Crustless Quiche with Sweet Potato and Kale

Sweet potatoes and kale are just made for each other, in my opinion.  The contrast of the soft, sweet, orange spud with the toothsome, slightly bitter, dark-green kale is gorgeous, delicious, and nutritious.  I love baked sweet potatoes stuffed with sautéed kale and white beans, a couple of poached eggs with roasted sweet potatoes and sautéed kale for breakfast, and most recently, quiche loaded with cubes of sweet potato and ribbons of kale!  And what could be a more perfect contrast to the sweet and bitter notes in sweet potatoes and kale than tangy, creamy goat cheese?  I can't think of a better trio.

I decided to eighty-six the crust this go 'round, so I could enjoy a heartier portion with fewer calories. (Still a slave to MyFitnessPal.)  However, this quiche would also be delicious in your favorite homemade or store-bought pastry crust, and stands up especially well to the more robust flavors and textures found in a whole-wheat crust.  Enjoy!

Crustless Quiche with Sweet Potato and Kale

serves 4

Ingredients:

1 small to medium sweet potato

1 cup finely chopped onion

1 bunch kale, stemmed and finely chopped

salt, pepper, ground nutmeg, and cayenne pepper

4 large eggs

3/4 cup half-and-half (whole milk works, too)

6 ounces goat cheese

Directions:

1. Heat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Peel, cube, and dice the sweet potato.  Toss with a bit of olive oil or spray with cooking spray, season with salt and pepper, and roast the sweet potato on a parchment-lined baking sheet until tender and beginning to brown, about 20 minutes.  Cool.

2. Turn the oven temperature down to 375.  Grease and flour a pie plate.

3. Saute the onion in a bit of olive oil or cooking spray until the onion is translucent; add the kale and continue sautéing until the kale is tender and most of the water in the kale has cooked off.  Cool.

4. Whisk together the eggs, half and half, a hefty pinch of salt, a few cranks of freshly ground pepper, and dashes of nutmeg and cayenne.  Fold in the cooled sweet potato and kale-onion mixture.  Roughly crumble the goat cheese, and fold into the egg mixture.

5. Pour the quiche into the prepared pie plate and bake for about 40 minutes, or until completely set in the center and beginning to brown on top.  Let rest for 10 minutes before slicing and serving.

Note:

Quiche keeps well and reheats beautifully.

What are your favorite things to add to quiche?  I am always looking for new combinations to try!

Pasta with Kale, Squash, and Blue Cheese

Saying "I love pasta" seems like kind of a generic statement, because really, who doesn't love pasta?  It's carby, chewy, comforting, and filling, comes in a variety of sizes, shapes, and colors, and more and more lately, made from a wide variety of healthy ingredients.  I love a plate of spaghetti smothered in marinara just as much as the next person, but chunky pasta with veggies and cheese will always take first place in the great pasta battle, in my opinion.

"Pasta with veggies and cheese" is one of those meals I feel like I don't even really need a recipe for -- boil up some pasta, cook up some veggies, add some cheese, and call it dinner.  Am I right?  However, I felt like I had to share this recent "pasta with veggies and cheese" meal I made, because it was just so darn delicious, so perfectly balanced in all of its complimentary flavors, I couldn't help but want to shout from the rooftops, "I MADE PASTA!  WAHOO!"

Since I don't actually know how to access the roof of my building, you get a blog post instead.

Enjoy.  :)

Pasta with Kale, Squash, and Blue Cheese

serves 2 to 4

Ingredients:

1 lb butternut squash

1 tsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

6 oz chunky pasta

1 bunch lacinato kale, stemmed and sliced thinly

1/4 cup reserved pasta water

4 oz blue cheese

2 oz walnuts, toasted and chopped

extra-virgin olive oil (optional)

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit.  Peel and dice the squash into bite-sized chunks.  Toss with the olive oil and season with salt and pepper.  Spread the squash out on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roast, stirring once, about 20 to 30 minutes, or until the squash is soft and beginning to brown.  Reserve.
2. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.  Add the pasta and cook, stirring frequently.  Three minutes before the pasta will finish cooking, dip out 1/4 cup pasta cooking water and add the kale to the pasta pot.  Stir, and continue cooking until the kale is tender and the pasta is al dente.
3. Drain the pasta and kale, and return to the pot.  Add the blue cheese and reserved pasta water, if needed, and stir, allowing the cheese to melt and make a creamy sauce.  Fold in the squash.
4. Divide the pasta among plates or bowls, and top with the walnuts.  Drizzle with extra-virgin olive oil, if you would like.  Serve immediately.  Devour enthusiastically.

Note:
This is a pasta for lovers of blue cheese.  However, in my opinion, the dish is quite balanced, with creamy, salty, pungent, sweet, and bitter flavors all present in equal amounts, and lots of contrast between soft, crunchy, toothsome, and chewy textures.  I LOVE it.  I hope you do, too!  (If you don't love blue cheese, you could likely try goat cheese, or add a big dollop of whole-milk ricotta to each plate before serving.  Both would also be delicious.)

What is your favorite "pasta with veggies and cheese" combination?

Cheddar Grits with Greens and Caramelized Onions

One of the things I love about my place of employment is all of its wonderful quirks -- we potluck once a month, have chili cook-offs, Wednesday afternoon walks, donut Fridays, "Monster Chases," Muffin Mondays, send out way too many agency-wide emails, (and occasionally hit "reply all" to those agency-wide emails,) write haikus about salad, have an agency vehicle named "Marge," (and we talk about her like she's a real person,) enjoy epic holiday parties with gourmet, homemade food and a talent show, have unusual names for our large meeting and conference rooms, and rush the front desk en masse when someone's toddler accidentally presses the "panic" button.  However, one of my most favorite quirky things about my place of employment is "Grits Club."

What is "Grits Club," you ask?  Well, Grits Club is nothing more than a bunch of folks who love grits, band together, and order cases, stone-ground to order, en masse from Hoppin' John's.  I had the opportunity to join Grits Club this year, and I'm so glad I did.  I can't think of a better supper on a cold, blustery, damp, late fall evening than a big plate of cheddar grits, covered with sautéed greens and caramelized onions, can you?

Cheddar Grits with Greens and Caramelized Onions

serves 2

Ingredients:

1 c whole milk

1 1/2 c water

1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper, or to taste

1/2 c stone-ground grits

1/2 tbsp unsalted butter, at room temperature

2 oz shredded sharp cheddar cheese, at room temperature

sautéed greens (kale, collards, chard, spinach, whatever)

caramelized onions (at least 2 tbsp per serving)

Directions:

1. Bring the water, milk, salt, and pepper to a boil in a medium saucepan.  Whisk in the grits slowly, and continue whisking constantly for about three minutes.  (You may need to turn the heat down to medium-ish at some point.)

2. Turn the heat down to low (and use a heat diffuser,) cover the grits, and simmer, stirring occasionally, for 40 minutes.

3. Whisk in the butter and cheese.  Serve big plates of grits covered in sautéed greens and caramelized onions.  Eat immediately.

Note:

I recommend making only as many servings of grits as you will consume in one sitting.  (So, if you are cooking for just yourself like I am these days, cut the grits recipe in half.)  I find leftover grits much less appetizing, although many don't mind them at all.  Greens and caramelized onions both keep beautifully, so feel free to make a big batch of each up front.  (Caramelized onions freeze well, too -- I recommend making TONS in the fall, freezing them in 1/4-cup size plops on a parchment lined baking sheet, then transferring to a zip-top baggie to be enjoyed throughout the winter.)

What are your favorite toppings for grits?  What makes your workplace quirky?

Kale Chips

Yes, kale chips.  I admit, I am LATE to the kale chips party.  Like, so late, they've already turned on the lights and someone has started cleaning up.   But, whatever!  Kale chips are nutritious, salty-savory, crunchy, and low in calories, and I'm so glad I finally figured out how to make them, because I've been going through at least a batch per week.  If I had more storage space, I'd probably make a double-batch every week, but well ... those big containers do occupy some prime kitchen counter retail!

When I say "finally figured out how to make them," I'm clueing you in that it was an extensive learning process for something so simple.  The original recipe I followed for kale chips called for baking the chips at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 20 minutes; sometimes this worked out okay, sometimes this turned into an epic fail.  Some kale bits would still be wilted and soft, while others were beginning to burn around the edges.  (Imagine me making a sad face here.)

Taking a lesson from Lorna Sass's recipe for "Granola, Revisited," I decided the "low and slow" approach might, indeed, be the best way to make kale chips.  I was right!  A 200 degree oven and lots of patience yielded a consistently crispy chip with nary a hint of burned edges.  A perfect Sunday afternoon project for days when you are otherwise hanging out around the house, cooking, cleaning, couching, whatever.

Enjoy.  As far as I'm concerned, better late than never, right?

Kale Chips

3 servings 

Ingredients:

1 bunch curly green kale (I do prefer dino kale for most recipes, but not this one.  I make kale chips only with green kale, because I love how the curly leaves grab hold of the seasonings so well!)

1 tbsp olive oil

1 tbsp nutritional yeast flakes

1/4 tsp garlic powder

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Preheat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit.

2. Wash and dry the kale well.  Stem the kale and tear into bite-sized pieces.  (Another reason I love green kale for this recipe is because it tends to grow in lobes that are perfect kale-chip sized pieces.  Easy to tear up!)  Toss the kale with the oil, nutritional yeast, garlic powder, and salt, until the oil and seasonings are evenly distributed.  (I find it's easiest for me to do this with my hands.)

3. Divide the kale evenly between two large baking sheets lined with parchment paper.  Bake for about an hour and 20 minutes, turning and rotating the sheets about every twenty minutes or so, shaking the pans.  Check and make sure the chips are completely dry and crisp before removing them from the oven.

4. Cool the chips completely, then store in an airtight container.  Try very hard not to eat the entire batch in one sitting. 

What recipes have you recently discovered that "everyone" has been making for ages?

400-calorie dinners (i)

I'm still counting calories.  (Nice to know one can stick with something for longer than a couple of weeks, isn't it?)  What have I learned so far?

400 calories, or more specifically, 400 high-quality, nutritious calories, is a LOT of food.

Here are a few 400(ish) calorie dinners we've enjoyed these past few days:

Indonesian Sweet Potato and Cabbage Soup from Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers.  What did this soup recipe teach me?  Sometimes soup for supper is enough.  (Especially when the soup is loaded with healthy veggies, filling sweet potatoes, pungent spices, and creamy peanut butter!)  I had a hard time finishing all 397 calories worth of this spicy, creamy goodness in one sitting!

In my opinion, there is definitely room for a slice (or two) of pizza even when you're eating healthfully!  How?  I've managed to keep my homemade pizzas around 200 calories a slice by making my own (half whole-wheat) crust, by limiting the amount of cheese I use to 8 ounces, and going heavy on the veggies as toppings.  Lately, I just cannot get enough green olives on pizza -- what's your favorite pizza topping?

The most filling 400ish calorie dinner I've made to date: Baked Barley Risotto with Butternut Squash!    Incredibly, I enjoyed this delicious risotto almost three hours ago, and I'm still comfortably full!  John adored this dish as well, since he loves butternut squash, greens, and cheese, the three main ingredients in this recipe, and the creamy, starchy, soft and comforting texture reminded him of one of his favorite meals, mac and cheese.

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Okay, so, maybe this whole calorie-counting thing isn't as awful as I originally thought . . . I'm really enjoying the meal-planning aspect, and have been finding tons of new recipes to try!  What new recipes/techniques/ingredients have you tried recently?

finding ways around a challenging schedule

After getting married, John and I decided to move into "his" house -- the house he purchased years ago, long before we even knew each other.  (It's really kind of a no-brainer, since there are so many advantages to living in a house!)  The one drawback, (and it's kind of a big one,) is that our house is located on the far east side of St. Paul, which is about 23 miles away from my work!  Since we only have one car, I spend a LOT of time on the bus.  :(

Getting home at 7:30 PM most evenings means we eat a lot of leftovers during the week.  However, I have been using my crock pot more than ever, and getting really good at prepping meals in advance so we can have a fresh meal at least once or twice during the work week.  Here are a couple of meals we've enjoyed this week:

Moosewood's Black Bean and Chipotle Soup:

This is my favorite black bean soup EVER, and it transitioned well to the crock pot.  I love the hearty flavors, brightness from the little bit of orange juice, and heaping piles of healthy veggies.  Typically, I like to serve this soup with cornbread, but to save on time, we enjoyed local, organic corn tortilla chips this time.  Mmmmm . . . who doesn't like scooping up black bean soup or chili with tortilla chips?

And who doesn't love kale and sweet potatoes together?

Real Simple's recipes have to be some of my favorites, and this one for Quinoa with Sweet Potatoes, Kale, and Pesto was another hit.  I prepped the kale and made the quinoa in advance, picked up some prepared pesto (as basil isn't in season right now anyway,) and pre-toasted/chopped the walnuts for the topping.  Speedy!  Delicious!  Healthy!  Vegan!

What are some of your favorite solutions to get dinner on the table in a hurry?  I appreciate any and all advice, as I'm going to have to find more ways around this challenging schedule.

too spicy!

While John and I both enjoy spicy food, our systems handle it less well than they did when we were each younger.  Getting old is so much fun, isn't it?  ;)

So, if that doesn't qualify as an "overshare," I'll keep going with this post.  I made some deliciously healthy Caribbean Red Beans and Brown Rice for dinner the other night, with a side of greens:

I vaguely remember this dish being on the spicy side the last time I made it . . . but of course, it didn't occur to me to cut the amount of cayenne in half!  Shoot.  And then I added too many chili flakes to the kale.  How to save a meal that's too spicy?

1. Add guacamole.  Or sour cream.  Or both!

2. Freeze some of the leftovers, hoping storage dulls the capsaicin.

3. Take a cup of leftovers and puree with a cup of quick-cooking oats for nearly instant veggie burgers. (More on that technique later, as I haven't actually eaten those veggie burgers yet!)

4. Serve the leftover kale with black-eyed peas, over leftover Millet-Cheddar Polenta.

I suppose we'll look at this "too spicy" meal as a blessing in disguise -- I learned some new ways to think about leftovers!  I'm particularly excited about this quick-cooking oats veggie burger idea.  I'll letcha know how it turns out . . . just as soon as we try them!

Lately I've Been . . .

Watching . . . 

BBC's "Planet Earth" series.  We've finished two discs so far, about six episodes total, with many more to go.  (Good thing I spread them out in my Netflix cue!)  We have been enjoying them, both for pretty pictures and learning opportunities, and sometimes an excuse to take a nap on the couch.  :)  We tend to enjoy the "making of" spots at the end of the episodes more than the actual episodes.

Eating . . . 

Magic Kale Salad with tempeh bacon

And Buttermilk French Toast

Planning . . . 

On taking better care of myself this spring.  I've been lucky in the past, having lots of walking naturally incorporated into my daily routine.  With this new job I started in October, not so much.  :(  I'm scheduling weekly walks with a small group of friends, and also hoping to slowly reintroduce yoga into my week.  I'd like to work my way up to three times a week!

Reading . . .

Either the Harry Potter series start to finish, or the Anne of Green Gables series start to finish.  I need a brain break and some de-stressing!  Which series should I read first?

Inspired By . . . 

People who cloth diaper their babies.  I fully plan to cloth diaper my own children someday, whenever that may arrive, but lately, we've generated a LOT of laundry, just the two of us.  I couldn't imagine laundry for a family, PLUS diapers every few days!  Wow.  Major props to those of you out there who manage to stay on top of that.  :)

Excited About . . . 

Our garden!!!!!!!!  Seriously, it's worth that many exclamation points.  The snow is finally, finally, FINALLY starting to melt!  We're getting some spring things started inside, and hoping to till in a bunch of compost in a couple of weeks.  Fingers crossed!

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So, what have you been up to?

Bundt success, and suppers

I have always kind of hated my Bundt pan.  Why?  Well . . . I had all of these images of beautiful, lobed cakes in my head, and every cake I'd ever made in that damn pan stuck like glue, and turned into a crumbled, broken mess.

That is, until this past weekend!

Bundt success!  How did I do it?  Two key items: spray oil, and a LOT of flour.  Like so much flour, you can kind of see a thin layer all over the top of the cake.  Oh well.  I'll figure out a better balance next time, right?

The cake is delicious, by the way.  :)  This Real Simple recipe for Spiced Pumpkin Cake caught my eye a while back,  and I'm delighted I finally had a chance to try it!  Of course, I can't ever follow a recipe as written -- I subbed a combination of olive, canola, and coconut oils for the butter, and used whole-wheat pastry flour instead of AP flour.  (I love whole-wheat flour in pumpkin baked goods -- it's so much more nutty and dense!  Mmm.)  The only drawback?  It's dense, rich, moist, and kind of a calorie-bomb, so I'd recommend smaller slices than the recipe suggests.

And since we cannot live on cake alone . . .

Winter Lentil Soup:
 

I have been a huge fan of this recipe, since the first time we tried it.  The soup is barely more than leeks, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, kale, and lentils, but it is so delicious!  Light yet filling, slightly sweet, and containing two of my most favorite veggies, (kale and sweet potatoes,) which happen to pair beautifully.

Fried Rice:

Fried rice is one of those meals I tend to forget about, and then when I remember, I get so excited!  I love being able to clean out my crisper and get something so darn delicious for dinner.  In this batch, the purple cabbage dyed the egg a lovely shade of pale blue -- hilarious, if you ask me.

And, Jamaican-Style Black Bean and Coconut Cornbread Bake:

Isn't it funny how certain things trigger meals?  For example, I always seem to remember this recipe when I have a partial can of coconut milk to use up, since the cornbread topping calls for only 2/3 cup coconut milk.  Delicious, incredibly simple, and healthy, too!

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We'll be living off these leftovers for the rest of the week, and we might be eating more convenience foods than I'd like next week, as the move is approaching quickly!  I'll blog again soon, once I've unpacked enough to find the kitchen and make something -- until then!

TOO healthy

As I was working on supper last night, I exclaimed suddenly, "oh, I hope this doesn't taste TOO healthy."

Know what I mean?

There are some meals out there that are TOO healthy -- too light, too nutritious, too virtuous to actually taste good.

Thankfully, this was not one of those meals.  :)

Savory Stuffed Sweet Potatoes with White Beans and Kale, from The Kitchn, did not disappoint.  Light and nutritious, but still filling and flavorful, loaded with garlic, shallot, chili, and rosemary.  I did make a couple of subtle changes from the original recipe, swapping dried rosemary for the fresh, and adding a little butter to the olive oil called for at the beginning.  (Butter makes all things better, I'm nearly certain.)

I can see this meal as a frequent repeat, using whatever beans and greens sound good and/or are available that day, and playing around with different herbs and spices, too.  I'm already feeling chickpeas and curry powder, with perhaps a splash of coconut milk at the end . . .

pumping up the produce

As I wrote earlier in the week, I am trying to make an effort to eat more produce these days -- specifically, more veggies!  I tried to center our meals around veggies this weekend, and chose Moosewood Restaurant Simple Suppers as my "focus cookbook."  (Do any of you ever do that when you are meal planning?  Sometimes when I'm overwhelmed by ideas and options, I choose one cookbook and select only recipes from it for upcoming meals.)

Breakfast Saturday morning:

How to have French toast nearly effortlessly on Saturday morning?  Slice the bread and set it out to dry before you go to work on Friday morning.  Friday night before bed, make a custard, (I used 4 eggs, a cup of milk, a tablespoon of sugar, 1/2 a teaspoon of vanilla, several dashes of cinnamon and nutmeg, and a pinch of cardamom,) and soak the bread in the fridge overnight.  With these simple jobs done, all you have to do is get up and fry up your toast!  Yum.  I made us a beautiful fruit salad for the side.

Saturday supper:

Since butternut squash is John's favorite soup variety, I figured I better try the recipe for "Thai Butternut Squash Soup" from my focus cookbook.  I was really pleased with the results!  I made a couple of small modifications, (I roasted a whole squash instead of using frozen puree, used more spinach, and used the whole can of coconut milk and less water,) and we both loved this.  (I especially loved the salty, savory little "tofu croutons!  Tasty delicious.)

Sunday lunch:

"Magic Kale Salad" with pan-fried tempeh.  A repeat, for good reason!  Felt so good to eat a huge plate of greens!

Sunday supper:

A favorite from my focus cookbook this week, "Saucy Hungarian Eggplant."  I haven't made this in ages, and what a shame!  Light yet hearty, this stew is totally nutritious, flavorful, and also helped me take advantage of the GIGANTIC bag of bulgur I bought from Costco not too long ago.

It wouldn't be a quiet weekend without a baking project!

I really felt like baking today, although I wasn't ready to start my Christmas cookies quite yet.  :)  I searched the interwebs for a somewhat healthy muffin recipe full of holiday flavors, and ended up adapting a recipe for molasses spice muffins . . .

Whole-Wheat Gingerbread Muffins
Yield: 24 mini-muffins plus 8 standard muffins

Ingredients:
1 stick butter at room temperature (I used salted)
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup buttermilk
1/2 cup molasses
2 cups whole-wheat pastry flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
pinch cloves

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Cream butter and sugar.  Add eggs, buttermilk, and molasses, and stir until smooth.
3. Combine the flour, baking soda, and spices.  Stir into the wet ingredients just until combined.
4. Fill muffin liners 1/2 to 2/3 full.  (These puff up a lot, thanks to the buttermilk/baking soda reaction!) Bake mini-muffins for about 15 minutes, standard muffins for about 24 minutes.  Cool, and store tightly covered at room temperature (or in the fridge, if you don't think you'll eat them in a few days.)

Lately, I've been enjoying scooping some of my muffin batter out into my mini-muffin pan, and taking those to work.  I love to bake, but we can't always get through a full batch of muffins before "the fuzz" gets to them.  :(  My coworkers have been enjoying the somewhat healthy, homemade "mini-treats" I bring occasionally!  A great solution to my "problem," and a win-win for everyone!

we're back!

Oh my, was that a long illness.  Just as soon as I started feeling better, John took a turn for the worse.  Consequently, I haven't been doing much cooking these past couple of weeks!  However, come Sunday, we both finally had appetites.  Hurry up, Catherine -- cook something!

Dinner Sunday night was a simple, nutritious, and flavorful lentil soup:

Is anyone else as obsessed with Real Simple's recipes as I am?  Winter Lentil Soup has made it onto my list of all-time favorite soups.  Check out this recipe, seriously . . . I know that it doesn't look like much, but sometimes simple is better, right?  John and I both love kale and sweet potatoes, John loves lentils, (although I'm not a fan, there aren't many in this soup, and they are not the dominant flavor,) and I've come to realize I don't cook with leeks nearly often enough.  I even skimped and used dried thyme instead of fresh, then tried to make up for that switch by using half vegetable broth and half water, instead of all water like the recipe called for.  Slurp!  Plenty of leftovers -- some for the fridge, some for the freezer!

On the side -- buttermilk biscuits!

Buttermilk might be my new favorite baking ingredient.  Every recipe I've used it in bakes up light, fluffy, and tender, and has just the slightest sour tang.  Yum!  If you are interested in learning how to serially culture buttermilk, let me know -- I'll do a post.  It's so easy it almost doesn't merit a post, but I'd be happy to oblige!

More baking . . .

Treats for John's house:

Peanut Butter Banana Bread
(By the way, I subbed sour cream for the yogurt called for in the recipe, as that was what John had on hand -- success!)  John doesn't much care for banana bread, but thought he might be able to enjoy it more if it was infused with peanut butter, one of his favorite flavors.  I think it's a hit, and I managed to use up all of the overripe bananas littering up his kitchen.  :)

And treats for my house:

Pumpkin Molasses Spice Cookies . . . thank you, Mama Pea, for introducing the world to the softest, doughiest, chewiest, best molasses cookie EVER . . . let's just say I'm glad this recipe only made 24 cookies, because they are incredibly addictive.  These may be making a repeat appearance around the holidays at my house!

Let's hope we are able to keep the germs at bay for a while!  More cooking, please!

whatever looks good

At the tail end of my vacation last week, John and I decided to hit up the Farmer's Market on a whim -- we wanted garlic to plant, beeswax to turn into hand cream and lip balm, and whatever veggies looked good.  That's always the best policy when it comes to the Farmer's Market, don't you think?  Buy whatever looks good, and figure out a plan later.  :)

We came home and made brunch:

Poached eggs, sauteed kale, roasted potatoes, and sliced heirloom tomatoes.  All local, and all perfectly delicious!  I love that fresh produce needs so little to shine -- a little oil, a little salt, a little pepper, maybe a few herbs or a splash of vinegar or soy sauce . . . and that's it!  Yum.  If only I had the time this morning, I would make this breakfast again today!

Although I have been trying to cut back on desserts lately, I still feel the pull to bake delicious things.  Muffins to the rescue!

I made Buttermilk Granola Muffins from King Arthur Flour, and was delighted with the results!  Sweet, moist, tender, 100% whole-grain muffins for breakfasts and snacks this week have nodded to my sweet tooth without being too junky.  The granola topping seemed to scorch a little bit -- blame the tiny apartment oven?  Maybe it's time I finally invest in an oven thermometer.  :)

Do you have any favorite recipes that use cultured buttermilk?  I have been serially culturing buttermilk lately, (which, by the way, is crazy easy,) and have been looking for more uses for it.  Any suggestions?

goodbye, vacation!

My vacation is almost over!  I can't believe I've been away from work for an entire week, and it's already time to go back . . . I had a great week, though.  Saturday through Monday, John and I traveled to Wisconsin to visit my family, and we spent the rest of the week hanging out at his house.  (We even brought Oliver along -- and he did great!  He only hid in John's boxspring for the first day, and then spend the rest of the time trotting around, sniffing everything, and having "conversations" with John's roommate's cat through her closed bedroom door.  Ha!)  I did plenty of baking and cooking, we spent a day volunteering at the organic farm where John has been helping out this summer, spent plenty of time doing yard work, and made time for reading, watching movies, and relaxing.  :)

Of course, we did plenty of eating!  After a restaurant-marathon while visiting my family, we have been eating at home the rest of the week, trying to "recover."  Does anyone else feel just awful after eating out too many meals in a row?  I know I sure do.

We had lots of leftover beans, rice, and cheese, so ate plenty of Tex-Mex meals during the week:

After we ran out of tortillas, we finished almost everything up  in nacho form.  :)  Refried beans, cilantro rice, cheese, homemade tomatillo salsa, garden tomatoes, lettuce, sour cream, and homemade guacamole.  MMMMMM.  Kind of want this plate for breakfast right now!

We had a surplus of kale this week, which is definitely a good thing!  We left the farm on Tuesday with a huge bunch, and also had a nice-sized harvest waiting for us in the garden.  After more "Magic Kale Salad" with tempeh, I made soup!

Kale, vegetarian sausages, onions, garlic, white beans, tomatoes, olives, broth, and seasonings made for a spicy-delicious soup!  I ended up with the hugest pot of this stuff, so we are still eating leftovers, and they are still just as tasty!

One of my kitchen projects this week was my first foray into cheese-making:

The last time I made butter, I used the leftover liquid to make "buttermilk cheese."  This is seriously the simplest thing ever -- you let the true buttermilk sit out at room temperature for 24 hours, and then heat it slowly until it begins to curdle.  Strain for 4 hours, salt, and enjoy!  I would describe this cheese as a somewhat creamier, less tangy ricotta -- I think it would work nicely in a lasagna, or on top of a pizza, or pureed with herbs, pepper, and lemon juice to make a dip for crackers or veggies.  It was pretty tasty just on crackers!

No big plans for today, yet -- but we hope to have some fun on my last vacation day!

eat-a-thon

Sometimes the weekend feels like an eat-a-thon . . . or more accurately, maybe a cook-a-thon?  I do the majority of my cooking over the weekends these days, (i.e., when John's around,) and have a tendency to live off leftovers during the work week.  Does anyone else seem to follow this pattern?

Here are a few more things we made/ate this past weekend . . . 

Magic Kale Salad with Maple-Glazed Tempeh:

Fluffy Sprinkle Sugar Cookies:

Homemade pizza:

Zucchini Bread:

And breakfast -- scrambled eggs with feta and basil, courtesy of John, and whole-wheat buttermilk pancakes with strawberries:

It was a tasty weekend!

salad days

It's hot.  (And I don't have A/C!)

"Too hot to sit on the couch" hot.

"Too hot to sleep" hot.

"Too hot to turn on the stove" hot.

("Too hot to eat" hot, for that matter!)

Except, well, one still kind of has to eat.  Consequently, I have been eating nothing but salads for days.

Magic Kale Salad with "Tempeh Bacon" from Vegan with a Vengeance:

Taco Salads:

Mixed greens, steamed beets, goat cheese, and homemade balsamic vinaigrette:

Tempeh Nicoise:

What do you eat when it's too hot to eat?

Dragon Bowls!

As summer settles in with all of its heat and humidity, (I'm not a fan, can you tell?)  ;) I crave vegetables more than anything else -- I love how fresh, crisp, and hydrating a big bowl of veggies can be!

However, I don't find a big bowl of JUST veggies very filling . . . so I'm constantly searching for new and exciting ways to add veggie-heavy meals to my summer repertoire, without feeling constantly hungry.  Ali recently posted about one of her new-found favorite summer meals, the Dragon Bowl with Tahini Dressing, and I had to try it!

I cooked up a mix of red and white quinoa, (as John astutely pointed out, cheaper to buy some red and some white and mix them together at home, than pay the extra $$$ for the pre-mixed "rainbow quinoa" from the bulk bin!), topped it with some Sesame-Sauteed Kale, and then piled on the veggies -- avocado, cucumber, red bell pepper, mushrooms, purple cabbage, chickpeas, shredded carrot, and some sugar snap peas and cilantro from the garden.  After making Ali's recipe for tahini dressing, I just wasn't sure about it . . . I really don't much care for nutritional yeast, and the sauce was so strong and heavy tasting on its own . . . but when drizzled cautiously over my bowlful of veggies, magic happened, people.  :)  We had HUGE bowls of this stuff a couple times this weekend, and I'm certain this recipe will grace our dinner table again and again!

What are your favorite hot weather meals?  I need some more inspiration, as all of the Dragon Bowl leftovers are at John's house, and I'm looking at one empty fridge right now -- time to go shopping!

kale "addiction"

I seem to be suffering from a serious case of kale"addiction."  I have been exploring many new kale salad recipes lately, and tonight, returned to cooking up what appears to be my all-time favorite green:

I thought, for a long time, that I just didn't care much for cooked kale, preferring lightly sauteed chard or spinach instead of kale's sturdier, more bitter flavor profile.  Tonight, I decided to give cooked kale another chance, deciding to treat it much like I would treat spinach or chard, sticking with a light, quick saute.  Success!  Cooked kale's back in my repertoire, and better than ever.

Sesame-Sauteed Kale
serves 2 to 4, depending on serving size
good hot, cold, or room temperature

Ingredients:
1 large bunch dino kale, stems removed and thinly sliced
1 tsp olive oil
1 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 cloves garlic, grated on a Microplane or finely minced
1 tsp grated or minced fresh ginger
1/4 tsp sambal oelek
2 tsp low-sodium tamari or soy sauce
toasted sesame seeds for garnish

Directions:
1. Warm the oils in a frying or saute pan.  Add the garlic, ginger, and sambal oelek and cook, stirring occasionally, for a few minutes.
2. Add the kale to the pan, and continue to cook, stirring frequently, until the kale is wilted and bright green.  Add the tamari and sesame seeds, and stir until well-combined.  Enjoy!

More kale!

Lately, we can't seem to get enough kale, so I keep searching for and trying new kale salad recipes. Dinner tonight was pretty incredible, if I do say so myself ... Kale, Apple, and Tempeh Salad (using this recipe for the tempeh,) with Wedge bakery bread and olive oil for dipping on the side. Vegetables sure do require a lot of chewing, but they are so worth it! Delicious, healthy, light, yet filling; a perfect summer dinner for hot, humid weather! (P.S. about half the kale we harvested from our garden this morning!)

Birthday Pizza Party!

I threw a "make your own pizza" belated birthday celebration for my friend Tiffany last night, and we had a blast!  Since only a few of us could make it, we were able to cram around my dining table, smashing out pizza dough, spreading sauce, layering toppings, and sprinkling cheese relatively comfortably.  I provided the dough, (I used this recipe, instead of my usual Artisan Bread in 5 dough, as I find the AB dough kind of hard to work with if you're not used to it . . . my instincts were right on, as John exclaimed almost immediately, "wow, this is a LOT easier to use than that other dough!"), two kinds of sauce, (prepared pesto from the co-op deli, and Muir Glen pizza sauce,) and four kinds of cheese, (mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, and feta,) and friends brought the toppings:

We had lots of olives, lots of mushrooms, onions, garlic, spinach, dried tomatoes, artichokes, capers, oregano, and chili flakes.  So many choices, I had to make my pizza in "halfsies" --

The left half is pesto topped with mozzarella, feta, artichokes, spinach, dried tomatoes, and olives; the right half is tomato sauce topped with mozzarella, parmesan, fontina, onions, mushrooms, garlic, chili flakes, and oregano.

For our salad, I made a new kale slaw:

I found a recipe on the Whole Foods website that looked delicious, but the dressing quantities seemed a little "off," in my opinion.  Here's my modified recipe:

DRESSING:
1/4 cup freshly-squeezed orange juice
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup oil (olive or walnut)
1 tbsp Dijon mustard
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper

Whisk the dressing ingredients together in the bottom of your serving bowl until emulsified.  Add:
1 small red onion, thinly sliced

Toss the onion in the dressing until it becomes completely coated.  (You want to lightly "pickle" the onion, to take out some of its sharpness.)  Then layer in the bowl:
1/2 small head red cabbage, shredded
1 large red bell pepper, sliced thinly
1 bunch dino kale, ribs removed and sliced thinly
1 cup orange sections

Cover and chill the salad for at least an hour.

Just before serving, toss everything together with:
1/3 cup sunflower seeds, toasted

After eating so many virtuous vegetables, make sure you save room for dessert!

I was gifted some rhubarb earlier in the week, so strawberry-rhubarb crumble was the logical dessert choice.  :)  (Plus, the birthday girl loves rhubarb!)  I promised Ali I'd post the recipe, which is loosely based off the "Apple Crisp" recipe from Joy of Cooking, but with a few of my own modifications.

INGREDIENTS:
Fruit (enough berries, apples, whatever, chopped, to nearly fill an 8-inch square baking dish)
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 stick salted butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Fill the baking dish with the fruit.  (If you use a large quantity of berries or any frozen fruit, I recommend tossing the fruit with a few teaspoons of cornstarch.  And thaw and drain any frozen fruit!)
2. Combine the sugar, flour, and butter.
3. Using your fingers, break the sugar/flour/butter into small clumps, and sprinkle evenly over the fruit.
4. Bake at 375 for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the fruit is bubbly and the topping is golden brown and crispy.
5. Serve warm or at room temperature, with ice cream or a drizzle of heavy cream.

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I had so much fun with the "build-your-own" dinner party, that I might have to look for more things like this to do in the future!