Fruits and Vegetables Archives | Page 21 of 30

Vegetable Stir-fry with Orange Soy Glaze

March 3, 2011

I can think of few things easier to make than a hearty vegetable stir-fry. When the vegetable drawer needs a good cleansing, it is my go-to dish. Chop, cook, spoon on top of rice and you are done.

The only catch for me is that I need a little something extra for flavor. It can be as simple as a little crushed red pepper and tamari sauce, but I must go beyond vegetables, salt and pepper.

This orange soy glaze does the trick. It is full of orange zest which gives the vegetables a fresh, slightly sweet flavor.

Don’t feel confined to the vegetables included here. Use what you have and what you like. I like my vegetables with some texture so once the cauliflower is just barely tender, about 10 minutes, in goes the glaze and I take it off the heat.

Vegetable Stir-fry with Orange Soy Glaze

2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1 medium onion, sliced
10 white button mushrooms, sliced
3 stalks celery, sliced
2 medium carrots, peeled and sliced
2 cups cauliflower florets, sliced
2 cups broccoli florets, sliced
8 – 10 spears asparagus, cut into1 inch pieces
¼ cup unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
Juice and zest of one orange
¼ cup tamari
1 tbsp cornstarch or arrowroot
2 tsp mascavo sugar (or brown sugar)

Heat the oil in a wok or skillet over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for about one minute. Add the onion, mushrooms, celery, carrots, cauliflower and broccoli. Increase the heat to medium high and cook, stirring often, until vegetables are tender, 10 to 20 minutes. About 3 minutes before vegetables are cooked to your preference, add the asparagus.

In a small bowl, combine the orange juice, zest, tamari, cornstarch and sugar. Add the peanuts to the stir-fry, and pour in the orange soy sauce.

Stir to coat the vegetables and cook for 1 to 2 minutes more, or until the sauce is slightly thickened. Eat by itself or with rice. Serves 4 to 6.

Peach Baked Oatmeal

January 31, 2011

I’ve hit that point in the winter when the freezer digging begins. I’m about out of tomatoes and chicken stock, and making mental notes to myself that I need to freeze more during this coming summer.

During this process, I also end up uncovering a few things I had forgotten about. For example, this weekend I found a couple white peaches I bought last July from a local orchard. Instead of letting them go bad before I could use them up, I peeled, chopped and froze them thinking I’d add them to a pie or other dessert this winter.

When I found them the first thing I thought of was baked oatmeal. I’ve been seeing it all over blogs lately, but have yet to make it myself. I thought the peach would make a nice variation to the apple, cinnamon and maple varieties I’ve come across.

I used a recent recipe I found at Two Peas and Their Pod and adjusted it so that I could use my peaches and my favorite varieties of cane sugar. I cut the liquid back a bit to account for the peaches, but I may have cut it back a little too much. My baked oatmeal came out almost like a cross between an oatmeal bread and cookie. However, this morning when I poured about 3 tablespoons of milk over it before heating it up in the microwave, it was perfect. Hearty and filling.

Peach Baked Oatmeal via @Lori_Rice

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It’s only slightly sweet so I paired it up with just a dollop of my homemade peach jam. Maple syrup would work well, too. Then, as with most of my breakfasts, it had to be topped with some chopped walnuts.

I’m now a huge fan of baked oatmeal! It’s perfect to have on hand for busy mornings.

Peach Baked Oatmeal

Adapted from Apple Cinnamon Baked Oatmeal by Two Peas and Their Pod

Makes: 6 servings

Ingredients

Peaches
2 peaches peeled, pitted and chopped (defrosted if frozen)
1/8 cup water
1/8 cup Demerara sugar

Oatmeal
3 cups rolled oats
¼ cup mascavo sugar (or any evaporated cane sugar)
1 tsp baking powder
1 ½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp salt
½ cup milk
½ cup water
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla

Prep

In a sauce pan, combine the peaches, sugar and 1/8 cup water. Bring to a low boil and cook, stirring often, until peaches are broken down and sauce is thickened, about 10 to 15 minutes. Set aside to cool.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a large bowl, combine the oats, mascavo sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt. In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, ½ cup of water, 2 egg whites and vanilla. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well.

Slowly stir in the cooled peach mixture. Spoon the oatmeal into a greased casserole dish and spread evenly. Bake for 20 minutes. Serve warm. To serve leftovers, add 3 tablespoons of milk before reheating in the microwave.

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Roasted Acorn Squash and Garlic Pizza

January 30, 2011

When it gets around to this time of year, I’m always so happy to see the end of January. It’s not that I dislike winter. In fact, I tend to annoy most of the people around here with my enthusiasm for it. I don’t like treacherous driving, but now that we live out in what could be called the country, the snowy white is just beautiful.

That being said, despite the fact that January has the same number of days as months such as March, May and July it often feels like it will never end. So I’m glad to see February come with Valentine’s Day quickly followed by Easter, springtime 10Ks, gardens and the farmer’s market.

However, with another month of full-on winter ahead, at least in this part of the US, I’m not ready to give up warm, comfort foods. I still have some winter squash around and a few weeks ago I was thumbing through my RR magazine. Yes, although people find her annoying I owe much of what I’ve learned about cooking to watching endless hours of 30 Minute Meals back in the day.

When I saw her Butternut Squash Pizza, it inspired to me to create something similar myself. My ingredients are little less exotic as I only had a few things on hand, but it turned out pretty tasty, nonetheless.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Garlic Pizza recipe

I roasted a whole head of garlic until soft and creamy, and then spread it on the pizza crust. It was a bit of work, but I also peeled the squash and diced it before roasting it until just barely tender. Plan ahead with this one because it will take you a little while to get your roasting done.

I will say that while I loved this pizza, my husband thought it was just okay. This was mainly because it is so sweet. However, I found that sprinkling on a little crushed red pepper just before serving really balanced the flavors.

Roasted Acorn Squash and Garlic Pizza
Adapted from Everyday with Rachel Ray’s Butternut Squash-and-Red Onion Pizza

1 large (14 inch) pizza dough (I make the Spelt Crust from Off Her Cork)
Olive oil
1 head of garlic
1 small acorn squash, peeled and flesh cubed
1 medium onion, sliced
1 cup whole milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
¼ cup freshly grated parmesan
Crushed red pepper (optional)

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Carefully cut off the top 3rd of the head of garlic so that the cloves are exposed. Place in the center of a square sheet of aluminum foil, drizzle with olive oil and wrap loosely. Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until tender. Set aside.

Spread the cubed squash in a single layer on a baking sheet. Drizzle with olive oil and toss to coat. Roast 15 to 20 minutes, just until tender. Meanwhile, drizzle a skillet with olive oil, add the onions and cook over medium-high heat. Cover and continue to cook, stirring often, until the onions are slightly browned and soft.

Squeeze the garlic flesh into a small bowl and stir to mash any clumps. Spread evenly over the pizza crust. Top with the squash and caramelized onions. Cover evenly with the cheeses. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the cheese is melted and bubbly and the crust is slightly browned. Garnish with crushed red pepper, if desired.

Shrimp and Grits with Kale Chips

January 17, 2011

Why in the world did it take me so long to try kale chips?!

I’ve seen them all over food blogs and kept thinking – oh, I need to try those at some point – but just never got around to it.

My husband did the grocery shopping last week and I had kale on the list. While I’d much rather buy local kale in the bunch this time of year, well, that just isn’t happening. The second choice, supermarket kale by the bunch, has looked awful lately. So he picked up one of those monster bags of chopped kale.

At first I thought, what in the world am I going to do with all this before it goes bad? I mean, I like kale, but that is A LOT of kale. Then I remembered kale chips. Perfect solution.

If you haven’t made them, it is so easy. Spread your chopped kale out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper. Bake at 350 degrees F for 15 minutes.

There you go. Crispy, smoky little vegetable chips. Amazing that a veggie turns into such a great salty snack. We practically ate them all off the pan before dinner.

I picked up some locally ground grits from a festival a while back and I’ve had shrimp and grits on my mind. Once I had the kale chips I knew right away they would provide the perfect way to add a dark leafy green to this southern staple. The crispy green leaves add a crunchy texture and smoky flavor to the shrimp and creamy, cheesy grits.

Shrimp and Grits with Kale Chips

3 cups chopped kale leaves
1 cup dry grits
4 cups water
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
2 tbsp olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 lb raw shrimp, peeled and deveined
½ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp crushed red pepper
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F and prepare kale as described above. Lay it out on a baking sheet, sprinkle with olive oil, salt and pepper and bake for 15 minutes. Set aside.

Meanwhile, bring the 4 cups of water to a boil. Add the grits and stir often until it reaches a porridge-like consistency, about 20 minutes. Stir in the cheese until mixed well. Add salt and pepper to taste, if you desire.

While the grits are cooking, heat the olive oil over medium-high in a skillet. Add the garlic, cook one minute.
Add the shrimp and cook until they turn opaque, or a whitish, pink color. Sprinkle in the paprika, red pepper, salt and black pepper.

To serve, divide the grits into 4 bowls. Top with ¼ of the shrimp. Layer on kale chips to your taste. Serves 4.

Hearty Tomato, Kale & Mushroom Sauce (Over Handmade Pasta)

January 6, 2011

Have you ever just thrown something together and it turned out great? I think I’m about 50/50 when it comes to experiment success. Sometimes I get ideas and begin throwing things in the skillet and the result in inedible. Other times, the cards seem to be stacked right and I end up with a great meal I can’t wait to make again.

Or in this case, a sauce.

We decided to close out 2010 with a homemade meal, and my husband and I tried making pasta for the first time. I put that part in parenthesis because a handmade pasta post will come later once I gather some good photos. I do have to say that it was so wonderful, I’d be willing to put in the effort on any busy week night to make pasta again.

But this post is about the sauce.

I love rich and hearty red sauces. The kind of sauce that is so good even a meat lover would forget that it is vegetarian.

This sauce is it. It was perfect for the pasta we made and I’m ready to try it with a different version like ravioli or lasagna.

Hearty Tomato, Kale and Mushroom Sauce

1 tbsp olive oil
2 medium tomatoes, peeled (I used thawed, frozen ones from the garden)
3 cloves garlic, minced
5 button mushrooms, chopped
2 cups kale, finely chopped
¼ cup water
1 tsp mascavo or brown sugar
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp dried parsley
1 tsp salt
½ tsp ground black pepper
¼ tsp crushed red pepper

Heat the oil in the skillet, add the garlic. If using a thawed, frozen tomatoes place them in the skillet and break up with your spoon. Otherwise, roughly chop the tomato and place in the skillet. Add the mushrooms and cook for 2 to 3 minutes over medium heat.

Add the kale, stir to coat with any oil and the other ingredients. Add the water, place a lid on the skillet. Simmer for 10 minutes stirring occasionally. The tomato should break down completely and the kale should be tender.

Remove lid and stir in the sugar, balsamic vinegar, basil, oregano, salt, black pepper and red pepper. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes more and serve over pasta. Makes 2 servings.

Bobby Flay’s Brussels Sprouts

December 31, 2010

My addiction to Brussel Sprouts has reached epic proportions. I can’t seem to get enough of the veggie. As a child, it wasn’t even fair for me to say I didn’t like them because I had honestly never tried them.

In fact, it took fellow food bloggers raving about them and some local pastured pork bacon to convince me I needed to try them as an adult. Now, I could have them every week without complaint and I’ve been fixing them almost that often throughout the holiday season.

Even though I love the tiny cabbages, I’ve fallen into a bit of a rut regarding preparation. Bacon and freshly grated parmesan cheese is the standard. I decided it was finally time to break out of the rut when I saw Bobby Flay’s Roasted Brussels Sprouts with Pomegranates and Vanilla-Pecan Butter on the Thanksgiving Throwdown episode. I was intrigued by the sweet, salty and nutty combination.

Back in the summer I received some POM Wonderful juice and never found the time to post about it, so I used POM to make my pomegranate molasses. I looked up a few recipes, but just ended up combining a small bottle of the juice with 2 tsp of sugar. I cooked it down until it was thick and syrupy.

I also used pure vanilla instead of vanilla bean. I realize this is likely a culinary sin, but I’m not ready to break the bank on vanilla bean just yet. I find cooking with quality ingredients on a budget is all about priorities and vanilla bean just hasn’t hit my list yet.

The recipe was really quick and easy and would be even more so if you already had the molasses made up. It was one of the most interesting flavor combinations I’ve had in a while. Tart, rich, savory, sweet, nutty, crunchy – you really can’t use one term to describe it all and with me around there were no leftovers!

Bobby Flay's Brussels Sprouts with Vanilla Pecan Butter and Pomegranate

You can find the recipe for Bobby Flay’s Brussels Sprouts on the Food Network website. Let me know if you give it a try. This may be one I keep in the books for every holiday season!

This is my last post of 2010! It was a fabulous year and I’m so ready to see what 2011 has in store. Thank you to each and every one of you who read my blog. I appreciate each view and comment I receive. It makes this exciting hobby so much fun! Happy New Year!

Disclaimer: POM Wonderful sent me juice free of charge. I was under no obligation to blog about it and received no compensation for doing so.

Gifts for the Food Lover 9: DonateFruit.com

December 10, 2010

I was reading through some magazines over the Thanksgiving Holiday and came across this great gift idea. I love it when I see programs or organizations that work to donate fresh foods to food banks. Amidst the boxed and canned processed items, it is nice to know that those in need can have the opportunity to benefit from fresh fruit.

Donatefruit.com is a way for shoppers to purchase fruit and give to a food bank at the same time. For every pound of fruit shoppers purchase, Naumes Fruit Gifts will donate a pound of fruit to a food bank through their Give a Gift, Feed the Need Program™.

Now, I have not purchased from this company myself, but when I came across the project in the magazine I felt that it was such a great cause that I should share the word.

If you have any fruit-lovers on your list, what a great way to give a gift and help get fresh produce to the hungry.

Blackberry Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon

November 23, 2010

I’m always looking for ways to use the berries I collect all summer and store in the freezer. This cranberry sauce combines frozen blackberries for a Thanksgiving side dish that has a little taste of summer and fall!

It wasn’t my original intention to bombard you with cranberries during this special Thanksgiving week, but I do love them. This past Saturday we were able to catch Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network. Not just any Throwdown, mind you, but the episode where he took on none other than the Pioneer Woman in a competition of Thanksgiving Feasts!

Did you happen to catch it? I thought it was so much fun!

In the episode, Bobby made a cranberry sauce that also included blackberries. Until I saw it, I had never really thought of adding another berry to my favorite Thanksgiving condiment. Orange or orange zest is always my go-to addition, but I thought the blackberry flavor was too brilliant to pass up.

Lucky me, I still had some blackberries from my Dad’s garden in the freezer.

This cranberry sauce could not be easier. I used demerara sugar to sweeten it and bumped up the amount a bit just because the variety of blackberries I used and the cranberries are tart. Once it thickened, I stirred in some vanilla to add a little something extra and then some cinnamon to spice it up. The pecans are optional of course, but they give the sauce a little something extra in appearance, taste and texture.

Blackberry Cranberry Sauce with Cinnamon

Makes: 1 1/2 cups

Ingredients

1 cup fresh or defrosted cranberries
1 cup fresh or defrosted blackberries
¾ cup demerara sugar
¼ cup water
½ teaspoon vanilla
½ tsp ground cinnamon
2 tbsp pecans, chopped

Prep

Combine the berries in a saucepan and add the sugar and water. Cook on medium-high heat to a boil. Continue to boil hard for 3 to 5 minutes, stirring frequently and then constantly as it thickens. (The sauce will thicken by boiling and also when it cools.)

Remove from the heat and stir in the vanilla and cinnamon.

Allow to cool to the temperature you desire. I like my cranberry sauce warm. Transfer to the serving dish and top with pecans.

Cranberry Oat Bars

November 21, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving week!

There will be plenty of cooking going on in a few days, but I had to start in on the celebrating this weekend by pulling out some cranberries!

Thanksgiving would not be complete without cranberries for me. It is one fruit that I really missed while we were living in Brazil despite my access to a tropical fruit wonderland at the time. I just really missed that tart, tangy flavor that only belongs to the cranberry.

I eat dried cranberries almost every day and I stock up on the fresh during this time of year keeping them in the freezer until I’m ready to make a recipe like this one.

I’ve made these oat bars before, substituting different fruits. The original is made with blueberries and it came from Bryant’s Blueberries, a farm just outside of Louisville, KY. I’ve modified it over time using whole grain flours and a variety of sugars.

You can use just about any berry with these as well as peaches. This time of year, the cranberry is perfect. These bars are sweet enough for dessert, but wholesome enough for breakfast.

Cranberry Oat Bars
Adapted from Blueberry Oat Bars, Bryant’s Blueberries

1 ¾ cups old fashioned oats
1 ½ cups white whole wheat flour
¾ cup muscovado sugar
½ cup walnuts, chopped
½ tsp baking soda
¾ cup unsalted butter, melted
2 cups fresh or defrosted cranberries
½ to ¾ cup demerara sugar
2 tbsp water
1 tbsp arrow root powder
1 tbsp lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. In a medium bowl combine the oats, flour, muscovado sugar, nuts and baking soda. Pour in the melted butter and stir to mix well. You should have a moist, but crumbly mixture. Reserve about ¾ cup of the mixture.

Grease a 9 x 13 inch baking dish. Press the remaining oat mixture into the baking dish. Spread it evenly and press it firmly into the pan. Bake for 10 minutes.

In a sauce pan combine the cranberries, ½ cup of sugar (add more if you want it sweeter) and water. Bring to a boil, then simmer, covered for about 2 minutes. Stir to break up the berries.

Stir together the arrow root, lemon juice and water to make a paste. Add the paste to the cranberries and stir until the fruit is thickened. Remove from heat.

Spread the fruit over the oat crust leaving just about a ¼ inch edge on all sides. Crumble the reserved topping evenly over the fruit. Bake for 18 to 20 minutes or until the edges of the crust begin to brown. Cool the pan on a wire rack. Once cooled completely, cut into bars. Makes 15 bars.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Waffles with Maple Cinnamon Butter

November 14, 2010

Towards the end of last week we were able to catch up on the DVR. One show we’ve been anxiously awaiting was the recent Iron Chef America episode on the Food Network. While I didn’t intend to keep with the theme of my last post, the secret ingredient just happened to be bourbon!

Since I still have some sweet potatoes from my Dad’s garden in the kitchen, I perked up when I saw that Iron Chef Cat Cora was roasting some sweet potatoes for one of her dishes. The final creation was a bourbon sweet potato waffle.

Can you guess what I made for Sunday breakfast this weekend?

I used a combo of whole wheat flour, white whole wheat flour and maple syrup to make a hearty, slightly sweet waffle. A little nutmeg and cinnamon in the batter gave it a mild holiday flavor.

I decided to top it off with a simple, sweet butter made with cinnamon and maple syrup. If you add the butter when the waffles are warm, it will melt down into a cinnamon sauce and you won’t need any additional syrup at all.

Bourbon Sweet Potato Waffles

Makes: 6 to 8 waffles

Ingredients

2 tbsp unsalted butter
1 cup whole wheat flour
2 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tbsp baking powder
¼ tsp ground nutmeg
¼ tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp salt
2 cups milk (any variety)
2 large eggs
1 tsp pure vanilla extract
¼ cup maple syrup
2 tbsp bourbon
¼ cup mashed sweet potato

Prep

Preheat your waffle iron and melt the two tablespoons of butter. This will be used to brush on the iron before cooking the waffles.

In a large bowl, sift together the flours, baking powder, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs, vanilla, maple syrup and bourbon. Whisk in the sweet potato vigorously to break up any clumps.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, stirring gently to incorporate. Once the batter is mixed, brush butter on the waffle iron and pour by ¼ to 1/3 cup portions onto the hot waffle iron. Cook about 3 to 4 minutes, until the waffled is puffed and slightly browned. Makes 6 to 8 waffles. Top with maple cinnamon butter when warm. (recipe below)

Maple Cinnamon Butter

Makes: About 1/4 cup

Ingredients

½ stick unsalted butter, softened
2 tsp maple syrup
¾ tsp ground cinnamon

Prep

Stir all ingredients together until combined. You can also use a small food processor to blend the ingredients. Add more cinnamon or syrup to taste if desired. Makes about ¼ cup.