the skin that will be washed down the drain if you do that. plus, you risk scraping and bruising the beet under the skin, and when you roast them, that part of the vegetable will be dry and gnarly.

how to prepare then roast beets:

chop off the hair so you have about 2″ of stalk remaining.

submerge in clean, cold water for a minute or two. change water and repeat.

preheat oven to 400f.
make a big pouch out of foil. drizzle a little oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. fold it all together inside the pouch so the steam doesn’t come out of the loose ends.
roast for 45 minutes. check it to make sure they are “fork tender”. let them cool on the counter top for a few minutes before peeling and cutting so they are easier to handle. use a paper towel to scrub the skins off of the beets, and carefully pull the tops off. cut into chunks to do what you wish with them.

this is what we did:

roasted beets with green beans

cut roasted beets into manageable chunks.

toss with prepared green beans (i steam them), and a glaze made of equal parts apricot jam, apple cider vinegar, and salt and pepper to taste.

we liked it served with some rosemary chicken, which has become our sunday favorite lately. like i said, beets are an essential ingredient in autumn salads, along with a little blue cheese, apples, and sunflower seeds. -and bacon.

look at how pretty they are!

i know that you can make sweet dishes with beets, too. i’ve heard of red beet cakes and cupcakes, but have not yet attempted them. i would love to find a recipe for a dessert beet dish.

you can also pickle them and put them in martinis. yum!