Category Archives: vegetable

split green peas x3

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split peas sorted and left out

 

5 split green pea rice sweet potato bacon bowl

split green pea and sweet potato dip with black bean chips

1 split green pea broth coriander colander

split green pea soup in a mug with bacon garnish

It all starts with a crock of split peas on Sunday and eventually evolves into my favorite silky soup by the time Tuesday rolls around. Bonus transition time snack: split pea sweet potato dip. I am convinced the in between days are what makes this soup a promisingly tasty journey from start to finish. My steps are loosely recorded below.

Day 1: Toss in a few cups of split peas, a few cups of vegetable stock, a little water, and seasonings (salt, pepper, I switch up between cumin & ground coriander) in a crock pot. Either cook on high for 2 hours or low for about 6 hours. Roast some sweet potatoes and bacon in the oven (do it together if there are no vegetarians on the premises and by all means throw in some garlic cloves): sweet potatoes tossed in olive oil, salt, pepper, sometimes cumin, and bacon sprinkled with your preferred sweet granules. Bake for 20 minutes in 350-degree oven, remove bacon, bump heat up to 400-degrees, and finish roasting sweet potatoes for an additional 15 minutes. I like to eat all of these things together with arborio rice.

Day 2: Synthesize the left over split peas and roasted sweet potatoes in your blending mechanism with the amount of olive oil necessary to achieve a spreadable or dippable consistency. Black bean chipotle chips are recommended utensils, though carrots and celery maintain their respective merits.

Day 3: Use leftover dip to create a silky soup. Thin the dip down by adding hot water or stock. Crème fraîche or sour cream also slides in a tangy edge. A bacon garnish never hurt either.

celery date salad

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Last week my mom spent a day researching the great-granddaughter of Martha Washington at the library where I work, so we had a lunch date downtown!  We walked to a sit-down restaurant where I ordered a falafel with a side dish of celery salad. I enjoyed so much of that chunky crunch that I made up my own salad at home based on the combination of flavors on my lunch plate that day.  It’s a great dish to prepare on a night when you crave the catharsis that accompanies chopping vegetables, and now every time I eat it I will remember the intrigue of Mary Custis Lee and that fun lunch.

For the salad:

Chop up celery, dates, and red onions.
Whisk together apple cider vinegar and honey.
Toss it all real good.
Sprinkle crumbled feta over top.

Turn a side dish into a meal:

Add crispy bacon and/or roasted chickpeas to the pile.

roasted analogous roots

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I unloaded my farmers market basket of root vegetables and realized that they made up a loose analogous color scheme: parsnips, beets, carrots, and sweet potatoes!  I liked them all together so much that I decided they should simply be roasted together.  Tossed up with olive oil, salt, and pepper in a 425-degree oven for about 30-40 minutes (longer for thicker), they ensued sweet folksy nourishment.

breakfast at wimbledon (in indiana)

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When the players take the grass on center court in England, it is 9am here in the States. We turn the TV set on, and John McEnroe welcomes us to breakfast at Wimbledon. But where’s the grub, Johnny Mac?

One year during the tournament I was staying with my aunt and uncle who are also tennis fans. I will never forget my Uncle George bringing eggs, bacon, and orange juice out to us in the living room during the championship match. “It’s breakfast at Wimbledon, dummy,” he said. Yes it is!

Most years for me, it’s coffee at Wimbledon, but this year I put together a breakfast for my folks (not to mention that they get ESPN, so I can actually watch the sportscast). I baked everything in a 350-degree oven, and the results were nearly trophy worthy.

Nutty Zucchini Boats w/o Nuts
Start with halved zucchini (thank you Mary for sharing your abundance!) and scoop out the middle. Lightly coat in olive oil, sprinkle with raw sunflower seeds, shredded pecorino romano cheese, and a pinch of salt & pepper. Bakes about 35 minutes.

Bacon Wrapped Figs & Pineapple Chunks
Halve raw figs (I used California Mission Figs this time) and chop up chunks of fresh pineapple. Get the best bacon strips you can find and cut them in thirds. Wrap each fig half and pineapple chunk in bacon and secure with a toothpick. Sprinkle smoked demerara sugar (ordered some from 240Sweet) over the tops. Brown sugar will substitute. Bakes about 30 minutes.

Ramekin Baked Eggs
Sautee onions, mushrooms, and spinach in olive oil over low heat until the spinach wilts. Place this mix (or whatever mix you like: add peppers, ham, etc) in the bottom of a ramekin. Crack 1-2 eggs over the mix. Spoon 1 teaspoon of heavy cream over each egg. Sprinkle shredded pecorino romano (or your fav. cheese) over the tops, dot with olive oil, and a pinch of salt & pepper. I put my ramekins in a casserole dish and filled the bottom of the dish with water. This step may not be necessary. If you prefer a runny yolk, watch the oven. Bakes about 25 minutes.

Serve with toast, jam, and beverages. CONGRATULATIONS SERENA & ROGER. Hooray over 30 club; looking forward to the Olympics!

sesame sauce 2x

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There’s a sauce I’ve been digging, and it goes like this: whisk together equal parts tahini (sesame paste), maple syrup, and balsamic vinegar / season with salt and pepper to taste / toss with your favorite noodles or use as a dip for your favorite prepared veggies. This combo is simple, perky, nutty, and just sweet enough (I think I wouldn’t mind being described that way – ha).

Lately I have enjoyed the sauce on sweet potato/buckwheat noodles with toasted sesame seeds and over brown rice noodles and steamed broccoli (the latter I enjoy most as a cold noodle dish; it’s toothy and all the more flavorful after fridging overnight). If you are using this sauce with noodles, be sure to first anoint the noodles with a little olive oil before mixing in the sauce. An 8 oz. package of noodles needs about 2 tablespoons of each sauce ingredient.

cumin crush sweet potato strips

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I have a thing for cumin right now. I cannot get enough of it with beans, rice, soup, and sweet potatoes. My recipe for baked cumin sweet potato strips is simple, spicy, tangy, sweet, and healthful all at once.  Enjoy them hot or at room temperature as a rustic snack in a mug or as a side dish on your plate.

Ingredients
3 medium sweet potatoes
2 Tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon rice wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
salt for sprinkling

Preheat oven to 400-degrees.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Mix together olive oil, vinegar, and cumin with a pastry brush.
Lightly brush parchment paper with cumin mixture.

Wash, dry, and slice sweet potatoes to desired thickness.
Place sweet potato slices on parchment paper.
Brush tops with remaining cumin mixture and sprinkle with kosher or sea salt.

Bake 25-40 minutes depending on thickness of strips and your crunchiness preference.

cloudy with a chance of pepperoni

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I love storm clouds, especially when they are topped with salty and sweet things and shared with my favorite people. Are you surprised to know that Barrett’s tale of the town of Chewandswallow was one of my favorite books (I am afraid to watch the movie – should I?), and perhaps one of the purchasing influences behind one of my favorite cookie cutters? I get a lot of use out of my Herriott Grace cloud cookie cutter for cookies (once I took pictures of the applesauce donut clouds I made with it), but this time I used it for snack pizzas! Pizzaclouds are a bit tedious but fun to individualize. During this round I made three varieties: chèvre/sweet onions (caramelized in olive oil, cinnamon & sugar)/sundried tomato-stuffed green olives, fresh mozzarella/basil pesto/tomato, smoked provolone/marinara/pepperoni. Wishing your stormy Spring days to be sweet and savory.

red beet and ricotta lunch muffins

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I realize that homemade chocolate chunk fudge rounds are far more desired baked goods than muffins made from mashed up pickled beets. You probably either detest pickled beets or devour them (like I do). I am spoiled by the fact that every summer my grandma cans several batches of homemade pickled beets grown by local Amish farmers. She stores them in her cellar and will often give them as gifts to neighbors and relatives. My packed lunches often include a short stack of these beets alongside cottage cheese. The tangy pickled flavor is cut by the creamy curds, with a pinch of ground black pepper to round it out (I also think it is fun to watch the cottage cheese turn a glowing rosy scarlet color as the two mingle).

If you have made it this far, then you will probably be interested in the recipe that I came up with that was inspired by these flavors.

Red Beet and Ricotta Lunch Muffins
Makes 12

Preheat oven 350-degrees.

2 C self rising flour
1 t cloves
2 eggs @ room temp
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter, melted
1/2 C ricotta cheese + more for serving
1/2 C mashed beets*

Sift together flour and cloves (or cinnamon, depending on your taste). Set aside.

In another bowl, whisk eggs together and add the sugar in several steps. Whisk in melted butter. Add ricotta cheese and mashed beets alternately until combined.

Fold flour mixture into batter just until incorporated. Scoop out into muffin tins.

Bake for 20-25 minutes until toothpick test comes out clean.

Serve with ricotta cheese.

*I used pickled beets. They were quite tangy! I imagine straight roasted beets to be more mild and probably more appropriate with cinnamon.

pasta & pancakes over the campfire

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It’s probably not a surprise that one of my favorite parts of camping is eating food made over the fire. Pinot Basil Pasta and Pecan Pancakes with Fruit Compote were two such meals enjoyed this weekend at Van Buren State Park with a dear old friend of mine. We chopped goodness from her garden and began cooking the thickest and hardest veggies first in a bit of olive oil.  Afterwhile we added the softer veggies to the skillet along with some basil and Pinot Grigio. Once the wine reduces, everything is ready to mix in with the pasta and be consumed!  The pancake combo was another winner from Backpacker Magazine. These pancakes did not miss usual syrup.  The woodsy cinnamon and smoky dark cherry was my favorite flavor combination, but since I cannot resist a toasted marshmallow at any given opportunity, I topped off my pancakes with one goldened from the embers.  Corn syrup made it on the pancakes after all.