WhirlwinDISH 11

For about a week, I kept craving an onion tartlette. So, I finally made one. I have made various versions (I adore them with heavy cream and thyme!), but I decided to make this one with the butternut squash curry base from this post. I kept thinking that I wanted a really crunchy crust for this, so I quickly prepared a dough from my home-milled whole wheat flour, polenta, za’atar, salt, oil, and ice water. I pre-baked it before adding the filling. For the filling, I mixed egg yolk with the squash base, a pinch more salt, and thinly sliced caramelized onions. I was given some homemade croutons, so I processed those, then sprinkled them over the top. Usually, I leave the top “bare.” I’ve found my new breadcrumb substitute, though! I’ll post more about that later. I baked this off, then broiled for a few minutes for the crumbs to brown.

As I had the croutons to use up, the first thing that came to my mind was panzanella. It’s also a good way to use up fresh veggies. I threw some of the homemade beet pickled veggies (turnips, radishes, onions, garlic) in there, as well. I just tossed them with a simple vinaigrette using the beet pickling juice, olive oil, s&p, and mixed herbs.

Thank goodness I finally made this tartlette! It was really very filling. I am glad I found another way to lighten it up a bit with the butternut squash, and also give it a flavor twist I had not previously considered.

WhirlwinDISH 10

I grabbed some lamb loin on impulse at my local health food store for this dish. I am not a vegetarian, but I rarely cook meat at home. I make a lot of dishes with pastas, grains, legumes, fish, eggs, etc. Most of the meat I eat is from restaurants and social gatherings, or sometimes I prepare it for special occasions. But, I thought I would give this lamb a go.

Instead of making a marinade, I decided on a quick spice rub. I craved savory with a little heat, so I combined: ground mustard, s&p, sumac, ground red pepper, fenugreek, garlic powder, and cumin. I also wanted to balance out the heat, so I started to add a little raw sugar. At the last minute, though, I went with finely minced fresh dates. I had never made a rub with dates, but I thought it would serve the same purpose (but add a slightly different profile). New experiments are always fun! I incorporated the dry seasonings with the dates until the mixture was crumbly (it reminded me of mixing pie crust dough). If it was a larger volume, I probably would have just processed it. *A common tip when cutting dates is to oil your knife, as they are pretty sticky.* I rubbed this mixture into the (room temp.) meat, seared it on the stove, then finished it in the oven. Lovely! So tender, and I loved the flavors.

I thought the bulgar and vermicelli from Jasmine Market any seasonings…but, working with what I had handy, I sautéed onion & garlic, then added the cooked b&v, s&p, a little olive oil, mint, and sunflower seeds. I charred some lemons to squeeze over it. Yum!

I was delighted this meal turned out so well, so perhaps I will make a few more dishes with meat here and there.

 

WhirlwinDISH 9

I thought to make pasta when I picked up butternut squash at my local food co-op, Food Conspiracy. But, I ended up with soup and a curry sauce instead. I was in the mood for a simple curry sauce to go with some grains and veggies. On a whim, I thought the squash might give me the creamy base I was looking for with fewer calories (but with lots of flavor and nutrients, fiber, etc.). The soup came as a result of me wanting to get 2 different uses out of the same base. It was awfully hot for this type of soup, though. I will remember it when winter rolls around.

I made the base for this soup and sauce by roasting butternut squash, garlic, onion, celery, and ginger. I blended this base with cumin, ground red pepper, turmeric, and water until it was pretty thin. For the sauce: I sautéed a bit of tomato paste until it had a nice caramelization, added the base, then seasoned with ground mustard, ground coriander, and black pepper. I let it reduce until it was pretty thick. I reduced the soup portion just until it reached a little thicker consistency, simmering awhile to meld the flavors. I decided to throw in a few black beans, as I had an abundance (see my post about the beans here) and finished with creme fraiche.

The sauce, indeed, gave me the creaminess I was looking for without loading down my veggies and grain with a lot of cals. I love rich, creamy sauces, but this day, I just wanted something lighter. I also used this base to replace cream in an onion tartlette, add a little extra depth to a tomato pasta sauce, to flavor chickpeas, as well as add zip to veggies for spring rolls. Hopefully, I will post more about that soon. Soup was delish, but it will most likely be in my winter rotation.

WhirlwinDISH 8

I picked up red lentils at Jasmine Market, but I had no real intentions for them. I just like to keep several beans, legumes, etc., on hand. Sometimes, I will make a bowl of red lentil porridge in place of oatmeal. They have so much flavor, that I only season them with salt. Nice for a chilly winter morning.

As it was fairly hot, I thought a chilled lentil salad might be nice. I wanted the lentils to retain most of their structure, so I decided to soak them for a few hours. I’m not certain it was absolutely necessary, but I wanted to be able to cook them over very low heat (barely a simmer) without breaking up. I added saffron to the cooking water, then strained when they were tender.

This salad was a first attempt, but I knew what flavors and textures I craved. I chilled the saffron lentils, then added shallots, capers, and dressed with a light vinaigrette. The vinaigrette was a fairly quick concoction of garlic and purple basil infused vin, olive oil, a touch of Dijon, s&p, and a little raw agave syrup. This ended up as a very pleasing summer salad.

WhirlwinDISH 7

My swap for fried corn fritters. Another comfort food for me! I made a standard cornbread batter, but I subbed a few whole grain flours for white…buttermilk for regular cow’s milk. I tend to prefer my batter on the sweeter side, as well. I had leftover millet, so I added that, along with chopped onion, scallion, and tomato. Normally, I don’t add tomatoes, but I had some to use up. Sometimes, I add red bell peppers. The fresh corn is nice if you caramelize it before adding it to the batter.

Instead of the usual frying, I sprayed these with a little oil, then baked in ramekins. I LOVE them fried, but I was trying to save a few cals. I gave them a quick hit under the broiler to brown. I served them with homemade horseradish peach jam, but they were equally delicious by themselves.

 

WhirlwinDISH 6

This meal was inspired by my craving for the comfort food of stewed collard greens and pinto beans with cornbread.

I already had homemade vegan black beans prepared, so I decided to have those (instead of preparing another pot of pintos). I let the beans soak in water overnight, then cook them in a slow cooker. When they have softened, I add onion, garlic, and s&p. Sometimes, I add tomatoes, but I didn’t for this batch. I also grew up with pork flavoring the beans, but I started replacing it with smoked paprika. I find I don’t miss it. The beans always taste better the second day when the juices have thickened (we can the juice “pot liquor”).

I had polenta on the brain, so I thought it could stand in for the cornbread. After chilling, I cut out a circle, gave it a spray of oil, seared it on the stove, then baked it off in the oven. Pretty simple. Instead of stewing the greens, I did a quick sauté with roasted garlic and chiles. They retain a little more structure this way (and hopefully, nutrients). I also replaced the usual pork in the greens with smoked paprika and a little olive oil. I finished this dish with fresh pico.

This combo satisfied my comfort food craving for sure!

WhirlwinDISH 5

Soup! In the Arizona heat! Yes, I did it. And, after this batch, I will probably do it again. I wanted to make use of some smoked turkey legs that were taking up space in my freezer. So, soup it was. I fortified some stock with garlic, mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrot), and red curry paste. It was a first time use for the curry paste in my stock. I read a terrific tip years ago: freeze your stock in ice cube trays. Then, you can just pop them out individually as you need them.

I only par cooked the mushrooms, carrot, and golden beets, as the heat from the broth would finish them off. I threw the radishes and matchstick turnips in raw. For some heartiness, I added caramelized corn and brown rice. I finished it with cilantro and grilled balsamic onions.

This was a very filling and satisfying dish on a whirlwind!

WhirlwinDISH 4

I grew up eating salmon cakes for breakfast, lunch, and dinner (we called them salmon “patties,” though.) They are one of my favorite comfort food meals. I made a standard cornbread batter for these and added in scallions, carrot, and cilantro for a variation. I coated them in cornmeal and decided to try panko, as well. I really enjoyed the crunch from the panko, so I will probably keep using them. Instead of the usual frying, I gave these a spray of oil, then baked them. I love the Misto sprayer for that.

Normally, I serve cocktail or tartar sauce with these, but I did a slight twist on the tartar sauce this day. I had leftover beets from beet pickled eggs, so I made a roasted garlic & pickled beet aioli. It turned out delish, so now I want to make a big batch!