Menu Plan Monday, March 9th

Posted on March 8, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

We’re having a free for all this week, since I didn’t post an ingredient earlier. Since it’s one of my favorites, let’s say the magic ingredient is garlic, because that’s an easy one to work in! If you’d like to host future weeks, please do drop me a line!

escake

Last week was a tasty one, and I posted Curried Coconut Greens and made a tweaked version of my Nana Skillet Bread, too. As a treat to DH, I shrimpmade a few mini chocolate hazelnut cakes (AKA Erik’s Cake) I will post the recipe soon, and shrimp scampi was even on the menu! What can I say, I’ve missed playing in the kitchen and enjoyed playing again.

Monday:
Grillin’
Chicken in green goo (a parsley/garlic/rosemary marinade) with grilled peppers

Tuesday:
Vegan
Southwestern Quinoa with avocado

Wednesday:
Baked thyme salmon and roasted asparagus

Thursday:
Vegan
Malaysian Sunflower Curry with broccoli

Friday:
“breaded” Turkey cutlets and celery in chestnut sauce

Dessert:
Chocolate coconut “pudding”

And everyone else?
Sea shares a creamy pasta dish with a lovely looking tahini and basil sauce, and there’s a great East Indian Chili on the menu that looks great, too!

Kim at Gluten Free is Life says she has a simple menu plan, but don’t believe her! Butterscotch brownies? Carob fudge? if that’s being a slacker, I’m not sure where that leaves me!!

Wendy at Celiacs in the house makes good use of garlic this week, and has some great crockpot dishes on the menu. But what really caught my eye is her Kale pizza…hopefully we hear more!

Elizabeth and Weird and surprisingly good is focusing on getting more protein while staying on an allergen free menu. She’s got Catfish chowder in the works, and it sounds yummy.

Elizabeth at A Modern Gal has a great looking, vegan recipe for Banana Oat Bars.  She’s also got a bunch of nice looking bean dishes in the line up, and plans to try tempeh.

Last but certainly not least, we have a Gluten free and vegan menu from In My Box.  Not only is she hosting Sugar High Fridays this week, but she’s got a bunch of Moosewood recipes in the lineup, too.  Seems like everyone is having black eyed peas this week!

Posted in menu plan | 12 Comments

Coconut Curried Greens

Posted on March 7, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

curried-collards

I love collards. And to think that for 25 or so years of my life, I had no idea what I was missing out on!  I grew up in NY and never really tasted them, or if I did, I didn’t remember it.  But Virginia is “Southern country” and they were a staple at potlucks.  Granted, generally ’round these parts they’re served with ham, but I liked them enough that I was intrigued and determined to find another way to enjoy them. They’re best right after the first winter frost, but it’s one of the few things I can still find at the Farmer’s Markets even now, and it’s nice to have locally grown on the menu.

The most miraculous part of all of this is that DH ate them…and asked for more.  Somehow perhaps it has escaped him that indeed, the green stuff is a vegetable?  I won’t mention it and hope that he doesn’t his mind!  But they are so buttery when they cook up in the coconut curry that we’ve ended up fighting over leftovers.  Yum.

I use coconut meat to make a coconut milk, but I’m sure canned would work just as well.  I often brown chicken or another protein or toss in leftovers for a heartier meal, but it works just as nicely in vegan form.

And, of course, you can add in some cayenne for a little extra kick if you’re so inclined!

Last year, I grew my own collards and used them in a yummy African inspired Almond Stew, but this year, the rabbits chewed them down to the ribs.  I guess that’s what I get for pulling up the carrots.

Large bunch of collards, stems removed
2 inch knob of ginger, peeled and minced finely
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 tablespoons oil
2 teaspoons garam masala powder

meat of one young coconut and water (2 cups total when blended)

Bring a large pot of water to boil. Add collards, let boil vigorously for 20 minutes (or more, to preference). Drain, reserving 1 1/2 cups of the collard water. Blend water with coconut (this is your coconut milk!). Chop collards coarsely.

If making a version with meat, brown meat in the oil and reserve. Saute ginger and garlic in oil until fragrant. Add in garam masala powder and stir for a minute. Add in coconut mill, the greens and browned protein (optional). Allow to cook and thicken for 8-10 minutes, or until desired consistency is reached.

Serve and enjoy!

I’m serving up these collards for Weekend Herb Blogging, originated by Kalyn

. Now our kind coordinator is Haalo, and she’s hosting this week, too! Collards aren’t unusual veggies, but I’m not familiar with them in curried form, so I hope this counts.

Posted in recipe, vegetables, weekend herb blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 18 Comments

Menu Plan Monday March 2nd–Chickpeas!

Posted on March 1, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

garb

This week’s theme is Chickpeas, or garbanzos. From hummus to soccas, falafel to garbanzo salads, chickpeas are amazing. I can’t wait to see how everyone includes them in their menus! Since my family is from the Middle East, I am a huge fan of chickpeas in all forms. I haven’t yet tried this recipe for crispy spiced chickpeas, but oh, I’m tempted!

It’s a great time of year, when it’s clear that winter is indeed going on its way soon. I love spring (and summer and fall) it’s just winter that I haven’t yet learned to appreciate. My indoor peach tree is even budding!

I’ve also (finally) posted recipes from a healthy GF recipe contest I’m hosting. If you’re interested in entering, please feel free to send recipes, or you can vote on the ones submitted! There are great prizes, so check it out.

valentine

And to those of you who were so interested in the vegan brownie recipe…it was fabulous, but it totally fell, so I need to keep tweaking the recipe. I’ll have to keep you posted. I also posted the DB chocolate cake, which was quite dreamy!

Monday:
Chicken and broccoli in a Malaysian Sunflower butter sauce

Tuesday:
Tilapia in a tomato sauce with green peppers

Weds:
Vegan
Avocado and sorrel soup

Thursday:
Socca (chickpea pancake) with arugula pesto

Friday:
Turkey in a garlicky parsley sauce with roasted asparagus

Baked goods:
I’m teaching a class “Living and Loving a GF diet”, and will make an apple crisp if I have time

If you’d like to host a menu plan, drop me a line!

A Modern Gal has a great menu planned, featuring a chicken she roasted.  Her Indonesian Spicy Rice looks delish!  Her Chickpeas and greens sound good, too.

Elizabeth of Weird and surprisingly good has a nice run down of her favorite snacks along with her menu for this week.  She’s getting her chickpeas this week in the form of hummus!  Her chicken enchilada recipe is in the works and hopefully she’ll share that soon.

Sea of book of yum joins us with an un-chicken waldorf salad recipe, and a great recipe for veggie fajitas.  Not only that, but most excitingly, Sea is pregnant and Baby yum is surely loving all the gormet GF global treats!

Wendy of Celiacs in the house has a great looking Potato and chickpea curry on the menu that I’m going to have to try really soon!  She’s also got a nice picture of the ocean to inspire her toward warmer times and nicer weather, and I can’t blame her a bit!

Ginger has an adorable picture of her piggies in a menu that also  contains pork (I guess the piggies haven’t gotten the memo!) and a great menu that includes Mahi mahi and mango salsa.  The cabbage stir fry sounds great, too!

Country living is balancing her menu with the preferences of her family members (but just as a heads up, her menu does contain spelt and barley, which are offlimits on a gf diet).  The sweet potato cakes sound yummy.

Angela gets her chickpeas in her GF flour, and she’s got a fun week planned.  She’s training for the Breast Cancer 3 day, on top of a busy schedule.

Poor Manda has been having power outages, but still joins us with a global menu.  She’s even got a Romianian buckwheat stew!

Esther stops by to share some ideas for great salads and her menu, including veggie curry, pasta with cream sauce and ribs, too.  She even teases us with the thought of beetroot hummus!

Posted in menu plan, side dish | 13 Comments

For the love of chocolate! Daring Bakers Feb ’09

Posted on February 28, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

valentineWhat better way to spread the love than a chocolate cake that tastes like pure chocolate.
The February 2009 challenge is hosted by Wendy of WMPE’s blog and Dharm of Dad ~ Baker & Chef.
We have chosen a Chocolate Valentino cake by Chef Wan; a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Dharm and a Vanilla Ice Cream recipe from Wendy as the challenge.

Many thanks to our kind co-hosts for choosing such a delicious treat, and a naturally GF recipe, too!

January and Feb were busy and crazy months with WAY too many bouts of the stomach flu, and I wasn’t interested or able to do much baking. But Valentine’s day was the first day that I got the opportunity to get back in the kitchen, and I really wanted my husband to have a special treat. It was the perfect choice! Rather than a big cake, I made a bunch of little 4″ cakes, and they were as cute as can be. I used mostly bittersweet chocolate, with just a few ounces of milk to add some sweetness to the mix. Regretfully, I was not able to do the ice cream portion of the challenge, but instead made a hazelnut frosting and little chocolate hearts to decorate.
db
DH thought it was yummy, rich, decadent, and delicious. And, of course, with such an easy recipe, I’m sure we’ll be making it again!

Chocolate Valentino
Preparation Time: 20 minutes
16 ounces (1 pound) (454 grams) of semisweet chocolate, roughly chopped
½ cup (1 stick) plus 2 tablespoons (146 grams total) of unsalted butter
5 large eggs separated

1. Put chocolate and butter in a heatproof bowl and set over a pan of simmering water (the bottom of the bowl should not touch the water) and melt, stirring often.
2. While your chocolate butter mixture is cooling. Butter your pan and line with a parchment circle then butter the parchment.
3. Separate the egg yolks from the egg whites and put into two medium/large bowls.
4. Whip the egg whites in a medium/large grease free bowl until stiff peaks are formed (do not over-whip or the cake will be dry).
5. With the same beater beat the egg yolks together.
6. Add the egg yolks to the cooled chocolate.
7. Fold in 1/3 of the egg whites into the chocolate mixture and follow with remaining 2/3rds. Fold until no white remains without deflating the batter. {link of folding demonstration}
8. Pour batter into prepared pan, the batter should fill the pan 3/4 of the way full, and bake at 375F/190C
9. Bake for 25 minutes until an instant read thermometer reads 140F/60C.
Note – If you do not have an instant read thermometer, the top of the cake will look similar to a brownie and a cake tester will appear wet.
10. Cool cake on a rack for 10 minutes then unmold.

Please do check out the beautiful masterpieces of my fellow Daring Baker brigade. I’m always amazed at the artistic photos!

Posted in daring bakers, dessert | 7 Comments

Menu Plan Monday Feb 23rd

Posted on February 22, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

We’ve gone a little exotic this week with our theme, “Umami”, as chosen by Asparagus Thin. And who doesn’t love savory goodness?  We had a great quinoa dish with kalamatas this weekend, and I’m hoping to work in some stock next weekend to celebrate.  I can’t wait to see what others do!

This week will be a busy one, so I’ll be focusing on what I can do easily.  But I’m also hoping to return to baking this weekend with totally decadent vegan brownies that are just amazing.  I had quite a few bouts of the stomach flu over the last few weeks and now I’m supposed to gain some weight.  What can I say, the brownies should help!

Oh, and last call for the healthy recipe contest! There are really some amazing prizes donated, like a $75 tote from BRM, Carol Fenster’s new book, etc.

Monday:


Beef coconut curry with collards

Tuesday:
Turkey with celery in a chestnut sauce and cornbread for my DH
Rhubarb ginger compote

Weds:
Avocado and tomato soup with caramelized onions (last jar…sniff sniff!)

Thursday:
Thyme salmon with roasted mini peppers

Friday
Chicken in a parsley/garlic marinade with broccoli

Saturday:
Turkey soup!

Baked good:
Decadent brownies
Sweet potato cornbread–it didn’t happen last week, but DH really deserves a treat. Fingers crossed.

Have a great week!

Posted in menu plan | 5 Comments

Weekend Herb Blogging-170 Roundup

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

3iconsWell, I’m delighted to host my first WHB roundup.  It’s so much fun to see the fabulous things people have put together from all around the globe. Y’all are some amazing photographers!   It’s also put my “slacker-licous” nature to shame.  I always send things in under the wire, other people send things out on Monday!

Here’s to the host for this week (starting Feb 16th)  WHB 171, Susan from The Well-Seasoned Cook.

And to my usual readers, yes, some of these dishes contain gluten.  First time for everything.  😉 Most actually don’t.

esquite

Anna of  Morsels & Musings of Sydney, Australia brings in a lovely Esquite (Mexican corn snack). Her experience with Mexican food has come from dear friends, and I must say, it seems they’ve taught her well!  She uses Tajin in the dish, which is made of chili peppers and dehydrated lime.  She also provides some great background info  on corn.  I can’t help wondering if corn is in season in her neck of the woods.  Here in the States, summertime corn is a distant memory.

36-golden-beets2

Maggie of Say Yes to Salad joins us from Mountain View, CA, which is why it’s warm enough for her to pick up some golden beets at her local Farmer’s market.  She’s embarking on a macrobiotic diet and missing her fruit, but loving her new discoveries.   She reports that the golden beets stain less and are sweeter than their redder cousins

3270647145_760065056a

TS and JS of [eatingclub] vancouver drop in from chilly Vancouver, Canada to share their Hazelnut Gremolata that came to her in a dream! Really, you can’t beat that as a descriptor. She gives several links for ways to use it in a Portugese meal, and will post more soon.

rpchicken1

Believe it or not, I almost forgot to include mine: Red Pepper Sauce, which features fresh thyme from my garden.  First, it’s my DH’s absolute favorite, which is why we made it for Valentine’s day!  It’s a great way to add vitamin C and a whole truckload of yum to any dish.

pinto-bean-stew-300-kalynskitchen

Kalyn’s Kitchen is the original mommy of WHB, and as always, graces us with a South Beach ready Pressure Cooker Recipe for Pinto Bean and Ground Beef Stew with Cumin and Cilantro. On first glance, it looks like chili, but it’s a milder dish featuring cilantro, one of the yummiest herbs out there (IMHO)

afelia-braised-pork-wine-coriander-plate-5

Jude, of Apple Pie, Patis and Pate shares his Afelia – Pork Braised with Red Wine and Coriander Seeds. This classic Cypriot dish gets much of its flavor from the overnight marination and coriander seeds.

bananabread

Did someone say dulce de leche? Dhanggit celebrates and great salary and combines some of the most incredible flavors on the planet in the form of Banana Almond Dulce De Leche Bread.
Seriously, it looks worth a trip to France to have a slice

eggplant

Joanne, from Boston is another fan of cilantro and shares lovely sentiments for Valentine’s day AND her Mashed Eggplant and Tomato Salad on her blog Eats Well With Others. It’s an adaption from a
Middle Eastern cookbook.

torta-di-polenta1

Brii from briiblog is living in Valsorda, on the most beautiful lake of Italy, the Garda Lake (her words–I wish I knew from experience!). She shares her simple, yet elegant Maize and Ricotta cake, which appears blissfully gluten and sugar free!

okraremouladewhb

Susan of The Well-Seasoned Cook and our host for the upcoming week joins us from NY with a decidedly spicy twist: Cajun Fried Okra with Remoulade Sauce. This is part of her successful plot to reach a happy gastronomic arrangement with okra, a former nemesis.

My spam filter seems to have gotten hungry and swallowed some of the emails.  Check these out, too!

whb170-haalo

Haalo, who is kind enough to host WHB, graces us with Wasabi Leaf Vichyssoise. Wasabi leaves are a member of the mustard family, and apparently quite mild when raw.  She’s able to find them at her local market.

potatosaladwhb

Jeanne  of Cook sister drops by from London to share her Warm Potato Salad with onion, dill and mustard.  The salad was conceived by accident by her brother, and features dill as the herb of choice.

Cinczia of Cindystarbrings our second entry from Lake of Garda, Italy.  She shares her Candied Orange Zest and is kind enough to give us the scoop in English, too, which is awesome to me because it’s one of my DH’s favorites!


I must say, it was a delight to travel through global cuisines with you all.  Have a greatweek!

Posted in weekend herb blogging | 10 Comments

Menu Plan Monday Feb 16th–Comfort food

Posted on February 16, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

chili

Ah, comfort foods, what a fabulous choice in the winter months.  Or any months, really.  This week the gluten free Menu swap is hosted by Celiacs in the House and I love her food selection!  To me, comfort food is soup.  Or chocolate. Chili?  Anything warm, really.  But I know for my DH, it’s cornbread, and so I’ll do my best to work that into the rotation this week.

I’m still getting back in to the swing of functioning, so it’ll be a basic week:

Monday:
Salmon with a lemony thyme sauce for me/ Asian ginger marinade for DH with broccoli

Tuesday:
Chicken with arugula pesto

Weds:
Tomato soup (from my freezer) and avocado

Thursday:
Nightshade stew

Friday:
Chicken in a coconut/garam masala sauce and Cumin roasted cauliflower

Saturday:
Teaching a GF and healthy class and making Garlicky quinoa with broccoli

Baked goods:
Sweet potato cornbread (maybe)
Chocolate covered strawberries–I’m delayed from V-day

Posted in menu plan | 3 Comments

I *heart* Red Pepper Sauce

Posted on February 13, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

rpchicken3iconsYahoo!  At long last, I am delighted to get the honor to host Weekend Herb Blogging.  If you’re not familiar with WHB, it was originated by Kalyn’s Kitchen, and our current hostess is Haalo.  It’s a great way to get inspiration for yummy ways to use herbs in your cooking…and an eclectic collection of fruits and veggies, too.

The last few weeks have been a total roller coaster rides, so it was time for a peaceful, relaxing, indulgent meal.  One my DH’s absolute favorite things is red pepper sauce, and one of my favorite things is rpeppersaucehow darn easy it is!  And how delicious, too.  I love that it’s so creamy that it tastes like it’s a dairy based sauce, and the sweetness is such a treat.  My first post way back when had red pepper chicken, and quite a few people asked for the recipe.  It’s worth the wait, I think!

We had an unseasonably warm weekend, so I roped DH into grilling the peppers.  Usually, I just use frozen herb-y peppers from the summer months.  The hardest part is having enough peppers left over to freeze.  They’re just like candy.

So, this is a beautiful meal for you and your Valentine.  The sauce is delish any kind of protein…or on anyone you love. =P

5 large bell peppers (red, yellow, or orange)
1-2 Tablespoons fresh thyme
1/2 teaspoon sea salt
2 Tablespoons oil

1 cup good quality broth
1/4 teaspoon cayenne powder
good squeeze of lemon
2 Tablespoons ground almond or hazelnuts

2 Tablespoons olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced

Grill or roast peppers, or use canned or frozen. When cool, add to blender with broth, cayenne, onions and ground nuts. Blend until very smooth. In a Vitamix, this takes 2 minutes. It will take much longer in a normal blender. Saute garlic in olive oil, add in the blended peppers. You can poach a protein of your choice in the sauce, or just pour it on whatever you want to make yummy.

Posted in recipe, vegetables, weekend herb blogging | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Menu Plan Monday Feb 2nd–Pineapple

Posted on February 1, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

pina

This week’s theme is pineapple, and boy am I excited!  I do try to eat locally grown foods, but some things are too good to give up, and besides, that’s hard during the winter months.  Perhaps that means I should move to somewhere like Hawaii and to get a year round pineapple fix.  In addition to being thoroughly yummy, pineapples are a great source of manganese, Vitamin C, and fiber.

I generally have pineapple plain, because really, can you get any better than fresh pineapple?  I do use them in baking, such as in these Carrot Muffin Cakes, and sometimes use it as a tenderizer for chicken, too.  I’d love to see how everyone else uses pineapple!

Monday:

Homemade chicken veggie soup

Tuesday:
Quinoa with arugula pesto

Weds:
Baked salmon and roasted peppers
Pineapple for dessert!

Thursday:
Garam Masala chicken with roasted cauliflower and papadams (or dal and papadams from the freezer if I’m feeling super lazy)

Friday:
Leftovers?

Baked good of the week:
to be honest, I haven’t been feeling that well and so I haven’t been doing much baking myself. DH has requested a cake, so who knows what will happen. A chocolate orange cake could be in the forecast.

Fun stuff:

Just an FYI, I’m hosting a healthy recipe contest, so if you’re interested in submitting a recipe and winning some fun prizes, go on over and check it out! Due to the cost of shipping, winners must be in the US or Canada (sorry!)

Now, what about everyone else?

Book of Yum graces us with an international menu, of course, but with a twist from our very own back yards (more or less)…sweet potato biscuits. She’s promised us a veganized version in the future, and I for one can’t wait!

Fresh Ginger joins us with a local menu, as usual.  Her Moroccan chicken looks amazing, and mac and cheese…really, do you need to say more?

Asparagus Thin has a very cute Superbowl commercial on her page, and she teases us with mention of a breakfast pineapple curry, too.

Thrifty GF mom joins us through the cold and snow.  She’s got a Kale Potato soup on the menu, and maple salmon, too.  Sounds healthy and delish, too!

Esther of Lilac Kitchen has been hit by the weather, too.  She shares her “best stir fry ever”, which is quite a title to live up to!  And the pineapple upside down cake sounds worth trekking across the pond.

Sorry it took so long to get the posts up.  My internet was down much of the day.


Posted in menu plan | 9 Comments

Tuiles: A Daring Baker Challenge

Posted on January 29, 2009 by Cheryl Harris

tuilesIt’s Daring Baker time again, and this month’s challenge is brought to us by Karen of Bake My Day and Zorra of 1x umruehren bitte aka Kochtopf. They have chosen Tuiles from The Chocolate Book by Angélique Schmeink and Nougatine and Chocolate Tuiles from Michel Roux. Not only were Karen and Zorra kind enough to gift us with great recipes, they gave us a variety of alternatives, too! On the Alternative DB list (go alt DB’ers!) someone posted on sugar free, vegan Sesame Lace Tuiles from the Millennium cookbook. I was quite intrigued, so I had to try them. With gluten free flour, of course.

manytuiles

The recipe was simple and quite easy. The only issue was my second guessing! I pulled them out of the oven at the correct time and they were total mush. So I popped them back in, and they still weren’t hard. Well, I forgot about them for a couple of minutes, and then the were too hard to roll up. Which just gave me an excuse to make a bunch of batches. If you want them flat, it doesn’t matter. But if you want to play…well, it’s a fine line between to hard and too soft. DH, my head taster, liked them a good deal. They were more than a bit greasy, but the texture and flavor was interesting. The only annoying thing is that they’re dropped by the 1/2 tsp fulls and spread like mad, so you’re making batch after batch…and I’m not a huge fan of never ending cookie batches!db

Please do check out all of the Daring Bakers and their creations…it’s always a pleasure, and I can’t wait until next month’s challenge!

Posted in daring bakers, dessert | 11 Comments