Donut Army

An earlier post talked about one of my favorite wintertime dishes -- roasted winter vegetables. When I was younger, I simply roasted a bunch of root vegetables together, seasoned with only olive oil, salt and pepper, and a sprig or two or rosemary. The last entry talked about doing the roasting in two phases -- the first 30 minutes with the harder vegetables, then adding softer vegetables (garlic) and even fruit (apples, peaches, nectarines, and pineapple work well) for the last 15 minutes. Today's entry provides yet another variation on a theme of roasted vegetables. Again, no real recipe here. I start with a 9x12 oven-safe pan. Coat the pan with olive oil. Chop up harder vegetables into bite-sized chunks. For the first round of roasting, some tasty vegetables to include are: butternut squash (peeled), sweet potatoes, onions, and beets. Drizzle olive oil and flavor generously with maple syrup. Sprinkle with garam masala (I'd say 1-2 T for a dish this size). Salt a

Earlier in this blog, I referenced my " recipe database ." A few of you have asked for me to tell you more about this database. I can only assume that you, like me, are looking for a way to make your recipes accessible, retrievable, and yet also archived for safety. This blog entry addresses the database I use, and quickly discusses some pros and cons. After years -- years! -- of experimenting with ways to archive recipes in a use-able fashion, and after wishing someone would write custom software for the home cook, I finally stumbled upon something that I've been relatively happy with -- Cook'n by DVO Enterprises.  I have been using this software for about five years now. There are many features I do not use and probably some I have never even accessed. But the main features that I use have really helped streamline my menu planning, primarily because it allows me to search by ingredient . For example, if I have four pounds of eggplant to use up in the fridge

Because the weather is chilly, and because I had a bag of arugula from the last farm box taunting me, only to be compounded by a fresh bag of arugula from the recent farm box, I decided to try this soup I found from a blog associated with a California-based CSA, Eat Outside the Box . Cauliflower and Arugula Soup Eat Outside the Box farm blog 1 head cauliflower 1 red or white onion, peeled and chopped 3/4 lb zucchini, peeled and chopped 1/4 lb arugula 15 oz stock 15 oz water 1 T olive oil salt and pepper Parmesan cheese, grated First, let me state how important it is to wash your arugula before using it. I don't know about you, but sometimes I get lazy and rely on the "well, if it doesn't kill me, it'll just make me stronger" approach to washing my foods and vegetables. This laziness is only enhanced when the food I'm considering has come from an organic farm. But leaving aside all the various things that can get on the food

The weather has turned colder in central Texas. Colder, and rainier. People across town are pulling out their woolen socks, testing their heaters, and making soups. I'm one of them. For this entry, I wanted to share a delicious and filling soup I had made featuring some of the arugula we've been getting from our Johnson's Backyard Garden CSA boxes. Arugula Potato Leek Soup The Washington Post, May 1, 2009 3 large leeks, chopped (about 5 c) olive oil 8 c stock 2 lb yukon gold potatoes, peeled and cut into 2" chunks salt and pepper 4 c arugula leaves, coarsely chopped Parmesan cheese When you prep your ingredients, be thinking about what kind of soup you like to eat. I generally enjoy my soups pureed, when appropriate. So, I don't worry too much about making bite-sized pieces or anything, since it's just going to get ground up anyway. Just make sure your pieces are equally-sized so that the cooking time required is the same for eve

Every now and then, you come across a dish that feels life-altering. This can be especially true when you've just eaten -- and enjoyed -- something you thought you always disliked. If you have been reading my blog, then you know my rather negative feelings towards the eggplant. They can be bitter, tough, cold, and just a burden on the dinner plate. You can hide the eggplant under a layer of breadcrumbs and cheese. Delicious, but really, all you are doing is masquerading the vegetable. You can use it as one vegetable in a giant assortment, thus allowing people to politely pick around it while still eating their fill. And then, there is this recipe. This recipe, that I believe has now forever changed my relationship to the eggplant. Light. Sweet and savory at the same time. Chewy, meaty texture. And a complex combination of flavors that not only tastes great, but also makes your entire house smell edible for hours. Stir-Fried Eggplant with Garlic and Basil Sauce Cook'

Once the winter root vegetables start coming in, I can't help myself. I just have to have a big heapin' plate full of them -- roasted, warm, and lightly spiced. Just delicious. So after our first CSA box to feature these fall veggies came in, I made myself a fast, easy-to-prepare (but not necessarily well-balanced) dinner of roasted fall vegetables and a side of curried couscous. Roasted Root Vegetables (and Fruit!) no source sweet potatoes, peeled and chopped onion (red, white or yellow), peeled and quartered carrots, washed and chopped garlic, peeled and broken into individual cloves peaches (fresh), chopped several sprigs of rosemary (or other herb of your choice) olive oil salt and pepper There is no set recipe for this dish. Simply preheat your oven to 350. Then, gather whatever vegetables (and fruit, occasionally) you plan to use for dinner.Begin with the vegetables that will take longer to roast -- potatoes, onions, and carrots, for example. Coa

Thanks for the fellow CSA subscriber who identified our mystery squash as the Kabocha! I googled, I google imaged, and to no avail. But one informed, worldy farm-mate was able to introduce this squash to me by name. And, what an introduction it has been -- to paraphrase Casablanca , Kabocha, I think this is the beginning of a beautiful friendship! If you know me, you know I loves me some squash soup. But roasted kabocha -- on a different plane than other roasted squashes. Subtle, yet rich. Sweet yet mild. Just delicious. And this soup was tasty from day one through the end of the leftovers. I adapted this recipe only mildly from its original source, La Fuji Mama . Roasted Kabocha Squash Soup La Fuji Mama.com 2+ kabocha squash 1 T + 1 1/2 T olive oil, separated 2 small yellow onion, thinly sliced 1 14-oz can coconut milk 2 c stock salt and pepper This recipe is simple-dimple. The only mess (if you can call it that) is the roasting of the squash. Preheat oven to

You know, you grow up thinking you hate certain foods -- eggplant, liver, olives, lentils, okra. And then one day, you find yourself blogging about how great they are, especially when combined into one dish! OK, so I have never had liver, and I still really dislike olives, but here I am promoting a dish made up primarily of lentils (which I used to find dry and boring) and okra (which I used to find stringy and gross). When prepared right, lentils are dry or boring, and okra isn't stringy and mushy -- they're delicious! And, when paired together, quite tasty and healthy. I got this recipe for Red Lentils and Okra Soup from the website Appetite for China , a very interesting blog I recently stumbled upon (I particularly love her subtitle: "1.3 billion people must be eating something right.") Red Lentils and Okra Soup Appetite for China, Diana Kuan 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed and picked through 1 cup okra, chopped 1/2 large red onion, chopped 2 ta

The Eggplant Extravaganza continues among us Johnson's Backyard Garden CSA subscribers -- not that I'm complaining! But, it can become a challenge to handle all the eggplant we receive in ways that keep us interested in eating more eggplant. For this recipe, I tried a version of Aloo Baigan (Eggplant and Potato Curry) that I found in my database, but my notes on its original source are cryptic, so I couldn't tell you where I originally found this one. I must have found it online, however, because multiple versions of it exist using the same language. Aloo Baigan (Eggplant and Potato Curry) 1 1/2" piece ginger 2 green chiles, minced 1/4 c unsweetened coconut, shredded 1/2 tsp garam masala 4 T ghee (I just use butter) 1 tsp black mustard seeds 1/2 T cumin seeds 1/8 tsp asafetida (opt) 6 medium potatoes, boiled and cubed 1 tsp turmeric 1 T coriander 1 small eggplant, in 1" cubes 1 tsp salt 3 T cilantro, chopped 1 T lemon jui

  Our annual CSA eggplant extravaganza is well underway. Several CSA members have contacted me, asking for more creative ways to serve up the pounds and pounds of beautiful eggplant we receive in our boxes from Johnson's Backyard Garden . Today, I have a wonderful, simple, stewy, fall-like one-dish recipe to share that will help you incorporate more eggplant into your menu planning. Here's a small secret: I'm not a fan of eggplant. I usually pick around it when served something that incorporates eggplant. Baba ganoush is one of my worst nightmares, since there are fewer culinary horrors than being served something you don't like that has been pureed and presented to you cold. So learning to love the eggplant has been a venture for me. I've been making Mnazzalleh for about a year now, and it's a frequent repeat recipe for me -- easy to make, healthy to eat, and a recipe that really makes the eggplant tasty, firm, chewable, and memorable. Mnazzalleh is a type

  I am not a fan of Rachel Ray -- she with her EVOO this and PEI that. She's too happy for me to want to spend too much time with, and her family-cooking recipes these days tend to be, well, gross. But, if you go back in time before she was overly-exposed, she had some good ideas. A few years ago, she was featured as an up-and-coming chef in Vegetarian Times . This recipe comes from this particular issue, from June 2004. Thai Spicy Eggplant with Sweet Basil Rachel Ray in Vegetarian Times , June 2004 1 c jasmine rice 2 T peanut oil 1/2 - 1 tsp red pepper flakes 3 eggplant, cubed into bite-sized chunks 1 onion, diced 1 red bell pepper, diced 4 cloves garlic, finely chopped 2 T white vinegar 3 T tamari sauce 2 T dark brown sugar 20 leaves basil, shredded or torn Begin by cooking your spices -- here red pepper flakes -- in hot oil. Let them release their flavors by cooking 10-15 seconds. Then, add cubed eggplant and stir-fry for 2-3 minutes. Add o