Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew

Saying Goodbye to Never-Never Land


Q: At what point in life are you officially "grown up"?
A: When it somehow seems more exhausting and troublesome to attend a birthday party at a bar at 10pm, than to prepare a vegetarian Moroccan stew from scratch on a work night to make up for not showing up to your friend's 30th.

But it gets worse.

I wasn't COMPLETELY satisfied until I'd harassed my lovely guests into agreeing to take leftovers (which I packed for them) so that they'd have healthy, well rounded lunches for the next day.

Oy.

Squash and Chickpea Moroccan Stew
(Adapted from this recipe at SmittenKitchen)

(serves 6-8)
Ingredients:

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 medium yellow onion, small dice
• 4 medium cloves garlic, crushed
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 (3-inch) cinnamon stick
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1 pound butternut squash, large dice
• 2 red potatoes, large dice
• 1 small head of cauliflower, florets
• 2 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 2 cups cooked chickpeas, drained (& rinsed if using canned)
• 1 (14-ounce) can diced tomatoes, with juices (if you want a more subtle stew, use 28oz)
• Pinch saffron threads (optional)
• 1 preserved lemon, (seeds and rind removed) finely chopped
• 1 cup brined green olives (I used Cerignola but Kalamta would be delicious also)
• 2 cups uncooked quinoa
• 3 cups water
• 1/4 cup slivered toasted almonds ( I did not use these, as one of my guests has a nut allergy, but I think they'd add wonderful flavor)
• Plain 0% fat Greek yogurt, for garnish

Preparation:

Quinoa

• Soak quinoa in water for 5 minutes, then use a mesh strainer to drain.
• Add fresh water & quinoa into a large sauce pot bring to a boil, cover
• Simmer for 15 minutes or until water is completely absorbed

Squash & Potatoes

• Preheat oven to 400F
• Spread squash and potatoes onto a baking sheet
• Mist with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper
• Roast for 30 minutes or until soft (but not completely cooked)

Stew

• Heat butter and olive oil in a 3- to 4-quart Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed saucepan with a tight fitting lid over medium heat.
• When oil shimmers, add onion, garlic, cumin, and cinnamon, and season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
• Cook, stirring occasionally, until spices are aromatic and onions are soft and translucent, about 5 minutes.
• Add cauliflower, and cook another 5 minutes
• Add roasted squash and potatoes, broth, chickpeas, tomatoes and their juices, and saffron, if using.
• Bring mixture to a boil then reduce heat to low.
• Cover and simmer until squash is fork tender, about 20 minutes- you can give it longer to let the flavors marry
• Remove from heat and stir in preserved lemon and olives.
• Serve over quinoa
• Garnish with almonds and yogurt
• Marvel at how full you are despite eating only veggies and whole grains! 

Curried Butternut Squash, Apple & Lentil Stew

You would think that after the week of total food gluttony I just participated in, I would need a little break from all things food related. You would be wrong.

My thanksgiving was wonderful, thank you for asking! Both food and family were prepared to perfection, and I returned home from the Pennsylvania boonies totally satiated.



We probably should have taken family photos BEFORE dinner...



We ate the obligatory (and oh-so-phenomenal) turkey & stuffing sandwiches with gravy &cranberry sauce for pretty much every meal thru lunch on Saturday, but by dinner we were ready for a change of pace.

Thankfully, we'd planned ahead, and scheduled an "Everything but the Turkey" potluck for that evening. Our friends are wonderful cooks, and it was another delectable evening. 

Apple & Cheddar Scones from Smitten Kitchen 





Our Festive Holiday Table



The feast!



After three straight days of rich food, we decided to make our contribution to the evening a little bit lighter.

  

Curried Butternut Squash, Apple & Lentil Stew

(Stolen from this recipe on New York Times.com) 

I can NOT say enough good things about this recipe. It was amazing the first night, and perhaps even better the second. Sadly, I can't take any credit for it because I neither discovered the recipe nor made any adaptions! I will note, however, that I forgot to add the spinach when I served it to my guests..and it was great that way! We added spinach when we ate it as leftovers and it continued to be delicious.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, diced
1 carrot, peeled and diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1 tablespoon curry powder ( I was using a mild curry powder, so I rounded my tbsp)
1 1/2 teaspoons sea salt ( I used kosher and it was fine)
1/2 cup dried lentils
2 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons tomato paste
3 cups peeled butternut squash (1/2-inch cubes)
1 large unpeeled apple, diced
5 ounces baby spinach

Preparation:
1. In a large pot, heat oil over medium-high heat, and sauté onion and carrot until almost soft. Add garlic, ginger, curry and salt, and let cook a few more minutes until fragrant.

2. Stir in lentils, broth and tomato paste. Bring to boil, cover and simmer for 25 minutes. Add squash and apple, cover and simmer for another 25 minutes, or until vegetables and lentils are tender. Remove lid and stir in spinach until wilted.
Yield: 6 servings.

Healthy Banana Bread

I love my Mom BECAUSE...

Ok. I trashed my mom a little bit in my last post. That wasn't very nice. There are SO many reasons to love my mom!

First, look how cute she is:
          

             Mom & Me



                                               

Not everyone pulled off the early '80s poof as well as she did.

Second, she thinks I'm really funny. Even when I made fun of her eating habits for all of the world to see (or the 8 people who accidentally clicked on my blog link when using a touch screen to scroll through status updates on Facebook) she emailed me to tell me how much it made her laugh.

Third, when my brother and I were growing up she let us eat sweets for breakfast. I'm not talking about boxed donuts or toaster strudel. She baked for us! Blueberry muffins, maple scones, poppy seed bread, and my personal favorite ...chocolate chip banana bread! There is absolutely nothing better than starting your day with a warm piece of banana bread spread with a little bit of peanut butter.

These days, whenever we come home for visits, she makes sure that there is something special waiting for us in the kitchen. AND (and this is my favorite part) she never lets us make our own breakfasts.

 

See? Don't you love her?

It's not Sheila's Banana Bread But it's Pretty Darn Good

(Adapted from this recipe at AllRecipes.com)

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup butter (room temperature)
• 1.5 cups white sugar
• 1 cup (not packed) dark brown sugar
• 3 eggs
• 6 very ripe bananas, mashed ( whenever I have a banana start to go brown, I throw it in the freezer until I've accumulated enough to bake with. The riper-the-better)
• 12 ounces 0% fat Greek yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 3 teaspoons baking soda
• 2 cups all-purpose white flour
• 2.5 cups whole-wheat flour
• 1 cup dark chocolate chips (the dark chips offset the sweet bread nicely)

Preparation:

1. Preheat oven to 325 degrees F.
2. Grease four 7x3 inch loaf pans. (or different size loaf pans, just adjust your baking time accordingly)
3. In a large bowl, cream butter and sugar. Mix in eggs, mashed bananas, yogurt, vanilla and cinnamon.
4. Mix in salt, baking soda and both flours. Stir in chocolate chips.
5. Divide into prepared pans, filling each 3/4 of the way (this bread REALLY rises)
6. Bake for 1+ hour, until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
7. Share a piece with a friend, or family member and feel the love.

Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

I love my mom, but...

Her general distaste for all-things-green colored my view of vegetables brown. For 20 years. 

Sure, I ate salads with with shredded carrots and cucumbers - but that was about it. I was convinced that I wasn't a veggie person. This was very complicated because, as I've already explained, I'm really not a meat person either. I made a lot of pasta in the early years of my cooking adventures.

And then I met my husband.  More importantly (sorry dear) I met his mother. She says things like "we've had such a phenomenal Kale season, you should go get some from the back yard to bring home with you!" My husband and sister-in-law claim that the dandelion bouquets they picked for her as children, were made into side dishes for dinner.

My mom holds her nose when she opens a can of peas.

So-Good-Even-My-Mom-Might-Like-It.. 

Roasted Cauliflower with Raisins & Toasted Pumpkin Seeds

(Approximated from a dish I inhaled during a recent dining experience at Rucola) 

Ingredients:

• 1 large head of cauliflower
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup unsalted pumpkin seeds (LIGHTLY toasted)
• 2 tsp raw agave
• salt and pepper to taste

Preparation:

• 
  
  

  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• 
  
  

  Cut cauliflower into bite-size pieces and arrange in one layer in a glass baking dish
• 
  
  

  Toss cauliflower with oil, and salt and pepper to taste
• Place in oven, and roast for 45 minutes, tossing occasionally
• Mix toasted pumpkin seeds, raisins and agave into roasted cauliflower
• Return to oven, and roast an additional 20 minutes
• Serve warm
• Feed to children to encourage a healthy appreciation for vegetables. 

Cinnamon Swirl Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

Ok. I'm not perfect.

Brunch is my ABSOLUTE favorite meal to host. The range of possibilities is endless! Sweet? Salty? Savory? YES PLEASE!

So when two of my oldest friends agreed to come over for sunday brunch, I was in menu planning heaven. I settled on a delicious swiss chard & mushroom frittata, simple sweet potato home fries, and an INCREDIBLE veggie side dish of roasted cauliflower with raisins and toasted pumpkin seeds.

But a brunch without a pastry is just breakfast... or worse..lunch.  So CLEARLY I needed to find something sweet to add to my menu. 

I was on my very favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen, and I came across a mouth-watering recipe for Cinnamon Buns. While I was reading through it I made several mental notes about all the ways I could alter the recipe so that I wouldn't have to loosen my pants to eat one. Low fat milk, less butter, egg whites, whole wheat flower - yadayadayada.

But sometimes when a recipe calls for butter, I just use butter. And I wear spandex.

Totally Worth it Cinnamon Swirl Buns with Cream Cheese Frosting

(Barely adapted at all from this recipe at Smitten Kitchen)

Ingredients:

Dough

1 cup low-fat milk

3 tablespoons unsalted butter

3 1/2 cups (or more) unbleached all purpose flour, divided

1/2 cup sugar

1 large egg

2 1/4 teaspoons rapid-rise or 1 packet of instant yeast 

1 teaspoon salt

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

Filling

1/2 cup (packed) golden brown sugar

1.5 tablespoons ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

Pinch of salt

Glaze

4 ounces 1/3 less fat cream cheese, at room temperature

3/4 cup powdered sugar

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 tablespoons low-fat milk

Preparation: 

• Combine milk and butter in glass measuring cup. Microwave on high until butter melts and mixture is just warmed to 120°F to 130°F.
• Pour into bowl of stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Add 1 cup flour, sugar, egg, yeast, and salt. Beat on low speed 3 minutes, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. 
• Add additional 2 1/2 cups flour. Beat on low until flour is absorbed and dough is sticky, scraping down sides of bowl. If dough is very sticky, add more flour by tablespoonfuls until dough begins to form ball and pulls away from sides of bowl. 
• Turn dough out onto lightly floured work surface. Knead until smooth and elastic, adding more flour if sticky, about 8 minutes. (I used my KitchenAid’s dough hook for this process and it took me about 3 minutes) Form into ball.
• Lightly oil large bowl with nonstick spray. Transfer dough to bowl, turning to coat. Cover bowl with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until doubled in volume, this took about 1.5 hours

• Mix brown sugar, cinnamon and pinch of salt in medium bowl.
• Press down dough. Transfer to floured work surface. 
• Roll out to 15×11-inch rectangle. 
• Spread butter over dough, leaving 1/2-inch border. 
• Sprinkle cinnamon mixture evenly over butter.  Be sure not to get more filling in the center.
• Starting at the longer side, roll dough into log, pinching gently to keep it rolled up.  
• Pretend that you are rolling a big sleeping bag that you will ultimately have to get into a very tiny duffle.
• With seam side down, trim ends straight if they are uneven. GENTLY cut remaining dough crosswise with a good serrated worked well here) into equal  slices (each about 1/2 to 3/4 inch wide).

• Spray two  8 or 9-inch square glass or metal baking dishes with nonstick spray. Divide rolls between baking dishes, arranging cut side up (there should be almost no space between rolls). 
• Cover baking dishes with plastic wrap, then kitchen towel. Let dough rise in warm draft-free area until almost doubled in volume, 40 to 45 minutes.
• Position rack in center of oven and preheat to 375°F. Bake rolls until tops are golden, about 20-25 minutes. Remove from oven and invert immediately onto rack. Cool 10 minutes. Turn rolls right side up.

• Combine cream cheese, powdered sugar, butter, and vanilla in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat until smooth -Add milk only if the glaze is too thick for your preferences. 
• Spread glaze on rolls. 
• Try your hardest not to eat more than one. 
• Don't feel bad if you do. We all did.

Apple, Goat Cheese & Spinach Pizza with Toasted Pecans

Shh..Don't Tell Anyone This is Vegetarian...

Growing up, a typical family dinner at my house went a little like this:
Dad: "Nora, please eat the food on your plate".
Nora: "I did".
Dad: "Nora, I can SEE that there is still food on your plate".
Nora: "No there isn't".


I spent a huge portion of my childhood sitting in a corner because I wouldn't eat the meat filled meals my parents lovingly prepared. I'd like to tell you that this is a well thought-out ethical decision, a moral code that began early in life when I strongly identified with the cows at the nearby Mennonite diary farms. It would add a certain level of depth to my blog.


But the truth is, I've simply never really liked meat. I do eat it now and then, I try to sample local fare when I travel, and  I appreciate what good chicken stock can do for a recipe..but I just don't care for meat.


It's common knowledge that leading a well rounded vegetarian lifestyle is very healthy, but a lot of people are under the false impression that vegetarian cooking also has to TASTE healthy.


Apple, Goat Cheese & Spinach Pizza with Toasted Pecans
(Adapted from this recipe in Cooking Light Magazine)

Ingredients

• 1 lb multi-grain pizza dough (plain is tasty as well, but less nutritious)
• 2 thinly sliced Fuji apple (enough to cover your dough, leaving an edge for a crust) 
• 1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
• 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
• 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
• 1 Tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 1/2 teaspoons honey
• 3 big handfuls baby arugula or spinach
• 3 tablespoons chopped pecans, toasted

Preparation

• Preheat oven to 450°
• Place pizza crust on a pizza stone dusted with corn meal. A baking sheet coated with cooking spray will also work, but the crust's texture will be less fabulous.
• Arrange apple slices evenly over pizza crust; top with cheese. Sprinkle thyme evenly over cheese.
• Bake at 450° for 8-10 minutes or until cheese melts and begins to brown.
• While the pizza is baking, combine oil and next 3 ingredients (through honey) in a medium bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add arugula/spinch; toss gently to coat.
• Sprinkle pecans evenly over pizza; top with arugula mixture.
• Stick your tongue out at the doubter who said you couldn't make a vegetarian entree that enduces moaning. 

Farro Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Toasted Almonds

Take that skinny jeans!

Now that the evenings are getting darker and cooler,  my seasonal food cravings are battling with my already-a-little-snug favorite jeans.  The refreshing fruits and veggies I'm naturally inclined towards in the warmer months don't hold a candle to the smokey macaroni & cheeses,  creamy pot pies, and sugary pumpkin...everythings of autumn.


I like to make a few things on a Sunday night that will last me throughout the week. This ensures that even on nights I get home too late to cook (or I get home at 6 and I'm just too lazy to cook) I finish my day with something equal parts satisfying and nutritious. Better decision making prevails.


Farro Risotto with Roasted Brussels Sprouts & Toasted Almonds
(Adapted from  Union Street Eats.)

Ingredients:
1 lb brussels sprouts, washed with outer leaves removed, and quartered
1.5 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp Olive oil
1/2 (plus a bit for sprinkling) cup dry white wine
1 small yellow onion diced
3 cloves of garlic crushed
1.5 cups dry farro
pinch of saffron threads 
5 cups LOW SODIUM chicken broth, warmed (your risotto will be too salty if you use regular)
Salt and Pepper 
1 cup slivered (unsalted)almonds, toasted
1/4 cup parmesan, grated 


Directions:To roast brussels sprouts:

• Pre-Heat oven to 350F. 
• Spray a baking sheet with olive oil. Spread brussels sprouts evenly around baking sheet. Spray with olive oil, and sprinkle with salt and pepper.
•  Roast for 15 minutes.
•  Remove the baking sheet from the oven, and sprinkle the brussels sprouts with white wine. Bake 10 more minutes. Remove from the oven and set aside.

Meanwhile...

• Heat the olive oil in a large pot over medium-low heat. Add onions and garlic, season with salt and pepper and saute until the onions are transparent, about 4-5 minutes.
•  Add farro and stir, toasting until fragrant, about 2-3 minutes. 
• Add white wine, butter and pinch of saffron (rub between fingers to grind threads). Stir until wine is absorbed. 
• Then add 1/2 cup warmed broth, stirring often. Wait until liquid is almost fully absorbed and add another 1/2 cup of broth
• Turn on some fun dance music and groove while you wait for the liquid to absorb. The Bangles are a good option.
• Add the broth 1/2 cup at a time until farro is tender and/or broth is used up. Depending on the speed in which your farro cooks,  you may need more or less broth.
• Add grated parmesan, stir until evenly distributed and melted.
• Stir in chopped brussels sprouts and almonds.