eggs on sunday

As promised, here’s the first recipe I’ve been making a lot lately with my homemade ricotta. I love a stuffed mushroom, and these are the *best* I’ve ever had: topped with a heavenly mixture of creamy ricotta, grated parmigiano-reggiano, mixed herbs (I’ve been using chives and parsley), lemon zest and some crushed red pepper for a tiny little kick. (more…)

Think those little shiny dark spheres on top of the toast points are beluga caviar?

Guess again!

I had a bag of beluga lentils that I’d recently purchased from chefshop.com in my pantry, and I was dying to use them…but I didn’t want to just throw them into a lentil salad or soup. No, I wanted to think of some way to use them that would really let them shine — and play off the fact that they look just like caviar! I was going down the route of some type of appetizer when I came across a recipe on 101cookbooks.com; this recipe used the tiny lentils as a topping to a crostini…bingo! (more…)

I don’t know about you, but for me, 3:00 in the afternoon is when I am 100% ready for a snack. I usually try to have something relatively healthy on hand (lest I raid the freezer and start eating frozen brownies), so it’s easiest if the snack is ready to go; no lengthy prep.

B and I both love hummus, and many times that’s what we’ll snack on, but I get antsy for a change every so often. Variety is the spice of life, no? This is where bean dips come in. One of my favorites is this white bean and roasted red pepper dip: it’s super flavorful, easy to throw together, loaded with fiber, Vitamin C, and Vitamin A — and, it’s a beautiful orange hue. The sweet roasted peppers and the smooth, mild white beans are brightened a bit by the slight background tang of a little balsamic vinegar, and of course it has garlic - what isn’t great with a little garlic?? It’s great as a dip, but would also be really tasty as a spread on sandwiches or crostini.

I like to make a batch on the weekend, then divide it into containers for us to take to work during the week. If I’m really on top of my game, I also cut up a bunch of vegetables and toast some whole wheat pita wedges on the weekend so they’re all ready to go with the dip. Granted, that level of planning ahead doesn’t always happen — but when it does, afternoon snacks are a beautiful thing.

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White Bean and Roasted Red Pepper Dip

Adapted from Vegetarian Classics by Jeanne Lemlin

Ingredients
1 can white beans (Great Northern, cannellini, navy, etc.) — drained and rinsed
1/2 cup chopped roasted red peppers (homemade or from a jar, patted dry)
1/2 tsp coarse salt
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp paprika
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp balsamic vinegar

Variation: omit the cumin and add in 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil leaves

Directions
Place the drained beans, red peppers, salt, cumin (or basil), paprika, garlic cloves, olive oil, and vinegar in a food processor. Blitz until smooth. Serve as is, or refrigerate until later.

Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

I found myself in a bit of a quandry this past weekend. It’s a well-known fact how much B and I love guacamole. We would honestly eat it a few times a week if we could…but avocados definitely aren’t local to upstate NY, and I feel these little pangs of guilt every time I buy a big bunch at the store. So it’s our occasional treat - and I had a big craving for it this past weekend, which probably was related to the fact that we had 5 big, plump, dark and ripe Hass avocados sitting in a bowl on our windowsill, beckoning to me. I figured I’d make guacamole for lunch, and after digging around a bit in my pantry, I found some other things to add to it to boost the nutrition level (though the original dip is, in moderation, quite a healthy thing.) So into my base recipe with avocados, tomatoes, scallions, garlic and lime went a can of drained black beans (good fiber!), a diced red bell pepper (vitamin C!), a handful of cooked & cooled frozen corn, and a big handful of chopped cilantro. It was a pretty big bowl of dip, and instead of devouring a bag of tortilla chips with it, I tried a recipe for homemade olive oil whole wheat crackers from 101cookbooks.com (they were a big hit, and so easy to make — definitely check out the recipe!) I made a few different kinds to go with the dip — some were covered with a dusting of cumin, some with a sprinkling of sesame seeds, and others with kosher salt, cracked black pepper, and a drizzle of olive oil.

So, all in all, this turned out to be a pretty healthy and tasty weekend lunch. You could throw in a diced chili pepper or two to amp up the spiciness.

Ingredients

3 large avocados
2 tbsp minced scallions or onion
1 small chopped tomato
juice of 2 limes
1 small clove garlic, minced
1 tsp salt
1 can black beans (preferably organic), drained
1 small red bell pepper, diced
1/2 cup frozen corn, cooked and cooled
1/4 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Peel and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash it with a fork in a bowl. Stir in the chopped tomato, minced scallions/onion, garlic, lime juice, salt, black beans, red pepper, corn, and cilantro. Taste and adjust the seasonings if needed. Serve with tortilla chips or another favorite cracker or chip.

This is currently my favorite bruschetta recipe. I’ve adapted it a bit from the recipe used in the “Cooking Couples” class B and I took at the Cambridge School of Culinary Arts (if you’re living in the Boston area and interested, we had a great time - I highly recommend it!) For the topping, you slowly cook down some onions until caramelized, then mix in some chopped dried figs, red wine, a little balsamic vinegar, and fresh rosemary. Pile this on top of some lightly toasted baguette slices, top with some crumbled goat cheese and a little more rosemary, and broil until the cheese is melting. They’re a delicious sweet-tart-savory bite that marry some of my favorite flavors. This recipe makes enough topping for 1 very large baguette, or two medium-sized ones.

Ingredients

1 large or 2 medium baguettes, sliced into 1/3 inch slices
5 tbsp olive oil
3 red onions, peeled and thinly sliced
8 oz. dried figs, chopped
2 garlic cloves, peeled and crushed
1/2 cup red wine
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp rosemary, finely chopped
8 oz goat cheese

Directions

Place your oven rack in the middle of the oven, and preheat the broiler.

Heat 2 tbsp of oil in a large saute pan. Add the sliced red onions and cook over medium heat until soft and golden — this usually takes me about 30-45 minutes. The goal is to cook them low and slow, to get them nice and golden brown from their sugars caramelizing, instead of using higher heat to brown the outsides before the sugars have been released.

Stir in the figs and garlic, then add the red wine and balsamic vinegar. Simmer this mixture, uncovered, until most of the liquid has evaporated — anywhere from 5-10 minutes. Stir in the sugar and 1 tsp rosemary; season well with salt and pepper and set aside to cool.

Spread the slices of baguette out on a baking sheet and drizzle or brush with the remaining 3 tbsp oil. Bake the baguette slices until lightly toasted (watch them carefully to avoid burning) - this only takes a few minutes if you use the broiler. Remove from the oven and cool slightly, until you can handle them.

Top each baguette slice with a spoonful of the onion-fig mixture and some crumbled goat cheese. Season with pepper and scatter the remaining 2 tsp rosemary over the tops, then bake just until the goat cheese melts, about 5 minutes.

Number one on my list of all-time favorite dips is guacamole. I smile just thinking about it. I actually think I could probably sit down and eat a big bowl of it at least once a week, probably twice. But as big a fan as I am, B is an even bigger fan — so between the two of us, we make quick work of a bowl of this creamy, chunky goodness. This recipe comes by way of my Mom, who used to make a version of it from a Mexican cookbook she had. I’ve tweaked it a bit over the years, and the version below is our tried-and-true favorite bowl of great, green guac.

Ingredients

3 large avocados
2 tbsp minced scallions or onion
1 small chopped tomato
juice of 1/2 to 1 lime (use half, taste it, and add more if you like more acidity)
1/2 tsp minced garlic (one very small clove)
1/2 tsp salt

Directions

Peel and pit the avocados. Scoop out the flesh with a spoon and mash it with a fork in a bowl. Stir in the chopped tomato, minced scallions/onion, garlic, lime juice, and salt.
Makes about 2 cups, for 2-4 servings (depending on how hungry you are!)

I just love the vibrant colors in this salad! The sweetness of the beets pairs well with the peppery arugula and onions. You can serve the salad all on one large plate or divided between individual salad plates; I myself happen to love the presentation of the large ring of beets and mound of dressed greens and onion on one large plate.

Adapted from Bon Appetit, April 2007.

Ingredients

4 medium (2 1/2 inch diameter) golden beets, trimmed, scrubbed
3 tbsp olive oil

1/2 cup very thinly sliced red onion
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2 tbsp drained capers
2 tbsp minced fresh chives
6 cups (loosely packed) baby arugula or spinach

Directions

Preheat oven to 375. Toss the beets with oil in an 8×8 baking pan; sprinkle them with salt, cover the pan with foil, and roast until they’re tender — about 1 hour. Remove the pan from the oven and let it stand, still covered with foil, at room temperature for 20 minutes. Remove the foil, take out the beets, and peel them (the skins should slip off really easily). Place peeled beets in a bowl; cover and chill at least 1 hour (you can do this step ahead and keep them in the fridge until you’re ready to assemble the salad.)

Toss onion, oil, capers, and chives in a small bowl. Thinly slice beets. Arrange beets in concentric circles on each of 6 small plates (or on 1 large plate). Mound arugula atop center of beets; spoon onion-caper mixture over. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.

Serves 4-6.