Local food up-close.

Posted on February 14, 2012 by

I fully expect that I’ll be a little over my head this weekend, when I attend the Ohio Ecological Food & Farm Association’s annual conference. I’ll be there as a representative of Edible Ohio Valley magazine, and I hope to meet many of the growers and producers who bring healthy, wholesome food to the farmers’ markets and retailers in my area. I’m geeky-excited by the program: there are sessions that I can learn from personally on edible landscaping, canning and preserving—but most of the presentations are geared toward commercial farmers. I’m eager to learn about their opportunities and challenges, and to discover how I can help these growers connect with their customers and market their products.

I think I must have been a farmer in a former life …

Posted in Eating local, Food 4 thought | Tagged , | 1 Comment

Delicious broccoli-rice bake.

Posted on February 10, 2012 by

My recent experimentation with whole grains meant that I had some cooked grains leftover after making several recipes—specifically, my chicken, wild rice and orzo salad and my farro salad with butternut squash.

See, here’s one of the great things about these grains: You can cook up a big batch any time (cooking times vary between 15 and 45 minutes, give or take), and stash any unused portion in the freezer, easy-peasy.

Finding myself with odd quantities of orzo, wild rice and farro, I wanted to come up with a way to use all of them together, preferably in a dish that was as hearty and delicious as the other grain recipes I’ve been playing with. I turned to Heidi Swanson’s Super Natural Every Day for inspiration and found her recipe for a savory casserole with mushrooms and brown rice. I swapped the mushrooms for fresh broccoli and made several other substitutions, generally following Heidi’s proportions of liquid ingredients.

The result? Healthy comfort food: cheesy, savory, delicious.

broccoli-rice bake
(serves 4)

2 cups total of any of the following: cooked wild, white or brown rice; farro or barley; orzo pasta
1 head of broccoli, tender stems and florets chopped into roughly 1/4-inch pieces
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 onion, cut into 1/4-inch dice
1 tsp. seasoned salt
1/2 cup ricotta cheese (whole or part-skim)
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
1 egg
1 Tbsp. minced fresh basil
2/3 cup shredded cheese of your choice
salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; spray a 1.5-quart baking dish with nonstick spray. In a large lidded sauté pan, warm a generous Tbsp. of olive oil over medium-high heat until it shimmers. Add onion and stir to coat with oil; reduce heat to medium and sauté until translucent and fragrant, about 8 minutes. Add garlic; sauté 1 minute. Add chopped broccoli stems and florets (if the pan seems to need a bit more oil, go ahead and add some), raise the heat to medium-high and stir-fry the broccoli for 2 to 3 minutes, until it just begins to brown slightly. Add 2 Tbsp. of water to the pan and quickly cover; steam the broccoli until it’s just tender, about 2 minutes. Taste the vegetables and add seasoned salt (I like Jane’s) and pepper to taste.

In a small bowl, whisk together the ricotta, yogurt and egg until well combined. In a large mixing bowl, combine cooked rice or orzo, cooked vegetables and basil.  Add ricotta mixture and and 1/2 of the cheese, and stir gently to combine. Transfer mixture to the prepared baking dish; top with remaining cheese, then cover the pan with a piece of foil that you’ve spritzed with a little baking spray. Bake for 30 minutes, then remove the foil and bake 20 more minutes, until the cheese begins to brown in spots.

related recipes
cooking with whole grains
quinoa breakfast

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Millet-vegetable fritters.

Posted on February 8, 2012 by

Wait, now … I know what you’re thinking: Millet? Isn’t that bird food? And, No way can I convince my family to eat something weird like this. But stay with me here.

These little fritters [we could also call them croquettes or cakes] are packed with huge flavor and flecked with colorful vegetables. They’d make a fine vegetarian main course, a yummy side to grilled fish or chicken, a fun party food.

And this recipe is hugely flexible. I first encountered millet during a cooking class on whole grains hosted by Dandelion Chef Laura Robinson. Millet cooks to a thick porridge-like consistency, so it holds together well when formed into patties or balls that can be sautéed or baked. Laura guided us through a recipe for millet croquettes with an Indian flair, flavored with curry and garam masala and finished with an interesting tomato-coconut cream sauce. Delicious.

I began with Laura’s recipe and tinkered extensively with the add-ins and spices (though the essential base of cooked millet is hers). I decided to play with North African flavors, inspired by my trip last year to Marrakech, where I enjoyed a cooking class that highlighted Moroccan cuisine. I added warm spices to the millet fritters, and then kicked things up with a hit of harissa (the North African chile-based condiment) in the tomato sauce. Also delicious!

millet-vegetable fritters
(makes about 16 fritters)

1 cup dry hulled millet (find this in the natural-foods section or at Whole Foods)
2 3/4 cups water
1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. ground ginger
1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. regular or smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg

1/2 red bell pepper, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1/2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/8-inch dice
1 onion, cut into 1/8-inch dice (divided use)
5 garlic cloves, minced (divided use)
2 Tbsp. finely chopped fresh parsley

1 28-ounce can whole peeled tomatoes, pureed in a blender
1/4 cup plain Greek yogurt
harissa to taste (or use sriracha or the hot sauce of your choice)

vegetable oil
olive oil

For the fritters
In a fine mesh strainer, rinse the millet in cool water. Bring 2 3/4 cups of water, the millet and 1/4 tsp. salt to a boil in a saucepan; cover, reduce heat and simmer until the water is absorbed, about 15 minutes. Remove from heat and cool slightly.

In the meantime, combine cinnamon, ginger, cumin, chili powder, paprika and nutmeg in a small nonstick skillet; cook, stirring, over medium heat until the spices become aromatic, 1 to 2 minutes. Quickly transfer the spices to a large mixing bowl.

In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers; add 1/2 the diced onion and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add 3 cloves of minced garlic, red pepper and zucchini and continue to cook until they’re cooked through but still crisp-tender. Season vegetables with salt.

Transfer the cooked vegetables and the cooked millet to the mixing bowl with the spices; add parsley and stir gently to combine well. Taste and adjust seasoning, adding salt and pepper as needed. Set this mixture aside to cool a bit so you can handle it. Scoop out 2 Tbsp. of the millet-vegetable mixture and gently press it into a disk about 2 inches wide and 1/2 inch thick. Repeat with remaining mixture; set fritters on a baking sheet covered with waxed paper. Alternately, you can form the mixture into 1-inch balls and bake them according to the directions below.

In large nonstick skillet, heat 2 tsp. of canola or vegetable oil over medium heat until it shimmers. Working in batches, add the fritters and sauté until they’re nicely browned, about 6 to 8 minutes per side. Alternately, you can bake the fritters (on a foil-lined baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray) at 350 degrees for 20 to 30 minutes, until they’re lightly browned.

For the sauce 
In a sauté pan, heat 1 Tbsp. olive oil over medium heat until it shimmers; add 1/2 the diced onion and stir to coat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 8 minutes. Add 2 cloves of minced garlic and cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add pureed tomatoes; cook, stirring occasionally, until the sauce thickens, about 10 minutes. Stir in Greek yogurt and harissa or hot sauce to taste.

To serve, ladle some sauce on each plate, then place the millet-vegetable fritters on top.

related recipes
cooking with whole grains
farro and butternut squash salad

Posted in Dinner, Inspired by, Recipes | Tagged , , , , | 2 Comments

Fabulous wild rice salad with chicken.

Posted on February 6, 2012 by

I know: Salad for dinner. It just sounds so, I dunno, uninspiring. But I love a really hearty salad for dinner—one that’s full of flavor, texture (um, and maybe a bit of cheese) along with greens and veggies. We’re not talking iceberg-and-carrots here, folks. No, I wanted to create a stick-to-your-ribs salad that incorporates a bit of protein (chicken, in this case) plus whole grains (wild rice) and a creamy dressing that packs a punch. Even better: This salad stores and travels well (just add the dressing right before you serve it), so it’s an easy make-ahead recipe and it’d be great pack-your-lunch option. The salad dressing, with its pretty pale green color and kick of garlic, is super flexible—it’s joined my basic vinaigrette recipe and my best blue-cheese dressing recipe as standards in my kitchen.

hearty wild rice, orzo and chicken salad
serves 4

1 cup cooked wild rice
1 cup cooked orzo
1 1/2 cups diced cooked chicken (grilled or store-bought rotisserie)
1 red bell pepper
1/2 apple
1/3 cup dried cranberries
1/2 head radicchio
1 head Belgian endive
1/2 cup crumbled blue cheese (optional)

1 recipe creamy basil salad dressing

Place wild rice, orzo and chicken in a large bowl. Dice the bell pepper and apple into roughly 1/2-inch chunks, and add those to the bowl. Slice the radicchio half lengthwise, then crosswise into thin strips; slice the endive in half lengthwise, then crosswise into thin strips. Add radicchio, endive and dried cranberries to the bowl, along with the blue cheese if you’re using it [of course you are]. Drizzle with half the creamy basil dressing and toss to coat, adding more dressing if needed. Season well with salt and pepper to taste.

related recipes

farro and roasted butternut squash salad
a hearty salad with many variations 

Posted in Recipes, Salads, Sauces & dressings | Tagged , , , | 3 Comments

Creamy basil salad dressing.

Posted on February 2, 2012 by

I concocted this creamy basil salad dressing recipe to complement a salad with chicken, wild rice and other good things … but when I tasted the result, I immediately thought of about a zillion other uses for it. Its pretty pale green color conceals intense flavor (note: if you want to tame the intensity, use 1/2 a garlic clove instead of a whole one). Oh, and guess what: It’s low fat [shhhh ... we won't tell anyone.]

This basil-infused dressing is wonderful on a simple salad of butter lettuce and sliced avocado. It would also be fantastic in a French-style potato salad or a pasta salad filled with cherry tomatoes, zucchini and bell pepper. I’m also keen to try a dollop of basil dressing as a garnish for vegetable soup.

creamy basil-garlic salad dressing
(makes about 1/2 cup)

1/2 cup low-fat plain Greek yogurt
4 Tbsp. slivered fresh basil
1 Tbsp. sliced scallion greens
1/2 to 1 clove garlic, chopped
2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice
1 Tbsp. honey
salt and pepper

Transfer all ingredients to a tall jar and, using an immersion blender, pulse just to combine, then blend at a constant speed to create a smooth, creamy dressing that’s evenly pale-green in color. (Alternately, place all ingredients in a blender and blend until smooth and green.) Refrigerate for up to 1 week. The flavors will blend and intensify as the dressing sits, so feel free to go light on the garlic if you prefer.

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10 great football party ideas.

Posted on February 1, 2012 by

Rob and I are particularly psyched about the Super Bowl this weekend, not only because of the classic Giants vs. Patriots matchup, but because the game is happening practically in our own backyard. What a coup for Indianapolis (my hometown) to host this major sporting event.

We’re not Super Bowl party people (we actually like to, you know, WATCH THE GAME). So I don’t have a good excuse to make a ton of food for a gathering. Instead, I’ll share my Top 10 Appetizer Ideas in hopes of inspiring your party planning:

Caramelized Onion Dip—the old sour-cream-onion-soup standby grows up, with caramelized onions and a healthier Greek yogurt/sour cream mix. You can make this low-fat and people will never know. Which means, well, you can eat twice as much.

Pea Dip with Parmesan—this is a fun, unexpected alternative to guacamole, and just as tasty with tortilla chips or pita chips.

White Bean Puree—yep, we’re in full-on dip mode here, folks, and this is yet another one of our favorites.

Blue Cheese Ball—skip the beer cheese and go for something incredibly flavorful and a bit more special. Whole-wheat crackers are the perfect go-with.

Pizza with Pretty Much Everything—ham? Check. Salami? Check. Cheese? Check. Yep, that’s pretty much everything.

Tomato-Feta Dip—bright and tangy, perfect for focaccia toasts or crostini. I don’t love either anchovies or cilantro, so I substitute capers and parsley in this recipe.

Toasts with Egg and Bacon—in the whole breakfast-for-dinner vein, this is like a bite-sized breakfast, with toasted baguette slices topped with hard-cooked egg and bacon, with a teensy bit of mayo to whole the whole works together.

Mascarpone Torta with Pesto—if you want to get a bit fancy, this looks fantastic, and it reminds me of a cheese spread Rob & I have enjoyed at the Oakville Grocery in Healdsburg, CA.

Wheat Berry Salad with Tomato and Smoked Mozzarella—completely nontraditional as a party food, yes, but this is hearty and delicious, and it makes enough to feed a football team.

Ultimate Build-Your-Own Party Snack Mix—natch.

Posted in Pizza, Recipes, Snacketizers | Tagged , | 3 Comments

Ultimate build-your-own party snack mix.

Posted on January 30, 2012 by

If you’re newish to this site, you may have seen the recent emphasis on whole grains and thought writes4food was all about carrot sticks and bran flakes.

Not so, my friends. Herewith, I introduce to you the ultimate, new and improved, build-your-own party snack mix recipe.

Now, I’m a big fan of the original nuts-n-bolts and party mix recipes that have appeared on boxes of Chex and Cheerios in the decades since Ralston and General Mills realized they could sell epic quantities of cereal by positioning it as a snack food. But, I ask, why are we limited to cereal and nuts and pretzels? What about all the other fun snacks, like Cheetos and Combos and cheddar goldfish? Why are they never invited to the party?

Hence, after much testing and research (I hate this job), I give you this: a blueprint for building your own perfectly customized party snack mix. Just in time for the big game. And you can make it absolutely your own: If you nibble on Annie’s Cheddar Bunnies (you virtuous thing, you), then by all means invite them to hop into the bowl. Love you some Corn Nuts? You have my permission.

My premise is this: Begin with your choice of base ingredients and toss with my updated version of the butter-and-Worcestershire seasoning blend; using a smaller proportion of base snacks really concentrates the flavor. After baking—and here’s where things really get interesting—add whatever big-taste snacks your heart desires. There are no rules.

And now, if you’ll excuse me I need to go … mmmmmnnch!

ultimate build-your-own party snack mix

seasoning
4 Tbsp. butter, melted
2 Tbsp. Worcestershire
1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard
1/2 tsp. seasoned salt (I use Jane’s)
1/2 tsp. garlic powder
1/2 tsp. onion powder
1/8 to 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper (to your taste)

snacks (see notes below)
6 cups of base snacks
1 1/2 cups of nuts
4 cups of flavored snacks

base snacks
unsalted: Wheat Chex, Rice Chex, Corn Chex, Cheerios, oyster crackers, plain popcorn
salted: Bugles, Fritos, sesame sticks, salted pretzels, plain bagel chips, potato sticks

nuts
dry-roasted peanuts, salted roasted peanuts, salted roasted mixed nuts, sunflower seeds, honey nuts, pumpkin seeds, salted roasted cashews, salted roasted almonds

flavored snacks
wasabi peas, Cheez-its, cheddar goldfish, Terra Sticks, Corn Nuts, sweet potato chips, flavored bagel chips, Bar Chips, Cheetos, Combos, cheese puffs, flavored pretzels, puffed veggie stix

Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper or foil. In a large bowl, stir all the seasoning ingredients to blend; add 6 cups of base snacks and 1 1/2 cups of nuts and toss everything gently to combine thoroughly. Spread mixture on the prepared baking sheet and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove pan from oven and spread 4 cups of flavored snacks on top of the base snacks. Let everything cool, then transfer back to the large bowl and toss gently to combine.

For the version you see below, I used 5 cups of Cheerios, 1 cup of Fritos (which I broke into bite-size pieces), 1 1/2 cups of dry-roasted peanuts and, for the flavored snacks, 2 cups of Snyder’s Sea Salt and Cracked Pepper Pretzel Pieces (OMG, these are dangerously good) and 2 cups of Pepperidge Farm Cheddar Goldfish.

I love serving this kind of snack in wide-mouth Ball jars.

Posted in Better than store-bought, Recipes, Snacketizers | Tagged , , | 1 Comment