Quinoa Cakes

This one is for you, Losaunne, and any other vegetarians out there. Actually, my family is about as far from being vegetarians as you can get, and we absolutely love this. We ate these as a main dish with the poached egg on top, like Annie does in her recipe, but I had a leftover patty for lunch the next day and just melted some cheese on it - delicious! It would make a great veggie burger with a bun or on a piece of toast with some cheese and cucumber and/or tomato. Plus, you can spread the preparation time out for those with busy school schedules (again, that's you, Losaunne). Truly, quinoa is a great grain, very versatile and high in protein, so break out of your ordinary and try these. (Original from Annie's Eats)

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Ingredients

2 C cooked quinoa, at room temp (I like to cook mine in broth)

2 large eggs, beaten

1/2 tsp salt

1/3 C minced fresh chives

1 shallot, finely chopped (original said 2, but that was a bit much I think)

1/3 C grated Parmesan cheese

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 - 3/4 C bread crumbs

Olive oil for frying

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Directions

In a medium bowl, combine the quinoa, eggs, salt, chives, shallots, Parmesan and garlic. Stir to blend. Mix in the bread crumbs and stir gently until evenly incorporated. Form the mixture into six evenly sized patties, about 3 - 4 inches in diameter.

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Heat a bit of olive oil in a large sauté pan over medium-high heat and swirl to coat. Add the patties to the pan so that they are not touching. Let cook about 4 minutes or until the first side is lightly browned. Carefully flip the patties with a spatula and let the second side cook until golden brown, about 4 minutes more. Repeat with the remaining patties, using additional olive oil if needed.

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Optional serving suggestion: Top each patty with a bit of shaved Parmesan, a poached egg, and season with salt and pepper.

California Chowder

Yum, yum, yum, and packed full of veggies (for those who care about that...).

Originally from the Lion House Classics, via Sisters Cafe.

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Ingredients

4 T. butter

½ c. flour

½ T. chicken soup base (chicken bouillon)

1 c. heavy cream

2 c. whole milk

2 c. water

1 c. diced carrots

2 c. diced potatoes

1 c. diced celery

1 clove fresh minced garlic

½ T. salt

½ T. Worcestershire sauce

½ c. finely chopped onions

½ T. butter

1 c. fresh broccoli

1 c. fresh cauliflower

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Directions

Melt butter in a soup pot. Add flour and mix well. Add chicken base, then slowly and steadily mix in the cream, whole milk, and water. Bring to a low boil; then add carrots, potatoes, celery, garlic, salt, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook for 30 - 45 minutes until veggies are just starting to soften. Sauté onions in butter for 3 minutes and add to soup along with broccoli and cauliflower. Cook another 15 minutes or until vegetables are fork tender (the vegetables give only a little resistance when pierced with a fork - mostly tender, but not mushy). Makes 6 servings as a side dish, more like 4 if serving as main dish.

Provencal Tomatoes

Ryan is about the least picky eater in the world. There's pretty much only two things he doesn't like: beets (eww gross, does anyone like these?) and raw tomatoes. He loves tomatoes cooked in things, tomato sauce, and these baked tomatoes. Funny how even just a few minutes of heat can change the tomato so that he loves it. This is one of his favorite sides - and one of my favorites to make since it's fast, easy, and cheap (when tomatoes are). Source - Julia Child in Julia and Jaques, Cooking at Home

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Ingredients

3 large firm ripe tomatoes (you want them to be round, not romas)

Salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 to 1 1/2 C bread crumbs

2 Tbsp shallots, minced (I have substituted other onions and they all work)

1 tsp herbs de provence

3 Tbs grated parmesan cheese

2 -3 Tbs chopped parsley

3-4 Tbs olive oil

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Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Core the tomatoes and cut them in half crosswise. Squeeze each half gently to force out the seeds. With your fingers, clean the cavities of any clinging seeds. Arrange in a shallow baking dish, cut side up. Season with a sprinkling of salt and pepper to taste.

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In a small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, shallots, dried herbs, grated cheese, and chopped parsley. Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of the olive oil, tossing well to moisten the crumbs evenly.

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Spoon the stuffing into the tomato halves, pushing it down into the cavities and mounding on top. Drizzle a scant teaspoon of oil over the top of each half.

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Bake for approximately 20 minutes, or until the topping has browned and the tomatoes are hot but still keep their shape.

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Note: The tomato halves can be stuffed several hours in advance and refrigerated before baking.

Delicata Squash and Kale Salad

Part of the reason I never post is that I always want to eat the food before I take its picture - and the times I do photograph my plate, well, let's just say no one will be paying me to take family photos any time soon. So if you'll endure some recipes without previews, I'll try to post a little more often. Maybe someone else can make the recipe and add a picture later. (Actually, I found this picture online, so you can enjoy your preview.)

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Anyway, Kaitlyn asked for some good vegetable recipes, so here's an amazing salad. When I wanted to make a really nice meal for Ryan on Valentines Day, we started with this beauty. It's easy enough to put together, but tastes absolutely heavenly. (source - The Wall Street Journal)

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Ingredients

1 medium squash

olive oil for drizzling

salt and pepper to taste

1 Tbsp chopped parsley

zest of 1/2 an orange

1/2 shallot, minced

1/2 C raw kale, shredded in thin ribbons

1/4 C shaved parmesan (I like to use a vegetable peeler)

1 Tbsp shaved radish

1 Tbsp crushed pecans, toasted

1/2 Tbsp chives, chopped

3 tsp fresh-squeezed lemon juice

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Directions

Preheat oven to 400. Peel the squash skin off with a knife, not a vegetable peeler, then cut the squash in half lengthwise and scoop out the seeds. Cut it into pieces about 2 inches long and 1 inch thick. Spread the squash on a baking sheet lined with foil, drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and bake for 25 minutes, until very tender.

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Remove the squash from the oven and toss with 1/2 the parsley, the orange zest, and a drizzle of olive oil. Let cool.

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In a mixing bowl, toss the cooled squash with shallot, kale, parmesan, radish, pecans, parsley, chives, and lemon juice. Drizzle with olive oil, and season with salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

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Serves 4

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Since there's plenty of moisture in this salad, you don't want to save it. If you want to make a bunch to have leftovers, prepare the squash and store it separately. Then mix together the veggies and herbs, but leave out the lemon juice and olive oil. Store this in its own container. Right before serving, toss in the squash, lemon juice, and finish off with a drizzle of oil and some salt and pepper. Kale is a pretty rugged green, so it keeps for quite a while.

Herbs de Provence

This post is not actually a recipe, but a highlight of one of my favorite ingredients - herbs de provence. This is a french mixture of herbs and spices including basil, thyme, savory, and lavender blossoms (among other things). I seriously don't know how I cooked before Ryan introduced me to this wondrous delight. My local closed-on-Sunday little grocer doesn't carry it, but most well-stocked spice aisles should have it. I usually buy it at Target, but I would imagine that Smith's or Kroger carry it as well, and we have found it at Harmon's too. It's priced about typical for spice blends - a regular size jar is several dollars, but a little bit goes a long way, so it's not like you'll be buying more every other week. I use this in pretty much anything, here's just a few examples:

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Meat: throw some in the cavity of a roast chicken, add it to your pot roast, use as a pre-grilling rub for steaks, or sprinkle it on fish before baking.

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Veggies: sprinkle on mixed veggies before roasting, toss in a salad, or mix with bread crumbs and stuff in tomatoes (see recipe for tomatoes Provençal).

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Bread: add to mayo with garlic and lemon to make a savory sandwich spread, mix in olive oil and vinegar for a yummy dip, mix in butter to toast on french bread.

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A little addition of these herbs really adds new life to your meal! Try it, I'm begging you ...