Fork Summer (into your mouth)

It's the last day of June, and as I thought to water the garden this morning tonight we have heavy showers. The humidity is making the high 60s feel much warmer, but I wouldn't trade any of it for the triple digits being enjoyed elsewhere. Since Summer is often more a state of mind than a climatic event here in Portland, I made a plate of it and ate it with a fork.

Cooking is sometimes like clowning - you have some things around you, you follow some impulses, and sometimes you end up with an unexpected bit of joy. This was a great affirmation of my practice this week to work at expecting little from others and allowing them to surprise. I'm also doing 30 second clowning - magic moments of seeing and being seen while in the drag of our regular hustle bustle. It happens! and it delights me. Here's to delight in ordinary days and simple exchanges.


Tonight's meal was half cheating - with a frozen pizza - and half scratch. My results were better than I could have hoped. (Amy's Three Cheese Corn Crust Pizza is dang tasty and the ingredients are not too frightening). We topped ours with fresh avocado slices. The warm veggie salad part of the deal follows.

Warm Summer Salad
Ingredients
1/4 sweet onion, sliced thin
2 ribs of fennel bulb, sliced thin
1 small zucchini, sliced in matchstick ribbons
1 ear corn, cut off the cob
handful arugula (or other bitter salad green)
1 Tbsp olive oil
sea salt, to taste
1 tsp lemon olive oil or squeeze lemon juice
za'atar, to taste (recipe for this Arab spice mixture follows)

Method
1. Heat oil and pinch salt in large wok or frying pan over medium heat
2. Sauté onions until lightly brownedAdd fennel, zucchini and corn, and continue sautéing until all are warmed through but still brightly colored (about 3-5 minutes)
3. Toss in arugula and season with lemon olive oil, za'atar and sea salt to taste

Since my lady won't eat cooked veggies, I made this just for me and housed the whole thing. Thus this recipe yields large one dinner side portion.

If you've never eaten Za'atar before you are missing out. Make this easy spice mixture at home by pulsing the following ingredients together in a food processors:
2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
1/4 cup sumac
2 Tbsp dried marjoram
2 Tbsp dried oregano
2 Tbsp dried thyme
1 tsp sea salt
This yields about 2/3 cup which will last for several weeks in an air tight container. Mix with olive oil and lemon for a phenomenal salad dressing, or sprinkle on grilled meats and veggies. Addictive! Enjoy your adventures in the kitchen and everywhere else you wander. And don't forget to jump puddles (out of yours, into others, because its fun).

vanilla caviar dancing brouhaha shebangdiddle

I took my clown out for a walk for the first time ever and I've been thinking about the qualities that my adventure made apparent to me. Qualities I often follow impulses towards - seeking out from outside sources. One of those is sweetness and my clown is steeped in it. Overflowing with it even. And so I would like to introduce to all of you - another iteration of all that is me - Mister E.

I'm on the left with pink feather eyelashes, and this is my dear friend Squirrely - whose going away party prompted the following cupcake effort and the "recipe" for the frosting you'll see below. This is my first combination of clowning and cooking, and it feels superbly silly. I like this! This frosting recipe was unwittingly named by my amazing cousin... (Thanks for being willing to clown with words long distance - I love you so big for that, Sarah.) I hope you will enjoy it.

mister e's (not-too-sweet vanillacaviardancingbrouhahashebangdiddle) cream cheese frosting

ingredients

5 Tbsp butter, melted

4 Tbsp unsalted butter, softened, then cut pats into the mixing bowl

6 oz neufschatel or regular cream cheese, softened

1 scant cup powdered sugar

1 tsp vanilla extract + 1 tsp vanilla bean paste (this is delish)

method

1. put butter, cream cheese and extract in bowl, and beat till smooth with hand mixer on high - approx 3 minutes. 

2. sing while you cook. make it a silly song about loving something about yourself.

3. add sugar slowly until fully incorporated and super smooth - another 3 minutes? who's counting?

4. add vanilla paste and mix another 30sec - 1minute.

madness - makes enough to frost 22 mini cupcakes plus crack out on eating the remaining 1/4 cup however you see fit. use on cupcakes, berries, graham crackers, fingers etc. you can thin it with milk if you want to use as berry dip, or add more sugar if you want stiffer frosting. refrigerate any unused portion. keeps for 2-3 days (HA! like it will last that long)

tiny wacky cupcakes (in case you need somewhere to stick your brouhaha)

ingredients

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp cider vinegar

1 cup cold water

1 1/2 cup flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

4 Tbsp cocoa powder (I mix up hershey's or dutch process cocoa with black cocoa)

method
1. preheat oven to 325 degrees
2. grease mini muffin tins or line with cupcake papers
3. in mixing bowl sift together dry ingredients
4. make three wells in dry ingredients and add butter, vanilla & vinegar
5. pour water over all and mix until incorporated (not too much though!)
6. bake for 10-12 minutes, or until top springs back/ skewer inserted comes out clean

madness  - recipe makes 24 mini cupcakes, or less if you eat batter like I do 
let cool briefly in tins, or - if using papers - remove immediately to cool on baking rack. eat any that break or fall on the floor during removal. allow remaining little treats to cool completely before icing. using a little silicone or offset spatula pick up a glob of goodness and swirl gently onto the top of each cakelet. store cupcakes in sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days. again, very funny if you think you and your gaggle of friends won't scarf them up whilst making happy sounds of contentment and pleasure. 

Curried Couscous breaks the losing streak!

Sometimes I get myself into a kitchen funk, where not only do I have trouble deciding what I'd enjoy but then also fail in my efforts to make anything appetizing. Maybe it's a phase of the moon. Maybe my sense of smell temporarily goes out of whack. Maybe I'm imagining things. But last week was one of those miserable times and it culminated in my throwing out the better part of an entire pot of "chili". I put that in air quotes because I'm not sure what it was trying to be - too many different things perhaps, like a bad remix - but it succeeded at none. At that point I wave the white flag and wait for the winds to turn.

This morning I woke to a soupy day outside (pouring rains) and a desperate hope to shake my kitchen blues. We had an exceptionally productive day, here at the Mister E Chicn Coop. We purged junk, donated art supplies, got together a load of recycling and managed to meal plan and shop for the next few days' meals too. Tonight it seems all that did the trick and my losing streak is done... with no small thanks to this simple (FAST) meal that's been rattling around in my brain for weeks. It's a variation on our quinoa salads past, and infinitely modifiable. I'll be posting other great revamps here soon. So here's the recipe for Curried Couscous with Chickpeas and Feta. There's no photos of our dinner cause we ate it all... Please let us know how your version turns out!

Curried Couscous with Chickpeas and Feta

Ingredients
1.5 cups water
1/2 cube vegan bouillon (fave is Rapunzel vegan w/ sea salt and herbs)
1 Tbsp curry (LOVE Vata Churna Spice Mix from Maharishi Ayurveda)
1 cups couscous

1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 sweet onion, diced
1/2 zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced
2 carrots, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 rib celery, halved lengthwise and sliced
1 cup petite peas (cook according to package and set aside)
1 Tbsp safflower oil (or olive, canola, sunflower if you prefer)
1 pinch salt
1/2 tsp cumin powder
1/4 tsp chipotle
1/4 - 1/2 cup crumbled feta (optional)

Method
Bring water, bouillon and 3/4 Tbsp curry to boil. Add couscous, stir, remove from heat and cover. Let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork. Turn out into large mixing or salad bowl

In large saute pan heat oil, salt and remaining spices over medium. When drop of water sizzles add onions and saute until translucent. Add chickpeas & carrots and continue to saute for 2-3 minutes. Add celery and zucchini for quick turn in the pan - 1-2 minutes - until colors brighten. Remove from heat and allow to cool for approx 5 minutes. Add chick pea saute and cooked peas to couscous and mix the lot. Add feta and serve.

Makes 4 dinner servings (approx 1.5 cups each)

Want to make this recipe vegan? Skip the feta.
Want to make it gluten free? Substitute quinoa or millet for couscous. Add spice mixture to water and cook according to directions.

Faux Pho

Tonight was the perfect night for soup. I'm recovering from a cold. M had a late lunch and wasn't super hungry. Thus my plan was realized to fake it in our kitchen and make "pho". I didn't snap any photos of the finished product as it disappeared too quickly. Here's what you need to make your own impasta (hachachachacha). The following serves two for dinner or three for a light lunch.

Ingredients:

32 oz container chicken stock (I like Pacific Natural Foods' broth if I haven't made stock, and I often don't)

1 cup water

2 tsp rice vinegar

1/3 package thin rice noodles or cellophane noodles

1 Tbsp oil

1 boneless skinless chicken breast

1/4 onion sliced thin (red or yellow works)

1 nub ginger sliced thin (approx 1 tsp)

Garnish

1 lime, rolled and quartered

1 jalapeno, sliced thin

small handful fresh basil leaves

medium handful fresh cilantro

1 cup green cabbage, fat chop (I didn't have bean sprouts and I wanted something slightly sweet and crunchy)

Method:

In a 2 - 3 qt saucepan, heat broth, water and half the sliced ginger over medium low .

While broth heats, heat oil in small frying pan over medium heat. 

Add good dash of sea salt, and saute onions and remaining ginger until just browning.

Move aside onion mixture and add chicken breast to the pan. Cook until seared on one side, then flip and repeat. 

Cover and cook over medium low heat until the thickest part of the breast is 155-160 degrees.

Once broth is at rolling simmer (just shy of boiling) add noodles and remove from heat.

Set aside chicken to rest for several minutes, then slice thinly.

Add any juices from chicken pan, the sliced chicken & splash of rice vinegar to the broth.

Prepare a plate of all the garnish - this is the best part of the soup.

Dish out bowls of noodles (which have magically cooked in the passing minutes), chicken & broth.

Add torn basil, cilantro, jalapenos, cabbage (or other veggies) and squeeze that lime.

Dig in and be sure to slurp because it makes dinner more fun.

This yummy first attempt didn't have the complexity that a lot of pho broth has, since I didn't cook porkbelly or do anything much except open a carton and cook some aromatics. It did pack a nice amount of warmth and was a definite success, even if it's one I'm ready to improve upon. M and I are committed to getting back into the kitchen since cooking at home more is the only way we're going to pay for our home's seemingly endless remodel. Here's to this being the first of many meals we'll be sharing soon. Thanks for reading!

Cheesy Polenta with Brussels & Lemon Herb Oil

Today I see strong signs of Spring - buds on the plum tree, a raucous meeting of birds in the trees, daffodils standing like strange arrows shoulder to shoulder, and the first hummingbird I've seen this year! It was barely the size of my thumb, drab but iridescent goldgreen, flitting around the rue plant in our front wall garden. Such a beautiful harbinger made quite a pairing with the lunch I cooked up. I made cheesy polenta, caramelized some onions and shredded brussel sprouts, and pureed parsley & cilantro in a delicious olive oil pressed with Sicilian lemons (thanks due to my work for giving me discounted access to such mouth-pleaseing treasures). A little salt and Meyer lemon juice finished off the oil, and all the colors were vibrantly alive. It was sunshine in my mouth! Here's the breakdown so you can recreate at home. It was very easy and quick - less than 25 minutes prep and cook time.

Cheesy Polenta
Ingredients:
1 cup coarse corn grits (polenta)
3 cups water
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cube vegan bouillon
1 Tbsp butter
1/2-2/3 C shredded asiago/parmesan or other hard Italian cheese mix
dash of hot sauce (optional)

Method:
Bring the water, salt and bouillon cube to boil in medium saucepan. Slowly stir in polenta and reduce heat. Stir frequently and cook uncovered for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and add butter, cheese and hot sauce, stirring to incorporate well as it melts. Turn out mixture into non stick pan of choice - we used a pie tin, so we could cut out (1/8th) slices. Set aside to cool and set up a bit.

Brussels and Onions (This can be doubled or tripled)

Ingredients:
1/2 lb brussel sprouts cleaned, stemmed and shredded (about 1.5 cups)
1/4 onion, sliced very thin
1 Tbsp butter
sea salt, to taste

Method:
In heavy bottom saucepan heat butter & salt over medium heat. Saute onions until translucent and lightly browned. Add brussels and saute until lightly browned and wilted, when all the colors are really popping.

Lemon Herb Oil
Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil (I used the aforementioned import - Casina Rossa -which already has lemons pressed in it, but any high quality oil will taste great)
1/4 cup cilantro chopped fine
1/3 cup flat Italian parsley chopped fine
juice of 1/2 Meyer lemon, or more to taste
sea salt to taste

Method:
We used an immersion blender but regular blender or cuisinart will do the trick. Put all ingredients into the blending vessel and puree until herbs are very finely cut and blend begins to emulsify a bit. You can tell this is happening when the volume appears to increase, and it doesn't separate when you pause.

Plating - Cut out a slice of polenta, top with a big spoonful of brussels and drizzle with oil.
Buon appetito! If you try this at home please share how it turns out. If you hate brussels, like several of my friends who are crazy, then other veggies make great substitutes. Try it with lacinato kale, broccolini, or any kind of raab. Toasted almonds would make a terrific addition to it as well.

Warm bulgur salad, ceci & lacinato

Tonight we both came home belly-aching, literally, so dinner had to wait for stomachs to settle. When M wandered into the kitchen looking lost I knew it was time to sort it out. I grabbed bulgur wheat, a ripe lemon, flat leaf parsley, shallots, chick peas, lacinato kale, olive oil, tahini, cumin seeds & a vegan bullion cube. You can make this quick and easy meal too. In our house this "recipe" makes two dinner servings plus two lunch leftovers.

Warm Bulgur Salad
1 cup bulgur
1 vegan bullion cube
2.5 cups water

Bring water with bullion cube to a boil in a 2 qt sauce pan. Add bulgur, cover and remove from heat. Let sit until most of the liquid is absorbed. Drain remaining liquid (I used a mesh sieve) and set aside.

Lemon Parsley Dressing
1 cup flat leaf parsley leaves, chopped
juice of one lemon (2-3 Tbsp)
1/4 cup olive oil
salt and coarse ground pepper to taste
Combine all in a lidded jar and shake it up well, until it starts to emulsify. Pour dressing over
bulgur and stir well.

Ceci (chick peas) & Lacinato
2 small shallots, minced
1 Tbsp canola oil
1 15.9 oz can chick peas, drained and rinsed
1/2 bunch lacinato kale, chopped
1/4 tsp cumin seeds
1 pinch asafoetida
2 tsp tahini
reserved liquid from bulgur

In nonstick saute pan heat oil, cumin seeds and asafetida over medium heat. Saute shallots until they sweat a bit. Add ceci and saute until golden brown. Add kale and stir to cook lightly, before adding tahini and reserved liquid. Cook everything together until kale brightens but remove from heat before it wilts. It should stay al dente.

Serve bowls of the bulgur salad topped with ceci & lacinato. Stick it in yer yum! Can't wait to hear how you like it. If you're off wheat other grains work great as well. You can do almost the same thing with quinoa, millet, rice etc. Just cook per directions for that grain (liquid:grain ratios may vary).
Rock it out and add things that sound good to change up the flavor profile.

Chili Spiced Sweet Potato Soup

On a heartsick night, this soup seems a perfect antidote to my memories of meals eaten with old lovers. Not only is it ridiculously easy - helpful when your confidence (kitchen or otherwise) is low - but aside from roasting the yams, you don't really have to cook it. And, I offer my humble disclaimer that it doesn't actually contain proper sweet potatoes... but chili spiced yam soup just doesn't sound as sexy.

Here's what you need to make enough for two, or for one tonight and one tomorrow:
3 medium sized yams (i like garnet or jewel)
2 cups veggie stock, simmering
1/4 tsp cumin, or to taste
1/4 tsp chipotle, or to taste
1/2 tsp chili powder, plus extra for garnish
1 tsp fat (i used leftover bacon grease, but you can use butter or oil)
sour cream, for garnish

Here's what you do with it:
preheat oven for 10 min to 350 degrees.
roast yams in their skins about 45 minutes, until soft and sugars are dripping like caramel
a few minutes before yams finish, heat stock to boil and then keep hot over low flame
remove the yam peels, carefully, and eat or feed to your veggie loving dog
place peeled yams and hot stock in blender, or if you're fancy in a pot and use your immersion blender in the pot
add spices, fat and blend until smooth and silky
top off with a dollop of sour cream, chili powder and enjoy each ever-loving spoonful.

here's a shot of the remnants... the kitchen stove light doesn't do a whole lot to show off the color blast happening in the bowl.

Pass me some banana bread

This recipe was lifted from a well known test kitchen source. I reduced the sugar, cooked the bananas on the stove top, and added bourbon to the banana juice reduction (because it was the right thing to do). My first attempt is pictured here. It got good reviews from all those I foisted it on. And you all asked for the recipe. Let me know how your efforts turn out.

*Be sure to use very ripe, heavily speckled (or even black) bananas in this recipe. The texture is best when the loaf is eaten fresh, but it can be stored (cool completely first), covered tightly with plastic wrap, for up to 3 days. Makes one 9-inch loaf.

What you need:
1 +3/4 cups unbleached all purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
6 large very ripe bananas, peeled (see note*)
1-2 teaspoons good bourbon (I used Bulleit)
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter , melted and cooled slightly
2 large eggs
1/2 cup fine organic cane sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

What to do with it:
1. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt together in large bowl.
2. Place 5 (of 6) peeled bananas in skillet; cover with lid wrap and heat over medium high until bananas are soft and have released liquid, about 5 - 10 minutes. Transfer bananas to mesh strainer placed over bowl and allow to drain 15 minutes (you should have ½ to ¾ cup liquid).
3. Grease bottom of your loaf pan, and preheat oven to 350 degrees.
4. Transfer liquid to medium saucepan and add bourbon, cooking over medium-high heat until reduced to ¼ cup, about 5 minutes. Remove pan from heat, stir reduced liquid into bananas, and mash with potato masher until fairly smooth. Whisk in butter, eggs, sugar, and vanilla.
5. Pour banana mixture into flour mixture and stir until just combined with some streaks of flour remaining. Scrape batter into prepared pan.
6. Slice remaining banana diagonally into ¼-inch-thick slices. Shingle banana slices on top of either side of loaf, leaving 1½-inch-wide space down center to ensure even rise.
7. Bake until toothpick inserted in center of loaf comes out clean, 55 to 75 minutes. Cool bread in pan on wire rack 15 minutes, then remove loaf from pan and continue to cool on wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Cooking sunshine since there was none in the sky

We've had a lot of rain in the last 30 days. A LOT. Everything is soggy. I found myself in a group of folks the other night all color coordinated in grey, to match our craptastic weather. In the midst of all this M and I cooked a meal together recently that was sunshine for our eyes and bellies. I haven't yet posted our dahl recipe but I'll leave you with the photograph and the components.

Red lentil dahl, red quinoa, garden peas and fresh cilantro.
Real food. So beautiful.
Inspired by reading Michael Pollan's "In Defense of Food", and made joyfully, to spite the weather. Here's to blue skies of the palate regardless of what the outside world is doing.

Carrot Ginger Soup and Pear Chevre Cashew Salad

Last night's dinner was lovely, in spite of deciding not to serve the fish course due to questionable freshness... bummer! They were lovely tuna steaks but I am committed to the "when in doubt, throw it out" rule. (Apologizing for a missing course is definitely less embarrassing than giving someone intestinal difficulties...)

With cheese and bread, soup and salad, wine and dessert - it turned out delicious and perfectly filling. By popular demand I am writing out the "recipes" of last night's success. Tiny disclaimer: Please know that I make dishes, sometimes for years, without ever really paying attention to how much of this and what measure of that. I just eyeball it and shrug my shoulders and experiment. Sometimes I win a little extra grace from the kitchen gods and it turns out exceptionally well.

As I've shared in earlier posts, I'm also blessed with a partner who delights even in my seeming failures. I hope that all of you have the support and chutzpah, and grocery income, to play in the kitchen as well. And I'd love to hear how your experiments with my recipes turn out as well. May all your meals be thrilling and always shared with people you love, or at least with people who are interesting...

Carrot Ginger Soup
3-4 cups chopped carrots (fat coins)
1/2 medium yellow onion, fine dice
1-3 Tbsp fresh ginger, minced
2-3 Tbsp oil (suggest safflower, sunflower or canola - olive may be too strong tasting)
1/8 tsp salt, plus extra to taste
1/8 tsp white pepper, plus extra to taste
1/4 tsp cumin
1/8 tsp ground coriander
4-6 cups stock, chicken or veggie
1 cup snow pea pods, rinsed and cut in half diagonally

METHOD:
In stock pot or large pot, heat oil, salt and spices over medium heat until fragrant.
Add ginger and onions and saute until light fond develops.
Add carrots and saute briefly, but don't allow ginger to burn.
Add stock and bring to a boil.
Cover and reduce heat, simmering until carrots can be mashed when pressed gently with a spoon (about 30 - 40 minutes).
Puree the soup (half batch at a time) in a glass blender, or use a "wand blender" directly in the pot.
Taste and add more salt and white pepper if desired.
Place a handful of pea pods halves in each soup bowl and ladle soup over top. Peas will blanch right in the puree and add a lightly crunchy counterpoint to the richness of the soup.
Serve and enjoy! Makes 4-6 adult portions and recipe can be doubled.

Pear Chevre Cashew Salad with Mustard Apple Cider Vinaigrette
2-3 cups mixed greens & spinach
1 cup baby arugula (preferably sylvette)
1 ripe bosc pear (neck should yield to gentle pressure, but fruit should not be soft)
1 cup roasted lightly salted cashews
1/2 cup goat cheese

METHOD:
Rinse and dry greens, and place them in large serving bowl.
Cut pear into quarters, discarding stem and seeds.
Slice each quarter diagonally into crescents and place in bowl with greens.
Spoon or crumble goat cheese over salad.
Top with cashews and toss to distribute all evenly.
This salad is great with a varying cast of characters. Try other combinations of tree fruits, nuts or seeds, and cheeses. Mustard Apple Cider Vinaigrette
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar
1/3 cup oil (suggest safflower, sunflower or canola)
1 - 2 Tbsp spicy brown mustard
1 tsp honey
1/2 tsp fresh thyme leaves (remove stems), minced salt and black pepper to taste.

METHOD:
Place all ingredients in lidded jar or container.
Close lid tightly and shake the jar until your arm gets tired.
Give the jar to a friend to shake until their arm gets tired.
Dressing should get lighter in color and expand in volume as it emulsifies.
Taste and add more seasoning as needed. Dress salad and serve with fresh bread.
If you get a chance to try these two, or any of the other recipes we've shared, please share your stories with us here in the comments or via email at crouchinglentil at me dot com
Cheers!

we may have set fire to the wagon with this one...

mexican spiced chocolate "homo" cakes
chili spiced chocolate enrobed chocolate layer cake, with an orange cinnamon crunch buttercream in the middle. this is my tribute to a mash up of a whoopie pie and a hoho, with some extra spiciness thrown in... thus the "homo" was born. and now for your bingeing pleasure, the recipes involved in this crazy crackfection.


wacky cake
a war time chocolate cake recipe, perfect for when eggs were scarce
1. preheat oven to 350 degrees. yields two shallow 9 in rounds, or one 9 in cake. can be doubled to make a 13x9.
2. in a large mixing bowl sift the following dry ingredients together. (if you don't want to do layers, then you can mix this decadent cake right in the pan!)



Ingredients

1 & 1/2 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

3 Tbsp cocoa (i use black cocoa or special dark, for an extra deep rich cake)


3. make three wells in the dry ingredients and add the following:


1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp vinegar

5 Tbsp melted butter or oil (if you want to keep it vegan. i like sunflower, safflower or canola)

1 cup cold water over all, and stir well - but careful not to over mix. just do it until all dry is incorporated. batter should be fairly thick.



4. if doing two layers, grease and flour the bottoms of the pans for easy removal.
5. bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes (or 35 minutes for single cake). cake should spring back when you touch the top, and fork should come out clean from the center. place cakes on wire rack to cool, before placing bottom layer on serving plate or cake stand.



orange cinnamon filling
Ingredients
1/4 lb unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup sugar (2/3 fine, 1/3 coarse demerara or raw)

1-2 tsp fresh cara cara orange zest

1 Tbsp fresh cara cara orange juice

1 tsp cinnamon
pinch of salt

Method:
cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. add zest, juice, salt & cinnamon. beat well.
leave out at room temp until cakes have cooled fully. smear generously to cover bottom layer and set top layer on to this.

enrobing chocolate 
bring all ingredients together in double boiler, to melt chocolate. i use a pyrex mixing bowl over a saucepan filled with water just to touch the bottom of the bowl. heat over low heat, whisking as it melts. set aside until cakes are cooled fully & filled (if you're doing layers).
9-10 oz bittersweet chocolate chips

2 pinches chipotle

pinch salt



pour pool of chocolate onto center of cakes and tilt plate to have it drip over edges. pop the whole delicious mess into the fridge or leave out at room temp to let chocolate set up. 
cut with sharp knife (you can heat it first to help get through the shell), and serve it up.
 serves 8-10 happy homos (or allies)

Back on the wagon-ish

Quinoa, Black Beans and Garden Salsa with Avocado
The following yields two adult dinner servings and a hearty lunch for one.

quinoa - 1 cup, rinsed well
2 cups water
1 vegan bouillon cube
put everything in a medium saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat.
reduce heat and cover, simmering until all liquid is absorbed - 15-20 minutes.

black beans - 1 15oz can
1/2 tsp cumin
dash salt
dash chipotle
1/4 tsp chili powder
put everything in small saucepan and heat over low, until bubbling

garden salsa
1 cup mixed tomatoes, small dice (we used little yellow pear/cherry guys quartered and an amish paste with its guts removed)
1/2 jalapeno, minced
2 tsp red onion, minced
1 tbsp lemon juice
dash salt
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/2 avocado, diced
1 tsp oil, like sunflower or safflower
mix everything together and let it marinate together while beans and grains are cooking.

plate and devour, giving thanks for the last remnants of the summer bounty on a cold autumn night. mmm, stick it in my yum!

I also made a side of roasted butternut squash which I'm enjoying as a dessert.
Peel (carefully) and cube a butternut squash, discarding the seeds. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place squash in glass 13x9 baking dish and toss with some oil and a bit of sea salt. Roast for 30-45 minutes, turning once or twice, until squash starts to caramelize a bit. Serve with a sprinkling of coarse demerara sugar or maple syrup. Looks like sunshine, and tastes like pie. YAY!

Beet Carrot Apple Slaw

This is one of Mary's favorites dishes to make. She is in fact responsible for teaching me to prepare it - something she may be loathe to acknowledge since it runs counter to her steadfast belief that she doesn't know how to cook... This simple salad is a great accompaniment to all kinds of dishes, like our Wild Rice Pilaf with Cherries and Grapes, and you can vary the flavor depending on which beets or apples you choose, and what citrus you prefer.

Ingredients:
1 medium sized beet, peeled & grated
1 medium sized apple, peeled, cored & grated
2 carrots, peeled & grated
1-2 Tbsp lemon or lime juice
1-2 Tbsp safflower oil (or sunflower, or olive)
pinch salt

Grate roots and apple into a mixing bowl (discarding peels and seeds). Drizzle the lot with citrus juice and oil, and toss in pinch of salt. Toss everything and serve. Easy peasy and delicious!!!

back on the wagon

okay okay. we confess to a moment of weakness. but, after a day of hard labor, that burger was calling our names. i should also add: we had already tagged on an extra week of full elimination to wait out erika's sinus infection. when saturday night rolled around she was still having symptoms, we were both famished, erika was feeling bitter that we hadn't started reintroducing any foods yet, and i'd been craving a burger since we started this endeavor.

we discussed the pros and cons and decided if we were going to do it it had to be while erika was having symptoms anyway. why not? we could fall off the wagon then jump right back on again.

so, we went to Screen Door and split the best tasting burger we've ever had in our lives along with a side of fries and tomato soup. the owner comped us the whole meal, which i think qualifies it as the best dinner experience we've ever had in our lives.

i felt languid during the car ride home (erika had a few reactions as well) but didn't regret it in the least.

Approximation

I'm not much one for following recipes, except when I bake. I have also been pretty lax at writing out recipes for the meals I cook since I often do things pretty fluidly and intuitively. So when I was browsing NPR the other day, I was relieved to learn about a new cookbook for cooks like me. You can read the story here - http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=107019060 , but the premise is you don't need recipes if you understand ratios... This sounds easy to tackle, and some are already stuck in my noodle, as with most grains the ratio is one measure grain to two measures liquid. In spite of this discovery, and impending trip to the library to search out the book and expand my ratio repertoire, I'm endeavouring to follow through on a promise to post recipes for all the dishes we've already made.

Let's begin with the beginning - Quinoa Salad. This dish has innumerable possibilities. Choose your favorite style of cuisine and use the flavors to gussy up this delicious tender grain. We've been stuck on Mexican, but I've also made Greek style, and imagine versions for Thai and Italian and so much more. But here's a basic recipe for the Mexican style, with a disclaimer that I made this recipe up on the spot, and measurements (for the spices) are approximate. Try it out and tweak to taste. And Buen Provecho!

Quinoa Salad
1 cup quinoa
2 cups veggie stock

1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 Tbsp diced red onion or shallot
2 cups assorted chopped veggies - recommend cabbage, carrots, radish, avocado
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1-2 limes, juiced
1/4 cup safflower or sunflower oil
1/2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp chili powder
1/8 tsp chipotle
salt to taste

Rinse quinoa well and add to pot with stock. Bring to boil, then cover and reduce heat. Simmer for 15 minutes or until liquid is absorbed. Sweat onions (cook lightly until translucent over medium low heat) in a pan with a tiny bit of oil and salt, and add drained beans. Cook gently to warm mixture and remove from heat.

Place chopped veggies in large mixing bowl with cilantro. Add beans, and cooked quinoa. In small lidded container shake oil, lime juice and spices vigorously (should yield about 1/3 cup). Add salt to taste, and pour dressing over all contents in bowl. Warm grains and beans will absorb dressing and flavor permeates the entire salad.

Serve with plantain chips and grilled chicken, or just a spoon. Mary and I have a hard time quitting once we start eating this salad, but under normal circumstances this would serve four generous entrée portions. It makes it perfect for dinner for two and lunch for both the following day! It's also great as a side for 6-8.

not currently a spectator in our own kitchen

Mary read this excellent article by Michael Pollan to me this morning as we enjoyed a late brunch. We were so moved by it that we'd like to share it with you, and hope you'll take some time to read it and share your thoughts. Thanks!

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/08/02/magazine/02cooking-t.html?_r=1&ref=magazine

This weekend we almost succumbed to lack of planning and laziness. We'd failed to finish off the week's menu, but managed to cobble together things to get us through "safely". Saturday we passed that mark of stable blood sugar, into the territory where decision making falls apart. When we rallied, we ended up with an odd but tasty meal, thanks to a convenience food, the allure of fresh avocado and some leftover gruel. I realize gruel is a particularly unappetizing word, but I haven't found a better one for what I did to the amaranth yet, so for now it will be called that.

Turkey Sausage Patty, Amaranth Gruel and Avocado

Tonight's meal was a success, though almost completely unplanned. We're working hard to use staples at hand rather than looking into an overflowing pantry and whining "There's nothing to eat"... Last trip to the grocer M picked out some pasta that was gluten free. Normally I think the prospect is sure to disappoint, and pass on it, but I relented. It saved the day tonight, when we thought to make a vegan pesto (with some garden herbs, pignolas and nutritional yeast) and whip up a light supper.

"Pesto" Penne with Carrots

I actually found the gluten free pasta palatable, and was happy with such a quick and creative solution to our unplanned dinner dilemma.

Mary relished the dish with particular gusto, as evidenced here.

Recipes for all the dishes featured thus far will follow soon.

food, inc

i've been thinking a lot about food in these few weeks. something, for various reasons, i rarely have ever done in the past. i don't have solid articulation about these thoughts, but it seems the universe is doing it's damnedest to make sure i get it.

the other nite we went to see "food, inc," a documentary film tackling the vast elements involved in the evolution of the American diet. then today, the NY Times Magazine arrived; in it an article on the diminishing role of home-cooked meals in America. add in the debate on national health care reform -- none of which addresses the issue of WHY so many people have the health problems they do -- and my brain is churning.

all in all, i'm relieved that e agreed to go along with this diet since she could have just left me to my own devices -- after all it was my doctor who suggested i do it. i asked e in part because i knew i wouldn't stick it out on my own.

if nothing else, we are establishing healthier eating habits (home-cooked, organic and local when possible, seasonal & more variety) which i trust we will continue long after all the eliminated food groups are reintroduced and this diet ends.

At last, my breeze has come along

Climate comfort is always relative, and I feel like today's 88 degrees offers incredible relief after this past week. The house stays cool when outside keeps under 90, and after a busy run of days - escaping triple digit temperatures in the dark of the theater two evenings, seeing live music and burlesque for my birthday, and working on a Saturday - I finally have some time and bearable conditions in which to write.

So, we left off with last weekend's beautiful beet slaw and wild rice dish. We've got a lot to cover, so here goes... We started the week with the easiest no cook dish we could muster.

Spinach Arugula Salad with Roasted Chicken, Apples and Cashews

I give mighty thanks to the good folks at New Seasons grocery for making delicious roasted chickens for me. We took our salad bowl to a friend's house for movie night, and it was the perfect precursor to a cooling and thoughtful dessert of whipped frozen pineapple with lime that she presented us with (Love you, Noodle, and your mad skills in the kitchen).

Tuesday night was one of my favorite dishes, beluga lentil salad, and my only lament for this preparation was not being able to pair it with some creamy goat cheese. It's so simple to prepare, and so soul satisfying. You start with a basic mirepoix (carrots, celery and onions which form the base of many soups and more), finely diced, and saute it lightly in oil. We used shallots in place of onion.

Soak beluga lentils overnight to speed up cook time. I love lentils, and this dish is my homage to Neil in the Young Ones and Audrey Tatou in Amelie.

Combine these ingredients with a little liquid (water or stock) and simmer until the lentils are tender. While the lentil mixture is still warm dress with good balsamic vinegar & olive oil, salt, pepper, fresh thyme and a little chopped parsley. After the salad cools and soaks up the dressing you can serve it in a bed of arugula or butter lettuce, with crostini and goat cheese (I wish).

The next night we made a meal and took it to the movies with us. Unfortunately, because it had tuna in it, I was too nervous to open the container and offend the surrounding patrons. So we ate a late bite on the porch after we got home and enjoyed the rest for lunch and dinner the following day.

Soba Noodle Salad with Tuna, Broccoli, Peas, Carrots and Cashews

Mary cooked the soba noodles, and I blanched the broccoli under the hot water tap. Everything got tossed with lemon juice, olive oil and salt. It's a simple dish and some adjustments to the seasonings (extra lemon, a splash of toasted sesame oil) made the next few rounds more enjoyable.

That brings us to the birthday dinner.

French Chicken Salad with Avocado and Amaranth "Grits"

I love this style of chicken salad, since it's not reliant on mayo and welcomes all manor of vegetable additions (asparagus and peas are some favorites).

Amaranth looks like caviar and quinoa had a micro baby, and takes surprisingly longer to cook given the minuscule size of the grains. Our first attempt using this little seed was to simmer it in stock, and make a savory gruel which I promptly burned my tongue on several times. (I know... quit after the first, but then the damage is already done.)

It was a quick meal and a mad dash to meet friends and celebrate my 33rd by watching dancing ladies!!! Our friend Noodle has lamented the fact that we're doing this diet now, since it really throws a wrench in celebrating the way foodies like to - with terrific meals together. That said I was happy to postpone that indulgence, and managed to find a raw food diet compliant chocolate "caramel" bar at the coop to share as a treat. It relied on dates and Himalayan pink salt as the caramel filling, and agave for sweetening, and it was a good deal better than I expected. That was a relief given the price tag.

All in all our night out more than made up for the lack of booze and cake. I feel very blessed to share my life with the people I am lucky to have around me. I feel so happy, and couldn't stop smiling last night as we watched swing dancers and burlesque performers and two live bands accompanying it all! I am proud to say I've made it through 33 years now and I'm doing things to help me have the life and health that I want, which can be a tough commitment. And, we've made it through week two of the elimination with no significant infractions or slip ups. Hozah! Admittedly vanity is a great motivator, and I found I could fit into a favorite summer dress once more. That is not a reason to do this diet, by any stretch, but today it certainly is some icing on the cake.

106 degrees & counting

The heat has sent everything haywire. By everything, I mean: the electronic thermometer* that's reading the the air temp instead of waiting until it's under the tongue to beep; the meals themselves which have been altered because it's too damn hot to eat let alone cook (mmm mmm smoothies); the pulse checking* (because we're grazing instead of eating full meals); the computers laboring under the effort to keep recording our efforts (please please please don't crash).

*One purpose of the elimination diet is to determine what foods e and i may have sensitivities to. Temperature and pulse rate are two indicators.

The elimination diet guidelines are hardcore -- pulse rate, for instance, should be taken prior to and 30 minutes after eating each meal, and temperature is supposed to be taken at least 3x per week, 3x each day. [Now ask me if we're doing that.]

It's getting hot in here

The local forecast is already making me anxious about the next few days meals, and as a result I spent the morning being a "crabby patty".

I realized that dish is most certainly not on the menu, so I managed to shake it off and plan the next week with Mary's pragmatic and attentive help. We set out to the grocery to stock up on fresh goodness for the next few, and managed to get out again alive, and with some bank account still intact. We did some quick math though, and figured that we're still saving money over our previous dining habits. Given the recent investments in staple items, which we're actually using over time (I used to let things disappear into the backs of cabinets, long forgotten), it was a tough first hit last week. We both acknowledged feeling better and agreed to stick to this. M is already sleeping better and feeling more energetic. I think a boost in exercise will offer me the same, and I got my bike back from the shop - whisper quiet now, with it's new bottom bracket - so I'll soon follow suit.

Before we started she was vexed about meal planning and I sat her down with a stack of back issues of Martha Stewart FOOD and told her to rip out whatever looked appetizing. Perhaps that was kind of mean, given all the delicious prospects generally contained therein, many of which centered on things we're no longer consuming for the next several weeks. I put my eyebrows up on a few suggestions - combinations of ingredients I'd never considered - but we stashed the recipes she chose, and today was the day to give them all a second look. One of our personal goals during this diet has been to promote as much variety as possible, especially given the bounty of local produce, in our garden and at market. To that end we're trying not to rely too heavily on any particular ingredients, and not to repeat meals, other than as lunch the next day. It's tough, and I feel I'm lacking in ideas and skills. Sometimes it helps me to go back for try two on an experiment. Here's Saturday's very late lunch, which doubled as a stealth dinner at the movies.

Quinoa Chick Pea Fritter Scramble, with Broccoli and Tahini dressing

So after yesterday - where I "corrected" Thursday's mistake - we worked from one of the recipes M culled. This was the one dish I really tried to discourage, since I still have some mental blocks against fruit with other foods. I learned early on to eat fruit on its own and I have a hard time turning that edict off. Thankfully I did and Mary's Fruited Pilaf wishes came true. We paired it with a house favorite and this is the resulting meal... with extra love, for my lady.

Wild Rice Pilaf with Grapes and Cherries, and Beet Apple Carrot Slaw

For those of you wiping drool off your keyboards, or savoring the memory of the nibble at lunchtime show-and-tell, I promise to start including recipes. At the moment though, it's too bleeding hot. So you'll have to wait, I hope with smoothie in hand, until the next installment. I will try to get us all caught up from beginning to end, and if anyone's interested in suggesting recipes, or swapping, we'd love to hear from you. Email us at crouchinglentil@me.com.