Posts filed under 'Veggies w/ Protein'
Curried Broccoli Chicken Casserole
I’m sure you’ve all had some version of a chicken and broccoli casserole in your day. Usually it’s a tad ho-hum, isn’t it? Comfort food though, I’d venture to say in its defense. Well, today’s recipe – a spin on this homemaker’s favorite weeknight go-to meal – is anything but ho-hum, thanks to an infusion of warm Moroccan flavors.
Awhile ago, one of my roommates made this casserole, sharing with me that it was a long-standing treat in her house growing up. I could certainly see why just from the aroma alone that flooded the house as it baked. I had a few nibbles of it and asked for the recipe, but alas never did get the specifics in the end. The flavors stuck in my mind though. Hints of curry, lemon, thyme and lots of broccoli goodness!
I had one of those moments the other night where I stood with a glazed-over stare, holding the freezer door open in a horrifyingly energy inefficient way, wondering what the heck to have for dinner. There were some vegetarian chicken strips in there which are definitely a staple in our house’s dinners, but I didn’t want to do the same ol’ thing, ya know?
Then I shook my head, closed the freezer door, and opened the fridge door, prepared to impart upon it the same zombie stare. I was jolted out of my haze when I saw the heads of fresh broccoli I’d just picked from my garden and remembered this delicious Curried Broccoli Chicken Casserole.
9 comments July 4, 2009
Scrambled Pasta & Spring Greens
Finally! The first edible greens of spring have arrived. My withering culinary palette couldn’t be happier. Outside my kitchen door on the deck that will be jammed full of containerized vegetables this summer, a lone container is holding down the fort here in springtime. It’s the container I had a yellow pear tomato, swiss chard and sorrel in last summer. After cleaning up the containers last fall, including pulling out the tomato from this one, I kept it for the swiss chard, figuring there was a chance I could keep it going a little longer into the winter with the container sheltered up against the south side of the house. Wouldn’t you know it; the swiss chard petered out rather quickly but the container stayed put nonetheless since I had no interest in going outside in January.
Over the past three weeks, I’ve watched in delight as the sorrel, awesome zesty green that it is, began poking up green shoots between last year’s dead “stumps”. I could barely restrain myself from snipping them off and munching them right away, but I knew the plants needed to get a little growth on those baby leaves so they could capture the sun’s energy and fuel their resurrection. Good things come to those that wait.
And indeed my patience was rewarded more than I thought. While I waited for the sorrel, a dear friend gifted me with a big bag of mache, or lamb’s lettuce, that she received through her fabulous winter CSA via Jack’s Farm in Pottstown, PA. Mache is still rather uncommon in the States, but it’s a favorite in France due to its nutty flavor and more robust texture than traditional lettuce. It’s tender enough for fresh salad, but it also withstands light cooking, much like arugala. I’ve become such a fan, I plan on growing it in my garden this summer.
So now I had two wonderful spring greens on hand as well as some garlic and a dozen beautiful brown eggs that were also part of my friend’s CSA box from Jack’s (see why she’s the best friend ever?). I remembered seeing an episode on the Food Network some time ago where Giada (I think) made a pasta and egg dish that looked so rustically old-world, it stuck in my head over the years. Looking at all the fresh local goodies on my counter, I decided this was the perfect opportunity to give such a dish a try.
Hearty and filling, Scrambled Pasta & Spring Greens is all that I hoped it would be. The mache really handled the cooking process well and the flavors were incredibly fresh thanks to the sorrel and basil. If you are worried about the cholesteral of the eggs, I’m sure using just the whites would work too. And if you don’t have these exact local greens on hand, try experimenting with others that are available in your area. I’m sure when asparagus season begins, this dish will make its rounds again in my kitchen.
19 comments April 3, 2009
Tatties and Neeps, Anyone?
Have you ever noticed how trying a recipe for the first time is strikingly similar to going on a blind date? You might be a little nervous beforehand, worried about prepping just right so everything goes smoothly. Let’s not lie to ourselves: looks are important too so hopefully this new interest will be easy on the eyes. Then there’s always the big question mark about will you like it even enough to tolerate one meal together or will you just have to get up after a few bites and find something else. Maybe this one will be too exotic for your long-term tastes but it could be fun to live in the moment…a fling of sorts. But, as we all no doubt secretly hope, there’s always the chance this one will be the one and stick with you through thick and thin for the rest of your life, come lumpy gravy or runny fudge.
I admit I’m being a bit snarky in writing the above, but there’s also a note of seriousness in it since I do often take up a new recipe with the same nervous energy as I would for a date. When I saw this particular recipe in Eat Feed Autumn Winter, I was a little concerned because it would use up the last of my turnips for the season – a gorgeous bunch of baby white Hakureis that are so tender and sweet I even ate a few out of hand (which is saying a lot if you remember my semi-aversion to turnips).
I was also a bit bashful about trying a recipe called “tatties and neeps”. Funny how a name can put you off a little sometimes, and this Scottish designation for what we’ll just call Potatoes and Turnips with Bacon and Cream was not so appealing (though perhaps more colorful) to me for some unexplained reason. When I read the list of ingredients though, I knew I needed to overcome my unfounded prejudice because starchy potatoes, silky cream and salty bacon (soy in my case) could not, no matter what their title, be a bad combo. The fact that the turnips were in there just added to the interest and made me feel less guilty somehow about consuming the other three in large quantity.
Guess what? This recipe is a keeper! We’ll be seeing a lot of each other in the spring when turnips come back into season. If I had the supply in the root cellar right now, we probably would have been meeting over the dinner table at least five more times this past week. Ah, be still my bonny heart!
9 comments January 25, 2009
Baked Eggs for Brunch
Brunch is by far my favorite time to sit down at the table. It always feels so much like a luxury and like you’re somehow sneaking around the conventional dusty rules of three meals a day by combining two of them. Plus, I do love to sleep in when time affords, and brunch is usually the result of a long lazy stretch in bed that morning.
I also like how brunch bends the rules by putting sweet pastries, warmly spiced French toast, savory quiches, and even heartier fare like meaty sandwiches all on one table. There’s this place near me, Valley Green Inn, which serves an amazing (and generous) basket of homemade mini muffins, breads, and pastries to every table at brunch. It makes my heart sing. Somehow the sight of a slice of pumpkin bread nestled beside a blueberry muffin snuggled up with a hunk of sourdough truly tickles my fancy.
This recipe for Baked Eggs with Creamy Leeks is a quintessential brunch dish. It’s rich to the point of being just a little bit self-indulgent (just like sleeping in) and best eaten when you’ve got time to linger as the flavors demand being savored. The onion hints of the leeks and their bright color offset the eggs as only leeks can. The eggs, by the way, were some of those wonderful country brown eggs from chickens running around out in a pasture. It’s always amazing to me (although it probably shouldn’t be) that you can taste the difference between a caged-up hen’s white eggs and a free range hen’s brown eggs – you really can!
12 comments January 17, 2009
Bam!
I’m really not a fan of Emeril Lagasse and his “bam!” tactics on the Food Network. Generally I’ve found him to be a bit too much of a showman and not enough of a food professional. But I may just have to eat my own words after this recipe, one of his from his show Emeril Live.
I wasn’t planning on using an Emeril recipe. However, I had the notion of stuffing some pasta shells with eggplant and, as usual, when I come up with a concept I’m not quite sure about, I goggled the idea. Up popped this recipe, which wasn’t all that exciting until I started reading the ingredients for the sauce. Tomato-Basil Cream Sauce is phenomenal, folks. Can I get a “Bam!” up in here? And the Eggplant Stuffed Shells were pretty darn good too.
Now, I have to be honest about one thing with you. This recipe has a long list of ingredients and is pretty time consuming. But it’s so worth it! Or, just make the sauce and pour it over any ol’ pasta for a heavenly shortcut. It’s really the sauce that makes this dish spectacular. Unfortunately tomato season is fast dwindling so this should go right to the top of your bookmarks!
5 comments October 12, 2008
