Despite the title of this blog, I did not spontaneously buy a new designer brand purse, watch, or shoes. While that generally is the case with me when it comes to impulse shopping, I instead bought something completely different.
While walking around Trader Joe’s and trying to think of something “new” to buy for the family to eat, I came across rainbow colored carrots. Even though these are something that I find every year around this time of the year, I generally do not buy carrots. For some odd reason, I have a mental block against this vegetable. Perhaps it is that I have convinced myself that they have too much sugar in them, or maybe I just don’t find myself really craving them. Either way, I decided to buy a big bag of the multicolored carrots and have them handy for a busy week-night dinner.
I generally am not the one in the house that chooses to cook meat. I could live without having to eat meat everyday, but it is a necessity in my household because my brother and father are complete carnivores. In addition, I really hate touching raw meat. Thus, I generally do not cook it. My mother and I have an unspoken agreement that as long as she plans the protein, I will plan the vegetable side dishes to complete the meal. When Barb decided that she was going to cook lamb chops the other night, I instantly knew that I needed a vegetable that could stand up against the distinct flavor of lamb. That is when I realized that by quickly roasting the carrots that I bought, I could throw together a quick and easy side dish at the last minute. The recipe is as follows.
Balsamic Roasted Carrots with Honey and Thyme
2 bunches fresh carrots, peeled and trimmed
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
½ tsp pepper
5 sprigs fresh thyme
2 tbsp honey
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
Preheat oven to 425F. Line a large baking sheet with aluminum foil. Slice the carrots in half lengthwise. In a large mixing bowl, toss with oil, salt and pepper until evenly coated. Arrange carrots in a single layer on the prepared baking sheet, and scatter thyme sprigs overtop. Roast in preheated oven for 15 minutes. In small bowl, whisk together honey and balsamic vinegar. Pour over the carrots, and gently roll them around to coat. Roast for a further 15-20 minutes or until carrots are tender and caramelised. Serve immediately.
I hope you enjoy this recipe just as I did, and let me forewarn you. You might want to make more than you think because they go fast! Now keep roasting and enjoy the beautiful fall weather!
Growing up in my family, pasta night was a huge deal. My mother is a pro at making homemade tomato pasta sauce and the rest of my family are huge carb loaders. While this was mainly a tradition during the few years that my parents were building their house, it is a tradition that still seems to always stay alive. I hate to admit it, but I secretly hate pasta night especially if it is a red tomato sauce kind of night. I find it to be so boring! BLAH! However, if there is a new pasta that my mother or I am willing to try out, I am all for it.
Now that it is becoming colder and colder here in Asheville, I find myself eating heavier and heavier foods. Thus, I was not too worried when I started to crave more carb than salads. The other day when I was checking out at one of my favorite grocery stores, The Fresh Market, I came across “Gourmet: All-Time-Best Recipes.” This special edition cooking magazine is packed with some of their best most innovative recipes! Thus I figured I must share with you one of my favorites. Recipe is as follows.
Cook spaghettini in a 6-to-8 qt pot of well salted boiling water until al dente. Meanwhile, cook onion in oil in large heavy skillet over medium heat, stirring,until softened. Stir in Sriracha and cook 1 minute, then add crabmeat. Reduce heat to low and cook, stirring gently, just until crabmeat is heated through. Drain pasta, then add to skillet along with remaining ingredients and toss to coat.
Cook’s notes : preserved lemons might be a hard thing to find. I happen to have homemade preserved lemons, but I have been able to find them at Trader Joe’s. If you can’t find them, go ahead and use 2 Tbsp of grated fresh lemon zest.
I hope you find this recipe just as easy and delicious as I did!!
It is pumpkin spice season! While this is the time of year that people look forward to most, I secretly hate it. Walking through Trader Joe’s is like walking through a pumpkin patch, except instead of actual pumpkins, everything is pumpkin flavored. On the other hand, there are some really great seasonal fresh ingredients that are a must buy, like acorn and butternut squash!
Squash is great for immune system health. It is high in vitamin A and C. They are also great for managing diabetes, they have an anti-inflammatory capacity, they are beneficial for lung health, and cardiovascular health!
With that said, I happened to find some beautiful organic squashes that I picked up because I knew that one way or another I would end up using them. Now that Hurricane Joaquin has passed and the sun is starting to shine again, I started to feel inspired! With all of that rain I felt as if I had cabin fever, but now that is has passed I created an unbelievably easy soup that can be made a few days ahead before serving and will be just as great! The recipe is as follows
Fall Butternut and Acorn Squash Soup with Gruyere Croutons
For soup:
Melt butter in large pot over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and sauté until tender, about 10 minutes. Add broth, all squash and herbs; bring to boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer until squash is very tender, about 20 minutes.
Working in batches, puree soup in blender. Return soup to same pot. Stir in cream and sugar; bring to simmer. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Rewarm over medium heat before serving.)
For croutons:
Preheat broiler. Butter 1 side of each bread slice. Arrange bread, buttered side up, on baking sheet. Broil until golden, about 1 minute. Turn over. Sprinkle cheese, and salt and pepper. Broil until cheese melts, about 1 minute. Ladle soup into bowls. Top each with croutons and serve.
What I really love about this recipe is that the savoriness of the cheese is a really nice pairing/contrast to the sweet soup. They balance one another out and create a perfect dish for dinner! This soup is wonderful for the cooler months of the year and leaves you feeling full without feeling weighed down! I hope you enjoy this just as much as I did 🙂
Now that the leaves are starting to change here at home, I am starting accept the fact that it is now fall. Other than the horrendous rain that Asheville as been receiving lately (thank you hurricane Joaquin), this is the best time of year to go hiking and enjoy the relatively cool weather. One of the main reasons that I do not like fall/winter very much is due to the heavy foods that are commonly eaten during this time of year. I understand the nature as to why rich foods are eaten during the cold season, but it really makes me feel quite drab about myself. I much prefer the beautiful produce that spring and summer have to offer and the light, cool dishes that are associated with those months. Some might call me weird or a Debbie Downer, but I can’t help but feel sad about food now of days.
Because of this, I find that it is important to feed the body and soul, but still try and stay in tune with the season. Beets are by far one of my favorite root vegetables. Ever since I was a little kid, I would eat anything that had beets in them, specifically pickled beets! Because I have some in the garden, I figured I might as well us them while they are fresh and make a dish that is “fall-ish” but also incorporates some of my favorite flavors.
Did you know that beets are high in immune-benefiting vitamin C, fiber and essential minerals like potassium and manganese? In addition to that they are full of nitrates which will help enhance your stamina. The nitrates turn into nitric oxide, which help reduce the oxygen cost of low-intensity exercise as well as enhance tolerance to high-intensity exercise! So athletes, eat up!!
I understand that not everyone is as enthusiastic about eating beets as I am, but I promise that this dish will make you want to at least tolerate beets. By creating a flat bread that is topped with beets, goat cheese, and bacon, it will satisfy your salty and sweet cravings and be beneficial to your health! The Recipe is as follows.
Wrap the beets in aluminum foil and roast in the oven until the beets are tender and a paring knife inserted in the center is met with no resistance, 45 minutes to 1 hour. Once cooked, set aside until they are cool enough to handle. Then, using a paper towel, rub the skin off the beets and then cut into moons or dice.
Gather up the rest of the ingredients and have them at the ready before you grill your bread.
Preheat a cast-iron grill pan, or a grill, to medium-high heat. Turn the dough out onto a floured work surface and stretch and press with your hands to form a thin, rectangular shape. If you need to, pick up the dough and let the natural weight of the dough stretch itself out. It doesn’t need to be perfect, matter of fact it is better when it’s not. Once you have the dough in the shape you like, brush one side of the dough with olive oil and lay that side down flat onto the preheated grill. Cook the dough until it is charred and has a crisp texture, about 5 minutes, brush the other side with some oil and then flip the dough and char the second side. Once the bread is charred and cooked, remove it from the grill and assemble the flatbread.
Spread the goat cheese onto the flatbread. Toss the arugula with some lemon juice, olive oil, salt and pepper and then place it on the flatbread. Top with sliced beets and crispy bacon and another drizzle of olive oil. Cut the flatbread and serve.
Simple Pizza Dough
In a liquid measuring cup, combine the warm water, yeast and sugar. Allow the yeast to dissolve and bloom, about 5 minutes. Once bloomed, add the olive oil.
Meanwhile, in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine the flour and salt. Stream in the water/yeast mixture and as the dough begins to come together, switch to a dough hook attachment. Allow the dough to knead, adding a bit more flour if needed, so that the dough releases from the sides of the bowl, 1 to 3 minutes. You should be able to touch the dough and not have the dough stick to your fingers. Once the dough has kneaded and has pulled away from the sides of the bowl, remove the dough from bowl to a floured work surface and, with floured hands, continue to knead it by hand for 1 to 2 minutes. Then form the dough into a round ball and place it into a large bowl sprayed with nonstick spray. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a clean dish towel and let the dough rise in a warm area of your kitchen until it doubles in size, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. After the dough has risen it is ready to be cooked however you’d like!
Cook’s Notes: This dough is wet dough, keep bench flour at the ready and make sure to flour your hands when working with the dough. Trust your gut as a chef, if the dough is to wet, add more flour, if it is too stiff, add a little water.
Sugar is used to feed the yeast which will help the dough to grow. Bread flour will give you a chewier texture because the flour has more gluten. You don’t need to use a thermometer to get the water temperature, it should just feel warm to the touch
Cooks Notes: If you want to make this recipe a lot simpler and not make a homemade dough, I would recommend using Pillsbury Thin Pizza Crust. It will speed up the process of this flatbread. Also if you would like to make a vegetarian version of this flatbread, substitute chopped up walnuts for the bacon. Because I am a fan of balsamic reduction, I ended up adding a nice drizzle over the top of my slice! I hope you enjoy this recipe just as much as I did and start becoming a fan of beets!
MyFood MyWay 