get your yummy back

musings from a health supportive culinary artist

Rice Pudding with Almonds and Apricots January 25, 2010

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 1:31 am
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It’s been raining like crazy! I am very happy indoors, stirring up some new things, including this Rice Pudding with Almonds and Apricots.  

At the kitchen where I’m working, they make a heavenly coconut milk rice pudding with raisins, so I’ve had rice pudding on the brain. This one has a different twist. Brown rice is mixed with almond milk and infused with orange zest, cardamom, and cinnamon. It is best served warm and topped with toasted, sliced almonds. I even enjoy it for breakfast in a “hot breakfast cereal” sort of way. If you have leftover brown rice, this dish comes together very quickly. Just skip the section on preparing rice and add 2 cups of cooked rice to the recipe for pudding.

Almonds are high in healthy, monounstaurated fats and cinnamon was named as one of the “11 Best Foods You Aren’t Eating” in one of my favorite blogs. On top of it all, this recipe is gluten-free, dairy-free, and packed with whole grains. What are you waiting for?

 

Rosemary Foccacia + Tomato and Basil Topping January 19, 2010

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 12:56 am
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One benefit of wintering in California is the herb garden that just won’t quit. My sister and her husband have fresh parsley, tarragon, rosemary, marjoram, and thyme at the ready. In January. It’s incredible. 

This week, I made a really tasty Rosemary Foccacia, which is an Italian flat bread, using rosemary straight from the garden. Granted, making focaccia takes a little time. However, most of that time can be spent doing other things while waiting between a series of rather simple steps. If you’ve never made a yeast bread, this is a great place to start.

The rosemary, olive oil, and sea salt combination is heavenly. Fresh from the oven, I cut individual slices and topped them with tomatoes and basil simply dressed with balsamic vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper. It was almost like a bread salad, which was the perfect accompaniment to our soup for dinner. Mmm, mmm, good!

 

Whole Grain Banana Mini-Muffins January 14, 2010

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 7:04 pm
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Each morning at Three Stone Hearth, right around 11:00 am, everyone in the kitchen breaks for tea. It’s a time when recipes are discussed, questions are asked, stories are shared, and laughs are had by all. Chef/owners, apprentices, interns, volunteers, and staff gather around a simple and wholesome spread of herbal teas, multi-grain crackers, farm-fresh cheese, vegetables, natural nut butter, dried fruit, and when we’re lucky, fresh bread baked by Shelby, a kitchen volunteer. Last week, Shelby made a delicious walnut raisin bread and also a sourdough rye. Inspired, and knowing Shelby would be out on Wednesday, I decided to bake for tea, so I made Whole Grain Banana Mini-Muffins. Packed with whole grains and natural sweeteners, these delightful little treats are great any time of day, especially with a hot cup of tea and some new friends. Enjoy!

 

Fresh Herb, Grapefruit, and Fennel Salad January 8, 2010

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 2:07 am
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Greetings from Northern California! For the next two months, I am working in the kitchen at Three Stone Hearth, a Community Supported Kitchen in Berkeley, California.  Three Stone Hearth is preparing healthy, nutrient-dense foods, from scratch, for pickup and delivery to San Francisco Bay Area residents. I am thrilled to be cooking, learning, contributing, and sharing with like-minded chefs and volunteers. Good stuff!

Tonight, I made a Fresh Herb, Grapefruit, and Fennel Salad. Everyone at the table agreed - it’s a keeper. Crunchy, fresh, and light, it makes for a wonderful winter salad.  

Preparing fennel is simple. Start by cutting off the stalks, right where the bulb starts. Then, trim the root end. Stand the bulb flat on the root end. Slice it in half, vertically. Then, use a knife to remove the core from each half by making a v-like slice at the bottom, similar to removing the core from half a head of cabbage. With care, slice the fennel paper-thin, using a knife or mandolin.

For this recipe, instead of grapefruit, we used a mixture of blood oranges and Cara Cara oranges, a type of navel orange grown in California and Arizona. The Cara Caras have a gorgeous grapefruit color, but are sweeter and less acidic than grapefruit. I can’t resist them. Dee-lightful!

 

Polenta and Black Bean Casserole January 3, 2010

Filed under: how to make it — chezdesblog @ 10:11 pm
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This has been a strange week for recipes. I tried a few that either weren’t exciting or had their challenges, and I would not lead you astray by recommending them without caveat. For instance, this month’s Bon Appetit includes a recipe for Lentil Soup with Spicy Italian Sausage (I used chicken chorizo sausage). While it is healthy, simple, and pretty good, it does not make my go-to list for soups.

I also tried this Pork Tenderloin with Pears and Shallots. It was actually quite tasty, and would be great for a dinner party, but the recipe needs some work. The cooking temperature was incorrect (should be 475 degrees) and the cooking time for the pork was way off. The pears need to either be very ripe, cut smaller, or roasted along with the pork (which I did). That said, if you have the time (and inclination) to read the reviews and make some adjustments, I think you’ll enjoy it.

So, my friends, what to make if you are looking for healthy, simple, and truly tasty? How about another old favorite, Polenta and Black Bean Casserole.  This yummy one-dish meal satisfies my craving for Mexican food with cilantro, diced green chilies, salsa verde, polenta, black beans, hominy, and cumin. I often make my own polenta and spread it as a layer instead of using the store-bought polenta called for by the recipe. Also, if you have any of the adobo sauce leftover from the Sweet Potato Potpie, I suggest adding a little bit to the chili mixture for an extra kick.

 

 
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