I haven't even done a lot of the crazy pregnant lady food cravings, but every once in a while they hit me. Tonight, I was trying to figure out what to make for dinner and all I kept coming back to was quinoa cakes. I was trying to figure out what to have with it and my brain kept remembering the queso fresco I bought earlier in the day. In an attempt to make sure we had some veggies I was running through the list of what we typically have in the fridge: carrots, beets, broccoli, tomatoes, etc. And then my brain alighted on kale, and I thought "Yes! What I want for dinner tonight is quinoa cakes with sauteed kale and queso fresco!" Aleks looked at me a little oddly, but since there was a 99% chance that I was the one who was going to cook, he wisely agreed that while it was weird, it was okay if I made it. And it turned out really well! I think Mom especially would enjoy it.
The quinoa cakes recipe is from an old Gourmet recipe that I've probably posted before: quinoa cakes with eggplant ragu. I've been trying to come up with other toppings for the cakes, since I like them so much.
Cook 1 c quinoa in 1.5 c water with 1/2 t salt. Cool slightly, then stir in 1 egg, lightly beaten. Using a dry measuring cup, press about 2/3 of a cup of quinoa into a 1 cup measure, packing well, to make 4 patties. Chill for 15 min or more. The chilling part is important for helping the cakes hold together. Heat some oil in a skillet and carefully add the cakes, cooking on each side lightly browned and crisp. Don't try to turn them too soon, or they'll fall apart. Though, the crisp edges are the best part of these, and you get more of those if the cakes fall apart, so...make your own decision.
For the kale, I rinsed it, cut out the stems, then cut cross-wise into thin (1/4" or less) strips. In a skillet, heat some oil, then add the kale and as much minced garlic as you like. Sprinkle with salt, and cover. Cook, turning frequently to prevent browning, until kale is bright green, a bit softened, and slightly reduced in volume.
To serve, pile that garlicky kale on top of a quinoa cake and top liberally with crumbled queso fresco - or whatever your favorite cheese is. A good cheddar would probably also be good.
Seriously, this comes together into a light, tasty dinner better than you would think!
Maggie
Monday, January 19, 2015
Tuesday, January 13, 2015
Chili - the kitchen sink version
Whenever I used to make chili, I did the Zoe Keck method. I loved it. SUPER easy, SUPER simple, and definitely delicious!
I just used ground beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, whatever inspired me in the spice dept, peppers, a can of black beans, can of red beans, and a can of diced tomatoes and/or tomato sauce.
I always said that my chili had no bells or whistles, but I always really liked it.
Well a month or so ago, we tried a Steve Raichlen recipe for chili. It had many more ingredients but it was KILLER. We looooved it.
The other night we wanted to throw together a chili and instead of using a recipe, we just made what we're now referring to as the Kitchen Sink Chili. We used inspiration from the Raichlen recipe with the "dump it in" inspiration from Mom.
Here are some of the things we've added...
I just used ground beef, onion, garlic, chili powder, cumin, whatever inspired me in the spice dept, peppers, a can of black beans, can of red beans, and a can of diced tomatoes and/or tomato sauce.
I always said that my chili had no bells or whistles, but I always really liked it.
Well a month or so ago, we tried a Steve Raichlen recipe for chili. It had many more ingredients but it was KILLER. We looooved it.
The other night we wanted to throw together a chili and instead of using a recipe, we just made what we're now referring to as the Kitchen Sink Chili. We used inspiration from the Raichlen recipe with the "dump it in" inspiration from Mom.
Here are some of the things we've added...
- beer
- chicken broth
- chunks of pork
- cocoa powder (or whatever chocolate you have lying around)
- brown sugar
- liquid smoke
- cut back on the tomato (most of the liquid comes from broth and beer)
- chipotles
- cinnamon
- hot sauce
That's obviously not all that we use, but it's the new things we use. It's so good! The other thing that makes a difference is giving the chili enough time to simmer (probably a big duh!).
I'll tell ya, it's fun to stand over a pot and just throw things in for fun until it's delicious. There's no right or wrong!
Saturday, January 10, 2015
Bread: This Just Works
Pretty much the highest praise software can get is the comment, "it just works". Many different programs "work", but to "just work" means that what the program did was so fluid and intuitive that the user hardly noticed it working. Google's search engine "just works".
Recently I've gotten in to a new way of baking bread that "just works". You do not knead the bread. You mix up the ingredients in batches large enough to last a couple of weeks (takes 15 minutes, max). After it rises once, you toss it in the 'fridge. When you want bread, you hack a chunk of dough off and do whatever you want with it--including make really fancy artisan breads. I have done sandwich bread, flat breads, pizza crusts, crusty bread, and each one has worked amazingly well. It's nearly effortless, and fast enough to do on a whim after work.
I won't plagiarize the recipes here, but I'll put a link to the website: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/. I got the New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes out of the library and liked it a lot. Pat and Samara got me the Healthy... version for Christmas and I like it too. The New... had a wider variety of recipes, so I'd start with that if you get one.
I never expected to be on a home-made bread kick, but I totally am. It's awesome. I know a 'real' bread baker will probably feel like a Unix user in 1995 (Dammit Gates, you're making this too easy, now everyone can do it!), but I'm not fussy--if it works it works.
Recently I've gotten in to a new way of baking bread that "just works". You do not knead the bread. You mix up the ingredients in batches large enough to last a couple of weeks (takes 15 minutes, max). After it rises once, you toss it in the 'fridge. When you want bread, you hack a chunk of dough off and do whatever you want with it--including make really fancy artisan breads. I have done sandwich bread, flat breads, pizza crusts, crusty bread, and each one has worked amazingly well. It's nearly effortless, and fast enough to do on a whim after work.
I won't plagiarize the recipes here, but I'll put a link to the website: http://www.artisanbreadinfive.com/. I got the New Artisan Bread in Five Minutes out of the library and liked it a lot. Pat and Samara got me the Healthy... version for Christmas and I like it too. The New... had a wider variety of recipes, so I'd start with that if you get one.
I never expected to be on a home-made bread kick, but I totally am. It's awesome. I know a 'real' bread baker will probably feel like a Unix user in 1995 (Dammit Gates, you're making this too easy, now everyone can do it!), but I'm not fussy--if it works it works.
Saturday, January 3, 2015
sausage and sauerkraut - a "duh" post + an idea for baked apples to make the post legit
We were driving between Athens, GA and Wisconsin on Jan 1 and 2 this year, so we didn't get a chance to make the traditional sausage balls and sauerkraut for New Year's. (We did, however, remember to take all of our candy canes off the tree and down to Georgia with us, so we didn't miss peppermint stick ice cream on New Year's Eve!) So, I decided tonight was better than never for blowing out the bad omens for the year, and I busted out some of the sauerkraut I made this past fall, bought some brat buns and some brats, and cooked it all up for sausage sandwiches. And the main point of this post is just to say oh man, what an amazing combination! (Like I said, a "duh" statement). Mmmm-mmmm!
I also made baked apples to go along with it, and tried something new for the filling. First, (I may have posted this before), but I've discovered that a melon baller is by far the best tool I've ever used for hollowing out the center of an apple. For the filling, I usually use mostly granola, with a little extra cinnamon, maybe a little brown sugar, and a bit of flour added in. Then I usually cut in some butter. On a whim, tonight I cut in a lot less butter but stirred in some almond butter too. The almond butter was on the dry side, so our filling was a little crumbly, but a more normal, wetter almond butter would probably hold things together better. It was pretty good - Aleks said it was like his own personal apple pie. I used about 2-3T almond butter for 6 large apples, and I think it was on the upper limit of what would be good. Any more would be over-powering. So, just a tip for anyone looking to increase protein content and decrease butter.
But, man, sausage and sauerkraut..! And now I think I probably have enough leftover sauerkraut and a few sausages to make a small dish of sausage balls in sauerkraut. Yay!
Happy New Year!
-Maggie
I also made baked apples to go along with it, and tried something new for the filling. First, (I may have posted this before), but I've discovered that a melon baller is by far the best tool I've ever used for hollowing out the center of an apple. For the filling, I usually use mostly granola, with a little extra cinnamon, maybe a little brown sugar, and a bit of flour added in. Then I usually cut in some butter. On a whim, tonight I cut in a lot less butter but stirred in some almond butter too. The almond butter was on the dry side, so our filling was a little crumbly, but a more normal, wetter almond butter would probably hold things together better. It was pretty good - Aleks said it was like his own personal apple pie. I used about 2-3T almond butter for 6 large apples, and I think it was on the upper limit of what would be good. Any more would be over-powering. So, just a tip for anyone looking to increase protein content and decrease butter.
But, man, sausage and sauerkraut..! And now I think I probably have enough leftover sauerkraut and a few sausages to make a small dish of sausage balls in sauerkraut. Yay!
Happy New Year!
-Maggie
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