Potato Knish

Happy Easter, everyone!  It was a nice relaxing day here at home, with delicious recipes that you will just have to wait on.  In honor of Easter, I have to share a recipe that I tried out last weekend... and it just so happens to be a Jewish recipe.  Okay so it is probably not the best timing... a Jewish meal on a Christian holiday... but I am all about peace and harmony, so I am going to make it work :)

So, the great part about the fact that I made this dish is that it was one of the first things I ever pinned when I got Pinterest early last year, and my exact post was this: "potato knish... looks hard but amazing."  I have been thinking about the knishes every since.  To be honest, I had never heard of them up until then, but they looked perfect: little round balls of pastry stuffed with potato.  Pastry? Potatoes? Yes please.  But of course to make the dough, the filling, and then put the knishes together, there were a lot of steps listed, and I wasn't brave enough to tackle these guys last year.  However, last weekend, the time had come.

The blog I got the recipe from, Smitten Kitchen, was genius enough to list two different kind of knishes: the traditional, stuffed with russet potatoes and caramelized onions, and then her own crazy wonderful concoction of red bliss potatoes mashed with cream cheese, leeks and kale.  I was totally unable to choose between the two, so I decided to make a double recipe of the dough and try each kind of filling.

The dough itself had interesting ingredients like white vinegar and a whole half cup of vegetable oil.  It ends up coming out surprisingly similar to pie crust, considering the fact that the ingredients for both are pretty different.

Once the dough was made, I worked on the fillings.  They took similar amounts of time (although I really suck at caramelizing onions).  The fun part was actually putting them together.  You roll out the dough, put the filling on it, and roll it up semi-burrito-like.  Then you twist it off every now and then (like you are making sausage, although I would never), cut the pieces apart, and seal the bottoms.  Egg wash, bake, and you're done!

Doesn't it look like wrapping candy?

 Here is the interesting part: these were not the immense and giant hit that I had expected.  I made 12, and ended up throwing away probably half of them a week or so later.  I am not quite sure why, because I think they were great.  I will agree that they seemed a little dry, particularly the traditional one.  I felt like it needed a sauce of some sort.  They probably would have been good with sour cream, but we were out.  The red potato one was much better in my opinion (Rachael agreed), with the cream cheese helping to add some moisture to the filling, and the leeks and kale giving it some good texture and flavor.  However don't get me wrong - the traditional one was no black sheep.  After all, it's a carb wrapped around another carb, and really what more can a girl ask for?  But like I said, the Tucker family could only eat so many, so perhaps I am not a good little Jewish chef.  Cancel the matzoh balls.

Recipes:

potato knish, two ways

from Smitten Kitchen (you definitely want to go to the site for the how-to pictures if you try this out!)

Yield: 6 3-inch hearty knish)

traditional potato knish

Dough Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 large egg

1/2 cup vegetable oil (Joe also recommends schmaltz, or rendered chicken fat, if you’ve got some)

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 cup water 

Filling Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds (about 3 medium) russet potatoes, peeled and quartered

1 small yellow onion, peeled and diced small

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon table salt

Freshly ground black pepper

1 large egg yolk

1 teaspoon water

Instructions:

1) Make dough: Stir together your dry ingredients in the bottom of a medium/large bowl. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg, oil, vinegar and water. Pour it over the dry ingredients and stir them to combine. Once the mixture is a craggy, uneven mass, knead it until smooth, about a minute. Place the dough back in the bowl and cover it with plastic wrap. Set it aside for an hour (or in the fridge, up to 3 days) until needed.

2) Meanwhile, prepare filling: Put potatoes into a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until potatoes can be pierced easily with a knife, about 20 minutes. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add butter and oil and once they’re fully melted and a bit sizzly, add onions and reduce to medium-low. Cook, stirring frequently, until deeply caramelized, about 45 minutes. Transfer to bowl with potatoes and mash together until almost smooth. (A few lumps make it taste more “traditional) Stir in salt and many grinds of black pepper and set the filling aside.

3) Assemble knish: Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper and preheat your oven to 375 degrees.  Divide the dough in half. On a well-floured surface, roll the first half of the dough into a very thin sheet, roughly in the shape of a 1-foot square, but really, no need to be rigid about it. Create a 2-inch thick log from half your potato filling across the bottom of your dough. Roll the filling up in the dough, but not too tight. A tiny amount of slack will keep the dough from opening in the oven. Keep rolling until the log has been wrapped twice in dough. Trim any unrolled length and add it to the second half of the dough; it can be used again. Repeat the process with the second half of your dough and second half of filling; you might have a small amount of dough leftover.

Trim the ends of the dough so that they’re even with the potato filling. Then, make indentations on the log every 3 to 3 1/2 inches (you’ll have about 3, if your log was 1 foot long) and twist the dough at these points, as if you were making sausage links. Snip the dough at each twist, then pinch one of the ends of each segment together to form a sealed knish base. Use the palm of your hand to flatten the knish a bit into a squat shape, and leave a small hole in the top.

4) Bake knish: Arrange knish on prepared baking sheet so that they don’t touch. Whisk egg yolk and water together to form a glaze and brush it over the knish dough. Bake knish for about 45 minutes, rotating your tray if needed for them to bake into an even golden brown color. Let them cool a little bit before digging in. Spicy mustard is a traditional accompaniment, but I recommend sour cream.

Red Potato Knish with Kale, Leeks and Cream Cheese

Follow the dough and assembly directions above, but replace the Russet and caramelized onion filling with this one.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 pounds medium red potato (about 3 to 4), peeled and quartered

1 big leek (about 1/2 pound), white and light-green parts only, halved lengthwise, and thinly sliced 

1 tablespoon vegetable or olive oil

1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 generous cup lacinato kale ribbons (about 3 ounces or 1/4 to 1/3 bundle), tough stems and ribs removed and leaves cut into strips 

1/2 teaspoon table salt

Freshly ground black pepper3 ounces cream cheese, at room temperature

1) Cook potatoes: Put potatoes into a large pot, cover with cold water, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce heat to medium and cook until soft, about 20 to 25 minutes. Drain, then transfer to a large bowl to cool.

2) Meanwhile, prepare leeks and kale: Fill a medium bowl with very cold water and drop in leek rings. Swish them around with your fingers, letting any sandy dirt fall to the bottom. Scoop out the leeks and drain them briefly on a towel, but no need to get them fully dry. Do the same with the kale, but you can leave the leaves to nearly fully dry, patting them if necessary, on the towels while you cook the leeks.

3) Heat a large, heavy skillet over medium heat. Once hot, add butter and oil and once they’re fully melted and a bit sizzly, add the leek slices. Reduce heat to low, cover with a lid and cook leek for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Raise heat back to medium, add the kale ribbons and cook until they wilt, about 5 minutes.

4) Transfer mixture to bowl with potatoes, add the cream cheese and mash together until combined. Stir in salt and many grinds of black pepper and set filling aside.

Ready to bake!

Creamy Southwest Pasta with Spicy Greek Yogurt Sauce

Okay so let me preface this by saying that I hate spicy foods.  I have no tolerance for heat of any kind.  That makes my decision to make creamy southwest pasta with spicy yogurt sauce a very interesting choice  I am not sure what it was about it that made me want to try it out.  Maybe it was the Greek yogurt; I get excited when sauces are made with that because it feels healthier so I can devour even more.  Maybe it was the smoked paprika; I just bought my first bottle of it recently and have been wanting to try it out.  Maybe it was the lime juice, the cherry tomatoes (it called for roma or heirloom but I used cherries), the sweet corn, the pasta itself - all things that I love.  It sounded great!  But... well....

So the bottom line is, I tried it out for dinner this week, and I have to say that I was not happy with the outcome.  After all, it is spicy, and I loathe anything that makes my nose run and my tongue tingle.  The heat comes from cayenne pepper, crushed red pepper, and a can of diced green chiles.  Knowing that I hate spice, I eliminated the cayenne and halved the red pepper.  Unfortunately, this did not do enough to diminish the spiciness (can you imagine if I actually used all the spicy stuff it called for!?).   So it was way too spicy for me, and for my mom.  And I don't really think I am a huge fan of smoked paprika, either, actually - it kind of tastes like meat somehow.  So, creamy southwest pasta with spicy meat-tasting sauce.... not for me.

The good news, for those of you who have burned off most of your tastebuds with spicy foods, is that you might like this pasta dish.  Alex and Kenzie, who are far more adventurous than I am where it comes to heat, both liked it (Nick didn't because it had corn in it...  I know, he's a baby).  Kenz even brought it for lunch at work, and finished it off!  That made me happy, because the meal was salvageable, even if Mom and I were all set with our one helping!  So, spicy food lovers: go for it.  If you're like me, stay away!

Recipe:

creamy southwest pasta with spicy Greek yogurt sauce

from Tasty Kitchen

Ingredients:

For the Greek yogurt sauce:
¼ cups Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
1 Tablespoon Lime Juice
1 Tablespoon Tomato Paste
½ teaspoons Dried Oregano
½ teaspoons Smoked Paprika
½ teaspoons Cumin
¼ teaspoons Cayenne Pepper
1 pinch Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

For the pasta:
12 ounces, weight Medium-Cut Pasta
2 teaspoons Olive Oil
½ cups Yellow Onion, Diced
1 clove Garlic, Minced
2 whole Green Onions, Chopped
2 Tablespoons Fresh Cilantro, Chopped + More For Garnish
1 cup Sweet Corn Kernels
2 pounds Tomatoes, Diced And Cored (Roma And Heirloom Mix)
1 can (4-ounce Can) Diced Green Chiles
Salt And Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

1) Cook pasta according to package directions. Before draining the pasta, reserve 1/4 cup of the cooking liquid.

2) In a small bowl, combine all of the ingredients for the creamy Greek yogurt sauce until well-blended. Refrigerate for later use.

3) While the pasta is cooking heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the yellow onion, garlic, green onion, and cilantro with a pinch of salt and cook for about 5 minutes, until fragrant and soft. Add the corn and cook for 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes and green chiles and stir combine. Cook the mixture until the tomatoes begin to break down, another 3-4 minutes.

4) Add in the creamy Greek yogurt mixture and stir well. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir in the cooked pasta, along with the reserved pasta water. Mix well to combine.

5) Serve! Garnish with additional cilantro.

Spiced Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Kale Whole Wheat Pockets

You need to get excited about this meal.  I kind of get the feeling that you won't, though.  You are going to be skeptical because the ingredients might seem a little weird, and no, there's no meat.  But the bottom line is that you are basically making healthy little calzones that are amazing hot and yet weirdly more amazing room temperature.  So trust me and overlook the weird meatless ingredients and try these pockets ASAP.  I would let you try mine, but I ate them all.  Basically by myself.

Anyway, I pinned these spiced lentil, sweet potato and kale whole wheat pockets a long time ago but finally got the groceries for them last week.  With another snow day last Tuesday (that would be number 7, and no I am not yet sick of them), I ended up having more time than I expected to cook dinner, and so I tried these little babies.

Now they aren't quick, because you have to make your own pocket dough (which is basically a whole wheat pizza dough).  However you could totally use store-bought dough to save yourself some time.  You know me though - I am all about making my own doughs.  And I am glad that I did because my mom raved about the taste and consistency of the dough; it was really good!

You also have to bake sweet potatoes and give them time to cool; I recommend doing that while the dough rises, but you could always bake them a day or two before you put the pockets together to save time the day of.

Then comes the filling.  First of all, sweet potatoes are delicious all by themselves.  But on top of a smearing of the mashed potato, you add a mixture of lentils and kale spiced with cumin, cinnamon, allspice and garlic.  Totally flavorful, delicious, aromatic, fabulous - all those amazing words.  And then on top of that filling, you add some caramelized onions.  Can you imagine a more delicious mixture?

They get baked for about a half hour, and then you can devour them.  Rachael ate hers with marinara sauce, because she felt the need for a sauce, but Mom and I just ate them straight up.  And then I ate them for lunch almost every single day until they were gone.  The blog I got the recipe from claimed that the pockets taste just as good cold (the woman even freezes them, grabs them out of the freezer in the morning, and lets them defrost gradually throughout the day).  I had my doubts because I don't usually like my food cold (I am well known for this in my family), but I did try it at work one day, and honestly?  It was even better.  Not cold, mind you, but room temperature.   I don't know why, but the flavors merged and were somehow more noticeable when they weren't hot.  No clue how it worked, but trust me, it did.

So, I will definitely make these again, but I will probably make them smaller next time so they last me longer.  They are really filling the size that the recipe calls for, because they're pretty huge (yet don't get me wrong; I ate them all easily!).

Recipes:

Spiced Lentil, Sweet Potato, and Kale Whole Wheat Pockets
from The Kitchn

Makes 6 pockets

Instructions:

For the dough:

1 cup warm water (not hot or boiling)
2 teaspoons active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided

For the filling:
3 small sweet potatoes, scrubbed clean
2 tablespoons olive oil, divided, plus more for brushing
1 onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground allspice
1/2 cup French green (Puy) lentils, picked over and rinsed
2 cups water
1/2 bunch kale, tough ribs and stems removed
1/2 teaspoon salt

Instructions:

1) Combine the warm water and yeast in a small bowl and let sit until the yeast dissolves. Meanwhile, combine the two flours and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a dough hook and mix on low speed. Add 2 tablespoons of olive oil, followed by the dissolved yeast mixture and mix on low speed until a shaggy dough forms. Knead for 7-10 minutes until dough is smooth. Lightly grease a large bowl with the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Place the dough in the bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Let rise for 1-2 hours, or until doubled in size.

2) Preheat the oven to 400°F. Prick the sweet potatoes in several places with a fork and place on a baking sheet. Bake 45 minutes to 1 hour, or until very soft to the touch. Set aside to cool.

3) Cut the onion in half. Thinly slice one half and set aside. Dice the other half. Warm 1 tablespoon of oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat and saute the diced onion and garlic until onion is translucent. Add the cumin, cinnamon and allspice and cook, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add the lentils and water. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat and simmer uncovered for 10 minutes. Cut the kale into bite-size pieces. Add kale and salt to the lentils. Cover and simmer for 5-10 minutes more, until lentils are soft but not mushy. Taste and adjust seasoning. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the lentil and kale mixture to a bowl, leaving most of the cooking liquid in the pot.

4) Meanwhile, warm 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a heavy skillet over low heat. Add the thinly sliced onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are caramelized, about 20-25 minutes.

5) Increase the oven heat to 450°F. Divide the dough into 6 pieces and let rest for 20 minutes, loosely covered with plastic wrap. Peel the sweet potatoes and cut into 1-inch chunks. Mash with a fork until smooth and add a sprinkle of salt, if needed.

6) On a well-floured cutting board, roll a piece of the dough into an 8- or 9-inch oval. (If it starts to shrink back, set it aside to rest for 5 minutes and try again.) Spread about 1/4 cup mashed sweet potato over bottom half the dough, leaving room at the edges to seal the pocket closed. Cover with about 1/3 cup of the lentils and kale. Top with a small amount of caramelized onions. Fold top half of the dough over, and pinch and fold edges to seal shut securely. Use a spatula to transfer to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Brush top with olive oil and cut 2 or 3 small slits to let steam escape as it bakes. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.

7) Bake for 25-30 minutes, or until browned. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before serving. To freeze, let cool in the baking sheet and place the entire baking sheet in the freezer. Once pockets are completely frozen, wrap individually in foil or plastic wrap and store in a freezer-safe container. Thaw and reheat in the microwave or oven, or eat at room temperature.

Almond Lemon Madeleines

I don't know why  it took me so long so try out my new madeleine pan that I got for Christmas, but for some reason, it took me three months.  Now I'm wondering what I was waiting for, because madeleines are awesome.

To back the story up a bit, I did ask my parents for a madeleine pan for Christmas, because as I have said before, although pans or machines that serve only one use might be a waste of kitchen space, it upsets me if I feel like the lack of an item is prohibiting me from trying out a recipe.  Hence my linzer cookie cutters, doughnut pan, bamboo steamer, mini whoopie pie pan - you get the idea.  So I absolutely needed a madeleine pan.  Madeleines are little cookies, usually made with ground nuts and citrus flavor of some sort, and to be truly madeleines, they must be small and shaped like a shell.  Without a pan with small shell-shaped molds, you are just making lemony nutty cookies.

So a couple weeks ago I decided the time had come to make these cookies.  The first step is to grind almonds with sugar, which gives the cookies a great nutty taste.  They are also very lemony due to lemon zest and lemon juice.  They are sweet, buttery, nutty and lemony - can you think of  a better cookie?

I will confess that my first batch of cookies weren't so pretty.  I overfilled the molds and they rose up to look more like misshapen baby fists than shells!  You don't want to pile the batter into the molds; just barely fill the molds and they will come out perfect.

This is actually the recipe that came on the pan packaging.  I see no reason to search for another one, because these are excellent.  Mom said they were the best cookies I have made, and lots of them were devoured that afternoon!  Good thing the recipe makes 72 little cookies!

Recipe:

almond lemon madeleines
from the packaging from Norpro's madeleine pan

Ingredients:

1 cup almonds
1 cup sugar
2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
4 large eggs
1 tablespoon freshly grated lemon rind
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Spray madeleine pan molds with nonstick spray.

2)  Using chopper or food processor, grind the almonds with the sugar until very fine in texture.

3) Cream butter.  Continue beating butter, adding almond and sugar mixture gradually.  Beat until mixture is light and fluffy. 

4)  Add in eggs one at a time, beating until completely combined with other ingredients.

5) Add and beat in lemon rind.

6) In a separate bowl, sift the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Add flour mixture to butter mixture, alternating gradually with lemon juice.  Begin and end with flour mixture, mixing well after each addition.

7) Spread batter into the molds of the madeleine pan, removing any excess from edges of pan.  Bake in lower third of the oven for 8 minutes, or until golden brown around edges.  Turn madeleines onto a cooling rack.  Wash and dry the pan, and repeat the process.

More Raviolis!

The pasta making continues!

A couple weeks ago, I decided to make ravioli again (and some spaghetti for Christy, the birthday girl!).  Since I had to pasta maker out anyway, I thought it would be a good night to try some different ravioli recipes. I made pasta for the first time late February and had so much fun.  I made two different types of ravioli that night, three cheese and spinach and ricotta. They were both totally amazing, but I wanted to try something new.  Unfortunately, I let my mom recommend one new idea: meat.  Are you surprised?  I utterly refused to do sausage like she asked for, but I thought maybe I could give shrimp a try.  A quick search on the internet, and I came up with shrimp and chive ravioli.  Sure, soumds good, right?  Then to balance it out, I decided to make four cheese ravioli so that I would have something to eat!  Kenzie made tomato sauce again and left me to the pasta making.

Sadly, the pasta making itself was not the fun, happy experience it had been the first time.  Something was wonky with my pasta machine; the lever kept sticking and required way too much effort to turn the handle (Alex has since fixed it, thank god!).  But here's the worst part: making the shrimp and chive ravioli was probably the grossest experience I have ever had.  Because, I already have grown to hate working with shrimp.  Even the ones that are already deveined still need work (unless you enjoy eating spinal columns...  which I do not... so I have to take those out).  And these ones also had to be peeled too.   So I was already cranky.  Then I finished reading the recipe: you don't cook the shrimp.  You stuff your raviolis with raw shrimp, and they cook while the pasta boils.  Whatever, that's really weird, but fine.  That wasn't even the most upsetting part for me.  The most horrific thing was that you have to chop the filling in a food processor.  That means that basil, chives, egg white, and raw shrimp gets all chopped up into the most horrifying paste you could ever imagine.  I mean, really.  Raw shrimp paste?!?  UGH.  It didn't help that Kenzie kept singing "fishy fish paaaaaste" to the tune of the McDonald's "fishy fishyyyyyy" commercial.  I was practically brought to tears spooning that repulsive mass of raw seafood into my ravioli mold. 

When it was actually time to eat them, I was unable to give them a fair chance.  The preparation had soured me towards these raviolis.  Kenzie and my mom both insisted that they liked them (and Mom even froze the leftovers to eat again) but I was too upset and nauseous from the fish paste experience, so I can't give you a good explanation of their flavors.  I will say that the original recipe calls for a grape tomato sauce, which I did not make.  However, the sauce does not make or break this recipe.  The fact that you end up working with fish paste means that the Tucker house has seen its last shrimp and chive ravioli.

Luckily, the four cheese ravioli went a whole lot better.  The cheeses are ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, and parmesan.  They're also flavored with garlic, oregano, basil, parsley, and salt and pepper, so there's a lot going on in these little pockets.  They are really, really good raviolis; I am not sure I will ever be able to  happily eat frozen ones again after this!

Final notes: shrimp raviolis are not for the faint of heart, but four cheese raviolis are incredible.

Recipes:

shrimp and chive ravioli
from Food Network.com

Ingredients:

1 pound medium-size raw shrimp, cleaned and shelled

1/2 bunch fresh basil leaves, plus more for garnish

1/2 bunch fresh, chervil plus more for garnish (I did not use this because I couldn't find it!)

1/2 bunch fresh chives, plus more for garnish

1 large egg white

8 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

 

Instructions:

 

1)  In the bowl of a food processor, add the shrimp, 1/2 bunch basil leaves, 1/2 bunch chives, 1/2 bunch chervil, egg white, and 2 tablespoons olive oil; season this with salt and pepper. Pulse until it is finely chopped but not pureed. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

2) When ready, stuff the raviolis with the filling.  Boil for 4 minutes in salted water, or until they float to the top.  Do not overcrowd the pot.  Makes 24 raviolis.


four cheese ravioli
from Annie's Eats

Ingredients:
½ cup part-skim ricotta
½ cup shredded mozzarella
½ cup shredded fontina
½ cup shredded parmesan
1 clove garlic, finely minced
¼ tsp. dried oregano
¼ tsp. dried basil
¼ tsp. dried parsley
¼ tsp. salt
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
 Marinara sauce, for serving

Directions:

1) In a medium mixing bowl, combine the ricotta, mozzarella, fontina, parmesan, garlic, and spices. Mix well to blend.

2)  Fill raviolis.

3) Bring a large pot of salted water to boil. Cook the ravioli until al dente, about 5 minutes. Serve in warmed bowls with marinara sauce.
 

Spinach and Cheddar Strata

The same day I made the muffins  for our tournament team meeting, I also decided to make something else for our brunch.  While muffins are great, they aren't quite filling.  We also happened to have - not exaggerating - about 4 loaves of stale bread sitting out on the counter.  Mark and I have gotten obsessed with Rose32 Cafe in Hardwick; we go as often as we can and buy tons of breads.  They are sooo good, and they do stay fresh fairly long, but a family can only eat so much bread!  We ended up with way too many leftovers loaves going stale on the counter, so I decided to try to find a good way to use them up - and thus I came across Martha Stewart's spinach and cheddar strata.

Talk about an easy brunch item!  You wilt some spinach, and try to press out all the liquid from it.  Then chop up some old bread, and put it with the spinach into ramekins.  Then you mix up eggs, milk and cheese, and pour that mixture over the bread and spinach.  Bake 20 minutes, and you've got brunch!  I was happy with how easy and quick it was; you are eating these in under 30 minutes, which was good since my tournament teammates were waiting and hungry! 

One thing I did which I think made these even more delectable was that I used potato rosemary bread.  The addition of the rosemary flavor to everything else was a great idea. 

In the end, they were very popular!  Christy said she couldn't wait to see the recipe here and try it out herself.  And she had been full when she got here, but she ate it anyway because it was so good ;)  Even Mom liked it, and she doesn't even like spinach.  So: quick, easy, and delicious- what more can you ask for in a breakfast item?

Recipe:

spinach and cheddar strata

from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil

10 ounces spinach

3 cups day-old bread cubes (1 inch)

5 large eggs, lightly beaten

1 cup whole milk (I used 2% and it was fine)

1 1/4 cups grated sharp white cheddar (3 ounces)

Coarse salt and ground pepper

 

Instructions:

 

1) Preheat oven to 400 degrees. In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high. Add spinach and cook, stirring constantly, until wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to a colander and drain, pressing with a rubber spatula to release as much liquid as possible. Divide bread and spinach among four small, shallow 8-ounce baking dishes.

 

2) In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs, milk, and 3/4 cup cheese. Season with 1/2 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Divide mixture evenly among baking dishes and top with 1/2 cup cheese. Set dishes on a rimmed baking sheet and bake until set in middle and golden brown on top, 20 to 25 minutes.

Citrus-Topped Double Blueberry Muffins

Two weeks ago, we had our first golf tournament meeting.  It was more of a "email the golf course/ plan the date/ catch up on my wedding plans" kind of meeting, but it was nice to get things going (who wants a great day of golf on June 21!?).  Since my team was meeting here, I decided to make them some breakfast, which turned into brunch because I got up late, but it was still delicious and much appreciated!  I will blog next time about one of the recipes I made, but the other was one that I had spotted in my mom's Better Homes and Gardens magazine and immediately knew it sounded absolutely perfect: citrus-topped double blueberry muffins.  I love citrus in anything, and citrus in a blueberry muffin sounded fabulous.

The citrus topping is a mixture of lemon peel, orange peel, and sugar, which sounded amazing to me, and the double blueberry part comes from both berries and blueberry preserves.  Can you imagine anything that sounds better?!

So, I made them, and I am glad that I did.  They are definitely best when they are right out of the oven, because they are so moist that they get really mushy and wet if they sit for too long (they are pretty strange by day 2 so eat them all day 1!).  But if you eat them when they are hot and still steaming, they are an amazing experience.  Christy exclaimed that she couldn't believe how many berries were in there; I had to break it to her that some of it was the preserves that you spoon right into the middle of the cups and cover it with  more batter!  But they were really good: sweet, tart, with lots of berry flavor.  All but one of them went here, and that's a pretty good record for me!

Recipe:

citrus-topped double blueberry muffins
from Better Homes and Gardens, March 2013

Ingredients:

2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
2  1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk or milk
6 tablespoons butter, melted
1 cup fresh or frozen blueberries
1/2 cup blueberry preserves
1 teaspoon finely shredded orange peel
1 teaspoon finely shredded lemon peel
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted

Instructions:

1) Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Line twelve 2  1/2-inch muffin cups with paper liners.  Set aside.

2) Stir together the flour, 3/4 cup sugar, baking powder, and salt in a medium mixing bowl.  Make a well in the center of the flour mixture; set aside.

3)  Whisk together eggs, buttermilk, and 6 tablespoons melted butter.  Add all at once to the dry mixture.  Stir until just moistened (batter should be lumpy).  Fold in blueberries.  Remove 1 cup of batter.

4) Spoon remaining batter into prepared muffin cups, fillimg about half full.  Spoon 2 teaspoons of blueberry preserves into the center of each muffin.  Top with remaining batter to cover the preserves, filling muffin cups about two-thirds full.  Bake 20 minutes or until golden.

5)  Meanwhile, stir together orange peel, lemon peel, and the 2 tablespoons of sugar.  Remove muffins from the oven; brush with the 2 tablespoons melted butter.  Sprinkle citrus-sugar mixture on top.  Cool in muffin cups on wire rack 15 minutes.  Serve warm. Makes 12 muffins.

Crab Rangoon

Let's be honest: the best part of Chinese food is the lo mein, but the second best part is the crab rangoons.  Preferably doused in insane amounts of soy sauce, they are crunchy, creamy, and delicious.  And deep-fried, unhealthy, and probably not actually containing any crab whatsoever.  It was time to find out what a real crab rangoon can taste like, made with real crab, and baked, not fried.

The night that I made the steamed vegetarian dumplings, Kenzie had requested crab rangoons as well.  I figured it would be a nice night to make two different types of dumplings, so I had her pick up the ingredients for that as well.  I even used the same wonton wrappers for both recipes.

The creamy filling is made up of a mixture of cream cheese and sour cream.  The flavoring is scallions, garlic, fresh ginger, soy sauce, and a little sugar.  And then of course there is the crab.  We used a can of crab, since you only need 1/2 cup .  I couldn't help but notice that this crab meat was all white, whereas the tiny specks of "crab" that you find in Chinese restaurant rangoons are pinkish red, but hey, whatever!

If you make these, be careful about pressing all the air bubbles out of the wonton wrappers when you wrap them; bubbles make them split open when they are baking!  I had quite a few do this.  Ah well!

The end results were mixed, based on who you talk to.  Maggie was here that night, and she raved about the crab rangoons.  She voted that they were way better than the steamed vegetable dumplings.  However, everyone else's votes were for the dumplings.  The rangoons were good, don't get me wrong; the ginger and scallions were a great flavor combination, but I think my family doesn't actually like crab.  And these are definitely way more "crabby" than the crab rangoons you get at restaurants.  Kenzie kept saying they tasted way too much like crab, which I think is probably the point, but perhaps for the Tucker family, fake crab is best!  If, however, you know you like crab, then I'd definitely suggset making these.  They are fast and easy, and a rather impressive alternative to running out of the house for takeout :)

Recipe:

baked crab rangoons
from Tracy's Culinary Adventures, originally adapted from Food.com (via Iowa Girl Eats)
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sour cream (light is fine)
8 oz cream cheese, softened (reduced fat is okay too)
1 scallion, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 cup crab meat, drained
wonton wrappers

1) Preheat oven to 415 F. Line a rimmed baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2) In a medium bowl, mix the sour cream, cream cheese, scallion, garlic, ginger, soy sauce and sugar together until well combined. Fold in the crab meat.

3) Lay a wonton wrapper on your work surface. Place about 2 teaspoons of the filling mixture in the center of the wrapper, then brush two adjacent sides of the wrapper lightly with water. Fold the wrapper over on the diagonal. Press around the filling to remove air pockets, then press the sides to seal the wrapper tightly. Transfer to the prepared baking sheet. Repeat with remaining wrappers and filling.

4) Spray the tops of the wonton wrappers lightly with nonstick cooking spray. Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown and crisp.  Serve with soy sauce, or sauce of choice.

Makes 20-24

Vegetarian Steamed Dumplings!

Well, folks, it has happened: I got my family to eat tofu and not complain about it.  Yes, this includes even Nick, and my mother, and both sisters, and Maggie.  How did I manage this magical feat, you ask?  I'll tell you how: I made steamed dumplings, and it was awesome.

The backstory: for my birthday, Caitlin gave me a gift card to Chefs.com.  I wasn't sure what to use it on for a while, until my Food Network magazine had a dumpling recipe that showed a woman using a bamboo steamer.  I thought the basket-like structure was pretty cute, and suddenly the fact that I was currently unable to steam rice,  vegetables and dumplings was unbearable. I ordered it right away.

Last Saturday night ended up being the perfect night for dumplings.  Kenzie was the one to suggest we try it out, and she picked up the groceries for me.  A lot of dumpling recipes call for pork, but I really wanted to try a vegetarian recipe.  Unfortunately, the vegetable recipes all called for tofu.  I was afraid to even add tofu to Kenzie's grocery list, but she said nothing and just picked it up for me.  I tried to hide the container, but Nick spotted it and was immediately grossed out.  I told him to just wait; I'd win him over!

The filling of the dumplings required a lot of chopping of veggies, but it wasn't hard.  It's made of tofu, Napa cabbage, grated carrots (thanks, wonderful food processor!), scallions, ginger, cilantro, soy and hoisin sauces, sesame oil, salt, pepper, and an egg.  Can you just imagine how all those flavors meld together to just explode in your mouth!?  There is so much going on in these healthy little nuggets!

I was lazy and used store-bought wonton wrappers, which did save me a lot of time.  Kenzie helped me fill the dumplings since the ones I folded looked more like those little papers we used to fold in elementary school where we'd ask, "pick a number" (do you have any idea what I'm talking about?).  Hers looked more like an actual dumpling.  Then it was time to steam!  We poured a couple inches of water in a big frying pan and got it to a simmer.  Then I put some of the dumplings into the basket, put the cover on top, and put the whole contraption over the water.  Let the steaming begin!  It only took 12 minutes for them to be perfectly steamed.  The veggies were cooked but still give a nice little crunch, and the wonton wrappers were translucent and soft. My steamer has two stackable baskets, but I ended up only using one at a time to make sure the dumplings would all cook the same way.

I served the vegetarian steamed with soy sauce, and they were absolutely delicious.  Even the people you would never expect to eat a tofu-stuffed dumpling were devouring them.  In fact, I made about 40 dumplings, and they all went!  We all really loved them.  They are so flavorful and healthy and simply amazing.  As for anyone nervous about the tofu, you can hardly tell it's even there.  It has no taste and the texture just blends into the rest of the vegetables.  These little guys will definitely make a reappearance in my bamboo steamer ASAP :)

Recipe:

vegetarian steamed dumplings
from foodnetwork.com

Ingredients:

1/2 pound firm tofu

1/2 cup coarsely grated carrots

1/2 cup shredded Napa cabbage

2 tablespoons finely chopped red pepper

2 tablespoons finely chopped scallions

2 teaspoons finely minced fresh ginger

1 tablespoon chopped cilantro leaves

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon hoisin sauce

2 teaspoons sesame oil

1 egg, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Bowl of water, plus additional water for steamer

35 to 40 small wonton wrappers

Non-stick vegetable spray, for the steamer

 

Instructions:

 

2) Cut the tofu in half horizontally and lay between layers of paper towels. Place on a plate, top with another plate, and place a weight on top (a 14-ounce can of vegetables works well). Let stand 20 minutes. After 20 minutes, cut the tofu into 1/4-inch cubes and place in a large mixing bowl. Add the carrots, cabbage, red pepper, scallions, ginger, cilantro, soy sauce, hoisin, sesame oil, egg, salt, and pepper. Lightly stir to combine.

3) To form the dumplings, remove 1 wonton wrapper from the package, covering the others with a damp cloth. Brush the edges of the wrapper lightly with water. Place 1/2 rounded teaspoon of the tofu mixture in the center of the wrapper. Shape as desired. Set on a sheet pan and cover with a damp cloth. Repeat procedure until all of the filling is gone.

4) Using a steaming apparatus of your choice, bring 1/4 to 1/2-inch of water to a simmer over medium heat. Spray the steamer's surface lightly with the non-stick vegetable spray to prevent sticking. Place as many dumplings as will fit into a steamer, without touching each other. Cover and steam for 10 to 12 minutes over medium heat. Remove the dumplings from the steamer to a heatproof platter and place in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all dumplings are cooked. 

Spiced Lentil Soup with Coconut Milk

When I came across this recipe, I was pretty pumped.  First of all, you know my new love for lentils in soups.  Second, the fact that it has coconut milk in it was very intriguing (not to mention coconut oil).  And lastly it calls for interesting things that I have never even cooked with, like lemongrass.  I knew my family would probably be pretty skeptical, but I was excited to try out spiced lentil soup with coconut milk.  And by the time I was done making it, the rest of my family was intrigued as well because it makes the house smell really good!

Let me just say that lemongrass might be my new favorite thing.  It's a little twiggy-like, like a mixture between a leek and a stick.  You can peel off the outer layers and then you really need to mince what is left because it can be kind of hard to chew.  But it smells amazing!  It's so lemony and bright and makes me want to just gnaw on it.  Luckily I controlled myself and just used it in the soup.

Another reason why the soup was so cool is that it has awesome flavor combinations that you might not expect in a soup: things like cardamom, cinnamon (a half teaspoon!), and citrus juice (I used lemon).  When you saute the onions and lemongrass with the spices, the whole house smells like... I'm not sure where.  India? The Caribbean? Something exotic and spicy and sweet-and-savory at the same time.

I ended up using spinach as my leafy green just because I had it on hand.  The spinach bites ended up being my mother's (and my!) favorite ones, which is surprising because she doesn't like spinach that muc, but it made for a nice soft texture in among all the tender lentils. 

Besides the fact that the lentils have to cook for 20 minutes, this was a pretty quick soup to make.  While you boil the lentils, you work on sauteing the onions anyway, so you can do two things at once, while making your house smell Indian/Caribbean and intriguing your family.

In the end, I thought this soup was awesome, and my mother, who had been skeptical, ended up eating it for lunch two days afterwards.  It is definitely weird, but I knew that when I set out to make it.  Weirdness was expected, appreciated, and devoured.

Recipe:

spiced lentil soup with coconut milk

from Sprouted Kitchen, originally adapted from the Traveler's Lunchbox and Once Upon a Tart

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cup lentils, rinsed (green suggested)
4 cups low sodium vegetable broth
1 1/2 tsp. tumeric OR curry powder (I used turmeric)
2 tsp. dried thyme or 1 Tbsp fresh thyme leaves
1 Tbsp. coconut oil
1 large yellow onion, diced
2 stalks lemongrass, outer layer removed, lower portion finely minced
1 tsp. sea salt, plus more to taste
1/2 tsp. cardamom
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
pinch of red pepper flakes to taste
pinch of fresh grated nutmeg
1 1/4 cup coconut milk (use full fat)
3 Tbsp. lemon, lime or orange juice
a few handfuls of swiss chard, spinach or kale
1 cup flake coconut, toasted (optional - I did not use this or the cilantro)
chopped cilantro, for garnish (optional)

Instructions:
1) Add the rinsed lentils, broth, thyme and tumeric or curry powder to a large pot. Bring to a boil, turn down to a simmer and cook for about 20 minutes.

2) While the lentils cook, heat the coconut oil in a pan. Add the onion and saute until just browned. Add the lemongrass, salt, cardamom, cinnamon, pinch of red pepper flakes and some fresh ground nutmeg and saute another minute. Add the onion mixture to the lentils and stir, keeping the heat on a low simmer.

3) Add the coconut milk and greens and simmer another five minutes, stirring occasionally until just wilted. Taste for salt and spice and add as you prefer. Finish with the citrus juice and serve warm with toasted coconut flakes and cilantro on top.

Minestrone Pot Pie with Whole Wheat Parmesan Biscuits

I am pretty excited to share this recipe with you, because I absolutely loved it.  It's filling, flavorful, full of vegetables, covered in biscuits, and even has some bacon in it for my family of carnivores :)  Minestrone pot pie with whole wheat parmesan biscuits: can you even imagine anything sounding better?  Neither can I.

The recipe starts off with cooking some bacon, and then using the fat to saute the onions and leeks.  You have to know when recipes start out like that,that it's going to be good!  Added to the pan are mushrooms, garlic, spinach, kale, butternut squash, cannellini beans, a can of whole tomatoes, and chicken stock.  Add some salt, pepper, and grated parmesan, and you've got your minestrone.  There is no other spice in the soup part, and yet my mom kept asking what the flavor was when she ate it because it is just so flavorful!  The answer is that it's just a lot of great vegetables sauteed and simmered together.  You've never tasted such flavorful veggies, I swear.

Added on top are parmesan biscuits (hence the pot pie name).  I did end up using more whole wheat flour than the recipe called for because the dough was insanely sticky.  And I made 12 biscuits instead of 8; I thought it would be better to make more, smaller servings, and I am glad that I did.  It's filling enough!

The whole thing is baked, casserole-style, and it really does thicken up so it is almost more like a casserole than the minestrone soup that the name suggests.  Even the staunch meat-eaters in this house were digging it (hey, there's a little bacon in there for them). ,And I was seriously loving it.  I ate it for dinner that night, and then happily brought it for lunch at least two more times this week.  It heated up well, and the bites of flavor-bursting vegetables with soft, flaky biscuits on top... oh man.  This meal is good. So good that you have to make it tonight.  No excuses on this one.  It has meat, it's full of healthy vegetables, it has biscuits on top, and it is casserole-ish for those weirdos who claim that soup isn't a main dish.  Make this ASAP.

Recipe:

minestrone pot pie with whole wheat parmesan biscuits

from howsweeteats.com , adapted from Martha Stewart

Ingredients:

minestrone pot pie
2 slices thick-cut bacon, chopped
1/2 sweet onion, chopped
1 cleaned and trimmed leek, thinly sliced
1/2 cup coarsely chopped baby bella mushrooms
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 1/2 cups cubed butternut squash
3 cups raw spinach leaves
3 cups torn kale leaves
1 can (15 oz) cannellini beans, drained and rinsed
1 can (15 oz) peeled whole tomatoes (I think if I make it again, I will use chopped tomatoes)
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
1/4 cup parmesan cheese + 1 parmesan cheese rind

whole wheat parm biscuits
2 cups whole wheat pastry flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
1 stick (1/2 cup) cold butter, cut into cubes
1 1/2 cups heavy cream + 2 tablespoons (and more for brushing)

Instructions:
 

1) Heat a large pot over medium heat and add chopped bacon. Cook until crispy and fat is rendered, then remove with a slotted spoon and let drain on a paper towel. Add onions and leeks to the pan with a sprinkle of salt, cooking for 5 minutes. Add in mushrooms and cook for 2-3 minutes more. Stir in garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add spinach, kale, squash, tomatoes, beans, stock and parmesan rind. Bring to a boil then reduce to a simmer and cook f0r 20 minutes, covered. While soup is cooking, make biscuits below and preheat oven to 375 degrees F.

2) After 20 minutes, stir parmesan and bacon into soup and transfer to a 9x11" baking dish. Top with biscuits, then brush each biscuit with cream. Bake for 50-55 minutes. Let cool for 10 minutes before serving.

To make biscuits: In a large bowl, combine flour, baking powder and salt. Add butter cubes, and using your fingers, a fork or a pastry blender, mix until coarse little crumbles remain. Make a well in the middle of the flour, then add cream and cheese. Stir until a sticky dough forms, then make 8 small rounds of dough (or drop in 12 dollops of dough like I did!).