Tag Archives: vegetarian

Pasta with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

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Pasta seems to be my go-to when I’m short on meal-preparation time. Not only does it cook in just minutes, but it pairs nicely with a variety of vegetables and sauces. Last week I made a sauce of penne, pumpkin and Parmesan.

When I came upon a recipe for pasta with a creamy pumpkin sauce in “the ski house cookbook,” by Tina Anderson and Sarah Pinneo, I was reminded of the delicately flavored butternut squash-filled ravioli with a sage-brown butter sauce that I had several years ago at I Nonni, an Italian restaurant in the Twin Cities.

That recipe in “the ski house cookbook” inspired Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce with flavors reminiscent of the butternut-squash-filled ravioli I swooned over years ago. I’m not a huge fan of sage, but when the flavor is infused into the dish as whole fresh leaves of the herb saute with some onion and then simmer in white wine, it becomes a whisper that is just loud enough to detect, but not overbearing. For me, the slight essence of sage in the sauce is just right.

This pasta dish is a great example of how the versatile pumpkin feels very comfortable in both sweet and savory foods.

Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce is seasonal, savory and simply delicious.

Penne with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce

  • 1 pound uncooked penne
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • 6 fresh whole sage leaves
  • 1/4 cup white wine or apple cider
  • 1 cup pure pumpkin puree (no added seasonings), either from a can or some of your own cooked pumpkin
  • 1 cup chicken broth or vegetable broth
  • 1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
  • Nutmeg to taste
  • Salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Toasted walnuts, broken

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Use plenty of water. My Italian friend, Carmie, says to use lots of water for best results when cooking pasta. Once the water has come to a boil, add 1 tablespoon salt. Stir in the penne and cook for about 10 minutes or until al dente.

While pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add shallot and saute for about 3 minutes. Add garlic and whole sage leaves and saute for another minute. Add wine and cook until liquid has almost disappeared. Add chicken broth and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove sage leaves and discard. Stir in pumpkin a spoonful at a time and blend well between each addition. Stir in heavy cream and half of the Parmesan.

Drain cooked pasta. Combine with Creamy Pumpkin Sauce. Season with nutmeg, salt and pepper. Sprinkle with remaining 1/4 cup Parmesan cheese and some toasted walnuts. Use as many nuts as you like. Serve immediately. Makes 4 to 6 servings.

Tip from the cook

Toast walnuts in a single layer on a baking sheet in a preheated 350-degree oven for about 6 minutes, until fragrant. Dump the walnuts onto a large clean towel. Roll and rub the walnuts in the towel. Transfer the nuts to a fine mesh strainer and shake them to remove as much of the thin, papery skin as possible. I think the walnuts taste better when some of the skin has been removed.

Autumn Chili–You Won’t Even Miss the Meat

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I’ve been preparing for my trip to Willmar, where I’ll be doing a couple of cooking demonstrations at their Women’s Expo on Saturday. One of the things I most look forward to when I travel to do these programs, is the opportunity to meet some of the people who read my column.

During my visit to Willmar, I’ll be meeting one very special person who likes to cook and who has been reading my column for a few years in the West Central Tribune and following my blog. We’ve been communicating by email for quite some time about meatloaf and muffins and all kinds of food. And today, this 94 1/2-year-old man is going to teach me how to make crullers. He says there’s nothing better to go with a cup of coffee. I’ve never eaten a cruller. I don’t know a thing about them, other than what my cruller teacher has explained to me. Have you ever had a cruller? Have you ever made crullers? Tell me about it in a comment.

I made a pot of Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili. I’m taking a tall jar of the meatless, healthful chili to Mr. Cruller-Maker. He can store it in the refrigerator or freezer and just heat some up when he’s ready to eat it.

I’ve been making this chili for a few years. I kept the cumin toned down in the recipe, but when I make it for my own family, I kick up the heat factor with a full tablespoon of the cumin and add a tablespoon or so of chili powder, which isn’t in the original recipe.

I like to serve the chili with a dollop of sour cream on each serving and a sprinkling of chopped green onions, chives or cilantro. Tortilla chips can be crumbled over the top of each bowl, too. My husband likes to sprinkle some shredded Cheddar over the top of his chili.

It doesn’t take long to prepare Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili. I cook a full cup of lentils which yields a little more than two cups of cooked lentils. I use a cup in the chili and freeze the remaining lentils for another time. I like stirring lentils into rice with some seasonings that depend on my mood at the time. Cooked lentils make a nice addition to soup, too.

You won’t even miss the meat in this chili. It’s a mixture full of texture and high on flavor.

I’ll be eating my first cruller this afternoon. And I’ll bet my new friend will be eating his first bowl of Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili this evening.

Autumn Pumpkin, Black Bean and Lentil Chili

1 cup uncooked lentils                                    1 (15-ounce) can black beans,

2 cups water                                                           drained and rinsed

1 cup finely chopped celery                            1 (15-ounce) can pumpkin puree

1 cup finely chopped carrots                           1 (28-ounce) can ground peeled tomatoes
1 cup finely chopped onion                            2 teaspoons ground cumin
Several cloves garlic, minced                          1 teaspoon sweet Hungarian paprika
2 tablespoons olive oil                                       Seasonings to taste
4 cups vegetable broth or chicken broth
Sour cream for garnish

Sort through lentils to remove any debris. Rinse the lentils. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Slowly stir in lentils. Reduce heat. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes or until tender.

Coat bottom of a soup pot with 2 tablespoons of olive oil. Add celery, carrots and onions. Sauté until the vegetables are tender. Add garlic and continue to sauté for 2 minutes. You don’t want the garlic to brown. Stir in black beans and pumpkin, continuing to stir until the pumpkin is blended into the mixture. Add cumin and paprika and stir to disperse into the vegetable mixture. Stir in tomatoes and bring mixture to a simmer.

Use an immersion blender to gently pulse about half of the vegetable mixture. I like to leave some texture to the soup. Add half of the vegetable broth (2 cups) to the soup mixture in the pot. Bring to a simmer. Gradually add broth until you achieve the texture you desire. Add 1 cup of fully cooked lentils. Simmer the soup, add spices and keep tasting until it’s just right. Serve piping hot with a dollop of sour cream.

“Angel Hair” Cocozelle Squash in Wild Rice Crust

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Meet cocozelle, a thin-skinned summer squash similar to the common zucchini. It’s covered with light and dark green stripes, making it look much more delicate than zucchini.

I had never heard of cocozelle (I love saying that word. It sounds so romantic.) A couple of days ago, my husband came home from work with a few cocozelles in hand and gently set them on the island in the kitchen. They were from Molly Miron, the editor of the Bemidji Pioneer. She lives on a small farm and every summer has a prolific vegetable garden.

When I mentioned cocozelle to Cheryl Krystosek of Chill Creek Ridge, a farm north of Itasca State Park, she knew exactly what I was talking about. She and her husband, Dale, sell their mostly organic produce at the local farmers market. She told me she has had cocozelle in her garden for at least a few years.

I finally used the cocozelle to make an evening meal. I patted the same wild rice mixture from my last post into individual-serving sized gratin dishes. One batch of the mixture made just enough to form crusts in four dishes. I baked the wild rice crusts for 15 minutes at 350 degrees and then gave them time to cool.

In the meantime, I pulled the turning slicer that I bought two years ago and never used out of the closet.

I had watched the slicer being used at a chef demonstration at the farmers market and thought I definitely needed one myself.

I sliced unpeeled cocozelle into very thin strands that looked like angel hair pasta. I set my squash pasta aside and moved onto the sauce.

If you were at the cooking demonstration I did on Saturday at the Women’s Expo in Bemidji, you watched as I made a simple butter sauce flavored with fresh herbs, white wine, some cream and chicken broth. I used that same sauce to toss with the angel hair cocozelle and added some toasted pine nuts.

The cocozelle and sauce were spooned over the prebaked wild rice crusts and topped with grated Parmesan. Then, I just put them back into the oven long enough for tiny bubbles to appear in the sauce that gathered along the edges of the gratin dishes.

My husband and I made a meal of it. He had a ciabatta roll on the side. Wild Rice Crust filled with Angle Hair Cocozelle Squash would also make a lovely side to grilled chicken, or any kind of meat, really.

Most home cooks don’t own a turning slicer. Just use your sharp chef’s knife to julienne the soft summer squash. Any summer squash would give the same delicious results.

This is truly a dish made of fresh, local ingredients. And, it is proof that wild rice crust is not just for quiche. It is very versatile. If you have another idea for ways to use the wild rice crust, leave a comment and tell us about it.

Added morning of September 2nd, 2010: Do be careful if you use a turning slicer. Don’t put the slicer into a sink full of soapy dishwater and then stick your hand down into the water. My husband says the gouge in the tip of his finger is the size of a 1/8 teaspoon. He’s been known to exaggerate and be a bit dramatic. Unfortunately, the only kind of bandages we have in the house are those that appeal to our grandchildren. Won’t he look cute at the office today with his Shrek and Hello Kitty bandaged finger?

But, still, I do love a man with dishpan hands!

“Angel Hair” Cocozelle Squash in Wild Rice Crust

  • 1/3 cup grated Parmesan cheese
  • 1 large egg
  • 3 tablespoons butter, melted
  • 2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
  • 2 1/2 cups cooked wild rice
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
  • 2 to 3 medium cocozelle squash, or any summer squash, julienned
  • 3 to 4 tablespoons butter, divided
  • 1 medium shallot, minced
  • 5 chubby cloves garlic, minced
  • 1/4 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup chicken broth
  • Fresh herbs, minced (I used flat-leaf parsley, basil and delicate fronds from the fennel stems in my garden)
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • A generous handful of pine nuts, toasted

Combine Parmesan cheese, 1 egg, 3 tablespoons melted butter and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Stir in cooked rice, 1/4 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper. Spoon into four lightly greased individual-serving sized gratin dishes or shallow ramekins. Use a spoon to press mixture into bottom and up sides of dishes. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for 15 minutes. Let cool on wire rack. At this point, crust can be covered tightly and stored in refrigerator.

Melt 1 tablespoon butter in skillet. Add shallot and garlic and saute until soft. Add wine, cream and broth. Stir in prepared squash. Simmer very gently for 6 to 8 minutes until squash is al dente. Stir in remaining 2 tablespoons butter, stirring until melted. Add fresh herbs and salt and pepper to taste. Stir in pine nuts.

Divide mixture evenly between 2 of the baked crusts. (The other two crusts can be stored in plastic freezer bags in the freezer for up to a month.) Grate fresh Parmesan over the top of each. Bake in preheated 350-degree oven for about 15 minutes, or until sauce bubbles around the edges. Serve hot. Make 2 servings plus 2 extra crusts to use at another time.

Tip from the cook

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole

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If there’s one thing to love about zucchini, it has to be its versatility.

For years, I’ve been grating zucchini every August and September, stirring the moist, flavorless shreds into quick breads, muffins, cakes and cookies. Occasionally, I would cut young, tender zucchini in half, scrape some of the centers from the long, narrow zucchini boats and stuff them with a ground beef or Italian sausage mixture to make an oven-baked seasonal main dish. But, I’ve always been partial to sweet, baked goods made moist with zucchini.

This zucchini season I’ve been much more adventuresome. I’ve grated zucchini, skin, seeds and all, mixing it into casseroles and stirring it into egg- and cream-rich filling for quiche. I’ve even created towers of fresh mozzarella, tomato and zucchini slices, marinating them in olive oil and vinegar dressing teaming with fresh herbs from my garden, giving them plenty of time in the refrigerator to chill and absorb delicious summery herb flavors.

Adding zucchini to savory dishes makes me think I’m getting more benefits of the dietary fiber coming from the skin and seeds, as well as all the vitamins (especially A and C) and minerals this summer squash has to offer. It might be just because the zucchini in the savory dishes I’ve been preparing combine with other healthful ingredients rather than butter and sugar and flour.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole is a meatless main dish. It takes little time to prepare. It’s full of tortilla-chip crunch, black bean protein, spicy flavor, melted cheese…and zucchini. Grated. Skin, seeds and all.

Children enjoy assisting with meal preparation as they crush tortilla chips in a plastic bag, using a small rolling pin or just pinching the chips through the plastic with their fingers. They can also help layer the ingredients into the baking dish.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole — another way to provide a tasty, healthful meal for your family and eliminate one more zucchini from your kitchen.

Southwestern Zucchini and Black Bean Casserole

  • 1 medium onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
  • 1 medium-sized green bell pepper, chopped
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 2 cups crushed corn tortilla chips
  • 1 (28-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
  • 2 teaspoons chili powder
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano leaves
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  • 2 (15-ounce) cans black beans, rinsed and drained
  • 1 medium zucchini, shredded
  • 2 cups (8 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 2.5- to 3-quart baking dish. Set aside.

Cook onion and green pepper in olive oil in large skillet until tender. Stir in tomatoes, chili powder, oregano leaves and ground cumin. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 10 minutes.

Layer half of crushed tortilla chips, tomato mixture, black beans, zucchini and cheese in prepared baking dish. Repeat layers. Bake, uncovered, in preheated 350-degree oven for about 30 minutes or until mixture is heated through.

Let stand 5 minutes before serving. Makes 6 to 8 servings.

Tips from the cook:

  • I like to offer sour cream and chopped avocados on the side for adding to individual servings.
  • Leftovers only get more flavorful and heat up easily to eat in the next day or two.

We’ve got the beet — sweet!

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sweet beet salad

It was 7:00 a.m. and I was already roasting a pan of beets in the oven. It made the house smell earthy and sweet — a lot like the flavor of beets.

I was anxious to try a recipe from Diane Welland‘s “The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Clean.” I had the opportunity to visit with Diane by phone recently about clean eating. It’s not what I would call a diet that creates feelings of deprivation. That’s not for me. But, it is a lifestyle that involves making healthful food choices and providing the body with the best food possible. And that means lots of whole foods as close to their natural form as possible, such as fresh fruits and vegetables, whole grains, beans — foods that do not contain any man-made ingredients or unnecessary food additives. It means staying away from processed and refined foods.

Diane admits that clean eating takes some planning, takes time and takes some basic kitchen equipment to prepare. You will definitely need a good paring knife, a chef’s knife, a good pot and pan and at least one cutting board.

But it all pays off when you enjoy more energy, vibrant skin and good health.

Diane suggested I try her recipe for Sweet Beets with Chevre and Walnuts. Perfect for this time of year when fresh beets are plentiful at my local farmers market. I had some fresh beets in my refrigerator, a small log of Chevre and plenty of walnuts.

Yes, the dish did take some time to prepare, but not time that I had to be actively involved in the kitchen. The beets roasted in the oven for an hour and 15 minutes, plenty of time to do some ironing, pull some weeds or clean the bathroom. Once the beets were out of the oven, it took minutes to top it with walnuts and chevre.

I left a plate of Sweet Beets with Walnuts and Chevre in the refrigerator and took off for a weekend trip. I knew they’d be safe there until I got home. There’s no chance that my husband will eat them while I’m away. Beets are on the list of things he hasn’t developed an appreciation for, along with olives. So, I’ll eat those roasted beets when I get home. I’ll have them all to myself.

A small step toward a clean-eating way of life. Sweet!

Sweet Beets with Walnuts and Chevre

  • 2 pounds beets, peeled, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
  • 1/2 medium onion, chopped (about 1/2 cup)
  • 3 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
  • 1/4 teaspoon sea salt (optional)
  • 1 teaspoon extra-virgin olive oil
  • 2 tablespoons chopped toasted walnuts
  • 2 ounces chevre (soft plain goat cheese), crumbled

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Spray a 14×10-inch roasting pan with cooking spray Place beets, onions, garlic and salt (if using) in roasting pan and toss together gently. Spread the mixture in an even layer and spray with cooking spray.

Cover tightly with aluminum foil and bake in oven for about 1 hour or until beets are soft when poked with fork.

Uncover beets, Raise oven temperature to 450 degrees and drizzle with olive oil. Cook for 15 minutes, until beets begin to get crisp, but not brown.

Remove from oven and sprinkle with toasted walnuts and goat cheese. Serve immediately. Makes 10 (1/2 cup) servings. Recipe from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Eating Clean, by Diane Welland, M.S., R.D. Alpha Books. 2009.

Each serving has: 81 calories, 4 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 3 g protein, 10 g carbohydrate, 7 g sugars, 3 mg cholesterol, 3 g fiber, 91 mg sodium

In the pod or not, edamame is hot

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The buttery green beans look like baby lima beans, don’t they?  But they’re not. They’re soy beans — edamame (pronounced eh-duh-MAH-may) — harvested at an immature stage in their development. The word edamame literally means "beans on branches," as they grow in clusters on bushy branches.

If you are not familiar with these protein-packed beans, you’re not alone. I first heard of them several years ago from my son who was in college at the time. During his Senior year he took a gourmet foods class. He called to tell me they’d made edamame to eat as a snack. He liked it a lot and said I had to try some. He was in Fort Worth, Texas. I was in Bemidji, Minnesota. I was sure there would not be edamame in the grocery stores I shopped at.

My next trip to the store, I did find edamame in the freezer case. I bought a bag of the shelled beans. As my son had instructed, I boiled them for a few mintues, drained them and sprinkled them with coarse salt. I wasn’t impressed.

During the years since that first introduction to edamame, my son occasionally referred to the edamame he’d make for a quick, healthful snack. I couldn’t understand the appeal. Until I ordered edamame at a restaurant. A few weeks ago when I was in Minneapolis, I stopped at Chino Latino. It was my first visit to this hopping Minneapolis restaurant near Hennepin and Lake. Wok-Fried Spicy Edamame was one of the menu selections. I had to try it.

Oh, they were spicy all right. And they were served still in the pod. The server must have read the expression on my face when she placed the heaping edamame platter on the table in front of me. Acting as if she had to explain to all her customers about the eating part of edamame, she kindly told me how to do this. Slide the fuzzy pod that looks like a large sugar snap pea into your mouth and use your teeth to hold the beans as you pull the pod out between your lips, catching the slightly crunchy beans in your mouth. It worked. The edamame were hot and spicy and so delicious. I felt as if I was eating popcorn, quickly placing one pod after another through my lips, pulling them out, depositing the nutty beans into my mouth, leaving a big  pile of empty pods behind. They were not only tasty, they were fun to eat. No wonder edamame is quickly becoming popular in restaurants and bars and home kitchens. It’s a hot and healthful food choice these days.

I realize now why my son likes them so much. He used the edamame in the pods. I was buying the wrong kind when I picked them from the freezer case at the store.

I made some spicy edamame a few days after I got home from my trip to the Twin Cities. I’m hooked on this healthful snack filled with vitamins and minerals. Edamame is a good source of protein and fiber, too.

After doing some research, I discovered the shelled edamame is often cooked and tossed into salads, pasta, soups and stews.

Spaghetti with Green Sauce and Edamame is a meatless main dish. In the time it takes to cook a box of spaghetti, you can make the sauce and cook the edamame. It’s a quick, healthful meal.

So, now I know — shelled edamame for soups, salads, pasta, stews, dips and whole pod edamame for appetizers and snacks. And, don’t eat the pods.

I’ve got it down. I can cook them. I know how to eat them. And I’ve got edamame in the freezer.

If you’d like to read about the hot and spicy edamame appetizer I made, go to my column this week. Click here.

Spaghetti with Green Sauce and Edamame

  • 3 chubby cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 bunch of parsley, leaves only
  • 1 handful of fresh chives
  • Juice from 1/2 of a lemon
  • 2 tablespoons olive oil
  • 1 heaping cup frozen shelled edamame
  • 1 (14.5-ounce) box spaghetti, uncooked
  • Freshly grated Parmesan cheese
  • Black pepper to taste

Bring a medium pot of water to a boil. Stir in edamame and cook for 4 to 5 minutes, according to package directions. Drain edamame and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Cook spaghetti in a large pot of boiling water, just to al dente, or firm to the bite. Scoop some of the cooking water into a glass measuring cup, saving about 1 cup of the water. Drain cooked spaghetti and leave in colander while making Green Sauce.

Place garlic in a blender or food processor. Run machine to chop garlic. Add parsley, chives and lemon juice and process. If ingredients are sticking to the sides of the blender, pour in a tablespoon or two of the saved hot cooking water from the spaghetti pot. Run the blender until all of the ingredients are minced and mixed together. With the blender running, drizzle in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil.

Place cooked spaghetti and edamame in a pasta bowl. Add green sauce and toss all together until pasta is coated with sauce. Add a little more pasta water for more moisture, if needed. Sprinkle all with grated Parmesan and freshly ground black pepper. Serve immediately.

 

Earth Day

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Earth Day is a great time to cook with ingredients that come from the land in northern Minnesota. Pass up processed foods and prepare a meal from scratch. Locally harvested wild rice and honey are abundant and ground buffalo is fresh from a local ranch. These ingredients can be enhanced with organic foods purchased from the grocery store.
Knowing where food comes from and how it is grown or raised allows consumers to choose safe foods. Combining these foods with organic foods from the grocery store can safeguard you and your family’s health as well as protect the health of our earth and our environment.
Full of nutty wild rice and beans, Hearty Wild Rice Salad can be served at room temperature, making it the perfect dish to take to Spring potluck dinners and picnics under the sun. Once the wild rice is cooked, the salad quickly comes together with very little chopping involved. Seasoned with ground cumin and curry powder, this salad whispers a hint of Morocco.
 

Hearty Wild Rice Salad
1½ cups uncooked wild rice, rinsed and drained
1½ teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon curry powder
¼ teaspoon paprika
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
½ cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 (15-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzos), rinsed and drained
1 (15-ounce) can small red beans, rinsed and drained
1 can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
½ cup sliced green onions
¼ cup dried cranberries
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Fill a large saucepan with 4½ cups of water. Add rice and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until rice is tender, yet still a bit chewy. Drain any excess liquid. Rinse rice under cold water and drain well. Transfer to large mixing bowl.
Add chickpeas, beans, water chestnuts, green onions and dried cranberries to rice and toss to combine.
To make the dressing, whisk together the lemon juice, red wine vinegar, Dijon mustard, honey, cumin, curry powder, paprika, cayenne pepper and minced garlic. Gradually add the olive oil and whisk until blended.
Gradually pour dressing over rice mixture. Gently toss and continue to add dressing until all ingredients are lightly coated. If you have some dressing leftover, store it in the refrigerator in a jar.
Season salad with salt and pepper. Serve at room temperature. The salad can be made ahead of serving time and refrigerated. Allow to come to room temperature and toss before serving. Makes 6 large main dish servings.

Tips from the cook
Meat lovers can add chopped cooked ham, chicken or turkey to the salad.
 

Can’t beat this gratin

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I’ve got some shallow oval-shaped baking dishes that I found years ago in my mom’s cupboard. I call them gratin dishes. They’re just right for baking individual servings of bubbling fruit crisp, cheesy potatoes or homemade creamy macaroni and cheese.

After snipping tender leaves from beet tops to prepare Ukrainian Beet Leaf Bread for my newspaper column, I had a good number of ruby red beets to use. Beets from the farmers market, carrots from a neighbor’s garden, and cioppolini onions provided by a local farmer at the food co-op and a head of Polish garlic, another great local find at the food co-op, happened to all be in my kitchen at the same time. One evening I decided on a beet gratin. You don’t need a recipe for this dish. Whether you have some shallow baking dishes to prepare individual servings or a quiche dish or a pie plate, this Beet Gratin is going to be pretty. Use it as a side dish or make it a meal, as I did. It’s very satisfying.

These are a list of the ingredients I used to make the Beet Gratin:

  • beets
  • carrots
  • onion
  • garlic
  • olive oil
  • coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
  • walnuts
  • goat cheese

Start by trimming roots and tops from the beets. My Beet Gratin for two took about 3 or 4 smaller beets. Scrub them well and then slice them quite thin. I cut each slice in half to create fork-friendly and bite-sized pieces. Place the sliced beets in a large bowl. Finely chop half of a small onion. Add to the bowl. Mince one or two cloves of garlic. Add to the bowl. Slice 1 large or 2 small carrots and add to the bowl. Toss all the prepared vegetables with a tablespoon of olive oil. Pile the vegetables into a well-greased shallow baking dish or individual baking dishes. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Cover tightly with aluminum foil. Bake in preheated 375-degree oven for about 45 minutes. Remove foil and sprinkle chopped walnuts over the top of the gratin. Return to oven and bake for another 8 to 10 minutes. Remove from oven. Crumble goat cheese and sprinkle over the hot gratin. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

 

Mmmmmm…millet (for a happy birthday)

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My husband called me from the golf course. "We’re headed to the 18th hole. Just checking in to find out if you’re planning anything for dinner."

Me: "Yep. I’m making millet salad."

He: "Okay. You go ahead and have the salad. I’ll stay here and eat with the guys."

Me: I finished making the millet salad, chopping green pepper, some grape tomatoes, and Italian parsley that I snipped from my herb garden. Drained a can of "extra crunchy" corn. Made an oil and lemon juice dressing. Stirred it all together with the millet mixture that I had prepared earlier in the day. I dipped a fork into the salad. Fork to mouth. Oh, my gosh. I could not believe how delicious it was.

It was my first taste of millet. And it’s quite possible I wouldn’t have chosen to make the salad at this time, but I had bought some of this high-protein grain when my daughter-in-law was here. She was planning to cook some up for her nine-month-old daughter, using a recipe from "Cooking for Baby," by Lisa Barnes. If my granddaughter is eating it, I should at least try it.

I set up my camera on the tripod. I packed some of the salad into a ramekin and turned it out onto a plate. Parlsey leaves for garnish. One birthday candle stuck into the middle of the molded salad. Birthday candle, you ask?

African Millet Salad wih Corn and Peppers is a recipe from "The New Whole Grains Cookbook," by Twin Citian, Robin Asbell. And today is Robin’s birthday. So it’s MMMMM…Millet birthday salad.

My husband came home after a meal at the country club.

He: "Hmm. It smells good in here."

I dipped a fork in the millet salad. I put it to his mouth. He ate it. He loved it.

He: "This is amazing. I’m impressed."

Me: "See. You should have come home for dinner."

I had no roasted peanuts to add to the salad. I can’t say it needed them. But, I am taking the salad to share with girlfriends at the lake this weekend. I’ll stop to pick up some peanuts. I know they are going to love this salad.

Happy Birthday, Robin. Thanks for your wonderful cookbook with recipes that make whole grains taste delicious.

Maybe one of your future writing projects could be: The New Whole Grains Cookbook for Baby: Recipes even adults will love!

African Millet Salad with Corn and Peppers

  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, divided
  • 1 medium onion, julienned (about 1 1/2 cups)
  • 2 tablespoons chopped garlic
  • 2 tablespoons minced ginger
  • 1 tablespoon paprika
  • 1 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
  • 1/8 teaspoon cayenne, or to taste
  • 1 cup millet
  • 1 1/2 cups water
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • 1 tablespoon brown sugar
  • 1  (8-ounce) can "extra crunchy" corn, drained
  • 1 small green pepper, chopped
  • 1 whole Roma tomato, chopped
  • 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley
  • 1/4 cup roasted peanuts, chopped

In 2-quart saucepan, with a tight-fittin lid, heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil, then sauté the onion over medium heat until very golden and soft. Add the garlic and ginger and cook for a minute, then add paprika, black pepper, allspice and cayenne and cook for a minute more. Wash the millet quickly and drain. Add the millet to the pan and stir, coating the grains and cooking until hot to the touch. Add the water and salt and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and cover. Simmer on low for 20 minutes before checking for doneness. When all the liquid is absorbed and the grain is tender, cover and take the pan off the heat for 10 minutes to steam. Scrape the cooked millet into a bowl and cover, then let cool.

Whisk the remaining 2 tablespoons olive oil with the lemon juice and brown sugar in a small bowl. Stir the corn, bell pepper, tomato and parsley into the cooled millet mixture, then drizzle the dressing over it and stir to coat. Serve topped with the peanuts. Serves 8.

From "The New Whole Grains Cookbook," by Robin Asbell.