Katie Mae's Food Blog

Zesty's Help the Student Series

2010-09-29T09:00:00.001-04:00

Fellow food blogger Zesty over at Zesty Cook is publishing a series this month called Help the Students. As you might imagine, the plan is to give easy , usually healthy recipes to students who might be on their own and cooking for the first time. An extra feature is that most of the recipes are guest posts from other bloggers, including me.

Of course, easy recipes aren't just for students! I'm particularly looking forward to trying:

Easy Creamy Stovetop Mac & Cheese
Stuffed Sweet Peppers (with lentils or beans instead of meat)
Coconut Tempeh Bites and No-Bake Honey Oat Bars
Super Easy Brie Bake You Will Love

Have you checked this series out yet? What are your favorites? Do you have a super easy recipe that you would add?

Garden Harvest

2010-09-28T07:53:00.006-04:00

I harvested the veggies from my garden this weekend. I planted basil, tomatoes and two green pepper plants (you can see them earlier in the summer here).

It's a challenge figuring out what to do with the produce, so if you have any suggestions, let me know.

Want to see my garden's bounty? Read on...

Yep, that's it. Funny, but putting your plants on a shady balcony and forgetting to water them more than twice a week isn't the recipe for abundance!

My Apologies

2010-08-29T10:20:00.005-04:00

Hello everyone,

I'm sorry that I've been gone so long. As you can see by my last post, I have a troubled relationship with food and cooking, and it got overwhelming for a while. I did manage to keep cooking, some of the time at least, but blogging seemed like too much.

Part of the problem is that there was this big wedding at the end of July... that happened to be mine... so I was a little busy! The wedding went great, though, and the food was amazing. We went through all Michigan vendors: Paesano for the Italian buffet, Sandhill Crane Vineyards for the wine, the Jefferson Market Cakery for cupcakes, caramel favors by Nanci Jenkins of Sweet Sensations, plus Michigan-made beers. You can see some wine and cupcakes to the left (and my mother's beautiful table decorating!).

Now that I'm back home, with lots of new toys for the kitchen, a weekly CSA subscription, and no wedding to plan, I'm trying to get back into regular cooking and more frequent blogging. Please bear with me if it takes a while to get back into it. And if you come over for dinner, remind me to take pictures - I keep forgetting.

To tide you over, here's the bread recipe I've been adapting lately to make bread several times a week. It's a ridiculously easy recipe written in a very friendly and approachable way, so if you've never made bread before, it's a good place to start. If you live near me I'd be happy to share some dry yeast; you probably already have the other ingredients.

Thanks for sticking with me!

Love,

Katie Mae

Trade-Offs (I)

2010-06-16T07:58:00.004-04:00

Confession: I've hardly cooked this week. When I have, it hasn't been noteworthy or photogenic, with the exception of Katerina's Strawberry-Rhubarb Cobbler, which I forgot to photograph anyway. Even worse, I haven't used any of last week's CSA share... I'll put the picture with this week's for you to see, but it may go to waste, and I feel guilty.

Usually I really like the challenge of cooking and feel energized by it. But sometimes, especially when my kitchen is messy or I'm not feeling great, cooking a "real" meal is too daunting. You've all been there, right?

I think in my case it's also complicated by my sometimes-conflicting goals for food and cooking. I want to support local farmers, but that often takes more time and money. I want organic food where possible, but again - more expensive and harder to find. I want to make quick meals on weeknights, but cooking with produce and grains = lots of prep (usually), and I'm worried about the BPA in the canned food I use to save time. I want to be vegetarian and it's difficult when I eat outside my home. And I recently started reading more about low-carbon cooking, and the author of the book advises against oven- and stove-intensive cooking like roasting, but that's my favorite way to cook my local produce. So health, economy, environment, taste, time, and budget - trying to do well in all those areas really narrows cooking choices. That's why I end up eating leftover soup, or fried rice with frozen veggies....

This post is called trade-offs (I) because I want to revisit this set of challenges as I get better at navigating them. So please forgive the complaining. Next time I will try to have more solutions.

Asparagus Season

2010-06-12T11:00:00.000-04:00

[Note: I accidentally published this early, so if it showed up in your feed reader already, my apologies. This version actually has the soup recipe.]

In case you didn't know, it's asparagus season! The farmers at the Lansing City Market and Allen Street Farmers Market have fresh-picked, gorgeous stalks for $2 a pound, and we're going through at least 3 pounds a week. Asparagus is kind of a funny thing; I don't love steamed asparagus or cold asparagus, but I can't get enough roasted asparagus, and the soup recipe I got from the farmers market reminds me a little of Spargelsuppe from Germany.

Roasted Asparagus is super easy, and it is like freaking CANDY. If I make less than a pound at a time Chris and I start fighting over it. Here's how to do it: wash the asparagus and trim the ends if they're tough. Cover a baking tray in foil for easy cleanup and place the spears in a single layer on it. Drizzle with some olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and stick it in the oven at 400F for at least 15 minutes. In my opinion, the longer you leave it in, the better it gets - I forgot about a tray for an hour and it was great. Eat with your hands!

Note: I like to roast veggies in my toaster oven - it heats up faster, presumably uses less electricity, and is a good size for a couple of bell peppers or a small bunch of asparagus. Mine came with its own little baking tray.

Vegan Asparagus Soup

Based on the Vegan with a Vengeance recipe by Isa Chandra Moskowitz
3 pounds russet potatoes, cut into 1-inch chunks

1 pound asparagus, rough ends discarded, cut into 1-2" pieces (cut the thicker pieces shorter)
olive oil for sauteeing

1 large onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 teaspoon salt

Black pepper

4 cups vegetable broth
2 bay leaves
juice of 1 lemon

1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
Place potatoes and bay leaves in a stockpot and cover with broth. Cover the pot and bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 20 minutes or until tender.

While that's simmering, in a small pan, sauté the onion in the olive oil for 5 to 7 minutes; add the garlic, salt and black pepper and sauté 2 more minutes.

Find and remove the bay leaves from the stock pot. Add the asparagus and the onion mixture and boil for 3 minutes.
Use a hand blender, blender, or food processor to puree the soup to your desired consistency (mine was pretty smooth).
Reheat if necessary. Add lemon juice and serve garnished with fresh dill.

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2010-06-07T10:00:00.000-04:00

For the first time since I was a kid with a patch of flower bed behind the shed, I'm attempting to grow food. As you can see, I'm starting small this year. My "garden" consists of five potted plants on my second-story balcony. Allow me to introduce you:

Top left: two mini bell pepper plants (I'm hoping to roast a lot of peppers later in the season)

Top right: basil (pesto here I come!)

Bottom left: cherry Roma tomato plant (I'm afraid it won't get enough sun here - I might have to take it to work with me)

Bottom right: mystery plant... I got the planter from a friend and just let it be, soil intact. This thing sprouted several weeks ago and is growing... well, like a weed. Which it might be. Anybody recognize it?

CSA Week 2 + Muffins

2010-06-05T12:34:00.010-04:00

On Wednesday I picked up my second CSA share from the farmers market (read this post to find out more about CSAs). Last week was cool, but this week's bounty has been easier to use, at least for me. I didn't know what to do with last week's sage, but lettuce? Peas? I can deal with those. Without further ado, here's the Week 2 CSA bag:

2 heads romaine lettuce
3 small heads red romaine lettuce
4 beets, with greens
bag of sugar snap peas
bag of sunflower shoots (these are really cool - they look like little plants and taste like sunflower seeds!)

As I mentioned, it's been easier to get through this week's bag. I immediately washed and chopped half of the romaine, red romaine, and sprouts into a salad mix, which we've been working on the past few days; I'm taking another salad to Chris's parents tonight for dinner. I roasted a beet for the first time, and it was pretty good with salt and pepper, and I found this recipe for the rest of the beets, sugar snap peas, and beet greens.

I also came across a recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Oatmeal Muffins on Daily Unadventures in Cooking. This was right after I got home from the farmers market with a pound of rhubarb and a quart of gorgeous Michigan strawberries - I love seasonal food blogging! This morning I had time to bake, so I made a batch, and wowthesearegoodmuffins. And they're actually healthy - other than a little butter and sugar, it's all stuff that's good for you. It's a very happy Saturday.

Southwestern-Style Summer Salad

2010-05-31T01:45:00.000-04:00

It has been HOT in mid-Michigan lately, so I've been craving cold refreshing green salads. Lucky for me, my CSA share last week included a variety of great-looking greens. I stared at them until they reminded me of something - in this case, my favorite salad from Chipotle (I know, I'm a classy restaurant-goer). This ended up tasting different, but that was okay; it was still refreshing and interesting. I highly recommend throwing sorrel in with your other salad greens. I'd never had it before, and it adds a tangy excitement to a milder salad mix. Read on for the recipe.

Southwestern-Style Summer Salad (serves 4)

1 head romaine, chopped into strips
A few leaves of sorrel, torn or chopped small
A few dozen cilantro leaves
1 can black beans, rinsed
1 cup corn kernels (I used defrosted frozen corn, but fresh would be better, and fresh/roasted would be the best)
1/2 cup shredded Monterrey jack
Crumbled tortilla chips for garnish
Dressing: 2 T each olive oil, lime juice, and water; 1 T shredded cilantro leaves; pinch of cumin; pinch of salt; pinch of sugar

Combine dressing ingredients in a small jar; shake and refrigerate for at least 20 minutes.
Prepare and toss greens in a large bowl. Add beans and corn. Toss again.
Serve with cheese, tortilla chips, and dressing to taste.

CSA Week 1

2010-05-29T12:16:00.008-04:00

Hi everyone - sorry for the long delay. It's conference season at work, and I was having some trouble formatting pictures in Blogger. I've been doing a lot of cooking and eating in the meantime, so prepare for a lot of blogging.

On Wednesday I picked up my first CSA share from the Allen Street Farmers Market. CSA stands for Community Supported Agriculture, and it's a system where eaters "subscribe" to a farm's crops for a season, receiving a share of whatever produce is ready each week. My CSA is through Giving Tree Farm, which is a great nonprofit vocational and rehabilitation program for people with traumatic brain injuries. Many for-profit farmers offer CSAs as well; you can search for one in your area here. It's a great way to support local farmers and get fresh, organic produce every week. Some of them even deliver! Anyway, here's what was in my bag for week 1:

Two beautiful heads of romaine lettuce
One bag of sorrel
Handful of rhubarb
Bunch of spearmint
Bunch of thyme
Big bunch of cilantro
Bunch of sage
Bunch of some unidentifiable herb with no scent

I was a little disappointed that there was no asparagus, but the other farmers at the market were selling it so I still got my fix.

The tricky (and cool) thing about CSAs is you don't know what you're going to get, and sometimes you don't know what you have even once you've gotten it (case in point: mystery herb). It's going to be a challenge this summer to incorporate these new or unexpected ingredients into my cooking every week. I'm also trying to get better at preserving food - I just picked up a $3 dehydrator at a garage sale, and I'm planning to get a chest freezer soon. If all goes well, some of this awesome organic produce will get saved until winter.

This week I've been able to use or make plans for most of the produce, although I got rid of the mystery herb and I think the thyme and sage have already wilted in my refrigerator. I'll blog about the successes in coming days, but for now here is the CSA week 1 plan.

Southwest-style salad with romaine, sorrel, and cilantro for the greens (post coming soon)
Raspberry-spearmint rum cocktails - I infused some rum with the spearmint and mixed it with cran-raspberry juice last night. Surprisingly fantastic.
Rhubarb with sugar - I've never been a big rhubarb fan, but I enjoyed the more tender stalks raw dipped in white sugar. Some were woody and I confess I skipped them.
Southwestern Black Bean Burgers with the leftover cilantro... if I get around to it!

Have a great Memorial Day weekend - eat well. :)

Black Bean Nachos

2010-04-10T11:00:00.002-04:00

Everyone has their own nacho recipe. Mine is very simple, but it works for a fast and relatively healthy snack or meal.

Katie Mae's Nachos

Garden Fresh Gourmet Blue Corn Kettle Style Tortilla Chips (Michigan-based company that makes all-natural chips and dips -soooo good)
Cooked & rinsed black beans (I try to cook and freeze dried beans ahead of time, but I cheat and use canned beans sometimes)
Shredded cheese - half sharp cheddar and half Monterrey Jack
Mild cayenne sauce (Frank's Original Red Hot or Texas Pete Original)

Preheat oven or toaster oven to 350 degrees. Arrange chips on pizza tray or baking sheet so they are close but not overlapping. Distribute beans generously, then add cheese, making sure to get every chip. Bake for about 5 minutes, until cheese is melted and bubbly. Add hot sauce to taste (I use a lot of the wimp stuff). Try not to burn your hands grabbing them.

Note: If this sounds good but you want something a little heartier or healthier, try this delicious quesadilla recipe from The New Home Economics. I make variations of this frequently (I always add corn to the bean mixture). If you have a toaster oven, you can make small ones in there instead of heating up the whole oven.

How do you make nachos? Please comment!

Mediterranean Dinner

2010-04-07T11:00:00.000-04:00

Inspired by Amy of Runs with Spatula, I decided a few weeks ago to try making hummus again. To round the meal out, I made mujadara (a lentil and rice dish) and homemade pita.

It turned out pretty well. I'm starting to realize that when I compare my versions of certain dishes with the ones I get from stores and restaurants, they're disappointing, but if I approach them as a new and different food, they can still be good. This happened with the mujadara - it didn't taste like what I get from Aladdin's or Sultan's, but Chris doesn't remember those versions and thought mine was perfect.

Recipes after the break -

Whole Wheat Pita
(Adapted from a friend's recipe - makes 6)

2 tsp instant dry yeast
1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees to 115 degrees F)
2 teaspoons salt
3 cups white whole wheat flour
A dollop or two of honey

In a mixing bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. Slowly add water and stir until a soft dough forms. Add honey and stir more. Turn onto a floured surface; knead until smooth/elastic, about 7-8 minutes. Do not let rise. Divide dough into six pieces; knead each for 1 minute. Roll each into a 5-in. circle. Cover and let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 45 minutes. Place upside down on greased baking sheets. Bake at 500 degrees F for 5-10 minutes. Remove from pans to wire racks to cool.

Hummus
I've seen many hummus recipes; this was a composite.

1 can chickpeas, rinsed
1-2 cloves garlic, chopped
1-2 Tbsp tahini (sesame paste - check the Middle Eastern foods section of your grocery store)
juice of half a lemon
1 Tbsp olive oil
salt and pepper

Mix everything in a food processor; taste it and adjust ingredients. If it's too thick, add some water. That's all there is to it. Serve with paprika and olive oil on top if you want to be fancy; eat with pita or fresh veggies.

Mujadara

I started with this recipe from Desert Candy. I made a half batch, used olive oil instead of butter, short-grain brown instead of long-grain white rice, doubled the spices, and left out the cardamom because I don't have any. Despite the helpful warnings, my rice and lentils got mushy and un-photogenic. If you make this, try the original recipe, not mine. If I get it right, believe me, I'll post.

Dinner with Friends: Kaesespaetzle, Salad, and Apple Crisp

2010-04-01T14:37:00.018-04:00

This week Chris and I had dinner with our friends Sarynna and Chase at their beautiful new house. They lived in East Berlin for two years and picked up a fondness for Spaetzle - German egg noodles/little dumplings. Sarynna made a Kaesespaetzle recipe from scratch with the noodles, Emmentaler cheese, and fried purple onions. It was delicious and we enjoyed reminiscing about Europe while we ate it (Chris and I have both spent time in Germany as well).

In addition to Sarynna's Spaetzle, Chase made a tossed salad with romaine, artichokes, palm hearts, tomatoes, cucumber, and homemade balsamic dressing - kalamata olives on the side. I love salads with a lot going on, so this was perfect. Chris liked it too, without the olives.

I brought dessert - a new recipe. Ever since I read Michael Pollan's In Defense of Food last year, along with a few other books with a similar philosophy, I've been trying to eat more whole foods and less refined and processed stuff. This seemed like a good opportunity to challenge myself - could I make a dessert without refined sugar that still tastes like dessert? This apple crisp fit the bill, and I'm definitely going to make it again. I'll do my best to translate "fistful" and "pinch" into traditional measurements.

Mostly Healthy Apple Crisp (serves 4)

Ingredients

4 small apples or 2-3 large apples, cut into bite-sized pieces or thin slices (I used Jonathans)
juice of half a lemon
lots of cinnamon
1/2 cup wheat flour
1/2 cup rolled oats (not instant)
1/4 cup whole walnuts or other nut, crushed/ground (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
half a stick of butter
2 tbsp flaxseeds (optional)
1/2 cup honey

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 8" square baking dish (I used the paper from the stick of butter).
Chop or slice apples into equal-size pieces (the smaller/thinner they are, the faster they will bake, but also the smaller the apple crisp will look). Throw them into the dish.
Sprinkle lemon juice and some cinnamon (1 tbsp?) over the apple pieces and shake/stir to coat evenly.
In a small mixing bowl, mix oats, flour, nuts, salt, flaxseed, and more cinnamon (2 tbsp?).
Cut the butter into the dry ingredients (use two butter knives to break the butter into small pieces).
Stir the honey into the butter mixture (use those butter knives so you don't get everything stuck to a spoon). Taste it if you want - if you like it now, you'll like it cooked.
Cover apples with topping mixture (I did use a spoon for this).
Bake for 20-45 minutes, depending on thickness of apples and how done you want it to be. I baked it until the apples were soft and the topping was browned. The apples won't be wet like in some other apple crisps, but they will get soft.
Serve it up and enjoy!

Cheesecake

2010-03-29T11:00:00.003-04:00

As a disproportionately generous thank-you for some pet watching Chris did, our awesome neighbors Jake and Allana made dinner and dessert from scratch for us last weekend. Dinner was Olive Garden's Sausage and Peppers Ziti Marinara; it was delicious, but I unfortunately ate before I remembered to take a photo.

Dessert was the most impressive part: Cheesecake Factory cheesecake. Jake has one of those cookbooks with the secret restaurant recipes, and he and Allana made us a raspberry swirl, white chocolate cheesecake with Oreo crust. WOW. I'm in awe - I've never attempted cheesecake, but I hear they're pretty tricky. The cake tasted sooo good - cold, creamy, and sweet. Someday I hope I can make a cheesecake like that, but in the meantime I'll be nice to my neighbors and keep my fingers crossed!

Master Plan Pasta

2010-03-27T14:44:00.007-04:00

This dish was going to be called "can't wait for summer pasta" but I came up with it after a spray paint project that wasn't properly ventilated and apparently referred to it as my "master plan." In front of Chris and our neighbor Jake. Who won't let me hear the end of it. Thanks, guys.

Anyway, Wednesday was sunny and warm (for Michigan) and I was craving summer flavors: roasted red pepper, lemon, feta cheese. This was the delicious and simple result. I recommend it with New Holland Brewing Company's Cabin Fever brown ale. Yum.

"Master Plan" Pasta (serves 4)

Ingredients

1 red bell pepper, roasted and coarsely chopped (it's easy - see instructions here)
half a large onion, coarsely chopped
1 can white beans, rinsed
3 cloves garlic, diced
olive oil
lemon juice
red pepper flakes to taste - go easy
1/4 cup or more crumbled feta cheese
salt and pepper to taste
four servings of your favorite cooked pasta (I used whole wheat macaroni)

Directions

Heat olive oil in a pan; add onions and saute for five minutes.
Add chopped pepper, garlic, beans, and red pepper flakes. Saute for another few minutes, stirring frequently.
Serve bean mixture over pasta, with a drizzle of olive oil, a few squeezes of lemon juice, salt and pepper, and a sprinkle of feta. Stir before eating.

Hiatus

2010-03-10T08:53:00.003-05:00

Sorry it's been so long. As you probably know, I'm planning my wedding and house-hunting too. Between that and volunteering 1-2 nights a week, I'm not cooking much and not up to blogging about it. I will post when I can, but don't expect much in the near future.
-Katie

Super-Easy Black Bean Soup

2010-02-11T21:00:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my mom for this recipe! It's made from things I always have on hand, and it takes about 20 minutes from start to finish with only 5 minutes of work. As usual, I don't measure - I just throw things in. I think the only way to mess this recipe up is to overdo the chili powder or use salsa that's too hot for your taste. To make a small pot, I use one can of black beans; to make enough for three or four people I use two cans.

Super-Easy Black Bean Soup
(serves 2+)

Ingredients

Black beans (canned or cooked, with their liquid)
Salsa (about 1 cup for each can of black beans - I use Pace picante mild)
Broth (I use vegetable broth, my mom uses chicken)
Chili powder and cumin
Frozen or fresh corn (optional)
Tortilla chips, shredded cheese (Monterrey, Pepper Jack, or Cheddar are good), sour cream for serving

Directions

Dump can(s) of black beans in a saucepan without rinsing.
Pour in salsa, corn (as much as you want - I like a lot!), chili powder (a couple shakes, maybe 1/2 tsp?), a couple pinches of cumin, and broth to make the amount you want. You can also throw in some chips to thicken the soup.
Bring to a boil and boil for 10-15 minutes.
Simmer until ready to eat. Serve with crumbled tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

Zucchini & White Bean Pizza (from scratch!)

2010-02-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Another meal that's often hiding in an emptying kitchen, waiting to be made, is pizza. Last week I decided to get ambitious and make my own crust for the first time. It was much easier than I expected, though of course not as easy as pita pizza. I couldn't find much to put on it; then I remembered the chopped zucchini in my freezer and the can of white beans in the pantry. Bingo.

Zucchini and White Bean Pizza with Whole Wheat Crust

Directions (ingredients in blue this time)

Prepare the crust according to your favorite recipe (I used this one from Andrea Meyers and it worked pretty well), or get out the store-bought crust or pita.
Move an oven rack to the lowest position. Preheat the oven to 500 F.
Spread tomato sauce (I used Prego onion & garlic this time) on the crust; add diced zucchini and white beans, some oregano and red pepper flakes, and shredded mozzarella.
Bake for 10-20 minutes - watch for the crust and cheese to start browning.

Note: My future father-in-law makes AWESOME pizza. I'll try to get a guest post from him sometime.

Need-To-Go-Shopping Soup

2010-02-07T08:00:00.009-05:00

I don't like to grocery shop, so when the fridge starts emptying out I get creative before I give in and head to Meijer. Usually the ingredients for soup are hiding in the fridge, freezer, and pantry. Here are some ideas for a quick, Italian-inspired "need-to-go-shopping soup." These pictures are from some of the soups I've made in the last year.

Vegetable Soup When Your Cupboard Is Bare
(Servings depends on how much you put in; takes 10-20 minutes)

Ingredients

Broth or stock if you have it; water if you don't
Tomato (if you like it): 1/2 cup leftover tomato sauce or 1/2 can diced tomatoes with their juice. If you aren't using tomatoes, try adding some olive oil and balsamic vinegar.
Herbs and spices: pick and choose from oregano, garlic salt, red pepper flakes, rosemary, black pepper, basil, and thyme.
Vegetables: frozen, canned, or leftover green beans, broccoli, peas, corn, onion, red pepper, etc.
White beans (optional but recommended)
Pasta - macaroni, rotini, penne, etc. (optional but helps)
Garnish: crackers, Parmesan cheese, mozzarella, etc.

Directions

Bring liquid, tomatoes, herbs and spices to a boil in an appropriately-sized pot.
Add vegetables, beans, and uncooked pasta (if using). Boil until vegetables and pasta are tender (about 10 minutes), stirring occasionally.
If using cooked pasta, add it now, at the end.
Ladle into bowls; add cheese, crackers, etc.

Sweet Potato Soup

2010-02-01T19:26:00.010-05:00

With all this cold weather, I keep craving warm food. Tonight I wanted soup, and we had two and a half big sweet potatoes left in the fridge. I've never made sweet potato soup before, but it just sounded right!

I started with this recipe from RecipeTips.com and (as always) changed some things up. It took less than an hour and hit the SPOT: temperature-hot, but also a little spicy on top of the other flavors.

Notes:

This is a blended soup. If you don't have a hand blender, you'll need to transfer batches of the hot soup back and forth from your regular blender. Proceed with caution. And if you like making blended soups, get a hand blender! I love mine.
Adjust the spices as you go. I did the taste-shake of this-taste-pinch of that thing until it seemed right.
To add some more protein, you could add some plain yogurt or silken tofu at the end.
It would also be great with celery and carrot. I would probably cook those with the onion and garlic in the stock pot before adding broth and sweet potatoes.

Spicy-Sweet Sweet Potato Soup
6-8 servings

Ingredients

2-3 large sweet potatoes, cut small (tip: I used my vegetable peeler to shave thin slices, then cut the ends with a knife)
6 cups broth or water (I used 5 cups vegetable stock and 1 cup water)
1 medium onion, chopped
4 cloves garlic, chopped
olive oil for cooking
2 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp thyme
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp ground cloves
salt and black pepper to taste

Directions

Chop/slice the sweet potatoes and put them in a stock pot with the liquid. Bring to a boil, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally, while you do the next steps (20 minutes if you're slow like me).
Chop the onions and garlic. Saute in oil until translucent.
Add onions, garlic, and spices to sweet potatoes. Stir it up.
Check sweet potatoes. Once they're soft, blend the soup with a hand blender or (carefully) with your regular blender, adding more liquid if you want it thinner. Taste it and adjust spices as needed.
Serve hot on a cold night.

Ethiopian Lentil Stew

2010-01-28T18:05:00.006-05:00

Last night I was cold and tired, so I wanted something that was a) warm and heavy, and b) made with ingredients I had on hand. Some Googling led me to this recipe from Isa on PostPunkKitchen for Ethiopian Spicy Tomato Lentil Stew. I have never been to an Ethiopian restaurant, much less Ethiopia, but I had an Ethiopian Chickpea soup last month at the Soup Spoon Cafe and it was fantastic. The stew turned out delicious as well.

I didn't have every single ingredient, so I did some substituting, and I tweaked the recipe as I went along. The following recipe is a combination of what I did and what I will do next time. The main differences are: I cooked it a lot longer, used more spices, and substituted some ingredients. It's probably less authentic than the original, but I can't confirm. :) Feel free to try either one. This takes 45 minutes to make if you're organized, fast, and like things crunchy. I recommend letting it cook an extra hour if you have the time. I'll try it in the slow cooker next time and report back!

Ethiopian Lentil Stew (adapted from this recipe by Isa)
Serves 6-8

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups green or brown lentils, rinsed
1 large potato, diced
1 large carrot, peeled and diced
1 large onion (or two medium), diced
vegetable oil or peanut oil (for cooking)
4 cloves garlic, minced (or more... mmm)
2 Tbsp fresh ginger, grated (if you don't have this, use ground ginger in the spice blend)
2 cup frozen peas
1 lb canned diced tomatoes, drained (or 1 lb tomatoes, diced)
1 cup vegetable stock
1/2 cup tomato paste (I actually used about 1/4 cup Prego tomato sauce)

Spice Blend: Just throw these in a small bowl and mix 'em up. You can probably make some for later, too!
(Note: I doubled the spices from the original recipe to make the flavors more intense. Use your judgment. )

4 tsp ground cumin
4 teaspoons paprika
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger (ONLY IF NOT USING FRESH)
[1 teaspoon ground fenugreek] (I didn't have this and don't know what it is)
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
[1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom] (If you don't have this, just skip it - I did)
3/4 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground allspice
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8-1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon (go easy)
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper (more if you like it hot!)
salt to taste (1/2 tsp in the blend; add more at the table)

Directions

Cook lentils for 45 minutes or so, until tender but not falling apart (instructions here). If the lentils are done before it's time to add them, remove from heat and drain. If you're making rice, you may want to get that started now too.
While lentils are cooking, prepare your vegetables and mix the spice blend.
Heat oil in a large stock pot. Add potato, carrot, and onion and saute for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add garlic, ginger, and spice blend. Stir well. Cook another 15 minutes.
Add tomatoes, tomato paste, and stock. Stir. Simmer.
When the liquid starts bubbling, add the lentils (drain extra liquid from lentils first) and the frozen peas.
Simmer at least until the peas are done (about 10 minutes). The longer you cook the stew, the more the flavors (and ingredients) will merge. Mine tasted much better after an hour, and fabulous the next day!
Serve with rice, bread, pita, polenta, whatever you like. I ate mine with brown rice the first time, pita the next day.

Sweet Potato and Black Bean Tostadas

2010-01-20T18:48:00.013-05:00

Last Friday I had my younger brother over for a birthday dinner. I gave him about six menu options, and he chose sweet potato and black bean tostadas. This is an original recipe I came up with last summer, and I was excited to repeat it! I love sweet potatoes in any form, and especially in this combination of colors and flavors.

As usual, I'm making up amounts after the fact, so don't worry about sticking too closely to the recipe. Do what sounds good to you. Warning: these can be tricky to eat!

Sweet Potato & Black Bean Tostadas (serves 3-4)
Ingredients

1 large sweet potato, diced
1 can black beans, rinsed (or equivalent in dried beans, cooked and rinsed)
1 large onion, diced
2+ cloves garlic, minced (I think I used three)
a lot of spinach (I used fresh baby spinach from a bag and ran out - you can use fresh or frozen, but you'll probably want 6-8 cooked servings)
8+ corn tostada shells (or flour tortillas, for burritos)
olive oil
1 tbsp. cumin
1 tsp. coriander (optional)
salt, pepper, and cayenne pepper/hot sauce to taste

Directions

Heat a splash of olive oil in a large pan that has a cover (I use my 3.5 qt. saute pan). Add sweet potato, onion, cumin, coriander, and cayenne; stir to coat, then saute covered for about 30 minutes. Add beans for last ten minutes.
In the meantime, heat some oil in a frying pan and add garlic. Saute for a couple minutes, then add spinach a handful at a time and cover to wilt, adding a little water if needed. Repeat until all spinach is wilted (if you are using frozen spinach, just saute until cooked).
To assemble: place some spinach on a tostada shell, then top with a large scoop of the sweet potato/bean mixture. Add salt, pepper, and/or hot sauce to taste.

Eat leftovers for breakfast, hot or cold, wrapped in a flour tortilla.

Happy New Year!/SpinachPizza

2010-01-17T13:02:00.013-05:00

After a looong hiatus, due to starting a new job, moving, and misplacing my camera's USB cable, I'm back and ready to blog again. I've been cooking (and taking pictures) for the last 7 months, so I have plenty to write about: my first yeast bread, sweet potato & black bean tostadas, quinoa (hated it at first, love it now), lentils every which way, several soups, lots of cookies, and more.

These are my food-related goals for 2010:

Try three foods that scare me.
Shop more at farmers markets, less at Meijer.
Grow tomatoes on my balcony.
Learn and try some new food preservation techniques (I got this book for Christmas).
Eliminate high-fructose corn syrup from my diet, as much as possible.
Learn more about local, sustainable eating.

In the interest of getting things started again, here's what I made for lunch today:

It looks fancy, and Chris and I felt like we were in a nice restaurant. However, as anyone who has made pita pizza knows, it's really simple: pita, sauce, cheese, bake. If I'm just making one, I'll put it in the toaster oven, but I made two today so I used the big oven. As usual, don't worry about the measurements - I'm guessing.

Pretend-Fancy Spinach Pizza (serves 1)

1 Whole wheat pita
1/4 cup tomato sauce (I used Prego roasted red pepper & garlic today)
1/2 cup grated mozzarella
~10 leaves uncooked baby spinach
Red pepper flakes and rosemary

1. Preheat oven or toaster oven to 375. Place pita on an ungreased baking sheet (concave side up, if there is one).
2. Spread tomato sauce on pita. Sprinkle with cheese, spinach, and spices.
3. Bake for 15-20 minutes until pita is crispy, cheese is browned, and spinach is dry.

Lentils with Mushrooms and Spinach

2009-05-26T22:02:00.005-04:00

The other night I was feeling creative, and I wanted to take advantage of some ingredients I had on hand: fresh spinach from the farmers market, white mushrooms, French lentils I picked up in the newly discovered bulk bins at the local food co-op, and the end of an open box of vegetable broth. I used this recipe from Closet Cooking as inspiration and got to work.

The result was delicious, if a little overcooked (I watched a whole episode of Star Trek: Voyager while waiting for the lentils to cook and found out that 42 minutes is too long). The dish was dark, sort of earthy tasting; the flavor was subtle but strong. It was the first time I'd tried French lentils, so I'm not sure which flavor was coming through the most.

Lentils with Mushroom and Spinach

Ingredients:

About 1 cup French lentils (also called puy lentils), rinsed and sorted
A few white mushrooms, chopped
One small onion, chopped
Fresh spinach - half a bunch?
Finely chopped/minced garlic (about a clove)
White wine
1-2 cups vegetable broth
Bay leaf
Olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Sautee onions in oil for a couple minutes, using a medium- or large-size pan. Add mushrooms, then garlic. Add a couple splashes of wine.
Add bay leaf and lentils to pan. Pour in vegetable broth (and/or water) until lentils are just covered.
Simmer covered until lentils are almost cooked (probably 20 minutes; don't watch a whole Voyager).
Add spinach on top, cover, and cook until spinach wilts (another 5-10 minutes). The spinach cooks down, so add a lot.
Season with salt and pepper and serve.

Veggie Sandwich on Pita

2009-05-26T21:12:00.001-04:00

I ate lunch early because I couldn't wait to try this! The recipe is basic, and I think I'll repeat it frequently. To take this to work, I packed the hummus and tomatoes separately so they wouldn't make everything else soggy. I just assembled it at lunchtime. Unfortunately, I forgot my camera.

Veggie Sandwich on Pita

Ingredients

Pita bread cut into pockets
Hummus
Sunflower seeds
Thinly sliced cheese (I used Swiss)
Vegetables in small pieces (I used sliced tomatoes, chopped carrots, and spinach)
Salt and pepper

Directions

Lightly toast pita.
Spread inside of pita with hummus.
Top with seeds, cheese, and vegetables; season with salt and pepper.

Try substituting other vegetables, cheeses, and spreads - turns out my friend Mia had almost the same thing for lunch today, but with herb cream cheese and some other veggies.

On another note: please forgive the inconsistent formatting! I'm having some trouble with Blogger.

Garlic-Cheese Soda Bread

2009-05-22T17:55:00.002-04:00

I've always liked soda bread (plus, I haven't worked with yeast yet and I'm sort of intimidated). Kevin at Closet Cooking posted this recipe back around St. Patrick's Day; I made a couple loaves then, and I've made it a few times since. It's good, and it's easy! Kevin makes his in a bread pan, but I've only made it on a baking sheet. Last weekend I decided to make it more interesting with garlic and cheese. Mmm. Great fresh and warm, or reheat it in the oven before serving.

This recipe, like the original recipe from Closet Cooking, makes one medium-size loaf.

Garlic-Cheese Soda Bread

Ingredients

2 cups flour (I use at least 1 cup whole wheat flour)
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon garlic salt
1/4 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, plus extra for top
1 1/4 cup buttermilk
1 egg, beaten (optional - for egg wash)

Directions

Mix the dry ingredients in a bowl.
Mix in the buttermilk and form a dough. It should hold together, but not be too sticky to handle.
Shape the dough and place it on a baking sheet or in a loaf pan. Cut an X in the top with a sharp knife. Brush with egg to make a shinier crust (optional). Sprinkle extra cheese on top.
Bake in a preheated 375F oven for 40 minutes or so (the top should be golden brown).

*If you don't have buttermilk, add 1 tbsp white vinegar or lemon juice to 1 cup milk and let it sit for a few minutes. Probably works better with 2% or above.

Hello!

2009-05-22T17:20:00.000-04:00

I'm Katie. I'm a recent university graduate living in Michigan. In the last year I've become more interested in cooking as a way to eat healthier, save money, and live more sustainably. Most of what I cook is vegetarian, for the above reasons and because I don't like dealing with raw meat. My favorite flavors to work with are garlic, coriander, rosemary, and lemon; my favorite vegetables are spinach, bell peppers, and broccoli, and my favorite proteins are lentils, white beans, and black beans. Also, I LOVE SOUP.

I started this blog after I realized I was calling my mom on a weekly basis seeking maternal validation for my latest cooking adventure. Now, she can follow me online and see pictures and recipes - I still call her, though. My plan is to post at least once a week, showing what I've made and passing along some great recipes from other cooks.

I hope people will want to recreate some of my dishes. Unfortunately, I don't usually measure my ingredients unless I'm going off someone else's recipe; I'm trying to get a feel for cooking. If you really want measurements, let me know and I'll see what I can do.