A Classic for Calvin

To me, meatloaf seems pretty old fashioned.  A throw back to the past.  But to my husband, meatloaf is a classic. An old friend. And he loves it.  So tonight's dinner is for him.   

In a few days we will be leaving to visit family in Arizona and Atlanta, and I wanted to use up as much as possible from our fridge before we go.  So tonight I made a big salad and some roasted yams to go with the meatloaf.  I used blueberries, avocado and goat cheese in the salad, and made a simple lemon vinaigrette. 

Classic Meatloaf
Ground beef
1 Egg
Bread Crumbs*
1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
1 teaspoon Tomato Paste
Ketchup
Onion
Coconut oil
Salt and Pepper

First, heat coconut oil (or olive oil works too) in a pan.  Add diced onion, salt and pepper and cook on medium heat for about 10 minutes. Remove from the heat and add worcestershire sauce and tomato paste.  Add a few tablespoons of either stock or water and stir to combine.  Leave the mixture to cool for a bit. 

In a large bowl add the egg, bread crumbs, beef and onions. Add salt and pepper to the meat and lightly mix it all together with a fork.  Do not over work the meat.

Place the mixture on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper. Shape it into a rectangular shape and cover the top with ketchup. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about an hour or so.  If you put a pan of hot water in the oven under the meatloaf it will keep the top from cracking.  Let the meatloaf rest for a few minutes before slicing and serving.

*I make my own "lazy" bread crumbs.  All I do is toast two pieces of Udi's gluten-free bread, and then put them in the food processor.  

Lemon Vinaigrette
1 Lemon
2 tablespoons of good Olive Oil
1 teaspoon of Whole Grain Mustard
Salt
Pepper
Herb de Provence (if you have it on hand)

Put all of the ingredients in a small mason jar.  Shake and serve!  Herb de Provence raises the bar on this simple vinaigrette.  The lavender in it pairs perfectly with the goat cheese and blueberries in this salad.  



Roasted Yams  
Coconut Oil
Yams
Salt 
Pepper

For tonight's dinner I roasted the yams at the same temperature as the meatloaf.  Normally I would roast them at a higher temperature, but with one oven that isn't possible. If they don't seem to be caramelizing as much as you want, then crank up the oven and cook them a bit more as the meatloaf is resting.

Dice the yams.  Drizzle with coconut oil and a generous pinch of salt and pepper.  Cook until soft and sweet.

Family Brunch

Today my mom, brother and nephew are coming over for brunch.  For casual entertaining like this, I like something that doesn't keep me in the kitchen and away from everyone.  I also wanted something that would be inexpensive but delicious and a way to use up some of our farm-share vegetables.  Here's what I came up with...

Mushroom, Squash and Goat Cheese Frittata
1 container of Baby Bella mushrooms
2 baby squash
Goat Cheese
Scallions
12 Eggs
Salt and Pepper

Roast the mushrooms and squash in the oven (see my Pizza Party post for recipe).  This can be done the morning of or the day before.  

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Meanwhile whisk together eggs, salt and pepper.  Crumble in the goat cheese. Heat a bit of oil or butter on medium heat in an ovenproof saute pan. Add the scallions and the roasted vegetables. Pour eggs over the vegetables and let cook, without stirring, for about 2 minutes. Transfer the pan into a 350 degree oven for 25-30 minutes (make sure the center is set).  Let cool a few minutes before cutting. This can be served warm or at room temperature. 

Baby Yam Latkes

8 Baby Yams
1 Onion
1 large Egg
4 tablespoons of flour

1 tablespoon of baking soda
1 teaspoon of pepper
1 teaspoon of salt

(I also threw in the leftover baby zucchini I had and one small kohlrabi) 


I use a food processor to grate all of the vegetables, but you can easily grate by hand.  I don't remove the skin of the baby yams (just wash them well).  I also grate the onion in the food processor.  Gently whisk an egg in a large bowl.  Add the grated vegetables and the flour, baking soda, salt and pepper. Mix together.  If the consistency seems too wet, add more flour.

Make sure the mixture is not too wet, otherwise the latkes will fall apart.

Heat coconut oil (or any other high temperature oil) on medium high heat.  Once it is hot, scoop some of the latke mixture (I use a 1/4 cup as my scoop) and place in the hot oil.  I usually can fit about 4 or 5 in the pan at a time, so this has to be done in stages.  Let cook for about 3 minutes on each side.  Then remove and drain on paper towels.  Sprinkle with salt. 

The latkes can be kept warm in a low temperature oven until ready to serve.

I served this all with a salad using the greens and roasted beats from our farm share, with lemon juice and olive oil.

The latkes and frittata recipe are great for entertaining. They can both be made with a variety of vegetables or whatever you have on hand.  I have made latkes with butternut squash, kohlrabi or of course any variety of potatoes.  The frittata is also great with any leftover vegetables you may have in the fridge.

Bounty

This week was our first summer CSA delivery.  Nothing makes me happier than the surprise of vegetables that arrive at my door. Okay they don't magically arrive, my poor husband has to schlep them home from work.  We participate in our farm share throughout the year, but summer is always my favorite.  This first delivery was only vegetables and so relatively small, but throughout the rest of the summer our bounty will include fruit too.  I am already brainstorming ideas of what to make for my family this weekend!

Pure Food and Wine, at Home

Pure Food and Wine (http://oneluckyduck.com/pages/pure-food-and-wine)is one of my all time favorite NYC spots.  They are a raw and vegan restaurant.  Now I know that immediately may turn some of you off, but trust me, it is amazing.  My favorite dish there is their "lasagna", and so I thought I would share how to do it at home.  While I can't take credit for the recipe, which I will share, I will say that it is one of my favorite summer meals. Not turning on the oven in the summer is a dream.  The other great part about this recipe is that all the steps can be made well in advance.  I have even assembled the lasagna, without the garnish, ahead of time.  This makes it a great dish for entertaining and one that will certainly impress your company.  

Here is the link the recipe:
http://nymag.com/restaurants/articles/recipes/zucchini_lemonpignoli.htm

The one thing about the recipe that I change, is the Pine-nut "Ricotta".  Instead of this, I make Cashew Cheese.  It has a creamy consistency like ricotta and the cashews are way cheaper than pine nuts.  

Cashew Cheese

1 cup Raw cashews

1 tablespoons of Nutritional Yeast

2 tablespoons of lemon juice

Salt and Pepper to taste

Water

First, soak the raw cashews in water for approximately 3 hours. Drain the water and put into a food processor with lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper.  Start to run the food processor and drizzle in water through the feed tube.  Do this slowly, stopping to check if the consistency is to your liking (think ricotta, not cashew soup).  I use this all the time in recipes instead of cheese.  You'd be amazed how good it is!

Caramel and Chocolate and Popcorn Oh My

This tasty treat is a favorite of my friends.  Whether served at a party, or wrapped up in individual snack bags it goes FAST! I like this recipe because there is no corn-syrup and it's dairy free.

Irresistible
 

Caramel can be intimidating, but I promise it is totally manageable.  I don't own a candy thermometer or any fancy equipment.  Truth be told, I don't even measure when I make it. Here is what you need...

Caramel Sauce

1 stick of unsalted butter

1 cup of Brown sugar*

1 teaspoon of Vanilla Extract

1/4 a teaspoon of Baking Soda

1/2 a teaspoon of Salt

*A note on brown sugar: I actually don't ever buy brown sugar.  I just add a bit of molasses to white sugar and mix well (1 cup of sugar to 1 tablespoon of molasses is a good ratio).  It's way cheaper, and that way you never have to throw away a brick of brown sugar or wonder if you have any in your pantry. 

Instructions:

Melt the butter over medium heat 

Add sugar and stir until well mixed

Turn up the heat a bit until the mixture starts to boil.  You want it to boil for about 4 minutes (keep stirring!)

Take the pot off the heat and add vanilla, salt and baking soda. It will bubble up like crazy so don't get scared, just keep stirring until you have a nice thick sauce.  

I suggest making your popcorn first, so it is ready to go while your caramel sauce is warm (I make popcorn on the stove using a tablespoon of coconut oil and about 1/2 a cup of kernels).  Pour the sauce over the popcorn and mix well. Spread on two cookie sheets lined with parchment paper and bake in a 250 degree oven for about an hour, giving it stir a few times.  Remove and let cool completely.

Once it cools, I like to drizzle melted dark chocolate over all of the popcorn and sprinkle with kosher salt (this process makes a Jackson Pollock type mess, so I cover a large section of our dining room table with parchment paper and go to town).  Let it cool at room temperature or you can put it in the fridge if you have room.  Once it cools, break up the popcorn and store in an airtight container.  

Tips for melting chocolate: I have a large bag of dark chocolate chips that I keep in the freezer.  I temper the chocolate in the microwave by putting a handful of chips in a glass bowl and letting the microwave do the work.  Every 15 seconds or so I give it a stir. The whole process should take under a minute for all of the chips to be melted.

The Gift of Relaxation

Is it weird that mason jars make me so happy?

Homemade bath salts are one of my favorite go-to gifts.  They are easy to make, inexpensive, but still have a homemade touch.  We always have the ingredients in the house, and enough mason jars to give away, so they are a great last minute gift idea.  I've given them as stocking-stuffers, to new moms, to brides-to-be or to friends who just deserve a little something.

Here's what you need to know.  You could do this with just epsom salts and your favorite essential oil.  I like to add some variety by also using baking soda and Himalayan Pink Salt.  Check out the recipes below...

Tell me that is not the biggest thing of baking soda you have ever seen.

Grapefruit and Himalayan Pink Salt

1 and 1/2 cups of Epsom Salt

1/2 a cup of Himalayan Pink Salt

6 drops of grapefruit essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. 

Lavender Detox
1 and 3/4 cups of Epsom salts
3 Tablespoons of baking soda
6 drops of lavender essential oil

Mix all ingredients in a large bowl until combined. 

Breakfast of Champions

My husband and I have become addicted to green smoothies. Somedays I make them, somedays he makes them, but everyday this is our breakfast of choice.  

Green smoothies make me happy, and here is why... First, you start your day with several servings of vegetables, fruit, and some protein for good measure.  Secondly, freezing any greens you have not used saves you money as well as the shame of throwing food away.  All you have to do is take your washed leafy greens (kale, spinach, dandelion, etc.) that you haven't used raw, put them in a plastic bag and stash them in the freezer. Lastly, the variety of smoothies you can make are endless. Somedays we may use kale, cucumber, mint and lemon juice. Others, mango, dandelion and green apple.  Still some days we may throw frozen blueberries and spinach in the mix. Whatever produce we add, we also use chia seeds and flax seeds that we keep in our fridge (I use this mix on salads as well), apple cider vinegar (http://bragg.com/books/acv_excerpt.html, check out the numerous health benefits), protein powder and coconut water. 

Try it, you'll like it...

Pizza Party

This being my first week of a long summer vacation,(how annoying does that sound?), I found myself searching for a project on a rainy day.  Rather than cleaning (boring) or organizing my closet(overwhelming), I went for pizza... from scratch.  Although my approach today involved a lot of steps,there are a million ways to simplify.

I started with the dough. I used a basic pizza dough recipe from the New York Times (http://cooking.nytimes.com/recipes/12399-basic-pizza-dough) but feel free to buy your dough from the grocery store or from your local pizza shop. 

Next I roasted squash and mushrooms with salt, pepper and olive oil. Here is a step to skip if you have leftovers.  Pizza is a great way to use veggies from last night's dinner.

I added a little bundle of delightfulness into the mix by roasting the hell out of some garlic. (See the before and after). 

This roasted garlic can be used for anything.  Serve whole with some bread, crackers or cardboard and it will taste delicious.

While my oven was working hard, I started on some simple tomato sauce. We got this heirloom tomato purée from our farm share and we got this beautiful basil from our windowsill "farm". 

Lucky for me my husband has the green thumb, because I kill every plant I come in contact with.

Quick Tip:  Always cook out tomato paste for a minute or two before adding your tomato puree.  

Once everything cooled, I let it all sit out on the counter until it was pizza making time. 

I added the roasted garlic to room temperature goat cheese (it makes it so easy to spread). I also just stretch the dough by hand with a little olive oil to prevent sticking. No need for any fancy tools here!  I cooked the pizza on two baking sheets in a 500 degree oven for around 15-20 minutes.

And the final product... Yum. 

The possibilities for pizza are endless, so use any ingredients you love or have laying around the house.  

Roasted Veggies

(My favorite veggie prep ever)

Use this technique with any variety of veggies you like  

Chop all veggies into similar size pieces

Drizzle with oil of choice (I often use coconut oil, but olive oil will do)

Generously sprinkle with kosher salt and pepper

Roast in a hot oven until caramelized and delicious (Please note that the oven temp can vary, so if you are cooking something else, throw your veggies in too.  Anywhere from 350 to 400 degrees can work)

Roasted Garlic

Cut off the top of the garlic, and remove any lose paper.

Drizzle with olive oil

Add salt and pepper

Wrap in tinfoil and cook in a 400 degree oven for 40 minutes

Tomato Sauce

On medium high heat, add a tablespoon of olive oil to your pan

Dice one onion and cook down for a few minutes until soft

Add one clove of garlic

Add a tablespoon of tomato paste and let cook for a minute or two in the pan

Add a teaspoon of red pepper flakes (if you like a little heat, if not omit this step) and stir together

Pour a jar or box of tomato puree (diced tomatoes work too if that is what you have on hand)

Add salt, pepper, and dried oregano

Let it slowly simmer for at least 20 minutes

Once it is off the heat, add basil and enjoy!