Let's Delve into 2012!

January 1st, 2012, approximately 9AM
Is there anything quite so divine as sitting down in complete slow solitude for a delicious breakfast?

Hello, 2012, and hello Blog-o-sphere! I have returned to the wonderful pacific inland northwest and to the wonderful world of blogging after a fabulous 19-days on the east coast with my family. It was just the right amount of time away filled with birthday celebrations, Chanukah festivities and overall holiday cheer. Some of the highlights of this trip included a visit to my hometown of Albany, New York, a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, some delicious restaurant meals, the ease of doing all one's Shabbat grocery shopping in one store, quality time with each of my parents, and some long walks with eager pooches! The weather was unseasonably mild aside from an appropriately-timed dusting of snow in New Hampshire on the morning of December 25th. And perhaps just as enjoyable as all the outings and activities was the time spent in my parents' homes snuggling up with a cup of tea, a good book, my journal, or some mindless television. I had the pleasure of getting to prepare a traditional Shabbat meal for my father, his wife, my sister and brother-in-law as well as a Chanukah dinner for my father, his wife and one of her daughters on the first night of Chanukah.
Festive First Night of Chanukah: Fried, Fresh and Fabulous!

Since returning home, I've been reveling in this final week off before my college classes resume. I ate breakfast sitting down at the table yesterday! I didn't even have the television or radio on! Rather, I wrote for a bit in my journal and then slowly sipped my coffee and enjoyed the blissful solitude. I've loved getting back to the gym on a more regular basis as well as getting back to my Yoga practice in preparation for this year's 21 Day Yoga Challenge. I've actually been motivated to tackle (and even enjoy) some long-awaited housework and organization. My kitchen has been accessed for the purpose of cooking again (as opposed to just grabbing whatever is quick and handy in the refrigerator). I've already been able to get some leftovers stocked up in my freezer for when life will no doubt get busy again in the next few months.
As is my tradition, I resolved this new year to make no resolutions. Overall, each moment of each day is about being the best me I can be--ever growing, always learning. It is important to love what you do and do what you love. In that spirit, I'd love to share this super-easy, budget-friendly nutritious and delicious recipe for Lentil Soup. It received rave reviews at my 1st Night of Chanukah meal and I've made it again since returning home. It was quick to prepare the ingredients and easy to leave it simmering while I tended to the potato latkes. It would freeze well and makes a perfectly sustaining and satisfying lunch or dinner when served alongside a salad.


Lentil Soup

Ingredients:

1 tsp oil (I use extra virgin olive oil)
1 onion, diced
2 carrots, sliced
3-4 cloves garlic, minced

4 cups vegetable stock
2 bay leaves (*remove at the end!)

1/2 teaspoon dried thyme
salt & pepper to taste
1 cup dried lentils

Directions:
In a large pot, saute onion and carrots over medium heat in oil for about 3-5 minutes, until onions turn opaque. Add the minced garlic to the pot just toward the end of that process (cooking it too long causes it to become bitter). Add the vegetable stock, bay leaves, thyme, salt, pepper and lentils. Cover and cook over low heat for about 45 minutes or until lentils are soft, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard the bay leaves prior to serving. If you are serving this in a Kosher kitchen with meat or prefer to keep it pareve, this is perfect. If you are eating dairy, it goes quite well with a dollop of light sour cream or plain yogurt. Enjoy! And Happy 2012!

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'? Quick Pasta Fagioli Soup

Soup’s on again in this edition of “What’s Cookin’” blog posts with my all-time favorite “Pasta” Fagioli Recipe. I am loosely calling it Pasta Fagioli at this point, since now that I eat a gluten-free diet, I must make substitutions, which I will address later on in this post.

My mom made this soup when I was growing up, and it was a frequently requested favorite in our home. It is a hearty and filling soup, which could easily stand alone at the dinner table served alongside a green salad and a slice of warm, crusty bread. It can also be served in smaller portions to start off a larger meal. It is very quick, very easy, and budget friendly—yet your dinner guests will never guess this! It is a definite crowd pleaser for company and a nearly fail-proof recipe to impress a special guest or dinner date. When I moved away from home in 2003, this was one of the first recipes I requested to have from my mom. I have been cooking on my own for eight years now, and maintained a gluten free kitchen for nearly the last two. Mom’s recipe has seen some additions and alterations in my kitchen, but before I go into that, here’s the original version:

Quick Pasta Fagioli

Ingredients:

· 2 TBSP olive oil

· 2 cloves garlic, minced

· 1 yellow onion, peeled & chopped

· 1 carrot, peeled & chopped*

· 1 celery stalk with leaves, chopped*

· 1 TBSP dried rosemary

· 2 TBSP tomato paste***

· 1 can (10 ½ oz) condensed chicken broth**

· 1 soup can ^ full of water

· 2 cans (15-20 oz each) beans (i.e. kidney, cannellini, great northern, etc.) UNDRAINED

· 4 oz small pasta**

Additions: freshly grated parmesan cheese

Directions:

1. Heat oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion, carrot, celery and garlic; sauté for about 3-5 minutes.

2. Stir in rosemary and tomato paste. Add the chicken broth and water, and the beans with their liquid. Simmer uncovered for 3 minutes.

3. Stir in pasta. Cover the pot and simmer, stirring occasionally for 8 to 10 minutes to cook pasta al dente.

4. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 10 minutes before serving.

*To save on money and food waste, if you are not planning to use a full 2lb bag of carrots or celery in your menu this week, most grocery stores sell carrots and celery stalks in bulk so you can purchase just what you need for this recipe.

**Since I like to top my soup with freshly grated parmesan cheese and (for the purpose of keeping kosher) do not mix meat and dairy, I substitute vegetable stock for the chicken broth and water. I either add about 3 cups of vegetable stock from a carton or use vegetable stock starter/bouillon and water.

***Even though tomato paste comes in very small cans, you will still end up with quite a bit leftover. I often add a bit more to the recipe, but the leftovers are great for enhancing homemade tomato sauces, other soups, stews, chili recipes, etc.

This soup reheats quite nicely, but thickens quite a bit. You may need to add a little water or additional broth when reheating.

My Additions/Alterations:

I successfully gave up all wheat/gluten and feel significantly better for it, but I simply can’t give up this recipe! And I don’t have to—it works wonderfully well using rice instead of pasta. You could also substitute a small gluten-free rice or corn pasta product, but since these run on the pricey side, I am more prone to adding rice. Note that with the addition of uncooked rice, you will have to simmer the soup for a longer time. You could remedy that by using instant rice or adding rice you have already cooked toward the very end of cooking.

This is a soup that can satisfy in all seasons. During the summer, try adding zucchini or yellow squash or even fresh tomatoes from your garden or local Farmers’ Market. Thaw out a package of frozen spinach for some added color and nutritional benefit. Have fun, be creative and enjoy!

This batch contains rice instead of pasta, and the addition of spinach. I used 1 can of cannellini beans and a can of butter beans I’d accidentally bought a while back. Aside from being HUGE, the butter beans worked perfectly in terms of flavor and texture.

What's Cookin' Good Lookin'? Recipe Round-up: Soup's On!

Even though I can see and feel the many signs of Spring as the days grow longer, the breezes are warmer, and crocuses peak through the soil in my future front yard garden plots, I still feel very drawn to soups and stews. Granted, I am one of those folks who drinks hot coffee or tea in the dog days of August, so eating soups year round should come as no surprise. Still, there is something very satisfying about watching, smelling, and tasting a variety of common ingredients come to life in one big pot! So when I posted a desperate plea for dinner inspiration on Thursday evening, I was immediately excited to see a suggestion for Tomato & Spinach soup.
I probably should fess up to taking all recipes with a grain of salt (pun intended). I used to be so reliant on recipes--and the same rotational flow of just a few tried and true ones, for that matter. I knew they worked, I knew I liked them, and I knew I preferred eating recipes that worked and that I liked. Cutting gluten out of my diet made that a thing of the past rather quickly. My usual staples (pasta, bread, pasta, flour, pasta, couscous, pasta, pasta, pasta) were not so easy to come by anymore if I didn't want to spend a fortune on gluten-free alternatives. Additionally, processed foods, packaged foods, and pretty much anything in a bottle, jar, etc., that uses any kind of preservative is often something I cannot eat due to my gluten intolerance. At first, my culinary repertoire shrunk to devastating proportions, but I soon realized the value in the concept of "less-is-more," and rather than feeling stifled by restrictions, I feel enhanced with opportunity for more creative cooking! For the first time, I realized vegetables, meats, rices, and other whole foods actually have a flavor of their own. Cooking became more about enhancing that flavor with spices, non-grain vinegars, and herbs--and less about trying to hide all the ingredients under a pile of sauce.
So, back to the soup before I boil over with gluten-full stories here...
I loved the idea of a tomato-based soup and was already picking up spinach for a strawberry & spinach salad. The original recipe called for barley, which I decided to replace with rice. I also used only canned tomatoes for the soup and no fresh ones as the recipe requested.
Go ahead, gasp in disgust! But have you seen the price on tomatoes this time of year? Plus, they taste like tomato-textured balls of water! Additionally, canned tomato products actually have more nutritional benefit as the antioxidants in the tomatoes become more concentrated. So, here's (more or less) what I did:
I started off sauteing a medium diced onion, a couple stalks of diced celery, a couple diced carrots and about 3 cloves minced garlic in some extra virgin olive oil. My friend's recipe doesn't have you add the spinach until the end and she suggested using frozen spinach since it cooks up so nicely. Since I was using fresh, I decided to throw it in before adding liquids so it would wilt a bit.
I added a large can of petite diced tomatoes, a small can of tomato sauce, an undisclosed amount of ketchup (the original recipe called for ketchup--see, I do follow some directions!), and about a cup of water.
The recipe my friend shared called for squash and yellow squash and zucchini were on sale, so I used quite a bit. I added this to the pot and half a cup of instant brown rice. I added Italian seasoning, additional dried basil, oregano, and parsley, some onion powder, garlic powder, Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. I measured nothing. Then I added a bay leaf and hoped I'd find it again before accidentally ingesting it.* I brought it all to a gentle boil and then let it simmer for a bit longer on low heat while I washed dishes.

There ya have it: Tomato, Spinach & Rice Soup with a Whole Bunch of Other Veggies and Ingredients...
And, it was Delish! I sprinkled on some shredded Parmesan cheese and a dash more parsley. And the best part has been the leftovers. Soups have an amazing ability to become even better the next day and in the days to follow (if it lasts that long). So, soup's on!

Bon apetit!

*Good news! After much searching, giving up and hoping for the best, I found my bay leaf 3 days later before enjoying some delicious leftovers!

Homemade Stove-top Granola Recipe

I don't usually post twice in one day, but I had to share this recipe for Homemade Maple Vanilla Stovetop Granola, adapted from this recipe at allrecipes.com. I've spent the last several weeks being indecisive about what kind of granola to purchase. I love granola on top of yogurt for breakfast in the morning (or even an afternoon snack), but I have to be careful when I buy it that it is gluten free and does not contain wheat products. My options are rather slim and really pricey. I recently finished one I particularly liked that I purchased from the bulk bins at a local health food store--but, it was expensive and I wondered if I could possibly make my own.
And I can! And so can you!

Maple Vanilla Stove-top Granola

Ingredients:
1 tbsp olive oil
2 cups rolled oats (NOT instant)
1/3 cup butter
1 tbsp honey
1 tbsp maple syrup
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1 tsp pure vanilla extract

1. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large skillet. Add the rolled oats and cook, stirring, until toasted and lightly browned. This should take about 5 minutes.
2. Pour the toasted oats onto a cookie sheet. Meanwhile, in the same pan, melt the butter and stir in the honey, maple syrup, brown sugar and vanilla. Cook and stir until bubbly then add the toasted oats back to the pan. Stir to coat and continue cooking and stirring for about another 5 minutes. Pour back onto the cookie sheet to cool.
   
3. When cool, put the granola in an airtight container to store. If you would like, you could mix in nuts or dried fruits at this point.

Now I will enjoy a crunchy granola atop my yogurt tomorrow morning made just the way I like it. I know for sure it doesn't have any gluten or wheat in it and it was a fraction of the price to make at home that it would be to purchase at a store.