Broccoli and Toasted Lentils

I am always struck by the self-discipline it takes for people to develop or even join a movement of weekly posts and actually stick to it. I am so frazzled with our lives to the point that I always think, why the hell am I stressed out and then I start listing the reasons in my head just so that I will feel justified in having a cup of tea and watching copious amounts of crime drama instead of cleaning the kitchen. Imagine my delight when last night I discovered this tweet by Emily about a new post at her blog well fed, flat broke and I thought: I like broccoli. I like tofu. Holy crap, I also like peanuts! And tonight's dinner was nurtured in my head at 2:00 in the morning.

Turns out, we didn't have tofu or peanuts, or any of the spices Emily used; instead, I just opted to run with whatever we had in the fridge and pantry and this dish was born. This is inspiration, you see an image, a smell comes to you as you walk through your neighbourhood or you realize your favourite vegetable is in season a few weeks earlier than expected. Last week we received a full head of broccoli in our CSA from the Hutten Farm and it was a lush, deep green that begged for a great dish for it to flourish. The toasted almonds combined with the toasted lentils add warmth to the dish, completely contrasted by the subtle lemon from the cooking process. Served on a bed of brown rice, this is a full meal in only two dishes and within 30 minutes. I am guessing at the time because I was making stout brownies at the same time and for about 15 minutes everything got a little jumbled before the brownies made their way into the oven.

It may seem like there are a lot of steps associated with the broccoli and toasted lentils but it's mostly because you will be adding different things in stages to preserve their texture and flavour. There is nothing worse than overcooked vegetables and a sure way to achieve mush is to add everything at once.

The Rice

brown rice

water

pinch of salt

Note: Don't freak out. There is a reason for my lack of measurements.

1. Layer rice in the bottom of your pot - remember, brown rice seriously fluffs up. I generally cover the bottom with an inch of rice.

2. Add water, cover the rice, shake the pot to settle the rice and add another inch of water above the rice.

3. Cover and bring to a boil then turn it down to low. Cook until the water disappears and there are holes down through the bed of rice. It should take about 35-40 minutes.

Broccoli and Lentils

handful of slivered almonds

one onion, diced

one apple, chopped

1/4 cup blue lentils - these hold their shape

the florets of one head of broccoli

cupped handful of chopped yellow beans

2-3 tablespoons lemon juice

red curry paste*

S&P to taste

1. In a heated pan, gently toast your almonds. This should take about 3-5 minutes and the almonds should turn to a golden brown, almost the same colour as light brown sugar. Set aside.

2. Toast your lentils and if you are like me, forget about them for a solid 7-8 minutes then hurriedly toss in 3 tbsp of lemon juice and enough water to lightly cover them. They should not be submerged. Cook for 15 minutes. Reserve.

3. Heat olive oil. Add the diced onion and cook on medium-low until the onion is translucent. Add the apples and about 3 teaspoons of lemon juice to break down the apples. Cover.

4. Add the broccoli and yellow beans. Lightly saute until the colour in both vegetables becomes vibrant. Add the lentils.

5. At this point, add the red curry. Use your judgment. I used the opposite end of my wooden spoon to take out just a hint and then mixed it in, I did this about 5 times. Children were eating the dish so it couldn't be spicy but know that red curry offers more warmth than a punch you in the mouth heat.

6. Add those beautifully toasted almonds and season to taste.

Kale, Pork and Spaetzle, oh my!

What does it mean to eat healthy? We think it's important to offer our children and our selves healthy options, to fill our plates with whole grains, fresh vegetables and carefully selected portions of lean meat. You may visit the farmer's market or your local grocer and fill your cloth bag with a bounty of delicious fruits and vegetables. Your children can sniff those vegetables, smile shyly at the farmer and help you cook of all that into wondrous meals that you all eat and enjoy. Or so you think. It does not matter how healthy you strive to be or portend to be if there are little people (or even you) in your house who push the vegetables away to get to the noodles. It seems like a simple equation, doesn't it? Sometimes it isn't. Sometimes you will be told by a very apologetic doctor that your son, the one with pneumonia who has been sick for two weeks and barely eating that his iron is low and he will need a supplement. The doctor will be kind and gentle as he asks you questions about your sick child's diet and though he is satisfied that the problem is that the little guy's iron is low precisely because he's beens so sick; there will be nagging doubts that you didn't and have not been feeding your child properly. It just may send you into a tailspin of doubt about all that food you prepare. All those hours in farmer's markets and in the kitchen will seem as if for nothing.

As a family we went home and regrouped, which means to return to the kitchen, our dining room table and the market. Bubs and Miss N went back to running around the farmer's market on Saturday morning and sneaking plums and tomatoes out of baskets as I talked to Ted at the Hutten farm table so that I would be cajoled into buying them the pilfered goods. It was also opportune to have our rainbow kit from Kia at Today I Ate a Rainbow! as it gives us a chance to actually measure those green vegetables Bubs has apparently been feeding to the cat. It is also important to also eat food that is delicious, familiar and in the case of this aromatic soup, a healthy emulation of a not so healthy dish. The soup, though basic is flavourful and filling because of the large amount of kale which is why you only need a small amount of pork for each bowl.

The pork for this recipe came from a cheap cut but that does not mean it lacks in quality or protein and there are a lot of things you can do with those cheap cuts of meat - talk to your butcher or farmer at the local market, they really can help you. The kale came out of our CSA, making it local and no-spray and as with any leafy green vegetable, wash it well lest you end up with a gritty dish! I gave up using powdered stock a while ago because those things are filled with sodium and monosodium glutamate, otherwise known as MSG and I'm just not comfortable feeding that to my kids, if that is what you have on hand, I promise not to shun you. We do a fair amount of stovetop sears for our meat and then finish in the oven so it's imperative to have at least one pan with a snug fitting lid with a handle that won't melt all over the bottom of the oven.

Quick note: this is obviously not a vegetarian recipe but if you were to swap out the chicken stock for vegetable stock and use tofu (in the same spices) and you are golden for your veggie friends!

The Soup

Total cooking time: 30 minutes

3 cups/750 mL chicken stock

2 cups/500 mL hot water

2 onions, coarsely chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 apple, finely chopped

bunch of kale, cut into ribbons

handful of spaetzle

olive oil

1. In a large pot heat olive oil until it easily slips across the bottom of the pot when tilted, at this point add the onion. At this point you could sip on a glass of wine and chat with your significant other while the onions slowly caramelize at a low setting or you could speed things up at medium heat because the kids are hungry and circling.

2. Add the garlic and apple and stir to mix, heat for a 3-4 minutes. At this point add the kale and stir around to gently wilt.

3. Add the hot water and stock - to save time it's important that your liquid is hot as opposed to using cold where you would have to wait for the entire thing to heat up.

4. Once the whole pot is simmering away, add your spaetzle. I used only a small amount because the soup is already hearty due to the kale. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

5. Season to taste with salt and cracked pepper.

The Pork

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tbsp. sesame oil

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/2 cup water

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp. 5 spice

3 tbsp. coarse salt

pork back rib tips

1. Mix together first seven ingredients and poor over the pork rib tips, store in the fridge to marinate. This was Mr.'s part of the meal - he marinated for a couple of hours but ideally you could whip this together in the morning and leave throughout the day to stew in deliciousness.

2. When ready to cook, heat a pan on medium high heat with a tablespoon of olive oil in the pan. Sear the pork - should take about 3 minutes.

3. Pour the liquid into the pan and cover so that you can finish in the oven at 350º for 30 minutes.

4. Slice thinly and top the soup.

Photo Friday: Apple Picking in the Annapolis Valley

Hearty Tomato Beans and Rice

As the summer months recede and the weather cools I feel drawn to savoury, warm meals that help stave of the chill that will only grow stronger in the coming months. Nova Scotia has a funny habit of wholeheartedly embracing each new season, roasting us in the summer and the only inkling you'll have that autumn is on its way are the cool nights. September, with the beginning of school would always bring jackets that were fine as long as you weren't moving but just a bit of running on the playground caused you to heat up, aggravated by the jacket. This is the perfect meal for this transitional time, it takes little energy throughout the day because it is prepared in a slow cooker but it's hearty and warm enough to get you through the night.

The adzuki beans, also known as azuki beans, are a smaller bean with a subtle nutty flavour that are most familiar in the form of red bean paste in various dim sum dishes. I originally hunted down these beans to make one of my favourite treats, red bean steam buns, but since I never got around to it I used a cup for this dish. If you plan on using dried beans, be aware that one cup of dried beans equals three cups of rehydrated beans so I'd be careful about going overboard. I always have the best of intentions when I buy my big bag of (cheap) dried beans; I am also woefully spontaneous and whenever I want to cook beans I am in need of them immediately. There is an obvious problem with these conflicting aspects of my personality. To quickly rehydrate beans, as opposed to that dreadfully slow process of allowing them to sit overnight in a bowl of water, bring beans (at a ratio of 1 to 4) to a boil for 2 minutes then lightly simmer for 1.5 hours.

The Recipe

1 cup dried adzuki beans - 3 cups cooked

1 cup dried soldier beans - 3 cups cooked

1 cup brown rice

1 onion, coarse chopped

2 tomatoes, coarse chopped

2 cups chicken stock

6 cups water

1/4 cup brown sugar

3 tablespoons soy sauce

1 tablespoon Hungarian paprika

1 tablespoon chili powder

S & P to taste

1. Rehydrate the beans (or cook if you are like me). It is not advisable to put the dry beans into the slow cooker because they simply won't cook in time.

2. Layer the rice, onions, tomatoes and beans in the crockpot. Top with the chicken stock and water. I like to reserve the spices and such until near the end of the cooking time. Cook on high for 4 hours.

3. Add the sugar, spices and soy sauce and mix it up.

4. Serve with a dollop with plain yogurt (the weird glob in the picture above). Enjoy!

The spices and sugar are, as always definitely to taste. The amount I added originally was perfect for me but when Mr. came home from work he added a touch more sugar and salt to his bowl.

School Lunch: Veggie Pasta in Poppyseed Dressing

This was actually a dinner in the midst of summer but I really think it would translate well into a child's lunch, provided you included an ice pack. You do want your kids to have a lunch and not be the kid with the weird mom who gives stinky lunches, right? Unless your kid won't clean his or her room, then have at it mean mama (or daddy) and do as you will. Included on this dinner plate are fried green tomatoes which are delicious but I don't suppose they'd translate well to a school lunch.

I don't suppose it's obvious that you ought to prepare vegetables your children will eat. I have a secret for you, if you keep giving your kid veggies, they'll eat them. Really. Miss N never eats the carrot sticks whenever I put out a platter of hummus but since we have a ton of carrots thanks to our CSA I've been putting them in her lunch. Miss N has eaten those carrot sticks every single day. Be resolute about your children's health and it will happen.

The Poppyseed Dressing

3/4 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup plain yogurt

half onion, diced

1 tbsp. honey

3 tbsp. Poppyseeds

salt to taste

A note: If you do not have buttermilk or you have little people like mine who cannot tolerate cow's milk, use your usual milk and add about a teaspoon of lemon juice.

1. Stir all ingredients together. Allow to rest for a bit for the flavours to marry (isn't that precious?).

Vegetables

Your choice, chopped into bite-sized amounts

1. To blanche, cover in boiling water and allow to sit for a few minutes until the colour becomes vibrant and they just start to become tender.

Toss together with some cooked pasta, the vegetables and the dressing. The hardboiled egg comes in so that the little person in your life will have a punch of protein for energy. If you are so inclined, feel free to chop the egg onto the pasta.

Chicago Style Steak w/ Spatzle

A warmth spreads before the hit of spice breaks on the tongue. The steak is tender and yields easily under knife, a line of bright pink running through its centre. I am not a big steak eater, it is often too heady for me, I much prefer the muted undertones of lamb or the springy flavour of pork but this steak, prepared by Mr. was phenomenal. To cool, at the side was spatzle, swirled in goat mozzarella and smokey Hungarian paprika.

Hurricane Pizza

A hurricane swept across our provinve this afternoon and before Earl had a chance to knock out our power, Mr. And I rushed to get a pizza together. As we all know, cold pizza is delicious and while it would be piping hot for lunch, if need be dinner could be a little less warm.

The hurricane was largely anti-climactic for us, the power flickered once and the neighbour's near dead tree stayed upright. In any case, I had the bathtub full of water and who knows how many jars filled with water tucked in the fridge.

I slightly adapted the recipe for pizza dough from "The Art of Sicilian Cooking" by Anna Muffoletto.

A note: The recipe is written for mixing the dough by hand and while that would have been the case, my mom gave Mr. and I a stand mixer for our anniversary (yay!).

1 envelope active dry yeast (I used 1 tbsp.)
1/4 cup lukewarm water
1 cup lukewarm water
1/4 tsp. salt
3 1/2 cups flour (I used 1 less)
Olive oil

Preheat oven to 450.

1. Dissolve yeast in 1/4 cup lukewarm water. Let stand 5 minutes to bloom. The temperature of the water is very important, too hot or cold and it kills the yeast. Fingertip warm.

2. Pour 1 cup lukewarm water into bowl. Add 2 1/2 cups flour and the salt. Mix until it forms a ball. At this point Anna directs to add remaining flour, I did not.

3. Allow to rise, the recipe allots 1 hour but I had a hurricane on the horizon. Perhaps 20 minutes, it was sufficient.

Top with whatever you like and bake for 12-15 minutes. Enjoy!