Rustic Cilantro & Spring Garlic Pesto

 

On Friday, June 12th, I had the unique opportunity to do a cooking demo at Union Square Greenmarket. Using in-season ingredients, I developed a Rustic Cilantro & Spring Garlic Pesto for everyone to taste. Luckily, I enlisted a few helpers, because we were quite busy with giving out tasting samples. It was a fun day for all!

Veggie Burgers (glutenfree, soyfree, vegan)

Like with any food you prepare from home, it will always be thousands of times better than any factory-made version. Not only can you ensure the good quality of ingredients, you can have the flexibility of making your own flavor combinations and customized them to your dietary needs. I've never been a fan of store-bought veggie burgers (or maybe was just too scared to try!) They may be marketed as healthy, but in reality, are filled with GMO ingredients, artificial flavorings, highly-processed soy and fillers. 

These recipes are very simple to make, using real, whole food ingredients. You can soak and prepare dried beans in advance, or use ready-to-eat beans for convenience. Leftover roasted/steamed sweet potatoes or pre-cooked rice, millet, or quinoa makes it incredibly easy to just mash together with a few spices. Store extra patties in your freezer for when you need the convenience of something ready-made. Bake, grill or lightly pan-fry them to heat through. 

Stuffed into mushroom caps (cremini)
and baked at 350°F (180°C) for 15 minutes.
It's a great little appetizer!

BEANS/LEGUMES are loaded with fiber, protein, iron, and B vitamins. They're the perfect way to add more plant-based protein into your diet. 

• To prepare dried beans (1 cup), pick out broken or discolored pieces. Rinse, then soak in ample water for 6 hours or overnight. 
• Drain and rinse. In a heavy-based pot add the beans and 3-4 cups of water. Bring to a boil, skimming off and discarding the foam. 
• Cover and simmer for 30-45 minutes until soft. Add 1/2 - 1 teaspoon of sea salt in the last 10 minutes of cooking time. Drain.

Potato Pancakes Plus

It seems that the demise of the Standard American Diet (SAD, as coined by author Mark Bittman) is heavily reliant on French fries as the "vegetable" portion of the meal. Did you know the average American consumes 29 pounds of french fries a year!? Processed and fast food fries are not only high in cholesterol, calories and salt, they could also be the cause cancer, diabetes. If you "need" fries, simply cut up a potato, toss in olive oil and bake it in the oven. It's that easy. Alternatively you can give your family their potato "fix" with healthy potato pancakes/fritters/latkes loaded with vegetables. French fry-loving kids won't have to miss the potato taste, and they're getting the benefits of a variety of vegetables they might not otherwise eat. If you make these a staple part of your family meals, you can gradually reduce the starchy potato in favor of more vegetables. 

Better burgers & balls

Veggie burgers never looked so good!

It's the July 4th, and who doesn't love a good burger? Instead of buying ready-made or frozen make your own patties! Here's a few options for all – herbivores, chickentarians, and carnivores. You can make these on the grill or in a hot pan. Don't forget all the trimmings!  Cheese, lettuce, tomato, red onion (raw or caramelized)...

If you want to skip the bread, then roll them into smaller balls for yummy veggie balls or meatballs. (Great for packing in a school lunch, in a sandwich or with sauce to dip them in.) Sauté the balls gently on a well-oiled pan for 10-12 minutes, turning them often to brown all sides. Cover and let simmer on low heat for another 5 minutes

Glazed Ham for the Holiday

This is a great alternative to turkey, and it takes a relatively short time for a roast. The ham that you purchase is usually smoked already, so it is only a matter of glazing and warming it through. You can boil away the excess salt first thing in the morning (tip from Nigella). The recipe comes from an old issue of Vogue Entertaining Australia. Once we even slow-roasted it on the barbecue! The key is to baste it regularly. These two recipes work well together at the same temperature. 

Yule Log (Buche de Nöel)

This year, there were suggestions for a Christmas log, so it had to be done! After perusing about twenty recipes online (there are so many variations!), it took some time to make sense of it all. I like looking at the British/ European recipes because they don't use too much sugar and the American ones for ease. After putting it all together and adjusting as I was making this, here is what I came up with. Using an electric beater is definitely handy, or else it will take a long time and be quite a workout! Make the meringue mushrooms a day ahead if possible, as there are so many steps involved in making this cake, that you may want to break up the work.

MERRY CHRISTMAS, EVERYONE!

SPONGE

6 free-range eggs, separated

1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
1/4 cup turbinado or coconut sugar

30g almond flour

30g 100% cocoa powder

1 tsp vanilla

FILLING

1 1/2 cups (350ml) heavy cream

1/4 cup (25g) icing sugar

1 tsp vanilla

FROSTING (just enough to cover the outer surface of the log, double if necessary)

4 Tbsp (60g) unsalted butter, softened

1/2 cup (50g) icing sugar

1/4 cup (2 oz / 50g) good-quality chocolate, chopped

1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 tsp icing sugar for dusting

• Preheat oven to 375°F (180°C).
• Line a large jelly / swiss roll pan with parchment paper, extending over on all sides. Make sure to crease the folds and corners well for a good fit.  
• In a large bowl, beat the egg whites until stiff. Then spoonful, by spoonful, beat in the granulated sugar. This should take about 10 minutes, so be patient. Beat on a high speed for the last minute or so. 
• In a second bowl, beat the egg yolks with the turbinado sugar. Beat until paler in color and thick. 
• Lightly beat in the almond flour, cocoa powder and vanilla. 
• Using a metal spoon, spoonful by spoonful, gently fold in the sweet egg whites. Take your time, and do not stir too hard or all the air bubbles will pop. 
• Spread out evenly onto the lined pan. Bake for 12-15 minutes, until toothpick or cake tester comes out clean.
• In the meantime, prepare the FILLING by whipping the cream until stiff. Then, gradually beat in/ stir the icing sugar and vanilla. Refrigerate.
• On another sheet of parchment paper, sprinkle generously with icing sugar. After taking the pan out of the oven, carefully lift out the cake and turn it upside down onto the icing sugar parchment. 
• Keeping the sponge cake sandwiched between both pieces of parchment, cover with a tea towel and roll it all up together to cool. Let cool for 30 minutes. 
• Prepare the FROSTING by melting the chopped up chocolate in a heatproof bowl (or measuring jug), that is submerged in about an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil. Stir the chocolate the entire time and once melted, remove from heat and let cool. It doesn't take long, and the water "bath" may not even reach boiling point. Set aside and mix the butter and icing sugar together. Gradually add the slightly cooled chocolate and blend until smooth. 
• When ready to assemble, unroll the sponge, remove the towel and carefully remove both pieces of parchment paper. Evenly spread the sweet whipped cream on top of the sponge, don't forget to go all the way to the edges! Then re-roll the entire sponge. 
• Place on top of a board or serving dish with the seam-side down. Spread the frosting on evenly. Use a fork to etch in a bark-like texture, running the tines down in one direction. 
• Cut off a bit off the ends to clean-up the edges, sprinkle with icing sugar for a snowy effect. 

Thanksgiving Sides

Today's morning prep

Happy Thanksgiving! I am glad to see some of you checking out some of the simple holiday recipes: Cranberry Sauce, Pecan Tarts, and Apple Crumble with cranberries is great, add some freshly grated ginger too.... Today we're headed to a friend's house. They're taking care of the bird while I am working on the sides (in my opinion, the best bits!). 
I used to go out and get all the ingredients for the recipes, including buying port and brandy for only small portions. While it's nice to have complexity of flavors, it is also good to pare down to the basics, when you don't have something on-hand. I've simplified the Fruit and Nut Stuffing this time, which we are baking on the side. This considerably reduces the roasting time of the turkey and also keeps the stuffing from turning to mush. The cranberry sauce without the port needs a bit more sugar, so below is the recipe, slightly changed.
If you plan on making lots of sides, you only need small portions of everything. The recipes below are enough for 4 adults and 4 kids, but are very flexible.

C is for Cupcakes

I've been making a lot of cupcakes lately! I even put together a cupcake kit for a fun, creative and yummy birthday party activity. Everyone loves cupcakes. They are definitely the easiest transportable sweet treat for birthday celebrations instead of a big cake, so below is the recipe again, with the addition of Greek yoghurt to make for a moister cupcake. Stay tuned for tomorrow's Halloween bake sale treats! I have cupcakes and cookies in the works.

Pocket Food - Part II

Empanadas are another version of a stuffed pastry which I have lately become keen about making (see meat pies and samosas). Popular in many Latin American and southern European countries, it can be filled with meat, vegetables, or cheese, making for a very portable and hearty meal. 

We once went through a phase of a weekly purchase from our local Farmer's Market stand, great to pack for a school lunch. However, their fillings are not consistent and can range from being absolutely perfect, to being way too salty. Then they started deep-frying the pastry which changes things altogether (prefer the soft dough, rather than the crunch). We also used to have a Cuban cafe close-by which was handy for picking something up for road trip, or picnic. Sadly they closed, and we have not found any suitable replacements for a quick, good on-the-go meal. 

Hence, here is a recipe which I have been meaning to try for awhile. Admittedly, I have been procrastinating making the dough, but it really is not that hard, nor is it time-consuming. Frozen dough discs are supposedly available in the freezer sections of some supermarkets, but if you don't know me by now, I prefer to make it all from scratch. The dough is really easy in the food processor, you don't need to knead it for too long. Prepare it in advance so you can freeze your own or assemble and have a stash of ready-to-bake empanadas in your freezer. I can make 14 kids' lunch-sized empanadas out of the dough with maybe a bit of filling left over (my son loves to eat this on it's own). Divide the dough into even more portions to make mini snacky ones. 

Guacamole & Salsa

This party-portion is double the salsa recipe
and 6xs the guacamole recipe

A perfect summer party snack, and so easy to make (I know I always say that, but it's true!). Once you've tried these freshly made dips, it will be hard to go back to the store-bought versions. You know that making them from fresh ingredients that this is super healthy. The recipes are very flexible in terms of amount of each ingredient. Adjust to your own taste or with what you have on-hand. Also make these to accompany a Mexican dinner. Visually, I prefer an all-green guacamole, using green heirloom tomatoes, but the taste is the delicious with either.

Roasted Vegetables & Couscous Salad

Spring is in the air and enough of the meats and stews. Time for veggies and lots of them! This is a lovely colorful dish, a meal in itself, or great with a spicy merguez (lamb sausage), meatballs, or any barbecue. As flexible as this is to make, this can be served at any temperature. So you can prepare it in advance, or even just before serving, adding the vegetables fresh off the grill. We first had this simple, yet impressive dish at a friend's house one summer, and it has been a part of my repertoire ever since! However you choose to cook the vegetables, make sure the chunks/slices are large, to avoid over-cooking them... you can always cut them up into bite-sized pieces when tossing into the couscous. 

You can use millet or quinoa for as a gluten-free substitute.

Potluck Quick Fix

After a busy day, I needed something fast and easy to bring to the class potluck. What better than chopping up some tomatoes, onion and herbs, and toasting some bread. It was easy to carry the topping in a plastic container and the prepared bread sliced in the bag it came in. I brought a platter and it was a cinch to assemble a few upon arrival and whenever more was needed. 

Holiday Spiced Nuts

Time to start thinking about holiday gifts. This is a great way to make a big batch and package them up for a few friends. The Container Store has a great variety of tins and holiday packaging. For the fresh rosemary, I just snipped a few sprigs off from my holiday rosemary tree!

Middle Eastern Dips

Chickpeas, or garbanzo beans, are full of good-ness. They are full of protein, fiber and folic acid. Hummus is a satisfying healthy snack (and low in calories!) While it is a cinch to use canned beans, using dried beans really tastes amazing. A handful of beans goes a long way. Traditionally, you grind up the chickpeas through a food mill, but as we don't have one, the food processor works just as well (for us). It was my 9-year-old daughter who provided the the key to creaminess that you get in the store-bought tubs of hummus -- a bit of water!

Happy Birthday!

Pesto

Fresh homemade pesto is the easiest thing to make. Particularly in when you can get lovely big bunches of fresh basil from the Farmer’s Market. I don’t use as much garlic as many recipes call for, as the taste tends to linger a bit. Make a big batch and divide it into portions of an ice cube tray, wrap and store in the freezer for future use. It's great to have these summer flavors in the wintertime. The kids love a quick pesto pasta in their lunch boxes with peas and any leftover chicken. A food processor is helpful, but you can always chop by hand, it will just take a lot longer. Mix it up and try a variety of leaves, lemon basil, Thai basil, cilantro/coriander, or even arugula! I like to use lime to keep the leaves from oxidizing and doesn't overpower the flavor of the fresh leaves.