Maren’s Kitchen – Page 2 – adventures in cooking

Laurel’s Kitchen: Lunch

On: January 29, 2020

Sandwiches have been the mainstay of American lunches for as long as I can remember. However, they tend to carry a lot of calories in excess fat (butter, mayonnaise, cheese) and marginally nutritious breads. Laurel and friends opt for bean spreads and fresh vegetables. For the sake of convenience, I simply used crackers and celery sticks.

Soy Spread with Crackers	Garbanzo Spread on Celery
Refrito Spread	Soy Pate with Crackers
Tempeh Bars	Avocado Spread with Crackers

Laurel’s Kitchen: Salads

On: January 22, 2020

I love eating salads but rarely get around to making them. So I’m grateful when my romp through a cookbook affords the opportunity to experiment with some new recipes. The clear winner was the Disappearing Carrot Salad, a delicious concoction of carrots, apples, currants, and walnuts with a ginger-citrus dressing.

Astonishing Salad	Greek Salad
Ceci Salad	Mexican Salad Bowl
California Tossed Salad	Spinach and Mushroom Salad
Roasted Red Peppers	Slaw Chez Nous
Red Rogue’s Delight	Carrot Salad
Disappearing Carrot Salad	Winter Salad

Laurel’s Kitchen: Soups

On: January 15, 2020

I’ve continued my love affair with soups. They’ve moved from a Fall/Winter lunchtime favorite to a year-round thing. Favorites from this cookbook include Whole Beet Borscht, Minestrone, and Fresh Corn & Tomato Soup.

P.S. I’d serve Early Autumn Fruit Soup as a refreshing summer meal starter!

Whole Beet Borscht	Minestrone
Old Favorite Green Soup	New Favorite Green Soup
Asparagus Soup	Creamy Cauliflower Soup
Carrot Soup	Kale-Potato Soup
Corn Chowder	Gingery Tomato Soup
Fresh Corn and Tomato Soup	Hearty Pea Soup
Black Bean Soup	Early Autumn Fruit Soup

Laurel’s Kitchen: Vegetables

On: January 8, 2020

“Soon after people become vegetarians, they are likely to make a marvelous discovery: vegetables.”

How true! If you’ve grown up on the Standard American Diet, vegetables were a condiment relegated to a tiny space on the outer edge of the plate. Now they’re front and center in meal planning. By way of introduction, Laurel’s Kitchen provides a lot of helpful information about vegetables in addition to some suggestions on how to prepare them.

Artichokes Tellicherry	Chinese Asparagus
Green Beans Hellenika	Spicy Green Beans
Whole Golden Beets	King Cole Curry
Brussel Sprouts-Squash Casserole	Brussel Sprouts and Bell Peppers
Bubble and Squeak	Greek Cauliflower
Tomato Kale	Crumbly Greens
Sesame-Glazed Parsnips	Zucchini Provencal
Stuffed Acorn Squash

Laurel’s Kitchen: Mixed Vegetables

On: January 1, 2020

We’ve been making the Middle Eastern Vegetables for years and never tire of the tasty mix of ingredients. The Mushrooms Petaluma will be a new addition to our seasonal rotation.

Ratatouille	Middle Eastern Vegetables
Mushrooms Petaluma	Winter Stew

Laurel’s Kitchen: Grains and Beans

On: December 18, 2019

As folks who eat a lot of grains and beans, we’re always open to new ways to prepare them. This cookbook did not disappoint. The rice and quinoa recipes were quite satisfying. We loved the Tomale Pie, and the Chili con Elote, Black Eyed Peas Virginia Style, and Boston Baked Beans were quite tasty and easy to prepare.

Confetti Quinoa	Spanish Rice
Teresa’s Spanish Rice	Wild Rice
Tempeh a la King	Tempeh Cacciatore
Tempeh a l’Orange	Tomale Pie
Chili con Elote	Boston Baked Beans
Black-Eyed Peas Virginia Style

Laurel’s Kitchen: Dessert

On: December 11, 2019

We sampled a lot of tasty treats in the course of working our way through several cookbooks. Our waistlines have let us know that we’ve sampled enough! So, we opted to try just a few of the recipes in this cookbook. The winner by far was Diane’s Apple Crisp. It’s a “go to” recipes that we’ve made again and again (with a little extra topping.)

Baked Apple	Diane’s Apple Crisp
Sunshine Bars

Pot Roast

On: November 2, 2019

While we don’t eat beef often, this recipe has been in our “standard rotation” of dinners for years. It’s delicious and ridiculously easy to make. The secret to success entails getting a really good piece of meat – preferably one with a bit of marbling to ensure the end result is tender and juicy.

1 (2½- to 3-pound) boneless beef roast
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 (12-ounce) bottle of beer or apple juice
2-3 tablespoons brown sugar
1 (16-ounce) jar Pace mild salsa
2 large potatoes, peeled and diced (optional)

Trim visible fat away from roast. Place it in a crock pot. Add beer (or apple juice), sugar, and salsa.
Cook and cover on high 3 to 4 hours. Add potatoes during last 90 minutes of cooking.
Remove beef from pot and let stand for ~5-10 minutes before carving.
Serve beef with potatoes and generous helping of sauce.

Asian Shrimp Pasta

On: October 9, 2019

Here’s another one of our favorite recipes to serve for dinner guests. It’s takes very little preparation, tastes absolutely delicious, and cooks in one pot!

1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup soy sauce
3 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons sesame oil
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons hot chili oil
3/4 pound thin spaghetti
1/2 pound green beans, stem ends and strings removed
1 pound (51 to 60 per pound) fresh shrimp, shelled and deveined
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, finely chopped
1/4 cup thinly sliced green onions

Pour 2½ to 3 quarts water into a stock pot and bring to a boil over high heat.
Meanwhile, make the dressing by mixing soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, sugar, and chili oil.
When water boils, stir in pasta. Cook, uncovered, 6-7 minutes. Stir in green beans and shrimp. Cook until pasta is just tender to bite and shrimp are pink, about 1-2 minutes longer. Drain well.
Return pasta mixture to pot. Add dressing, cilantro, and green onions and mix thoroughly. Sprinkle with nuts. Serves 4-5.

Pork Loin with Peanut Sauce

On: September 4, 2019

Here’s one of our favorite recipes to serve for dinner guests. It’s takes very little preparation and tastes absolutely delicious.

1 fat-trimmed center-cut pork loin (about 2½ pound)
1-1/3 cups apple cider
1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp hot chili flakes
2 cloves garlic

On the night before or morning of your dinner party, cut 1/2-inch-deep slits all over pork; place meat in a large plastic food bag.
In a blender, combine cider, soy sauce, peanut butter, thyme, chili flakes, and garlic. Blend thoroughly.
Pour cider marinade over pork, seal bag, turn to coat, then set in pan. Chill, turning occasionally, for several hours, up to a day.
Lift meat from marinade and set on a rack in a 9- by 13-inch pan. Reserve marinade.
Bake pork at 350° oven until a thermometer inserted into the thickest part reaches ~170° (roughly an hour). After 30 minutes, baste with reserved marinade.
Transfer pork to a platter and let stand 5 to 10 minutes in a warm place. As pork rests, pour remaining marinade into pan with pork juices (excluding burned parts). Stir over high heat until the sauce is reduced to ~1 cup, 6 to 8 minutes. Pour into a gravy boat.
Slice the pork and accompany with sauce.