white bean salad with olives, scallions, and herbs

It has been freezing out here in Minnesota - the kind of frigid that makes you cough when you go outside for a walk, take a breath, then run for the warmth of home.  But, 1)  the New England Patriots are in town, and 2) I am totally sick of homemade soups and brats, which are REALLY big out here, and I must say, are really good.

I wanted desperately to make Tuscan Bean salad, but was lacking fresh cherry tomatoes and/or sun-dried tomatoes, thus, the substitution of black olives, bottled.  And all I had were canned Great Northern beans, instead of the hours long soaking of small white beans, which then required a long simmer.  But, I did have some very good Kalamata olives from Trader Joe's, bottled in good olive oil - and a fresh bunch of scallions, fresh lemons for juice,  and Italian parsley.  Wonderful!  It certainly brightened up my day and taste buds!

To make 2-3 servings:

In a medium bowl toss:
1 15.8 canned Great Northern beans, drained and rinsed at least two times
4 scallions (green onions) washed, trimmed, and sliced
1/2 cup black pitted,  Kalamata olives, drained

If you have halved cherry tomatoes, or a half cup sliced dried tomatoes,  they are a wonderful addition!

Mix in a small bowl:

2 teaspoons freshly pressed lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons good olive oil
1 large clove garlic, peeled and pressed
2 tablespoons minced Italian parsley, washed, dried, and sliced
salt and pepper to taste
1 teaspoon dried parsley, or 2 tablespoons fresh
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4th teaspoon thyme

Mix well and pour over the bean/scallions/olives mixture, toss gently, and divide between two bowls or plates.

Possible sides might be sauteed chicken livers on good French bread and unsalted butter
or French bread with unsalted butter and pesto.

A lovely snowstorm recently left a foot of dry, fluffy snow on the ground - a nice welcome for the New England Patriots!

smashed avocado & fresh pea sandwiches

Eureka!  We have a post!  Not quite up to normal after iphoto disappeared suddenly, but I'll take it.  

There is a very good food writer  (Beth Dooley) in one of the Twin Cities newspapers ( the Star Tribune), and I've been delighted to find such delightful, fresh, recipes. This open faced sandwich was inspired by her post on Thursday, though her recipe involves vinaigrette, chevre, radishes, and olive oil, which mine does not.  I thought mashed avocado would be a perfect addition ( I'm on an avocado kick these days, so my fruit bowl still had three avocados, just ripe).

Bursting with fresh flavors, this made a wonderful lunch - the peas, though frozen, were quickly dipped in simmering water, until they were just about to pop, and the mashed avocado was silky and mild.  The fresh sugar snaps a crunchy delight, and I loved the breeze of slivered mint.  I think this is the first sandwich I ever made with peas, and it was wonderful.

To make:

2 slices rye bread

two tablespoons homemade boursin

1/2 an avocado, peeled and mashed

1/2 cup frozen peas, quickly cooked for a minute in simmering water and drained 

3/4 cup fresh sugar snap peas, washed and sliced in 1 inch pieces

several mint leaves, washed and sliced into slivers

1 tablespoon or so of fresh lemon juice over all

sea salt

freshly cracked pepper

hot sauce if you wish

Spread the bread with the boursin.  Add the peas and sugar snaps gently, sprinkle with mint leaves, lemon juice, and salt and pepper and the optional hot sauce.  A few flakes of good parmesan would also be a treat.

Serves two.

I hope your summer is blossoming and full of joy !

parmesan flans with tomatoes and basil

Last night I was looking through my old recipe notebooks - large black sketching books where I pasted recipes from Gourmet and other food magazines.  I put this in my notebook in July 2008 from Cooking Light, and always wanted to make it, and somehow never got to it until this morning.

The first batch was a flop - I oiled the ramekins, made the egg and parmesan mixture, poached gently, cooled - and tried to unmold them. Disaster, as the bottom stuck and the tops broke into pieces.  I wasn't giving up, so I whipped up a quick batch of quiche batter, oiled the ramekins again, and cooked in a hot water bath for 45 minutes.  This time it worked.  The flans are prone to breaking up, so use a small spatula to move them after you unmold them.

 Oil 3 or 4 ramekins with mild olive oil.  Set oven temperature to 340F.  Fill a pan halfway with hot water - it should be big enough for your ramekins to fit easily.

The egg-cheese mixture:

2 extra large eggs
1/2 cup medium cream
1/2 cup milk
a scraping of nutmeg
black pepper 
1 or 2 tablespoons goat cheese, crumbled (optional)
3/4 cup good grated Parmesan cheese

Mix well and divide between your four ramekins.  Place in hot oven and bake for 35 minutes (they should be soft but firm).
Using a potholder or kitchen towel, remove ramekins from hot water to cool.

Make the tomato mixture:

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved, then quartered (more if you need)
3/4 cup peeled, diced cucumbers
two small yellow mini peppers, seeded and diced
salt and pepper
1/4 cup sliced fresh basil leaves

Run a knife around the flans and carefully unmold about an inch from your platter.
Space the flans a few inches apart, then sprinkle the tomato and cucumber mixture over each one, then top with the slivered basil.

These are pretty mild tasting, so feel free to jazz them up, if you want.

My thyme plant has been attacked by birds, with a tiny few inches left.  I was puzzled, until I found this article.

Enjoy this beautiful day!

the herb garden and a product review (hummus)

Oh, holy allergies!  I had hoped to be taking some long walks, but it's a wicked allergy season for me, not sure who the culprit is.  The best I can do is check on the new herb plants and keep them watered when we had those hot, dry days.  And Mr. Rabbit is very interested in the new calendula plants - I read up on rabbit problems, and apparently rabbits hate strong-smelling plants, which is why he hasn't eaten any of my new herbs - most of them are mints, rosemary and basils.  I'll be using a peppermint spray on the plants on dry days, and hope it keeps him away.

As I was rummaging through the pantry, making up a shopping list, I came across this hummus add-garbanzo-beans-and-blend packet I bought several months ago, and, being out of tahini, decided to try it. (this is not a sponsored post, by the way).  I guessed it would probably need more lemon, but it was surprisingly tangy.  A little too much salt for me, and I added half a clove of garlic, though it already had garlic in the ingredients.  It was a perfect texture , not soupy, and not too thick.  So, though I usually make my own, this was very good.  I would buy this again.  I really hate messing with a large container of tahini.  It always separates into an oily glop.

Hope you have a grand weekend!  

eat your veggies soup ( and using up your veggies)

Spring is here, but a little too cold to put out new herb plants - though I found my fresh parsley and dill in a very overcrowded vegetable drawer, eureka!  My New England background scolded me to "use it up",  - and so this soup was born.  I had kale, parsley, baby potatoes, broccoli, celery, and onions, which always seem to get soft too fast in the dark cupboard.  All of the veggies were nice and fresh.

To my great surprise, it was really delicious, so this off-the-cuff recipe stays in my files - it's definitely a keeper!

This is a beautiful rhubarb plant - but did you know the leaves are poisonous? Trim the leaves off from the red stems and throw the leaves in the trash - I never even put them in the compost bin.  I caught Izzie about to pick some because she thought it was kale!

Eat your veggies soup

2-3 baby potatoes. halved
1 cup firmly packed kale, leaves only, torn
1/4 cup roughly chopped Italian parsley
1 medium onion, peeled and sliced
3/4 cup chopped broccoli, no stems
1/2 cup sliced celery
a few sprigs of dill
1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon roasted chicken base or bouillon cube.  

Place the vegetables, thyme, dill, and bouillon paste in a large saucepan.  Add water halfway up the pot.  Bring water to a boil, turn down, and cook for 15-20 minutes on medium.

Remove from heat and blend in blender, adding small amounts of water if needed.
Taste and add salt and pepper before serving.  

Let me know about your veggie drawer clean out recipes!

Pantry cannellini bean and tomato salad with artichokes

Once again, I've been sidelined by that ankle injury several months ago.  Which meant no long walks to the supermarket, but on the happy side, reading and re-reading books from my library, everything from Buddhist philosophy to cookbooks to mysteries.  It's been lovely, but I'm impatient for the ankle to heal a little faster.

I've also browsed more on Pinterest, which is where I found this salad-from-the-pantry, made very simply with cans of diced tomatoes, beans, and artichoke hearts from my pantry shelves. I had green olives, but no black olives - I think I would prefer the black olives next time. And I did drain the diced tomatoes, but they were still juicy, next time I'll drain them a little longer. I also cut the artichoke hearts in half, instead of quarters.  But still, it was a wonderful filling salad for lunch.

Do check out the link for full directions  - her salad is lovely!

What I used:

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

2 fat garlic cloves, pressed

2 tablespoons bottled capers

a handful of olives

2 cans cannellini beans, drained

2 cans diced tomatoes, drained

1 can artichoke hearts, drained and cut in half

1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon dried basil

1/2 teaspoon dried oregano

2-3 tablespoons chopped Italian parsley

My parmesan cheese was very dry and hard, so I skipped the 1/4 cup parmesan shavings.

quick chicken soup with greens and rosemary

A few days ago I started a vaguely paleo/keto low carb diet, after a unfortunate side view in the mirror and trying on pants that were a little too tight.  Lots of protein sits well with me, and so do vegetables, and if I have a sudden desire for sugar or pastry, I eat a demitasse spoon full of my homemade marmalade or strawberry jam.  I even bought an old scale at my favorite Goodwill, just to show I'm serious.

I do use a lot of eggs on this diet, so when I emptied the egg carton last night, that meant no frittata this morning.  I had leftover chicken, and loads of greens, so a quick chicken soup was in order.  I'd bought thinly sliced skinless, boneless chicken that had very little flavor, so I bumped it up with lots of herbs and sweet butter.  Here and now, I vow never to buy them again - the bone-in with a jacket of skin and fat has a lot more flavor.

And I have news!  In eleven days heading back to New Hampshire (from Minnesota) for a week to visit family, and finally meet my new grandaughter!  I'm over the moon with excitement!

Here's this morning's soup:

Quick Chicken soup with greens and rosemary

Serves 2.

1 leek white, washed and sliced

1 - 2 sliced carrots, peeled

1 clove garlic

3 cups light chicken stock

1 heaping cup leftover chicken, diced

1/2 teaspoon thyme (I use dried)

1/4 teaspoon dried dill

nice sprig of fresh rosemary

Simmer until the carrots are soft, then add:

1 heaping cup broccoli rabe, sliced or 1 heaping cup torn kale

a squeeze of fresh lemon juice

1 tablespoon unsalted butter or olive oil

salt and fresh pepper to taste

If you want to sneak in some leftover pasta, that would work, too.

Here's a quick peek at my favorite birds - crows!  They sit on the flat rooftops of the apartment building, and swoop down to snack on the seeds and bread a neighbor puts out, then sit in the high trees and converse in their crow-talk, which can sound like a creaky door, to a ha-ha-ha, and I think I heard one whistling the other day.  It's hard to get a picture because they fly away if I get too close. This is snuck through the window screen 30 feet away.

kale, bacon, and boursin frittata

Ah, February.  While it does bring snow, and not as many of those subzero nights, it also seems to be the month I notice my clothes are a little tighter - which brings the inevitable diet.   I usually go on a modified South Beach/Keto/Paleo diet -high protein with low carbs, and try to step up exercise.  This time I have even more motivation:  a trip back to New Hampshire in two weeks to visit my son and family, and finally get to meet my new granddaughter!  Yay!!

This frittata is somewhat flat - not fluffy and high as many quiches are, but incredibly easy to throw together.  I try to keep a few pieces in the fridge at all times, so I don't have a snack attack while I'm standing by the warm pastries at my nearest convenience 
store.  I don't add a lot of cheese, but you're welcome to add more if you want.  Note that you need to prep the kale and bacon ahead of time.


Bacon,Kale, and Boursin frittata


Preheat oven to 340F.
Butter a glass pie dish, set aside.

In a large bowl combine:

4 extra large eggs
1/2 cup light cream or half and half
a handful of cooked bacon, crumbled or torn into small pieces
a heaping handful of tiny multi-colored tomatoes
1 cup blanched kale
fresh rosemary, stripped from stem
salt and pepper
1/2 cup crumbled boursin cheese (you can also make your own boursin with this recipe)

Pour into prepared pie dish, add the boursin on top, and bake for 35 minutes, or until the egg mixture is firm and fully cooked.

Let cool before cutting into slices.

That's it - easy as can be!  Hope you all have a wonderful day!

seared brussels sprouts with red onion, rosemary, and lemon

Another chilly, chilly day in Minnesota.  After a quick (very quick!) walk, I decided to clean the overloaded fridge.  Jams, jellies, soups, and a bag of brussels sprouts I had completely forgotten about.

Like Julia Child, I like my vegetables gently cooked until tender, rather than nearly raw.  After preparing them by trimming the stem and peeling off discolored leaves, I quartered them and added some slices of pretty red onion and a sprig of rosemary to the pot.  When they were just barely tender when poked with a fork, I drained them and did a quick sear in a little butter and oil - followed by a good squeeze of lemon juice and a sprinkle of salt.  Oh so good!


Seared Brussels Sprouts:

2 cups cleaned and quartered brussels sprouts (mine were quite large, if yours are smaller, you can cut them in half instead of quarters)
a large sprig of rosemary
several slices of red onion
water to just cover the sprouts

For the saute:
2 tablespoons olive oil
a pinch of thyme
2 pinches kosher salt
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
several squeezes of fresh lemon juice - about a tablespoon

Cook the sprouts in the water until just barely fork tender, then drain. 

Add the olive oil, thyme, and butter to a frying pan, then add the drained brussels sprouts and onion. Try to let them sear a little before gently stirring them with a large spoon and continuing to sear.  Just before you turn off the burner, add the squeezes of lemon juice and salt and stir gently.

Mound on a platter and serve immediately.  

Italian salad greens with ham, apple, and roasted cranberries

Post Christmas I was suddenly ravenous for ham and raw greens, salad - anything but cookies, which seemed to have been my diet for two or three weeks.  I haunted the supermarket and came home with a fat slice of ham and Italian salad greens - baby kale, baby mizuna, baby arugula, and radicchio ( which I left out because I didn't feel it fit in)

I made a very nice little oregano salad dressing, and tested an idea for roasted cranberries.  You can use raw cranberries easily, simply sliced in half.  Nice, sour, crunchy, but I liked the idea of a sweet/sour, barely roasted berry.  I think it's a nice perky addition, but go with the raw if you prefer.

Such a nice lunch!  But..... then I discovered I had left my camera at my daughter's house on Christmas Day.  I scrambled and searched and found a 2008 Powershot and took these remarkably retro photos of that very delicious salad.  Oh, how cameras have changed!

For the greens:  

Arrange in a large salad bowl or platter

For the ham :

Slice strips of ham about 4-5 inches long, maybe 1/2 inch thick

Arrange on top of greens.

Sliced apple chunks:

Slice a Granny Smith apple into thick slices, removing the core.

Cut each slice in half and arrange on greens.

The oregano salad dressing:

3 T. red wine vinegar

3 T. California olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 heaping teaspoon dried oregano

kosher salt

freshly ground pepper

Drizzle on top of the greens as desired.

For the roasted cranberries:

Marinate whole raw cranberries in a small bowl with 2 tablespoons olive oil, and 2 tablespoons sugar for an hour.

Preheat oven to 350F.  

Spoon the raw cranberries onto a baking sheet covered with foil or parchment.

As soon as the oven is at 350F, turn off the oven.

Slide the cranberries into the turned off oven and let sit in oven for 25 minutes.

Remove, cool, and sprinkle on salad.

A very Happy New Year to you all - hug people (and pets) you love, and believe in the goodness.

white bean and vegetable soup (with lots of herbs)

It's been frigid weather in Minnesota !  I met a dear friend in Minneapolis on Sunday from my home town in New Hampshire  - which was a delightful homecoming.  Nothing like hugs and conversation with an old friend, right?

When I came home, I was frozen and in need of something delicious, something herby and chock full of vegetables and herbs - and came up with this comfortable and delicious chowder, of sorts, which didn't need grated cheese, or sour cream, or anything extra, besides the fresh vegetables and a generous hand with herbs.  Heaven!    Though I do think some homemade bread would've been a real treat.

To make enough for 2 people:

1 large white potato, cubed (about a cup +)
1 carrot,peeled and cut into half moons (about 1/2 cup)
1 diced white onion (about 1/2 cup)
3 cups water
2 cups chicken or vegetable stock
a bay leaf
1 clove garlic
1 teaspoon unsalted butter

1 cup packed torn kale
1 can, drained, cannellini beans , 15.5 oz can
1/2 cup diced canned tomatoes

1 T. fresh rosemary, chopped
1 t. dried basil
2 tablespoons olive oil (I like California olive oil)
kosher salt to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste

Bring the stock, water, bay leaf, garlic, and butter to a simmer.  Add the potato, carrot and white onion and simmer until they are tender.

Add the kale, beans and tomatoes to the vegetables and simmer, then add the herbs and olive oil, salt, and pepper. Take off heat and let the soup sit for about 15 minutes.

Serve with cheese, fresh bread, and a green salad, if you wish.

I got festive the other night and decorated one of my windows - sparkly!

Hope your day is wonderful!

mad for rosemary-cumin hummus

The days have been dark and damp lately - a little colder, but not enough to cause a freeze, unlike New Hampshire.  It's harder to force myself out the door to walk on dreary days.  Which, of course, led to tighter and tighter pants.  I blamed the clothes dryer at first, until I faced the sad fact I was putting on a few pounds.  Probably all those cookies I keep making for my grandchildren:)

this is how I eat it:)

I've upped my excercise, swore off potato chips or Tostito's crispy rounds, but could never give up hummus, ever.  

I'd tried a few recipes, one of which was heavy on the tahini - nice, but it could taste a little strong sometimes.  Then I made Lovely Little Kitchen's recipe, which was easy and delicious, but I wanted a little more zip - herbs, hot sauce?  I tinkered and measured everything carefully, and to my surprise my measurements were almost the same as the one from Lovely Little Kitchen - just more lemon juice, lots of cumin, and some hot sauce.   Since I eat it straight from a small bowl, I wanted it to be fairly light, and that's what I got.  

The recipe:

Combine in your food processor:

1 can (15 or 16 oz) cooked garbanzo beans, aka chickpeas, drained (reserve 2 T. of juice)

2 tablespoons tahini

4 tablespoons olive oil

2 tablespoons of the canned chickpea liquid

3 teaspoons ground cumin

4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

2 tablespoons rosemary leaves, chopped (do not include stems)

1 medium clove of garlic, peeled and sliced

4 drops of hot sauce - I use Frank's hot sauce, which is fairly mild

Mix in food processor until smooth.  Taste and serve with chips, or raw vegetables, or straight, as is while waiting for trick or treaters tonight!  Happy Halloween!

What I've been reading:

Soul of an Octopus by Sy Montgomery (my NH friend)
The Book of Joy with The Dalai Lama and Desmond Tutu - wonderful book!

Cannellini bean soup with golden chard and brussels sprouts

Wonderful produce from Mississippi Market in St. Paul inspired this soup yesterday: cannellini beans, golden chard, a few brussels sprouts, fresh rosemary, thyme, onion, olive oil, sweet butter, chicken broth. Oh, and a slug of hot sauce:)  It was so good I made it again today.

The recipe

Cannellini Bean Soup with golden chard and brussels sprouts:

1 small yellow onion, chopped

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup good chicken broth

1 cup water 

one 15 oz. can cannellini beans, partly drained of the canned bean liquid

1 1/2 or 2 cups roughly chopped golden chard, both leaves and stems

3/4 cup sliced brussels sprouts (the ones I got were huge)

2 scallions, chopped

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme

salt and pepper to your taste

hot sauce to your taste

Saute the onion in the oil and butter in a large pot.  When golden, add the chicken stock and water, then the canned beans with their liquid.  Stir gently on low heat, then add the chard, brussels sprouts, scallions, rosemary, thyme, and salt and pepper.

Cook uncovered on low heat until the chard and brussels sprouts are tender, stirring slowly.  If it seems to be too thick, add a little more stock or water .

Taste test before serving, adding more salt if needed. Serve with rolls or French bread.

SO good!

leek and potato soup (vichyssoise)

A chill in the air the last few days:  the inevitable march toward autumn and winter.  My friend Joe and I took what might be our last walk halfway around Como Lake .  A beautiful sunny day, and a parade of almost every dog you can imagine.  The food vendors were gone and the windows shuttered, but the fall wildflowers were blooming everywhere , and just enough briskness to the air to be thankful for that pot of vichyssoise in the fridge.  Served not cold, but carefully warmed up (never bring to a boil once the cream is added!) and served with some very good cheese and steamed kale.  

Leek and potato soup (vichyssoise)

2 cups yellow or red potatoes, cut in large dice

2 cups sliced white of leek (you can include a little of the pale green)

2 tablespoons sliced white of scallions

Half chicken stock, half water to cover the potatoes and leeks

1 teaspoon dried thyme

1/2 teaspoon dried or fresh dill

3/4 cup medium cream

salt and pepper to taste

Place potatoes, scallions and leeks in large pot or saucepan.

Cover with half water/half chicken stock.

Add the thyme and dill.

Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are soft.

Remove from heat.  

Scoop out a cup of the broth and reserve.

Puree the soup, then add the cream.  Add reserved broth if needed.

Add salt and pepper to taste before serving.

                      

                                           Happy Autumn!

                        

freezing basil and a little vacation

I am back from a splendid "vacation" visiting my daughter and three grandchildren (and the cats and doggie) in their lovely house in Minneapolis. It was truly a wonderful visit, in spite of the alarming moment when the puppy Maisie ran away (found a few blocks away hanging out with a little brewfest party:), and the sigh when I realized, yes.  The three year old still bellows his rising and shining at 4 or 5 am.  I was thrilled to find the lavender turtleheads flowering in the side yard, right on schedule as it is in New Hampshire.

Now back at my place, and checking on my basil in my little garden, I saw the first golden leaf beside the bush.   First an inhaling of that wonderful scent, and then snipping away to fill a bowlful of those gorgeous, fragrant leaves.  It rained last night, but by afternoon the leaves were dry - perfect for freezing.

This is a trick I learned some time ago - that if you clip basil when it's perfectly dry and place in a clean, dry, freezer container and stick in your freezer, the basil will stay green and fragrant - and that is such a treat in February!  As I'm not familiar with the frost date in St. Paul, I decided to stash that beautiful basil while it was on my mind. Just remember, it has to be completely dry before clipping.  Simply snip off the very dry leaves and layer in the container, discarding the stems.

Happy September!

One year ago:  Little peach and nectarine galettes

Two years ago:  Buttery Cabbage Slices(steaks)

Three years ago:  Poached apricots with cardamom and cinnamon cream

Four years ago:  Lemon muffins and the last of the tomatoes