Quinoa Stuffed Peppers

It's high pepper season here in the Willamette Valley. Red, orange, yellow and purple: there's a bounty of peppers, and they are sweet and delicious! I usually just chop them into my salads, but i felt the need for stuffing some last night. We probably only needed 2 each, quinoa is very filling, but i splurged with 3 each and we ate ever last lick.

For the filling:
Sautee seasonal veggies in a bit of olive oil with salt, pepper and the herbs/seasonings of your choice. My saute included chard, the pepper tops, garlic, onion, smoked paprika, kaffir salt and fresh basil.

Meanwhile, cook the quinoa as you would rice: one cup grain, 2 cups water and some salt. Bring to a boil and simmer 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 400.

While each are cooking, cut the tops off some peppers and place in a baking dish.

When veggies are soft to your liking and quinoa is cooked, mix together plus a spoonful of mayo. I also added some turkey gelatin that i had from a previous night's meal. Spoon the mixture into the pepper cavities and top with an optional slice of cheese. Carefully place the baking dish into the oven and bake the peppers for 10-15 minutes, until the pepper walls are softening and the cheese is melted.

Serve as a meal or as a side, with knives and try to save the cheesey bites for last. Delish! Quinoa is a complete protein, so no need for meat in this wholesome vegetarian recipe.

Even Easier Frittatta Recipe

Back when we had laying hens, eggs were on the menu pretty darn often. We've been in an egg drought lately, but thankfully many of my new friends also have chickens. We're back in egg business! Not only back in business, back in excess: a friend gave me an extra dozen at the end of market last Sunday, so we've got a lot of eggs on our hands. What do i always think of for dinner when we have lots of eggs on hand?? Frittatta, of course! That impossible to spell, easy to cook, perfect dinner or brunch meal. 1 frittatta is perfect for a main course for 2 or a side for 4. Chock full of protein, and completely maliable to whatever seasonal veg you have in the garden or fridge, frittattas truly are the perfect weeknight meal.

I've cooked several variations of this dish in the past, from Some Kinda Chef's inspired version to my stand-by cooked to perfection, without a recipe for my Grandmother's 90th birthday. As with many of my recipes, my frittattas are always just suggestions rather than rules. The method is generally the same, but the ingredients seasonal. I fiddled with my method the other night, however. And it was delicious!  I usually saute the vegetable ingredients first, set them aside, layer sliced potatoes back in the warm pan, top with the veg, and top with beaten eggs mixed with optional milk and cheese. This time i skipped the sautee, and the results were different, but great!

Even Easier Fritatta Recipe

• 3 small new potatoes or one large baking potato, microwaved for about a minute and sliced very thinly
• 2 chard leaves, chopped finely (or kale, or spinach, or....)
• 1 jalapeno, diced
• 1 elephant garlic clove, or 2 regular garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 large tomato, or 2 small tomatoes
• 1/2 zucchini, thinly sliced
• 1 small cauliflower head, sliced (or broccoli)
• 6 eggs
• splash milk
• Herbs/seasonings: salt, pepper, basil, paprika, etc
• 1/2 cup shredded cheese

Instead of sauteing the veggies, i started the layer right away. A thin drizzle of olive oil first, then the layer of potato slices. Keep the slices thin and overlap them slightly. This layer is your 'crust.' I used those purple majesty potatoes again: yum! Fry the potatoes for a few minutes on med/high heat without stirring them at all. You could put a lid on the pan for this part - you just want to be sure the potatoes will get soft and cooked in the oven. Preheat to 375. Turn off the heat to the pan and start layering the veggies. You don't have to wait for the pan to cool. I layered min in this order, but you can mix it up however you'd like. Jalapenos, onions, garlic first layer. Cauliflower second layer. Cheese. Zucchini slices (round slices, not overlapping). Chard to cover the rest, be sure it's chopped up pretty well. Top with the egg mixture: 6 beaten eggs with a splash of milk and any herbs/seasonings you like. The eggs might not 'cover' all the veggies, but that's okay. The final layer should be thinly sliced tomatoes arranged evenly spaced on the top. The juice from the tomatoes will help counteract the shortness of the egg mixture, and all will end up cooking down and amalgamating themselves together.

Bake for about 30 minutes or until cooked through: the top should bounce back if pressed and their shouldn't be any egg gooeyness apparent. Enjoy with a delicious fresh salad of seasonal salad greens, fresh un-cooked corn, fresh raw shredded beats, bell peppers, a little more fresh tomato, some roasted sunflower seeds and a splash of oil and vinegar. This is a late Summer meal fit for anyone's table! Gorgeous! (Too bad my camera has been having a hard time focusing in the dim light of my new kitchen, after being dropped by my 'sous chef' of a husband. Snarf.)

This post is part of the Simple Lives Thursday blog hop!

Goulash with Fresh Seasonal Veggies

Here's another mom-inspired meal i cooked up recently. I remember requesting "goulash with squeeky beans" pretty often as a kid. Mom always cooked hers with a bit of ground meat - adding frozen beans and tomato sauce was a great way to stretch a pound of meat to feed her little family. Instead of ground beef i used ground turkey (not the recalled type!), and instead of frozen, french cut beans i used fresh beans plus a bunch of other seasonal veggies. Add just a bit of tomato sauce and some curry powder, you've got the essence of my mama's goulash. Delicious! This made just the right amount for us to have 1 serving each for dinner and leftovers for each our lunches. Since i've been relying on the availability of seasonal veggies lately, use my recipes as a starting point or guideline and sub in whatever veggies are available to you. The only necessary items to make this dish feel like itself are tomato sauce, beans and curry powder.

Gosh, i need to work on my presentation. Would help if this apartment had any lights in it.

Not My Mama's Goulash Recipe

• 1 lb ground turkey
• 1/2 jar tomato/marinara sauce
• Generous portion of green beans, ends removed and chopped in half
• 1 green pepper, diced
• 3 smallish asian eggplants, sliced
• 1 carrot, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 onion, diced
• 1 cayenne pepper, dried and crushed or fresh and diced
• 1 fresh tomato, diced
• Salt and Pepper
• Curry powder, generous pinch

Brown the turkey meat with the herbs then add the veggies and sauce, cover and simmer until veggies are cooked to your liking. Pretty simple! If you prefer al dente eggplant, add them after the beans are beginning to cook through. I like my goulash pretty 'mushy' so i threw everything in together to do their thing. You can serve goulash by itself or over noodles or rice.

You can find this post and many more awesome homesteading tips/ recipes and more at Simple Lives Thursdays, a blog hop!

Vegetarian Spaghetti

Who says you need ground meat to make scrumptious spaghetti? Not me! With the husband bringing home as much fresh produce as I could want, i decided to stir up some spaghetti for dinner. No, the sauce is not home canned and the pasta not home pressed.... but i'm dealing with a new kitchen and a fraction of my kitchen tools, okay! The reason i even had store bought spaghetti sauce in my cupboard at all stems around my desire to avoid BPAs. Canned tomatoes are packaged in cans that are lined with the nasty plastic stuff, so if i want store bought preserved tomatoes, i go with those that are packaged in glass. That leaves me most often with prepared pasta sauce. There are some decent options out there, just be sure and read the ingredient labels: there's a lot of sugar and corn syrup hiding out there!

Veggie Spaghettie

• 2-3 small zucchini, quartered and sliced
• 2-3 small/young Asian eggplants, halved and sliced. (You could use larger Italian eggplants as well, but if you want to skip peeling them choose very young specimens with thin skin)
• Mushrooms, about a cup diced
• 1 large or 2 small sweet onions, diced
• Several cloves garlic, diced
• We like it spicy: 5-6 diced serranos or jalapenos or cayenne peppers
• Fresh and dried herbs: basil, rosemary, thyme, tarragon etc
• Splash red wine
• Tomato Sauce, preferably home canned or organic

Note to self and others: eggplants and mushrooms cook at about the same speed! I made this batch of sauce with the zucchini and eggplant going in at the same time. Mushy eggplant. That's fine and everything, but i would have liked a little more oomf left in those little purple friends. This is how i'd recommend cooking it:

Drizzle a pan with some olive oil and throw in the onions, zucchini, dried herbs and some salt on med/high heat. It's nice to get a little brown on the zucchini for flavor and texture. Stir it about so it doesn't get overly burned, and throw in the rest of the veggies once the zucchini is getting a bit soft.  Once the shrooms are getting soft, cover the whole pan in the pasta sauce, red wine and fresh herbs. Stir and cover on med, med/low until the sauce is bubbling nicely. Let the flavors amalgamate for at least 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally to keep the tomato from sticking, at which point you can turn it down to low and let the sauce hang out until you're ready for it.


I served ours over some (store bought) angel hair pasta and shredded some parm on top. Delish! Very filling, packed with nutrients, and much lower in fat than sauce filled with sausage or ground beef. Feel free to toss in any veggies you like and keep it seasonal. Butternuts in Fall, garlic scapes in Spring.... nom nom nom.


This post can be found at Simple Lives Thursday!

Dave's Gourmet: Review and Recipe

I was lucky enough to be contacted by Dave's Gourmet with the chance to receive some of their fine sauces for tasting and review. Boy howdy, this sauce is good. I can't remember the last time i used a jarred and pre-made sauce: i usually make everything from scratch.  I didn't feel too badly about using this sauce, however and only accepted the offer of a tasting because i approved of the ingredients used. DG sent me three pasta sauces: the Organic Red Heirloom Sauce, the Butternut Squash Pasta Sauce (with butternuts sourced from the Willamette valley in Oregon!) and the Masala Marinara. I prepared a chicken and rice dish with theMasala last night, with a resounding "dang, this is good" from both parties involved in the eating.

I tasted the sauce first to see what i thought of it and to decide what flavors and ingredients I'd be adding to it. I just can't leave a pre-made sauce alone, but didn't really feel like i had to fiddle with this one, it's so good. This masala sauce is a bit of a combo between Thai (or Indian?) Masala and traditional marinara. It's super thick, not spicy, and loaded with fresh lemongrass and asian flavors, based with tomato. Really good. That being said, i definitely added some salt, several habanero peppers and some kaffir lime leaves to the cooking rice and kaffir salt to the simmering sauce.

I scored some 'reduced for quick sale' chicken thighs at HEB on Saturday, so i seared them skin down first (left two with skin on, two skin off) with some garden onions and peppers then flipped them over, added the sauce and some chopped garlic and simmered until the chicken was about cooked. Nearing completion, I added some chopped chard, frozen peas and the chopped greens from the onions I added at the beginning. Served over rice: a meal fit for a Queen and King. I, however had skipped BOTH classes at the gym due to a cold and snuggle-inducing day, so i was not really deserving of all this deliciousness. I ate it anyway. No wonder i can't shake this extra 2-8 pounds (depending on how you look at it).

I'll be trying the Butternut Pasta Sauce with some homemade veggie ravioli soon, and may make a tomato soup out of the Red Heirloom sauce. I think i'd better invite some friends over on the ravioli night, or i'll be looking like a ravioli myself!

Yum..... now off to eat the little bit that's leftover as lunch. Nom nom nom.

Ciabatta Attempt= Quasi Success

Well, it tasted good, but was NOT the light and fluffy texture ciabatta ought to be. Why? Cuz bread just don't rise in this here house! (said in a hillbilly type moonshiner's accent).
My husband has been clamouring for his 'favorite summer meal' since we've had all these tomatoes draped everywhere in the kitchen: tomato and mozzerella sandwich on ciabatta. We went to the store to buy the mozz and the bread and i thought to myself "9.50$ for a little ball of mozz! I can do that for way less." Normally i'd be right. In this case i was wrong. I got the milk too hot before i added the rennet and the curds just wouldn't congeal. I added more rennet and finally got some curds, but added them to too hot of water for the stretching part and ended up with completely dissolved and disappeared cheese that i salvaged some semblance of curd from that was at least salty and tasted LIKE mozz. Sigh. Plus my bread didn't rise and we ended up with some seriously filling and dense bread that tasted like ciabatta on the outside at least.
I will master this skill if it kills me! Today i'll be utilizing the yummy whey to make some herb bread (i will succeed, i will i will i WILL succeed at baking!), use it in my cranberry nut bread for the holidays, and maybe add it to the chilly i'm making today to tenderize the beans. Not sure if that works or not. Ha. Maybe it's time to make some mayo as well....

Anyway, may not have risen or congealed, but the flavors were still good and these sammies were a filling and great combination with the season finale of Dexter. What an episode!

 

Not light, fluffy, or full of air holes. At least the crust is perfecto.

 

 Is there a technique in the kitchen or any other homesteading skills you just can't get the knack of?

Fried Green Tomatoes

Well, well. Fried food we meet again. I used to badly malign my step daddy for frying up catfish in a cast iron pan and shredded wheat scraps (really delicious, by the way) preferring my usual methods for fat free cooking. Lately, however, i've been delving into this new world of food preparation, and think i like it a little too much.

I was intimidated to try fried green tomatoes, having had so many disgusting versions in various restaurants. But i really had the advantage: fresh eggs, and fresh tomatoes. These tomatoes came from my big Japanese Black Trifele tomato and held up great throughout the process. I cut them about 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick and soaked them in some briney (salty) water while i prepared the rest of the ingredients, and tasty they were indeed! Plenty of flavor, in both the fruit and the coating, not greasy feeling, and well paired with the sauces i whipped up and some turkey bacon wrapped serrano peppers stuffed with garlic cloves. Yum.

For the batter:

• One bowl with 2 eggs beaten with a splash of milk and garlic puree (the stuff you buy in a jar)
• One bowl masa
• One plate with crumbs (combine ingredients in a coffee mill or blender to get a very fine mix):
• Polenta/Grits/Corn meal, blended finely with:
• 1 piece wheat toast
• Salt
• Pepper
• Smoked paprika
• Dried kaffir lime leaf
• Chilly powder

For the sauces:
Green sauce

• Spoonful mayonaise
• Homemade hot sauce
• Vinegar
• Serranos
• Seasonings (Sssh, it's a secret)
• Sauteed onions

Red sauce

• Spoonful mayonaise
• Homemade ketchup

Yeah, this was not a healthy meal, but it was tasty! I fried up some tilapia to round out the protein portion and supped from a plate full of steaming fried deliciousness! The tomatoes and fish were prepared in the same fashion:

• Dip tomato slice in flour to coat both sides, tap excess off
• Dip slice in egg batter to coat both sides
• Place eggy slice onto plate of crumbs and coat both sides and edges
• Heat oil in a pan until test droplet of batter sizzles when dropped in. I used olive oil thinly coating my pan: you really didn't need much
• Cook one side until browned and flip. You may need to reduce the heat as you go along.
• Repeat in batches, setting the finished tomatoes aside in a warming oven on a plate lined with paper towels. A lot of the oil will drain off and the tomatoes will continue to soften just a touch in the warm oven

Give your 'maters plenty of room so that they don't touch and watch how brown they get. My first few were much lighter than the last, but all were tasty. I think i preferred the lighter done ones just a bit.  The sauces really hit the spot, but were almost unnecessary. The key for super delicious FGTs is in seasoning the crumb mixture and not overcooking the tomatoes. I think pan frying these in a very thin layer of oil helped prevent the over sogging that deep frying would be prone to.

Cold weather encouraged me to harvest all my green tomatoes, so i may just have to make these again. Perhaps i'll invite guests over to help with the consumption, though.
This post can also be seen at YardFarmAustin.com

Baked Butternut with Gravy

I must admit, i've been craving and eating some naughtier than usual foods. I made fried green tomatoes last night (recipe to follow in a few days) and elaborated on this recipe the next night be making a big pot of gravy to be sopped up with some leftover whey biscuits. Ridiculous. I have no idea of the health content in this meal, i don't WANT to know. I will continue to go about my day pretending i haven't gained a few pounds before the holidays have even started.......

• 1  butternut, halved and deseeded
• Buddy's Chicken Sausage, chopped
• Handful of serrano peppers, chopped
• Several cloves garlic
• Pinch dried rosemary and basil
• Salt and pepper
• Olive oil
• Flour
• Corn starch
• Milk
• Chicken stock

Bake the squash face down and covered with foil on 350 - 400 for as long as it takes to cook. This squash was pretty huge and took closer to an hour than 30 minutes. In the meantime, sautee the garlic and olive oil with the spices and then the sausage. Add a few pinches of flour to this greasy goodness (i really add so little olive oil - mostly for the flavor as this particular brand of olive oil is super delicious - so it's really not all THAT greasy as the sausage is very low fat) and stir well. I added 3 ice cubes of chicken stock and the peppers and covered the pot, stirring occasionally and reducing the heat. I let this simmer a while and then added the milk and the corn starch (pre-mixed with cold water) about 10 minutes before serving. Simmer the milk well, but try not to bring it to a proper boil.

Serve the squash bowl side up with a side of green veggie and slather with delicious gravy! You'd think i lived somewhere cold vs the 80 degrees currently in the forecast...

Have you been indulging in comfort food lately?

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

I could have kept eating and eating and eating last night. And i did.
I had some leftover pasta when i made lasagna the other day which i cut into fettucini noodles and dried out to be another night's dinner. I also had some leftover roasted tomato that didn't make it into the lasagna's sauce. I combined these things, along with leftover veggies in the fridge and freezer and the ricotta i had from making mozzerella to become a most decadent and delicious meal. Here's the jist:

• Fettuccine noodles made with whole wheat flour, salt, dried basil and truffle oil
• Dried noodles took about 5 minutes to cook in salted boiling water
• Delicious sauce
• Roasted tomatoes



All stirred up and saucy-delicious

• Tomatoes, garlic, onions, salt, olive oil roasted at 400 degrees for about 30 minutes until caramelized
• Fresh tomatoes - blend the tomatoes together in a blender then put into a pot to begin heating up
• One diced onions
• 3 minced garlic cloves
• Drizzled truffle oil
• Chopped zuccini
• Chopped mushroom
• Diced roasted or fresh hot peppers
• Dried basil and oregano
• Salt and pepper
• Buddy's Natural Chicken Sausage (or any fresh, low fat chicken sausage)
• Fresh ricotta cheese

You could swap in about any veg you wanted to this sauce and could even use canned tomatoes, a staple for dinners around here (but i'm so thankful for some fresh ones this season). I added the squash and mushrooms at two different times to have some that were mushy and some with some shape left.  Note that i have given no amounts on the tomatoes or ricotta. I had about half a pint of roasted tomatoes on hand and added 3 normal sized tomatoes. I think there was about a half cup of ricotta from my mozz making. I tried to make the amount of sauce that would be good for two guilt-fully eating adults. Could have fed two plus a kiddo, or three with a side salad. The only thing that's important on how this sauce was made is to wait until the very end to add the ricotta so that it doesn't boil. Wait until everything is cooked to your liking and turn down the heat to low before stirring in the cheese.

Fresh noodles piled high with delicious!

I have never been able to eat cream sauces due to my inability to eat pasteurized milk. This homemade ricotta was from raw milk and was very moist since i only drained it for an hour or so. Perfect for adding to a sauce and digestable for me. Every last bit was lapped up by finger or tongue! That's how we roll in this house: if the food tastes good, you darn well better lick your plate!

Lasagna From Scratch

When i was growing up, my mom would always make a big lasagna if we were expecting house guests. It was easy to put together and fed a bunch of folks for at least two meals.

The four of us almost finished the lasagna i made last night!


I was lucky to have two of our very favorite friends over for dinner last night and spent the day preparing a fresh lasagna for the four of us marrieds to enjoy. My friend brought over some fresh lettuce and heirloom tomatoes that i whipped into a salad and a meal was made (plus delicious wine, of course). Now, i must admit i pretty much literally spent all day on this meal. I could have divided the chores into several days, but i like to commit a day to cooking every once in a while and Monday is the perfect day for that, if you ask me. Get me in an apron with some dance music (i admit it was a compilation of Britney and some other beat driven music) blasting and i'm a happy girl!

My day started with finishing off some great artwork and then packaging it all up to be shipped while making mozzarella using this recipe and a gallon of raw milk. I finally own good rubber gloves so i was able to do the stretching in steamy hot, salted water. The mozz turned out well, not as fine as some recipes but perfect for shredding, which is what i needed for the lasagna anyway. I also made a batch of ricotta with the leftover whey and got a really nice yield. We'll be using that with the extra pasta i had tomorrow night.

Once the mozz was made, the ricotta draining and the artwork shipped, i started on the pasta. I used 2 cups white whole wheat flour with four eggs some salt and ground basil. Mix well, knead it up and start rolling in batches. To get really good pasta you have to have PATIENCE and a lot of time. Each batch of pasta is rolled out on the widest settting at least 4 or more times before you start thinning it down and shaping it. Lasagna is easy as you don't have to cut noodles, but getting the wide noodles rectangular is a struggle on its own. The pasta turned out great and cooked in 3 minutes in salted, oiled water.

My workspace

This is where the timing got tricky. I didn't cook all the lasagna noodles and saved some to the side to be cut into fettucini that is drying in the kitchen presently. I cooked just the right amount somehow, pulling the cooked noodles out into a bowl of ice water for safe keeping. During the rolling and resting pasta phase i also sauteed some veggies (mushrooms and greens from the garden -chives, chard, broccoli greens, kale- with some truffle oil and red wine) and thinly sliced some zucchini. I blended up the pasta sauce using garden tomatoes that i'd roasted with garlic, onions, salt and olive oil the last two nights or so in two batches. That was one awkward sentence- that's how my whole day felt yesterday! But it somehow all came together. The ricotta layer was mixed ricotta (store bought) garlic, salt, pepper, fresh basil and one egg. I cooked the pasta last once all these other things were ready and layered up the lasagna.

I used this fancy pan someone gave us for our wedding, and i'm afraid it held the chill of the refrigerator more than i'd like. I probably should have set it out to warm before sticking it in the oven, or cooked it all longer while covered. It tasted delicious but was a bit moist still - i might try drying the noodles better next time when layering. Hey, it was my first lasagna ever. And we all agreed - it tasted different than lasagnas we're used to, in a good way. The fresh ingredients were delicious and lighter than store bought Prego, Ragu, and boxed dried noodles. The noodles were way thinner, for one thing and the fresh sauce and veggie layer felt less heavy too. We each had two pieces and walked away feeling great rather than catatonic.

Spending a whole day preparing a meal for friends may not be in everyone's schedule capacity, but if it is - do it! Very gratifying.... Though it is sad to see that labor of love scarfed up in a matter of minutes. Nah, it's not sad.
It's delicious.

Wholesome Wednesdays: Bulgar Wheat

I've been eating a lot of bulgar wheat lately, all due to a happy accident. I used to be rather diligent about setting out a jar of grains to soak overnight to be made into hot cereal in the morning. I've been busy in the studio lately and not moving around a ton, so homemade yogurt has been my preferred breakfast. However, a few months ago i set out some bulgar wheat in a jar missing its rubber seal. The next morning i had fluffy, perfectly moist but still rather dry grain: tabouli!

Tabouli is so easy to make, now that i know all i have to do is add some warm water to the dry grain and wait an hour or so. I am notorious for hating mint with a passion, so as is the norm around here: Miranda's tabouli is her own thing, not the traditional chopped mint and bulgar grains. I usually pick whatever fresh herbs i have growing and toss in any other ripe veggies as well. The usual suspects are garlic chives, lemon basil, hot peppers and maybe some kaffir lime. The last week or so has been a resurgence of summer veggies: tomatoes and cucumbers coming out my ears! I'm loving it. And i've been doing some new things with my bounty. Instead of gazpacho or cucumber salsa, i mix up the chopped veggies and herbs with a bit of bulgar wheat. Much like my veggie and orzo salad, this salad is much healthier because the bulgar has a ton of protein and fiber, unlike its pasta counterpart. I tossed together what i had on hand yesterday, including a giant 1 pound cucumber! This Marketmore cuke hid from me and grew to hugeness, and yet wasn't bitter at all! Thank you cool night temperatures!

• Chopped cucumber
• Chopped tomatoes
• Finely diced jalapeno (drought = hot hot hot!)
• Diced fresh cilantro
• Diced Smoked Tillamook Cheddar
• Dried and ground kaffir leaves
• Salt and pepper
• Cumin and chilly powder
• Splash vinegar
• Handful bulgar grains

So - how about that nutritional content? One serving of bulgar wheat has a whopping 8 grams of dietary fiber (33%) and 6 grams of protein. Bulgar is very high in vitamin and mineral content due to the lack of over processing. Bulgar is essentially just whole wheat with all its goodies in a more easily prepared and eaten form: it's been steamed and dried already which cuts down on prep time in your kitchen. All that fiber is great for keeping the ole' system working and the high protein content and relatively complete amino acid structure fills the protein gaps without the need for a ton of meat or tofu. Much better than useless pasta!

Get your hands on some bulgar today, and while you're at it look at the nutrition labels on the bulk bins of all the various grains: bulgar, cracked wheat, barley, etc: i think you'll find the bulgar has some of the best specs with the lowest calorie damage.

What's your favorite bulgar dish?

Pesto Fritatta

Omigosh, this was delicious. DELICIOUS. I've been really 'not in the mood to cook' lately and have been having a hard time thinking of new things to make. How silly that i've been overlooking the one ingredient that comes delivered to me in a shiny brown package every day: EGGS.

So yesterday i decided to make a batch of cheeseless pesto and do some experimenting with fritatta. Fritatta is so versatile - you could make it sweet, savory, milky, cheesey, whatevery. I plan on making this one again, but also to continue experimenting with whatever is ripe and on hand.
I came up with something pretty healthy, the right balance of satisfying and light, and used a bunch of garden ingredients to create this:

• 5 eggs
• Handful fresh chopped tomatoes - i used Porters
• 1 red onion, pre microwaved or par boiled
• 1 large clove garlic
• Some onion, about 2 T
• 1 jalapeno
• 1/2 Cup or more freshly made pesto
• Basil
• Garlic chives
• Pecans
• Fire roasted serranos
• Olive oil
• Sauteed Tofu (could use any meat here as well)
• Sauteed with smoked hot paprika and salt

Saute the onions, garlic, and jalapeno in a little olive oil (plus a dash of truffle oil). Once soft set aside.

Re coat the pan with spray or regular oil and place the potato in slices along the bottom of the pan. Scramble the eggs with the pesto and tomatoes and add the sauteed onion mixture once it's cooled to the scramble. Place the sauteed tofu evenly over the potatoes and pour the eggs over that and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes. Keep your eye on it and remove when it's firm and bouncy to the touch. I added some cheese on the top for fun, but it totally didn't need it. The mixture of the eggs and pesto made a really unique fritatta that was not dry but not creamy either. There was much approval from the husband and a request for a second was chuckled at, but considered ;)

Chilly Loaf (Turkey Meatloaf with Peppers)

This was scrumptious. Did not take any pictures, but did write down the recipe. I'd like to make it again, so i'll post it despite no pictures.

It's hot pepper season around here, so i've been trying to use my surplus in new and unusual ways. I made a delicious thai curry with homemade yogurt last week, lack tomatoes during the heatwave so no salsa, and made chilly last week also. This time, i'll skip the soup and just make a loaf 'o chilly. You could probably use any meat with this recipe, but don't skimp on the peppers: Firey kick is good for that heart!

• 1 pound meat, i used ground turkey
• 1 heaping cup diced red ripe jalapenos with seeds, plus one habanero with seeds removed
• Tsp smoked paprika
• Drizzle olive oil (the turkey meat has no fat)
• Several splashes worchestershire sauce
• 2 beaten eggs
• 1/2 cup finely diced jicama
• 1/4 cup frozen corn
• Pinches chilly powder and cumin
• Salt and pepper
• Tomato paste - 2 spoonfulls plus enough to coat the top of the loaf

Mush it all together and bake in a greased loaf pan at 350 for an hour- covered for the first 45 minutes.
The loaf was delicious and spicy, but i was almost more excited about the side dish i made: mashed potatoes.

I'm normally not very good at making mashed potatoes, but i gave it a shot and they turned out AMAZING.

• 2 red potatoes, diced into even chunks
• 1 LARGE garlic clove
• Homemade yogurt - thin and not super duper tangy
• Pinch dill
• Salt and Pepper

Boil the potatoes with the garlic clove. When potatoes are soft and just shy of falling apart, drain well. With a potato masher smush up the potatoes with the dill, salt, pepper and perhaps a pat of butter. Add yogurt last so as not to cook the beneficial bacterias. I probably used about 1/2 cup at the most, probably more like 1/4 cup. The resultant spuds were creamy, soft, and super delicious! Not scary yogurty like some yogurt mashed potatoes i've had. The yogurt complimented while not overpowering.

PS - For leftovers the next night, i took the leftover meat loaf, chopped it up and mixed it with some of the leftover crushed tomatoes i used as i was out of tomato paste, brought to a simmer, served on soft buns: sloppy joes!

This post also found at Simple Lives Thursday.

Chicken Salad

As an elaboration to my earlier post on using all the bits and pieces from a cooked chicken, here is the chicken salad i made. Super delicious, and a great way to use those not-so-pretty chunks and shreds of chicken salvaged from a boiled carcass. This blend was super simple, relying mostly on the great flavor of my recent batch of homemade mayonnaise.

First, for the mayonnaise:

• 1 freshly laid egg, one fresh egg yolk
• Pinch salt
• Half a spoonful of dijon mustard
• 1 ice cube whey
• 1 ice cube meyer lemon juice
• Olive oil

If your egg is freshly laid, it's warm and ready to be processed. Never try and use a cold egg from the fridge. One of my eggs wasn't just laid, so i placed it in the hot water left in the bottom of my canner - also placing the bowl of the food processor in the same water to warm it.
Drop in all the ingredients except the oil and process until froth, about 30 seconds or so. With the attachment that lets you process and add stuff at the same time, slowly add the olive oil. SLOWLY! Start with a drop - ONE DROP. Then slowly pour the skinniest stream you can. The slow addition is the key to good mayo. My mayos of the past have been delicious, but dark yellow. This mayo has been properly emulsified and is a lighter color, more reminiscent of store mayo. I leave my mayo out for the rest of the night and then store in the fridge (as per the instructions in Nourishing Traditions). I find there is still always some seperation of oil at the bottom of the jar - i'm unphased by this. This mayo is super delicious and makes me want to make french fries to dip in it, evil nom nom nom nom.

For the salad:

• Chicken salvaged from a boiled carcass - could also use rotisserie chicken, but it'll be greasier to begin with
• Homemade mayo - i used all that wouldn't fit into the little jar i keep the mayo in. Maybe a full half cup. I wasn't skimping!
• 1/2 cup or so of finely diced jicama
• 3 cloves roasted garlic
• Pinches salt and basil
• Pinch diced fresh garlic chives

Just mush together and enjoy! I served mine on a cabbage coleslaw (with no mayo, just vinegar and mirin) and served the husband a nice, fat sandwich with a side of carrots and cheese.

Here's to using every last bit!

And don't forget! The winner of my $50 GIVEAWAY will be announced this coming Tuesday, my blogversary. Check out the post and enter for your chance to win a giftcard to CSN stores. I will choose the winner Monday night, so you have until I fall asleep to post a comment and i'll announce the winner Tuesday afternoon! Yay!

Kaffir Marinated Trout with Salsa and Pupusas

I think both my husband and i floated somewhere magical whilst eating this meal - mouthgasms were abundant. I really out did myself with this meal,  though it was actually really easy. I used my stick blender's food processor attachment to make the marinade, and had to fight myself to stop from just drinking it right on the spot.

The trout was gifted to us by a good friend for my husband's birthday, all the veggies were homegrown, and i molded up the little pupusas minutes before cooking them.
Here's how it went:

Marinade (amounts are very approximate, more to ratio):

• Splash white wine vinegar
• Splash (about half the amt of the vinegar) olive oil
• Splash (about half the oil) tequila
• Splish worchestershire sauce
• 3 kaffir lime leaves
• 2 garlic cloves
• 1 small onion
• Dashes cumin, salt, pepper, cayenne
• Generous dash hot smoked paprika
• 1/2 a peach

The amounts of the liquid need to be enough to make enough marinade for the amount of fish - but don't overdo the oil or the vinegar, as the onions and the rest of the veg will liquify pretty well and you don't want the vinegar/oil flavors to overshadow the kaffir lime. Blend and resist drinking it all right there in the kitchen.

Salsa:

• Red ripe serranos, seeds and membrane removed
• Red ripe and green jalapenos, 1/2 with seeds and membrane removed
• Porter tomatoes, eighthed
• Finely chopped onion
• 1 peach, diced finely
• Salt, pepper, chilly powder, cumin
• Very small splash white wine vinegar - the peach should be juicy enough to add juice into the salsa

Pupusas:

• Masa harina
• Water, enough to form a soft, not sticky dough
• Shredded cheese and salsa (see above)

I marinated the fish for about 2 hours in the refrigerator - simply poured the marinade of the top of the fish in a pyrex. I later laid out the fish on my toaster oven's pan with space in between, filled with pieces of shredded cabbage, and the marinade poured over the top. I cooked at about 400 for 15  minutes, then decreased to 300 while the hubby finished doing the dishes (an additional 10 or so). The fish is done when it will flake apart and the marinade is simmering.

I made the pupusas after i put the fish in the oven and kept them on a moist cloth until ready to cook - three at a time in a pan on medium until browned on each side. The salsa i made first thing in the morning so the flavors would amalgamate for most of the day.

This marinade was seriously the most delicious thing that has entered my mouth oriface in a LONG TIME. It tasted much like my favorite Thai curry and soup dishes because of the unique flavor of the kaffir leaves. I have 2 kaffir lime plants that i harvest from, but you can find the leaves for sale in most asian markets and some grocery stores that specialize in unique foods (here that would be Fiesta and Central Market/ Whole Foods). It was spicy, but not TOO spicy, as the salsa was VERY spicy consisting mostly of peppers with a few tomatoes instead of the other way around.

Try not to salivate all over your computer  :)

A big PS:

My friend Marigold is hosting a really super awesome and unique giveaway on her blog: a handcrafted Waldorf inspired doll. The doll is really beautiful (and worth $125!) and would make an excellent gift to some special young person. Check out the post for more details on how to enter to win. I know many of my readers are parents looking to live the best life with their children that they can - and this doll is a really wonderful alternative to Barbies or GI Joes and all the gender stereotypes and nasty carbon based (i assume) plastics that go with them.

Don't forget to enter my GIVEAWAY as well! One and a half weeks left to win! Yay for free stuff!