Smoky stovetop beets

Beets have a muddled place in my kitchen. Some of us believe beets can and should be a part of every day's menu... hot, cold, raw, roasted, pickled... Anyway you make them, I {and now Brother} will eat them.

The girls declare them "yummy in my tummy," but don't dream purple like their momma.

Tim would prefer, well, any vegetable to a beet. Disappointing. However, this is one of three things he prefers not to eat, so I try to oblige.

What's a beet luvin' girl to do? Wait for an evening youth event serving a dinner, then make a mess of beets. An evening such as this one.

Since it's a single parent Sunday night, I was thinking borscht. Easy, delicious beets. That is until my daughter informed me that I always make soup, and she never wants to eat soup, and can't I please make a pizza instead. She doesn't appreciate this rare opportunity.

A compromise: Smoked Beet Pizza, or a new segment I'd like to call The Penny Gourmet.

Gourmet food has earned the reputation for extravagance and expense. Families concerned with thriftiness, such as a single income family with three kids, can be easily convinced that thrifty food must be common. I disagree. Any food can become gourmet with a little effort, such as fire roasting or in this case smoking.

Since week old snow still lays unmelted in the yard, I will not be using the big smoker. Tim might be that dedicated to the cause, but I prefer my heated kitchen. Thus follows a brief tutorial in Stovetop Smoking {seen first in Homemade by Yvette Von Boven}.

You will need:

A roasting pan with a heat resistant rack (a trivet can work)

Aluminum foil

A couple handfuls of wood chips or loose tea
Optional: woody herbs such as rosemary or juniper berries for flavor

Something to smoke: fish works well. Today we are focusing on root veggies

Directions:

Cube 2 lbs of root veggies (peeling if desired).

Place wood chips or tea leaves in the middle of the roasting pan forming a flat pile. Cover with a double layer of aluminum foil. Lay the rack in the pan and arrange the veggies leaving space between pieces.

Set the pan on a large burner over medium high heat until the wood chips begin to smoke. Turn the heat down to medium low and cover the pan in aluminum foil, crimping around the edges to create the tightest seal possible. Smoke for 30-40 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Move veggies to a greased cookie sheet and roast in the oven until al dente (This step is unnecessary with fish).

These veggies are versatile. I made extra and sliced them thinly for sandwiches or in salad. I might bust them out for snack this afternoon with a bit of sour cream. Anywho...

To create the pizza, I sautéed onions in a honey balsamic glaze {aka, add 1 t each of balsamic vinegar and honey to the translucent onions and caramelize for 1-2 minutes}. Olive oil, salt and sage for sauce. Mozzarella over the top, and you have a sunset pink gourmet pizza for around $3.

In case the time commitment of this venture worries you... All three kids were awake for the whole process. You need to be aware of the stove, but you don't have to stand over it.

Happy smoking!

The day the girls ate sushi

We love the grocery store - small one has a special Trader Joe's dance. Our grocery trips have a sense of ritual about them. Product of a pseudo-foodie momma.

Big one knows all of our regular items. She bounces from tortillas to bananas to garlic, calling back to me, "Mommy, do we need eggplant? What about fresh ginger? Should we buy broccoli today? Ooo, we need eggs and yogurt and edamame." She rushes around the grocery store grabbing the items she knows and shot putting dropping them in the cart. Managed chaos.

We practice school at the grocery store. Find foods that begin with our letter of the week. Identify colors of fruit. Count items aloud as we put them in the cart. We border on disruptive, so I try to time our visits with a lull.

I risk annoying other patrons so that the girls can own their food and know ingredients.

And the girls ever surprise me with their adventurous palates. They eat spinach with goat cheese, pomegranate, hummus, curry and tofu. They're especially drawn to brightly colored veggies: purple kale and orange cauliflower. Showing me that the only foods kids will never eat are the foods we never put in front of them.

Not to say they eat everything equally. We're hit or miss with fish. DH spoiled them with fresh caught rockfish. Everyone should be so lucky. Small one spits out even tiny pieces of onion. Big one is on an unAmerican I-hate-Mac-n'-cheese kick. But we keep trying old stuff and introducing new stuff.

So I'm introducing a recipe from my sis that my girls devoured, once again surprising me with their willingness to explore different flavors.

Sushi Salad courtesy of Sarah Kerley

Dressing
3 T soy sauce (Tamari soy sauce is often gluten free)
3 T sesame oil
3 T rice vinegar
2 t wasabi (optional)
1 clove garlic, crushed
1 t sugar
2 T each white and black sesame seeds (or 4 T white sesame seeds), lightly toasted

Salad
1/2 lb rice noodles (you could substitute 2 packages of ramen noodles sans the flavor package)
1 cucumber, shredded
2 carrots, shredded
1 avocado, diced
1 lb edamame, cooked and shelled
Up to 1 c shredded seaweed such as nori and/or wakame

Directions
Mix all dressing ingredients in a small bowl, stirring until sugar dissolves. Boil the rice noodles (like spaghetti, but they cook in 5-7 minutes depending on the width) and drain. Combine all salad ingredients in large bowl. Pour dressing over and toss to coat evenly.

Serve warm.

Makes 6 servings.

This is even better the next day. Heat it up for half a minute in the microwave and enjoy. You can also top it with cooked shrimp or lump crab meat. A seared tuna steak would be a lovely addition to fancy it up a bit.

Sorry I don't have a picture. It didn't last that long.

Spinach Crust Pizza

Anyone else wonder why the hospital staff let you leave with your children? I just blamed the cat for failing to recycle his empty food can.

Which leads me to another confession: I open the can of food and drop it outside the back door for the world's greatest cat.

This mini catharsis has nothing to do with the body of my post. It's just the moment I'm living in. Hanging out in the back yard between events. Big one is feeding me pebble pancakes while small ones harasses, I mean cooks for the world's greatest cat.

A jam packed weekend... I miss picking up a pizza from Costco or even better, Papa Murphey's. I don't like griping about the gluten free thing. A modified diet is an easy solution to avoid weekly migraines. But convenience was nice.

We've battled through several gf pizza recipes, none with great success. But then I stumbled upon a recipe from Mollie Katzen in the Moosewood Cookbook. I had to make instant adjustments based on what my crisper contained, but we now have a terrific gluten free pizza crust.

Without yeast, you can pull the finished pizza out of the oven an hour after you start the recipe. And, for you Mommas who like to fortify everything with veggies {sounds much less deceptive than 'sneak'}, the crust is spinach. Join me as a dance a recipe jig!

source

Spinach-Crust Pizza

Ingredients:
1 bag fresh spinach, chopped
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 c whole wheat/grain flour {millet, sorghum, buckwheat, etc...}
1/2 c shredded mozzarella
1/2 c grated parmesan
2 T olive oil
salt, crushed red pepper, basil to taste

Directions:
Mix all ingredients together, then press into a greased pie plate {deep dish} or 9x13 casserole dish {thin crust}. Bake at 415 degrees for 30-35 minutes until the crust is crispy and edges turn golden brown.

Remove from oven and top with your favorites. Ours are:
Saute'd mushrooms
Fresh tomatoes
Onions
Pine nuts
Sun-dried tomatoes
Black olives
More cheese!

Bake for 10-15 minutes or until the cheese is to your liking. Slice and serve!

Caring for the Sick Ones

She's finally seeing the fruit of generosity, though she might not know it yet. From the first crossing of the threshold, big one has set the standard of giving. Bring Sissy's blankie. Find Sissy's passie. Carry Sissy's bottle to the sink. Share favorite toys with her new favorite person. She cultivated a relationship of caring. Now Sissy's responding in kind.

Bunch of sicko's yesterday. The BRAT diet and pedialyte trying to calm upset stomachs. Small one's been the longest sufferer. But when big one tripped and caught her fall with her face, small one raced to find Lambie for comfort. During afternoon pit stop, small one snatched both bottles from me and marched off to find her sister, ready to share the spoils. I still smile reflecting on how they care for each other.

Caring starts at the top. Tired from hopping out of bed to clean up sick, a migraine brewing from the lost sleep, self-pity and self-interest threatened to run the day. They learn caring and selflessness at home from mom and dad who learn from Christ. He was never too tired for the sick. I don't need to be either.

Food might not be for comfort. ButI think when sick, comforting food speed healing. My mom always made spaghetti and clam sauce. To this day, every time my nose runs, I start graving garlic and seafood. DH ate chicken noodle soup. Classic. Since he was the really sick, I set about making chicken noodle soup with no noodles and no chicken. An exercise in culinary creativity.

 

Roasted Winter Veggies

Sometimes I forget that February has seasonal produce. I tend to think of late winter and early spring as the land of frozen veggies. This dish smacks my stereotype around, featuring the jewels of the winter produce section: the long keepers.

Some veggies are hardy, even after picking. They were very popular before refrigerators but not as much any more (probably because they were cooked into mush so often). Time for a revival.

Options abound:
All of the potatoes including my favorite, the sweet potato (a veggie, not a starch - Yay!)
Winter squashes: acorn, butternut, pumpkin, just to name a few
Roots: carrots, turnips, rutabaga, parsnips, beets

For this recipe, I included several varieties of veggies and kept the spices simple to enjoy the different vegetables. The lentils add protein to the one-dish vegetarian meal.

Ingredients
1 c lentils
1 small onion, chopped
Medley of winter veggies, such as:
  1 large sweet potato
  3 red potatoes
  1 rutabaga
  3 carrots
  2 parsnips
3 T olive oil
1 T dried parsley
1 t salt

Directions
Cook lentils in 4-6 c of water for 20 minutes. While the lentils cook, peel and cube the veggies in bite size pieces. Combine all ingredients together in a roasting pan and bake at 425 degrees for 35-40 minutes. It's that simple.

Two of my newest favorite recipes that capitalize on another staple of winter veggies: brassicas.
Brussel Sprouts and Bacon by Alton Brown
Broccoli Rabe and Sausage by Cake Boss

Fung-tastic Pasta Bake

I realize it's been a few days since I posted. Rather than post my list of excuses, let me just say that I promise to make it up to you.  I have several really neat projects in the  works. Stay tuned this week.  I can't wait to show them to you.

In the meantime, I have a recipe. This is a Rachel Ray style, chopping-is-the-most-complicated-step, one-dish dinner. I was craving pizza this week but didn't have the energy for homemade dough, so I improvised with an easy layer lasagna feel. This turned out to be a tasty, easy dinner. It took 15 minutes from start to oven and could easily feed six.

The key to this dish is the mushrooms. Not just delicious, they are a good source of fiber and protein, also providing B and C vitamins. In a vegetarian dish, mushrooms add heartiness. The carnivore in your family won't miss the meat. I kept the spices simple to emphasize the mushroom's flavor. Hope this helps during a busy week.

Ingredients
Sauce: (You can substitute a jar of tomato basil pasta sauce. I just didn't have any on hand.)
3-16 oz cans of diced tomatoes
1 T Basil
2 t salt
2 t sugar

Box of whole wheat rotini

6-8 c water

Filling:
2 packages of mushrooms, 1 cremini or portabella and 1 white, sliced
1/2 medium onion
1 c ricotta cheese
1 lb grated mozzarella
Grated parmesan, optional

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Combine all sauce ingredients in a medium sauce pan and simmer while preparing the rest of the dish. Combine rotini with water and boil until al dente. If available, use an oven safe pot with a lid so dish can be transferred without dirtying a second piece. While pasta and sauce cook, add 1 T olive oil to large pan and saute mushrooms and onion.
When pasta is cooked, drain and return to oven safe pot (if you don't have a safe pot, use a large baking dish and cover with aluminum foil). Cover the pasta with half the sauce. Spread ricotta cheese and half the mozzarella. Next cover with mushrooms and onion. Spread the rest of the sauce over the mushrooms. Top with remaining mozzarella and a little grated parmesan.
Cover and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove cover and broil for 5 - 10 minutes to brown cheese.

Stuffed Peppers

Sometimes I miss the blog, like today after I made a delicious meal and want to share it. Problem is I'm really busy with the two girls and forget things like taking pictures of said meal. But for those of you who don't mind a recipe without a picture, here goes:

Stuffing:
1 c wild rice or brown rice
3 carrots, peeled and finely chopped
1/2 t of salt
1 c ricotta cheese (could substitute cottage cheese)
1/2 c spanish olives, chopped
1/2 c mozzarella cheese
1/2 t paprika
1/4 t cayenne pepper

3 bell peppers

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Cook rice with carrots and salt in water according to directions. While rice mixture cooks, chop olives and mix with spices, ricotta and mozzarella cheeses (hold out a little mozzarella to sprinkle on top of peppers). Cut peppers in half length wise, removing seeds but leaving the stems to retain the shape of the pepper.

When rice is cooked, combine with cheese and olives then fill peppers, covering with remaining mozzarella.

Place peppers in a baking dish with 1/4" of water and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Uncover and broil for additional 5 minutes until cheese browns.

Enjoy this easy all-in-one meal.

Low-Fat Vegetarian Fare

A plug for my all time favorite cookbook, "Moosewood Restaurant Low-Fat Favorites." I don't use cookbooks often, preferring to experiment with the recipe or use the internet to find what I'm looking for. My theory of cooking tends to follow that of Smitten Kitchen's - I rarely make the same dish twice. It does seem a waste of perfectly good recipes, but I always want to try something new. The staple items like bread, applesauce and yoghurt are the exceptions.

However, some of the fare in the Moosewood cookbook is so good that I simply have to repeat it, especially as side dishes. I've found with most vegetarian cookbooks/websites, they anticipate that their readers are vegetarians who are skipping the fat/calories found in meat. The recipes are then loaded with other forms of fat, from avocados to feta cheese. Amazing dishes, but they really must be used as the main course, otherwise your caloric intake approaches 500 for the meal.

The Low-Fat cookbook offers all sorts of, duh, lower fat options - perfect side dishes or lunches or diet fare. Whenever I'm pulling together a large meal with several sides or a covered dish for a church function, I turn to the Moosewood cookbook. And sometimes it comes in handy when I'm scrambling for something to do with an empty fridge and scarce pantry - enter the Hominy and Black Bean Frittata. So good that Tim  went back for seconds. As you can see, I was out of black beans, so I substituted kidney beans. No harm done. It feels like plagiarism to copy the recipe, so I encourage you to buy the cookbook.