FoodFash

Adventure Begins in the Kitchen

Dinosaur Kale & White Bean Stew

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How is it November already?  Better yet, how did November sneak up so quickly yet it takes forever for weekends to arrive?  I suppose we’ll never know the answer to that.  But in the meantime, we can certainly make cozy soup, slurp it slowly, and pretend that the weekend is already here.

Dinosaur Kale & White Bean Stew (adapted from Smitten Kitchen)

1 bunch dinosaur kale, washed, stemmed, and chopped (no need to remove the ribs)
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 large carrot, peeled and chopped
2 celery stalks, ends removed and chopped
5 shallots, sliced
4 garlic cloves, crushed
1 cup sauvignon blanc
2 15-ounce cans white beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups mushroom broth
1 cup crushed tomatoes
Salt and black pepper
3 fresh thyme sprigs
1 bay leaf

In a large pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add carrots, celery, shallots and garlic and saute for 15 minutes.  Stir in wine and cook for 10 minutes.  Add beans, broth, tomatoes, salt, pepper, thyme and bay leaf and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove thyme and bay leaf.  Add kale and cook for 5 minutes more.

After eating the first bite this soup, it became apparent that tart wine, crunchy greens, a mushroom/tomato base, and soft white beans are an amazing combination.  And then I made it a little more amazing by topping with a few giant shrimp.

Root Slaw

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Tonight, while standing halfway between produce and the salad bar at Whole Foods, I performed a literal cost-benefit analysis. Chopping matchstick carrots and beets seemed like a lot of work for an exhausted chickadee who is expecting company the next day. A lot.

I took the lazy route and headed straight towards the salad bar. Perhaps it was also the smart route because I’m in dire need of a Global-esque knife and would have probably lost a finger tip or two had I attempted matchsticking on my own. But the salad bar beets and carrots only set me back about three bucks, making it the smartest of routes. Being pleasantly surprised about a lower than expected Whole Foods purchase was a total first.

FoodFash Root Salad (yields 2 servings)

1/2 cup matchstick carrots

1/2 cup matchstick beets

2 tablespoons tahini

2 tablespoons water

1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar

juice of 1/2 lemon

Gently mix tahini and one tablespoon of water in a small bowl. When combined, add the second tablespoon of water and stir again. Add the apple cider vinegar and lemon juice, gently stir, and pour on top of carrots and beets. Mix well (or in my case, shake well in the salad bar container) and serve.

This dish was completely inspired by my favorite salad bar combo. The slight sweetness of the root veggies paired nicely with the nuttiness of the tahini and the tang of the vinegar. Thankfully it was delish, because I devoured every last bite in a last-ditch effort to give my body a break between a super long vacation and my upcoming culinary adventures with my long-time foodie friend.

Weekday Eggs

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I am way boring when it comes to weekday breakfast.  Greek yogurt or flax oats have been my staple sit-at-my-desk-and-eat-while-I-work morning meal for entirely too long.  And since I’ve cut out Greek yogurt in an effort to get back to the land of non-dairy (gasp!), I had to come up with an oatmeal alternative, stat.

I dabbled in weekday eggs a few months ago, but baking breakfast (along with dinner) every other night and dirtying up a ton of Pyrex dishes is about as far from realistic as it gets.  But now that I finally have a muffin pan again, it dawned on me that weekday eggs can be a thing.  An awesome, un-boring, AM veggie kind of thing.

FoodFash Weekday Eggs (yields 4 servings)

14 ounces of veggie sausage (or 1 lb of turkey sausage)

6 eggs

1 cup of broccoli floretts, chopped (or any green veggie)

hot sauce to taste

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Slice sausage into 12 equal parts and smoosh a piece into each muffin hole.  Bake until sausage is cooked all the way through (about 10 minutes).  Remove sausage from oven and set aside.  In a medium sized bowl, beat eggs.  Add veggies and hot sauce, noting that salt is unnecessary due to the saltiness of the sausage.  Spoon about 2 tablespoon of eggs over each piece of sausage.  Place back in oven and bake for 15 minutes or until eggs are cooked all the way through.  Put three frittatas to a sandwich bag and store in the refrigerator.  Reheat for 30-45 seconds in your office micro and enjoy!

If you’re looking for a way to make your co-workers and Instagram followers drool in a jealous stupor, eating these bad boys for breakfast will surely get you there.  And a bonus?  I found myself much more energized during my lunch-hour spin class.  I can see myself making these weekly, subbing with other greens and “meats” to keep it interesting.

What veggie/meat/non-meat combo would be your favorite?

Patty Pan, Patty Pan…

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If you were shopping at the downtown Austin Whole Foods today after work, half of me sincerely apologizes.  Not only did I arrive without a list, but I decided to stay on the phone with my mom as I headed to the produce department.  And since I’m one of those people that paces like a crazy person while talking on the phone, I lapped around veggies at an abnormal grocery store pace, empty basket in hand, getting in everyone’s way for a solid 15 minutes.  That part of me apologizes.

The part of me that enjoyed talking to my mom after going days without a phone call, that part doesn’t apologize one bit.  That part is actually thankful because if I hadn’t lapped around produce a gazillion times, I wouldn’t have spotted the cutest little squash ever.  And then I wouldn’t have had an almost perfect recipe that became perfect when I found a box of California Walnuts waiting for me at my doorstep.  Talk about luck.

FoodFash Patty Pan Squash

2 tablespoons coconut oil

3/4 lb patty pan squash, sliced

2 tablespoons garlic chives, chopped

1/2 cup California Walnuts, chopped

1/4 teaspoon white pepper

salt to taste

Warm coconut oil over medium heat and then add squash, garlic chives, and walnuts.  Stir until mixed and then add salt and white pepper.  Continue stirring so that the veggies don’t stick to the pan.  Cook until the squash is softened but not mushy (about 5 minutes).

I just recently cooked with chives for the first time and fell in love.  They’re an excellent way to add oniony flavor without the bulk of onions or any chance of overpowering a dish.  As far as patty pans go, other than the cuteness factor, I couldn’t really tell much difference between them and regular yellow squash.  What I could tell, is that squash, chives, and walnuts are a solid combination.