Kolhrabi !!

How many different ways can they modify the mustard plant ?? What ?? Cole crops or those that belong to the Cruciferae family come in so many different forms:  Brussels sprout, cabbage, cauliflower, collards, kale, mustard, broccoli, turnips, watercress AND kolhrabi, the subject of this post.

I have seen kohlrabi in the farmer's markets for years but was never brave or interested enough to try them. My brother grew them and raved about them ( actually his wife did the raving), nope still didn't try them. It took a friendly  and enthusiastic farmer at the nearby u-pick garden and offer of free samples to convert me.

Here's what they look like in the ground.

They are amazing, sweet and crisp and very versatile. I love to eat them raw, they remind me of jicama although they are unrelated. They are a great addition to any salad or veggie platter.

To prepare kolhrabi for eating raw or cooked, after removing the leaves, you must first peel off the fibrous outer layer.

Grilling them is my favorite way to eat them cooked, so far.
I slice them in thick slices ( 1/4 to 1/2 inch), coat them with olive oil, then dust with salt, pepper and the dried herbs of your choice.

I grilled them for 4-5 minutes each side depending on the heat of your grill. Yum !!

I have also added them to Laurie's Potatoes,

 

 my kale and white bean soup, 

and to our stir fried veggies.

Give kolhrabi a try !

Devils on Horseback

Oh my, I first tasted these amazing appetizers at Misfit in Santa Monica.
Dates stuffed with goat cheese and almonds wrapped in bacon, my idea of heaven.
And just in time for New Year's Eve !!!

For Christmas Eve we decided to do an all appetizer meal, both hot and cold.
Here was my excuse to try my hand at these delectable treats.

I was amazed at how many versions there are of devils on horseback. You can use a variety of cheeses: blue cheese, Stilton or asiago for example. Prunes can be used instead of dates, which would limit the number consumed. Some recipes use soy sauce, sherry or brown sugar and smoked almonds.

Here is the way I made them.

Devils on Horseback

Ingredients

soft goat cheese
whole almonds
sliced bacon
large dates, (medjools work well)
wooden toothpicks ( soaked in water)

I have not given amounts because it depends on how many you want to make and the size of your dates.
For each date you will need: one almond, about a 1/2 teaspoon of goat cheese, a half slice of bacon and one toothpick.
You do the math ;-)

I will give you lovely photos of the process.

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

1) Remove the pits from your dates.

2) Stuff with goat cheese and an almond.

3) Wrap in a half slice of bacon and secure with the toothpick.

4) Place on a foil lined baking pan.

5) Bake for 25 to 30 minutes until the bacon is crisp. Remove onto a paper towel to drain.

6) Serve after allowing to cool for 5 minutes.

Most of the recipes did mention how hard it was to get a photo that makes them look appetizing. Oh well, you will just have to trust me on that.

I plan to make these again for New Year's Eve !!

Fresh Spring Rolls

If you have eaten Thai or Vietnamese food at a restaurant, you have probably seen fresh spring rolls on the menu. Unlike their deep fried cousin, they are packed with fresh raw vegetables. They are also a great vehicle for that fabulous peanut sauce I make.

With a little patience fresh spring rolls are easy to make and you can fill them with whatever you have on hand or what is in season. They will impress anyone at your next potluck or dinner party.

You will need to find the rice paper wrapper. These days most large or natural food grocery store have them in their Asian section or go to one of those amazing Asian food emporiums like Ranch 99.

We like our rolls stuffed with thin rice noodles or rice sticks sometimes called maifun. You can find these in the same Asian section of your grocery store.

Fresh Spring Rolls

Ingredients:

rice wrapper
thin rice noodles ( soy sauce, sesame oil)
ripe avocados
fresh cilantro
grated carrot
finely sliced cabbage
other possible fillings: baked tofu, cooked crab meat, fresh spinach leaves, fresh basil leaves, green onions, cucumbers, shrimp, bean sprouts, mint leaves, lettuce leaves.

1) Usually the rice noodle package comes with more that you will need even for a dozen spring rolls. Don't be shy about breaking off a third of the noodles, remember too, they will expand. Bring water to a boil, toss in your noodle and cook for 1-2 minutes.
2) Drain your noodle and toss with a tablespoon of sesame oil and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce. This is optional but I find the noodles pretty bland without something on them. Set them aside to cool while you prepare the vegetables.

3) Grate the carrot, finely chop the cabbage, stem the cilantro, peel and slice the avo.
4) Now you are ready to assemble them. I like to use a plate to soak the rice wrappers. They take about 30 to 60 second to rehydrate, make sure they are completely covered in water. Do them one at a time, as you take one out, put another one in.

5) I like to have a couple of clean dishtowels handy. One goes down under the rice wrapper and the other I use to blot it before I fill it. Handling the rice wrappers are a bit like handling wet paper towels. They rip easily if you are not careful. Small holes are OK, big ones are not ;-)

6) DO NOT OVER FILL your wrapper, that is the key to success. You are not going for the burrito grande !! Just layer your veggies with restraint, slightly to the top of the wrapper.
7) Fold the top of the wrapper toward you, then each side toward center, then wrap the bottom flap up. Place on a plate flap down.

8) Repeat until all your filling is gone. You will find you get the hang of it after the first few.

9) You can serve them whole or cut them in half on the diagonal. Use the peanut sauce I mentioned above or make your own version. These wrappers last for several days in your fridge !! They are great the next day for lunch !

Whole Black Bean Dip

Can you tell that beans are my current obsession ? Three bean post in just two week :-)

This one is inspired by the white bean bruschetta, I take it south of the border.
 I got all my fresh ingredients at my farmer's market.
Make it up ahead of time so the favors will marry.

This would be a great dish for your Super Bowl party.
It's a fresher, healthier version of those layered bean and cheese dips, so easy and delicious !!

Laurie's Whole Black Bean Dip

Ingredients

1 can black beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked black beans

1/2 cup finely chopped red or green cabbage

1/2 cup grated carrots

1/2 cup finely chopped fresh cilantro

2-3 cloves finely minced garlic

2-3 tablespoon olive oil

1 teaspoon chili powder

 a few drops of hot chili oil or 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

salt and pepper to taste

(If you like them you could try adding 1/4 cup finely chopped green or red onions.)

1) Grate the carrots, mince the garlic, chop the cabbage and the fresh cilantro.
2) Toss into a bowl with the drained black beans.
3) Add the olive oil, chili powder, hot chili oil.
4) Mix together gently, salt and pepper to taste.

5) Serve with tortilla chips and guacamole.

It is easy to scoop onto a chip !!

I thought this recipe would make lunch for two with lots for later in the week...nope, we were left with only about a half of a cup !!

Note: This mixture would be great as a taco filling !!

White Bean Bruschetta

My dear friend Laurie posted a version of this recipe on her new blog. 
It looked so good and she teased me about being the "season" police. 

It's true I am rather strict about eating and cooking with what is currently in my farmer's market. So I took it as a good challenge to make this recipe without the fresh tomatoes and fresh basil. ( see note below)

I made it to take to my brother's for our visit there over New Year's Eve. It makes a great appetizer or lunch addition. 
I made it again today to serve with my focaccia and seafood soup, wow, so good !!

We all need more beans in our lives, right ??!!

White Bean Bruschetta*

It's best to make this several hours to a day ahead, the favors have more of a chance to marry.

*(I looked up "bruschetta" and while to me it means the bread part, it can also mean the topping.)

Ingredients

1 can of white navy beans or 1 1/2 cups cooked white beans

5 dried tomatoes, rehydrated and chopped

1/2 cup chopped olives (Kalamata or  green olives)

chopped fresh herbs: sprigs of rosemary, oregano, thyme, parsley

1 tablespoon minced fresh garlic ( 4 cloves)

3 tablespoons olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

 1) Finely chop the garlic, olives, tomatoes and fresh herbs.

                                    

2) Add three tablespoons of good olive oil.

 I got four different kinds from my sister for Christmas. It has been fun trying them out.

3) Drain and add the beans.

4) Mix together gently. Add salt and pepper to taste.

5) Allow to sit for several hours before serving on oven toasted crusty bread.

Other possible additions: 1/4 cup finely chopped red onion, 

                                     1/4 cup fresh chopped spinach

                                     1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Note: I will admit that my farmer's market does still have fresh tomatoes, they just don't look very flavorful and I did see basil plants at Trader Joe's today. I am guessing that these ingredients are not commonly available in most locales. 

This year in review: part one.

Hoping you all are having a great holiday season.
Less than a week ago I made my last batch of almond toffee.
Christmas Eve and Christmas day saw us dining in and out with various family members.
Today we bid our daughter farewell as she drove back to her current place of employment.
Soon we will be spending New Years Eve with family on the central California coast.
Busy, busy, busy, which is why I have not posted much lately.

This is a good time to look back over the past year of foodiness and post my favorite recipes from each month. So it it not too overwhelming for me or you, I am doing it in two parts.

Here are my favorites from last January through June.

1) Laurie's Chili: such a great winter/ ski season dish. So easy to make and easy to make meaty or vegan depending on your proclivities. Serve it with my cornbread or millet muffins and a green salad !!

2) Green Soup: I make this more than any other recipe from 2012. Green soup has become a weekly part of our food intake. I do love it with parsnips for that creamy texture.

3) Brussel Sprouts, my way: I made these tiny cabbages as a side dish this Christmas Eve.  My 9 year old great-niece adored them, asked for seconds and thirds !! Just goes to show you, anything if prepared well can be a hit !!

4) Sundried Tomato Pate in Collard Leaves: These little bundles sound so strange but are so amazingly tasty !!

5) Zucchini Bites: what a great way to use summer squash and what a delicious appetizer !! You could make these same bites with grated carrots for a winter treat.

6) Summer Fruit Tart: This dessert got such rave reviews wherever it went. To winterize it use kiwis, Fuyu persimmons, oranges and pomegranate seeds, yum.

Smoked Salmon Mousse

In honor of our first visit to the Monterey Bay Sanctuary Exploration Center I am posting this very simple spread: smoked salmon mousse.

We have been getting beautiful local caught salmon directly from a fisherman at the harbor. Since we buy the whole fish there are lots of parts to the fish that we would normally not use except for fish stock. Having made enough fish stock to last for a year from our last couple of fish we decided to try smoking all those extra bits.

What a great idea that was !!

With all that great smoked salmon, how could I resist making the mousse for a birthday party we were attending ?

Smoked Salmon Mousse

Ingredients

8 ounce cream cheese at room temperature
1/2 smoked salmon pieces

1) To make this recipe very simple the cream cheese does need to be at room temperature. That way it is soft enough to blend in the food processor without adding extra liquid.

 There are two ways around this: used whipped cream cheese or add a tablespoon of milk.

2) Blend the cream cheese until soft and creamy.

3) If you are using your own smoked salmon be sure to remove all the bones and shred into small pieces to make 1/2 cup.

You can also use commercial smoked salmon or  lox (which is salmon that has been cold smoked).

4) Add the shredded salmon to the cream cheese and blend thoroughly.

5) Scrap the sides of the food processor and blend again. You want there to be no lumps,
just a smooth, creamy texture.

5) You can serve it immediately or allow to chill for an hour or more. Serve with crackers or sliced French bread.

For a fancy party appetizer used a icing bag and pipe onto cucumber rounds !!

To make a vegetarian version use 1 teaspoon of liquid smoke , 1 teaspoon paprika and 1 teaspoon salt.

Zucchini Bites

This time of year there can never be too many recipes that use summer squash :-)
These little bite remind me of the zucchini pancakes I posted a few weeks ago, they make great appetizers at a party or brunch.

The recipe calls for mini muffin tins which I happen to have.

You could probably try them in a regular muffin tin. The recipe with only make a dozen and might need to bake longer.

Ingredients.
2 large eggs
2 cups grated zucchini ( 1 to 2 zucchini depending on the size)

With this size zucchini I needed one and a half to make the two cups.

1 small onion grated or finely chopped
1/2 cup grated cheddar cheese
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
1/3 cup finely chopped parsely
1/4 teaspoon salt and pepper

1) Preheat oven to 400 F, spray mini muffin tins with spray oil.
2) In a large bowl, lightly beat the two eggs.
3) Add grated zukes, onions, cheese, breadcrumbs, parsley, salt and pepper.

4) Mix together with a wooden spoon. The batter will be sticky and loose.

5) With a spoon, fill each muffin cup to the top.

6) Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, until the tops are browned and the mixture has set.
   

7) Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then carefully transfer to a wire rack to cool.

8) They should keep for 4 to 5 days in the fridge and should freeze well. I wouldn't know since they all disappeared at the party they attended !!

Note: You can use any kind of cheese that melts well, or use grated carrot if you want them dairy free. Fresh chopped basil would be a nice addition. Use gluten free bread or crackers to make you own crumbs for a gluten free appetizer.