Dessert Made Easy #1 - Strawberry Rhubarb Compote with Cashew Cream

Oh the delights of seasonal offerings. While at the Minneapolis Farmers Market I picked up a huge bunch of beautifully, deep red rhubarb. Being completely naive on how to cook the rhubarbs I went to my new favorite cook book: Clean Food which outlines recipes by season (side note: I received this cookbook for beta testing a really amazing tool: No Plan Meal Plan).

ANYWAY, one of two rhubarb recipes was this wonderfully delicious and easy recipe for Strawberry Rhubarb Compote with Cashew Cream. This is technically a 'summer' recipe but with the rhubarb dominating the farmers market I had to try it out.

Strawberry Compote with Cashew Creme
 I will note where I made substitutions, but did the cooking slightly outside of the recipe so will just list that. 

Cashew Cream
2 c. apple juice (I used 1.5 c. apple juice)
2 c. lightly roasted cashews (I used 1.5 c. raw cashews that I pan roasted over low heat)
3 tblsp. maple syrup (I used 1 tblsp of maple syrup, 1 tblsp agave)

In small pot, bring apple juice to a boil and remove from heat. Place cashews and syrup in food processor (I used a Vitamix; the food processor left it quite chunky, not smooth). Turn on and add juice. Blend until you have desired consistency, in my opinion the smoother the better. Refrigerate covered for at least an hour.

Compote
2 c. chopped rhubarb
.5 c. apple juice
3 tblsp. arrowroot or kudzu (both can be found at a co-op, natural foods store)
1 tsp. agar powder (vegan gelatin substitute - can be found at a co-op, natural foods store)
4 c. de-stemmed and halved strawberries (I substituted 16 oz. bag frozen mixed berries)

In saucepan over medium heat, combine apple juice and rhubarb. Simmer until rhubarb starts to fall apart, about 7 minutes. Because my berries were frozen I added after a couple minutes and had it simmer all together so they'd defrost. Add mixture to blender. Add arrowroot (or kudzu) and agar and blend until mixture begins to thicken and is fully blended. Set aside and cool slightly.

From there you can prepare a few ways. I found my cashew cream was not layering very nicely so I did a large layer of compote and then dolloped the cream on top, mixing it through with a knife which gave it a sorta pretty marbled look.

The final product was visually appealing (thought not so photo friendly) and delicious. Get yourself some rhubarb and try this out, I promise your friends will love it!

Meals Made Easy #7 – Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates, Salad, Creamy Garlic Mushrooms over Quinoa & Chocolate Delight - A four course lunch for three

Timing has never been my forte but wanting to become better and serving others I elected to make a simple, yet great coursed meal.

Inspiration: Cooking a special lunch for three. Wanted it to be delicious but not too time consuming since I was doing all the preparation myself and wanting to enjoy time with my guests.

All Food Obtained From: Seward Co-op & Surdyk’s Cheese Shop

While this meal is four courses I broke up the prep over two days and each course itself is not labor intensive, saving the creamy garlic sauce for last. Most everything else can be done ahead of time.

Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

8 marjool dates

Blue cheese

Walnut halves

Cut dates in half, lengthwise. Remove seed. In each half, add blue cheese to taste place one walnut on top.

Mixed Green Salad

Mixed greens

2 small sweet peppers

1-2 large brussel sprouts

Handful of sugar snap peas

Queso fresco

Blueberry, cranberry vinaigrette - recipe here

Divide mixed greens on salad plates. Julianne the brussel sprout(s) and place over the greens. Cut the snap peas in half, and slice the peppers arranging on plate. Cube the quesco fresco and add over top. Dressing , salt & pepper to taste.

Creamy Garlic Mushrooms over Quinoa with Crusty Bread

3 full roasted garlic bulbs

1/2 c vegetable stock

1.5-2 lbs assorted mushrooms (I usually use crimini and shiitake) - sliced

1 tblsp olive oil

1 c. shallots or red onion, finely chopped

1/3 - 1/2 c white wine

1/4 c parmesan cheese

Fresh thyme or other herb

Salt and pepper to taste

1/2 loaf of crusty bread

Quiona

Ahead of time, prepare the quinoa (can refrigerate for day or two).

One part quinoa to two parts stock (or water)

Any other seasonings normally used in rice

Many people recommend rinsing quiona but I do not find a disparaging taste difference. Bring stock to a boil, add quinoa and simmer on low for 15 minutes until water is absorbed. Set aside.

Roasted Garlic

Roast the garlic. This can and should be done ahead of time. Simple recipe here.

Creamy Mushroom Sauce.

Add the garlic cloves to vegetable stock and puree in blender. Set aside. Heat the olive oil in large pan and over medium heat sauté shallots for 4-6 minutes until soft, seasoning with salt and pepper. Add mushrooms and sauté for an additional 6-7 minutes, tossing several times and further seasoning with salt and pepper. Turn heat to high, add wine and sauté until most of the liquid is absorbed. Turn heat to medium-low, add garlic sauce and simmer for a couple more minutes. Toss in parmesan and pour over quinoa stirring to mix all together. 

 While making sauce,  Cut crusty bread in half and in pieces without cutting all the way through to the bottom. But pads of butter between each slice, wrap crusty bread in tin foil and heat in preheated 350 degree oven.  Heat for about 15 minutes. 

Serve immediately. 

Chocolate Divine*

This can be made a day prior and stored in the refrigerator. 

4 small avocados

.5 c cocoa powder

.5 c agave (could substitute honey but may need more/less)

1 tblsp vanilla extract

Pinch or two of cinnamon

Combine the avocados (without shells and seed), cocoa powder, agave, vanilla extract and cinnamon in a blender or food processor. Combine roughly two minutes or until well mixed. It will have the consistency of a thick pudding/mousse.

Serves 4-6

 Blue Cheese Stuffed Dates

Mixed Green Salad

*Dessert recipe courtesy Native Foods, Chicago

Meals Made Easy - Blueberry, Cranberry Vinaigrette

Homemade dressing is very simple to make and tastes so much better than the store bought stuff. It takes minutes to make and the results are fantastic.

Start with a staple recipe and expand based on your tastes. My Blueberry, Cranberry vinaigrette is a variation from Betty Crocker's basic vinaigrette recipe. My version makes a purple-hued dressing, adding even more color to your salad.

1/3 c olive oil
1/3 c apple cider vinegar
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup frozen blueberries
1 in ginger

1/4 teaspoon mustard or mustard seed (I use seeds)
1-2 cloves of garlic
1/8 teaspoon pepper(corns)
Few tblsp water

In a food processor combine all ingredients and blend until fully processed. Put in a airtight jar. Mixture can become thick so give it time to warm up and if dressing is too thick cut with small amounts of water.

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Not pictured: ginger

Meals Made Easy - Roasted Garlic

Roasted garlic is delicious and amazingly easy to make. You can prepare multiple bulbs at one time and save leftovers in the fridge

Preheat oven to 400. Take the bulb of garlic and cut of the top so the garlic cloves are exposed (I recommend saving the tops to use another time). Place on tin foil right side up and drizzle with olive oil. Completely wrap in tin foil and bake for 45-50 minutes until garlic is soft and slightly browned. Let cool fully and then remove the cloves.

Meals Made Easy - #6 - Scallops with Saffron & Mushroom Barley Risotto

Oh, risotto. You are so creamy and delicious. You can be a side or a main dish; you seem extravagant yet so easy to prepare (with just a smidge of time on your hands for stirring). Pair you with scallops and a gourmet meal you resemble, yet, truly, anyone can prepare you.

Inspiration: Craving for delicious yet simple; two random recipes I stumbled upon, working from the risotto and recalling the scallop recipe from memory.

All Food Obtained From: Seward Co-op with the exception of the saffron from The Spicehound in Cleveland

List of Ingredients:
Risotto
1.5 c. pearled barley
.5 large onion chopped
4 c. vegetable stock
saffron
crimini and shiitake mushrooms (volume to liking)
.33 to .5 c. dry white wine
kale (1 stalk)
olive oil
salt and pepper

Scallops
4 large Massachusetts scallops
small sliver of Earth blend butter
whole wheat flour
lemon juice

Prep: Ahead of time: chop onion and mushrooms (keep separate). Julianne the kale.

Risotto
In a deeper pan (you need room to add the broth and rice), add olive oil over medium heat add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add barley and stir for 2-3 minutes until glossy.

Add wine and stir until mostly absorbed, a few minutes. Add stock, one cup at a time, stirring almost constantly until each cup is absorbed. You can take mini breaks to do other things (like shake your shiitake pan or pour yourself more wine) but don't let the mixture sit. I add minimal salt and pepper at this step as I like it to set. I recommend also allowing people to add it to taste at the end.

As you are adding the stock and stirring take your shiitakes and add them to a small pan over medium heat, sauteing until crispy.

Once all the stock is added and absorbed, looking good, add the sauteed mushrooms, shredded Parmesan and julianned kale, mixing lightly to serve.

Scallops
Dredge in flour. Heat oil or vegan butter in very hot pan. Place scallops in pan, let sear for one minute, flip and sear the other side. Allow other sides to briefly color as desired.

Note: Scallops, like most seafood, are picky. Do NOT overcook.

Arrange on plate and serve with risotto.

Que magnifique!

all the ingredients for risotto

scallops ingredients - so easy! 

the final product - scallops with saffron & mushroom risotto

Meals Made Easy #5 - Avocado & Kale Salad

Avocado and Kale Salad


A very simple and supremely delicious salad that can be added to a meal or enjoyed as a stand alone.
Inspiration: My buddy, Claire

Food Obtained From: Seward Co-op

List of Ingredients:
4 stalks of kale
2/3 small avocado
1/4 c. red onion
small amount of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Prep: Remove kale from stalks and chop. Add to mixing bowl. Halve an avocado, remove pit and cut inside vertically and horizontally so it is cubed and add to bowl. Roll lemon on cutting board so it becomes softened (loosening the juice.pulp). Add lemon juice, salt and pepper to the mixing bowl. Combine until well mixed (I have read that is 16 tosses of any salad). Add salt and pepper to taste.

This literally takes about 6 minutes to make and is amazingly delicious and healthy!

(instead of taking a photo I ate it promptly).

Meals Made Easy #4 - Carrot Ginger Soup

Being it is autumn, and I love food, I am consistently thinking of soup. Carrot Ginger Soup keeps popping up so I figured - let's do it. Perusing a few different recipes everything called for oranges but being fresh out I improvised (my favorite!) with frozen pineapple.

Inspiration: Autumn!

Food Obtained From: Tremont Farmers Market, West Side Market

List of Ingredients:
1 lb. carrots
1-2 inches fresh ginger
2 medium onion
2 tblsp butter
4 cups of broth or water with spices
1 cup pineapple
2 handfuls of spinach
1 oz goat cheese
salt and pepper.

Prep: Chop carrots, onion and ginger. In a pan over medium-high heat melt the butter and sautee the carrots, onion and ginger until soft. About 7 minutes. Add two cups of broth/water and simmer covered until tender. Roughly another 10 minutes. Combine the sauteed mixture with the spinach, pineapple and goat cheese either in a blender or using an immersion blender (I use a Vitamix). Combine until pureed. Add salt and pepper to taste.

All in all this takes under 30 minutes to make, the majority of the time being spent sauteing the veggie mixture. To make it vegan take out the goat cheese.

While the soup is a dull yellow and not the most pretty thing to look at it tastes fantastic.

Meals Made Easy #3 - Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts & Goat Cheese

While admittedly I did not make up this recipe, the ease of preparation and the delicious results, I had to post.

I wasn't sure what the nutritional value of butternut squash was, but a quick Google search proved it is fantastic for you!

Inspiration: Recipe from The Splendid Table Newsletter

Food Obtained From: Westside Market and Trader Joes

List of Ingredients: See below

From Sunday Roasts: A Year's Worth of Mouthwatering Roasts, from Old-Fashioned Pot Roasts to Glorious Turkeys and Legs of Lamb by Betty Rosbottom (Chronicle Books, 2011). Copyright © 2011 by Betty Rosbottom. Photographs copyright © 2011 by Susie Cushner. All rights reserved. Used with permission of the publisher.
Serves 4 (depending on size of squash)
Prep Time: 20 minutes if you purchase peeled butternut squash; 40 minutes if you peel and cube it yourself.
Start-to-Finish Time: 55 minutes to 1-1/4 hours
Although this dish calls for only a few ingredients, it delivers big, robust flavors and can be prepared almost completely in advance. The diced squash can be roasted several hours ahead so that at serving time all that is necessary is to arrange the cubes on a platter and sprinkle them with crumbled goat cheese, chopped walnuts, and minced parsley. My local supermarkets sell butternut squash that is already peeled and halved, and if you can find it in this convenient form, it will shave a good amount of time off the prep.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 pounds/1.4 kg butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-in/2.5 cm dice to make 8 cups (see Market Note)
• Kosher salt
• Freshly ground black pepper
• 1/2 cup/55 g walnuts, toasted and coarsely chopped (see Cooking Tip)
• 1/2 cup/115 g goat cheese, crumbled
• 2 tablespoons minced flat-leaf parsley

1. Arrange a rack at center position and preheat the oven to 375°F/190°C/gas 5.
2. Brush a heavy, rimmed baking sheet/tray with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Spread the cubed squash in a single layer on the baking sheet/tray. Drizzle the remaining 2 tablespoons oil over the squash, and toss to coat well. Season with 1 teaspoon salt and several grinds of black pepper.
3. Roast the squash, stirring every 10 minutes, until it is tender when pierced with a knife and browned around the edges, for about 35 minutes or longer. Remove and set aside. (The squash can be roasted 1 day ahead. Cool, cover, and refrigerate. When ready to serve, reheat in a 350°F/180°C/gas 4 oven until warm, for about 15 minutes.)
4. Place the roasted squash cubes on a serving platter and sprinkle with walnuts, goat cheese, and parsley.
Market Note: Look for peeled butternut squash in the produce section of the supermarket. About 40 ounces/1.2 kg of this peeled squash should yield 8 cups. If you buy a whole squash, look for one that weighs 2-1/2 to 3 pounds/1.2 to 1.4 kg before peeling.
Cooking Tip: To toast the walnuts, spread them on a rimmed baking sheet/tray and place in a preheated 350°F/180°C/gas 4 oven until lightly browned and fragrant, 5 to 6 minutes. Watch carefully so that they do not burn. Remove and cool.

Butternut Squash with Toasted Walnuts & Goat Cheese

Meals Made Easy #2 – Soba noodles with Veggies and Tahini Sauce

Meals Made Easy #2 – Soba noodles with veggies and tahini sauce

Inspiration: a remembered meal and a lost recipe

Food obtained from: Basketeria at the Westside Market and Blue Pike Farm

Location: Cleveland, OH

List of Ingredients (all sizes approx): srvg. soba noodles, 5 baby bella mushrooms, .5 red pepper, .5 head broccoli, 3 clove garlic, 2 tblsp tahini, .5 hot pepper, 2 tsp mustard, 1 tblsp flax seed oil, 1 tsp honey, 1 tsp marmalade, 1 tblsp rice vinegar, 1 tblsp butter, salt & pepper

Prep: cut mushrooms, red pepper and broccoli. Bring water to a boil for soba noodles.

In a small bowl add about 2 tblsps of tahini, one clove of garlic, half a hot pepper, 2 tsp of mustard, 1 tblsp flax seed oil, a tsp or two of both honey and marmalade, half a tblsp of rice vinegar, salt and pepper. Whisk together and set aside.

Melt 1 tblsp of butter over medium heat, add garlic. Add veggies and sautee. Meanwhile, cook soba noodles. Both should cook for 4-5 minutes.

Drain noodles; add to plate, top with veggies and sauce. Mix together and enjoy.

Result: Takes about 10 minutes max to cook, is nutrient dense, easy to prep, light and delicious.

Meals made Easy #1 - Tofu with fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and hummus

Meal #1 – Tofu with fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes and hummus

August 25, 2011

Inspiration: No menu in mind, seek and find mission

Food obtained from: Farmstand – Downtown Chicago

Location: Downtown Chicago; small kitchen

List of ingredients: fresh tofu, fingerling potatoes, heirloom tomatoes, corn, pita, artichoke spread, hummus, mushrooms, goat cheese, Franks Red Hot

Prep: heat grill. Put fingerlings in tinfoil with oil, salt and petter. Cook for 20 minutes or so. Add corn to grill, cook for 15 minutes. In the meantime, dice tofu, season to taste and sautee for 10-12 minutes in oil on the stove over medium-high heat.

Slice tomato and sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Grill pita bread for five minutes, cut into eight pieces.

Plate presentation: dollop of both hummus and artichoke dip. 

Crumble goat cheese on top of the hummus, add Franks Red Hot (if desired). 

Add a serving of tofu, potatoes, tomato, ½ ear of corn and you’re all set.

The result is a light, fresh and filling meal.