Farm share started last week (HOORAY!!!!) but always, at the beginning when things are still getting on growing, we are only getting a few things. Lot of greens which I will never get enough of, and lots of potatoes. Also, I made the mistake of buying a very large bag of potatoes last week right before farm share and now I am basically swimming in potatoes. And so the story goes%u2026.
So what do you do with a shit ton of potatoes? Yeah, I thought potato cannon to but then I realized that I would have to use my potatoes and sure I have a lot, but I am not wasting them on that. So gnocchi they became. Gnocchi. Basically a boiled french fry or a mashed potato meat ball. Or maybe more like a ravioli. Whatever they are, they are loved by potato loving people and are fun to make. I mean, when do you ever get to use the ricer? ( Don%u2019t worry, you can make gnocchi without a ricer.)
To the gnocchi.
The stuff. Potatoes, flour, an onion, some tomatoes, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Note. Make sure to use russet potatoes because they make the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi. You could probably use Yukon gold, but any hard wax potato just won%u2019t do.
First step is to make baked potatoes. Place potatoes in oven, directly on rack, and bake for 30-45 minutes until nice and soft and tender. Just like you would when you eat it as a baked potato. Once cooked cut them in half and let them cool off for a few minutes.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop all the flesh out of skins. Keep skins for soup or a snack for later.
And the fun part. Flour the counter then rice the potatoes. You can also do this with a food mill or even grate the potato with a box grater. Once all riced, cover with flour and start to fold and mix the potato into the flour gently until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems really sticky and wet, add in a tablespoon or two of flour, to dry and crumbly, add in a tablespoon or two of water. The goal is a nice fluffy dough that hold it shape but is not overly dense.
Cut off a potion of the dough, roll it into a rope about an inch thick, then cut into inch long pieces.
To cook gnocchi. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and carefully drop in a handful of gnocchi into the water. They are gonna sink, but after a minute or two they start to float. Once floating, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked.
Cooked and ready%u2026 Ready for what? For anything you want but these are going into a tomato and onion situation.
Mince garlic and dice tomatoes and place into skillet with a good pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil. Place on stove and cook until slightly tender. Dice up tomatoes into small chunks and add to skillet along with a cup of water (if you have gnocchi water, use that) Turn heat up and cook until mixture start to bubble, then turn heat down to low and cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
And then drop in gnocchi. Keep on heat until the gnocchi are warmed completely all the way through.
Sprinkle of salt, lots of pepper, and something green if you want to be fancy.
And then you eat them.
-C
Makes 3-4 servings
2.5 pounds russet potatoes
2/3 cup of all purpose flour
1 large onion
3-4 tomatoes
few cloves garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil
water
Place potatoes directly into oven on one of the oven racks and bake on 450 degrees until soft and tender. Should take about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, depending on size of potatoes.
Once cooked, remove from oven carefully, cut in half, carefully, and let cool for a about 10 minutes, just so you can handle the potatoes without burning yourself. In the mean time, get a large pot, fill it with water, and set it on the stove to boil.
When the potatoes are not to hot to touch, grab them and with a spoon, scoop out all the potato flesh from the skin (keep skin for a snack or for soup). Lightly flour the counter and start ricing the potatoes directly onto the counter. (You can also use a food mill or a box grater if you don%u2019t have ricer). Once all potato is rices, cover with floor and gently fold potato over into flour, over and over, even using a knife, to kind of cut the potato into the flour, until it all mostly comes together. Be careful to not overwork the dough or else it will become dense make the gnocchi chewy. If the dough seems is sticky, add in a few more tablespoons of flour, to dry and seems crumbly, add a few tablespoons warm water.
Once you have the dough, make sure the water on the stove is still there and has not evaporated and is at a gentle boil. Cut dough in thirds then roll out a portion into a rope about an inch thick. Cut the rope into inch long pieces. Repeat with the rest of dough.
When all the gnocchi are made, grab a rimed baking sheet, coat with oil, and place close by the boil water.
Now to cook them. Drop a handful of gnocchi into water carefully. They will sink. Watch and after about a minute or two, they will start to float. Once floating, take a slotted spoon and take them out of water. Place them on the greased baking sheet. Repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked. (when done cooking, save a cup of the cooking water)
After the gnocchi is cooked, you can do whatever you want with it, like eat it right away with salt and pepper or whatever, but to make the quick tomatoes onion situation, dice up the onion and mince the garlic. Place into a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on stove and start to cook. Dice up the tomatoes and once the onion is tender, add in the dice tomatoes and about a cup of the gnocchi cooking water. Turn the heat up until the water is bubbling then reduce to low and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and tender. Once cooked, add in the gnocchi, toss them around, and cook until the gnocchi are fully warmed through.
And then eat it. Maybe a little more salt if needed, definitely lots of pepper, and whatever else you want.
It is getting oh so much nicer out yeah? Springing and such, well kind of. Still a wee bit chillier then it should be around here but still, it is spring and I am taking it.
And with the spring, I feel the itch, the itch to spend all of my free time outside. Out doing things that are not inside because I spent the last 7 long months inside way too much. I needed to be outside as much as possible and as it gets even nicer and warmer and garden temperature-able, I am basically going to be living outside.
Bring in sesame noodles. Super fast, super easy, super duper in every way. Make a big old batch and eat now, eat later, eat hot or eat cold. Everyone loves them, they love you, etc. etc%u2026 A perfect meal to have in rotation when you know that you are not going to have or want to spend much time cooking in the kitchen because you will be outside playing in the dirt and soaking up the sun. And think about all the picnics and BBQ%u2019s to come. These suckers are fantastic to have at any outdoor eating event. They are even peanut free so you can safely bring them to potlucks and such and don%u2019t have to worry about accidentally kill a peanut allergy person. And you can make them gluten free as well if you sub in your favorite gluten free pasta. These noodles, I am telling you. They are a winner in every way.
So with out further ado, the noodles!
The stuff. Spaghetti noodles, tahini, a few cloves of garlic, some toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, honey (used whatever sweetener you like), red pepper flakes, tasted sesame seeds some cabbage, half a red onion and a carrot.
Get pasta cooking. Boil water, drop noodles in, you know the drill. Cook as long as the the noodles need cooking, just make sure to not over cook them cause soggy noodles are nasty.
Chop, shred and julienne the cabage, onion and carrot. Nice and thin.
Mince the heck out of the garlic. Or use a garlic press if you want.
Now make the sauce. Add the minced garlic, along with the soy, sesame oil, vinegar, sweetener, and chili flakes to the bowl with the tahini. Mix, mix, mix until it is all incorporated and not lumpy. And that is that.
Noodles should be done by now so strain them out.
Add the prepared veggies to a big bowl.
Add in the cooked noodles
Cover with sauce and toss all around until all the noodles are coated and delicious. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a pinch or so more of pepper flakes.
And then it is time. Eating time.
Happy spring!
-C
serves 3-6
3/4 lb (3/4 of a package) of your favorite spaghetti noodles (or linguine or similar noodle)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup soy (low sodium if you have it and gluten free tamari if needed)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tahini
2-4 teaspoons red chili flakes
1-2 teaspoons sweetener of choice (maple, honey, or brown sugar)
4-5 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
about a 1/4 head of cabbage
a carrot
small red onion
Bring a pot of water to a boiling cook the noodles as directed on package. You want them al dente, cooked all the way, but barely. No soggy noodles. (unless you like them soggy)
In the mean time, shred the cabbage, julienne the carrot (or shred it) and slice the onion so very thinly. Place into a large bowl. Now mince garlic and place into a bowl along with the soy, sweetener, vinegar, tahini, sesame oil and a teaspoon or two (more for spicier) of chili flakes and whisk until completely incorporated. Taste and adjust if needed. Add more tahini for more body, more sweetener if needed or more hot pepper flakes for more spice.
Once noodles are cooked, drain and place into large bowl along with the shredded and julienned veggies. Pour in the sauce and toss it all around until all the noodles are covered. Sprinkle in the toasted sesame seeds and a small pinch more of the red pepper flakes.
Eat. Eat warm, room temp, or cold. They are delicious any way.
Any left overs just stick in fridge. Can be reheated or not. Also, you can make the sauce and the noodles a few day ahead of time of when you want to have the dish Just mix the sauce with the noodles when you are about to serve them%u2026 So simple!
Roasted veggies of any kind can get this girl in trouble. Place a sheet pan meant for many full of roasted veggies and watch out, I will probably eat them all. I can%u2019t stop, won%u2019t stop and you know what, I am not sorry, especially if its roasted brussel sprouts and squash.l I am grabbing at every last bit, especially all the really crispy, almost burnt pieces. Burnt food is one of my favorite flavors.
This dish is pretty basic, but also not. A slightly overlooked grain, spelt, makes for a hearty backdrop to the magic of roasted sprouts and squash, covered with a sunflower butter sauce which is a nice spin on a traditional peanut sauce. It%u2019s pretty easy to make and pretty to look at as well. A nice hearty and warming meal for all of those cold winter nights. And it%u2019s not going to make you feel heavy or gross, like if you sat and ate an entire lasagna. No, you will feel full and fantastic and ready for a cookie (it is the holidays after all).
The ingredients in this dish are mainly inspired by the half eaten jar of sunflower butter a friend of mine gave me at the gym, plus the fact that I have been getting a few stocks of brussel sprouts each week at farm share so we are eating them at ever meal, (plus I LOVE brussel sprouts) and me trying to use up all of the grains and such in the pantry before restocking anything more or new. A dish of convenience sure, but also a damn delicious one at that. With this being said, if you had a different grain you wanted to use, or an abundance of some other veggies that you have or prefer, well go ahead and use them. You do you my friend.
And really, I was thinking of you when I made this dish. Sometimes at this time of year people tend to forget to eat, or tend to eat on the not so healthy side. This grain bowl situation is just what your body is in need of. Simple delicious nourishment.
The stuff. Spelt that has been soaking in water for a while, half a butternut squash, brussel sprouts, a red onion. Also sunflower butter, a few cloves garlic, a lime, soy sauce, a touch of maple, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
The spelt will probably take the longest so get it on the stove. Strain away the soaking water and place into with fresh water. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on pot ans let it go.
Next, get to the veggies. Halve the big sprouts (small ones can stay whole) chop onion into chunks and cube the squash.
A drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a good toss around and it ready for the oven.
Meanwhile, make the sunflower butter sauce. Its pretty basic. The sunflower butter, minced garlic, soy, maple, and juice of the lime all into a vessel that can hold it. Add a couple tablespoons of warm water to thin it out and done. Sunflower butter sauce. Easy Peasy.
After about an hour, your slept should be cooked (that sounds aggressive to me) Tender and chewy and just right.
The veggies should be roasted and done too. Crisp as you like ( I actually like mine even darker, but the mr does not so I went a light roast this time)
And it%u2019s all ready for you to eat.
Roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts on a warm bed of spelt covered in sunflower butter sauce. Living the good life here.
Take care of yourself this week, and always for that matter. Eat some good food. Your body will be happy for it.
Bye.
-C
Serves 2-3
1 cup spelt berries (soaked in water overnight if you remember)
3 cups water
about 1/2 of a butternut squash
about a pound of Brussel sprouts
a medium red onion
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (unsalted and unsweetened)
2 tablespoons liquid amionos or soy
1 teaspoon maple or honey
1 lime
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to 425
Place soaked spelt berries in a pot with water and a pinch of salt. Bring a boil then reduce heat, place a lid on pot and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until spelt berries are tender and all the water has been absorbed.
While spelt is cooking, cut sprouts in half (unless they are very small), cube the butternut into pieces about an inch big, and chop the onion up into chunks. Place all that you just chopped onto a baking sheet, drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and toss around. Sprinkle the veggies with a pinch or so of salt and pepper and pop into the hot oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until roasted to your desired doneness. (I like things a lot darker then the mr so I would leave my veggies in for closer to an hour)
For the sunflower butter sauce. Mince garlic and place into bowl or cup with the sunflower butter. Add in the maple, soy, and the juice of the lime. Mix together and add in a 2 tablespoons of warm water to thin out. Add more water if needed to get to a thick but pourable consistency.
Once the spelt is cooked, the veggies are roasted and the sauce is made, well you can assemble and eat. Spelt in a bowl, toss on some roasted veggies, and cover in the sauce. And then you eat it.
Easy quick dinners are no joke because sometimes life happens and then you are hungry, then hangry, %u00a0then maybe yelling and or tears start and nothing is ever going to be good again. And then you eat and everything is A OK, but that time between tears and food can be long, especially when you just can’t think so one should have a least a good 2 or 3 good dinners up there sleeve (besides pasta) that can be made quick and easily to avoid the fallout of food deprivation.%u00a0This bowl of goodness here is one of those. And sure some people might not always have a sweet potato,%u00a0tahini, or chickpeas is the house %u00a0(I ALWAYS have a sweet potato or some type of winter squash and tahini and chickpeas…%u00a0they are staples here)%u00a0but with a tiny it of foresight, you can make these things happen too. And then you will make it and realize that you must have these ingredients on hand at all times because yeah, a good go to meal that will prevent the tears.
Admittedly I have made this for the mr but he is not that into it. Says he is not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. (what the fuck is wrong with him?) But me, I eat is and I eat it all.. The sweet potato/chickpea/tahini combination is classic fantastic. This hash is sweet potato sweet, a little chickpea crunchy, salty, savory,%u00a0and creamy citrusy. %u00a0It’s all sorts of goodness. I tossed this hash on a big bed of kale (any sturdy green would be good) and only good things happen in my mouth. So the mr.%u00a0might not like it but I am starting to realize (after 15 years) that my taste is far superior to his. Haha. (but really) %u00a0Quick and easy (and healthy) and good. %u00a0Make it once and it will turn into on of your go to dinners, unless you don’t like sweet potatoes. In that case there is pasta.%u00a0
The stuff. Chick peas (I had just made a batch but if you don’t have any made already, grab a can) a sweet potato, an onion, a lemon, some tahini, and garlic Also some cumin and chili powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.%u00a0
Preheat your oven and chop up the onion and sweet potato into mouth sized pieces.%u00a0
Toss the chopped stuff onto a baking sheet with the chickpeas.
Drizzle the whole shebang with olive oil and toss with cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper. %u00a0
Into the oven it goes.
Half hour later it is all roasted and ready.
Oh quick, make this before the stuff is out of the oven. Tahini, minced garlic, a dash of salt, a bit of the liquid from the chickpeas and the juice of a lemon. Just stick it all in a cup or bowl and mix it around. Then it’s done.
Scoop the hash into a bowl (I like a large pile of greens underneath) and cover with the tahini sauce.%u00a0
Eat is all to your face.
-C
dinner for one, a side for two.%u00a0Very easily doubled or tripled.%u00a0
1 sweet potato
2 cups or 1 can cooked chickpeas drained but liquid reserved%u00a0
1 medium yellow onion
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
salt and pepper
2-3 tablespoons olive oil
3 tablespoon tahini
1 lemon
1/4- 1/2 cup of aquafaba (chickpea liquid)
2-3 cloves garlic
Preheat oven to 425
Chop sweet potato and onion into mouth sized cubes and place on a baking sheet. Add the drained chickpeas and drizzle with olive oil and toss around. Sprinkle on the cumin, chili powder,%u00a0salt and pepper, and toss that around again. When the oven is preheated, slide the baking sheet on in.%u00a0
While the stuff is baking, mince the garlic and place it in a bowl with the tahini, the juice of a lemon, and a pinch or two of salt to taste. Add in 1/4 cup of aquafaba and mix it all around.%u00a0If to thick for your liking, add a little more of the aqaufaba until its a good consistency.%u00a0
Check the stuff in the oven after 20 minutes and give it a toss.%u00a0%u00a0Keep baking for another 5-10 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked and starting to brown. Remove from oven and dump into a bowl (maybe on a bed of greens or rice) and drizzle all over with the tahini sauce.
Eat
The radishes in my garden have gone from these tiny little wisps of green to a freaking jungle of greens with bright red bulbs bursting through the dirt. Ah, radishes., those little red balls of zesty crisp goodness that grow like crazy in the garden. They are no fuss, no joke, toss them seeds into the grown and bam, you get you some radishes. No matter how crappy of a gardener you might think you are, I bet you could grow you some radishes no problem.%u00a0
And with those radishes comes a butt load of greens, the greens that everyone seems to just toss away which is crazy because the greens are so good. They are tender and zippy and make for great eating. I usually just toss them into salads or whatever but I guess I went a little overboard with the planting of the radishes and I have so so so many radishes all ready to be pulled now with so so so many greens that need to be eaten. So pesto. Fresh early summer, tangy and bright green goodness. It is super tasty and great. Definitely anew favorite and a great way to use up your radish greens.%u00a0
The stuff. Lemon, olive oil, garlic, walnuts, salt and pepper and a bunch of radish greens.
Pretty freaking simple here. Stick garlic, and walnuts into the bottom of the blender and give that a pulse or two.%u00a0 (I would have used my food processor but the new blade has yet to arrive). Add in all the greens, the juice of lemons, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn on low and stream in a oil. You might need to push down greens to get them into the blenders vortex.
And once it’s all blended you have pesto.
Pour it into a jar and it’s ready to go.
Eat it any way you eat your pesto.
Enjoy
-C
Makes about 2 cups
4ish cups radish greens (I used the greens from about 10 radishes)
1-2 lemons
3/4 cup toasted walnuts
4 cloves garlic
about 1/2 cup olive oil
salt and pepper
Stick walnuts, garlic and the juice of the lemons into a food processor or blender. Give it a pulse or two. Add in a pinch of salt ans pepper then the greens. Turn on blender and stream in olive oil. You might need to stop a few times to push the greens down. Blend until combines. Taste and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Pour finishes pesto into a jar. Eat with pasta, use as dip, smear on toast, dollop in soup. Eat it however you like.
Lasts for a week or two in fridge and freezes really well .
I know what you are thinking, you are thinking “It’s Memorial Day weekend. Unofficial start of summer. Lots of BBQ’s now I have to make a potato salad!” (it’s a law right?) and “I want a pickle, dill to be specific”. Ok, maybe you weren’t thinking that, but I was. (I often think about pickles…)
Pickles. And potato salad. It only made sense to make a pickled potato salad. So make it I did. And oh boy oh boy, there is nothing better then a rich and creamy salad consisting of potatoes other then a rich and creamy and pickle tart salad of potatoes. I hit the nail right on the head with this one. The mr and I ate the entire salad all to ourselves and way to fast. Now it is gone and I didn’t get a chance to share with anyone. But it’s ok, cause this is definitely going into the summertime potato salad rotation.
Now you are thinking “creamy dill pickle potato salad.. this girl is a genius!” and to that, I say yes. I would have to agree with you on that. (hehe)
And to all who may not be a pickle fan, or need to make 2 potato salads, (it is always good to have a variety of potato dishes at any BBQ ) try this guacamole potato salad, another favorite.
The stuff. Potatoes of course and half a sweet onion, a cup or so of navy beans in the aquafaba ( bean water), left over pickle juice, fresh dill, dried dill, garlic, olive oil ,salt and a pepper.%u00a0
Yes there is a lemon pictured, but I was actually using that to squeeze into my water so yeah, not needed in the potato salad but you should grab a lemon and a big tall glass of water and drink it. Keep yourself hydrated.
Get the potatoes going. Chop them up into small piece and place into a big pot. Cover with cold water and add in a good bit of salt. Stick the pot on the stove and boil those taters.
While potatoes are boiling, strain the aquafaba (bean water) from the beans.
And chop the onion into little pieces and stick into a big bowl along with the strained (and now rinsed) beans.%u00a0 Pour in half the pickle juice and give it a good toss then set aside and let the pickle juice do it’s thing.
Now it’s the sauce time. Blend up aquafaba, garlic,%u00a0 dried dill, a little pickle juice and pinch of salt. As your blending, pour in olive oil until the sauce becomes rich and creamy dill sauce (vegan mayo my friends)
The potatoes are boiled until fork tender and drained..
Toss the strained potatoes back into the pot and add in the bean/ onion mix and the rest of the pickle juice. Give it all a good toss and stick the pot into the fridge for about an hour until the potatoes are cool.
And now we assemble. The cooled off pickle juice infused potatoes, beans, and onions are stuck into a bowl (or just leave in the pot if you want) and slathered with the creamy dill sauce and mixed with as much fresh dill as you want and lots of freshly cracked pepper
And a pickle. If you have one, I highly, HIGHLY, recommend chopping one up and adding it… I mean it is a pickled potato salad after all.
So now you have a great,%u00a0 fantastic, knock your socks off, salad to make for any of your weekend BBQ needs.
Your welcome.
Now have a great, extra long weekend!
-C
Serve 4-6
5-6 red potatoes
1 cup pickle juice (use a good pickle juice that you like the taste of)
A small sweet yellow onion (or half a big one)
1 cup navy beans
3-4 tablespoons aquafaba (bean water)
1/2 cup olive oil
2-3 cloves garlic
1 tablespoon dried dill
a handful of fresh dill
salt and pepper
pickles (optional)
Chop up the potatoes into mouth little chunks ans place into a pot . Rinse them and them cover about with about an extra inch of cold water, Ad d in a a good sprnkle of salt (like a tablespoon) and stick on the stove. Bring the pot to a rapid boil then turn heat down a bit to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
While potatoes are boils, strain you beans away from the aquafaba, and keeping about 3-4 tablespoons of the liquid. Rinse the beans and place into a big bowl. Chop the onion into little pieces and add that in with the beans and about 1/2 of the pickle juice. Set aside
Now grab the strained bean juice, about a tablespoon of pickle juice, the garlic, and the dried dill,%u00a0 Either with a hand blender or regular blender, start blending all that together while slowly pouring in olive oil (about 1/2 a cup ) until the sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in fridge to hang until you need it.
And once the potatoes are cooked, strain them then add them back to the pot along with the bean/onion mixture and the rest of the pickle juice. Toss around to coat evenly and place into the fridge to cool. After about a half hour its a good idea to give it a toss to make sure the juice is getting to all the potatoes.
Once potatoes are cooled, dump into a serving bowl. (or just keep in pot) It’s ok if there is a little remaining liquid.. it will get sucked up by the potatoes. Get the sauce from the fridge and pour it and toss it around to evenly coat all those yummy potatoes. Chop up fresh dill and toss that in too (as much fresh dill as you like.. more is better!) And lately, if you have a spare pickle or two, chop it up and add it on in (or place in a bowl on the side for people add in themselves)
I added the pickle. You should add the pickle. It is so good with the pickle
Like any potato salad, serve with your favorite foods and keep in the fridge when not being eaten.
When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice
Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)
But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.%u00a0 This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .
And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.
You can, you should, you, must.
The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.
To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.
And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.%u00a0 When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.
And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.
Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)%u00a0 and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.
Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.
Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.
Into the oven it needs to go.
Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.
Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.
Your good to go!
Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.
-C
1 12oz pizza dough (use this recipe, your own, or store bought)
10-15 or so stalks of asparagus (about 1/2 a pound)
3-4 big radishes
1/2 cup peas
1/2 cup cashews (soaked for about 1/2 an hour)
2-3 cloves garlic
3 tablespoons nutritional yeast
1/8-1/4 cup water
A lemon
olive oil
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450
First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.
Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.
Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.%u00a0 I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)%u00a0 Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.
%u00a0 And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.
To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)%u00a0 Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.%u00a0 Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.
When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.
Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!
Happy Spring Eating!
As a kid, my favorite holiday was Easter. Every year my parents would fill up brightly colored plastic baskets with handfuls of neon colored plastic “grass” and top it with all sorts of candy, coloring books, bubble, and sidewalk chalk. They were beautiful and amazing.%u00a0 It was like getting a basket of fun and a bunch of sugary candy to keep you going to have all that fun all day long. And the egg hunts. Plastic eggs full of candy hidden all over the house ans yard. We would all have our emptied out baskets running around full of excitement, ready to take out any sibling in our path just to be the one to get the next egg. We were ruthless and I am pretty sure every year someone would end up crying. Now, as an adult, I am not allowed to participate in the egg hunt. (but I still try to make my sibling cry)%u00a0 Nope, now I get to hide the eggs and sit back and watch the new generation of littles tripping each other and stealing eggs from one another. The carnage!
And also at Easter there is cake. Is there a rule that says you have to make carrot cake for Easter? I think there must be because it is when everyone and their moms busts this cake out. And everyone’s carrot cake it the best because they made it the right way, like with raisins or pineapple or walnuts. There are so many things that can be added to this cake that it’s a little overwhelming. So I made a carrot cake that was mainly about the carrots. Nothing added, no nuts raisins or coconut (although you could add i if you wanted) and it’s made into a pretty bundt cake, which in turn makes mine the best.
This here cake was destined for tomorrows Easter table. I made it with no nut produces cause the nephew has the deadly nut allergy. But when I went and made the date sauce, I kinda let that slip and used almond milk. Oops. So now I have a whole big carrot cake sitting on the counter with it’s destiny shattered. So sad, but I think its will survive cause the mris really into it and has already eaten a few pieces. I figure that because it’s a carrot cake, he can eat a few more. It’s almost like eating a vegetable….almost. And now I need to make a new cake to bring over or I might just stop at the store and buy some oreos on my way over tomorrow. The littles will like that.
The stuff. A bowl containing flour, salt, baking powder ans baking soda.%u00a0 Also need a few really big carrots, a bit of brown sugar, and ground up cinnamon and ginger. Coconut oil, soy milk, an orange (for it’s zest) and a little apple cider vinegar are going into this cake too.
Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and tossing the into a pot with about an inch of water. Stick the pot on the stove and cook until the carrots are nice and tender. Then blend those tender carrots up.
I had a hard time not eating all of the carrot puree, so maybe if you want, cook up a few extra carrots ans have yourself a pre-carrot cake carrot snack.
And while the carrot puree is still warm, add in the coconut oil and the sugar. Mix it until the oil is melted ans it’s one cohesive mixture.
And take that last carrot ans grate it up into the flour. Also add in the spices and the zest of the orange.
Note. I used a small holed grater so that the carrot shreds would be small and add texture to the cake but not make it too chunky. But use a normal grater..it’s all about your carrots chunk prefernce here.
Now dump the wet carrot mixture into the dry and start to mix
Adding in the soy and the vinegar to complete the batter.
And scooped that batter into a oiled bundt pan and get it into the (preheated) oven to bake.
After about an hour, the cake is ready, golden brown and smelling like any good carrot cake should. Remove from the oven and turn the cake out from the cake pan and stick on on a rack to cool. This cake is waiting for me to decide what, or if I want to frost, drizzle, or sauce it up….. I think it wants as little something.
Ok, I figured it out. Date sauce.
The stuff. Fresh medjool dates, almond milk and sea salt.
Date (pits removed) into the food processor along with the milk and a good pinch of sea salt.%u00a0 Blend until it turns into a nice smooth, fluffy sauce.
Take that sauce and spread it all over the cake. As much or as little as you want (you might have left over date sauce but its ok, you can just eat. It will last for about a week in the fridge and goes great with just about anything) Once fully sauced, sprinkle the cake with flaked sea salt.
Sliced, plated, and ready. It’s carrot cake time.
Have a great weekend, eat all your candy at once!
-C
Makes a bundt cake (but could be made into a 9×13 sheet cake)
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/3 coconut cup oilany oil works)
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
3 large carrots (makes about 2 cups carrot puree and 1/2 cup of raw grated carrot)
1 heaping tablespoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon ginger
Salted Date Caramel
1 cup medjool dates (pitted)
1 cup almond milk (or any milk you want to use)
sea salt
Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and placing them into a pot with water about an inch of water. Stick on stove and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the carrots are fork tender. When done, puree them with any means nessasary (hand blender, regular blender, food processor) Add the coconut oil and sugar to the warm carrot puree and mix until oil is melted.
Preheat oven to 350
In a large separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and the spices. Grate the smallest carrot in with the dry.
Take the wet carrot mixture and dump into the dry and mix, adding in the soy milk and the vinegar as you mix. Once everything is completely incorporated, pour mixture into a well oiled bundt pan and stick the cake into the preheated oven
While the cake is baking, make the date sauce. Just take the dates, remove pits if they have any and place in a food processor with a good pinch of sea salt and the almond milk. Pulse a few times, scrap down the sides, and keep blended, stopping to scrap sides if needed, until a nice thick smooth sauce is formed. If you want a thinner sauce, just add more milk til you get your desired consistency.
Now check cake. Once it’s golden brown and a tester comes out clean (between 50 minutes to an hour) remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes in pan the then turn it over onto a wire rack to finish cooling off. Once the cake is cool, dump the date sauce all over it then sprinkle with another good few pinches of the sea salt.
And now eat it. This is a cake that needs no fork, but you can go ahead and use one if you must.
THE LOVELY CRAZY
September 19, 2019 by maximios • Blog
Farm share started last week (HOORAY!!!!) but always, at the beginning when things are still getting on growing, we are only getting a few things. Lot of greens which I will never get enough of, and lots of potatoes. Also, I made the mistake of buying a very large bag of potatoes last week right before farm share and now I am basically swimming in potatoes. And so the story goes%u2026.
So what do you do with a shit ton of potatoes? Yeah, I thought potato cannon to but then I realized that I would have to use my potatoes and sure I have a lot, but I am not wasting them on that. So gnocchi they became. Gnocchi. Basically a boiled french fry or a mashed potato meat ball. Or maybe more like a ravioli. Whatever they are, they are loved by potato loving people and are fun to make. I mean, when do you ever get to use the ricer? ( Don%u2019t worry, you can make gnocchi without a ricer.)
To the gnocchi.
The stuff. Potatoes, flour, an onion, some tomatoes, a few cloves of garlic, salt, pepper, and olive oil.
Note. Make sure to use russet potatoes because they make the lightest, fluffiest gnocchi. You could probably use Yukon gold, but any hard wax potato just won%u2019t do.
First step is to make baked potatoes. Place potatoes in oven, directly on rack, and bake for 30-45 minutes until nice and soft and tender. Just like you would when you eat it as a baked potato. Once cooked cut them in half and let them cool off for a few minutes.
Once potatoes are cool enough to handle, scoop all the flesh out of skins. Keep skins for soup or a snack for later.
And the fun part. Flour the counter then rice the potatoes. You can also do this with a food mill or even grate the potato with a box grater. Once all riced, cover with flour and start to fold and mix the potato into the flour gently until the dough starts to come together. If the dough seems really sticky and wet, add in a tablespoon or two of flour, to dry and crumbly, add in a tablespoon or two of water. The goal is a nice fluffy dough that hold it shape but is not overly dense.
Cut off a potion of the dough, roll it into a rope about an inch thick, then cut into inch long pieces.
To cook gnocchi. Bring a big pot of water to a boil and carefully drop in a handful of gnocchi into the water. They are gonna sink, but after a minute or two they start to float. Once floating, remove them from the pot with a slotted spoon and place them on a lightly oiled baking sheet. Repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked.
Cooked and ready%u2026 Ready for what? For anything you want but these are going into a tomato and onion situation.
Mince garlic and dice tomatoes and place into skillet with a good pinch of salt and a splash of olive oil. Place on stove and cook until slightly tender. Dice up tomatoes into small chunks and add to skillet along with a cup of water (if you have gnocchi water, use that) Turn heat up and cook until mixture start to bubble, then turn heat down to low and cook until the tomatoes are mushy.
And then drop in gnocchi. Keep on heat until the gnocchi are warmed completely all the way through.
Sprinkle of salt, lots of pepper, and something green if you want to be fancy.
And then you eat them.
-C
Makes 3-4 servings
2.5 pounds russet potatoes
2/3 cup of all purpose flour
1 large onion
3-4 tomatoes
few cloves garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil
water
Place potatoes directly into oven on one of the oven racks and bake on 450 degrees until soft and tender. Should take about 1/2 hour to 45 minutes, depending on size of potatoes.
Once cooked, remove from oven carefully, cut in half, carefully, and let cool for a about 10 minutes, just so you can handle the potatoes without burning yourself. In the mean time, get a large pot, fill it with water, and set it on the stove to boil.
When the potatoes are not to hot to touch, grab them and with a spoon, scoop out all the potato flesh from the skin (keep skin for a snack or for soup). Lightly flour the counter and start ricing the potatoes directly onto the counter. (You can also use a food mill or a box grater if you don%u2019t have ricer). Once all potato is rices, cover with floor and gently fold potato over into flour, over and over, even using a knife, to kind of cut the potato into the flour, until it all mostly comes together. Be careful to not overwork the dough or else it will become dense make the gnocchi chewy. If the dough seems is sticky, add in a few more tablespoons of flour, to dry and seems crumbly, add a few tablespoons warm water.
Once you have the dough, make sure the water on the stove is still there and has not evaporated and is at a gentle boil. Cut dough in thirds then roll out a portion into a rope about an inch thick. Cut the rope into inch long pieces. Repeat with the rest of dough.
When all the gnocchi are made, grab a rimed baking sheet, coat with oil, and place close by the boil water.
Now to cook them. Drop a handful of gnocchi into water carefully. They will sink. Watch and after about a minute or two, they will start to float. Once floating, take a slotted spoon and take them out of water. Place them on the greased baking sheet. Repeat until all the gnocchi are cooked. (when done cooking, save a cup of the cooking water)
After the gnocchi is cooked, you can do whatever you want with it, like eat it right away with salt and pepper or whatever, but to make the quick tomatoes onion situation, dice up the onion and mince the garlic. Place into a skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and place on stove and start to cook. Dice up the tomatoes and once the onion is tender, add in the dice tomatoes and about a cup of the gnocchi cooking water. Turn the heat up until the water is bubbling then reduce to low and cook until the tomatoes are mushy and tender. Once cooked, add in the gnocchi, toss them around, and cook until the gnocchi are fully warmed through.
And then eat it. Maybe a little more salt if needed, definitely lots of pepper, and whatever else you want.
It is getting oh so much nicer out yeah? Springing and such, well kind of. Still a wee bit chillier then it should be around here but still, it is spring and I am taking it.
And with the spring, I feel the itch, the itch to spend all of my free time outside. Out doing things that are not inside because I spent the last 7 long months inside way too much. I needed to be outside as much as possible and as it gets even nicer and warmer and garden temperature-able, I am basically going to be living outside.
Bring in sesame noodles. Super fast, super easy, super duper in every way. Make a big old batch and eat now, eat later, eat hot or eat cold. Everyone loves them, they love you, etc. etc%u2026 A perfect meal to have in rotation when you know that you are not going to have or want to spend much time cooking in the kitchen because you will be outside playing in the dirt and soaking up the sun. And think about all the picnics and BBQ%u2019s to come. These suckers are fantastic to have at any outdoor eating event. They are even peanut free so you can safely bring them to potlucks and such and don%u2019t have to worry about accidentally kill a peanut allergy person. And you can make them gluten free as well if you sub in your favorite gluten free pasta. These noodles, I am telling you. They are a winner in every way.
So with out further ado, the noodles!
The stuff. Spaghetti noodles, tahini, a few cloves of garlic, some toasted sesame oil, soy sauce, red wine vinegar, honey (used whatever sweetener you like), red pepper flakes, tasted sesame seeds some cabbage, half a red onion and a carrot.
Get pasta cooking. Boil water, drop noodles in, you know the drill. Cook as long as the the noodles need cooking, just make sure to not over cook them cause soggy noodles are nasty.
Chop, shred and julienne the cabage, onion and carrot. Nice and thin.
Mince the heck out of the garlic. Or use a garlic press if you want.
Now make the sauce. Add the minced garlic, along with the soy, sesame oil, vinegar, sweetener, and chili flakes to the bowl with the tahini. Mix, mix, mix until it is all incorporated and not lumpy. And that is that.
Noodles should be done by now so strain them out.
Add the prepared veggies to a big bowl.
Add in the cooked noodles
Cover with sauce and toss all around until all the noodles are coated and delicious. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and a pinch or so more of pepper flakes.
And then it is time. Eating time.
Happy spring!
-C
serves 3-6
3/4 lb (3/4 of a package) of your favorite spaghetti noodles (or linguine or similar noodle)
2 tablespoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup soy (low sodium if you have it and gluten free tamari if needed)
3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons tahini
2-4 teaspoons red chili flakes
1-2 teaspoons sweetener of choice (maple, honey, or brown sugar)
4-5 cloves garlic
1-2 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
about a 1/4 head of cabbage
a carrot
small red onion
Bring a pot of water to a boiling cook the noodles as directed on package. You want them al dente, cooked all the way, but barely. No soggy noodles. (unless you like them soggy)
In the mean time, shred the cabbage, julienne the carrot (or shred it) and slice the onion so very thinly. Place into a large bowl. Now mince garlic and place into a bowl along with the soy, sweetener, vinegar, tahini, sesame oil and a teaspoon or two (more for spicier) of chili flakes and whisk until completely incorporated. Taste and adjust if needed. Add more tahini for more body, more sweetener if needed or more hot pepper flakes for more spice.
Once noodles are cooked, drain and place into large bowl along with the shredded and julienned veggies. Pour in the sauce and toss it all around until all the noodles are covered. Sprinkle in the toasted sesame seeds and a small pinch more of the red pepper flakes.
Eat. Eat warm, room temp, or cold. They are delicious any way.
Any left overs just stick in fridge. Can be reheated or not. Also, you can make the sauce and the noodles a few day ahead of time of when you want to have the dish Just mix the sauce with the noodles when you are about to serve them%u2026 So simple!
Roasted veggies of any kind can get this girl in trouble. Place a sheet pan meant for many full of roasted veggies and watch out, I will probably eat them all. I can%u2019t stop, won%u2019t stop and you know what, I am not sorry, especially if its roasted brussel sprouts and squash.l I am grabbing at every last bit, especially all the really crispy, almost burnt pieces. Burnt food is one of my favorite flavors.
This dish is pretty basic, but also not. A slightly overlooked grain, spelt, makes for a hearty backdrop to the magic of roasted sprouts and squash, covered with a sunflower butter sauce which is a nice spin on a traditional peanut sauce. It%u2019s pretty easy to make and pretty to look at as well. A nice hearty and warming meal for all of those cold winter nights. And it%u2019s not going to make you feel heavy or gross, like if you sat and ate an entire lasagna. No, you will feel full and fantastic and ready for a cookie (it is the holidays after all).
The ingredients in this dish are mainly inspired by the half eaten jar of sunflower butter a friend of mine gave me at the gym, plus the fact that I have been getting a few stocks of brussel sprouts each week at farm share so we are eating them at ever meal, (plus I LOVE brussel sprouts) and me trying to use up all of the grains and such in the pantry before restocking anything more or new. A dish of convenience sure, but also a damn delicious one at that. With this being said, if you had a different grain you wanted to use, or an abundance of some other veggies that you have or prefer, well go ahead and use them. You do you my friend.
And really, I was thinking of you when I made this dish. Sometimes at this time of year people tend to forget to eat, or tend to eat on the not so healthy side. This grain bowl situation is just what your body is in need of. Simple delicious nourishment.
The stuff. Spelt that has been soaking in water for a while, half a butternut squash, brussel sprouts, a red onion. Also sunflower butter, a few cloves garlic, a lime, soy sauce, a touch of maple, salt and pepper, and olive oil.
The spelt will probably take the longest so get it on the stove. Strain away the soaking water and place into with fresh water. Bring to boil then reduce heat to a simmer. Place a lid on pot ans let it go.
Next, get to the veggies. Halve the big sprouts (small ones can stay whole) chop onion into chunks and cube the squash.
A drizzle of oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper, and a good toss around and it ready for the oven.
Meanwhile, make the sunflower butter sauce. Its pretty basic. The sunflower butter, minced garlic, soy, maple, and juice of the lime all into a vessel that can hold it. Add a couple tablespoons of warm water to thin it out and done. Sunflower butter sauce. Easy Peasy.
After about an hour, your slept should be cooked (that sounds aggressive to me) Tender and chewy and just right.
The veggies should be roasted and done too. Crisp as you like ( I actually like mine even darker, but the mr does not so I went a light roast this time)
And it%u2019s all ready for you to eat.
Roasted butternut squash and brussel sprouts on a warm bed of spelt covered in sunflower butter sauce. Living the good life here.
Take care of yourself this week, and always for that matter. Eat some good food. Your body will be happy for it.
Bye.
-C
Serves 2-3
1 cup spelt berries (soaked in water overnight if you remember)
3 cups water
about 1/2 of a butternut squash
about a pound of Brussel sprouts
a medium red onion
1/4 cup sunflower seed butter (unsalted and unsweetened)
2 tablespoons liquid amionos or soy
1 teaspoon maple or honey
1 lime
2 cloves garlic
salt and pepper
olive oil
Preheat oven to 425
Place soaked spelt berries in a pot with water and a pinch of salt. Bring a boil then reduce heat, place a lid on pot and simmer for 45 minutes to an hour or until spelt berries are tender and all the water has been absorbed.
While spelt is cooking, cut sprouts in half (unless they are very small), cube the butternut into pieces about an inch big, and chop the onion up into chunks. Place all that you just chopped onto a baking sheet, drizzle with a teaspoon or two of olive oil and toss around. Sprinkle the veggies with a pinch or so of salt and pepper and pop into the hot oven. Roast for 40-45 minutes or until roasted to your desired doneness. (I like things a lot darker then the mr so I would leave my veggies in for closer to an hour)
For the sunflower butter sauce. Mince garlic and place into bowl or cup with the sunflower butter. Add in the maple, soy, and the juice of the lime. Mix together and add in a 2 tablespoons of warm water to thin out. Add more water if needed to get to a thick but pourable consistency.
Once the spelt is cooked, the veggies are roasted and the sauce is made, well you can assemble and eat. Spelt in a bowl, toss on some roasted veggies, and cover in the sauce. And then you eat it.
Easy quick dinners are no joke because sometimes life happens and then you are hungry, then hangry, %u00a0then maybe yelling and or tears start and nothing is ever going to be good again. And then you eat and everything is A OK, but that time between tears and food can be long, especially when you just can’t think so one should have a least a good 2 or 3 good dinners up there sleeve (besides pasta) that can be made quick and easily to avoid the fallout of food deprivation.%u00a0This bowl of goodness here is one of those. And sure some people might not always have a sweet potato,%u00a0tahini, or chickpeas is the house %u00a0(I ALWAYS have a sweet potato or some type of winter squash and tahini and chickpeas…%u00a0they are staples here)%u00a0but with a tiny it of foresight, you can make these things happen too. And then you will make it and realize that you must have these ingredients on hand at all times because yeah, a good go to meal that will prevent the tears.
Admittedly I have made this for the mr but he is not that into it. Says he is not a huge fan of sweet potatoes. (what the fuck is wrong with him?) But me, I eat is and I eat it all.. The sweet potato/chickpea/tahini combination is classic fantastic. This hash is sweet potato sweet, a little chickpea crunchy, salty, savory,%u00a0and creamy citrusy. %u00a0It’s all sorts of goodness. I tossed this hash on a big bed of kale (any sturdy green would be good) and only good things happen in my mouth. So the mr.%u00a0might not like it but I am starting to realize (after 15 years) that my taste is far superior to his. Haha. (but really) %u00a0Quick and easy (and healthy) and good. %u00a0Make it once and it will turn into on of your go to dinners, unless you don’t like sweet potatoes. In that case there is pasta.%u00a0
The stuff. Chick peas (I had just made a batch but if you don’t have any made already, grab a can) a sweet potato, an onion, a lemon, some tahini, and garlic Also some cumin and chili powder, olive oil, and salt and pepper.%u00a0
Preheat your oven and chop up the onion and sweet potato into mouth sized pieces.%u00a0
Toss the chopped stuff onto a baking sheet with the chickpeas.
Drizzle the whole shebang with olive oil and toss with cumin, chili powder, and salt and pepper. %u00a0
Into the oven it goes.
Half hour later it is all roasted and ready.
Oh quick, make this before the stuff is out of the oven. Tahini, minced garlic, a dash of salt, a bit of the liquid from the chickpeas and the juice of a lemon. Just stick it all in a cup or bowl and mix it around. Then it’s done.
Scoop the hash into a bowl (I like a large pile of greens underneath) and cover with the tahini sauce.%u00a0
Eat is all to your face.
-C
dinner for one, a side for two.%u00a0Very easily doubled or tripled.%u00a0
Preheat oven to 425
Chop sweet potato and onion into mouth sized cubes and place on a baking sheet. Add the drained chickpeas and drizzle with olive oil and toss around. Sprinkle on the cumin, chili powder,%u00a0salt and pepper, and toss that around again. When the oven is preheated, slide the baking sheet on in.%u00a0
While the stuff is baking, mince the garlic and place it in a bowl with the tahini, the juice of a lemon, and a pinch or two of salt to taste. Add in 1/4 cup of aquafaba and mix it all around.%u00a0If to thick for your liking, add a little more of the aqaufaba until its a good consistency.%u00a0
Check the stuff in the oven after 20 minutes and give it a toss.%u00a0%u00a0Keep baking for another 5-10 minutes or until the sweet potato is cooked and starting to brown. Remove from oven and dump into a bowl (maybe on a bed of greens or rice) and drizzle all over with the tahini sauce.
Eat
The radishes in my garden have gone from these tiny little wisps of green to a freaking jungle of greens with bright red bulbs bursting through the dirt. Ah, radishes., those little red balls of zesty crisp goodness that grow like crazy in the garden. They are no fuss, no joke, toss them seeds into the grown and bam, you get you some radishes. No matter how crappy of a gardener you might think you are, I bet you could grow you some radishes no problem.%u00a0
And with those radishes comes a butt load of greens, the greens that everyone seems to just toss away which is crazy because the greens are so good. They are tender and zippy and make for great eating. I usually just toss them into salads or whatever but I guess I went a little overboard with the planting of the radishes and I have so so so many radishes all ready to be pulled now with so so so many greens that need to be eaten. So pesto. Fresh early summer, tangy and bright green goodness. It is super tasty and great. Definitely anew favorite and a great way to use up your radish greens.%u00a0
The stuff. Lemon, olive oil, garlic, walnuts, salt and pepper and a bunch of radish greens.
Pretty freaking simple here. Stick garlic, and walnuts into the bottom of the blender and give that a pulse or two.%u00a0 (I would have used my food processor but the new blade has yet to arrive). Add in all the greens, the juice of lemons, sprinkle with salt and pepper. Turn on low and stream in a oil. You might need to push down greens to get them into the blenders vortex.
And once it’s all blended you have pesto.
Pour it into a jar and it’s ready to go.
Eat it any way you eat your pesto.
Enjoy
-C
Makes about 2 cups
Stick walnuts, garlic and the juice of the lemons into a food processor or blender. Give it a pulse or two. Add in a pinch of salt ans pepper then the greens. Turn on blender and stream in olive oil. You might need to stop a few times to push the greens down. Blend until combines. Taste and season with more salt and pepper to taste.
Pour finishes pesto into a jar. Eat with pasta, use as dip, smear on toast, dollop in soup. Eat it however you like.
Lasts for a week or two in fridge and freezes really well .
I know what you are thinking, you are thinking “It’s Memorial Day weekend. Unofficial start of summer. Lots of BBQ’s now I have to make a potato salad!” (it’s a law right?) and “I want a pickle, dill to be specific”. Ok, maybe you weren’t thinking that, but I was. (I often think about pickles…)
Pickles. And potato salad. It only made sense to make a pickled potato salad. So make it I did. And oh boy oh boy, there is nothing better then a rich and creamy salad consisting of potatoes other then a rich and creamy and pickle tart salad of potatoes. I hit the nail right on the head with this one. The mr and I ate the entire salad all to ourselves and way to fast. Now it is gone and I didn’t get a chance to share with anyone. But it’s ok, cause this is definitely going into the summertime potato salad rotation.
Now you are thinking “creamy dill pickle potato salad.. this girl is a genius!” and to that, I say yes. I would have to agree with you on that. (hehe)
And to all who may not be a pickle fan, or need to make 2 potato salads, (it is always good to have a variety of potato dishes at any BBQ ) try this guacamole potato salad, another favorite.
The stuff. Potatoes of course and half a sweet onion, a cup or so of navy beans in the aquafaba ( bean water), left over pickle juice, fresh dill, dried dill, garlic, olive oil ,salt and a pepper.%u00a0
Yes there is a lemon pictured, but I was actually using that to squeeze into my water so yeah, not needed in the potato salad but you should grab a lemon and a big tall glass of water and drink it. Keep yourself hydrated.
Get the potatoes going. Chop them up into small piece and place into a big pot. Cover with cold water and add in a good bit of salt. Stick the pot on the stove and boil those taters.
While potatoes are boiling, strain the aquafaba (bean water) from the beans.
And chop the onion into little pieces and stick into a big bowl along with the strained (and now rinsed) beans.%u00a0 Pour in half the pickle juice and give it a good toss then set aside and let the pickle juice do it’s thing.
Now it’s the sauce time. Blend up aquafaba, garlic,%u00a0 dried dill, a little pickle juice and pinch of salt. As your blending, pour in olive oil until the sauce becomes rich and creamy dill sauce (vegan mayo my friends)
The potatoes are boiled until fork tender and drained..
Toss the strained potatoes back into the pot and add in the bean/ onion mix and the rest of the pickle juice. Give it all a good toss and stick the pot into the fridge for about an hour until the potatoes are cool.
And now we assemble. The cooled off pickle juice infused potatoes, beans, and onions are stuck into a bowl (or just leave in the pot if you want) and slathered with the creamy dill sauce and mixed with as much fresh dill as you want and lots of freshly cracked pepper
And a pickle. If you have one, I highly, HIGHLY, recommend chopping one up and adding it… I mean it is a pickled potato salad after all.
So now you have a great,%u00a0 fantastic, knock your socks off, salad to make for any of your weekend BBQ needs.
Your welcome.
Now have a great, extra long weekend!
-C
Serve 4-6
Chop up the potatoes into mouth little chunks ans place into a pot . Rinse them and them cover about with about an extra inch of cold water, Ad d in a a good sprnkle of salt (like a tablespoon) and stick on the stove. Bring the pot to a rapid boil then turn heat down a bit to a low boil and cook until the potatoes are fork tender.
While potatoes are boils, strain you beans away from the aquafaba, and keeping about 3-4 tablespoons of the liquid. Rinse the beans and place into a big bowl. Chop the onion into little pieces and add that in with the beans and about 1/2 of the pickle juice. Set aside
Now grab the strained bean juice, about a tablespoon of pickle juice, the garlic, and the dried dill,%u00a0 Either with a hand blender or regular blender, start blending all that together while slowly pouring in olive oil (about 1/2 a cup ) until the sauce is thick and creamy. Season with salt and pepper to taste and place in fridge to hang until you need it.
And once the potatoes are cooked, strain them then add them back to the pot along with the bean/onion mixture and the rest of the pickle juice. Toss around to coat evenly and place into the fridge to cool. After about a half hour its a good idea to give it a toss to make sure the juice is getting to all the potatoes.
Once potatoes are cooled, dump into a serving bowl. (or just keep in pot) It’s ok if there is a little remaining liquid.. it will get sucked up by the potatoes. Get the sauce from the fridge and pour it and toss it around to evenly coat all those yummy potatoes. Chop up fresh dill and toss that in too (as much fresh dill as you like.. more is better!) And lately, if you have a spare pickle or two, chop it up and add it on in (or place in a bowl on the side for people add in themselves)
I added the pickle. You should add the pickle. It is so good with the pickle
Like any potato salad, serve with your favorite foods and keep in the fridge when not being eaten.
When the mr got home from work last night, her got himself a super great dinner suprice
Pizza, on a Monday. Woo Hoo! (I am so awesome, my sister even texted to congratulate him on his unexpected pizza dinner)
But here is the thing. I think pizza is a completely acceptable dinner any night of the week just as long as it is not covered in a shit tone of greasy cheese or any other kinda heavy and not so good stuff.%u00a0 This is a not one of those types of pizzas. This pizza is light, the crust rolled slightly thin, covered in a creamy sweet pea and cashew cream, (which is really pretty) and topped off with a tons of shaved asparagus and sliced radishes.It’s a celebration of spring time veggies and tastes so f*ing good. Sweet and creamy from the peas cashew cream, a nice crispy freshness from the asparagus, and a nice little spicy kick from the radishes. All the flavors that make me happy. It’s oh so good. .
And really, It’s almost like eating a big salad with a piece of bread. Not a bad dinner right? So do yourself a favor and make that salad and bread into this kick ass pizza.
You can, you should, you, must.
The stuff. Peas (fresh or thawed out frozen.. my were frozen) some cashews soaking in water, a bunch of asparagus (I had purple but you can just use green) ans a few radishes. Also need a lemon, some nutritional yeast, a few coves of garlic, salt and pepper, and a little olive oil. Oh, and a pizza dough.
To get the cashew pea cream going, strain the water from the cashews and dump them into a blender along with the peas, garlic, nutritional yeast, juice of half of the lemon, and a pinch of salt. Turn blender on and slowly add in a bit of water, just enough to get the stuff to start blending. Keep on blending until nice and smooth.
And now shave the asparagus down. I found the easiest way to do this is to chop op the crown part then place the stock on the counter and peel away from you. Not all peels are going to be uniform and perfect, which is good for a textured pizza. Any pieces that break off or shave off weird, keep them too, it;s all going on the pizza. If you asparagus is not super fresh, they might have woody ends.%u00a0 When done shaving just toss those into a bag and save for a soup later.
And now that the asparagus is done, thinly slice the radishes up.
Get that pizza dough onto a baking devise (use a baking sheet, pizza stone, or whatever you usually make pizza on. I used a lightly oiled baking sheet)%u00a0 and smear lots of that cashew pea cream all over it.
Pile on the shaved asparagus and all the ends and tips that we cut off or broke off.
Top with the radishes and a good pinch of salt and lots of fresh cracked pepper.
Into the oven it needs to go.
Pulled from the oven, looking all pretty and springy and smelling so amazing.
Drizzled with a little of the left over cashew pea cream and a few squeezes of fresh lemon.
Your good to go!
Pizza on a weekday, it’s what you need in your life.
-C
Preheat oven to 450
First off, prepare your pizza dough or remove it from the fridge to come to room temperature.
Strain the water from the cashews and add them to a blender with the peas, the juice of half a lemon, 1/8 cup of water, the nutritionalyeast, and a sprinkle of salt. Blend until smooth. If you need to, add in another splash or two of water to thin it out.
Grab your asparagus stalks ans chop off the top crown parts. Take the remaining stalks and peel them. Do this by holding the stalk flat on the counter and while holding to the end, peel the stalk away from you.%u00a0 I(f your asparagus is not super fresh ans had woody ends, use those to hold on to and when done shaving, just toss them into a bag and save for a soup later)%u00a0 Shave each piece until you cant shave any more. Some pieces are going to be super thin, some kinda thick… that’s totally cool, it add dimension to the pizza.
%u00a0 And now, as thinly as you can, slice the radishes.
To assemble pizza- Roll out dough kinda thin and place on a lightly oiled baking sheet.(you can bake your dough any way or on any thing that you usually do)%u00a0 Smear a good amount of the cashew pea cream on dough. You will probably have a little left over which you can either water down a little as a drizzle for the done pizza or just save for a sandwich or a veggie dip for later.%u00a0 Topthe smeared dough with all the shaved asparagus and chopped off crowns then layer on the radishes .Sprinkle with salt and pepper and stick into the oven. Bake for 15ish minutes or until your crust golden brown and done to your liking.
When you remove the pizza from the oven, feel free to drizzle the remaining cashew pea cream all over and definitelytop with a squeeze of more of fresh lemon.
Cut into pieces (square, triangles or what have you) and serve to your open mouth!
Happy Spring Eating!
As a kid, my favorite holiday was Easter. Every year my parents would fill up brightly colored plastic baskets with handfuls of neon colored plastic “grass” and top it with all sorts of candy, coloring books, bubble, and sidewalk chalk. They were beautiful and amazing.%u00a0 It was like getting a basket of fun and a bunch of sugary candy to keep you going to have all that fun all day long. And the egg hunts. Plastic eggs full of candy hidden all over the house ans yard. We would all have our emptied out baskets running around full of excitement, ready to take out any sibling in our path just to be the one to get the next egg. We were ruthless and I am pretty sure every year someone would end up crying. Now, as an adult, I am not allowed to participate in the egg hunt. (but I still try to make my sibling cry)%u00a0 Nope, now I get to hide the eggs and sit back and watch the new generation of littles tripping each other and stealing eggs from one another. The carnage!
And also at Easter there is cake. Is there a rule that says you have to make carrot cake for Easter? I think there must be because it is when everyone and their moms busts this cake out. And everyone’s carrot cake it the best because they made it the right way, like with raisins or pineapple or walnuts. There are so many things that can be added to this cake that it’s a little overwhelming. So I made a carrot cake that was mainly about the carrots. Nothing added, no nuts raisins or coconut (although you could add i if you wanted) and it’s made into a pretty bundt cake, which in turn makes mine the best.
This here cake was destined for tomorrows Easter table. I made it with no nut produces cause the nephew has the deadly nut allergy. But when I went and made the date sauce, I kinda let that slip and used almond milk. Oops. So now I have a whole big carrot cake sitting on the counter with it’s destiny shattered. So sad, but I think its will survive cause the mris really into it and has already eaten a few pieces. I figure that because it’s a carrot cake, he can eat a few more. It’s almost like eating a vegetable….almost. And now I need to make a new cake to bring over or I might just stop at the store and buy some oreos on my way over tomorrow. The littles will like that.
The stuff. A bowl containing flour, salt, baking powder ans baking soda.%u00a0 Also need a few really big carrots, a bit of brown sugar, and ground up cinnamon and ginger. Coconut oil, soy milk, an orange (for it’s zest) and a little apple cider vinegar are going into this cake too.
Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and tossing the into a pot with about an inch of water. Stick the pot on the stove and cook until the carrots are nice and tender. Then blend those tender carrots up.
I had a hard time not eating all of the carrot puree, so maybe if you want, cook up a few extra carrots ans have yourself a pre-carrot cake carrot snack.
And while the carrot puree is still warm, add in the coconut oil and the sugar. Mix it until the oil is melted ans it’s one cohesive mixture.
And take that last carrot ans grate it up into the flour. Also add in the spices and the zest of the orange.
Note. I used a small holed grater so that the carrot shreds would be small and add texture to the cake but not make it too chunky. But use a normal grater..it’s all about your carrots chunk prefernce here.
Now dump the wet carrot mixture into the dry and start to mix
Adding in the soy and the vinegar to complete the batter.
And scooped that batter into a oiled bundt pan and get it into the (preheated) oven to bake.
After about an hour, the cake is ready, golden brown and smelling like any good carrot cake should. Remove from the oven and turn the cake out from the cake pan and stick on on a rack to cool. This cake is waiting for me to decide what, or if I want to frost, drizzle, or sauce it up….. I think it wants as little something.
Ok, I figured it out. Date sauce.
The stuff. Fresh medjool dates, almond milk and sea salt.
Date (pits removed) into the food processor along with the milk and a good pinch of sea salt.%u00a0 Blend until it turns into a nice smooth, fluffy sauce.
Take that sauce and spread it all over the cake. As much or as little as you want (you might have left over date sauce but its ok, you can just eat. It will last for about a week in the fridge and goes great with just about anything) Once fully sauced, sprinkle the cake with flaked sea salt.
Sliced, plated, and ready. It’s carrot cake time.
Have a great weekend, eat all your candy at once!
-C
Makes a bundt cake (but could be made into a 9×13 sheet cake)
Salted Date Caramel
Start by chopping up 2 of the biggest carrots and placing them into a pot with water about an inch of water. Stick on stove and bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer until the carrots are fork tender. When done, puree them with any means nessasary (hand blender, regular blender, food processor) Add the coconut oil and sugar to the warm carrot puree and mix until oil is melted.
Preheat oven to 350
In a large separate bowl, mix together the flour, baking soda and powder, salt, and the spices. Grate the smallest carrot in with the dry.
Take the wet carrot mixture and dump into the dry and mix, adding in the soy milk and the vinegar as you mix. Once everything is completely incorporated, pour mixture into a well oiled bundt pan and stick the cake into the preheated oven
While the cake is baking, make the date sauce. Just take the dates, remove pits if they have any and place in a food processor with a good pinch of sea salt and the almond milk. Pulse a few times, scrap down the sides, and keep blended, stopping to scrap sides if needed, until a nice thick smooth sauce is formed. If you want a thinner sauce, just add more milk til you get your desired consistency.
Now check cake. Once it’s golden brown and a tester comes out clean (between 50 minutes to an hour) remove from oven. Let cool for a few minutes in pan the then turn it over onto a wire rack to finish cooling off. Once the cake is cool, dump the date sauce all over it then sprinkle with another good few pinches of the sea salt.
And now eat it. This is a cake that needs no fork, but you can go ahead and use one if you must.