A Wannabe Food Blogger’s Unplugged Edition

25. January 2012 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , ,

Cheers to cyber friendships and Twit-pals!  2011 marked the year of becoming great friends with intangible people all across the country (and perhaps world!).  Although my blog sometimes falls by the wayside and lacks some visual interest (forgive me, but I’m not very good at html or formatting. oh well!) I’ve been more than affirmed and encouraged by some wonderful ladies with some serious blog caliber.  (thankyouthankyouthankyou!)

It all started when I joined the Vintage Recipe Swap with Christianna from Burwell General Store and my bona fide friend Lindsay from Rosemarried.  From there, I was introduced to dozens of amazing bloggers and straight-up awesome people that I would fly across the country to have a meal and a glass or 3 of wine with.  Oh how glorious it will be one day when we get to enjoy each other’s company.

A couple of my favorite blogger ladies have revealed themselves a bit on their blogs recently and have invited their wannabe dinner guests to do the same.  So, I guess it’s my turn to spill the beans about me, and invite my favorites to gather around the virtual dinner table and do the same.

What or who inspired you to start your blog?
This blog actually started as an outlet for the lessons I was learning in life after my dear friend Anthony died in a mountain climbing accident on Mt. Hood just over two years ago.  Losing him was unexpected, but in the grief, sadness, tears, and pain, it was like there was this rapid growth in my heart and my faith that needed to be harvested and written down.  Grief is a lost art but I was determined to walk through it and do it well and share it with others.  Slowly but surely (still not really sure how), I started posting recipes and The Unexpected Harvest turned into a food blog.

Who is your foodie inspiration?
Truth be told, Mrs. Rosemarried herself, Lindsay Strannigan.  It might seem cliche since we’re practically besties in real life, but this woman is amazing.  She has a full time job, a full time husband, is on the board of her local farmers market, contributes to several different blogs, volunteers her time to do local PR and wedding planning, keeps up with our boys; the Portland Trail Blazers, AND has time to come up with and make delicious seasonal recipes.  She’s the queen of balancing everything in her life and producing really good products.

Your greasiest most batter splattered cook book is?
Cookbook?  Who uses those archaic brick-like things anymore?  Food blogs FTW!  Juuuuust kidding.  Ironically, my “greasiest, most batter-splattered” cook book is Farmers John’s Cookbook: The Real Dirt on Vegetables. He runs a CSA in Illinois and his cookbook is chock-full of seasonal recipes with every vegetable you can imagine.  Not much grease or batter in his recipes.  The second most dog-eared cookbook I have is the Cook’s Illustrated New Best Recipe.

The best thing you have ever eaten in another country, where was it and what was it?
It’s truly nothing fancy.  When I was in Germany in 2010, I hopped on a train and took a solo day trip up to the town of Trier.  This historic town is nestled into the Mosel wine region of western Germany and has a glorious fruit stand in the center square of town.  I bought a couple pieces of fruit while I was there, but the best by far was a simple peach.  It was August and this peach was perfectly ripe, juicy, and tasted exactly like a peachie-o gummy candy.  I’ve never tasted anything so perfect in my life.

Another Food Blogger’s table you would like to eat at?
So many!  For food alone, I would pick Coco from Roost.  Her recipes are mostly grain, dairy, and sugar free but so creative, DELICIOUS, and beautifully photographed.  For conversation and food, just you wait…

What one kitchen gadget would you like Santa to bring you? (if money were no object)
I want a set of Le Crueset dishes: dutch over, skillet, morter and pestle, you name it.  I want it all.

Who taught you how to cook?
My love of cooking started with my old roommate, Amy Boles.  She’s brilliant in the kitchen.  When I lived with her, she would always come up with something amazing to make for dinner and we would always host dinner parties.  She taught me that I actually could cook.  Then I just started following recipes and food blogs and teaching myself.

I’m coming to you for dinner, what is your signature dish?
Id’ say that my signature isn’t actually a dish, it’s a bottle–of Oregon Pinot Noir!

What is your guilty food pleasure?
Truth be told, the only thing I need for dessert is a spoonful of nut butter topped with dark chocolate chips.  That’s the most decedent and satisfying end of any meal. And lately, chocolate almond milk.

Reveal something about yourself that others would be surprised to learn?
I ate my fair share of Lil’ Debbie snack cakes growing up.  Not saying I was a chubby kid, because I wasn’t.  I’m just saying that times have changed and I would never dream of eating one of those now or letting my future kids eat them.

My ideal dinner party (please ladies, let’s all rendezvous in real life soon!):

Toni Dash of the Boulder Locavore: Toni is the cocktail queen.  I met her through the vintage recipe swap and have the biggest blog crush on her.  She’s so classy, creative, NICE, and always makes me drool over her cocktail creations.  The party would get started way before the meal if this woman was shaking up some drinks.

Jacqueline Raposo of The Dusty Baker: Another recipe swapper.  My crush on Jacqueline started when she commented on my about me section and said she wanted to jump through the computer and give me a hug.  She’s another gluten free gal who has mastered the art of baking just 6 cookies, as to not go overboard and eat all the cookie dough.  She’ll be the dessert queen at our dinner party.

Sabrina Modelle of The Tomato Tart: Oh Sabrina.  Where do I start?  Although not entirely vegan, she whips up meat-free recipes that would make me forget that I wasn’t even eating meat.  She’s the queen of the SF Bay area and we were thiiiiiis close to meeting up for a cocktail when I was down there in October, but to our dismays, I didn’t plan the trip very well and we missed each other.  Someday, Sabrina!

Christianna Reinhardt of Burwell General Store: Safe to say, I owe many of my cyber-friendship to CM.  She started the recipe swap which essentially gave birth to all these connections.  She’s our small-town girl turned LA foodie queen and is always on some new adventure.  I’m hoping to take her wine tasting in Oregon one of these days.

And last but certainly not least: Lindsay Strannigan of Rosemarried: Although we’re not cyber-friends, but real-life friends, I don’t ever want to be at a dinner party without Linds.  She’ll never buy a piece of produce from Mexico or Chile, or a chicken breast from Iowa.  I just love this lady to pieces.  We can eat eggs in a nest and drink bubbles while watching a Blazers game, or take 4 hours to eat a 5 course meal with some of our closest friends.


 

A Little Snow, A Southern White Rhone, and Coconut Braised Spinach with Chickpeas

23. January 2012 · Write a comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I guess I owe you all a very belated Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

If you read my last post, you’ll know that I’ve been some what of a nomad since the end of November.  Being the homebody that I am, I did surprisingly well bouncing from couch to couch and guest bed to guest bed.  I got some much needed time in Portland, got a slice of what it would be like to live waaay down in McMinnville (crashed at the historic mansion of a fancy wine maker for a couple nights with my friend Tracy), and discovered that it’s actually quite nice to simplify and only use what can fit into my car.  My wardrobe decreased from a closet full and an eight drawer dresser, to a duffel bag and a laundry basket.  Honestly, I can’t even remember what all I have in storage.

It’s been just over a week since I temporarily moved into a big ol’ B&B in the Dundee Hills.  I feel like a needle in a haystack being a single girl in a huuuuge house.  I’ve hunkered down in the tree-house like room dubbed the “North American Room”.  It’s the most calm room in the house with neutral fabrics, lots of windows, and a cozy bed tucked into the corner.

The rest of the rooms are heavily decorated with bold floral drapes, patterned wall paper, and Persian area rugs.  If you like that style, come on over and take your pick of any room you want!  For me, I’ll stay in my tree house.

For my readers who aren’t in the Pacific NW, you may have heard that we got a dusting of snow last week.  I awoke to find a winter wonderland outside my window and decided to use that as my excuse to sleep in a little bit and mosey into work a little late and blame it on the snow.

Later that night, my friend Tayler texted me to ask what my plans were for the evening.  I was in the mood for something warm, comforting, and coconutty so I offered to make dinner and she offered to bring wine.  It’s nice to go vegan every once in a while, so I pulled this recipe from my Pinterest board and started salivating.

Tayler brought over the most perfect wine for this dish: Pistoleta from Quady North Vineyards in Jacksonville, Oregon.  There are some DELICIOUS wines coming out of Southern Oregon and this one is no exception.  It’s a Marsanne/Rousanne/Viognier blend (a Southern Rhone Blend) that was perfectly tropically and acidic to enjoy with a slightly spicy, slightly citrusy, slightly nutty dish.  An off-dry Riesling or Gewurztraminer will pair nice as well.

Enjoy!

Coconut Braised Spinach with Chickpeas
Serves 4-6
(Adapted from The Kitchn)

Ingredients:
2 tsp coconut oil or ghee
1 large yellow onion, diced
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tbsp grated ginger
zest and juice from 1 lemon
1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped
dash of red pepper flakes (more or less depending on how much spice you like)
2 15-oz cans chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 lb spinach leaves
1 15-oz can coconut milk
1 tsp ground ginger
salt/pepper to taste

To serve:
Baked sweet potatoes
Toasted unsweetened coconut flakes
Cilantro

Heat the oil or ghee in a large, deep Dutch oven or heavy pot over medium-high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 5 minutes, or until the onion is beginning to brown. Add the garlic, ginger, sun-dried tomatoes, lemon zest and red pepper, if using. Cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add the chickpeas and cook over high heat for a few minutes or until the chickpeas are beginning to turn golden and they are coated with the onion and garlic mixture.

Toss in the spinach, one handful at a time. This will take about 5 minutes; stir in a handful or two and wait for it to wilt down and make room in the pot before adding the next handful. When all the spinach has been stirred in, pour in the coconut milk and stir in the salt, ground ginger, and lemon juice. Bring to a simmer then turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until the chickpeas are warm through. Taste and add more salt and lemon juice, if necessary.

Serve hot over roasted sweet potatoes, with cilantro leaves and toasted unsweetened coconut to garnish.

 

Outstanding in the Field

06. July 2011 · 3 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , , , ,

My mom and I started drooling over the pictures from Outstanding in the Field last year and have been so excited to be part of one this year.  OITF is a traveling farm dinner that goes around the country (and to Europe this year!) and sets up the most beautiful tables in the most beautiful places.  They sources all their meat, produce, and wine from local farms, chefs, and vintners and it’s not uncommon to be sitting next to the farmer who raised the pig that you’re eating.  Might seem weird, but it’s awesome if you think about it!  The pig had a name and lived in a green pasture instead of being crammed in pens and walking around in its own…well, you know.  You never know, I just may pick up my life for a season and travel with OITF next season.  It’s seriously in the works ;)

It was so much fun to enjoy this event in Oregon with my parents, but also with Clare Carver and Brian Marcy of Big Table Farm.  The are salt of the earth people and know how to savor life on a farm and enjoy the fruits of their labor.  Give me a pink farm house in the middle of canyon over a chic downtown loft anyday.

Ok people, drool on.  But keep in mind that my camera ran out of batteries before the food even came.  At least I got to enjoy the meal without distraction.

And because this here bloggy has a foodie theme, here’s the menu for y’all:

Ayres Creek chickpeas, crudité, parsley purée
Square Peg pork terrine, toast, mustard seed
Bay shrimp, basil, green garlic aioli
2009 Riesling, Big Table Farm, Brooks Estate Vineyard

Amy’s greens & veggies, Clare’s eggs, Brian’s Vinaigrette
2009 Pinot Noir, Big Table Farm, Cattrall Brothers Vineyard

Ayres Creek Frumento, Big Table Farm spiced hen, grilled squash and chilies
2009 Pinot Noir, Big Table Farm, Willamette Valley

Square Peg Farm while hog; hams in hay, buoy smoked sausage & belly, roasted herbed loins, liver mousse.
Ayres Creek zolfino beans & wild greens
2009 Pinot Noir, Big Table Farm, Resonance Vineyard

Brown butter shortbread, Viridian Farms strawberries, raspberries, and cream.
2008 Syrah, Big Table Farm, White Hawk Vineyard, Santa Barbara

Fish Tacos with Rhubarb Salsa

07. June 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , ,

CSA (community supported agriculture) season is here people!  Hopefully the sun will shine a little more in Oregon so I can have fresh veggies and herbs every week.  Nadine from the Dundee Dirtbox CSA has become a dear friend and is delighting me with the fruits of her labor/Oregon bounty all summer long.  I’m sure I’m gonna be cookin’ up some good eats this summer.

This week’s CSA ingredients: rhubarb, spring onions, spring garlic, and fresh herbs.

I had no desire to make a rhubarb pie, or a rhubarb jam, or a rhubarb compote, or anything sweet and rhubarb.  I was bound and determined to make a savory rhubarb dish that was a little out of the box for most people.  Good ol’ Tastespotting lead me the in direction of these bad boys:

Cilantro-Lime Fish Tacos with Rhubarb Salsa
(adapted from Kitchen Konfidence)

Ingredients:

Marinade:
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, chopped
1/2 cup lime juice
zest from 1 lime
2 tbsp orange juice
2 tbsp tequila
2 tbsp olive oil
large pinch of red pepper flakes
1 sprig fresh oregano, chopped
1 tsp cumin
salt/pepper

Rhubarb Salsa:
1 1/2 cups rhubarb, diced (2-3 stalks)
1/3 cup spring onions, diced
1/4 cup green onions (plus a sprinkle or two for topping)
2 tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped (plus sprinkle of two for topping)
1/2 or 1 jalepeño, seeded and minced (depending on how spicy you like it.  I used 1/2 and didn’t feel much spice)
1/3 cup pickled cocktail onions (diced)
salt
2 tsp honey
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
splash of lime juice

Tacos:
1 lbs fresh white fish (I used wild cod, but halibut or tilapia will do)
8 corn tortillas
remaining marinade
1 ripe avocado (optional, but oh so good)

Method:

2-8 hours before you plan on eating these tacos, mix together all the marinade ingredients, put in a big zip-loc bag with the fish, and stick in your fridge until you’re ready to cook.

When you’re ready for dinner, make the salsa.  Here’s how: chop up the rhubarb, boil some water, and blanch the pieces in the boiling water for 20 seconds, then transfer to an ice water bath.  Pat them dry, transfer to medium bowl and add jalepeño, spring onions, cocktail onions, green onions, and cilantro.  Whisk together honey, vinegar, and lime juice and pour over rhubarb mixture.  Salt and pepper to taste.  Set aside.

Now it’s fish time: heat skillet over medium heat and add fish, then pour remaining marinade in the pan.  Poach fish covered, flipping once or twice until cooked all the way through, 10 minutes or so. In the meantime, heat small skillet over medium-low heat, add a splash of oil and fry small corn tortillas until crispy.  6 or so should do it.

When fish is cooked, tortillas are fried, and salsa is ready, assemble the tacos in this order: tortillas, fish, salsa, then top with avocado, and more cilantro and green onion.  Devour and behold the delight of savory rhubarb dishes.  yuuummm…

I made this dish for my mom and dad and here are the accolates:
Dad: “Have the boys you know realized that you can cook?” and “I love what you cook because it’s so healthy.”  Well, yes, I have cooked for plenty of boys and it doesn’t really seem to the be the way to their heart.  But thanks Dad!
Mom: “This isn’t just ‘pretty good’, this is like ‘Mar…this is SO good.”  Glad you liked it mom!  And I’ll cook for you anytime since you love cleaning up the kitchen :)

Wine pairing for the evening was provided by: Mark Ryan Winery, Vincent Rosé, WA 2010.  Other pairing suggestions: A dry or off dry Riesling, Processco (Bubbles will never be wrong), a Rosé of Zinfandel (not to be confused with a White Zin.  C’mon people.)  or a Muller-Thugau (Anne Amie Vineyards makes one of my favorites).

 

Asparagus and Portobello Risotto

08. April 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

I almost had a Portobello protest on my hands last week.  See, I was having my lovely vegan friends over for dinner again on Friday night and was having a hard time nailing down what I was going to make.  I gave them a list of ingredients and had them pick:

Hazelnuts
Sriracha
Asparagus
Peanuts
Polenta
Portobello Mushrooms
Risotto

Mushrooms were the only one they didn’t pick.  Two of them were fervently against the notion of eating fungi until they realized that I have yet to let them down in the kitchen.  I assured them that I too have lived my life as a mushroom hater, but have started to open up my mind and heart to these little (or big) guys and that Portobellos are a good place to start.   I’m glad they gave me the go-ahead because I had these hearty meat-less patties on the mind.

So I did a little Twitter ask-around for good recipes, and of course Lindsay came up with a GREAT suggestion from a friends blog.   All it needed was some good fungi and I was set.

So here you go.  Eat your little vegan hearts out people:

Vegan Asparagus and Portobello Risotto
Adapted from Wild Javelina

Serves 4-6

1 yellow onion, diced
1 fennel bulb, diced, fonds reserved
3 cloves of garlic, minced
1 cup wild rice
4 cups veggie stock
1 cup dry white wine*, remainder reserved for imbibing
1 cup coconut milk
1/4 cup nutritional yeast
3 portobello mushrooms, cut into thin strips
1 bunch fresh asparagus
a food good drizzles of balsamic vinegar
a few good drizzles of olive oil
2 tbsp Earth Balance or a couple more drizzles of olive oil
S/P to taste

Method:

Preheat oven to 425°

In a medium sauce pan, heat up veggie broth and keep it warm until it’s ready to go into the rice.

In a large dutch oven or large skillet with lid, heat olive oil over medium heat.  Add onions, fennel, and garlic and saute until soft.  Add rice and saute for additional minute.

Lower heat and and start adding in the liquids.  Wine first: stir into rice until it is all absorbed, then start ladling in broth, one cup at a time, stirring occasionally.  Keep covered in between stirring and adding more.  When broth is all absorbed, test rice for texture.  Feel free to add more wine, stock, or water until rice reaches desired consistency.

While waiting for rice to cook, roast the asparagus and saute the mushrooms.  Trim the ends of the asparagus and arrange on cookie sheet.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt & pepper, then bake for 10 minutes.  Let cool, then cut into 1-2 inch pieces.

In a heavy saucepan, melt Earth Balance or heat olive oil (or butter if you’re not going vegan) over medium high heat**.  These bad boys will soak up whatever oil you give them, so if more is needed, bring it.  Saute down a bit, then add a few generous splashes of good balsamic vinegar.  Continue to cook until mushrooms are limp and caramelized.  Salt and pepper to taste and set aside.

Back to the risotto.  When the rice is cooked to the desired consistency, stir in coconut milk and nutritional yeast.  Nutritional yeast might be one of my new favorite ingredients.  Mixed with the coconut milk, it gives a nice, rich, cheesy flavor and texture without the dairy.  Next, add in the asparagus, mushrooms, and fennel fronds.  Give it a good mix and a taste, then add salt and pepper if needed.

Serve immediately, and don’t forget to pour yourself another glass of wine.

*I used a 2009 Anne Amie Oregon Pinot Gris for the risotto.  Delish!

**Last summer, I bought some mushrooms from a stand at the Hollywood Farmers Market and the cute boy working there told me when sauteing mushrooms, start with high heat to lock in the flavor, then lower it as they cook.  Good tip!

My Week in Food

29. March 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , , ,

What a week!  The day after I got back from Mexico, I committed to house/dog sitting in Sellwood for 10 days.  Being back in Portland gave me a chance to catch up with some great friends and connect with some new ones.

My new-ish friend Lisa and I decided to meet for Happy Hour at Soluna Grill on NE 44th and Fremont before our Home Community on Wednesday.  We were NOT disappointed.

Of course, we had some cocktails to start.  I can’t exactly remember what was in mine, something pink, maybe raspberry?  The best and obviously most memorable part was the sage (I LOVE herbaceous cocktails) and whipped egg whites on top.  It was like the latte of cocktails.

 

We had an array of items for the happy hour menu but these two stood out the most: chickpea crusted green beans with tomato-ginger ketsup (above)
maple smoke pork belly with a tempura poached egg, sweet onion, frisee, mustard vin. A deep friend poached egg??  Yes PUH-LEASE!  This was amazing.

Our pocketbooks were happy and our bellies were sat-is-fied with Soluna Grill.

The next morning, my old roommates from the Thompson House, or Team Thomp, Tiffani, Crystal, and Rachel met for breakfast at Helser’s on NE Alberta and 16th.  It kinda feels like Miranda, Carrie, Charlotte, and Samantha are getting together at their usual breakfast spot, save for the topic of conversation.  We’re not quite as, cough cough, “city” as those ladies.  Breakfast with these girls is easily one of my favorite times of the month.   Helser’s has a FABULOUS $4.95 early bird menu from 7-9am everyday which is not something to miss out on.  I had the grilled polenta and black bean cakes with 2 poached eggs in creole sauce. The portion size was just right and tied me over well into the lunch hour.

Then came the meal that I had been waiting on for over a month: Gruner.  (Well, we had originally planned on going to Little Bird, but we couldn’t get a reservation for 3 until 8:30 and since we all had to work on Friday and usually spend 3+ hours talking, eating, and drinking together, we decided to reschedule LB for May and try Gruner.  Both are newish to Portland and have chefs who are nominated for the James Beard Award).   One of the only perks of having type 1 diabetes is that the 2 ladies who work locally for the company who makes my insulin pump have a nice expense account and are encouraged to “entertain” their patients.  It’s a major bonus that I happen to click with both of them very well and we have a ball together.  They are the reason I have been to several of Portland’s best restaurants.  Having diabetes is almost worth it.

Take a moment to look at Gruner’s menu.  It’s very German/Swiss inspired which I was a little shy about at first.  But once our first “snacks” came out, I knew we wouldn’t have anything to worry about.

Round one:   Beet-pickled hard boiled eggs. Perfection in a deviled egg.  (Julie and Shannon had the crisp polenta croquettes stuffed with  bleu cheese but I had to pass unfortunately.)

 

 

Round two: Belgian endive, gala apples, fourme d’ambert, toasted hazelnuts, with a hazelnut oil vinaigrette. Too bad I had to 86 the bleu cheese.  Still a mouthful of delight though.

Round 3: Sauteed calves livers, sauteed onions, house cured bacon, cider reduction, “himmel und erde–potato and apple puree. I stepped out of my culinary comfort zone for this, but OH MY it was good.  Good, as in, “God saw what He had made and said it was good.”  Like, godly perfection on a plate.

We asked our Christian Bale look-a-like server, Jeff for a wine recommendation for our meal.  The menu is heavy with Germany and European wines that I am completely unfamiliar with.  There are a few Oregon wines on the menu, which I will lean towards 95% of the time, but even those were unfamiliar to me.  He suggested the ’09 Schöne Schlucht Oregon Pinot Meunier, which is an Alsatian red varietal is that seldom seen in Oregon (Adelsheim makes one).  I wish Oregon produced more of this varietal because it was wonderful!  Bright cherry and black pepper.  Perfect with our meal.

Dessert is always fun for us whenever we go out.  We usually get a chocolate dessert and a non-chocolate dessert and dessert wines to match.  Unfortunately, none of the desserts we ordered impressed us enough to take note of or even take a picture of.  But here’s our array of dessert wines (from the back): An Auslese Riesling from the Mosel region in Germany where I visited this summer, an Italian Vino Santo, and a Tawny Port.

Now, it’s back to home cooked meals and leftovers for lunch.  I had a fun culinary week out, but I’m ready to use my new red dutch oven and start cooking my own food again.

San Miguel de Allende

21. March 2011 · 1 comment · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

Mi amiga Rachel and I spent a week with my grandmother in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  To give you an idea of location, it’s about 2 hours north of Mexico City.  Don’t worry, it’s very safe there :)   Here are some photos from the trip.  Mouse over them for a little description or click to see full size.

Here’s what we did all week:
Woke up when the sun was in our faces,
Walked all over town,
Made silver jewelry
Ate our body weight in guacamole
Drank our body weight in Margaritas and Mexican beer
Played Farkle with Grandma
Went to sleep when we were tired
Sat out in the sun for hours a day
Read
Slept
Didn’t worry about anything (except for Japan)
Got a tan (well, I’m a redhead, so I got some red)
Loved life.

I highly suggest everyone take a vacation in March to someplace sunny.  GO NOW!

 

Recipe Swap: Thai Inspired Chicken Stew with Curried Sweet Potato Falafel

06. March 2011 · 7 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: ,

Boy oh boy, how we’ve grown!  The last recipe swap had 7 brilliant culinary minds, but I’ve officially lost count on this one.  Maybe a dozen or so?  We’ve got some locavores, a real chef, some gluten free gals, even one swapper from Down Under!  Be SURE to check them all out (link to recipe swap page below).

We shifted from a sweet recipe and chose a savory, hearty, classic recipe as a final ode to the cold weather.  Our inspiration and jumping-off point for this swap is none other than Grandma’s Chicken Pot Pie with Drop Biscuits.  Can’t go wrong with anything that has “grandma” in the title, right?

At first, I thought about putting a bread component on the bottom instead of on the top and making some sort of chicken pizza, but I didn’t want to stray too far from the original recipe (although, I’ve had pizza on my mind every since).  I knew I wanted to make a stew with shredded chicken, because shredded meat is my absolute favorite.  Chicken Chili Verde crossed my mind but didn’t excite me because I make that all the time.  I could make something ethic…maybe with coconut milk…and peanuts…and an aromatic Oregon wine. Oooooh the juices were flowing.  I always have to have something green with my meal so maybe I’ll add some red chard.  The bread part always stretches my mind in an effort to stay gluten free.  I think I found the perfect “drop biscuits” for this stew I’ve been thinking up.  I tweaked one of my new favorite recipes to give it some Asian/Middle Eastern fushion and voila!  A whole new recipe swap recreation.

Alright readers, get cookin’:

Curried Sweet Potato Falafel (adapted from 101 Cookbooks)
2-3 medium sweet potatoes (about 1.5 lbs)
1 cup cilantro, chopped
2 tsp yellow curry powder
1/2 tsp ground coriander
2 small garlic cloves, minced
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 cup chickpea flour (add more depending on moisture in potatoes)
splash olive oil
sesame seeds
s/p

Method:
Preheat oven to 425° and roast sweet potatoes on a cookie sheet for 45-60 minutes until they are soft and mushy through and through.  The mushier the better.

When soft, remove skin and mix with all other ingredients except sesame seeds and olive oil.  Chill until firm: 1 hour in fridge, 20-30 minutes in freezer.

Heat over to 375°.  Take cooled sweet potato mixture and roll into balls the size of ping pong balls.  Place on oiled cookie sheet and sprinkle with sesame seeds.  Bake for 18-20 minutes, until bottoms are golden brown.

(These bad boys are killer dipped in the peanutty stew or with some peanut sauce

Stew (adapted from The Recovering Vegetarian):
1.5 tbsp coconut oil
4 chicken thighs
1/2 cup dry, aromatic white wine (such as a riesling or gewurztraminer)*
1 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves of garlic, minced
4 cups chicken or veggie broth
1 can coconut milk
1/3 cup natural peanut butter
2-3 tbsp panang or red curry paste
zest and juice of 1 lime
1 tbsp brown sugar
couple slashes of fish sauce
1 can dark kidney beans, rinsed and drained
handful cilantro, chopped (save some for garnish)
1 bunch red chard, washed and cut into strips
s/p
1/3 cup chopped roasted peanuts

Method:
In  a dutch oven or soup pot, head coconut oil over medium-high heat.  Season chicken thighs with salt and pepper and brown on each side and set aside.  Deglaze the pan by splashing a couple tbsp of wine in pan and scrape the bottom.  Add onions and garlic and saute until soft.

Add chicken broth, coconut milk, peanut butter, remaining wine, lime, kidney beans, curry paste, brown sugar, and most of the cilantro.  Reduce heat and gentle simmer for 1 hour (emphasis on gentle, as coconut milk can curdle…I learned that the hard way) stirring occasionally.

After the hour, take a fork and shred the chicken, then add chard and fish sauce and simmer for 10-15 more minutes until chard is wilted but not turning brown.

Salt and pepper to taste and serve with cilantro and crushed peanut on top as a garnish.

Wine pairing: 2009 Anne Amie Cuvee A Amrita

And as always, I was in the throws of this food challenge with the most amazing, creative, lauded food bloggers.  You’ll be missing out BIG TIME if you don’t visit their blogs and see their recipe swap dishes.

Warm Winter Vegan Meal

15. February 2011 · 2 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , ,

Vegan challenge: Owned it!

(Sorry for the shady picture…bad lighting in my kitchen.  Bad camera too for that matter.)

I have some friends here in Newberg.  Lovely friends.  Friends that love to come over for dinner.  3 that came over on Sunday night:  two of which are vegan and one that has never eaten a meal void of meat or animal products in his entire life (“I’m from Alaska!  So sue me!”).  In fact, he considers the meat-free lifestyle paganism and have dubbed all who adhere to it as “vagans” (lovingly, of course).  When these friends all come for dinner together, it’s game on for me in the kitchen.  What can I make that is animal free yet hearty, satisfying, and makes the carnivores forget that they just went vegan…ahem, vagan?

Well, I have to say that I think I nailed this one.  I pulled together some of my favorite winter ingredients and had this simple yet delicious meal on the table in less than an hour.  The vegans were happy campers, and the carnivore was (not at all) speechless with how tasty the meal was!  His comment might be one of the greatest compliments any foodista could receive.  As he ate, he spoke like a sassy, well-please food critic.  And I quote…

*VIEWER DISCRETION IS ADVISED: The following content may not be suitable for readers until 12 years old.  Food porn up ahead…

“It’s like the kale and the quinoa are headed to a cheap motel room to get it on, and the butternut squash is the “sweet, innocent” cleaning lady who comes to “clean the room” but ends up in the middle of it all! Menage a trois, anyone? And the chickpeas get called in to break it all up, then end up joining it! The ‘icing on the cake,’ if you will, is the avocado, who ends up video-taping it all.  STEAMY!!”  -Robert Hall, ladies and gentlemen.

We all agreed that the tang of the raw kale was beautifully offset by the sweetness of the butternut squash.  The nuttiness of the of the quinoa, tahini, and chickpeas rounded it all out nicely.  And the avocado on top?  Well, that was just to continue the green from the bed of kale, but was like putting a pad of butter on a baked potato…simply perfect.  Bon appetit!

Roasted Butternut Squash and Chickpea Salad (adapted from Smitten Kitchen) on a bed of Raw Kale and Quinoa.

For the salad:
1 large butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1/2″ pieces
2 medium garlic cloves
1/2 tsp ground allspice
drizzle of olive oil (enough to coat the squash)
s/p
1 15oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 medium red onion, minced
1 handful fresh cilantro, coarsely chopped
1/2 ripe avocado, cut into long slices

For the dressing:
1-2 medium cloves of garlic, minced
1/4 c lemon juice
4 heaping tbsp well-stirred tahini
2 tsp water
2 tbsp olive oil (more to taste)

For the quinoa:
1 cup quinoa (rinsed)
2 cups veggie broth

For the kale:
1 bunch curly kale, washed, stems removed, and torn into bit size pieces
pinch of salt
drizzle of tahini dressing
2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

Method:

Preheat oven to 425°F
In a large bowl, combine squash, oil, garlic, allspice, and pinch of s/p until squash is coated.  Transfer to rimmed baking sheet and roast for 25 minutes, stirring once, or until soft and golden brown.  Remove from oven and cool.

Meanwhile, make the dressing: in a bowl, whisk together lemon juice and garlic.  Add in tahini and whisk away.  Add in the water and olive oil and season to taste.  You may need to add a bit more oil or water to thin it out.

While the squash is cooling, make the quinoa.  In a medium sauce pan, bring quinoa and broth to a boil.  Cover and simmer on medium-low for 15 minutes or until water is absorbed and quinoa can be fluffed with a fork.

Place kale in a large bowl.  Sprinkle with a pinch of salt and start massaging the leaves to sweat them.  They should look shiny and soft.  Toss with apple cider vinegar and a good drizzle of tahini dressing.  Set aside.

Once squash has cooled a bit, combine with chickpeas, cilantro (save a tbsp or so for garnish), red onions, and dressing.  Start with just a spoonful of dressing and add more until squash is coating to your liking.  (If you have leftovers, adding the rest of the dressing the next day is the best).

Plating:

In wide shallow bowls (if you have them.  Plates work fine too) make a bed with the kale, and place one serving of quinoa on top.  With a large spoon, pile a heap of squash salad on top of quinoa.  Garnish with slices of avocado, a small dollop of tahini, and a sprinkle of cilantro.  Serve to your guest and let the compliments start coming.

*Suggested wine pairing: Oregon Chardonnay or Pinot Blanc.

Recipe Swap: GF Lemon Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake with Oregon Pinot Gris Glaze

07. February 2011 · 11 comments · Categories: Uncategorized · Tags: , , , ,

(Photo taked by the lovely Kari Ray)

A couple weeks ago I somehow managed to finagle my way into a recipe swap with some fantastic food bloggers.   For those of your who are unfamiliar with what a recipe swap it, it’s nothing like a clothing swap, because we aren’t actually trading old recipes.  This recipe swap is all about reinventing and recreating.  Let me explain: CM from Burwell General Store found a great old cookbook at a swap meet in LA with some classic old recipes in it.  She had an idea to reinterpret some of these recipes and got a couple other food bloggers on board.  It started with Miss Rosemarried herself, Lindsay, then Toni of Boulder Locavore hopped on board, and now it’s grown to 7.  Our job is to recreate the recipe, changing at least 3 key components of the original, but still keeping with the essence of it.  We have 3 weeks or so to think, dream, test, taste, photograph, and write about our recreations. At first, I felt like a very little fish swimming in a very large pond.  But with determination, I puffed up my gills and decided to swim strong with the big fish.  Challenges are scary and I wasn’t sure I had it in me, but if I want to become a better cook, I have to step up to plate and take a risk.  So here I go!

In honor of Valentine’s Day, Miss CM picked a pastry recipe:
“Company Time” Lemon Cake:

Oooooh boy…baking.  Haven’t done much of it since I got diagnosed with type 1 diabetes nearly 3 years ago.  I’ve done even less since finding out I have a gluten and dairy allergy.  That’s a one/two punch if you ask me.  But lo and behold, there are ways to get around the blood sugar spikes and sluggishness that come along with white sugar and wheat flour.  I just had to find out how.

This challenge kept me up one night because I had so many ideas.  I wanted to keep it gluten free and use some sort of white sugar alternative (read: NATURAL sugar substitute.  Just say no to Splenda, etc).  I also wanted to add an Oregon wine component to it.  All seven of us have a unique stamp on our cooking: Toni isn’t call Boulder Locavore for nothing.  Nay and Lindsay are seasonal, local, farmers market going gals.  Dennis is Mr. Italiano.  Christianna is butter and sugar and French inspired all the time.  So  with some help from my fellow recipe swappers and (BIG shout out to) Karen from Dessert Labs gluten free bakery here in Portland (she started following me on Twitter right when we started this recipe swap. It was meant to be), I narrowed it down and here you have it:

Gluten Free Lemon Poppy Seed Angel Food Cake with an Oregon Pinot Gris Glaze

Ingredients (mostly in gram measurements for precision.  Best to use an electronic food scale.  I’ll give you some approximations):

Cake:

400g (≈13) egg whites
200g (≈1.5 cups) Coconut Palm Sugar*
75g (≈3/4 c) brown rice flour
25g millet flour
22g potato starch
22g tapioca starch
100g Coconut Sugar/Corn Starch blend**
½ tsp guar gum
Pinch cream of tartar
Pinch salt
3 tbsp poppy seeds
zest of 2 lemons

*Available at Whole Foods
**50g coconut sugar and 50g corn starch blended in food processor until texture of powdered sugar.  Or you can just use 100g powdered sugar if you prefer.
(If you live in the Portland area, I highly recommend Bob’s Red Mill for bulk spices and baking needs.)

Glaze:

1 stick unsalted butter cut into chunks
¾ c coconut palm sugar
½ c Oregon Pinot Gris*
zest from 1 lemon
1 tsp vanilla extract

*I used Erath Pinot Gris.  You can find this all over the country in your supermarket or liquor store.

Method:

Preheat oven to 400°

In mixing bowl, combine brown rice flour, millet flour, tapioca starch, potato starch, guar gum, salt, and coconut sugar/corn starch blend.  Set aside.

In electric mixer, whip egg whites and cream of tarter until foamy.  Add coconut sugar spoonful at a time until you get stiff peaks (be sure to taste it…it’ll taste like a toasted marshmallow!).

Fold in dry mix in 4-5 additions until incorporated, then fold in lemon zest and poppy seeds.  Do not over stir and deflate the egg white mixture.

Pour into ungreased 10-inch angel food cake pan.  Bake at 400° for 15 minutes.  Reduce to 375º and bake for another 25 minutes, or until golden brown and toothpick comes out clean.  Let cool, then remove from pan and place on large plate.

In the meantime, make glaze.  In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vanilla and butter until melted.  Add sugar and lemon and stir until dissolved.  Bring to a boil, then reduce and simmer until thick.  Drizzle generously over cake and let glaze soak in.

Now comes the fun part: eat until your hearts content…and of course share it with you friends!  Lindsay and I spent a lovely Sunday afternoon in her kitchen cooking and baking up a storm which was great since we were the first to taste each others delights.  My one wish is that I lived in the same place as my other recipe swappers.  The treats these brillant minds baked up are nothing short of inspiring:

  • Christianna (Burwell General Store) Meyer Lemon Curd Shortcakes with Orange Flower Water Glaze
  • Chef Dennis (More Than a Mountfull) Italian Lemon Pear Cake
  • Lindsay (Rosemarried) Grapefruit Cupckaes with Grapefruit Curd and Whipped Cream Frosting with Candied Grapefruit Peel
  • Toni (Boulder Locavore) Gluten Free Orange-Cardamom 3 Layer Cake and The Bronx Cocktail
  • Nay (Spicy Living) Lemon Lavender Cupcakes with Cream Cheese Frosting
  • Sabrina (The Tomato Tart) Brown Sugar Lemon Rosemary Cake with Rosemary Caramel

This challenge was so much fun for me.  I didn’t know I had it in me, but now I cannot wait until the next recipe swap.  Stayed tuned :)

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