Rice, Cherry, Squash and Marcona Almond Salad

Posted on January 16, 2019 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Colorful Winter Salad

Ina Garten is my hero.  She’s close to my age which probably means that she actually cooks her food, with or without her cookbooks and cooking show.  When I watch her, it’s like watching myself… Ina levels off cups of sugar or flour with her forefinger (GO INA!)

The original recipe for this salad started with the one recently was published in her newest cookbook, Cook Like A Pro. “Brown Rice with Cranberries and Squash and Marcona Almonds.”  She had me at Marcona almonds and squash, two of my winter/fall faves.  My brain started to whirl and I tweaked her formula – I didn’t even use straight up brown rice or cranberries.  I made it with a third less rice, I added orange zest and swapped celery for green onions to suit my palate, substituted sherry vinegar for white wine vinegar, reduced some of the salt so that it can be added to your taste at the end.  I also used a rice mix rather than all brown rice, dried cherries instead of dried cranberries and topped the final dish with pomegranate seeds. This tastes like autumn in a bowl and I am putting it on my list for Thanksgiving 2019!

Rice, Cherry, Squash and Marcona Almond Salad

Serves 6-8

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Ingredients
  • 4 cups (1½ pounds) butternut squash  (½ to ¾-inch-diced)
  • 2 tablespoons avocado oil or other neutral oil
  • 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
  • ½ tsp Sea salt
  • 15 grinds freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 cup wild rice or a mix of brown, black, red and sweet rice (such as Lundberg Wild blend)
  • 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
  • 2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon pure maple syrup
  • 1 tablespoon balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tablespoon sherry wine vinegar
  • 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ¾ cup thinly sliced celery
  • ½  cup dried tart cherries
  • ½ cup salted Marcona almonds (also called Spanish Valencian almonds)  
  • A few pomegranate seeds to garnish, optional
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.  Line a rimmed cookie sheet with oiled parchment paper or foil.

Prick a large butternut squash all over with a fork and microwave for five minutes. Cool well, cut off the stem and other end, and cut in half. Peel with a potato peeler or a paring knife then remove seeds and cube into 1/3-1/2 inch pieces.  Place the butternut squash on a sheet pan. Add two tablespoons of oil, one tablespoon of pure maple syrup, ½ teaspoon salt, and ground pepper. Toss together, spread out in a single layer, and roast for a total of 20-30 minutes, checking every ten minutes, until tender.  Mine took about 20 minutes in my toaster oven, probably because it was par-cooked from the initial step.

Meanwhile, cook the rice according to your preferred method or suggestions on the package.  Set aside.

For the vinaigrette, in a glass measuring cup, whisk together one tablespoon of maple syrup, the orange juice, balsamic vinegar, sherry vinegar, mustard, two teaspoons sea salt, and ½  teaspoon pepper. Slowly whisk in ½ cup olive oil then add orange zest and set aside.

Pour the warm rice into a large serving bowl and add dried cherries right away so they plump up a bit. Let it cool about ten minutes and add half of the vinaigrette and combine. Add the roasted squash, celery, and almonds and toss well. (As the dish sits, it will probably  need the extra vinaigrette.) Top with pomegranate seeds right before serving if you wish.

Taste for seasonings and add more vinaigrette, then and serve warm or at room temperature.

PS: Truth be told, I really didn’t measure a thing. I’m pretty accurate with quantities by eyeballing, but honestly, I don’t think it makes much difference.  

PPS:  If you are making this to be served later in the day, I’d add the Marcona almonds right before serving so they remain extremely crunchy. Having said that, Marconas stay pretty crunchy even the next day.   

 

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Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

Posted on January 2, 2019 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

The Perfect Pumpkin Scone

I am full into pumpkin gear here!  Once Halloween hits and all through the winter I find cans of organic pumpkin on sale and I really stock up.  Pumpkin cookies, pumpkin bread, or should I say breadS since I have baked probably ten loaves to date, and, of course, pumpkin scones.  

I’ve published other scone recipes but forgot about this one until recently.  I can’t remember where I started before all the changes I’ve made with these scones, but I do know the recipe has been in my files for a very long time.  

You’ll see I grind the nuts until they are really fine, almost like walnut flour,  because my picky grandkids are nut averse when it comes to baked goods.  (I also pulverize the heck out of mushrooms because the grands aren’t fans of that texture either. Go figure!)

Anyway, this is pretty basic and the perfect start to your morning accompanied by a cup of tea, a latte or anything else you like.

Whole Wheat Pumpkin Scones

Makes 10

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Ingredients
  • ⅔ cup toasted walnuts
  • 1 cup white whole wheat flour (I use King Arthur)
  • 1 cup  unbleached white flour
  • 1 tablespoon baking powder (Yes, a Tablespoon!)
  • ¼ cup dark brown sugar, packed
  • 1 rounded teaspoon grated orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon cinnamon
  • ½ teaspoon fresh ground nutmeg
  • ½ teaspoon sea salt
  • 5 tablespoons (2.5 oz) cold salted butter
  • ¾ cup canned pumpkin puree (I use organic and it is looser in texture than non-organic)
  • ¼ cup milk (I used 2% because that is what I keep around)
  • ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Glaze Ingredients
  • ½ cup  powdered sugar, sifted
  • 2 -3 tablespoons pure maple syrup, more if needed
  • Sparkly white sugar if you want to be fancy and garnish the scones. I do!
Instructions

Preheat oven to 425 degrees Fahrenheit. Adjust rack to the second from the top shelf.  

I usually put the toasted nuts into my Nutribullet with about one teaspoon of sugar and whirl them until they are very, very fine. You can hand chop them a little more coarsely, but still small (1/4 inch)  if you prefer.

In a medium mixing bowl, combine the flours, the chopped nuts, baking powder, brown sugar, spices, orange zest, and salt in a bowl and whisk together.

Use a pastry cutter or two knives to cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the chunks of butter are about ¼-⅛ inches big.

Stir  pumpkin puree, milk, and vanilla extract together then add to the flour mix. Keep mixing until everything is combined.  Use your hands briefly to form a smooth ball.

Form dough into a circle that’s about 8-9 inches wide. Use a chef’s knife to cut the circle into 10 even slices like a pie. I usually flour my knife before each cut.  You will see that my silicone mat is perfect for this step!

Before Baking

Separate slices and place on the baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Bake for 15 minutes or until they are light golden brown. Remove from the oven and slide the parchment onto a cooling rack. After 10 minutes, remove the parchment but leave the scones to cool some more on the rack.

PS: If you use ¾ cup of the canned pumpkin, you should have enough to make glazed Pumpkin Bread! 

Once the scones are cooled, whisk together the glaze ingredients in a small bowl until smooth and creamy. Drizzle the glaze generously over the scones.  Sprinkle a little sparkly sugar on top of the drizzle if you wish.

 

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Olive’s Pecan Pie

Posted on December 12, 2018 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

The Perfect Pecan Pie

At least 20 or more years ago, I was with my late sister-in-law Nancy and we were talking about pecan pie, of all things.  Both Nancy and my husband loved pecan pie and it was one type of dessert I never made. I prefer either chocolate or fruit pies, but I was intrigued.  Nancy told me her childhood neighbor’s housekeeper Olive in Waterloo Iowa – now, that is a mouthful – made the very, very best pecan pie. She proceeded to call her friend Janie, who just happened to have Olive’s pecan pie recipe.

This is one of those desserts that isn’t healthful in any sense of the word.  However, it is really good and old school – think dark Karo syrup – gasp! I didn’t change a thing other than I baked the empty crust for a little bit so the filling wouldn’t make it as soggy, and I toasted the pecans because, well, TOASTED PECANS.  Dollop some fresh whipping cream on top and you will have yourself a pretty darned good dessert.

My daughter in law Shira loves pecan pie and pumpkin pie, too, and this Thanksgiving when their family came and stayed with us before driving to Kal’s cabin, I had both a pumpkin and a pecan pie waiting for her.  She is beyond wonderful to me, and she was happy to have HER special Thanksgiving pies too.

La Familia! (Thanksgiving 2018)

Olive’s Pecan Pie

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For a 9” single pie crust, I roll out the crust and place in a 9-inch glass pie plate, prick it all over with the tins of a fork and bake it with pie weights for about 20  minutes at 400 degrees. I then remove the pie weights and cool the crust at least 12 minutes and then proceed with the filling. You can find one of my favorite pie crust recipes in this blog post from way back when.

Filling Ingredients
  • ⅓ cup granulated sugar
  • ½ tsp. salt
  • ⅓ cup melted salted butter
  • 1 cup dark corn syrup (Karo)
  • 3 large eggs, beaten
  • ½ tsp vanilla
  • Heaping 2 cups of previously toasted pecans, cooled to room temperature.  I leave the halves alone because my family likes chunky textures, but you could chop them if you wish.
Instructions

Beat and combine the first four filling ingredients.  Bring to a simmer for 2 minutes then cool 10 minutes. Next, add eggs a bit at a time and finally the vanilla.

Fill a partially baked (see above) single 9-inch pie crust and bake at 350 degrees for 35-40 minutes until edges puff and center is a little jiggly.    Serve warmish and store the remainder in the refrigerator.

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Sweet Potato “Bruschetta”

Posted on November 28, 2018 by Marilyn

Sweet Potato Bruschetta with Hummus & Tomatoes

Let it be known that I am a huge sweet potato fan as well as a yam lover.  

Which do you think is most nutritious, a yam or a sweet potato?  I thought all these years that a yam was best because it is much deeper orange (usually, depending on the variety) and has a “stronger” taste. I posted this question to random friends and family, and they thought the same thing.   We were WRONG.

Turns out sweet potatoes and yams are often used interchangeably in recipes, but in fact, the two vegetables are not even related. Both have B vitamins, but sweet potatoes have fewer calories and are higher in beta-carotene and vitamin C than yams.  

Enough education. Here’s how you make this yummy dish:

Wash and scrub a sweet potato.  Try to get one that is shaped kind of like my picture (this weighed about a pound).   Scrub the skin, dry it with a towel or paper towel, cut off the pointy ends and make pretty even slices, about ⅓ inch wide.  I got around 8 nice slices from mine. I use the end parts for making stock along with other kitchen scraps.

Preheat a toaster oven (or oven) to 350.  I lightly oiled some foil and laid the slices on top.  Bake for 20 minutes and test with a sharp knife to see if they are soft when pierced.  If not, turn them gently and bake another five minutes. With the slices from my large sweet potato, it took me about 25 minutes to get them soft.  Cool the slices really really well before putting them in a sealed container and refrigerating for up to five days.

The Humble Sweet Potato

When ready to serve, I pop a few into the toaster oven to toast for three to four minutes.  Take them out, eat as is (I do this for breakfast in place of toast to have with eggs and beans) or top it with whatever you would put on bruschetta. A few of my favorite toppings include:

  • Cottage cheese and sliced cherry tomato
  • Hummus and sliced Persian cucumber
  • Tuna salad and sprouts
  • Marinated peppers
  • Peanut butter and sliced banana
  • Egg salad and dill sprigs
  • Lox and pickled red onion
  • Avocado slices

You get to decide.   No rules here. I am loving “make ahead” meals these days, something just to grab when I come back from a workout or when I am on the go and don’t have time to do a lot of prep and cooking. This also makes a nice addition to a  light appetizer type dinner along with some toasted nuts and a salad.

PS: I have seen recipes for sweet potato “toast” which involves trying to cut even rectangles of sweet potato.  I attempted this twice and it was a no go–the slices looked pretty uneven and for me, I love these little round, three-bite slices.  I contend that bigger pieces are unappealing AND a whole piece of sweet potato toast is often too filling for me. Give it a go if you want though.

PPS:  These are SO AMAZING.  

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The Unexpected Kindness of Strangers

Posted on November 14, 2018 by Marilyn

This post isn’t going to be about food, or sites I have visited or markets in foreign countries. Rather, this is about the kindness of strangers, and what happened to me this week gives me hope that the world has kind strangers who are willing to help. I have not told A SINGLE PERSON about this, until now.

We spent the majority of October in Antigua Guatemala to visit and to volunteer — my husband recently retired and did some work with an International Planned Parenthood NGO. His experiences and what is really going on in Guatemala with respect to population growth could fill a 400-page book. More on that later, perhaps.

I had my birthday at the end of October (YAY!), the murders at the Pittsburg synagogue took place the day before I left and I was so distraught. I returned home the next day by myself. My flight went from Guatemala City to Mexico City, then on to Seattle. The 2 ½ hour layer with AeroMexico in Mexico City was pretty uneventful and I did the usual: cleared customs, refilled my water bottle, downloaded the latest version of my newspapers and a movie on my iPad, all was well. Until it wasn’t.

I boarded my six-plus hour flight around dinnertime. I took out my knitting, looked at my phone to put it into Airplane mode, and I saw a voicemail and missed call. The voicemail, in broken English, said, “Hello Marilyn, this is Antonio. I have an iPad with your name on it…did you lose your iPad?” I had a huge hot flash, searched around and lo and behold my iPad was gone. Damn. I must have left it in the waiting area where I was reading my Kindle book. I kicked into gear, called Antonio but could only listen to his message. Another passenger listened to the Spanish recording too and confirmed what I thought it said, I kept calling, I kept getting the recording, the flight attendant said that it didn’t matter, that even if the device was brought to the gate I couldn’t get it due to security. Great. But I had hope…hope that because this man called me, he had my iPad and knew my name, my email and my phone #. I even purchased Wifi for the flight. And by the way, the worst part of this is that I had a really good book, two newspapers and two movies to keep me busy for those six plus hours. No iPad meant I got a LOT of knitting done.

A few hours into the flight, I heard from Antonio. He said he had my iPad, wanted to know where I left it just to be sure he had the correct owner. I told him where I had been sitting by gate 68, and that is where he discovered my device. He was headed to Campeche, Mexico for vacation and I wrote that I would text or email him when I got home.

THE SECOND MOST AMAZING PART OF THIS STORY? I read before I left that when traveling, it is smart to have my locked screen display my name, email and phone number. I took a picture of this information and set the picture for both my phone and my iPad. (Usually, I have pictures of my grandkids or a pretty Seattle picture). What brilliance. TAKE NOTE and do this when you travel.

My Screen – HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

But I digress. I went back and forth, Spanish translated into English and vice versa. Antonio was on vacation but spotted an international DHL office where he could ship my iPad. HALLELUJAH. I counted over 50 back and forth emails, over 20 texts trying to figure out how to make this happen and how I could reimburse him for the mailing cost. It was complicated and I won’t bore you with the details. By Wednesday, he took four taxi cabs to mail my package, I wired money through the bank which took over an hour and a lot of red tape and ta-da!

Antonio is such a good person. I am so grateful. I still cannot believe this happened, and that my iPad ended up back with me. Antonio told me in an email that he Googled me (of course he did) and saw I posted recipes from my travels! He wrote, “If you some day return to Mexico City searching for food recipes, come home, my beautiful wife cooks great.”

You got it, Antonio. And if you are ever in Seattle, I’ll treat you to the best food ever. Gracias!! Here is a picture of Antonio’s beautiful family he sent to me.

Antonio’s Beautiful Family

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Monday Mushroom Barley Soup

Posted on October 31, 2018 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Mouthwatering Mushroom Barley Soup

I often join the “Meatless Monday” club and try to plan a mostly vegetable-focused dinner when I can. This soup is one of my vegetarian favorites.  I was especially pleased with it recently when I prepared it in tandem with a baking project. I had a yearning for Marge’s Mandelbrot so I measured and mixed the dough, and while it was resting in the refrigerator I used a lot of the same utensils and bowls to make the soup.  Needless to say, the house smells ah-maze-ing.

This soup makes a good amount (about two quarts) so it’s a perfect one to share with friends and family.  I ended up adding some carrots to the soup and garnishing with parsley because otherwise, it is brown, brown, brown.  One of my “things” is that I like food to look appealing.

Midway through the cooking process, when the barley was done and the mushroom/onion/garlic mixture was nice and soft and fragrant, I thought about how delicious it would be to serve just the slow sauteed mushrooms and cooked barley, perhaps with some fresh tarragon slivers,  chopped tomato and fresh corn kernels as a side dish. This is going to happen one of these days while I can still get fresh corn and juicy tomatoes at the farmers market!

In case you are wondering, I also made corn pancakes with a little tarragon thrown in and a tomato topping as well.  What a great summer meal!

Monday Mushroom Barley Soup

(Adapted from the Moosewood Cookbook)

Serves 8

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Ingredients
  • ½ cup uncooked pearl barley
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 3-4 tablespoons tamari or soy sauce
  • 4 tablespoons dry sherry
  • 6 ½ cups stock or water (I added a tiny bit (1 ½ tsp?) of Better than Boullion chicken flavor. Be careful if you add more because of the salt factor.)
  • 1 medium brown skinned onion, chopped
  • ¼ c parsley leaves, coarsely chopped for garnish
  • 2 medium cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 ¼  lb fresh Cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • fresh ground black pepper
  • 3 large carrots, peeled and sliced into ¼ inch rounds
  • ½  tsp salt-add more to taste
Instructions

Cook barley in 1 ½ cups of the stock or water in a large saucepan or Dutch oven. Bring to a boil, cover and simmer until barley is tender (20-30 minutes). Add remaining 4 ½ stock or water, tamari and sherry.

Meanwhile, melt the butter in a skillet. Add the onions, and garlic   Sauté for about five minutes over medium heat. Add mushrooms and salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally until everything is very tender (about 10-12 minutes).

Add the sautéed vegetables with all their liquid to the cooked barley. Add carrots and fresh ground black pepper to taste and simmer, partially covered, for another 20 minutes.

Serve in mugs or shallow bowls, garnishing with chopped parsley.

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Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Posted on October 17, 2018 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Fresh Out of the Oven!

Fall is in the air, and once temperatures drop I get into a baking frenzy.  I don’t mind heating up the kitchen when the oven is turned on! Yesterday I tried a half batch of these muffins to see if they would be something my grandkids and kids and friends might enjoy.  The answer is YES, for sure.

Next, I tweaked the King Arthur flour recipe (I noted that other bloggers used this basic formula as well).  My changes are truly my own, adding some crunchy, sparkly turbinado sugar for the topping, using less than two apples and measuring the quantity instead since apples are so many different sizes. I also made a full, full muffin rather than smaller, more numerous ones indicated in the original recipe, and added some lemon zest just because.  

Several changes I made were out of laziness – making soured milk rather than buttermilk?  I was too lazy to go to the store. Using salted butter because I was too lazy to go to the store … are you getting the picture?

Anyway, these turned out to be so good, and they stay fresh for a few days and freeze for up to a couple of months.  (HAHAHA, as if). The only downside here is that once you put these into the oven, you will have a mound of dishes and measuring utensils to clean.  Someday I am going to have a sidekick sous chef to follow me around the kitchen, to wash everything, sweep and mop the floor and then disappear. In my dreams.

Whole Wheat Apple Cinnamon Muffins

Makes 12 muffins

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Muffin Ingredients
  • 1 stick (½ cup) salted butter, at room temperature
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 1 large egg
  • 1 cup buttermilk (OR 2% milk + 1 Tbsp white vinegar-let sit at room temperature for 10 minutes)
  • 1 cup King Arthur White Whole Wheat flour
  • 1 cup unbleached white flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 pinches table salt
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 tsp lemon zest (Use your microplane grater)
  • 2 slightly rounded cups peeled, cored, and chopped apples (I diced mine about ⅓-inch in size and my apples were large so it took 1 ¾ apples to equal a slightly heaping 2 cups)
Topping Ingredients
  • 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
  • 2 tbsp turbinado sugar (raw cane sugar)
Instructions

Preheat the oven to 450°F. Grease and flour a pan with 12 full-size muffin cups and set aside.

Mix together the flours, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon, lemon zest and set aside. FYI I always sift my baking soda and baking powder-they are lumpy.  Remove one tablespoon of this flour mix to toss with the apples.  

In a separate bowl, cream the butter and add the granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Beat until fluffy. Add the egg to the buttermilk (or soured milk you made) and mix gently. Add in the milk/vinegar mixture quickly. (If you over-mix, this will cause the mixture to curdle.) Stir in the dry ingredients.  Toss diced apple with the reserved flour mix and fold in these apple chunks to the batter.

Combine the dark brown and turbinado sugar in a bowl and set aside (for the topping).

Divide the batter evenly among the prepared muffin cups (I just butter or spray mine) with an ice cream scoop and sprinkle the brown sugar/turbinado sugar mix on top of each. With a damp finger, even out the topping and batter.  The muffins will be very full.

Ready for Baking

Bake for 10 minutes at 450 degrees then turn the heat down to 400°F, and bake for an additional five minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean. Cool the muffins for five minutes in the tin, then carefully place them out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Try one while warm.  

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Easy Pressure Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Stew

Posted on October 3, 2018 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Comforting Chicken & Vegetable Stew

I’ve always said that, if I ever find myself on death row and get to pick my final meal, I would choose chicken soup.  Old fashioned, clear, savory chicken soup with matzo balls. I still stand by my wish, but this chicken stew, hearty and nourishing and even more decadent than my beloved chicken soup, would be a close second!

Fall has definitely arrived in Seattle and, with the cooler nights and cloudier days, soup and stew sound and taste amazing to me.  All summer I was enamored with many cold salad type dishes, and I didn’t really desire much in the way of warm, stewy things. My cravings have changed with the colors of the leaves and this particular recipe, which I discovered earlier this year and perfected over time, is now on heavy rotation at Casa de My Global Kitchens.

Fall Has Arrived!

I can check most of the boxes that are important to me with this stew*: One pot cooking, check.  Quick prep and cooking time, check check. Tasty and loved by others? Oh yes. (*A stew, by the way, is different from a soup because it has much less liquid.)  

This originated with a Cooks Illustrated recipe I stumbled upon, and being old school with my pressure cooker, I decided to give it a whirl.  Wowza, it is good enough that I have prepared this at least ten times and usually give a half gallon of this soup to a new mom, an ailing friend, or any child who begs.  

I have added more carrots, substituted fresh dill for the thyme and added additional liquid and soy.  I’ve also ended up, at times, adding in different vegetables I’ve found in my vegetable drawer…corn kernels, green beans, you get my drift.

Make this in your Instant Pot or pressure cooker.  Have the stew alongside a thick slice of challah or other great bread.   Let me know how you like it!

Pressure Cooker Chicken & Vegetable Stew

Serves 8-10 (makes a little over a gallon)

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Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp vegetable oil (I use grapeseed or avocado oil)
  • 1 peeled yellow onion, chopped ⅓ inch
  • 3 garlic cloves, coarsely chopped
  • 1 Tbsp chopped fresh dill weed
  • 10 cups water
  • 5 large carrots, peeled and sliced ½ inch thick
  • 2 celery ribs, sliced ½ inch thick
  • 3 Tbsp soy sauce
  • 1 (4-pound) whole chicken, cavity cleaned and giblets discarded
  • Salt (up to 1 tsp) and
  • ¼ tsp fresh ground black pepper or to taste
  • 4 ½ ounces (about 3 cups) wide egg noodles
  • Fresh chopped parsley or dill fronds to garnish
Instructions

In an 8-10 quart pressure cooker, heat oil over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion and cook until softened, about five minutes. Stir in garlic and dill and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Stir in water, carrots, celery, and soy sauce. Put whole chicken, breast side up, on top of the liquid and veggies.

Lock the pressure-cooker lid in place and bring to high pressure over medium-high heat. As soon as the pot reaches high pressure, reduce heat to medium-low and cook for 22 minutes, adjusting heat as needed to maintain high pressure.

Remove pot from the heat. Quickly release pressure, then carefully remove lid, allowing steam to escape away from you.

Transfer the whole chicken (It will be soft and probably fall apart) to a cutting board, let it cool enough for you to be able to handle it.  Remove the chicken skin and bones, and shred the meat into bite-size pieces.

Bring the soup to a boil, stir in the noodles, and cook until tender, about five minutes. Stir in the shredded chicken and parsley or dill  Add more soy or season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve. The soup keeps well in the refrigerator for five days or can be frozen.

PS: After this cools in the refrigerator, the fat will congeal at the top and will be simple to remove.  

 

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Mediterranean Herb Chickpea Salad with Eggs  

Posted on September 19, 2018 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Sumptuous Summer Salad

OK, listen up.  If you have any type of herb garden, then put this recipe on the “to make” list, pronto.  On my rooftop deck planter box, I happen to have beautiful basil, parsley, tarragon, and mint – more than I can use.  I’ve already made and frozen multiple batches of tomato sauce infused with a lot of the basil and was trying to figure out what to do with the other herbs … then I spotted this recipe.  I loved the Middle Eastern spices and the idea that egg slices would make this a filling, protein-laden meal.

I gave half of this to my son Jake’s family, and they also had it for lunch and again for dinner – so I’m not the only one who likes this combo.

It’s simple to prepare, really healthful and satisfying to boot.  With all the fresh chopped herbs, what could be better?

Mediterranean Herb Chickpea Salad with Eggs  

(Adapted from Themediterraneandish.com)

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Dressing Ingredients

  • 2 ½ tsp Dijon mustard

  • 1 large lemon, zested and juiced

  • ⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 large garlic clove, minced

  • 1 tsp ground sumac
  • ½ tsp ground coriander
  • a pinch of cayenne pepper (or more if you are a spice lover)
  • ½ tsp salt
  • 20 grinds of fresh black pepper
  • About 1 tsp of honey

Salad Ingredients

  • 2 cans garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained (or you can use 3 cups of freshly cooked chickpeas, drained)

  • 2 celery ribs, chopped
 into ¼ inch pieces
  • 3 unpeeled Persian cucumbers (or ½ seedless English cucumber), diced
  • 4 small green onions, trimmed and chopped using the white and light green parts
  • ½ cup shredded red cabbage
  • ½ yellow pepper, dice into ¼ inch pieces
  • ¼ cup chopped fresh tarragon leaves
  • ¼ cup packed chopped fresh parsley leaves

  • ½ cup packed chopped fresh mint leaves

  • 6 large hard-boiled eggs, sliced thinly
  • Optional: 1 jalapeno peppers, chopped (optional)
 — I did NOT use this and it was still plenty spicy

Instructions

In a Nutribullet or small blender, combine everything for the dressing and emulsify.  Taste and add more honey or salt as needed. Pour into a bottle or container and set aside until about an hour before you want to serve the salad.

In a large mixing bowl, add all the salad ingredients except the eggs. The salad and dressing can be held separately for a day or two if you wish, or you can proceed.

Give the dressing a quick shake and pour over the salad. Mix to combine. Add the sliced eggs, and mix gently again. Taste and adjust salt and pepper. Add a sprinkle more sumac to the top if you like. Set aside a few minutes before serving to allow flavors to permeate. The salad will keep in the fridge for a few days if you have any leftover, and this makes such a great lunch!


 

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Summer Sweet Corn Risotto

Posted on September 5, 2018 by Marilyn

Click here to view recipe.

Savory & Sweet Corn Risotto

It’s corn season and I couldn’t be happier! SO many things to do with it. While my Summer Corn Pudding is pretty hard to beat (in my humble opinion) – this Risotto recipe is neck and neck.

With risotto, the ratio in a pressure cooker or Instapot is one part rice to two parts of liquid if you care to adjust the recipe.  With just two eaters in my home, I usually cut everything in half and still have leftovers, even though we are huge eaters!

Summer Sweet Corn Risotto

Serves 6-8

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Ingredients
  • 1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 brown skinned onion, peeled and chopped ¼ inch
  • 2 cups of Arborio Rice (sold in bulk at a lot of food stores)
  • 4 cups of chicken or vegetable broth (I use Better than Bouillon – 4 teaspoons in 4 cups of water)
  • 1 Tbsp of dry vermouth or leftover white wine
  • Grated zest of 1 lemon
  • 1 ½ cup fresh grated parmesan cheese + ½ cup  extra to dust on top when serving
  • 1 Tbsp soft butter (optional to finish the dish)
  • 2 ears of fresh corn, kernels taken off the cob (about 1 ½ cups)
  • 3 Tbsp fresh chopped tarragon leaves
  • fresh ground pepper to taste (taste to see if you want additional salt)
Instructions

Heat the empty pressure cooker on medium heat for about three minutes, add the oil and let that heat for two more minutes, and then add the chopped onion.

Sauté the onion until it becomes translucent (about 3-5 minutes).

Add the rice and lightly stir it to release the starch. When you add the Arborio rice to the onions, the rice will turn from solid white to translucent, then about a minute later it will go back to white. Wait until just a couple of grains look toasted.

Add the white wine or dry vermouth and stir any grains from the bottom of the cooker with it and stir the rice until the wine has fully evaporated. This takes very little time.

Add the lemon zest and broth, mix and close the top immediately.

Lock the lid of the pressure cooker.  For stove top pressure cookers – turn the heat up to high and when the cooker indicates it has reached high pressure, lower to the heat to maintain pressure and begin timing seven minutes pressure cooking time from the time it reaches full pressure.

When time is up, open the cooker by manually releasing the pressure.  Stir and add the raw corn kernels and tarragon

The risotto might appear just slightly too wet. Stir, and the rice will continue to absorb the extra liquid in about a half minute. If the rice is still very wet, put the open pressure cooker back on a medium flame, without the lid, and finish cooking it this way – stirring often – until it reaches the right consistency. For extra deliciousness, stir in a tablespoon of soft butter and top with additional grated parmesan cheese right before serving. Season to taste with ground pepper and additional salt if needed.

(In the fall, I make this but substitute two cups of some tiny roasted cubed butternut squash instead of corn squash and a tablespoon of fresh chopped sage in place of tarragon.)  

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