Things I Love (about food)

No recipe to post, but sometimes you just want to declare what you love about food:


1. That first whiff of lemon or lime zest while grating it for a recipe
2. The smell of fresh herbs, especially basil
3. The salty-sweet combo of chocolate-covered pretzels
4. Bright red bell peppers in a stir-fry
5. The sizzle from dropping vegetables in a hot skillet
6. Tearing off a piece of crusty bread, hot from the oven
7. Blueberries in every way- jam, muffins, bagels, pie, or just fresh
8. Chocolate chip cookies with crispy edges and a soft middle
9. Roasted vegetables of any kind- tomatoes, onions, potatoes, even brussels sprouts
10. The smell of freshly ground coffee

Sun-Dried Tomato Falafel

I love falafel, but the box mixes don't cut it and there's not too many places to get it where I live!  I can't take full credit for this recipe--I picked it out of the Let's Eat section in the STL Post-Dispatch a few years ago, though I changed a few things that I thought would make these better.  These are healthier than some falafel recipes because they are not deep-fried, though if you're absolutely deep-fried crazy, I suppose you could deep-fry yours!

For the falafel:

• 1/4 cup sun-dried tomato pieces (preferably not oil packed)
• 1/3 cup warm water
• 1 cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 2 to 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil plus more for pan-frying
• 1 tsp chili powder
• 1/2 tsp curry powder
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp kosher salt
• 1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
• 1/4 cup wheat germ (could probably sub whole wheat flour)
• 2 tbsp minced onion
• 2 tbsp minced celery
• 1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Start by making a yogurt-tahini sauce for the falafel:  1 cup plain yogurt, 1 tbsp tahini (sesame-seed paste), 1 clove minced garlic, and 1 tbsp fresh lemon juice.  Mix well and refrigerate until using.  In a small bowl, pour the water over the sun-dried tomato pieces to reconstitute them (let sit for 10 minutes).  Drain off any excess water and transfer to a food processor with the chickpeas, garlic, salt and spices.  Process until the mixture is relatively smooth, drizzling the 2 tsp olive oil in as you go.  Next, add the onion, celery, cilantro, and wheat germ, and process until combined (just until the cilantro is chopped up and incorporated).  At this point, I transferred the mixture to a bowl and refrigerated it for a few hours, but you could make it right away too. 

Using a large skillet, put in about 2 tbsp olive oil and heat it on the stove over med-high heat.  Meanwhile, take a rounded tablespoon of the mixture and shape it with your hands into a small patty (not too thin, maybe a 1/2 inch thick).  You should make around 12 patties if they are all the same size.  When the oil is hot, add 6 at a time to your skillet.  Cook for 2-3 minutes on each side; if they're browning too quickly, turn the heat down.  Drain on a paper towel before serving.

To serve:  Pita bread is the best option, but I've also eaten falafel in a whole-grain tortilla too.  Additionally, you could eat these like crab cakes and then have a rice pilaf or couscous salad on the side.  Serve the falafel with the tahini-yogurt sauce, cucumber slices, and lettuce (if desired).  Enjoy!

Zucchini and Cheese Lasagna

Even if you don't have any Italian blood, lasagna is always a favorite.  Recently, I made a classic meat lasagna for some friends that visited, but wanted to make one that my vegetarian friend would be able to eat.  Zucchini seemed like the perfect vegetable to pair with the sauce and ricotta cheese in a lasagna recipe, so I gave it a try.  The result was delicious, and even a non-vegetarian can appreciate it!

Lasagna Ingredients:

• 1 package no-boil lasagna noodles
• 4 to 5 cups tomato sauce (see recipe below or use jarred sauce)
• 3 medium zucchini, sliced
• 15 oz ricotta cheese (low fat or reduced fat is fine)
• 1 egg, beaten
• 1/2 cup grated parmesan plus ¼ cup
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 1/2 cup shredded mozzarella cheese
• salt and pepper
• 1/4 tsp dried basil
• 1 or 2 tbsp olive oil

Easy Tomato sauce:

• 28 oz can crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz can diced tomatoes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried basil
• 1 tsp Italian seasoning (blend of basil, oregano, thyme, rosemary, marjoram)
• salt and pepper, to taste

For the sauce:

Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the minced garlic and stir frequently for about 2 minutes.  Add the crushed and diced tomatoes; stir in the herbs and some black pepper.  Bring to a high simmer and then lower the heat, simmering for 15 minutes.  Taste the sauce and adjust seasonings; based on the salt content of the tomatoes, you may need more salt.  Try not to cook the sauce any longer than 20 minutes to keep the tomato flavor at its best.

For the lasagna:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Slice the zucchini and toss in the olive oil.  Spread onto a baking sheet and sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Bake for 8 to 10 minutes until lightly browned.  Meanwhile, beat an egg in a bowl, add the ricotta, some black pepper, the dried basil, and ½ cup Parmesan cheese.  Spray a large casserole dish with cooking spray and ladle some tomato sauce to cover the bottom.  Lay 4 to 5 (whatever number fits best) un-boiled noodles directly on the sauce, then dollop 1/3 of the ricotta mixture onto the noodles, spreading into a thin layer.  Add a layer of the cooked zucchini slices and then the 6 slices of provolone cheese.  Cover with a few ladles of the tomato sauce and repeat the noodle-ricotta-zucchini layers.  Add another coating of sauce and repeat the noodle-ricotta-zucchini layers.  The final step is to add the remaining sauce, sprinkle the mozzarella cheese, and the ¼ cup Parmesan last.  Bake in the oven, covered with foil, for 50 to 55 minutes.  Then uncover and bake an additional 3 to 5 minutes until the cheese is golden brown.  Let the cooked lasagna stand for 5 to 10 minutes before cutting into it.  Enjoy!

Homemade granola bars

I honestly eat granola bars on a daily basis, so it made perfect sense to try making my own.  After eating that first bite, I knew that I should have done this a LONG time ago.  These bars are made with simple, natural ingredients, and there's something so liberating about that!  From now on I'll walk down the cereal aisle at the grocery store thinking, "Forget it, Quaker! I don't need you."  The possibilities are endless for this recipe--you could add chocolate chips or swap out the dried apricots for other dried fruit.  Be creative! 


Ingredients:

• 1 and 1/2 cups rolled oats
• 1/4 cup wheat germ
• 1/2 cup roasted, unsalted almonds (you can toast your own in a dry skillet if you just have plain almonds)
• 1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
• 1 tbsp butter
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 1/4 cup honey
• 1 egg
• pinch of salt
• cooking spray and parchment paper

First, toast the wheat germ in a dry skillet over medium heat until lightly browned (about 5 minutes).  This really enhances the flavor for the granola bars.  Next, roughly chop the almonds.  Melt the butter using a microwave in a medium-sized bowl (microwave safe), then whisk in the brown sugar.  Next, add the honey; beat the egg into the mixture and add a pinch of salt.  Switch to a spoon and add the dried fruit, almonds, oats, and wheat germ.  Stir until well-combined.  Line an 8 x 8 square baking dish with parchment paper and spray with the cooking spray.  Dump the granola mixture into the dish and press into the pan to level out the mixture.  Bake at 300 degrees for 27-30 minutes until edges are brown.  Let cool and cut into 12 bars.  Enjoy!

Quick Garlic-Parmesan Polenta

Thanks to that cooking class I went to in early August, one of my new favorite things to cook is polenta.  It's really pretty fast and it makes a delicious side dish; I think of it as slightly more sophisticated than mashed potatoes.  This particular recipe pairs well with pork or chicken that have Italian seasonings, though the flavors are mild enough to go with anything!


Ingredients:

• 1 cup quick-cooking polenta
• 3 cups water
• 2 chicken boullion cubes
• 3 oz grated parmesan
• 1.5 tbsp butter
• 1/4 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• 1 clove garlic, smashed but still whole
• chopped parsley, to garnish 

Start by boiling the water, the boullion cubes, and the clove of garlic in a saucepan.  When it boils, remove the garlic clove and add the butter to melt it.   Turn the burner down to medium-low, then grab a whisk and start stirring in the polenta.  Read the package to determine how long it takes to cook, but 5 to 7 minutes is pretty standard.  Whisk constantly for the first couple minutes and then frequently during the rest of the cooking time.      When the polenta is fully cooked, turn off the heat and add the pepper and parmesan.  Taste it to see if it needs salt, but remember that the cheese and boullion cubes have already added a lot of salt.  Finally, garnish with the parsley and serve!

Sweet Ricotta Dumplings with Strawberry Sauce

This is a recipe from the amazing cooking class I just took at the Kansas City Culinary Center, called "A Little Trip to Italy."  The recipe was created by the instructor- Matt Chatfield (I want to make sure he gets the credit!) and I was amazed at how well this turned out!  The subtle sweetness of the ricotta really pairs well with strawberries, and I plan on experimenting with this recipe (toasted almonds on top?  Blueberry sauce?) to give my own twist to it.  


For the strawberry sauce:

• 2 cups fresh strawberries, hulled and quartered
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tbsp fresh lemon juice 

For the dumplings:

• 1/4 tsp kosher salt
• 4 tbsp butter, melted
• 16 oz (1 lb) drained ricotta cheese
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup flour
• pot of boiling water + 2 tsp kosher salt
• a small ice cream scoop 
• glass of ice water

Start heating about 3 quarts of water with the salt and bring it to a boil.  Meanwhile, put the strawberries in a saucepan with the sugar and lemon juice and cook over medium heat until the berries are soft and the juice is released.  Turn off the heat.  Now for the dumplings--mix the ricotta cheese with the eggs and 1/4 tsp of salt.  When that is combined, add the flour and fold it into the cheese (make sure it is incorporated well).  When the water boils, turn the heat down slightly so it is more of a high simmer instead of a boil.  Scoop out a portion of the dough (about 2 tbsp) with the ice cream scoop and drop it into the hot water.  Dip the scoop back into the ice water each time before scooping more dough (it prevents sticking and makes the dumplings more uniform).  Try to work quickly so your dumplings cook at about the same time.  The dumplings should spend about 5 minutes in the water-- when they rise to the surface you know they're almost done.  According to Matt, the dumpling should spring back when pinched and not be soft at the center.  Put the melted butter in an bowl and add the cooked dumplings (a small strainer or slotted spoon works well to remove them from the pot of water).  Coat the dumplings in the butter.  Plate a few of the dumplings for each serving and sauce with the strawberries.  I think adding some toasted almond pieces would add a nice crunch, but honestly this dessert is fantastic how it is right now!  Enjoy!

Beef Barbacoa with Cilantro-Lime Rice

So I'll just say it outright:  this recipe is heavenly, slow-cooked goodness.  This was kind of a spin on the beef barbacoa and rice that you can get at Chipotle in a burrito.  Thanks to chipotlefan.com, I snagged the rice recipe (very simple) and used it as a bed for this flavorful pulled beef.  

For the beef:

• 2 lbs chuck steak, trimmed 
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp kosher salt
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ancho chili powder
• 2 tsp canola oil
• 1 cup water
• 2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
• 1 medium onion, sliced
• 1 poblano (or bell) pepper, cut into strips
• juice from 1/2 lime

For the rice:

• 1/2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 cup basmati rice
• 2 cups water
• juice of 1 lime
• 3 - 4 tbsp fresh chopped cilantro
• 1/2 tsp salt

Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F.  In a large saucepan or dutch oven, heat the canola oil over medium-high heat.  Mix the spices together (ingredients #2 - 7) to create a dry rub, and press the rub into the steak (use ALL of it).  When the pan is hot, add the beef and brown for 3 minutes on each side.  Next, add the garlic, pepper, onion and water; scrape any bits off of the bottom of the pan.  Put the lid on and cook in the oven for 2.5 to 3 hours until the meat is pull-apart tender.  Let it cool to room temperature and then put it (covered) into the refrigerator for a few hours (at least 3 or you could leave it overnight).  About 20 minutes before you want to eat, take it out of the fridge.  If there is a lot of excess fat, you can skim that off.  Take two forks and shred all of the beef.  Heat the pot over medium heat, stirring occasionally.  After it simmering, add the lime juice and stir to distribute it.  You might need to taste-test it for more salt before serving.  

Before shredding the beef, you could get started on the rice.  Heat the oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the rice and lime juice, cooking for 1-2 minutes.  Then add the water and salt; bring to a boil.  After it boils, lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes.  When the rice is cooked, stir in the fresh cilantro and it's done!

I served these two together as-is, but if you really want to mimic the Chipotle burrito-- throw them together in a tortilla with some black beans, salsa, sour cream and cheese.  Enjoy!