Monday, September 17, 2012
Short Break
The time is near, as Fall arrives and our mornings meet us with cool, crisp air, change abounds everywhere.
The moving sale was successsful.
The final party has been thrown.
We are down to the final days and it is time for me to beg for a break.
I'll be back in about three weeks, from our new home in Missoula, MT with details and new food adventures. We'll continue our grain explorations at that time.
Tuesday, September 11, 2012
Grain Explorations: Wheat Berry Chili
Wheat Berries? Are they a grain or a berry? Hard wheat berries are the whole wheat kernel before it's made into flour. They have a wonderful texture and when cooked almost pop in your mouth like a good current or blueberry. Wheat berries are similar to brown rice, but with a different texture.
The inspiration from this recipe came from a Wheat Berry Chili posted by Eating Well, but thanks to the "we move in less than two weeks and I have to clean out the fridge, freezer, and cabinets" mentality it became a pretty different recipe.
A few extra tips when cooking grains.
Ingredients
Cook wheat berries as directed.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5-10 minutes. Add chopped peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano,cilantro, salt and pepper. Saute until spices are fragrant and onion and pepper are soft, stirring occasionally.
Add rinsed beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, chipotle and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir in chopped spinach and wheat berries. Heat through until spinach is wilted.
Combine the lime juice, avocado, and red onion to spoon on top of the chili. If you have it, add 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.
And there you have it, a very hearty chili. If you use vegetarian broth, it's vegetarian, but either way it's scrumptious.
The inspiration from this recipe came from a Wheat Berry Chili posted by Eating Well, but thanks to the "we move in less than two weeks and I have to clean out the fridge, freezer, and cabinets" mentality it became a pretty different recipe.
A few extra tips when cooking grains.
- Always rinse them thoroughly and watch for stones!
- Most of the grains, such as wheat berries, can be made and frozen. That way you can pull a cup of cooked grains out of the freezer for a quick dinner or breakfast.
- Pretty much any grain can be used in place of oatmeal for a hot breakfast!
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1/2 large onion chopped
- 1-2 peppers, any color chopped
- 2-3 garlic cloves, minced
- 2 teaspoons chili powder
- 2 teaspoons cumin
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1/2 teaspoon dried cilantro
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper
- 1 15-ounce can black beans, drained
- 1 15-ounce can kidney beans, drained
- 4 fresh tomatoes, diced (save juices to add also)
- 1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely diced (Use a second pepper if you like it spicy!)
- 2 cups chicken broth
- 2 cups cooked wheat berries
- 2 large handfuls spinach or any other green, chopped
- 1 tablespoon lime juice
- 1 avocado, diced
- 2 tablespoons finely chopped red onion
Cook wheat berries as directed.
Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute for 5-10 minutes. Add chopped peppers, garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano,cilantro, salt and pepper. Saute until spices are fragrant and onion and pepper are soft, stirring occasionally.
Add rinsed beans, chopped tomatoes, tomato juice, chipotle and broth. Bring to a boil over high heat, reduce heat and cover. Simmer for 25 minutes.
Stir in chopped spinach and wheat berries. Heat through until spinach is wilted.
Combine the lime juice, avocado, and red onion to spoon on top of the chili. If you have it, add 1 tablespoon of chopped cilantro.
And there you have it, a very hearty chili. If you use vegetarian broth, it's vegetarian, but either way it's scrumptious.
Thursday, September 6, 2012
Grain Explorations: Millet Corn Casserole
Today's grain is Millet. I'm using up the grains in my cupboard before I buy more and one of the bags I needed to empty was millet. I also had some cobs of corn from the farmers market. To use both up I found this casserole.
A few facts about millet for you.
- Millet is high in Magnesium.
- Millet is a seed that comes from a tall grass and is much more common in other areas of the world.
- Millet is gluten free.
- It's known as a grain that is easy to digest and soothing to our body.
- It is nearly 15% protein.
The casserole below was inspired by the Millet Corn Casserole from R. Thomas Deluxe Grill found on the Atlanta website linked above.
Millet Corn Casserole
Ingredients:Millet Corn Casserole
2 tablespoons coconut oil
3/4 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Arizona Dreaming spice blend (Penzey's)
1/2 tablespoon Sunny Paris seasoning blend (Penzey's)
2 cups millet grains, washed and drained
1/2 cup couscous grain,
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1/4 cup shredded white cheese (something creamy, I shredded 2 laughing cow wheels, but swiss or monteray jack would be good.) If you are skimping on calories the cheese isn't a must have - but it was nice!
3/4 large yellow onion, diced
1 clove garlic, minced
1/8 teaspoon crushed dried red pepper
2 teaspoons cumin
1 tablespoon sea salt
1 tablespoon Arizona Dreaming spice blend (Penzey's)
1/2 tablespoon Sunny Paris seasoning blend (Penzey's)
2 cups millet grains, washed and drained
1/2 cup couscous grain,
2 cups fresh or frozen corn
1/4 cup shredded white cheese (something creamy, I shredded 2 laughing cow wheels, but swiss or monteray jack would be good.) If you are skimping on calories the cheese isn't a must have - but it was nice!
Recipe Notes:
- The original recipe called for Amaranth, which is on my list to try, but I didn't have that or quinoa, so I subbed couscous.
- The recipe also called for a chopped red pepper, which would have added great color but I didn't have it. I think roasted red peppers or poblanos would add great flavor here.
First prep your vegetables and spices. Remember we learned about mise en place in the last post?
In large pot over low heat, add coconut oil. Add onion, crushed red pepper, and garlic. Saute until softened and lightly browned.
Stir in cumin, sea salt and all seasonings and saute for 3 to 5 minutes.
Add water, millet, and couscous. (Note, the original recipe called for 6 cups of water, but review the types of grains you use and the amounts and adjust the liquid level to meet your needs!) Bring to a boil, stirring well. Cover and reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 15 to 25 minutes, or until grains are thick but not lumpy, stirring periodically. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Fold in corn and return to a simmer. Fold in peppers and simmer 5 minutes. The mixture should be thick but not solid.
Adjust seasonings to taste and remove from heat.
Lightly grease a 9-by-13-inch casserole dish with coconut oil or ghee and pour mixture into pan. Bake for 30 minutes. You may need to rotate after 20 minutes to get even consistency. Texture should be firm but not hard, and top should be lightly browned.
I served this casserole as a lovely side for one of my parents farm-raised venison chops, along with that beautiful salad below.
Tuesday, September 4, 2012
Grain Explorations: Brown Rice Stuffed Peppers
For today's "Grain Explorations" I actually turned to one of my favorite vegetable cookbooks, Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables. This cookbook is based on the recipes from a Community Supported Agriculture Farm. Farmer John led me to a recipe for Mushroom and Spinach Stuffed Peppers.
Many of us have fond memories of peppers stuffed with a ground meat and rice mixture from our childhood. Every couple years, when I have enough peppers that I wonder what I should do, I make traditional stuffed peppers. These peppers are full of a very tasty rice and vegetable mixture. I did make some changes as I didn't have any mushrooms. I'm sure they would be good though!
Brown rice is one of my favorite grains. It does take 45 minutes or more to cook, but now that I'm lucky enough to work from home, I don't have to hurry as much around dinner time, so that is normally not a problem. Brown rice is hearty. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and can be substituted for white rice in any recipe. Just adjust cooking time and water.
If you are always looking for new ways to cook vegetables, I encourage you to check out this cookbook. It's excellent.
Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
from John Peterson and Angelic Organics
Note: This is not a weeknight recipe, it does take some time, as any stuffed pepper recipe will.
Vegetable Stuffed Peppers with Parmesan
4 bell peppers (any color), tops sliced off; seeds removed (chop and reserve the pepper from the tops)
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup butter, divided
1 large onion, minced (about one cup) and divided
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
2 ribs of celery, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/4 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
2 large handfuls spinach, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
dash cayenne pepper
1 large tomato, diced ( I used oven roasted tomatoes to add flavor)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
freshly ground pepper
Other items that would taste great in this include: mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and feta in place of parmesan.
Directions:
Bring enough water to a boil to cover peppers. Add the peppers and 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook the peppers until they are almost soft, 3-4 minutes. Without dumping out the water, remove the peppers from the water and set in a colander to drain and cool.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent and soft. Add the rice and stir frequently until golden. Add the proper amount of pepper water needed for the rice you use, usually twice the amount for brown rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. For brown rice about 45- 50 minutes.
Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pepper tops and all other vegetables, the ginger, garlic, and cayenne. Saute until the vegetables are tender and salt to taste. Remember! You'll be adding the rice into this, which was made with the salted pepper water!
Combine the rice and sauteed vegetables. I'd suggest using one of your pans instead of making yet another bowl dirty. Stir in the tomato, half of the Parmesan cheese, and pepper to taste.
You can fill the peppers whole, or cut in half and fill as I did below. Arrange them in a 9 inch square baking dish. Garnish with the remaining cheese. Put all filling in dish around peppers and bake until heated through.
These can be put right in the oven to cook for about 20-30 minutes at 350 degrees or they can be prepped to this point ahead of time and put in the oven when ready.
These peppers made a great side for dinner and doubled as the perfect lunch the next day. If you wanted to make these as a main dish, you could easily add some black or white beans for more protein.
Phrase of the day! With this recipe I want to introduce the concept of Mise en place to you. Detail can be found by clicking on the linked word, but basically Mise en place is a french concept for planning ahead or being prepared. You'll notice when I remember to take pictures, that I almost always have my vegetables chopped ahead of time and my spices measured and ready to dump. In restaurant kitchens the prep cook would be doing much of this work, but in our humble home kitchens we are prep and chef. The kitchen is less hectic, and more orderly, if the recipe has been read through, ingredients assembled, and prep completed. Do I always do this? No. But I usually regret it when I don't and all of a sudden I don't have the next ingredient! I've noticed more and more tv chefs using this term - now you'll know!
Many of us have fond memories of peppers stuffed with a ground meat and rice mixture from our childhood. Every couple years, when I have enough peppers that I wonder what I should do, I make traditional stuffed peppers. These peppers are full of a very tasty rice and vegetable mixture. I did make some changes as I didn't have any mushrooms. I'm sure they would be good though!
Brown rice is one of my favorite grains. It does take 45 minutes or more to cook, but now that I'm lucky enough to work from home, I don't have to hurry as much around dinner time, so that is normally not a problem. Brown rice is hearty. It has a wonderful nutty flavor and can be substituted for white rice in any recipe. Just adjust cooking time and water.
If you are always looking for new ways to cook vegetables, I encourage you to check out this cookbook. It's excellent.
Farmer John's Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables
from John Peterson and Angelic Organics
Note: This is not a weeknight recipe, it does take some time, as any stuffed pepper recipe will.
Vegetable Stuffed Peppers with Parmesan
4 bell peppers (any color), tops sliced off; seeds removed (chop and reserve the pepper from the tops)
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 cup butter, divided
1 large onion, minced (about one cup) and divided
1 1/2 cups uncooked brown rice
2 ribs of celery, finely diced
1 carrot, finely diced
1/4 cup corn (fresh or frozen)
2 large handfuls spinach, chopped
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, minced (optional)
1-2 cloves garlic, minced
dash cayenne pepper
1 large tomato, diced ( I used oven roasted tomatoes to add flavor)
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese, divided
freshly ground pepper
Other items that would taste great in this include: mushrooms, zucchini, yellow squash, and feta in place of parmesan.
Directions:
Bring enough water to a boil to cover peppers. Add the peppers and 1 tablespoon of salt. Cook the peppers until they are almost soft, 3-4 minutes. Without dumping out the water, remove the peppers from the water and set in a colander to drain and cool.
Heat 2 Tablespoons of the butter to a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and saute until translucent and soft. Add the rice and stir frequently until golden. Add the proper amount of pepper water needed for the rice you use, usually twice the amount for brown rice. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low, cover, and cook until the liquid is completely absorbed. For brown rice about 45- 50 minutes.
Melt the remaining butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chopped pepper tops and all other vegetables, the ginger, garlic, and cayenne. Saute until the vegetables are tender and salt to taste. Remember! You'll be adding the rice into this, which was made with the salted pepper water!
Combine the rice and sauteed vegetables. I'd suggest using one of your pans instead of making yet another bowl dirty. Stir in the tomato, half of the Parmesan cheese, and pepper to taste.
You can fill the peppers whole, or cut in half and fill as I did below. Arrange them in a 9 inch square baking dish. Garnish with the remaining cheese. Put all filling in dish around peppers and bake until heated through.
Sorry for the blurry picture!
These peppers made a great side for dinner and doubled as the perfect lunch the next day. If you wanted to make these as a main dish, you could easily add some black or white beans for more protein.
Phrase of the day! With this recipe I want to introduce the concept of Mise en place to you. Detail can be found by clicking on the linked word, but basically Mise en place is a french concept for planning ahead or being prepared. You'll notice when I remember to take pictures, that I almost always have my vegetables chopped ahead of time and my spices measured and ready to dump. In restaurant kitchens the prep cook would be doing much of this work, but in our humble home kitchens we are prep and chef. The kitchen is less hectic, and more orderly, if the recipe has been read through, ingredients assembled, and prep completed. Do I always do this? No. But I usually regret it when I don't and all of a sudden I don't have the next ingredient! I've noticed more and more tv chefs using this term - now you'll know!
Monday, September 3, 2012
Grain Explorations: Quinoa Pilaf
Despite my pile of cookbooks, my first evening of "Grain Explorations" found me turning to a tried and true, a recipe that doesn't take much time and always adds a nice side for any meat or fish dinner. I turned to Pilaf.
The wonderful thing about Pilaf is once you are familiar with the basic steps you can mix up the grain and veggies used to match what you have handy.
Traditional pilaf is made with rice, but since I only use brown rice, sometimes I turn to Quinoa if I need a faster dinner.
Quinoa is a wonderful grain. Here are a few Quinoa basics to entice you!
1. You're always going to start with that base of chopped onion, celery, and garlic. Saute this over low to medium heat with a bit of olive oil until softened. You can add chopped carrot to this if you wish and I encourage you to add the garlic toward the end, so it doesn't get too brown.
2. Once your veggies are softened, and maybe lightly brown, measure out your grain and add it to the pan, mixing it in with the softened vegetables. You want the grain to toast a bit before adding the appropriate amount of water or broth.
Notes:
3. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover for the length of time needed to cook that grain.
4. Mix in any preferred additions and serve! These additions could include nuts, such as sliced toasted almonds or toasted pine nuts; thinly slices spinach or any green; fresh chopped herbs; or even raisins or dried cranberries.
As you can see, on this night I paired this lovely Quinoa Pilaf with some carrots and trout.
The wonderful thing about Pilaf is once you are familiar with the basic steps you can mix up the grain and veggies used to match what you have handy.
Traditional pilaf is made with rice, but since I only use brown rice, sometimes I turn to Quinoa if I need a faster dinner.
Quinoa is a wonderful grain. Here are a few Quinoa basics to entice you!
- Quinoa cooks in about 15 minutes.
- Quinoa is a complete protein.
- Quinoa is gluten free.
- While I'm including it as one of my favorite grains, Quinoa is actually a seed!
- Quinoa tastes goes equally well in summer cool salads and warm pilafs.
1. You're always going to start with that base of chopped onion, celery, and garlic. Saute this over low to medium heat with a bit of olive oil until softened. You can add chopped carrot to this if you wish and I encourage you to add the garlic toward the end, so it doesn't get too brown.
2. Once your veggies are softened, and maybe lightly brown, measure out your grain and add it to the pan, mixing it in with the softened vegetables. You want the grain to toast a bit before adding the appropriate amount of water or broth.
Notes:
- If using Quinoa, I encourage you to rinse it prior to adding it to the pan.
- Water is always fine, but you can use any broth in a pilaf recipe to up the flavor. If you use water, you'll want to add salt and pepper!
3. Bring to a boil, lower to a simmer and cover for the length of time needed to cook that grain.
4. Mix in any preferred additions and serve! These additions could include nuts, such as sliced toasted almonds or toasted pine nuts; thinly slices spinach or any green; fresh chopped herbs; or even raisins or dried cranberries.
As you can see, on this night I paired this lovely Quinoa Pilaf with some carrots and trout.
Saturday, September 1, 2012
Project Introduction: Grain Explorations
Thank you to everyone for your patience. It's a bit busy around here as we work on important things like spending time with our niece and nephew and organizing a large move. In addition to great outdoor time with our niece and nephew,
we also had wonderful relaxing time with them!
Now, with a large move coming up (more to come when it really happens). You might think that I'm checking in to beg for patience - I did think about it.
But I think what I really need is something positive to focus on and to be successful at as we maneuver the world of selling and buying homes, dealing with inspectors, deciding what to sell or give away and what to pack, etc. In other words, something I can control!
I've been thinking about focusing the blog on a project for awhile. Since I'm in a transition year without a garden, it doesn't pay to focus on vegetables. I've decided the other thing I always want to know more about are grains. So on this first day of September, let's join in with the throngs of students going back to school and learn something new!
Check back often. I hope you are looking forward to these explorations as much as I am!
we also had wonderful relaxing time with them!
Now, with a large move coming up (more to come when it really happens). You might think that I'm checking in to beg for patience - I did think about it.
But I think what I really need is something positive to focus on and to be successful at as we maneuver the world of selling and buying homes, dealing with inspectors, deciding what to sell or give away and what to pack, etc. In other words, something I can control!
I've been thinking about focusing the blog on a project for awhile. Since I'm in a transition year without a garden, it doesn't pay to focus on vegetables. I've decided the other thing I always want to know more about are grains. So on this first day of September, let's join in with the throngs of students going back to school and learn something new!
Title: Grain Explorations
Plan:
With the move and possibly an upcoming kitchen overhaul, it seems silly to start a project, but there is always a reason to put it off, to not learn something new. I am plowing forward with the idea that when home, i.e. not traveling for work or in a hotel, and in a working kitchen I will make an effort to cook with grains each day. Really I already do this, but in addition to my favorites of whole wheat flour, brown rice and quinoa. We will get crazy and try things like amaranth, teff, millet, bulger and more. There will be sides, meals, and we'll also do baked goods with a variety of whole grain flours, such as rye and spelt. There will be recipes that are gluten free and those that are not. So essentially, you can look forward to lots of ways to stay away from white flour and sugar.Check back often. I hope you are looking forward to these explorations as much as I am!
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