Donut Army

I am a fan of starch. And these potatoes are a delicious way of presenting potatoes with interesting, but not overwhelming, flavors. Highly recommended! Roasted Potatoes with North Indian Spices Cooking Light , April 2008 3 1/2 T canola oil, divided 3 lb red potatoes, halved (about 8 c) 1 3/4 tsp black mustard seeds 6 dried red peppers 2 tsp ginger, peeled and minced 3 cloves garlic, minced 1/2 jalapeno, seeded and minced 1 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1 tsp turmeric 1/2 tsp garam masala 1/2 c cilantro, chopped 1/2 c mint leaves, chopped 1 T lime juice Preheat oven to 400. Combine 1 T oil and potatoes and toss to coat. Set aside. Heat remaining 2 1/2 T oil, mustard seeds and chilies in a large skillet over medium heat. Cook 1 1/2 minutes, or until seeds begin to pop. Reduce heat to medium low. Add ginger, garlic and jalapeno to pan; cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Stir in salt, turmeric, and garam masala. Cook 1 minute, stirring const

This tried-and-true recipe was given to me by my dear friend, Marty. It was first served to me at a Thanksgiving dinner going on 20 years ago now, and I continue to pull this out for special occasions.  The secret is the mint! Roasted Peppers and Goat Cheese 6 bell peppers, roasted, peeled and sliced 3/4 c goat cheese, softened Marinade : 2 tsp lemon juice 3 T red wine vinegar 1 clove garlic, minced 2 T mint leaves, finely chopped 6 T olive oil 1/2 tsp salt pinch pepper Marinate the peppers for 2 hours before serving. Each serving should include a slice of French bread, smeared with goat cheese, and topped with marinated peppers.

This is an easy protein-rich dish that has a lot of flavor! A great way to have some beans in your summer kitchen, without needing to keep the stove top on for hours at a time. Green Lentils with Ginger Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking 1 c green lentil (sabud mung) 4 c water 1/4 tsp turmeric 1 T ghee or butter 1 tsp mustard seeds, black or yellow 1/4 tsp asafetida or galic powder 1 T ginger, chopped 1 medium tomato, chopped 2 fresh serrano chilies, cut lengthwise in half 1 tsp salt Place lentils, water and turmeric in a saucepan. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat. Partially cover and simmer 30-35 minutes, or until lentils are tender. While lentils are simmering, heat ghee and mustard seed in 10" skillet over medium heat. Once seeds begin to pop, cover skillet and wait until popping stops. Add asafetida (or garlic powder) and ginger to the mustard seeds and stir-fry 30 seconds, until ginger begins to brown. Add tomato and chi

Y'all probably get sick of me preparing variations of this dish. But, really, what could be better? Warm pasta, sauteed garlic and red pepper flakes, a little bit of oil. And maybe, if you're feeling frisky, a sauteed green to keep it balanced. It's just delicious. This particular version comes to you highly recommended, especially if you find yourself with an abundance of various greens that you want to use up. For this sample, I mixed turnip greens with beet greens and kale. Orecchiette con Cime di Rape The Top 100 Pasta Sauces 1 lb orecchiette or other short pasta 1 1/4 lb turnip tops or other tender spring green (I used a combination of turnip tops, beet leaves, and kale) salt 4 T olive oil 5 cloves garlic 2 tsp red pepper flakes Wash the greens and cut into thins strips. Heat a large pot of salted water. When it is boiling, plunge in the greens and blanch. Do not overcook; they should remain crisp and bright green. I blanched mine for about

There are so many variations on pesto. Which is a good thing! This was a nice, straight-forward version featuring only basil. Very easy to assemble and not too oily. Highly recommended! Premium Basil Pesto Three Bowls 9 cloves garlic 1 c walnuts, toasted 3 c basil leaves 1 1/2 c olive oil 1 1/4 c Parmesan cheese, grated 1 1/4 tsp salt Mince garlic in food processor. Add walnuts and process until ground. Add basil and olive oil. Process until basil is chopped. Then, add cheese and salt and puree 2 minutes, until smooth and creamy. Refrigerate or serve immediately. Can be frozen for several months.

Oh, I know how belated this blog posting is - trust me, I know! But that is just how behind I am. Back in early June, I was able to attend the first annual Edible Texas Wine Food Match - a fundraiser for the new Texas Center for Wine and Culinary Arts . This was a competition featuring five area chefs who presented small complete meals, each course paired with a different Texas wine.  That's 15 dishes to eat over the course of one evening. And, 15 tastes of wine. (Drivers started tossing out the majority of their samples early on.) Below, the teams plate one of the entries in the competition. Each entry featured an appetizer or salad, main dish, and a dessert. And, each portion was accompanied by a local wine. Roasted Lamb Loin with Herb Glazed Turnips, Porcini-Raspberry Soil, Wid Texas Wood Sorrel and Herbs. Entry by Patrick James Edwards of Bin 555 (San Antonio). I was particularly partial to the desserts, including the Grapefrui

I have been searching for the perfect mulligatawny soup recipe, ever since I had a life-changing experience with a version served in Salem, Oregon. I have written a few times for the recipe, to no avail. Meanwhile, I continue my pursuit and am getting closer every time. True Mulligatawny Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking 1/4 c split yellow peas, or toovar dal, or channa dal 7 c water, divided 1 tsp tamarind concentrate paste, or, 1/4 c lemon juice 1 tomato, chopped 1/4 c cilantro, chopped 1 T ginger, chopped 1 tsp salt 1 tsp sambar powder 1/2 tsp garlic powder 12 fresh curry leaves 2 hot peppers (Thai or serrano), cut lengthwise in half 1 T ghee or butter 1 tsp mustard seeds, black or yellow 1 tsp cumin seeds 1/2 tsp cumin 1/4 tsp pepper Heat split peas and 3 c water to boiling in a saucepan. Reduce heat to medium. Partially cover and simmer 30-35 minutes, until tender. Place split peas and any remaining liquid in a blender. When cool enou

An easy vegetable snack, much like baked french fries. Basic Roasted Zucchini Spears The Classic Zucchini Cookbook 2 medium zucchini, halved and cut into 3" long spears 1 clove garlic, minced 2 T olive oil Preheat oven to 450. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Combine garlic with oil in a small bowl. Arrange zucchini on the baking sheet or roasting pan. Lightly brush with oil and sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Roast for 15 minutes, until squash are tender and lightly browned. Transfer to a serving plate and drizzle with balsamic. Serve hot.

This topping has such a great combination of flavors - mint, nuts, lemon and garlic! Yum. Don't be intimidated by the trendy (but accurate) name: gremolata . Just picture this as sauteed chicken breast with somewhat dry (not moist or oily) topping. And trust your growling stomach that these flavors are all great together. Grilled Chicken with Mint and Pine Nut Gremolata Cooking Light , May 2010 Gremolata: 1 c mint leaves 2 T pine nuts, toasted 2 tsp lemon rind, grated 2 cloves garlic, minced 4 tsp olive oil 1/4 tsp coarse salt Chicken: 2 tsp olive oil 4 6-oz boneless, skinless chicken breast halves 1/2 tsp coarse salt 1/4 tsp pepper To make gremolata, place mint, pine nuts, rind, and garlic in a food processor. Process just until combined. Add 4 tsp olive oil and salt. Process to combine. Set aside. To prepare chicken, heat a large skillet over medium heat. Brush 2 tsp olive oil evenly over chicken; sprinkle chicken evenly with 1/

I could, quite possibly, eat this every day. What a great combination of flavors! And, considering the amount of kale that we generally get throughout the year, this is a slightly different way to enjoy the leafy green! Curried Potatoes with Kale Greens Glorious Greens 2 lb potatoes (white, yellow Finn or red) - peeled 1 T canola oil 2 tsp curry powder 1 1/2 c onions, chopped salt 1 1/2 c water 3/4 lb kale (6 c), chopped pepper Cut potato into 3/4" cubes. Heat skillet over medium heat. Add oil. Add curry powder and cook 1 minute. Add onions and saute 5 minutes. Add potato cubes and toss to coat with curry and oil. Season lightly with salt. Add water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat. Cover and simmer 15-20 minutes, until tender. Wash kale. Strip leaves from stalks. Discard stalks and chop leaves into bite-sized pieces. Bring 2 c water to a boil in a pot. Add kale and cook, covered, over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Stir ka

Just when you think you have your favorite version of a staple, there will be a recipe in there that surprises you. Like this one! I have my favorite versions of Indian-influenced rice. But then I made this one, and it may change everything. Very very tasty!  It does require some somewhat specialty ingredients that do not have easy substitutes. If you like cooking Indian food, however, these ingredients will be staples and you should go ahead and get them. Do take note of the rice preparation steps. You can skip these steps, but, it will make the rice stickier and less "Indian." If you haven't soaked your rice before, I recommend you try it at least once to notice the difference in texture that this step creates. Coconut Rice Pilaf Betty Crocker's Indian Home Cooking 1 c basmati rice 1 1/2 c cold water 1 T vegetable oil 1 tsp mustard seeds (yellow or black) 1/4 c split black lentils (urad dal) or yellow split peas (chana dal) 1/4 c

This is such a delightfully easy bread to assemble - just two pots (if you have the right pots). One is the mixing bowl of your stand mixer, and the other, a Dutch oven. Simple to prepare, especially since you don't need to worry about shaping the bread into any particular form -- the Dutch oven does it for you! Highly recommended. Simple Crusty Peasant Wheat Bread Hide the Cheese . com 1 T + 2 tsp yeast 1 T + 2 tsp salt 3 c warm water 2 c whole wheat flour 4 1/2 c unbleached all-purpose flour Combine yeast, salt and water in the bowl of a mixer. Stir quickly to combine and then let proof five minutes. Add the flours and combine, either with a wooden spoon, or if you're lazy (like me) with the dough hook on a mixer. I beat the dough for only about five minutes, until it was shaggy. It will be very sticky. Cover with a cotton towel and let sit in a warm space for 2 hours. Arrange racks in the oven so that a Dutch oven fits on the mid

I am a creamy cole slaw kind of person. I will eat the kind in an oil and vinegar dressing, but I much prefer one in mayonnaise. This is a great version of creamy cole slaw - includes all the right steps, and excludes any trendy or unnecessary ingredients. Just the slaw. Yums! Creamy Coleslaw The Perfect Recipe 1 head cabbage (red or green), shredded (about 1 1/2 lb) 1 carrot, peeled and grated 1 T coarse salt, or 2 tsp table salt 1/2 onion, minced 1/2 c mayonnaise 1 T rice wine vinegar Toss cabbage and salt with salt in a colander. Let drain until cabbage wilts, 1-4 hours. Rinse cabbage and carrot thoroughly in cold water. Press, but do not squeeze, the water out -- using a salad spinner is great.  Pour vegetables into bowl. Add onion, mayonnaise and vinegar. Toss to coat. Season with pepper. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.

Did you ever have a dish of food that just made you feel better while eating it ? This is one of them. Prepared properly, this slightly crisp, barely cooked dish provides energy directly. Honest - I sat at the table and ate this with a goofy grin on my face the whole time! And, had to restrain myself from eating the entire dish in one sitting. Highly recommended! Kale Celery Saute Greens Glorious Greens 3/4 lb kale (6 c), chopped 2 tsp olive oil 2 stalks celery, cut in half lengthwise, and thinly sliced 1 tsp garlic, minced 1 hot red cherry pepper, seeded and diced, or, 1/4 c diced red bell pepper Salt Wash kale and strip leaves from stalks. Discard stalks. Chop leaves. Bring 2 c water to a boil in a skillet. Add kale. Cover and cook over high heat for 5 minutes. Remove and drain. Rinse out and dry skillet. Add olive oil and heat. Add celery and saute 3-4 minutes. Stir in garlic and red pepper. Cover and cook 2 minutes. Stir in kale and heat th

I started this season's tomato splurge with today's recipe - a Tomato Coulis. Simple to prepare, and really quite versatile! We have had a lot of fun with serving this over fried eggs. And, trying to incorporate as much freshness as possible from our CSA farm box from Johnson's Backyard Garden , we often garnish our eggs with shredded fresh cabbage, and top the whole plate with minced basil or parsley. Tomato Coulis Totally Tomato Cookbook 3 T butter 1 medium onion, sliced 2 carrots, thinly sliced 2 1/4 lb tomatoes, peeled and chopped 3 sprigs thyme salt and pepper 1/4 tsp sugar (opt) 2 tsp dry sherry Heat 2 T butter in a large saucepan over moderate heat. Saute onion and carrots until softened. Add tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper, and sugar. Cook, uncovered, over medium heat for anywhere between 15 - 90 minutes -- until you get the consistency you would like. Remove and discard thyme sprigs. Transfer to a food processor and puree until