Local dining inspires pizza

Kale is not an item that most people eat daily and it is certainly not an item that you will find regularly on most menus.  This past week, I managed to find kale as the center piece of two wonderful dishes!

The first was Wednesday night while my friends and I were at the fantastic restaurant Pizzeria Posto in Somerville for a Rapscallion beer tasting.  I frequent this place regularly because, without exception, they deliver consistently delicious food.  Since I know this to be true I am happy to try things that, at another restaurant, I may shy away from.  At Posto there is a Tuscan Kale pizza with roasted kale, homemade fior di latte, smoked bacon, farm egg and caramelized onion.  We omitted the bacon (obviously) and my friend and I mistakenly thought the other wanted to omit the egg (we will go back and we will get the egg!).  Anyway, kale on pizza?  Why not?!  Even with the omissions, the pizza was fantastic.  The kale was cooked well and the fresh cheese (made in house) was prefect.  A huge bonus to the staff for always being willing to change a dish around for the annoying vegetarian in the room!

Later that week, I made the journey to Lexington to a place called nourish.  With a name like this, how could I not?  Their mission is simple: serve responsible sourced food for a reasonable price.    It is less than year old and seems to be settling in fine with the residents of Lexington (and a couple from Somerville!).  I will not talk about the amazing white chocolate chip brown I devoured, but instead about the main dish..butternut squash, mushrooms, kale(!) over whole wheat pasta with a brown butter sauce.  I love that whole wheat pasta the pasta of choice..not something that has to be substituted in!  The brown butter sauce was light and did not drown out the vegetables. The greens could have easily been spinach, but they went for the kale..and that is pretty awesome.   I did have to add a little salt (which I never do) but I would rather have to add a bit then eat a meal that I wish had far less...I like being in control of my own salt intake..

So how did this all come together in my kitchen?  Well I lifted the nourish ingredients minus the pasta and placed them on a pizza crust.  Outcome?  Fabulous!  The best part is that everything was purchased locally..for an extra fresh taste.  The butternut squash and kale were bought at the Somerville Winter Farmers Market...

Butternut Squash, Kale, Mushroom Whole Wheat Pizza

Ingredients:

100% Whole Wheat Pizza dough (Dave's Fresh Pasta)

1/2  Butternut Squash (Winter Moon Farm, Hadley MA)

2 cups finely chopped Kale (Enterprise Farm, MA)

5 crimini mushrooms (PA)

1 oz Goat cheese (Vermont Creamery)

1 tbsp oil

salt and pepper to taste.

Preheat oven to 500 degrees

Quickly blanche the kale in boiling water (1 minute) and then drain.  Squish out as much moisture as possible.

Chop the squash into small cubes, slice the mushrooms and add to a bowl with kale.  Toss with oil, salt and pepper.

Top on rolled out dough and add dollops of goat cheese.   

I took the picture before I added the cheese!

Cook for about 20 minutes (ovens vary).  

I loved the fresh and amazing color of this pizza..not to mention the delectable taste!

Hope you enjoy!

~L

Comforts of home cooking...

A few years back, I took a course in food service management. The professor thought it was a good idea to have us all take a personality tests to evaluate the type of leader/manager we would become.  Her exact words when returning my results were "I don't believe this one!".  Overly opinionated, super talker, social butterfly Lisa was labeled an "introvert".  I was not at all surprised and once the professional who administered the test explained the result, it made even more sense. It was not evaluating the external persona, but how one 're-energizes". There are those who receive energy from being around others and those who regain it from time alone. The latter is totally me.   I love being around people and living it up but after awhile I need to have that time to recoup alone. I have two ways of achieving this alone time..running and cooking. I tend to enjoy the creating and eating of a meal over the running..especially this time of year! I can completely zone out and enter into a peaceful bliss while chopping/dicing fresh vegetable. An hour of preparing a meal can disappear in minutes because I am so relaxed and focused.

So after multiple (fun!) nights out this past week, I definitely needed some of that kitchen time. The snow fall this weekend is a stern reminder that we are still weeks away from Spring and possibly even more weeks away from it actually feeling like Spring. I think a white bean and mushroom barley soup makes for a nice warm hug on a chilly day...plus I made it in the slow cooker so my apartment had a wonderful aroma for hours!

White Bean Mushroom Barley Soup

Serves ~5

Ingredients:

1/2 med. onion

1 garlic clove
3/4 cup dry Yellow Eyed Beans (or any white bean) (Baer's Best Beans, MA)
6 oz Crimini Mushrooms, Raw (PA)
3 oz Shiitake Mushrooms Raw (PA)
1 container  Low-Sodium Vegetable Broth

1 qrt water (simply refill the broth container with the water and add)
3 lrg Carrots (NorthStar Farm, MA)
3/4 cup dry Pearled Barley 

1 cup of baby spinach (NorthStar Farm, MA)
1 tbsp Basil, dried,
1 tbsp Thyme, dried
1 tbsp Dill weed, dried

salt and pepper to taste

I soaked the beans for a few hours.  Dice the onion and garlic. Saute on low-med heat to bring out the flavor (3-4 minutes).  Cut the mushrooms into slices and the carrots into small chunks.  It is pretty easy from there..just add everything to the slow cooker!  The spice measurement is just a guideline..the more you add the more flavor you will get.  If you are less daring, cut the amount.  Cook on high for  4-6 hours (5 hours was actually perfect).   I do not live celery and would never cook with it..but for those fans out there, this soup would probably work well with a stalk or two..

There are some days when a watery soup works just fine for me but that was not the case last night.  To thicken it up, I pureed a couple of cups and added it back into the pot.  Mmmm...this totally hit the spot!

As usual, I like to make sure the meals follow my nutrition guidelines.  Low in calories and nutrient dense?  Yes!  The soup is packed with protein, iron, fiber and whole grain yet contains only ~250 calories per serving.  Serve it up with a half sandwich or salad and the meal is complete..

Enjoy!

L

Vegetable and Chick Pea Curry

I would like to welcome the newest addition to the blog and my kitchen.  I introduce you to my crock pot..

There is a lot of talk at the lunch table at work about crock pots.  In fact, there was even a day when my lovely coworker brought us dessert made in her very own crock (it was delish btw).   I felt I needed to get in on this crazy pot that made chilis and desserts with ease.  So last week, after work, I went to a local little store to buy one (OK, it was Target but it was at least good deal!).   

Since I am a crock pot novice, I did some extensive Googling to find the perfect recipe...chili seemed way to obvious.   I found this wonderful website called the Savvy Vegetarian.  Love the tag.."easy recipes, simple cooking, healthy eating, green living" .  True to that, the recipe for Chickpea Curry was simple, very healthy and straight forward.  I had all the ingredients in my kitchen.  The recipe did not call for any vegetables, but I wanted to add some so I headed to the Saturday Farmers Market to grab some fresh carrots and zucchini.  

This is a good time to note that Enterprise Farms has this great program where they obtain fresh produce (i.e. zucchini) from small farms along the east coast.  Makes it possible to get a great selection of produce in the cold New England winter months with the knowledge of exactly what farm it came from.  Enterprise Farm is very trusted, so if they are selling it I know it is good stuff.  There is a large selection of local produce from green houses or from storage at the market as well!  

Ok back to the curry and the crock.   As someone who thinks about what is for dinner shortly after eating breakfast, a crock pot is good fit.  Not only can I think about it, but I can actually prepare dinner that early!   The recipe called for a cook time of 6 to 9 hours.  I went with 7 hours because that was when I got hungry and wanted to eat.  The flavors of all the ingredients meld together so wonderfully.    It does add a depth of flavor you cannot from a stove top pot...my "slow food" needs to be cooked slowly to get the best flavors out.

Vegetable and Chick Pea Curry 

adapted from Savvy Vegetarian

Serves 6

Cook time: 6-9 hours (7 worked out fine)

1 tbsp  canola oil
1 onion, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 inch ginger, peeled and grated
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp coriander
1 tsp turmeric
1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp cayenne pepper
1 c. Chickpeas dried (soak over night)
12 oz diced tomatoes (my seemingly never ending supply from the summer jarring)

1 lrg Zucchini, diced (Enterprise Farm Program, FL)
1 lrg Carrot, diced (MA..can't remember the farm but the farmer is super nice!)

1/2 tsp garam masala (to be added prior to serving!)

Soak Chick peas overnight and then cook until soft (about 20-30 minutes).   You do not have to soak them, but that will only add to the pre-crock pot cooking time.

In a large pan, heat oil on medium heat and add onion, garlic and ginger.  Saute on a low-medium heat for 5 minutes.  

I like to put all the spices into a small bowl so that I know I got them all in there and in the right proportion.  

Once everything is ready,  put all the ingredients (except the garam marsala) into the crock pot and set it to low.  By 11 AM my dinner was under way!  Since I am still nursing a bit of a cold, I was able to just sit around and watch movies while dinner took care of itself.  I should say dinner and lunch for the next few days..

About an hour before I took the dish out, I made some brown rice to serve with the curry.  Add the garam marsala just before serving and blend in to the curry. 

Here is the final product.  Healthy, simple, filling, colorful and flavorful!  All the characteristics of a winning dish and this dish is a winner!!!  

Enjoy!

~L

My comfort food

Comfort food.  You hear the term a lot.  It is not that piece of chocolate you eat when stressed to make you feel better..oh no, it is much more than that.  It is a dish that from the first bite takes you right back to that safe, happy place you knew as a child.  I needed to go to that place today.   I have been ignoring the signs of a cold for the past 2 days, but I could ignore it any longer.  I had the chills all day, my nose is raw from blowing it every ten minutes and I am cranky.  I am rarely sick so when it happens I am not happy..I am a big cranky baby.

So what is my comfort food.  A big, warm bowl of tomato soup.  It is the only thing that makes me feel better.  As a kid when I got sick I would pass on the chicken noodle and request tomato instead.   Simple and filled with tomato goodness.

If I have not yet convinced you to jar your own tomatoes at the end of the Summer..this will be the push you need.  Open that home jarred tomatoes and it is like you just walked onto a farm and picked it off the vine.  Only if the internet allowed you to smell!   No need for heavy cream or butter, that just takes away from the freshness.   Remember, I illustrated how to easily jar your own tomatoes here.

Ingredients:
1tsp olive oil
1 finely chopped garlic clove (RI)
1 finely chopped scallion (MA)
Diced tomatoes (16 oz) (picked in NH, Jarred in Somerville)
2 cups water
1/2 cup low sodium vegetable broth
1 small carrot chopped (to cut the acid) (MA)
1 cup baby spinach (MA)
1 cup whole wheat elbow pasta


My jarred tomatoes were chopped very chunky, so I put them in the food processor to crush them up.

In a medium pot, add oil and saute garlic and onion for a minute or two.  Add tomato, water, broth and carrots.  Bring to a boil on high and then reduce to medium heat and let the flavors blend (about 5-6 minutes).  I then added the pasta and let it cook slowly on the lower heat just to allow more time for the flavors to mix (5-6 minutes).  Just as it was done, add the spinach and cook until just wilted (~1 minute).
Here is the end result.    You can toss a little grated cheese on top if you choose, but I love it just as is.

This is so fresh and healthy that it is impossible to not feel healthy and refreshed by eating it!  My nose is still stuffy, but I do feel better!

Hope you find a little comfort in my comfort food.

Roasted Butternut Squash

Do you ever check facebook and become overly excited at your friend's post that he/she "went to the gym" or is "watching American Idol"?  Yeah, me either.  I do, however, a happy dance when I see that one of my local businesses has a cool update.  Pizzeria Posto and their Blizzard Monday deal ($9.95 pizza and $5 glass of chianti..awesome) or Somerville Farmers' Market updating on the guest vendor of the week.  Yesterday, it was the update that Lily's pasta was back at Sherman's that had me zipping to the market on my way home from the office.
I love that vegan ziti and was so excited to have the chance to finally buy it again!  Sadly, I went and they did not have the vegan ziti..but they did have some ziti so I went with it.  I love fresh pasta but sometimes you buy it and life takes you away and you cannot cook it in the day or two before it goes bad...but Lily's is fresh and then frozen..so you can eat it at a later date.  It works into the busy life of a local shopper nicely.  I wish they had a whole wheat ziti but you can't always get what you want.
I know the world will not end if I eat white pasta once in a while...you should know that too.

I kept it simple for dinner tonight.  Butternut squash, ziti, salty sea feta.  A little seasoning and you are good to go.

Ingredients:
Butternut squash (MA)
walnut oil
maple syrup
dries sage
salt
ziti (Lily's, Everett, MA)
Narragansett Salty Sea Feta (Providence, RI)

I peeled and roasted a whole butternut squash for about 30 minutes at 400 degrees.   Before putting it in the oven I added a tsp of walnut oil to each half, some sage, salt and a tsp of maple syrup.

It was just undercooked, but that was fine.  I put most of it into the fridge.  I cubed and cooked the rest (about half of the half) in a pan with some shallots.  In the mean time boil and cook some pasta.  Pasta, butternut squash and top with cheese.   Salty and sweet...mmm

Stay Happy and Healthy!

~L

Meat and Potatoes...

From traditional Italian yesterday to all American today.  Tonight's dinner is the classic meat and potato.

OK, maybe not the classic dish since I have not touched a piece of red meat for 7+ years but the potato is there.  In place of the meat is a substitute called Seitan.  Seitan is vital wheat gluten that is very high in protein and can be prepared in various ways.  Much like tofu, there is little flavor, so you can bring it to life in anyway you can imagine it.   What else is great about seitan?  It has the look and texture of meat without the saturated fat and cholesterol...oh and it is not an animal, so that is good too.   I have only prepared this a couple of times at home so I went simple..onions, seitan and a dash of red wine.  Easy and tasty.

Here is what it looks like out of the package:

It is rather brown and bland looking, so I livened it up by adding color with a yummy side of sweetened carrot and cabbage stir fry.  Throw in a side of roasted potatoes and the dish is complete.

So I present to you an alternative to meat and potatoes.  Not vegetarian but 100% vegan (and very local)!

Ingredients:
(Feeds 1 Lisa...increase ingredient if there are more people at the table!)
Seitain, Organic (Natural Good Food, Amesbury MA)
1 russet potato (RI)
1 carrot (RI)
2 cups shredded cabbage (MA)
1 onion (MA)
mirin
olive oil

Toss cubed potato with a 1/2 tbsp of olive oil, salt and pepper.  Roast in oven.

Slice carrot length wise and toss in a nonstick pan with a tbsp of vegetable broth for a healthy saute (you can also use water).  Cook for about 3-4 minutes then add in shredded cabbage, 2 tbsps of mirin and a dash of red  pepper flakes.  Cook on low-medium heat until soft.

Saute onions in 1 tsp of olive oil until translucent.  Add cubed seitan and splash of red wine (sorry I did not measure..just splash a bit in there..won't hurt you!).  Cook until  the seitan is browned.   Plate and serve!

 Steak tips? No, it is seitan!

Take a chance with something new and buy some seitan next time you are at the grocery store (sold at many places!).  You may find a new favorite food!

Stay healthy and happy!

~L