Not Your Muddah's Casserole

On my most recent venture to the Union Square Farmer’s Market, I found myself constantly fighting to focus on procuring useful ingredients. I get so distracted by the beauty and bounty of fresh produce, that I loose track of what I need to aquire for my next meal. That day was definitely one of those occasions. I arrived home with a plethora of gorgeous fresh and somewhat unique produce and I wanted to delineate a little from my normal grilled corn or zucchini and tomato salad. To step out of my comfort zone, I flipped through my handy Moosewood cookbook and found an intriguing recipe for carrot and mushroom "loaf", which was perfect since I had snagged a bunch of carrots and a bag of cremini mushrooms. I also gathered some sweet potato greens, pimento padrao peppers, and what is a trip to the summer green market without corn, tomatoes and fuzy peaches.

Moosewood calls this dish a loaf, but it is more along the lines of a casserole. The recipe called for superior breadcrumbs and for that I made my own with sprouted grain bread that I toasted and then pulsed in the food processor.

Recipe (with my augmentations): Serves 6 (freezes well and also reheats great! Who doesn’t like leftovers?)

2 cups minced onion

1 tbs. Earth Balance Spread

1 lb mushrooms, chopped

1 1/2 tsp. Salt

1 tsp basil

1 tsp thyme

1 tsp dill

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 1/2 carrots, grated (6 cups)

2 cups superb bread crumbs (made from sprouted grain bread)

1 cup grated cheddar (low fat cheese)

2 eggs, beaten

Black pepper

Black sesame seeds and chopped chives for garnish (up for interpretation)

Preheat oven to 350°

1)    Lightly spray a 9 x 13 inch baking pan with canola oil cooking spray

2)    Sauté onions in melted Earth Balance in a heated pan for about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms, salt, herbs, and garlic and sauté for 10 more minutes.

3)    In a bowl, combine carrots, breadcrumbs, cheese, eggs, and pepper. Add the sautéed mixture and combine well. Spread into the prepared pan and top with sesame seeds (or your desired choice of topping). Cover with foil.

4)    Bake for 30 minutes covered and 15 minutes uncovered.

5)    Finish with chopped chives.

This dish was very filling and tasty…it even looked a lot better than I thought it would. This could easily be a main dish or a side and keeps well. The casserole was a complete meal. It had protein from the cheese, sprouted bread, and eggs, complex carbohydrates from the bread and vegetables from the carrots and mushrooms.

Mushroom are versatile meaty little morsels and are one of the lone plant sources of Vitamin D. They also contain selenium and potassium.

I had never heard of or tried sweet potato greens and was quite intrigued when I came across them. I removed most of the stem and simply sautéed them with garlic and olive oil in order to properly taste the dark greens. They turned out to be pretty "meaty" for greens and were a heavier denser more fragrant version of kale. For the peppers, I simply seared them in a very hot pan with garlic and olive oil until they blackened slightly. Finally, since I couldn't leave the market without corn and tomatoes, I made a simple composed salad with blanched corn, heirloom tomatoes, burpless cucumber, red onion, purple peppers, radishes, basil and a spicy garlic lime dressing (garlic, lime juice, olive oil, Melinda’s hot sauce, cilantro, salt and pepper).  

Au Revior summer…you will be missed! I am hesitantly looking forward to an intense semester and the start of my Dietetic Internship at NYU…. wish me luck!

As a side note…LOOK! I found a guinea pig in Henry’s crate. 

Goodnight Irene

Irene came and went and caused most of us to hibernate in our houses for most of the weekend. To our great disappointment, a member of The Crunchy Radish had their birthday festivities put on hold due to the storm. To make the best of things, we made a birthday dinner with some goods that we loaded up on the day before at the farmers’ market.

Grilled avocado was a unique spin on the traditional avocado and tomato salad. Marinating the avocado in lemon juice and then grilling the halves with a little olive oil for two minutes a side really brought an interesting complexity to the fruit and intensified the flavor. The avocado was layered with red onion, (which was also tossed in lemon juice), heirloom and beefsteak tomatoes, olive oil, some aged balsamic, salt, and pepper.

Usually not a potato person, I couldn't help myself at the farmers’ market. These little nuggets were calling out to me to be simply roasted to the point where their skins were crisp and finished with a garlicky dressing. Potatoes are underrated and do possess some essential nutrients, particularly in their skin. Potatoes are a complex carbohydrate and are naturally low in calories. Potatoes with the skin not only have fiber, but contain B Vitamins, Vitamin C, iron, calcium and potassium.

The petite blue and fingerling potatoes were roasted with rosemary and olive oil and then mixed with a "paste" of roasted garlic, rosemary, cayenne pepper, olive oil, salt, and pepper.

The birthday boy grilled himself up a  New York Strip steak, and we toasted with some bubbly.

For dessert I was able to utilize my bounty of peaches and Italian plums and made a crisp with whole wheat flour, oatmeal, brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg, walnuts, currants, and some Earth Balance spread. The crisp wouldn't be complete without some organic vanilla bean ice cream.

We were able to have a pre-birthday celebration the night before at Fedora. We had a lovely meal filled with oysters, chicken liver on toast with pickled onions, sautéed chanterelles with a poached egg, and their take on a surf and turf which consisted of chicken meatballs and scallops. We finished the meal in style with a delicious ice cream sandwich-Van Leeuween ice cream sandwiched between chocolate cookies dipped in chopped peanuts!

Looking forward to continuing the birthday celebration with friends later this week at Roberta's.

Happy Birthday to the biggest Radish Head I know!

Fruitophile's Unite!

Grilled peach and arugula salad with mozzarella cheese, red onion, aged balsamic, olive oil, salt and pepper. 

Grilled summer squash with mint and balsamic vinegar

Fregula with clams

Still dreaming of my Italian getaway, I tried my hand at interpreting a traditional Sardinian dish. Fregula or fregola is a type of Sardinian pasta that is similar to pearled couscous. It is traditionally made with semolina dough that is rolled into little balls and toasted before boiling. The outcome is nutty little morsels that are slightly firm to the bite. We had fregula a few times on our trip and it was always accompanied with shellfish.

For this dish, fennel, onions and garlic were sautéed in a little olive oil. Once the ingredients were translucent, white wine was used to deglaze the pan. Cleaned cockles and diced tomatoes (pulp removed) were added to the pot and allowed to steam. Once the cockles were partly opened, the almost completely cooked fregula was added along with about a 1/2 cup of pasta water. When the cockles were fully opened, the fregula was finished with a little coarse pepper and parsley. Although “sacrilegious”, a sprinkling of Parmesan could have really elevated this light and simple dish.

Summer is a wonderful time to swing by the farmer’s market. It is abundant with summer squash, tree ripe peaches, and the beginnings of succulent summer tomatoes. The market pickins’ were the inspiration for the two accompanying dishes. Three types of summer squash were simply grilled with olive oil, salt and pepper and were then tossed with mint and balsamic vinegar. The simplicity really showcased the freshness of the buttery squash. For the salad, the peaches were lightly grilled and tossed with peppery arugula, creamy fresh mozzarella, red onion, and a simple drizzle of olive oil and aged balsamic. Grilling the peaches really brought out the sweetness and balanced exceptionally with the smooth cheese, spicy greens, and crunchy onion. I am usually not a fruit in salad person, but this dish converted me!

Who does not love a juicy succulent peach or a nectarine in the summer? The kind that you take one bite out of and the juice drizzles down your chin, but you are in such a state of euphoria that you could care less about the sticky sweetness dripping onto your shirt. Not only does summer offer the deliciousness of berries and stone fruit, but also along with the scrumptiousness, there is a plethora of nutritional benefits. Nectarines and peaches contain carotenoids and vitamin C, which promote eye health, immunity, and protection from certain cancers. Blueberries, blackberries and purple plums contain anthocyanins, which give the fruit their hue as well as anti-aging properties, aid with memory, and urinary health.

Fruitophile’s unite and savor summers sustenance! 

You're such a Locavore

Locavorism is not a novelty in Italy; it is a way of life. The trend of eating local and from farm to table became increasingly popular in the last few years, but in most places throughout Italy, if it isn’t in season, you’re not going to get it. On our most recent adventure to Sardinia, we found that a lot of restaurants only served a few items which were freshly caught hours before or arrived in wooden crates from nearby farms. A few times we ignorantly tried to order off the menu and were briskly informed that it was not in season or not today’s catch, but we were happily rewarded with fresh, succulent, and flavorful finned and shelled critters from the sea.

A predominant theme was the simplicity in the cuisine, and the integrity with which the chefs prepared the seafood. Most fish and seafood were simply grilled or if tossed with fresh pasta, swam gently in a light garlicky oil, or with diced sautéed tomatoes. Nothing was overtly complex, and the gifts of the sea were showcased in their purest and most delicious forms.

Picnics are always a must on our trips and we always find a way to seek out the markets and local specialty stores in order to properly provision. We were also able to sample some incredible sheep’s milk cheeses, charcuterie, olives, juicy and delectably fresh produce; and what’s a picnic without an incredible view.

Check back soon for inspired dishes and nutrition tips from our Mediterranean expedition. 

Earth Babies

On a recent trip to the farmers market, I picked up a few items that made delicious and satisfying sides. Mushrooms are hearty, meaty and earthy and can serve as a fulfilling addition to a meal.  For this side dish I sautéed oyster, hen of the woods, crimini and king oyster mushrooms with garlic and canola spread. A simple sauté brings life to these woody morsels. Fungi are one of the few food sources that naturally contain vitamin D, aside from fatty fish, liver, eggs and fish liver oil. Vitamin D is essential for the maintenance of calcium and phosphorus in the body, which aids in bone and teeth health. Vitamin D is also required for cell growth and boosts the immune system. Inadequate consumption and absorption of vitamin D can lead to the softening of bones, bone loss and the development of osteopenia and osteoporosis.

As an additional side, I made legumes! Heirloom pinto beans with roasted garlic, roasted poblano pepper and finished it with scallions. If your prone to a gassy aftermath, replace the soaking water with fresh water when cooking. Beans are a great source of dietary fiber and are an economical protein.