vegetables

Sun 16 Oct 2011

Prepping for the week

20111016-174521.jpgI picked up the latest Whole Living after reading about the “Perfectly Prepped” article. The idea is that you cook ahead a bunch of ingredients on the weekend. Then you can mix and match with these items throughout the week to create quick, easy and tasty dinners. For the past year I’ve been experimenting with this idea so I was immediately interested in this article. I’ve been doing things like washing & chopping my lettuce, making a big pot of soup and precooking some beans. However, this article takes the idea a step further adding vegetables, grains and sauces to the mix. This truly allows you to create a number of meals in minutes. In the article there are three condiments, three grains, four vegetables and two proteins given. I decided to follow the idea this week and went with the same numbers though used different recipes. The total prep today took 2-3 hrs. For my perfectly prepped week I made:

Condiments:

  1. Teriyaki sauce: Combine 1/2 cup soy sauce & 1/2 cup mirin or honey in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil then simmer for 2 minutes. Take off the heat and add 1 clove garlic, grated & 1 Tablespoon ginger, grated.
  2. Chimichurri sauce: Leave out the water and add half the amount of olive oil & white vinegar.
  3. Golden raisin vinaigrette (one of the recipes from the article)
Grains: These I decided not to make ahead since I have the rice cooker and can easily set it on a timer to cook quinoa & rice. Pasta is less than 10 minutes so I decided not to pre-prep it either.
  1. Pasta
  2. Quinoa
  3. Rice
Vegetables:
  1. Steamed collards: Cut off stems & dice. Cut leaves into 1″ pieces. Steam stems for 2 minutes. Add leaves & steam for another 2 minutes. Dump into a bowl of ice water to cool & preserve the green color.
  2. Roasted poblano peppers: Cut peppers in half & seeds. Place on a baking sheet. Preheat the broiler to high. Broil 3-5 minutes until skin of peppers is blackened. Let peppers cool then peel off skin.
  3. Roasted butternut squash: Cut squash into 1″ cubes. Toss with olive oil, salt, pepper & cinnamon (1/2 to 1 teaspoon of each). Bake at 350 degrees for approximately 20 minutes, until squash is tender.
  4. Braised cabbage: Slice one onion into half moons. Core & shred half a head of cabbage. Sauté onion in olive oil until onion is translucent. Add cabbage  and one cup vegetable stock. Cover and cook 5-10 minutes, until cabbage is tender.
Proteins:
  1. Chickpeas
  2. Roasted chicken
I also have some salad greens & cheese on hand. I’m not sure what we’ll end up eating this week, however, tonight I ended up making a pasta dish. Pasta + roasted squash + chickpeas + collards + golden raisin vinaigrette + blue cheese. Yum!

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Posted by carrie under experiments , recipes , vegetables
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Mon 19 Sep 2011

Pan-grilled Vegetables

20110914-195532.jpgAs I still don’t have an easy to access grill I am still finding ways to “grill” food inside. Instead of heating up the broiler, as for the “grilled” tuna, this technique utilizes your stove top. In this case a cast-iron skillet is needed so you can get the heat required to create those nice dark specks on the outside of your veggies. A non-stick skillet isn’t safe to heat to the high temperatures needed and I have a feeling the veggies would stick to a stainless steel skillet. Be forewarned this technique did create a bit of smoke in the house so be sure to have your stove hood on turbo speed while you’re cooking.

I highly recommend marinating the veggies before you cook them for some added flavor, however, they will be fine if you just season then with herbs & spices. It is best to slice the vegetables thinly. Good veggies for this technique include: summer squash, eggplant, peppers, tomatoes, onions and okra.

  1. Marinate the veggies* for 5 minutes. Place a cast-iron plan over medium heat. When pan is heated brush with canola or safflower oil.
  2. Cook veggies in batches, approximately 5 minutes per side. Drizzle with marinade periodically. If things start to get too smoky add a few tablespoons of water to the pan to cool it down a little. Don’t add too much water else you’ll end up with “boiled” veggies. Make sure each vegetable is in contact with the bottom of the pan and not on top of the other vegetables. You’ll probably have to cook in batches.

*I used a Mexican-inspired marinade and these were some of the best vegetables I’ve had in a while! Combine 2/3 cup beer, 2 Tablespoons lime juice, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1 grated or crushed clove garlic and 1/2 teaspoon ground chile powder.

Posted by carrie under recipes , techniques , vegetables
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Fri 15 Jul 2011

French Friday: Zucchini & Tomato Casserole


Officially named Tian de légumes this French vegetable casserole makes great use of late summer vegetables. The dish originates from Provence which in the southeast corner of France near Italy. Tian refers to a layered and baked vegetable dish. I got this recipe from a French Cookbook I bought on my 29th birthday while in Paris. I went to a specialty cookbook store and asked in very poor French for a book of classic recipes. I ended up buying a book titled “Le Meilleur de la France” (The Best of France) as it had some step-by-step pictures (good if your French isn’t up to par) and vignettes about various French specialties (e.g. bread). Unfortunately I won’t be able to cook my way through the whole book as some of the ingredients are next to impossible to buy… Anyone ever see boudin noir at their local butcher?

Zucchini & tomato casserole (Tian de légumes)
Print
Prep time: 40 mins
Cook time: 20 mins
Total time: 1 hour
Serves: 4
This veggie casserole is a great side dish for grilled fish or other meats. You can cut down the prep time by not peeling the tomatoes. Add bread & salad for a nice dinner.
Ingredients:
  • 5 small zucchini
  • 4 cloves garlic, pressed
  • pinch nutmeg
  • 3 large tomatoes
  • 2 small red onions, diced
  • 1 cup parsley leaves, minced
  • 1/4 cup white wine
  • 1 cup gruyère, grated
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper
Directions:
  1. Preheat oven to 350°F.
  2. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Cut a cross in the bottom of each tomato with a paring knife.
  3. Meanwhile, cut zucchini into diagonal 1/4-inch thick slices. Sauté zucchini in a pan over medium-low heat with 2 Tablespoons olive oil. Sprinkle with salt & pepper. Press garlic cloves over zucchini. Sauté 7 minutes, until zucchini pieces begin to get tender. Spread as bottom layer in casserole dish.
  4. Spread grated gruyère over zucchini.
  5. Once water is boiling drop each tomato into water for 20 seconds. Remove with a slotted spoon to a cutting board. Now you are able to easily peel the skin off each tomato. Cut tomatoes in half crosswise and remove seeds. Dice tomato.
  6. Add 2 Tablespoons olive oil to pan. Increase heat to medium and add diced onion. Sauté for about 5 minutes, until onions begin to get tender. Increase heat to medium-high and add tomatoes, parsley, wine, salt & pepper to taste. Let mixture cook just until most of the juice has evaporated. Spread over grated cheese layer.
  7. Bake entire casserole in preheated oven for 20 minutes.
Posted by carrie under recipes , side dishes , vegetables
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Mon 4 Jul 2011

Thon et bok choy grilleé à la japon

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This main dish is another winner from Olive Magazine. Aside from the marinade time it is lightening fast to prepare. And honestly, I think you could skip the marinade time and just broil right after you pour the marinade over the tuna. The original recipe called for grilling the tuna & bok choy, however, we only have a charcoal grill and I wasn’t up for depending upon it during a dinner party. Thus, we broiled instead. I’ll do a separate post on broiling but I’m finding it to be one of my favorite cooking methods lately.

Japanese-style Tuna & Bok Choy
Print
Prep time: 10 mins
Cook time: 5 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Serves: 6
The teriyaki marinade adds enough flavor to make this dish interesting but doesn’t distract from the tuna. The bok choy makes a crunchy and zesty foil for the rich fish.
Ingredients:
  • 4 Tablespoons soy sauce
  • 3 Tablespoons cane sugar
  • 1 clove garlic, minced
  • 1/2 teaspoon sesame oil
  • 6 tuna steaks
  • 3 baby bok choy bunches, halved
  • 2 large limes
  • 2 scallions, thinly sliced diagonally
  • 1 Tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
Directions:
  1. Combine soy sauce & sugar in a small saucepan and heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat & add the garlic & sesame oil. Cool slightly then pour over tuna steaks. Let steaks marinate for 1 hour.
  2. Preheat broiler. Broil each tuna steak 1 min per side for rare, 2 min per side for medium. Broil the bok choy halves, cut side facing broiler, for 2-3 minutes. Put in a bowl and squeeze lime juice over bok choy. Sprinkle sesame seeds & scallions on top.

 

Posted by carrie under fish , main dishes , recipes , vegetables
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Mon 27 Jun 2011

Deli-style Borscht

20110615-145048.jpgThis deli-style borscht is quick and easy to put together on a hot summer afternoon. It can be served cold or hot and with a dollop of yogurt or sour cream. A garnish of fresh dill makes a nice touch, too.

Deli-style Borscht
Print
Prep time: 5 mins
Cook time: 10 mins
Total time: 15 mins
Yield: 4 cups
One soup – many variations. You can serve it hot or cold. As a purée or with veggies still in matchstick form.
Ingredients:
  • 1 large carrot, cut into matchsticks
  • 3 medium beets, cut into matchsticks
  • 1 garlic clove, minced
  • 3 cups water
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
  • Juice from 1 lemon
  • ground pepper
  • yogurt (optional)
  • minced dill (optional)
Directions:
  1. Place carrot, beets, garlic, water & salt in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil and cook for approximately 10 minutes until the vegetables are tender. Add lemon juice and ground pepper, to taste. Purée (or not) and serve with a spoonful of yogurt and some minced fresh dill.
Posted by carrie under recipes , soups & stews , vegetables
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