cook the book: ottolenghi's soba noodles with eggplant & mango

Hi there.  It’s been a while!  Life has been busy and interesting lately, and it hasn’t left much time or capacity for blogging.  When I last updated you, I was gearing up a fun Spring weekend.  My sister was going to be making a brief stop in DC en route to Charlottesville for Foxfield, and I was Spotifying my face off in preparation for Sweetlife.  But as we know, sometimes life makes other plans.  Bollie’s eight-hour stopover turned into a forty-eight hour one.  This was no choice of hers (or mine) – but 103.7 degrees, two doctors, three prescriptions, and one emergency room trip later, it was clear the only place she was going was my bed.  Mercifully, she is fine now, and even though we both missed out on our other plans, we enjoyed spending some lazy, uninterrupted time together - a rare treat these days.  (Okay, so I think I liked it more than she did.  And I also secretly loved getting to nurse her back to health.)

After my weekend nursing shift was done, I had a particularly hellacious week of work.  And on Friday, just when I thought I was in the clear, I was on the brink of a (literal) technical disaster.  That morning, my trusty seven-year-old Dell Laptop finally died.  Not a surprise, but frustrating nonetheless.  I thought I had lost a lot of music and pictures from the last time I backed it up, but with some tech savvy, a lot of finagling, and a little bit of luck, I was able to get what I needed, so no love lost.

All of six hours after The Fossil went to Tech Heaven, my iPad fell off the couch, hit my hardwood floor on its funny bone, and shattered.  In utter disbelief, I headed to Apple, where I shared my Genius bar appointment with a sockless, 70-year-old Georgetowner with iPhone issues, and who was also quite taken with our Genius.  His blue-blazer’ed elbow repeatedly nudged my bare forearm, and with a grin and a wink, would ask me, “Isn’t it just so nice to deal with somebody who knows what they’re talking about?”  (Note:  I hate being touched.  Get out of my personal space.)  But I smiled and nodded as I waited for the Genius to finish formatting my replacement, only to charge me some ridiculous sum of money for an outdated model and twenty minutes worth of labor, the latter of which was actually shared with Grandpa Wink-Nudge.  As I was leaving, the Genius said, “May the Fourth be with you.”  Icing on the cake.  

Leaving the store, I did what any other mature adult does when she feels defeated.  I called my mother.  And what did she say?  “You better be careful driving home.”

When it rains, it pours.  (And five minutes later, it did.)

I arrived home feeling tired, clumsy, and a little bit broken.  As I changed out of my wet clothes and collapsed onto the sofa, my apartment’s sweet office manager called to let me know they were about to close, and would I like for him to drop off my present?

Why yes, I would, thank you.  This “present” was a cookbook that I ordered from Amazon.  After months of reading about Yotam Ottolenghi’s Plenty, I finally bought myself a copy.  I instantly fell in love with the vibrant recipes and stunning photography.  Ottolenghi owns and operates the eponymous London gourmet deli, similar to Balducci’s or Dean and Deluca.  His business model, centered around grab-and-go fare that is casual, healthy, and interesting, lends itself well to an at-home cookbook.  The food is delicious, but simple at that - you won’t find too many long, involved, technically-difficult items.  Plenty is a collection of impeccably-curated recipes centered around real foods like fruits, vegetables, grains, and dairy.  It is a vegetarian cookbook written by a carnivore – meant for those who love veggies, but perhaps are a little weirded out by tofu and seitan, and are not willing to forgo meat and fish entirely.  (It is probably not the best choice for vegans - Ottolenghi loves dairy products.)  Interesting ingredient combinations, heavy-handed helpings of fresh herbs, and a Mediterranean/Middle-Eastern focus make Plenty a must-have for anyone who digs unique flavor combinations and isn’t afraid to push the envelope a little.  And, the clearly obsessive-compulsive methodology makes this perfectionist very happy.

In the five days I’ve had Plenty, I’ve made three recipes from it, including this one for soba noodles with eggplant and mango.  Randomly enough, I had all of the ingredients for this recipe on hand on the Day of Disaster, which was the only reason why I chose to make it for dinner that night.  However, it was so good I ended up making it again on Monday.  I know it seems like nothing really goes together, but it really does work!  And it will pick you up from a bad day - guaranteed.

A couple of notes:

• This recipe is vegan, vegetarian, and if made with 100% soba noodles, gluten-free.
• The recipe is very good if eaten immediately, excellent if mixed together and allowed to chill for about an hour, and pretty great still the next day.  However, the mango and eggplant in the "next-day" batch do lose some of their vibrancy, so it may be even better to add those ingredients to the mix right before serving, if you plan on eating it over a couple of days. 
• I fried the eggplant as directed (in a lot of oil) the first time I made it.  The second time, for a healthier version, I tried roasting it in the oven at 450, using only a couple of tablespoons of oil.  To be frank, it's not nearly as good, so I'd recommend frying it.  There's virtually no fat elsewhere in the recipe, so don't sweat it too much.
• The original recipe calls for sunflower oil, but that's a fancy ingredient I don't have, so I used good old canola.  Don't use olive oil - it would probably impart too much flavor on the eggplant.  And what a shame to waste olive oil on something like this, anyway.
• The second time I made it, I used all cilantro instead of cilantro and basil.  All cilantro worked just great; I didn't miss the basil too much.
• I often find that the flavor of raw onions is too potent for me, but these onions are bearable since they get tossed in the dressing.  If yours are particularly strong, you can soak them in water.

Soba noodles with eggplant and mango
Adapted, just barely, from Ottolenghi's Plenty
Serves 6

1/2 cup rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 fresh red chile, finely chopped
1-2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
grated zest and juice of 1 lime
1 cup canola oil
2 eggplants, cut into 3/4-inch dice
9 ounces soba noodles
2 large ripe mangoes, diced
1 1/2 cups basil leaves, chopped (or Thai basil, but use less)
2 1/2 cups cilantro leaves, chopped
1/2 red onion, very thinly sliced

1.  In a small saucepan gently warm the vinegar, sugar and salt for up to 1 minute, just until the sugar dissolves. Remove from the heat and add the garlic, chile and sesame oil.  Allow to cool, then add the lime zest and juice.
2.  Heat up the sunflower oil in a large pan and shallow-fry the eggplant in three or four batches. Once golden brown remove to a colander, sprinkle liberally with salt and leave there to drain.
3.  Cook the noodles in boiling salted water, stirring occasionally. They should take 5 to 8 minutes to become tender but still al dente.  Drain and rinse well under running cold water.  Leave to drain again.
4.  In a mixing bowl toss the noodles with the dressing, mango, eggplant, onion, and herbs.  Serve immediately or allow the flavors to mingle for an hour or so.
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spring new potato salad

Something really strange went down in my kitchen a couple days ago.  I made potato salad.  Nobody was holding me at gunpoint.  No picky steak-and-potatoes people were coming over for dinner.  It was entirely of my own volition.  And I liked it.

The thing is, I don't actually care for potatoes.  (In my world, there are two kinds of people - rice people and potato people.  Which one are you?)  I might eat roasted fingerling potatoes with rosemary occasionally, but that's about the extent of my potato-eating desire.  I don't love French fries.  Tater tots are just okay.  I don't even really like potato chips, unless they are being used as a vessel for some sort of dip, or unless they are of the salt and vinegar variety.  But you know, the more acceptable ways of eating potatoes, I don't like those one bit.  I don't like them boiled and mashed, unless they are dressed beyond recognition with sour cream and butter.  And I hate baked potatoes - don't even get me started on baked potatoes with cheddar cheese and bacon bits.  Eww.  I will never understand why that's a thing. 

Which is why it is strange that I found myself making potato salad the other day for lunch.  As you can imagine, now that I am (almost) at the end of the Lenten season, I have a few loose odds and ends in my refrigerator.  I decided to do a big refrigerator clean-up and clean out, throwing away what was no longer good, and putting the rest in a big "cook something with this" pile.  When all was said and done, I threw out a cucumber, a bunch of parsley, half an old bell pepper, and a few ounces here and there of homemade salad dressings that smelled funky.  I saved a bunch of radishes, four scallions, and tupperware of previously-canned artichoke hearts.  So, I scanned the Internet for recipes incorporating those ingredients, and I came across one called Spring Cleaning/Potato Salad.  Funny.  The author had done the same "spring cleaning" of her refrigerator, and came up with a potato salad using the remnants.  I made a mental note to pick up some potatoes and give it a shot - otherwise, the ingredients would be headed for the trash in a couple of days.  Worst case scenario?  I'd hate it, in which case I would just give it to friends.

As much as it pains me to admit, I actually love this potato salad.  It is made with small "new potatoes" (aka baby potatoes), which are purposely harvested prematurely.  As immature potatoes, they are small, have a thin skin, and a less offensive texture and flavor than their bigger, tougher counterparts, "old potatoes".  Besides the fact that new potatoes apparently taste better than big old potatoes, this salad has a ton of other redeeming qualities - it is loaded with other vegetables and it is not doused in mayonnaise.  Though, let's be honest.  If it were, I probably wouldn't mind.  Y'all know how I love me some mayonnaise.

I made my version with green onions, artichoke hearts, and radishes sliced paper-thin.  To cut the radishes, I used my mandoline.  You could probably just use a knife if you have any semblance of dexterity and patience, but as you are probably aware, I have neither.  The original recipe calls for frozen green peas, which I don't particularly love, so I was just planning on leaving them out.  However, while the potatoes were boiling, I discovered a bag of field peas that I had frozen at the end of last summer, after my mom had found them at a farm stand in Pungo.  And after a very non-commital flirtation with the idea of adding them, I threw them in at the end.  (That's my idea of living on the edge.)  I couldn't tell what kind of field peas they were, so I called my mom to ask her how long they should cook.

"Oh, they kind of take a long time.  They're gonna need to boil for a while," she said.

By "a while", I thought she meant upward of 40 minutes, like other legumes.  Well, no joke, fifteen minutes after I hung up the phone, my kitchen started smelling like burnt popcorn, and sure enough all the water was absorbed and they were stuck to the bottom of the pan.  Luckily, they didn't taste bad (I think I caught them just in time) so I threw them in there anyway.

So yes, this is kind of an everything-but-the-kitchen-sink potato salad, but it's delicious.  Add whatever you fancy, and adjust according to your tastes.  For example, my mom hates dill, but I bet chives would also be great in it.  Whatever you do, be sure not to let your potatoes boil too long.  You want them to be just barely tender - "fork tender", whatever that means.  I let mine cook for 13 minutes or so.  Transfer the potatoes to a cold ice bath immediately so they stop cooking; this also makes them easier to handle.

This recipe is great served cold or at room temperature, and it is even better the next day.  It would also be great for a late-spring outdoor barbeque.  Man, I can't wait till it's officially grilling season.  Somebody with a grill invite me over....

Spring new potato salad
Adapted very loosely from The Incuisition
Serves 4

1 pound new (baby) potatoes (I used a mix of red and yellow)
4 green onions, chopped (both green and white parts)
1 bunch radishes, cleaned and thinly sliced
1 15-ounce can artichoke hearts, chopped
1 cup field peas, sugar snap peas, or frozen peas
4 sprigs fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tablespoons white wine vinegar
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)
1/2 tablespoon dijon mustard (can use more if you want a real kick...grainy mustard would be good, too)
sea salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese (optional)

1.  In a medium pot, boil potatoes until just tender, 12-15 minutes.  Transfer to ice bath and set aside.
2.  If your peas are frozen or uncooked, cover with about an inch of water and let them cook.  Depending on the variety, time will vary from a quick 1-2 minute blanch to a full cook.  Keep an eye on them.
3.  While potatoes are cooling, chop your green onions, radishes, and artichoke hearts, and dill, and combine in a large serving bowl.
4.  In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, vinegar, mustard, and lemon juice.  Add salt and pepper, to taste.
5.  Chop potatoes and add to bowl with other vegetables and herbs.  Pour dressing over salad, and toss to coat.  Top with feta cheese, if desired.  This is even better after it sits a while, and it's great the next day. Pin It Now!

beet & beet green chopped salad

You must think I am on some kind of "you will eat your beets and you will like them" war path.  I just browsed through my labels and I noticed there is a pretty high ratio of beet recipes to everything else.  Almost as high as butternut squash or brussels sprouts.  The thing is, I kinda love the beet.  I mean, it's a hot pink vegetable, so that should come as no surprise.

To see my original love story to the beet, read this entry from last year.  If you're new to beets, just try roasting them and topping with a bit of olive oil, salt, and pepper or eating them on a simple salad of watercress or arugula and goat cheese.  A few months ago, I volunteered at a dinner fundraiser in which the uber-talented Barton Seaver cooked up six delicious courses for the benefit of two laudable DC charities, DC Central Kitchen and Martha's Table.  One course was a deconstructed roasted vegetable salad, with a beet perched atop a goat cheese puree, which was emulsified with olive oil, and ostensibly, crack cocaine.  Seriously, I could barely prevent myself from spooning the puree into my mouth directly from the container.  He gave me the leftover beets and goat cheese, and I ate them together for a solid week.  It has now become my favorite combination.

But since I've OD'ed on cheese, I decided to eat my beets in a vegan salad.  But really though, before you womp-womp me, this is a great salad.  Doesn't it look like something you would get at Sweetgreen?  It serves up to six as a side, or three as a lunch salad or even a light dinner.  In fact, I ate it last night for dinner and was really surprised at how satisfying and filling it was.  And it is absolutely gorgeous - the pictures don't do it justice.  It looks like someone splattered pink paint across a lush spring meadow.  If I ever open up a sandwich and salad joint, this is definitely going on the menu.  I'd call it "The Beetnik".

I adapted the original recipe as follows -

• I added spinach to mellow the flavor of straight beet greens.  Beet greens are not for everyone....they are a little bitter and need a sweeter, more delicate green to balance out the flavor.  They are also slightly coarse, so it helps to toss the greens in a little bit of the dressing before mixing the salad.  The extra time "marinating"  allows the greens to soften.
• I added golden beets to the mix for the slight flavor contrast and to add more pretty color.  I am still fighting my addiction to orange things.
• I used pistachios instead of sunflower seeds because it was what I had.  I liked it a lot.
• I omitted the agave from the dressing.  Honestly, it could have used a bit of sweetness, so don't omit it if you aren't insane like me.  Sacrifices.

Finally, an important PSA!  I've planned out the posts for tomorrow and Thursday already (duh), but I am accepting suggestions for my last 4-5 recipes!  Bollie already requested some sort of steak that can be cooked in a grill pan or in the oven, so that's on my radar.  If any of you have any other ideas, please e-mail me!  (I've long since stopped begging for comments since Blogger won't let anyone do so without blowing up their computer or sacrificing their first born.)  Otherwise you will continue to get weird stuff that I like to eat, like beets.

Beet & Beet Green Chopped Salad
Adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen
Serves 3-6

for the salad
1 bunch of red beets, including fresh looking greens
1 bunch of golden beets
2 handfuls baby spinach
2 scallions, white and light green parts
1 1/2 cups cooked and cooled quinoa
1 small avocado, diced
1/3 cup pistachios

for the tahini dressing
1/4 cup tahini
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup water, more as needed
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1-2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives

1.  Preheat the oven to 450 degrees.  Cut the greens from the beets at their stem and individually wrap the beets in aluminum foil.  Place on a baking sheet in the middle oven rack and cook for 45 minutes to an hour.  Set them aside to cool.
2.  While the beets roast, rinse and dry the beet greens. Discard the long red stems and any parts of the leaf that look bad.  Chop the greens and put them in a large mixing bowl with rinsed and chopped baby spinach.
3.  To prepare the dressing, whisk together the tahini, lemon juice, vinegar, and water. Mix in the garlic, hearty pinch of salt and pepper and drizzle in the olive oil while whisking. Add more water if you prefer it thinner. Mix in the chives. Adjust to your taste and set aside.  (The dressing will keep in an airtight container in the fridge for a couple weeks.)
4.  Coat the greens in a little bit of the dressing and let sit for 10 minutes.
5.  Once the beets are cool enough to touch, you should be able to just push the skin off with your fingers. Dice the peeled beets. Thinly slice the scallions. Add the beets, scallions, quinoa and avocado to the mixing bowl with the dressed greens and add more dressing.  (note: the salad will turn pink from the beets. If this bothers you, you can toss everything without the diced beets, and sprinkle them on top). Sprinkle in the pistachios and give it one more toss. Pin It Now!

bok choy stirfry

This is the kind of meal you make when you're on autopilot.  It's the kind of thing that comes together with minimal work and maximum ease, in a situation where reading directions and following a recipe would be asking far too much.  After an overzealous Saturday, I woke up Sunday and faced a daunting list of to-dos, but only half the capacity to complete them.   I had to venture down to Eastern Market (which is inconvenient in the first place, much less under the circumstances) to get a necklace restrung.  My jewelry man told me he could fix it in 15 minutes.  Awesome.  I'd be back home on my sofa in no time.  To kill time, I ducked into a coffee shop and ordered a cup of iced coffee.  I paid for it, and then walked out of the coffee shop – sans coffee.  I didn’t realize it until I was milling through the stalls.  Seriously, I don’t know who does this.

After I went back to reclaim my coffee (you should have seen the look from the barista), I came across a stall with beautiful, hand-embroidered girls’ dresses.  The thin, gauze-like fabric and bright, intricate embroidery was oddly familiar, but unplaceable.  Then, I looked at the woman sitting in the corner.  Back to the dresses.  To the woman.  Ah hah! - she was definitely Ecuadorian.  The dresses looked familiar because I had a steady rotation of dresses exactly like them every summer until I was in middle school, at least. 

Overestimating my ability to hold a casual conversation in Spanish while operating at 50%, (well, let's be real, the caffeine hadn't kicked in yet, so 30%) I started chatting with her.  Her skin turned from a rusty copper to a pale white.  Normal reaction from whenever I speak Spanish to an unsuspecting stranger.  I complimented her handiwork and made small talk for a bit, the autopilot guiding me through a conversation I've had a hundred times before.  (Where did you learn to speak Spanish like that?  What is your connection to Ecuador? etc.)  Within a couple minutes, my autopilot failed and I was forced to awkwardly duck out politely excuse myself.  I went to pick up some produce before I reclaimed my necklace and went home.  Then I realized I didn’t have cash, so I went back to wandering aimlessly until my necklace was finished.  I would just have to stop at the grocery store on the way home.

Later, I walked in the door and Whitney told me I looked confused.  I told her that I thought I blacked out in Safeway because I wasn't sure exactly what I bought.

“You probably just got a shit ton of vegetables.”

Oh, she knows me far too well.  Sometimes I fall prey to the beautiful colors of fresh vegetables at the market or grocery store (again, I don't know who does this) and come home with a plethora of produce, but nothing quite goes together, and I have absolutely no plan to execute.  I unloaded the contents of my bag and took a look. Bok choy.  Mushrooms.  Frozen edamame.  Some other random things.  So I decided on stirfry.  I wish I could say that I picked up these ingredients with this end goal in mind....but I didn't.  That's the beauty of stirfry - it works when you have no idea what else to do.  This happens to me more often than I would like.

Luckily, stirfry is impossible to mess up, and not only did this recipe not suck, it was actually really good.  But then again, I think anything with massive quantities of ginger and garlic is failsafe.  So next time you're on autopilot, just throw a bunch of stuff in a skillet and let it wok and roll. 

Bok in the wok
A caramelized memoir original
Serves 2 

2 baby bok choy, sliced in half, vertically
6 ounces mushrooms, chopped
3/4 cup frozen edamame
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1-2 tablespoons minced freshly minced ginger (to taste.  I like a lot, so I use closer to 2 tablespoons.)
1-2 tablespoons garlic (to taste.  I like a lot, so I use closer to 2 tablespoons.)
1 tablespoon sesame seeds
crushed red pepper flakes (optional)
2 cups cooked rice


1.  Cook rice according to package directions.  You will want enough rice for two people.  I made about two cups cooked.
2.  Heat sesame oil in wok over medium heat.  Add minced ginger and garlic and stir frequently for about 2 minutes, or until fragrant.  Do not let burn.
3.  Add bok choy and fry for about 5 minutes.  After 5 minutes, add frozen edamame and mushrooms.  Stirfry another 5 minutes.  
4.  Turn off heat and stir in sesame seeds.  Serve vegetables over rice and season with crushed red pepper flakes, if desired. (I also drizzled with a little bit of gluten-free soy sauce, as well.)



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eggplant & lentil stew with pomegranate

The instructor at my crunchy hot yoga studio (not to be confused with the hot yoga studio that feels like a Lululemon advertisement or the torture chamber Bikram yoga studio) said something very interesting the other day.  We were in a difficult pose, and she asked us to try to smile.  With all my weight in my non-dominant leg, the rest of my body contorted all pretzel-like, and my eyes blinking to deflect the salty sweat dripping from my brow, smiling was not on my to-do list.  In fact, it almost seemed unnatural to signal pleasure when I was really in pain.  But, because I am a good student and I try to follow directions, I obliged.  Once I turned my lips up, I sunk deeper into the posture and it almost became easier.  Everyone else must have seen similar results, because the instructor said, "See?  Go through life smiling, and life will smile back." 

But you know, yogis are happy people, all Zen-like and peaceful, so this incident, in and of itself, isn't all that earth-shattering.  But a few days later, I found myself struck with the same message....at church, of all places.  The message of the homily was something along the lines of "Catholics just love suffering.  And we're really good at it.  In fact, we think we're doing something wrong if we're not suffering.  But why do we suffer?  What does it prove?  I challenge you to be bad at suffering."

Interesting, right?  The yogis and the Jesuits are on the same page about something.  Who would have thought?

Honestly, that doesn't have anything to do with this soup, but I've been thinking about that message a lot this week, so I thought I'd share it with you all.  The past few days, I've encountered a slew of first-world problems - all petty things, but things that frustrate me nonetheless.  A parking ticket, stemming from my own inability to properly key a meter code into the pay-by-phone app.  Missing the train and having to wait eight minutes for the next because it's tourist season and they block the Metro escalators.  The water pressure completely failing during my shower, leaving me shivering under a slow stream of water.  Every CVS in town being out of Allegra-D.  In every circumstance, instead of a letting out a long string of profanity, I've tried to remember the whole "smile through your day" thing, and it might actually be starting to work.  Or maybe I've just given myself extra time on my commute, double-checked my typing on my iPhone, remembered not to shower while running the dishwasher, and finally gotten my hands on allergy medicine.

So, if you need something to make you smile, make this stew.  It is a delicious, satisfying soup that will make your insides happy!  Tomatoes and eggplant contain staggering amounts of lycopene, which aid in fighting depression.  And lentils (my favorite legume, obviously) are so, so incredibly good for you.  Seriously.  I can't even begin to tell you.  Just google it.  This stew is a great meatless dish for anyone who observes meatless Fridays of Lent (or, for your next "Meatless Monday").  I am not even sure I'd call it a "stew" - it is light and it can be eaten warm or cold.  So make it. 

A couple quick notes - I think this is a summertime dish because the recipe calls for fresh tomatoes, but I used a large can of diced tomatoes instead.  It also calls for pomegranate molasses, a common ingredient in Mediterranean, Turkish, and Middle Eastern cuisine.  Obviously, the main ingredients in pomegranate molasses are pomegranates and sugar - off-limits for this girl.  Instead, I just used a cup of 100% pure pomegranate juice, with no sugar added.  It still gives the soup a tart, sweet flavor that goes well with the acidity of the vegetables and the earthiness of the lentils.  I ate this for lunch for a straight week - it's that good.  (People often ask me what I have been eating for lunch - it's either a soup, dinner leftovers, or salad these days.)

Eggplant and lentil stew with pomegranate
Adapted from Food & Wine
Serves 4

1 medium eggplant (about 1 1/2 pounds)
Salt
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/2 cup dry lentils
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 28-ounce can diced tomatoes
2 Anaheim chiles, stemmed, seeded, and coarsely chopped
2 tablespoons minced garlic
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
2 tablespoons chopped mint leaves
1 cup water
1 cup pomegranate juice (look for 100% pomegranate, no sugar added)
fresh parsley, to garnish

1. Peel the eggplant and slice lengthwise into thirds, then crosswise in one inch segments.  Sprinkle with salt and let sit 20 minutes.  
2. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, cover the lentils with 2 inches of water and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to moderate and simmer until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain the lentils.
3. In a bowl, toss the onion with the garlic, diced tomatoes and juices, green chiles, mint, tomato paste, crushed red pepper and 2 teaspoons of salt.
4. Rinse eggplant and pat dry.  Coat the bottom of a ceramic dutch oven or stew pot with 1 tablespoon of the olive oil.  Spread your ingredients in the dish in layers:  vegetable mixture-eggplant-lentils-vegetable mixture-eggplant-lentils.  Pour the water, pomegranate juice, and remaining olive oil around the side and over the vegetables.
5. Bring the stew to a boil. Reduce heat, cover, and cook at a low simmer until the eggplant is very tender, about 1 1/2 hours. Serve hot, warm or at room temperature.



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butternut squash risotto with mushrooms



What do you make for dinner when you are not eating gluten or sugar, and your dining companion is a vegetarian allergic to pretty much everything under the sun?

I faced this dilemma when my friend Rae came over for dinner last week.  Rae and I lived together for a stint in college, but I typically avoid cooking for her because her allergies give me a panic attack.  (Right up there with my claustrophobia is an irrational fear of accidentally giving someone anaphylaxis.)  Rae is allergic or intolerant to a laundry list of items, including, but not limited to: avocados, mangoes, peanuts, pine nuts, (she has recently outgrown her allergy to walnuts and almonds), barley, hops, and tequila (though I think she's making that one up).  On top of those aversions, she eats no land animals, and very little fish.  A much more compassionate human being than I, Rae became a vegetarian as a precocious preschooler.  She has stuck with it ever since, unlike most children who are just picky and quit their ways when their parents tell them that they have to actually eat vegetables if they want to be considered a "vegetarian".  That may have been what happened to Bollie at age 5.  My mom wasn't going to let her live on peanut butter and cheetos sandwiches forever. 

Though I am, for the most part, a neurotic control freak rational, methodical person, on the rarest of occasions I sometimes forgo logical thought processes.  Like last Thursday.  I chose risotto for our romantic dinner on an 80 degree day.  (Despite its starchy, creamy texture, risotto is actually gluten-free!)  And instead of making it with something "springy", like asparagus, I chose to make it with butternut squash.  Did I mention it was 80 degrees outside?  In my defense, it was March 15, which to me means there remain only two weeks in the Socially Acceptable Period For The Consumption of Winter Squashes.  And since I stockpile gourds like the world is going to end and I am going to be forced into a post-apocalyptic Iron Chef: Winter Squash challenge to determine who gets the last spot on the escape shuttle to outer space (because surely, knowing how to cook butternut squash will come in handy on Planet X), I decided to hone my skillz with a butternut squash risotto.  Plus, Patti made a similar dish for Friendsgiving 2011, and it was a roaring success. 

So, there I was, stirring my butternut squash risotto and straining myself to hear the NCAA tournament playing on the TV in the next room.  There's another rational thought - make the most labor-intensive, finicky dish in the history of Italian pasta when you really just want to be watching March Madness instead.  If you've never made risotto, know that it is time-consuming, tedious, and, above all, an exercise in patience.  It is kind of like a small child.  It requires devotion and constant attention, and you have to be careful how much liquid you give it.  It must be babysat, and you have to stir it gently and frequently.  But when it is done right, it's delicious, so it's worth it. 

Also, it needs to be served immediately.  It is not good if it sits out, and it's not particularly good as leftovers.  I got a late start on the risotto because I know Rae's internal clock is 20 minutes behind the rest of the world's, so it actually worked out perfectly.  I was spooning the risotto into a bowl right when she walked in my front door.  We added some mushrooms to the risotto for good measure, and we really liked the earthiness it added.  We paired our dish with a green salad (with basil! Genius thinking, Rae) and it was a delicious supper.

Butternut Squash Risotto with Mushrooms
Adapted from Williams-Sonoma
Serves 4 as main course

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, divided

2 tablespoons olive oil, divided

1 onion, minced (yellow or white)

1 tablespoon minced garlic

1 1/2 cups arborio rice

4 cups vegetable stock (or chicken stock, if not making vegetarian)

1 1/2 - 2 cups butternut squash puree (one small squash)

1/2 cup dry white wine

2 tablespoons minced fresh sage

1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary

6 ounces mushrooms, finely chopped

1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 450 degrees.  Roast butternut squash (halved vertically, face up in a roasting pan) in oven until soft, about an hour.  Let cool completely and scoop out the flesh.  Puree.  This can be done in advance.   

2.  In a large pot over medium heat, whisk together the stock and 1 1/2 to 2 cups squash puree. Bring just to a simmer, 8 to 10 minutes; maintain over low heat.
3.  In a large saucepan over medium-high heat, melt one tablespoon of butter and one tablespoon olive oil.  Saute onion and garlic, stirring frequently, until caramelized, about 7 minutes.

4.  Add risotto and another scant tablespoon of olive oil (if necessary) to pan and stir, until grains are coated with oil and are transparent with a white dot in the center, about 3 minutes.

5.  Stir in sage and rosemary.  Add the white wine until it is absorbed.

6.  Add the simmering stock mixture a ladleful at a time, stirring after each addition. Wait until the stock is almost completely absorbed before adding more.

7.  When the rice is almost al dente, after about 25 minutes, add the mushrooms and continue to cook as you have been - adding liquid, stirring until absorbed, and repeating. 

8. When the rice is tender to the bite but slightly firm in the center and looks creamy, after about 10-15 minutes more, stir in the remaining two tablespoons of butter, the cheese, salt, and pepper.  Add more stock if needed so the rice is thick and creamy (I added a couple more ladlefuls).  Serve immediately.

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japanese rice noodles with eggplant and edamame

Happy Pi Day!  Since I can't actually eat pie, or at least I have zero interest in trying a gluten-free, sugar-free pie, there is no pie here today.  Instead, we have Asian noodles.  Shocker, I know.  Y'all know how I love my Asian cuisine.

I'm now three weeks through my Lenten sacrifice, or just about halfway through my journey.  All in all, things are going well.  I feel great.  I don't necessarily notice a big difference from three weeks ago, but I do feel a little less "bogged down" and a little bit lighter and stronger.  (It could also just be my return to my yoga mat after a few weeks away.)  Either way, I have plenty of energy and feel happy and healthy.

Sure, I crave sweets and get FOMO over my friends eating Baked and Wired in front of me, but the things I've been craving most recently are foods I don't even eat that often.  Pancakes.  (Honestly, I don't even like pancakes that much.)  Cereal.  (Do you know how hard it is to find a gluten-free cereal that also does not contain some sort of sugar, including honey or evaporated cane juice?  Kelly did send me a recipe for a gluten-free/sugar-free breakfast granola.  I'll have to try that ASAP.)  French toast with powdered sugar and maple syrup.  You get the idea.

Then there are the things that I miss that aren't necessarily cravings, but rather, necessary food groups.  Part of the issue with my no-gluten thing is that I am not eating bread and pasta, which is not ideal for someone who runs several times a week.  I didn't think it was going to be a problem, but it has been evident on some of my long runs that I have not found a way to properly supply my body with the carbohydrates it needs.  (Pretty sure the carbs in vodka are not what my body is looking for while running.)  Around mile four or five, my body just shuts down and I need fuel.

So, to rectify the situation, I figured I needed to make some Asian noodles before my long run last weekend.  My original intention was to make something with soba (buckwheat) noodles, which, despite their name, are naturally gluten-free.  However, the 100% soba noodles were $6.39 for eight ounces, which is obscene.  That comes to almost $13/pound.  Um, sorry.  No thank you.  We're talking about noodles here, not halibut.  (Note:  if you need a lesson in food math, check out this post.)

Instead of soba, I settled on some thin, flat rice noodles, made from 100% brown rice, and therefore, gluten-free.  Because I've consumed an offensive amount of peanut butter recently, I decided to forgo the traditional pad thai route and try a sesame-mirin sauce instead.  Also, because I tend to favor vegetarian meals, I stirfried some eggplant, edamame, and red peppers in with the noodles.  You could easily do the same with chicken, beef, or tofu.

This is a great example of a dish where I had to be really careful about reading the labels.  I originally picked up some cheaper soba noodles and decided to double-check the label to make sure they were 100% buckwheat.  Of course, they were not - only 30% soba.  If you like the taste of soba but are not gluten-free, this would be a great option.  I also had to buy the Eden Foods mirin, which doesn't have sugar or corn syrup added.  (The common Kikkoman brand does).

Anyway, this dish is great.  Salty (from the soy sauce) and sweet (from the mirin), with a variety of textures and flavors to keep your mouth guessing.  It also happens to contain the perfect mixture of carbohydrates and proteins for a 9-mile run.  This time, I didn't get tired.*

*Fine print:  I didn't get tired until mile 8.5 when we were running up the steps in Meridian Hill Park just after a steep climb up 16th Street.  At that point, I almost keeled over. #humblebrag

Japanese rice noodles with eggplant and edamame
A caramelized memoir original
Serves 4

1 medium eggplant (about 1 ½ pounds)
2 cups edamame beans (frozen is fine)
6 green onions
½ red bell pepper
1/2 cup gluten-free soy sauce
1/4 cup mirin (Japanese sweet wine)
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 tablespoon freshly grated ginger
Pinch red pepper flakes (optional)
1 tablespoon vegetable oil, for frying

1. Peel eggplant and chop into small dice (less than an inch). Chop red pepper and green onions, both white and green parts. Put all vegetables in large bowl with edamame.
2. In smaller bowl, mix next seven ingredients. Adjust according to taste. Pour over vegetables and cover. Let marinate 30 minutes.
3. Over medium-high heat, stirfry the vegetables in oil in a large wok, in batches, if necessary, until vegetables are soft and nicely browned. (I had to do mine in two batches, about 7 minutes per batch.) Once both batches are done, add all vegetables back to wok.
4. While cooking your last batch of veggies, bring a pot of boiling salted water to a boil and add rice noodles. Cook according to package directions but stop a couple of minutes short. Drain.
5.  Add noodles to the wok with all the vegetables, cooking an additional minute or two and adding any leftover marinade, if necessary, while tossing to coat in sauce.  Serve warm or at room temperature. Pin It Now!

in-between salad

In-betweeny salad

When the weather is nice, I run after work most days.  Last week the weather was consistently in the high 50s to mid 60s, so I set out on a longer run from my office down to the Lincoln Memorial and back.  It's about a six mile stretch that crosses Capitol Hill, passing the Supreme Court on my left and the dome of the Capitol on my right, and then traverses the length of the National Mall.  When I'm fully hydrated, the temperature is right, the route is clear of confused tourists, and my allergies aren't yet in full swing, it's delightful.   That was how it was last week.  Three days of mid-length, mind-clearing, refreshing runs.  But yesterday afternoon, I set off to do the same thing, and it was terrible.

Why?  Because sometime between Thursday and yesterday, we have switched seasons.  I set out yesterday afternoon and was delighted to see the cherry blossoms on the Hill in full bloom.  Then I sneezed.  My nose, and more specifically, my congested nasal passageway, was not so happy to see the pink flowers.  Then I got down to the Mall, streaked with school groups and foreign tourists.  (Why do they always ask me to take their picture as I'm running toward them?  Do I look that nice?) Dodging the throngs of people felt like I was poor Frogger trying to cross the road without getting hit by a car.  Yep, it was clear - sometime between last week and yesterday, Spring has SPRUNG in the District.

So how appropriate it is that I made a delicious "in-between" salad last week.  I never posted it because I had enough recipes to cover the blog for the week, and also, it really gets my goat when bloggers post salad and sandwich "recipes."  I mean, come on.  Do you really think that you're the first one to come up with that salad combination?  Or the first person to realize how "lovely" carmelized onions and mushrooms are on a grilled cheese?  That's why I've been blogging for almost two weeks and I've yet to post a salad.

But, a lot of you have told me that you lack creativity in the kitchen; not so, you just haven't found it yet!   I'm willing to talk about salads for a bit, and how to make a daily staple turn into a dish that's different each time.  This salad was born completely out of desperation.  I basically just took everything I had, roasted it, and threw it on top of a bed of spinach leaves.  I roasted the last of my winter squashes in the pantry (an acorn squash, to be precise) with a bit of olive oil, salt, pepper, and a hint of maple syrup (from my friend the Canuck.)  I also threw in some wintry brussels sprouts along with 'em.  At the grocery store, I had picked up an artichoke, some plum tomatoes, and skinny asparagus.  I roasted those as well, topped with some feta, drizzled with balsamic vinegar, and voilà!  A delicious betweeny salad. 
 
Some of you have said that you don't like salads, or you would never choose to eat them.  I think that is because too many people think of salads as synonymous with house salads.  You know the deal - cucumber, tomato, and croutons all atop a bed of romaine.  Boring!  Salads, by their very nature, are flexible.  Don't get stuck in the same old salad rut all the time - that gets tiresome and you will become uninterested!  Be creative with your salads!  Unsure where to start?  Here are some tips for making a delicious salad time after time.

1.  Mix up your base - I love spinach as my base but also like mixed greens or arugula from time to time.  Romaine is fine, though it isn't a nutritional superstar like the other two.  Remember that the deeper and darker the leaf, the more nutrients the green contains.  (That means that there is absolutely no nutritional value in iceberg.)
2.  It doesn't have to be raw - A lot of people don't care for crudite, but have no fear!  Roasted vegetable salads are great.  Just remember that if you're roasting vegetables in olive oil, you should go easy on the dressing.  You don't want your salad base to be bogged down in oil.
3.  It doesn't have to be all veggie - Pears, apples, berries, grapes, oranges, and grapefruits are all delicious options for a slightly sweet salad.  Think of a classic Waldorf with grapes, red onion, avocado & grapefruit, or roasted beets with feta & orange.
4.  Eat with the seasons - For fall and winter, go with broccoli and cauliflower, acorn squash, brussels sprouts, and big bad Mr. Butternut.  Choose juicy heirloom tomatoes, eggplant, and zucchini in the summer.  Spring is the time for asparagus, artichokes, and vidalia onions.  When you eat with the seasons, your food will have so much more flavor (and it will be cheaper, too!) 
5.  Texturize like you'd accessorize - Crunchy items like celery, cucumbers, bell peppers, walnuts, almonds, or apples provide a stark contrast to soft or creamy salad toppings like chickpeas, hard-boiled eggs, tomatoes, avocado, or roasted mushrooms and squashes.  Opposites attract!      
6.  Go with the flow - change up your dressing!  A little bit of balsamic vinegar and olive oil is my favorite, but I also love a good cilantro-lime dressing or a honey-dijon vinaigrette.  I barely ever buy pre-made dressings anymore, but I do have a few brands that I love: Annie's Naturals (I am obsessed with her Raspberry Balsamic Vinaigrette), Brianna's (very good Blush wine Vinaigrette and a delicious Ginger Mandarin dressing), and Virginia Brand Vidalia Onion dressing (Dad's favorite!  You can get it at Costco).
7. Walk the balance beam - This is probably the most important tip.  Don't think of salad as diet food, think of it as a delicious way to get nutrients.  Sure, if you're looking to add volume to a meal, keep it small, simple, and don't go overboard.  However, if you're eating a salad as your main course, you will want to get a good mix of healthy fats, proteins, and complex carbohydrates, just like any other meal.  You can get healthy fats and proteins from nuts, beans, and cheeses.  I am partial to feta cheese or goat cheese on salads. Vegetables are a natural source of complex carbohydrates; you could also toss some grains on your salad like couscous, orzo, or quinoa (okay, I know I said quinoa isn't a grain, but it kinda is...)

Follow those tips and you're sure to get a great salad 90 percent of the time.  (The other 10 percent of the time I end up with a "kitchen sink" salad, in which there's a couple of ingredients that just don't belong). I eat some sort of "salad", whether it's a side salad or entree-sized, almost every day, even when I wasn't a sometimes-vegetarian.   Salads are a great way to boost your vegetable intake and add volume to your meals without a lot of unwanted fat and calories.  I've noticed that getting in a salad a day gives me more energy, clearer skin, and even makes my hair shinier!  And you know what, it never gets boring!

What do y'all like on your salads?  Roasted veggies or raw?  Sweet or savory?  Let me know in the comments! Pin It Now!

black bean & corn enchiladas

The enchilada picture was ugly, so enjoy this photo of Sarah

 
Happy Monday!  I hope everyone had a great weekend.  Mine was filled with food, friends, and nice spring-like weather here in the District.  Friday night was the first beautiful night of the year, and I enjoyed margaritas on the rooftop of Surfside with what seemed like the rest of Glover Park.  Saturday I went to an oyster roast, where I spent the afternoon outside in the sun livin' the dream - drinking beer from a tap on the side of a van (I've always wanted to do that) and shucking and slurping delicious raw oysters.  I had to pass on the chili and instead had a little bit of Beaufort Stew (without sausage, of course).

Sunday night my cousin Sarah came over for dinner with her roommate Emily.  Sarah lives just a few blocks away and I am so lucky to have her close by!  She is always willing to play guinea pig for any crazy recipe I may want to test.  Tonight was no exception.  She's been interested in my meatless project and was excited to try out a dish.  I wanted to make a substantial, satisfying meal making use of pantry staples and things I already had in my refrigerator.  I surveyed the scene:  several cans and bags of beans and grains, a can of tomato paste, and whole wheat tortillas in my pantry, frozen corn in the freezer, and various fruits and vegetables in the refrigerator.  With only needing to pick up a few things from the store, I had a full meal - black bean and corn enchiladas with a mango spinach salad.

I was especially excited when I thought about how appropriate it was to make this meal for Sarah.  The frozen corn I had wasn't just any frozen corn - it was hand-picked last summer from our family's farm in Sussex County, Virginia.  Each year, my family picks the corn, gives some to friends, and freezes the rest, on and off the cob, for year-round use.  Whitney thinks this is the corn of the gods.  In fact, Sarah took one look at the enchiladas and said, "It's farm corn!  I can tell by the color and smell.  Delicious." 

This corn is a sweet, juicy, tender corn that tastes like the Fourth of July, even in March.  Every summer growing up, we would wait for the phone call from the farmer saying that the corn was ready to be harvested.  It would generally come in late June or early July, "Yep, I think it's gonna be ready any day.  Y'all better come get it this week."  A couple days later, my parents, Bollie, and Jamie and I would pile into my mom's station wagon and drive out to the farm.  We'd pick ear after ear until the trunk of the wagon was filled to the windows with fresh corn.  With all five of us working, it was a quick trip - we could fill the car up in less than a half hour.  When we were young, we thought it was a blast - what city kid doesn't want to pretend to be a country girl every once in a while?  However, as we grew into the tween/early teen years and became more interested in glitter lotion, platform flip flops, and Britney Spears, we became less interested in driving to the middle of nowhere on a summer evening.  But my parents, always one step ahead, found a new system of incentives.  If we went to pick corn, we could drive on the property.  (By this point the old Buick station wagon had died and my mom had gotten a studly Dodge Grand Caravan).  With an offer like that, we tagged along to help our parents.  Unsurprisingly, my parents had a hard time recruiting any of us for the trip after our sixteenth birthdays. 

So, since Sunday was the first day of Spring, I took out a couple of bags of corn that had been frozen after last year's harvest.  I've had a tough, long winter, and this meal reminded me of everything good that is in store for the spring and summer.  Before today, I'd never actually made my own enchilada sauce, but it was actually really easy!  After simmering for just 30 minutes, the sauce had already developed a deep, complex flavor.  This recipe is adapted from several on the Internet; the key is to add the spices little by little until the desired level of spiciness and flavor is achieved. 

Black Bean & Corn Enchiladas
adapted from The Vegetarian Times
Makes 8 enchiladas

For the enchiladas:
2 (15-oz.) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
2 cups frozen corn
1/3 cup sliced scallions (white and light green parts)
1 large tomato, chopped
1/3 cup plus 2 Tbs. chopped cilantro
1 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
Dash of paprika (optional)
10 whole wheat tortillas (soft-taco sized)
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 cups enchilada sauce

For the sauce:
6-oz can tomato paste
1 - 1 1/2 cups water
1/4 onion
1 teaspoon brown sugar
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon garlic powder (you could choose to use one or the other, but I really like garlic!)
1 teaspoon onion salt  (I like onions, too!)
2 teaspoons cumin
2 tablespoons chili powder
Salt and pepper

1.  Preheat oven to 375F. 
2.  To make the sauce, combine all ingredients in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally.  Reduce heat and allow to thicken, about 30 minutes.  Adjust seasoning and water according to taste.
3.  In large nonstick skillet, combine black beans, corn, scallions and tomato. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat. Add 1/3 cup cilantro, oregano, cumin and paprika.  Cook, stirring occasionally, until mixture is slightly thickened, 4 to 5 minutes. Remove from heat.
3.  Coat medium baking dish with thin layer of enchilada sauce.
4.  Place tortillas in stack on microwavable plate; cover with moist paper towel. Microwave tortillas on high until soft and heated through, about 1 minute. Spread tortilla with bean mixture. Roll tortillas and place seam side down in baking dish. Sprinkle with cheese and bake, uncovered, until bubbling, 15 minutes.
5.  Sprinkle enchiladas with remaining 2 tablespoons chopped cilantro and serve.

I served this with avocado, cilantro, and more chopped green onions.  We also had a mango salad on the side, which I will probably post a recipe for sometime this week.  It's a versatile dish that goes well with several different flavors.  We all thought this meal was pretty tasty!  As seen above, Sarah swiped her membership card to the Clean Plate Club.

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friday breakfast: round 1

Happy Friday!  Did everyone have a good St. Patrick's Day?  I celebrated in a bit of an untraditional way.....it was bridge night and we ordered Thai food.  Yes, I am 23 and I play bridge.  It's such a fun, challenging game and a real blast when you have a good partner and exciting competitors.  (Hey Stephanie, are you reading today?)  We had a great time, and we played until almost midnight.  It may have been more fun than a crowded pub!  I made it festive with some Harpoon Celtic Ale and green curry to honor St. Pat.  I'm coming around on this tofu thing.  If you live in or near the Shaw neighborhood of Washington, DC, you've gotta check out Beau Thai!  That place is awesome.  I've only had the green curry and the drunken noodles, but both are flavorful and spicy (just the way I like it).  Everybody else is always happy with their dishes, too.

But this post is about BREAKFAST!  Fridays are my favorite weekday, not only because it means the weekend is coming, but because I get the privilege of working from home.  This means that I get to sleep in and make my own breakfast before I start working.  Normally that means eggs - I love eggs, any way.  Fried, scrambled, poached, soft boiled, it doesn't matter - as long as it's fresh and yolky, I'm a happy girl.  However, I didn't want eggs this morning, and I wasn't thrilled about any of my other options, either.  I thought about making oatmeal, but I've had yogurt most mornings this week and didn't really want anything out of a bowl.  On top of that, for some odd reason, I wanted pancakes, which is bizarre because I'm not typically a huge fan of yeasty breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles.  So....after quickly googling the interwebs, I decided on Oatmeal Banana Pancakes!

That is the last bit of enthusiasm I will show because these were just okay.  They weren't bad, but they weren't really great either.  The inside was still kind of dense - not really uncooked, but not fluffy and airy like pancakes usually are. 

I probably messed up the proportions or something - this is why I don't bake.  Normally, people with Type-A personalities like me love baking because it's a science.  It's black and white.  The proportions must be correct and you must follow the directions exactly.  If you don't, you're wrong and you fail.  That perfectionism is the mentality to which I prescribe in most areas of my life.  I admit, not my finest trait, but I'm working on it.  However, when I'm cooking, I don't play by the rules.  The way I see it, cooking is a release, and it's oddly therapeutic to follow your impulses and not worry or obsess over everything.  I hardly ever follow recipes and work off my tastebuds, which is why I don't enjoy the precise science of baking in the least.  I subscribe to an old school way of cooking I learned from my mom - "Ehh, a little bit of this, a little bit of that.  Maybe a teaspoon, maybe a tablespoon, I don't know!  Just taste it."

So, long story short, I threw a bunch of stuff together in a bowl (pulsed oats, a bit of flour, 1/2 an overripe mashed banana, a little bit of egg, milk, some baking powder, salt, cinnamon, and a hint of vanilla), mixed it together until the consistency resembled pancake batter, and then threw it on the stovetop.  They seemed to cook just fine, but as I said before, the texture in the middle was just meh.  The best part was the brown outside and the toppings - chopped almonds and sliced banana.  I topped it all off with some maple syrup - not the bobo kind, but real, 100% pure maple syrup.  My Canadian co-worker gifted me a half-liter from his latest trip to the motherland. 

I guess it wasn't an epic failure because I ate it, but I would definitely classify this as a misstep rather than a step.  I'm not even going to provide a recipe because I'm not exactly sure what I did.  Hope everybody has a great weekend - it's a beautiful day in DC so I am off to do some work so I can get off early and enjoy the weather.  I am determined not to let my allergies to get me down just yet!  Meanwhile, Matt Bomer is co-hosting the Today Show.  I DIE.  Sorry ladies, but it's widely believed that he is gay.  Either way, he's such fun to look at.  They should replace Kathie Lee with him permanently.  Check out this refined hipster. (picture from his Wikipedia page).

What does everybody else like for breakfast on a lazy morning?  (Matt Bomer is not an acceptable answer).
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french lentils: this must be what people call "inner beauty"

French lentil soup stew stoup bowl

First, let me get something out of the way.  I know this picture is terrible.  Disgusting, really.  I don't blame you if you don't want to make this dish from the looks of this particular picture.  But throw me a bone, because I am not a real blogger with a real camera.  I have a pink point-and-shoot that is more often on the floor of wherever I am than in my own hands.  Additionally, the blogosphere has this set of rules that you can't take other blogger's pictures.  Something about being "under copywrite".  So, I have to take photos with the aforementioned point-and-shoot instead of just doing a google image search for "french lentil soup."

Sunday afternoon I came down with a bad case of Monday anxiety.  A common 24-hour bug that afflicts millions, Monday anxiety sets in late in the weekend and is most often caused by an overindulgent, overzealous few days, changes in weather, and a daunting to-do list for the week ahead.  When all of these causes coincide with daylight savings time, it is a recipe for disaster, and the only prescription is simple, healthful comfort food.  Since DC is stuck in this "let's-have-the-temperature-hover-at-52-degrees-with-obnoxious-wind-gusts-and-no-sunshine-at-all-and-call-it-springtime" mood, a vegetarian french lentil soup fit the bill.  I have gotten really into making soups this fall and winter.  I love french lentil soup, but I've never made it without a ham hock or some kind bacon fat for flavor.  Wanting to stick to my resolution, I figured I'd try to do without it, but I made a half portion in case the stew was a flavorless fail. 

Well, the dish did end up as a quasi-fail, but not for lack of flavor.  It was just the "soup" part that failed.  I make this soup all the time, normally with great success, but something happened here.  Somewhere along the way, the vegetable stock was completely absorbed and I ended up with just lentils.  Maybe I mismeasured something, or maybe I let it all simmer too long - I am not really sure.  It was surely an operator error, as I was barely functional after returning from New York.  When I realized I had not a thin soup but a thick pot of cooked lentils, I stored the beans in tupperware, covered with an extra cup of vegetable broth, and went to bed.

On Monday morning, I opened the tupperware and, to my amazement, the beans had continued soaking up the extra liquid I put in, even though they were already cooked.  My poor lentils were ugly.  "Well," I thought. "If this tastes bad I am totally going to Taqueria Nacional."  (I obviously was still FOMO over the missed opportunity for La Esquina.)  I shoveled some of the ugly stuff into a smaller container to take for lunch, mixing it with a bit of leftover quinoa from last week's stuffed eggplant.  When 1pm rolled around, I begrudgingly heated it in the office microwave and wow - I was blown away!  Though I wanted it to be a soup, it turned out to be delicious, hearty, fork-based lunch that stuck to my ribs all day long - I didn't even have dinner until 8:30pm! Since it is so thick, the lentils would also be nice as a side dish or wrapped in a tortilla.  The nice thing about green lentils is that they weren't too mushy, because even when overcooked they still maintain their shape better than other lentils.

This recipe for lentils is for green lentils, French-style, though lentils make a terrific canvas for any flavoring you'd like.  I also love robust Moroccan flavors for regular brown lentils.  (Stay tuned for a Moroccan recipe next week!)


French lentils
Serves six

olive oil and/or butter
3 stalks celery, finely chopped
3 carrots, finely chopped
1 onion, finely chopped
6 cloves garlic, chopped (or about 3 teaspoons minced garlic)
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped into bite-sized pieces
1 pound dry green lentils (about 2 cups)
2 bay leaves
2 teaspoons fresh or dried thyme
1/2 teaspoon pepper
6-8 cups of stock, varying the amount of stock depending on desired thickness
Note:  I like a lot of "stuff" in my lentils.  If you don't want the extra veggies and potatoes, just cut it down or out entirely.  Most recipes only call for one stalk of celery and one carrot, for example.

Rinse the lentils and quickly sort through them to make sure there are no small pebbles in there.   Finely chop the onion, carrots, and celery.  In a large pot, saute the onions, carrots, and celery in olive oil and a pinch of salt.  Let them all mix and cook for 5-7 minutes until they start to sweat.  Make sure they don't brown.  Then, add the sweet potato, lentils, stock, and spices.  Bring to a boil.  When it comes to a rapid boil, cut the heat down to low, cover, and simmer for about 40-45 minutes.  Make sure to keep checking on the soup to ensure the desired liquid content is maintained and lentils remain al dente.  I think that's where I went wrong!

That's it!  Hard to believe that I neglected the pot and ended up with a thick lentil dish instead of a thinner soup.  Either way, they are both tasty dishes!  This soup/stoup/hot mess also freezes very well.

P.S. On a completely unrelated note, what did y'all think of The Bachelor?  I must admit, NOT the outcome I expected, and, after watching the after-show, I can't say I'm pleased with the result.  (Not that I saw a great future with the other one, but I wasn't as happy as I thought I'd be when I learned who he chose.)  Yep, I said it....sorry, y'all, but I do not see a rosy future for those two.  I hope they prove me wrong.

ALSO, I get the stats for this blog and I know how many of you peeps are reading it.  It's a lot more than just the five of you who have commented.  Stealth readers, reveal yourselves!  Leave your feedback in the comments or shoot me an email.  Thanks!! Pin It Now!

quinoa and roasted vegetable stuffed eggplant: the dish that made whitney kinda sorta tolerate peppers

Quinoa and roasted vegetable stuffed eggplant, hereby known as 

the dish that made Whitney kinda sorta tolerate peppers

Last weekend, my sister Bollie came to DC before flying to Costa Rica for her Spring Break and brought me a bounty of vegetables to eat before they spoiled.  In a little brown bag were about a dozen mini bell peppers, a large zucchini, and a beautiful eggplant.  I knew immediately what I was going to make.  Stuffed eggplant.  Back this summer, before going on a vacation of my own, I had a bunch of stuff in my fridge - leftover ground turkey, couscous, roasted vegetables, and an eggplant.  Well, I stuffed the eggplant, topped it with breadcrumbs and grated parmesan, and voilà! - a light, but complete, summer supper.  Whitney, my roommate, and I both loved it.

Allow me a minute to introduce Whit, because she will be making several appearances on the blog.

Whitney and me on New Years Eve

Whitney is one of my closest friends and my official taste-tester.   We've been friends for five years and have lived together for two and a half.  Whitney likes most foods, but she has a particular affinity for white bread, bacon, peanut butter, and bananas - sometimes all at the same time.  When cooking for herself, she tends to gravitate toward meat, eggs, and pasta.  Her principle food aversions are watermelon, peas, and lima beans, but most of all, she despises all peppers.  When I first learned this, I didn't understand, because I love all peppers indiscriminately.  But, then again, I suppose I haven't shared with y'all my own dislikes.  I have very few food aversions, so in general, my top dislikes are 1) snow 2) animals and 3) bacon.  Yes, I realize all of those things give most people great pleasure....don't judge me. 

When I told Whitney I was going to make a vegetarian stuffed eggplant using Bollie's produce, she was skeptical.  Much like all of you are after reading my dislikes.  Anyway, I explained to Whitney that I would cut out the turkey and, as a protein source, substitute quinoa for the couscous.  I warned her that there were too many peppers in the stuffing for her to pick them out.  I knew exactly what she was thinking, "Maybe I should top mine with bacon bits."  The great thing about this recipe is that it can be adapted to your likes and dislikes, and can include whatever you have in your fridge or pantry. 

A little note about quinoa:  though it is seems like a grain, quinoa is actually a seed.  It is a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine amino acids essential for human dietary needs.  It has an earthy, slightly nutty flavor, and is a nutritious superstar with its mixture of heart-healthy fats, carbohydrates, and protein.  Over the last year or so, it's become the trendy yuppie "it" ingredient of choice.  Consequently, there are varying theories of the best way to cook it.  To soak or not to soak?  Toast or not to toast?  What proportion of quinoa to liquid?  Not to be all holier-than-thou, but I've been eating quinoa for years.  My mom, as most of y'all know, grew up in Ecuador, and, as a child, I sometimes ate "weird" Ecuadorian foods prepared by my mom and Mamis, my grandmother.  Quinoa, which grows prolifically in the Andes, was one of these foods, and the star of my favorite soup growing up.  Imagine my amusement when fifteen years later, it starts selling for $6 a box at Safeway.  (Tip:  Buy it from the bulk bins at Whole Foods - it's much cheaper this way.)  The recipe for quinoa that follows the recipe is the way my mom and grandmother make it, but feel free to use any method you'd like.

Quinoa and Roasted Vegetable Stuffed Eggplant, the 40-day Vegetarian way
Serves two

For the stuffing:
1 eggplant, sliced lengthwise and hollowed out like boats
1 cup of cooked quinoa (instructions to prepare quinoa below)
10-12 mini bell peppers (if I had to guess, I'd say the equivalent of 1.5 regular sized bell peppers)
10-12 cherry tomatoes, halfed
1 medium zucchini
2-3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
2 tablespoons feta cheese (optional)

For the topping:
1/4 cup breadcrumbs
1 tablespoon grated parmesan
garlic salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin, to taste 

1.  Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  (Tip: preheat the oven with the roasting pan inside!  This is a tip my mom recently taught me, and it really helps prevent the eggplant from sticking to the pan.)
2.  Slice an eggplant lengthwise and spoon out approximately three-quarters of the flesh so that there is a deep, wide cavity inside each half.  You want to keep enough eggplant on the bottom and sides so that it is a sturdy vessel for your stuffing.  Dice the hollowed-out flesh into bite-sized pieces.
3.  Cut the zucchini and bell peppers into similar sized pieces, and half the cherry tomatoes.  Toss the veggies with approximately two-thirds of the olive oil, and sprinkle with garlic salt, pepper, oregano, and cumin.  Sprinkle the eggplant boats with seasoning and remaining olive oil, and place them on a separate baking sheet.  Roast the vegetables and the boats at the same time, for 25-30 minutes, or until tomatoes have blistered and vegetables are lightly browned.
4.  While the veggies are roasting, prepare the quinoa.  To yield one cup of cooked quinoa, you will need 1/2 onion, one clove garlic, a bit of butter, 1/3 cup quinoa and 1/2 cup vegetable broth, chicken broth, or water.  Finely chop the onion and mince the garlic.  Over medium-high heat, saute the onion and garlic in the butter and a few drops of olive oil until fragrant and transluscent, or about 3-5 minutes.  Of course, if you prefer, you can use all olive oil, but everything is better with a bit of butter.  Add the dried quinoa and mix together with the cooked onions, stirring constantly, for a minute.  This is called "toasting" the quinoa.  Finally, add the water or broth and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, cover and let simmer for about 20 minutes, or until the water is absorbed.  Once water is absorbed, turn off heat and leave covered for five minutes.  Fluff with a fork.
5.  Once your veggies and quinoa have cooked, combine them, adding feta cheese if you choose.  In a small bowl, combine the parmesan cheese and breadcrumbs.  Spoon mixture into the eggplant "boats" and top each boat with the breadcrumb mixture.
6.  Place stuffed eggplant under the broiler for 7-10 minutes, or until topping is golden brown

Notes:  It's possible you may only use closer to 3/4 cup of quinoa depending on how hungry you are and the size of your eggplant.  When mixing with the veggies, just eyeball it and reserve any leftovers.   Be sure to mash the roasted tomatoes into the quinoa using the back of the fork.  This releases the tomato juices into the mixture.  Also, you may have a good part of the breadcrumb topping left over (I did), so either save it for later or half each portion.  

So what's the verdict?  I personally really loved this version, partially because I don't think ground turkey has that much flavor to begin with!   Also, I am proud to report that not only did Whitney eat the entire serving (sans bacon), but she actually liked it - and she admitted that she didn't miss the meat!  When I prodded her a bit on the pepper issue, she said that she didn't mind them in this recipe, even though if she made it herself, she would omit them.  So, overall, the dish was a keeper!  Whit seemed particularly enthused about the possibility of a spinach-mushroom-feta-quinoa mixture.

I am off to New York this weekend to celebrate a dear friend's birthday.  I don't know how I am going to survive a trip to NYC without pork bánh mì, my favorite sandwich (the District lacks a decent one).  Until next time, I'll leave you with some questions - What are your gastronomic likes and dislikes?  Do you have any food aversions, like Whitney hates peppers?  If you made stuffed eggplant, what would you put in it?  Leave your answers in the comments!  Until next time. Pin It Now!