No Noodle Lasagna

Lately, all I want to eat is cheese.  Great idea, right?  Not really.  So I needed a way to satisfy that craving without the guilt.  Last week from our farm-share, we got enough zucchinis to feed a small army, so I decided to make a zucchini lasagna.  I have had enough cheese lately, so I am going to make a cashew cheese to satisfy this craving.  To be honest, this is the first time I am making this dish with zucchini.  Normally, I use eggplant (which is DELICIOUS, and ends up being a cross between lasagna and eggplant parm, without the parm).  If you decide to use eggplant, just bake the slices of eggplant first for about 10 minutes.  Fingers crossed this all turns out alright...

Cashew Cheese

1 and 1/2 cups raw cashews

1 tablespoon 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!

I like to stock up on raw cashews at Trader Joe's and store them in the freezer.

No Noodle Lasagna

4 small zucchinis or 3 large

Cashew cheese

Tomato sauce (I made my own, but feel free to use a jar to make life even easier.  For the recipe, check out my Pizza Party post).

1 egg

Pre heat the oven to 325.  Slice the zucchini thinly (I did not cut them as thinly as I should have), sprinkle with salt and set aside on paper towels to drain.

To assemble the lasagna, start by putting a little sauce on the bottom of a baking dish. (Please ignore the dish I am using. Normally I would be using a square baking dish, but we cooked for friends and lost our dish forever.  Ever heard of a round lasagna? Me neither.  This is gonna be weird.) 

Next, put a layer of zucchini slices.  Then add a layer of cashew cheese.  Repeat this pattern, sauce, zucchini, cheese, until you reach the top (make sauce your final layer).  Cover with foil and bake for about 45 minutes.  Remove the foil and, this may sound strange, but pour a lightly beaten egg over the top and bake for about ten minutes more.  This egg is going to give the illusion of a cheesy layer and will taste delicious, and somehow not eggy at all.  If this seems too odd for you, then skip it. But if you do skip this step, then I will judge you for being small minded and ridiculous.  Okay that's not true, but just try it.

Let the lasagna sit for a few minutes before cutting into it and serve with a simple salad.  

Quick Pickle

It is hard to explain how much I LOVE pickles.  I also love quick, simple recipes and here is one of them.  There are certainly a ton of more complex ways to pickle vegetables, but this is too fast and easy to pass up.  These pickles won't keep forever, but they will last for about 2 weeks in the fridge.  You can use this technique with any and every vegetable you have and really any variety of spices you may like.  It is a great use of all of our CSA vegetables.  I also love to use them as a homemade accoutrement to a Bloody Mary bar.  Yum. 

Pickled White String Beans

white string beans

white vinegar

water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon mustard seed

1 teaspoon red pepper flakes

First blanch the string beans in bowling water for about three minutes.  Shock them in ice water to stop the cooking.  Once cool, place the string beans in a mason jar.  

I may have forgotten this step, which is why there are peppercorns and red pepper flakes floating around.  Oops.  

Add the spices and salt.  Then fill the jar halfway with vinegar and fill the rest with water.  Shake it up and put in the fridge.  They will be at their peak pickle in three to five days.  

Pickled Radish

radishes

vinegar

water

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 tablespoon black peppercorns

1 tablespoon mustard seed

Cut the radishes in half and add them to a mason jar. Add the spices and salt.  Then fill the jar halfway with vinegar and fill the rest with water.  Shake it up and put in the fridge.  They will be at their peak pickle in three to five days.  

Fish Cake Friday (except it's Sunday, but Friday sounds better)

It's Sunday and my mom is coming to NYC for a visit.  I thought I would make us some lunch before we go out on the town.  I decided to make a favorite in our house, fish cakes.  For today's recipe I am using tilapia.  Tilapia is incredibly mild, so this preparation adds lots of flavor to the fish.  They are simple and can be prepared ahead of time, which is always great when you have guests.  I am serving this with some (leftover) cabbage slaw.

Fish Cakes
4 Tilapia filets
1 egg
1/4 cup of mayonnaise
1 heaping tablespoon of mustard (I use whole grain mustard, but any dijon or spicy mustard would work too)
Juice of 1/2 a lemon
1/3 cup bread crumbs*
Salt
Pepper
(If I had parsley, I would chop some up and throw it in here too, but I don't, so I won't)

*I make my own "lazy" bread crumbs.  All I do is toast Udi's gluten-free bread, and let the food processor do the work. 

      

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Place the tilapia on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake (with nothing on it) for about 10 minutes, or until the tilapia flakes easily with a fork. Once the tilapia is done, remove it from the oven and set aside to cool.  

In a large bowl combine the egg (lightly whisked), mayonnaise, mustard, lemon juice, salt and pepper.  Once the fish is slightly cooled throw it in the bowl and use a fork to flake the tilapia. Mix all of the ingredients together and add the bread crumbs.  If the mixture seems too wet, add a bit more bread crumbs.  If the mixture seems too dry, then add some more mayonnaise.  

Now comes the fun part.  Get your hands dirty and start to form the fish cakes.  If you are unsure of the size, use a 1/4 cup measuring cup to keep your cakes uniform.  Once you have formed the cakes into the shape you like, place them on a plate.  Cover the plate with plastic wrap and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes, but up to several hours (this will help your cakes stay together when you cook them).

When you are ready to cook, preheat a large pan with enough coconut oil to coat the bottom.  Once the oil is hot (medium/high heat), place the cakes into the oil (I do this about 4 at a time, so you have to do it in batches).  Let the cakes cook for about 3 minutes on each side or until they are golden brown.  Cook them on the other side to achieve the same color.  Remove and drain on a paper towel (if your oil is nice and hot these fish cakes will not be oily at all, if they are too oily then you need to turn up the heat).  

When ready to serve, drizzle some lemon juice over the fish cakes and give them an extra pinch of salt.      

What to do with all those vegetables...

It's delivery day for our CSA again, and this week we didn't put all of those delightful veggies to use.  Before Calvin comes home with a new boatload of produce, I though I better use up what we already have.  

One of my favorite things to do with leftover vegetables is to make stock.  I often just make veggie stock, but today, I am making chicken stock.  Last week we had a rotisserie chicken from the grocery store.  When we finished it, I took the carcass and froze it for just such an occasion as this.  Stock couldn't be easier, and you really can make it with anything you have on hand.  So when you have wilted celery or a bag of baby carrots looking all sad, throw them in a pot of water instead of throwing them away.  Trust me, homemade stock is easy, cheap and tastes way better then the store bought stuff.

Here's what is in my stock today...

Chicken Stock
3 onions
1 head of garlic (sliced in half, I don't even peel it)
5 carrots
2 celery sticks
1 chicken carcass 
2 green peppers 
Cilantro
Whole peppercorns
Kosher salt
2 bay leaves
(There may be a vegetable I forgot, but you get the idea).

Put all of the ingredients in a large pot of water.  There is no need to chop the vegetables uniformly or carefully since they are all going to get drained out anyway.  Bring the water up to a boil and then turn down the heat.  Let simmer on low for at least 2 hours, but feel free to cook for longer if you have the time.  

Let the stock cool off and skim any fat that has risen to the top before straining out all of the ingredients.  Then place in the fridge.  Once it has been refrigerated you can remove any remaining fat from the top. With veggie stock, you can skip all this skimming nonsense. 

One for the fridge and one for the freezer.

Stock has a million uses beyond soup.  Today's CSA bounty includes collard greens so I am gonna cook them using this stock. I use my homemade stock to make quinoa or rice taste better.  I love using it to make risotto.  I do of course use it for soup too and butternut squash soup is one of my favorites or white bean and kale soup is a nice easy dinner.  Keep it the fridge, or feel free to freeze it for a rainy day.  

Not Your Average Fried Zucchini

Being a part of a farm share means finding a variety of ways to cook the same vegetables when you get a lot of them.  With so many zucchinis, I decided to try something I have never made before... fried zucchini. I breaded them with gluten-free bread crumbs and parmesan cheese and fried them in coconut oil. Although they were messy, they were really delicious.  For this particular dinner they were accompanied by a cabbage, scallion and cilantro slaw and baked dover sole with lemon.   

Fried Zucchini
3 small zucchinis 
1 cup of parmesan cheese
1 cup of bread crumbs*
2 eggs
Coconut oil
Salt and Pepper

*For this recipe I made my own gluten-free bread crumbs and also grated a chunk of parmesan in the food processor.  You can use any bread crumbs you have on hand, including Panko, and pre-grated parmesan will work just fine!

Slice the zucchini into 1/2 inch discs.  Combine parmesan and bread crumbs in one bowl.  In another bowl, gently whisk the eggs.  

In a large non-stick pan, heat enough coconut oil to coat the bottom.  (Let this get nice and hot before adding any zucchini). Once the coconut oil is hot, turn the temperature down to medium.

Dip each zucchini disc in egg and then in the bread crumb mixture, being sure to coat both sides.  Set aside on a plate and continue.  

Fry each disc for about 2-3 minutes on each side, or until golden brown.  (Be sure not to over crowd the pan).  Drain on a paper towel, sprinkle with salt and enjoy!  

Sinful Chocolate Chip Cookies

I wish I could take credit for this recipe, but sadly, I cannot. I will however gladly share the link and give all the credit to Elizabeth Falkner (the brilliant pastry chef).

These cookies are a favorite to many friends.  I bring them to Sunday football with the boys and to anyone hosting a dinner party.  Today though, these cookies are going to a surprise birthday party for our friend Leslie.  Leslie LOVES these cookies, so I felt like I couldn't show up without a batch for the birthday boy.  

Here are the steps so you can see the recipe in action.  The only thing I change is that I don't use brown sugar, I use regular granulated sugar and add some molasses (it's cheaper and a jar of molasses lasts FOREVER).  I just eyeball how much to use, but if you want to measure you need about a tablespoon of molasses for every cup of sugar.  These cookies freeze incredibly well.  Seal them in a freezer bag to enjoy any time! I've made these cookies with gluten-free flour lots of times too (just replace 1/4 cup of flour with 1/4 cup of arrowroot starch).

The texture of the cookies is so much better when you cream the butter and sugar by hand.  It's good for your arms too ;).

I usually hate kitchen gadgets with only one use, but I can make an exception for my cookie scoop.  It makes life so much easier. 

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/chocolate-chip-cookies-straight-up-or-with-nuts-recipe.html

$27.00

I have nothing to say except THIS IS WHAT $27.00 DOLLARS CAN GET YOU!  I am in love with our farm-share bounty.  Thank you Norwich Meadows Farm (http://www.norwichmeadowsfarm.com). All there is to do now is get inspired and eat, a lot.  

The garden at Fordham University where Calvin picks up our CSA share.

Now that is a lot of deliciousness.

Whipped Coconut Oil Body Cream

After days and days in the sun, my skin has been incredibly dry. Most lotion is packed with all sorts of chemicals and harmful ingredients.  But I have never been able to just use straight up oil, so here is my compromise.  Whipping solid coconut oil completely changes the texture. It is delightful!  I am using it for myself, but it makes a great gift as well.  You can mix it up with any essential oils to add fragrance if you like.  Today, I used grapefruit essential oil, but you could use lavender, peppermint, lemon or anything else. 

Whipped Body Cream

1 cup SOLID coconut oil

15 drops Grapefruit essential oil

1 tablespoon of almond oil (you can skip this, or use olive oil instead)

Add all of the ingredients to a large bowl.  Using a hand mixer, whip the ingredients for at least 5 minutes, or until you get a texture that you like.  You can adjust the amount of essential oil you use if you want more or less fragrance.  Place the fluffy delightfulness in a jar, and store at room temperature.

WTF is for dinner?!

When Calvin left for work this morning I told him that I would make dinner.  When he came home I had nothing.  Nothing cooking, nothing planned and no clue what to do.  

The fastest thing I could think of was pesto, until I realized that we had a tiny bit of basil.  So I thought about what other green vegetables we had, which wasn't much.  Until I found the frozen peas and frozen spinach.  Sounds weird right?  I promise, it's good.  I am a firm believer that pesto can be made with almost anything (any vegetable, any herb, any nut).   You can make it with cheese or without.  You can even make it without olive oil if you want.  On this particular day, here is what I made it with.

I Got Nothin' Pesto

Handful of frozen peas

Handful of frozen spinach

Handful of Parmesan cheese
Small handful of Pine nuts 

(there was extremely precise measuring involved for this)

Pinch of salt and pepper

The juice of 1/2 a lemon
Olive Oil (about 3 tablespoons)

Water (about 1/4 cup)

Add olive oil and or water until you have a nice, thick, saucy consistency.

First I threw in some big chunks of parmesan into the food processor.  Then I threw in all of the other ingredients, except the oil and water.  I mixed those until everything was well combined.  I slowly drizzled in olive oil to loosen the mixture (I would guess I used about 3 tablespoons). And then to save on calories, I switched to water. 

On this night I used the pesto on Bionaturae Gluten Free Fusilli. It's our favorite gluten free pasta and has an amazing texture. Once the pasta was cooked, I drained it and put it back on the stove on low heat and poured the pesto over until all of the pasta was coated.  You can use this on any pasta, on chicken, on seafood or even on grilled vegetables.  And trust me, you can make pesto with just about anything in your pantry!

Back to reality...

Calvin and I arrived back in NYC yesterday.  We were away for nearly 2 weeks, visiting family in Arizona and Atlanta.  Our time was filled with laying in the sun, laughter and lots and lots of amazing food.  So after all of that overindulgence, it is time for some simple, clean eating.  

Tilapia with Roasted Tomatoes, Capers and Olives
4 Tilapia filets 
1 pint of Grape or Cherry Tomatoes
1/4 of a cup Capers
1/3 of a cup of Olives
1/4 cup of Basil 
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt and Pepper

One dish meals make me happy (and Calvin too since he has to clean up after me).

Preheat the oven to 375.  In a baking dish combine the tomatoes, olives, capers and basil and drizzle with 3 tablespoons of olive oil. Sprinkle with salt and pepper.  Roast this mixture for about 15 minutes, or until the tomatoes have started to soften.  

Place the tilapia (make sure to pat the tilapia dry first) in the dish and cover with the tomato mixture.  In a jar, mix together 3 tablespoons of lemon juice, 1/4 cup of olive oil, 1/4 teaspoon of salt and pepper and pour the mixture over the fish.  Roast for about 10 minutes. The fish is done when it flakes easily with a fork.  

I served the fish with a big hearty salad that had chickpeas, quinoa and a big squeeze of lemon juice.