Food Lush

Vegetable barley soup

by Elsha

This recipe is originally from an old Weight Watchers Cookbook (the point system has been revised since I bought this one, but I use it all the time anyway.) We've made it several times now and this is the version we make:

3/4 cup quick-cooking barley

4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced

2 carrots, chopped

1 zucchini, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 yellow squash, cut into 1/4 inch cubes

1 celery stalk, chopped

1 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen lima beans

1 can Italian seasoned diced tomatoes

1 tsp dried basil

4 cups vegetable or chicken broth 

(Do you like our Halloween placemats? My 4 year old thought we should go ahead and get those out.)

The cookbook calls for this to be made in a slow cooker, but when you're using quick-cook barley it's just as easy to do it on the stove. Just throw everything in! It only has to cook long enough for the vegetables to soften. (We thought things got a little mushy in the crock pot.) Sadly, this is one soup that we don't like better the next day, because everything gets a little too mushy. It's excellent fresh though! With some fresh bread of course. Yummy.

Do you have a favorite fall soup recipe?

 

Butternut Squash Pasta

By Tara C.

This recipe, from Babyccinokids Blog, is one of my favorite dinners for fall and winter.

(photo from: me)

As I'm writing this, I notice that I'm posting this recipe EXACTLY four years after it was originally posted. Something about September 12 must call out for cozy, squashy meals. Anyway, I think the combination of the butternut squash, sage and parmesan is just about perfect. Plus it's simple and easy to throw together.

I made the dish pictured here using a butternut squash I roasted myself and I used fresh sage from my garden, because you guys are totally worth it. But, I have also made this recipe using frozen butternut squash and dried sage and it's delicious too. You can, of course, adjust it to your family's tastes. I omitted the pine nuts and dried chili pepper.

I am completely in love with the bright orange color of this dish--I think it's just gorgeous.

Zucchini Noodles

by Tara

I adore pasta. But how many of us can eat as much pasta as we'd like? (Well, maybe you. But not me!) Enter zucchini noodles!

I've seen several recipes for these, and I've tried two. There's one in Well Fed by Melissa Joulwan that's delicious, but involves sweating the noodles in salt and I can never seem to rinse them well enough after they sweat, so they taste way too salty. There's also one on Melissa's blog that doesn't involve sweating. The method I found on Kalyn's Kitchen is the one I like best.

I don't have a Julienne cutter, so I make zucchini ribbons with my vegetable peeler.

Beautiful noodles, ready to cook!

Last time I made them I sauteed them with red onions and garlic and added salt and pepper. They were simply delicious.

Ready to eat. (Pictured with Sweet N Tangy BBQ Meatballs from Life as a Plate.)

It's not the same as devouring a plate of delicious pasta, but zucchini noodles are a healthier alternative, and are so easy to make!

What's your favorite healthier alternative food?

Vegetable Laksa

By Jessica

I'm endeavoring to cook more, as I've gotten a bit lax in that department of late, and I thought that maybe trying some of the many recipes I have pinned might be a good place to start. 

One of the recent recipes I've pinned is this one for Vegetable Laksa (Coconut Curry Noodles). I find that the best way to handle a Pinterest recipe (or any recipe for that matter) is to go straight to the comments and see what complaints or compliments people have to see what tweaks I might need to make to the final recipe. 

More than one person commented that this was too hot and someone else said it was bland. Now, I find the heat statements funny considering you (the cook) are the person adding the Thai curry paste which is what adds the spice and if you (the cook) don't like it hot, you (the cook) could just add less but I suppose if you follow the recipe exactly as it's written maybe it would end up too hot. Or not, because some other people would laugh at the level of spice that a jarred red curry paste could even achieve. It's all relative is what I'm saying. If you don't like things very spicy, add less, if you like things spicier, add more. TASTE AS YOU GO ALONG. 

I made mine with the green curry paste, not even the red, which is hotter, but I controlled the spiciness of my final dish by how much I added. 

To combat my dish being bland, I added: minced garlic, minced onion, a few drops of seasame oil and some wok oil. I subbed fresh basil for the cilantro (TASTES LIKE SOAP) and added a bunch of roasted broccoli and cauliflower to make the whole thing more substantial but still light enough to not overpower the broth. 

My husband and I really loved this dish and I will be making it again. 

Not so pretty produce

by Elsha

We didn't put much in our garden this year. We planted zucchini, broccoli, tomatoes, and green peppers. Fortunately, all the plants thrived and we've had lots of fresh produce. However, all these homegrown vegetables have reminded me of something: produce isn't always picture perfect.

Our green peppers are funny shapes and often come with sun burned spots. Our tomatoes almost all have cracks from the heat. The broccoli is scraggly, and even some of the zucchini are weird (like the one that ran into the edge of the garden box as it grew.) The stuff that comes out of our garden rarely looks like something you'd get at a store.

The good news is, funny looking produce is still delicious. Plus, there is something very satisfying about cooking with freshly picked vegetables, despite imperfections. That said, when I shop for produce at a store, I always go for the pretty stuff. Why is that? A perfectly shaped pepper doesn't taste any better.

Do you judge produce by the look too or am I just being weird?

Cook's Illustrated Perfect Roasted Cauliflower

by Caitlin

This roasted cauliflower is...wait where are you going?!

I know! It's cauliflower! I know! It's roasted, and what could possibly be new in roasted vegetables, and sure, your kitchen will smell like farts for a little bit, but I promise this is worth it. My perpetual problem with cauliflower is that it's bland and the texture...it's cauliflower. The fact that I can't think of much more to say about it than that about sums it up. But. Cauliflower is also wonderful. I love it in a curry, I'm a fan of cauliflower purees and soups, and have been meaning to try using it as a rice substitute, like this recipe. 

The head of cauliflower is cut into wedges, rubbed with olive oil, salt and pepper, then popped in the oven wrapped very tightly in foil for a bit to steam it: The foil is then removed to brown the sides, flipping halfway through. The result is crispy, crunchy outside, soft and creamy in the middle. I won't say it's exactly like a potato, but it's damn close if you're looking for a substitute. Be careful not to over salt (you can always add more later), and be sure to let it get nice and brown.The leftovers are tasty, but it's best when it's fresh out of the oven.

I love the little crunchy bits that fall off and onto the tray: so much that I think next time around I might try chopping the entire head into little bits. Cauliflower popcorn!

The recipe is from my go-to book: the Cook's Illustrated Cookbook ("2,000 Recipes from 20 Years of America's Most Trusted Cooking Magazine."). It's a collection of the best recipes from their magazines, and it's the first place I go for a recipe. I think it's even edging out my beloved Joy of Cooking. Look for it on this year's Food Lush Gift Guide. (Oh I know you think it's early, but it's only a few months away.)

 

Cook's Illustrated Roasted Cauliflower

1 head cauliflower (2 pounds)

1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

salt & Pepper

1. Adjust rack to lowest position and heat overn to 475 degrees. Trim outer leaves off cauliflower and cut stem flush with bottom. Cut head into 8 equal wedges. Place wedges cut side down on foil- or parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle with 2 tablespoons oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Gently rub seasonings and oil into cauliflower. Gently flip cauliflower and repeat on second cut side with remaining 2 tablespoons oil, salt, and pepper.

2. Cover baking sheet tightly with foil and cook for 10 minutes. Remove foil and continue to roast until bottoms of cauliflower pieces are golden, 8 to 12 minutes. Return baking sheet to oven and continue to roast until cauliflower is golden all over, 8 to 12 minutes longer. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve immediately.

An alternative underneath the recipe recommends stirring two teaspoons of curry powder or chili powder into the oil before seasoning the cauliflower in step 1.

Massage Your Kale

by Elissa

Okay, so I know this sounds weird, but it turns out that massaging raw kale with a little bit of olive oil completely changes the texture and makes kale salads much easier to eat.

I learned this trick from Russ Parsons of the Los Angeles Times: he describes how a quick massage transforms tough, fibrous kale into silky leaves. Lately I've been using dinosaur (aka Tuscan) kale for salads. After the massage treatment, I add some lemon juice and grated pecorino cheese--delicious!

Zucchini time!

by Elsha

The first year we had zucchini in our garden (when I was a kid) my parents planted something like 6 zucchini plants. If you've ever grown zucchini you're now laughing hysterically because 6 zucchini plants? SO MUCH ZUCCHINI! Those plants pretty much took over the garden. Also, we were forever discovering giant zucchini that we would have SWORN weren't there the day before. If you'd like to feel good about your gardening skills, plant some zucchini.

Anyway, we've definitely never made that mistake again, but even with 2 plants (which is what we have now) we end up with a lot of zucchini. As a result we've been eating it often. So far, we've had it steamed, grilled, sauteed, raw, on kabobs, in pasta, as a side dish, and in one unfortunate incident, pureed into a disgusting cold soup. (It sounded good! It was NOT good.) 

This is our stash from last week. Those small looking ones on top are about the size of the ones you get in the grocery store. It's easier to eat it all if you can pick them consistenly at that size.

Anyway, next up on my "zucchini recipes to make" list is one of my favorites: 

Tempura zucchini:

Beat together 1 cup sifted flour, 1 cup ice water, 1 slightly beaten egg, 2 tablespoons vegetable oil, 1/2 teaspoon sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Mix until all ingreadients are just well moistened (there will be some lumps in the batter). Keep the batter cool by putting a few ice cubes in it.

Dip zucchini slices (I just slice it like a cucumber, but you can cut it into chunks if you prefer) into the batther then fry in hot oil (around 360^o). Drain and enjoy! 

Do you have a favorite zucchini recipe?

Grilled Stuffed Avocado

By Jessica

My local grocery store always has avocado that looks fantastic and feels fantastic on the outside but about half of the time I end up throwing it out once I cut into it and see the nastiness on the inside. Now, I LOVE avocado so this is always a huge disappointment to me, beyond just the disappointment of wasting food and money. I recently started grabbing the bags of avocados from Costco and have been *knocking on wood* pleased with every batch I buy. 

Since I love them so much, I always seem to grab a bag when I go and I've been trying to come up with new ways to eat them. One recent experiment was grilled avocado. I've never made them before and now that I have, I don't know what took me so long. 

To treat the avocado before slapping them on my Cuisinart Griddler, I just cut and pitted them as usual and then squeezed some fresh lemon over the halves to keep the color. I put the oil on my grill and then just cooked them cut side down, quickly. I didn't want them to get super warm or really mushy, I just wanted some grill flavor.

To stuff them I made a quick salad:

I pkg. Seeds of Change brown rice and quinoa blend

Brianna's Balsamic Vinaigrette

Sunflower seeds

Organic Baby Kale

Baby carrots  

Cook the rice blend per the pkg. instructions. Meanwhile, dump a healthy handful (more or less to taste) of sunflower seeds into the bottom of your bowl. Top with your baby kale, which I just rip into smaller pieces. After your rice blend is cooked allow it to cool a minute before dumping it (all or half depending on how much you need) over the top of the kale and seeds. Allow the kale to wilt slightly while you shred in your carrots and then top the whole thing with the dressing and spoon the finished salad into your avocado.

I also love this salad alone as well. 

(Photo: me)

Roasted Beets and Carrots Recipe

By Dani

I'm not usually very good at fancy side-dishes. I either make a swanky protein main dish and a little plain buttered rice or potato or a casserole-sort-of main dish that takes out all need for a side anyway because who doesn't want noodles, protein, peas and sauce in one pan? (I kid. Kind of. I did eat a lot of cream-based, pea-filled casseroles in our church kitchen growing up.)

However, I recently got some beets on a whim and had to figure out what to do with them -- enter my ever-awesome subscription to Bon Appetit and this recipe.

I made these roasted beets and carrots with grilled swordfish, which turned out to be a lovely combination. The swordfish flavor is mild and I'd only sprinkled it with some Old Bay seasoning, so the hefty flavors of the roasted veggies, feta cheese and spices offset it nicely.

Because of the vinegar and feta, it also didn't feel like a typical roasted root vegetable dish which requires sleeting rain and the wearing of thick sweaters to enjoy -- this was eaten with glee on our outdoor patio table with fresh roasted swordfish and a chilled bottle of Chardonnay -- perfect summer evening fare.