Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Friday, November 23, 2012
Broiled Eggs with Kale and Roasted Kabocha
I love kale, but I've been particularly crazy for them this season. For the past few weeks, I've been eating kale non-stop—in salads and in soups; roasted as chips or simply sauteed. And just when I thought it couldn't get any better, it did. All thanks to a perfectly cooked egg on top.
I've made this dish of Broiled Eggs with Kale and Roasted Kabocha several times now. You get the crunchy bits from some of the charred kale bits, and then the creaminess of the egg yolk. The saltiness of the cheese and the sweetness of the kabocha. It's a fantastic vegetarian brunch option, but also lovely as a light dinner entree. It tastes so fresh and doesn't weigh your stomach down, yet it's a surprisingly hearty dish that won't leave you famished an hour later.
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
Monday, November 19, 2012
Creamy Marinara Sauce (I Can't Believe It's Dairy-free!)
The leftover dilemma continues, with this week's excess ingredients being tomato puree (from the harira) and half a block of tofu. It was never my intention to combine both leftover ingredients into one dish. However, in my search for inspiration for either of the ingredients, I came across a recipe that incorporated both—a creamy marinara sauce...that's dairy-free. Rather than the aid of cream or cheese (like ricotta or mascarpone), the sauce uses tofu to give it a creamy quality. I'll be honest, I was skeptical with the combination at first, but thought, what the heck! I might as well experiment with leftover ingredients for the fun of it.
Wednesday, November 7, 2012
Extra Pumpkin Puree? Extra Treats!
I’m often left with the dilemma of leftover ingredients. Some ingredients are a no-brainer in putting together another dish—crushed tomatoes are easily tossed with some garlic and basil for a simple pasta dish; beans top off a salad, or get thrown into a soup, or made into a light and healthy dip.
There are others, though, that require me to do a little bit more thinking and dig around for some recipes, especially with ingredients I don’t use as often. The month of October, with Thanksgiving and Halloween in the midst, had me popping open cans of pureed pumpkin. Yet none of the recipes I made ever required me to use a whole can of pureed pumpkin, which always left me with more pumpkin than I really needed. And there were only so many pumpkin loaves, scones, or muffins I was really to bake (and eat).
Having ran out of granola, I came across this recipe for Pumpkin Granola, courtesy of Buried Carrots, perfect to use up some of my leftover pumpkin. Chock-full of dried cranberries, pumpkin seeds, walnuts, spices, and maple, the granola screamed “autumn.” It’s a moister, chewier granola than what I’m used to (the drier, crunchier type), thanks to the addition of pumpkin, but just as delicious over yogurt with a little maple syrup or apple butter.
Yet I still had leftover pumpkin puree, which got turned into Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies, recipe courtesy of Ellen in the Kitchen. If you’re a fan of a chewy, cakey cookie, then this one is for you. The pumpkin keeps the cookies super moist, and I always love the combination of chocolate and cinnamon. I also sprinkled a little applewood-smoked salt on top. It’s easy to put a few of these back before you’ve realized how many you’ve ate!
So open up a can of pumpkin and try out a recipe…or two…or three… Because leftovers truly can be inspiring.
Monday, November 5, 2012
Soup Cravings: Harira (Moroccan Lentil Soup)
The cooler, rainier fall weather of late has gotten me in a serious soup-craving mood. Every weekend, I would make a big pot of soup to last me the week—perfect for an easy lunch solution or a light dinner on nights I’m not feeling very hungry. This week’s soup is the Moroccan national dish—harira.
If you’ve never had harira, it’s a rich tomato-based lentil soup, flavoured with a variety of spices and herbs, simmered for a long time to concentrate the flavours, and thickened with flour. It’s certainly a hearty soup, and can easily be eaten on its own as a light meal. And it is so delicious!
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