Lunch and Dinner Archives | Page 10 of 16

Barbecue Kale and Onion Pizza

January 31, 2012

I remain a kale fan even a few years after writing this post. The leafy green does beg for creativity and this barbecue kale and onion pizza is the perfect solution. The kale is braised in beer before being baked over a whole wheat cornmeal crust with barbecue sauce and two kinds of cheese.

Barbecue Kale and Onion Pizza | Fake Food Free

We eat so much kale that using the green in creative ways has become the ultimate challenge for me. I buy loads of it and then think – hmmm, what can I put kale in today. Soups, salads, smoothies, omelets? I haven’t taken on dessert yet, but it could be coming. One cannot underestimate kale’s versatility.

The super bowl won’t be a big deal for us this year. Well, except for the food. I’ll sit down and watch the game (or just the commercials), if it means I get to make game food. So my latest challenge was to get kale on the super bowl snack table.

I think I may have succeeded.

What, no kale? How about if it is cooked in beer and put on a pizza with barbecue sauce? Yes, I can see you may be coming around a bit to the idea.

Kale gives this pizza a hearty twist that really eliminates the need for heavy meats. It’s a great way to switch things up from bbq chicken pizza or standard pepperoni.

Barbecue Kale and Onion Pizza on a Whole Wheat Cornmeal Crust

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients
1 Whole Wheat Cornmeal Crust, rolled to about 16 inches, or divide into 2 to 4 smaller pizzas (recipe below)
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups fresh kale leaves, chopped
¼ cup beer (ale works well)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
Pinch of smoked sweet paprika
¾ to 1 cup barbecue sauce (I use a local sauce, Kentucky Smokin’ Grill)
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
4 oz. whole milk mozzarella, thinly sliced
Crushed red pepper

Prep

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F.

Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic. Cook, stirring often, for about 3 minutes. Add the kale and turn to coat in the oil. Carefully add the beer. Simmer the kale 3 to 5 minutes, until it begins to wilt. Add the salt, pepper and smoked paprika.

Place the crust on a baking sheet or pizza pan that has been greased with olive oil and sprinkled with cornmeal. Spread the barbecue sauce over the crust. Sprinkle ½ of the cheddar cheese over the sauce. Divide the kale evenly over the crust. Place the mozzarella cheese over the kale and top with the rest of the cheddar cheese. Sprinkle with crushed red pepper, if desired.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until the cheese begins to bubble and brown. Remove from the oven and allow to cool 2-3 minutes before slicing. Serves about 4-6.

Whole Wheat Cornmeal Crust

Adapted from Spelt Pizza Dough by Food Embrace

Ingredients

1 cup warm water (about 110 degrees F)

1 tablespoon active dry yeast

1 tablespoon mascavo sugar (or brown sugar)

1 cup yellow cornmeal

2 cups white whole wheat flour

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Additional water: 3 to 5 tablespoons

Extra olive oil

Prep

Dissolve the yeast in the warm water and stir in the sugar. Set aside and allow the yeast to bloom, about 5 minutes.

In the bowl of an electric mixer with a dough attachment, combine the cornmeal, flour and olive oil. Turn the mixer on low, and slowly add the yeast. Add the additional water, 1 tablespoon at a time until the dough comes together and is smooth, but not sticky.

Once a dough ball is formed, remove it from the bowl and gently knead it on the counter top to form a smooth ball. Place the dough ball back into the bowl and coat it lightly with olive oil.. Allow to rise in a warm place for 1 hour before pressing and rolling into the pizza crust.

Pin It

Thanks for reading! All images and content are the property of Fake Food Free unless otherwise stated. Please do not republish full recipes and images without written permission. What is okay? Feel free to Pin images, share links to my posts or share the photo in a round up post with the title of this recipe and a link back to the post. Confused about copyright and food blogs? Here is some helpful information on Recipe Attribution. If you want to use a photo or full recipe, just ask. I’m sure we can work something out.

Quick Butternut Squash Curry Over Lentils

January 19, 2012

I don’t intend to mislead when I use the term quick in a recipe. It’s become an all encompassing term for a recipe that isn’t entirely authentic. It’s says – warning, while tasty and similar in flavor, what you are about to make is not the real deal.

My kind of quick still requires that you peel and cube the butternut squash, but it is well worth the effort. It will also be on the table in about 30 minutes, if you error on the side of speedy with your peeling and chopping.

I’ve made this dish twice now, and the first version left a little to be desired; namely protein. So the second time around I added lentils. I thought I’d stir them in the curry and serve it over rice, but then I decided to chuck the rice all together and serve the curry over the lentils.

This quick dish works well with any kind of winter squash. It’s the perfect reason to pull them out of storage in the garage or basement, and put them to use.

Quick Butternut Squash Curry Over Lentils

1 tbsp olive oil

1 small onion, chopped

3 cloves garlic, minced

1 small butternut squash, peeled and cubed

2 ½ tsp curry powder

1 can coconut milk

¼ cup water, optional

2 Kaffir lime leaves

1 tsp salt, or to taste

3 cups cooked lentils

In a deep skillet, or Dutch oven, heat the oil over medium-high. Add the onion and garlic. Cook about 3 minutes. Add the butternut squash and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes. Add the curry powder and stir to coat the vegetables.

Next, add the coconut milk. Add ¼ cup water if desired. (This makes just the right consistency for me, but you can add more or less.) Bring the milk just almost to a boil, and reduce the heat to a simmer. Stir in the Kaffir lime leaves. Simmer, partially covered, for about 10 minutes, or until the squash is tender.

Add salt to taste and discard the lime leaves. Spoon over lentils and serve. Makes about 4 servings.

If your still hungry for winter squash curry, check out Pumpkin and Shrimp Curry from A Nutritionist Eats.

Tofu Po’Boy with Barbecue Cole Slaw

January 14, 2012

This Tofu Po’Boy sandwich is a remake of a sandwich I loved ordering from one of my favorite places to eat in central Kentucky, Windy Corner Market.

Tofu Po’Boy with Barbecue Cole Slaw | Fake Food Free

My first experience with tofu was not pleasant. I convinced myself to try it when I was in college because it was what healthy people ate. And being a nutrition major, well, I considered myself a healthy person. After ordering it at a restaurant, it arrived in a stir-fry, mushy and tasteless. This led to my conclusion that while I was healthy, I wasn’t that healthy.

It wasn’t until I traveled to Southeast Asia and tasted tofu for what it truly is – an Asian specialty – that I began to appreciate it. There, it was most often referred to as bean curd, deep fried with a crispy texture, set atop a steaming bowl of veggies and noodles, and it most likely came homemade from the restaurant, or a vendor at the local market. It was delicious.

Bean curd is what I like, not the healthy-people-eat-tofu version I received in the States during that first experience.

Because frying isn’t my specialty, I had yet to make it at home. Then a few months ago I came across a post from Taste Hong Kong with step by step instructions on how to fry tofu.

With tofu fresh on the mind, I met friends at Windy Corner Market on the outskirts of Lexington for a holiday lunch a few weeks ago. I’ve already written about this wonderful, must-try establishment serving up local foods. On my most recent visit, I branched out to try the Tofu Boy for Topher. As the menu describes, “Crispy fried tofu in Black Jack Barbecue Sauce stacked with Earthy Crunchy Slaw, tomatoes, pickles and our special sauce.”

Tofu Po’Boy from Windy Corner Market in central Kentucky | Fake Food Free

Despite the mediocre iPhone picture, I assure you it was delicious.

So, I had some tofu-focused signs telling me that it was time to bring it to my kitchen. As a result, I have my version of the Tofu Boy for Topher. It is different in style and ingredients, but similar in flavors. I also still have a way to go with perfecting fried tofu, but practice makes perfect in the kitchen.

Despite these shortcomings, I am ready to make this again for lunch tomorrow. It’s not Asian-style bean curd, but it’s a lot closer than the first version I tried. And surprisingly, barbecue sauce and crunchy cabbage go wonderfully with tofu.

Tofu Po’Boy with Barbecue Cole Slaw

2015-07-14 08:49:45

Makes: 2 servings

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

6 pieces of tofu about 1 ½ inches wide & ½ inch thick
1 teaspoon olive oil
1 cup green cabbage, thinly sliced
1 cup purple cabbage, thinly sliced
2 green onions, sliced
1 tablespoon mayonnaise
1 tablespoon barbecue sauce (I use a local favorite, KY Smokin’Grill)
Salt and pepper to taste
12 inch baguette or bun

Instructions

Prepare the tofu by using the instructions at Taste HongKong.
In a bowl, combine the cabbages and green onion. In a separate bowl, whisk together the mayo and bbq sauce. Pour the sauce over the cabbage and toss to coat. Salt and pepper to taste.
Cut the baguette in half and split down the center. Once the tofu is done, place three pieces on each half of baguette. Divide the slaw and top tofu. Enjoy right away.

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Cookbooks for Christmas: Tandoori Chicken from How to Cook Indian

November 25, 2011

This is the third in my series of Cookbooks for Christmas with the purpose of sharing a few gift ideas for the foodie in your life. Be sure to check out the review and recipe from my other posts The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking and The Vegetarian Option.

After a week of eating traditional US favorites at every meal, it doesn’t take long for me to start craving something a little more culturally diverse in flavor. With this in mind last year, I set a goal for myself at the beginning of 2011 to cook more ethnic foods, specifically Thai and Indian. I’m sad to say I’ve failed miserably.

I’ve done some recreation and my own versions of Asian and Indian-inspired foods, but my real goal was to cook authentically. Maybe I bit off more than I could chew, but with only a few weeks left in the year, I’m not ready to give up just yet.

So with a craving to put something different on my plate, I turned to my new cookbook – How to Cook Indian by Sanjeev Kapoor. This monster of a cooking resource has been my reading material of choice for the past few weeks. Like a mystery novel I can’t seem to stop turning the page to see what happens next – to the curry, the coconut milk, the ground lamb and the chicken.

I find this cookbook ideal for anyone ready to add a little diversity to their kitchen whether beginner or advanced. There are over 500 recipes. Yes, 500. Everything from what I consider standard Indian foods (which simply means they can be found on the buffet at my favorite Indian place here in town) to things I have never heard of before. It’s been an adventure in culinary discovery for me.

No food photography in this one, but those spaces are filled with even more recipes and instructions that are straight forward and easy to understand. The book begins with base spice mix recipes for things such as Chai Masala and moves on to everything from vegetarian dishes, to lamb, to chicken, to fish.

For each recipe name the original is given followed by a description for those of us not well versed in cuisines or languages of India. There is Pyaaz Ki Tarkari (Onions with tamarind), Kolhapuri Sukka Lamb (Spicy coconut lamb) and Maa Chole Di Dal (North Indian Lentils) to name just a few.

This weekend my husband brought home some fresh chickens so we decided to go with what I consider rather classic – Tandoori Chicken. I say we because while he doesn’t make an appearance on the food blog often, he helped with this dish as much as I did.

This was my first time making Tandoori Chicken at home and I have to admit, it was pretty darn easy. As long as you take into consideration marinating times with your preparation I have a feeling you will think so too. This recipe calls for either Kashmiri red chili powder or paprika powder which is what gives the chicken that identifiable red color. Mine didn’t turn out as red as varieties I’ve had before, but I think that is because I did use paprika instead of the chili powder.

The flavor of the chicken is outstanding. With all the spices and marinating flavor is fully infused into the meat. Delicious. And with 499+ recipes to go, there is a lot more where that came from!

Tandoori Chicken

Chicken marinated in spicy yogurt and baked

Reprinted with permission from Abrams Books

This darling of the Indian palate, traditionally cooked in a clay oven called a tandoor, is one of my personal favorites. Leaving the bone in ensures that the final dish will be succulent and juicy.

Serves 4.

1 (1¾-pound/800-gram) whole bone-in chicken

1 teaspoon Kashmiri red chile powder or paprika powder

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon table salt

For the marinade:

1 cup (250 grams) plain yogurt, drained until thick

2 tablespoons fresh ginger paste

2 tablespoons fresh garlic paste

1 teaspoon Kashmiri chile powder or paprika powder

½ teaspoon table salt

2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice

½ teaspoon garam masala

2 tablespoons filtered mustard oil

To cook and serve:

2 medium red onions

Melted butter

½ teaspoon chaat masala

2 lemons, cut into wedges

1. Cut the chicken into 4 pieces: 2 leg quarters and 2 breast halves. Make incisions in the flesh with a sharp knife. Put the chicken in a deep bowl.

2. In a small bowl, stir together the chile powder, lemon juice, and salt, and rub it onto the chicken pieces. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and put in the refrigerator for 30 minutes to marinate.

3. Make the marinade: Put the yogurt in a bowl, add the ginger paste, garlic paste, chile powder, salt, lemon juice, garam masala, and mustard oil, and stir.

4. Add the marinade to the chicken pieces and toss so that all the pieces are well covered with it. Cover the bowl again and put it in the refrigerator for 3 to 4 hours to marinate.

5. Cut the onions into round slices and then separate the rings. Put in a bowl of iced water and soak for 30 minutes. Drain well and set aside in the refrigerator until needed. This will keep the onions crisp.

6. Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Put the chicken pieces onto metal or presoaked wooden skewers, arrange in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet, and cook for 10 to 12 minutes or until almost cooked through. Baste with butter and cook for 8 minutes more.

7. Sprinkle with chaat masala and serve hot with the onion rings and lemon wedges.

Disclosure: A review copy of this cookbook was sent to me free of charge. I was not required to post about it and received no compensation for doing so.

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Stuffing with Pecans in an Acorn Squash

November 11, 2011

The first smells of Thanksgiving drifted through our kitchen this week. I’m talking about that aroma of celery, onion and sage cooking on the stove; the very core of the standard stuffing.

From that point, stuffing can go just about any direction. This time mine headed straight towards cranberry, orange and quinoa and then took a right turn and hopped directly into an acorn squash.

I used the unseasoned croutons I made from leftover Pain de Mie Complet and instead of using all bread as I would with my usual stuffing; I substituted some of it with cooked quinoa. Pecans added a little crunch and I loaded mine with cranberries. You can adjust most of the ingredients to your liking and perhaps add some diced apple or apricots, use walnuts or change the flavors with a sprinkle of cinnamon.

I was a little unsure of what the result would be, but was pleasantly surprised. This could easily make the Thanksgiving table both for flavor and appearance, but we used it as a main course and training for the big day.

Cranberry Orange Quinoa Stuffing with Pecans in an Acorn Squash

1 small acorn squash
2 tbsp butter or olive oil
½ lg onion, diced
2 ribs celery, sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
Zest and juice of one orange
1 ¼ tsp poultry seasoning
¼ tsp dry mustard
¼ tsp celery salt
½ tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper
1 cup unseasoned croutons
½ cup cooked quinoa
1 – 1 ½ cups chicken or vegetable stock
1/3 cup chopped pecans
½ cup dried cranberries

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Prep the squash by splitting it in half. Remove the seeds. Gently pierce the flesh with a fork. Drizzle and coat with olive oil. Place in a greased baking dish and sprinkle with a bit of salt. Set aside.

In a large skillet, melt the butter or heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add the onion and celery and cook for about 3-4 minutes. Add the garlic and cook an additional 2 minutes. Next, stir in the orange zest, poultry seasoning, dry mustard, celery salt, salt and pepper. Cook 1 minute.

Turn off the heat and add the croutons and quinoa. Stir in the orange juice and then add the stock one ½ cup at a time. The amount of stock you need will depend on the type of bread pieces you use. Mine were chopped fine so I used about 1 cup. You want the stuffing to absorb all the liquid, but be moist enough so that you can firmly stuff it into the squash. It should be able to hold its shape when pressed together.

Once the stock is added, stir in the pecans and cranberries. Evenly divide the stuffing and use a spoon to transfer and gently stuff the mixture into each half of the acorn squash.

Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the squash is tender when pierced with a fork. Serves 2 as a main course and 4 as a side dish.

Need some more ideas for ways to stuff your acorn squash? Check out A Healthy Passion and Find Your Balance Health.

The Vegetarian Option: Cookbooks for Christmas

November 10, 2011

This is the second in my series of Cookbooks for Christmas with the purpose of sharing a few gift ideas for the foodie in your life. Be sure to check out the review and recipe for my first post The Fundamental Techniques of Classic Bread Baking.

I’d estimate that about 75% of our meals each week are vegetarian which means I often find myself in a rut. Just the other night I was standing in the kitchen idea-less with a few winter vegetables in front of me and a couple options for grains to bulk them up.

Then just as I thought I would be swallowed in a boring, repetitive sea of vegetable stir-fry and rice, along comes this cookbook – The Vegetarian Option by Simon Hopkins accompanied by gorgeous photography by Jason Lowe.

This cookbook is perfect for the person who almost has the basics mastered and is ready to incorporate some more challenging and internationally-inspired combinations. The chapters are divided by vegetables such as Cauliflower & Broccoli, Cabbage & Chard, Spinach & Sorrel and Beets & Turnips.

The reader is greeted in each chapter with a bit about how to handle the vegetable in the kitchen and then turns the page to be awed by the final results. Most of recipes are filling enough for main courses or they can be used as side dishes. Fair warning if using them as a side dish, though. They might steal the show all together.

Just to give you a few examples of what you’ll find between the covers, for the adventurous there is New-crop Garlic Saffron & Tomato Quiche, Asian Fried Turnip Paste or Spinach Mousse with Parmesan Cream. If you are looking for some basics you will also find it full of simple, yet creative salads, stock recipes and condiments.

Personally, my eyes lit up when I saw the recipe for Asian Scallion, Radish & Cucumber Salad with Cashews & Vermicelli . You will rarely hear me use the word dazzled, but my goodness, I was dazzled by this recipe.

As I mixed together the ingredients for the nutty, spicy dressing and poured it over my bowl of mixed vegetables I wondered how it was going to come together. One bite and I was sold – crunchy, nutty, refreshing with just a touch of spiciness from the radishes and ginger.

Just a note before you get started. The ginger syrup used in the dressing needs to be made the night before. Also, I found that while it won’t have the same full flavor, if you are short on time and ingredients tahini can work as a substitute for the homemade sesame paste.

Asian Scallion, Radish & Cucumber Salad with Cashews & Vermicelli

Serves 4
Before you start, you will need on hand both ginger syrup and sesame paste. Also, feel free to add more of one ingredient or another, and to adjust the sweet-sharp balance of the dressing.

1/4 pound dried thread vermicelli (or glass noodles)
2 heaping tablespoons unsalted cashew nuts
salt
a little sunflower oil
6 radishes, trimmed
6 scallions, trimmed
1 cucumber, 7 inches long
generous handful each of cilantro and mint leaves
1 or 2 large red chilis, sliced

for the dressing

1 tablespoon ginger syrup (see below)
1 tablespoon sesame paste (see below)
juice of 2 limes
1 tablespoon Asian fish sauce or light soy sauce
1 tablespoon sesame oil

to garnish

2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Snap the vermicelli into shorter lengths, one-third of the original, folded skein.

Soak in cold water for about 30 minutes, or until well softened. Drain and return to the bowl. Now cover with boiling water, and fork and lift the noodles around for a few minutes until they have become silky, soft, and tender (eat one). Drain, rinse in cold water, and set aside.

In a small skillet, gently toast the cashews with a little salt in a little oil until golden all over. Cool, and then crush each cashew lightly with the back of a knife. Reserve.

Cut the radishes into quarters or rounds, the scallions into diagonal shreds, and the cucumber into thick matchsticks. Tip the prepared vegetables into a large bowl and add the vermicelli. Tear the cilantro and mint leaves into smaller pieces and add to the salad with the chili. Mix together with your hands to distribute everything evenly.

Now whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl. Add to the salad and mix together once more with two forks, lifting and dropping the salad so that all is evenly dressed. Pile onto a shallow serving dish and sprinkle the crushed cashews and sesame seeds over. Best eaten pleasantly chilled, with warm sake or ice-cold beer.

Ginger Syrup

2 cups (scant) granulated sugar
11/2 cups water
finely pared zest of 1 lemon (use a potato peeler)
11/2 cups peeled and coarsely grated fresh ginger

Dissolve the sugar in the water in a pan over medium heat, then bring to a boil and cook for 2 minutes. Immediately add the lemon zest and ginger and stir together. Bring back to a boil for a few seconds and then pour into a bowl. Cover and leave to infuse overnight.

The following day, add 2 tablespoons water and warm through until liquid and pourable. Strain through a sieve and press on the solids with the back of a ladle to extract all the ginger and lemon flavors. Pour the syrup into a screw-top jar and store in the refrigerator until needed, where it will keep for several weeks.

Sesame Paste

Makes about 1 ¾ cups
You need a powerful, small food processor to make this paste. For the best flavor, I feel it is important to use Asian brands of chili and sesame oils.

2/3 cup sesame seeds
3 tablespoons finely grated ginger (juice saved!)
1 large garlic clove, peeled
2 tablespoons light soy sauce
4 tablespoons mirin (Japanese cooking wine)
1 to 2 tablespoons chili oil
1/3 to 1/2 cup sesame oil, plus a little extra to serve
2 tablespoons lemon juice
1/2 cup warm water
1 to 2 tablespoons sugar, to taste

Lightly toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan over medium heat until fragrant, and
cool slightly. Tip into a small food processor and add all the other ingredients.

Grind and pulse until you have a paste that is fully emulsified and super-smooth.

Disclosure & Credit: This cookbook was sent to me free of charge. I was not required to write about it and received no compensation for doing so. All recipe reprinted with permission from Abrams Books.

**************************************************************************************

Today is the last day to sign up for the 2nd Annual International Blogger Cookie Exchange! Come join us!

Shrimp Spring Rolls

October 2, 2011

I have absolutely nothing against cilantro. In fact, I love the stuff. But I fear I greatly offended the herb this week.

I have this very organized habit of getting all my ingredients laid out on the counter whenever I begin to cook. This leads to a bad habit of pushing things around to create space when I need it for doing things like, um, rolling up spring rolls.

How to Make Shrimp Spring Rolls | Fake Food Free

This was the first time I made spring rolls and I’m pretty darn happy with the result. I could use a bit more practice in rolling to get them tighter, but otherwise I claim success. Well, that is if you don’t talk to the cilantro.

As I proudly wrapped all the rolls and admired them sitting on the plate, I looked over and tucked away in the corner behind the coffee maker, was the cilantro! I had every intention of topping off my pile of filling with a sprig or two before rolling, but in my effort to create space I shoved one of my favorite herbs out of view!

So we’ll just have to enjoy it as a garnish in the photos. The good news is, if you don’t like cilantro, these spring rolls are great without it. If you do, they’ll be even better with it inside and not just sitting on the plate.

Shrimp Spring Rolls

2015-07-31 10:01:54

Makes: 6 to 7 rolls

Write a review

Save Recipe

Ingredients

~3 oz rice sticks
1 tablespoon cooking oil
3 green onions, sliced
½ large yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 medium carrots, julienned (or if you are like me, as close as you can get to it)
1 ½ cups bok choy, greens only, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon soy sauce
2 teaspoons fresh ginger, grated
~ 25 cooked shrimp
Cilantro (optional)
6-7 rice paper wraps

Instructions

Place the rice sticks in a bowl and fill the bowl with hot water to cover the noodles. Allow to sit until tender, about 5 minutes. Cool, chop and set aside.
In a wok, heat the oil. Add the green onions, bell pepper, carrots, bok choy and garlic. Cook over high heat for only 1 to 2 minutes. If you want your veggies softer you can cook them longer. Add the soy sauce and the ginger.
For each roll, soften the rice paper wraps according to package directions. Lay the rice paper on a flat surface or plate. On one end pile up some noodles, veggies (cilantro) and 3 to 4 shrimp. Slowly roll up the spring roll, tucking in the filling and folding in the sides as you go.
Serve at room temperature or cold.

Notes

Serving Sauces: The sauces were quickly thrown together. Tasty, but nothing extravagant.
Spicy Mustard – Equal parts Dijon mustard and Sriracha
Peanut Chile – 2 tablespoons natural peanut butter, 2 tablespoons imported Thai Chili sauce (I like to get imported because it is usually free of HFCS), 1 teaspoon grated fresh ginger, 1 teaspoon minimally refined cane sugar, 2 teaspoons soy sauce. Stir together the ingredients in a small bowl. Slowly whisk in water to reach the desired consistency.

By Lori Rice

Fake Food Free https://www.fakefoodfree.com/

Native American Cooking Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin

September 18, 2011

Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin Recipe | Fake Food Free

Other than a fondness for fry bread, I must admit that I know little to nothing about Native American cuisine or cooking styles.

However, autumn is the time of year when what little I do know about this cuisine does come to mind. In autumn we tend to think of those orange and brown tones to our foods and earthy flavors much of which encompasses the heart of Native American cooking.A few days ago I was notified of the anniversary release of two cookbooks, one of which was Spirit of the Harvest: North American Indian Cooking by Beverly Cox and Martin Jacobs. The book, a James Beard and IACP award winner, is overflowing with authentic Native American recipes from tribes throughout North America including the Cherokee, Navajo and Sioux.

Once I began reading, I knew my knowledge of this cuisine was about to change.

My favorite part of the book, aside from the wonderful recipes, is page 10. This page opens up into a map of the US. On this map are icons which represent foods traditionally used in different areas such as blue corn, buffalo, hazelnuts, deer, persimmons and sweet potatoes. While now it may be more evident in types of barbeque, the diversity of foods prepared across the US was as apparent then as it is today.

Similarly the recipes are separated into different regions and tribes throughout the book. Some of the recipes you’ll find include Iroquois Leaf Bread, Hopi Venison Stew, Honey-Ginger Baked Beets and Papago Cactus Salad.

I wanted to go with something unique that I’d never tried before which, to be honest, wasn’t difficult. Almost every recipe in the book was new to me.

I settled on the impressive, yet surprisingly simple, Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin from the Great Plains region. Aside from scraping out a bit of pumpkin, nothing about this recipe is difficult, nor are the ingredients hard to come by. Yet, it is delicious and upon seeing it, no one will doubt your skills in the kitchen again.

The sage, the pumpkin, the hearty meat – all of it is perfect for autumn. Considering the presentation, I wouldn’t hesitate to also set it on the holiday table.

Hidatsa Stuffed Sugar Pumpkin
Reprinted with permission from Abrams Books

1, 4 to 5 pound sugar pumpkin
2 tsp salt
½ tsp dry mustard
1 to 2 tbsp vegetable oil or rendered fat
1 pound ground venison, buffalo or beef
1 medium onion or 4 green onions, chopped
1 cup wild rice, cooked
3 eggs, beaten
1 tsp crushed dried sage
¼ tsp pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Cut the top from pumpkin and remove seeds and strings. Prick cavity with a fork and rub with 1 teaspoon of salt and the mustard.
Heat oil in a large skillet. Add meat and onion and sauté over medium-high heat until browned. Off the heat, and stir in wild rice, eggs, remaining salt, sage, and pepper. Stuff pumpkin with this mixture.

Place ½ inch of water in the bottom of a shallow baking pan. Put the pumpkin in the pan and bake for 1 ½ hour, or until tender. Add more water to the pan as necessary to avoid sticking. Cut pumpkin into wedges, giving each person both pumpkin and stuffing. (Or you can scoop out the stuffing with a bit of pumpkin which is what I did.) Serves 6.

As I mentioned, there were two books re-released so I don’t want to pass on sharing the second with you. That’s because it happens to be the ideal gift book for any creative food lover. The Secrets of Pistoulet by Jana Kolpen tells the story of a French farmhouse and was first published in 1996. When I started flipping through it, I thought – this would make the cutest gift. Then I read a bit more about it, The recipes are designed as little pull-out cards and written in paragraph form with very flexible directions. There’s Potage of Vision, Potage of Heart and Potage of Strength. It’s like a recipe book and an inspirational note all in one.

Disclosure: A review copy of these cookbooks was sent to me free of charge. I was under no obligation to blog about them and received no compensation for doing so.

Autumn Fish Chowder with Kamut

September 12, 2011

This warming fish chowder recipe combines the hearty, fall flavors of kamut and sweet potatoes with a tropical twist from coconut milk.

Autumn Fish Chowder with Kamut Recipe | Fake Food Free

I saw a fish chowder in a magazine recently and immediately started thinking of ways I could adapt it. I thought fall, tropics and whole grains all at once, but wasn’t quite sure what direction to go with it.

So I went with all three.

After seeing kamut in a cold grain salad when eating out recently, I bought some hoping to substitute it for wheat berries sometime. If you haven’t had it before, when cooked, kamut has the chewy texture like a wheat berry although the grain is slightly longer. So that took care of the whole grain part.

The tropical part comes from coconut milk. Actually I could say tropical-slash-Asian because the soup reminds me of some we had in SE Asia. I worked in a little autumn with some diced sweet potato.

I was incredibly pleased with the result. While it was cooking, I spent the whole time thinking what type of herb or spice I would use to flavor it. Turns out I added nothing, but salt and pepper. All the other ingredients had plenty of flavor on their own.

I used cod as the white fish, and believe it or not, canned salmon. Obviously canned isn’t my first choice, but I had some that had been around a while and no fresh on hand. The soup would also be great with shrimp, scallops or any kind of seafood.

Autumn Fish Chowder with Kamut
Inspired by Wild Rice & Fish Chowder, Midwest Living Recipes for All Seasons Vol. 2

Makes: 4 to 6 servings

Ingredients:

1 tbsp unsalted butter
1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped
1 large red potato, peeled and chopped
¾ cup kamut, cooked and drained
4 oz. white fish, cubed
4 oz. wild salmon, cubed (or canned salmon)
¾ cup coconut milk
1 tsp salt
¼ tsp black pepper

Prep:

In a 3-quart soup pot, melt the butter and olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion, cook about 7 minutes and then add the garlic. Stir in the potatoes and cook for 2 to 3 minutes longer. Stir in the kamut.

Add just enough water to barely cover the potatoes. Partially cover the pot with a lid, bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and cook 7 to 10 minutes or until the potatoes are slightly tender. Add the fish and simmer 3 to 5 minutes more, until the fish is cooked or heated through.

Stir in the coconut milk, salt and pepper. Serve warm.

Thai Basil Pesto Orzo with Local Meatballs

August 15, 2011

When it comes to food, I do a lot of impulse buying. Although it’s not really food anymore, like, say, a candy bar in the check out aisle. No, now I guess you could call it ingredient impulse buying. Now it’s more like splurging on the chocolate bar I will later use in cookies.

Sometimes, though, I resist the temptation and I wait. This most often happens with things I know will be there a month or so later, especially meat.

Take these meatballs for example. I saw them at our local meat market well over 6 months ago. I wanted to try them, but decided to wait.

Every time I went they were there and every time I saw them I thought more about what I could do with them. Pasta, sure, but did I really need to buy them instead of making my own?

Turns out the answer to that is yes.

I finally picked up a small pack of these local, pastured meatballs that include a combination of beef, lamb and pork. They are spiced perfectly – a little garlic, a little parsley and a little of what I think was fennel seed.

They definitely needed a place to shine so I decided not to cover them in sauce. Instead, I combined them with a sauce in the raw, one that was more garden-fresh.

Despite the fact that my sweet basil is about to dry up, the Thai basil has been going strong. Now, I can’t say I like Thai basil as much as sweet, but it’s a nice substitute every now and then.

I used it in my standard walnut pesto and then topped the dish with some of the gorgeous red cherry tomatoes we’ve been fortunate enough to have most of the summer. They are juicy and sweet and just pop in your mouth, they are so fresh.

Thai Basil Pesto Orzo

1 cup packed Thai basil leaves
2 cloves garlic, peeled
2 tbsp chopped walnuts
2 tbsp freshly grated parmesan cheese
2 to 4 tbsp olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ lb orzo, cooked to package directions
1 ½ cups cherry tomatoes, halved
½ lb meatballs, baked (optional)

In a small food processor, combine the basil, garlic, walnuts, cheese and 1 tbsp olive oil. Pulse until everything is finely chopped. Continue to pulse and the mixture will get slightly creamy due to the walnuts.

Continue to add olive oil to reach your desired consistency, whether you like it thick or thin. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Cook and drain the orzo. In a large bowl, combine the pesto and the orzo. Stir until all the orzo is coated. Transfer to a serving platter. Top with meat balls, if using, and cherry tomatoes. Serves 4-6.