Stir Fried Water Spinach With Garlic
This side dish is all about the greens. Water Spinach (Ong Choy) has a delightfully light and crunchy texture, unlike, regular spinach, which tends to be a bit stringy.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Chopped Onion
4 Minced Garlic Cloves
1 Tablespoon Chopped Fresh Ginger
1 Split Serrano Pepper
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/2 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1 Pound Fresh Water Spinach (Washed & Trimmed)
In a large-size skillet add the sesame oil and turn heat to medium-high. Sauté onions, garlic, ginger, and split Serrano pepper for 1 minute. Stir in kosher salt and pepper. Add water spinach and sauté for 2 minutes. Add sugar and vinegar. Cover and cook for 3 minutes or until wilted. Remove from heat and throw away Serrano pepper. Transfer to serving platter. Serves 4
© Victoria Hart Glavin
Moroccan Red Lentil Soup
My mother lived for many years in Morocco and once told me that Moroccans eat this red lentil soup to ward off the chill of the desert night. Given the weather we’ve been experiencing I think that we all need a delicious soup to ward off the chill, warm our tummies and feel all warm & fuzzy toward our loved ones. You can make my Moroccan Red Lentil Soup one day in advance and keep in the refrigerator overnight. If you’re adding any garnish then add at the moment of serving.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Minced Medium Carrot
1/3 Cup Chopped Parsley
1/2 Cup Chopped Cilantro
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Freshly Ground Pepper
6 Minced Large Garlic Cloves
2 Tablespoons Minced French Ginger
1 Teaspoon Ground Turmeric
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1 1/4 Cup Dried Red Lentils
2 Teaspoons Sweet Hungarian Paprika
28 Ounces Canned Whole Tomatoes With Liquid (Puree)
8 Cups Vegetables Broth
Pour olive oil into a heavy 6-quart pot and place over a medium-high heat. Add onions, carrots, parsley, cilantro, and kosher salt. Sauté for 8 minutes until golden brown. Reduce heat to a medium-low. Stir in pepper garlic, ginger, turmeric, and cinnamon. Cook for 30 seconds. Add lentils, paprika, tomatoes, and broth. Turn heat to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil. Reduce heat back to medium-low. Cover with lid and cook for 50 minutes. Add a bit of water if the soup becomes too thick. Remove from heat and ladle into serving bowls. Garnish with a teaspoon of yogurt, chopped cilantro or leave plain. Serves 4
Mac & Chèvre
Here is a new twist of traditional Mac & Cheese. I’ve used chèvre instead of cheddar for a delicious French style dish. Change up your weeknight menu with my Mac & Chèvre.
INGREDIENTS
8 Ounces Macaroni or Cavatappi
8 Ounces Diced Chèvre
1 1/2 Tablespoon Butter
1 1/2 Tablespoons Unbleached Flour
3/4 Cup Whole Milk
1/2 Cup Heavy Cream
Dash of Hot Sauce
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
1/4 Cup Chopped Chives (Optional)
Prepare pasta according to package directions. Drain and reserve. Cut cheese into chunks (make sure to remove any rind). In a large-size sauté pan, melt butter over a medium-high heat and stir in flour until combined. Gradually add milk and cream. Whisk until mixture is smooth for about 2 to 3 minutes. Reduce heat to low, and add cheese, hot sauce, kosher salt, pepper, and chives, stirring until cheese melts. Remove from heat. Stir in pasta. Transfer to serving bowl and serve warm. Serves 4
Easy Zucchini Bread
I love zucchini so I usually have plenty on hand which I sauté in butter to go with whatever main dish that I’m making. For some reason I had lots of extra zucchini on hand and didn’t want it to go bad which is how I decided to make this delicious, easy zucchini bread. It marries well with my weekend morning coffee.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Allspice
1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Beaten Egg (Room Temperature)
1 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Unpeeled Grated Zucchini
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8x4x2 inch loaf pan or a square glass baking pan. In a medium-size bowl combine flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, allspice, baking soda, baking powder, and kosher salt. Make a well in center of flour mixture. In a separate medium-size bowl combine egg, sugar, oil, and grated zucchini. Add zucchini mixture all at once to flour mixture and stir just until moist. Batter will be lumpy. Pour batter into prepared loaf pan. Place into oven and bake for 50 minutes to 1 hour. Remember that all ovens heat differently. Remove from oven and cool in pan for 10 minutes. Remove from loaf pan and cool completely on a wire rack. Makes 1 loaf.
Root Beer Coconut Chocolate Brownies
I love brownies and am always thinking of new ways to expand the brownie universe. If you’re a fan of German Chocolate Cake or Mounds Bars then you will love these brownies! I’ve only been able to find Root Beer Extract on Amazon.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 Cup Butter
1 Cup Sugar
2 Large Eggs
1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract
3 Tablespoons Root Beer Extract
1/2 Cup Unbleached Flour
1/2 Cup Unsweetened Cocoa
1/4 Teaspoon Baking Powder
1/4 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Cup Sweetened Coconut Flakes
Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 2.2 quart baking dish with parchment paper. In a 3 quart saucepan, melt butter over a medium heat. Remove from heat and stir in sugar, with wooden spoon, stir in eggs, one at a time, and vanilla and root beer extract, until well blended. In medium-size bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking powder, kosher salt and coconut. Stir flour mixture into saucepan until blended. Spread batter evenly in pan. Bake 25 to 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted 2 inches from center comes out almost clean. Remove from oven and cool in pan on wire rack. When cool, cut brownies into squares. Makes about 16 brownies.
Currant Cream Scones
Weekends are made for coffee and scones. Sometimes I just don’t feel like coming up with weekend breakfast ideas and am happy as a clam to reach for a nice homemade scone to go with my coffee. If you want to be super organized then I suggest keeping prebaked, frozen cones on hand for whatever occasion you might need them for (breakfast, snack time, dessert or tea party). Just put a few in a 35o degree oven and they should be ready to go in about 5 minutes. As an added bonus your kitchen will smell wonderful.
INGREDIENTS
2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 Tablespoon Baking Powder
1/2 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/3 Cup Plus 3 Tablespoons Sugar
1 1/2 Cups Dried Currants
1 Cup Heavy Cold Cream
3 Tablespoons Melted Unsalted Butter
Preheat your oven to 375 degrees. In a large-size bowl sift together flour, baking powder, kosher salt and 1/3 cup sugar. Stir in currants. Add heavy cream. Use electric mixer to blend, on low, until just combined. Place dough onto lightly floured surface and knead briefly. Roll dough out to one-inch thickness. Use a 1 to 1 1/2 inch biscuit cutter to cut out scones. Place scones 1 inch apart on parchment paper lined baking sheet. Reroll dough scraps and repeat process until all dough has been used. If you don’t have a biscuit cutter you can shape dough into a rectangle 1 inch thick and then cut into squares. Use a pastry brush-to-brush tops of scones with melted butter. Sprinkle with leftover sugar. Put baking sheet in center of oven and bake for 12 to 15 minutes. Remember that each oven heats differently so check at 12 minutes. Remove from oven and place scones on cooling racks. Transfer to serving platter and serve warm or at room temperature with butter and jam. Scones can be stored in an airtight container for up to 24 hours or in the freezer for up to 12 weeks. Makes about 20 scones.
Winter Cornbread
I just “slow cooked” a big pot of chili and made a batch of warm cornbread to go with it. I grew up eating homemade cornbread and like mine to be a bit more like cornbread “cake.” This cornbread recipe is very versatile and can be served with all sorts of main courses.
INGREDIENTS
3 Large Eggs
1/3 Cup Sugar
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Cup Buttermilk or Sour Milk (Milk With Vinegar or Lemon Juice)
1/3 Cup Honey
3 Teaspoons Baking Powder
3/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda
1 Tablespoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Cups Unbleached Flour
1 1/2 Cups Cornmeal
3/4 Cup Melted Butter Plus 1 Tablespoon
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large-size bowl, whisk eggs and sugar together for 30 seconds. Stir in sour cream, buttermilk (or sour milk), and honey. Stir in baking powder, baking soda, kosher salt, flour and cornmeal. Do not over mix. The batter will look rather lumpy. Stir in the melted butter until combined. Pour batter into two greased 9 inch round baking pans. Place into oven and bake for about 30 minutes until golden. Remove from oven and let sit in pan for 10 minutes before removing. Turn out onto plates and serve warm. Serve with butter and honey. Serves 6
Easy Marinara Sauce
We all need an easy marinara sauce recipe to have on hand. This marinara sauce is great to use for a pasta dish or as a dipping sauce. This recipe is easy so you don’t need to purchase prepared jarred sauces. Besides many of the jarred sauces contain sugar, which I find unnecessary.
INGREDIENTS
1/4 Cup Olive Oil
1 Chopped Garlic Clove
28 Ounces Crushed Tomatoes
3 Fresh Chopped Basil Leaves
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1/4 Cup Red Wine
Add the olive oil to a large-size sauté pan. Turn the heat to medium-high. Add garlic and cook for 2 minutes until lightly browned. Add tomatoes, kosher salt, wine and basil. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Turn heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat. Transfer to serving bowl for dip or over cooked pasta of your choice. Makes about 1 1/2 cups sauce.
Haricots Verts With Sliced Shallots
Good beans can take from 2 to 10 minutes to cook, depending on the variety and the stage of development. Those that require the least amount of cooking time are the best. Don’t be alarmed at the quantity of salt required. The beans require a large quantity of boiling water and the shorter their cooking time, the more salt is necessary to season them only delicately. Nearly all of the salt is discarded with the cooking water.
INGREDIENTS
1 1/2 Pounds Haricot Verts (French For Green Beans)
1 Large Sliced Shallot
1/4 Cup Kosher Salt
4 Tablespoons Cold & Diced Unsalted Butter
Put the beans and sliced shallot in a large-size saucepan. Sprinkle the salt over beans and shallots. Boil water in a teakettle. Pour boiling water over salted beans and shallots. Turn heat to high and boil, uncovered for 2 to 10 minutes (depending on the freshness of beans) until barely tender. Remove a bean at 2 minutes cooking time and bite into it to test. When done, remove from heat and drain. Place back in saucepan over high heat for a few seconds to dry them out. Remove from heat. Add unsalted butter. Toss until all butter is absorbed. Transfer to serving bowl. Serves 4
Vegetarian Lasagna
If you’re not eating leftovers then give my delicious vegetarian lasagna a try. Make a big batch and eat it through the weekend while continuing to enjoy spending time friends and family.
INGREDIENTS
1 Pound Lasagna Noodles
8 Tablespoons Olive Oil
2 Cups Marinara Sauce
1 Shallot
1 Large Bunch Fresh Basil
1 Garlic Clove
7 Ounces Ricotta Cheese
1 Medium Zucchini
1/4 Cup Butter
1/2 Cup Grated Parmesan
1 Cup Mushrooms
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 Teaspoon Freshly Ground Pepper
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Clean and blanch mushrooms in boiling water. Drain and coarsely chop mushrooms. Cut zucchini into strips. Chop Shallot and crush garlic. Wash and dry basil. In a medium-size sauté pan add 4 tablespoons olive oil and turn heat to a medium-high. Add garlic, mushrooms, kosher salt and pepper. Sauté for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. In a separate medium-size sauté pan add the rest of the olive oil. Add the shallots and sauté and zucchini. Sauté for 3 minutes. Remove from heat. In a large-size bowl combine ricotta cheese, mushroom mixture, zucchini mixture and grated Parmesan. Set aside. In a large pot bring salted water to a boil and add lasagna noodles a few at a time. Make sure not to overcook noodles. Remove noodles from heat and drain. Grease an ovenproof baking dish with olive oil. Place a layer of noodles in it, spread some ricotta mixture over it, spread with a layer of marinara sauce, and cover with a layer of fresh basil leaves, and then cover with a layer of noodles. Keep repeating this process until you finish the ingredients. Finish with a layer of pasta. Brush with melted butter. Place in oven and cook for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and serve warm. Serves 4
