Golden Israeli Cous Cous Salad

Golden Isreali Cous Cous Salad

      I purchased a bag of Israeli cous cous in a great little neighborhood market in Boston's north end a couple months back and have been waiting for the proper inspiration to use it.  Israeli cous cous is bigger rounder version of the commonly known cous cous that has become a staple in many kitchens today.With a weekend day to myself, I conjured up a recipe that would use ingredients that I had in the house and satisfy my craving for something slightly exotic.  I decided on a chilled salad featuring roasted sweet onion and butternut squash as well as dried apricots.
      I cooked the cous cous according to the directions on the package, ending up with about four cups cooked. I halved, peeled and deseeded the butternut squash.  Next I diced half of the squash and a half of a sweet onion tossing all in a bit of olive oil and roasting the mixture at 350 degrees for about forty minutes until caramelized and softened. I proceeded to dice about a cup and a half of dried apricots. To add a bit more interest to the salad, I toasted about a half cup of pine nuts. Once the roasted vegetables had cooled a bit I mixed all of the ingredients together.
      I finished the salad off with a orange curry vinaigrette. I whisked together a half cup of olive oil, a quarter cup of orange juice, salt and pepper with about a teaspoon of curry powder until emulsified. I dressed the salad and had a bit left over.  After chilling, I served the salad in some colorful pottery bowls.  The flavor the next day was even better, as the dressing soaked into the cous cous.  Make it, Eat it, Love it.  I know you will.

Sue

Touch O' Green Stuffed Mushrooms

      Saint Patrick's day always poses a culinary challenge for me , as I we do not eat corned beef, the classic holiday meal.  While I am not Irish, my husband is, so I like to acknowledge the holiday in some way!   After a shopping trip to one of my favorite local markets,Stew Leonard's, I picked up some baby bella mushrooms, which I believe are far superior in flavor and texture to white button mushrooms. I used the entire package of about twenty mushrooms to make stuffed mushrooms with a touch of green as a side dish and they went quickly!
       To make these tasty gems, saute about two tablespoons each of chopped green pepper and chopped onion, preferably vidalia in two tablespoons of butter.  Remove the stems from the mushrooms, brushing off any soil. (Never wash mushrooms with water).  Chop about five stems, adding them to the green pepper mixture, continuing to saute.  Add a cup of unflavored bread crumbs, a teaspoon of sea salt, black pepper to taste, a generous splash of white wine and enough vegetable broth to moisten the stuffing.  Lastly,  I added a tablespoon each of chopped fresh chives, from my garden and chopped fresh cilantro, which I had purchased for another recipe.  Certainly, you can be flexible with your fresh herbs, depending on what you have on hand.  I stuffed the peppers using the small pampered chef scoop. I used pampered chef's deep dish baking stone to bake the mushrooms for about a half hour at 350 degrees.  While baking, I basted the mushrooms with a touch of vegetable broth, to keep them a bit moist.  Before serving, I squeezed some fresh lemon juice over the top and sprinkled the mushrooms with dried parsley to add  more green!
      These mushrooms have  a spring flare as opposed to the mushrooms you may make during the winter holidays.  I imagine they would make a lovely appetizer for Easter dinner as well.  The key is the herbs which impart that fresh "spring" flavor.  Make it, eat it, love it!  I know you will!
Sue


Touch O" Green Stuffed Mushrooms

Super Bowl Clam Dip, It's all about the Chips and Dip!

Ok, so we ate a few veggies too!

      I will admit upfront that the super bowl for me is more about the snacks, the advertisements and the half time show than the actual game, but this year is Giants vs. Patriots, a match made in heaven for those from the northeast!  My husband Tom, daughter Hannah and I all prepared something to nosh on during the big game.  I made an old school clam dip because it was always a favorite of mine at childhood celebrations.  
      The dip is easy!  Mix together a can of snows minced clams including about half of the clam juice from the can with a block and a half of neuchatel cheese.  To this mixture add a half teaspoon of sriracha hot sauce (or more if you want some heat), a half teaspoon to a teaspoon of lemon juice and a teaspoon of old bay seasoning, mixing well.  That's it!
      If you haven't made clam dip in a while, whip some up!  Go Pats, Go Giants!  I don't really care who wins. I just want an excuse to eat some clam dip!  Make it, eat it ,love it!  I know you will!
Sue

   

Cranberry, Coconut, Pecan Granola



Cranberry, Coconut, Pecan Granola

      I know that I do not eat enough oatmeal.  Every morning when I am making breakfast, I try to convince myself that a steaming hot bowl of oatmeal will satisfy me, but alas I make a piece of wheat toast with nutella or peanut butter and my addiction, morning star farm's vegetarian bacon.  I figured if I could make a decent granola to top yogurt or low fat ice cream, my problem would be solved!  Oats would be part of my diet and I would enjoy the addition.  Here is my recipe.
      Mix three cups of oats (not the quick cooking kind), with a cup of shredded coconut ( I did use the sweetened), a cup of chopped pecans and a cup of craisins.  Toss the mixture with a cup of honey and a half cup of some type of healthy oil other than olive, which is too strongly flavored. Spread the mixture onto a cookie sheet and bake at 300 degrees for thirty minutes or so until the granola begins to brown and become crunchy.  It will dry out some as it cools.  Some people add the fruit and nuts after baking, but the toasted nut and coconut flavor are really what makes this granola so delicious.
      I know this isn't low fat, but a little goes along way and good fats are beneficial in moderation. Substitute whatever ingredients you fancy or have on hand. I would love to add dried cherries and perhaps almonds, but the coconut will remain, as it is my favorite.  Store in an air tight container and enjoy.  Make it, eat it , love it!  I know you will!
Sue

Crockpot Pumpkin Soup to Warm the Soul

Photo Credit Hannah Hayes

            Crock pots or slow cookers are not in any way new small appliances for the home cook.  I own two, but have largely ignored them or simply used one to keep things warm, like mulled cider or soup prepared on the stove top.  I have as of late instituted "Crock pot Monday", my night to cook.  Simmering my vegetarian soup or stew creations for the day brought out a richer flavor, blending the ingredients and caramelizing the sugars, ultimately creating a more deeply flavored end product.
      Pumpkin soup is perhaps one of the easiest crock pot soup recipes that I have created.  In the morning add two of the smaller cans of pumpkin plus one carton of vegetable broth to the pot.  Add two tablespoons of onion finely chopped, a half cup of apple butter, a half teaspoon of ginger, a half teaspoon of cinnamon and a teaspoon of salt to the pumpkin broth mixture.  Before you leave the house for the day, turn the pot on high for an hour or so, turning it to low on your way out of the door.  Mine sat for a good nine and a half hours.  Once home, I stirred in a half of a cup of half and half.  While in the slow cooker, the soup's color deepened to a rich amber and the flavors enhanced.  Only the crock pot could impart such richness, because this was the best pumpkin soup I had ever made.
      Look at that crock pot with new respect and think of it as your vegetarian soup's best friend.  Decent soup can become something positively brilliant if simmered in the crock pot all day.  Make it, eat it, love it!  I know you will.
Merry Christmas all!
Sue

Power Restoration,Pasta with Winter Squash and Tomatoes





Branches down in front of my house!

       Last weekend the Northeast was slammed with a historic, as the new's stations are fond of calling it, autumn snowstorm.  The fact that the foliage remained on the trees made for quite a mess, as the snow, took down branches and trees resulting in a record breaking amount of power outages!  I slept in the cold for five nights and did a happy dance when juice was returned to our lines on Thursday, November third!  After restocking the refrigerator, I was anxious for a stick to the ribs hot meal!  I had a butternut squash to use and thought of a dish I had ordered on several occasions at Pazzo's restaurant in Rocky Hill or Glastonbury.  In a nutshell, this rustic dish paired roasted butternut squash with tomatoes and I always loved it and was determined to recreate this meal at home.
      I started by peeling, cubing and roasting  half of a butternut squash at 350 degrees for about an hour in my pampered chef stoneware deep dish baker.  I added in six peeled garlic cloves and about three tablespoon of olive oil tossing the squash with the garlic and oil.  While the brilliant orange squash roasted, I diced three ripe tomatoes, plum would be ideal, but I had none and cooked a pound of bow tie pasta in salted water.  Once my squash was roasted I took the deep dish baker out of the oven and tossed the tomatoes with the squash and a tablespoon of butter.  The heat from the stoneware cooked the tomatoes just a bit.  I then crushed each of the roasted garlic cloves with a fork to mix the flavor in a bit.  I mixed the squash, garlic, tomato mixture in with the cooked pasta, adding about a half cup of vegetable broth and grated Parmesan cheese, as well as about a teaspoon of freshly grated nutmeg and a bit of sea salt to the dish.   The meal was  simple and delicious and a reasonable facsimile of my restaurant favorite.     


Pasta with winter squash and tomatoes

       We lit no candles for this meal, as we were sick of candlelight!  Cooking is one of the simple pleasures you embrace after a power outage.  The pasta was comforting and autumnal and despite the snowfall which had largely melted, we are still enjoying the fall season here in Connecticut!  This dish is perfect for those who crave pasta but have a winter squash to use as well.  Make it, eat it, love it!  I know you will!
Sue

A Trio Of Bruschetta

      A couple of weeks ago, I found myself with a pint of super ripe fresh figs after a visit to the Boston farmer's market.  A bowl of  the last of this summer's native tomatoes sat in my kitchen as well and lastly, a large bunch of  my home grown Italian parsley.  I hatched an idea to build a meal around a trio of bruschetta using all of these ingredients!  On the side, I served pan fried polenta discs topped with the Italian parsley pesto I had prepared.  I sauteed a bit of Swiss chard, as an abundance of this leafy green can be found in my generous neighbor's garden.
      The first brushetta was topped with roasted garlic, fresh fig preserves and crumbled feta cheese.  I prepared the preserves by chopping the figs and cooking them down on the stove top with four tablespoons of sugar and a tablespoon of fresh lemon juice. I added a quarter cup of water as well.  I added a bit of lemon zest to the preserves because the zest adds a dimension of citrus flavor I find appealing.  Once the mixture was thickened, I let it cool .  Give it a taste test.  If you prefer a sweeter preserve, add a bit more sugar before removing it from the stove.  Meanwhile, I roasted two head of garlic with the tops sliced off, doused with a bit of olive oil in a covered dish for an hour, until super soft.  I pretoasted my slices of baguette brushed with olive oil at the same time.  Once I spread the soft caramel colored garlic on on to each slice of baguette, I spread on a bit of the preserves and topped it with some genuine feta that was purchased in a salty brine!  How delicious this combination was,  but on to the second bruschetta to grace the plate.
      The second bruschetta was simply topped with an Italian parsley pesto.  I followed a traditional pesto recipe and added the parsley in lieu of basil.  The result was delicious and this savory topping complimented the sweetness of bruschetta number one! The brilliant green color was showy on the plate.  I added a bit more of the crumbled feta to top the pesto.


Photo Credit,  Hannah Hayes

       Lastly, I prepared a rather traditional take on the appetizer.  I chopped a cup of so of the fresh garden tomatoes and added a tablespoon or so of olive oil, a pinch of sea salt, a bit of chopped fresh basil and a dash of balsamic vinegar to a bowl and let the mixture marinate for an hour or so.  This topping tasted super fresh and was a lovely deep red playing off of the other color on the plate.
      I am all about appetizers and small plates for dinner.  Create you own bruschetta toppings and pair a variety with a salad or other side for an unexpected light meal.  Make it, eat it, love it.  I know you will!
Sue