Breakfast of champions

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Saturdays are the best. There's no work, sleeping in is a must-do and there's always the Saturday morning lazy breakfast. This weekend Mike & I munched on these waffles. They're relatively healthy and they definitely satisfy the need for something sweet in the morning. Even though these seem like a lot of work because the eggs get separated and the whites get folded in. Believe me; it really makes for a lighter waffle. We topped ours with a blackberry syrup, but feel free to use what you like.




Nutty whole wheat waffles

Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. cinnamon

3 eggs, separated
1 cup milk
3 Tbsp. butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 tsp almond extract
1/2 c. chopped nuts (I used walnuts)

Canola or vegetable oil

Special equipment: waffle iron

Directions:
1. In a large bowl combine the dry ingredients and mix with a fork.
2. In a separate, smaller bowl combine egg yolks, milk, butter, and extracts.
3. Beat egg whites to a stiff peak.
4. Pour the milk and egg yolk mixture into the dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
5. Fold in the egg whites and chopped nuts, being careful not to deflate the egg whites.
6. Heat up a waffle iron and lightly oil with canola or vegetable oil.
7. Pour about 2/3 c. of the batter into the waffle iron and cook until the waffle is a golden brown color.
8. Repeat for the remaining batter.

Carrot cookies

This is an adaptation from a recipe I saw on 101cookbooks.com. I didn't have most of the ingredients, except for the carrots and the oats, but I gave it a whirl anyhow, substituting what I did have on hand. Here's the recipe I made. I kind of like these because they aren't over-the-top sweet, plus it has carrots, so it HAS to be healthy, right?


Carrot cookies

Ingredients:
1 c. whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt (kosher)
1 c. rolled oats
2/3 c. sunflower seeds
1 c. shredded carrots
1/2 c. brown rice syrup (the original called for maple syrup, but alas I was out!)
1/2 c. coconut oil heated through
1 T fresh grated ginger

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Line cookie sheet w/ parchment paper
2. Combine the first 6 ingredients in a large bowl.
3. In a smaller bowl combine the brown rice syrup, coconut oil and ginger. Stir until they are completely combined.
4. Add the liquid mixture to the dry ingredients. Stir until just combined.
5. Drop spoonfuls of the batter onto the prepped cookie sheet.
6. Bake for about 10 minutes until the cookies are golden on top and bottom.
7. Cool on a rack and enjoy (if you can wait that long).

Zucchini and sun-dried tomato relish

This recipe was inspired by a recipe I saw in Gourmet magazine, but it was made with eggplant. Since Mike is allergic to eggplant, I changed it up to use zucchini, which I think makes it a little more sturdy and relish-like rather than a dip. I think that's part of what makes cooking so much fun... you don't like an ingredient, substitute what you do like. It gives you an opportunity to custom-build the recipe to what you palate enjoys the most.

I originally served this up as a crostini topper at a recent game night, but the next day I sauteed up the relish as a side to eggs over easy. You could also take this as a mix in to a rice salad, or as a flavorful topping to a pizza with a little fresh mozzarella. I apologize that the picture is not that clear, but I think you'll get the idea that it is a colorful addition to the dinner table.


Zucchini and sun-dried tomato relish

Ingredients:
1 head of garlic
6 1/2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
2 1/2 lbs zucchini
1/3 c. oil-packed sun-dried tomatoes, chopped, plus 2 T. tomato oil
1/2 c. chopped flat leaf parsley
1/2 c. chpped basil
1 Tbsp lemon juice

1. Preheat oven to 400 F.
2. Cut off and discard top of garlic head to expose cloves, brush top of head with 1/2 T olive oil. Wrap garlic in foil and roast until tender, about 45 minutes. Cool until you can handle it with your fingers. Squeeze the garlic cloves from the skins into a small bowl, discard the skins.
3. Cut the zucchini into a 1/2 inch dice.
4. Heat 2 T of alive oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Saute the zucchini in three batches (adding salt and pepper to each batch) until it is browned and tender. Transfer to a large bowl.
5. Add about a 1/2 c. of the zucchini to the bowl with the garlic and mash together. Add the mashed mixture to the rest of the zucchini.
6. Stir in the sun-dried tomatoes.
7. Just before serving, stir in the parsley, basil and lemon juice. (If needed, re-season with salt and pepper if needed) Drizzle the top with tomato oil.

Note: You can do steps 1-6 a day ahead. Serve warm, or at room temperature.

Tomato Bake

If you're wondering what to do with your bounty of tomatoes, this is a super-easy recipe. It doesn't take a lot of ingredients and really lets the tomato shine. To make this recipe vegan, just substitute olive oil for the butter.


Tomato Bake
(from Gourmet magazine)

Ingredients:
2 c. coarse fresh bread crumbs
3 lbs tomatoes (preferably beefsteak)
1 1/2 Tbsp chopped thyme
1/2 stick unsalted butter
1 c. hazelnuts, toasted any loose skins rubbed off and coarsely chopped

1. Preheat oven to 450 F and butter a 2 qt shallow baking dish
2. Thickly slice tomatoes and arrange overlapping in the baking dish. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and thyme.
3. In a skillet, melt butter over medium heat and cook the hazelnuts and crumbs, stirring frequently until golden brown. Season with salt and pepper.
4. Spread crumb & hazelnut mixture evenly over the tomatoes.
5. Bake until tomatoes are bubbling and crumbs are browned (15 to 25 minutes).
6. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Patatas bravas

Jaleo--a local chain around DC-- used to serve this dish up as chunks of tomatoes, with tomato sauce and garlic aioli. Lately, though they've changed the recipe, so now it's potato chips with the same sauces. While, the new version is good, it's not exactly what I LOVE. So, here's my take on that recipe. It's really 3 easy recipes in 1. Once you make these you'll want to eat the whole bowl. I usually serve this with roasted asparagus, or salad, or even a couple of cheeses & bread.

Patatas Bravas:
Roasted potatoes
1 1/2 lbs of potatoes (I used some colorful fingerlings)
2 tbs olive oil
salt & pepper to taste

Aioli:
1 head of garlic
2 T olive oil divided
2/3 c. prepared mayo
juice of 1 lemon
salt to taste

1 c. of romesco sauce http://econkitchenchicks.blogspot.com/2009/08/back-from-hiatus.html, warmed through.

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F

1. Slice the head of garlic in half across the equator. Drizzle with a glug of olive oil and wrap in foil and place in the oven. (you can do this ahead of time)
2. Cut the potatoes into bite-sized chunks (somewhat a little bigger than 1")
3. Place the potatoes on a cookie sheet and drizzle with 2 T of olive oil, a generous pinch of salt and pepper. Toss with your fingers to get the potatoes coated with the olive oil
4. Place the cookie sheet in the oven and set the timer for 30 minutes, giving the potatoes a toss about 1/2 way through.
5. After the garlic has spent about 30 minutes in the oven, it should be nice and honey-golden colored. If' it's still pale looking, let it go a little longer.
6. One the garlic has cooled to the touch, squeeze out the roasted cloves and combine with mayo, 1 T olive oil, salt, and lemon juice. I sometimes use a food processor, or sometimes I just mash it all up with a fork. Do whatever feels easiest.
7. Once the potatoes have gone for 30 minutes, check to make sure they have a nice brown color on them. If not, let them go a couple more minutes... This will be a personal call. I like my potatoes really crispy.
8. Assemble. Place potatoes on bottom, spoon over the romesco sauce, and dot with your aioli.
9. Enjoy!

Paella

Paella is one of those dishes that I always assumed was difficult and not terribly friendly to the herbivores. I ran across a recipe in Mark Bittman's How to Cook Everything Vegetarian. It is now one of my go-to meals. You do need a pan that can go from stovetop to the oven, but other than that, no special equipment necessary. I use my enormous cast-iron Le Creuset braiser, but I'm sure my 12-inch stainless skillet would also do the trick.

I've made this recipe many different ways, using whatever I have on hand. The version I'm posting now, is for spinach & lemon, but you could certainly mix up the flavors. Some combos I've tried successfully have been oranges & green olives, mushrooms & thyme, shrimp & oranges, tomatoes and capers.

Lemon-Spinach Paella

adapted from How to Cook Everything Vegetarian

Ingredients:

One medium-sized onion, minced

2-3 cloves of garlic, minced or pressed

2 c. arborio (or any short grain) rice

1 T. tomato paste

1 T. smoked Spanish paprika (also called pimenton)

4 c. vegetable stock (or whatever stock you have on hand, even water will suffice)

1/4 c. Olive oil, divided

1 bag pre-washed spinach

zest and juice of 1 lemon

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F.

2. Heat 3 T. of olive oil in a large skillet (with tall edges) over medium heat.
3. Add in the onions and garlic, stirring occasionally until they turn translucent.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl combine spinach, lemon zest & juice with remaining tablespoon of olive oil, salt & pepper to taste. Toss to coat the spinach leaves with olive oil & lemon juice.
5. Add the rice, tomato paste and paprika to the skillet. Add a little sprinkling of salt here too.

6. Once rice has started to become fragrant (1-2 minutes), add the stock.
7. Turn off the burner heat and add spinach mixture to the top of the skillet.
8. Move skillet to the oven for 15 minutes.
9. After 15 minutes if the liquid has mostly been absorbed, turn off the temp in the oven and let the paella sit inside the turned off oven for an additional 5 minutes. (if the liquid has not been absorbed, let it go in an active oven for another 4-6 minutes, or until absorbed).

10. Enjoy.

Back from hiatus

I have been somewhat remiss in posting things here. I could blame vacation, but that was nearly a month ago now, so I guess it will be down-right laziness.

In June (yeah, that long ago) I had the ladies over for our supper club and served up a spinach-lemon paella and roasted asparagus with romesco sauce.

Romesco is quite possibly my new favorite thing. This sauce is good on so many things. It would do well on any roasted veggie (think asparagus, potatoes, summer squash). It's also really great with a fried egg.

There are as many recipes for romesco sauce as there are for chocolate chip cookies, but the version I made did a combo of several versions I saw online. The key ingredients are: roasted red peppers, nuts, bread, and smoked spanish paprika (also called pimenton). If you've never had smoked Spanish paprika, you really should try it. It imparts just a slight smoky-sweet flavor to whatever you put it in. A little does go a long way, so proceed cautiously your first time using it.

Romesco sauce
4-6 cloves of garlic
1 tomato, diced
2-3 slices of stale french bread
4-5 roasted red peppers, blackened skin and seeds removed
1/2 c. almonds, lightly toasted
1-2 Tblsp. smoked Spanish paprika
Olive oil

1. Heat 3 T. Olive oil in a skillet over medium low heat.
2. Add garlic cloves whole to the skillet.
3. When the garlic cloves start to turn golden brown, remove from pan to a food processor or blender.
4. Add the diced tomato to the skillet and cook until softened (2-3 minutes) and then moved to the food processor.
5. Add the French bread to the skillet. Cook until both sides of the bread are golden brown and move bread and remaining olive oil to the food processor.
6. Add remaining ingredients (except olive oil) to the food processor.
7. As you blend, stream in about 1/4 c. of olive oil or until the mixture has a slightly smooth texture. Taste, and adjust the salt and smoked paprika.

You don't want it super-smooth, just smooth enough so that you can see tiny bits of the almonds.

Enjoy!