Vegetables

March – Cauliflower Coconut Curry with Cashews
by

March – Cauliflower Coconut Curry with Cashews

This recipe came out of the New York Times, originally from Meera Sodha’s cookbook Made in India. It was adapted by Jennifer Steinhauer and further adapted by me. I always read the comments after the recipe is in the Times, they are entertaining and frequently very helpful. Many commenters wrote that the spices should be doubled (which I did). I will put the original measurement in parenthesis after the ingredient.

The original recipe also called for the addition of 1/2 cup of frozen peas, which would be beautiful. (If you decide to use peas, add them at the last 5 minutes.) I had a package of cubed butternut squash that needed cooking, and used it instead. I lightly coated the cubes with coconut oil and roasted them at 450 degrees F till brown and almost tender. I then added them for the last 5 minutes to reheat and soften, garnishing the finished dish with pea tendrils and cilantro.

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Whenever my mother made curry, she laid out small dishes of ingredients we could add ourselves. Those would have included chutney, raisins, more toasted nuts, plain yogurt, some kind of pickle, chopped scallions and hot chilis. It made the meal seem like a celebration of sort and would be appropriate here as well.

Ingredients: (serves 4)

  • 1 (1 inch) piece of fresh ginger, peeled and chopped
  • 4 garlic cloves, chopped
  • 1 green chili (I used a serrano), roughly chopped (seeded for less heat)
  • Kosher salt
  • 3 tablespoons of neutral oil
  • 2 large onions, chopped
  • 1 tablespoon of tomato paste
  • 1 tablespoon of ground coriander (NYT 1 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 tablespoon of ground cumin (NYT 1 1/4 teaspoon)
  • 1 teaspoon of chile powder – I used ancho (NYT 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 large head cauliflower broken into bite sized pieces
  • 1 (14 ounce) can of unsweetened lite coconut milk (NYT full fat)
  • 4 ounces unsalted cashews, toasted
  • 2 cups of cubed butternut squash, roasted
  • 1 teaspoon garam masala (NYT 1/2 teaspoon)
  • 1 small bunch of cilantro, chopped
  • 1 cup of pea shoots
  • 1 lemon wedge
Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Method:

  1. Place the ginger, garlic and greet chili in a mini food processor with a pinch of salt. Chop finely until nearly a paste.
  2. In a large skillet with a lid, heat 3 tablespoons of oil on medium heat. Cook the onions until golden, about 10 minutes. Add the ginger, chili and garlic. Cook, stirring until fragrant (maybe 3-4 minutes) being careful to not burn the garlic.
  3. Stir in the tomato paste, coriander, cumin, chile powder and 1-1/4 teaspoons salt. Stir in the cauliflower and coconut milk. Bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat to low and cover. Cook the cauliflower until it is tender, about 10-12 minutes.
  4. Add the butternut squash, garam masala to the cauliflower mixture and cook, stirring for about 5 minutes. Taste and season with salt if needed.
  5. Top the curry with the cashews, cilantro and a squeeze of elmon before serving.
  6. Serve with steamed rice.
Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

Cauliflower Coconut and Cashew Curry

March – Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta salad
by

March – Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta salad

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

This recipe came from the cookbook vegetarian salad for dinner by Jeanne Kelley. In her recipe she uses whole wheat pasta, which would be a good alternative. I wanted to make the salad gluten free and had brown rice penne in the pantry. Serve this salad at room temperature, it’s vegan, gluten and dairy free as written. For extra protein a bit of crumbled feta ups the flavor but is not necessary.

I often roast cauliflower but forget that broccoli is also delicious roasted, especially when there are some crispy bits. Roasting sweetens the broccoli, combining it with preserved lemons and Calabrian chiles ups the the salty and tangy notes.

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Ingredients: (serves 4)

  • 2 to 2-1/2 pounds of broccoli (about 2 bunches)
  • 4 tablespoons of extra-virgin olive oil
  • 8 ounces of dried penne or small macaroni, any kind (about 2 cups)
  • 3 garlic cloves, finely grated on a microplane or crushed through a garlic press
  • 3 tablespoons of chopped preserved lemon (rind only)
  • 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice
  • 2 to 3 tablespoons of minced Calabrian chiles
  • Optional: 6 ounces of crumbled fresh feta cheese

Method:

  1. Position your oven racks in the upper and lower thirds of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F.
  2. Cover 2 sheet pans with parchment paper.
  3. Cut the broccoli into 1/2 to 3/4 inch pieces. Place the cut broccoli in a large bowl and drizzle with 2 tablespoon of the olive oil. Toss with your hands to mix well and coat with oil. Divide the broccoli between the pans. Sprinkle lightly with salt.
  4. Roast until tender browned with some crisp edges. This took about 20 minutes, I switched the locations of the pans after 10. Cool.
  5. Boil the pasta in rapidly boiling salted water until tender but firm to the bite. Drain and transfer to a large bowl (I used the same one that contained the broccoli in step 3).
  6. Immediately add the garlic and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Toss well to coat the pasta. Add the broccoli, preserved lemon and lemon juice.
  7. Add the Calabrian chiles gradually until you have the desired heat.
  8. Add the optional feta if using.
Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Roasted broccoli, preserved lemon, Calabrian chile, and brown rice pasta

Serve at room temperature.

February – Sheet Pan Roasted Cauliflower with Chick Peas
by

February – Sheet Pan Roasted Cauliflower with Chick Peas

Chickpeas (also called garbanzos or ceci beans) have been popular in the Middle East for many years, and are a staple ingredient in many of the region’s most well-known dishes like hummus and falafel. They are an excellent source of carbohydrate, protein, fiber, B vitamins (especially folate), and some minerals.

We frequently enjoy them tossed into a salad, a few cans are always on the pantry shelf. Have you tried them roasted? You can roast them to a crispness that will rival any nut. Simply toss them with olive oil, salt and any combination of spices you fancy. Then roast them in a 350 degree oven until crisp. Served that way they are excellent as a snack before dinner with your 5pm cocktail.

Lately I have been adding them to the sheet pan when I roast vegetables. The ones on the edge end up toasty and crunchy while the ones in the middle are softer and creamy.

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

This is an excellent side dish or vegetarian main with the addition of rice or flatbread.

I don’t really have a recipe for this, it’s a ‘no recipe’ recipe.

Preheat your oven to 425 degrees F. Cut or break a head of cauliflower into pieces about 1-2 inches in size. If the stem is thick, consider peeling it as you would broccoli. Then cut into manageable pieces. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas. Spread the cauliflower and chickpeas on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt. You could add any spices at this time…cumin or baharat or zaatar. Mix it all up and spread everything out evenly. Roast for about 40 minutes until you see the edges turning toasty brown.

Serve with a scattering of chopped scallions, or cilantro, or parsley, or celery leaves, or anything green that is in your fridge or garden. Squeeze some lemon over the top.

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

Sheet Pan Roast Cauliflower with Chickpeas

 

January – Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad
by

January – Shaved Brussels Sprout Salad

During the warmer summer months I gorge on sun ripened tomatoes from hot inland gardens. Once winter starts, I avoid the tasteless and long traveled ones available in the grocery store. Instead, my passion runs to Brussels sprouts. Roasted until bronzed with a few charred leaves, they are sweet and don’t resemble the over cooked boiled ones served in school cafeterias. I frequently snack on the crisp dark brown outer leaves that are loose on the sheet pan.

Most vegetables in the Brassica family profit from being roasted. It’s certainly my favorite way to cook them, or most any vegetable. Simply cut them into 1-inch pieces, drizzle with a bit of olive oil and sprinkle with salt. Then roast (cut side down) in a 425 degree oven, maybe turning once although not required, until done to your liking with edges that are brown and starting to carmelize. This usually only takes 30 to 40 minutes, hands free. Your time is then available for anything else you plan to serve.

But raw, thinly sliced Brussels sprouts are also delicious. Even better, a salad using them can be made ahead and is frequently even better the following day. A food processor with the thin slicing blade makes short work of it or you can use a sharp knife. Trader Joe’s sells pre-sliced sprouts although they are not quite as thin as I like them. They do work well in a stir fry though.

 

Brussels sprout salad

Brussels sprout salad

What’s in there? I see dried cranberries, chopped dates, pine nuts, and fresh goat cheese in addition to the shaved sprouts. Toasted walnuts would also be excellent in this salad. Although it’s difficult to see in the picture, there are also roasted outer leaves of the sprouts to add a toasty note.

This recipe originally came from the blog Love & Lemons, you will find the link here. They use grated parmesan instead of fresh goat cheese, and the dates are my own addition.

If you would like to add the roasted outer leaves, just peel them off before shaving the sprouts. Toss them with a little olive oil and salt on a parchment lined sheet pan, and roast at 425 degrees F. for about 25-30 minutes until crisp and brown. Add them at the very last minute to the salad.

Ingredients:

  • 4 cups shaved Brussels sprouts
  • ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus extra for drizzling
  • ¼ cup fresh lemon juice
  • ½ cup pine nuts, toasted
  • ⅓ cup dried cranberries
  • 4 diced dates
  • 1/2 cup of crumbled fresh goat cheese
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:

  1. Toss the sprouts, pine nuts, cranberries and dates together.
  2. Add the olive oil and lemon juice and toss again.
  3. Taste for salt and pepper.
  4. Crumble in the goat cheese.
  5. optional roasted outer leaves should go in just before serving

The salad can be made ahead through step 3.

Shaved Brussels sprout salad

Shaved Brussels sprout salad

November – Russet and Sweet Potato Mash
by

November – Russet and Sweet Potato Mash

Mashed Russet and Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Russet and Sweet Potatoes

Are you looking for ways to use up that leftover turkey? What about making a minced turkey shepherd’s pie? I made this one from scratch but I could definitely see mixed chopped leftover turkey, stuffing, chopped leftover veggies moistened with a little gravy and all topped with mashed potatoes…dot it all with a dabs of butter and some parmesan.

If you need to extend the mashed potatoes, mix them up with mashed sweet potatoes for extra color, flavour, and nutrition.

In this dish white potatoes and sweet potatoes are cooked separately and mashed, then swirled together to make a tasty and savory side dish.

Ingredients:

  • 1 1/2 lbs of russet or other white potatoes – peeled and diced into 2 inch pieces
  • 1 2/2 lbs of orange sweet potatoes – peeled and diced into 2 inch pieces
  • 2 teaspoons of kosher salt plus more to taste
  • 6 tablespoons of butter – divided in half
  • 2/3 cup of milk, warmed
  • chopped fresh chives
  • salt and freshly ground pepper as needed
  • 1/4 cup freshly grated parmesan
  • Optional parsley garnish

Method:

  1. Place the white potatoes in a saucepan, cover them with cool water and add a teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the potatoes are fork-tender but not falling apart. Drain the potatoes in a colander in the sink and let them dry.
  2. Place the sweet potatoes in the same saucepan, cover with cool water with a teaspoon of salt. Bring the water to a boil, reduce the heat and simmer until fork tender. Drain them.
  3. While the potatoes are cooking, warm the milk in a small saucepan and cut the butter into pieces.
  4. Mash the white potatoes your favorite way, I used a ricer, putting them back into the hot saucepan. Add a few tablespoons of the warm milk and 3 tablespoons of butter until you have your desired consistency. Add more milk if needed.
  5. Repeat step 4 with the sweet potatoes, placing them in a separate bowl. Add the chopped chives.
  6. Taste both to see if they need any additional salt and pepper.
  7. Add the sweet potatoes into the saucepan with the white potatoes. Make a couple of folds with a spoon to barely mix. Move them into a serving dish (or on top of your turkey shepherds pie) and sprinkle with parmesan.
  8. Bake at 350 degrees F until hot and the parmesan is melted. This will take about 30 minutes.
Potato Ricer

Potato Ricer

If you were serving this as a side dish and the potatoes were hot, you could serve them immediately. As a casserole or a topping to a pie you could make this ahead, refrigerate, and heat for about 45 minutes.

Mashed Russet and Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Russet and Sweet Potatoes, unbaked

Mashed Russet and Sweet Potatoes

Mashed Russet and Sweet Potatoes

I am taking this to Fiesta Friday #512 where I am the co-host this week. Fiesta Friday is a regular gathering of bloggers from all over, hosted by Angie. I hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday if you celebrate here in the U.S.