After going nuts about the veggie bagel at a little breakfast place called Grandma's here in upcountry Maui...I decided it was time to recreate this simple sandwich at home.
I order it every time I go to Grandma's and have now made it at home multiple times. I like that I can start my day out with something so fresh. Not a bad way to jump start your daily veggie intake too.
Here's what you need..
Bagel
Cream cheese
Lettuce (or sprouts would be delish!)
Tomato (we still get them this time of year)
Onion
Cucumber
Avocado (I added this when making it at home. Grandma doesn't use it)
Toast your bagel. Slather on some cream cheese (I'm kind of heavy handed) and then load up your sliced veggies and attempt to maintain the structural integrity of the sandwich.
This is nothing mind blowing and certainly nothing new..but I love it. Don't know how it took me this long to catch on. I love the warm bagel and the cold veggies..weird but true.
Enjoy!
Molly
Thursday, November 19, 2015
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Turkey Pie
We recently found ourselves with a large quantity of leftover turkey meat and broth with Thanksgiving fast approaching and threatening an expansion of inventory. I've done a great job with turkey noodle soup and turkey rice soup (IMHO) but our newfound riches led me to think about trying turkey pie. My first attempt using broth, turkey meat, a few veg, and a Bisquick top crust was OK but not great and not quite what I had in mind - kinda runny and not quite the veg mix I had imagined. Brunch at the Standard Tap with Jo provided an opportunity to sample their chicken pie and get an idea from Jo how they make it. Theirs - puff pastry crust and mostly meat with limited veg - is not quite what I had in mind for mine but it gave me some ideas on how to proceed. So today I tried Round 2:
1 cup concentrated (2/1) turkey broth
1/2 cup water
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 onion minced pretty fine
1 sm + 1 med clove garlic, minced
2 smallish carrots in chunks ~1/2 inch
1 medium potato in small cubes, 3/8 - 1/2 inch
12 oz turkey meat, shredded for soup
2 oz frozen yellow beans
2 oz frozen corn (~1/2 c.)
2 oz frozen peas (~1/2 c.)
2 oz mushrooms, chopped course (~1/2 inch)
1/4 t. ground mustard
1 bay leaf
1 T. dried basil
1/2 t. dill seed
1/2 t. celery seed
Celery leaves form the garden, chopped
Parsley from the garden, one handfull chopped
Lovage from the garden, leaves from one sprig, chopped
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper, some
Dried chili pepper, a smidge (not enough to taste, just enough to add interest)
Put this all together and cook it like making soup until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. Add water as needed to maintain minimal broth but over the top of the turkey and veg. At the end, reduce to minimal broth.
In a separate pan, I made a roux using coconut oil and flour, removed the filling from the heat, poured off the remaining broth into the roux, and whisked into a gravy which I added back to the filling. After mixing, I turned this out into a 10" glass pie dish.
Last time I thought the Bisquick crust was a little sweet, and sure enough, they list sugar in the ingredients list, so I decided it was time to try biscuits from scratch without the sugar. I followed the recipe from the New York Times Cookbook:
2 cup flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 cup shortening ( I used 2/1 coconut oil/butter)
~2/3 c. milk ( I needed a little more to fully wet my whole batch)
I added 1 T. dried Thyme to the dry ingredients after cutting in the shortening
Dries mixed, shortening cut in, milk added with stirring, turned out on floured board, kneaded a little bit, then rolled out thin (<1/2 inch) to cover pie dish with thin biscuit crust.
Preheat oven to 425 F, bake crust/heat pie 12-15 min, until crust is brown.
I had a little extra biscuit dough which I baked up as biscuits just to see how they turned out; it was my first attempt at biscuits from scratch. They rose and browned nicely. The addition of thyme was excellent. As biscuits they were a little salty; World of Baking uses 1/2 t. salt for 2 c. flour in the biscuit recipe. As a savory pie crust, the extra salt was not a problem.
This pie turned out very well. It cut and served in slices which held together and did not run, which was one of my objectives. I liked the meat/veg ratio but it would also work with a little less meat, I think; I will probably try this next time. Seasonings as listed worked out very well, but this is obviously a place to add variety in the future.
I am happy to say that this experiment was a great success. I am particularly pleased to be launched into the world of "from scratch" biscuits and no longer tied to the Bisquick box! This is good start on biscuits but I will have to look into variations/improvements for future sausage gravy and biscuit breakfasts.
1 cup concentrated (2/1) turkey broth
1/2 cup water
2 T. lemon juice
1/2 onion minced pretty fine
1 sm + 1 med clove garlic, minced
2 smallish carrots in chunks ~1/2 inch
1 medium potato in small cubes, 3/8 - 1/2 inch
12 oz turkey meat, shredded for soup
2 oz frozen yellow beans
2 oz frozen corn (~1/2 c.)
2 oz frozen peas (~1/2 c.)
2 oz mushrooms, chopped course (~1/2 inch)
1/4 t. ground mustard
1 bay leaf
1 T. dried basil
1/2 t. dill seed
1/2 t. celery seed
Celery leaves form the garden, chopped
Parsley from the garden, one handfull chopped
Lovage from the garden, leaves from one sprig, chopped
Salt to taste
Ground black pepper, some
Dried chili pepper, a smidge (not enough to taste, just enough to add interest)
Put this all together and cook it like making soup until the carrots and potatoes are cooked through. Add water as needed to maintain minimal broth but over the top of the turkey and veg. At the end, reduce to minimal broth.
In a separate pan, I made a roux using coconut oil and flour, removed the filling from the heat, poured off the remaining broth into the roux, and whisked into a gravy which I added back to the filling. After mixing, I turned this out into a 10" glass pie dish.
Last time I thought the Bisquick crust was a little sweet, and sure enough, they list sugar in the ingredients list, so I decided it was time to try biscuits from scratch without the sugar. I followed the recipe from the New York Times Cookbook:
2 cup flour
2 1/2 t. baking powder
1 t. salt
1/3 cup shortening ( I used 2/1 coconut oil/butter)
~2/3 c. milk ( I needed a little more to fully wet my whole batch)
I added 1 T. dried Thyme to the dry ingredients after cutting in the shortening
Dries mixed, shortening cut in, milk added with stirring, turned out on floured board, kneaded a little bit, then rolled out thin (<1/2 inch) to cover pie dish with thin biscuit crust.
Preheat oven to 425 F, bake crust/heat pie 12-15 min, until crust is brown.
I had a little extra biscuit dough which I baked up as biscuits just to see how they turned out; it was my first attempt at biscuits from scratch. They rose and browned nicely. The addition of thyme was excellent. As biscuits they were a little salty; World of Baking uses 1/2 t. salt for 2 c. flour in the biscuit recipe. As a savory pie crust, the extra salt was not a problem.
This pie turned out very well. It cut and served in slices which held together and did not run, which was one of my objectives. I liked the meat/veg ratio but it would also work with a little less meat, I think; I will probably try this next time. Seasonings as listed worked out very well, but this is obviously a place to add variety in the future.
I am happy to say that this experiment was a great success. I am particularly pleased to be launched into the world of "from scratch" biscuits and no longer tied to the Bisquick box! This is good start on biscuits but I will have to look into variations/improvements for future sausage gravy and biscuit breakfasts.
Wednesday, November 11, 2015
Lime Pickled Chili Pepper Idea
Visiting with Mom's relative in MN this summer, Uncle Dan commented on a seasoning called Tajin which he liked. None of us knew what it was but a quick post-visit Google search reveals that it is a Mexican season comprising chili peppers, lime and salt which is good on melons, among other things.
I had a garden full of chili peppers at the time, so a took a smallish one, cut it into thin strips which would fit into the opening of the lime juice bottle, stuffed the pepper strips into the lime juice, added 1 teaspoon of salt, and put it in the 'fridge.
A couple of days later, I put a few drops of this on a slice of cantaloupe - interesting and very good, worth trying. As summer waned and melon season ended, I started using a squirt of this in my glass of V8 juice each morning. It adds some zing and is a lot easier than adding lime juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper individually each time.
The other day I was setting up for "Japanese" breakfast of rice and sardines (see previous post). I put the last squirt of lime/chili juice into my morning V8 and was shaking the pepper strips out of the bottle so I could put it in the recycling when I realized I had some beautiful, bright red, chili pepper strips which might be interesting. And me with a plate of rice and fish looking for interesting condiments.
Basically, I has accidentally made lime pickled chili pepper strips, They were beautiful and delicious. Gonna have to work on a purposeful recipe for these in the future. I'm thinking maybe a variation on the normal pickled pepper recipe with lime juice substituted for some or all of the vinegar. I would be interested in any ideas you may have or comments on experience with a similar concept.
I had a garden full of chili peppers at the time, so a took a smallish one, cut it into thin strips which would fit into the opening of the lime juice bottle, stuffed the pepper strips into the lime juice, added 1 teaspoon of salt, and put it in the 'fridge.
A couple of days later, I put a few drops of this on a slice of cantaloupe - interesting and very good, worth trying. As summer waned and melon season ended, I started using a squirt of this in my glass of V8 juice each morning. It adds some zing and is a lot easier than adding lime juice, hot sauce, salt and pepper individually each time.
The other day I was setting up for "Japanese" breakfast of rice and sardines (see previous post). I put the last squirt of lime/chili juice into my morning V8 and was shaking the pepper strips out of the bottle so I could put it in the recycling when I realized I had some beautiful, bright red, chili pepper strips which might be interesting. And me with a plate of rice and fish looking for interesting condiments.
Basically, I has accidentally made lime pickled chili pepper strips, They were beautiful and delicious. Gonna have to work on a purposeful recipe for these in the future. I'm thinking maybe a variation on the normal pickled pepper recipe with lime juice substituted for some or all of the vinegar. I would be interested in any ideas you may have or comments on experience with a similar concept.
"Japanese" Breakfast
The last time I went to the eye doctor she told me that I (like everyone else) need to get more Omega-3 essential fatty acids in my diet and the best way to get them was to eat oily fish (better than fish oil capsule), preferably small ones to avoid mercury concentration in the food chain. Basically, this was a prescription to eat two cans of sardines a week for my eye health. I like sardines, so I was easily persuaded. Plus, there's the option of mixing it up with kippers and canned mackerel now again, all of which are good (if you like canned, small oily fish). Kind of fun to have a reason to browse this section of the store isle, also.
When I traveled to Japan on business, one hotel I frequently stayed at offered buffet breakfast, occidental on one side of the table, traditional Japanese on the other. The Japanese side always included white rice, an array of Japanese pickles, often with fish as an option. I came to like the rice-and-fish-with Japanese-pickles option.
One day not long ago these two thoughts came together: hey, rice and sardines for breakfast; why not? I made about 1/4 cup of rice for myself (not much chance of finding anyone else in the house who wanted in on this one; Mom opted for oatmeal), opened a can of sardines, and got out every Japanese and Indian pickle, chutney, or condiment we had. I had wasabi paste, pickled ginger, mango chutney, hot mango chutney tamarind date chutney, and hot Indian lime pickle. A bite was a bit of sardine, a bit of rice, and a small dab of one of the condiments. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it, though it may be an acquired taste. When Kate et al. came to visit last month she and I shared this while everyone else remained more American mainstream. We both loved it. Gonna have to look for a Japanese grocery in the city to see about getting some other appropriate pickles.
When I traveled to Japan on business, one hotel I frequently stayed at offered buffet breakfast, occidental on one side of the table, traditional Japanese on the other. The Japanese side always included white rice, an array of Japanese pickles, often with fish as an option. I came to like the rice-and-fish-with Japanese-pickles option.
One day not long ago these two thoughts came together: hey, rice and sardines for breakfast; why not? I made about 1/4 cup of rice for myself (not much chance of finding anyone else in the house who wanted in on this one; Mom opted for oatmeal), opened a can of sardines, and got out every Japanese and Indian pickle, chutney, or condiment we had. I had wasabi paste, pickled ginger, mango chutney, hot mango chutney tamarind date chutney, and hot Indian lime pickle. A bite was a bit of sardine, a bit of rice, and a small dab of one of the condiments. I really enjoyed it and I recommend it, though it may be an acquired taste. When Kate et al. came to visit last month she and I shared this while everyone else remained more American mainstream. We both loved it. Gonna have to look for a Japanese grocery in the city to see about getting some other appropriate pickles.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
Autumn wheat berry salad
Hey fam!
I've been enjoying making wheat berry salads this fall and have an ingredient combo that I think is worth sharing. It's great for late fall veggies. I also think it could also be fun at Christmas, since it ends up being red and green.
Here's from my lunch today
1) Cook up some wheat berries. If you've never done this - just cook them at a low boil in salted water for about 1 hour, until they are tender but chewy. Drain in a colander. Wheat berries don't expand a ton when cooking, but they are very filling. I usually make about 2 cups for a family dinner salad plus a couple of lunches. (Alright, actually I make 3 cups, but that's just because we want them left over for lunch all week long.)
2) Make a vinegar dressing of your choosing. I like 1/2 sherry vinegar + 1/2 balsamic vinegar, and then I shake a little olive oil on top. I don't use a lot of oil. I don't find that the wheat berries taste dry at all, and I just don't find the oil very necessary. I'm generally not a big salad dressing person, so I probably used maybe 1/2 cup of dressing total for 2 cups of raw wheat berries. Start with a smaller amount, and then add more to taste if you need it. The dressing ends up pulling the ingredients together, but not really being a flavor itself (ie, the salad doesn't taste like vinegar). Toss the wheat berries with the dressing while they are still warm, and they'll absorb the vinegar a bit, so your salad isn't wet from dressing.
3) Roast some beets. Maybe 4-5 smallish ones. Double wrap small whole beets or 2-3" pieces of larger beets in aluminum foil. Place on a pan you don't care too much about (or triple wrap your beets), and roast at 375-400 degrees F for 1 hour or so, until beets are tender. If you like some more caramelization, roast at a higher temp at the end, or for longer. When the beets have cooled a bit, peel them, cut off any dried out previously-cut edges, and chop into ~1/2" cubes (or whatever size you want). Add them to the wheat berries.
4) Caramelize some onions - 1-4 of them depending on how big they are and how much you like onions. Cut onions in half lengthwise, then slide cross-wise to get half-rings. Cook them in a pan with some olive oil and salt, low and slow, with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until they are sweet and browning. Or forget about them and cook them until they are pretty darned brown. It doesn't matter too much - they're onions and by definition will be good! Add them to the wheat berries and beets.
5) Saute some kale, probably about one bunch or whatever you can take from your garden that day. Cut out the stems of the kale, and chop the leaves roughly into 1/2 - 1" pieces. I usually cook the kale in the same pan I use for the onions, after I take the onions out. Add a little more olive oil, throw in your cut kale and sprinkle with salt. Turn and stir a few times to distribute the oil. Put on a lid to steam the kale a little Turn kale every minute or two. Don't let it burn! Cook until the kale is brighter green and a bit more tender, but not mushy. Add the kale to the wheat berries, beets, and onions.
6) Toast walnuts - probably about 3/4-1 c of walnuts. However you like to toast nuts. I do mine in the toaster oven. Add them to the wheat berries, beets, onions, and kale.
7) Cube some smoked gouda. To taste. I like cheese, and rely on its flavor in place of dressing a lot with salads, so I use a lot. Probably about 3/4 - 1 c. of 1/2" cubed smoked gouda. Add that to the wheat berries, beets, onions, kale, and walnuts. Mmm, now doesn't that sound good!
Let everything sit for a bit to blend the flavors together, and then enjoy.
- The cheese and onions turn pink from the beets, but whatever.
- You can get wheat berries at pretty much any grocery store that sells whole grains. Or I suggest making sure you have some extra space in your suitcase the next time you go to PA and then buying wheat berries at Echo Hill, where they are $0.47/lb.
Aleks was skeptical the first time I described my idea for this salad to him, but now he describes it as "amazing" and "money." I had some for lunch today along with a bowl of sweet potato and butternut squash soup out on the deck enjoying our El Nino November. Absolutely perfect fall lunch.
Enjoy!
-Maggie
I've been enjoying making wheat berry salads this fall and have an ingredient combo that I think is worth sharing. It's great for late fall veggies. I also think it could also be fun at Christmas, since it ends up being red and green.
Here's from my lunch today
1) Cook up some wheat berries. If you've never done this - just cook them at a low boil in salted water for about 1 hour, until they are tender but chewy. Drain in a colander. Wheat berries don't expand a ton when cooking, but they are very filling. I usually make about 2 cups for a family dinner salad plus a couple of lunches. (Alright, actually I make 3 cups, but that's just because we want them left over for lunch all week long.)
2) Make a vinegar dressing of your choosing. I like 1/2 sherry vinegar + 1/2 balsamic vinegar, and then I shake a little olive oil on top. I don't use a lot of oil. I don't find that the wheat berries taste dry at all, and I just don't find the oil very necessary. I'm generally not a big salad dressing person, so I probably used maybe 1/2 cup of dressing total for 2 cups of raw wheat berries. Start with a smaller amount, and then add more to taste if you need it. The dressing ends up pulling the ingredients together, but not really being a flavor itself (ie, the salad doesn't taste like vinegar). Toss the wheat berries with the dressing while they are still warm, and they'll absorb the vinegar a bit, so your salad isn't wet from dressing.
3) Roast some beets. Maybe 4-5 smallish ones. Double wrap small whole beets or 2-3" pieces of larger beets in aluminum foil. Place on a pan you don't care too much about (or triple wrap your beets), and roast at 375-400 degrees F for 1 hour or so, until beets are tender. If you like some more caramelization, roast at a higher temp at the end, or for longer. When the beets have cooled a bit, peel them, cut off any dried out previously-cut edges, and chop into ~1/2" cubes (or whatever size you want). Add them to the wheat berries.
4) Caramelize some onions - 1-4 of them depending on how big they are and how much you like onions. Cut onions in half lengthwise, then slide cross-wise to get half-rings. Cook them in a pan with some olive oil and salt, low and slow, with the lid on, stirring occasionally, until they are sweet and browning. Or forget about them and cook them until they are pretty darned brown. It doesn't matter too much - they're onions and by definition will be good! Add them to the wheat berries and beets.
5) Saute some kale, probably about one bunch or whatever you can take from your garden that day. Cut out the stems of the kale, and chop the leaves roughly into 1/2 - 1" pieces. I usually cook the kale in the same pan I use for the onions, after I take the onions out. Add a little more olive oil, throw in your cut kale and sprinkle with salt. Turn and stir a few times to distribute the oil. Put on a lid to steam the kale a little Turn kale every minute or two. Don't let it burn! Cook until the kale is brighter green and a bit more tender, but not mushy. Add the kale to the wheat berries, beets, and onions.
6) Toast walnuts - probably about 3/4-1 c of walnuts. However you like to toast nuts. I do mine in the toaster oven. Add them to the wheat berries, beets, onions, and kale.
7) Cube some smoked gouda. To taste. I like cheese, and rely on its flavor in place of dressing a lot with salads, so I use a lot. Probably about 3/4 - 1 c. of 1/2" cubed smoked gouda. Add that to the wheat berries, beets, onions, kale, and walnuts. Mmm, now doesn't that sound good!
Let everything sit for a bit to blend the flavors together, and then enjoy.
- The cheese and onions turn pink from the beets, but whatever.
- You can get wheat berries at pretty much any grocery store that sells whole grains. Or I suggest making sure you have some extra space in your suitcase the next time you go to PA and then buying wheat berries at Echo Hill, where they are $0.47/lb.
Aleks was skeptical the first time I described my idea for this salad to him, but now he describes it as "amazing" and "money." I had some for lunch today along with a bowl of sweet potato and butternut squash soup out on the deck enjoying our El Nino November. Absolutely perfect fall lunch.
Enjoy!
-Maggie
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