Maren’s Kitchen – Page 2 – adventures in cooking

Five Years and Counting

On: September 8, 2020

I began my cooking adventure five years ago this month. To date, we’ve sampled ~1,500 new recipes from 10+ cookbooks, a handful of magazines and websites, and recommendations from friends. Suffice it to say, I’m feeling rather comfortable in the kitchen.

I’ve learned that there’s no end-all-be-all cookbook. Each has its relative strengths and weakness. I’ve generally found no more than 25-35% of the recipes in a given cookbook worth repeating. The others weren’t bad. (Only two recipes proved inedible and wound up in the garbage disposal!) Rather, we opted to set the bar high with respect to taste and level of effort in preparation. Nonetheless, I remain a proponent of cover-to-cover cookbook exploration. That commitment creates an opportunity to explore a lot of ingredients and recipes that you otherwise might bypass. It makes dining more interesting and improves skills and confidence in the kitchen.

With all this experience under my belt, I’ve ventured into Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) this year. These arrangements support local farmers by providing advanced funding for a weekly allotment of fresh fruits and vegetables, generally over the course of 18-20 weeks. By looking at posts from past seasons, you can get a pretty good idea of what you’ll get each week. However, things may vary a bit depending on how the crops fare during the current season. As such, it has been helpful to have a lot of proven recipes on which to draw when each week’s bounty comes in.

Given this year’s pandemic quarantine, I’ve opted to be less adventurous with cooking. I’m limiting visits to the grocery store to every other week. And, of course, we can’t entertain as we once used to do. I miss cooking for others and the companionship that came with enjoying good food. I’ll admit that the rigors of eating every meal at home has worn a bit thin, too. But I’m grateful for all the farmers, wholesale distributors, and retail grocers who make it possible for us to continue eating healthy food. Thank you so much for your hard work!

Fava Beans with Greens

On: August 5, 2020

My husband and I signed up for a share in Love Farm’s Community Supported Agriculture program this Spring. Every Monday afternoon from June through mid-October, this share entitles us to receive 8-10 servings of farm-fresh vegetables. Of course, week-to-week, we never quite know what we’re going to get.

Fava beans arrived a couple of weeks ago. Until Dr. Hannibal Lector’s infamous line in The Silence of the Lambs (i.e., “I ate his liver with some fava beans and a nice Chianti.”), I’d never even heard of them. I’ve since made a few recipes with dried fava beans, but I’d never had my hands on the real deal right off the vine… until now.

I was smart enough to know that the beans had to be liberated from their pods. Then, I consulted good old Google. I learned that I needed to drop the little darlings into boiling, salty water for one minute. Then, I drained the hot water and put the beans in ice water to stop the cooking process. Finally, I removed the tough outer skin to reveal the vibrant green beans. Yep – it’s a bit time-consuming, but you can always check out The Silence of the Lambs while doing it!

Fava beans right out of the pod.

Fava beans after they’ve been boiled and peeled.

Now I was ready to actually make something! Here are the details:

Make a Smoky-Maple Sauce in a small bowl using 1/4 cup soy sauce, 1/4 cup vegetable broth, 2 tablespoons maple syrup, 1 tablespoon liquid smoke, 1 tablespoon lemon (or lime) juice, 1 tablespoon tomato paste (or Thai Red Curry paste), and 3-4 cloves finely chopped garlic, and set it aside. (Note: If you really like the sauce, you can up the recipe by 50%.)

Chop an onion and sauté in oil until translucent, about 5-8 minutes.

Add boiled, peeled fava beans and sauté for an additional 2-3 minutes. Pour in the Smoky-Maple Sauce.

Add 1 good-sized bunch of fresh kale with ribs removed and leaves torn into small pieces. Continue cooking until the leaves wilt.

Serve immediately.

The resulting dish is high in nutritional content and quite delicious!

SUMMARY: Thug Kitchen

On: July 2, 2020

The folks behind Thug Kitchen have issued a wake-up call to America. They tell us that the average American eats 270 pounds of meat annually, more than twice the recommended protein allowance. It makes us four times more likely to die of cancer – and 74% more likely die of any cause – than a whole foods plant based diet. They also claim that we spend 42% of food budget outside the home, where who-knows-what ingredients/chemicals find their way into our bodies.

The Thug Kitchen Cookbook is an invitation to elevate our nutrition and kitchen game. The authors want eat more fresh fruits, vegetables, and whole grains, prepare our own food, and have a bit of fun while we’re at it. And just in case you think that only high-brow, elitist snobs or hopelessly earthy granola types eat this stuff, Thug Kitchen chefs have the tattoos and potty mouths to change your mind.

It’s a good cookbook if you’re just starting out with this style of eating. The authors help you stock up on supplies (staples, herbs, spices) and equipment. They provide cooking basics for beans and grains, and the recipes are easy to follow. They also provide these words of wisdom:

Read the recipe all the way through so that you can be prepared for what you’ll be asked to do. It saves a lot of stress mid-cooking.
Pay close attention to required quantities. To that I’d add: Go easy on hot sauces, cayenne pepper, etc. You can always add some heat; you can’t take it away!
Change the recipe to suit you. Just don’t add weird ingredients or leave out major ones.

As this cookbook was our tenth exploration, we did not feel the need to make every recipe in the book. We opted out of desserts as well as most of the bread- and pasta-based dishes. We also passed on several been-there, done-that recipes. The remaining options proved to be some of the best recipes we’ve tasted on our cooking adventure. We will definitely make them again!

Breakfast

On: June 25, 2020

It was nice changing things up a bit for breakfast. The Basic Maple Granola is very good and quite easy to make. The Breakfast Greens and Tofu Scramble Tacos work well for starting the day or ending with a light dinner.

Quinoa Oatmeal	Mixed Veggie and Tofu Chilaquiles
Basic Maple Granola	Breakfast Greens
Tofu Scramble Tacos	Brown Rice Bowl with Edamame
Cornmeal Pancakes with Strawberry Syrup	To-Go Breakfast Bars
Oat Flour and Griddle Cakes with Blueberry Syrup	Fruit Salad Smoothie

Salads and Mini Meals

On: June 18, 2020

There are lots of good options for sides and snacks here. Though not pictured, Thug Kitchen provides three recipes for tofu marinades that are quite good (Ginger-Sesame, Smoky Maple, and Sweet Citrus). We’ve used them several times to flavor crumpled tofu and then stir-fry the whole mixture with braised greens. The result is really healthy and really delicious.

Spiced Chickpea Wraps with Tahini Dressing	Moroccan Spiced Couscous
Roasted Broccoli and Millet Pilaf	Lemon-Mint Quinoa
Roasted Potato Salad with Fresh Herbs	Braised Winter Cabbage and Potatoes
Roasted Beet and Quinoa Salad	Barley-stuffed Peppers
Sweet Corn and Green Chili Baked Flautas	Apple Baked Beans
Creamy Peanut Slaw	Yellow Spilt Pea and Green Onion Lettuce Wraps
Wilted Greens	Baked Spanish Rice

Soups and Stews

On: June 11, 2020

The Pozole Rojo is the most flavorful way I’ve found to prepare tempeh to date. A great recipe! The Minestrone and Tortilla Soup get honorable mentions.

Lemony Lentil Soup	Pozole Rojo
Minestrone	Summer Squash Soup
Pumpkin Chili	Tortilla Soup

The Munchies

On: June 4, 2020

Quite a few taste treats here for cocktail hour. Our latest Zoom call drew quite a bit of interest in the Roasted Sriracha Cauliflower Bites with Peanut Dipping Sauce.

Cumin-Spiked Pinto Bean Dip	Creamy Black Bean and Cilantro Dip
Baked Zucchini Chips	Spicy Pickled Carrots
Quick Pickled Cucumbers and Onions	Pine-Apple Guacamole
Roasted Sriracha Cauliflower Bites with Peanut Dipping Sauce	Watermelon Hibiscus Coolers
Ginger-Lime Sparklers

Burritos, Bowls, and Other Meals

On: May 28, 2020

The Lentil Tacos with Carrot-Jicama Slaw and Sweet Potato, Squash, and Black Bean Enchiladas have already found their places in our regular rotation of favorites. Delish!

Black Bean Torta with Coconut Chipotle Mayo	Lentil Tacos with Carrot-Jicama Slaw
Vegetable Pad Thai with Dry-Fried Tofu	Sweet Potato, Squash, and Black Bean Enchiladas
Mango Curry	Roasted Chickpea and Broccoli Burrito
Quick Lime and Cilantro Slaw	Tempeh Peanut Noodles with Blanched Kale
Root Veggie Fries	BBQ Bean Burritos with Grilled Peach Salsa

Beets

On: April 8, 2020

I’ve been a fan of beets for as long as I can remember. Mom used to cut off the greens, wash the skins thoroughly, and then simmer the roots for 20-25 minutes. (A large beet may take up to 45 minutes.) Once the little darlings softened up, she’d gently peel the outer skins off, slice the red juicy flesh, and add a little butter for extra flavor. (Note: They’re so sweet that they don’t need much of anything to increase their deliciousness!)

Beets are rich in Folate, Potassium, and Manganese along with a respectable amount of Vitamin B6, Vitamin C, Iron, Magnesium, Phosphorous, and Copper. Beet greens serve up more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than the beet root and are lower in calories, fat, and sugar. So, I make a point of eating the greens and the roots.

If you don’t mind getting red dye all over your fingers, go ahead and dive right in! Otherwise, wear gloves or buy the orange beets instead of the red ones. They’re just as tasty.

Here’s what I do:

Cut off the beet tops and wash them thoroughly. Get rid of the center spine and slice into strips.
Wash the beet roots and simmer them on the stove top until tender when pierced with a fork. Let cool briefly and then remove the outer skin and slice.
As the beet roots near the end of their cooking time, stir fry the beet greens in oil or vegetable broth until they wilt.
Place the beet greens and sliced roots on the plate and drizzle with an oil, vinegar, and spicy brown mustard salad dressing.

Yum!

A Healthy Salad

On: March 18, 2020

I love to eat a great, big salad for lunch. It’s a great opportunity to score a good chunk of my daily 5-7 servings of fresh fruits and vegetables while keeping me sated throughout the long afternoon.

While I don’t follow a specific recipe, I choose vegetables with vibrant colors – e.g., diced bell peppers (usually red, yellow, or orange), shredded carrots, shredded purple cabbage, multi-colored kale pieces, and chopped tomatoes. If I’ve got them, I’ll add blueberries to the mix. Bright colors signal the presence of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory phytochemicals like carotenes, polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyanidins. These ingredients are also jam-packed with insoluble fiber that helps food move through the digestive track.

I typically use beans as a protein source, though I’ll add whole grains if I have leftovers with no other use. Beyond their gaggle of nutrients, these items provide soluble fiber that supports healthy digestion and feeds the good bacteria in the gut.

If I haven’t had my tablespoon of ground flax seeds in my morning oatmeal, I’ll add it to the salad. Flax seeds are a great source of anti-inflammatory omega-3 fatty acids that aid in the absorption of vitamins A, D, and E, all essential for immune health.

I make my own salad dressing. It takes very little time and avoids ingestion of all the chemicals, sugar, and fat that the commercial brands contain. Again, I don’t really follow a recipe other than to combine olive oil, balsamic vinegar, a generous squirt of brown spicy mustard, and a splash of agave nectar. We lean a little heavily on the balsamic vinegar to provide ample coverage without adding calories.

By including a wide variety of plant foods in my salad, I’ve bolstered my immune system’s ability to respond to viruses and other pathogens that seek to make a home in my body. And, of course, I’ve delighted my taste buds while I’m at it!