Yellow Split Pea Soup

Last week was quite an experience, getting to know new professors, new classmates, and a new internship. Not to mention administrative details, paperwork, and trekking to and from the city in awful weather. But one thing is certain, the fact that I packed most of my meals this week kept me fueled with healthy foods. I could have used a few more snacks, but otherwise I think I did pretty well. Besides a couple of trips to Starbucks for hot tea, and one Odwalla bar, I had all my meals covered. Finding a relaxing place to eat these meals was a challenge, but that’s a different post.

So in getting ready for Week 2, I knew I needed a soup packed with vegetables and protein. I still had yellow split peas left over from my dal experiment, and I decided to use them in this soup. I substituted canola oil for grapeseed and Swiss chard for kale, but kept in all the spices, including my new favorite smoked paprika. I certainly did not need to put the cooked split peas in a food processor, they were perfectly pureed after an hour on the stove. The soup came together easily, and with a dash more salt, pepper, and smoked paprika, it was seasoned well. This is not your typical split pea soup; the peas simply add more body to the stock. The mushrooms and Swiss chard are what you remember from this soup, and that’s fine by me.

Portobello Mushroom Pasta topped with an Egg

After yet another night of crawling home late in the midst of snow/rain/slush/ice, all I wanted was a hot meal, and fast. Surveying my options, I spotted a portobello mushroom that was a little past it’s prime.

I cut the mushroom into slices, and sauteed them in olive oil. Meanwhile, I boiled water for a small handful of whole wheat penne. When the mushroom was done, I cooked an egg over easy in the very same pan. I topped the pasta, mushroom, and egg with some grated Parmesan. And there you have it, a pretty simple meal with whole grains, vegetables, healthy fats, and protein. But to me it was just a warm comforting dinner on a cold night.

Palak Dal Spinach and Lentils

In honor of my first homemade naan, I also whipped up this Palak Dal, Spinach and Lentils. Except that I used yellow split peas instead of lentils. Ooops. I am pretty sure that made some kind of difference because this dal had the consistency of soup. The good news was that I had time on my hands that day, and could wait for the dal to simmer on the stove for say, two hours, until it reached the desired consistency. The better news was that I liked the way the spices came together, and still enjoyed the final dish, scooped up with my naan. I promise to try this again soon, with real lentils!

Naan

I’ve dabbled a lot in Indian food lately, but this was my first attempt at homemade naan. I used the recipe from Eat, Live, Run but I left the naan plain instead of coating it in Roasted Garlic butter. (I know, what was I thinking??)

Yes, you do need to break out some yeast for this recipe, but the dough comes together fairly easily, and I even mixed it by hand. It only requires one rise, and then you get to form the naan and poke holes in it with your fingers. After a quick bake at a high temperature, this is what comes out of the oven. Crispy in some places, pillowy in others, and perfect for scooping up my latest dal. But next time, I am roasting some garlic and taking this to the next level!

Spinach Orange Salad

I really hate to bring up a sore subject, but I was invited to a party to watch the Patriot’s game on Sunday. I know, we won’t talk about the game. Let’s stay focused on the food. All over Twitter, Boston area foodies were whipping up their best chili, wings, and potato skins. I decided to go against these trends and bring a spinach salad to the event. Not exactly “football food” but a good complement to the pizza which was being served. To make the salad a bit more exciting, I added orange sections and slivered almonds, and then tossed it in my quick and easy Honey Mustard dressing. And you know what, people liked it. In fact, there was another salad there that was also well received. The mood may have been somber, but the crowd was well fed.

Broccoli Cheese Chowder

I wanted to make a basic soup for lunches this week, and decided to try this Broccoli Cheese Chowder from Eating Well. But of course, I read the recipe and ran straight to the kitchen to do my own thing. And you know by now that I don’t generally care if soups are perfectly pureed, the lumps are just fine! With just a dash of cayenne and a little mustard, this soup had more tang than I expected, but I liked that. I don’t know if this particular recipe will make it into my regular rotation, but I will enjoy it for lunch this week.

1 T olive oil
1 onion, diced
3 stalks celery, diced
3 carrots, peeled and diced
1 potato, peeled and diced
1 t minced garlic
Dash cayenne pepper
4 c. vegetable broth
3 c. chopped broccoli
1 c. shredded cheddar cheese
1/2 c. fat free sour cream
1 T mustard

Heat olive oil in a large pot. Add onion, celery, and carrots, and saute for 5-10 minutes. Add potato, garlic, and cayenne pepper, saute for 5 minutes more. Add broth and broccoli. Bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for 20 minutes. Using a potato masher, mash the soup against the side of the pot until it reaches the desired consistency. Add cheese, sour cream, and mustard, and heat through. Season with salt and pepper just prior to serving.

Watermelon Radish

One of my produce picks at the Somerville Farmer’s Market was a watermelon radish. Let it be known that I do not generally eat radishes. I usually pick around them in a salad, but this radish was being sampled at the market and was just so pretty. Maybe not as pretty as a red ripe strawberry, but a whole lot prettier than say, celeriac. The whole radish is about the size of a baseball, see?

And here it is sliced open, so you can see the gorgeous pink color. It definitely has a spicy taste! I brought the radish to work yesterday to share, and those who liked radishes in general enjoyed the flavor and the crunchy texture. One of the things I love to do is introduce myself and others to new produce, especially ones as pretty as this.

Whole Wheat Bread

Last winter I tried some Whole Wheat No Knead bread, but this year I think I’ll give kneading a chance. I find making bread to be both fascinating and frustrating – there are so many different variables which affect the final result, and yet so many errors you can make along the way. Even though I have memories of large bowls of dough covered in towels at my grandmother’s house, I am essentially a beginner.

So after a long afternoon of Internet recipe searching and cookbook reviews, I just about gave up and decided to stick with the Betty Crocker recipe from my 1989 cookbook, and substitute in some whole wheat flour. First, I added a package of active dry yeast to 1/4 cup warm water, with just a sprinkle of sugar. The good news was that it started to foam up right away. Then, I set 2 cups of milk, 1 tablespoon of sugar, and 1 tablespoon butter in a small saucepan on the stove and heated until warm. I put 1 cup of white flour and 1 cup of whole wheat flour in a large bowl, and added the warm milk and stirred. I added the yeast and stirred again.

Here’s where it gets tricky because I stopped measuring. I added another 3-4 cups of flour, using a mix of white and whole wheat, and kneaded the dough by hand for a good 10 minutes. There was dough all over my hands, flour everywhere, and I had no idea whether I was on the right track. This happens all the time with new recipes, you just need to keep moving forward. But I finally dropped the ball of dough into a large bowl coated with cooking spray, covered it with a towel, and left the house to do some errands.

When I returned, more good news – the dough had doubled! I punched it down, let it rest, and then shaped it into two loaves. I placed each in a loaf pan coated with cooking spray, covered it with a towel, and did some laundry. The dough rose again! I baked it at 375F for about 30 minutes, and it was perfectly done. I let it cool before slicing, and then served it with real butter. I’ve got to say, it was pretty good for a beginning bread maker. But the texture was more like sandwich bread, and I want something with a little more crust, so back to the kitchen I go!

Chard and White Bean Stew

The moment I saw this recipe for chard and white bean stew, I tweeted about it, and emailed my Mom and sister to make sure they had seen it. Chard, white beans, and wine, all in a pot – yes, please. A friend of mine was coming over for dinner Sunday night, and I figured we’d be opening a bottle of wine anyway, so I may as well make this stew. Do you like my logic?

The recipe was amazing, but of course I did make a few changes. First, I couldn’t discard the chard stems, so I sauteed them right with the carrots. I used onions from the market instead of shallots, and seasoned the stew with only dried thyme, salt, and pepper. The stew was just as good as I expected, and we both went back for a second bowl. I didn’t serve it with an egg on top, but I did offer a slice of freshly baked whole wheat bread and real butter, so I’d say we’re even. More on the bread tomorrow….

Roasted Cabbage and Potatoes in the Crockpot

So what’s the first thing I did with my local winter produce? Stuffed some in my crockpot, of course. I used this recipe, which is very minimalist, calling for cabbage, potatoes, garlic, oil, balsamic vinegar, salt, and pepper. I used minced garlic instead of whole cloves, and confess to not taking out any measuring spoons, but everything turned out just fine.

There is not a lot of liquid, and the cabbage sticks a little to the sides, but that’s a good thing. It really tastes like you’ve fried the cabbage and potatoes, without the effort required to stand guard over a frying pan for an hour. The dish isn’t necessarily that attractive, but then again, neither is boiled cabbage and potatoes. And this version has a whole lot more flavor, without needing to cook a corned beef. Let’s call it an Italian version of an Irish staple.