Raised on the Farm

Hot Cross Buns

TBH, I’d planned my next post to present a vegetable side dish of broccoli. But yesterday the hot cross buns- Mom’s hot cross buns-emerged from the oven, all puffy and glistening, pushing all thoughts of broccoli right out of my head.

Easter on the farm was much like other religious holidays; 20% religion and 80% traditional cultural practices. You know, the fun stuff. My youthful priorities for the holiday were:

1. Wearing my new Easter outfit, if it was warm and dry enough. (It wasn’t.)

2. Running to check for the early arrival of the Easter Bunny. (Guaranteed.)

3. Eating hot cross buns for breakfast. (More than likely, yes.)

Actually, hot cross buns pre-date Christianity, originating in pagan religions. But they seemed such a fine fit for Good Friday, that they were co-opted as a symbol of Easter. But no matter how you view them historically, they remain a delicious holiday staple.

I have no idea where this recipe came from, simply a hand written recipe card with no credit given. But Mom’s hot cross buns were, and remain today, the best ones I have ever tasted, and I have tasted a few over the years. Beautifully risen, puffy and light, with just the proper amount of spice.

They are a bit of a splurge at our house, given the butter, white flour and icing. I will admit to trying to make them healthier in years past, but the quality is not the same and ultimately not worth it for a one time a year indulgence. This year I did have the remains of a bag of finely milled farro flour from my favorite local grains purveyor, Hayden Flour Mills. I blended the farro flour into my Sonoran white wheat for both flavor and color, but Mom used plain old all purpose flour, and that’s fine. And of course, I macerated the currents in brandy, of which Mom would not only approve, but would wonder why she didn’t think to do so herself…

Given the lateness of my inspiration, if you bake the buns it won’t be in time for Easter. But neither the holiday nor the buns will mind if they hit the table a bit late. I don’t think you’ll mind much, either.

Print Recipe

Hot Cross Buns

Puffy, tender sweet roll spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, with a criss-cross of vanilla icing.

Prep Time2 30

Cook Time20

Total Time2 50

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: English

Keyword: Easter

Servings: 8

Ingredients

1 packet active dry yeast 1 packet is 2 1/4 teaspoons
1/4 cup very warm water
1/4 cup butter, unsalted
1/3 cup milk I use oat milk
3 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 large egg
1/2 cup currants, dried
1 tbsp brandy optional
2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground nutmeg

Icing

1 1/2 tbsp butter, unsalted room temperature
1/2 cup confectioner's sugar sifted
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
milk

Instructions

Sprinkle the yeast into the warm water in a large mixing bowl. Set aside to proof.
If using the brandy, mix into the currants and set aside to macerate.
Melt the butter, then stir in milk, sugar and salt, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Cool, then stir into the yeast.
Beat the egg. Measure and reserve 1 tablespoon for brushing the buns before baking. Stir remaining egg into the yeast mixture, along with the currants.
Mix the flour with the spices. Add gradually to the yeast mix, adding just enough to make a soft dough. If additional is required, add by the tablespoon until the dough can be kneaded.
Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and knead until smooth and elastic, adding only enough flour to keep from sticking. The mixing and kneading can be done using a strong mixer with dough hook.
Place the dough into a lightly buttered bowl, brush top with butter and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let rise in a warm place until doubled, about 1 hour.
Turn out and divided evenly into 8 pieces. Shape each piece lightly into a ball. Place the balls of dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Cover and set aside to rise, about 45 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Brush the risen rolls lightly with the reserved beaten egg.
Bake for 15-20 minutes, until puffed and brown. Cover with a sheet of foil if the rolls are browning too quickly.
Remove rolls from the oven and cool on a wire rack.
Beat the confectioner's sugar into the butter with the vanilla. Add milk by drops until spreadable consistency. Additional confectioner's sugar may be added as desired for a stiffer icing for piping. Spread or pipe onto the warm rolls.

Notes

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 256
Total Fat: 5.1 g
Saturated Fat: 2.6 g
Cholesterol: 55 mg
Sodium: 169 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 47.7 g
Fiber: 1.9 g
Total sugars: 19.8 g
Protein: 5.8 g

Farro Minestrone

“What should we have for dinner?”

For many, this is one of life’s toughest questions. With her well stocked freezer and pantry, my mom seemed to always know what we’d be eating, perhaps one day in advance. I never saw her write it down; she would simply get an item from the freezer to defrost each night. Once she returned to work, she left me with daily instructions for getting dinner started before she got home. But she was planning meals that revolved around the standard meat-starch-vegetable meal pattern. Easier than a plant based meal pattern.

No matter my meal pattern of the moment, I’ve always been a write-it-down person. When friends see my neatly scripted menu plans for the week, they either think I’m a genius or a nutcase! But an hour’s worth of planning time eliminates daiIy 5:00 pm anxiety, keeps the food waste to a minimum, and prevents those desperation “out to eat” days. (Well. Mostly.)

I have shelves packed tightly with cookbooks. Several of my favorites, particularly those of Mollie Katzen and Anna Thomas, include menus. While I might not prep those menus verbatim, they offer insights into how to combine mostly plants into satisfying meals. New winter meal patterns have become my go-tos: legumes and vegetables, soup and salad, stir-fries and curries, pasta and salad. And much like most folks’ classic meal rotations, I find that certain plant based dishes have become keepers, appearing relatively often.

Today’s Farro Minestrone fits that niche. The recipe includes a sofrito, broth and tomato base, with additional vegetables and cannellini beans. The nutty, chewy whole grain farro replaces the typical pasta. Dried mushrooms and smoked paprika provide umami, along with an optional stealth ingredient, a piece of parmesan cheese rind. The hardened cheese rind becomes soft and melty with slow simmering. Once softened, the rind can be removed or chopped into small pieces and aded back into the soup. If the cheese is omitted, the recipe is vegan. (I pretty obviously wouldn’t do this…) But it’s all about personal preference.

I once had a much younger, tech savvy friend inform me that I was sitting on a gold mine; that people would buy my menu plans. Sure enough, menu planning services have popped up online-for a fee, of course. I missed the chance to laugh my way to the bank…so in adding a Menus page to my blog, I’m offering up a freebie. The inaugural edition features cool weather menus. There are countless ways in which to eat a plant based diet, but this will give you a peek into how we do it at our house.

No matter how you figure your menus, slot this soup into one of your evening meals. I think it’s a keeper.

Hearty, satisfying Italian soup with farro, beans and porcini and parmesan.

Print Recipe

Farro Minestrone

Hearty, satisfying Italian style soup with farro, cannellini beans, porcini mushroom and parmesan.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1

Total Time2

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: farro, minestrone, soup

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1/2 ounce dried Porcini mushroom
1 tbsp olive oil
1 cup onion, coarsely chopped
1 cup carrots, chopped
1/2 cup celery, chopped
2 tsp dried Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 medium piece Parmesan cheese rind
1 quart broth or stock vegetable or chicken
3/4 cup whole grain farro
1 14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
1 15 oz can cannelloni beans, rinsed and drained
1 medium zucchini, cut into small cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
3 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped plus extra for garnish

Instructions

Place the dried Porcini mushrooms in a medium bowl. Cover with 1 1/4 cups boiling water and set aside to hydrate.
In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in the onion, carrots and celery and cook for several minutes to soften. Add the seasonings, broth, farro and cheese rind. 1/2 teaspoon of salt can be added at this point, depending on the saltiness of the broth being used. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer. Simmer for approximately 45 minutes, or until farro is tender.
Add tomatoes with their juices, drained beans and zucchini. Drain the mushrooms, adding the mushroom broth to the pot. Chop the mushrooms and add to the pot. Simmer for 15 minutes, until zucchini is tender. Stir in the parsley and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Fish out the cheese rind and either chop finely to return to soup, or omit.
Serve, topped with extra chopped parsley sprinkled on top.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Calories per serving 320
Total Fat 18 g; saturated fat 3.5 g
Cholesterol 6 mg
Sodium 310 mg
Total Carbohydrate 29 g; fiber 8.5 g; tota sugars 3 g
Protein 11.3 g

Lentils and Mushrooms in Burgundy

As I write this, winter storms are raging across the country, bringing a variety of generally uncomfortable weather conditions to all. Here, it’s a cold and rainy weekend in the desert southwest, with snow in the upper elevations. Summer here is downright hot. One can count on this. The winters are not nearly so predictable these days. I’m bundled up in a heavy sweater and fuzzy socks, much as I might have been on a winter’s day on the farm. Cue the comfort food again… On days like today, Mom cooked meaty rib-sticking stews and braises, to warm one from the inside out. One of her favorites was a long slow braise of beef in red wine, aka beef bourguignon.

Tough meat has been braised in red wine since the middle ages; the acid in the wine in combination with long slow heat breaks down the tough connective fibers to produce a tender stew. Alcohol? Again? I, along with everyone who reads this blog, laughs at my propensity for using alcohol in my cooking. In fact, I learned to do this at my mother’s knee.

But there is method behind the madness, because alcohol is a flavor enhancer, much like salt or pepper. When one tastes a dish, the tongue can taste water soluble flavors. But one gets more complete flavor when the molecules are sensed in the nose as well. These aromas are carried by fat soluble molecules. Alcohol can bond with both types of molecules, broadening and expanding flavor considerably. The particular wine used in today’s stew recipe is Burgundy. Burgundies are French wine blends based on the pinot noir grape. I am not picky about the wine here; it does not need to be high end pinot noir. An inexpensive wine will produce a delicious stew with deep flavor.

But… I’m not eating much beef these days, for both health and environmental reasons. So I’m looking for red wine to bridge my flavors using plant based ingredients. I’ve cooked lentils in red wine for many years, another of those recipes that came from somewhere now unknown. Served over mashed potatoes, it offers the rich burgundy fueled flavor without the meat. The lentils provide the protein, but I knew something was missing. When I recently glanced at Mom’s recipe, I realized what it needed was vegetables! Duh. Shallots, carrots and mushrooms “beefed” the recipe up significantly. (Pun intended, sadly.) I also tossed in some soaked dried mushrooms, to maximize the umami character and meaty texture. This stew, ladled atop my homemade mashed potatoes, is about as delicious as a plant based stew can be.

Plant based diets continue to punch above their weight in the media, particularly as January is the home of “Veganuary.” I don’t pay much attention to such trends, as plant based dishes are on regular rotation in my kitchen year round. But whatever your dietary trends might be, this dish is a plant based winner.

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Lentils and Mushrooms in Burgundy

A rustic braise of hearty lentils and mushrooms, with the deeply rich taste of Burgundy, served over fluffy mashed potatoes.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1

Total Time1 30

Course: Entree

Cuisine: French

Keyword: lentils, mushrooms, rustic, wine

Servings: 6

Ingredients

1/2 oz dried Porcini mushrooms
1 lb Cremini mushrooms, cleaned and quartered
2 tbsp Garlic infused olive oil
4 small shallots
2/3 cup onion, diced
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried marjoram
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 cup chopped parsley, divided
2 tsp tomato paste
2 bay leaves
3/4 cup dry brown lentils
2 cups Pinot Noir or Burgundy wine
2 large carrots, cut into 3/4-inch chunks
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
prepared mashed potatoes

Instructions

Add 1 cup of boiling water to the dried mushrooms in a small bowl and set aside to reconstitute.
Heat 2 teaspoons of the oil in a large skillet and sauté the mushrooms over medium high heat until golden, cooking off any liquid. Pour into a large bowl and reserve. Peel and thickly slice the shallots. Add 2 teaspoons oil to the skillet and sauté them until browned and tender. Add to the bowl with the mushrooms.
Drain the dried mushrooms through a strainer, reserving the liquid. Slice the mushrooms and add to bowl with sautéed mushrooms.
Warm the remaining 2 teaspoons oil in the skillet and sauté the onion with the thyme, marjoram, rosemary and 2 tbsp of the parsley until the onions soften. Stir in the tomato paste, bay leaves, wine, reserved soaking liquid, lentils and carrots. Salt and pepper lightly. Bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer while covered, 40 minutes to 1 hour, until lentils and carrots are tender. Stir in the reserved dried mushrooms, sautéed mushrooms and shallots with 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper. Stir in the vinegar to sharpen the flavors. Taste and adjust the salt to your taste. Serve atop mashed potatoes. Sprinkle each serving with the reserved chopped parsley.

Notes

Nutrition Information, with 3/4 cup mashed potatoes
Calories: 417
Total Fat: 11.6 g
Saturated fat: 2.2 g
Cholesterol: 2 mg
Sodium: 561 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 62.6 g
Fiber: 7.5 g
Total Sugars: 6.5 g
Protein: 10.8 g

Coconut Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Topping

Will there be cake?

I have asked this question each year when my birthday rolls around, for some time. But tbh, when my mom came to an age and stage where she no longer could bake my birthday cake, I caved on it. Somehow baking one’s own birthday cake seemed a bit odd. I also thought that the birthday cake I counted on was simply too much work…

The birthday cake was a big double layer white coconut cake with fluffy white frosting. Originally, Mom grated fresh coconut to fold into the batter and sprinkle atop the frosting. Which, as I remember, was quite an effort. Eventually she developed a shortcut; dried shredded coconut, soaked in water to moisten and remove most of the added sugar from the fruit. It was a luscious birthday cake, one which I anticipated every year.

But this year I remembered another cake that Mom served whenever an easy quickly made cake seemed in order. The recipe came off the back of the Bisquick box. The very fact that Mom kept a box of Bisquick baking mix in the pantry was a miracle; the cake was the only baked good I remember her using it for. Her actual biscuits were scratch made with whole wheat flour and wheat germ. The baking mix cake was a simple yellow cake, but had a brown sugar, coconut and pecan topping, which was popped under the broiler til it browned and bubbled. If you happen to be of quite advanced middle age like me, you might remember the Bisquick Velvet Crumb Cake.

So I decided that after all these years, at this year’s birthday- there would be coconut cake. Tradition would be tossed out the window though, since I was baking this thing for just me and my husband. No, the big cake would be morphing into an easy single layer coconut cake with that delicious coconut brown sugar topping. Too bad I didn’t come to this conclusion many years ago; it would have saved Mom a great deal of work…

Given the sweet broiled topping, I could reduce the typical amount of sugar in the cake. I helped myself to Mom’s trick, first lightly toasting the dried coconut to deepen the flavor. Unsweetened shredded dried coconut is the norm in my kitchen today, soaked luxuriously in light coconut milk before going into the batter. Coconut oil eliminated the need for creaming and mixed up quickly with eggs, coconut flavored yogurt and a touch of rum. A combo of whole wheat pastry and almond flours provided a fluffy, delicate crumb. And the broiled topping took about five minutes. The cake was terrific, chock full of coconut flavor with a fine, delicate texture and sweet crunchy topping. The icing on the cake? The leftover slices freeze beautifully.

Changing up treasured tradition is a hard sell for most of us. I probably shouldn’t have waited so long to try. But since I did, I’m pretty pumped that it worked out this well. Yes, there was cake. And in its own way, just as delicious as I remember.

Print Recipe

Coconut Cake with Broiled Brown Sugar Topping

Single layer coconut cake with fine, delicate crumb and crisp brown sugar coconut topping.

Prep Time45

Cook Time30

Total Time1 15

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: coconut

Servings: 10

Ingredients

1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/2 cup light coconut milk
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1/2 cup fine almond flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1/3 cup sugar
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup coconut flavored yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp coconut extract
1 tbsp rum

Topping

2 1/2 tbsp butter, melted
1/3 cup brown sugar, packed
2 tbsp cream I used plant based creamer
1/2 cup unsweetened shredded coconut
1/4 cup chopped pecans

Instructions

Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Spray a 9-inch round pan with cooking spray and line the bottom with a parchment paper circle.
Place the coconut in a small skillet over medium heat and toast to a light golden brown, stirring frequently. Pout the coconut into a small bowl and mix in the coconut milk. Set aside to soak while prepping the remaining ingredients.
In a medium bowl, stir together the flours, baking powder and salt.
In a large mixing bowl, beat the eggs, sugar and oil until well combined and frothy. Stir in the yogurt, extracts and rum. Alternately stir in the soaked coconut mixture with the dry ingredients until no streaks remain, but don’t over mix.
Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool the cake in the pan until ready for the topping.

Topping

Stir the topping ingredients together and spread evenly over the top of the cake, all the way to the pan edges. Broil approximately three inches from the heat til bubbly and brown, approximately three to five minutes.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Total fat: 24.7 g.
Saturated fat: 14 g
Cholesterol: 41 mg
Sodium: 161 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 26 g
Fiber 3.7 g
Sugar: 13.5 g
Protein: 6.1 g

Sautéed Apple Slices

You can take the girl off the farm, but you can’t take the farm out of the girl…

Pumpkin spice has made a valiant effort to convince folks that it is the harbinger of autumn. But the farm girl in me knows better, because autumn is all about the apples. I thoroughly enjoyed a recent trip back to the old southwestern Ohio hometown, including a stop at Fulton Farms, a local farm and market operation. The produce specialties through the summer here are luscious strawberries and right-off-the-stalk sweet corn, but it’s September now and it’s all about the apples.

Apples have played a significant role in farm communities through many generations. I would wager that on the farm, we ate more apples than any other fruit because they “keep” for some time in their fresh form, and can be preserved in so many additional forms. Mom’s freezer applesauce was a staple in our meals throughout the winter. Apples can be canned or dried for longer storage and rehydrated for compotes, smoothies and baking. They can also be pressed into delicious fresh cider. One just might let the cider “turn” a bit for a tangy hit of hard cider. One of the ways that midwestern farm kids get early access to the booze! Maybe this was the start of my penchant for adding a touch of liquor to my recipes-and yes, today’s recipe is no exception…

Many varieties were on display that day at the farm market, so many that it was tough to make a choice. But choose I did, and munching on them for breakfast brought to mind my recipe for sautéed apple slices. This is one of my quick and easy desserts, making an appearance without the need for planning and/or shopping in advance. I usually have a few apples in my hydrator drawers, and the cooking takes just minutes. The thinly sliced apples are sautéed in butter and brown sugar for sweet richness, then spiced with cinnamon, cardamom, and nutmeg. A touch of bourbon deepens the flavor and a small hit of white miso tempers the sweetness. I find it reminiscent of apple pie without the pastry. My taste buds might whine a bit about that, but my waistline is appreciative. Should my need for pastry be desperate, I can always tuck in several of my mini almond shortbread. More typically, we top the apple saute with a dollop of plain yogurt sweetened with honey.

You needn’t have been raised on a Midwestern farm to enjoy the delicious diversity of apples. No matter your locale, you can bypass the pumpkin spice drive through and head home with a couple of apples for a quick dessert of sautéed apple slices.

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Sautéed Apple Slices

Buttery saute of apples with brown sugar, currants and autumn spices.

Prep Time15

Cook Time15

Total Time30

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Keyword: apples, cinnamon

Servings: 4

Ingredients

2 large apples I use Fuji
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp brown sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp ground cardamom
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1 tbsp bourbon can substitute apple juice
1 tsp white miso
3 tbsp currants can substitute raisins
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup chopped walnuts

Instructions

Peel, core and thinly slice the apples. In a medium skillet, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the brown sugar and spices. Add the apple slices and stir to coat. Stir in the bourbon, miso and currants. Reduce heat to simmer, cover skillet and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until apples are tender. If there is more juice than desired, turn up the heat to reduce. Stir in the vanilla and walnuts, remove from the heat and serve.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Calories: 159
Total Fat: 7.8 g
Saturated Fat: 2.1 g
Cholesterol: 8 mg
Sodium: 75 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 20.7g
Fiber: 3.8 g
Total sugars: 15.3 g
Protein: 2.5 g

Spicy Almond Butter Noodles

Where do you get your protein? (Curious friends and onlookers)
Would you like to add protein to that? (Menus and waiters)
The best sources of lean protein to add to your diet!! (Buzzy headlines)

Americans are obsessed with protein. It grabs headlines like no other nutrition topic today, yet I’m betting that most of those obsessives don’t really know much about it… it’s a macronutrient, but protein is not a single thing. It’s constructed from little building blocks called amino acids. Thousands of proteins can be created using just the twenty amino acids. The human body can synthesize eleven of the amino acids on its own, so the remaining nine must be supplied by the diet.

Animal sources are considered “complete” because they contain all nine in a good ratio to one another. Plant sources also contain all nine, but typically one or two are in relatively short supply. Back in the dark ages when I studied nutrition, experts thought if one ate primarily plants, plant foods would have to be combined to make “complete” protein. This is actually “complete” bunk, because the body maintains a pot of amino acids that it combines into whatever protein it needs, all by its little self. The key is simply eating a diverse balanced diet which supplies the nine must haves.

These days, I’m getting more of my amino acids, aka protein, from plant sources. My highly nutrition minded mom would be blown away by what is now known about the human body and its use of protein. She probably wouldn’t be serving up whole T-bone steaks to each of us at the farm dinner table, either… because while animal foods are good sources of protein, they come packaged with compounds that contribute to inflammation and the development of chronic diseases like atherosclerosis, stroke, cancer and Type 2 diabetes. Alternatively, plant protein is anti-inflammatory and comes packaged with fiber, which offers substantial health benefits. These include increasing metabolism, controlling weight, regulating blood sugar and improving the blood lipid profile. Which is why my dinner increasingly features dishes like my Spicy Almond Butter Noodles.

One might suspect this concoction to be an Americanized version of a non-existent Asian dish. However, turns out that noodles with nut butter did originate as a Chinese street food. You’ll find a myriad of recipes for them online, some served hot, some served cold, some much noodlier than others. I use einkorn whole wheat spaghetti for my noodles, providing chewy texture and protein. These noodles are one of the higher protein, lower calorie options floating around in today’s market, that don’t set off my IBS. Coated with a savory, rich almond butter-sesame-tamari sauce that is pretty much addictive. Veggies add additional fiber, color, texture, flavor and yes, protein! Spice it up to your comfort level with hot chili paste. While many die hard meat eaters will disagree, I personally find the combination of textures and flavors to be ever so much more interesting than that T-bone steak.

My original goal in making dietary changes was to improve my IBS, and this eating pattern has delivered. I wasn’t aware at the time of the additional health benefits that could accrue due to eating more plant foods. That said, I appreciate that the pre-diabetes and pre-cancerous polyps I had prior to making these changes have gone missing. I don’t think I’ll be searching very hard to find them…

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Spicy Almond Butter Noodles

Whole grain noodles and vegetables, with rich and nutty sauce.

Prep Time1

Total Time1

Course: Entree, Main Course, Vegetarian

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Sauce

1/4 cup almond butter
1 tbsp toasted sesame oil
1 tbsp honey
2 tbsp low sodium tamari
2 tbsp rice vinegar
1/8 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp finely grated fresh ginger
2 tsp sambal oelek more or less, to taste

Pasta

8 oz einkorn spaghetti legume based pasta is a good substitute

Vegetables

1 tsp garlic infused olive oil
1/2 small onion, cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 medium red pepper, thinly sliced
1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
3/4 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed
1 small carrot, julienned
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

Instructions

Whisk the sauce ingredients together in a large bowl.
Cook the noodles al dente, according to package directions. Drain the noodles, reserving 1/4 cup cooking water. Add to the sauce in the bowl, tossing to coat with the sauce. Stir in reserved pasta cooking water as needed to thin the sauce.
Heat the garlic infused oil in a medium skillet over medium high heat. Add the onion wedges and zucchini, stir frying for 3 to 4 minutes, until tender, but still crisp. Add to the noodles. Replace the skillet on the burner and add the red pepper and sugar snap peas, stirring for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in the edamame to briefly heat, then add vegetables to the noodles. Fold in the raw carrots. Toss to distribute the vegetables, and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

Notes

Nutrition Facts:
Calories: 445
Total fat: 18.2 g
Saturated fat: 1.9 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 511 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 55 g
fiber: 9 g
sugars: 5.5 g
Protein 16.5 g

Frosty Peach Smoothie

It’s July and it’s beyond hot. While July is usually my “fig” month, figs don’t seem to find the current weather conditions particularly conducive to growth. So I’m turning to a different favorite fruit for a cold, icy, frosty peach smoothie. With emphasis on the cold, icy and frosty…

A fresh ripe peach is a sublime fruit, fragrant, juicy and sweet. Rarely experienced on the farm, unless someone was lucky enough to hit a local market at just the right time of the “season.” And the season varied tremendously over the span of a summer, with peaches coming from many locales. And honestly, one never knew the quality of the fruit hiding inside that fuzzy little package. A poorly ripened peach is a sad experience to say the least; mealy and tasteless. I do recall one year Mom ordering a bushel of peaches at their perfection point to be canned. It was quite the undertaking, and required processing in sugar syrup. They of course were nothing like a fresh peach, and while we appreciated them come winter, we didn’t repeat the effort.

We are fortunate indeed here in southern Arizona to find delicious small local peaches early in the season, both at our CSA and the local farmer’s market. (Even in this weather.) Followed by large luscious yellow peaches from California. These are the beauties that will go into my frosty peach smoothie.

We have come to enjoy smoothies as part of breakfast. They provide a balance of nutrients that satisfy us throughout the morning. Unlike the precision of baking, whizzing up a smoothie is a flexible process. If I use a high protein milk, I omit the protein powder. No protein powder? Add chia or hemp seeds. If my mix of fruit is ultra sweet, I don’t need the date. And one could certainly add vegetables if desired, but I personally don’t find many mornings when I desire them. At the most, I’ll toss in a handful of broccoli sprouts if I’m feeling guilty about the whole thing, but I’d really prefer getting my veggies later in the day. I understand that there are people who drink green smoothies on purpose, but my morning appetite assures me that smoothies should not be green…

My frosty peach smoothie is a terrific antidote to the heat and humidity being offered up across the country. Frozen fruit with added ice chips blend up into a cool frappe with flavor notes of luscious peaches, sweet-tart cherries and almond. Hints of cinnamon and cardamom thread their way through the fruity mix. Thick and creamy, smooth and icy, it literally melts in one’s mouth, cold and delicious. All the while offering up fruit, protein and healthy fats to fuel the body for the morning.

Seems hard to believe that only five months ago I was crying about the persistent damp cold, searching for a warm smoothie. I’ll probably do it again, come January… but for July and August, this refreshing peach smoothie is all I could ask for.

Print Recipe

Frosty Peach Smoothie

Thick, smooth, icy cold peach smoothie with hints of almond, cinnamon and cardamom.

Prep Time15

Total Time15

Course: Breakfast

Cuisine: American

Keyword: almond, cold, peach

Servings: 2

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups milk of choice I use almond or hemp
1 medium large fresh peach, chopped and frozen
1/2 medium banana, sliced and frozen
1/3 cup frozen sweet cherries
1 tbsp flax meal
1 Medjool date, chopped
2 tbsp protein powder
2 tbsp almond butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cardamom
1 cup crushed ice

Instructions

Pour the milk into the blender container, then add the ingredients in order through the cardamom. Blend on low to chop the ingredients, then turn to high and blend until smooth. Remove the top and pour in the crushed ice. Blend on high until the ice is completely blended and the mixture is smooth and creamy. Pour into 2 glasses, and sprinkle with additional cinnamon and cardamom.

Notes

Nutrition:
Calories: 260
Total Fat:12.4 g
Saturated: 0.8 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 90 mg
Total Carb: 31.2 g
Fiber: 6 g
Total Sugars: 20.7 g
Protein: 11.2 g

Poblano Soup

Poblano Soup

Every now and again we take what we call a “retirement” day. I can already see the eye rolls from my employed friends, who think every day in my life is a retirement day. The reality is that retirement still contains daily obligations. Shopping, meal prep, laundry, landscaping, house cleaning. Exercise, pet care, volunteering. These items don’t miraculously happen of their own volition. Even though retired, we still need to carve out the occasional niche to just head off for fun. Which is how we discovered Wisdom’s Cafe and their poblano soup.

Wisdom’s Cafe is one of those quintessentially Arizona spots that one typically hears about via word of mouth. While it’s quite near I-19, we breezed right past it, with the GPS providing its usual admonishment: tsk, tsk, what miserable navigators you are. Turning around, we found it in the boondocks near Tumacacori. 20 miles north of the border, with beautiful mountain vistas surrounding the property. It’s one of those places in the middle of nowhere that somehow seems to always have a full parking lot. We won’t miss it next time, as one of the restaurant landmarks is a giant chicken out front. Opened 80 years ago by a local couple, it has remained a large family operation with decor of family heirlooms and a huge menu of family recipes.

I love a good green corn tamale and this looked like just the place to order one. My husband usually seizes on such an opportunity to order a meat-and-fat-filled plate of something, so I was quite surprised when he ordered the poblano soup. This soup was in fact vegetarian, but as it turned out, the soup base was pure dairy cream. A lot of dairy cream. He was more than satisfied with the amount of animal fat in his belly when finished. I tasted his soup, which was in fact scrumptious, but a killer for someone like me who struggles to digest bowls of saturated fat. (In addition to IBS, my gall bladder exited the scene decades ago.) I determined to recreate this soup at home, with a lower and healthier fat profile.

Poblanos are very popular in Mexican dishes. Deep green and shiny, they have a naturally rich and earthy essence, edging into almost smokiness. The heat can vary, but most consider poblanos to be relatively mild. They are available in most grocery stores. I figured I could use my Provencal Style Asparagus Soup as a template, with a few adjustments. Sub in the poblanos for the asparagus; switch out the herbs de Provence for Mexican spices; and make the “cream” from cashews and pumpkin seeds in my blender. Now there is no shortage of my attempts to create recipes that have hit the trash can. But if I do say so, I nailed this one. Essence of poblano in a rich and creamy soup with no animal fat in sight.

My poblano soup is also one of those all important soups for an Arizona summer, just as tasty served chilled as it is served hot. Serve it as a main dish, accompanied by salad, or in small portions as an appetizer in a summer menu. While sipping soup, picture yourself under an umbrella on a sun filled patio, surrounded by mountains and that lovely dry Arizona air. All the while under the watchful eye of a huge white chicken!

(A quick note to email subscribers: I changed out my social media buttons and switched my email subscription to a single plugin. If you’d like email notification of posts, please hit the envelope icon in the social media buttons and add your email. )

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Poblano Soup

Rich, creamy soup with the smoky essence of poblano peppers.

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Total Time1

Course: Appetizer, Soup

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: poblano, soup

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1/3 cup cashews
2 tbsp pumpkin seeds plus extra for garnish
1 cup water
2 medium poblano peppers
1 3-oz potato
1/2 cup roughly chopped onion
3/4 cup roughly chopped fennel
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp dried oregano
3/4 tsp green chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth
grated cheddar, if desired for garnish

Instructions

Place the cashews and pumpkin seeds in a bowl and cover with water. Allow to soak while preparing remaining ingredients.
Cut the stem and inner seeds out of the poblanos and cut into 1-inch pieces. Place in a large saucepan. Peel and cut the potato into 1-inch pieces and add to the pan. Add the onion, fennel, herbs, spices and vegetable broth to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover and cook until all the vegetables are soft, around 25 minutes. Remove from the heat to cool slightly.
Drain the soaked nuts and seeds. Pour into a blender and add the 1 cup of water. Blend at high speed to make a nut cream. When the mixture is smooth, add the cooked vegetable mixture. Vent the top of the blender lid and cover with a kitchen towel to allow heat to escape. Blend at high speed until mixture is smooth and creamy.
Pour the soup back into the saucepan and heat gently if the soup is to be served hot. If the soup is to be served cold, pour into a storage container and chill til ready to serve. Soup can also be served immediately at room temperature.
If desired, garnish the soup with grated Cheddar and pumpkin seeds.

Notes

Nutrition
Calories: 141
Total Fat: 7.9 g
Saturated: 1.6 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 30 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 13.4 g
Fiber: 2.3 g
Total Sugars: 2.8 g
Protein: 5.9 g

Wheat Berry Salad with Snap Peas and Chèvre

The temperature in the desert southwest has finally warmed to my expectations… just in time for a month or so of gorgeous weather before the hell season hits in June. With my cozy sweaters packed away, I’m leaning into warmer weather fare in my weekly menus. And whole grain salads like this month’s Wheat Berry Salad with Snap Peas and Chèvre are a perfect fit.

In Mom’s day the term “whole grains” basically meant whole wheat flour. She had versions of every baked item imaginable modified for baking with said flour. But she would not be familiar with the whole wheat berries, farro berries or purple barley that currently reside in my pantry. I have to admit that for quite a few years I myself found them to be a tad intimidating. They took a long time to cook. And who knew what to do with them once they were finally done? For that matter, how did one even know when they were done?

Ignorance was bliss, until small bags of these beautiful blond wheat berries began to appear in my Community Supported Agriculture share. Turns out that the Sonoran white wheat flour that I love to use in my baking came from the Sonoran white wheat berry, and evidently I was expected to eat them in that form as well.

If one listens to the holistic health types, there are good reasons to eat grains in their whole state. While both the wheat berries and whole wheat flour contain the bran, germ and endosperm, the flour has been milled into the tiniest of pieces. This allows them to oxidize and lose nutrients unless properly stored from the moment of milling. Products baked from the flour also have a higher glycemic index. It takes a very short time for digestive enzymes to break down all those tiny bits from starch to sugar and release them into one’s bloodstream. However, when the enzymes tackle the whole berries, they have to work much longer and harder to reach the starch hidden inside the bran. Resulting in a slower and more controlled blood sugar rise.

The wheat berries began to pile up in my pantry, so I cooked up a pot of them. Mind blown. Sweet and nutty golden orbs, opening between one’s teeth with a little Pop! Their chewy texture is a lovely contrast to vegetable dishes that otherwise might be too soft. I began to use them in vegetarian soups like my White Vegetable Chili, to produce the texture that meat would otherwise provide. Then I discovered the wheat berry salad, with its endless variations of flavor profiles.

Full circle to today’s salad recipe. This salad provides a sweet, juicy and crisp pop in one’s mouth with every bite. The sweetness comes from the wheat itself, along with sugar snaps, red peppers and dried cherries. Countered by the tart and bitter components of lemon, radicchio and arugula. Accented by the depth of flavor from parsley, walnuts and chèvre. I’ll be making this one all summer. While we serve it as a main, it could easily feed more people as a side at a BBQ or summer picnic.

If I’ve convinced you that the place to start is the Sonoran white wheat berry, they are readily available for order from Hayden Flour Mills, right up the road from me in Queens Creek, Arizona. They are fine folks offering a fine set of products. However, I’d encourage you to try wheat berries in whatever variety you might have available to you. Don’t wait as long as I did.

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Wheat Berry Salad with Snap Peas and Chèvre

Whole grain salad with the sweet, juicy pop of whole wheat berries, sugar snap peas and rich bites of goat cheese.

Prep Time1

Total Time1

Course: Entree, Entree Salad, Salad side dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cool, fresh, salad, wheat

Servings: 4

Calories: 382kcal

Ingredients

Salad

1 cup wheat berries I used Sonoran white berries
1/2 cup sugar snap peas, cut into thin slices on the bias
1 green onion, thinly sliced
1/2 cup chopped parsley
7 very thin slices lemon
1 tsp olive oil
1/2 cup chopped radicchio
1/2 cup chopped red bell pepper
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/2 cup chopped arugula
1/2 cup goat cheese crumbles
1/4 cup chopped dried cherries

Dressing

3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
2 tsp honey
1/4 tsp Dijon mustard
1 tsp herbs do Provence
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp freshly ground pepper

Instructions

Cook the wheat berries as directed on the package. Drain the grains and place into a large mixing bowl; cool. Microwave the sliced sugar snap peas for 20 seconds in a smaller bowl, then stir into the cooled grains. In a small skillet, toast the nuts over medium heat til fragrant. Add to the grains. Cut the lemon slices into 6 wedges each, then saute briefly in the same skillet in the 1 teaspoon olive oil. When lightly browned, remove to the bowl of grains. Add and stir in the green onion, parsley, radicchio, bell pepper, arugula, cheese crumbles and cherries.
Whisk together the dressing ingredients, then pour over and toss thoroughly. Serve at room temperature, or chill to serve cold.

Notes

Nutrition Facts
Total Fat: 20.4 g
Saturated: 4 g
Cholesterol: 7 mg
Sodium: 212 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 42.3
Fiber: 8.1 g
Sugars: 6.3 g
Protein: 12.3 g

Nutrition facts calculated using Very Well Nutrition Calculator

Soft Olive Rolls

Years ago I was on a bike ride on the rural outskirts of town. I shared a long, deep gaze with a cow, placidly grazing in pasture. Suddenly eating that animal’s meat just seemed wrong. And I became, for several years, a highly questionable vegetarian. My family was appalled, including my mom. But I was undeterred, dragging them all along, at least for the meals served at home. I collected many a vegetarian cookbook. Most of them were filled with recipes utilizing eggs and fatty dairy products, cheese being the star, of course. And I mustn’t forget the pasta…these books contained terrific recipes using all the food items that made me a highly questionable vegetarian eater. Actual vegetables were an afterthought, at best.

But there was one book that exemplified the vegetarian eater that one should be. Filled with low fat recipes starring whole grains, beans, seeds, nuts and vegetables, it sat on the shelf collecting a patina of dust. Only a bit, for every now and again I’d take it off the shelf and read it, to remind me of what my meal plans should look like. It was actually a great read, very inspiring and entertaining. Yes, it was the granddaddy book of healthy vegetarian eating, Laurel’s Kitchen. Still revered as a classic by many today. The original was part nutrition textbook, part recipe book, and part Berkeley-style hippie commune life philosophy. If only I had wanted to eat this food! Which at the time, I did not…

Fast forward many years, and I now have the New Laurel’s Kitchen on my shelf. Amazingly I find myself using it as more than a good read. I’m actually cooking out of it. Like many plant based recipes, I find they need some tweaking, but the bread recipes in particular are quite good. The authors firmly believed that real whole grain bread and grains along with legumes should be the foundation of a plant based diet. I agree. Many people seem to think of their fondness for bread as an Achilles heel, a weakness to be overcome. Not so in this house! Whole grain sourdough bread is a mainstay, along with other whole grain home baked goods. Loaves are sliced and frozen, so that we just pull out the number of desired slices for a given meal. Whole grain bread is a deliciously nourishing and filling part of our meals, providing both protein and fiber.

The soft olive rolls I’m making today are an adaptation of the Buttermilk Bread from the New Laurel’s Kitchen. I add olive paste, orange zest and fennel seed, for a light and tender roll with the flavors of the Mediterranean. I also substitute kefir for buttermilk, as it is more reliably available, and lasts longer in the fridge than buttermilk. These rolls are terrific accompaniments to soups and salads, and I frequently have them available in the freezer for a last minute meal addition. I’m thinking they might be a tasty base for a summer grilled vegetable slider, so stay tuned…

There have been no more up close and personal encounters with cattle, but we have driven by many a CAFO in the middle-of-nowhere, Arizona. So, these days, I’m more of what is known as a flexitarian. There are a few days when meat, fish and dairy products are part of the menu, but seldom beef, at least for me. Ironically I’m probably a much healthier eater than I ever was as a vegetarian. Go figure.

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Soft Olive Rolls

Light and tender roll with the flavors of the Mediterranean-olives, orange and fennel.

Prep Time3

Cook Time25

Total Time3 25

Course: Bread, Side Dish

Keyword: rolls

Servings: 12

Ingredients

1 tsp active dry yeast
3/4 cup very warm water
1/2 cup kefir, plus 1 Tbsp
1 tbsp sugar
1/4 tsp salt
3 tbsp Kalamata olive spread
1 tsp orange zest
1 tsp fennel seed
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2 cups white whole wheat flour
butter, optional

Instructions

In large mixing bowl, activate the yeast in the warm water. Allow to set until bubbles form. Add the kefir, sugar, salt, olive spread, zest and fennel seed. Mix well. Stir in the bread flour, then add white whole wheat to make a soft but firm dough. It may take less than the full amount. Knead, by hand or mixer, for 5 minutes until sot and smooth. Place in a lightly greased bowl, cover and set aside in a warm place to rise, for 1-1/2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Lightly grease or coat a 9-inch round cake pan with cooking spray. Cut the risen dough into 10 pieces, then round into balls by rolling under your cupped hand. Place the rolls evenly into the pan, and cover with a clean kitchen towel. Let the rolls rise until they touch and fill the pan, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Bake in the preheated oven for 20-25 minutes, until browned and baked through. If desired, brush the finished hot rolls with butter for shine. Remove from the pan and allow to cool slightly. Serve warm.

Notes

Nutrition:
106 calories
1.2 g fat
0 g cholesterol
112 g sodium
20.6 g carbohydrate
1.9 g fiber
2 g fiber
3.6 G protein