Farm Fridays: Heirloom Tomato Salsa

The tomatoes have really started coming in around here, so it's time for some serious canning.

I've found that we go through our canned goods rather slowly - so much so that I have to work at planning recipes that will use them up. For example, we put up fifteen quarts of canned tomatoes last year (plus a few pints), and five of them are still sitting in the basement. Somehow, despite going through applesauce like water the year before, most of last year's supply is still down on the shelf as well. While these things are delicious and useful, strategizing is often necessary to ensure they actually get used. However, there is one canned item that this does not apply to - in fact, I have to strategize about how to keep it  on the shelf. That item, my friends, is salsa.

I absolutely adore this heirloom tomato salsa recipe. I love how vinegary it is, the pretty mixture of colors, and how the assortment of heirlooms used gives each batch a slightly different flavor. Last month, I wrote about my sadness at cracking open the last remaining jar, which I had been jealously hoarding for months. But the time for sadness is past - now it's time to replenish those stores! We've made two batches of this salsa this month, and another one will likely go down this weekend. Since we were making this all the way into October last year, I think we've gotten a pretty good jump on things. This year, I hope to be able to give my salsa away freely and still have plenty to enjoy for my own afternoon snacks!

Heirloom Tomato Salsa
From Put 'Em Up, my go-to canning book. 
(The original recipe says that this makes 7 cups, but I like a thicker salsa, so I usually get about 5 out of it. I didn't cook this particular batch down far enough, so I ended up with 5 1/2.)
 
1 c distilled white vinegar
1/4 c sugar
1 tbsp salt
3 lbs heirloom tomatoes, seeded and diced (skins are fine here - how finely you chop them depends on how chunky you like your salsa)
1/2 lb onions, diced
1 jalapeno, seeds removed and minced
1 c cilantro, chopped

Combine the vinegar, sugar and salt in a large, nonreactive saucepan and whisk together. Bring to a boil (definitely put your vent fan on - boiling vinegar is hard on the eyes!).

Add the tomatoes, onions and jalapeno. Return to a boil for 15-20 minutes, until the salsa reaches the desired consistency.

Remove from heat and stir in cilantro.

Ladle into clean, hot half-pint canning jars, leaving 1/2" headspace. Process 15 minutes in a boiling-water canner.

Farm Fridays: Black Bean and Corn Salsa

Last week I was very sad to see the bottom of the last jar of salsa that we put up last fall. I absolutely adore our homemade salsa and I've been savoring it all winter long. I was saving that last jar for a rainy day, almost afraid to use it, knowing that tomato season was so far off.

(In case you haven't caught on yet, I'm a bit dramatic about food. Obviously, salsa can be purchased at the grocery store in all seasons - but that's not the salsa I crave. I have a small fear of running out of the food I like best. This same fear carries over to traveling - I rarely leave the house without some snacks, in case . . . all the stores and restaurants are closed? I don't know. Suffice to say, breaking the seal on the last remaining salsa jar was a stressful moment for me. Delicious, but stressful.)

Anyway, even though tomato season is just barely kicking off around here, I realized this week that fresh salsa season has totally begun. I got a huge bunch of cilantro from the farm last week and it got me thinking about salsa making. The black beans in my pantry started calling to me. I had never made my own black bean salsa before, but I've had it a few times and really enjoyed it, so I cracked open an old cookbook and found a recipe. This particular recipe didn't require me to go out and buy anything - I had a giant heirloom tomato (the first of this year's harvest!) and some corn from the farm this week, half a red onion in my crisper drawer, and a jalapeno and some bell pepper strips in the freezer from last fall. (The bell pepper strips are really past their flavor prime, but I hate wasting anything, so I decided to use them - this salsa will only be that much better when fresh peppers are in season!)

Salsa is always simple to make - just toss some stuff in a bowl, stir, and set aside while the flavors get to know one another. This particular salsa took a bit more of my time than usual because it makes a TON - the recipe says seven cups, but I think I used more beans than it called for. I was actually a little concerned as I made it, wondering how we were going to use so much salsa. After I tried some, though, all those thoughts went away. I've actually been eating this salsa all afternoon. I've been hard pressed to keep myself away from it. It's totally delicious, pretty as a picture, and makes an excellent healthy snack. Someone just needs to invite me to a barbecue so I have an excuse to make another giant batch!

Black Bean and Corn Salsa
Adapted from Southern Living: Secrets of the South's Best Barbecue cookbook. 

3 ears corn
1/3 c lime juice (fresh is preferable, but I used bottled juice for this one because all the limes in my refrigerator were already spoken for)
1/4 c olive oil
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp red pepper flakes
1/3 c cilantro, chopped
~3 c black beans (I cooked 1 c dried beans and used them all)
1/4 red onion, chopped
1 giant tomato, chopped (about 1-1 1/2 c)
1 c bell pepper, chopped (I used frozen strips of red and green peppers)
1 jalapeño, seeded and finely chopped

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Salt well, add the corn and cook 3 minutes. Remove to an ice bath to stop the cooking process.

In a large bowl, whisk together the lime juice, oil, salt, cumin and red pepper flakes. Stir in chopped cilantro.

Slice the corn kernels off of their cobs and add to the bowl along with the beans, onion, tomato, peppers, and jalapeño. Stir well to combine, tossing with dressing.

Refrigerate for 4-8 hours to allow the flavors to meld. Enjoy!

Toasted Garlic, Tomato and Arugula Orecchiette

Tomato season is just about ready to get started around here. Are you ready?

By the end of the summer, we always have piles of tomatoes from the farm sitting around, so I start putting ad hoc tomato sauces on everything. But this dish isn't your run-of-the-mill pasta-and-sauce combo. It's just as easy (if not easier!) than the cherry tomato sauces I usually make, but the flavors are more focused. Toasting the garlic in the oil at the beginning lends a deep garlic flavor to the whole dish. A huge pile of ripe cherry tomatoes makes for a delightfully sweet sauce. Stirring in plenty of arugula at the end adds a peppery zing that makes this dish stand out.

Arugula season may be on the way out (most of mine has bolted by now), but I think this dish would work well with other greens, too. While spinach and chard lack the pepperiness of arugula, they would lend a lovely earthy note to the sweet tomatoes. And you can always add a little zingy black pepper at the end.

Toasted Garlic, Tomato and Arugula Orecchiette
Adapted from Lemon Fire Brigade. 

1/4 c olive oil
6-7 cloves garlic, thinly sliced
1/2 tsp red pepper flakes
3 c grape tomatoes, halved
3/4 lb orecchiette pasta
1/2 c reserved pasta water
3/4 c Parmesan cheese, shredded
8 c arugula
zest of 1/2 lemon
salt and pepper

Bring a large pot of well-salted water to a boil. Cook pasta according to package directions, reserving 1/2 c pasta water.

In a large saute pan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the garlic slices and cook, stirring, until the edges begin to get golden and toasted. 

Add the tomatoes to the pan and stir well, coating the them in the garlicky oil. Add the red pepper flakes and simmer on low for about 5 minutes, until it takes on a loose saucy consistency.

Add the pasta to the pan and stir to coat with the sauce. Add some of the reserved pasta water, if necessary, to loosen the sauce up (I often find that enough water is still clinging to the pasta that I don't need my reserved water at all). Grate Parmesan over the top and stir to combine. Taste and season with salt and pepper, if necessary.

Remove from the heat and stir in the lemon zest and arugula (my skillet wasn't big enough, so I transferred the whole mixture to a mixing bowl for this part). Enjoy!

Farm Fridays: Tomato and Pesto Pizza

Fall farm pick-ups are like a rainbow: red tomatoes, orange carrots and winter squash, yellow-green tomatoes, dark green spinach and parsley, purple kohlrabi (if any of you finds a blue vegetable, let me know - I guess hubbard squash would be the closest). I like seeing all the lovely produce arranged on my kitchen counter.

Today's farm pick-up was a little bit of an adventure. The tomato plants all died with the frost last Friday, so there is currently no limit on the green tomatoes from those plants, which will likely be plowed under soon. After hearing my mother and grandmother reminisce about the green tomato pickles they used to make forty years ago, I was determined to try my hand at a batch for them (hello Christmas presents!). I marched out into the field of dead tomato plants and started feeling around for nice tomatoes - there were plenty. I think I only picked from four plants, total. But as soon as I got out there, a sprinkle of rain began which turned into a full-on downpour in about thirty seconds. Fortunately, I came prepared with my rain gear (whose worth was proven in the north of England last year). Still, my basket and its contents were getting soaked, so I hustled. I didn't get as many tomatoes as I would have wanted - possibly a good thing, because my eyes are bigger than my stomach where preserving projects are concerned - but I still got enough for a few jars of pickles. Stay tuned to hear about that.

When it came to planning today's dinner, I wanted to keep it easy, since I'm planning a packed day of canning and cooking tomorrow. I've been eying a big jar of pesto in the back of our fridge - made with the last of our yard's basil, hastily picked in anticipation of the season's first freeze. I'd frozen some of the pesto but I never got around to finishing the job. Now it needs to be used. I thought it might be nice as a pizza sauce, so I grabbed that, some slicing tomatoes from the farm, a ball of fresh mozzarella, and a ball of pizza dough that was conveniently stashed in the freezer (when making pizza dough from scratch, it's always worth doubling the recipe and freezing one for a rainy day).

This pizza was everything I'd hoped. The pesto, while a little off-color due to its age (it oxidizes quickly when exposed to air), was still bright and tangy. The sliced tomatoes dehydrated in the heat which allowed their flavor to concentrate. The dough was beautifully crispy. Jeff was a big fan of this one. And since we had all these lovely homemade ingredients sitting in our fridge already, it only took us a few minutes to pull together. Perfect for a lazy Friday night.

Tomato and Pesto Pizza

1 ball pizza dough (recipe here)
1/2 c basil pesto
2-3 small slicing tomatoes, sliced thin (1 large beefsteak would do it, I think)
1 ball mozzarella cheese (or shredded mozzarella - the down side to our using very fresh mozz is that there was too much liquid. If we'd used a harder, drier ball, or prepackaged shredded cheese, it would have helped the tomatoes roast and concentrate even more)
dried oregano, to dust over the top

Put the pizza stone in a cold oven and preheat to 450. Let the oven and pizza stone heat for about an hour.

When ready to bake, roll out the dough into a circle that fits your pizza stone. Check that the pesto is a spreadable consistency (if not, microwave for a few seconds). Make sure all your other ingredients are at hand (the dough will start cooking as soon as it hits the stone, so you need to work fast!).

Remove the pizza stone from the oven. Gently lay the dough onto it. Spread the pesto across the dough gently (if the bottom crust has started to crisp already, you might need to hold it down gently to keep it from sliding around as you spread the pesto). Sprinkle with cheese.

Spread the tomato slices evenly over the top and sprinkle with dried oregano. 

Return to oven for 8-10 minutes, until crust is crisp and cheese has begun to bubble and brown. Cool a few minutes before serving.

Farm Fridays: New World Chili

What a nice Farm Friday! The past two weeks (during which I was on a blogging hiatus) we took home enormous and diverse piles of produce (it's entirely possible that attempting to finish my dissertation chapter while dealing with those piles is the reason behind that hiatus). This week was much more manageable, perhaps because the variety has calmed down a bit. Don't get me wrong - I love variety! But trying to find ways to use up that many things over the course of a week stressed me out a bit.

This week I found menu planning much easier, due to the reduced variety, and I managed to use a whole lot of produce in one fell swoop when planning today's dinner. I had some squashes (one acorn, one carnival) languishing in the basement from two weeks ago - today I noticed some blemishes forming, so I knew they had to be used. Chili was the first thing that came to mind.

Chili is perfect for this time of year because it wants the exact vegetables that are peaking: tomatoes, peppers, and winter squash. I found a great recipe for black bean chili with butternut squash from What Would Cathy Eat?, but I decided to tweak it a little. And by "a little," I guess I mean "a lot." I turned it into a clear-the-fridge catch-all. I kinda overdid it.

This is still a tasty chili - sweet squash offset by hearty beans, meaty turkey and smokey chipotles - I just messed up the proportions. In my zeal to use up the remaining vegetable stock in my freezer (since I was in the process of making another batch), I added way too much liquid. There were too many vegetables (if such a thing is possible) and not enough turkey and beans. In the recipe that follows, I have adjusted the quantities to more appropriate levels. The result should be a chili just as delicious as the one I had tonight, but more effectively balanced.

New World Chili
Adapted from What Would Cathy Eat?

2 tbsp olive oil
1/2 - 1 lb ground turkey (I used 1/2 lb here, but add more for a meatier chili)
3 tbsp chili powder
1 1/2 tbsp dried oregano
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tsp cayenne pepper (this chili was pretty hot - if you're not a heat lover, definitely reduce or eliminate the cayenne)
salt and pepper to taste
2 onions, chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped (I used one red and one yellow - any color you have on hand will do, although sweeter peppers are preferable)
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 jalapeno peppers, minced
2 chipotles in adobo, minced
2 lb tomatoes, peeled, cored and chopped (I used regular slicing tomatoes, but plum tomatoes would be preferable if you have them - mine are reserved for canning)
2 c winter squash, diced (I used acorn and carnival)
1 c vegetable stock (or a combo of stock and your favorite beer)
3 15 oz cans black beans, rinsed
1/2 c cilantro, chopped
sour cream or Greek yogurt for serving

In a large Dutch oven (mine is 5 quarts and I nearly filled it - even with the adjusted proportions, you'll want a big pot!), heat the oil. Add the turkey, chili powder, oregano, cumin, cayenne, salt and pepper and stir, breaking the turkey up into small chunks, for 2-3 minutes, until cooked through. 

Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic, jalapenos, and chipotles and stir to combine. Cook, stirring occasionally, for 4-5 minutes, until the onions begin to look translucent.

Add the tomatoes (and any juices), squash and stock to the pot and stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer 10 minutes, or until squash begins to soften. Add the beans and cook 5 minutes more. Stir in the cilantro and serve, garnished with a dollop of sour cream or Greek yogurt.

(Belated) Farm Fridays: Oven-Dried Tomatoes

Hooray for tomatoes! Now I can really get going on stocking my pantry for winter. (I know that my life is not Little House on the Prairie and we will not starve if we don't put up enough food for winter. Even so, I panic a little when I realize it's September and I have completed so few of the staple preserving projects I had planned.)

Welcome to our kitchen counter. This is the vast majority of the counter space we have to work with in our kitchen, and yesterday it was nearly full of produce from the farm. We got a ton of stuff yesterday - I knew a lot of it was going to be preserved rather than eaten this week. The jalapenos went straight into the freezer (easiest thing in the world to freeze, in my opinion). Today, most of the edamame were blanched and frozen as well. The tomatoes are the big project, since there are so many. We made yet another batch of heirloom tomato salsa today (which is incredibly delicious). We're probably going to can some chopped tomatoes later in the week. I'm waiting on those plum tomatoes to ripen so I can finally get going on canned whole tomatoes - I had planned to make a lot this year, and so far we haven't done any. But we can't start until we have enough fully ripe ones. So I wait.

Last week's plum tomatoes were finally fully ripe on Thursday, so I decided to oven-dry them. And since I'm a glutton for punishment, I went out to the farmers market and grabbed two more quarts of ripe ones to dry as well (I figured I might as well fill the oven). We made a batch of oven-dried tomatoes last year, froze them, and used them in lots of winter dishes. They bring an amazing pop of concentrated sweet tomato flavor to any dish (like Farfalle with Asparagus, Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Boursin). Sun-dried tomatoes are expensive. Frozen oven-dried tomatoes are cheap and easy to make. All you need are some sweet plum tomatoes, a little oil and some time.

Time is the real issue. The recipe I used said 5-6 hours in the oven. I didn't get mine in until after 5 pm, and overloaded the oven with three baking sheets, meaning that by midnight, they still weren't done. Hence the belated Farm Fridays post. We tossed them in a tupperware, put them in the fridge overnight, and finished them off this afternoon. Overall, this batch took about 8 hours. What can I say? Good things take time. And these are a very good thing. Try them and see!

Oven-Dried Tomatoes
From Put 'Em Up.

any quantity plum or paste tomatoes (they will have to fit on baking sheets in your oven, of course - I did not weigh the quantity I used, but just figured out how many would fit on my baking sheets before I proceeded)
canola oil

Preheat oven to 250° F.

Slice tomatoes in half lengthwise. Toss in a bowl with just enough canola oil to coat.

Lay the slices out on parchment-lined baking sheets, cut-side up.

Place sheets in the oven for 5-8 hours, until the tomatoes are shriveled and caramelized (it's ok if some of them turn black around the edges - they're not really burning and still taste fine). The length of time will depend on the size and moisture content of your tomatoes as well as how many you attempt to squeeze into the oven. Keep checking them and be patient. You want them to be dry to the touch and a little rubbery, not gooey or oozing.

When the tomatoes are done (or most of them - a couple big ones in the above picture are still a bit underdone, but I froze them anyway), stick them on parchment-covered baking sheets (the same baking sheets are fine, if they fit in your freezer) and put them in the freezer overnight. The next day, remove the tomatoes from the baking sheets and transfer to a labeled freezer bag for storage (freezing them individually first allows them to freeze faster and prevents them from sticking together in the bag later).

Farm Fridays: Tortellini Pesto Salad

I am back in the country and it is Farm Friday! After spending several weeks in pursuit of vegetables on foreign shores, I have found the mother lode in Pennington. My CSA share today was epic. Behold the glory: 

Blackberries, watermelon, summer squash, tomatoes, green beans, jalapenos, potatoes, chard, basil, parsley, shallots, bell peppers and eggplant, along with a lovely large bouquet of flowers. There was so much going on that it was difficult for me to decide on a menu for the week. Normally, I give top priority in my planning to things that are very perishable and any leftovers from the previous week. Today, overwhelmed with options (and feeling the jet lag), I was a bit more haphazard. Hopefully we will get through a good portion of this pile without it spoiling! I may have to make a ton of pesto this weekend to use up my half pound of basil.

Pesto was on the menu for today, but instead of making some fresh, I felt obliged to try and use up the last of my frozen pesto from last summer. Last July, to be precise. It's quite a bit past its peak (which was technically in December), but it tastes fine and I can't countenance wasting it. So fresh pesto will have to wait another day or two. Until then, old pesto or not, I will be enjoying this delicious tortellini salad, packed with summer vegetables. If it pleases you, feel free to make yours with fresher stuff.

Since I'm finally back home, expect to see more recipes on the site soon!  

Tortellini Pesto Salad
Adapted from a recipe found in the Wegman's circular a few summers ago.

1 package cheese tortellini (I used tricolor because it looks pretty)
1 bell pepper, thinly sliced (red might be nice, but green's what's available)
1 large shallot, thinly sliced
1 small bunch asparagus, cut into 2" pieces (I know what you're thinking - asparagus is not in season. But, if you remember, I froze some back when it was, to have it available for recipes just like this! Feel free to leave it out if there isn't any available locally.)
2 tbsp olive oil
1 zucchini, sliced into half moons or quarters
3 tbsp pine nuts
1 cup cherry tomatoes, sliced in half
3-4 oz basil pesto
15 basil leaves, thinly sliced

Preheat oven to 450°F.

Cook the tortellini according to package directions. Drain and rinse with cold water. Set aside.

Season the pepper, shallot, asparagus and zucchini with salt and pepper, then drizzle with olive oil. Transfer to a foil-lined baking sheet and arrange in a single layer. Roast for 10-12 minutes, stirring halfway through, until the vegetables are cooked through and soft, though not yet browned. Remove and set aside.

Meanwhile, toast pine nuts in a small pan on the stove top for 2-3 minutes, shaking frequently, until they begin to brown. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large bowl, combine tortellini, vegetables, pine nuts, pesto and sliced tomatoes. Gently stir to distribute the pesto. Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Serve room temperature or chilled, as either a main course or a side dish.

(Belated) Farm Fridays: Grilled Vegetable Pizza

No, I haven't forgotten about Farm Fridays. I planned to make a nice broccoli salad last night with dinner and then blog about it. But that broccoli salad turned out . . . not pretty. And the rest of the meal was the potato salad I posted about a few weeks ago and some barbecue chicken. So there was no post last night. I will make up for it with a post today, and another in a few days, both from this week's delicious produce.

The seasons are changing at the farm. The greens are much reduced (at least, for now) and other vegetables are making their way into my farm basket. This week, we got four heads of lettuce (mostly butter lettuce, which is my favorite!), gorgeous broccoli, bok choy, red chard, garlic scapes, zucchini, scallions and strawberries. I also picked some garlic chives and winter savory (which I'm hoping to root and plant in my own herb garden!). But this was not my only CSA dealing this weekend. Apparently the Friday people got fewer strawberries than everyone else (since they weren't available for our first pick up), so we were allowed to go down to the Chesterfield farm for extra strawberries this weekend. So first thing this morning, Jeff and I got in the car and headed down for our bonus berries. We got another quart of strawberries and another bonus: a quart of green beans!

Since we were already in the area, Jeff and I then headed to Russo's Orchard Lane Farm, just down the road. I visit Russo's stand at the Trenton Farmers Market (we've been enjoying their greenhouse-grown Jersey tomatoes for the past few weeks), but I'd never been down to the farm. At their quaint little farm store, we picked up some grape tomatoes as well as a pile of snap peas, shelling peas, blueberries and garlic. The ride home was awesome, as Jeff and I gorged ourselves on straight-from-the-farm raw summer goodness. While raw green beans are good, raw snap peas are better, and raw shelling peas are just heavenly. There is no better way to spend a summer morning.

Our fresh summer day finished off with a delicious grilled vegetable pizza. I had been planning a pizza with the zucchini from this week's farm share and an ancient red onion from my basement, but I was inspired to add the pert little grape tomatoes as well. At the last minute I decided that our pizza dough ought to be grilled as well. Good decision. The pizza we make on our pizza stone is good, but the crust is never as crispy as we'd like it to be - grilling it resulted in a delightfully crispy crust with picturesque grill marks. I don't think we'll be seeing much of our pizza stone in the near future.

Grilled Vegetable Pizza
2 small zucchini, sliced into 1/4" slabs
1 red onion sliced into 1/4" rings
10 cherry tomatoes
cooking spray
1 pizza dough (mine was homemade with this recipe, minus the basil)
3/4 c pizza sauce (I'm out of home-canned sauce, so I used store-bought)
6 oz fresh mozzarella, sliced
2 tbsp fresh oregano, roughly chopped
salt and pepper

Coat grill rack with cooking spray, then preheat to about 375°F. Spray the zucchini, onion and tomatoes with cooking spray and season with salt and pepper. String the tomatoes onto a skewer. When the grill is hot, spread the veggies on the rack and cook 5-6 minutes on each side, until tender (the tomatoes only need about 5 minutes total). Remove and slice into bite-sized bits.

Arrange your toppings next to the grill. Make sure everything is prepped and ready for you to top your pizza quickly!

With the heat between 300 and 350°F, roll out the dough and carefully place it onto the grill, keeping it from sagging between the rungs. Cook 3 minutes, covered until the bottom is cooked and starting to bubble.

Flip the dough, then quickly arrange the toppings: sauce first, then veggies, then cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Close the lid and cook another 6-10 minutes, until the cheese is melty and the bottom crust is nice and crispy. Slide onto a serving platter and enjoy!

Cannellini Bean Stew

This is one of my most epic creations.

One day, Jeff came home for lunch and there weren't enough leftovers in the fridge to go around.  I generously offered them to him, and scrounged around the kitchen for my own lunch. I found some tomatoes, spinach, and a few cups of leftover cannellini beans. And then the magic happened.

I really didn't know what I was going to make. I just started putting ingredients together in an order that made sense. First, onions sauteed in olive oil. Then, herbs and garlic were stirred in until fragrant. Then, chopped tomatoes joined the party. So far, it was just a lovely fresh tomato sauce. Then I added the beans and let them stew in the mixture, absorbing some of the juice from the tomatoes. Finally, I added in some spinach and let it cook down. Presto! Cannellini bean stew.

What makes it truly awesome is the health factor. I've been using myfooddiary to track my calories and nutrient intakes. What I like about the site is that, when it breaks down your meals, it shades the boxes green or red to let you know what elements of the meal are good or bad for you. A lunch without enough protein or too much sugar will have those boxes shaded red. A lunch with a lot of fiber and iron will have those shaded green. This was the first meal I'd ever cooked that was green across the board. One serving (which I figured was about a quarter of the recipe) has a third of my daily values of iron and vitamin C, more than a full day's worth of vitamin A, and 14 grams of fiber. There is a negligible amount of saturated fat (less than a gram) and no cholesterol. And the percentages of calories from fat, carbs and protein are nicely balanced (20/60/20).

I am not surprised that I could reach around my kitchen, grab ingredients and make something tasty. I do this a lot from leftovers. This dish turned out prettier than most (I make ugly but delicious scrambled egg dishes on a regular basis). But what really floored me is that I could throw together something so healthy, with so little effort on my part. I guess it comes from having a kitchen stocked with healthy ingredients. I need to remember this every time I go to the grocery store - sticking to my list for that one hour will make sure I stick to my diet for the rest of the week. And, perhaps, lead to more epic lunch creations.

Cannellini Bean Stew
1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, sliced
2 cloves garlic, sliced (you could mince them, if you prefer - I was just being a little lazy)
2 tbsp assorted fresh herbs (rosemary, thyme, oregano, parsley, sage)
15 oz can diced tomatoes, with liquid (if you have fresh tomatoes on hand, dice up two large ones)
1/2 tbsp red wine vinegar
3-4 c cooked cannellini beans
4 c spinach, washed and chopped
salt and pepper to taste

Heat a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add the olive oil to the pan and swirl to coat. Add the onions and cook, stirring frequently, 4-5 minutes, until softened. Add the garlic and chopped herbs and stir around for about a minute, until everything is fragrant.

Add the tomatoes and vinegar and stir to combine. Simmer for 4-5 minutes, to let all the flavors blend together. (While it was simmering, I took a potato masher and mashed down some of the larger chunks of tomato, to make the mixture more saucy. It worked beautifully.) Season the sauce with salt and pepper to taste.

Add the beans to the pan and cook for 3-4 minutes, until heated through. Taste and season again, if necessary.

Add the spinach and stir until it is wilted down and combined with the sauce. Serve with a sprinkle of Parmesan cheese, or just enjoy it on its own!

Hearty Chili with Sausage and Beans

I know what you're thinking: Chili? Seriously? It's spring - enough with the heavy winter meals. 

I get it. I do feel self-conscious posting a hearty wintery recipe when all my fellow bloggers seem to be touting strawberries and asparagus. But seriously, guys - strawberry season hasn't started around here. It might be warm outside (most of the time), but it's still pretty early in the season. Asparagus only started showing up at my local farmers market a few days ago. And, to be honest, I had planned to tell you about the nice little pasta dish I made last night with asparagus, shallots and ramps (yes, ramps!), but every one of my pictures turned out blurry (my pictures seem to deteriorate somehow between the camera screen and the photo editor - perfectly good images suddenly look hideous). So chili is what you get.

There's nothing wrong with chili in the springtime, though. Spring evenings can be quite cool - it's just as nice to be able to snuggle down on the couch with a bowl of steaming chili on a spring evening as a winter one. And I'm really wishing I had some leftovers today to stave off the chill of the cold, steady rain outside.

I like making chilis because you can't mess them up. Everything goes in one pot and, usually, the longer they simmer, the better they taste. I also like the variety of serving options. They can be eaten straight from the bowl, with chips or over rice. They invite lots of tasty toppings, too. This time I went light and topped mine with some sliced green onions and a big dollop of Greek yogurt, but you could go with sour cream, any kind of cheese, and even bacon. It's a total crowd-pleaser!

Hearty Chili with Sausage and Beans
Adapted from The Locavore's Kitchen.

2 tbsp olive oil
2 large shallots, chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
5 tbsp chili powder, divided
1 lb Italian sausage, casings removed

1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp garlic powder
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper, to taste
salt and pepper to taste
1 28 oz can chopped tomatoes, with juices (if using home canned tomatoes, a quart will do)
1 c local beer (we used Yards' Philadelphia Pale Ale)
2 c kidney beans, cooked (or two 15 oz cans)
2 tbsp cornmeal (which serves as a thickener)
1 tbsp honey

Heat oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute 3-4 minutes until softened. Add the garlic and stir until fragrant. Add 3 tbsp chili powder and stir for an additional minute. Transfer the onion mixture to a separate bowl. Use a paper towel to (carefully!) wipe the excess spices off the bottom of the pot (otherwise they will quickly burn).

Increase the heat to medium-high and add the sausage. Cook for five minutes, stirring often to brown the meat on all sides. Return the onion mixture to the pot and stir everything together.

Add the remaining spices (the cumin, oregano, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, salt, black pepper and 2 tbsp chili powder) and stir well. Then add the tomatoes and beer. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and let simmer 20 minutes.

Add the cornmeal and honey and stir to thicken the mixture. Add the beans and cook another 10 minutes. Taste and add additional seasonings, if required.

Serve with chips and a dollop of Greek yogurt and some green onions (or whatever else you dream up!).

Minestrone

Today is a day of great productivity. I wrote about a thousand words of my current dissertation chapter, which had been stalled for a few weeks and now I'm writing a long overdue blog post. Let's hope I can keep this up in the future!

I have been sorely remiss in posting lately. I know this. I've been incredibly busy. And the post I've had in the works since the beginning of the month requires Jeff's input. Getting the two of us in a room together and unoccupied has been a mighty feat. You'll hear about another delicious dinner in Philly soon, I hope. Until then, I have some soup to tide you over.

I put it on this minestrone on the menu for earlier this week because I have a large pile of green beans in my freezer that needs to be used up. Freezing green beans sounded like a great plan last summer, but they're really only good for soup. The texture is soggy and unappealing for other sorts of dishes. For soup, though, they're perfect. I just didn't make enough of these soups this winter to use them up! (You may notice that the soup bowl pictured above is chock full of string beans - I overloaded this recipe with them in an effort to use my stash up. Don't worry - the amount included in the recipe below is more reasonable.)

It's really a shame I haven't been making more soups, because this minestrone is delicious. The addition of wine, honey and red wine vinegar to the broth adds fantastic depth. Beans and pasta make it hearty. The other vegetables are super-healthy. Add a salad and it's the perfect light dinner for a spring evening (just not the 85 degree evening on which I served it - next week I will look at the weather before I plan my menu!).

Minestrone 
Adapted from the Rolling Prairie Cookbook.

2 tbsp olive oil
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, chopped
2-3 carrots, chopped
4 celery stalks, chopped
2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
2 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt
4 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 tbsp honey
5 c vegetable stock
1 c red wine
1 1/2 c diced tomatoes
1 1/2 c chopped green beans
2 c cooked kidney beans
4 oz small cooked pasta (we used whole wheat shells)

Heat olive oil in a large Dutch oven over medium heat. Add garlic, onion, carrots, celery and herbs. Cook 3-4 minutes, stirring frequently.

Add pepper, salt, vinegar, honey, stock, wine, tomatoes, and green beans. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer about 30 minutes, until vegetables are tender.

Add beans and cooked pasta and heat through. Enjoy with crusty bread and a salad!

Oregano Focaccia with Tomato and Caramelized Onions

When Jeff picked out this focaccia recipe to make this week, I was only mildly enthusiastic. I usually prefer thin crust pizzas (and this is essentially a pizza - same dough, different cooking method). I also wasn't convinced that the dough would cook properly this way. I envisioned a crisp, overcooked crust and a soggy top with limp veggies. I did not get any of that.

The crust was perfectly done, slightly crispy around the edges but tender and firm. The tomatoes dehydrated slightly, packing a huge flavor punch. Add to that the gorgeous caramelized sweet onions - how they managed to stay moist without making the crust soggy is beyond me, but I'm glad it worked! The sprinkling of salsa jack cheese added a nice pizza-y touch. Super yummy.

I kicked the original recipe up a notch or two by making my own pizza dough. Replacing half the flour with whole wheat added some healthy fiber, and a pile of dried oregano in the dough pumped up the flavor. Oregano is the bomb. What made it even better was that it was dried Greek oregano from my own garden. I can't wait to try this again with my own tomatoes! And maybe some fresh basil? I'm looking forward to summer already!

Oregano Focaccia with Tomato and Caramelized Onions
Adapted from For the Love of Cooking.

1 c whole wheat flour
1 c bread flour
2 tbsp dried oregano
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp sugar (I used my unrefined sugar again - because it is a powder rather than crystals, I think it works really nicely in dough)
1/4 oz instant yeast (1 package)
3/4 c water(115-120°F)
3 tbsp olive oil, divided
1/2 red onion
1 sweet yellow onion
2 plum tomatoes
1/2 c shredded cheese (I used salsa jack, but Asiago or mozzarella would work well too)
salt and pepper to taste

Combine the flours, oregano, salt, sugar and yeast in a large bowl. Add the water and 1 tbsp olive oil and stir until the dough comes together. Turn out on a lightly floured counter and knead for about 7-9 minutes, until smooth and elastic.

Place the dough in an oiled bowl, cover with a damp kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place for about an hour.

Meanwhile, slice the onions thickly and the tomatoes thinly. Shred the cheese, if it isn't already. Preheat oven to 400°F. Coat a 8 x 12" glass baking dish with baking spray.

In a large skilled, heat 1 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over medium heat. Add the onions and slowly cook until caramelized, about 20 minutes. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Take the risen dough and gently spread it into a rectangle the size of the baking dish. Press it gently down into the dish. Drizzle 1/2 tbsp of olive oil over the dough. Spread the caramelized onions over the top. Sprinkle cheese over onions and place slices of tomatoes on top. Salt and pepper to taste. 

Bake until the bread is puffy and golden around the edges. Serve while still warm!