Winter Vegetable Gratin

This is a perfect side dish for fall or winter.  Sweet potato, purple potato, and carrot, all baked together with shallots, green onions, and a topping of bread crumbs and Parmesan cheese.  Next time I think I might throw some parsnips into the mix too!

(adapted from Super Natural Cooking by Heidi Swanson)

3 tbsp olive oil

4 small shallots, quartered

4 small purple potatoes, thinly sliced

1 yam, thinly sliced

3 carrots, cut into 1/2" slices

4 green onions, cut into 1" lengths

salt and pepper

1/2 cup bread crumbs

1/3 cup parmesan cheese

Preheat the oven to 375.

Heat the oil in a large flame and oven-proof pan.  Add the shallots potatoes, yam, and carrots and cook, stirring, for 15 minutes, until they start to brown a bit.

Remove from the heat, season with salt and pepper, and stir in green onions.

Sprinkle with bread crumbs and about half the cheese.

Bake for about 40 minutes, stirring halfway through.

When the vegetables are nicely caramelized, remove from the oven and sprinkle on the rest of the cheese.

Roasted Broccoli

  Roasting must be the best thing that ever happened to vegetables.  It transforms even frequently despised vegetables into tender morsels replete with flavor far beyond what they ever had when they were raw.

  

  I didn't know broccoli could be so good (and I even enjoy raw broccoli).  I just tossed it with some grapeseed oil (olive oil would be great too), salt, and pepper, and sprinkled it with lemon juice as soon as it came out of the oven.  And, as you can see in the picture, it makes a nice accompaniment to macaroni and cheese.

(adapted from Eating Well)

4 cups broccoli florets
2 tablespoon grapeseed oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper
Juice of half a lemon

Preheat oven to 450°F.
Toss broccoli with oil, salt and pepper.
Place on a large baking sheet (not air-insulated) and roast until the broccoli is tender and blackened on the bottom, 10 to 12 minutes.
Sprinkle with lemon juice and serve immediately

Spinach with Sesame Dressing

If you don't like spinach, you might reconsider after you try this. It is insanely simple and the flavor is amazing - a perfect mix of sweet and savory.

The recipe makes extra dressing, which will keep for a few weeks in the refrigerator.

(from Japanese Home Cooking by Shunsuke Fukushima)

1/4 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup sugar

3 tbsp toasted sesame seeds, ground in a mortar and pestle

1 large bunch spinach (leaves only)

sesame seeds (for garnish)

Bring soy sauce and sugar to a boil in a small saucepan, stirring occasionally until sugar dissolves.

Remove from heat and stir in ground sesame seeds.

Wash spinach leaves well in several changes of cold water.

Half fill a large saucepan with water and bring to a boil.

Add spinach, return to a boil, and cook until the spinach is wilted (about a minute).

Drain the spinach and squeeze out as much liquid as possible.

Toss with a few tablespoons of dressing, then garnish with sesame seeds.

(serves 2)

My favorite appetizer

Allow me to introduce you to my favorite appetizer of all time

...

...

SALAD ROLLS.

Since I first tasted these little beauties at a Vietnamese restaurant in Portland about 7 or 8 years ago, I've been in love with them.  I always thought they were way too involved to make at home, but I was wrong.  My mom makes these a lot, and I have discovered they are pretty easy once you get the hang of it.

Instead of a recipe, I'll give some ideas for success.  Just know that the "learn by doing" philosophy really works here.  I prefer more vegetables and fewer noodles, but my husband is the opposite.  Some might prefer vegetarian salad rolls, but I like mine with shrimp.  Experiment and find your ideal salad roll. You will not be disappointed.

You will need 

- spring roll wrappers like this:

I like the square ones because I think they are more user-friendly, but you can use the round ones if you prefer.

Then, it's up to you what else you include.  Here are my favorites:

- Cooked rice vermicelli

- julienned carrot

- green leaf or butter lettuce

- julienned cucumber

- bean sprouts

- cooked chicken, cut in thin strips

- cooked shrimp, cut in half lengthwise

- green onion, julienned

- cilantro leaves

- Thai basil leaves

Put about 1/2" of water in a 13 x 9 pan.

Soak one spring roll wrapper for about 20-30 seconds, until it is very flexible but doesn't tear.

Put it on a plate, and add the filling ingredients.  Less is more here!

Fold the bottom corner up over the filling, fold in the side corners, and roll up, burrito style. 

Cut each spring roll in half on the diagonal to serve. 

I like to dip them in hoisin sauce mixed with chopped peanuts.

Yam sticks

There are a few reasons to love yams:  they are low in fat, a good source of fiber and vitamins, and they are a nice pretty orange color to top it all off.

Some people prefer their yams mashed up with butter and sugar and topped with mini marshmallows, but I will take these tasty baked yam sticks over that sugary mess any day!

Insanely simple, and also healthy, these are ready in about 20 minutes and are great alongside sandwiches or perfect as a snack on their own.  

1 yam 

cooking spray

salt

nutmeg

Preheat the oven to 425 F.

Wash and dry the yam (you know where they grow...best to clean them up first!)

Cut the yam into sticks (the thinner they are, the faster they will cook).  Try for uniformly sized pieces.

Spray a pan (I used an old cake pan, you could also use a baking sheet) with cooking spray.

Arrange the yams in a single layer.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring or flipping the pieces every five minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven, put the yam sticks in a bowl, and sprinkle with salt and freshly grated nutmeg.  I love the salty sweet combo, but if you just want the sweetness, use only the nutmeg.

Simple Thai cabbage stir fry

I had an entire head of cabbage in the fridge and wanted to try out a new recipe for stir-frying it.  I was making a Thai soup for dinner, so I turned to my favorite Thai cookbook for ideas.  This one is quick, simple, and complements a wide variety of Thai dishes very nicely.

adapted from Thai Cooking from Siam Cuisine Restaurant

1 head cabbage, core removed and leaves cut into thin strips or bite-sized pieces

2 tsp vegetable oil

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp yellow bean sauce (available in Thai or Asian markets - look for the one in the jar, not the bottle)

1 tbsp oyster sauce

1 tbsp golden mountain sauce (available in Thai or Asian markets - substitute soy sauce if necessary)

1 tsp sugar

Stir together the oyster sauce, golden mountain sauce, and sugar in a small bowl

Heat large skillet over high heat.

Add oil, and when it is hot, add the garlic and yellow bean sauce.

Cook, stirring, until just golden brown.

Add the cabbage and stir fry until wilted slightly.

Pour in the sauce/sugar mixture.

Stir fry for another minute or two, until the sauce is evenly distributed and the cabbage is crisp-tender.

Smoked Eggplant (Baingan Bartha)

This dish is great comfort food, and is pretty simple to make.  I first tried it at an Indian restaurant and fell in love with the smoky flavor and creamy texture.  I serve it over basmati rice, but it would be great with naan too.  If you are new to cooking Indian food, this is a great place to start!  The quantities here make enough for 2 hungry people, but it would be easy to make more. Normally, this would include some chopped tomatoes added after the ginger, but I didn't have any tomatoes on hand.

1 eggplant

vegetable oil

2 tbsp ghee

1 medium onion, chopped

2 tbsp chopped fresh ginger

pinch cayenne pepper (or more, if you like spicy food!)

1/2 tsp salt

2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Grill your eggplant.  Rub all over with a little vegetable oil, then either place over a foil-lined gas burner or on a grill.  Rotate every few minutes, until all the skin is black and charred and the eggplant is soft (10-15 minutes).

Remove the eggplant from the burner or grill and cool.

Scrape off all the skin, then mash the pulp (seeds included) in a bowl using a potato masher or wooden spoon.

Heat the ghee in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.  

Add the onions and saute until golden brown, 7 or 8 minutes.

Add the ginger and cayenne and cook for about a minute, then add the eggplant puree and salt.

Cook, covered, for about 20 minutes, stirring occasionally to prevent it from sticking.

Remove from heat, spoon over rice, and garnish with cilantro

Roasted Vegetable Canape (Canape de Escalivada)

I almost never make real hors d'oeuvres.  Instead, I usually just throw together a plate of crackers and cheese or a bowl of hummus with some vegetable sticks. I think canapes look so glamorous, that last night when our neighbor invited us for dinner, I jumped at the chance to contribute the appetizer.  These are simple and won't fill you up.  You could use bread instead of zucchini, but I like the freshness it adds. 

This is my submission for the Sangria/Tapas blogging event at Joelen's Culinary Adventures

(adapted from Delicioso! The Regional Cooking of Spain by Penelope Casas)

1 small eggplant

1 red bell pepper

1 green bell pepper

1 onion, skin removed

1 zucchini

2 tbsp olive oil

juice of one lemon

salt

pepper

1 1/2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

Flat-leaf parsley, for garnish

In a hot oven (450-500 F), roast the eggplant, bell peppers and onion (in a roasting pan) for about 10 minutes on each side, or until skin is blackened in places.

Let cool, then remove the skin and seeds from the eggplant and peppers.

Slice the onion, peppers, and eggplant into thin 1"-long strips.

Transfer to a bowl, and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, and thyme.  

Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Slice the zucchini into thin slices.

To assemble, stack some of the roasted vegetable mixture onto a slice of zucchini, and garnish with parsley.  

Best served at room temperature.

(yes, the above photo was taken on a saucer - I don't have any small white plates!)

Yellow Squash Saute with Lemon and Thyme

Summer squash and zucchini are ubiquitous at the farmers market right now.  I bought a bunch last week, intending to grill them over the weekend.  However, between meals out with friends and quite a bit of baking, I just never got around to it.  

Last night I was going through the refrigerator and found some fresh thyme.  I decided that would be nice in a yellow squash saute and put this recipe together.  You could easily double it and use one zucchini and one yellow squash, to add contrast.  If you don't have shallots, you can use onion, but I love their more delicate and subtle flavor.

Yellow Squash Saute with Lemon and Thyme

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 large clove garlic, minced

2 tbsp chopped shallots

1 large yellow squash, sliced lengthwise in half, then cut into 1/4" slices

2 tsp chopped fresh thyme

sea salt

pepper

juice of one lemon

Heat the oil in a frying pan over high heat

Add the garlic and shallots and cook, stirring, for 1-2 minutes, or until just beginning to brown

Stir in the squash slices and season with sea salt and pepper

Saute 2 minutes, then add the thyme and cook until squash is crisp tender

Taste and add more salt if necessary

Transfer to a serving bowl and sprinkle with lemon juice