October 25, 2009
Shepherd's Pie is an English casserole typically made with ground beef or lamb and mixed vegetables topped with mashed potatoes and baked. I've made very successful vegetarian versions with faux ground beef, but for this dish I replaced the meat with hearty vegetables - eggplant and zucchini. These veggies plus the parsley, basil and mild purple pepper are some of my last summer vegetables. What better way to welcome fall!
January 17, 2010
Still have Halloween pumpkins on your front porch? I snatched up two 4-pounders and roasted them this weekend. I took half of one pumpkin to make this hearty, winter-warming soup that's loaded with fiber and low in fat. Then I pureed the other halves and froze them for future use in more soup, bread, cookies, casseroles, etc. I'll probably have enough pumpkin to last me until this Halloween. The soup comes together quickly and makes the house smell lovely with its fall and wintery spices. And I got to cook it in my new fancy pot I got for Christmas from Michael's brother, Patrick, and his girlfriend Meaghan - thanks guys! I chose to puree the soup, but if you cut all the vegetables in uniform pieces, you could certainly keep it chunky.
March 3, 2015
This savory tart is modeled after a version native to Nice in Southern France called Pissaladiere. That one uses anchovies - I sub'd with fresh, in-season asparagus! I also made a whole wheat crust and used vegan butter to boost the fiber and reduce fat. You can actually make this on just about any kind of flatbread, puff pastry or pizza dough. But I think knowing how to make a savory tart dough is a good trick to have up your sleeve because it's easy, inexpensive and the look is quite impressive. By the way, this is what really caramelized onions are - no butter, just time and heat. The sugar and sherry promote that sexy caramel color and add to the sweet-savory flavor (trust me, it's worth the time!) One slice of this tart is a "Good Source" of fiber, vitamin K, thiamin, phosphorus, and magnesium.
May 13, 2014
I was trying to brainstorm a way to use, now in season, rhubarb in a savory dish. Why should you care about eating rhubarb? It's super low in calories and a particularly good source of Vitamins C and K (K is good for blood clotting and bone health) as well as Calcium (no kidding!)
Thinking about rhubarb's sour profile led me to..."nuclear-red" sweet and sour Chinese take-out! That sounded terrible, so could I remake a veggie version with a more natural sauce? Yes! Instead of sugary ketchup as a base, this one uses plum sauce, adds the bright flavors of garlic and ginger, and sweetens it naturally using the juice from the pineapple can. Add cubed tofu to boost the protein. Brilliant...and ready in less than 30 minutes!
May 17, 2009
I was first introduced to the bap during my summer college internship in London. A slightly flatter, denser version of a burger bun, it actually originated in Scotland. Good with my "Chicken" Salad, Southwest Pinto Burgers, Smoked Cheddar Stuffed Lentil Burgers, or Egg Salad.
November 23, 2008
Gruyere Pumpkin is, in effect, a bread pudding baked right into a sugar pie pumpkin. So easy to assemble, you can sit back and drink some wine with friends as the pumpkin cooks for two hours. Don't forget to save the seeds, and roast them for a yummy snack!
May 16, 2010
In celebration of all the May birthdays in my family (that's me, Rodney, Kathy, Meaghan and Patrick) I have a super fun, get-you-tipsy-without-realizing-it, sparkly cocktail. If you've ever made a mojito at home, you've made simple syrup by dissolving sugar in water. For this drink, we dissolve sugar in fresh-squeezed lemon juice and infuse it with fresh rosemary - ooo, yum! After a few hours of cooling (but if you can't wait you can put it in the fridge), you mix up your simple syrup with vodka and a splash of club soda or seltzer to give it a kick and some fizz. You can make this without vodka, but I wouldn't recommend it. Happy Birthday (or un-Birthday as the case may be)!
January 25, 2009
To continue my shameless promotion of my upcoming cooking class at the Davis Food Co-op on Saturday, February 7th, today's Sunday Serving is a Spanish Sweet Pea Soup. This is not one of the dishes I'm making at the cooking class, but a beautiful, creamy, sweet soup that is easy to make and shows off some of the wonderfully tangy Spanish cheeses. It's also quite high in protein and fiber. If you want to reduce the fat content, simple omit the cheese crisp.
June 14, 2009
Maybe this is too much to ask, but I thought I'd share a recipe to make marmalade. Marmalade is a thinner than jam, but with chunks of fruit - jelly is smooth without bits of fruit. I don't think it's that hard to make marmalade and I'm hoping after you take a look at this recipe, you'll give it a whirl. On the other hand, I have people at work returning their empty jars asking them to be refilled with my latest creation. Perhaps that is just a compliment to my marmalade and jam-making abilities or I'm crazy to think anybody in the 21st century but me is going to spend the time to make marmalade and jam themselves. In any case, I hope you enjoy watching the process and maybe one day you'll embark on your own marmalade adventure. This recipe is made with grapefruit from my dean's trees. Thanks, Nicole! Please don't forget to bring me the bounty of your garden after you have stepped down...I'll still be around to make lovely creations out of what you send my way!
July 19, 2009
Not the best picture of the final product. I wanted to get a shot up as soon as possible and it wasn't quite set enough to cut. I'll try and get a replacement tomorrow...My Pancake Bars were such a hit that I thought I'd try another dessert. Although I didn't plan it that way, this one is almost a vegan dessert, except for the half and half and probably the chocolate wafers have butter in them - oh right and the eggs. In any case I used soy milk and plant oil-based butter instead of the real stuff and adjusted down on the bad ingredients by using half and half instead of cream. But don't worry, this Espresso Cream Pie comes out chill, silky and heavenly. Unfortunately this is a recipe that uses both the oven and stove, so plan to make this earlier in the morning or late at night. Oh and don't let the number of ingredients scare you off. This comes together pretty quick...the hard part will be waiting for the pie to chill completely because you’ll want to eat it as soon as the custard hits the crust!