You Need a Shave!

...well, at least your salad does.  I have a new fascination with shaved vegetable salads.  First of all, they're pretty (and you know I dig that!), but they are also very easy to put together and on hot days like today, they require no cooking (I dig that even more!).  Even when I was a kid, I didn't like the idea of a hot meal and the additional warmth that the kitchen gave off on a hot day.  My mom would ask me what I wanted for dinner, and I would usually say "watermelon."  Not a very nourishing meal, so I never really got that, but the idea stays with me all these years later.

So tonight it's a shaved veggie salad with citrus vinaigrette....

Four simple ingredients: asparagus, carrot, radish, and walnuts.  Asparagus is one of my favorite veggies. and its season is almost over, so I'm trying to gobble it up before they're gone.  I know, you'll continue to see them in the grocery store, but they're not going to be locally grown and fabulous. Trust me, when you buy vegetables that are in season and grown locally, you don't have to do much to them to make them delicious; they just naturally are.

I used a vegetable peeler to shave long ribbons of the asparagus spears and the carrot (try to find rainbow carrots if you can; they're gorgeous!) and then thinly sliced the radishes.  Toss the veggies with walnuts and viola!  If you're willing to cook a tiny bit, you can blanch the asparagus tips in boiling water for a couple minutes and garnish with them.  If you want to go totally raw, then save the tips in a ziploc bag  in the freezer and throw them into a homemade veg stock.

As for the vinaigrette, the surprising key to its great flavor is the use of orange juice concentrate.  I'm not generally in favor of using a packaged product over the real thing, but in this case it is so much better.

Orange-Ginger Vinaigrette

Yield: 1/4 cup

2 tablespoons white balsamic

2 tablespoons orange juice concentrate

2 teaspoons chopped ginger*

1/2 teaspoon honey

1/2 teaspoon chopped chives*

1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

Salt & pepper to taste

Place all ingredients except for salt and pepper in a small jar, cover and shake to combine.  Season to taste with salt and pepper.

* A few tips: Use the side of a spoon (instead of using a knife) to peel the ginger.  This way you don't "give up too much real estate" when peeling it.  Use scissors to cut the chives into little peices.  And lastly the best way to taste your dressing is to use a piece of lettuce, or in this case one of the veggies, dipped in the dressing to see how it will taste in the salad; a spoonful is too overwhelming. 

If you don't make dressing in a jar and use a bowl instead, be sure to add all the ingredients except the olive oil, and then slowly whisk in the oil.  Then season to taste with salt & pepper.

Enjoy!! 

Super Pasta Salad

When I was in college (a thousand years ago) I made a lot of pasta salad.  It was cheap and easy; two essential college components. Pasta salad, ramen noodles and nachos were unfortunately my go-to meals.  I overdosed on them and haven't been able to eat them since.... yes, I know, I'm not missing out.

The past few weeks I've had to make lunch for the students in the culinary program, and every lunch includes a salad.  I'm not afraid to say that I make a mean salad, and the students have been very complimentary of each and every one, taking pictures and jotting down the ingredients... boy, I love their enthusiasm!  But I was really getting tired of greens, so yesterday I went back in time and whipped up a grown-up pasta salad....

I used quinoa pasta for starters; it's gluten-free and is a good source of protein.  My favorite brand is Ancient Harvest.  I picked the Garden Pagoda pasta; like radiatore, it has lots of grooves to hold sauce or, in this case, dressing. 

I blanched a bunch of asparagus and cut them into bite-sized pieces, chopped some radishes, carrots and kalamata olives, and tossed in frozen corn and toasted walnuts.  For the dressing I simply mixed cider vinegar, diced shallots, dijon mustard, a tiny bit of honey, salt and pepper and then slowly whisked in twice as much olive oil as vinegar.  Pour it over the salad and give it a good toss.  It's perfect for these hot days, travels well, and is great the next day.  And it looks pretty.....you know how I like food to be pretty!

Enjoy!

Veggie Pot Pie.....Oh MY!

For me, cooking is not just a passion or a business; it's like a drug. I need to do it.  I get a little "itchy" if I'm kept from it.  So last Friday, knowing that I was looking at a weekend away, filled with dining out and no chance of cooking, I had to get a quick fix in before I left.  Well....bettter make it good.

...and it was!!  Veggie Pot Pie.

I've been dreaming about pot pies for weeks.  My friend Ken has been raving about a wonderful chicken pot pie he gets at a market nearby, and last week he brought me one.  It was delicious, and anytime I eat something that inspiring, I try to figure out how to make it myself....and make it even better (and healthier).

First of all, I had to deal with the dough.  I'm just not a fan of baking.  It's important to measure and be precise, and that's just not my style.  I'm more of a fly by the seat of my pants kind of girl.  So I opted to use Pepperidge Farms puff pastry sheets.  The thing about the way I cook and teach is that I like things to be easy, approachable, and most of all quick.  So the puff pastry sheets made all that possible.  The rest of the recipe comes together in no time.

You can use any seasonal vegetables that you like, but I have a special love of mushrooms.  They're meaty and add great texture, so I can skip the meat. They're also one of the most nutritious veggies out there, full of disease fightling vitamins and minerals.  I sauteed portobellos, crimini and shiitakes with sweet onion, diced carrot and baby spinach.  Now there are certain foods that naturally scream out for other ingredients.  In the case of mushrooms they love rosemary and sherry.  Who am I to keep them apart?

What would a pot pie be without that creamy sauce the veggies swim in?  This is where it gets genius.  Originally I was planning on making a veloute.  Veloute is one of the five "mother sauces," and takes a little bit of time and attention to make.  It's not hard, but it's also not easy.....and you know I like easy.  So instead, I pulled the skillet off the heat and stirred in a 7 ounce container of creme fraiche.  I tasted it (always taste your food before you serve it...more salt, pepper, spice???) and did one of those "growls" the students at Bauman pointed out to me that I make when my taste buds are particularly happy.

Lastly, top with a square of puff pasrty, brush with egg  and bake to golden, crispy goodness!

Oh yeah, baby!

Veggie Pot Pie

Serves 4



1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 lb shiitakes, sliced

1/2 lb crimini mushrooms, sliced

2 portobello mushrooms, stem and gills removed, caps thinly sliced

2 carrots, diced

1 small onion, thinly sliced

4 cups baby spinach

1/4 cup sherry

1 tablespoon chopped fresh rosemary

1/2 teaspoon French Herb Salt

1/4 teaspoon pepper

7 ounces creme fraiche

1 sheet puff pastry, thawed (time it right so it doesn't sit too long or it's difficult to work with)

1 egg, lightly beaten

• Preheat oven to 450°.
• Melt butter and oil in a large skillet over medium high heat.
• Add mushrooms, onions and carrots and saute 8-10 minutes.
• Add spinach, sherry, rosemary, salt and pepper and cook until spinach is wilted, stirring occassionally.
• Remove from heat and stir in the creme fraiche.
• Unfold the thawed puff party sheet.  On a floured surface, with a lightly dusted rolling pin, roll out to a 12" square and cut into 4 equal squares.
• Divide veggie mixture between four 8 ounce ramekins.  Top with puff pasrty, folding down around the rim.
• Pierce all over top with a fork and brush with egg.
• Place on a baking sheet and bake until crust is golden brown, about 15 to 20 minutes.

So glad I still had a couple waiting for me when I got back home....