Winter squash season is in full swing. I have already started to hoard them in all the nooks and crannies around the house. There are sugar pumpkins on the stairs, buttercups on the floor and delicatas all over the counter. Ever meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner needs to have some squash. House rule.
This hear spaghetti squash has been sitting on a stool for about a week, looming in it’s size and just waiting for me to bake it off. The spaghetti squash at farm share have been bigger then a small child so I have been a little hesitant to bake it until the mr was down with eating it with me too.
What I love about this dish is that it is really simple and easy to make.We have been working later these past few days so when we get home, we really just want to eat and go to bed (not really….kinda really) The initial baking of the squash takes a little time, but its zero hands on and can be done ahead of time. And the rest, take like 8 minutes tops. Also a lot of time people forget that you can eat a spaghetti squash with things other then tomato sauce. (although that’s good too) But really, the sky is the limit. Squash goes with everything.
So dinner. I had the squash and went with what I had in the fridge. Beans are great, fresh pico is amazing, all atop a big pile of some warm spaghetti squash. Well that is just what we call a winner. A winner dinner!!!
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The stuff. A spaghetti squash (maybe go for a smaller sized one if you don’t want a lot of left overs) precooked or canned black beans, a red pepper, and some red onion. Also need garlic, cumin (crushed or seeds) salt and pepper, olive oil, and fresh cilantro. And lastly some home made or store bought pico de gallo or any of your favorite salsa.
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You don’t see it here, but the squash went into the oven about an hour ago to cook. I did nothing to it besides stab it once andjust stuck the entire thing right on in and cranked up the heat. Simple, easy.
Ok, so when the squash has been baking for a while, start getting the rest of thestuff ready. Small dice up the red pepper and the onion and toss it into a lightly oiled hot skillet to sweat down a bit.
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Once the pepper and onion are nice and soft, toss in the cumin and minced garlic. Cook a little longer until the seeds and garlic are fragrant and cooked.
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Add in the beans and mix it all around. Taste, add a little salt and pepper if it needs it, and set aside.
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Spaghetti-ing the squash. I took it out of the oven when it was fork tender, sliced it in half on a baking sheet and let it cool off for just a minute. Scooped the seed out then scraped the cooked squash with a fork. Fun times, just watch you your hands, the squash is hot.
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And your ready for food. Squash in a bowl, topped with some black bean mixture and a hearty amount of fresh pico. Serve it with lots (or none if you don’t like it) cilantro and a wedge of lemon(or lime)
This is some good stuff friends, some really good stuff.
Alright, now I have to get ready. We are taking a handful of the little pumpkin picking….A few more pumpkins to add to the stash.
-C
Serves 2-3
- 1 medium spaghetti squash
- 2-3 cups cooked black beans (or a can)
- 1 teaspoon cumin seeds (or crushed cumin)
- a red pepper
- a small red onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- olive oil
- 1 cup fresh Pico de gallo or any of your fav salsa.
- salt and pepper
- a lemon or lime
- fresh cilantro (optional)
To cook the squash. Preheat oven to 400. Grab squash a stab a small hole in it so when its baking it does bot explode (this has happened to me a few times) then stick the whole squash into the oven. Let bake for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size) It is done when it is soft and fork tender. Once done, pull squash from oven, cut in half and let cool for a minutes. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the seeds then start scraping the flesh with a fork to create spaghetti like strands.
For the beans. Small chop up the red pepper ans onion and toss into a hot skillet with a little splash of olive oil. Sweat the pepper and onion on medium heat and when they are close to done, mince up the garlic and toss that in along with the cumin seeds and a pinch of salt ans pepper (if needed) Keep cooking until the garlic is cooked and the cumin if fragrant.
To assemble. Grab a bowl and fill with a good amount of the cooked squash, top it with a big scoop of the black bean mixture and you desired amount of fresh pico or salsa. Add lots of extra cilantro and serve with a lemon or lime wedge to squeeze on top.
Now eat it.
Note….Any left overs make a fantastic cold salad or wrapped in a tortilla.
I am running extremely low on food in my house, like there isn’t a can of beans or a box of pasta left. Yeah, I have a few zucchini left, but I think that mr might be getting a bit sick of it. (He has had zucchini noodles for lunch and dinner for the past few day). And I was going to go to the grocery store before dinner, but then I didn’t. Why? well because I didn’t really feel like it.
Turns out that I didn’t need to go to the store for dinner.I had a few mushrooms, an onion, and a few stalks of chard left in the fridge. (but pretty much nothing else) I just bought a 25 lb bag of flour so I am all stocked up on that and last minute I found a avocado that I thought was a beet in the fridge. All I needed to make a dinner, and a quick and easy, and really tasty one to boot. Plus being so mother F*ing hot, it was perfect because there was no need to turn on the oven.
Now the question is,now that dinner was made and being that the fridge is so empty, should I clean and defrost it? Answer is yes, yes I should, but am I going to? Probably not. I just don’t have it in me to stand in font of the fridge, hacking ice away with a large spoon and boiling water for an hour. It’s to hot. I’ll do it later.
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The stuff. Flour, baking powder, olive oil, salt ans water for the skillet bread. A few humngo stalks of red chard, a couple mushrooms (I would have used a few more if I had them). an onion, and a few cloves of garlic. Missing is the pepper and the avocado and lemon that I found while rummaging the fridge.
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The bread is super easy. Just whisk together the flour salt, and baking soda then add in the oil. Mix until it’s crumbly then mix in the water until it turns into a soft dough. Gather into a ball and stick in bowl then into fridge for a few minutes to let the dough rest.
After the dough has rested, take it and cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into ball and then roll out as flat as you can. Heat up a skillet to high heat and once hot, place rolled out flat onto (dry) skillet. Cook first side for about 3-4 minutes or until browned and cook, then turn heat down a bit, flip and cook other side until browned. Remove bread, turn heat back up, and repeat with remaining flats.
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For the rest. Remove the leafy part of the chard and set aside .Thinly hop up the mushrooms, onion, and the chard stalk. Mince up the garlic. Toss it all (not the garlic yet)into a lightly oiled skillet , season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat until starting to brown. Now toss in a few splashes of water and the minced garlic, mix around, and cover wit a lid. Cook for another 8-10 minutes until the veggies are nice and soft.
Cooked and ready, but wait, chop up the chard leaves and toss them into skillet. Another splash of water and a few more minutes under a lid will wilt them up real quick.
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Skillet beads are made, veggies are all nice and cooked up. The avocado and lemon where found, sliced.
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Not bad for a last minute-lean out the fridge of all food-dinner. Not bad at all.
Don’t melt
-C
Make 4 flatbread
For the skillet bread
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 4-5 tablespoons cold water
For the rest
- 2-4 white mushrooms
- 2-3 large stalks of chard (any color)
- 1 sweet onion
- 2-3 cloves garlic
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
- water
- An avocado and a lemon (optional)
To make the skillet bread. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Pour in olive oil and mix until crumbly then add in 4 tablespoons of water (5 if it seems to dry) until a dough forms. Gather dough into a ball, stick in bowl and cover, and place in the fridge to rest for about 10 minutes. Once dough has chilled, remove and cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then, on a clean surface, roll out as flat as you can. Grab a skillet and place on high heat. Once skillet has heated up, place a rolled out dough on hot, un-oiled surface and let cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the bottom cooked with golden brown spots. Turn heat to medium and flip bread. Cook the other side for another 4-5 minutes or until browned. Remove flat and turn heat back up. Cook the rest of the bread like the first one.
For the rest. Remove leafy parts of the chard from the stalk and set aside. Take stalk and chop into pieces about 1/ 2 inch think. Slice onion and mushrooms up as thinly as you can. Mince garlic. Garb a skillet, stick on medium heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. Toss in chard stalk, onions, and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix around until the stuff starts to brown a bit. Add in a few good splashed of water and the garlic and then place a lid on the skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes, giving the mixture a good stir every few minutes. Once the veggies are all soft and yummy, chop up the remaining chard leafs and place them into the skillet. Add another splash of water and place the lid back on. Cook until the leaves have wilted.
To assemble. Flat bread on plate. Scoop some of the sauteed veggie mixture on top. A few slices of avocado on top with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of cracked pepper…You are good to go.
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I am a glutton for punishment. 91 degrees, super humid, and what do I do, I turn on the oven to make bread. And this is after I drag the poor mr to the middle of a field on the hottest most humid day to pick strawberries. He didn’t complain once (well, maybe on our walk back to the car, but I was bitching a little too).
At home. recuperating from the picking, I made myself a snack of shredded zucchini with chopped strawberries covered in black pepper (try it, it is so freaking good) and was like “this would make a killer bread situation”. And that’s when I turned on the oven and went to town making bread with the zucchini and strawberries (minus the pepper cause, well I wasn’t sure if the mr would like it, but I think I’ll add it to the next loaf). And I know, hot day, hot oven=no but really, I was so F*ing hot that I didn’t think I could have gotten any hotter, so I figured why the hell not turn on the oven. (The mr and he pup where at the other house so I wasn’t torturing them with the heat)
And when the mr came home sure the house was still hot, there was fresh loaf of the sweetest smelling strawberry zucchini bread waiting for him. And so what ifI might have been slightly delirious, I had accomplished something great and was then okay with spending the rest of the say laying in a heap on the floor.
The mr says the bread was worth it.
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The stuff. A good sized zucchini and a pint or so of the loveliest strawberries . Also have a bowl with flour (all purpose and while whole wheat) baking soda and baking powder, and a little salt. Sugar, oil, cinnamon, and a little vinegar are needed and a handful of walnut if you want too.
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Oil and sugar go into a bowl and get mixed together until combined.
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Zucchini gets shredded and added to the bowl.
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And strawberries get chopped (stems removed) and go into the bowl along with the zucchini.
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Mix the wet mixture up until it starts to get all juicy then mix in the vinegar.
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The dry stuff gets mix together along with the walnuts.
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Now in goes the wet mixture. Mix it all together until just combined (don’t over mix)
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Batter goes into a nicely greased pan and if you have it, sprinkle a little brown sugar on top.
Pop pan into preheated oven to do it’s thing.
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And it’s thing it did. All dark brown and pretty with red and green bits all over. Quite the stunning loaf if I do say so myself. Remove from pan and let the bread cool for a little while..(you should wait until it’s completely cooled, but at 15 minutes would be ok)
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You have waited long enough.. time to cute the bread.
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Bread all day long.
Enjoy.
-C
makes 1 loaf
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 3/4 cup brown sugar plus about a tablespoon to sprinkle on top
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1 medium zucchini (2ish cups shredded)
- 1 pint fresh strawberries (about 2 cups chopped)
- 1/2 cup walnuts (optional)
preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder ans soda, salt, cinnamon, Toss in the walnuts as well.
In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and oil until combined then shred zucchini and dump it it. Grab strawberries, remove the stems, and chop those up into small chunks and add to the bowl with the zucchini. Mix until everything is mixed and starts to get juicy then mix in the vinegar.
Now dump the wet mixture into the dry and mix just until everything is incorporated and pour/scrape batter into a well greased loaf pan. Sprinkle he top with a little brown sugar and stick the pan into the oven.
Let cook for about an hour or until the top is a deep brown and a tester stuck into the middle comes out clean. Once out of the oven, let cool for a a few minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut cooled bread and eat it to your face.
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This is what I am talking about. Winter has finally come with it’s snowy snow and super freezing cold temperatures. It just feels right, even if I freeze a little every time I leave the house to walk the dog. But that’s ok, it is suppose to happen.
And when it’s cold and snowy we are all suppose to eat lots of warm and hearty good things to warm us up in our insides. So we soup.. Soup all day, everyday, all winter long, especially in the case of feeling slightly ill (which I have been for the past week) Eating soup makes everything better. Soup soup soup.
Soup, what a weird word. Anyway.
This soup is amazingly easy to make and even easier to eat. Full of veggies, spices and lots of beans. A perfect meal to satisfy your frozen self. And bonus, not full of shit. It’s super healthy, protein packed and just plan ol good. Warm. hearty, healthy.. What more can you ask for? (you could ask for some crackers and I would probably give them to you)
Soup time!
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The stuff. Navy beans, a sweet potato, and some chopped up kale. A couple carrots, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a little olive oil and water.* And lets not forget some spices…. I used a couple bay leaves, some dried rosemary and thyme. Oh and there should be a lemon here.(I think it rolled off the counter)
*Note. Some people get all up and up about not using a stock in soup. This soup creates it’s own stock with all the veggies and spices and time spent simmering but if you want, go ahead and use stock.
Start by chopping up the carrots, the onion, and the garlic and tossing it all into a really big pot along with a drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper and the spices. Stick on the stove on medium high heat for a few minutes until the veggies start to brown.. This gives the veggies and spices a chance to develop more flavor.
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Now chop up the sweet potato into 1 inch chunks and toss that into the pot too.
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And the dried beans and water go into as well. Get it all in there, give it a mix and stick the pot on high heat and bring to a boil, then bring the heat to low. Add a lid to the pot and let cook for a while,like an hour, stirring every now and then.
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Once the beans in the soup are cooked to your preferred done-ness (I like mine on al dente) remove pot from heat.
Dump in the chopped up kale…
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And that lemon that rolled away. I found it. So slice up lemon. Ladle a large amount of the soup into a pretty bowl and finish it off with some cracked pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
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Soup! Now grab a big spoon, a cozy sweater or blanket (or snuggy) , and maybe some crackers or bread if you feel so inclined and eat. You will be filled with warmth and happiness.
Have a great day.
-C
- 1 cup dried white bean (I used navy, but you could use any white bean you like)
- 1 large sweet potato
- 1 bunch of kale (about 5 cups chopped)
- 6-7 cups water (add 6 then another cup as its cooking if you think it needs it)
- 1onion
- 2 carrots
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- 1 heaping tablespoon thyme or Italian seasoning
- 1 heaping tablespoon dried, chopped or ground rosemary
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
- a lemon (optional but you want it)
Chop carrots, onion and garlic and stick them all into a large pot with a drizzle of olive oil, all the spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stick on the stove and cook until the veggies start to brown. While veggies are cooking, cut sweet potato into 1 inch chunks and toss the potato into the pot along with the beans and the water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Stick a lid on the pot and simmer fir about an hour or until the beans are cooked to you liking.
Once the beans are cooked through, dump in the chopped up kale, mix it around, then call it done.
Ladle into bowls, top with cracked pepper (and more salt if you want) and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Grab a spoon, eat the soup. Be happy.
Got some left over… Well yeah, soup for later! (will last in fridge for a few days, but freezes super well too)
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Once in a while I make a dinner that the mr does not want to eat, like anything with too much corn or things made with lots of vinegar… not his taste. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time, he will eat what I make (casue he loves me) but he clearly doesn’t really like it. And that’s when pup usually gets left over for dinner. (He always likes everything that I cook)
One of those things that I know the mr doesn’t like are beets. Sure, he will eat things that has a few beets in it, but once he found out that this casserole starred beets, his eyes widened and he looked worried, like “oh great, but please don’t make me eat this”. Not to worry. He was getting pasta for dinner because this casserole was not for him. It was for me. It has everything that I love in the word (food wise ) tossed together and baked into a pretty skillet, just for me. Plus the beets, sweet potato and kale were the last from the farm share. So it was my good by farm food, casserole of greatness. And I didn’t want to share.
So yeah, if you are not a fan of beets, or any of the other stuff in this casserole for that matter, then don’t make it. But if you are awesome and know the greatness of the beet, especially paired with lentils and sweet potato, well I suggest you go and make this right away. And bonus… it’s super healthy and hardy which make for a great dinner on a cold night and after all the holiday food last week.
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The stuff. A large sweet potato, a couple of big beets and some dried lentils. Gonna want some veggies, like an onion, carrots, cabbage and kale. Also want garlic, some salt and pepper, water and tiny bit of olive oil.
First thing first, get the beets and the sweet potato in a pot to boil* Just dice then up and toss into a pot with enough water to submerge the roots. Sprinkle in a bit of water ad bring to a boil, stick a lid on pot, and turn hat to medium.
*Note. I boiled my beets and sweet potato in one pot because well, I just didn’t want to have one more pot to wash. But if you do this, your sweet potato will turn slightly pink, whichI think is really pretty. If you want your sweet potato puree to look orange, gonna have to dirty another pot and boil the beets separately.
And chop up our veggies and mince the garlic. Drizzle a tiny amount of oil into a skillet or pot, toss in veggies (minus the kale) and cook on medium heat just until they start to soften a tiny bit. Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from heat, add in chopped kale, and set aside.
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And make your lentils. (i used the pot I just cooked the veggies in. The less dishes the better!) Water and lentils into pot with a pinch of salt, bring to boil, cover and place on low until lentils are tender.
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When the beets and sweet potato are fork tender, drain water into a jar and separate the beets from the potato (if you boiled them together). Blend the beets then the sweet potato until it’s the consistency that you would enjoy eating it (I like a little bit of chunk, not completely smooth) Use the drained water to thin out as much as you need/want.
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All the stuff ready to compile.
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Grab the cooked veggies and toss them into a oven safe skillet or casserole dish and mix together with the lentils. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
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Now evenly spread the beet puree on top of the veggies
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Then ever so gently, spread the sweet potato on top of that.
Give the top a good pinch of salt and pepper and stick the thing into the oven.
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Remove from oven when the sweet potato has browned andis slightly crispy.
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And scoop a big old scoop into a bowl, grab a fork, and stuff your face!
Happy today day!
-C
Remove from oven, let cook for a few minutes then eat it with a fork, a spoon, or your fingers.
Beet Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole
Make 3-4 servings (or one serving for me!)
- 1 large sweet potato
- 2 medium beets
- 1 cup cried lentils
- 2 cups water
- 3-4 cloves garlic
- a medium yellow onion
- 2 carrots
- ¼ head of cabbage
- a few kale leaves
- salt and pepper
- olive oil
Note.. I did not add extra seasoning to this because I love the taste just as it is. But if you are feeling like it needs some seasoning, just add some in.
Start by chopping the beets and sweet potato into medium sized chunks and boiling them until they are fork tender. You can do this either in two separate pots or in one large pot. (if in one pot, the sweet potato will turn a little pink)
Once those are boiling, chop up all the veggies (not the kale yet) and the garlic and toss into a pot or skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on medium heat until the veggies are slightly tender. Remove from heat, add in chopped kale and set aside.
And make the lentils ( I cooked the veggies in the pot, removed them ans used the pot to make the lentils… less dishes). Dump the 2 cups water, a pinch of salt, and the lentils into a pot. Bring to boil, cover, then turn heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentil are tender.
Preheat oven to 400
Once everything is cooked and ready to go, dump the lentils and the veggies into oven safe skillet or casserole dish and mix around. Take beet puree and spread evenly over the mixture. Then do the same with the sweet potato puree. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and stick the casserole into the oven to bake until the top is all browned and slightly crunchy (about 30 minutes)
Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, then eat it. Fork, spoon, or your fingers work.
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Just about every morning I wake up at the ass crack of dawn (actually its still dark out) make coffee, do a few things, usually read a bit while eating my breakfast and drinking my third cup of coffee, and start a pot of soup for lunch. All before 7am when I yell up to the mr. to get his butt out of bed. I love it and I look forward to the mornings of me time.
So soup. I like to start the soup early and let it cook for a while. I start the soup, bring it to a boil, and then stick it on simmer with a ton of water. And then I am off for the day. The deal is that I leave, but the mr. leaves about an hour after I do and he will turn the burners off. And he has been so good about it. Sometime I might shoot him a text to make sure the burners are off, but most of the time I just trust.
Well about a week or so ago, I made soup, went about my morning. Upon my return home, before I even walked down the driveway, I could smell the burning soup.
I rushed in just in time. The house was not on fire! But the pot of split pea soup… it was about to be. The pot consisted of about three-inches of thick, burnt to a black brick, soup and about an inch of super thick burnt but still slightly green pea goop on top.
Now don’t judge me here, but that goop…. I ate it. And it was so good. I know, I sound kind of gross, but whatever I don’t care. That little bit of super thick burnt pea paste was some of the best burnt food that I have ever eaten.(I love burnt food)
So this casserole gets a bit of inspiration from that goop. No, it is not burnt to almost an inedible state, but it gets thick and a little crispy and is so so freaking good. This is one of those dishes that I will make and continue to eat even though I cannot possibly eat any more. It’s that good.
As for leaving the stove on while I am gone.. That’s not really happening anymore.
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The stuff. Dried green split peas, some water, Italian spice blend as well as garlic and onion powder. Also salt and pepper, a bay leaf, carrots, an onion, a couple of potatoes, a chunk of cabbage, and a parsnip. All good, all of what I have in the fridge at the moment.
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Start by chopping up the onion and sticking it into a big heavy pot. Take all the spices and mix them together in a little bowl and dump half of them into the pot with the onion, the bay leaf and a splash of water. Place on medium heat and cook until the onions start to soften and the water has evaporated.
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After the onions have cooked a bit, add in the dried split peas and a bunch of water (split peas suck up water like crazy) Turn the heat up to high and bring the stuff to a boil then turn heat to a medium and place lid on pot. Let cook for a while, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot
While the split peas are cooking, chop up all the veggies into mouth sized chunks and mix them together with the rest of the spices and toss them into a skillet or casserole dish.
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And the peas.. Once they are all falling apart, they are ready. Now is also a good time to preheat oven.
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Dump the cooked split peas all over the veggie mixture and mix around a bit. Grab that last potato and slice really thin.
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Top the veggies with the potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
And into the oven it goes!
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Bake until the veggies are all tender and the top is all crispy (about 35-40 minutes) and eel free to even stick under a broiler for an even crisper top.
Pull it from the oven when its ready and let it sit for a few minutes to set up a bit…
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And scoop yourself a big helping and eat! All it needs is a fork (But mustard tastes so good with it too!)
Have a great Monday!
-C
serves 3-4
- 3/4 cup dried green split peas
- 3-1/2 cups water
- 2 tablespoons Italian spice blend
- 1 tablespoon garlic powder
- 1 tablespoon onion powder
- 1 bay leaf
- salt and pepper to taste
- 1 yellow onion
- ¼ head of cabbage
- 3 white potatoes
- 2-3 carrots
- 1 big parsnip
Note… I used the veggie that I had on hand. So say you don’t like parsnips, don’t use them or want to add celery, go for it. Just make sure to have at about 4-5 cups of chopped up veggies.
Take all the spices and mix them together. Dice onion into little pieces and stick into a big heavy bottom pot with half of the spice blend, the bay leaf, a few pinches of salt and pepper, and a splash of water. Stick on stove and cook for a few minutes until water evaporates and the onions are fragrant and starting to soften. Now dump in the dried peas and 3-1/2 cups water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and place a lid on the pot. Cook the peas, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes of until falling apart.
In the mean time, dice up the veggies (leave one potato to top with)into mouth sized chunks and stick them in either a casserole dish or a 12-inch oven safe skillet. Mix in the other half of the spice blend
Preheat oven to 375
Once the split peas are done, take the pot and dump into the chopped veggies and mix around. Take remaining potato and slice thinly. Top the casserole with thin slices of potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stick that bad boy into the oven.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and the peas have thickened.
Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve it on up!
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This cake was born from my anxiety. Whenever I am feeling crazy, anxious, kinda sick, or even just really happy, I want to be in the kitchen making something. It’s probably some deep seeded control issue that I have (I can’t control my brain, but I can control bread dough), but whatever. Being in the kitchen takes my head out of life , even just for a little while, and let’s me concentrate on something else that really has nothing to do with whatever I am thinking about (unless I am thinking about food, in which I bake whatever food I am thinking about) Does this all make sense or am I just nuts?
So yeah, the other day I was having one of those days. I was extra crazy (for so many reasons) and really needed to just step away from my thoughts. I rushed home and just started grabbing stuff.. cake stuff. I figured that If I was going to bake something that I might as well bake a little snack cake for the mr, especially sense he has to deal with this crazy. I had a large quantity of pears that were all ripening at once sitting in the fruit basket, so I grabbed some of those. And I grabbed the ginger… well because why not.
And I made this cake.. and I felt better. And the mr got cake (also brought some to my sisters.. her and the kids ate it all within minutes). It was a win win situation.
So now you know. If you are my friend and I am feeling some feelings, at some point, you will proably get a cake.
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The stuff. A few pears,some fresh ginger, brown sugar and cinnamon. Also have some white whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. And some oil, apple cider vinegar and a little bit of water.
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Start with the pears. Cut in half, remove seed and stems, then chop/mince the crap out of them. It’s cool to have a few big chunks., it adds some good texture. Take the pears and as much as the juice you can scrap from the counter and stick into a bowl.
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Grate up a few good tablespoons of fresh ginger..
Tip. I keep my ginger in the freezer. its easier to grate and it doesn’t go bad!
The ginger goes into the bowl with the pears, along with the oil, cinnamon, sugar, water and vinegar. Mix it all up . Then all that wet mixture goes into the bowl with the flour, baking soda and powder and the salt.
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And that get’s all mixed.. and now you have cake batter!
Depending on you pears and how juicy they are, you might find that your batter seems to dry, just add in another 1/4 cup of water. The batter should be the consistency of like greek yogurt, not ruing, but not stiff either.
Preheat you cook box (oven)
Dump the batter into a well greased 9×9 inch pan. Slice up another pear into thin strips (I only used half, then ate the other half)
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Lay the slices on top to make it look all pretty. Do what I did, or some other design (it’s your cake to make pretty any way you want). Once you do that, stick the cake into the oven.
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When the cake is a nice deep golden brown, take it out of the oven.
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Maybe let it cool for a few minutes, letting the smell wrap around your head so that you smell like baking all day. No cut yourself a slab, grab some coffee, and go for it.
Enjoy
-C
Makes a 9×9 inch single layer cake
- 2 cups white whole wheat flour
- 2 cups minced , super ripe and jucey pears (about 2 whole pears)
- 2 tablespoon freshly frated ginger
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4- 1/2 cup water
- 2/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 teaspoons cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
Preheat oven to 350
Take pears, remove seeds and stem, and chop the crap out of them until they are tiny little pieces. Scoop pears, and any juice they leave behind into a bowl. Add in the sugar, oil, cinnamon, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of water and mix until incorporated. In a seprertare big bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda and powder with the flour. Add in the wet mixture and mix until fully incorporated. If the batter seems to dry (should be the constancy of whipped potatoes or greek yogurt), add in another 1/4 cup of water.
Scoop batter into a greased 9×9 inch baking pan. If you want to make it pretty, grab another pear and cut into thin slices and place right on top of the batter in any fashion you like.
Place cake into oven and bake until a nice dark golden brown,about 40-45 minutes ,or until a tester stuck in the middle comes out clean.
Remove, let cool in pan, and cut yourself a big slab, grab some coffee e to tea, grab a book, and eat it. .
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You know how I have been saying that I have so so many winter squashes that they are taking over my house? (the other night the mr and I counted while eating dinner.. there were 29 at the time) Well, not that I think I cannot eat them all myself, but I want to share and I think I found a way to share them that people (especially the mr) will really like… Squash noodles of course!
Honestly, I am always more then happy to just eat a squash pretty much as untouched as possible. All I do is stick one (any variety) in the oven on a rack and bake it till its soft then eat it. And it’s like crack.. I can’t get enough. If I was not a stronger person, I would probably eat an entire squash in once sitting, then still want more. (It’s happened) But that’s me. Most of the peps that I make food for are not as squash happy as I am and are not into just squash mush.
So last night I noodled some butternut for the mr. And win.. he really liked them, even with a shit ton of caramelized onions. (I loved the onions, he has never been a huge onion fan but still really like them) Ever since zucchini season has been over, I have been trying to find that new meal that I can whip up in a short amount of time, that the mr really likes, and can be made with the abundance of the season. I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. And sure, this particular dish takes a little time to make cause of the onions, which are so worth it, but on a regular old night, I can just toss some garlic, olive oil and a handful of fresh herbs into a pot and it will take like 15 minutes. to make.I am a genius (I am sure that noodling is not an original idea, but whatever, original to me)
Anyway.. squash noodles are now a thing for us, and I am sure will be a thing everywhere soon so you should jump in the band wagon now and get to making some too! .
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The stuff. A butternut squash, a few onions, and a handful of fresh sage. . Also need some garlic, wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and some water (water not in picture)
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Slice up all the onions as thin as you can, mince up the garlic, and stick it all into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a small splash of water. Stick the pot on the stove on medium heat until the onions start to cook and smell all yummy oniony and maybe a few are sticking to the bottom of the pot. Grab the vinegar and give the onions a good splash, stirring around, making sure no onions are stuck on the bottom. Now turn heat to low and cover the pot. Let the onions cook for a while (about a 1/2 hour) giving them a stir ever now and then.
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And once the onions are all super soft and starting to caramelize, add in the sage (but mince it first). Keep the pot on low heat without the lid.
While the sage and onions are melding together, turn the squash into some noodles. Do it by the means that you use. I have a mandolin that does the trick, but use your spiralizer, noodler maker, or even a knife and a little bit of patience. Just make sure all you noodles, however made, are all the same thickness to it all cooks at the same time. So yeah, cut the bottom part of the squash off and use the neck… and save the rest for soup tomorrow.
Note… I did not peel the squash cause I like to eat the skin. If you want, peel it, but really, even if you don’t like the skin, you will not notice it in the noodles.
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After the sage has had a few minutes with the onions, and now that the noodles are made, it’s time to add in a few splashes of vinegar and about a cup of water to the pot. So do that and give it all a good stir.
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Now dump in the noodles, stir once more, and turn the pot to medium heat and stick the lid back on it. Let cook down on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or unlit the noodles are tender and cooked, but not mushy.
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Like so.
Now all you have to do is eat it.
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Place a big pile into a pretty bowl, a fresh tiny little sage leave as garnish, and serve with a clean cloth napkin and a clean fork to eat with.. Or better yet, just eat it out of the pot with the wooden spoon that may or may not have fallen on the floor. (my preferred method of eating)
Have a fantastic Day!
-C
Make 2 Servings
- 1 butternut squash (or the solid, neck part of a squab)
- 4 medium sized sweet onion
- 4-5 cloves of garlic
- handful of fresh sage leaves
- 1- 1 1/2 cups water
- 2-3 splashes of red or white wine vinegar
- olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
Take onions and slice them as thinly as you can and mince up the garlic. Place into o big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt. Stick on stove on medium high heat and stir onions until they start to give off a sweet onion smell and are starting to stick to the pot. Add in a splash of vinegar to deglaze pot, give it all a stir, and turn heat to low. Cover with a lid and continue to cook, string now and again, until onions reduce in volume by about half, are all tender, almost falling apart and are starting to brown a bit. (takes about 30- 40 minutes ) When onions are at this point, tiny chop the fresh sage and mix into the onion.
Now grab you squash and turn in into noodles.( I cut the bottom part off (for soup tomorrow) and use the neck of the squash). You can do this by using a mandolin, a noodler, or even a knife. Any way works, just make sure the noodles are all the same thickness (mine were about 1/4 inch thick) so they cook at the same time. Noodle about 5- 6 handfuls or cups of noodles.
Now right before you add the noodles to the pot, add in a few more splashes of vinegar. another pitch or two of salt and pepper, and a cup of water, Mix that all around then add in the noodles. Give those a mix then turn heat to medium and place the lid back on the pot, checking and string every few minutes until the noodles are tender(but not falling apart) and the water has pretty much evaporated. (about 15 minutes) If you notice the water is gone and the noodles still need more cooking, add in another 1/2 cup of water.
And when you are happy with the tenderness of the noodles. remove pot from heat, taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed, and get to eating!!!!!
THE LOVELY CRAZY
March 19, 2017 by maximios • Blog
Winter squash season is in full swing. I have already started to hoard them in all the nooks and crannies around the house. There are sugar pumpkins on the stairs, buttercups on the floor and delicatas all over the counter. Ever meal, breakfast, lunch or dinner needs to have some squash. House rule.
This hear spaghetti squash has been sitting on a stool for about a week, looming in it’s size and just waiting for me to bake it off. The spaghetti squash at farm share have been bigger then a small child so I have been a little hesitant to bake it until the mr was down with eating it with me too.
What I love about this dish is that it is really simple and easy to make.We have been working later these past few days so when we get home, we really just want to eat and go to bed (not really….kinda really) The initial baking of the squash takes a little time, but its zero hands on and can be done ahead of time. And the rest, take like 8 minutes tops. Also a lot of time people forget that you can eat a spaghetti squash with things other then tomato sauce. (although that’s good too) But really, the sky is the limit. Squash goes with everything.
So dinner. I had the squash and went with what I had in the fridge. Beans are great, fresh pico is amazing, all atop a big pile of some warm spaghetti squash. Well that is just what we call a winner. A winner dinner!!!
The stuff. A spaghetti squash (maybe go for a smaller sized one if you don’t want a lot of left overs) precooked or canned black beans, a red pepper, and some red onion. Also need garlic, cumin (crushed or seeds) salt and pepper, olive oil, and fresh cilantro. And lastly some home made or store bought pico de gallo or any of your favorite salsa.
You don’t see it here, but the squash went into the oven about an hour ago to cook. I did nothing to it besides stab it once andjust stuck the entire thing right on in and cranked up the heat. Simple, easy.
Ok, so when the squash has been baking for a while, start getting the rest of thestuff ready. Small dice up the red pepper and the onion and toss it into a lightly oiled hot skillet to sweat down a bit.
Once the pepper and onion are nice and soft, toss in the cumin and minced garlic. Cook a little longer until the seeds and garlic are fragrant and cooked.
Add in the beans and mix it all around. Taste, add a little salt and pepper if it needs it, and set aside.
Spaghetti-ing the squash. I took it out of the oven when it was fork tender, sliced it in half on a baking sheet and let it cool off for just a minute. Scooped the seed out then scraped the cooked squash with a fork. Fun times, just watch you your hands, the squash is hot.
And your ready for food. Squash in a bowl, topped with some black bean mixture and a hearty amount of fresh pico. Serve it with lots (or none if you don’t like it) cilantro and a wedge of lemon(or lime)
This is some good stuff friends, some really good stuff.
Alright, now I have to get ready. We are taking a handful of the little pumpkin picking….A few more pumpkins to add to the stash.
-C
Serves 2-3
To cook the squash. Preheat oven to 400. Grab squash a stab a small hole in it so when its baking it does bot explode (this has happened to me a few times) then stick the whole squash into the oven. Let bake for 45 minutes to an hour (depending on size) It is done when it is soft and fork tender. Once done, pull squash from oven, cut in half and let cool for a minutes. Once cool enough to handle, scoop out the seeds then start scraping the flesh with a fork to create spaghetti like strands.
For the beans. Small chop up the red pepper ans onion and toss into a hot skillet with a little splash of olive oil. Sweat the pepper and onion on medium heat and when they are close to done, mince up the garlic and toss that in along with the cumin seeds and a pinch of salt ans pepper (if needed) Keep cooking until the garlic is cooked and the cumin if fragrant.
To assemble. Grab a bowl and fill with a good amount of the cooked squash, top it with a big scoop of the black bean mixture and you desired amount of fresh pico or salsa. Add lots of extra cilantro and serve with a lemon or lime wedge to squeeze on top.
Now eat it.
Note….Any left overs make a fantastic cold salad or wrapped in a tortilla.
I am running extremely low on food in my house, like there isn’t a can of beans or a box of pasta left. Yeah, I have a few zucchini left, but I think that mr might be getting a bit sick of it. (He has had zucchini noodles for lunch and dinner for the past few day). And I was going to go to the grocery store before dinner, but then I didn’t. Why? well because I didn’t really feel like it.
Turns out that I didn’t need to go to the store for dinner.I had a few mushrooms, an onion, and a few stalks of chard left in the fridge. (but pretty much nothing else) I just bought a 25 lb bag of flour so I am all stocked up on that and last minute I found a avocado that I thought was a beet in the fridge. All I needed to make a dinner, and a quick and easy, and really tasty one to boot. Plus being so mother F*ing hot, it was perfect because there was no need to turn on the oven.
Now the question is,now that dinner was made and being that the fridge is so empty, should I clean and defrost it? Answer is yes, yes I should, but am I going to? Probably not. I just don’t have it in me to stand in font of the fridge, hacking ice away with a large spoon and boiling water for an hour. It’s to hot. I’ll do it later.
The stuff. Flour, baking powder, olive oil, salt ans water for the skillet bread. A few humngo stalks of red chard, a couple mushrooms (I would have used a few more if I had them). an onion, and a few cloves of garlic. Missing is the pepper and the avocado and lemon that I found while rummaging the fridge.
The bread is super easy. Just whisk together the flour salt, and baking soda then add in the oil. Mix until it’s crumbly then mix in the water until it turns into a soft dough. Gather into a ball and stick in bowl then into fridge for a few minutes to let the dough rest.
After the dough has rested, take it and cut into 4 equal pieces. Roll each piece into ball and then roll out as flat as you can. Heat up a skillet to high heat and once hot, place rolled out flat onto (dry) skillet. Cook first side for about 3-4 minutes or until browned and cook, then turn heat down a bit, flip and cook other side until browned. Remove bread, turn heat back up, and repeat with remaining flats.
For the rest. Remove the leafy part of the chard and set aside .Thinly hop up the mushrooms, onion, and the chard stalk. Mince up the garlic. Toss it all (not the garlic yet)into a lightly oiled skillet , season with salt and pepper, and cook on medium heat until starting to brown. Now toss in a few splashes of water and the minced garlic, mix around, and cover wit a lid. Cook for another 8-10 minutes until the veggies are nice and soft.
Cooked and ready, but wait, chop up the chard leaves and toss them into skillet. Another splash of water and a few more minutes under a lid will wilt them up real quick.
Skillet beads are made, veggies are all nice and cooked up. The avocado and lemon where found, sliced.
Not bad for a last minute-lean out the fridge of all food-dinner. Not bad at all.
Don’t melt
-C
Make 4 flatbread
For the skillet bread
For the rest
To make the skillet bread. Mix together the flour, salt, and baking soda in a large bowl. Pour in olive oil and mix until crumbly then add in 4 tablespoons of water (5 if it seems to dry) until a dough forms. Gather dough into a ball, stick in bowl and cover, and place in the fridge to rest for about 10 minutes. Once dough has chilled, remove and cut into 4 equal sized pieces. Roll each piece into a ball then, on a clean surface, roll out as flat as you can. Grab a skillet and place on high heat. Once skillet has heated up, place a rolled out dough on hot, un-oiled surface and let cook for about 3-4 minutes or until the bottom cooked with golden brown spots. Turn heat to medium and flip bread. Cook the other side for another 4-5 minutes or until browned. Remove flat and turn heat back up. Cook the rest of the bread like the first one.
For the rest. Remove leafy parts of the chard from the stalk and set aside. Take stalk and chop into pieces about 1/ 2 inch think. Slice onion and mushrooms up as thinly as you can. Mince garlic. Garb a skillet, stick on medium heat and drizzle with a little olive oil. Toss in chard stalk, onions, and mushrooms, sprinkle with salt and pepper and mix around until the stuff starts to brown a bit. Add in a few good splashed of water and the garlic and then place a lid on the skillet. Cook for about 10 minutes, giving the mixture a good stir every few minutes. Once the veggies are all soft and yummy, chop up the remaining chard leafs and place them into the skillet. Add another splash of water and place the lid back on. Cook until the leaves have wilted.
To assemble. Flat bread on plate. Scoop some of the sauteed veggie mixture on top. A few slices of avocado on top with a squeeze of lemon juice and a bit of cracked pepper…You are good to go.
I am a glutton for punishment. 91 degrees, super humid, and what do I do, I turn on the oven to make bread. And this is after I drag the poor mr to the middle of a field on the hottest most humid day to pick strawberries. He didn’t complain once (well, maybe on our walk back to the car, but I was bitching a little too).
At home. recuperating from the picking, I made myself a snack of shredded zucchini with chopped strawberries covered in black pepper (try it, it is so freaking good) and was like “this would make a killer bread situation”. And that’s when I turned on the oven and went to town making bread with the zucchini and strawberries (minus the pepper cause, well I wasn’t sure if the mr would like it, but I think I’ll add it to the next loaf). And I know, hot day, hot oven=no but really, I was so F*ing hot that I didn’t think I could have gotten any hotter, so I figured why the hell not turn on the oven. (The mr and he pup where at the other house so I wasn’t torturing them with the heat)
And when the mr came home sure the house was still hot, there was fresh loaf of the sweetest smelling strawberry zucchini bread waiting for him. And so what ifI might have been slightly delirious, I had accomplished something great and was then okay with spending the rest of the say laying in a heap on the floor.
The mr says the bread was worth it.
The stuff. A good sized zucchini and a pint or so of the loveliest strawberries . Also have a bowl with flour (all purpose and while whole wheat) baking soda and baking powder, and a little salt. Sugar, oil, cinnamon, and a little vinegar are needed and a handful of walnut if you want too.
Oil and sugar go into a bowl and get mixed together until combined.
Zucchini gets shredded and added to the bowl.
And strawberries get chopped (stems removed) and go into the bowl along with the zucchini.
Mix the wet mixture up until it starts to get all juicy then mix in the vinegar.
The dry stuff gets mix together along with the walnuts.
Now in goes the wet mixture. Mix it all together until just combined (don’t over mix)
Batter goes into a nicely greased pan and if you have it, sprinkle a little brown sugar on top.
Pop pan into preheated oven to do it’s thing.
And it’s thing it did. All dark brown and pretty with red and green bits all over. Quite the stunning loaf if I do say so myself. Remove from pan and let the bread cool for a little while..(you should wait until it’s completely cooled, but at 15 minutes would be ok)
You have waited long enough.. time to cute the bread.
Bread all day long.
Enjoy.
-C
makes 1 loaf
preheat oven to 350 degrees
In a large bowl, whisk together the flours, baking powder ans soda, salt, cinnamon, Toss in the walnuts as well.
In a separate bowl mix together the sugar and oil until combined then shred zucchini and dump it it. Grab strawberries, remove the stems, and chop those up into small chunks and add to the bowl with the zucchini. Mix until everything is mixed and starts to get juicy then mix in the vinegar.
Now dump the wet mixture into the dry and mix just until everything is incorporated and pour/scrape batter into a well greased loaf pan. Sprinkle he top with a little brown sugar and stick the pan into the oven.
Let cook for about an hour or until the top is a deep brown and a tester stuck into the middle comes out clean. Once out of the oven, let cool for a a few minutes, remove from pan and let cool completely on a wire rack.
Cut cooled bread and eat it to your face.
This is what I am talking about. Winter has finally come with it’s snowy snow and super freezing cold temperatures. It just feels right, even if I freeze a little every time I leave the house to walk the dog. But that’s ok, it is suppose to happen.
And when it’s cold and snowy we are all suppose to eat lots of warm and hearty good things to warm us up in our insides. So we soup.. Soup all day, everyday, all winter long, especially in the case of feeling slightly ill (which I have been for the past week) Eating soup makes everything better. Soup soup soup.
Soup, what a weird word. Anyway.
This soup is amazingly easy to make and even easier to eat. Full of veggies, spices and lots of beans. A perfect meal to satisfy your frozen self. And bonus, not full of shit. It’s super healthy, protein packed and just plan ol good. Warm. hearty, healthy.. What more can you ask for? (you could ask for some crackers and I would probably give them to you)
Soup time!
The stuff. Navy beans, a sweet potato, and some chopped up kale. A couple carrots, an onion, a few cloves of garlic, a little olive oil and water.* And lets not forget some spices…. I used a couple bay leaves, some dried rosemary and thyme. Oh and there should be a lemon here.(I think it rolled off the counter)
*Note. Some people get all up and up about not using a stock in soup. This soup creates it’s own stock with all the veggies and spices and time spent simmering but if you want, go ahead and use stock.
Start by chopping up the carrots, the onion, and the garlic and tossing it all into a really big pot along with a drizzle of olive oil, some salt and pepper and the spices. Stick on the stove on medium high heat for a few minutes until the veggies start to brown.. This gives the veggies and spices a chance to develop more flavor.
Now chop up the sweet potato into 1 inch chunks and toss that into the pot too.
And the dried beans and water go into as well. Get it all in there, give it a mix and stick the pot on high heat and bring to a boil, then bring the heat to low. Add a lid to the pot and let cook for a while,like an hour, stirring every now and then.
Once the beans in the soup are cooked to your preferred done-ness (I like mine on al dente) remove pot from heat.
Dump in the chopped up kale…
And that lemon that rolled away. I found it. So slice up lemon. Ladle a large amount of the soup into a pretty bowl and finish it off with some cracked pepper and a squeeze of lemon.
Soup! Now grab a big spoon, a cozy sweater or blanket (or snuggy) , and maybe some crackers or bread if you feel so inclined and eat. You will be filled with warmth and happiness.
Have a great day.
-C
Chop carrots, onion and garlic and stick them all into a large pot with a drizzle of olive oil, all the spices, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Stick on the stove and cook until the veggies start to brown. While veggies are cooking, cut sweet potato into 1 inch chunks and toss the potato into the pot along with the beans and the water. Bring to a boil then reduce the heat to low. Stick a lid on the pot and simmer fir about an hour or until the beans are cooked to you liking.
Once the beans are cooked through, dump in the chopped up kale, mix it around, then call it done.
Ladle into bowls, top with cracked pepper (and more salt if you want) and serve with a wedge of lemon.
Grab a spoon, eat the soup. Be happy.
Got some left over… Well yeah, soup for later! (will last in fridge for a few days, but freezes super well too)
Once in a while I make a dinner that the mr does not want to eat, like anything with too much corn or things made with lots of vinegar… not his taste. Don’t get me wrong, most of the time, he will eat what I make (casue he loves me) but he clearly doesn’t really like it. And that’s when pup usually gets left over for dinner. (He always likes everything that I cook)
One of those things that I know the mr doesn’t like are beets. Sure, he will eat things that has a few beets in it, but once he found out that this casserole starred beets, his eyes widened and he looked worried, like “oh great, but please don’t make me eat this”. Not to worry. He was getting pasta for dinner because this casserole was not for him. It was for me. It has everything that I love in the word (food wise ) tossed together and baked into a pretty skillet, just for me. Plus the beets, sweet potato and kale were the last from the farm share. So it was my good by farm food, casserole of greatness. And I didn’t want to share.
So yeah, if you are not a fan of beets, or any of the other stuff in this casserole for that matter, then don’t make it. But if you are awesome and know the greatness of the beet, especially paired with lentils and sweet potato, well I suggest you go and make this right away. And bonus… it’s super healthy and hardy which make for a great dinner on a cold night and after all the holiday food last week.
The stuff. A large sweet potato, a couple of big beets and some dried lentils. Gonna want some veggies, like an onion, carrots, cabbage and kale. Also want garlic, some salt and pepper, water and tiny bit of olive oil.
First thing first, get the beets and the sweet potato in a pot to boil* Just dice then up and toss into a pot with enough water to submerge the roots. Sprinkle in a bit of water ad bring to a boil, stick a lid on pot, and turn hat to medium.
*Note. I boiled my beets and sweet potato in one pot because well, I just didn’t want to have one more pot to wash. But if you do this, your sweet potato will turn slightly pink, whichI think is really pretty. If you want your sweet potato puree to look orange, gonna have to dirty another pot and boil the beets separately.
And chop up our veggies and mince the garlic. Drizzle a tiny amount of oil into a skillet or pot, toss in veggies (minus the kale) and cook on medium heat just until they start to soften a tiny bit. Once the veggies are cooked, remove them from heat, add in chopped kale, and set aside.
And make your lentils. (i used the pot I just cooked the veggies in. The less dishes the better!) Water and lentils into pot with a pinch of salt, bring to boil, cover and place on low until lentils are tender.
When the beets and sweet potato are fork tender, drain water into a jar and separate the beets from the potato (if you boiled them together). Blend the beets then the sweet potato until it’s the consistency that you would enjoy eating it (I like a little bit of chunk, not completely smooth) Use the drained water to thin out as much as you need/want.
All the stuff ready to compile.
Grab the cooked veggies and toss them into a oven safe skillet or casserole dish and mix together with the lentils. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.
Now evenly spread the beet puree on top of the veggies
Then ever so gently, spread the sweet potato on top of that.
Give the top a good pinch of salt and pepper and stick the thing into the oven.
Remove from oven when the sweet potato has browned andis slightly crispy.
And scoop a big old scoop into a bowl, grab a fork, and stuff your face!
Happy today day!
-C
Remove from oven, let cook for a few minutes then eat it with a fork, a spoon, or your fingers.
Beet Sweet Potato and Lentil Casserole
Make 3-4 servings (or one serving for me!)
Note.. I did not add extra seasoning to this because I love the taste just as it is. But if you are feeling like it needs some seasoning, just add some in.
Start by chopping the beets and sweet potato into medium sized chunks and boiling them until they are fork tender. You can do this either in two separate pots or in one large pot. (if in one pot, the sweet potato will turn a little pink)
Once those are boiling, chop up all the veggies (not the kale yet) and the garlic and toss into a pot or skillet with a drizzle of olive oil and cook on medium heat until the veggies are slightly tender. Remove from heat, add in chopped kale and set aside.
And make the lentils ( I cooked the veggies in the pot, removed them ans used the pot to make the lentils… less dishes). Dump the 2 cups water, a pinch of salt, and the lentils into a pot. Bring to boil, cover, then turn heat to low. Cook for about 20 minutes until the lentil are tender.
Preheat oven to 400
Once everything is cooked and ready to go, dump the lentils and the veggies into oven safe skillet or casserole dish and mix around. Take beet puree and spread evenly over the mixture. Then do the same with the sweet potato puree. Sprinkle the top with salt and pepper and stick the casserole into the oven to bake until the top is all browned and slightly crunchy (about 30 minutes)
Remove from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes, then eat it. Fork, spoon, or your fingers work.
Just about every morning I wake up at the ass crack of dawn (actually its still dark out) make coffee, do a few things, usually read a bit while eating my breakfast and drinking my third cup of coffee, and start a pot of soup for lunch. All before 7am when I yell up to the mr. to get his butt out of bed. I love it and I look forward to the mornings of me time.
So soup. I like to start the soup early and let it cook for a while. I start the soup, bring it to a boil, and then stick it on simmer with a ton of water. And then I am off for the day. The deal is that I leave, but the mr. leaves about an hour after I do and he will turn the burners off. And he has been so good about it. Sometime I might shoot him a text to make sure the burners are off, but most of the time I just trust.
Well about a week or so ago, I made soup, went about my morning. Upon my return home, before I even walked down the driveway, I could smell the burning soup.
I rushed in just in time. The house was not on fire! But the pot of split pea soup… it was about to be. The pot consisted of about three-inches of thick, burnt to a black brick, soup and about an inch of super thick burnt but still slightly green pea goop on top.
Now don’t judge me here, but that goop…. I ate it. And it was so good. I know, I sound kind of gross, but whatever I don’t care. That little bit of super thick burnt pea paste was some of the best burnt food that I have ever eaten.(I love burnt food)
So this casserole gets a bit of inspiration from that goop. No, it is not burnt to almost an inedible state, but it gets thick and a little crispy and is so so freaking good. This is one of those dishes that I will make and continue to eat even though I cannot possibly eat any more. It’s that good.
As for leaving the stove on while I am gone.. That’s not really happening anymore.
The stuff. Dried green split peas, some water, Italian spice blend as well as garlic and onion powder. Also salt and pepper, a bay leaf, carrots, an onion, a couple of potatoes, a chunk of cabbage, and a parsnip. All good, all of what I have in the fridge at the moment.
Start by chopping up the onion and sticking it into a big heavy pot. Take all the spices and mix them together in a little bowl and dump half of them into the pot with the onion, the bay leaf and a splash of water. Place on medium heat and cook until the onions start to soften and the water has evaporated.
After the onions have cooked a bit, add in the dried split peas and a bunch of water (split peas suck up water like crazy) Turn the heat up to high and bring the stuff to a boil then turn heat to a medium and place lid on pot. Let cook for a while, giving it a stir every now and then to make sure nothing is sticking and burning to the bottom of the pot
While the split peas are cooking, chop up all the veggies into mouth sized chunks and mix them together with the rest of the spices and toss them into a skillet or casserole dish.
And the peas.. Once they are all falling apart, they are ready. Now is also a good time to preheat oven.
Dump the cooked split peas all over the veggie mixture and mix around a bit. Grab that last potato and slice really thin.
Top the veggies with the potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
And into the oven it goes!
Bake until the veggies are all tender and the top is all crispy (about 35-40 minutes) and eel free to even stick under a broiler for an even crisper top.
Pull it from the oven when its ready and let it sit for a few minutes to set up a bit…
And scoop yourself a big helping and eat! All it needs is a fork (But mustard tastes so good with it too!)
Have a great Monday!
-C
serves 3-4
Note… I used the veggie that I had on hand. So say you don’t like parsnips, don’t use them or want to add celery, go for it. Just make sure to have at about 4-5 cups of chopped up veggies.
Take all the spices and mix them together. Dice onion into little pieces and stick into a big heavy bottom pot with half of the spice blend, the bay leaf, a few pinches of salt and pepper, and a splash of water. Stick on stove and cook for a few minutes until water evaporates and the onions are fragrant and starting to soften. Now dump in the dried peas and 3-1/2 cups water. Bring it to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and place a lid on the pot. Cook the peas, stirring occasionally, for about 45 minutes of until falling apart.
In the mean time, dice up the veggies (leave one potato to top with)into mouth sized chunks and stick them in either a casserole dish or a 12-inch oven safe skillet. Mix in the other half of the spice blend
Preheat oven to 375
Once the split peas are done, take the pot and dump into the chopped veggies and mix around. Take remaining potato and slice thinly. Top the casserole with thin slices of potato and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Stick that bad boy into the oven.
Bake for about 45-50 minutes or until the potatoes are crispy and the peas have thickened.
Remove from oven, let rest for a few minutes, and serve it on up!
This cake was born from my anxiety. Whenever I am feeling crazy, anxious, kinda sick, or even just really happy, I want to be in the kitchen making something. It’s probably some deep seeded control issue that I have (I can’t control my brain, but I can control bread dough), but whatever. Being in the kitchen takes my head out of life , even just for a little while, and let’s me concentrate on something else that really has nothing to do with whatever I am thinking about (unless I am thinking about food, in which I bake whatever food I am thinking about) Does this all make sense or am I just nuts?
So yeah, the other day I was having one of those days. I was extra crazy (for so many reasons) and really needed to just step away from my thoughts. I rushed home and just started grabbing stuff.. cake stuff. I figured that If I was going to bake something that I might as well bake a little snack cake for the mr, especially sense he has to deal with this crazy. I had a large quantity of pears that were all ripening at once sitting in the fruit basket, so I grabbed some of those. And I grabbed the ginger… well because why not.
And I made this cake.. and I felt better. And the mr got cake (also brought some to my sisters.. her and the kids ate it all within minutes). It was a win win situation.
So now you know. If you are my friend and I am feeling some feelings, at some point, you will proably get a cake.
The stuff. A few pears,some fresh ginger, brown sugar and cinnamon. Also have some white whole wheat flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. And some oil, apple cider vinegar and a little bit of water.
Start with the pears. Cut in half, remove seed and stems, then chop/mince the crap out of them. It’s cool to have a few big chunks., it adds some good texture. Take the pears and as much as the juice you can scrap from the counter and stick into a bowl.
Grate up a few good tablespoons of fresh ginger..
Tip. I keep my ginger in the freezer. its easier to grate and it doesn’t go bad!
The ginger goes into the bowl with the pears, along with the oil, cinnamon, sugar, water and vinegar. Mix it all up . Then all that wet mixture goes into the bowl with the flour, baking soda and powder and the salt.
And that get’s all mixed.. and now you have cake batter!
Depending on you pears and how juicy they are, you might find that your batter seems to dry, just add in another 1/4 cup of water. The batter should be the consistency of like greek yogurt, not ruing, but not stiff either.
Preheat you cook box (oven)
Dump the batter into a well greased 9×9 inch pan. Slice up another pear into thin strips (I only used half, then ate the other half)
Lay the slices on top to make it look all pretty. Do what I did, or some other design (it’s your cake to make pretty any way you want). Once you do that, stick the cake into the oven.
When the cake is a nice deep golden brown, take it out of the oven.
Maybe let it cool for a few minutes, letting the smell wrap around your head so that you smell like baking all day. No cut yourself a slab, grab some coffee, and go for it.
Enjoy
-C
Makes a 9×9 inch single layer cake
Preheat oven to 350
Take pears, remove seeds and stem, and chop the crap out of them until they are tiny little pieces. Scoop pears, and any juice they leave behind into a bowl. Add in the sugar, oil, cinnamon, ginger, vinegar, and 1/4 cup of water and mix until incorporated. In a seprertare big bowl, mix together the salt, baking soda and powder with the flour. Add in the wet mixture and mix until fully incorporated. If the batter seems to dry (should be the constancy of whipped potatoes or greek yogurt), add in another 1/4 cup of water.
Scoop batter into a greased 9×9 inch baking pan. If you want to make it pretty, grab another pear and cut into thin slices and place right on top of the batter in any fashion you like.
Place cake into oven and bake until a nice dark golden brown,about 40-45 minutes ,or until a tester stuck in the middle comes out clean.
Remove, let cool in pan, and cut yourself a big slab, grab some coffee e to tea, grab a book, and eat it. .
You know how I have been saying that I have so so many winter squashes that they are taking over my house? (the other night the mr and I counted while eating dinner.. there were 29 at the time) Well, not that I think I cannot eat them all myself, but I want to share and I think I found a way to share them that people (especially the mr) will really like… Squash noodles of course!
Honestly, I am always more then happy to just eat a squash pretty much as untouched as possible. All I do is stick one (any variety) in the oven on a rack and bake it till its soft then eat it. And it’s like crack.. I can’t get enough. If I was not a stronger person, I would probably eat an entire squash in once sitting, then still want more. (It’s happened) But that’s me. Most of the peps that I make food for are not as squash happy as I am and are not into just squash mush.
So last night I noodled some butternut for the mr. And win.. he really liked them, even with a shit ton of caramelized onions. (I loved the onions, he has never been a huge onion fan but still really like them) Ever since zucchini season has been over, I have been trying to find that new meal that I can whip up in a short amount of time, that the mr really likes, and can be made with the abundance of the season. I don’t know why I didn’t do this sooner. And sure, this particular dish takes a little time to make cause of the onions, which are so worth it, but on a regular old night, I can just toss some garlic, olive oil and a handful of fresh herbs into a pot and it will take like 15 minutes. to make.I am a genius (I am sure that noodling is not an original idea, but whatever, original to me)
Anyway.. squash noodles are now a thing for us, and I am sure will be a thing everywhere soon so you should jump in the band wagon now and get to making some too! .
The stuff. A butternut squash, a few onions, and a handful of fresh sage. . Also need some garlic, wine vinegar, olive oil, salt and pepper and some water (water not in picture)
Slice up all the onions as thin as you can, mince up the garlic, and stick it all into a big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a sprinkle of salt and pepper and a small splash of water. Stick the pot on the stove on medium heat until the onions start to cook and smell all yummy oniony and maybe a few are sticking to the bottom of the pot. Grab the vinegar and give the onions a good splash, stirring around, making sure no onions are stuck on the bottom. Now turn heat to low and cover the pot. Let the onions cook for a while (about a 1/2 hour) giving them a stir ever now and then.
And once the onions are all super soft and starting to caramelize, add in the sage (but mince it first). Keep the pot on low heat without the lid.
While the sage and onions are melding together, turn the squash into some noodles. Do it by the means that you use. I have a mandolin that does the trick, but use your spiralizer, noodler maker, or even a knife and a little bit of patience. Just make sure all you noodles, however made, are all the same thickness to it all cooks at the same time. So yeah, cut the bottom part of the squash off and use the neck… and save the rest for soup tomorrow.
Note… I did not peel the squash cause I like to eat the skin. If you want, peel it, but really, even if you don’t like the skin, you will not notice it in the noodles.
After the sage has had a few minutes with the onions, and now that the noodles are made, it’s time to add in a few splashes of vinegar and about a cup of water to the pot. So do that and give it all a good stir.
Now dump in the noodles, stir once more, and turn the pot to medium heat and stick the lid back on it. Let cook down on medium heat for about 15 minutes, or unlit the noodles are tender and cooked, but not mushy.
Like so.
Now all you have to do is eat it.
Place a big pile into a pretty bowl, a fresh tiny little sage leave as garnish, and serve with a clean cloth napkin and a clean fork to eat with.. Or better yet, just eat it out of the pot with the wooden spoon that may or may not have fallen on the floor. (my preferred method of eating)
Have a fantastic Day!
-C
Make 2 Servings
Take onions and slice them as thinly as you can and mince up the garlic. Place into o big pot with a drizzle of olive oil, a splash of water and a sprinkle of salt. Stick on stove on medium high heat and stir onions until they start to give off a sweet onion smell and are starting to stick to the pot. Add in a splash of vinegar to deglaze pot, give it all a stir, and turn heat to low. Cover with a lid and continue to cook, string now and again, until onions reduce in volume by about half, are all tender, almost falling apart and are starting to brown a bit. (takes about 30- 40 minutes ) When onions are at this point, tiny chop the fresh sage and mix into the onion.
Now grab you squash and turn in into noodles.( I cut the bottom part off (for soup tomorrow) and use the neck of the squash). You can do this by using a mandolin, a noodler, or even a knife. Any way works, just make sure the noodles are all the same thickness (mine were about 1/4 inch thick) so they cook at the same time. Noodle about 5- 6 handfuls or cups of noodles.
Now right before you add the noodles to the pot, add in a few more splashes of vinegar. another pitch or two of salt and pepper, and a cup of water, Mix that all around then add in the noodles. Give those a mix then turn heat to medium and place the lid back on the pot, checking and string every few minutes until the noodles are tender(but not falling apart) and the water has pretty much evaporated. (about 15 minutes) If you notice the water is gone and the noodles still need more cooking, add in another 1/2 cup of water.
And when you are happy with the tenderness of the noodles. remove pot from heat, taste and season with more salt and pepper if needed, and get to eating!!!!!