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You will all notice I’ve been absent and not posting much. I have been cooking but haven’t had the time to update the site will full posts (pictures, recipes, etc.). To make up for this I thought I’d share several of the best new recipes I’ve tried over the last few months. In no particular order:

Puree of Chickpea Soup – from the NY Times

Swiss Chard & Sweet Potato Gratin – from Smitten Kitchen

Whole Wheat Biscotti – I made these into lemon whole wheat biscotti by adding some lemon juice and lots of lemon rind

Granola Bars – from Smitten Kitchen

Pumpkin Spice Syrup – Yummy in a latté. I put the recipe & latté directions in a new post.

Mixed Greens with Garlic, Cumin and Paprika – A great veggie side dish. I posted the recipe in a new post.

Blue Cheese Vinaigrette – from the Joy of Cooking. Quite possibly the best dressing recipe! It is a basic vinaigrette made with apple cider vinegar and crumbled blue cheese. I’ll post the recipe once I get home and have access to the book

This was a really yummy side dish. I used smoked paprika which added a great flavor. The recipe is originally from Deborah Madison’s Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone.

Ingredients

• 12 cups mixed greens, such as kale, chard, beet, or escarole
• Salt to taste
• 3 large garlic cloves
• 1 cup finely chopped parsley
• 1 cup finely chopped cilantro
• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• Lemon wedges, for garnish

Directions

Discard any inedible parts of the greens, such as stems and tough ribs. Tear or chop into bite-sized pieces. Place the leaves in a microwave safe glass dish and cover. Microwave on high for 1-2 minutes until leaves are still green though wilted.

Pound the garlic with 1/2 teaspoon salt in a mortar until you have a rough paste, then work in the parsley and cilantro and pound them briefly to release their flavors. Add the paprika and cumin. (If you do not have a mortar and pestle, chop the garlic with the parsley and cilantro, then add the spices.)

Warm the oil in a wide skillet over medium heat with the garlic-herb mixture. As soon as it releases its flavor, when the oil has heated, add the greens. Cook, stirring frequently, until any extra moisture has evaporated. Taste for salt. Pile into a dish and garnish with the lemon wedges.

As part of the Fennel Challenge, this dish actually serves as the base for a pork dish, but could easily be a side dish all on its own. The beauty of this dish is melding very separate and distinct flavors in a surprising way. Brussels sprouts have a tendency to either be a little bitter or overcooked and flavorless. Fennel root, dried cranberries, and sweet potatoes all work to tame the bitter monster. And the Serrano pepper, well, that’s just fun.

Ingredients

• 1 small sweet potato, baked
• 1 – 2 roasted Serrano peppers based on your heat tolerance
• 2 – 4 T water
• 1 C shredded Brussels sprouts
• 1 C shredded fennel root
• 1/4 C dried cranberries
• 1 T olive oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

Heat the olive oil in a pan over medium high heat. Once a drop of water pops on the surface add the shredded sprouts and fennel and sprinkle with a few pinches of salt. Stir, then leave to cook uncovered.

While the veggies are cooking, mash the sweet potato in a bowl (you can do this part ahead of time and reheat the potato paste right before serving).

After about 5-10 minutes, check on the veggies. Stir them and add a few more pinches of salt.

In a blender, add the peppers, chopped up, and a few tablespoons of water. Blend. Add more water if it won’t blend. Strain the chili water into the potatoes and stir. You want to create a saucy paste, so add more water till it’s that consistency. Add salt to taste.

Check on those fenneled sprouts again. They should be getting close. They’re ready when the sprouts are a combination of bright green with little chard edges. That charring works to caramelize them a bit, bringing in a little more sweetness. When they’re starting to feel pretty done add the dried cranberries and stir.

To plate, add a few spoonfuls of the potatoes to the plate and spread in a circular motion, kind of like putting red sauce on a pizza. Then place the veggies on top. Serve as is, or with fried yumminess on top (e.g., chicken, pork, or butternut squash).

Another winner from The City Gardener’s Cookbook! I made these a while back when it was still tomato season. I loved the greens and cheese mixture used for the filling. It was a little rich but also very healthy and a good way to get a few greens into the diet. You can use any type of greens – chard, endive, parsley, arugula, spinach, mustard, and kale are all good.

Ingredients

• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup chopped onions
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 1/2 cup chopped greens
• 2 large tomatoes
• 1/2 Tablespoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1/4 cup grated Cheddar cheese
• 1/8 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Directions

Preheat oven to 325 °F. In a skillet, heat the olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the onions and garlic until tender. Add the greens, stir, and remove from the heat.

Hollow out the tomatoes by scraping out the seeds, pulp, and juice with a spoon. Add tomato pulp and vinegar to the greens. Return to heat and simmer until the juice from the tomatoes evaporates and the greens are tender.

Remove from the heat and stir in the bread crumbs, cheddar and Parmesan. Fill the tomatoes with the warm stuffing and bake in a greased loaf pan for 15 to 20 minutes.

Yield: 2 servings

I recently got a new cookbook, The City Gardener’s Cookbook, which focuses on how to use up all your garden produce. I do not have a garden but I love veggies so I figured this book would be good. It is my favorite cookbook of the week! This book has so many yummy and unique vegetable recipes – I cannot wait to try them all. Cheesy Vegetable Casserole, only slightly modified, was my first recipe out of the book. It turned out quite well and is a great way to showcase summer produce. It sounds looks more complicated to make than it really is.. I think the whole thing took me 1.5 hrs which includes the 30 min baking time for the eggplant and the 45 min baking time for the casserole. So mostly, I was just sitting around reading.

Ingredients

• 1 medium eggplant, sliced into 1/2-inch rounds
• 1 medium potato, diced into 1/2-inch cubes
• 1 cup dry bread crumbs
• 1 teaspoon dried basil
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• ground pepper, to taste
• 1 medium zucchini, sliced into 1/4-inch rounds
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 3 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (8 oz) block cheddar cheese, grated

Directions

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Place the eggplant slices on a greased baking sheet and bake covered with foil for 30 minutes, or until tender.

Meanwhile, steam to potatoes for 5-7 minutes, or until tender. Remove from heat and let cool. In a small bowl, mix breadcrumbs, basil and oregano. Mix salt and pepper with eggs.

When eggplant is done, remove from oven and turn oven down to 375 degrees.

Oil a 9×13″ pan and dust with 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs. Make two layers of: eggplant, potatoes, zucchini, tomatoes, egg mixture, olive oil, breadcrumbs, cheese.

Bake, covered, at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

Serves: 8-10 as a side dish; 4-5 as a main dish