Lentil Walnut Loaf

This recipe is an instant classic. I would tell you how it freezes, but there won’t be any left in a few days. It looks a bit like meatloaf, but tastes so much better, with a little crunch from the walnuts. I followed the recipe pretty closely, although I skipped the flax/water combo in favor of 2 eggs, and baked it in an 8″ square dish for more crispy surface area. Oh, and of course there was just a little more ketchup added after the photo….

Garlic Scape Pesto

My second big find at the Copley Square Farmer’s Market was garlic scapes. Garlic what? The scapes are the immature flower stalks of the plant. I had seen them on Oh She Glows, and then found another great write up on The Hungry Mouse. These are some unruly plants! But I am not sure how long they’re in season locally, so you must look for them right this minute.

I modified the recipe a bit, and then spread the pesto on top of goat cheese on a toasted whole wheat baguette. The pesto is tangy for sure, but it was offset by the creamy goat cheese and made a fantastic lunch with a big salad on the side.

5 garlic scapes, washed and cut into smaller pieces
2 T pine nuts
1/4 c. freshly grated Parmesan
3 T olive oil
2 T lemon juice

Blend in a food processor until it reaches the desired consistency.

Tatsoi Salad

I escaped from my cube on Friday and walked over to the Farmer’s Market right near my office in Copley Square, where there was a huge selection of produce. Plenty of my favorites of course, but I wanted to try something new. I picked up two big bunches of tatsoi, which is a Chinese green. The vendor told me it was “like spinach, but doesn’t get mushy.” Really, she had me at “like spinach…”.

My first tatsoi recipe was this chilled salad from Kalyn’s Kitchen. It was easy to make; I chopped the greens and steamed them for 1 minute, then tossed them with the soy sauce based dressing. I left out the chili sauce, but did put in a dash of cayenne. After chilling in the refrigerator for a few hours, I garnished the greens with sesame seeds and served the salad with (takeout) sushi. It was so nice to have a cool healthy salad on a hot day, and tatsoi has a mild flavor that does taste like spinach. Stay tuned for another brand new produce item tomorrow.

Help Me Pick a Birthday Cake

Lately, my cooking hasn’t exactly been inspirational. But my summer class is almost over, and I promise that the blog will feature more interesting and seasonal recipes. I plan to do quite a bit of cooking over 4th of July weekend with my family. And that’s where I need your help.

You see, when it was my birthday, my sister made this awesome birthday cake. There were three layers of peanut butter and chocolate.

So my sister’s birthday is almost here, and she requested a special birthday cake that I’ll make for 4th of July weekend when we’re together. But the question is, what cake do you think I should make? In the past, she’s had ice cream cakes, and my Mom’s Death by Chocolate trifle. We’re looking for something special, so I am open to suggestions of cakes you’ve made, or ones you’ve had at restaurants and would love me to recreate. There are no allergies or other restrictions, so feel free to be creative.
I’ll let my sister choose, and then I’ll be sure to post the final result!

Cheese and Jam Sandwich

I think I got the idea for this sandwich from Kath, but I’ve seen it many places in the blog world. And I have to say, it’s an excellent combo! This one has cheddar cheese and blueberry preserves, with a piece of Romaine for some crunch. It took less than two minutes to assemble, and made a great lunch paired with some carrot sticks and a piece of fruit. Here it is during assembly – because once I put the two pieces together you can’t really see what’s inside.

Sweet Potato and Pea Chowder

Who took the bag of corn from my freezer and secretly replaced it with a bag of peas!? Yes, this was supposed to be sweet potato and corn chowder, but these days I just have to go with the flow. This was a super easy recipe; it does take the sweet potato chunks some time to become tender, but you can leave it on the stove simmering and not pay too much attention. I also meant this to be more of a milk based chowder, but there was already a lot of liquid, so I settled for just a splash of milk. Plenty of room for improvement here, so stay tuned.

1 onion, chopped
2 t olive oil
1 large sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 c. vegetable broth
1 c. frozen peas (or corn!)
Splash of milk

In a medium saucepan, saute onion in olive oil. Add potatoes, and saute for 5 minutes. Add vegetable broth, cover, and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Remove cover, add peas, and simmer for 5-10 minutes. Remove from heat, add a splash of milk, and season with salt and pepper.

Lavash + Refried Beans = Nachos

Just last week, a few people ask me which type of wraps I use. I really like the Joseph’s brand Flax, Oat Bran, and Whole Wheat lavash, which I find in the deli section of Shaw’s and Stop & Shop. The company is based in Lawrence, MA, so I think they also count as local food.

I use them plain, like in this LOVE wrap, and toasted like the Eggplant Cheese wrap I posted last week. I have also used them as a base for pizza. This time, I used them to make nachos! Remember when I made refried beans? Well, I had just a small container left in the freezer. I cut the wrap into triangles, and baked them on a cookie sheet for 5 minutes. Then, I topped the “nachos” with the defrosted beans and some shredded cheese and baked them for 5 more minutes. I am not going to claim these were anywhere near the best nachos ever, but they did fill the craving with food I already had in the house.

Spiced Eggplant and Lentil Salad

There’s a lot going on in this salad, but it’s all great. First, you mix together roasted eggplant, lentils, spices, honey, lemon juice, and scallions. Then, you place it on a bed of Romaine lettuce and chopped mango. I skipped the recommended cilantro and peanut garnish and left the eggplant/lentil mixture just slightly warm, which worked well.

It was delicious and pretty! Of course, it won’t be as pretty when I try to pack the components to go to work, but I am sure it will taste just as good.