Cottage Cheese Pancakes-Yes, I Said Cottage Cheese...

Tuesday, July 9, 2013

Sooo this was supposed to be my red white and blue post…but time has a way of flying by, especially when it’s summer and you are… well… swimming and hanging out by the pool every day! Oh well,  regardless of the timeliness of being able to eat red white and blue cottage cheese pancakes on the 4th of July (I’m sure your devastated), these light, fluffy and protein packed breakfast cakes are a delish must try!  I promise you don’t even have to like cottage cheese, my kids do and my husband does not, and neither did one of my daughters friends.  In fact, when Liv requested cottage cheese pancakes in the morning after a sleepover her little girlfriend scrunched up her nose and said “no thank you, I hate cottage cheese.”  But after they were made and had plump ripe berries on the top she was willing to give’em a try.  After finishing three cakes she said, “Can you teach my mom how to make these”?
Now I have made a million different types of pancakes, usually trying to “healthy” them up of course, but these are among the fluffiest I have ever produced!  My kids can’t get enough of them, so I make a double batch and keep them in a container in the fridge.  When we are need of a fast breakfast or snack I pop one of those babies in the toaster and it comes out perfectly warm with just a little crisp on the outside.  Let me know how you like them, and also if you are or are not typically a fan of cottage cheese!

Ingredients

recipe adapted from fatgirltrappedinaskinnybody.com
1 cup cottage cheese

3 eggs (you can use egg whites only to lower the caloric total even more)

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 tbsp honey (can sub agave or maple syrup)

½ cup all purpose flour

¼ cup whole wheat flour

2 tsp baking powder

Instructions

Puree the cottage cheese, eggs and honey in a food processor or blender for about 30 seconds. In a medium bowl whisk together dry ingredients.  Add the puree mixture to the dry ingredients and stir until just combined, do not over mix.  The batter is thick, so I use a wooden spoon to spoon it onto the *hot griddle.

Preheat a griddle, skillet, or any flat bottomed pan on medium/low heat.
*The pancakes need to be cooked on a lower heat for a little longer than normal pancakes.
 
Add some butter or cooking spray to the pan if you’re pan isn’t non stick.  If it is non-stick, you probably won’t need any additional butter or oil to prevent sticking.



Scoop the pancakes onto the preheated griddle and use the back of the spoon to spread the pancakes out a bit.  Cook for about 4 minutes per side.
*The outside of the pancakes will be a deep golden brown when they’re done, not a light golden brown.
Serve immediately with fresh berries and maple syrup.
This recipe makes about 12-14 dollar size pancakes.

 Feed Them to Your Favorite People:)
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 7:11 PM 1 comments

Grilled Summer Whole-Wheat Flatbread

Tuesday, June 18, 2013
 
It’s summer time… (Enter Rascal Flats tune here…) and our family tries to both cook and eat outside for every meal. I try to never cook inside to keep the need for air conditioning down to nothing. Now with our new house, which is nestled in the middle of a dozen or so beautiful trees, we never seem to need artificial/conditioned air so I really don’t want to mess up the balance of this wonderful environment we have going! So… the grill is my kitchen in the summer months!
Also, I have learned over the years that the kids just love to have a dinner time “theme.” We have done taco Tuesdays, pizza Fridays, breakfast for dinner night and meatless Mondays and everything else in between. The kids get excited when they know what to expect (but still have a surprise with fillings and toppings etc…). Right now we are all on a pizza/flatbread kick so we have pizza 1-2 nights per week. I really like this basic flatbread recipe for the dough.  It doesn’t contain yeast and it is so easy to throw together. I love a super thin crispy crust that still has a bit of a chew to it. This dough meets those requirements!  This post is especially dedicated to my new friend Pricilla, who isn’t convinced that grilled pizza is a super simple dinner optionJ.  So Pricilla (and everyone else who has never grilled pizza or flatbread) give this a try and let me know how it comes out!

The whole-wheat flatbread dough (serves four)

1 cup whole wheat flour, plus 1 tablespoon for dusting as you roll out the dough
1 ½ teaspoons baking powder
¼  teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
¾ cup fat-free Greek yogurt (if your herbs are very moist you may only need ½ cup of yogurt)

No need to get out the mixer (then there is less to wash after dinner).  Just use your hands to mix this dough. Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and parsley in a medium mixing bowl.  Slowly incorporate the yogurt, adding ¼ cup of yogurt at a time, mixing until the dough is smooth. The dough should just pull together and release from your hands when it’s ready.  Wrap the dough in plastic and let rest for 30 minutes to an hour.

Toppings

This is totally up to you and your taste buds! This pizza was made with our favorite summer toppings:
1 ½ lb ripe fresh beef steak tomatoes
8 ounces of fresh mozzarella, sliced
1 cup of fresh pesto (recipe below)
½ cup fresh basil, chiffonade (fancy term for cutting into long, thin strips) or torn
Balsamic vinegar for drizzling (optional)
 
 

Assembly

 
Pre heat your gas or charcoal grill to medium/high heat. Assemble all of your toppings on a try to take out to the grill with you. Remove dough from plastic wrap and place on a floured board and separate into 2 pieces or 4 if you want to make individual flatbreads. Roll out to desired thickness. You could try and make it pretty and round, but I don’t bother, I like a more rustic shape, AKA I don’t have the patience for perfectly round pizza dough! Oil one side of the dough and slip it onto the grill. Grill until nice grill marks form, about 3 minutes.  Then oil the top of the flat bread and flip it over with a metal grill spatula, like flipping a pancake.
 
Brush the grilled top with pesto (recipe below) then layer the tomatoes and mozzarella. Grill until the bottom is cooked and nice grill marks form, approximately 3 minutes. Slide flatbreads onto a tray or sheet pan and top with basil and a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Enjoy your grilled pizza and your cool house!
Rustic!
Side one almost done! Time to Flip!
Ready for toppings

Just close the lid and wait for the cheese to start getting all melty:)
 
Add your basil and Enjoy!
 

Basil Pesto

1 garlic clove, peeled
2 cups fresh basil leaves
¼ cup toasted pine nuts
1 tablespoons lemon juice
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
½ cup - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
½ cup fresh grated Parmesan cheese
into the bowl of a food processor, add the garlic, basil leaves, pine nuts, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Pulse until finely chopped. With the food processer still running, slowly pour ½ cup of olive oil. Check for a thick, yet smooth consistency, adding more oil if necessary. Transfer to a bowl and stir in ½ cup Parmesan cheese. Adjust seasoning as necessary/to taste.
Follow this peso recipe through adding the oil and freeze for a quick last minute pasta or pizza sauce or sandwich spread. After it’s defrosted add the parmesan!

 
 
 
 
 
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 12:01 PM 1 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Back From Hiatus

Monday, June 10, 2013




It’s been WAY too long! We have had several life changing events that have kept me from my little hobby blog. But alas I can sit comfortably and write…The first event was last fall my daughter Liv was diagnosed with a rare autoimmune disease called, Henoch–Schönlein purpura nephritis. This disease has caused her to be hospitalized quite a bit over the last seven months. She also missed over 30 days of school. Having a sick child takes a huge toll on the family unit, but with a strong loving bond and a lot of answered prayers we have all managed to make it through. I truly believe we are all more grateful for each other today! I am also happy to report that my beautiful strong Liv is doing much better! She is followed closely by a nephrologist and still has to provide bimonthly labs, but she is stronger every day!
The bright sunshine that followed that dark cloud of illness was the purchase of our new home! Just a little over 30 days ago we moved to a beautiful new home! We couldn’t be more thrilled with our new place! We couldn’t bear to leave El Dorado Hills, so we only moved 4 miles down the road, but we nearly doubled our inside square footage and quadrupled our outdoor space. We have a great new entertaining space both indoors and out, and so much room to garden I feel like a giddy school girl! We are of course still getting settled, but the hard work is done and now we are moving on to decoratingJ As a family we all collectively agree that our expansive new deck is our favorite new space. We have rarely eaten a meal inside since the move. Our outdoor table transformed from the place where we ate dinner about four nights a week to the primary eating space in the house, breakfast, lunch and dinner.  
One of our favorite recent spring dinners was grilled spiced lemon salmon skewers. It was a family hit, and the cold leftover salmon made a fantastic salad for the lunch the next day! Have a great al fresco dinner and let me know how you like the recipe!
Enjoy!

Grilled Spiced Lemon Salmon Skewers
(Adapted from Bon Appétit June 2013)

1 tablespoon minced fresh oregano
1 tablespoon minced fresh lemon thyme
2 teaspoons sesame seeds
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 ½ pounds skinless salmon fillet (preferably wild), cut into 1-inch pieces
2 lemons, very thinly sliced into rounds
2 tablespoons olive oil
16 bamboo skewers soaked in water 1 hour

Preparation

Prepare grill for medium heat. Mix oregano, thyme, sesame seeds, cumin, salt, and red pepper flakes in a small bowl to combine; set spice mixture aside.
Beginning and ending with salmon, thread salmon and folded lemon slices onto 8 pairs of parallel skewers to make 8 kebabs total. Thread salmon pieces onto two skewers so they don't flip and spin every time you turn them on the grill. Brush with oil and season with reserved spice mixture.  Grill, turning occasionally, until fish is opaque throughout, 5–8 minutes.
Enjoy with a cold quinoa salad and a glass of sauvignon blanc!
 
 


Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 11:32 AM 0 comments

Easy & Yummy Vegan Banana Bread!

Thursday, September 13, 2012
 

Well I confess I’m not a baker! Funny thing about that is…I bake all of the time! I bake all of the bread our family eats, birthday and class treats, breakfast muffins, the occasional dessert and of course it’s the ever simple vehicle to use up over ripening fruit and all of the extra zucchini I have from our summer garden…quick bread. The kids love to grab a zucchini muffin or have a slice of banana bread for a snack after school, so true to my belief in the snack vs. treat, I am always working to make treat-like snacks as healthy as can be without making the kids noses scrunch when they take their first bite!

This version of banana bread came to me in the morning when making breakfast for the family before work/school. Jack, who only likes green bananas and Liv who only likes yellowish bananas with spots, but “not too mushy” both turned up their noses at the bananas I had to offer… So what to do when presented with overripe bananas, make banana bread right? Right!



Ripe bananas are so sweet on their own without sugar I have never really understood banana bread recipes that included ½-2/3 of a cup of sugar! With this bread I wanted low sugar, whole grain and high fiber …but moist! The problem with so many low sugar, low fat, high fiber quick bread recipes is they are dense and dry! Now I will say this bread is substantial, not the light and airy banana bread you would get from All Purpose Flour and ½ cup of white sugar. This is cakey, naturally sweet and satisfying. Today Liv asked if she could have two pieces instead of one, like she had yesterday. When I said”no”, she said” one just isn’t enough-it’s too yummy!” No scrunched noses! Whew success!

Banana Bread

1 cup flour 
 1 cup oat flour (I just use a food processor to finely grind rolled oats, Jack likes to pulse them until groundJ)
1/2 cup oat bran
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ cup organic blue agave nectar
2 flax eggs (2 tbsp ground flax mixed with 6 tbsp water, let sit until thick
or for the non-vegan version you can use 3 egg whites)
1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
2 tablespoons vegetable or olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups mashed ripe bananas (about 3-4 bananas)
 
Step 1 is mash the bananas...one should always do this
while sitting on top of the kitchen counter in your socks!

 Preheat oven to 375 degrees F, set rack at middle. Grease and flour one 8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 3/4 - inch loaf pan. In a mixing bowl, combine both flours and oat bran, baking powder and soda, allspice and cinnamon and stir well to mix. In a separate bowl, whisk together the agave, flax egg or egg whites, applesauce, oil, vanilla and bananas. Pour the wet mixture over the dry and fold in.
 
 Be careful not to over mix!
Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 45-55 minutes, until well risen and a skewer inserted in the middle of the bread comes out clean. Cool on a rack 5 minutes, then unmold and finish cooling loaf on wire rack. Enjoy or Freeze!
 
 
 
 


Waste-Not-Want-Not-Tip

Keep your bran in the freezer to preserve freshness; all of the oil in the bran can cause it to go rancid pretty fast. Just use what you need and keep the rest frozen for later!



Now make yourself an afternoon cup of
oolong tea and enjoy your snack!



 
Add some whipped butter or
vegan Earth Balance if you want a little extra treat!
 
Whew....
 


Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 9:46 PM 0 comments

Simplicity and Balance – Vegan Mexican Spiced Lettuce Wraps

Sunday, September 9, 2012

Oh how I miss the long lazy days of summer! We are in full fall swing now which looks something like this… Liv is in 3rd grade and Jack in Kindergarten, now finally at the same school. That seems like something to celebrate right? Well yes and no… You see Jack starts school at 7:40 and Liv at 7:50 but there is NO, and I mean NO, parking at the school so we have to be there at 7:20 if we have any hope not to be towed from a fire lane. Liv and I walk Jack to class and wait the 20 minutes for Jack to go in, and then I walk Liv to class and kiss her around the corner, so nobody sees, then head back to my car by 7:55. Now kid free, I should have a ton of time right? Well… Jack gets out of school at 11:10, except for on early release Wednesdays when he is out at 10:25. Liv gets out at 2:07, except for on early release Wednesdays when she is out at 1:10. So yep, back and forth and back and forth I drive!

Yesterday I drove to the school at 7:20 did my usual routine of walking the kids to class AND it was my day to volunteer in Jacks class, but not until 8:20! This puts somewhat of a monkey wrench my typical efficient use of time, I mean what to do for 25 min at the SCHOOL? So, I hopped in my car and drove the 2 miles home ran into the house, literally, and started a load of laundry and a load of dishes, watered my little seedlings, fed and watered the chickens and made all of the beds. Then I hopped back into the car and drove back to the school where I ran a table group in Jack’s class that involved helping 23 kindergartners determine what pictures started with the letter F and then cut and pasted them on to a new sheet of paper. I love helping in the classroom! The kids, especially kindergartners, are soooo darn cute! I got out of there at 9:30, not bad except for it was Wednesday so I had to be back to pick up Jack at 10:25 which really means 10:05 if you want to park (legally). So again I was faced with what to do with a short amount of time??? Fortunate for me I keep my gym bag in the car and live only 1 mile away from the gym so off to the gym I went… I got six miles of running in before I was back at school to pick up Jack, ok I was sweaty and maybe not smelling the best but I fit in my work out!

Now I know some of you are thinking yah busy until 2:10 then what? Well HOMEWORK every day times two kids (God bless you who have more), Monday both kids have Faith Formation, Tuesday is soccer practice, Wednesday gymnastics, Thursday is soccer practice (again), Friday Rick plays softball and we all typically go as a family to watch, Saturday we have soccer games and then finally Sunday is our day of rest and prayer! So my every minute is spent trying to create efficiency in our family and how we function so we all can enjoy some balance in our lives! Balance between family time and responsibilities, stewardship and indulgence and work and rest. It is all very complicated behind the scenes, so naturally I crave simplicity!

I have mentioned before that I like to balance our meals between animal protein based and vegetable and grain protein based. We typically eat 1-2 vegetarian or vegan dishes per week for dinner and mostly all vegan or vegetarian lunches throughout the week. I have taught my kids that balance is important in all aspects of life, and too much of anything is almost never good. One thing that has been an important lesson for them is balance while you eat. I have taught them to turn their plates while they eat, literally. Eating 1-2 bites from each thing offered on their plate at a time to ensure that when they are full they have had at least some of everything. It is fun for them to remember not to eat all of one item first. But let’s face it sometimes that’s even too completed! So to make life simple we have the foods you can eat with your hands, and even better are the foods that can be eaten with only one hand! Now come on, even if you are a diehard carnivore you have to try this vegan dish! You won’t be sorry you did and I guarantee you will add it to your favorite menus for the nights you have limited time for dinner! The kids LOVE to build their own wraps! This dish offers simplicity and balance for you and your family with little effort involved! Enjoy!



Vegan Mexican Spiced Lettuce Wraps

(adapted from Peas and Thank You)
 
Serves 4 (with left over beans to be used for salad toppers- now that’s efficient!)
2 teaspoons chili powder
1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon onion powder
1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon Olive Oil
1 tablespoon water
3 cups of cooked chickpeas (recipe below), or two 14 oz. cans, drained and rinsed
One head of bibb or red lettuce, leaves removed and washed
1 cup shredded carrots
1 cup jicama, julienned
1 cup chopped tomatoes 
1/2 slice red onion
 1 cup bleu rosemary avocado sauce or guacamole 
1 can sliced olives, drained
1 cup shredded cabbage
¼ cup chopped cilantro
Pickled jalapenos, as desired

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Combine chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, oregano, cumin, salt, lime juice, oil and water. Add chickpeas and marinate for at least 30 minutes or overnight.

Place chickpeas on a baking sheet covered in aluminum foil. Bake for 20-30 minutes, stirring once during cooking, until chickpeas are slightly crispy. Prepare lettuce leaves and rest of trimmings and place in small bowls for little hands to grab:)



Jack ate four wraps!


Liv ate a "deconstructed" wrap:)
 

Make your Own Chickpeas

2 cups dried chickpeas
1 yellow onion, peeled and quartered
4 cloves garlic, crushed and unpeeled
1 bay leaf
3 sprigs of fresh thyme
2 tablespoon salt

Overnight soak 2 cups dried chickpeas in cold water, covering chickpeas by at least 6 inches. Drain chickpeas and place in stockpot. Cover chickpeas with cold water by two inches. Add onion, garlic, thyme and bay. Bring water to a boil, reduce heat add salt and simmer for 1 ½-2 hours or until tender. Drain chickpeas and discard onion, garlic, thyme and bay. Spread chickpeas out on a sheet pan to cool. Use immediately or refrigerate for up to five days.

May you have balance and simplicity this week!

Nicole
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 4:07 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , ,

Farm to Table – Families Coming Together

Wednesday, August 29, 2012
 

Nothing defines the farm to table movement more than growing your own food for your family. Not everyone has the time, space, knowledge or desire for that matter, to grow their own food. For me I have some time, a little knowledge, a huge desire and nowhere near enough space! As I have shared before, I grew up on a farm where we did as much as we could to self sustain, within reason. Both of my parents worked full time but with space, a little knowledge and a desire we all pitched in and grew and raised everything from herbs, edible flowers and vegetables to dairy goats, rabbits, laying hens, ducks, geese, pigs and beef cows. My Mom always called it”our little menagerie.” As an adult I now have my own little menagerie in our family’s suburban oasis!
 
 
 
Of course we have the vegetable, herb and tea gardens, worms for composting to making amazingly rich soil and…our ladies, the hens round out our rural-suburbia. Clearly we do not have enough room for the dairy and meat component of a self-sustaining homestead! This is where a real passion and commitment to knowing what you are eating and feeding the ones you love comes in. Fortunate for me I have friends and family with {space}… My childhood best friend and business partner, Megan, has some property in the Shenandoah Valley where she, her husband and her daughters all have animals they raise for meat, milk and eggs. Lucky for us she has a surplus of fresh goat’s milk she happily shares with our family! Although Megan has a lot more space than I do, her daughters are all in 4-H so her small little farm is bursting at the seams…

This spring Megan and I bought two grass-fed lambs with the intention of raising them ourselves until late summer and butchering them to provide a good amount of delicious hormone and antibiotic free meat for our families this fall and winter. The only trouble with this was that neither one of us had the space to keep two lambs. With the desire to raise our own meat and no place to do it, my wonderful parents offered to allow us to raise our little lambs at their small farm just outside of Sacramento. Another example of families coming together to help perpetuate the farm to table and slow food movements! It was a wonderful adventure that I am glad my kids were part of! We plan to celebrate by sharing a lamb and harvest feast with our families and close friends in the fall. There is something very satisfying about growing and raising your own food, and I look forward to the day where I can expand my homesteading operation! Until then I feel blessed to have friends and family who also believe in the satisfaction and importance of producing your own food.

Now if you are a meat eater and have never had a lamb burger you are truly missing out! I challenge you to branch out and try this recipe. Rich roasted red pepper aioli, creamy goat cheese and earthy sautéed kale top these delicious lamb burgers; I promise you won’t be disappointed! When shopping for ground lamb try to find organic grass-fed lamb, as it’s typically earthy with a slight sweetness and not gamey tasting. If you aren’t sold that you are going to like the taste of a lamb burger ease into it by mixing the lamb 1:1 with lean ground beef, or even ground turkey.
 
 


 Roasted Red Pepper Aioli 

 2 cloves garlic
½ cup roasted red peppers (1 red pepper)
1/3 cup mayonnaise
2 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste

Roast the Pepper

Rub red pepper with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Place pepper on the grill or roast in a 450 degree oven until charred and completely wrinkled. Remove pepper and place immediately in a plastic container with a tightly fitted lid. Keep covered until cool enough to handle. Peel outer skin, cut in half and remove stem and seeds.

Finely chop the garlic in the food processer.
Add the pepper and blend until almost smooth, then add the mayonnaise. With the food processer running, slowly blend in the oil to emulsify. Season the aioli, to taste, with salt and pepper. Transfer the aioli to a small bowl, cover and refrigerate. The aioli can be made up to 2 days ahead.

Sautéed Kale

1 bunch dinosaur (dino) kale a.k.a Tuscan kale, thoroughly washed
1 shallot, thinly sliced
1-2 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil
¼ cup water
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
Pinch of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste
Chop kale into bite-size pieces removing the woody stems. Heat oil in large sautéed pan on medium heat. Add shallots and garlic and sauté until fragrant about 2 minutes. Add kale stir to coat with the oil and sprinkle with some salt. Sauté kale on med heat until wilted and tender. Stir in red wine vinegar and red pepper flakes, then salt and pepper to taste.

Lamb Burgers (makes 4, ¼ pound burgers)

4 fresh buns
(Kaiser rolls are a great choice great, but I choose to use multigrain sandwich thin to lighten it up)
Fresh goat cheese
1 pound ground organic grass-fed lamb
1 tablespoon finely chopped garlic
1 tablespoon finely chopped red bell pepper
1 tablespoon finely chopped fresh herbs (I use: mint, chives, thyme, parsley and oregano)
½ teaspoon Ground Coriander
¼ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoon Allspice
1 teaspoon Onion powder
½ teaspoon Cumin
2 teaspoons Kosher Salt
1 teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper

Combine all ingredients in a bowl and mix thoroughly. Divide the meat evenly into 4 patties. Sprinkle lightly with salt and fresh ground pepper. Grill until desired doneness.

Assembly:

Grill your buns and spread on some of the creamy roasted red pepper aioli. Place burger on the bun and top with sautéed kale and crumble some soft fresh goat cheese on the top. Enjoy with a marinated vegetable salad or a simple fresh from the garden tomato and cucumber salad! 
 
 

Waste Not Want Not Tip:

Don’t throw out those kale stems or the stems from your herbs! Instead start putting them in a freezer bag along with your mushroom stems. Then once a month commit to making your own vegetable stock! Freeze your cooled stock in freezer bags in 1 and 2 quart batches. Then the next time you make risotto, polenta or even rice you have a flavorful stock without any preservatives! Enjoy!
 
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 12:45 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , ,

Farmers Market Finds

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

The Farmers Market is typically part of our Sunday ritual in the Craine house; we eat a fun breakfast, go to church, stop at our favorite new local coffee shop, The Hub, and the stroll through the farmers market. We have our favorite booths we visit every Sunday with farmers who welcome us back again and again to share their beloved harvest. We can’t go without the fragrant and flavorful salad from Somerset, made with a tasty mix of lettuces, greens, herbs, shoots and editable flowers; or the sweetest most mouthwatering wildflower honey you have ever tasted! We, of course, sample and select a variety of the most succulent stone fruits and melons, because we grow our own tomatoes and berries right in our backyard. After we gather up all of our favorite farmers market treasures we pick a few others to go with dinners for the week. I typically let the kids pick whatever they want and come up with a recipe for their find later.

Oh, and I forgot the most FUN part of it all…we let the kids handle all of the money transactions… We figure it is a good learning experience for them to be able to handle the farmers market finances. Each child is responsible for “their” fifteen dollars. Which usually works out just fine, with the exception of the occasional bickering about who has more money left, etc… So last week as we were winding down our farmers market trip, Liv had the only money left, nine dollars to be exact. She wanted beets and heirloom carrots from one of our favorite stands. When the farmer told her it was going to be “three dollars for the beets and two dollars for the carrots” she stopped and stared at him… Now I know she can handle simple addition, so what was the hold up? She, still looking confused, handed the farmer her four one dollar bills and tightly clutched the remaining five dollar bill in her other hand. I said “Liv, the total is five dollars not four.”She said, “I know I just don’t want to give up the five dollar bill, I don’t like ones!” The farmer laughed and told her to keep it! Not the lesson I was going for, but we all had a great laugh! Liv came home and put the remaining five dollar bill in our farmers market bank to be used next Sunday.
Now for dinner plans…fresh red beets and heirloom carrots in 100 degree weather, hmmmm. On Sundays we always roast a chicken, and in the summer we always grill outside for every cooked meal! After giving it some thought I decided on a grilled beet and heirloom carrot salad with lemon vinaigrette, fresh herbs and goat cheese. It was such a hit… guess what one of Jack’s farmers market veggie picks was this week? You guessed it beets and heirloom carrots! This may be a new part of our Sunday dinner tradition from now on! I’m not sure if it was how tasty the salad actually was, or the designs they made that made it such a hit. Make the salad with roasted chicken and let me know what you think!


The Salad:

1 bunch fresh red beets, washed, peeled and sliced into ¼” rounds

1 bunch baby heirloom carrots, scrubbed, halved lengthwise and then halved again
(peel them if you want…I don’t)

Toss beet rounds and carrot segments in olive oil, salt and pepper. Grill in grill basket until tender but still firm about 8 min on each side.

The Vinaigrette:

¼ cup fresh lemon juice

¼ cup chopped fresh herbs, reserve 1 tbsp to sprinkle on the top (I used chives, tarragon, parsley and basil)

2 cloves garlic, grated

2 teaspoons finely grated lemon zest

2 tsp honey

½ teaspoon salt

¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Wisk together lemon juice, 3 tbsp herbs, garlic, lemon zest, honey, salt, and pepper, then gradually wisk oil in a slow steady stream. Season the vinaigrette, to taste, with more salt and pepper.

Assembly:

1-2 oz crumbled goat cheese

3-4 cups of your favorite mixed greens

Toss mixed greens, grilled beets and carrots with lemon vinaigrette and reserved herbs and top with crumbled goat cheese! Then make a face on your plate and enjoy your dinner with a well balanced with white Barbara!

Waste Not Want Not Tip:

Never throw away the beet greens! Wash them thoroughly and add them to your favorite salad raw, or sauté them with some garlic, shallot and olive oil! They are so tasty and full of protein, folate, pantothenic acid, phosphorus and zinc!






Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 8:39 PM 0 comments
Labels: , , , , , , ,

It's SUMMER Dine Al Fresco!-Vegan Lemon Asparagus Pasta Topped with Cashew Cream

Wednesday, June 13, 2012


Oh wow a month has gone past since my last blog post! How time flies! We’ve been busy, as most everyone else, welcoming summer with open arms! We are loving the longer days, amazing Nor Cal weather, night breezes and dining al fresco. I have been feverishly planning our summer away trying to be sure we can pack in as much fun as possible. When I was a kid summer was the BEST! I never went to summer school or really even spent a minute inside. I was busy playing with my childhood best friend Megan and our animals (goats, sheep, chickens, horses you name it we had it) and planning our next great adventure while enjoying long summer horseback rides. When I was a kid, insert snide old person remark here, summer was long and filled with empty time waiting to be filled with whatever exciting project we would take on next, for example mud skiing behind a 4 wheeler wearing a swim suit, rubber boots and protective eye goggles. Our parents were never thrilled with the giant mud mess we made in the back pasture (!) but at least we thought about safety…well at least for our eyes.

Now… summer is gone in a blink of an eye! I stopped working two years ago in July. I had big plans…we were going to camp, and fish, and vacation at the beach more than ever before…I mean now we had the TIME. Over the last two summers we camped once and had one beach vacation. How did Megan and I have TIME to go on ALL of our adventures during the summer when we were kids, and now I can’t even manage to provide my kids with more than one camping trip in a summer?? I’m still learning how to fit it all in. But this year I’m ready, like the kind of ready crazy people are when they are fixated on something or someone. I’m ready to pack in the summer fun! I want my kids to LOVE summer the way I always did. I’m so ready this may possibly be the summer my children look back on as the summer their Mom went CRAZY and they were always exhausted! I don’t want to waste a minute of glorious summer freedom. No homework, No faith formation, No soccer, No volunteering and No teaching art! FREEDOM. I like to think of it as a cleansing of the mind, body and soul. TIME for everyone to recharge their batteries by soaking in the sun, smells of BBQ and funny stories read from a book, just for fun, under a shady tree.

So planning is key! You can’t just GO camping… So I’ve planned two camping trips, two beach trips, a few day hiking trips, summer BBQs, swim lessons, a girls trip to Vegas (Mamma needs to have to have fun too!!), picnics and summer play dates. Ready, Set, Go! Doesn’t sound cleansing you say? To me there is something cleansing or refreshing at least about only having organic responsibilities to take care of while planning for weekly fun! I have been so ready for the lightness summer offers that it has transcended TIME, and has been a lovely guiding principal for the past few weeks. Clothes are light and airy, beverages cool and refreshing and food cleansing….

Now I will admit my hubby doesn’t exactly LOVE the idea of vegetarian or vegan fare, he is a meat eater first and foremost, however he has come a long way from the guy who would order a burger “hold any produce” to the guy who devoured this vegan lemon pasta with shaved raw asparagus and cashew cream, ask for seconds and question what was happening with the leftovers… Even if you’re not a vegetarian or vegan you will flip over this dairy-free cream sauce, a staple I used in my raw vegan days. Raw asparagus paired with the acidy of the lemon pasta is a perfect marriage. Keep it light as is, or add some delicious grilled vegan bread! If you don’t have the time or the desire to make the pasta just buy some prepackaged vegan pasta Enjoy…

Pasta

1 2/3 cup all purpose flour (or 50:50 whole wheat/ AP)

Approximately 2/3 cup of water

1/2 to 3/4 tsp salt

1 tsp oil

2 tbsp lemon juice

3 tbsp lemon zest, finely chopped

To Make the Dough:


In a large bowl, combine the flour and salt, then add the water and oil. -Stir the mixture with a fork until it starts to form a ball. Then you can use your hands to combine the dough. If it's too dry, add more water (very little at a time) or if it's too wet, add a touch more flour.

Turn the dough ball out onto a well-floured cutting board. Flour your hands as well. You'll need to knead the dough for about 10 minutes, or until it becomes smooth and pliable. If the dough or board is too wet, dust with flour. You should be able to work with the ball without having it stick to anything. You may have to add flour periodically through the kneading process. To knead, push the dough away from you with the heel of your hand. Then fold it over on itself, turn it and repeat.

To Make the Pasta:

After kneading let the dough rest, covered in plastic wrap for about 10 minutes. After the dough has rested, divide it into eighths. I roll mine into a long log, and then cut into 8 sections. Work with one piece at a time, leaving the others covered with a damp tea towel so they don’t dry out. Using a pasta maker roll each section through on the widest setting 8-10 times until the dough is silky. Cover and rest 30-60 minutes.

Crank each of the sections through the pasta machine decreasing the roller setting by 1 each time you pass the sheet though until desired thickness is obtained (mine was between 2 and 4 mm thick).

Sprinkle a wooden board or counter lined with wax paper with flour. Place pasta sheets on flour and allow to rest 10 minutes (dry to the touch but still pliant).

Now you are ready to cut noodles. I made hand cut tagliatelle noodles because I like the rustic look of hand cut pasta, but fettuccini made with the fettuccini plate on the pasta machine would be great too!

Cook pasta in well salted boiling water for 2-3 min until al dente.




Cashew Cream


(makes 2 ½-3 ½ cups depending on desired consistency)

2 cups whole raw cashews rinsed very well under cold water, do not use roasted cashews

1 clove garlic, grated

Fresh squeezed lemon juice, to taste

Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste 


To Make the Cream:

Cover cashews with cold water, cover the bowl and refrigerate overnight

Drain the cashews and rinse under cold water. Place them in a blender with enough fresh cold water to cover them by about 1 inch.

Add 1 clove of grated garlic to the blender. Blend on high for several minutes until very smooth. (If you do not have a professional high-speed blender, which creates an ultra-smooth cream, you may want to strain the cashew cream through a fine-mesh sieve.)

Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to taste.

You can adjust the consistency of this cream by the amount of water used, adjust it to your preference.



Assembly:

1 lb fresh asparagus, rinsed and woody ends removed
Ice water

Remove the asparagus tips and reserve. With a vegetable peeler shave each asparagus stock from top to bottom, making beautiful little asparagus ribbons. Immediately place the asparagus ribbons in an ice bath. Blanch asparagus tips in salted boiling water for 1 min, remove and place in ice bath. Drain asparagus and pat dry. Combine cooked pasta and cashew cream in a large bowl. Top pasta with shaved asparagus and asparagus tips. Enjoy!


Waste Not Want Not Tip:

Never juice a fresh lemon without zesting it first! You can save the zest in the refrigerator in a covered container for up to a week. You can also add zest to a jar of sugar to create lemon sugar.
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 8:57 AM 0 comments

Faux Farming! Baked Asparagus, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Frittata

Wednesday, May 2, 2012

Eggs! We love them and eat them all the time; breakfast, lunch or dinner – eggs always offer a wonderfully light nutritious protein option. For me, for now, I buy eggs that are from cage-free chickens fed organic, vegetarian food. I also rely on the kindness of friends who have chickens, and getting fresh eggs from a backyard chicken is my preference! My families love for the egg coupled with more recent headlines related to the unnatural way animals raised for consumption are being massed produced, led me to dig further down to my roots…I bought our family 5 beautiful little chicks, hens in the long run we hope!
So…did I mention I live in a suburban neighborhood in a small house with a backyard we affectionately coined the courtyard?  We moved into this house 7 ½ years ago just 10 days after my daughter Liv was born. The plan was to live in this house for 2 years then move back to the country…and so now nearly 8 years later we laugh and somehow make it all work. The biggest issue for me is I am a true country girl, so the lack of outdoor space makes me, well claustrophobic! I do what I can to maximize the art of suburban homesteading…I weave edible plants throughout all of my landscape front, back and side yards. I, of course, live by the genius concepts of “gardening by the foot” in my raise beds and I have worm composting bins in my garage right alongside the new baby chicks!

You see, I was raised in the country on a farm. We raised animals both for companionship and sustenance. Yes I named, groomed, exercised and loved the very animals we eventually turned into food. But this process gave me tremendous respect for life, food and the process of getting from A to B. There is something very special about knowing where your food comes from and the kind of life it lived. The best I could do for now is share what little space I have in my yard with some lovely egg producing hens; Maude, Maven, Molly, Mary and Morgan! This has also satisfied my kid’s recent request for a puppy, double win! While more animals will have to wait for more space (maybeJ), we can do a lot with fresh eggs.
Frittatas are so wonderful because they fit the bill for breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner or a snack; you can make them super low fat and low calorie too! I like to make-over the traditional frittata with a lighter, healthier version. Thanks to my all-time favorite fitness-forward eating mogul Tosca Reno, clean eating is the term and concept I live by!!! She is amazing, if you haven’t done so already check out her website www.toscareno.com.When I know there is no real feasible way dinner can be made from scratch, frittatas are a simple, fun, go-to idea! I mean who doesn’t like breakfast for dinner? It takes no time to put together and 20-30 min to bake in the oven, the same time most of us take to check our email or help with homework. Sometimes I have it all ready and covered in the fridge with instructions for my hubby to throw it in the oven when he gets home if I will be a bit later with the kids. It’s great sliced up the next day in a lunch box too, for adults or kids for that matter. I use more egg whites to egg yolks and non dairy or non fat dairy milk for the base of this frittata and load it with yummy veggies and only a sprinkling of cheese to really lighten it up. Now it’s not as rich as the traditional frittata using all whole eggs and lots of cheese, but it is just as tasty and satisfying with no guilt! This one features asparagus, artichoke hearts and goat cheese, but get creative with any “mix-ins” you’d like!

Baked Asparagus, Artichoke and Goat Cheese Frittata

4 whole eggs 
6 egg whites
¼ cup non fat milk (I use goat milk, but you can use whatever you like dairy, non dairy etc…)
12 oz of asparagus, the woody ends removed
12oz of artichoke hearts, roughly chopped
½ tbsp of lemon zest
4 oz goat cheese
1 tbsp fresh chopped herbs (basil, tarragon and thyme are my favorites for this)
Salt and pepper to taste
Olive or vegetable oil as needed

What To Do:

Preheat oven to 375 and mist or lightly grease a 10” pie pan with olive oil. In salted boiling water blanch asparagus for 1 min (do not go any longer or they will be mushy) immediately remove asparagus stocks and place in ice bath for 2 min. Cut asparagus stocks into 1 ½ inch pieces, set aside. Mix eggs and egg whites together add milk, herbs, lemon zest, artichoke hearts, salt and pepper. Pour mixture into prepared pie pan, arrange asparagus pieces throughout the dish in a single layer, and crumble goat cheese over the top. Place dish in the oven and bake for 20-30 min until eggs are completely set. Remove from the oven and let cool 10 min before slicing and serving. Enjoy!

Waste Not Want Not Tip:

Don’t throw out your egg yolks! You can freeze egg yolks to use in future recipes that call for only yolks. Make sure you stabilize the yolks prior to freezing; if they are not stabilized they will be thick and hard to mix. To stabilize egg yolks separate into two categories, sweet and savory; for savory mix 1 tsp salt per pint of egg yolks, and for sweet mix 1 tbsp of sugar or honey per pint of yolks. Freeze in ice cube trays for easy access.
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 9:14 PM 0 comments

Nutrition Packed Caramelized Banana and Dark Chocolate Chunk Pancakes

Saturday, April 28, 2012

Nothing warms my heart more than when I hear my children talking with their friends and explaining something (anything) I have taught them about life, faith, science, nutrition etc… It means they ARE actually listening! So it was pleasing to me when I heard my daughter explain to her friend the difference between a treat and a snack. When my daughters friend said she was hungry and suggested they eat some chips, my daughter responded “chips aren’t a snack they are a treat, let’s have an apple.” So they both ate an apple, laughing the whole time because they both only have half their front teeth, then they shared a small lunch-size bag of Doritos.  Now sure, I would love to say my kids don’t eat things like Doritos, but this is reality and they ARE going to eventually… So I am glad it was in my estimation only about 6 chips per girl and of course the apple first!
This concept of treats vs. snacks is something I work hard to keep consistent in our lives, so that my children understand that when they are hungry they need to nourish and feed  their body  with a healthful snack , preferably one that came from the earth and still looks like it did when it was in nature. I also recognize the need to satisfy a craving for something sweet or salty, so we call those treats and we typically don’t eat them when we are hungry, but rather when they sound good and in moderation. This is an important lesson for children, especially with all of the prepackaged “food” labeled as snacks, but really containing little to no sustenance, only empty calories which ultimately leave kids hungrier in the end.  I am not a fan of taking a healthy a snack like an apple, and then covering it in caramel or chocolate just so kids will eat it. If you are going to turn fruit into a dessert, which we do all the time, then call it what it is so kids learn to differentiate between treats and snacks.

Now sometimes I like to turn something with good solid nutritional value into a treat, especially on Sunday mornings! This last Sunday I made our family favorite Sunday morning breakfast treat; Caramelized Banana and Dark Chocolate Chunk Pancakes. Doesn’t sound nutritious you say? The base of these pancakes has no butter, dairy or sugar and boast nearly 20 grams of fiber! I use a 50:50 ratio of whole wheat to white flour to keep the pancakes from being too dense, and I eliminate the need to use butter or oil by adding ground flax seed. I use almond or soy milk to replace the dairy and raw agave nectar to eliminate the need for sugar.  Caramelizing the bananas really adds depth to the flavor of these luscious pancakes! And as if you need to explain why dark chocolate chunks make these pancakes just that much better, well the bitter sweetness of the dark chocolate adds an earthy balance to the sweet caramely bananas which altogether transform this healthful breakfast into a dreamy Sunday treat! Pair the pancakes with a 75:25 egg white to egg yolk scramble, some turkey bacon and fresh fruit and you have a healthy breakfast topped with a delicious treat! Enjoy!

 

 

 

 

 

Caramelized Banana and Dark Chocolate Chunk Pancakes   

1 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup white flour
3 tbsp ground flax seed
1 ½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
2 eggs
2 cups almond, soy or non-fat goat or cow milk
3 tbsp raw agave nectar (or ¼ cup raw unfiltered honey)
½ tbsp neutral oil (I use vegetable)
2-3 ripe but not mushy bananas, peeled and cut into rounds
½ cup dark chocolate chunks or chips (75% or higher, I use Valrhona but I’m a self professed chocolate snob)
What to Do:
Heat oil in large sauté pan, add bananas in a single layer and cook on medium-high heat until they begin to caramelize, about 5 min on each side. Remove bananas from pan and set aside.  Mix all dry ingredients together in a medium mixing bowl. Mix eggs, milk and agave nectar or honey together in another mixing bowl. Pour wet ingredients over dry ingredients and mix with a wood spoon just until the dry ingredients are all incorporated. It is important to not over mix this batter or your pancakes will be tough and dense. Gently fold in the bananas and the dark chocolate.  On a non stick griddle or in a nonstick pan lightly sprayed with oil, I use vegetable oil sprayed from Misto, spoon batter in about ¼ cup scoops. Cook for a few minutes on each side until golden brown. Serve warm with butter and honey, or syrup or nothing at all because they are that good!! Enjoy!
Posted by The Junk-Free Chef at 12:22 PM 0 comments
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)