Meatless Monday: Pumpkin-Chevre Pasta & Warm Brussels Sprouts Salad

Ah, the humble pumpkin! It graces us with its presence each October, ushering in a season of ghouls, goblins, candy corn, and becostumed walks of shame.


Usually relegated to cruel mutilation or cloyingly sweet pies, it's underused in savory dishes. Its mellow squashiness, however, lends itself perfectly to sauces, soups, and otherwise non-sugar-based applications. Pairing it with chevre was a random choice, but an all-out success! The sauce was smooth, slightly tangy, and tasted deeply of autumn.


Ross turned to me and said, "What is this?" as he shoveled another forkful in his mouth. Me: "Why?" Ross: "It's incredible." That's what I like to hear! He wasn't quite as jazzed up about the Brussels & chickpea salad, but not too many folks get giddy over miniature cabbages (what can I say - I'm a freak!). Actually, the salad is so hearty, it could stand alone as a vegetarian main dish. And, although it's Meatless Monday, I couldn't help but think how amazing it would be with a little pancetta or hard Spanish chorizo.


Don't be fooled by the nacho-cheese-esque appearance of the pasta sauce - this is one to serve to company. If you were having a dinner party with vegetarian guests, it would be an elegant main dish. It would also make a fantastic first course. If you're a normal person who doesn't plan their life around dinner parties, it makes, well, a scrumptious stormy-night-in dinner.


I'd recommend stocking up on canned pumpkin before it disappears into the night like a Halloween spirit. You'll want to make this all winter!



INGREDIENTS

PASTA:
2/3 lb. whole wheat spaghetti
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
1 can unsweetened, unseasoned pumpkin puree
1 small log goat cheese (chevre)
~10 sage leaves
1 small onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
salt and pepper
freshly grated nutmeg (or a sprinkle of jarred ground nutmeg)
~1/2 cup chicken broth
~1/4 cup pasta cooking water

SALAD:
~15 small Brussels sprouts, ends trimmed and halved
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 T. butter
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper and red pepper flakes
~1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (or white vinegar or red wine vinegar)
splash of chicken broth

STEP 1:

Boil spaghetti until al dente. Drain, then set aside.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil in for the Brussels Sprout salad in a pan. Add Brussels sprouts to pan and season with salt and pepper. Let cook without stirring or shaking the pan for about 10 minutes, until undersides of sprouts start to brown. Add chickpeas and stir. Cook for a few more minutes. Add vinegar, more seasoning, and red pepper flakes. Cover and let vinegar cook for a few minutes. Uncover and let vinegar evaporate. Add chicken broth and re-cover. Cook for a few minutes, then uncover and let it evaporate, too. Taste and adjust seasoning. If it tastes good, take it off the heat and keep it warm in a bowl.

STEP 3:

Meanwhile, heat butter and oil for pasta sauce over medium high heat in a Dutch oven or other pot. Add onion and season with salt and pepper. Cook until onion is soft and translucent. Add chicken broth, sage, and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add pumpkin and chevre, reduce heat to medium, and cook, stirring, until chevre and pumpkin are mixed and sauce is one homogenous color. Cook over low heat until noodles are ready. Stir in a little pasta water if sauce gets thick.

STEP 4:

Add cooked pasta to sauce (or vice versa) and stir to combine. Serve pasta alongside warm salad. Enjoy!

Roasted Poblano & Cilantro Hummus

This post brought to you by the month of August - my birthday month!


When my dad called and asked if there was anything I wanted for my birthday, I didn't skip a beat when I answered, "A food processor!" It's rather shameful that someone who loves to cook as much as I do would have gone this long without one, isn't it? I had one for a brief period of time that I paid $25 for. You get what you pay for: it broke after 3 uses.


Lucky for me, I have a dad who's well-versed in electronics and home appliances, and he found an amazing deal on a really nice 14-cup Cuisinart that blends like a dream! Hummus was the first thing I made, although my first batch contained no tahini (Trader Joe's doesn't sell it) and was waaaaay too garlicky. Rather than perfect my base recipe like I promised myself I would, I immediately began thinking of creative things to add to my hummus. A roasted poblano version was at the top of the list.

I have to say, once I got the garlic issue under control and finally got my hands on some tahini, my hummus improved dramatically! I think the only thing I'd change about this one is the liquidity level - I put in a little reserved chickpea liquid, but the water that's naturally in the peppers was plenty; next time I'll leave out the liquid and hopefully achieve hummus with a slightly thicker consistency. Despite that, the taste was fantastic - and I know it'll only get better as it sits and the flavors meld. Even for you hummus purists, this is a must-try.

INGREDIENTS

1 can chickpeas (reserve the liquid from the can)
2 poblano peppers
big handful cilantro leaves
2 T. tahini
juice of 1 lemon
2 cloves garlic
salt
avocado oil (or sub olive, canola, or safflower oil)

STEP 1:

Roast the poblanos: lay one pepper at a time directly on the flame of a gas burner, on medium heat. Let the skin char, turning as necessary with tongs, until the whole pepper is blackened. Repeat with the other pepper. Place both peppers in a plastic tupperware container with the lid on. Let sit for about 10-15 minutes, then scrape the blackened skin off and discard it. Discard the stem and attached cluster of seeds (a few seeds in the hummus is fine - it adds a nice spice). Cut into large chunks. Place in food processor.

STEP 2:

Drain the chickpeas over a bowl, reserving the liquid from the can. Place the chickpeas, cilantro, garlic, lemon juice, and tahini in the food processor.

STEP 3:

Begin to puree the hummus, and while the food processor is on, drizzle in the avocado oil until the mixture looks like hummus is supposed to look. Remove food processor lid and taste the hummus, then add salt as needed. Blend hummus again, adding a little of the reserved chickpea liquid if the hummus is too thick. Serve with veggies, chips, or tortillas. Enjoy!

Eat well and enjoy life! More soon...

Stovetop Mac 'n' Cheese & Blackberry-Studded Salad

Poor stovetop mac 'n' cheese, I almost forgot about you! A travesty!


I was chatting with a co-worker (also a food fanatic) about my plans to make macaroni and cheese, and he asked if I was making a baked one or a stovetop version. Being from the south, my inclination is always to bake it, casserole-style. But now that we're (finally!) in the summer months, cranking up the oven is becoming more and more of a chore. And I've done baked mac 'n' cheese on this blog before - more than once!


I thought a stovetop version sounded like a fantastic idea. However, I wanted to make it a.) healthier than your typical mac 'n' cheese (there is a time, a place, and a recipe for the heart-attack version, but a weeknight dinner is not it), and b.) more interesting than a homemade version of the blue box classic. A quickly dying loaf of whole wheat bread inspired me to make a Mediterranean(ish) breadcrumb and red pepper topping, which really took the dish to the next level (and added some veggie goodness - yay!). Sticking with the Mediterranean "theme," I added a can of chickpeas to the pasta to pump up the protein, stretch the dish, and make it even more nutritious (you know I love my chickpeas).


Nothing complements a big bowl of cheesy pasta better than a fresh (guilt-mitigating) salad. And with blackberries on top? Mmmmmm. One disclaimer: I made this several weeks ago and forgot to post it, so the recipe might not reflect exactly the way I made it, but reflects how I'd attempt to make it again. I used a blend of cheeses that I'd picked up from the farmer's market. Of course, any melty cheese would work fine here, although I think the sharper, the better (goat cheese, come to think of it, would be rad).

It's really nice when a comfort food classic not known for its healthiness can get a figure-friendly (to borrow a Rachael Ray phrase) makeover! Hope you're all enjoying your summers, and look out for more posts soon!

INGREDIENTS

1 lb. whole wheat rotini pasta
3 T. butter
2-3 cloves garlic
2 medium shallots, minced
2-3 T. flour
1/2 c. white wine
about 1 and 1/2 cups milk
salt and pepper
lots of (1-2 cups) grated cheese (I used grated sharp white cheddar, a couple slices leftover American, and some other cheese I can't remember - just cheese it up! Use whatever kind(s) you like)
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
fresh parsley for garnish (optional)

fresh whole wheat breadcrumbs (about 2 cups - I just made mine from some oldish bread)
2-3 T. butter
about 2 roasted red and/or yellow bell peppers, chopped (I used the jarred kind)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
fresh chopped parsley
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes


SALAD:

baby greens mix
several handfuls fresh blackberries
lightly toasted almonds
lemon juice/honey/olive oil/dijon mustard/salt and pepper for the dressing (or any jarred vinaigrette you like)

STEP 1:

In a large pot, bring water to a boil. When it boils, salt it and add the pasta and cook until al dente. Drain and set aside. Meanwhile, in another large pot, melt the butter. Cook the shallots until translucent, about 3-5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute. Whisk in the flour to make a roux, then cook for a couple minutes. Slowly whisk in the milk a little at a time. Add salt and pepper. Add the cheese, a handful at a time, and stir until mixture is thickened. Stir in the pasta and chickpeas. Keep warm and gooey until ready to serve.

STEP 2:

Assemble the salad and whisk the dressing together. Set aside (don't dress the salad until right before you serve it). In a pan, melt the butter for the breadcrumbs. Add the garlic and cook for about a minute. Add the breadcrumbs and chopped bell peppers. Season with some salt and pepper and red pepper flakes. Add the parsley and cook for a few minutes, stirring frequently, until the breadcrumb mixture has dried out a bit.

STEP 3:

Serve the mac 'n' cheese in bowls topped with a few spoonfuls of the breadcrumbs. Serve with the salad. Enjoy!

Thanks for reading! Eat well and live life, friends :-)

Meatless Monday: Pizza a la Mumbai

This is how I described this meal to Ross [picture the proud, self-indulgent grin of a 4th grader bringing home an A on a math test]: "It's pizza with homemade Indian-spiced marinara, curried spinach and chickpeas, and fresh ricotta!"


Ross' response [picture a blank stare]: "Were you speaking English just then?" [Me: *shakes head.*]


When he finally took a bite, he exclaimed, "Whoa! This is like...Indian pizza! I get it!" He has seen the light! *ANGELS SINGING ON HIGH* After another bite: "It tastes just like Indian food...only, on a pizza." Wonders never cease. Actually, I was thrilled that he "got" the "concept" behind this Meatless Monday meal. Not that it was on a Moto-esque level or anything. But for someone who doesn't do a lot of fusion food (unlike one of my favorite bloggers), I was sort of proud of myself.


Before I go handing out my very own James Beard award, I should remind us all that anything - anything - tastes good on a pizza. And lest you think it's a completely original idea, let me admit now, publicly, that it was inspired by - of all things - something I saw on a Bobby Flay show, and also by the lone vegetarian dish I had while dining at the porktastic restaurant The Publican.


Anyway, it was good. The flavors in the marinara and the toppings melded beautifully, and the ricotta added a rich counterpoint to the bold flavors. One note: I wouldn't skip the cilantro and peppers on top - their brightness and crunch really lighten up the tastebud flavor assault.

INGREDIENTS

1 fresh ball of pizza dough
flour
cornmeal for dusting
1 batch Indian marinara (recipe follows)
~1.5 cups fresh ricotta cheese
olive or canola oil
1 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 large bag baby spinach leaves, steamed then squeezed dry, roughly chopped
several dashes curry powder
salt and pepper
fresh chopped cilantro, for garnish
1/2 thinly sliced fresh finger pepper (optional), for garnish

MARINARA:
1 medium onion, diced
1 finger (or serrano) pepper, sliced, with all seeds
1 large can whole peeled plum tomatoes and all juices
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
handful cilantro, chopped
a few dashes cumin
1 cinnamon stick
a few dashes allspice
salt and pepper
red pepper flakes

STEP 1:

Make the marinara: Heat the olive oil in a Dutch oven or large pot over medium-high heat. Cook the onion and finger pepper until beginning to soften. Add the rest of the ingredients and simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, for about 30 minutes. Use an immersion blender to make it smooth (you can skip this step and have chunkier sauce). Turn off heat and set aside until ready to use.

STEP 2:

In a skillet, heat about 1 T. olive oil. Cook the chickpeas, seasoning with salt, pepper, and curry powder, for a few minutes, until chickpeas are hot and coated evenly with the spices. Remove the chickpeas and set aside. In the same pan (don't bother wiping it out), put a little more oil and the squeezed-dry spinach in the pan, and season with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Cook until hot and spices are evenly distributed.



STEP 3:

Preheat your oven to 500 degrees. Dust a little flour on your work surface and roll out the dough until desired thinness (I think thinner is better, but that's just me). Spread a little cornmeal over your pizza stone or baking sheet. Place the dough on top. Brush with a little olive oil. Spread the chickpeas and spinach over the dough evenly. Place dollops of fresh ricotta enenly around the dough. Sprinkle a little salt and pepper over the whole thing. Top it all with dollops of the marinara.



STEP 4:

Bake until dough is crisp and bown on the edges and ricotta is beginning to brown in places. Remove from the oven and cut into slices. Top slices with a little fresh cilantro and sliced finger peppers. Serve and enjoy!

Spanish (?) Fried Chickpeas & Roasted Beets

There are a few ingredients that even I have been afraid to use. Well, not afraid, exactly, but...there are just some things that don't stay at the top of my overcrowded mind. I pretty much used all of those ingredients in this dish.


One of those ingredients is sherry. Now, there is cooking sherry, and there is drinking sherry. I used Spanish sherry wine, which I'd never even tasted until popping the cork on the bottle I used tonight. Frankly, it's not something I'd ever drink. I find that amber-colored alcohols are not to my liking. But for cooking, it's divine. Cooking sherry, however, is something else entirely - nothing you'd ever want to drink, to be sure. I had also been hesitant - for no logical reason at all - to cook with beet greens. Having never met a green I didn't like (I used to gnaw on grass as a child), I have no idea why I was so dubious. Turns out, beet greens are delicious! And the best part? They come attached to beets (also delicious!).


Everyone has a moment when they, well, get over the hump with a certain food. Most often, getting over the hump just happens over time, and goes largely unnoticed until one day, you find yourself "mmm"-ing over something you used to shun (cilantro, sushi, and rye bread are all things I used to dislike, and now regularly enjoy). Occasionally, the transition happens in one unforgettable moment - like it did when I realized I liked beets. Not the cloyingly sweet jarred beets of my childhood, but real, actual, beets.


This moment happened at Deleece, a great restaurant on the north side of the city. I ordered a beet and goat cheese salad (cheese is the ship that has delivered many a hesitant food pilgrim to the New World of ingredient love). The beets were roasted, the moment was perfect - and that was it for me. Beets and I have been inseparable ever since - at restaurants, that is. At home, nary a beet crossed my doorstep. Till tonight. Simply roasting them with olive oil and salt and pepper (the most basic root-vegetable-roasting method) made them absolute perfection.


Truth be told, I can't take credit for this recipe. It's a Mark Bittman recipe, from the New York Times. His was a bit different - he used Spanish chorizo, which I find nearly impossible to obtain in Chicago (the fattier, uncased, raw Mexican version of chorizo is all the rage here, but I don't like it, so whenever a recipe calls for chorizo I sub in andouille sausage). After watching an episode of No Reservations about Spain, a friend telling me I'd love Barcelona, and stumbling upon this recipe, I decided it was fate that I create this Spanish-inspired dish. Bittman also used only chickpeas, and did not include garlic, red pepper, flakes, or paprika. He also used spinach rather than beet greens. Despite my capricious swaps, the dish turned out nicely. I like that it's cheap, easy, and balanced. The perfect mealtime storm!

INGREDIENTS

3-4 medium fresh beets, cubed
2 medium carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 medium onion, cut into chunks
olive oil
salt and pepper

1/4 cup olive oil
1 can chickpeas, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry
1 can white beans, drained, rinsed, and patted very dry
2 links turkey andouille sausage (or Spanish chorizo, or pork andouille, or kielbasa...you get the idea)
a few slices salami*
salt and pepper to taste
red pepper flakes
dash of paprika
1 bunch fresh beet greens, washed, tough stems trimmed off, and cut into smallish pieces
1/4 c. - 1/2 c. sherry (I used a Spanish sherry found at Whole Foods for a reasonable $11; I also used the remainder of the bottle in a recipe you'll see here very soon - waste not, want not!)
2 cloves garlic
1 cup freshly made (or store-bought) bread crumbs**
more olive oil

*This is not necessary, but I had some salami I wanted to use up. It was good in there, though. You could use any deli sausage.

**Not having a food processor, I have never been able to make my own breadcrumbs. Until my epiphany: I can simply use my spice/coffee grinder as a mini-food processor! I toasted some stale-ish Italian bread, tore it into pieces, and placed it in the spice grinder, with incredible success. Voila! Fresh breadcrumbs. If you have neither processing equipment nor the inclination to make your own breadcrumbs, use store-bought Panko breadcrumbs. The world will continue turning.

STEP 1:

Preheat the oven to 375. Toss the beet cubes, carrots, and onion in olive oil, salt and pepper, and roast for about an hour, turning a few times, until tender but not mushy.

STEP 2:

Meanwhile, in a large oven-safe pan or Dutch oven, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add the chickpeas, beans and sausage, stirring until it's all in more or less a single layer in the pan. Add some salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, and paprika. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring infrequently, until the sausage has released some fat and the chickpeas are lightly browned and crisp. Remove sausage and bean mixture from the pan with a slotted spoon, leaving any remaining oil in the pan, still over medium-high heat.

STEP 3:

Add the beet greens and sherry to the pan, and cook until wilted, scraping any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Cook until cooked to your liking (cook longer for softer greens, less for crisper greens). Add the chickpeas/beans/sausage back to the pan and stir to combine. Top with the bread crumbs, a little salt and pepper, and drizzle with a little more olive oil. Heat under the broiler until lightly browned. Serve alongside the roasted veggies. Enjoy!

Curried Chickpea Lettuce Wraps with Avocado Yogurt

This is actually a two-recipe post, but I wanted to draw you in with the recipe that had the more glamourous name.


I should've named the post "A Tale of Two Chickpeas," because the other post features chickpeas prominently, also. I'm always raving about the nutritional superiority of chickpeas. Well, I often run my mouth about things I know almost nothing about, so to make sure I was right, I Googled it. Turns out, I knew what I was talking about: one cup of chickpeas (a very filling portion) contains a mere 264 calories, but packs 15g of protein and 12g of fiber. They are one of nature's greatest triumphs.

And one of India's greatest triumphs, curry, makes chickpeas even better: they're a natural and delicious combination. I was inspired to make this recipe after having a delicious curried chickpea salad at Whole Foods. A quick internet search confirmed that it was simple to make, and of course I added a few twists of my own.

This is a great summer meal for several reasons: a.) it's light - no bikini regrets about this one; b.) I ate it chilled, so it was cool; and c.) it requires minimal cooking (read: heating your already sweltering apartment with stovetop fumes). It's also a very recession-friendly recipe.

CURRIED CHICKPEA LETTUCE WRAPS WITH AVOCADO YOGURT

1 can chickpeas, well drained and rinsed
1 small sweet onion
1/2 c. roasted red peppers, chopped
1 red chile pepper, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, minced
2-ish T. olive oil
1/3 c. fresh chopped cilantro
1 T. curry powder
salt and pepper
1 head Boston lettuce, leaves separated and kept whole

1/2 avocado
2 big spoonfuls Greek yogurt (I used Fage 0%)
juice of 1/2 a lemon
salt and pepper
fresh cilantro, chopped finely

STEP ONE:

Heat half the olive oil in a pan. Cook the onion and chile pepper over medium heat until the onion is translucent, seasoning with a little salt and pepper. Add the roasted red pepper, season a bit more, stir and cook a few more minutes. Add the chickpeas and the curry powder and the rest of the oil.


STEP TWO:

Allow to cook for a few minutes, tasting and adjusting seasoning as neccessary. Remove from the heat and put in the fridge, covered, to cool.

STEP THREE:

Meanwhile, remove the leaves of the lettuce and set aside. Also, make the yogurt sauce: mix together all ingredients in a small bowl until smooth. Set aside, covered and refrigerated, until you're ready to eat. Spoon a little chickpea mixture into each lettuce leaf and top with a dollop of the yogurt sauce. Enjoy!



This next chickpea recipe is also best served chilled or room temperature, but it hails more from the Mediterranean than the Middle East. Like the other salad, it's light, heathy, refreshing, and simple to make.


I packed it as part of a picnic for myself and my friend Emily to eat in the park. It traveled beautifully, and was divine with a few slices of baguette, although it would be lovely stuffed into, or piled on top of, a whole wheat pita or naan bread as well. If you wanted to make it more of a full meal, I think it would be good with some regular old tuna or chunks of chicken stirred in for a wholesome lunch.

CHICKPEA, CUCUMBER, & BULGUR SALAD

INGREDIENTS

1 can chickpeas, drained and well rinsed
1/2 large cucumber, skin removed, cut into smallish chunks
1 c. cooked bulgur at room temperature
juice of one lemon
couple big spoonfuls of Greek yogurt
handful fresh parsley, chopped
salt and pepper
pinch cayenne pepper
pinch of all-purpose seasoning

STEP ONE:

Place the chickpeas, cucumber, and bulgur into one large bowl.


STEP TWO:

In a smaller bowl, mix all the rest of the ingredients with a whisk. Stir into the chickpea mixture, careful not to break up the chickpeas. Enjoy room temperature or chilled.



Thanks for reading! More soon...

Chickpea Salad & Homemade Oatmeal Bread

Did Ina Garten die? Because I think I may have been recently embodied by her spirit, a la Whoopi Goldberg in Ghost.

How else to explain the sudden irrepressible urge to put capers in everything I make, smash chickpeas into a lemony salad, and - of all things - to make my own bread, for Gawds sake? Next thing you know, I'll be making my own chicken broth (um, no).

Let's start with the chickpea salad. I had one last baggie of chickpeas from my giant CostCo can lurking around my freezer, and I wanted to try making a sort of lazy-person's hummus, with ingredients I always have on hand: olive oil, shallots, garlic, lemon, and chickpeas.


And there's really not much more to it than that. A little salt and pepper. And a drizzle of olive oil on top when you serve it. In fact, I'm not even going to take the time to assemble a proper recipe (the whole idea came from something similar I saw Ina Garten make once on TV) - just mince the garlic and shallots, mix them in with the chickpeas and the juice of half a lemon and a healthy glug of olive oil, and smash with a fork. Just make sure you have a good amount of chickpeas - if the ratio's off, the raw garlic and shallots could be a bit overpowering. Parsley would be nice, too, if you have some around.



I served mine cold for a post-yoga lunch with orange bell pepper slices and cucumbers for dipping, some nuts, and an orange. It was delicious.

And now on to the truly impressive feat: my very own, handmade loaf of bread. And I do mean HANDmade. No fancy Cuisinart Mixing Machine, no bread machine, just my two little hands and a fighting spirit.


I bought King Arthur Bread Flour after I read some glowing reviews about it online. I was originally planning to make my own Naan bread (look for that soon enough), but I got distracted by the recipe for Oatmeal Bread on the back of the flour bag (typical).

Oddly, I had all the ingredients on hand, so I just followed the very simple instructions, and - to my utter amazement - I actually created and baked a loaf of actual, edible, bread. And it was delicious! Stupendous, even! Exactly what I imagined bread that's warm, homemade, and right from the oven would taste like. What bread would taste like if it weren't laced with strange preservatives to extend its shelf life.


And it's economical - I've estimated that with the ingredients I bought to make that first loaf (about $12 worth, including the loaf pan), I can bake 5-6 more loaves without buying more ingredients. If any of you have checked out the price of bread lately, you'll agree that I'm beating the system.

I waited about .0364 seconds before I sliced a piece off the end and slathered it with butter and peach jam. Heaven. It was heaven.


I must say, I'm impressed with myself. I thought for sure I would spend half a day working on this loaf of bread only to end up disappointed and breadless.

It's nice when things turn out better than you expected.

Thanks for reading! More soon...

A.U.R.A. - Cauliflower & Chickpea Curry...and Arroz con Pollo!

Are you sick of curry yet?

Wait, that's a ridiculous question, because who could EVER get sick of curry?!?! Certainly not this girl. Seriously though, I hope you'll forgive all the curry postings as of late; I blame A.) the magical folks at the Spice House for their excellent service and encyclopedic knowledge of the seasonings of the Far East, and B.) the piece of fresh ginger I bought a couple days ago.


Ginger has always been one of those ingredients that, for whatever reason, I was afraid to use. I guess that fear stemmed mostly from the fact that it looks something my cat would find in our alley...or like a stick had a love child with a shriveled potato. Either way, like most ingredients/recipes/techniques that scare me, once I break down and give it a go - wonder of wonders - the world doesn't stop turning. And usually, I discover something new and tasty (and it's almost never as hard as I think it's going to be).


Once I realized that all the poor little stick-potato-alley-rat thing needed was a good shaving with a vegetable peeler and a trip to Mount Microplane (my zester/grater/love of my life), it became such a glorious ingredient! Versatile! Bold! Deliciously exotic! It's used most often (I think) in Asian dishes, which suits me just fine since I am an Asian food junkie. It's relatively inexpensive, lasts awhile, and really adds a bright and spicy note to everything it goes in.

Since this is my second posting in my new "Actual Use of a Recipe's Awesomeness" category, you'll find the exact recipe below (from Closet Cooking, one of my favorite food blogs).

Cauliflower and Chickpea Curry
(makes 4+ servings)

Ingredients:
1 tablespoon oil
1 onion (chopped)
2 tablespoons curry powder ***Note: I used Sweet Curry Powder, a very common variety
1 tablespoon garlic (chopped)
1 tablespoon ginger (chopped)
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 tablespoon chili sauce (optional)
1 head cauliflower (cut into florets)
1 (19 once) can chickpeas (rinsed and drained)
1 cup water
1/2 pound green beans (trimmed and sliced into 1 inch long pieces)
salt to taste
1/4 cup cilantro (chopped)

Directions
1. Heat the oil in a large pan.
2. Add the onion and curry powder and cook until the onion is tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. Add the garlic and ginger and cook until fragrant, about a minute.
4. Add the tomatoes, chili sauce, cauliflower, chickpeas and water and and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 10-15 minutes.
6. Add the green beans and cook until they are just tender and still crisp, about 3-5 minutes.
7. Serve on brown rice and garnish with cilantro.



And for my notes and tweaks:

1. I roughly halved this recipe.

2. I used chicken broth instead of water.

3. I used a can of stewed tomatoes instead of crushed ones (that's all I had).

4. Instead of chili sauce, I used half of a fresh, seeded and minced, serrano pepper.

5. I used a big handful of chopped cilantro IN the dish while it was cooking, and then put some more fresh on top.

6. I figured that since I was being sooo good and eating brown rice, it was OK to stir in just a little half and half (about a quarter cup) at the end for that creaminess that I love in curries.

Other than that, I followed the recipe almost to the letter! (How very unlike me.)

This came out even better than I expected. It was a really savory curry (which is a nice change of pace since I usually find myself eating peanut curries that are closer to dessert over white rice than they are dinner food), and I thought the tomato was a great element. This would be a perfect "Curry 101" recipe, both in ease of preparation and in overall mildness. The half pepper was just the right amount of heat (unlike Monday's lentil scorcher), and even though I enjoyed the touch of creaminess, the half and half wasn't what made the meal delicious.



Now, as the title promised, I will share with you another great recipe I made recently with my friends The LeCroys. It's Arroz con Pollo, from Smitten Kitchen.

It was super easy to make, and really really yummy. It was also in the "budget" category, which is nice. We used boneless, skinless chicken breasts instead of drumsticks, and we couldn't find real Spanish chorizo, so we used andouille sausage, and it all worked. The blend of spices was not a combination I ever would've thought of, but it really got me interested in using paprika for more than just topping deviled eggs. We got one good photo (this was taken before the addition of the rice).



Here's the recipe in its entirety:

Arroz Con Pollo (Cuban Chicken with Rice)

Serves 8

Chicken
3 large garlic cloves
2 tablespoons distilled white vinegar
2 teaspoons dried oregano, crumbled
4 chicken breast halves with bone, halved crosswise
4 chicken drumsticks
4 chicken thighs

Rice
3 oz. Spanish chorizo (cured sausage), skin discarded and sausage cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium onions, chopped
1 green bell pepper, chopped
3 large garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoons paprika, preferably the hot stuff, plus more to taste
2 Turkish bay leaves or 1 California
1 lb. tomatoes, seeded and chopped
1 12-oz. bottle beer (not dark)
1 1/2 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
2 cups long-grain white rice (14 oz.)
1/4 cup drained rinsed bottled pimiento or roasted red pepper strips

Marinate chicken: Mince and mash garlic to a paste with 2 teaspoons salt, then transfer to a large bowl. Stir in vinegar and oregano.

Remove skin and excess fat from chicken, then toss chicken with marinade until coated and marinate, covered and chilled, at least 1 hour.

Cook chicken and rice: - Cook chorizo in olive oil in a 6- to 7-quart heavy pot (12 inches wide) over medium-high heat, stirring, until some fat is rendered, 2 to 3 minutes. Add onions, bell pepper, and garlic and cook, stirring until softened, about 5 minutes.

Add cumin, oregano, paprika, 1 1/4 teaspoons salt, and bay leaves and cook, stirring, 1 minute.

Add chicken with marinade to chorizo mixture and cook, uncovered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, 10 minutes.

Stir in tomatoes, beer, broth, and rice and bring to a boil, making sure rice is submerged. [Deb note: I actually had a really hard time keeping the rice underneath the chicken so that it would cook evenly. I'd suggest that you use tongs to temporarily remove the chicken from the pot, mix the rice in with the other ingredients in the pot, and then replace the chicken, pressing it into the broth a bit before going onto the next step. I will definitely do this next time.]

Reduce heat to medium-low, then cover mixture directly with a round of parchment or wax paper and cover pot with a tight fitting lid. Cook, stirring once or twice, until rice is tender, 20 to 30 minutes.

Remove from heat and let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Discard parchment paper and bay leaves, then scatter pimiento strips over rice.

Note: Chicken can be marinated up to 2 hours.

I must say, I'm really enjoying the AURA posts (and hopefully, you are too). And believe me, there will be many more to come! I just received my newest cookbook in the mail, Super Natural Cooking, Heidi Swanson's San-Francisco-hippie-chick ode to all things whole. (More on this later, but check out the book - it's informative, inspiring, and actually makes healthy vegetarian and vegan fare look completely mouthwatering. If you're curious in the meantime, check out her blog-cum-cookbook, 101cookbooks.com).

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Recession: Party of One - Clean-Out-The-Fridge Tagine

One of my favorite ways to eat healthily is to take all the inevitable leftover veggie scraps from a week or so's worth of meals and throw them into one dish. I'm always surprised how much I can make out of so little, and it's nice to have a reason to get all that clutter out of the fridge.


This meal was a perfect example of that. Every time I thought I had found every last veggie, I kept stumbling across more little Ziploc baggies of goodness.

I have recently been reading up on how to make tagines, which are a North African dish named for their clay cooking vessel (the tagine), which looks like this:


For those of us who don't own a tagine (er...put that one on the future-wedding-registry-list), making a tagine can involve a CrockPot or just a simple pot with a lid. They are most commonly made with lamb or chicken on the bone, and simmered for long periods of time to tenderize the meat. And if you're one of those gotta-have-the-most-obscure-kitchen-tools types, check out this tagine site.

My inspiration for the CrockPot veggie tagine was my weekend trip to The Spice House, an amazing spice store in Old Town, where I outfitted myself with some basic Indian and Moroccan spices for about $11 (!).


When I set out to put together my tagine, I simply couldn't decide which spice mix to use, so I just mixed the Garam Masala and the Moroccan spice blends. They have similar base flavors, so I figured they'd go well together.

Read on to see how to make one mean tagine...

MOROCCAN- & INDIAN-SPICED VEGGIE TAGINE

INGREDIENTS

(mesaurements are loose approximations)

3/4 c. chickpeas
1/2 c. sweet potato, in small chunks
1 orange bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 white onion, in chunks
1 large can crushed tomatoes
1/2 c. raw peas
1 carrot, peeled and sliced
1/4 c. cashews, slightly crushed
1 T. Moroccan spice blend
1 T. garam masala

handful of spinach leaves, raw
sliced green olives

white rice
chicken broth
saffron
salt and pepper
1 tsp. butter

sour cream (for garnish, if desired)

STEP ONE:

(This can be done the night before, which is what I did. The inner part of my CrockPot is removable, so I just put all the ingredients in there and refrigerated it overnight, then stuck it in the CrockPot base to cook all day while I was at work.)

Mix the first 10 ingredients together in the CrockPot.

STEP TWO:

Cook on low for about 8 hours (basically, just cook it while you're at work). When done, stir in the spinach leaves to wilt, and also the olives. Taste, and add salt if neccessary.

STEP THREE:

Turn CrockPot to WARM. Cook the rice in the chicken broth, adding the saffron. When done, add salt, pepper and butter and fluff with a fork.

STEP FOUR:

Serve the veggie tagine over the rice, topping with a little sour cream (or plain yogurt) if desired.


This was a really flavorful dish! The spices made it so complex that I would probably never think that it was a vegetarian dish if I hadn't known. I can only imagine how incredible this would be with some slow-simmered lamb...mmmm. I've also seen some great chicken tagine recipes with preserved lemon rind and olives.... Next time, delicious litte tagine, next time!

Let's check out the PARTY OF ONE PRICE INDEX, shall we?

CHICKPEAS: 20 cents
BELL PEPPER: $1.08
SPINACH: 66 cents
SWEET POTATO: 25 cents
CRUSHED TOMATOES: $1.15
PEAS: 50 cents
ONION: 10 cents (didn't use much)
CARROT: 15 cents
SPICES: around $1.00 total
CHICKEN BROTH: 40 cents

I'm leaving out the rice and the sour cream, since I already had those before my bulk shopping trip. This made about 4 good-size servings (the leftovers are in my lunchbag for tomorrow and stashed in my freezer), which puts the per-serving GRAND TOTAL at:

$1.37

Wow. What a great price for so much slow-simmered yumminess! Proof that you don't have to go halfway around the world to eat like it - that's what I call budget travelling ;-)

Thanks for reading! More soon...

Recession: Party of One - A Tale of Two Lunches

I can feel good about myself when I don't eat out every single meal on the weekend. Now that Recession: Party of One is in full swing, I'm finding it a lot easier to stay in and cook - whatever motivates you, right?

My lunch Saturday was another attempt on my part to eat more vegetarian meals. Sunday, however, was a completely meat-tastic day. Read on to see how to make two yummy, simple lunches, and of course I'll give you the Party of One Price Index Update for both meals.

GARDEN VEGETABLE SOUP WITH HAM, PEAR, & MOZZARELLA SANDWICH



I debated even posting this at all, considering I didn't actually MAKE the soup, but I thought the sandwich was creative enough - and the overall meal was thrifty enough - to warrant a R: P of 1 shout-out. And frankly, I thought the picture came out nicely. This was a really yummy meal - it rained non-stop here in Chicago all weekend, and soup and a gooey cheesy sandwich seemed like the perfect stay-in-and-watch-the-entire-season-of-The-City meal.

INGREDIENTS

2 slices French bread
2 slices deli ham
1-2 slices mozzarella cheese
1/2 pear, very thinly sliced
1 can Muir glen Garden Vegetable Soup
2 pats butter for grilling sandwich
1 T. sour cream (optional), for stirring in soup

STEP ONE

In a medium pot, cook the soup until steaming hot. Top with a dollop of sour cream if you want.

STEP TWO:

Place the ham, pear, and cheese on the bread. In a nonstick skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Cook the sandwich until golden brown, cooking the side closest to the cheese first so it melts. Flip, and cook until the other side is also golden brown. Slice in half, serve with soup, and enjoy.

PARTY OF ONE PRICE INDEX:

PEAR: I'm going to call this free, since it was on the verge of being wasted (it was once one of a 3-lb. bag).
HAM: 66 cents
MOZZARELLA: 15 cents
BREAD: 14 cents
SOUP: $1.66

The GRAND TOTAL is...

$2.61. This really only made one serving (I had about a 1/2 c. of soup left over), but I think that was still a very Recession-friendly lunch!

And now on to my attempt at vegetarian cooking...

SPICY VEGETABLE CURRY



INGREDIENTS

1 T. olive oil
1 red bell pepper, cut into chunks
1 carrot, peeled and thinly sliced
5-6 frozen broccoli florets, thawed
1/2 c. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 c. whole cashews
2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1/3 c. sour cream
1/4 c. chicken broth
Sriracha to taste
Moroccan spice blend (or curry powder), to taste
juice of half a lime

1/3 c. dry couscous
2/3 c. chicken broth
salt and pepper

STEP ONE

Bring chicken broth to a boil for the couscous. Add couscous, stir, cover, and remove from heat. Season lightly with salt and pepper. Keep warm.

STEP TWO

In a large skillet, heat the olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the bell pepper and carrots, and season with some of the spice blend/curry. Cook until the vegetables have begun to soften. Add the chicken broth, broccoli, and chickpeas, and some more spice blend. Reduce heat to medium, stirring frequently. Stir in the sour cream until it is well-incorporated and the whole mixture is smooth. Stir in the cashews, Sriracha, and half the chopped cilantro. Cook until all vegetables are tender-crisp.

STEP THREE:

Serve over couscous, garnishing with the lime juice and the rest of the cilantro.

PARTY OF ONE PRICE INDEX:

BELL PEPPER: $1.08
CARROT: 9 cents
BROCCOLI: 54 cents
CHICKPEAS: 10 cents
CILANTRO: 83 cents
CHICKEN BROTH: 40 cents
CASHEWS: 50 cents
SOUR CREAM: 50 cents

I'm not counting the Sriracha, couscous, olive oil, and spice blend, because those are pantry staples I tend to have on hand.

So the total for the ingredients comes to $4.04, but I got two servings out of them, which makes the GRAND TOTAL...

$2.02...not too shabby!

The curry came out nicely, although it's worth noting that the sour cream and chicken broth, as opposed to the blend of heavy cream and milk I used last time made the curry significantly more savory than the other one I made recently. It sort of balanced out the natural sweetness of the cumin, but I think that in the future I'll use the cream/milk instead, since I like the cumin's sweetness to shine through. I really like the bite of the lime juice and the freshness that the cilantro added. And I'm always surprised at how full I can get from vegetables alone! The protein and richness from the cashews and sour cream help, of course.

Well, it's been a weekend of disappointing weather, but that almost always leads to great food. One more R: P of 1 post to come soon! Thanks for reading!

Recession: Party of One - Chickpea Spaghetti

Here we are again for another installment of Recession: Party of One.

Tonight, I made Chickpea Spaghetti with Yellow Peppers & Broccoli. A healthy vegetarian delight! Actually, now that I think about it...without the parmesan cheese on top, it's actually vegan! I never thought I'd enjoy vegan food so much!


Today was an especially recession-food-focused day, because I travelled with a band of budget-minded ladies to the Land of Plenty...CostCo! (Who knew there was a CostCo in Bling-Blingin' Lincoln Park?)

I know it may seem weird to go bulk grocery shopping when you're just feeding one person, but as you'll see later in the post, I think it's really going to pay off!

There really is a huge price difference there on many of the items that I use all the time - canned tomatoes, spices, etc. And I was pleasantly surprised at their organic foods selection. In fact, I found a giant container of my favorite organic spice blend for LESS than I paid for the original, much smaller container.

I ended up spending quite a bundle, but I have enough food to last me until I move out of the apartment! I bought a lot of meat, and just portioned everything out into single-serving size Ziploc bags when I got home - I had an amateur meat-processing plant in my kitchen. Behold, my freezer:


I also got a lot of basics - I mentioned the canned tomatoes - like chicken broth, and vegetable soup - things that don't expire and can be used for a lot of meals. I also splurged on a few fresh things (apples and bell peppers), since my Debbie Myers Green Bags (the best product EVER) keep things fresh for an absurdly long time.

Read on to see how to make this simple meal.

CHICKPEA SPAGHETTI WITH YELLOW PEPPERS AND BROCCOLI

INGREDIENTS

1/4 lb. dry Barilla Plus angelhair pasta
1 yellow bell pepper, cut into chunks
1/2 lb. (approx.) frozen broccoli florets
1/4 white onion, thinly sliced
1/2 c. chickpeas, drained and rinsed
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 can stewed tomatoes
salt, pepper, red pepper flakes
1 T. olive oil
parmesan cheese, grated, for garnish

STEP ONE

Boil pasta until al dente. Set aside and keep warm, tossing with about a teaspoon of olive oil to prevent sticking/drying out.

STEP TWO

In a skillet, heat 1 T. olive oil. Saute the onions and bell peppers over medium heat until beginning to soften. Add the garlic and stir for about a minute, until fragrant. Add whole can of tomatoes, with juices. Season with salt, pepper, and red pepper flakes. Cook on medium-high heat for about 5-6 minutes, breaking up the larger tomato pieces with a spatula or spoon.



STEP THREE

Add chickpeas and cook for about 2 minutes. Add broccoli florets and cook until tender and hot all the way through. Taste, and add additional seasoning if neccessary.




STEP FOUR

Spoon over a serving of pasta and top with a little grated parmesan if you want. Enjoy!



Now, if the simplicity of this dish doesn't impress you, the pricetag will. Here's the cost breakdown:

CHICKPEAS: 2 servings at 10 cents each = 20 cents

SPAGHETTI: 2 servings at about 25 cents each = 50 cents

TOMATOES: 1 can = 55 cents

YELLOW BELL PEPPER: 1 at $1.08 = $1.08

BROCCOLI: 1 serving at 54 cents = 54 cents

ONION: 1 onion is about a dollar, so I'd say it came out to 25 cents

OTHER PANTRY ITEMS (cost not calculated): salt, pepper, red pepper flakes, 1 T. olive oil, 2 cloves garlic, parmesan cheese

GRAND TOTAL = $3.12

The above ingredients made about 2 and a half servings (of the sauce - the spaghetti got paired with the half-serving, and I packed the rest for my lunch tomorrow, over rice).

So, the TOTAL COST PER SERVING for this yummy dinner was...(drumroll please)...

$1.25 (!!!)

A dollar twenty-five!!! Can you believe that?!?! I can see the Food Network show now...The Budget Friendly Cook, with your fabulously frugal host Elizabeth Stephens!

MY VOTE ON MY DISH: This came out really nicely. Nothing fancy, but a nice, healthy supper that didn't leave me feeling at all guilty, heavy, or anything else unpleasant. I give it 8 stars.

You know, you really can't put a price on how good it feels to make a delicious meal without taking a hammer to the old piggy bank. Thanks for reading!

Now onto the heaps of laundry I have to do...sigh.


More soon!