Chicken and Vegetable Tortilla Soup

I have been making this for at least the last 20 years. This was originally a Cooking Light recipe that I have modified over the years many times over. This recipe reflects the way I have been cooking it for the last several years. It is completely homemade with fresh vegetables, and I use an already cooked organic rotisserie chicken from the store to save time. One pot meal with an abundance of vegetables!

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 90 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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Pretty easy one pot meal with an abundance of vegetables.

Credit: This recipe is based on this Cooking Light  recipe

Ingredients

• olive oil
• 1 large sweet onion, small dice
• 1 jalapeño, finely chopped
• 1 red or yellow bell pepper, small dice
• 2 carrots, peeled and small dice
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 to 2 tablespoons chili powder (chili powders vary a lot in flavor and spiciness)
• 1-1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dry oregano
• kosher salt and pepper (start with a teaspoon of salt if you are using all salt free products and 10 grinds of the pepper mill add more at the end if needed)
• 1/3 cup dry white wine
• 28 oz can no salt added chopped tomatoes
• 2 fresh ears of corn, cut off the cobb
• 1 quart of no or low sodium chicken stock
• 2 cups of shredded cooked chicken breast (I just buy some cooked “perfectly plain rotisserie chicken” from Whole Foods to save a little time)
• sliced lime wedges (optional)
• 1/4 cup chopped cilantro (optional)
• tortilla chips

Procedure

1. In a large dutch oven, sauté onions in a bit of olive oil for about 5 minutes.
2. Add jalapeno, bell pepper and carrots, and cook for about 5 more minutes, until soft.
3. Add garlic, chili powder, cumin, oregano, salt and pepper and stir for a couple of minutes until fragrant.
4. Add wine and stir until it has mostly burned off. Stir in tomatoes and cook for a couple of minutes.
5. Purée about 2/3 of the vegetable mixture and then return the puree to the dutch oven. Add the corn, broth and chicken. Bring to a boil, then turn the heat down to simmer. Let it simmer for an hour, stirring occasionally.
6. Taste for seasoning, add more salt and pepper if needed. Serve in bowls with crushed tortilla chips, cilantro and a squirt of lime. Enjoy!

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com

April, 3, 2024

Summer Tomato, Corn, Avocado and Crab Salad

Nothing says summer like corn and tomatoes! Today I put together this salad to celebrate summer and all of its best flavors. If you don’t have to crack your own crab it will come together pretty quickly, but during the COVID-19 regulations my local store won’t crack and clean the crab right now, so I have learned to do it myself. It could be worse and you get faster each time you do it. The bonus for this recipe is that there is no actual heated cooking involved – which is wonderful on a warm day.  Fresh corn on the cob is simply microwaved in the husk and then it is easily shucked after cooking (the silks don’t stick after the corn is cooked). I used cherry tomatoes because I didn’t have access to really good large heirloom tomatoes, but the salad would definitely go up another level with juicy heirloom tomatoes, so if you can find them use them. If crab is not your thing or you can’t find any, you can use shrimp, lobster, or even some rotisserie chicken already cooked at the store. Or leave out the meat, it will stand on its own pretty well. Another option is cheese, I have made it with queso fresco, feta or goat cheese. Make it to your liking and enjoy it!

Summer Corn, Avocado and Crab salad

• Servings: 4
• Time: 30 - 60 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-medium
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Bright, light summery salad

Ingredients

• 1 dungeness crab (or about one large cup of cracked and cleaned crab)
• 4 Tablespoons olive oil
• 1 lime (about 2 Tablespoons lime juice)
• 2 Tablespoons white balsamic vinegar
• 1 teaspoon honey
• salt and pepper to taste
• 2 fresh ears of corn, unshucked
• pint of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
• one large avocado, sliced into bite-sized chunks
• 2 large mushrooms, sliced thinly
• medium head of romaine lettuce, washed and ripped into bite-sized pieces
• handful of fresh basil leaves, gently torn into large pieces

Procedure

1. If your crab is not already cracked and cleaned, then do that yourself. It should already be steamed (cooked) from the store. Set the crabmeat aside.
2. Cook your corn in the husk in the microwave for about 5-7 minutes, depending on your microwave’s power level. Test that the corn is tender and let it rest in the husk while you complete the next steps. It will continue to steam a bit. (Another option is to grill your corn and give it more depth of flavor if you want).
3. Mix the lime juice, vinegar, honey, salt and pepper together with a whisk. Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while stirring with the whisk. Set aside. 
4. Prepare your tomatoes, avocado, lettuce and mushrooms. 
5. Shuck the corn and cut the kernels off the cob.  
6.  In individual salad bowls arrange the lettuce. Top the lettuce with the other vegetables and finish with the crab and then garnish with the basil leaves. Let everyone spoon a little dressing on their salad and enjoy!

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com    July 15, 2020

 

Mushroom, Spinach, English Pea, and Bacon Farro Risotto

Very spring-like and delicious farro risotto. I found this on David Lebovitz’s blog,  He is a very well-established and high-esteemed chef and pastry chef from Chez Panisse in Berkeley, CA and Zuni Café, in San Francisco, CA as well as an author of nine cookbooks. I am not sure how I came upon his website, I think I was trying to get sourdough cracker ideas (I have been making a lot of sourdough crackers with my sourdough discards!). Anyway, this recipe really has amazing flavor and is really just as easy as a simple traditional risotto, but it has a much better nutritional profile than risotto made with white rice. I did not closely follow his recipe, it was more of just an inspiration of using farro and a little decadent bacon in risotto. If you want to go vegetarian, leave out the bacon. If you want to go vegan leave out the bacon and parmesan (maybe use nutritional yeast instead?). Add whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand, it is a terrific blank canvas for seasonal ingredients.  David Lebovitz used Radicchio and dried mushrooms, I used fresh spinach, fresh and dried mushrooms and fresh english peas, because this was available, in season and sounded good.

• Servings: 4
• Time: about 50 minutes
• Difficulty: simple-medium
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A moderately simple vegetable and whole grain risotto recipe with a little bacon that can be personalized with seasonal vegetables.

Ingredients

• 4 dried mushrooms
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1 1/2 cups farro
• 4 pieces thick butcher-cut bacon (applewood smoked bacon is good for this).
• 1/2 sweet onion, cut into a small dice
• 1 pound sliced cremini mushrooms
• 2 large garlic cloves, minced
• 1 cup of fresh shelled english peas
• freshly ground black pepper and sea salt
• 2/3 cup dry white wine
• 3-4 cups chicken broth or stock
• 10 oz fresh spinach
• 2 long sprigs of fresh thyme
• about a Tablespoon fresh sage, cut in a chiffonade
• 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little more for garnishing

Procedure

1. Put the dried mushrooms in a small measuring cup and pour 1/2 cup of hot water over them. Let them steep at least 20 minutes.
2. Cook the bacon in the oven at 350 degrees for 20-30 minutes. When it is cooked place it between multiple sheets of paper towel to remove as much grease as possible and set-aside. When cool, dice the bacon.
3. Meanwhile, warm the broth in either a pot or if you are lazy like me in a glass measuring cup in the microwave (one less pot to clean).
4. In a large deep dutch oven or skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat stirring until softened, about 4 minutes.
5. Add the mushrooms and garlic and cook for a few more minutes, until softened. Remove to a bowl.
6. Remove the soaking mushrooms and finely chop. Add the mushrooms to the rest of the vegetables. Set aside the mushroom liquid.
7. Add a little more oil to the pot and add the farro and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 3 minutes.
8. Add the wine, give it a little stir and let it cook over medium heat until the wine is absorbed, about 2 or 3 minutes minutes.
9. Add the mushroom liquid, give it a little stir and cook until nearly absorbed.
10. Add about 1 cup of the warm broth to the farro mixture, give it a good stir and add the thyme. Cook until nearly absorbed (don’t constantly stir while the farro mixture is absorbing the broth). Repeat adding the broth about 1 cup at a time and just giving it one stir after each addition of broth to get the broth and the farro mixed until the liquid is nearly absorbed between additions, for about 15-20 minutes (you may not use all the broth). Taste the farro at this point. If it is cooked al dente (fully cooked but still slightly firm to the bite) at this point, you are finished cooking it. If not, add a little more broth and check again after it is absorbed.
11. Remove the thyme sprigs. Add the cooked vegetables, chopped bacon, chopped sage and fresh spinach. Stir well. Add a little freshly ground black pepper, a little salt, and parmesan. Taste and add salt and more pepper to your liking. Turn off the heat.
12. Serve immediately, topping each potion with a sprinkle of parmesan. Enjoy!

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com    May 19, 2020

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread with Dried Cherries and Walnuts

Sourdough bread has become a nice distraction and challenge for me during this trying time. I have made this particular recipe three times now with minor tweaks each time and I think I have the process down enough to post it. The recipe is a conglomeration of several I have found online and greatly simplified so my son and I are actually willing to take it on. It is also a no-knead recipe, which I really appreciate since for some reason I detest kneading! I previously was getting dense loaves until I found this article from the Smithsonian Magazine that explained how you cannot just replace whole wheat flour for white flour in a recipe, you have to add a lot more water because the wheat flour will soak up a lot more liquid than white flour. The additional water made a HUGE difference in the moisture level and therefore the fluffiness of the finished bread. I love that the ingredients are simple and healthy – I have used only whole grains, fruit-sweetened cherries (no added sugar) and raw walnuts. There is nothing like fresh bread to lift our spirits during a quarantine, or really anytime, it disappears pretty quickly around here!

Whole Wheat Sourdough Bread with Cherries and Walnuts

• Servings: 6-10
• Time: 10 minutes day before prep + overnight rest + 20 minutes active the next day + 40-50 minutes baking
• Difficulty: medium
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Wonderful healthy sourdough whole wheat bread that can be customized with various add-ins such as cranberry walnut, pumpkin, lemon rosemary, etc., to suit the season and your mood.

Credit: The Perfect Loaf  and The New York Times

Ingredients

• 16 ounces whole wheat flour (plus a little additional flour the next morning)
• 16.3 ounces room temperature water
• 3.2 ounces sourdough starter (unfed)
• .4 ounces fine grain salt
• 1 cup of chopped walnuts
• 1 cup dried cherries (or cranberries, raisins, or currents with no added sugar)
• 1-2 Tablespoons wheat germ (the next day)

Procedure

The evening before:

1. In a large bowl mix together your whole wheat flour, water, unfed sourdough starter, salt, cherries and walnuts.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place overnight.

The next morning:

1. Generously dust a clean kitchen surface with whole wheat flour. Scoop out the dough and place it on the surface, it will be very wet, more like a batter.  Dust with more flour so you can touch it without sticking to it. Gently fold the edges of the dough from the outside in, to form a round loaf. Sprinkle some wheat germ (optional) on the top and bottom of the dough. Cover the dough loosely with plastic wrap and a damp towel and let it rest, seam side down for 2-3 hours, until it has doubled in size. Note: Use a lot of extra flour under the dough because it will be very sticky and you need to get it off the surface and into a hot pot to cook it later. 
2. Thirty minutes before you are ready to bake, heat the oven to 450 (maybe hotter, my oven runs very hot but this is the lower range from what I have read).  Place a covered enamel Dutch oven or heavy pot with a lid into the oven and allow it to heat for 30 minutes. Remove the pot from the oven, take off its top, and carefully invert the risen dough into it, so that the seam side is now facing up, then put the top back on the pot and return it to the oven.
3. Bake for 35 minutes, then take the top off the pot and allow it to continue to cook until it is golden and crusty all over, an additional 5-10 minutes. Cool the loaf on a rack for at least 30 minutes before serving.  Enjoy!

Notes:

This is wonderful with 2 Tablespoons grated lemon zest and 2 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh rosemary instead of the cherries and walnuts. Cranberries, currents, or raisins would also be very good instead of the cherries. Play with it and make it yours!

The original recipe called for 25-30 minutes in a 450-550 degree oven with the lid on and then 20-30 min with it off. My bread burns pretty easily at 450 and 475 once I take the lid off, so I can’t go any higher with the temperature and I cook it for 35 minutes with the lid on and only cook it with the lid off for 5 minutes, but ovens vary, so experiment.

The sourdough starter

Bread mixture the evening before baking

Bread mixture the next morning

Pouring out the dough and begin shaping it

Shaping the dough…

Coating the dough with a lot of flour and wheat germ

Dough after resting 2 1/2 hours

Cooked bread

The bread is sliced!

Sourdough Whole Wheat Waffles

Wow, these are so easy and so good, so light and fluffy…I am just amazed! I am continuing my exploration of cooking with sourdough starter, and this is my second attempt at sourdough waffles. Last week I made them with my fairly new starter (Persephone) and they were good, but not quite as amazing as today’s version. Today’s finished waffles physically feel like they weigh half of what my usual waffles weigh and the taste is incredible – a thin crisp outer layer with a soft and airy filling. I feel like I am never going back…

• Servings: 6
• Time: 10 minutes day before prep + overnight rest + 20-30 minutes the next day
• Difficulty: easy
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Healthy sourdough whole grain waffles that can be customized with various add-ins such as banana, blueberry, pumpkin, etc to suit the season and what you have handy.

Credit: Sourdough Pancake or Waffle Batter 

Ingredients

Overnight sponge/base:

• 1 cup/240 grams sourdough starter (unfed)
• 1 cup/224 grams milk (I used 2% milk, but buttermilk would be really good if you have it)
• 1 cup/120 grams whole wheat flour
• 1 tablespoon/13 grams light brown sugar

For the batter the next day:

• 2 large eggs
• 1/4 cup neutral oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 tablespoons of ground flaxseed
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
•  ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 cup of fresh or frozen blueberries (or other fruit)
• Cooking spray

Procedure

The evening before you want to make waffles:

1. In a large bowl mix together your unfed sourdough starter (a great way to use the discarded starter when you are feeding it), flour, milk and sugar.
2. Cover with plastic wrap and let it rest in a warm place overnight.

The next morning:

1. Pre-heat your waffle iron
2. In a small bowl whisk together the eggs, oil and vanilla.
3. Pour the egg mixture into your rested sponge bowl from last night and add the ground flax seed, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg and baking soda. Mix just to combine, don’t overmix. Fold in your blueberries.
4. Coat a waffle iron with cooking spray. Cook waffles according to your waffle iron instructions.
5. Top waffles with butter if desired and fresh banana slices and/or fresh blueberries, strawberries or whatever you have handy. Enjoy!

Note: I also made these without the overnight sponge base, just mix it all together in the morning, really amazing either way! I also added a second egg to the recipe and like that better as well.

 

Curry Mee – Malaysian Vegetable and Noodle Soup

Again, quite a bit of time has passed since I last added a recipe. I was busy, the world was still turning, life was normal…then BAM, COVID-19. So now I have A LOT of extra time and energy and I am returning to my recipe blog. I made an amazing soup yesterday from my favorite recipe blog, The Woks of Life. The layers of flavor, the aromatics, the warmth were all really terrific and comforting! I made some personal adjustments to the original recipe by adding more vegetables, using shrimp instead of chicken thighs (my son is still boycotting chicken- but it turned out too spicy for him anyway) and using plant-based shirataki noodles instead of egg noodles. If you want to make it vegetarian use vegetable broth instead of chicken, add salt instead of fish sauce and if you don’t eat shrimp you can eliminate it (maybe add tofu). I think it is a versatile recipe, add or subtract vegetables and proteins as you see fit.

• Servings: 4 +
• Time: 50 min
• Difficulty: easy
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Healthy take on a Malaysian yellow curry noodle soup.

Credit: Curry Mee Malaysian Noodle Soup by The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• Neutral oil such as safflower or canola oil
• 1 medium sweet onion, minced
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoon lemongrass (grated lemon zest is a good substitute)
• 1 Tablespoon red curry paste
• 1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, sliced thin
• 1 large carrot, sliced in thin rounds
• 1 pound peeled and deveined shrimp
• 3 Tablespoons curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 13.5 ounces of coconut milk
• 4 cups low-sodium chicken broth or stock
• 3 Tablespoons fish sauce
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar (or whatever kind you have on hand)
• 8 ounces shirataki noodles (prepare according to package directions)
• 2 cups raw bean sprouts
• cilantro leaves or basil leaves for a garnish
• 1 lime, cut into wedges

Procedure

1. Heat a little oil in a medium stock pot over medium high heat. Add onion, garlic, ginger and lemongrass. Cook for about 6 minutes, or until onions begin to soften and mixture is fragrant.
2. Add the mushrooms and carrots and cook for a few minutes.
3. Stir in the red curry paste and then add the shrimp, stirring well.
4. Turn up the heat to high and add the curry powder, turmeric, coconut milk, chicken stock, fish sauce and sugar. Bring to a boil and then turn down the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
5. While the soup simmers prepare the noodles according to their instructions.
6. Add the noodles and half the bean sprouts to the soup. Stir and cook for a minute.
7. Pour soup into bowls and top with the remaining bean sprouts and cilantro (or basil) as a garnish. Add a squeeze of lime. Enjoy!

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com

March 17, 2020

Vegetable and Beef Bibimbap

I have made this several times now and the three of us have been enjoying it each time. I will have to say this is Korean-inspired Bibimbap based on a recipe from The Woks of Life.  I made too many changes to call it authentic, but I am including it on this site because it is fast, easy, healthy and my family and I like it. I added additional vegetables, and have varied those vegetables based on what is in season and/or in my vegetable drawer at home. Today I left out the mung bean sprouts because I couldn’t find any at Whole Foods. I used carrots, shiitake mushrooms, broccoli and spinach along with grass-fed lean ground beef. My son won’t eat kimchi, so I omitted that as well, but it would certainly be more authentic with it. One really nice thing about this is that I can cut-up the vegetables ahead of time (when it is convenient during the day or meal-prep them on the weekend) and then refrigerate them. When I am ready to make the dish all I have to do is throw some rice in the rice cooker and stir fry the prepped ingredients, pretty quick and easy. Enjoy!

• Servings: 4
• Time: about 20 minutes prep and about 25 minutes to cook
• Difficulty: pretty easy
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Quick, easy and healthy Korean vegetable and beef dish.

Credit: Easy Beef Bibimbap from The Woks of Life

Ingredients

• cooked rice (lately I have been using white sushi rice, but use whatever kind you prefer, brown rice works well).
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and julienned
• 1/4 medium sweet onion, cut into wide strips
• 1/2 pound broccoli florets, cut into bite-size pieces
• 12 oz fresh spinach leaves
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 1 pound shiitake mushrooms, diced
• 3/4 pound lean ground beef (organic grass-fed if you are inclined)
• 4 eggs
• Salt and pepper to taste
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce, divided
• 1 teaspoon sesame oil
• oil of choice for cooking (a neutral oil is best, like safflower oil)
• 1/2 cup napa cabbage kimchi (I skip this)
• 2 Tablespoons gochujang (Korean red pepper paste) – I skip this for the spice-phobe
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame seeds

Procedure

1. Prepare your rice (in a rice cooker if you have one).
2. Heat a wok or large skillet over medium-high heat. Add a bit of oil to pan and spread. When oil is hot add the carrot sticks and stir fry the a couple of minutes, until tender but still a bit crunchy. Remove to a bowl. Repeat with the onion, and then with the broccoli. Note: You can keep each cooked vegetable separate, or mix them together in a large bowl. Cooking them separately seems to really help them stay crisp because they aren’t overcrowded in the pan and each different vegetable needs different cooking times. Whether you mix them after cooking is your style choice.
3. Add a little sesame oil and 1 Tablespoon of soy sauce to the vegetables and stir.
4. Add a little more cooking oil to the skillet and cook the garlic for about 30 seconds. Add the mushrooms and cook for a couple of minutes. Add the ground beef to the mushrooms and garlic and cook until browned. Add 1 Tablespoon soy sauce and stir. Add in the cooked vegetable mixture, mix and re-heat for a minute or so.
5. While cooking the beef mixture, cook the 4 eggs sunny side up in a separate skillet. Add salt and pepper to taste.
6. Divide the rice evenly into 4 bowls. Top with the vegetable and beef mixture. Top each bowl with an egg and a sprinkling of sesame seeds. Add a dollop of gochujang and kimchi to each bowl if using. Enjoy!

Note:

• I mixed my vegetables and beef together and simply put it on top of my rice. If you want to serve it in a more authentic way, you would keep each vegetable separate and the meat separate and serve each in a separate section on top of the rice. I prefer to make it less fussy and have a quicker hot meal.

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com

January 10, 2020

 

Vegetable and Beef Rice Bowl (Gyudon)

It has been a while since I wrote a blog entry. I feel like I have been making the same handful of dishes lately, this one included, but none are really perfected. But enough of being a perfectionist, it is time to post! This is from my favorite food blog site, The Woks of Life.  I love their recipes! This one is based on their Gyudon recipe, which is a japanese dish of thinly sliced beef and onions in a slightly sweet and salty sauce and served over rice. I used less beef and added carrots, mushrooms and pea pods to add vegetable volume. Other times I have added spinach or baby bok choy. Use what is in season and available. My family really liked the flavors of this dish, I hope you do too. Enjoy!

Vegetable and Beef Rice Bowl

• Servings: 4
• Time: about 40 minutes
• Difficulty: easy
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Quick and healthy vegetable and beef rice bowl.

Credit: The Woks of Life: Gyudon

Ingredients

• Safflower oil (or canola or other neutral light oil)
• 1 large carrot, cut in small batons
• 1 pound of Shiitake mushrooms, sliced ( I had a few cremini mushrooms I added as well since they were laying around)
• 1 cup of snow peas, sliced in half lengthwise
• 1/2 large sweet onion, sliced thinly
• 2 teaspoons coconut palm sugar (or whatever you prefer)
• 12 ounces of ribeye or beef of choice, sliced very thin
• 1 cup of low sodium vegetable broth
• 2 Tablespoons mirin
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce (or 1 Tbl of dark soy sauce and 1 Tbl of low sodium soy sauce – if you have both)
• 2 eggs, whisked with a little soy sauce and a little black pepper
• 1 scallion, chopped
• sesame seeds (optional)

Procedure

1. Mix the mirin, soy sauce and broth in a small bowl. Set aside.
2. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat.
3. Stir-fry the mushrooms for a few minutes. Add the carrots and stir fry for another minute, then add the pea pods and stir fry for one more minute. Remove to a bowl and set aside.
4. Add a little more oil and when heated add the onions. Stir fry for about 5 minutes, until softening and browning.
5. Add the beef and sugar and stir fry for a few minutes until beef is slightly browned. Add the broth mixture and bring to a simmer. Cook simmering for 5-10 minutes to reduce the broth into a slightly thicker sauce.
6. Add the reserved vegetable mixture, and swirl in eggs. When eggs are cooked turn off heat. (Or cook the eggs separately as sunny-side up eggs and place them on top of finished bowls).
7. Scoop cooked rice in individual bowls and top with beef mixture. Garnish with scallions and sesame seeds. Enjoy!

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com

December 11, 2019

New and Improved Mushroom Risotto

Boy, did I get risotto wrong for all these years, I am so embarrassed! About a year ago we invited some friends over for dinner and I made the mushroom risotto recipe I have on this site, and just cooked it forever, until it was mush. Luckily the flavors were still good, but the consistency was all wrong — I now know!  I always read in recipes here in the US to stir the risotto constantly which also I now know to be untrue. So there I was stirring continuously for what seemed like hours while our guests stood in the kitchen drinking and hungrily watching the risotto that seemed like it would never finish cooking. Not good. 

This summer we vacationed in northern Italy and took a cooking class. The chef taught us to make risotto the real way, the Italian way. What a difference. It turns out that risotto is a quick little side dish that requires very little stirring or care! Who knew?

Give this a try. Add whatever vegetables you happen to have on hand, it is a terrific blank canvas for seasonal ingredients.  

• Servings: 4
• Time: about 30 minutes
• Difficulty: easy-medium
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A simple and basic risotto recipe that can be personalized with vegetables or proteins of your choice.

Ingredients

• About 4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
• extra-virgin olive oil
• 1/4 sweet onion, cut into a small dice
• 1 pound cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
• 1 1/2 cups carnaroli or arborio rice
• 3/4 cup dry white wine
• kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 10 oz fresh spinach
• about a Tablespoon fresh sage, cut in a chiffonade
• about a Tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped
• 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus a little more for garnishing

Procedure

1. Warm the broth in either a pot or if you are lazy like me in a glass measuring cup in the microwave (one less pot to clean).
2. In a large deep dutch oven or skillet heat a couple of tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions and cook over moderate heat stirring until softened, about 4 minutes.
3. Add the mushrooms and cook for a few more minutes, until softened.
4. Add the rice and cook, stirring, until lightly toasted, about 2 minutes. You should see a little white dot in the rice when it has been toasted enough.
5. Add the wine, give it a little stir and let it cook over medium heat until the wine is absorbed, about 2 or 3 minutes minutes.
6. Add about 1 cup of the warm stock to the rice mixture, give it a good stir and cook until nearly absorbed (don’t constantly stir while the rice mixture is absorbing the broth). Repeat adding the stock about 1 cup at a time and just giving it one stir after each addition of broth to get the broth and the rice mixed until the liquid is nearly absorbed between additions, for about 12 minutes (you may not use all the stock). Taste the risotto at this point. If it is cooked al dente (fully cooked but still slightly firm to the bite) at this point, you are finished cooking it. If not, add a little more broth and check again after it is absorbed.
7. Turn off the heat and add fresh spinach, a little black pepper and parmesan. Taste and add salt and more pepper to your liking.
8. Serve immediately, topping each potion with a sprinkle of parmesan and fresh herbs. Enjoy!

Notes:

1. I has some small cherry tomatoes lying around, so I added them half-way during step 6. My husband also sauteed a little lobster tail in olive oil, butter, sage and garlic, and we mixed that in during step 7. Other times we have kept it simple and subbed in  some tomato sauce for the last cup of broth. The possibilities are endless.
2. June 2020: I modified this with fresh corn, a pound of oven-roasted oyster mushrooms and a fresh dungeness crab, garnished with fresh basil. This was so amazing!

https://healthyseasonalcooking.wordpress.com    October 7, 2019

Just about ready…

Finished product!

Turkey Vegetable Chili

So yesterday was mushroom barley soup and today is turkey chili, I am full-fledged into autumn now…except this is Northern CA and it will feel like summer again in a few days, but that keeps things interesting. I have made this chili recipe a few times and it is dramatically different from my beef and chicken sausage chili I posted a few years ago. I think this is lighter and brighter, not quite a rich as my other chili recipe, although both are pretty light calorie-wise. I lightened-up this Food & Wine recipe by omitting the lager (didn’t want to buy a 6 pack of beer to use only one bottle to make this chili), using two pounds of ground turkey breast meat instead of three (!) pounds of turkey, added some additional vegetables among other small tweaks. I hope you enjoy it!

• Servings: 6-8
• Time: 45 minutes active and 1 1/2 hours cooking
• Difficulty: easy-medium
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Adapted from Food & Wine's Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili - a light and vegetable-laden chili for a cool autumn day.

Adapted from Food & Wine’s Turkey and Pinto Bean Chili  

Ingredients

• Safflower oil
• 1 large sweet onion, cut in a small dice
• 2 large carrots, peeled and cut in a small dice
• 3 cloves of garlic, finely minced
• 1 large red bell pepper, cut in a small dice
• 2 pounds ground turkey breast
• 2 Tablespoons of chili powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 3/4 teaspoon chipotle chile powder
• freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
• 2 – 28 ounce cans of low-sodium chopped tomatoes with the juice
• 1 cup of low-sodium vegetable stock or broth
• 1 Tablespoon cider vinegar
• 2 cans of low-sodium cannellini beans (or great northern or white kidney beans), drained and rinsed

Procedure

1. Heat a large dutch oven or pot on Medium-high. Add a small amount of oil and coat the bottom of the pot. Add the onion, carrots, bell pepper and garlic and cook for 3 minutes. Add the turkey and cook for about 10 minutes or until meat is thoroughly cooked.
2. Add the chili powder, cumin, oregano, chipotle chile powder, black pepper, and salt  to the mixture and stir for one minute until well-mixed and fragrant.
3. Add the tomatoes, stock/broth, cider vinegar, and the beans. Stir well and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat and simmer for one hour. Stir occasionally.
4. Uncover and cook for another 30 minutes, stirring occasionally.
5. Remove from heat and serve in bowls. Garnish with chopped chives or onions if desired.

NOTE: This also works well to follow recipe up to step 3, then once you add the beans put the mixture into a slow cooker, set on medium and leave it to cook for the day. I do this in the mountains, so it is about 45 minutes preparation and then dinner is ready when I come home from skiing! 

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October 3, 2019

chopping the onion

cooking the turkey and the vegetables

Chili simmering

finished product!