The recipes were inspired by BonAppetit's Passage to India party guide. Since our party is for two-and I pack my ground beef in 4 ounce freezer bags-I opted to add bulgur wheat with the 1 egg spice mix to soak up the moisture. The chapatis-the flatbreads-have no leavening, yet work as the "scoops" for the meatballs and delicious sauce. (I did not add cayenne to my sauce)
Kibbi
(Serves 3)
Mix together meat, egg, spices and bulgur. Portion into 1 tablespoon balls. Bake at 400 F. on a parchment lined tray for 20 minutes, until internal temperature reaches 165 F. Drain on paper towels.
1/4 cup shallots, diced
1 garlic clove
1/2 teaspoon ginger, fresh, grated
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon garam masala
1/8 teaspoon coriander
Dash cumin
4 ounce ground beef
1 egg
2 tablespoon bulgur
Curry Sauce
(Serves 3)
Saute shallots, garlic and ginger in olive oil for 3 minutes. Add spices and saute 1 minute.
1/4 cup shallots, diced
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon fresh ginger, grated
1 teaspoon curry powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon turmeric
2 teaspoon coriander
1/4 teaspoon peppercorns
Stir in tomatoes, water and juice. Add bay leaf. Simmer for 20 minutes, covered, on stove-top. Remove bay leaf. Blend (take care to prevent burns). Add meatballs and heat to serve.
1/2 cup diced tomatoes, without salt
1 bay leaf
3/4 teaspoon lemon juice
1/2 cup water
Chapatis
(Serves 5)
In a mixing bowl with dough hook in place. Mix flours and salt. Heat water and yogurt to 125 F. Beat into flours at medium speed for 2 minutes.
1 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
1 cup all purpose flour
1/4 cup yogurt, nonfat
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup water
Slowly add more flour and mix for about 8 minutes until dough leaves side of bowl. Place in a bowl, sprayed with an olive oil spray. Cover with plastic wrap and set aside at room temperature for 1 hour.
1/2 cup all purpose flour
Portion into 2 tablespoon dough balls. Flatten with hand on a floured piece of parchment paper. Shake off excess flour. Cook dough rounds on a very hot griddle surface until lightly charred in spots and browned in others. Turn and repeat on the remaining side. Keep flat breads hot in a 250 F. oven.
Our meal is served with roasted eggplant, zucchini and yellow squash slices with kalamati olives and tomatoes. I added 1/2 teaspoon herbs de provence and 1 tablespoon olive oil prior to roasting for about 40 minutes. The olives and tomatoes were added the last 10 minutes of cooking.
Winter is the season for citrus fruits. It's the time of year the grocery stores carry those sweet, easy to peel tangerines. Ruby red grapefruits are colorful and intense. Lemons are large and juicy.
It's the right time to refresh and awaken the taste buds with citrus:
- Enhance water with sliced unpeeled tangerines. I add one sliced tangerine to a gallon of water and chill.
- Add peeled segments to salads.
- Create sauces with juice.
- Replace some of the salt in recipes with "zest"-the grated colorful outer portion of the peel.
Add citrus to lunch and dinner with these recipes:
Beet & Mandarin Salad
(Serves 1)
Slice beets and tangerines. Arrange on plate. Sprinkle with seeds.
5-6 small beets, cooked, peeled and sliced
1 mandarin tangerine, sliced
1 teaspoon hemp seed
1/2 teaspoon chia seed
Mix oil, vinegar, juices, sugar and garlic. Pour over salad.
Dressing
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 teaspoon cider vinegar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teapsoon lime juice
1/4 teaspoon sugar
1 small garlic clove, minced
Broiled Grapefruit Halves
(Serves 2)
Cut around each grapefruit segment.
1 grapefruit, sliced in half
Mix brown sugar, buttery spread and cinnamon. Sprinkle over grapefruit halves. Broil 5 minutes.
2 teaspoon brown sugar
2 teaspoon buttery spread
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
Citrus fruits are rich in Vitamin C and good sources of soluble fiber. Vitamin C helps the body absorb non-heme iron when eaten with plant foods and egg yolks.
In this colorful meal in a bowl, I paired citrus juice in a simple sauce with the egg, pasta and vegetables to create a perfect combo:
Asian Sauce
(Serves 2)
Mix and pour over vegetables and noodles.
1/4 cup orange juice
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Juice from 1/2 lime
1 teaspoon soy sauce, reduced sodium
1 teaspoon honey
Here's to adding zest to the day!
I'm always looking for something new at the local Farmers Market and even in winter, I'm not disappointed. This week's find was Celtuce.
Celtuce is primarily grown for its thick stem. It's crisp and moist with a mild flavor. Peel the thick outer part and discard that prior to cooking or eating.
In the spinach soup recipe by Rachael Ray, I substituted celtuce for broccoli. I'll call my soup Spintuce instead of Spinoccoli.
Spintuce Soup
(Serves 3)
Saute shallots and garlic in buttery spread for 2 minutes.
Add potato, celtuce and thyme. Saute 5 minutes.
1 tablespoon Earth Balance Buttery Spread
1/4 cup shallots, diced
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 medium red potato, peeled and shredded
3/4 cup celtuce, shredded
1/2 teaspoon thyme
Stir in stock. Bring to a boil. Add spinach and stir until it wilts, about 3 minutes. Blend. (I used my blender, taking care to prevent burns)
2 cups vegetable stock
4 cups fresh spinach, stems removed
Garnish with fresh grated Parmesan cheese and crushed roasted seeds.
2/3 cup Parmesan cheese, grated
2 tablespoon roasted crushed pepitas
I also stir fried the celtuce in this vegetarian stir fry, where I mixed in the pumpkin seed pesto I made previously for a custom platter recipe.
Stir-Fry Veggies & Pesto
(Serves 2)
Stir fry vegetables in olive oil for 5 minutes, stirring frequently.
2 cups fresh vegetables of choice
(I used peeled carrot sticks, peeled celtuce sticks, sliced mushrooms, shallots and garlic)
1 teaspoon olive oil
Add sauce, sesame oil and pesto.
1 tablespoon soy sauce, reduced sodium
1 teaspoon sesame oil
2 tablespoon pesto
Serve over brown rice. Garnish with toasted sesame seeds.
1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds
2/3 cup prepared brown rice
Have a great week!
"Say Goodbye to 2015-But Not to Local Produce" is my sixth post on the Food and Nutrition Blog.
Stone Soup is a guest blog written by members of the Academy of
Nutrition and Dietetics. Guest bloggers from around the world share
with Food & Nutrition Magazine. I have always loved this
magazine-especially the photos and am so pleased they shared my post.
Thanks for your interest in my healthy meals!
Our New Year's Day Brunch featuring Crab & Ricotta Stuffed Shells was simply delicious. It was so nice to have family to share! The recipe was inspired by Food Network Magazine.
Crab & Ricotta Stuffed Shells
(16 Shells)
Sauteed Vegetables
Saute shallots in olive oil 3 minutes. Add mushrooms and saute 3 more minutes. Add garlic clove and saute 1 minutes. Stir in spinach leaves and cook until wilted. Drain vegetables on paper towels.
1 teaspoon olive oil
2 tablespoon shallots, diced
6 button mushrooms, diced
1 garlic clove
2 cups spinach leaves, stems removed
Shells
Cook shells in boiling water for 10 minutes. Drain. Rinse with cold water.
16 jumbo shells
Crab Stuffing
Mix crab, cheeses, egg yolk, herbs and seasoning. Fill each shell with 3 tablespoon crab stuffing.
1 pound crab meat
1 cup ricotta cheese, part-skim
3/4 cup shredded cheese (I used Parmesan- Swiss works too!)
1 egg yolk
1/4 cup fresh herbs, finely chopped
1/8 teaspoon Mrs. Dash
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
Bechamel Sauce
Melt buttery spread in saucepan. Whisk in flours. Add warm milk and seasoning. Thicken, stirring frequently.
4 tablespoon Earthy Balance Buttery Spread
3 tablespoon all purpose flour
3 tablespoon whole wheat pastry flour
3 cups skim milk, warmed for 60 seconds in microwave
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon pepper
Assembly
Grease baking dishes with olive oil spray.
Place sauteed vegetables in bottom of dish.
Top with shells, then Bechamel Sauce.
Sprinkle with grated Parmesan Cheese.
Sprinkle with fresh grated nutmeg.
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded
Fresh grated Nutmeg
Bake at 350F degrees for 20 minutes.
It's the best time of the year for citrus fruit-these pink grapefruit halves were the perfect accompaniment. We also enjoyed marble rye bread, made by a Uniontown Bakery-Yum Yums.
Happy New Year!
Sprouted lentils, horseradish pesto and a turmeric marinade seasoned tonight's salmon, soba noodles and roasted vegetables-producing a unique clean-your-plate dinner. There are endless possibilities for the leftovers! The recent issue of Bon Appetit Magazine features many mini recipes that complement and when pieced together create a custom plate like no other.
Horseradish-Pumpkin Seed Pesto
(Serves 4)
Finely grind pepitas in a mini spice grinder. Add it to fresh leaves, lime juice, horeradish and oil in a small food processor. Pulse, stir and pulse again until pesto is thick.
1/2 cup toasted pepitas
2 tablespoon grated peeled horseradish
2 cups spinach leaves, stems removed
2 tablespoon cilantro leaves
4 basil leaves
1 tablespoon lime juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
Marinated Cheese with Roasted Lemon
(Serves 4)
Toss lemon slices and oil on a baking sheet; roast until lightly charred for 10 minutes. Combine lemon slices, cheese, bay leaf, juice and oil in a small dish. Season with fresh grated pepper. Cover and chill.
1/2 large lemon, sliced, seeds removed
1 teaspoon olive oil
1/2 cup bleu cheese crumbles
1 bay leaves
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Fresh grated pepper
Turmeric Dressing
(Serves 4)
Whisk all ingredients together.
1/3 cup white wine vinegar
1/4 cup mirin
2 tablespoon oive oil
2 tablespoon finely grated carrots
1 tablespoon finely grated ginger
2 teaspoon finely grated turmeric
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Sprouted Lentils
(Serves 4)
In a small ball jar, add lentils. Pour 1 cup room temperature water and 1/4 teaspoon vinegar over dry lentils. Allow to sit overnight.
1/4 cup red lentils
Drain lentils. Add more room temperature water.
Cover lid with cheesecloth, then secure with the jar ring. Pour out water through the cloth. Invert jar onto a cloth lined bowl.
Repeat 3 times a day until sprouted, about 1 1/2 days.
Mix 2 tablespoon Horseradish Pesto with sprouted lentils.
Platter Assembly
Pour 1/3 of turmeric marinade over 2 salmon fillets. Roast at 400 F. for 15 minutes.
Roast winter squash slices with 1 tablespoon olive oil for 40 minutes.
Boil soba noodles for 8 minutes. Drain. Sprinkle with turmeric marinade.
- Scatter sprouted lentils over bottom of plates.
- Arrange salmon, roasted vegetables and soba noodles over lentils.
- Garnish with lemon roasted bleu cheese crumbles.
- Garnish with additional pesto.
After taking a day off from cooking to eat holiday leftovers and eat out with family, it was fun to get back in the kitchen to try out Christmas pans and utensils as well as to get back into a routine. Meatless Monday is always part of the routine!
The Herbed Chickpeas were inspired by Bon Appetit Magazine.
Herbed Chickpeas with Greens
(Serves 2)
Rinse and cover beans with 2-3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Turn off heat. Cover and sit for 1 hour.
1/4 cup dry garbanzo beans
Drain beans. Cover with 2-3 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Lower to simmer. Cover and cook until tender, approximately 1 1/2 hours. Drain.
In a cast non-stick skillet, saute garlic in olive oil for 2 minutes.
1 large garlic clove
1 teaspoon olive oil
Add beans. Fry 7-8 minutes, stiring occasionally and covering in between.
Add greens and saute 1-2 minutes until withered. Remove from pan.
1 1/2 cups fresh spinach leaves
1/4 cup fresh cilantro leaves
2 tablespoon fresh basil leaves
Add additional oil. Fry eggs until desired.
2 eggs
1/2 teaspoon olive oil
Arrange chickpeas and greens along side toasted dinner roll. Top with fried egg.
1 large butternut squash dinner roll
Our meal is served with 1/2 pink grapefruit. This is the season when citrus fruits are the best they can be!
