I am appalled and horrified to see I haven't done any blogging in almost three years. Oh. My. Goodness. - as my almost 3 year old would say.  I have been busy.  Two children (one almost 3 and one almost 7 months), a huge move from NYC to the country of Massachusetts (hello home ownership -- I'm not sure why everyone doesn't rent -- maintenance is not cool).  And many glasses of wine later -- here I am.  While I have not been documenting my cooking I have been doing it.

I will say not much has changed since 2012. We have made very few changes to our diet since having children.  I will admit when my son started pre-school I felt pressure to send him with the type of food other kids had in their lunch bags (hot dogs (you can get grass fed), mac and cheese (home made), goldfish (child crack) and gogurt (sugar).  I slapped myself in the face and got back to our normal eating habits.  That is not to say I don't have some snacks around that have less than ideal ingredients but for the most part he eats very well.

Since having children we do always having grass fed whole milk and apple cider (my kid is an addict) in the refrigerator.  I have become even more conscious of having as much organic produce and fruit as possible because I don't want to be giving my children or myself GMO products and also because of the connection between pesticides and illness (including the hot topic of Autism). My oldest son went from being vegetarian on his own volition to loving meat.  My husband and I are not big meat eaters but now we try and make sure to have grass-fed beef or lamb once a week as well as pasture raised chicken.  All of it is hopefully is humanely raised and killed (thanks, humane certification). It seems that people get overwhelmed with the labels "organic" "grass-fed" "grass-finished" etc... and that is understandable.  My feeling is: I choose "grass-fed and finished" above organic for meat, dairy and butter. Wallaby makes a delicious greek grass fed yogurt and Whole Foods sells different brands of Grass-Fed Milk and butter. Poultry, I think pasture raised is ideal as well as humanely certified.  The nice thing about Whole Foods is that they visit their farms and rate everything accordingly so you really get a nice sense of the animal product you are eating.  It may seem more expensive (and it can be) but whole foods actually has really lovely sales on meat.  We buy a bunch and throw it in the freezer.  Further if you are buying less pre-made food, then everything is significantly more reasonable.

I spend about $150/week on produce for 3.5 people.  I've found actually menu-planning as I would for a client really keeps costs down.  I purchase organic nuts (Emmett is obsessed) at Trader Joes as well as many of their cheeses (most of their cheese is RbST free) we eat. Other than that we shop at Whole Foods and get our fish at a local fish market (I'm totally unimpressed with Whole Food's Fish). and Costco where we get our toilet paper, etc... actually has a great selection of GMO free Organic Gluten-Free Crackers and Chips. Done.

A general outline of our meals:
For breakfast generally I have an egg omelet with a side salad. Joe and Emmett have Fresh Fruit and grass-fed cow Yogurt.  Joe with a bit of home made granola, Emmett with a piece of rosemary toast. And we have coffee. Lots of delicious Coffee.

For lunch Joe and I both have salad and Emmett usually has leftovers from the day before or a hummus, cheese, cracker and fruit plate.

And dinner is my favorite. I have been less adventurous with my own recipes mostly because I don't have time and have been enjoying going through my cookbooks.  The dinner recipes are what you will find on this blog predominantly.   My current obsession is anything by Ottolenghi.  I have veered from his recipes this week and regret it.

So Enjoy! If you have any questions please email me: purenaturalkitchen@gmail.com.

Happy Reading!

xo Alexis

Cravings: Scones

so, there aren't many things I've craved yet (at 31 weeks).  I drink a lot of milk mostly because of horrible heartburn - something I never did before I was pregnant.  I eat peppermint dark chocolate and am our freezer is stocked with Ciao Bella dark chocolate sorbet and coconut sorbet -- the best with freshly cut up strawberries and coconut flakes.

But the past few weeks I've been wanting a scone, and for some reason in Park Slope they are hard to come by.  I am not a baker - not in the least.  I can throw something together with completely random refrigerator ingredients, but I still get a little anxious baking.  I typically don't really enjoy baked goods - cakes, brownies, cupcakes, muffins, not usually my thing.  But I wanted freshly baked scones

So, I tried a new scone recipe and it is delicious!  I made them gluten free because my husband is gluten intolerant:

• 2 cups Pamela's Pancake Mix
• 1/3 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 8 tablespoons unsalted butter, frozen
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1 large egg

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and preheat oven to 400 degrees.
2. In a food processor pulse the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
3. Cut up a frozen stick of butter and add to the food processor (mixture should resemble coarse meal), then add in raisins.
4. In a small bowl, whisk sour cream and egg until smooth.
5. Using a fork, stir sour cream mixture into flour mixture until large dough clumps form. Use your hands to press the dough against the bowl into a ball. (The dough will be sticky in places, and there may not seem to be enough liquid at first, but as you press, the dough will come together.)
6. Place on a lightly floured surface and pat into a 7- to 8-inch circle about 3/4-inch thick. Use a  knife to cut into 8 triangles; place on a cookie sheet (preferably lined with parchment paper), about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden, about 15 to 17 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes and serve warm or at room temperature.

Mulligatawny Soup

Yesterday Joe and I went to Fairway to pick up some weekly groceries.  We (I) decided that this week we'd have a lot of soups.  Entering my third trimester, I've noticed that I don't want a big meal at night because I'm not too hungry and it gives me horrid heartburn.

We tried a Mulligatawny Soup from the More Best Recipes cookbook and it does not disappoint.  I altered the ingredients a wee bit so as to avoid heartburn afterward (I was semi-successful).  We added leg of lamb to the soup to get some extra nutrients.  But the lentils, lamb, home made chicken stock and veggies make this particularly healthy -- you can add some kombu while it's cooking for extra minerals too!

Ingredients:
spices:
2.5 tsp. garam masala
1.5 tsp. ground cumin
1.5 tsp. ground coriander
1 tsp. ground turmeric

soup:
3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
2 medium onions, minced
1/2 cup coconut flakes
4 medium garlic cloves, minced
4 tsp. grated ginger (recommended to use a micro-plane)
1 tsp. tomato paste
1/4 cup unbleached all purpose flour (we used gluten free here)
7 cups chicken stock
2 medium carrots (peeled and chopped medium)
2 celery ribs (peeled and chopped medium)
1/2 cup french green lentils (these, unlike the brown lentils), do not fall apart when you cook them
sea salt and blaxk pepper
2 Tablespoons cilantro (minced), more to taste if you'd like
a dollop of Greek Yogurt
1 1/2 lbs. trimmed leg of lamb, cut into 1.5 x 1 inch chunks

1. Melt the butter in a large Dutch Oven (I love the Staub dutch ovens) over medium heat.  Saute the spices until fragrant, about 10 seconds.  Add the onions and coconut and cook until softened, about 5 minutes.  Stir in the garlic, ginger, and tomato paste and cook until fragrant, bout 30 seconds.  Stir in the flour until evenly combined, about 1 minute.  Whisk in the stock.

2. Stir in the carrots and celery, increase the heat and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low and simmer until veggies are tender 20-25 minutes.

3.  Puree the soup (I recommend the VitaMix).  Add the lentils and  lamb and simmer for 30 minutes until lentils and lamb are tender.

Season with sea salt and pepper

As Promised some Martha's Vineyard Recipes

Spinach Dip:

spinach dip with chips

1 container fresh baby spinach, steamed until wilted, and chopped
2 cup2 Greek Yogurt
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1/4 cup finely chopped scallions
1 can of chopped water chestnuts
1 clove of garlic, minced
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
sea salt to taste

mix until dip consistency.  (bowl from Chilmark Pottery on Martha's Vineyard)

Mango Salsa (adapted from Best New Recipes Cookbook - for all beginning chefs, fantastic recipe source)

4 mangos, peeled seeded and cubed
2 limes, juiced
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
2 Tablespoons minced fresh cilatrno
sea salt and black pepper
2 ripe tomatoes chopped
1 can of black beans, rinsed over

And lastly:
My parents when to Boston while Joe and I were on Martha's Vineyard, so we had a race against the clock for eating produce... we made a mosh-posh pasta dinner:

4 peppers, sliced thinly and de-veined
2 onions, sliced thinly
1 can of broth
2 garlic cloves
1/2 container of spinach, wilted with the hot pasta
1/2 box of ziti

 (1) sweat onions until very soft - with butter or Extra Virgin Olive Oil; add the peppers and cook until very soft - add some wine or beer or stock here...cook until well done.  Then add garlic.

(2) Toss all ingredients together.  Add some goat cheese if you'd like.  Delicious warm or cold.

Marth's Vineyard!

Dawn and Alexis

As is Joe and my tradition, every year for his birthday, we spend some time on Martha's Vineyard at my parent's summer house.  This year was Joe's 30th birthday and we enjoyed a wonderful dinner at Edgartown's Harborview hotel.  It was delicious.  My parent's house is almost 100% solar and on a land reservation on Martha's Vineyard Chappaquiddick Island.  It is a retreat like no other.  While there Joe and I kayaked, read, cooked, clammed, fished and generally enjoyed ourselves for one week.

Living in New York City, sometimes it is a

Victor and Alexis

challenge to remember that we need our own time outside of the City enjoying all that nature has to offer.  Once again, this is more of a photo entry than a recipe entry, but there are some recipes from our vacation coming up in the next post.  For those of you who feel like you should work, work, work and save later - let's not forget that family and friends are the most important thing out there and that when we look back at our memories those are the ones that will stand out the most.

quick rinse off

Joe and Aquinnah fetched, swam, and generally goofed around together and hearing Joe's laughter echo around the bay made me feel happy and content.  It's so very easy to get wrapped up in our everyday stresses and forget how lucky we are and how short life is, cue sentimental music now.

cozy post dinner swaddle.

Whether it be a small dinner out (last night we went for burgers with our lovely neighbor and my college friend Adam Castaldo) or finally purchasing a plane ticket to Chicago to visit my amazing friends (Catherine and Ian Merritt) and meet their child Teddy, our memories are of experiences and our friends shape those; it's important to me for those experiences not to fall to the sidelines.

Anyway,  I will post some delicious recipes that Joe and I tried out while trying to use up all the fresh produce that would otherwise have spoiled... including: spinach dip; mango salsa; and a delicious pasta salad!

The Nourse Farm

The Nourse Farm in Westboro, Massachusetts holds loads of memories for me.  I grew up eating their berries and running in their fields encompassed by the beautiful farm land that is The Nourse Farm.  The Nourse family and the Colantonio family have had many adventure filled vacations - typically involving a well-loved farmhouse in New Hampshire and a week filled with blazing our own cross country ski trails, having water fights in the kitchen, building snow forts and going on horse drawn carriage rides after nights of ice skating.  But most of all my memories are filled with loads and loads of laughter.  Side splitting laughter and amazing support and love.  The Nourses are family to me and I love them all dearly, so when Joe and I were trying to find a place that was meaningful to us to take our engagement photos, the Nourse Farm seemed like the most natural place in the world for it.

Aquinnah and Lucy playing in the pond

Marsha's sesame chicken with dipping sauce

We had a delicious lunch that Marsha and Samantha planned at their house.  Before lunch, however, we walked a few steps out of the house and picked some black raspberries and red raspberries for the champagne that Joe and I brought... not only were we scouting out places for our engagement shots, but Marsha is our officiant and we went over our bare bones ceremony write-up.  Marsha took us on a walking tour of the farm - Joe had never been on an active working farm so he got to pick berries off bushes for the first time! A very exciting day.

Nourse Farm Black-Bottom Raspberry Pies

We took a leisurely walk around the farm stumbling on everything from fresh asparagus stalks, the most delicious strawberries, blueberries & raspberries (they have pick your own berries!!), horses, cows and a moment of sheer delight for both Aquinnah and Lucy when they got to go swimming in a pond shared by the farm's resident horses.   Pictured are the famous Black-Bottomed Raspberry Pies (homemade pies are sold at the store!) with some fresh whipped cream.  Delicious.

Joe's first time in a cow pasture!

I wanted to share with you some beautiful photos of landscape as well as food.  If you live in the area - I cannot recommend their berry picking more (also, they have fresh produce, local dairy and eggs, and the most AMAZING ice cream (also local) - I had two cones of the black raspberry.

Chicago Visit & Merritt Family Clam Bake

Mr. Theodore Whelan Wallace Merritt

What better way to kick off a blogging hiatus then with a summer clam bake blog entry.  I went to Chicago to visit some amazing friends (and meet for the first time Mr. Teddy Merritt - who I have fallen head over heals for) and to partake in the Merritt Family Clam Bake activities.  The potluck style clam bake was perfection in everything from the company to the newly planted flowers to the table cloths to the amazingly prepared food.

Catherine and Ian could teach Ina Garten a little something about entertaining.  Beautiful hanging paper lanterns, brightly colored umbrellas, April Cornell table cloths and napkins - mismatching in the most perfect way, candles, flowers, etc...

Dark and Stormy

Guests were greeted with the house drink, a dark and stormy (recipe: approximately 2 ounces of Gosling's or other dark rum, approximately 5 ounces of ginger beer, a shake of bitters, and a squeeze of lime) - which of course was approximated by the size of the mason jars that Catherine found in the basement adding a perfect touch to the rustic and relaxing dinner feel.  I personally think the straws add a little something to the Dark and Stormy experience.

Cheese Plate (always a good idea)

There was an assortment of delicious cheeses from a local Lincoln Square wine / cheese store, including a smokey blue cheese that was dreamy.  There were some delicious starters brought by guests including various takes on the devil egg.

Dinner included a
gazpacho (serves 8-10)
recipe:
5 medium ripe beefsteak tomatoes (cored and cut into into small dice),
3 medium red bell peppers (cored, seeded and cut into a small dice)
3 large cucumbers one peeled and the others with skin seeded and cut into small dice)
1 sweet vidalia onion, cut into small dice
4 cloves of garlic, minced
sea salt to talste
1/3 cup cherry (or to taste)
ground black pepper
7 cups of tomato juice
1 tsp. hot pepper sauce (or to taste)

Combine all ingredients (except tomato juice) in a food processor  and pulse to allow flavors to mesh until diced and juicy.  Stir in tomato juice and let sit for 4 hours or up to 24 hours - the longer the soup sits the more flavorful it becomes... Serve cold - with a single ice cup in each serving ... even my lovely non-gazpacho loving friend, ate all his soup- success!

Impromptu Tree Purchase

mozzarella and tomato salad: (very simple and delicious salad - esp. when the summer tomatoes are available).  Serves 4-6
4 medium, very ripe tomatoes, cored and cut into slices 1/4 inch thick
1 lb. fresh mozarella cheese, cut into slices 1/4 in thick
2 Tablespoons roughly chopped basil leaves
1/4 tsp. sea salt
a few grinds from your pepper mill
1/4 cup extra virgil olive oil

Layer tomatoes & mozzarella alternately and in concentric circles on a platter.  Sprinkle with basil, salt and pepper and drizzle with Extra Virgin Olive Oil.  Allow flavors to marinate for 5-10 minutes.   Serve room temperature.

Clambake:
2 lbs. little necks or cherrystones
2 lbs. mussels, scrubbed and debeared
1 lb. kielbasa (sliced into 1/3 inch rounds)
1 lb. new or red potatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
4 medium ears of corn, sil and all but the last layer of husks removed
2 live lobsters
1 stick of butter
4 leeks, sliced thinly only white parts
2 onions, small diced
1/2 a bottle of white wine

Place the clams and mussels on a large piece of cheesecloth and tie the ends together to secure.  In a 12-quart heavy bottomed stockpot, melt the butter, and cook the onion, leeks and potatoes until onion and leeks are softened.  layer the kiebasa, clams and mussels, potatoes, corn and lobsters one on top of the other.  Add the wine.  Cover with the lid and and place over high heat.  Cook until the potatoes are tender and be easily pierced with a fork and lobsters are bright red (17-20 minutes).  Place on a platter and serve!

 The food was amazing as was the wine selection but even more impressive was the group of people.  Catherine and Ian brought together a group of 15 or so people, most of whom didn't know each other well, but who meshed easily.  It was a memorable evening to say the least.  

The last time I visited Chicago, plans of Millennium Park were underway, so this visit (years later) I enjoyed the amazing park that Chicago now has to offer.

I was equally impressed with all of the food I ate in Lincoln Square - from a breakfast quiche and ice coffee at The Grind to wine and cheese at Fork to one of the most delicious dinners I have had at Due Lire.  At Due Lire, Catherine and I indulged in deliciousness - the type of meal that you look at the person across from you to make certain that they are enjoying everything as much as you are.  Due Lire boasts, "fresh, simple flavors, and quality ingredients" and they follow through.

We started with a lightly fried calamari, lemon slices, capers & sage leaves with a chili aoili dipping sauce - amazing - the fried lemons, capers and sage made this a completely unique take on the traditional fried calamari. We then feasted a salad of beets, frisee, almonds and manchego cheese - equally delicious.  The real show stoppers in my mind were the gnocchi with bolognese (which may seem overly simple, but burst with amazing flavor) and the crescenza cheese fritters set atop an AMAZING duck ragu - this is the first time I loved duck - the gooey fried cheese with the slowly cooked tender duck, forced me to close my eyes to appreciate every bit of flavor that danced on my tongue.  We had some lemoncello  (compliments of the owner) and a tiramisu.  Catherine and I walked home with our bellies perfectly full of delicious wine and food.  I cannot speak more highly of this restaurant (or the dinner companion)- if you are in Chicago, head over to Lincoln Square and try out this restaurant.

Chicago is one of my favorite cities to visit, the type of place where when I'm sitting in the airport heading back to Brooklyn, I wonder why I haven't lived there yet.

Italian Wedding Soup

As one of this weekend's bride's relatives told me, Italian Wedding Soup or "Married Soup" is a reference to the fact that the green veggies and the meat go well together.    This soup was warming and filling with pasta, spinach, onions and meatballs.

Italian Wedding Soup with Meatballs

It's not too time consuming, a lot of times I make a version of this without the meatballs and eat it through out the week.

Meatballs:

• 1 small onion, minced
• 1/3 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley
• 1 large egg
• 1 teaspoon minced garlic
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 slice fresh white bread, crust trimmed, bread torn into small pieces
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan
• 16 oz. ground turkey
• Freshly ground black pepper

Soup:

• 12 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• 1 pound curly endive, coarsely chopped (1 pound of escarole would be a good substitution or chopped spinach)
• 1 lb. orzo or other small pasta
• 2 tablespoon freshly grated Parmesan, plus extra for garnish
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

To make the meatballs: Stir the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl to blend. Stir in the cheese and turkey. Using 1 1/2 teaspoons for each, shape the meat mixture into 1-inch-diameter meatballs. Place on a baking sheet (you can also brown in fry pan).

To make the soup: Bring the broth to a boil in a large pot over medium-high heat. Add the meatballs, pasta and curly endive and simmer until the meatballs are cooked through and the curly endive is tender, about 8 minutes.   Season with sea salt and pepper.

Ladle the soup into bowls and garnish with Parmesan Cheese.

Green Beens with Garlic and Basil Sauce

This is another one of the dishes that Ed made for the wedding we catered this past weekend.  The wedding was festive and fun.  Ed cooked for 125 people on a $600 budget with vegetarian version of all the dishes.

This is a my version of basil string beans but Ed's was fantastic and when I get it I will forward it on to you!  If you are making this ahead of time, wait to toss the green beans with the sauce until right before serving.

Basil Cream Sauce

1 cup cashews

9-10 cups Basil

1 Tablespoon miso

Extra Virgin Olive Oil

4-5 Spinach Leaves

1/4 cup Lemon Juice

1 1/2 lbs. tender green beans, trimmed if desired
2 Tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 clove garlic, minced
sea salt and pepper

(1) Grind Cashews in a food processor

(2) Add Basil, Lemon Juice, Miso and then blend until smooth.

(3) Add Extra Virgin Olive Oil and pepper as needed to make a creamy consistency and then add the fresh spinach leaves to keep the color vibrant and bright (this is equally a good trick with pesto).  Set aside.

(4) Bring a large saucepan 3/4 full of water to a boil.  Add the beans and boil until barely tender and still slightly resistant to the bite, 1-2 minutes.  Drain, immerse the beans in cold water to stop the cooking, adn drain again.

(5) In a wok or frying pan over medium-high heat, warm the olive oil, swirling to coat the bottom and sides of the pan.  When the oil is very hot but not quite smoking, add the beans and stir and toss every 15-20 seconds until they just begin to brown, about 3 minutes.  Add the garlic and stir and toss for 30 seconds longer.

(6) Remove from the heat, and salt and pepper to taste, toss with cream sauce to combine.  Taste and adjust the seasonings.  Serve. 

Tahini Arame Casserole

This is a riff on a recipe that I learned in culinary school.  There were only a few recipes that I tested in culinary school that stood out as something I would replicate, and with a few changes, this dish is something that meat lovers and vegetarians alike request on a weekly basis.  Not only is this a health supportive recipe, but it's super tasty.

Here is the winner of a recipe: 

1 small onion, sliced in saute slices

2 Tablespoons toasted sesame oil

2 cups arame, soaked in cold water for 5 minutes and drained

2 cups vegetable stock

4 Tablespoons Nama Shoyu

1 lb. quinoa spiral noodles***note, in photo, rice noodles are pictures

1/4 cup tahini

5 Tablespoons Shoyu

1 cup breadcrumbs (optional)

(1) Preheat the oven to 375 degrees

(2) Saute onion in sesame oil until transparent.  Place arame on top of onions.  Add stock and cover with lid, bring to boil over high heat and then reduce to low.  Add nama shoyu, and cook about 30 minutes until liquid is absorbed.  

(3) In the meantime, cook noodles until done.  Drain and set aside.

(4) Mix together tahini, shoyu, and 3/4 cup stock until smooth.  If the sauce curdles, continue mixing.

(5) Mix onion, arame mixture, noodles and tahini together.  Cover with breadcrumbs (optional)

(6) Bake for approximately 20 minutes.

(Variation: Mix the cooked onion / arame mixture with tahini sauce and noodles and don't bake)

A Fun Twist on Mac & Cheese

Mac and Cheese Cakes

I helped a culinary school friend Ed McNamara with a wedding that he catered this weekend ... it came out smashingly and I'll highlight some recipes over the next few days.  One of the dishes that the bride's aunt made were mac and cheese cups.  She made mac and cheese, put them into cupcake tins and baked them so that they came out in little cakes.  They were delicious and make fantastic party food.  They were great at this wedding and would make great birthday food too.


You can dress up this recipe by using more gourmet and flavorful cheese (perhaps smoked gouda or goat cheese) or adding a drizzle of black truffle oil in the finished mac and cheese (thanks, Meirav Devash - not going to be able to sleep until I try that version).  A nice surprise in the middle would be to put 1/2  a scoop of the mac and cheese in the cupcake tin, add a few oven roasted tomatoes in the middle and then add another 1/2 scoop of the pasta on top.

Recipe:
1 pound elbow pasta
sea salt
5 Tablespoons + 2 tsp. unsalted butter
6 Tablespoons all purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons dry mustard
5 cups milk
8 ounces monterey jack cheese, shredded
8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (white)


(1) For the pasta and cheese--adjust the oven rack to the lower middle position and heat the broiler.  Bring 4 quarts of water to a roiling boil in a dutch oven over high heat.

(2) Add the macaroni and 1 T of salt and stir to seperate the noodles.  Cook until the pasta is tender.

(3) In the now empty Dutch oven, heat the butter over medium high heat until foaming.  Add the flour mustard and cayenne.  Whisk well.

(4) Continue whisking until the mixture becomes fragrant and deepens in color, about 1 minute.

(5) Whisking constantly, gradually add the milk, bring the mixture to a boil, whisking contstantly (the mixture should reach a full boil to fully thicken), then reduce the heat to medium and simmer, whisking occassionally, until thickened to the consistency of heavy cream, about 5 minutes.  Off the heat, whisk in the cheese and 1 tsp. salt until the cheese are fully melted.  Add the pasta and cook over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until the mxiture is steaming and heated through, about 6 mins.

Spray your muffin tin with Extra Virgin Olive Oil and scoop mac and cheese into the tins.  Bake until the cakes are crisp and remove from the oven and cool.

Enjoy!

Juice, Juice, Juice

When Joe and I first started dating, if you had told him within 6 months that he would be juicing beets, carrots, celery, watercress, ginger, apples, kale, parsley, cilantro & spinach (not all together) he would have looked at you like you had seven heads.  

Well, that's precisely what happened.  I didn't tell him: juice or else.  But, I casually made juices in the morning and he drank them and when I stopped, he started juicing himself.  Joe's juices tend to be sweeter than mine (he loves adding 1-2 apples) whereas mine are more spicy (watercress & ginger galore) but what we do agree on is the act of juicing. 

Today we went to the park, had an iced coffee and came home and Joe juiced (watercress, beet, apple and carrot).  I was interviewed by consumer reports recently about my favorite juicer considering user friendliness, ability to clean and ability to juice.  I recommend the Breville Dual Disc Juicer.  The pros are that it's incredibly easy to clean, it's great to juice berries and harder veggies with and it has a blade as well as puree function (similar to the Champion but more user friendly in my mind).  You can put whole veggies and fruits down the chute which makes juicing nice and quick.  

beets, carrot, apple & watercress

The cons are that because it's a centrifugal juicer it isn't as great when it comes to juicing leafy greens, herbs, lettuces and parsley - it's less efficient than a masticating juicer and sometimes the whole leaves shoot into the "pulp holder".  Also, the shelf life of centrifugal juicers juice tends to be shorter because of the high speed required to juice, the juice gets oxygen dissolved in the juice which causes the juice to spoil more quickly.  

 The masticating juicer extracts the juice first by crushing it and then the pulp is ejected and it's then squeezed during a 2nd pressing stage - this results in more juice (even with wheatgrass and leafy greens and drier pulp).  They are slower and generally harder to clean, but they do an excellent job juicing.  In the masticating juicer group, the Champion is definitely the way to go.

Quality of Life

Since moving to Park Slope I can say that Joe and my quality of life has greatly improved.  We live next to one of the most beautiful parks (Prospect Park), near some fantastic markets (two farmers markets and the Park Slope Coop), and next to some fabulous restaurants.  Brooklyn has a decidedly more relaxed and welcoming feel to it and after 2.5 years of living in the East Village I finally won the Brooklyn war and am back in the borough that I love so much.

Aquinnah happily swimming with her floating frisbee

Not only is the living better for Joe and I (we have a bigger apartment, a backyard and a roof to hang out in/on) but Aquinnah has the perks of living next to a dog run AND a pristine park where she can run off leash (legally before 9am, but no one has stopped us during the day).  Prospect Park before 9am is a dog paradise.  You see City dogs rolling in the grass, fetching tennis balls, and swimming.  Today we discovered a dog pond (a fenced in dog pond).  Brooklynites take their dog's well-being very seriously and I have never seen as many happy dogs in one area as I did this morning.

off 9th street entrance in the park

I like to enter at the 9th street entrance because I love my morning ritual of ice coffee from Colson's Bakery on 6th Ave. and 9th Street.  People that say you shouldn't have big dogs in the City apparently have not seen how well many dogs are treated in Brooklyn.

City dogs I've noticed bark less, get along with other dogs better and are included on more "family outings".  We often take Aquinnah out on errands, out for dinner (when it's warm out and she can sit outside with us) or out for drinks (many bars in Brooklyn allow dogs inside).  Aquinnah goes to the park AT LEAST once a day and out for a run with me a few times a week.   I wouldn't go as far as to say that our life revolves around our dog, but since moving to Brooklyn everything has fallen into place and life with a dog has become much easier.

Split Pea Soup with Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread

Last night I made split pea soup with sun-dried tomato flatbread, it was simple and delicious.  Next time I am going to make the flatbread without the whole-wheat flour because the flatbread was a little bit dry... that said, in crumbled up in the soup gave it a great texture.

I could eat soup every night for dinner once it's cold out and gets dark at 5:30pm... it's cozy, warming filling and inexpensive...

Recipe: Split Pea Soup (adapted from the Mayo Clinic Cookbook)


2 cups green or yellow dried split peas
3 Tablespoons EVOO
2 celery stalks, thinly sliced
2 carrots, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 onion, minced
1/2 tsp. ground pepper
6 cups vegetable stock
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1/8 tsp. ground cloves

Place the split peas in a strainer and rinse under cold running water.

In a large saucepan over medium heat, heat the oil.  Add the celery, carrots, garlic, onion, and pepper.  Saute until veggies are wilted, 5-7 minutes.

Stir in the split peas, broth, bay leaf, thyme and cloves.  Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to low, cover partially and simmer, stirring occasionally until the soup is thick and the peas are mushy about 1 hour.  If the soup seems too thick, stir in 1/4 cup additional water.  Remove and discard the bay leaf.

Recipe: Sun-Dried Tomato Flatbread (adapted from Mayo Clinic)

Instructions:
2 cups boiling water
6 sun-dried tomatoes, chopped (not oil packed)
1 cup all purpose flour
2 Tablespoon honey
1/4 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1 egg  + 1 egg white
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh thyme or 2 tsp. dried thyme
1/3 cup finely chopped walnuts

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.  Coat a large, heavy baking sheet with non-stick cooking oil.

In a small bowl, pour the boiling water over the tomatoes.  Let stand until the tomatoes are slightly soft, 2-3 minutes.  Drain and pat dry with paper towels and chop the tomatoes finely.

In a large bowl, sift together the flour, salt baking powder, and cayenne.  Add the egg, the egg white, honey and thyme and stir vigorously to combine.  The dough will be very stiff.  Add the walnuts and chopped tomatoes and work them into the dough.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured surface and knead a few times.  Pat and roll into a 10-inch square about 1/4 inch thick.  Wth a sharp knife, cut the dough crosswise and lengthwise into quarters and place the pieces at least 1 inch apart on the prepared sheet.

Bake for 5 minutes.  Turn over and bake until dry and lightly browned, 5-10 minutes longer.  Transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.

Green Curry: Thai style

I love Thai-style green curry.  The heat, the creaminess of the coconut, the veggies. delicious.  I made this curry for a client a few months ago and they loved it, so I wanted to try it for myself.  I used a green curry paste for this batch but made the curry myself for my client... I prefer home made curry, so I'll include the recipe for that.  This dish is delicious with tofu or chicken, here I used some leftover seitan.

I eat it alone, but you can toss it over some rice for a true Thai feeling.
I forgot to add the cilantro in the dish before I shot the photo, but the cilantro adds a great burst of flavor.

Thai Green Curry with Cauliflower, Potatoes and Fresh Seitan

2 Tablespoons green curry paste (some have more heat than others, so taste as you go)
sea salt to taste
2 14-ounce can coconut milk
1 large onion, sliced
6 ounces of fresh seitan, sliced (if it's packaged in liquid, rinse off the seitan first)
1 medium cauliflower, cut into small florets
2 medium russet potatoes, cut into a medium dice
squeeze of fresh lime juice
1/4 cup cilantro leaves
2 sticks of lemongrass, bruised

In a large dutch oven or thick bottomed pot over medium heat whisk the curry paste with the salt and a small splash of the coconut milk. Simmer for just a minute. Add the onion, cauliflower, potatoes & seitan and allow flavors to marry. Taste and adjust for flavor - add more sea salt and green curry if you'd like. Add the rest of the coconut milk, and the two sticks of lemongrass and simmer for 20-30 minutes or until the cauliflower is tender (remove lemongrass before eating)

Finish the dish with a squeeze of lime and cilantro leaves. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed.

free range chicken, asparagus, potato, pea, basil curry

Serves 4.

* The green curry paste recipe
2 Thai hot chilies, minced
1 tablespoon chopped garlic
1 tablespoon chopped shallots
1 teaspoon chopped galangal
1/2 teaspoon chopped kaffir lime rind
1 tablespoon chopped lemongrass
1 tablespoon chopped krachai
1/4 teaspoon roasted cumin seeds
1/4 teaspoon roasted coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon salt

Throw all the ingredients in a food processor and make into a paste - or you use a mortar in pestle if you'd like a nice arm workout - start with the first two ingredients and then add the remainders one by one.

Stew with Biscuits

Vegetable Stew with Snowflake Biscuits

Last night (sans camera) I made two beautiful dishes at a client's house: chicken stew with biscuits baked on top and a butternut saffron risotto.  Not only were they beautiful but they were delicious.  Tonight, in celebration of my boyfriend's trial ending (he's the attorney, not the criminal) and the return of his normalish hours I'm making a riff on the traditional chicken stew (peas, carrots, cubed chicken) and making a vegetarian version (mushrooms, collards, seitan, onion)

The recipe is delicious and actually quite easy.

Stew without Biscuits

Veggie Stew with Biscuits, serves 4 (with leftovers)
1.5 cups chopped collards (I used flash frozen chopped collards because the Park Slope Coop didn't have any fresh collards this morning)
1 large onion, medium dice
3.5 cups of vegetable stock, preferably home made
1 tsp. of vegetable bouillon (MSG free)
7 shiitake mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
4 small portobello mushrooms, cleaned and sliced thinly
1/2 cup of seitan, finely chopped (optional)

Biscuits:
1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 tsp. sugar
1/2 Tablespoon baking powder
1/2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 stick of cold unsalted butter, diced
1/3 cup of half and half
1/4 cup chopped rosemary or parsley
1 egg mixed with 1/2 Tablespoon of water, lightly beaten

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees
For the Stew
(1) Put your stock and bouillon into a small pot and simmer (I didn't have bouillon, so I added a little nama shoyu for the added flavor)
(2) In a Dutch Oven or large pot add: 2 Tablespoons of EVOO, sauté onion and mushrooms until tender (about 10 minutes) over medium heat; after 5 minutes add your seitan
(3) Add 1/3 cup of unbleached all purpose flour and mix well, cook another 1 minute
(4) Add the hot stock to the pot and cook for another 2 minutes, at this point you can add the collards.
(5) Add 1/4 cup of cream to the Pot and mix - your stew should be thick.

Snowflake Press

For the Biscuits:

Combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar in the bowl of an electic mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.  Add the butter and mix on low speed until the butter is the size of peas.  Add the half and half and combine on low speed.  Mix in the rosemary or parsley.

Dump the dough onto a well-floured board and, with a rolling pin, roll out t 3/8 inch thick.  Cut out 6 cicles with 1 2 1/2 inch round cutter

Remove the stew from the oven and arrange the biscuits on top of the filling.  Brush them with egg wash and return the dish to the oven.  Bake for another 20-30 minutes, until the biscuits are golden and the stew is bubly.  ENJOY!

Aquinnah's 2nd Birthday

Upper West Side: Awaiting her steak meal

I know a few people who adamantly believe that human food for dogs are something that they would never do ... few of these people actually own dogs.  Well, we believe in spoiling our dog sometimes, however we never give her table scraps (well, rarely).  If we give Aquinnah (our 2.5 year old yellow lab) food, we wait until we are finished eating and place the food in her dog bowl.  Aquinnah gets leftover vegetables, breads, grains and meats and she LOVES it.  If we order Indian or Chinese, we save the rice that comes with everything and mix it in with her dogfood (we use Wellness Simple Solutions for her) and she eats it right up.


On her birthday, April 24, we make an exception and we make her a steak, rare.  This year she had a delicious filet of grass-fed, humanely treated steak from Fairway.  On her first birthday, she got so excited when she realized the steak was for her that she had a little accident on the kitchen floor when we put the warm meat in her bowl.

seriously dainty

This year, as a two year old, she was calm and collected.  She daintily ate each bite, slowly, from a fork (in order to discourage her typical swallow everything in one bite, lab mentality) - and appeared to enjoy every last bite.

 I don't recommend adding any sauces to your pet's meat dishes, I just keep it simple, roasted or poached chicken, hamburgers (just ground meat cooked rare in a pan, or steaks grilled until rare).  Veggies are roasted or steamed and rice cooked simply with water.

very patient 

cutest satisfied customer face ever

I think that supplementing pets diet with "human" whole foods is great.  While we change flavor of her dog food, I'm sure it gets a bit boring eating the same dry food every day.  So, here are some pictures of her birthday this year.  Mostly because they are super cute.

Hot and Sour Soup

A riff on Mark Bittman's Hot and Sour Sour Recipe

Last night was rainy and chilly in Brooklyn and I decided to try Mark Bittman's Hot and Sour Soup Recipe from How to Cook Everything... I made a change or two, namely taking out the cornstarch and using arrowroot, using stock instead of water instead and leaving out the meat. It came out wonderfully....
Ingredients
5 dried shiitake mushrooms
5 dried wood ear mushrooms
3 cups natural vegetable broth
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon minced garlic
1/4 cup rice vinegar
1 tablespoon nama shoyu
1/2 to 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 pound extra firm tofu, drained, pressed and cut into 1/4-inch cubes
2 1/2 tablespoons arrowroot
2 farmer's market eggs, lightly beaten
1/2 cup chopped green onions
1 teaspoon dark sesame oil

(Aquinnah didn't mess around when it came to getting cozy, either. Maybe next I'll make a dog friendly chicken soup).

relaxing

Place mushrooms in a medium bowl; cover with boiling water let stand 10 minutes or until tender; drain. Thinly slice mushrooms; set aside.

Combine broth, 2 cups stock, ginger, and garlic in a large saucepan over medium-high heat; bring to a boil. Add mushrooms. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes. Add vinegar, soy sauce, pepper, and tofu; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 5 minutes.

Combine remaining 1cup stuck and cornstarch, stirring with a whisk. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth mixture; bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer 3 minutes or until soup thickens slightly, stirring frequently. Slowly pour egg into broth mixture in a steady stream, stirring constantly but gently with a wooden spoon. Remove from heat; stir in onions and sesame oil. Enjoy!

Sweet Potato Crisps

So, for whatever reason, I've never been a huge sweet potato fan.  I know that they are good for you and I love roasted potatoes, but I've never opted for sweet potatoes.  Perhaps it's because of their inherently sweet flavor.

Sweet Potato Crisps

However, I contributed to an article about healthy snack ideas for children, and I was thinking about client's who I make snacks for... the sweet potato crisp jumped out at me.  I made them in my apartment adding chopped thyme and rosemary and a generous amount of sea salt.   I then sliced them extremely thin (I actually used my relatively new de Buyer Mandolin - amazing), tossed them in Extra Virgin Olive Oil and the herbs and roasted them at 350 until tender.  Then I broiled them for a few minutes until they were crispy.

They ended up being the perfect combination of sweet and savory and they are healthy and filling to boot.   A great alternative to the potato chip.... I love them with sandwiches or soups.

This is a perfect time of year to make the crisps as sweet potatoes are almost in season!

Big Salad Bowl

There are few things I find more satisfying than a big salad with loads of different ingredients.  Last night I roasted some brussel sprouts and asparagus tips in olive oil with sea salt and pepper.  I made brown rice with miso broth, I toasted and chopped some almonds, poached an egg on the rice while it was steaming, and added a little raw goat's blue cheese and some sprouted garbanzo beans.  It was totally satisfying, healthy and delicious.  Also, I discovered the most fantastic large and sturdy salad bowls (http://www.fishseddy.com/browse.cfm/4,1444.html) they come in deliciously lovely colours.

After reading Eating Animals, I've decided to go back to my vegetarian ways and to stay away from meat of all sorts.  It's been easy so far, luckily having been to school for vegetarian cooking, I love trying creative meals that satisfy both me and my meat loving boyfriend.

The hardest challenge has been eating out.  We just moved from the East Village where there were tons of vegetarian friendly restaurants within walking distance to Park Slope, where one would think there would be a lot of vegetarian friendly restaurants, but there aren't too many creative ones! I've noticed my inclination for eating out has lessened and I'm much more happy to cook for myself and Joe even after a long day of cooking for clients.

I'll share some fun recipes along the way.  This week, I'm going to try and make a quinoa loaf with cooked quinoa, chickpea puree and roasted veggies.  I made it for a client and they loved it, so it's time to try it out for myself!