Golden Avocado Dressing Bulgur Bowl

Here's my version of a delicious and healthy grain bowl recipe from Cooking Light magazine.  Cooking Light gave credit to Adam Hickman for the original, and I left his sauce as originally published except...I doubled it!  It's the crowning glory of this bowl recipe.

Ingredients:

2 c. boiling water

1 c. uncooked bulgur

1 t. salt, divided

2 15-oz cans chickpeas, rinsed and drained

1.5 T. canola oil

2 cups finely chopped carrots (I use the bagged, pre-shredded carrots.)

½ c. sliced shallots or white parts of scallions

2 bunches lacinato kale, de-stemmed and chopped (I am sure other kale varieties would work fine, too.)

½ t. freshly ground black pepper

1 avocado, peeled and pitted

3 T. extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 lemon

2 T. tahini

2 cloves garlic, peeled

½ t. ground turmeric

½ c. flat leaf parsley, chopped (or more, to taste)

Method:

Mix the boiling water, bulgur, and ¼ t. salt in a medium bowl, and allow to stand until the bulgur is chewy, about 15-20 minutes.  When chewy consistency is reached, drain off any excess water.

In a large, deep-sided skillet with a lid, add the chickpeas and lightly dry them over medium-high heat, about 3-4 minutes.  Add the canola oil, carrots, and shallots (or scallions), and sauté about 5 minutes.  Add the kale, cover, and cook until the kale is slightly wilted and carrots are tender, about 3 minutes.  Uncover and remove from heat.  Stir in ½ t. salt and the black pepper.

Process the avocado, olive oil, lemon juice, tahini, garlic, turmeric, 2 T. water, and remaining ¼ t. salt in a blender or food processor until smooth.  Additional water can be added 1 T. at a time if needed to bring the avocado sauce to the desired consistency.

Stir the parsley into the kale mixture.  Divide the bulgur between 4 wide, shallow bowls.  Top with the veggie mixture and drizzle with the avocado dressing.  Serves 4.

Creole Black-Eyed Peas

 Remember when Scott and I went to NOLA for his birthday (see post here)?  I was so impressed by the food at The Gumbo Shop that I bought their cookbook at a lovely little cookbook shop (called Kitchen Witch) in the French Quarter.

The Gumbo Shop is one of the few places in NOLA I've found where I can get local flavor that's vegetarian.  The food there is good.  I finally got around to making one of their recipes from the cookbook last week, so I'm sharing it with you here.  I've adjusted the seasoning only slightly.  The dish is served over steamed rice, so prepare that when the time is right.

Ingredients:

1 lb. dried black-eyed peas

2 qts. water

1 bay leaf

1/4 c. olive oil

1 3/4 c. finely chopped onion

1 1/4 c. finely chopped yellow bell pepper

3/4 c. finely chopped shallot

1 T. minced garlic

1/2 t. freshly-ground black pepper (or more, to taste)

1/4 t. cayenne pepper (or more, to taste)

1/2 t. sage

1/2 t. thyme

1 1/2 c. celery, sliced into 1/2-inch slices

1/2 lb. carrots, peeled and sliced into 1/2-inch thick rounds

2 t. salt (or more or less, to taste)

1 1/2 t. Balsalmic vinegar

1 1/2 t. Tabasco sauce (or more or less, to taste)

1/3 c. sliced green onions (green and white parts)

Method:

Sort through the dried peas, removing any small rocks or other foreign objects, then rinse the peas well.  Place them in a large pot, cover with the water, and soak in the fridge for at least 8 hrs.

Set the pot over medium heat, add the bay leaf, and slowly bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to a simmer.  Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large heavy skillet, add the chopped onions, peppers, garlic, and shallots, and sauté until lightly brown.  (Use the stick and scrape method:  let the vegetables brown and somewhat stick to the bottom of the pan, then scrape them off and incorporate the brown scrapings into the dish.)  Add the black pepper, cayenne pepper, sage, thyme, celery, and carrots, and sauté for 5 minutes.  Stir the entire contents of the skillet into the pot of simmering peas and continue cooking until the peas, celery, and carrots are tender.

Add the salt, vinegar, Tabasco, and green onions and simmer for an additional 10 minutes.  Adjust the seasoning and serve over white rice.  Greens or spinach make a nice side dish.

Serves 6 - 8.



Lemony Greek Potatoes

Eeeeeee!  Last night I made a new recipe from The Food Network magazine, and it was so fantastic!  It's a great end-of-winter dish, and finally something new with potatoes.  Note that the vinaigrette that the potatoes are tossed in is so yummy I would be perfectly happy using it as dressing for a green salad.  Make it and see what you think!

Ingredients:

1/2 c. extra virgin olive oil

3 T. freshly-squeezed lemon juice

1 small shallot, quartered (use regular onion of the same size in a pinch)

1 clove garlic, peeled

2 sprigs fresh oregano, leaves only

1/4 c. fresh parsley leaves, plus 1 T. chopped fresh parsley for serving

salt and freshly-ground black pepper

3 lbs. large russet potatoes, cut lengthwise into wedges

Method:

Preheat the oven to 425 degress F.

Put the olive oil, lemon juice, shallot, garlic, oregano, and 1/4 c. fresh parsley into a food processor.  Add a rounded 1/2 t. salt and freshly-ground black pepper to taste.  Purée until mostly smooth.

Toss the potatoes with 1/2 c. of the prepared vinaigrette in a large bowl until wedges are coated.  Arrange potatoes in a single layer on a large rimmed baking sheet.  Reserve the remaining vinaigrette.

Roast the potatoes until tender and golden, turning occasionally, 45 - 60 minutes.

Transfer the potatoes to a platter and drizzle with the remaining vinaigrette.  Season with salt and garnish with the chopped parsley.

Serves 6.

Swiss Chard with Pasta and a Lemon Shot

Don't judge me, but tonight was the very first time I've cooked with Swiss chard which, I believe, is a member of the beet family. I tried to grow it in my autumn garden this year, but I think I sowed the seeds too late for them to be productive. They sprouted, but then they didn't go anywhere. Maybe I didn't water them enough. I'm a VERY lazy gardener, especially when it comes to watering.

So while Scott's catching up with his very first best friend, Kareem, with whom he reconnected on Facebook (I guess Facebook is not 100% evil.), and while Romeo plays with a bug he found, and while Grace and Elvis sleep despite the fact that they've been sleeping since they "got up" this morning, I thought I'd post my Swiss chard project for the evening. It turned out fabulously!! I can't wait to eat it again! Here goes:

2 T. extra-virgin olive oil
2 T. vegan margarine
1 shallot, minced
1 bunch Swiss chard (I got the kind with brilliantly red stems.), washed
1 t. salt
freshly ground black pepper, to taste (I like a generous amount. You may not.)
2 cloves garlic, minced
juice of 1/2 lemon
1 lb. penne pasta (or, you know, you choose the shape)

First, rip the washed chard leaves from their stems and cut them into bite-sized pieces. Thinly slice the stems, sort of like celery.

Start a large pot of salted water on the stove to reach boiling. Cook the pasta according to package directions.

In the meantime, melt the vegan margarine with the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté the minced shallot in the oil/margarine combination until it is transparent. (Don't all recipes start sort of like this?) Add the chard stem slices, the salt, and the black pepper. Sauté for 4 minutes, then add the garlic. Sauté a couple of minutes more, until it feels right. Once it feels right, add the chard leaves to the oil/butter/shallot/stem mixture and sauté until the leaves are wilted and coated with the oily sauce that is developing. Chard is a very wet green, and this will make a lot of moisture in the chard mixture. This is fine, so don't panic. Once the leaves are wilted down to a satisfying consistency when you bite one, squeeze the 1/2 lemon over the leaves and mix thoroughly.

Toss this with the finished pasta and serve immediately (with more freshly ground pepper, if you like...I do.). How cool are you for cooking with Swiss chard?!

Warm Kale and Butternut Squash Salad

I based this recipe on a Martha Stewart recipe. Mine is simpler.

I contributed this dish to my mom's Christmas Day dinner. It's perfect for a Christmas dinner, because kale is still in season in the winter, and butternut squash is a seasonally appropriate winter storage squash.

Martha had it right when she included beans in her version of the dish to make a nutritionally balanced meal. You could definitely toss in a can of beans of your choice for a compact and balanced lunch, or you could serve beans on the side with both dishes playing their part in a larger meal.

1 butternut squash
olive oil
salt
1 shallot, finely chopped (optional)
1 clove garlic, minced (optional)
1 bunch kale, washed and de-stemmed, torn into bite-sized pieces

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Peel the butternut squash. Cut off the stem and blossom ends and discard. Using a spoon, remove the seeds and veins from the bulbous end of the squash. Cut the squash flesh into 1-inch pieces.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Put the squash on the paper, drizzle with a small amount of olive oil and salt to taste. Toss the squash to coat, then spread to a single layer. Bake 20 minutes, until the squash pieces are easily pierced with a fork. Set aside.

In a large skillet, heat 1 T. olive oil over medium heat. Sauté the shallot and garlic in the oil until the shallot is soft and translucent, if using, or skip this step if omitting shallot and garlic. Add the washed, torn kale to the pan, and toss in the oil to coat. Continue moving the kale over the heat until it is wilted (but stop before it browns, dries, or gets crunchy). Remove from heat, and salt to taste.

Toss the squash with the kale, and serve warm.