November – Russet and Sweet Potato Mash

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.

November – Celebration Salad

November – Celebration Salad

This is a perfect salad to round out your Thanksgiving or Christmas menu. Juicy roasted grapes combine with cauliflower (Romanesco if you can find it), the slight bitterness of endive, and the crunch of toasted hazelnuts. Thinly sliced parmesan adds umami at the end. Serve this salad at room temperature, you can make it several hours ahead. At the last minute combine with the dressing and shave over the parmesan with a Y-peeler.

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Ingredients:

  • I head of regular or Romanesco cauliflower
  • 1 bunch of seedless green or muscat grapes (the red ones would be nice with regular cauliflower), about 3 cups – mostly separate them but leave one or two in small clusters
  • 2 heads of endive
  • parmesan – shaved
  • 1/2 cup hazelnuts, toasted and chopped if whole
  • olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons of grainy mustard
  • 2 teaspoons of apple cider vinegar
  • 1/2 teaspoon honey
Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Method:

  1. Preheat the oven to 435 degrees F or 220 degrees C
  2. Separate the cauliflower into florets, on a baking sheet toss them with about 2 tablespoons of olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
  3. On a separate baking sheet, toss the grapes with a bit more oil, salt and pepper
  4. Roast both sheets until the cauliflower is golden the the grapes are blistered, about 30 minutes. Let them cool a bit before assembling the salad.
  5. While they are roasting, make the cider vinaigrette. In a bowl or jar, whisk (or shake) the mustard, vinegar, honey and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Season with salt and pepper.
  6. Separate the endive and tear the leaves into bite-sized pieces
  7. Toss the roasted cauliflower, grapes, and endive with the dressing. Scatter in a bowl or platter. Arrange the grape clusters around the platter. Sprinkle with the hazelnuts and shave the parmesan on top.
Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

Roasted grapes, cauliflower, endive salad

This recipe came from the cookbook Salad Freak by Jess Damuck. I think I have earmarked more recipes in this book than any on my shelves.

This works well with regular cauliflower, in that case use red grapes . It was garnished with pomegranate seeds (for extra color) and pickled mustard seeds. Instead of parmesan, I shave sharp white cheddar on top.

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

Celebration Salad

You can find out how to make the pickled mustard seeds here. They make a great gift and keep almost forever in the fridge.

 

This will be my contribution to the Fiesta Friday virtual blogging party. It’s Fiesta Friday #511 hosted by Angie and Co-hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook

 

July – Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

July – Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

I am in love with the dressing on this salad. The recipe came from Alexandra Stafford’s blog at Alexandra’s Kitchen. If you are not familiar with her blog, I recommend it. The salad has been modified from her Cold Peanut Noodle Salad with Cucumbers recipe. I used brown rice noodles to make this gluten-free and slightly reminiscent of Pad Thai. I also added a lot more vegetables.

If you use a natural brand of peanut butter, make sure you stir it before measuring. The dressing will taste wonderful whatever you use. I had Skippy Crunchy in the pantry since we use it as a treat for the dogs. Since I blended it, the crunchy bits didn’t matter. But, I think it would have still been amazing even with a few chunks.

Shanna

Is that my peanut butter you are using?

The cucumbers are spiralized. I have an old one that I purchased when the fad first hit Instagram a few years ago. There are now handheld ones on the market. If you don’t have one, a quick search on Amazon with give you lots of options.

I used Trader Joe’s roasted chili peanuts. Any type of roasted ones will do just fine.

If you are using regular cucumbers, peel them first unless the skins are very tender. European, Asian, or Persian cucumbers won’t need peeling.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Peanut Dressing

Ingredients:

  • 1/2 cup of peanut butter (or another nut butter)
  • 1/3 cup of fresh lime juice (from about 4 limes)
  • 1/4 cup of soy sauce or tamari
  • 2 tablespoons of sesame oil
  • 2 tablespoons of maple syrup
  • 1/4 cup of water plus more if needed
  • 2 garlic cloves
  • 2 teaspoons grated or finely minced fresh ginger
  • 2 – 3 teaspoons of chili-garlic sauce, such as Sambal Oelek
  • Kosher salt

Method:

  1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, sesame oil, maple syrup, water, ginger, garlic, and chili-garlic sauce. Taste and adjust with more lime juice or salt if needed. Another option is to use your blender. I threw everything in and blended until smooth. The dressing may thicken as it sits, you can add a tablespoon of water until it gets to the right consistency.

The salad ingredients can be varied to what you have on hand. Alexandra’s recipe only called for cucumbers and scallions. I wanted more vegetables in my version. I have added thinly sliced romaine lettuce, julienned carrots, thinly sliced cabbage, or that cole slaw mix that comes in packages at the store. They were all delicious.

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 package of dried brown or regular rice noodles
  • 2 large cucumbers (more if small), spiralized
  • 1/2 red onion, cut in half and thinly sliced
  • 2 sweet peppers, sliced thinly
  • handful of snap or sugar peas, blanched for 30 seconds and sliced thinly
  • 4 scallions, thinly sliced
  • 1/2 cup of roasted peanuts
  • 1/2 cup of cilantro leaves, chopped
  • 1/4 cup of fresh mint leaves, chopped
Prepped Vegetables

Prepped Vegetables

Prepped Vegetables

Prepped Vegetables

Method:

  1. Break up the noodles a little before cooking, then cook them according to the package directions. Drain and run cold water over them to cool them.
  2. Place the noodles in a large bowl. Pat them dry if they are still wet. Toss them with about 1/4 cup of the dressing. They should be nicely sauced. Add the rest of the vegetables, cilantro, mint, and peanuts. Toss and taste. Add more dressing if needed. My cucumbers with somewhat watery so I drained them on paper towels after spiralizing them, before they were combined with the noodles.
  3. You can serve this immediately but it keeps well in the fridge if you make it ahead. It’s still good the next day for lunch, maybe with a bit of cold chicken or shrimp added
  4. The dressing will keep for up to 2 weeks.
Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Cold Rice Noodle Salad with Peanut Dressing

Do you think the folks over at Fiesta Friday will like this one? I am joining the party with my contribution, it’s Fiesta Friday #498 hosted by Angie and co-hosted by  Jhuls @ The Not So Creative Cook.

February – Brown Rice ‘Risotto’ with Mushrooms in the Instant Pot

February – Brown Rice ‘Risotto’ with Mushrooms in the Instant Pot

Can you make a risotto with brown rice? Can you make it in the electric pressure cooker? And, if you do use brown rice and cook it in a pressure cooker, can you call it risotto? Those are all valid questions. I can answer numbers one and two. Yes, you can make a delicious risotto-like dish with brown rice. And yes, you can do it in the electric pressure cooker. As to the question of ‘is it really a risotto’, the answer is more complicated. If to you a risotto is arborio rice, hand-stirred over a hot stove dish with slow additions of broth, the answer is no. But, if you are after a healthy and creamy brown rice dish made hands-off in an electric pressure cooker, the answer is yes. It is risotto-like. I think I can legitimately call it that.

Amazingly I have heard (but not tried) making a risotto with short-grain brown rice in the traditional hand-stirred method. You need to stir at least double the amount of time for the starch to develop. It sounds very tiring; but possible. Let me know if any of you try it.

As I wrote in my previous post, Brown Rice Risotto with Edamame Beans and Spinach, (also made in the pressure cooker) there are several recipes for baked rice out there, even baked brown rice. Ina Garten has an easy baked Parmesan “risotto” method which only requires a few minutes of stirring at the end. Her recipe is similar to America’s Test Kitchen’s baked brown rice. The blog Cookie + Kate combined the two in her recipe for baked brown rice risotto with mushrooms. Hey Nutrition Lady has a recipe for a brown rice risotto made in the InstantPot on her site. This dish is a combination of the recipes above. I wanted to combine the inherent nuttiness of brown rice with mushrooms and some healthy green spinach.

Because there is no evaporation in a pressure cooker, the quantity of stock has to be reduced. For each 1/2 cup of brown rice, 1 cup of stock should be used. And, the quality of the stock is crucial since the flavor is concentrated in the rice. Unsalted homemade chicken or vegetable is the best. I add 1/2 cup of white wine, cooked down until it is mostly evaporated once the onion and garlic are finished sautéing. The wine adds a depth of flavor to the dish when it’s concentrated but would taste harsh if it wasn’t cooked down almost completely. Trust your nose on this one.

For the mushroom ‘risotto’ I used both fresh and dried mushrooms. I presoaked the dried ones in hot water and used the mushroom stock as part of my liquid. It deepened and intensified the overall finished mushroom flavor.

You could easily convert this to a vegan version by using olive oil and a good quality or homemade vegetable stock.

I have bolded short-grain brown rice because I think it’s important. I am not sure this would work with basmati or another long-grain rice. Short grain is higher in starch.

Brown Rice ‘Risotto’

Ingredients:

6 small side dishes, 2-3 main

  • 1/2 cup of dried mushrooms, I used porcini (about 1/2 oz)
  • Boiling water to cover
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil plus 1 tablespoon of butter to saute the onions and garlic
  • 1 large onion, finely chopped
  • 1 chile de Arbol, crumbled
  • 2 garlic cloves, minced or grated
  • 1/2 cup of dry white wine
  • 1- 1/2 cups of short-grain brown rice
  • 3 cups of liquid – mushroom soaking water (strained) plus chicken or vegetable broth

Fresh mushrooms:

  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil or butter to saute the mushrooms
  • 2 cups of fresh mushrooms, trimmed and sliced (about 6 oz)

To Finish:

  • 2 ounces of baby spinach, roughly chopped (or peas, or blanched asparagus tips, or…)
  • 1/2 cup of freshly grated parmesan
  • optional pat of butter stirred in at the end

Method:

  1. Place the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and add hot (I used just boiled) water to cover. Leave for at least 20 minutes. Once soft, cut off any hard bits and chop into pieces about 1/2 inch in size.
  2. Using the saute setting, heat the olive oil and 1 tablespoon of butter.
  3. Add the onion and chile de Arbol. Saute for 5-10 minutes until the onions are turning golden brown then add the garlic and continue cooking for another minute.
  4. Add the rice and stir to combine, toasting the rice for about 1 minute.
  5. Add the wine and stir constantly until is mostly evaporated.
  6. Add the softened and chopped dried mushrooms.
  7. Hit cancel or stop to end the saute setting.
  8. Add the stock and mushroom soaking liquid, stir well, scraping the bottom of the pot to ensure there are no bits stuck to the bottom.
  9. Put on the lid and lock it in place, make sure the vent is set to sealing. Set it at high pressure for 24 minutes.
  10. When the cooking cycle is complete, allow the pressure to release naturally for 15 min, then quickly release.
  11. Remove the lid, add the second tablespoon of butter (if using) and stir for 1 – 2 minutes to create a creamy texture.
  12. Stir in the spinach, sautéed mushrooms, and parmesan.

If you are making this for company it will take about an hour total to cook, but most of it is hands off. You can saute the onion (or shallots) and garlic ahead of time. Same with the fresh mushrooms. Measure out all your ingredients. When you are ready, turn the machine back to saute and proceed with the recipe from step 4. The cooker will take about 15 minutes to reach full pressure once you turn that function on, then 24 minutes at high pressure, 15 minutes to release. It’s simply a matter of stirring and adding the spinach, fresh mushrooms and parmesan (plus an optional pat of butter) at the very end. Make sure you serve it in preheated bowls.

It isn’t a particularly beautiful dish, being mostly brown. The spinach helps. If you have some fried shallots you can sprinkle them on at the end for some textural interest, or some chopped parsley.

Brown Rice 'Risotto'

Brown Rice ‘Risotto’

It’s been ages since I joined the virtual blogging part over at Fiesta Friday hosted by Angie. It’s Fiesta Friday #470 and I think they will enjoy this time saving and healthy dish. Come on over to find posts on decorating, cooking and crafts. And consider adding your own post.

October – Health Food Salad

October – Health Food Salad

Health Food Salad

Health Food Salad

I am giving you a post Thanksgiving recipe today, a salad you may want to eat after the glorious overindulgence in traditional Thanksgiving sides and desserts. I know I will be serving it. You could even toss in some leftover turkey to make it a whole meal. I think the folks over at Fiesta Friday may want to tag it. Fiesta Friday is hosted by Angie, it’s Fiesta Friday #458 this week. Come on over and plan your menus for the holidays, decorate your home, or keep the kids busy with activities or baking.

This is another recipe from salad freak. You are going to be seeing more great recipes from this book. My version, as usual, has some changes as not all the ingredients were available. But it is definitely true to the spirit of the recipe. I added a small handful of shredded pecorino which was not in the book, leave it out for a vegan version.

Adding the cheese was inspired by a recipe in Molly Wizenberg’s book A Homemade Life. She has a very simple but delicious Red Cabbage Salad with Lemon and Black Pepper which couldn’t be easier. Here it is:

In a small bowl whisk together 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of fresh lemon juice, 1/2 teaspoon of grated garlic, 1/8 teaspoon of kosher salt. Very finely (essential) shred about 1-1/2 lbs of cored red cabbage. Discard any with white cores. Toss the cabbage in a bowl with a large spoonful or two of the dressing. Add the Parmesan and toss again. Add a generous grind of fresh pepper. Taste and add more dressing or salt and pepper.

Anyway, on to the current version of this cabbage salad.

I used the fine blade of my food processor to shredd the cored cabbage, and the shredding blade for the carrots. You could certainly do this with a knife (a bread knife might be easier for the cabbage) and the large shredding side of a box grater.

Feel free to improvise here with whatever is in your fridge. Thinly sliced fennel would be good, celery as well.

Health Food Salad

Health Food Salad

Health Food Salad

Ingredients:

  • 1 small head of red cabbage
  • 4 carrots, peeled
  • 2 large handfuls of sprouts, any kind you find. I used sunflower and pea shoots, but radish, lentils or alfalfa would all be fine.
  • 1 lemon
  • 1 cup of raisins (I used a mix of golden and black currents because of was out of the dark ones…much to my last minute surprise)
  • 1 cup of roasted shelled sunflower seeds (I think pumpkin seeds would also be delicious)
  • 1/4 cup of hemp seeds (I didn’t have any and left them out)
  • 1 tablespoon of poppy seeds
  • 1/2 cup of shredded Parmesan (leave out for a vegan version)
  • Extra virgin olive oil
  • Kosher salt

Method:

  1. Core the cabbage and shave it thinly into a large bowl. Grate the carrots into the same bowl.
  2. Toss in the sprouts, raisins, sunflower seeds, poppy seeds and hemp seeds, if using. Mix it all up and then add a large pinch of salt, a glug of olive oil and the juice of half the lemon. Taste and add more lemon juice, salt, Parmesan or olive oil if needed.

This salad keeps incredibly well and was still delicious the next night for dinner with some added rotisserie chicken.

Health Food Salad

Health Food Salad

From:

salad freak

Salad Freak by Jess Damuck