Mushroom Curry

This recipe had me at mushrooms!  Add in the curry and I was sold for sure.  I was a touch uncertain as to how I would feel about the apples, but Mollie Katzen has never stirred me wrong before, so I gave it a try.  I was unable to find a cooking apple amongst the basic apples at my grocery store.  I opted for Gala apples and they turned out just fine.  I would use an apple that was too tart.  

This recipe originally called for 1 1/2 teaspoon of salt.  I decided to omit this entirely.  As a result this turned out to be a VERY low sodium meal, with the added benefit of being a VERY high potassium recipe. 

The Ingredients

 1 tablespoon unsalted butter

1 cup chopped onion

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 cup chopped celery

1 teaspoon ground cumin

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1 teaspoon turmeric

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon dry mustard

1/2 teaspoon ground cloves

1 1/2 cups sliced mushrooms

1 cups water

3 tablespoons shredded, unsweetened coconut

1 tablespoon honey

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3 large tomatoes, chopped

2 large Gala apples, peeled and chopped

1 cup sliced almonds, as an optional topping

The Tools

large skillet

paring knife for peeling apples

The Cooking

Melt the unsalted butter in a large skillet and add the onion, saute until the onion it begins to soften just a touch

Add the celery and continue cooking until the celery also begins to soften

Add the garlic and cook until fragrant

Add all those beautiful spices and mix until all the vegetables are coated

Evenly coated vegetables and talk about fragrant.  Your kitchen is going to smell heavenly.

Add the mushrooms

Carefully stir in the mushrooms until they are also evenly coated with the spices.  It is times like this that I wish I had a larger skillet, but this is as large as my stove top can handle.  

Add between 1/2 to 1 cup of water to make a gravy

Bring the mixture to a simmer and cover

Allow to simmer while covered for 5-8 minutes or until the mushrooms are tender

Add the apples

Add the tomatoes

Carefully stir in the apples and tomatoes, and then add the coconut.

Add in the lemon juice

And the honey (here you can see the basmati rice cooking in the background),  give everything a good stir and allow the curry to cook for about 3 minutes or until everything is warm through and the flavors are fully incorporated.

Top with almonds and serve over rice

Recipe Source: The Moosewood Cookbook by Mollie Katzen

Serves 6, 8-ounce servings (calories DO NOT include the rice)

Calories: 143

Protein: 5 grams

Fat: 6 grams

Sodium: 37 milligrams 

Fiber: 6 grams

Potassium: 558

Potato-Leek Gratin

A gratin is simply a dish topped with cheese or bread crumbs which are browned and crisped for ultimate deliciousness.  This potato based gratin is made with thinly sliced potatoes and leeks, topped with Swiss cheese, which is then browned for ultimate deliciousness.  You may use a mandolin to slice the potatoes, I opted for a knife and I was able to get the potato thin enough. Between slicing and cooking the potatoes will begin to brown a bit, but this will not effect the flavor. 

Leeks are the other star of this dish.  Leeks are vegetables from the same family as garlic and onions, and therefore have a taste similar to onions, but are to me milder.  The usable part of the leek is the white end up to the lightest green part of the stalk.  I usually cut my leeks first and then rinse them. 

The Ingredients

2 1/2 cups milk

2 garlic cloves, minced

1 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

2 pounds potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

3 medium leeks, thinly sliced

1/4 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon Dijon mustard

1 cup shredded Swiss cheese

The Tools

sharp knife or mandolin

small mixing bowl

large skillet

gratin dish

The Cooking

 Heat the oven to 425 degrees and grease a 2-quart gratin dish (or other shallow dish).  Then, heat the milk, garlic, salt and pepper to a gentle simmer in a large skillet. DO NOT allow to boil.

Stir frequently while you bring the milk mixture to a boil

Add the potatoes to the milk mixture

And the leeks

Cook uncovered for 15 minutes

Stirring frequently, but carefully

 Combine the sour cream and Dijon mustard in a small bowl

Once the vegetables are tender, place them in the gratin dish

Top the potatoes and leeks with the sour cream mixture

Sprinkle the cheese on top and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown and bubbling hot.  

^^ Melted cheesy deliciousness^^

Nutritional Information

Serves 6

1/6 of the gratin 

Calories per serving: 210

Fat per serving: 7
Fiber per serving: 2
Protein per serving: 12
Sodium per serving: 574
Potassium per serving: 363

Recipe source: Betty Crocker

Confetti Spaghetti

I have been under the weather, and dealing with two kids who have two different Spring Breaks this year.  I am afraid that cooking and blogging have taken a back seat to attempting to keep my head above water.  To celebrate healthy living while I deal with the plague (ie a cold), I decided to run some of my favorite healthy recipes.

   I I  I have been trying to get more vegetables into our diet in some new interesting ways. This recipe is loosely based on a recipe from The Enchanted Broccoli Forest. The original recipe was for what was basically a pasta primavera. As healthy as that sounds, I have to have some sauce with my pasta. So I swapped out called for red bell pepper with a can of diced tomatoes.

1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cup vidalia onion, chopped
8 cloves garlic, minced
2 cups broccoli, chopped
2 cups cauliflower, chopped
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 lb spaghetti
Parmesan cheese to taste

1. Cook spaghetti according to package instructions.
2. Warm oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion an saute until onion begins to become translucent. Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add the broccoli, cauliflower and diced tomatoes. Bring to a simmer and cook until the vegetables and tender.
3. Toss together with the pasta. Serve with Parmesan cheese.

Spaghetti with Pear and Walnut Sauce

Blue cheese, and walnuts....nom, nom, nom!  

This recipe is quick, easy and nearly obscene in its deliciousness.  But I guess most things which are quick and easy are usually deliciously obscene.  I used blue cheese for this recipe, but you can use any pungent cheese, such as Roquefort, Gorgonzola or Stilton.  Also, any ripe pears, save for Asian pears, will work nicely.  The absolute crux of this dish has to be poaching the pears in the wine/water mixture.  The recipe called for the use of vegetable broth, but I wanted a clean wine taste, so I skipped the broth and went with water.  The wine and the resulted poaching sauce are amazing. 

The Ingredients

8 ounces spaghetti

2 medium sized ripe pears, peeled, cored and sliced

2/3 cups water

6 tablespoons white wine

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 red onion, sliced thinly

3 garlic cloves, minced

1/2 cups walnuts, chopped

1 tablespoon lemon juice

3/4 cups blue cheese

The Tools

 stock pot

2 large saucepans

slotted spoon

The Cooking

 

 Cook the pasta in boiling water for 8-10 minutes on until al dente. 

Place the wine and water into a medium sized saucepan and bring to a very low gentle boil

Add the pears and lower the heat to a simmer.  Cover and allow the fruit to cook until tender, but it still retains some firmness.  

Warm the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat.

Add the onions and saute for about 3 minutes.  

Add the garlic and saute until fragrant, about 30 seconds

Add the walnuts

And the lemon juice

Continue stirring as the flavors incorporate.  

Using a slotted spoon transfer the pears to the walnut mixture.  

Add about 6 tablespoons of the poaching liquid as well.  

Remove the pan from the heat and add the cheese.  

Gently stir the cheese into the sauce until well incorporated and warmed through.

Serve over the spaghetti and enjoy

Recipe Source:  What's Cooking Vegetarian

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Roasted Cauliflower

As a mother and as a human being in general I am always trying to add more vegetables to our meals.  Often I am lucky enough to make a recipe which is largely vegetable in base and I in those cases do not have to worry about a side dish.  More often than not our main dishes are made up of primarily starch foods and therefore I feel compelled to serve a vegetable on the side.  My standard side is roasted broccoli, but honestly there is only so much broccoli on person can take. 

I decided to stay away from broccoli and try some other vegetables.  Not being one to stay from too far from the norm, I picked Cauliflower.  I have shared a mashed cauliflower with you the past and it turned out to have been on the Veggie Dad's favorite dishes, but this time I thought I would roast the cauliflower. 

The Ingredients

1 large head of cauliflower, cut into florets

2 tablespoons olive oil

4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

3 cloves of garlic, minced

freshly ground sea salt and pepper to taste

The Tools

large bowl

9x13 in baking dish

The Cooking

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

Toss all the ingredients together in a large bowl until the cauliflower is well coated.

Pour the coated cauliflower in the baking dish and bake it for 20 to 25 minutes.