Swiss Chard Casserole with Shiitake Mushrooms

I went to a farmers market last week in Gainesville. It was a fun one! It was big, outside in beautiful weather, and had a variety of produce. At this market, I purchased some things, including shiitake mushrooms. Yum! I decided to make the casserole below along with a Porcini Mushroom Risotto. Swiss Chard wasn’t at the farmers market so I used kale. I will make this again!

Swiss Chard Casserole with Shiitake Mushrooms (foodandwine)

2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/2 pound shiitake mushrooms, stems discarded and caps sliced
Kosher salt
1/2 cup panko (I made my own bread crumbs by crumbling toasted bread)
3/4 cup Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
10 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 1/2 pounds Swiss chard, stems discarded and leaves thinly sliced

1. Preheat the oven to 350° and butter a shallow 9-by-13-inch ceramic baking dish. In a large skillet, heat the oil until shimmering. Add the mushrooms and cook over high heat, turning once, until golden and crisp, about 5 minutes. Season with salt and transfer the mushrooms to a paper towel-lined plate.
2. In a small bowl, toss the panko with 1/4 cup of the cheese. In a large bowl, whisk the eggs with the cayenne, 2 teaspoons of salt and 1/2 cup of the cheese. Stir in the Swiss chard and mushrooms. Scrape the mixture into the prepared dish and bake for about 20 minutes, until the eggs are just set around the edges. Sprinkle thepanko on top and bake for about 10 minutes longer, until the casserole is set and the topping is lightly browned. Let stand for 10 minutes before serving.
MAKE AHEAD The casserole can stand at room temperature for up to 2 hours.

“Meatballs”

These meatballs were really delicious. I decided that this is a recipe I will make for guests sometime. I served this over orzo pasta and a little pesto on the side.

Lentil “Meatballs” (sproutedkitchen)

2 Cups Cooked Lentils
2 Eggs, lightly beaten
3/4 Cup Ricotta
1/4 Cup Fresh Grated Parmesan Cheese
1 Large Clove Garlic, minced
1/2 tsp. Fennel Seed, crushed
2 Tbsp. Finely Chopped Fresh Parsley
Hefty Pinch of Dried or Fresh Thyme
1 tsp. Each Sea Salt and Pepper
2/3 Cup Breadcrumbs*
*To make breadcrumbs, toast 2-3 pieces of bread and turn into a fine crumble

1. In a food processor, pulverize the lentils into mush. Put them in a large mixing bowl.
2. Add the beaten eggs, ricotta, parmesan, garlic, fennel seed, parlsey, thyme, salt and pepper and stir to mix well. Stir in the breadcrumbs and let the mix sit for 20 minutes.
3. Preheat the oven to 400′. Check the lentil mix by rolling a 1” round ball between your palms, it should hold together fairly well. If it seems pretty wet and it falling apart, stir in another Tbsp. or two of breadcrumbs until the ball with stay together.
4. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Roll the mix into balls and line them up on a baking sheet. If you like a bit more of a crust, brush them with olive oil.
5. Bake on the middle rack for 15-20 minutes until the tops are golden brown, gently turning the balls over halfway through baking. Remove to cool slightly.
Serve with your favorite noodles, on a bed of sauteed greens, or on their own with a nice drizzle of pesto sauce, mixed with lemon.

Walking Tour of Charlotte

We went on a walking tour of Charlotte today. We had a good time seeing all the sights and enjoying the weather and the city of the trees. At night, we went out for desserts at Roosters Wood Fired Kitchen. I don’t even remember what all we ate but it was delicious- a lemon tart with raspberry, a coconut cake, a carrot cake with gelato, and some kind of chocolate with pistachio gelato. Here are some more of the recipes I made for my family.

Broccoli & Cheese Stromboli (cookingwithmykid)

Ingredients:
1 package pre-made pizza dough (white or whole wheat)
2 cups broccoli florets, chopped
1 cup pizza/marinara sauce
2 tablespoons ricotta cheese
1 teaspoon oregano
1 1/2 cups part skim mozzarella
½- 1 cup grated parmesan
1 egg
1 tablespoon water
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. In a small bowl mix together ricotta, sauce and oregano.
2. Roll out pizza dough on a floured surface into a rectangle. Spread sauce mixture evenly on dough leaving room on the sides for crimping.
3. Top with broccoli and mozzarella. Sprinkle the top with some Parmesan.
4. Starting at one end, roll the dough up and crimp the edges to seal. Transfer to a greased cookie sheet. Crack egg into a small bowl, add water to egg and whisk to form egg wash. Brush the top of the dough with egg wash and poke a few holes to let steam out.
5. Cook for 20 to 30 minutes or until crust is well cooked and golden brown. Be sure to let it cook until it’s good and crusty – otherwise the inside will be too doughy. Let sit for 5 minutes before slicing. Serve with extra sauce for dipping.

Pumpkin Cookie Dough Dip (chocolatecoveredkatie)
1/2 cup pureed pumpkin
1 can white beans or garbanzos, drained and rinsed
1/2 cup quick oats
1& 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda
¼ cup brown sugar (half of the suggested ½ cup)
1& 1/2 Tbsp nut butter
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 & ½ Tbsp milk

Directions: Combine everything in a food processor and whirl until smooth. Add more sugar if needed (most would prefer more sugar but it’s was perfect for me). Serve with graham crackers or teddy grahams for a nice fall flavor.

Patrick says this should be a fall tradition (and he usually doesn’t like sweets)!

Family

Some of my family came up this weekend- Mom and Dad, Laura and Tamara. :-) Our first visitors! We had fun exploring the city. Last night, we went out to a neighborhood of Charlotte called NoDa (stands for the main street NOrth DAvidson). They had an Art Walk. It was fun and adventurous- by the time we got there, after 8pm, it was dark. We walked along this artsy area of the city lit by buildings and streetlights and stepped in the businesses and strolled along the sidewalks. Oh, and I made dinner! Reuben Rolls as appetizers (=awesome, will for sure make these again!), Vegetable Salmon Chowder, Popovers, and Pumpkin Whoopie Pies. I think I cooked an amazing meal!

Reuben Rolls (from spabettie)

Makes 12-14 rolls
1 can chickpeas, drained
1/2 cup thousand island dressing (recipe follows)
1/2 sweet onion, caramelized
12 thin slices cheese – cheddar or swiss
2 large dill pickles, chopped
12-14 egg roll wrappers
oil for frying

Mash chickpeas, combine with thousand island dressing, set aside to ‘marinate’. Caramelize the onion.
To assemble rolls: arrange a wrap in a diamond shape, place 2 tablespoons thousand island chickpeas in bottom corner. Top with one slice cheese, one tablespoon caramelized onion, one tablespoon chopped pickles.
Heat 1-2 tablespoons oil in pan over medium heat, add 3-4 rolls at a time, turning frequently so they get an even light brown crunchiness all around. Remove to a drying rack or paper towel. Serve warm with thousand island dressing.

Thousand Island Dressing
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup ketchup
1/4 cup dill pickle juice
1 dill pickle, finely chopped
1/3 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon sugar

Combine all ingredients and mix well. Keeps covered in fridge for 2+ weeks.

Vegetable Salmon Chowder (adapted from eatingwell and a slow cooker mag)

Ingredients
olive oil
1 medium onion
2 cloves garlic
1cup chopped carrot
1 cup chopped celery
2 1/2 cups frozen cauliflower florets, thawed and coarsely chopped
4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth
1 1/2 cups water or milk
2-3 6-ounce boneless skinned salmon, preferably wild-caught
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives or scallions, or 1 1/2 tablespoons dried chives
1 1/3 cups instant mashed potato flakes, or 2 cups leftover mashed potatoes
1/4 cup chopped fresh dill
1/4 teaspoon salt
Freshly ground pepper to taste

Preparation
1. Heat oil in a large pot or saucepan. Saute onion, garlic, carrot, celery, and cauliflower, until the vegetables just begin to brown. I cooked it in 2-3 batches (since I love veggies and added so many, it was better to not brown it all at once).
2. Add broth, water or milk, salmon, chives, potato flakes (or leftover mashed potatoes), and dill and bring to a simmer. Cover and cook, maintaining a gentle simmer, until the until potato flakes are cooked. Season with salt and pepper (or try to omit for a more sodium friendly version).

Popovers (bakewithamy)

1 cup flour
1 cup milk, at room temperature
1/2 tsp salt
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 Tbs unsalted butter, melted

Instructions
1. Butter or spray nine 3/4-cup glass custard cups or 10 1/2-cup muffin cups. If you’re using custard cups, place them on a jelly-roll pan, leaving space between each cup. If you’re using muffin pans, you’ll need to use two 12-hole muffin tins because, to give the popovers ample air circulation, you won’t be filling all of the holes.
2. Pour all the ingredients into the container of a blender and whirl until smooth. (this can also be done in a food processor or in a bowl, using a rotary or hand held beater) Strain the batter if it is at all lumpy.
3. Baking the Popovers For the custard cups, pour 1/3 cup batter into each cup, dividing any extra batter among the cups. For the muffin cups, use 1/4 cup of batter for each cup, filling alternate cups in each tin so that every popover has puffing space. Bake, without opening the oven door, at 425 for 25 minutes, until the popovers are puffed, nicely browned and crisp on the exterior. Turn the temperature down to 350 and bake for another 15 to 20 minutes to help dry out the interior, which, no matter what you do, will always be a little doughy in the center. However, my correction would be to turn down the temp and decrease the time! Mine came out slightly burnt so I would suggest 425 for 15 min then 350 for 20 minutes. Serve immediately.
Note on storing: Popovers are at their puffiest right out of the oven. You can hold them at room temperature for a few minutes, or wrap them airtight, freeze them for up to a month, and reheat them in a 350 oven for 10 to 15 minutes, and they’ll taste good–but never as good as just baked.

Pumpkin Whoopie Pies with Cream Cheese Filling (adapted from Martha Stewart)

Makes 12-14
3 cups Flour
1 Tablespoon cinnamon
½ tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
¾ teaspoon salt
1 cup brown sugar*
1 cup oil
3 cups pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
*I used ½ the sugar the recipe called for, and I also used a combination of ½ cup br sugar and ¼ cup agave syrup.

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Shift together the dry ingredients. In a separate bowl, beat together brown sugar, oil and pumpkin. Add eggs one at time, mixing well after each addition, followed by the vanilla. Slowly incorporate the dry ingredients into the wet until just combined.
3. Using a pastry bag with a round tip, or a big zip top plastic bag with one corner snipped, squeeze out concentric circles of batter, starting from the middle and working outward until the circles are about 2 inches in diameter. Bake for 11 minutes and cool on a rack.

Cream Cheese Filling
1 – 8 oz. package of cream cheese, softened
4 oz unsalted butter, room temperature
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
a pinch of cinnamon (optional)
3 Tbsp maple syrup or agave (optional)

Beat together cream cheese and butter. Stir powdered sugar, vanilla. Add cinnamon or maple syrup if desired. Frost flat side of half the pies and top with another piece. Enjoy right away or chill overnight.

Cauliflower Mac n Cheese, Steamed Broccoli, and Lemon Nut Cake

Here’s dinner!

Cauliflower Mac n Cheese

Ingredients

½ head cauliflower

1lb dried macaroni

8oz cheddar cheese

4oz parmesan cheese

sour cream (or I used greek yogurt)

milk

Directions

Cut cauliflower into small florets. Bring a large pan of water to a boil. Add the macaroni and all your cauliflower and cook according to the macaroni-package instructions (I actually cooked them separately, steaming the broccoli in the microwave). Drain. Stir in cheese, cream (I used about 1/3 cup of yogurt), and milk. If you’d like to make it more flavorful, add spices. For our leftovers, I added cumin, curry, and a bit of cayenne pepper.

Egg-less Vegetable Quiche

Another favorite, and a different way to make a quiche.

Egg-less Vegetable Quiche

Crust:

• 1 c. Whole wheat flour
• 1/2 c.  Oats
• 1/2 tsp. Salt
• 1/2 tsp. Baking powder
• 1/3 c.  Olive oil/melted butter
• 1/2 cup water/milk

For the Crust:

1. Dry roast oats (not necessary though) for a few minutes. Grind oats with flour, salt, baking powder. (Oops, I didn’t’ have a blender so I just mixed them and the oats were larger in the crust. I had to add more flour to make the crust a better consistency.)
2.  Add oil/butter and toss until resembles breadcrumbs.  Add water or milk. Make a hard dough; increase the quantity of liquid if needed for a firm dough.
3.  Roll out dough and place in a pie pan. Put small holes in the bottom with a fork.
4. Bake the pastry shell for about 10-15 minutes at 400°F till crust is golden brown.

Filling:

• 1 c. Spinach, washed and shredded
• 1/2 c.  bell pepper, diced
• 1 onion, diced
• 2 cloves Garlic, minced
• 1 tsp. red chili flakes
• 1/2 tsp. dry herbs: thyme, basil, etc.
• 1/2 c. Tofu
• 2 TBSP Olive oil
• Salt as desired
• 1/2 tsp. black pepper
• 1/2 c.  Cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 TBSP Milk

Could also add mushrooms or other vegetables to quiche. Cottage cheese could be a replacement for cheddar cheese, just mix it in with the filling.

For the Filling:

1.  Heat oil and sauté onion and garlic. Add the pepper and cook for one minute. Add spinach & salt and cook for another minute. Take the filling out from the stove and cool it a little. A little extra water from the cooked spinach is ok and should be taken care of by baking the quiche.
2. Crumble the tofu, mix it with milk, and add it to the cooked spinach mix.
3. Pour the cooked spinach mix over the pre baked tart shell. Sprinkle crushed pepper and herbs over the spread and add the grated cheese on top of the assembled quiche.
4. Bake the quiche for 40-50 minutes at 375°F or till done. Cool it for 10 -15 minutes before slicing the quiche.

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers after a visit back home

Over the weekend, we went home to visit Patrick’s parents. The visit also included a first time golf outing for Patrick. During our visit, we acquired some lovely peppers from their neighbor. It was great timing too, because I was craving stuffed peppers!

Quinoa-Stuffed Peppers

I substituted many of the ingredients fore example I used fresh tomatoes instead of canned and an assortment of peppers instead of only bell peppers. The cheese was an organic swiss, purchased in Amish Country with my family while in Ohio. Also, since I didn’t have a stove, the vegetables (minus the peppers) were all steamed with a food steamer.

• 1 medium onion, finely chopped (1 cup)
• 2 Tbs. olive oil
• 2 ribs celery, finely chopped (½ cup)
• 1 Tbs. ground cumin
• 2 cloves garlic, minced (2 tsp.)
• 1 10-oz. pkg. frozen chopped spinach, thawed & squeezed dry (I used fresh)
• 2 15-oz. cans diced tomatoes, liquid reserved (I only used 1 fresh tomato)
• 1 15-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
• ¾ cup quinoa
• 3 large carrots, grated (1 ½ cups)
• 1 ½ cups grated reduced-fat pepper Jack cheese, divided
• 4 large red bell peppers, halved lengthwise, ribs removed

1. Heat oil in saucepan over medium heat. Add onion and celery, and cook 5 minutes, or until soft. Add cumin and garlic, and sauté 1 minute. Stir in spinach and drained tomatoes. Cook 5 minutes, or until most of liquid has evaporated.

2. Stir in black beans, quinoa, carrots, and 2 cups water. Cover, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer 20 minutes, or until quinoa is tender. Stir in 1 cup cheese. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

3. Preheat oven to 350°F. Pour liquid from tomatoes in bottom of baking dish. Fill each bell pepper half with heaping 3/4-cup quinoa mixture, and place in baking dish. Cover with foil, and bake 1 hour. Uncover, and sprinkle each pepper with 1 Tbs. remaining cheese. Bake 15 minutes more, or until tops of stuffed peppers are browned. Let stand 5 minutes. Transfer stuffed peppers to serving plates, and drizzle each with pan juices before serving.

For dessert, Patrick surprised me by taking us to a deli where he ate lunch. It was so cute! They had one counter displaying some delicious looking pizzas, fresh bread in bushels, and three counters with little desserts!! Mmmmm! It was a beautiful feast for the eyes. We left with seven little items. I forget what they all were (except delicious) but some included: an eclair, cannoli, date bar/cookie, and raspberry petite four (cake). The winners were the date bar and the raspberry petite four. What a lovely evening!

Lunches

Mmmm. Today is the second day in a row I made this for my lunch- Grilled Cucumber and Cheese Sandwiches! Here’s the recipe that I got the idea from: Havarti Dill and Cucumber on Rye Recipe

All I did to make mine was to cut a slice of bread in half. Place “strings” of mozzarella string cheese on each side- or whatever kind of cheese you’d like. Sprinkle dill and top with cucumber slices (I also used hot pepper flakes). Fold both sides together and toast or grill until cheese is melted.

And another lunch I made last week involved chickpeas (I love chickpeas)! It’s pretty simple and they suggested to serve on crusty rolls or pita bread with lettuce and tomato…that would have made it taste really good!

Vegetarian Chickpea Sandwich Filling

Long days

Yesterday, Patrick worked a 14 hour day. It was also conveniently leftover night (because I didn’t know when he would be home). Today was another long day, but not that long. our dinner is mentioned below. Note, I made Beet Hummus, and I wouldn’t try that again. The combination of the sweet/savory beets, lemon juice, and tahini was a little much for my tastes!

Corn and Roasted Tomato Grilled Flatbread Recipe

2 flatbreads

1 small package smoked mozzarella

Store bought pesto

Store bought roasted tomatoes (I found these at Trader Joe’s near the pesto)

Handful of arugula

1 ear of corn cooked, kernels removed

Parmesan cheese

Preheat your grill to medium low. Place the flatbread on the grill and cook for about 5 minutes (more or less depending on thickness of the bread). Flip and grill for another 3 minutes or until both sides are crisp. Remove from the grill and add the mozzarella, pesto, roasted tomatoes, arugula, corn, and parmesan in that order. Place the flatbreads back on the grill for 5 minutes. Remove from grill, slice and serve!

(I used whole wheat sandwich rounds, homemade pesto (thanks Patrick’s parents!), corn, farmers market cherry tomatoes, and string cheese)

Spicy Rainbow Rice and Beans

• 1 cup uncooked brown or basmati rice
• 1 Tablespoon olive oil
• 1 sweet onion, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
• 2-3 Tablespoons soy sauce
• 1.5 cups frozen peas
• 2 cups fresh cooked corn (or frozen)
• salt to taste

1. Cook the rice in a medium pot according to package directions.

2. In a large skillet, heat olive oil and add sweet onions, garlic, and spices. Sauté 4-5 minutes, until golden and sizzling. Add the black beans, soy sauce, peas, and corn to the skillet. Heat on medium-low for 6-7 minutes, until hot, stirring often.

3. Stir in the cooked rice. Add an additional splash of soy sauce if necessary.

(This wasn’t a really exciting dish., but it is a good filler dinner for Patrick. Like usual, I didn’t have all the ingredients… like coriander or soy sauce.)