Entree Archives - Raised on the Farm

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

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

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

Cal-Asian Sesame Salad

We just returned from a trip to the central coast of California.

Cultural diversity is not the highpoint of a farm upbringing. I was exposed to plenty of the great outdoors, but not to many places, peoples or cultures. We did take family vacations, but my ideas about the world came primarily from TV and music. Yep, we’re talking some pretty skewed ideas given that sitcoms and LPs were the primary sources of influence… I drove my family nuts listening to the music of California bands of the time. Others of advanced middle age will remember relatively clean-cut boys cruising down Ventura Highway, in a little deuce coup, searching for a surfer girl, only to be waylaid and detained at the Hotel California… (My apologies to younger readers.)

California seemed a foreign country, given the waves of new ideas, music and entertainment that slowly washed over the rest of the nation. While most midwestern types thought crazy originated in California, its cultural influence cannot be denied. And as concerns crazy, I’m pretty certain that these days, the feeling is mutual…

This was my second trip to the Golden State. My childhood image did in fact prove a bit twisted. To begin, this is a huge state, encompassing a multitude of landscapes and lifestyles. It is a unique place, vast and varied, from remote to uber-urban. I see the draw; from wind swept sand dunes to rocky hills to crashing ocean waves of the clearest turquoise, this place is awe inspiringly gorgeous.

Oops. I forgot- this is a food blog, not a travelogue… lucky for me that decades of food trends have also emanated from California, from the 60’s “farm to table” movement to today’s wildly popular avocado toast. Spa cuisine, organic produce, local ingredients, Baja and Hispanic influence, fast food burgers, Asian flavors, fusion cuisine, and Cali-styled pizzas all come to mind. Oh! And don’t forget the wine. My local wine city store will miss me, given the number of bottles we brought home.

I find that these trends most definitely have influenced the meals I prepare at home. I associate my Cal-Asian Sesame Salad with California, and I found variants of it on a number of menus. In some, it’s a slaw-like base, in others a mix of lettuces, with additional vegetables and either chicken or Ahi tuna slices. But what makes it irresistible is the sesame dressing. The flavors are simply addictive. My version is plant heavy, with lettuces, radicchio, edamame and steamed snow peas. Sesame sautéed brown rice makes it substantial, and while I usually include cubes of cooked chicken, it can easily be omitted to make a meatless salad entree. Toasted almonds provide the perfect crunch.

The heat of summer has already arrived in the desert. Cool, crisp, yet substantial salads are best in the heat. Add this one to my repertoire of satisfying summer dinners, for we’ll be serving it often.

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Cal-Asian Sesame Salad

Cool, crisp substantial entree salad with addictive sesame dressing

Prep Time45

Total Time45

Course: Entree, Entree Salad, Main Course

Cuisine: Asian

Keyword: cool, salad, sesame

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup cooked brown rice
2 tsp sesame oil
2 tbsp sesame seeds
8 cups baby lettuce mix I add arugula, if not included
1/4 head radicchio
1 1/2 cups shelled frozen edamame, thawed
4 oz snow peas or sugar snap peas
2 cups cubed, cooked chicken breast see below for vegan option
2 green onions, thinly sliced
1/2 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Dressing

3 tbsp neutral flavored oil I use avacado
1 tbsp toasted Asian sesame oil
1/2 tsp salt
3 tbsp rice wine vinegar
2 tsp sugar
1 tsp Thai fish sauce

Instructions

Heat the 2 teaspoons sesame oil in a medium skillet. Add and panfry the cooked brown rice and sesame seeds, stirring until the mix is lightly toasted. Set aside to cool.
Clean and tea the lettuce mix into large bowl. Thinly shred the radicchio and add to the lettuce. Lightly steam the snow peas and cut in half. (I do this quickly in the microwave.) Add the toasted rice mixture, edamame, snow peas, chicken, green onions and toss to mix.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together until well blended. Dress the salad to your liking, tossing to evenly distribute the dressing. Portion onto 4 dinner plates, and sprinkle with the toasted almonds.

Notes

To make the salad vegan, omit the chicken and increase the amount of edamame to 2 1/2 cups. Substitute coconut aminos for the Thai fish sauce.

479 calories
Total fat: 28.3 g
saturated: 3.4 g
Cholesterol: 1 mg
Sodium: 579 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 36.7 g
Fiber: 11.5 g
Total Sugars: 6.7 g
Protein: 22.1 g

Beer Bean Tostadas with Chili Pesto

A condiment is a preparation that is added to food, typically after cooking, to impart a specific flavor, to enhance the flavor, or to complement the dish.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Condiment

Meat department sticker shock! My friends with meatier diets are suffering this malady in these days of inflationary pricing. The causes are multiple, ranging from labor issues to Covid to supply chains. One can read up on these factors til the cows come home… (Pun intended.) The fact remains that due to the high price of animal products, many are unable to sustain those meaty diets right now. As one who buys primarily pastured animal products, the prices in the supermarket today are similar to what I’ve paid for years, but that’s a story for another day, I suspect.

It’s been over a year since our household transitioned to what I term a “plant predominant” dietary pattern. We have cut out no particular food products, other than highly processed items; but we have switched the ratio of animal based foods to plant foods. In other words, we mostly eat vegetarian, with animal products occasionally serving as a condiment. Eating this way, I can easily get twelve to sixteen servings from a single pound of ground beef. And in my case, I spread these servings out over weeks, as opposed to one night’s dinner. This, however, was never my motivation. Plant predominant diets are proving to be quite beneficial to those of us who suffer digestive challenges. It sure hasn’t hurt that I’ve dropped a few of the pounds that otherwise seem to stubbornly stick as though super glued. And the fact that plant heavy diets appear to be associated with better health and longevity? I’ll take it.

My own grocery bill hasn’t changed much in these last weeks, because we’ve cut way back on the meat and we just so happen to live in close proximity to produce production areas. While my produce bins overflow, my freezer houses only small parcels of meat. When meat hits the kitchen, it’s portioned into four ounce packages and frozen. When I want to augment a plant heavy dish with the flavor and texture of meat, I pull out one of those small packages and work it into the recipe. And of course, how much one wants to cut the meat is totally up to the individual. While I’m using four ounces, there’s no reason you couldn’t use eight. Flexibility is the name of this game.

This beer infused bean tostada, topped with a pesto of roasted chilies and pumpkin seeds, is a perfect example. The beans are deeply flavored with beer, chili and tomato; the chili pesto is spicy and rich with pumpkin seeds. Sprinkle on the condiments: taco spiced ground beef, chopped tomato, avocado and grated cheese. The finished tostada is an explosion of flavor and texture. Let’s be clear, however. One does not need the ground beef topping for these to be a delicious, nutritionally adequate dinner. The beans, cornmeal and pumpkin seeds alone provide the protein one needs in a meal. Some days, we choose to add the meat condiment, other days we simply don’t find that we need it.

What about those remaining little parcels of frozen ground beef? They might add flavor and texture to: a tomato and eggplant pasta sauce; walnut taco meat for nachos; chickpea filling for lettuce wraps; predominantly veggie based “meatballs”; chili soup; grain stuffed peppers. The possibilities are endless, but the best place to start is with your own favorite recipes. The question becomes: how can I flip the ratio of veg to meat? How will this improve my grocery bill? How will it improve my health?

One can view cutting back on the animal products as inflation dictated deprivation, or as a health promoting money saving practice. I choose the latter and consider it a win-win.

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Beer Bean Tostadas with Chili Pesto

Spicy beer infused beans with hot chili pesto atop crisp tostada shells, with classic condiments.

Prep Time45

Cook Time1

Total Time1 45

Course: Entree, Main Course

Cuisine: Mexican

Keyword: pinto beans, tostadas

Servings: 4

Ingredients

Beans

3/4 cup pinto beans, soaked for 8 hours see notes for canned bean option
6 oz beer
1 bay leaf
1/2 tsp green chili powder
1 small onion, diced
2 tsp olive oil
2 tbsp tomato paste
1 tsp chili powder

Chili Pesto

1/4 cup pumpkin seeds best if toasted
1 can Hatch green chilies can substitute 2 roasted green chilies
1/3 cup cilantro, roughly chopped
1 tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper

Spiced Ground Beef

1/4 lb ground beef
1/2 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp cumin
1/4 tsp dried oregano
dash cayenne
salt and pepper

To Serve

8 tostada shells
Toppings: grated cheddar, chopped tomato, avocado

Instructions

Beans

In a medium saucepan, combine the drained beans, beer, bay leaf and green chili powder. Add water to cover the beans by one inch. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cook until beans are tender, about one hour. Add a pinch of salt to the pot and turn off the heat. Set aside to cool. Heat the olive oil in a medium skillet and sauté the diced onion til softened. Drain the beans and add them along with the tomato paste and chili powder. Mash the beans lightly, adding additional beer or water to thin to spreadable consistency.

Chili Pesto

Put the pumpkin seeds into the food processor and process to a fine meal. Add the chilies, cilantro, lemon juice and cumin. Process, adding water as needed to make the texture smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Spiced Ground Beef

Brown the ground beef in a small skillet, and drain any accumulated fat. Stir in the chili powder, salt, cumin, oregano and dash of cayenne. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

To Serve

Spread each tostado shell with beans and pesto. Sprinkle with ground beef mixture, then top as desired, with your choice of toppings.

Notes

To use canned beans, substitute one can refried beans. Add the sauteed onion, tomato paste and chili powder. Heat and thin to spreadable consistency with beer.

White Vegetable Chili

(With chicken… or not)

Unilever, a huge international food processing company, has released a report recommending people switch to a plant based diet. While the report says all the right things about health and sustainability, my suspicion is that we are approaching a tipping point. A point at which the market for plant based foods has grown so substantially that the future of big food might just have to include plants… albeit highly processed plants. As a plant predominant eater, I appreciate the occasional plant based burger or ice cream bar, but these processed foods are not my foundation dishes.

What are my mainstays? It appears that I’m a relatively new breed of plant based eater, since many of the plant based recipes I find tend toward the mushy and bland. Or leave me ravenous half an hour after I’ve eaten. I’m searching for well-developed recipes using primarily whole food plant ingredients. Said dishes must be delicious: balanced, harmonious in taste and well seasoned, with depth of flavor and pleasing texture. I’m also pretty insistent that they contain the balance of protein, complex carb and fat that I’ve always required in my dietary selections. We are admittedly foodies in this house-piling a few vegetables atop a bowl of grain, however whole it may be, is not going to cut it.

Which has left me to my own recipe development devices… but I am slowly amassing a repertoire of recipes that make meal planning feel possible. The fact that we are still omnivores is quite helpful. A small amount of meat or cheese can make an amazing difference in the taste and texture of a dish, demonstrated by the “flip the ratio” strategy I’m using today. Most entrees contain hefty amounts of animal protein with a few token veggies. But if I adjust dishes such that the vegetables provide the heft and the meat or cheese is the token, these recipes can be real winners.

I love a good white chicken chili, but most feature large portions of chicken, a few white beans and a can of green chilies. My taste buds crave the particular essence of green chili, not the chicken. To flip the ratio, swap the chicken for onion, fennel, tomatillo and zucchini; increase the measure of creamy white beans, providing the protein heft; and wheat berries, to deliver both protein and a pop of texture. White miso and balsamic vinegar supply the depth. When I want the chili to include chicken, I use chicken broth and add in a few ounces of cooked chicken. If not, we use “no-chicken broth” and skip the chicken. TBH, I’m happy with either version of white vegetable chili, as long as the smoky heat of green chili prevails.

Before trying this, you should probably know that I crave the heat in just about everything I eat. What’s my desired level of heat on a scale of 1-5? 5. So I’ve been careful to moderate the heat in this recipe. Feel free to spice it up or down to your liking. I’m using a combination of fresh Hatch green chilies and Hatch chili powder. Hatch green chilies come quite specifically from Hatch, New Mexico, but they are basically the same as the Anaheim green chili, just with more heat. Anaheims are more readily available, and if need be, one can always use the little can of green chilies. The farmer’s market here has also spoiled my chili loving soul with the roasting stand, at which I can purchase freshly roasted chilies and chili powders of all varieties. However, Hatch green chili powder is available for order from various spice companies, and of course from the ever-ready Amazon. Increase the red pepper flakes if the Hatch powder doesn’t happen to reside in your spice drawer.

I’ll be searching for hot weather dishes all too soon enough, but this soup warms me to my core on the chilly nights of a desert winter. I suspect it might do the same for you, wherever you happen to be spending your winter evenings.

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5 from 1 vote

White Vegetable Chili

Warming white bean chili with vegetables and Hatch chilies

Prep Time45

Cook Time45

Total Time1 30

Course: Entree, Soup

Cuisine: Southwestern

Keyword: Hatch green chili, vegetables

Calories: 233kcal

Ingredients

1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil can add fresh garlic, if desired
3/4 cup chopped onion
3/4 cup chopped fennel
1/2 cup chopped Hatch green chili can substitute Anaheim
1 cup chopped tomatillo
1 medium zucchini, chopped in 1/4-inch pieces
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1 basil leaf
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
3/4 tsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp chili flake
1 tsp Hatch green chili powder
2 cups cooked white beans, home cooked or canned
2 1/2 cups broth, Chicken or Vegetable
3/4 cup cooked wheat berries could substitute farro or quinoa
4 oz cooked, chopped chicken optional
1 tsp white miso
1 tsp white balsamic vinegar

Instructions

In a large soup pot, heat the olive oil over medium high heat. Stir in the onion, fennel and green chili to coat with oil. Sauté for several minutes, until the vegetables begin to soften. Add the tomatillo, zucchini, seasonings, beans and broth. Bring to boil, then reduce to simmer for 30 to 40 minutes to cook the vegetables and blend flavors. Mash a few of the beans in the pot to thicken, if desired. When the vegetables are tender, stir in the wheat berries and chicken, if using. Just prior to serving, mix the miso and vinegar, and stir into the soup. Heat through to serve.

Notes

Total fat: 6 g

Cholesterol: 22 mg

Sodium: 683 mg

Total Carbohydrate: 31.4 g Dietary fiber 8.9 g Total sugars: 3.8 g

Protein: 16 g

Fresh Mediterranean Pasta

TBH, I just never liked raw tomatoes.

Yes, I know this is not a popular opinion.

Tomatoes were the highlight of my Dad’s huge garden. My folks would pore over the annual seed catalogs, weighing the supposed pros and cons of each heirloom or hybrid tomato before ordering seed packets. The progress of the plants and their fruits were monitored with great anticipation, with any potential problems promptly addressed. The tomatoes begin to set and next thing you know, Dad is eating the darn things warm, right off the vine. Most times, they were served at table simply sliced with salt and pepper. I passed, much to my parents’ chagrin.

And all these years later? Still not a fan. I’ll eat a few bites in a salad, then promptly push the remainder to the side of the plate, where my husband rescues their little hides. I make summer salads, heaping his with tomatoes and limiting mine to the smallest amount that appears somewhat respectable. There are coping mechanisms that allow me to eat them- dowsed in olive oil with copious amounts of fresh basil and pepper; even better dowsed in olive oil with basil and fresh mozzarella cheese. As a bruschetta topping, dowsed in olive oil and chopped basil. I believe I detect a theme here…

Fresh, room temperature pasta sauce is the most likely dish one will find me eating and actually enjoying fresh tomatoes. You guessed it: diced tomatoes, basil, fresh mozz and olive oil, tossed with pasta! Occasionally there might be a few cooked chilled shrimp chopped into it, but the theme endures. Until this summer…

Basically, tomatoes need distraction; when one dilutes that tomato flavor with more favorable vegetables, herbs and spices, they become downright tasty. Which is what happens in this fresh Mediterranean sauce. The tomatoes of choice for this sauce are not the weirdly misshapen yet beautiful heirlooms; no, I need a meaty tomato with very little inner seedy goo. (Can’t deal with the goo.) When all the eggplant, mushrooms, peppers, herbs, olives, pine nuts and yes-olive oil go in, why, those tomatoes become downright delicious. Toss in some al dente pasta, a bit of diced fresh mozzarella and I’m all in.

This is typically served mixed with whole grain einkorn penne, which adds some protein. Often I top it with a handful of crispy baked chickpeas, both for crunch and to increase the protein a bit more. One could certainly up the protein with a legume-based pasta, too. Need some meat? A package of small dice pancetta would fit just fine into the skillet with the mushrooms and eggplant. This has become a summer go-to meal for us with no heating of the oven required.

Would it have my parents’ approval? I suspect my mom would be okay with it. Dad? Probably not. Not enough tomato, y’know?

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Fresh Mediterranean Pasta

Room temperature pasta sauce, combining sauteed and fresh raw vegetables, served atop whole grain pasta.

Prep Time30

Cook Time10

Total Time40

Course: Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: fresh, pasta, vegetables, vegetarian

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Cooked Vegetables

2 tbsp olive oil I use garlic infused
1 small eggplant, peeled and cut to 1/4-inch dice
1/2 lb mushrooms,cut to 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup red bell pepper, 1/4-inch dice
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp chili flake or to taste
1/4 tsp dried rosemary
1/4 tsp fennel seed, ground lightly

Raw Vegetables

1/2 cup chopped green onion
1/2 lb Roma tomatoes, 1/4-inch dice
1/4 cup chopped parsley
3 tbsp chopped fresh basil
3 tbsp chopped fresh oregano
1/4 cup sliced Kalamata olives
3 tbsp pine nuts I use toasted pine nuts
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/4 tsp salt
8 oz penne pasta cooked according to package directions
4 oz fresh mozzarella, 1/4-inch dice
1/2 cup bagged crunchy chickpeas optional

Instructions

Heat the 2 tablespoons garlic infused olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Saute the vegetables to be cooked lightly, then cover and cook til tender, about 10 minutes.
Stir in the seasonings and set aside to cool.
Stir the tomatoes, raw green onion, herbs, olives, nuts, oil, vinegar and salt into the cooled cooked vegetable mixture. Toss with the cooked pasta. Cool to room temperature, then fold in the diced mozzarella. Top servings with crunchy chickpeas if desired.

My Big Fat Greek-ish Salad

I think of briny, salty feta as a gateway cheese. In my farm days, Cheddar slices with the occasional Swiss or Muenster were the norm, but then feta hit my tongue, and wham! Suddenly cheeses with names like Manchego, Sartori and Pecorino took up residence in my fridge’s cheese drawer. I’m not sure where I met feta, or when I experienced my first Greek salad. It was probably on my senior class trip, for which my rebellious graduating class insisted on planning a trip to Atlanta, rather than settling for the principal’s annual canned trip to New York City. There we were, several girlfriends and I, in an Underground Atlanta Greek restaurant. Given our small town upbringing, both the menu and the belly dancing were pretty much Greek to us! I have to admit to being a foodie even at the ripe old age of 18 though, for the lasting impression I carried from that experience was the lusciousness of the cheesy pastitsio I ordered for dinner.

Cheese is evidently somewhat addicting. Casein, the dairy protein in cheese, is broken down by the body into casomorphins, which bind to the dopamine receptors in the brain. Pleasurable sensations result, causing one to want more and more cheese. While I have little difficulty passing by on the meat, cheese is a different matter entirely. However, soft cheeses like feta are high in lactose, the milk sugar that I struggle to digest. Cheese is also high in saturated fat… Soooo, I find myself attempting to minimize it a bit. I am trying to include cheese in my cooking as I do meat-using just a little to flavor and enhance the plant-based foods that are becoming the mainstays of our meals.

Greek salad is a delicious, cooling and substantial summer salad, starring olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes and cucumbers, but usually heavy on the feta. My Greek salad is a reinvention, adding marinated lentils for healthy protein and sautéed lemon for acidity, while reducing the amount of feta. I also nixed the cucumber, another ingredient that challenges the digestion. Admittedly no self-respecting Greek would allow such an omission, but fortunately I’m not Greek. You can keep it in the salad if you must. Hang onto the tomatoes, pepperoncini and red onion, and add a few croutons or toasted walnuts for crunch. Greek style vinaigrette, seasoned with thyme and oregano binds all the ingredients together. While I prefer to bake the feta until golden and soft, we avoid turning on the oven at dinnertime because it’s already hot as hell in the kitchen here in the desert summer. It’s microwaved in short bursts, just ‘til warm and softened.

The finished salad is balanced, satisfying and beautiful on the plate. The components can all be made ahead and combined when ready to serve. My Greek-ish salad joins our collection of hot weather dinner salads that whet the appetite on hot days. Sizzling weather is no longer confined to the desert southwest, you know; it’s pretty much everywhere. Next time it’s too hot to cook, put this salad on the menu. The belly dancing, however, is optional…

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My Big Greek-ish Salad

Cool crisp Greek style salad with sauteed lemon, marinated lentils and warm feta.

Prep Time45

Total Time45

Course: Entree, Entree Salad

Cuisine: Greek

Keyword: feta, salad

Servings: 4 people

Ingredients

Salad

1 lemon, sliced paper thin
Olive oil
1 cup cooked lentils 1/2 cup dry, or from a can
8 cups salad greens I use a mix of arugula and spring mix
1/2 cup Kalamata olives, sliced
1/2 cup sliced jarred pepperoncini
1 cup halved grape tomatoes
4 thin slices red onion, separated into rings
1/4 cup toasted walnut pieces can substitute crisp croutons
6 ounces feta cheese

Dressing

1/3 cup quality extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2 Tbsp lemon juice
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp freshly ground pepper
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp crushed red pepper

Instructions

Heat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat. Brush the lemon slices with olive oil, then brown lightly on each side. Remove and set aside. Cool, then cut slices into quarters.
Whisk the dressing ingredients together and add 1 tablespoon of the dressing to the prepared lentils. Stir through and set aside to marinate.
When ready to serve, toss the lettuces, olives, pepperoncini, tomatoes, red onion, walnuts and reserved lemon slices together. Place the feta squares onto a plate and microwave for 10-second bursts until warmed. Drizzle 1 teaspoon of dressing over the feta, then toss the remaining with the salad. Portion salad evenly onto four plates. Arrange the lentils over the salad, and top each with a square of feta.

Pinto Beans with Mole Spices and Chili Corn Cakes

Eat food. Not too much. Mostly Plants.

Michael Pollan

It appears, from most of what I’m reading these days, that plant based diversity leads to a healthier gut. And heaven only knows I could use one of those! Apparently though, plant based diversity relies a bit more than I care for upon … beans. These little packages burst with low fat protein, antioxidants, and folate. Lower one’s risk of heart disease and cancer. Help stabilize blood glucose. I once heard them described as “nature’s scrub brush for the intestines.” Americans are urged to substitute beans for some of the animal foods we love to love. But you know, those beans are kind of bland… and hard to digest for one with a not-so-healthy-gut.

I did not grow up eating beans, honestly. My mom’s home baked beans from scratch were amazingly good, dressed up with bacon and brown sugar. But these were only made when there would be many people to eat them, such as at a family get-together. My dad had miserable ulcers and other digestive difficulties, and beans were simply not the best idea, or so it seemed. We didn’t want him eating too many of those leftovers! Living with many of these same issues, I’ve avoided them for years; however, I’ve discovered that in addition to soaking, sprouting makes them pretty digestible, while simultaneously releasing tremendous amounts of nutrients. Which is, sigh, what I need. And wouldn’t ya just know, my husband loves the little nuggets…

So beans are making an appearance a time or two a week, either in a starring or supporting role. But they need flavor! Spices! Heat! Smoke! Or something… to make them taste delicious. Bacon and brown sugar decidedly make them tasty, but those ingredients carry a lot of baggage these days. I’m looking in other directions. So the beans are simmered in beer with chopped onions, then seasoned with a mole influenced spice mix. Now, true mole sauce contains fruit, dried chilies, nuts and spices and takes most of the day to prepare, leaving in its wake a sink of dirty pans along with the use of every appliance in one’s kitchen. I know, having made it in my younger, more ambitious days. It is decidedly delectable and is usually the center of the plate, but it’s a bit of a pain to make. Which is why we’re going with the much simpler “mole influenced” spice blend. Heck, we’re already messing with cooking beans from scratch, and there’s only so much more going to happen. Oh! Did I neglect to mention that the bowls of beans are topped with chili-spiced corn cakes?

The dish turned out to be quite delicious, even for me. The beans are served with generous amounts of smoky broth, just waiting to moisten the corn cakes with every bite. This one takes some time, so I’d save it for a chilly day at home, in which you have time to cook. And remember-beans are good for you!

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Pinto Beans with Mole Spices and Chili Corncakes

Simmered pinto beans with rich flavor of mole, topped with fluffy corn pancakes.

Prep Time1

Cook Time1 30

Total Time3

Course: Entree

Cuisine: American, Mexican

Keyword: corncakes, mole, pinto beans

Servings: 4

Ingredients

1 cup dry pinto beans, soaked for 8 hours
1 tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup diced onion
3/4 cup dark beer
3/4 cup vegetable broth
2 cups water
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup minced cilantro
1 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp ancho chile powder or substitute chile powder
1 1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder or 1 teaspoon chopped chipotle in adobo
2 tsp cocoa
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
2 tsp brown sugar
1 tbsp almond flour
2/3 cup cornmeal
1/3 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar
1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp chipotle chile powder or 1 teaspoon chopped chipotle in adobo
1 cup buttermilk
1 large egg
1 tsp olive oil
1/3 cup sour cream, crema or cashew cream

Instructions

Pinto Beans

In a large saucepan, saute the onions in the olive oil until translucent. Add the beans, beer, broth, and water. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer, cooking until tender, about 1 hour. While the beans cook, prep the mole spices. When the beans are just tender, add the 1/2 teaspoon salt, 2-3 tablespoons of mole spice mix and the cilantro. Cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes while preparing the corncakes.

Mole Spices

Heat the 1 tablespoon of olive oil over medium heat. Add the remaining ingredients through the almond flour. Saute for several minutes to bloom the spices, then stir in the 1/2 cup water and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring to combine. Set aside.

Chile Corn Cakes

In a medum bowl, combine the dry ingredients. In a second bowl, blend the buttermilk, egg and oil. Preheat the griddle and grease lightly. Combine the wet with the dry ingredients. Scoop 1/4-cup portions onto the griddle and bake several minutes, until browned on the bottom and bubbles appear on the top. Flip the cakes, baking several minutes until set and browned on the second side. Remove to a plate.

Assembly

Combine the sour cream with 2 tablespoons of the mole spices. Portion the beans and broth into bowls. Drizzle with the seasoned sour cream. Top the bowl with 2 chile corncakes, and serve.

Fig and Walnut Pizza

Fig Pizza. You knew it had to happen. If only it had been my idea….

My first taste of such a pizza came at Time Market, http://www.timemarket.xyz a terrific little local market/café. And of course, these fine folks use long fermented pizza dough…in a wood fired pizza oven… with which my home oven cannot compete. But I still try, because this pizza is scrumptious.

Pizza was an unknown entity in my early days on the farm, until these little boxes appeared in the grocery store, labeled “Appian Way.” Sounded very Italian! I’m amazed to discover that this product is still produced today, because it was, um, not exactly a pizza to write home about. A little packet of dough ingredients, can of sauce and envelope of cheese. What came out of the oven? Overly sweet tomato sauce on a biscuit-y crust topped with oddly powdered “parmesan.” By the time I was in high school, there was a pizza place in town; we’ll leave it at that.

Having now experienced true Neapolitan pizza on Italy’s Amalfi coast, I can assure you it is amazing. Thin chewy crust, puffy edges dotted with crispy charred spots from the wood fired pizza oven. Fresh mozzarella combined with authentic parmigiana-reggiana. I can only hope the cooks in heaven are Italian. We have several shops here in the city that come close, using naturally leavened crust in big beautiful wood fired ovens. Since none of them are exactly around the corner, I make it at home more often than taking it out.

On ambitious days, long fermented dough is rolled and flipped on the charcoal grill. Topped in the kitchen and quickly broiled, this comes closest to authentic pizza, with the delicious char that only a fire can bring. More often, the same dough is topped and oven baked on a pizza stone, in the hottest temperature I can crank up. Then there are the days like today, when there isn’t really even time enough to eat! Out comes the packaged pre-baked sprouted wheat crust… the point being that we can make homemade pizza fit just about any occasion.

My first experience of fruit on pizza was the whole pineapple-and-ham thing. I find it amazing that this combination still exists; it’s just a nonstarter for me-pineapple is too juicy, too sweet, too…in the wrong place. While figs are sweet, they are enthusiastic participants in the whole sweet-salty-savory thing. (Yes, I know I am a bit biased, but figs are the most versatile fruit ever!) The savory is provided by the onion and fennel sauté. The salty comes from the cheeses and the walnut sauce brings the richness. While I call for fresh mozz and real parmigiana, goat cheese or feta would be a great combination with the figs, too. Should you happen to be the pizza-has-to-have-meat type, a few strips of prosciutto will snuggle up to those figs just fine.

As I mention every July, fig season is fleeting. If you find a package calling your name, grab them and fire up the oven or light the grill. I made two pizzas, both disappearing in about half the time it took to make them. Bring home the figs and it will happen for you, too!

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Fig and Walnut Pizza

Sweet, salty and savory pizza, topped with caramelized vegetables, walnuts, figs and fresh mozzarella.

Prep Time40

Cook Time12

Total Time52

Course: Appetizer, Entree

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: figs, pizza

Servings: 8

Ingredients

2 tbsp olive oil
3/4 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced fennel bulb
1/2 tsp fennel seed
2 tsp diced fresh rosemary 1 tsp if using dried rosemary
chile flakes to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 cup walnut pieces
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
12 medium figs sliced or cut into chunks
8 oz fresh mozzarella cheese sliced and drained on paper towels
Pizza dough for 2 12-inch pizzas, or 2 premade 12-inch crusts

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a small skillet over medium heat. Add the onions and fennel, stirring to coat with the oil. Brown for several minutes, then turn down the heat and cover, allowing the vegetables to cook slowly till soft, about 20-30 minutes. Stir in the fennel seeds, rosemary and chili flake, if using. Season lightly with salt and pepper, then set aside to cool.
If a baking stone is available, place it in the oven and preheat to 450° F. In a food processor, combine the vegetable mixture with the walnuts, and process to a chunky paste. Add a tablespoon or two of water and process to achieve a spreadable texture, but don’t make it too smooth. There should still be tiny chunks of walnut remaining. Alternately, the mixture can be ground using mortar and pestle, or simply chopped together on a cutting board.
Press the dough out into a 12-inch circle on a piece of parchment paper. If using a baking sheet, transfer the parchment to the pan. If using the baking stone, transfer the parchment to a pizza peel or pan for sliding onto the stone. Spread half the walnut sauce over each crust. Sprinkle each pizza with 2 tablespoons parmigiana cheese. Press the fig pieces into the sauce, then dot the fresh mozzarella over the top. Side the parchment onto the baking stone, or place the baking sheet in the oven. Bake until the crust browns and cheese is bubbly, about 10-12 minutes.