Poached eggs over lentils and mushrooms

This is a hearty no meat meal for two.
Serves: 2
Total time: 45 minutes

1 cup french/green lentils
1/2 pound mushrooms (crimini or shiitake) 
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon butter
splash of red wine (optional)
4 eggs

Dressing:
3 tablespoons dijon mustard
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Cook 1 cup of french lentils in water for 30-45 minutes (until soft).  In the meantime chop mushrooms.  When lentils are almost done saute mushrooms in oil/butter and add splash of red wine when they are soft.  Add lentils to mushrooms with salt & pepper.  In the mean time bring a small sauce pot of water to a boil.  Crack two eggs into a small dish then swirl the water and gently drop in the pair of eggs and cook for 2.5 minutes.  Repeat for the other two eggs.  Serve eggs over lentils. Drizzle dressing on top.

Eggs Goldenrod

This recipe has been passed down in my family for generations.  It is a staple for Easter breakfast but it's delicious anytime extra eggs are available.  I made a smaller batch, but the recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.  The basis of this recipe is a simple roux.

Eggs Goldenrod

Eggs Goldenrod
Makes 2 large portions

4 hard boiled eggs
3 tablespoons of butter
3-4 tablespoons of flour
~1 1/2 cups of milk
salt to taste
white pepper to taste
1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder (optional)
4 slices of toast
chives for garnish (optional)


Peel the hard boiled eggs and separate the yolk from the white.   Put the yolks in a small bowl and use a fork to break into small pieces.  Coarsely chop the whites.  In a saucepan heat the butter until melted and bubbly then slowly add the flour until it makes a thick paste with the butter.  Add the milk, a splash at a time, stirring until the milk is completely incorporated into the butter and flour.  Stop adding milk when it reaches the desired consistency (thick but not too pasty).  Then add the salt, pepper and garlic powder.  Stir in the egg whites.  Serve on top of toast with a sprinkle of egg yolks and chives.

Irish Corned Beef and Cabbage

In celebration of St. Patty's day I made some homemade corned beef and vegetables. They turned out fantastic! I followed this receipe to the t, and it was perfect.

I bought the brisket from Horizon View Farms at the Pittsburgh Public Market. I got a rutebega from a farmer's market when I was visiting Philadelphia. The potatoes and carrots came from the Penn's Corner Farm Alliance monthly farm stand. I bought the cabbage and turnips from Clarion River Organics, also at the Pittsburgh Public Market. I highly recommend this dish for next St. Patty's day or anytime you want to get in touch with your Irish side.

Creamy Mushroom Linguini

This is definitely one of the yummiest recipes I've made in a while and one of the least healthy (but it's just so good)!

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons olive oil (more if mushrooms look dry)

1 pound crimini mushrooms, cut into slices
1/4 pound shiitake mushrooms, cut into slices
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon flour
1/4 cup white wine
1 cup cream
2 cups romano style cheese (I used a local romano style cheese called Tye from Hidden Hills Dairy)
1 pound fresh linguini (or 1 box)

Bring a large pot of water to a boil.  In the mean time saute the mushrooms in the butter and olive oil until tender (about 8 minute).  After about 4 minutes add the garlic.  Once mushrooms are tender and garlic is fragrant sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms, then slowly add the white wine. While the white wine is cooking start cooking your fresh pasta (start sooner if using dry pasta). Once white wine has reduced a little (about 4 minutes) add the cream.  Drain pasta then return to pot.  Add sauce to pasta in the pot then add 1 1/2 cups cheese and toss until evenly coated.  Top with the extra cheese when serving.

Frittata Recipe

Frittatas are a quick, easy and healthy lunch or dinner.

Frittata 

Servings: 3-4

2 potatoes, peeled and chopped into bite sized squares

1 medium onion, diced

1 tablespoon oil

1 cups of frozen or 2 cups fresh spinach, kale, swiss chard (or any other green veggie)

4-5 eggs, scrambled

In a 10 inch frying pan heat oil and fry potatoes until lightly browned then add onions and saute until translucent.  Next add veggie and saute until wilted or thawed.  Finally add eggs and cover frying pan with a lid.  When the bottom is browed it is done.  If it still appears a little runny on top put it under the broiler for a few minutes.  Put a plate upside down on frying pan and flip over quickly before serving.

Lentil, Spinach and Potato Soup

Lentil, Spinach and Potato Soup

2 tablespoons olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

3 cups of chicken or vegetable broth

1 cup of lentils (I prefer french lentils)

2 medium potatoes, peeled and cut into 1/2 inch pieces

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1 cup of frozen spinach (or 6 cups fresh) torn into pieces

Salt and cayenne pepper to taste

Saute onion and garlic in olive oil, until tender and fragrant.  Add broth and lentils, bring to a boil then simmer for about 10 minutes.  Add potatoes then simmer for another 15 minutes (or until potatoes are tender)  Then add lemon juice, spinach, salt and cayenne pepper and cook for another 2 minutes.  Serve hot.

Vegetable Stir Fry

All the farmer's markets have ended so I've been using the vegetables I've frozen.  Here's a recipe that uses frozen broccoli and bell peppers.  Fresh vegetables would work too.

Vegetable Stir Fry

1 1/2 cups jasmine rice

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 teaspoon sesame oil

1 onion, cut in half then sliced lengthwise

1 cup broccoli (I used frozen)

1 bell pepper, chopped (I used frozen)

1 clove garlic, minced

1/4 cup rice wine

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon corn starch

Put 1 1/2 cups rice in a small pot with lid.  Add 3 cups of water and bring to a boil, then turn down to very low (use a diffuser if necessary) and cook for 20 minutes.  While rice is cooking scramble eggs and cook in a small frying pan.  Also mix soy sauce and corn starch and set aside.  In a separate frying pan or wok, turn heat to med-high and add oil.  Once the pan is hot add the veggies (onions, broccoli, peppers, garlic).  Saute for about 3 minutes, until tender.  Then add rice wine and cook for another minute.  Next add soy sauce and corn starch mix.  Stir.  Finally mix in the cooked eggs and serve over rice.  I also add some chili garlic paste to make it a little spicy.

Split Pea Soup

Split Pea Soup

Serves: 4 adults

4 slices bacon

1 large onion, chopped

3 carrots, peeled and chopped

2 garlic cloves, minced

5 cups chicken broth

2 cups split peas

1 bay leaf

1 teaspoon chopped fresh rosemary

Saute bacon in a pot until browned, then add onion and saute until translucent.  Add carrots and garlic and saute for 3 minutes.  Add chicken broth, split peas, bay leaf and rosemary (make sure the peas are covered with broth).  Bring to a boil then turn the heat down and simmer covered until the peas are tender, about one hour.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Split Pea Soup

Radish Leaf Soup

Don't throw out those radish leaves, make this fantastic soup instead!  From epicurious.com

Radish Leaf Soup

1 tablespoon butter
1 large chopped onion
Leaves from 10-15 radishes, washed
5 medium potatoes (about 1.5 pounds), peeled and chopped into 1 inch pieces
3 cups of water or broth
2/3 cup milk

Melt butter in saucepan then add onions and saute until translucent.   Add radish leaves and saute until wilted.  Add potatoes and water.  Bring to a boil, then turn heat down and simmer until potatoes are tender, about 20 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to puree the soup.  Alternatively a blender can be used.  Season soup with salt and pepper to taste.  Garnish with a splash of cream (optional).

Radish Hors d'oeuvres

I don't often make hors d'oeuvres, but I had about 15 radishes and I didn't know what else to do with them, so I made some snacks for the Steeler's game.

Chive Cream Cheese Stuffed Radishes

10-15 radishes

1 teaspoon chopped chives

3 tablespoons cream cheese

splash of milk

Chop off the ends of the radishes so they can stand up.  Reserve the greens for radish green soup (recipe in next post).  Use a melon baller or a small knife to core the radishes.  Reserve the cores for radish deviled eggs (for recipe see below).  Mix the chives, cream cheese and milk together so you get a frosting-like texture.  Use a pastry bag or a plastic baggie with the corner cut to deliver the cream cheese to the cored radishes.

Radish Deviled Eggs

8 hard boiled eggs
2 tablespoons mayonnaise
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
2 tablespoons diced radish
2 teaspoons diced chives
Salt and pepper to taste

Remove shell from eggs and cut in half.  Remove yolks and put in a bowl and mix with mayonnaise, mustard, radishes, chives, salt and pepper.  Spoon out mixture into hard boiled egg whites.

Ratatouille!

Ratatouille 

A simple (and very yummy) vegetable stew.  I used tomatoes and summer squash that I had frozen earlier this summer.  It was fantastic!  Serves: 4 adults

• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 large onion, chopped
• 2 medium eggplants, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 summer squash or zucchini, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 2 bell peppers (any color), cut into 1-inch pieces
• 4-6 tomatoes (fresh, canned or frozen), coarsely chopped (about 6 cups)
• 1/2 tablespoon thyme
• 1 fresh rosemary sprig
• 1 bay leaf
• 1/3 cup minced fresh basil

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium heat. Add onions and saute until tender. Add eggplants and garlic and saute 5 minutes. Add summer squash and bell peppers and saute for an additional 5 minutes. Stir in tomatoes, thyme, rosemary and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then reduce heat. Cover and cook until vegetables are tender, stirring occasionally, about 40 minutes. Stir in basil. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

Garlic Lentil Soup

Garlic Lentil Soup

4 cloves of garlic, chopped
4 cups water
1 cup french lentils
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon fresh parsley (use less if dried)

Add water, garlic, lentils, and oil to a stockpot.  Bring to a boil and simmer until lentils are tender, about 30 minutes.  Use an immersion blender to blend the soup.  Then stir in thyme and parsley.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cauliflower and Garbanzo Bean Curry

Cauliflower and Garbanzo Bean Curry

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 medium onions, chopped
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon mild curry powder
2 teaspoon hot curry powder
1 teaspoon garam masala (optional: otherwise add more curry powder)
1 1/2 cups of dried garbanzo beans (soak in water overnight, the next day cover in water, bring to a boil and simmer for 1 hour) or use 2 cans of garbanzo beans
5-6 cups of cauliflower florets
1 can of coconut milk (for healthier option use light coconut milk or a cup of yogurt)
2 tomatoes, diced
1 jalepeno, seeded and diced (optional)
1/2 cup of fresh chopped parsley or cilantro

Saute onion in oil until tender and translucent.  Add garlic and curry powder and stir for another 2 minutes.  Add beans, cauliflower, coconut milk, tomatoes and jalepenos.  Cook until cauliflower is tender, about 15 minutes.  Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper to taste.  Serve over basmati rice.

Bean Chili with Squash and Kale

I harvested the heirloom beans I grew this year from Seed Saver's Exchange (Brockton and Good Mother Stallard Beans).  The unique coloring on them was fantastic, and I was very excited to cook with them.  Unfortunately I didn't have too many, so I combined them with red kidney beans and black turtle beans to make chili.  It was one of the best chili recipes I've ever had!  Here it is:

Bean Chili with Squash and Kale

• 2 tablespoons oil
• 1 large or 2 medium onions
• 2 cloves of minced garlics
• 1 butternut squash, peeled, seeded and cubed
• 2 tablespoons of chili powder
• 2 teaspoons of cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 1/2 cups dried beans (The day before soak 2 1/2 cups of dried beans in water overnight.  The next day cook the beans for about 1 hour, or until tender.)
• 2-3 cups of chicken (or vegetable) broth
• 1 small bunch (5 leaves) kale, cut into small pieces

Heat oil in large pot.   Saute onions until tender and golden, then add garlic and saute for a few more minutes.  Add squash and spices, stir for a few minutes.  Then add beans and broth and bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the squash is tender, about 20 minutes.  Then add kale and cook for another 5 minutes.  Ladle into bowls and garnish with cheddar cheese (optional).

Refreshing Fresh Salsa

Here's a great, easy recipe for when you're swimming in tomatoes in the beginning of fall.  It makes a tasty and healthy snack!

Refreshing Fresh Salsa

3-5 tomatoes diced

1/2 purple onion diced

1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley or cilantro

1 jalepeno pepper seeded and diced

Squirt of lemon or lime juice

Sprinkle of salt

Mix together and serve with tortilla chips.

Apple Cupcakes (from Meg)

Here's a recipe from my friend Meg to help you use your fall apples:

Shelby's Apple Cake Recipe

• 4 cups peeled and diced apples (I like to use 4 1/2 to 5 cups)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 cup canola oil
• 1 cup chopped nuts (pecans or walnuts)-- nuts are optional... I left them out of the cupcakes this time and they turned out great.
• 2 eggs
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoons baking soda
• 3 teaspoons cinnamon (I usually put in a little extra)
• 1 teaspoon salt

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix apples and sugar thoroughly. Add oil, nuts, eggs and vanilla and mix well. Mix dry ingredients together separately and add to apple mixture. For apple cake, bake in a greased 13x9 inch pan for 1 hour.  For apple cupcakes, bake in lined cupcake pans for 30-35 minutes.

Easy (and Delicious!) Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

• 8 oz (one brick) cream cheese-- does not have to be room temperature, you can mix it straight out of the fridge!  I usually used reduced fat.
• 1 stick unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• Approx 2 cups powdered sugar, sifted (you may not need two full cups)

Beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla with an electric hand mixer at low speed until combined.  Add powdered sugar about a quarter cup at a time, mixing well after adding.  you can add as much or as little sugar as you want, until the frosting is at the sweetness and consistency you would like.

That's it!  If you decide to make it as a cake, it doesn't really need frosting (my mom never put frosting with it... Just served it warm with some vanilla ice cream.  Or plain for breakfast, yum!).  I think the cupcakes would be really good topped off with a little cinnamon sugar, but I didn't have any to test it out with.  Enjoy!! :)


--Meg

Baba Ghanoush (eggplant hummus)

I would describe Baba Ghanoush as "eggplant hummus".  The base of hummus is chick peas, whereas Baba Ghanoush is mostly eggplant, but the spices and extras are about the same in both.  Baba Ghanoush is a great dip for football games and parties, especially because it's pretty healthy, and it's a great way to use your extra eggplants.

Baba Ghanoush

1 large or 2 medium eggplants

2 tablespoons lemon juice

2 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon fresh cilantro or parsley

2 tablespoons tahini (Sesame seed paste- in the ethic or middle eastern section of your grocery store.  Available in bulk at the East End Co-op)

2 garlic cloves

1 teaspoon cumin

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon ground pepper

Remove the stem from the eggplant, stab a few times with a fork, then wrap in foil and cook in oven until mushy (about 1 hour at 400 degrees, alternatively put it in the oven when you're cooking something else, and if it's a lower temperature just cook it longer).  Let the eggplant cool.  Remove the eggplant pulp from the skin and add to a food processor.  Add all the other ingredients to the food processor as well and process until smooth.  Serve with pita bread or pita chips.  For homemade pita use the recipe from my lamb souvlaki post (shown on the right).

Vichyssoise (creamy potato leek soup)

Vichyssoise (apparently pronounced vish-ee-swaze) is one of my favorite soups.  The only difference between Vichyssoise and potato-leek soup is that it has a little bit of cream.  I made an especially good batch last night and I'm going to give credit to the fresh, local ingredients.  I bought the potatoes and leeks at the East Aurora farmers market (outside of Buffalo, NY) while I was visiting the area.  I must admit that that farmers market has a much bigger selection than the ones in Pittsburgh (although they have less "organic"/pesticide free).  Anyway, here's the recipe:

Vichyssoise

6-8 large servings

Total time: 45 minutes

6 medium leeks

3 tablespoons butter

6-8 large potatoes (about 1.5 pounds)

5-6 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (enough to cover potatoes)

1/2 tsp salt

1 tsp white pepper

1 cup of cream (or 1/2 cup cream and 1/2 cup milk)

First remove roots and green part of leeks (some green part is okay, just remove the really thick stuff).  Then remove the outer layer and rinse, as there tends to be some dirt stuck here.  Then chop into thin slices.  Saute chopped leaks in butter for about 15 minutes (until tender but not brown).  In the mean time peel potatoes and chop into thin slices.  Once leeks are tender add potatoes and enough broth to cover them.  Also add the salt and pepper.  Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down and simmer until the potatoes are tender (about 25 minutes).  Then add cream and blend until smooth.  An immersion blender is a great tool for this, but a regular blender works fine too (just be prepared for a mess).  Alternatively the soup can be mashed (I know people who prefer it a little chunky).  Garnish with chives (optional).  Serve hot or chilled.

Five-Spice Beet Soup

We got a lot of beets in our farm share for the past few weeks and I don't think it's cool enough to store them in the basement yet.  Instead I made some Five-Spice Beet Soup (recipe from epicurious.com).  Definitely a healthy soup, but I wouldn't recommend it for a meal.  I served myself a big bowl, and I stopped enjoying it towards the end.  It would be good for an appetizer, but I think I like roasted beets better.