Allow me to be totally honest. Kale and quinoa generally do not excite me. I do not like massaged kale salads. Kale chips are ok but there’s other stuff I’d rather eat. Quinoa is just a weird substitute for rice in my book. Given the choice, I’d rather have rice.

Recently we were embroiled in moving my daughter out of the house into her new apartment – something that took far too long, far too many trips downtown, and too many late nights. I managed to actually make dinner for the family only twice during the whole two week moving nightmare. Other nights were an every man for himself situation when we stumbled home at 9 pm and randomly ate microwave baked potatoes and pizza made in the toaster oven on pita bread. One night we stopped at the grocery store to each grab something we could reheat when we got home. I ended up grabbing kale and quinoa patties from the prepared foods section. And folks, they were really good. They didn’t taste like kale and they didn’t taste like quinoa. They were a little spicy and a little crunchy and deeply satisfying. I loved them. So I decided I had to figure out how to make them myself. On another crazy day I put together this recipe and made them in the afternoon. We reheated them in a skillet for dinner. Totally delicious. If I bring home another batch of kale from the CSA, I’m going to make a big batch and freeze them. Here’s the recipe I came up with:

1 cup quinoa

2 cups vegetable broth

1 medium onion, chopped (I used an uncured onion from the CSA)

olive oil

2 cloves garlic, chopped

4 packed cups kale, ribs removed

salt and pepper to taste

2 tbsp fresh chives

3 eggs

3/4 cup breadcrumbs (I used gluten free)

1/2 cup Parmesan cheese

Bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a pot over high heat. Stir in the quinoa, lower the heat to low and cover, allowing it to simmer about 20 minutes, or until all the liquid is absorbed. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork.

Cook the onion in 2 tbsp olive oil in a skillet over medium high heat until it is translucent. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes.

Boil a pot of water and add the kale, cooking about 5 minutes until it is tender. Drain and put in a food processor.

Add the onion and garlic mixture to the kale and add salt and pepper to taste. Add chives. Process until the mixture is finely chopped.

Dump the mixture into a bowl and stir in cooked quinoa, eggs, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan cheese.

Wipe out the skillet used for the onions and add 2 tbsp olive oil and heat over medium high heat. Using a self-cleaning ice cream scoop (the kind you squeeze and a metal bar swipes the ice cream out), place scoops of the mixture in the pan, several inches apart, gently pressing down on the tops to flatten slightly. Cook until they are browned and crispy on the bottom and flip, flattening slightly with the spatula, cooking until the other side is also browned and crispy and they are cooked through. They need to cook about 2-3 minutes a side. You will need to make several batches, depending on the size of your skillet. The recipe makes about 10-12 patties.

They reheated easily in a hot skillet and we ate them plain, but they would also be good served with tzatziki sauce, plain yogurt, sour cream, or with some sharp cheddar cheese or Swiss melted on top of them, possibly with some sliced mushrooms on top.

Allow me to be totally honest. Kale and quinoa generally do not excite me. I do not like massaged kale salads. Kale chips are ok but there’s other stuff I’d rather eat. Quinoa is just a weird substitute for rice in my book. Given the choice, I’d rather have rice. Recently we were embroiled in … Read more →

I’m in love with this easy to make salad. And I’m doubly in love with it because it requires very little cooking and the ingredients were sent out with the husband to the grill.

2 scallions

6 medium potatoes

1/2 cup lemon olive oil

1 tsp lemon juice

1/2 tsp sugar

fresh herbs, chopped

salt and pepper

Rub the scallions with olive oil and char them on the grill until they soften and have some nice char marks. Slice into 1/2 inch pieces and set aside. Cut the potatoes into quarters and parboil until they are crisp tender. Rub them with olive oil and salt and pepper them and grill them, cut sides down, until they get some char marks and are soft all the way through (5-10 minutes). Whisk the oil, lemon juice, sugar, salt and pepper to taste and whatever fresh herbs you have on had (I used chives, rosemary, thyme and parsley). Mix the scallions with the potatoes and pour the oil mixture on top, tossing to coat. Serve warm. If you have leftovers, they taste better reheated than cold. If you don’t have lemon olive oil, use regular and add more lemon juice until the dressing tastes like a vinaigrette.

I’m in love with this easy to make salad. And I’m doubly in love with it because it requires very little cooking and the ingredients were sent out with the husband to the grill. 2 scallions 6 medium potatoes 1/2 cup lemon olive oil 1 tsp lemon juice 1/2 tsp sugar fresh herbs, chopped salt … Read more →

In my ongoing quest to make vegetables more interesting, I decided to toss some flavors together. I peeled 4 carrots and one large parsnip. I cut them into sticks (the size of carrot sticks). I put them on a baking sheet and drizzled them with olive oil. I added salt and pepper and a teaspoon of dried rosemary (if I had fresh, I would use that instead). I roasted it at 350 for about half an hour(tossing halfway through) or until the veggies were tender. Then I chopped two slices of ham and added about 1/8 cup grated Manchego cheese. I put it back into the oven until the cheese melted. That’s it. Very simple, but it has tons of flavor and is not a boring veggie dish. I ate the leftovers as my lunch the next day, so it could stand as a main dish if you like just a little bit of meat. Serves 4 as a side, 2 as a main dish.

In my ongoing quest to make vegetables more interesting, I decided to toss some flavors together. I peeled 4 carrots and one large parsnip. I cut them into sticks (the size of carrot sticks). I put them on a baking sheet and drizzled them with olive oil. I added salt and pepper and a teaspoon … Read more →

I love to pounce on new produce when it appears in the store in the spring. This week my store had ramps. Ramps grow wild and are like a cross between green onions and chives. I always get so excited to bring home something new but then I have to figure out what to make with it! I decided to make a veggie risotto to showcase spring vegetable. It was delicious. The ramps give it a mild garlicky flavor, but with very green overtones. The veggie broth turns the pasta a pretty dark yellow.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Spring Risotto with Ramps, Asparagus and Peas

 

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Serves: 4

Ingredients

• ½ onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 cup risotto
• ½ cup white wine
• 1 box vegetable broth
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1 bunch ramps, roughly chopped
• ½ bunch asparagus, cut into 1 inch pieces
• ½ peas (frozen)
• Parmesan cheese to taste

Instructions

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat and add the onion and risotto. Stir until the risotto is coated in oil and is hot.
2. Stir in the wine and wait for it abosrb. Then begin gradually adding the vegetable broth, half a cup at a time, stirring off and on, adding more when the last amount is absorbed. Use only as much broth as you need (possibly only ¾ of the box) to make the rice just tender.
3. Once the risotto is tender, stir in the ramps and asparagus, cooking until the asparagus is tender. Stir in the peas and then add cheese to your taste.

3.2.1249

I love to pounce on new produce when it appears in the store in the spring. This week my store had ramps. Ramps grow wild and are like a cross between green onions and chives. I always get so excited to bring home something new but then I have to figure out what to make … Read more →

I’ve been craving lasagna and I also really needed to add some quick meals to my freezer, so lasagna was on. Since my daughter no longer eats read meat, a chicken lasagna was going to be necessary. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine. I substituted 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts for the chicken thighs. I didn’t use San Marzano tomatoes – just store brand organic crushed tomatoes. I used gluten-free noodles and I had kale from the summer CSA that I had stripped from the stems, chopped, shocked and then froze. It was perfect. We had this for dinner (for 4 people) and then I froze about 12 more servings.

I’ve been craving lasagna and I also really needed to add some quick meals to my freezer, so lasagna was on. Since my daughter no longer eats read meat, a chicken lasagna was going to be necessary. I found this recipe in Food Network Magazine. I substituted 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts for the chicken … Read more →

Sometimes, particularly in the winter, I get really tired of veggies. There isn’t a huge selection and I feel like I’m making the same things every week. This week I decided to try something a little different. I took a bunch of asparagus and melted 1 tbsp of butter in a saute pan on high. I dropped in about 2 tbsp of chopped pecans. I added the asparagus and let it sit about 3 minutes until it got a not-too-black sear, then turned the pieces and continued doing this until it was al dente and seared on most sides. Then I added 1 tbsp lemon juice to the pan and shaved some Parmesan on top. The result was a crisp, richly flavored veggie that did not taste like the boring and soggy asparagus I sometimes get used to.

Sometimes, particularly in the winter, I get really tired of veggies. There isn’t a huge selection and I feel like I’m making the same things every week. This week I decided to try something a little different. I took a bunch of asparagus and melted 1 tbsp of butter in a saute pan on high. … Read more →

If you’re making corned beef today, you need this recipe for your leftovers tomorrow!

It’s tradition to make corned beef and cabbage (as well as potatoes, carrots, and soda bread: here’s my recipe for cheese soda bread) for St. Patrick’s Day at our house. One year I corned my own beef: you can see how it went here and here. This year I bought locally grown and corned beef from a local shop that carries local goods. I liked it the best of any corned beef I’ve had so far because it had a really mild flavor to it and it also did not shrink when I cooked it (yes, there can be shrinkage involved!).

We like to make Reuben soup (recipe here) with our leftovers, but I also am very fond of corned beef hash, or red flannel as it is colorfully referred to sometimes. I’ve been really looking forward to it this year after having breakfast in a restaurant that had it on the menu, but when I asked they admitted it was not homemade (=canned or frozen with those tiny horrible round pebbles of corned beef in it).

Corned beef hash is the perfect next day dish for St. Paddy’s Day because you can really clean up your leftovers with it and it has a completely different flavor and texture than the corned beef dinner itself. Your family is not going to roll their eyes and say “Leftovers?!” Make it for breakfast, lunch, brunch or dinner – it doesn’t matter. You’ll love it for any meal. I always serve mine with ketchup! Some folks like to serve fried eggs with it, but I like it without.

This is a great leftover recipe because you can make it to use up leftover potatoes, leftover corned beef or both. It’s also simple to make if you have NO leftovers at all (just cook some potatoes in the microwave and use deli corned beef).

I learned the oven trick from my friend Debbie Koenig, who partially cooks her latkes in the oven (check out her method here).

4.7 from 3 reviews

Leftovers! Corned Beef Hash

 

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Cuisine: American

Ingredients

• ½ small onion, chopped
• 2½ tbsp olive oil
• 4 cups cooked potatoes (skin on or off), diced into 1 inch cubes
• salt and pepper to taste
• 1½ cups cooked corned beef, diced into 1 inch cubes
• ½ tbsp butter

Instructions

1. Note that although I'm giving you a size for your dice on the potatoes and beef, it's really up to you how big you like them.
2. Heat a large skillet over medium high heat and add ½ tbsp olive oil and the onions. Cook until translucent and starting to brown. Add the potatoes and the rest of the olive oil and the salt and pepper, and turn the heat to high. Allow the potatoes to sit for several minutes before turning.
3. If you are using potatoes that were boiled with corned beef, they are going to be very wet. I like to transfer the contents of the skillet to a baking sheet (or if you are using an iron proof skillet, just use that) and move the potatoes to a 425 degree oven where I spread them out on the baking sheet and let the high heat dry them out for about 20 minutes. If you're using potatoes that were baked or microwaved, you can skip this step and just continue cooking on the stovetop.
4. Transfer the potatoes back to the skillet and add the butter (if you never left the stovetop, continue to cook until they potatoes are getting brown before you add the butter). Turn the heat to high and get a really good brown color on the outsides of the potatoes, being careful not to turn them too often (they can fall apart if you handle them too much), but enough so that they do not burn.
5. When they're close to being golden brown and crispy, add in the corned beef. Stir it in and cook until some of the edges of that begin to brown.

3.2.1215

If you’re making corned beef today, you need this recipe for your leftovers tomorrow! It’s tradition to make corned beef and cabbage (as well as potatoes, carrots, and soda bread: here’s my recipe for cheese soda bread) for St. Patrick’s Day at our house. One year I corned my own beef: you can see how … Read more →

Seafood chowder

Ok not really, but it makes a nice story. This post is part of my weeklong celebration of Ireland in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. You’ve probably heard that we Americans make St. Patty’s Day into something it isn’t in Ireland and in fact, corned beef and cabbage is nowhere to be found on Irish menus. That doesn’t stop me from taking this day as a day to remember and celebrate all I loved about Ireland. My favorite part of Ireland was the food!

Before we went to Ireland I had read that it was gluten sensitive-friendly. I was completely overwhelmed at how true this was. When we visited Ireland, we did so after a week in France, where eating was a challenge. The language barrier didn’t help, although we made out quite well in Paris in general. I find that the hardest thing about traveling gluten-free is breakfast. Scrambled eggs get old really, really fast. While in Paris, I found a biologique store that sells health food and was able to buy some gluten-free bread which we then toasted each morning at the hotel breakfast buffet. It was a welcome addition to eggs, cold cuts, and fruit.

As soon as we arrived in Dublin, I sought out a store to buy some gluten-free bread. The Tesco supermarket near our hotel had an entire aisle of gluten-free bread, snacks, crackers, cookies, etc. We stocked up. The first morning at our hotel (the

Apple pie

Radisson Blu), we were thrilled to find that gluten free bread was available with breakfast – just sitting out in a basket with a label. I was in a gluten-free paradise! Every hotel we stayed at had gluten free bread available for breakfast, although we did have some back and forth about the oatmeal (“porridge”) and whether it was truly gluten-free at one location. I had one waiter tell me that so many people are “coeliac” in Ireland that it is simply nothing unusual. It is so common in fact, that the waitress at the not so great restaurant at the airport hotel we stayed at the night before we left Ireland told me ALL of their sauces are thickened with cornstarch, not flour, so they are all gluten-free.

My research revealed there were several restaurants in Dublin, all within walking distance of our hotel, that had many gluten-free items on the menu, or offered entirely gluten-free menus. If you are celiac or gluten-free, Dublin is a marvelous place to visit. Here are the two places where we enjoyed dinner while in Dublin:

Crab appetizer

Millstone

Our first dinner in Dublin was Millstone on Dame Street. The ENTIRE menu is gluten free. This cozy little restaurant was a perfect welcome to the country for us. Live music accompanied our dinner are we enjoyed Irish seafood chowder, goat cheese and berry compote, mussels with chorizo, salmon with prawn sauce, and pizza. Apple pie and chocolate cake ended our meal.  The food was fresh, perfectly seasoned and a glorious welcome to Ireland. I nearly cried I felt so well taken care of. Good gluten free pizza is hard to come by at home and gluten free desserts simply don’t exist in most restaurants (unless you’re having ice cream or the ubiquitous flourless chocolate cake). This is a not to be missed stop. We enjoyed the music, the comfortable setting and the sense of history we felt in the old building.

Brasserie Sixty 6

Cod with lemon confit

This menu had many GF options listed. The restaurant was very crowded, loud and busy  — and it is much bigger than it appears from outside. We had a good experience here as well and enjoyed crab with avocado mayo, lamb chop, cod with lemon confit and citrus salmon. Mashed potatoes and peas were to be shared. This place was hopping – a very popular spot. It was hard to hear but we enjoyed our food. The menu was a bit more creative than Millstone, but it wasn’t all GF. This is an excellent second place to go for gluten free dining in Dublin.

While there are several options for gluten-free dining in the city, alas, the one place I was desperate to try is not gluten-free in the least: Crackbird, where they make heavenly fried chicken. Maybe next time!

We don’t drink, but if you’re looking for gluten-free beer in Dublin, it can be found and I’ll refer you to an expert in this area.

Stay tuned as I continue to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day with more posts about glorious Ireland.

Ok not really, but it makes a nice story. This post is part of my weeklong celebration of Ireland in honor of St. Patrick’s Day. You’ve probably heard that we Americans make St. Patty’s Day into something it isn’t in Ireland and in fact, corned beef and cabbage is nowhere to be found on Irish … Read more →

How can I not have made gnudi before? If you haven’t had it, gnudi is similar to gnocchi, but has no potato in it and is free-formed into round little balls. I’ve made gnocchi a few times and found it fussy and annoying. Gnudi, on the other hand was a breeze! Mix together flour, cheese, spinach and egg, roll into balls, drop into boiling water and you’re done. And it’s a million times better than store-bought gluten-free pasta! I’ll be making a lot of more of this and experimenting with other flavors for sure.

I made a very simple sauce for this with browned butter and fresh herbs.

This recipe is from a recent article in the Buffalo News which says it is adapted from The Italian Cooking Course by Katie Caldesi.

5.0 from 1 reviews

Gnudi

 

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Ingredients

• 12 ounces fresh spinach
• 8 ounces whole milk ricotta
• 1 egg yolk
• ½ cup finely grated Parmesan
• ½ cup flour (I used gluten free)
• ½ to ¾ teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon grated nutmeg
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Cook the spinach in boiling water until wilted. Cool, then squeeze dry. Chop finely in a food processor.
2. Mix spinach with all other ingredients.
3. From into balls that are about 2 tsp in size and roll in more flour.
4. Drop in a large pot of boiling water, about ¼ at a time, being careful not to crowd them.
5. After they float to the top, let them cook another 2-4 minutes. Remove with slotted spoon and place on a greased pan or platter and keep warm.
6. Toss them in the sauce you've made to serve them in until hot.

3.2.1249

How can I not have made gnudi before? If you haven’t had it, gnudi is similar to gnocchi, but has no potato in it and is free-formed into round little balls. I’ve made gnocchi a few times and found it fussy and annoying. Gnudi, on the other hand was a breeze! Mix together flour, cheese, … Read more →

We recently received a big, beautiful fruit basket from a friend to get us through the death of my mother-in-law.  It was a thoughtful gift, filled with wonderful treats. We ate it for a week and then it was SuperBowl weekend. The beautiful whole pineapple hadn’t been touched. My husband was having fantasies of roasting it on a rotisserie like they do at Brazilian barbecue restaurants. Every time we go there, he eagerly looks forward to that hot roasted pineapple coming around. Although we do have a rotisserie attachment for our grill, using it in half a foot of snow at 20 degrees was really not an option. So I decided to roast the pineapple in the oven after peeling and coring it. And while I was at it, I threw some other fruit into the baking pan: bananas and oranges. What emerged was a hot, sweet, and swoon-worthy roasted fruit salad that I will be making again and again!

Use any fruit you have hanging around for this (pears, grapefruit, kiwi, apples, tangerines). Slice the fruit or section it and place it on a greased baking sheet. Sprinkle it with brown sugar and cinnamon. You might also think about sprinkling a little rum on it as well. Nutmeg would also make a fine addition Bake at 400 until the fruit is hot, the sugar is bubbling and it is all starting to caramelize (about 5-10 minutes depending on the thickness of your fruit).

This was wickedly good. Serve it hot – the heat intensifies the flavors and emphasizes the caramelization.  It’s a very satisfying dessert but would also work well with a brunch. We ate it after our traditional nachos and guac with the game.

We recently received a big, beautiful fruit basket from a friend to get us through the death of my mother-in-law.  It was a thoughtful gift, filled with wonderful treats. We ate it for a week and then it was SuperBowl weekend. The beautiful whole pineapple hadn’t been touched. My husband was having fantasies of roasting … Read more →