Time to Remind: You are what you eat
Do something different
We tend to get in a rut with our cooking and just keep making what we've been making and end up bored or dissatisfied. Or worse! We abandon the kitchen and our ambition to eat better and therefore feel better. I offer you a mess o’ suggestions for upping your game. You’re worth it!
The farmer’s market is the best place to find new things in part because they will give you loads of ideas on how to prepare the UVO — unidentified veggie object. And if you’ve been looking at some “thing” in the produce section for ages go for it! Especially if it’s green. We have this marvel of technology called the internet these days and there is plenty of help there.
Prep Ahead
- Chopped garlic can be kept for a few days in a glass jar (so you can get the smell out) covered with a little olive oil.
- Dried beans are much tastier and toothier than canned, but any bean will bring huge benefits. Drop a few in your salad.
- Fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley can be washed, wrapped in a paper towel and kept in a bag in the fridge for a quick addition.
- I like to chop dried fruit and nuts and keep them in a jar ready to go into my quinoa porridge. I make a double batch of quinoa in the morning and have one serving for breakfast, then use the rest in a salad, soup or over veggies.
- Romaine and shredded brussels sprouts are good for meal prep salads.
Don’t Prep Ahead
- Onions, for several reasons — trust me!
- Cucumbers and zucchini will get weepy
- Delicate greens will likely wilt
- Berries degrade quickly once washed
Secret Agents
- Tahini: Full of calcium and important trace nutrients. Sub it for peanut butter on crackers with jam. Make a creamy dressing with orange juice, garlic and olive oil. Try it as a thickener for soups and stews.
- Miso: This nutrient dense food is also a probiotic with many benefits. Try in soups and salad dressings. Add to a pasta primavera for a sultry guilt-free creamy finish.
- Quinoa: Must be rinsed to get rid of bitterness. Can’t say enough about it! So good in so many ways. I like it much better than oatmeal. You can cook a couple of cups to have on hand for salads, soup, tossed over your side veggie.
- The freezer: Frozen veggies can have more nutrients than fresh. You can make broccoli soup in a flash with a bag of the frozen stuff. I’ve also been finding some real time savers in the natural market like diced beets and mushrooms.
- Cabbage: Full of vitamin C and other goodness. A head of cabbage in the crisper drawer means you can make a meal. I have braised wedges, blanched leaves to replace bread for a sammy, and when you shred purple cabbage and drop it in a salad, stir fry, or a soup, they suddenly look magical. Oh, and slaw will always be a good thing.
Sausage and Chickpea Stew
Great weeknight dinner and it freezes well! There are a few nifty nutrition secrets here and multiple possibilities for swaps.
First, the tahini (see the “Secret Agents” sidebar) adds some thickening and powerhouse nutrition at the same time. Second, the chickpeas are a good source of protein, and the sausage gives it extra flavor.
Shallots will work if the red onions are giant. I use vegan sausage and it’s still yummy. Almost any leafy green will work. You could add cauliflower or broccoli to get another serving of veg. Eat it right out of a bowl or serve over rice or noodles.
1 small red onion, chopped
1 link Italian sausage, sliced
2-4 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 cup Veggie or Chicken broth
1 can chickpeas, drained
1 tsp Dijon mustard
2 shakes dried thyme
3 Tbsp tahini
½ bag baby spinach, about 3 oz.
Squeeze of lemon juice or ½ rice vinegar
Heat a skillet over medium-high. Add a little olive oil, then the onion and a little salt. Let brown a little, then add the sausage and brown. Add the garlic and cook for about 30 seconds. Add broth and stir up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan. Add the chickpeas, Dijon, and thyme, and gently stir together. Reduce heat and let simmer for about 5 minutes. Stir in the tahini, taste and adjust seasoning, then add the spinach and lemon juice and taste again.
Brussel Sprout Salad with Quinoa, Cranberries, and Pecans
This is a new favorite of mine. Tri-color quinoa is a little tricker to work with so start with white.
Swap any nut you like, add any veggie you like.
1 cup quinoa, rinsed
1.5 cups water
½ pound Brussels sprouts
¼ cup dried cranberries
¼ chopped nut of choice
Leftover chicken or steak
3 Tbsp. orange juice
1-2 Tbsp olive oil
Heat 1¾ cups water with quinoa and a little salt. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and let simmer for 12 — 15 minutes, or until the “tail” (endosperm) appears. Drain as needed and reserve.
While the quinoa cooks, remove the outer leaves of the sprouts and slice thinly, avoiding the stems. Place in a medium bowl and add remaining ingredients and toss well. Add quinoa and toss again. Enjoy warm or cold.
Nov | Dec Featured Recipes
Leek and Cheddar Biscuits
Leek and Cheddar Biscuits
Leek and Cheddar Biscuits
These are simple, yet extra special. For those uninitiated into the ways, or even identification of leeks, you can use scallions, which don’t need to be sautéed. If you’re a regular here, you may have bought self-rising flour for the “picnic loaf” in the last edition, and now you can use it again! My lazier self is loving the self-rising bit.
If you make a soup with holiday leftovers, these biscuits will be an incredible addition if you don’t have time for homemade for the main meal. The recipe will double well, but trickier to work with, so I’d suggest 2 batches.
Makes 8 biscuits
2 cups self rising flour
1 large or 2 small leeks*
3 Tbsp. butter, plus some for sautéing
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
½ cup grated cheddar
Scant ½ cup milk
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan.
Trim the root end and dark green parts of the leek (some come with the dark green already trimmed) then chop finely. Sauté with a little butter, just until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in mustard and let cool.
Cut butter into small pieces, working quickly so that it doesn't warm too much. In a medium mixing bowl add the flour and butter, then cut together using two forks or a pastry cutter until no large pieces are visible. Add about 1-2 tsp. salt and the cheese, then toss to combine well. Add the leeks and toss again.
Using your fingers or a silicone spatula, slowly add the milk and gently combine. If the mixture seems too dry you can add a little more, but it is a sturdy batter.
With a small serving spoon, scoop out 8 biscuits onto the prepared pan, shaping into rounds. Lightly brush with a little milk (I didn’t have a pastry brush for the one pictured, so skip this step if you don’t either). Place in the oven for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Check with a toothpick or skewer as needed. Serve warm, or gently reheat.
*NOTE: If using scallions, substitute one bunch.
Easier Than Pie Galette
Leek and Cheddar Biscuits
Leek and Cheddar Biscuits
I do love pie, but when there’s a lot of cooking going on this “galette” comes together easily, and looks fancier than it really is. I like the look of two types of apple, but as always, it’s baker’s choice. My mom would whip one up when she wanted a simple autumn dessert and none of us had any remarks about its appearance. In fact, it disappeared in minutes.
Cut into irregular squares to preserve the apple slice effect, and serve with a good vanilla ice cream or whipped cream.
6-8 servings
1 rolled pie crust, defrosted in the fridge
6-8 apples
3 Tbsp. brown sugar
½ tsp. cinnamon
3-4 Tbsp. chilled butter
3 Tbsp. maple syrup
Pre-heat the oven to 400 degrees and line a sheet pan.
Unroll the piecrust and lay out on the pan. Gently roll dough to smooth any cracks from unrolling. Sprinkle with brown sugar, leaving an inch around the edge, then follow with the cinnamon. Slice the apples as uniformly as possible and arrange on top of the sugar decoratively. Dot with butter, then drizzle or brush on the maple syrup.
Fold up the edges and tuck in around the apples, then brush with egg wash or milk, if desired. Bake for about 30 minutes or until crust is deep golden and there is some bubbling around the apples. Let cool slightly before serving.
Cinnamon Mocha Rolls
Leek and Cheddar Biscuits
Cinnamon Mocha Rolls
After you make a galette and have one crust left, you can make these cookie-like rolls. Kids will love helping to make them and are delighted by the swirl. Adjust sweetening to your family’s preferences by using cinnamon sugar in place of plain cinnamon.
Makes about 10
1 frozen pie crust, defrosted
1 cup chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. butter
1/2 tsp. vanilla
2 Tbsp. espresso powder
1 Tbsp. cinnamon
Pre-heat the oven to 350 degrees and line a sheet pan.
Place chocolate chips in a small bowl with the butter and microwave at 30 second intervals, stirring until melted. Be careful to not burn the chocolate. Stir in the vanilla, espresso powder, and cinnamon until smooth.
Unroll the piecrust onto a cutting board. Trim 2 sides, adding the trim to the uncut sides to form a rectangle. Gently roll dough to smooth seams and cracks. Using a rubber spatula, spread chocolate mixture evenly over the dough. Roll one long edge of the pastry to form a log, then place in the freezer or fridge for about 10 minutes.
Using a very sharp knife cut the log into even slices, then place them on the prepared pan. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown. Let cool or serve warm with ice cream.
Sept | Oct Featured Recipes
This is summer’s favorite salad
I had an extra cheerful grandmother with her own made up vocabulary for lots of everyday things. We grandkids, for example, were “kidder-kadders” and it was said with pure joy. In the afternoon or on a long car ride she would offer us “snicky-snacks” which made them all the more a treat. We experienced pure joy letting her spoil us, and very likely our appetite for dinner.
She was always the life of any party and a wonderful hostess as well. Although my mother threw great parties and dinners, she didn’t necessarily love it. Grandma did. She ran a cafe in Cleveland during the depression and people came as much for the food as for her effervescence, stories, and hilarious one-liners.
To this day, I will almost always refer to any kind of nibble as a snicky-snack, and when I don't really feel like cooking I'm happy for them to stand in as a meal. Guests at the parties I catered in New York would sometimes sneak back to the kitchen to shovel a few extra hors d'oeuvre down their throat with a "this is my dinner" announcement. I couldn't blame them as it just wasn't done, as they say, to take more than one when the server passed them.
These days I favor more relaxed entertaining and am fond of a snacktivites kind of gathering. Snicky-snacks also make a perfect offering at a potluck and I absolutely love the suspense of what will turn up at such get together. It's sad that some feel the need to plan them, which renders them devoid of luck... and a lot of the fun in my book. I know, "but what if there's no salad?" As if! Even if every single person did bring a pie, would we not still have a grand time?
So, please enjoy the recipes in this edition in the spirit in which they are intended
- as fun to make and harbingers of joy with others.
Caprese Crostini
This is summer’s favorite salad made even better with a little crunch from toasted baguette. I like to use bocconcini for the mozzarella, but any fresh mozzarella size will work.
Pro Tip:
Rub the toast with half a clove of garlic and the top stem slice of tomato for added flavor.
½ baguette
1 clove garlic, optional
3 small tomatoes, sliced
4 oz. fresh mozzarella
4 Tbsp. pesto
Fresh basil leaves
Olive oil
Cut the baguette into 4 inch pieces and toast in a toaster oven or in a regular oven. Rub with garlic, then tomato slice. Spread pesto on top, then add slices of mozzarella and tomato. Tuck in some basil leaves and lightly drizzle with olive oil.
Ham, Cheese, and Pickle Picnic Loaf
I spend a lot of time in the UK and this is a bit of an homage to a “ploughman’s lunch” found at every pub. It’s light yet filling, and can be made with plant based cheese and meat. A perfect snack, but add a salad and you have a nice meal. Using self rising flour it’s really quick and easy.
About 6 servings
4 cups self-rising flour
1/2 tsp. salt
8 Tbsp. cold butter
5 oz. ham
6 oz. good cheddar cheese
2 dill pickles, chopped
4 sprigs fresh thyme
3/4 cup milk, plus some for brushing
Preheat oven to 375 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper - optional but ideal.
Put flour and salt in a mixing bowl. Using two forks, your fingers, or a pastry cutter rub or cut the butter into the flour until crumbly. Cut ham and cheese into 1/2 inch pieces. Stir in ham, cheese and pickles and mix well. Pull thyme leaves off the stem and stir into mixture. Mix in the milk with your hands until well combined.
Transfer dough to baking sheet forming a dome about 3 inches high. Brush with milk and place in the oven. Bake for about 30 minutes or until deep golden brown, brushing with milk again half way through if not browning much. Let cool a few minutes be for cutting.
Devilish Eggs
These are extra special deviled eggs, but you can decide just how special you want to make them. I like taking these to a potluck, because people love deviled eggs, but hardly ever make them for themselves. I used a favorite vegan jerky for mine, although the recipe calls for bacon. The longer you soak them in the beet juice, the pinker they’ll get. Mine are very lightly dyed as you can see.
6 hard boiled eggs
1/2 cup beet juice
2 tsp. Dijon mustard
6 Tbsp. hummus
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
2 pieces cooked bacon
Smoked paprika
Place the hard boiled eggs in a plastic container with the beet juice and store in the refrigerator. From time to time give the eggs a gentle shake to mix the juice. Leave for up to 12 hours.
Halve the eggs and put the yolks in a small mixing bowl. Add the mustard, hummus and olive oil, and stir well. Season with salt and taste, adjusting as needed. Please egg mixture in a zipper sandwich bag and trim a corner. Pipe mixture into egg halves. Sprinkle with paprika and finish with a piece of bacon.
Perfect Hard Boiled Eggs
Put your eggs in a pot appropriate for the number you’re cooking and cover with water by 1/2 inch. Bring to a boil, cover and remove from heat. Let’s stand for 10 minutes, then drain and cool. Peel while still slightly warm.
fullfilling your filo fantasies | Jul - Aug Issue:
Facing My Filo Fear
Facing My Filo Fear
Facing My Filo Fear
Filo dough (phyllo, fillo) is popular throughout the Middle East and the Mediterranean. It’s the dough used to make baklava and spanakopita, those tasty little triangles with spinach and feta cheese you’ve probably had at a party. I don’t know if it’s really a fear of filo, or more a fear of being annoyed by filo that kept me away from this incredibly versatile stuff.
In my youth, I believe impatience with properly defrosting filo was the main problem. It may also be that the quality has improved now that it is more mainstream. Either way, I gave it another go again recently and boy, am I glad that I did!
These recipes are all fun to make without too many ingredients. If you follow the tips I’ve given, it’s not hard to work with and you can be fearless! Two of these recipes should use up a box, and the omelette is a great way to finish off leftovers.
Tips for Best Results with Filo
Always defrost for several hours in the fridge, or overnight.Be sure to keep the dough covered except for the sheets you are using immediately. Use a lightly damp dish towel for ease.Each sheet must have some butter or oil brushed on in order for it to flake properly.In a pinch or if making a large batch, you can use butter flavored cooking spray.
Filo Custard Pie
Facing My Filo Fear
Facing My Filo Fear
For your next brunch or when family is in town, this is special. And! Older kids can help. You can make it with just half & half if you aren't a sweetened condensed milk person. You can also add cinnamon, ginger, or freshly grated nutmeg for a little something extra.
8 sheets filo dough
8 Tbsp. butter melted
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup milk
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
Pinch salt
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Butter a medium casserole dish.
Whisk together the eggs, milk, condensed milk, vanilla, and salt.
Place a sheet of filo on the work surface and brush with butter. Push one longer edge into the rest of the pastry, forming a rough accordion. Tuck one end of the accordion in and roll into a spiral, then place in baking dish. Repeat with remaining sheets.
Bake for about 15 minutes or until golden, then remove from the oven and pour egg and milk mixture evenly over the top. Return to the oven and bake for about 15 minutes, or until the custard is set. Let stand about 5 minutes before serving
Asparagus & Pesto Cigars
I love naked asparagus, but these are an easy way to dress them up for a gathering and make it extra special.
1 pound Asparagus
About 10 sheet filo
¼ cup pesto
¼ cup parmesan
About 3 Tbsp. butter, melted
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Line a sheet pan with parchment.
Trim the asparagus stems. Place asparagus in a shallow baking dish, sprinkle with salt, and pour boiling water over. Let stand for about 2 minutes, then drain and pat dry.
Place 1 sheet of filo on your work surface, keeping the remaining dough covered, and brush lightly with butter. Cut into squares about 6x6, then make stacks of 3. Place a spear on each stack, drizzle or smear with a little pesto, and a pinch of parmesan. Roll into a cigar shape and place on prepared pan, seam side down. Repeat with remaining asparagus and pastry, then sprinkle cigars with more parmesan.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Filo Omelette
This is a little bit of magic and a lot of fun… and so easy! It’s the perfect thing to make with any leftover sheets, although you may love it and put it in your regular line-up.
The filo gives a bit of structure and a semblance of crust and is kinda quiche-like. You can make this with spinach and tiny feta cubes for true Mediterranean flavor or use anything “omelette-y” that you have on hand.
4 sheets filo pastry
1 tbsp olive oil or butter
4 large eggs
2 tbsp milk
½ cup shredded cheese
¼ cup chopped spinach
Roll the sheets of filo into a tube, then slice into 1-inch pieces with a sharp knife. Gently toss the sliced filo pastry to separate strands.
Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add filo and toss or gently stir until lightly golden.
Lightly beat eggs with milk and salt. Pour egg mixture over the filo. Sprinkle with cheese and spinach. Reduce heat, cover and cook on low until eggs are set, about 5 minutes. Serve warm. Reheats well in microwave.