Jackie's kitchen

Persian-style eggplant frittata

2012-02-01T10:02:00.001-06:00

Eggplant and eggs, a delightful combination!

Enjoy a slice of this exotic frittata with a little crispy romaine topped with homemade tzatziki!

I was chatting with my dear friend Holly in Germany (who I've mentioned previously in the blog) this weekend when I was planning my menu and shopping list for the week. When I needed a final meal idea, she suggested something Persian. Having never had Persian food, I began learning about Persian cuisine. It's not unlike other Mediterranean and Middle Eastern cuisines I have enjoyed in the past, so, it didn't seem like a tremendous challenge to attempt something Persian.

From my research, I came away with the impression that the cuisine uses a lot of lamb, much like Greek cuisine, and can be on the heavier side. I also noticed, however, that it does use a lot of eggplant among other veggies. I read several recipes for kuku, which is a Perisan egg dish, which sometimes contains eggplant. So, that was my dish.

I ended up winging it when I made it last night, so I don't claim this to be anywhere near authentic. For one thing, I kept the oil to a minimum. The amount called for in many recipes sounded excessive, and I feared it would lead to a greasy mess if I tried to use that much. It was really delicious! The only thing I would advise doing is cutting the eggplant smaller--perhaps a medium dice or so. I found that the larger pieces that I cut meant a less coherent final product as I'd try to take a bite and the eggplant pieces would often separate from the egg base. But again, it was very delicious flavor-wise.

If you like eggs and want a new way to enjoy eggplant, you should definitely try this one. It's easy to prepare as well, with the bulk of the time being the baking in the oven. Enjoy!

Persian-style eggplant frittata (2-4 servings)

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg F. Pour 2 Tbsps or so of olive oil in a glass pie plate and swirl until the plate is just lightly-coated.

2. Prep.

-1 large onion, diced

-1 medium eggplant, peeled and diced

-3 cloves garlic, minced

3. In a heavy saute pan, heat 1-2 Tbsps olive oil and saute the onions until soft and fragrant.

Add the eggplant and cook, stirring frequently, until the eggplant is brown on all sides. Add the garlic and cook briefly for another 30 seconds or so, then remove the veggies from the heat.

4. In a medium bowl, whisk:

-4 eggs
-the juice of 1/4 lemon
-3-4 tsps parsley flakes
-pinch of turmeric
-1 tsp sea salt
-freshly-cracked black pepper to taste
-1 Tbsp GF flour mix (or regular flour if not gf)

To the egg mixture, add the eggplant mixture and toss to coat.

5. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking dish and then place in the preheated oven. Bake, uncovered, for 45 minutes, or until the eggs are golden brown around the edges.

6. Slice and serve immediately. Goes great with a salad and some homemade tzatziki sauce.
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Have you ever had Persian food? If so, what's your favorite dish?

Egg & purple potato salad (mayo-free)

2012-01-30T09:58:00.000-06:00

Combine two classic picnic favorites into one!

The funny thing about this is that when I was younger, I liked neither egg salad nor potato salad. Perhaps it was the mayo, or the textures, or flavors, or something, but I always passed both up. But, recently, I've created versions of both that have changed my mind, and the most recent success with Deviled roasted baby red potatoes was mainly what inspired this recipe. The deviled roasted potatoes were so simple, yet actually quite elegant, and they received a lot of praise from Shawn, as well. Anything that pleases Shawn automatically receives higher marks in my (cook)book!

The combination of the potatoes and eggs in that recipe got me thinking yesterday when I realized that I'm leaving for Madison this coming Saturday, and need to start clearing out the refrigerator. After Madison, I will be doing some additional traveling, with only brief gaps at home in between so I really need to keep the perishables to a minimum. So, to start, I needed to create something that would use up some of the (very) fresh local organic eggs I bought this weekend.

I decided, in the end, to combine the deviled potatoes recipe with my Mayo-free deviled eggs. I picked up two medium purple potatoes and got to work. This is a very simple recipe, so "work" is perhaps an exaggeration.

Why purple potatoes? Well, for one thing, they are strikingly beautiful in color. They have a very deep unmistakable purple hue, even after cooking. They are interesting. They are less starchy than many of their white or yellow counterparts, and apparently, have quite a nutritional profile, making them a great way to add variety to your nutritional consumption. Their flavor isn't really different from your usual potato, but the texture is slightly. I can't really describe the mouthfeel all that well, but it is, well, softer? Of course, if you can't find purple potatoes where you live, you can use any potato. I might recommend any type of new or red potato, but a good old humble baking potato won't let you down either.

I served this with some crunchy romaine lettuce in a GF teff wrap (the picture was before I did the wrapping). For lunch today, I'll enjoy the leftovers over some more lettuce, possibly with some GF crackers. However you enjoy yours, I hope you do!

Egg & purple potato salad (mayo-free; 2-3 servings)

1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Wash 2 medium purple potatoes (or equivalent in whatever potato form you use), pierce them with a fork, and wrap them in foil. Bake until fork-tender, then set aside to cool.

2. Hard-boil 5 eggs, then place in an ice-water bath (still in the shell) and refrigerate until ready to assemble the salad.

3. To assemble the salad, peel the shells from the eggs and mash them with a fork in a medium bowl.

4. Stir in:

-2 heaping tablespoons of really good sour cream (or Greek yogurt)
-1 Tbsp Dijon mustard
-1 green onion, chopped
-1 clove garlic, minced
-sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and cayenne pepper, to taste

At this point, the eggs should be very creamy--you want extra creaminess so that when you toss in the potatoes, the salad does not become dry. If necessary, add a bit more sour cream and/or mustard. Taste and adjust the seasoning level accordingly, then stir in the potatoes, diced.

5. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve. Serve with some fresh crisp lettuce in a wrap, on bread, or with some crackers on the side. Enjoy!
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What are your thoughts on egg and potato salads?

Slow cooker "French dip" beef and jus with garlic butter brussels sprouts

2012-01-29T10:00:00.000-06:00

Tender, fall-apart beef from the slow cooker, dipped in its delightful jus makes a wonderful alternative to restaurant French dip sandwiches.

My roots are in New Jersey, which is, among other things, the diner capital of the world. Whenever I go back, I make at least one trip to a diner. I love diner eggs, of all things. When I was younger, I'd venture beyond eggs, though (since I could), and I'd occasionally get the French dip sandwich with coleslaw.

For some reason, I wanted something of that nature last night. So, I picked up a lovely chuck steak from my co-op, seasoned it, seared it, and dropped it in the slow cooker to gently cook to fall apart tenderness in a wonderful broth.

As you can see, I succeeded--the meat was tender and delicious. Instead of a heavy roll (I did eye the GF rolls at the co-op, too), I warmed up a couple of corn tortillas and just rolled the meat in them and dipped the "sandwich" that way.

For the brussels sprouts, I sliced them and very briefly cooked them in some garlicky butter and seasoned them with some sea salt and black pepper. It was a simple preparation, but a great way to use them--I had picked them up for last week's menu and never got a chance to use them, which worked out in my favor last night since beef and cruciferous vegetables are a great combination.

In the end, I was so very happy with this meal, and am putting it on the list of dishes to make for friends and family. This made enough meat for about two servings. If you need to cook for more, you can use a chuck roast. You'll probably just need to cook it for longer.

Enjoy and have a great Sunday!

Slow cooker French dip beef

1. In the bowl of a slow cooker/crockpot, combine:

-2 cups water
-8 teaspoons dried onion flakes
- 2 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
-1 teaspoon turmeric
-1/2 teaspoon celery salt
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon sugar
-1/4 teaspoon ground pepper
-1 beef bouillon cube (I used a natural "not beef" bouillon cube; you may also use the beef base that is available now)

-4cloves garlic, smashed
-1 large onion, cut into rings

Turn the slow cooker to HIGH.

2. Heat 1-2 Tbsps olive oil in a heavy pan. Season a 1 lb beef chuck steak (or a larger chuck roast if you are serving more people) well with your favorite steak seasonings (I used Montreal Steak Seasoning). Pan-sear the steak/roast on both sides and then transfer the meat to the hot slow cooker, distributing some of the onions over the meat.

3. Put the lid on the cooker, then cook for 1 hour on HIGH heat, then reduce the heat to LOW and cook for 4-6 hours, or longer, depending on the side of the cut you are using. About an hour before serving, remove the onions and garlic from the cooker, and shred the meat with tongs or a fork, letting it sit in the juice. Cook for 1 hour more.

4. Serve with the juice and enjoy. I served it on corn tortillas, but for a more traditional sandwich, serve it on a French roll. Goes great with the garlic butter brussels sprouts (recipe follows).
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Garlic butter brussels sprouts

1. Prep.

-3 cloves garlic, finely-minced

-12 brussels sprouts, sliced/shredded

2. Heat 3 Tbsps butter in a pan and very gently saute the garlic for about 30 seconds.

3. Add the brussels sprouts and toss to completely combine. Cook very gently until the brussels sprouts have softened, but still have a bite. Season well with sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.

4. Serve immediately and enjoy!
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What is your favorite diner dish?

Simple stuffed peppers with Southwestern chipotle quinoa

2012-01-27T11:16:00.001-06:00

Don't let this simple, unassuming dish fool you--it's loaded with flavor and very satisfying!

Thank goodness it's Friday. That's all I'm going to say. A very long week deserves a restful weekend--hopefully I will have one.

When I did my food shopping last weekend, I originally planned for a bell pepper stir-fry over quinoa, but last night, my plans changed when I decided I wanted something a little more interesting. I was eyeing some chipotle peppers in adobo sauce, of which I still had leftovers after making both the vegetarian chili and the Caribbean sweet potato and black bean salad earlier in the week.

Since quinoa is a very simple "grain", it can be seasoned with many different types of flavors for a spectacular dish, much like rice, so it seemed logical to combine the two. My approach was simple: cook the quinoa and then make a southwestern-flavored chipotle quinoa salad, and then stuff it into the peppers that I had and bake them until crisp-tender.

The verdict: a success! Normally, stuffed peppers are a little heavy. They tend to have meat and/or cheese, and can be quite rich. This variant is light, and it is very possible to eat a full bell pepper's worth here. I did add just a tiny dollop of the fresh sour cream I picked up yesterday to contrast the spicy-smoky flavor of the quinoa, but otherwise, they were just great, and I'm looking forward to the leftovers for lunch.

If you're looking for some other "stuffed" recipes ideas, which we tend to like here in Jackie's kitchen, check out some of these:

Cream cheese and lox cucumber cups ("stuffed" cucumbers!)
Roasted acorn squash with sausage stuffing
Italian "stuffed" portobello mushrooms
Sausage-stuffed zucchini
Deviled roasted baby potatoes
Mayo-free deviled eggs
"Twice baked" potato-stuffed poblanos
Fresh spinach "dip"-stuffed mushrooms
Chicken & polenta-stuffed poblanos
Stuffed banana peppers, "burrito style"
Stuffed cherry tomatoes
Stuffed bell peppers with sausage and rice

Have a great weekend!

Stuffed bell peppers with Southwestern chipotle quinoa

1. Cook 1/2 cup dry quinoa, according to package directions. If you've gotten yours in the bulk section of the store, make sure you rinse the quinoa well and then cook it as you would rice, using a 2:1 water to quinoa ratio.

2. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 375 deg F and cut two bell peppers (I used one red and one green pepper) in half lengthwise, leaving the tops and bottoms in tact. Remove the seeds and any excess white membrane, then place them in a glass baking dish.

3. When the quinoa is cooked and slightly cooled, add:

-1 celery stalk, thinly-sliced
-1 carrot, thinly-sliced
-2 green onions, thinly-sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, coarsely-chopped

Toss the ingredients with:

-2-3 Tbsps extra-virgin olive oil
-the juice of half a lime
-sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, dried oregano, garlic powder, onion powder, and cumin, to taste

Finally, add 1/2 chipotle pepper, minced + some of the adobo sauce, starting with just a little. Toss to combine, taste, and adjust accordingly, adding more chipotle if necessary.

Essentially, you want the quinoa to be so good you could just sit and eat it right then and there.

4. Spoon the quinoa into the pepper halves, packing it well. I had a little quinoa leftover and refrigerated it for a weekend lunch. Pour about 1/4 inch of water into the baking dish, then cover well with aluminum foil and bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, or until the peppers are to your desired consistency. I like mine more on the crunchy side, so 20 minutes was perfect to get rid of some of the rawness, but still maintain an al dente texture.

5. Serve as is, or garnish with a bit of sour cream or some avocado slices, or even your favorite Mexican or Southwestern style cheese. Enjoy!
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What's your favorite "stuffed" recipe?

Special peanut butter oatmeal breakfast cookies (for Shawn)

2012-01-26T13:48:00.000-06:00

One of my favorite cookies in the spirit of one of my favorite people.

It has been a VERY long day so far--I've been up since 5 am (actually I first woke up at 4). I've been stressed, nervous, anxious, doing too much. But, in the end, it's all worth it. I'm seeing things progress and good stuff is coming together. I just put a lot of pressure on myself and really want to do great work not just for myself, but also for my collaborators, and even the field.

I realized recently that I spend much less time baking. During graduate school, it seemed like several times a week, just on a whim, I'd whip up a batch of cookies, brownies, muffins, you name it. Sometimes it'd be 10 at night and I'd be turning the oven on.

Lately, I just don't have the energy or motivation, I think, nor do I have the mouths to feed! It's not that I enjoy baking any less, it's just that it's more fun when I can share it with people, the same reason many people give me about why they don't cook more often; and I completely understand.

The other night, though, I wanted a little something, and I was missing having Shawn around to cook and bake for, so I decided to make a quick batch of one of our favorites, a cookie creation I made one day when I was feeling a little experimental last March. These were an instant hit and I decided to bring them back up in the blog.

I reduced the sugar this time and actually used a natural non-sweetened peanut butter because I prefer my sweets a little less sweet. If you're like Shawn and loved your sugar, then by all means! If you don't like or can't eat peanut butter, any nut or seed butter will work. Raisins instead of chocolate chips would also be awesome.

I just love these. It makes one cookie sheet's worth of cookies, so it's suitable for one person. In fact, I may make another batch tonight to kick back after such a long day. Mmm.

Enjoy!

Revisited and slightly revised peanut butter-chocolate chip oatmeal cookies (makes 12-15 cookies; original recipe here)

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg F and line a baking sheet with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl, whisk until smooth and creamy:

-3 Tbsps peanut butter (I used natural, non-sweetened creamy peanut butter; other nut and seed butters or chunky peanut butter would do as well)
-1 Tbsp coconut oil
-scant 1/2 cup evaporated cane juice (organic sugar)
-3 Tbsps coconut milk (or other non-dairy substitute or milk)
-1/2 tsp vanilla

3. Stir in 1/2 cup Pamela's baking & pancake mix (or other gluten-free baking mix or all-purpose flour if not gluten-free) + 1/2 cup gluten-free instant oats (or rolled oats or regular oats if not gluten-free)

4. Fold in 1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips.

5. Form the mixture into 12-15 mounds on the baking sheet leaving some space between cookies.

6. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes or until they are set and lightly-golden brown.

7. Remove and let stand briefly on the cookie sheet before transferring to a cooling rack. They will be soft and gooey but will get crisp a little on the outside as they cool.
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What's your #1 go-to treat?

"All-purpose European" sauteed cabbage

2012-01-24T22:10:00.000-06:00

Crisp-tender cabbage with caraway and other complementary flavors conjure up images of the North European Plain.

When I lived in NYC/Brooklyn, I was able to discern the mood of the city the minute I stepped out of my apartment each morning. Its mood was palpable--it felt bitter and harsh on the bad days and surprisingly more quiet and relaxed on the good days. It was such an astonishing phenomenon, and no matter how hard I tried, I could not help but get sucked in; it was as if I had fallen in sync with the ebb and flow of the chaos.

I felt very small in that city. Well, let's be honest, I feel small everywhere--I am, well, small. Minneapolis doesn't suffer the same mood swings as does New York. It's a happier place, and I've noticed that now two+ years away from the big city, I've developed a much deeper sense of calm than I have ever experienced.

But, I'm feeling small lately even in my happy abode for reasons we need not worry about right now. I've never felt so humble. To complement my meek spirit, I offer up this delightful, yet simple recipe which I call "all-purpose European" sauteed cabbage. I say "all purpose" because I didn't know which cuisine to credit: Dutch, German, Polish, Irish. It has hints of them all.

Ultimately, it doesn't matter because it was perfect. Growing up, I never liked cooked cabbage, probably because the few times I had had it cooked, it had turned to mush. I like my cabbage raw, or at least with a little bite to it (al dente). Well, I do also enjoy a very simple cabbage soup (when done right!). This recipe allows you to cook the cabbage to your liking, so I was able to have it a little crunchy.

The flavors are indeed subtle, but the best part, in my opinion, is the caraway. One of the few aspects I lament about having to eat gluten-free is the fact that I will never have a good dark rye bread again. I've always loved rye breads with all their caraway seed goodness. Since caraway and cabbage are such a natural pairing, it's a way for me to still enjoy the flavor of the seeds without poisoning myself for about two weeks (yes, that's about how long it takes me to feel better if I've been "glutened").

I just browned up some smoked kielbasa-style sausage to dip in some mustard and enjoy with the cabbage. If you're not into kielbasa, you could always have a worst (Dutch), a wurst (German), a banger (Irish or English), or a pudding (Irish) if you're so inclined. ;-) Yet another wonderful thing about having a passion for cooking--it is educational and makes one worldly!

Sauteed cabbage (yield: way too much for one person)

1. Veggie Prep.

-1 large onion, sliced thin

-1 head green cabbage, shredded (a red cabbage would be beautiful as well)
-2 apples, cubed

2. Flavor Prep. In a glass measuring cup, combine:

-1/4 cup seasoned rice vinegar
-1/4 cup fresh filtered water
-1 Tbsp Dijon mustard (I used a Dijon-horseradish mustard)
-1 tsp caraway seeds
-1/2 tsp celery salt
-sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

3. Cook. Heat 1 Tbsp olive oil + 1 Tbsp butter over medium-low heat in a heavy Dutch or French oven, or other heavy-bottomed pot. Gently saute the onions until soft and fragrant.

Then, add the remaining ingredients and toss to combine. Cover and simmer gently until the cabbage is cooked to your liking, tossing occasionally.

4. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed and serve immediately. Goes great with any type of sausage!
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What's your favorite cabbage dish?

My cousin Caitlin's vegetarian kidney bean chili (with "Jackie touches")

2012-01-23T20:58:00.000-06:00

This kidney bean chili tastes even better than some versions of its beefy counterpart!

My cousin Caitlin and I maintain fairly regular correspondence, and the topics of food and cooking frequently emerge. I always encourage her to prepare a guest post, but in lieu of that, this is a great start. She sent me a recipe for a vegetarian chili that she made with much success recently. I could tell just from the recipe that it'd be something I'd very much enjoy, and it helped that it was an easy recipe to boot.

Her recipe actually came at the perfect time. When I was last in Madison, I ordered a vegan chili at a restaurant, expecting pretty much this exact thing, but when the bowl came to me, there was a mysterious looking grain in it. It almost looked like brown rice, but not exactly. When I asked those around me, they agreed it didn't look like brown rice or quinoa so I asked and confirmed it was bulgar wheat. So, alas, I could not eat the chili and I was sorely disappointed, but now I had a chance to make one for myself!

(Un)fortunately, I have a tendency to change things up. Really, it's to accommodate what I have on hand, and my personal tastes. For this, I cut the recipe in half since I was cooking just for myself, used fresh tomatoes instead of canned, some chipotle pepper in adobo (which I had leftover from making the Caribbean sweet potato and black bean salad), some corn, carrot, and celery, a square of unsweetened baking chocolate, and I used brown sugar instead of white. At the end, I played with the seasonings just to get everything to blend perfectly, but that's something everyone should do anyway.

I served it with two hot corn tortillas and thoroughly enjoyed this. It had so much flavor and I loved the different textures--the big meaty beans, the crunchy corn, the carrots, celery, etc. Delicious! I loved how rich the soup got just from simmering the tomatoes.

This is one you should definitely try, adjusting it according to your own tastes. It really is delicious and I have Caitlin to thank! ;-)

Rich & spicy kidney bean chili (4-5 servings)

1. Prep.

-1 large onion, chopped
-6 cloves garlic, minced
-1 green bell pepper, chopped
-1 medium carrot, diced
-1 large stalk celery, sliced

-4 medium tomatoes, coarsely chopped
-1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, minced

2. Cook. Heat 1-2 Tbsps olive oil in a medium sauce pot. Gently saute the first 5 ingredients, until they begin to soften.

Stir in:

-2 Tbsps chili powder
-1.5 tsps paprika
-1 tsp ground cumin
-1 tsp oregano
-1/2 tsp onion powder
-1/2 tsp garlic powder

When the spices are well-combined, stir in:

-the tomatoes
-the chipotle pepper
-1 bay leaf
-2 Tbsps brown sugar
-1 square unsweetened baking chocolate
-sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

3. Let the mixture simmer over medium-low heat until the tomatoes have cooked down and the mixture starts to thicken, 20-30 minutes.

Stir in:

-1 can organic dark red kidney beans, drained and rinsed well
-1/2 cup frozen corn

4. Continue to simmer until the beans and corn are heated through and the chili has thickened more. Taste and adjust the seasonings as necessary.

5. Before serving, remove the bay leaf. Garnish with cilantro and green onions. It would also be great with sour cream, cheese, avocado or guacamole, or cold fresh salsa. Enjoy with corn tortillas, chips, crackers, rice, or bread.
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What is your favorite type of chili?

Caribbean sweet potato and black bean salad

2012-01-22T10:22:00.000-06:00

Fresh roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, corn, and other fresh ingredients come together to make a fantastic salad or wrap filling!

When I first returned to Minneapolis last Saturday evening, I naturally had no food on hand. Being away for a month, anything that would've been in there, likely wouldn't have been safe to eat. Since I had had a long day on the Megabus from Madison, I opted to pick up something from the prepared food section of my co-op. They prepare several items in house and sell them in their deli case. They list all of their ingredients, using only organic where possible, and they label the foods as gluten-free, vegan, etc.

I found a new salad I hadn't seen or tried there before that day, called "Caribbean sweet potato salad". Since I was quite hungry from traveling all day and eating very little, I picked up some GF teff wraps in which to enjoy the salad. It was delicious and I decided that I wanted to replicate the salad on my own this week. I kept the list of ingredients, purchased them, and prepared the salad yesterday. I had to improvise since I didn't know how much of everything they used, but that was part of the fun. In the end, I think I may have enjoyed mine even more than the co-op's version.

One point of difference was that I roasted the sweet potatoes while I was cleaning the apartment yesterday and lost track of time so that they got very soft (you can see that in the picture). At first, I thought the very soft sweet potato would not go well with the mixture, in particular, because the sweet potatoes in the original salad were far more al dente. However, in the end, I think they formed the perfect base for the rest of the ingredients. The sweet potatoes also took on the bulk of the flavors, and since they were very soft and sort of blended in with the rest of the ingredients, everything had great taste.

There was one new ingredient in this salad that I had never worked with before--chipotles in adobo sauce. One reason for this is that the store-bought versions typically have gluten in them (to thicken the adobo sauce), but the co-op has a gluten free version that I tried. Now, before adding it to the salad, I realized I needed to try them to see how spicy they are since I didn't want to over-do it in the salad. Well, boy, was that an interesting experience! Naively, I took a rather large taste and it was indeed spicy, but also incredibly smoky! A little goes a very long way in a recipe, so I added a little and saved the rest for future preparations. Finally, there is corn in the recipe, and since it is not fresh corn season, I used frozen corn, a substitute I was happy with.

In the end, this is a very satisfying salad, full of flavor and texture. It provides another great way to use seasonal sweet potatoes, and makes the most out of the black bean and sweet potato combination, which is a natural pairing. Have a great Sunday!

Carribbean sweet potato and black bean salad

1. Bake the sweet potatoes. Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Rinse two medium sweet potatoes, pierce them, and wrap them in foil. Bake them in the preheated oven until soft. Remove them from the oven and let them cool, then transfer them to the refrigerator to chill until ready to prepare the salad.

2. To assemble the salad, combine the following in a large bowl:

-the two sweet potatoes, chopped
-1 can organic black beans, drained and rinsed
-1-2 cups frozen corn, thawed according to package directions (I just blanched them in salted boiling water, then drained and rinsed them in cold water to stop the cooking)
-1/2 large red onion, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 cup roasted sea-salted peanuts

3. To season the salad, add, to taste (starting with a little and adjusting accordingly to your tastes):

-apple cider vinegar
-extra-virgin olive oil
-sea salt
-freshly-cracked black pepper
-cumin
-cinnamon
-chipotles in adobo sauce

4. Toss gently, tasting and adjusting seasoning accordingly. Serve immediately, or refrigerate until ready to serve, letting the flavors develop. Goes great in a wrap, but would also be great on its own. Enjoy!
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Have you ever added sweet potatoes to a cold salad?

Garlicky roasted red pepper hummus

2012-01-19T20:46:00.001-06:00

Save some money and make your own hummus--a little less convenient, but much more awesome!

Oh, I can't wait for the weekend. That's not to say that I won't work, but I definitely intend on resting and sleeping late. What a rough first week of the semester! In my position, the semesters shouldn't matter all that much, but this semester's a little different and I am feeling it!

So, I offer you a simple recipe. I eat a lot of hummus. I usually have it for at least one lunch and one dinner each week, and then for snacks in between. Considering how much I consume, it makes more sense from both health and economic standpoints to make my own.

Typically, I don't care for roasted red peppers. There is something about the texture of the jarred kind that bothers me. But I was feeling a little whimsical and decided to roast a red pepper of my own and add that, and it was much better.

Other than that, this is a fairly typical recipe. I did, however, use fresh cooked chickpeas (from dry), which also makes a HUGE difference in the flavor. I never actually liked homemade hummus as much as store bought before, but using the dry chickpeas made all the difference here.

Garlicky roasted red pepper hummus (2-3 cups)

1. (Omit this step if using canned beans). The night before you make the hummus, cover 1 cup of dried chickpeas with ample water to allow them to expand, and let them soak.

The next morning, drain the chickpeas and place them in the bowl of a crockpot/slow cooker, and cover completely with water. Cover and cook on LOW for 8-12 hours, or until tender. You may also cook them in a pot or pressure cooker, if desired.

When the chickpeas are done, drain them and set them aside to cool.

2. (Omit this step if not using roasted red peppers, or using jarred peppers). Preheat the oven to 400 deg. Halve a large organic red pepper and remove the seeds. Very lightly coat the pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with a little sea salt, and then roast until soft. When done, let the pepper cool and then peel away the skin.

3. When ready to prepare the hummus, combine the following in a food processor:

-the chickpeas
-the red pepper
-4 cloves fresh garlic, coarsely chopped (or less if you prefer your hummus less garlicky)
-1/3 cup freshly-squeezed lemon juice
-1/2 good tahini (I used a salt-free tahini; tahini can often be found near the peanut butter, or in the ethnic foods section)
-1 tsp cumin
-sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, cayenne pepper, paprika

Pulse the ingredients initially, and then put the food processor on and pour extra-virgin olive oil in and continue to process until smooth and creamy.

4. Refrigerate until ready to serve. The flavors will develop as it sits, so it'll taste better with a little refrigeration. Enjoy with lots of veggies, your favorite crackers or chips, or even on a sandwich or in wraps. Just enjoy! :-)
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What is your favorite hummus flavor?

Sardine salad sandwich for new sardine eaters

2012-01-19T09:04:00.000-06:00

Forget tuna, sardines are where it's at!

Although I generally feel better with my recent predominantly vegetarian diet, I recognize that I need to be careful about adequate high-quality protein intake. It's not just protein that's important, but also the vitamins, minerals, and other essential nutrients that are reduced on such a diet.

I've been sticking with one meat-based dish on average each week, using only the best meat (typically free-range organic chicken and the occasional grass-fed beef) I can purchase, which, through my co-op, is actually quite clean and safe as things go. Over the holidays, I was having a similar discussion with a family friend at my parents' house who has been essentially vegan for at least the last several years, but this year, she has begun to include sardines in her diet as her doctor expressed concern for her nutrition. She explained to me that she just puts them on bread with some olive oil and actually enjoys them quite a bit.

Being mostly Italian in background, it was somewhat surprising that I myself had never even tried a sardine! I've read that sardines are highly-beneficial in meeting dietary demands for omega-3s, protein, calcium (if you eat the bones), and other nutrients, and being small fish, they are not prone to the contamination that larger fish are, which I've stopped eating almost entirely in the past couple of years.

So, this weekend, I picked up a tin of sardines packed in olive oil and finally worked with them last night. I honestly was expecting something like anchovies, which I happen to enjoy quite a bit and will also use in my cooking from time to time, but this expectation proved wrong. The sardines were actually closer to tuna in texture, but they were whole--skin and bones included. They are slightly more fishy in taste (though they don't smell any more fishy), and a little more naturally oily than tuna, and frankly, just a superior fish.

Since it was my first time having sardines, I made a salad and spread it over a toasted GF bagel and cream cheese. Any excuse to have a bagel and cream cheese is a good one in my book--after all, the majority of my life has been spent in Northern NJ and NYC! I really enjoyed my sandwich. It was simple and delicious. Having had such a pleasant first sardine experience, I'm certainly going to include them more often in my diet, and experiment with other preparations. I hope you try them to!

Sardine salad (1-2 servings, depending upon how you enjoy it)

1. Remove the sardines from one tin, draining any oil that they may have been packed in and place them in a bowl. Gently mash them with a fork to achieve a tuna-light consistency.

2. To the sardines, add:

-very light drizzle of extra-virgin olive oil
-the juice of 1/4 lemon
-2 tsps capers
-1 green onion, chopped
-seasonings to taste: sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, garlic powder, cayenne pepper

Mix and serve immediately (delicious on a bagel with cream cheese) or promptly cover tightly and refrigerate until ready to use.
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Have you ever tried sardines? If so, how did you prepare them and did you enjoy them?

Kale, mushrooms, & pasta with butternut squash sauce (aka "Mock Mac n Cheese")

2012-01-18T09:22:00.001-06:00

It may look like mac n cheese, but it is far from it as butternut squash plays a lead role in a fun dinner creation!

What do you when you cook? Do you listen to music? Have the TV on in the background? Listen to a book on tape? Chat on the phone or with someone in person? Drink? Think? Zone out?

When I'm alone, I put music on that I can sing to, and practice my singing accordingly. I say "practice" because at one time, I did actually sing in a choir, and without regular use (practice), it is easy to lose the voice--it gets "out of shape". I also think of the people in my life, especially because certain songs will make me think of them.

But other than that, I just enjoy the process. Chopping vegetables can be quite therapeutic, and there is something highly-rewarding about making my meals from scratch (to the greatest extent possible). I also improvise, changing up flavors and occasionally ingredients as I constantly monitor the progress of the dish.

For this meal, my "mock mac n cheese", I was inspired by a recipe that I saw over the holidays. It was a baked macaroni and "cheese" with a cashew-butternut squash sauce. When I returned, I remembered that I had half of a large butternut squash peeled and cut into cubes, stashed in my freezer, leftover from when I made the Moroccan spiced roasted butternut squash in December. Knowing that the squash tends to soften upon thawing (just as strawberries and other frozen fruit do...), I figured I had to make a soup or even a puree and that was when I put the two together and decided to try my own version of a butternut squash sauce.

Now, I'm not going to lie, the sauce is kind of like a thick soup. But the advantage of this for me is that I had more sauce than I could ever eat of pasta, so now I have a big bowl of soup to enjoy as well.

Anyway, it's simple, and once you have the sauce, you can prepare any pasta you prefer and add any veggies you desire. I used elbows because that makes it more like macaroni and cheese, and I used kale and mushrooms because they are a great combination and go well with the bright orange and yellow root vegetables.

I really enjoyed this. It doesn't taste like macaroni and cheese, but then again, I didn't expect it to. It was lighter and sweeter, but delicious. I mixed up the ingredients on the stove and served them from the pot, but you can of course always carry out the extra step of baking the pasta as you might with classic mac n cheese, topping it with some bread crumbs for added texture.

Here's to culinary creativity! Enjoy!

Butternut squash sauce (for pasta, veggies, meat, etc.)

1. If starting with frozen butternut squash, place 1/2 large butternut squash, cubed (2-3 cups) in a medium sauce pot, drizzle lightly with olive oil, and lightly-sprinkle with sea salt. Add 1-2 Tbsps full-fat coconut milk (or heavy cream, whole milk, or other non-dairy substitute), and cover the pot. Place it over low heat and cook the squash until tender, stirring occasionally.

If starting with raw butternut squash, and using a small one, half the squash lengthwise and remove the seeds. Place the two halves skin-side up on a glass baking dish in 1-2 inches of water. Roast the squash in a preheated 375-400 deg oven until a knife easily pierces the skin and flesh.

If starting with raw butternut squash, and have a large one that you only want to use part of, peel the squash, halve it, remove the seeds, and cube it, and freeze any squash that you do not wish to use. Place the squash to be cooked in a glass baking dish and toss with a little olive oil and sea salt, and roast in a 375-400 deg oven until tender.

2. Once the squash is tender by whatever method you employ, transfer it to a food processor or blender and process until very smooth. If needed, add a little water to assist the process. Then add the puree to a medium sauce pot (can be the same one as the first method above) over low heat. Stir in coconut milk, cream, whole milk, or other non-dairy milk until the sauce is thinned to your desired consistency--thick enough to coat the pasta, without being too heavy. Stir in about 1/4 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese (if desired) and then season the sauce to taste with sea salt, freshly-cracked black pepper, and nutmeg. Do not bring the sauce to a boil, just heat it through.

3. Serve the sauce with your favorite pasta, veggies, or meat. For the above dish, I prepared some gluten-free elbow pasta and in a separate pan, lightly-sauteed a large shallot, 4 cloves of garlic, 1 8 oz package white button mushrooms, and a small bunch of kale in olive oil and seasoned with sea salt, black pepper, and crushed red pepper flakes before combining everything with 3-4 large ladlefuls of the sauce.

Enjoy!
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What has been your most creative change to the classic mac n cheese?

Amazing mixed nut tart with dark chocolate drizzle

2012-01-17T10:11:00.000-06:00

Don't let the rich decadent look of this tart fool you...

It's easy to prepare, healthy, and protein-rich, great for breakfast, dessert, or a snack!

It's easy to lose oneself in the demands of everyday life. So much is expected of us all at once, and there are myriad distractions almost literally at our fingertips between keyboards, tablets, and smartphones. Considering this, it's not surprising that people experience bouts of depression or find themselves "addicted" to things like videogames or TV shows or other activities that cause (allow?) one to reduce function and "check out" for a while.

It was especially striking to me this weekend how susceptible I am to the toll a life of perpetual stress and interaction--I need my "Jackie time"! I need time to be alone, to quiet my mind, to pursue the things I enjoy. When I say "things I enjoy", I do not mean videogames or watching TV, not that I don't enjoy doing those on occasion, but I mean creative endeavors, those that tap into the deeper me, that bring out a more artistic side, the side that enjoys creation and improvisation. This provides an emotional outlet, bringing me back to normal functioning. I love playing music and singing, writing, and most of all, cooking and baking--which is why this blog exists, right? :-)

I had been going and going for several weeks before just being on my own, in my warm, cozy apartment this weekend. Even though most of that time was with people I love and enjoy being with, it didn't change the fact that I needed to reset and recharge. That's precisely what I did this weekend. I went for a couple of very long, brisk walks in the cold, and I baked this beautiful nut tart.

This tart is not sweet by any means. It begins with an almond flour crust, courtesy of Elana's pantry. The nut filling comprises generous amounts of raw pecans and walnuts, mixed with organic brown rice syrup, a little extra-virgin coconut oil, a touch of honey and vanilla, and finally drizzled with a bit of melted semi-sweet chocolate. You honestly can't get much healthier than that for a recipe of this type!

It is delicious, but again, if you have a sweet tooth, this may not completely satisfy you. The brown rice syrup takes the place of a caramel that would be made with lots of sugar and some water. It's incredibly easy but looks stunning, making it a great dessert to serve guests. I believe any combination of nuts would work with this recipe, and if you're not interested in the almond flour crust, you could use any pastry/tart crust recipe you desire. I do not have a tart pan, so I just used a 9" metal cake pan, as can be seen in the top picture, with wonderful results. Yet another advantage of this recipe--it's flexible and seemingly hard to mess up!

Enjoy!

Nut tart with dark chocolate drizzle

1. Preheat the oven to 375 deg F.

2. Prepare your crust. I was very pleased with the almond flour crust but use any crust recipe you prefer. Once the crust is neatly pressed into the pan, set it aside and prepare the filling.

3. For the filling, combine the following in a medium bowl:

-2/3 cup organic brown rice syrup
-1/4 cup fresh filtered water
-2 Tbsps extra-virgin coconut oil
-1 Tbsp honey
-1 tsp vanilla
-2 cups chopped mixed nuts (I used 1 cup each raw pecans and raw walnuts)

4. Gently spread the filling over the prepared crust to form a nice even layer. Then bake the tart in the preheated oven for 20 minutes, or until the filling is bubbly/foamy. Remove the tart from the oven and place it on a rack to cool.

5. Once the tart has completely cooled, very gently melt 2-3 Tbsps semi-sweet chocolate chips with just enough coconut milk (or heavy cream, whole milk, or other non-dairy substitute) to thin the chocolate for drizzling, about 2-3 Tbsps. Once the chocolate has melted, quickly drizzle it over the tart before it starts to harden again. Allow the chocolate to harden, then serve and enjoy! I am storing the tart in the refrigerator since it's going to take me a little time to enjoy it all myself, but if you anticipate faster consumption, you may leave it at room temperature. :-)
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What's your favorite nut-based dessert?

Mexican meatball parm

2012-01-16T09:15:00.001-06:00

Meatballs simmered in a Mexican-flavored sauce and topped with shredded cheese is a fun play on the classic meatball parmigiana.

This past holiday season was rough on me, and I lost a couple of pounds, to boot. Whenever I travel, I get off my regular routine and eat far less, and because of the gluten restriction, I eat very simple foods, like salads, and simply don't consume the same number of calories. But also, dear readers, I've been in a funk. Nothing worth troubling you with, but alas, sometimes we all have our moments--or, as a character recently said on a TV show I was watching, "we all come from something."

I'm feeling better than I was, and am getting back into my regular routine and hoping the new year will be better than it started. Even at the worst of times, though, it's important to keep in mind what is good about life and I have quite a list. Of particular note, given the current state of the world, I am lucky to have access to good food and the resources to prepare it--this is much more than many.

Instead of worrying and complaining about my own life's difficulties, I am humbled when I consider the more significant struggles others face each day. Moving forward, I'm just now trying to be positive and keep the focus on the good. I'm also trying to make sure I have enough "Jackie time" spent doing the things I enjoy, which, when I travel, isn't always easy to ensure. Now that I'm home, I have plenty of alone time to put to good use.

So, yesterday, I carried out my usual weekend routine of planning a menu for the week and shopping for the food. It was a rather warm day for the Midwest winter, and it was bright and sunny, so I also took a long walk around the lake and watched the families and friends ice skate and play ice hockey. It was very invigorating.

Then I came home and made this fun dinner. I decided my one meat dish this week would be beef-based, and armed myself with a nice 3/4 lb of grass-fed ground beef. It had been some time since I had had meatballs, and decided to go in that direction. The meatballs themselves are simple are not particularly unique, but the sauce I improvised had wonderful, rich flavor that made the whole dish. I typically think of meatball parm as a sandwich on a hoagie roll (is that the term most people use or is it just the Jersey girl in me coming out?), so, to accompany these meatballs, I warmed up two corn tortillas and cut up the meatballs and enjoyed them in the tortillas.

Mmmm, it was delicious. Just a couple of sprinkles of shredded Mexican-blend cheese melted on top was the perfect touch. Honestly, though, the sauce was my favorite part of the dish--it was completely fresh and proof that canned tomatoes really aren't necessary.

I hope everyone is well!

Mexican meatball parm

1. Prepare the meatballs for cooking: In a bowl, combine:

-3/4-1 lb ground grass-fed beef
-6 Tbsps (or so) crushed corn tortilla chips
-1 egg
-3 Tbsps unsweetened, full-fat coconut milk (or whole milk, cream, or other non-dairy substitute), as needed
-1/2 tsp sea salt

Gently mix the ingredients together to incorporate into the beef. I used a fork--you don't want to over-mix it because the meat gets tough that way.

Cover the bowl and refrigerate for an hour or so. This allows the chips to soften and absorb excess liquid and improve binding.

After an hour, shape the meat into 9-12 meatballs, and dredge them in some gluten-free (or all-purpose if not gf) flour.

2. The sauce: Prep:

-1 large onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced

-2 large jalapeno peppers, seeded and diced
-3 large tomatoes, coarsely chopped

In a large saute pan, heat 1-2 Tbsps olive oil and gently saute the onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the peppers and tomatoes and gently toss to combine. Let the mixture simmer over medium-low heat. As the tomatoes break down, stir the mixture. Once most of the rawness of the tomatoes has been eliminated, season the sauce well, to taste, with your favorite Mexican/Southwestern spices. I used:

-sea salt
-freshly-cracked black pepper
-paprika
-chili powder
-cumin
-cayenne pepper
-chipotle powder
-onion powder
-dried oregano
-dried basil

Let the mixture continue to simmer gently while you brown the meatballs. (next step).

3. Preheat the oven to 375 deg F. In a heavy French or Dutch oven or other oven-safe pot, heat enough olive oil to just coat the bottom of the pan and then add the meatballs and brown them on all sides.

4. Taste the sauce and adjust the seasonings as necessary. Then, *carefully* (please!) add the sauce to the meatballs--please note the acid of the sauce will cause splattering and I do not want anyone to get burned!

5. Cover the French oven and transfer it to the preheated oven and simmer for 20-30 minutes, or until the meatballs are cooked through.

6. If serving all the meatballs for that meal, remove the cover of the pan, sprinkle with shredded cheese (a Mexican blend is great, but any melting cheese will be great), and then let the mixture continue to cook until the cheese is melted. Otherwise, do the same for individual servings in smaller oven-safe bowls or baking dishes.

7. Serve immediately with corn tortillas, or over rice or pasta if desired. Enjoy!
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What is your favorite way to enjoy ground beef?

Rich & creamy garlic fettuccine with spinach & red peppers served with sesaoned breaded chicken breasts

2012-01-12T10:39:00.000-06:00

Lightly-breaded, well-seasoned chicken breasts perfectly complement creamy fettuccine, spinach, and red peppers.

I generally do not prepare much in the way of pasta or dairy-based meals for myself, but every so often, the desire does come upon me. During my last visit to Madison, Shawn prepared a simple, yet elegant fettuccine alfredo dish for me that was wonderfully creamy and indulgent. Last night, I decided to return the favor, but expanded upon the concept a bit to make the dish a little different.

The end result was the same--wonderfully creamy and indulgent. I used copious amounts of garlic and fresh parmesan to provide the bulk of the flavor in the sauce for the pasta and veggies. The chicken breasts were intended to be an accent to the meal, and indeed, I managed to get an incredible amount of flavor on them with a bit of a heavy hand on the seasoning, and a very light breading.

The meal, in the end, was the kind of dish I'd call "comfort food". And with the snow falling and the temperatures much colder today here in Madison, the leftovers will be just perfect for lunch or dinner.

Wishing everyone good health and good eating!

Creamy spinach & pepper fettuccine (2-4 servings, depending upon whether it is served with chicken, see below for recipe)

1. Prep.

-1 small onion, diced

-6 cloves garlic, finely-minced
-1 red bell pepper, julienne

2. In a large saute pan or saucier, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil and gently saute the onions until soft and fragrant. Add the garlic and bell pepper and saute briefly, about 1 minute.

3. Stir in 1/2 cup chicken (or vegetable) stock (you may also use white wine) and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and add 1.5 cups heavy cream and several large handfuls fresh baby spinach. Gradually bring the cream to a simmer and gently wilt the spinach.

4. When the mixture is bubbly, add a cornstarch slurry: 1-2 Tbsps cornstarch dissolved in 1/4-1/3 cup cold water. Stir and bring the mixture back to a simmer and let it thicken. Add ~1 cup of fresh parmesan cheese and stir to incorporate and thicken the sauce. Add salt and freshly-cracked pepper to taste and simmer until desired thickness is reached.

5. Pour the sauce over 1/2 lb of cooked fettuccine pasta and toss to coat. Serve immediately, alongside, if desired, cooked chicken (see recipe below).
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Lightly-breaded Italian seasoned chicken breasts

1. In a large zip-loc bag, combine ~1/2 cup GF flour (or regular AP flour if not GF). Season it well with:

-Kosher salt
-freshly-cracked black pepper
-garlic powder
-dried oregano
-dried basil
-cayenne pepper

2. Sprinkle 1 lb of chicken breasts (I used tenders) well with the same seasonings and then add them to the bag. Toss the chicken in the bag until well-coated.

3. Heat 2 Tbsps or so of olive oil in a saute pan and pan-brown the chicken breasts on both sides, shaking off the excess flour before adding them to the pan. Transfer the chicken to a baking dish and bake in a preheated 350 oven until cooked through. Sprinkle with additional salt, if necessary.
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What is your favorite indulgent pasta and or dairy-based dish?

Fresh corn chowder

2012-01-09T11:20:00.000-06:00

Get the most out of your corn when you use the cobs to make corn stock!

I consider myself incredibly lucky that I've come to know some wonderful people in recent years. Unfortunately, I live too far to see many of them more than once or twice a year. Despite this limited interaction, though, I find that my time spent with them is easy, natural, and as if the gaps between visits don't exist.

Jim and Kelly, close friends of Shawn, are two such people.

Letchworth Park, Castile, NY with Jim & Kelly, July 2011 (Shawn's behind the camera here.)

I have such a wonderful time with them and the days just pass all too fast. For Christmas this year, they sent Shawn a cookbook of recipes from the Rochester (NY) Public Market, which showcase the flavors of fresh produce.

The first recipe that stood out during a quick perusal of the book was a Sweet Corn Chowder, which we prepared last night, with very little change to the recipe. The soup is simple, clean, and mild. The potatoes and the corn come to the forefront, with the delicious broth accented their natural flavors.

Since it is not fresh corn season, we used frozen corn on the cob and the result was just delicious; frozen vegetables can be great substitutes during the off-season. We also used red potatoes (as opposed to the new potatoes called for in the recipe), which are less starchy and provide better texture to a soup than a starchier potato. Fresh thyme accented the soup, and for fun, we garnished our bowls with some crisped bacon.

In the end, this is a great recipe from great friends and so we dedicate this entry to them! :-)

Fresh corn chowder (adapted from the original recipe titled, "Sweet Corn Chowder" in the cookbook titled, "The Rochester Public Market")

Ingredients:

-8 ears sweet corn (shucked and cleaned if starting with fresh seasonal corn)
-2 small onions
-1.5 sticks butter
-8 sprigs fresh thyme
-1 tsp Kosher salt to start
-5 medium red potatoes, cleaned and diced
-1-1.5 cups heavy cream
-additional Kosher salt + lots of freshly-cracked black pepper, to taste

Directions:

1. Shave the corn off of the cobs into a bowl and then add the cobs to a large stock pot containing 1.5-2 qts of fresh water. Simmer for about 30 minutes to make a stock, then remove the cobs (and strain if necessary).

2. Meanwhile, peel and dice the onions. Melt the butter in a small pot or pan and add the onions and Kosher salt, sweating the onions until soft, but not brown, about 8 minutes.

3. Add the onions to the corn stock in the large pot. Add the potatoes and thyme as well. Simmer until the potatoes are tender, 10-12 minutes or so.

4. Add the reserved corn and then heavy cream, then return to a gentle simmer and simmer briefly until the corn is heated through.

5. Remove the thyme sprigs and and season the soup to taste with additional Kosher salt and black pepper. If desired, garnish with some crispy bacon or prosciutto. Enjoy!
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What is your favorite use for fresh corn?

Shawn's blackberry glazed pork tenderloin

2012-01-06T11:10:00.001-06:00

Blackberry preserves provide the deep rich flavor to Shawn's special glaze for pork tenderloin.

Fruit is often used to flavor and accompany pork, perhaps because it is generally a mild-flavored meat. A little over a year ago, Shawn prepared a lingonberry glazed pork tenderloin that was delicious. I had never had lingonberry preserves before, but with them being a rather easy find in Minnesota, I could easily change that.

Down here in Florida, finding lingonberries is not likely, and, wanting to make this for his family, Shawn decided to substitute blackberry preserves, which are a fairly close approximation. If you are not a pork eater, this sauce would be great on chicken or even some grilled tofu.

Tomorrow we're off to embark upon the long drive back to Madison (16 hrs). I expect my next entry to be from there, otherwise, when I'm back in Minneapolis the following week. I have much in store that I hope to have time to prepare so come back again! :-)

Blackberry-glazed pork tenderloin

1. Preheat the oven to 350 deg.

2. Prepare the blackberry sauce by combining the following in a medium saucepan and boiling for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently:

-3/4 cup blackberry preserves/jam
-1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
-2 Tbsps honey
-2 Tbsps sugar
-1/2 tsp Kosher salt

3. Season a pork tenderloin liberally with:

-Kosher salt
-Freshly-cracked black pepper
-Garlic powder
-Chipotle powder

4. Pan-sear the tenderloin in a little olive oil until a nice crust forms on all sides. Transfer to a lightly-greased glass baking dish or baking sheet. Pour some of the blackberry sauce over the pork and bake until it reaches an internal temperature of 160 deg. Keep the remaining sauce warm for serving.

5. Remove from the oven and let it rest for a few minutes, then slice and serve with a little of the remaining sauce. Goes great with some fresh parmesan polenta and quick-roasted garlic asparagus.
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What is your favorite fruit pairing with pork?

Celebrating "National Soup Month": a year of 'Jackie's Kitchen' soups

2012-01-05T13:23:00.000-06:00

I learned today that January is "National Soup Month". Where these designations come from, I do not know, but any excuse to talk about soup is a good one. I love soup and try my best to make one every week. Soup is a great way to incorporate lots of vegetables into one's diet. Soup also has a special healing/comforting quality to it, even in the summer when enjoying light and refreshing cold soups.

In honor of the special occasion, I decided to recap the many soups we've made in the past year. The list is varied and I believe there is something for everyone here. After looking through, why not let us know what your favorite soup is, and if it's not featured here, it may be in the near future! :-)

May your bowl always be full!

Bean soups

Spicy slow cooker pinto bean tortilla soup -- also featured on favediets.com!
(Not my mom's) lentil soup -- a spicy Shawn creation!
Black bean sweet potato chili -- a rich, hearty vegetarian meal.
Summer harvest chili -- loaded with tons of seasonal vegetables and beans for a hearty summer meal.

Meat soups

Spicy turkey chili verde -- a great way to use ground turkey.
Mushroom leek soup with sausage & wild rice -- a beautiful soup for late winter/early spring.
Shawn's amazing beef chili -- I have Shawn make this for me a couple times a year.
'Jackie's kitchen' "make-it-all-better" chicken soup -- the cure for what ails you.
Kale & sweet potato stew with chicken sausage -- kale and sweet potatoes are a match made in heaven.

Asian-style soups

Quick and spicy kimchi noodle soup -- a great way to use up your aged kimchi.
Healing Thai red curry noodle soup with shiitake mushrooms, bok choy, & red bell pepper -- quick, easy, flavorful, and vegetarian.

Detox/Immune-boosting soups

"Soup-er" simple cabbage soup -- one cabbage soup I actually love.
Simple garlic immune-boosting soup -- perfect to ward off those winter bugs.
Warming garlic lemon ginger soup -- another perfect soup to restore you physically and mentally.

Cold summer soups

Gingered peach mango soup -- almost a dessert soup!
Refreshing chunky watermelon soup -- another great combination of fruit and veggies.
Stone fruit gazpacho -- a great way to take advantage of the summer harvests
Refreshing avocado gazpacho -- a richer take on the traditional gazpacho
"Get your green on" soup -- for those looking to incorporate more greens into their diet; great for detox, too!

Miscellaneous vegetable soups

Light & fresh herbed zucchini soup -- a great way to use abundant summer zucchini.
Spring harvest soup -- simply seasoned, highlighting the true flavors of the spring vegetables.
Spicy carrot soup with maple cashew "cream" -- a wonderful way to showcase that naturally sweet flavors of fresh carrots.
"Better than Campbell's" tomato soup -- who needs that canned stuff, anyway?
Velvety sweet potato soup --naturally rich and creamy.
Loaded potato soup -- just like a baked potato, but creamy!

The top 10 dishes of 'Jackie's Kitchen' in 2011.

2012-01-03T18:20:00.001-06:00

2011 marked the 4th calendar year in which I "blogged" about my cooking. It was my most active year as of yet, with some of my most favorite recipes. For those who are new to reading, I began the blog as a way to document my successes and failures in the kitchen and to stay motivated and excited about food and eating when I adopted the gluten-free diet. It has undergone rather significant transformations over these years, and will continue to do so in the future as I hope to add a couple more features including printer-friendly recipes.

Here, I wanted to recap the year with the top 10 most viewed recipes through internet searches and hopefully return visits from people looking to make those recipes. These are in order from 10 up to 1. Peek through and check out the winner at the bottom. Drop me a line and let me know if any of these stood out to you, or whether you would vote for another.

Here's to a wonderful new year, 2012!

10. Flourless chocolate peanut butter banana oat bars

9.   Turkish-style red lentil "meatballs" with pomegranate sauce

8.   Jamaican-style jerk chicken with rice 'n' peas

7.   Potato chip crusted pork chops

6.   Coconut milk rice pudding (dairy- & egg-free)

5.   Shawn's batter fried green beans

4.   Making homemade cereal: "cracklin' oat bran" knockoff

3. Mayo-free deviled eggs

2. Colcannon (Irish mashed potatoes with leeks & cabbage)

1. Sweet potato gnocchi

Turning curry haters into curry lovers: Indian-spiced curry chicken and roast potatoes

2012-01-03T12:25:00.003-06:00

An incredibly flavorful curry that even a curry hater enjoyed!

Quite often I've been told, "I hate curry." I've never quite understood that statement because curry is not one single dish like scrambled eggs. There are so many varieties of curry and by definition, curry is just a generic term for meat and veggies cooked with spices and the final dish may or may not be saucy. By that definition, most of the food we eat is curry.

Most of those who proclaim themselves to be curry haters have usually tried a dish with curry powder and in that regard, I can understand their sentiment. For a palate not used to traditional Indian-style curry spices, cheap curry powders aren't the best place to start. I, myself, took some time getting used to curry powder seasoned dishes, even with early childhood exposures to similar spices. I sincerely believe, though, that there is in fact a curry for everyone, so long as they keep an open mind.

Shawn and I prepared this dinner last night, working off of my recent Indian curry chicken legs & Himalayan okra curry. We prepared it for his family and hoped they would enjoy it and indeed they did. I replicated the okra curry exactly as I had made in the previous entry, but Shawn tweaked the chicken recipe to work with the tools available to us. Instead of serving the curry with rice as I had done originally, we prepared some Indian curry-spiced roasted red potatoes since we had been eating quite a bit of rice the past few nights. This proved to be an ingenious move as the potatoes formed the base on which the chicken and its sauce was placed, and the potatoes just soaked up the sauce taking on tremendous flavor. I often don't think to use potatoes in curry, but this has expanded my options considerably.

Note that curry powder plays a minimal role at best in the seasoning here. The primary spices are spices that are likely in everyone's cabinet and the key is just combining them in the right ratios to create a flavorful meal. The chicken takes on so much of the flavor, owing to the abundance of aromatics that form the sauce ("gravy"). I really think this is a great place to start for those who believe they "hate" curry. Enjoy!

Indian-spiced curry chicken breast (~2.5-3 lbs of chicken breast; can be scaled accordingly)

1. Prepare the aromatics:

-2 very large onions, very finely-diced
-8-10 cloves garlic, finely-minced
-a good hunk of ginger (2" or so), finely-minced
-3 jalapeno peppers, seeded and minced

-4 roma tomatoes, finely-diced

2. Heat 2 Tbsps or so of oil in a large wok or saute pan and gently saute the aromatics (first 4 ingredients) until soft and fragrant. Then add the tomatoes and continue to cook until the vegetables reduce and the much of the liquids cook off.

Season the mixture well with the following spices--you want a very strong, yet balanced flavor to the mixture, as it will flavor the chicken and form the sauce (it should seem very potent and even a bit salty when tasting it on its own):

-chili powder
-ground coriander
-turmeric
-ground cumin
-curry powder
-cayenne pepper
-Kosher salt
-black pepper

Cook the mixture briefly, then remove it from the pan and set it aside in a bowl.

3. Heat 2 Tbsps more oil in the same pan and add 2.5-3 lbs chicken breasts cut into large but even cubes. Sprinkle the chicken with the same spices as used in the aromatic mixture and cook, turning the chicken regularly. As the chicken is nearly cooked, stir in the aromatics and simmer until the chicken is fully-cooked and flavorful.

4. Serve the chicken and the sauce/gravy that has developed over potatoes (recipes follows) or rice, along with the okra curry or another green vegetable. Enjoy!
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Indian-spiced roasted red potatoes

1. Preheat the oven to 400 deg F. Wash and dice red potatoes (as many as needed) and place them in a glass baking dish.

2. Drizzle some oil over the potatoes and sprinkle them with the same seasoning as used in the chicken recipe above. Gently toss the mixture to coat and roast the potatoes in the preheated oven until tender, turning occasionally. The time will depend upon the number of potatoes, the baking dish, and how far from the heat the dish is placed.

3. When done, remove the potatoes from the oven and taste and adjust the salt level as necessary. Serve under the curry to soak up the sauce. Enjoy!
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How do you feel about curry? What curry dish turned you on to them if you are a lover?

Happy 2012: spicy orange peanut sauce for veggies and meat

2012-01-01T13:08:00.000-06:00

Kick off the new year right with your favorite meat and/or veggies tossed with this spicy orange peanut sauce with a kick!

Greetings from warm Jacksonville, FL and happy new year. It's been a long couple of weeks--I had hoped to keep up the blog from NJ, but I felt rather poorly with some sort of sudden respiratory response that hit me deep in my chest after a short visit to NYC to catch up with old friends and colleagues. I ended up doing the bare minimum of cooking as my energy was very low and I felt quite weak.

Fortunately, I've been able to recover for the past week down here in FL. The weather has been delightful and it's been good to be out of my element for a while. Now that the new year is officially here, I'm hoping things will fall into place and it'll be a good year with many things to be thankful for. I look forward to a year of new recipes and kitchen adventures. I received a popcorn maker and an All-Clad waffle iron for Christmas, which I'm excited to put to good use.

But first, I will start the year off with a recipe that provides a little something for everyone. Peanut sauces are not new in my blog as I've experimented with them for various stir-fry and noodle applications, sometimes substituting almond butter or tahini for the peanut butter. The orange juice in this one, however, makes for a more complex flavor combination, adding some tartness and acidity, as well as even a bit of sweetness. This is the kind of sauce that lends itself well to tweaking to suit individual tastes--it can be made sweeter, saltier, more tart, creamier, and so on.

We enjoyed this sauce with a variety of veggies and some well-spiced peanut beef that Shawn prepared, all over white rice. The final dish was a colorful flavorful one that had enough heat to provide a nice little kick at the back of the throat. Copious amounts of fresh ginger and garlic enhanced the flavor profile as well.

This sauce would be great with any combination of your favorite veggies and meat. Prepare the sauce separately and then add a little to the veggies and or meat while you are cooking those, then drizzle extra remaining sauce on each plate before serving.

I wish you a wonderful start to the New Year!

Spicy orange peanut sauce (can easily be doubled, tripled, etc. depending on how much is needed)

1. In a medium saucepan, combine:

-3 heaping tablespoons (the large spoons in your drawer ;-) ) of creamy peanut butter
-3/4 cup fresh orange juice
-several splashes of Worchestershire sauce (Lea & Perins is gluten-free)
-1/4 cup dark brown sugar
-sea salt and black pepper to taste
-pinch of cayenne pepper
-your favorite hot sauce to taste (e.g. sriracha, tabasco, Asian chili-garlic sauce, etc.)

2. Whisk/stir until smooth and creamy. Taste and adjust the flavors accordingly. If necessary, thin with your favorite stock to desired consistency.

3. Use when cooking your favorite veggies or meat for stir-fry, and use as a sauce to drizzle over your favorite meat and/or veggies and rice. Enjoy!
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Shawn's spiced-peanutty beef

1. Cut flank steak into small cubes and toss with a little oil to lightly-coat.

2. Dust the beef with Kosher salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper and toss to disperse the seasonings.

3. Place the beef in a ziploc bag with finely-crushed peanuts, to taste.

4. Heat some oil in a pan and cook the beef until done, drizzling with some of the peanut sauce while cooking. Serve immediately.
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How do you like to incorporate peanuts/peanut butter in your cooking?

Easy chunky vegetable tomato sauce (for pasta)

2011-12-17T12:28:00.000-06:00

Fresh crunchy veggies in a reduced tomato sauce are perfect for your favorite pasta.

After a long day of experimental and theoretical discussion yesterday, I asked Shawn if he'd rather me make a simple dinner instead of contending with the cold and going for Thai food. Minneapolis has some great Thai food, so it was a tough choice, but in the end, I did the cooking. I kept it simple with fresh veggies and freshly-made tomato sauce for some GF rigatoni.

I think back to my childhood and laugh a little because I was really not a fan of tomato sauce when my mom heated it up from a jar. I used to ask for "just a very little bit please", essentially just eating a plate of plain pasta (boy, was I asking for trouble. ;-) ). During my second year of graduate school, I lived with a woman who was vegetarian, so many of the dinners we cooked were pasta and tomato sauce, using plain crushed tomatoes in a can, which we seasoned up nicely with onions, garlic, and dried herbs and spices. Then, at some point towards the end of graduate school, I started to become very conscious of the quality of the foods I was eating, about a year before I discovered the gluten issue, and began avoiding canned tomatoes of all kinds, opting for fresh. This is when I really started to enjoy tomato sauces, enjoying the natural flavor of the tomatoes, and not that of all of the preservatives (and often salt and sugar) added to the canned tomatoes.

Using fresh tomatoes doesn't add that much time to the process and is hardly any less convenient than canned, but is far healthier. With all the concern about the liners in canned goods, especially with how they react with the acid in the tomatoes, it makes that much more sense to use fresh tomatoes. Here, you just simmer down the tomatoes with onions, garlic, and your favorite spices until they have reduced and formed a nice sauce. Then, add in the remaining vegetables while you cook the pasta and your good to go! Simple, fresh, and delicious.

I am headed back east for the holidays tomorrow morning, but expect to cook a lot while I'm visiting with everyone so check back to see what's happening in "Jackie's kitchen on the road". ;-) Happy holidays!

Easy chunky vegetable tomato sauce (4-6 servings)

1. Prep.

-1 onion, diced
-4 cloves garlic, minced

-6 roma tomatoes, diced

-1 green bell pepper, seeded and diced
-1 small zucchini, sliced

-1 large handful fresh parsely, chopped

2. In a medium sauce pot, heat 1-2 Tbsps olive oil and gently saute the onions and garlic until soft and fragrant. Add the tomatoes and gently simmer until the tomatoes have broken down and a the sauce thickens.

Season the sauce to taste with your favorite Italian seasonings. I used:

-garlic powder
-crushed red pepper flakes
-dried oregano
-dried basil
-sea salt
-freshly-cracked black pepper
-pinch of organic sugar to counter some of the acidity in the tomatoes

3. While your pasta is cooking, add in the pepper, zucchini, and parsley, and simmer gently until the vegetables are crisp-tender. Taste and adjust seasonings as necessary.

4. Serve the sauce over your favorite pasta, and sprinkle a bit of fresh-grated parmesan or romano cheese as desired over the sauce. Enjoy!
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What is your favorite way to elevate a basic tomato sauce?

Shawn & Jackie's Jerk Chicken Quesadillas with mango pico de gallo

2011-12-15T20:25:00.000-06:00

Jerk spices and mango pico de gallo turn an ordinary quesadilla into a wonderful dinner.

I asked Shawn yesterday whether he'd like to cook something "for the blog" and before I knew it, we had a quesadilla recipe planned. We joked that quesadillas are his primary contribution, and he's the "quesadilla man", but given that he's so creative with them, I see nothing wrong with that.

These are simple to make--very heavily jerk-spiced chicken combines with some mixed shredded cheese and is baked between some corn tortillas for a spicy hearty meal. I made a mango pico de gallo to complement the flavors. The acidity balanced the richer quesadilla flavors nicely.

In all, we were both pleased and enjoyed the quesadillas immensely. I think you would too!

Jerk chicken quesadillas with mango pico de gallo

1. Begin by making the pico de gallo. In a bowl combine:

-1 large tomato, diced
-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1/2 red onion, diced
-1/4 bunch fresh cilantro, chopped
-1/4 cup or so diced mango

Squeeze the juice of 1/2 fresh lime over the mixture and season to taste with sea salt and black pepper. Stir to combine and then refrigerate until ready to enjoy.

2. Make the chicken: Cube chicken breasts into bite-sized chunks and dust with a combination of jerk spices:

-cayenne pepper
-allspice
-fresh thyme
-garlic powder
-onion powder
-curry powder
-Kosher salt & black pepper
-paprika

Cook the chicken in some oil in a saute pan until cooked through, and then set it aside.

3. To the pan, add 1 cup of broth, a heavy dose of the same seasonings, and a bit of brown sugar. Bring the mixture to a boil and, then add the chicken back into and stir to coat. Simmer until the liquid has reduced to a glaze.

4. Assemble the quesadillas by lightly-spraying two corn tortillas per quesadilla (figure 1-2 per person) and sprinkling them with Kosher salt. Layer some of the chicken and some mixed shredded cheese (Mexican style works really well) over one of the tortillas per quesadilla, then top with the second.

5. Bake in a preheated 375 deg oven until the cheese is melted and the tortillas are slightly crisp.

6. Serve with the salsa and enjoy!
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What is your favorite quesadilla filling?

Moroccan-spiced roasted butternut squash

2011-12-13T20:21:00.000-06:00

Spice up your life with butternut squash roasted with Moroccan flair!

I am very excited. Shawn will be arriving tomorrow evening to stay for a couple of days for a work-related and personal visit. It'll be nice to have him back and hopefully we can cook up something nice while he's here.

In the meantime, I'm working hard to both pass the hours and to simply get things done. I feel a little *extra* stressed this week because I'm flying back east on Sunday for a few weeks. Whenever I have to travel, especially for such long intervals, I always worry about making sure everything is in order and taken care of. Furthermore, since I intend to work while I'm away, I need to make sure I have everything in order to do so.

So, when things are both exciting and stressful, simple dinners are best. I picked up a large butternut squash for roasting, and decided last minute to spice it up, Moroccan style. The spices complement the natural sweetness of the squash beautifully! To go with the squash, I just cooked up some eggs and served them Moroccan-style as well (drizzled with olive oil and seasoned with the same spices as used on the squash), as hard-boiled egg sandwiches are a common Moroccan street food--here, I just omitted the bread.

Enjoy and take care!

Moroccan-spiced roasted butternut squash

1. Preheat the oven to 425 deg F. Peel, halve, and remove the seeds from 1 large butternut squash. Cube the squash into about 1" cubes. I roasted half of a large squash and froze the remaining half for a future use.

2. Place the cubed squash in a baking dish and toss with just enough olive oil to lightly-coat.

3. Heavily sprinkle the squash with the following spices, emphasizing the cumin:

-ground cumin
-ground coriander
-chili powder
-paprika
-cinnamon
-allspice
-ginger
-cayenne pepper
-cloves
-sea salt and freshly-cracked black pepper.

Toss the squash once again to distribute the spices.

4. Roast the squash in the oven until tender, tossing it around occasionally, about 30 minutes or so.

5. Serve warm or cold, seasoning with extra sea salt if needed. Enjoy!
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What are your favorite spices for roasted vegetables?

Warm cabbage, carrot, apricot, & apple salad with sweet-tangy tahini dressing (over brown rice)

2011-12-12T20:18:00.002-06:00

Call this one "health in a bowl".

I definitely did not ease into the week today. I woke up bright and early (well, pitch-black and early as it is here in Minnesota in the winters at that hour) and caught the bus in the dark and arrived to the office, probably the first person around. It definitely took a while to get going, but I managed to and put a very long day in, returning home in the dark once again. It's my last week before heading back East for the holidays, so I need to use the time to the fullest, but it's going to be a tough one. At least Shawn will be visiting!

In the mean time, I wanted to make something light, easy, fresh, and delicious for dinner. More importantly, I wanted something healthy because stress depletes a lot of resources and taxes the immune system. After enjoying the tahini sauce last week, I was in the mood to use it again. This time, I used it more as a dressing to coat some warm, lightly-sauteed cabbage, carrots, and onions, as well as some sliced apple and chopped apricots. To round out the meal, I enjoyed it with some brown rice.

The dressing is slightly sweet due to the addition of maple syrup, slightly tangy due to the addition of horseradish-dijon mustard, and nicely creamy with the tahini. It was the perfect dressing for the combination of ingredients and it tastes great both warm and chilled.

So, if you are looking for a different way to enjoy your cabbage, or any green for that matter, try this dressing...and let me know how you like it! :-)

Warm cabbage, carrot, apricot, & apple salad with sweet-tangy tahini dressing (over brown rice)

1. Prepare the tahini dressing. In a glass measuring cup, combine:

-4 Tbsps tahini (I used a roasted, salt-free tahini)
-2 Tbsps fresh lemon juice
-4 Tbsps good maple syrup
-1 Tbsp horseradish dijon mustard (or plain dijon)
-1 Tbsp sesame oil
-sea salt, to taste
-fresh filtered water to thin to desired consistency

Whisk until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate until ready to use.

2. To prepare the rest of the salad, prep the ingredients:

-2 cloves garlic, minced
-1 small onion, sliced
-1 head of Napa cabbage, sliced
-2 carrots, sliced

-1 apple, sliced thin
-small handful of dried apricots, sliced

3. In a saute pan, heat 1 Tbsp sesame oil and lightly-saute the onions and garlic with a heavy sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. When the onions begin to soften, add the cabbage and carrots and gently saute over low heat until the cabbage just begins to wilt. Season with sea salt and black pepper.

4. Transfer the cabbage mixture to a bowl and add the apples and apricots. Pour the dressing over the vegetable mixture and toss to coat.

5. Serve immediately over brown rice, or chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!
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What is your favorite way to dress cabbage?

Supreme garlic Dutch/French oven chicken thighs

2011-12-11T20:46:00.001-06:00

Ten cloves of garlic elevate simple chicken thighs to amazingly flavorful chicken thighs.

I'm not sure there's such a thing as "too much garlic" for me. I actually find that I crave garlic when I'm feeling off in any way--when I'm stressed, under the weather, or even sad. Still, no one wants to sit and just eat a bunch of garlic. So, the challenge is always to find a way to take advantage of the pungency and occasional sweetness of the garlic in spicing up other ingredients.

With yesterday being Sunday, I was able to devote some time to cooking some meat, so I picked up some chicken thighs. Although I've been largely vegetarian in recent months, I do enjoy my one meat-based meal (or so) each week. I improvised this dish. I cooked the chicken in my French oven with 10 cloves of garlic and used the softened garlic to make an incredible sauce with the broth in the pan.

You may not expect such a simple preparation to impart such flavor into the meat, but indeed it did. The sauce was fantastic as well, and I found myself using it to provide additional flavor to my roasted sweet potato and quick-sauteed collard greens.

If you are looking for a simple dinner preparation with loads of (garlicky) flavor, this is a recipe for you! Take care!

Supreme garlic Dutch/French oven chicken thighs (2-4 servings)

1. Season 1 lb bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs well with Kosher salt, paprika, and freshly-cracked black pepper.

2. In a Dutch/French oven, heat 2 Tbsps or so of olive oil and brown the chicken thighs on both sides.

3. To the pan add 10 cloves of garlic, peeled and smashed. Gently saute the garlic over medium heat until fragrant.

4. Add 1 cup of broth (chicken or vegetable) and several sprigs of fresh thyme. Bring the broth to a simmer, then cover the pan and simmer over medium-low heat until the chicken is fully-cooked.

5. In a small bowl or measuring cup, mix 1 Tbsp cornstarch with 1/4 cup fresh cold water. Pour the slurry into the pan and bring the broth to a simmer. Mash the garlic into the broth and let simmer until the sauce thickens. Remove the thyme sprigs.

6. Remove the skin from the chicken thighs and serve topped with sauce alongside your favorite side dishes. Here, I enjoyed an oven-baked sweet potato and some lightly-sauteed seasoned collard greens.

Enjoy!
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What is your favorite recipe that uses lots of garlic?