Vegetables | Simple By Cindy

Quinoa with Brown Butter and Spinach

Sep. 18
2017

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is an ancient crop that has been eaten by the South American people for 5,000 years. It means “mother grain” in the Inca language. While some people refer to it as a grain, it is actually a seed. It is gluten-free, comes in different colors and is just plain delicious.

This hardy little seed looks a little bit like couscous, but is smaller in size and crunchier in texture. Quinoa has many health benefits. It is rich in lysine, which promotes tissue growth throughout the body, has a very high range of anti-inflammatory benefits and is rich in nutrients such as iron, magnesium, vitamin-E, potassium and fiber. Have I convinced you to try it yet?

Quinoa is a very versatile food. It can be used in soups, salads, side dishes, and stuffing. I loved this particular recipe because of the use of the browned butter and spinach. Actually, the original recipe called for arugula, but because I am not a fan of arugula, I substituted spinach. The author was kind enough to share some other ways of making yummy adjustments. For example, you could use whole wheat couscous, or cooked millet instead of quinoa. You could also add some grated cheese, which I did as well, or some dried cranberries or toasted pine nuts. Any way you choose to make this recipe, it will be wonderful!

This recipe is courtesy of Cook This Now and will serve 2-3 people who will become new quinoa enthusiasts!

Ingredients for Quinoa with Brown Butter and Spinach

1 cup quinoa
2 tbsp. unsalted butter
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces spinach (about 4 cups)
3/4 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 tsp. freshly ground pepper
1/3 cup grated Parmesan -Reggiano cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil.

Add the quinoa and cook until the center is opaque and the husks begin to loosen from the grain, 10 to 12 minutes. Drain well.

Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat.

Cook until the foam subsides and the butter just begins to turn a nutty brown, about 2 minutes (watch it carefully to see that it doesn’t burn).

Stir in the garlic and cook 30 seconds.

Add the spinach, 1/4 teaspoon salt and the pepper.

Cook, tossing until the greens are just wilted, about 1 minute.

Stir in the quinoa and the remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt and heat through for 30 seconds.

It’s that simple!

Rustic Greek Pie

Sep. 14
2017

I love Greek cuisine and its combination of ingredients. Although I had never tasted haloumi cheese, when I found this recipe, I knew I had to try it. It turns out I liked the cheese, and I loved it in this recipe.

Inspired by Mediterranean cuisine, this rich, Greek pie is similar to a tiropita. A favorite Greek mid-morning snack, a tiropita is a traditional cheese pie made with a light, buttery phyllo dough and filled with a cheese and egg mixture.

The author of this recipe altered some of the traditional ingredients for a tiropita. I also made an adjustment and switched the frozen shortcrust with a puff pastry sheet. I could not find frozen shortcrust at my supermarket, and the puff pastry worked well. I really enjoyed the combination of the feta and the haloumi cheeses, making this pie both sweet and savory. The spinach and the oregano gave it a nice Mediterranean aroma. This rustic Greek pie would work well as a side dish or an appetizer. For any vegetarians out there, this would make a fantastic main dish.

This recipe is courtesy of Vegetarian Cooking and will serve 4 people who will love this version of Greek pie.

Ingredients for Rustic Greek Pie

1 pound packet of frozen spinach, thawed
1 large sheet of frozen shortcrust (pie) pastry, thawed (I used puff pastry sheets)
3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
5 1/2 oz. haloumi cheese, grated
4 1/2 oz. (3/4 cup) crumbled feta cheese
1 tbsp. oregano leaves
2 eggs
2 oz. (1/4 cup) pouring cream (whipping or heavy cream)
Lemon wedges to serve

Preheat the oven to 415.

Squeeze out the excess liquid from the spinach.

Place the pastry (or puff pastry sheet) on a baking tray.

Spread the spinach in the middle, leaving a 1 inch border around the edge.

Sprinkle garlic over the spinach and pile the haloumi and feta cheese on top.

Sprinkle with the oregano and season with salt and pepper.

Cut a short slit into each corner of the pastry, then tuck each side of the pastry over to form a border around the filling.

Lightly beat the eggs with the cream and carefully pour the egg mixture over the filling.

Bake for 30-40 minutes, or until the pastry is golden and the filling has set.

Serve with lemon wedges.

It’s that simple!

A Fragrant Onion Tart

Sep. 11
2017

While raw onions have a “sting” when you bite into them, baked onions are tender and sweet. Raw onions frequently make me cry, but this onion tart definitely made me smile. Apparently, when you allow raw, biting onions to cook over low heat for a while, they will do an about-face and become soft and sweet, and totally irresistible.

This recipe does not call for a deep caramelization of the onions. They are cooked just enough to reach a beautiful, golden hue. They are then complemented by gruyere cheese, creme fraiche, milk, and thyme, and enveloped by a light, buttery and flaky crust. The result is pure, awesome, homemade comfort food.

Just to note— I doubled the crust, as I always do, and found I needed it when pressing it into the tart pan. I wonder why such small amounts work perfectly for the experts, but not for “home” cooks such as ourselves?

This is an elegant tart that I will be making for one of the upcoming holidays. It will perfectly accompany any main dish, or make a perfect main dish itself.

This recipe is courtesy of Vegetable Literacy by Deborah Madison and will serve 4 as an entree or 6-8 as a side dish or appetizer. I would make two, because as soon as you serve it, there will be nothing remaining but crumbs!

Ingredients for A Fragrant Onion Tart

The filling:

1 1/2 pound onions, preferably white, (about 3 medium)
2 slices of bacon (optional) cut crosswise into small pieces
2 tbsp. butter
1 heaping tsp. fresh thyme leaves, or 2 pinches dried
Sea salt
Freshly ground pepper
3 eggs
1 cup creme fraiche or cream
1/2 cup milk
1 cup grated aged Gouda or Gruyere cheese

The Crust:

1 cup plus 2 tbsp. white whole-wheat or spelt flour
1/4 tsp. salt
6 tbsp. butter, cut into small bits
3 tbsp. ice water or more, if needed

To make the filling, cut your onions in half, peel them and if they are strong, put them in a bowl of cold water. It doesn’t take long for them to reduce their sting.

Finely dice the onions.

If you are using bacon, fry it until browned and nearly crisp, then scoop it out to drain on a paper towel.

Throw out the bacon grease, wipe out the pan, and add the butter.

When melted, add the onions, thyme, and 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 25 minutes in all. At first the onions will be very moist, but after 10 minutes, their water will be cooked off and they will begin to color. They needn’t be caramelized, but just take on a faint golden hue.

Preheat oven to 400.

When they are done, let them cool slightly. Taste for salt–they’ll be very sweet so you might want to add more–and season well with pepper.

While the onions are cooking, whisk the eggs with the creme fraiche and milk.

Stir in the cooked onions and the cheese.

To make the crust, put the flour and salt in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.

Add the butter and turn mixer to a low speed until the butter has broken into small, pebble-sized pieces.

Drizzle in the ice water until the dough looks clumpy and damp. You’ll use about 3 tablespoons or less if the butter was soft.

Form the dough into a disk or a rectangle to correspond to the shape pan you are using, wrap it in a plastic bag, and refrigerate.

Roll the dough to fit your chosen tart pan, then drape it into the pan.

Neatly press the dough up the sides of the pan and shape it.

Pour in the onion mixture, even it out, then bake until the surface is golden and browned in places, 45 to 50 minutes.

Let cool to warm before cutting into slices and serving.

It’s that simple!

Roasted Cauliflower and Ricotta Grandma Pie Recipe

Sep. 4
2017

This is a recipe I knew I just had to make. I had never seen a recipe for cauliflower and ricotta cheese pie and was curious enough to try it. I made some changes to the original recipe to make it more simple and user-friendly. For example, it originally called for fresh pizza dough, but I used puff pastry dough, which you can easily find in your grocery store.

If you have never had the pleasure of tasting a cauliflower and ricotta pie (and who has?), you definitely need to try this one! It might be intimidating looking at the ingredients and the directions, but trust me, it is not very complicated. There are a few things you can do the day before to make the assembly easier (I added that information below). However, I did it all in one day and it did not take much time at all.

This pie has a delightful crust that is topped with a scrumptious, perfectly seasoned cauliflower mix. It presents beautifully and tastes even better. Every bite is pure cheesy perfection that combines harmoniously with the cauliflower.

This recipe is loosely taken from Bon appetit and will serve 6 people who will be thrilled to enjoy this new kind of “pie”.

Ingredients for Roasted Cauliflower and Ricotta Grandma Pie Recipe

For the cauliflower:

1 head cauliflower, cut into small florets
Zest of 1 lemon
Juice of 1 lemon
6 anchovy fillets packed in oil, drained
4 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 cup of capers, drained and chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
Kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper

For the breadcrumbs:

1 cup finely ground breadcrumbs
1/4 cup of olive oil
2 ounces Parmesan, finely grated (about 1/2 cup)

To assemble:

2 Puff pastry sheets
1 1/2 cups mozzarella, grated
1 cup fresh ricotta
1/2 cup chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

Preheat oven to 400.

Toss cauliflower, lemon, anchovies, garlic, lemon juice, zest and capers with oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper.

Roast, tossing occasionally, until cauliflower is tender but not browned, about 20 minutes.

DO AHEAD: Precooking the cauliflower and the breadcrumbs means they will get toasty and crisp as the pie bakes. An extra step, but well worth it.

Toss the breadcrumbs and oil on a large rimmed baking sheet; toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 6-8 minutes. Let cool; toss with Parmesan.

Lower oven to 350.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread puff pastry over it (you may have to roll the puff pastry a bit to fit).

Bake the puff pastry for 10 minutes.

Take out of oven and top with mozzarella, dot with ricotta, and top with the cauliflower mixture.

Turn down sides of puff pastry over cauliflower mixture.

Bake until golden brown and crisp, about 20-30 minutes.

Top pie with toasted bread crumbs and bake 1 minute longer.

Sprinkle with parsley.

It’s that simple! (yes, it really is!)

Tuscan White Beans

Aug. 21
2017

I love beans. I don’t make them that much, however, because they are very time consuming to cook. First, you have to soak them overnight and then simmer them on the stove. That being said, I think they are worth every laborious minute.

Cooking a pot of dried beans will make you wonder why you ever bought them in a can. In a pinch, to save time, this may seem like a good alternative. But considering all the disgusting additives and preservatives they put into the can, you may want to reconsider. I have been reading and learning about all the appalling ingredients that the FDA allows food companies to put in our food. If you haven’t been doing your research on this you should. It will shock you.

Beans are an excellent source of vitamins, minerals, and proteins. They are rich in fiber, potassium and complex carbohydrates. They are dehydrated which is why you need to soak them overnight before cooking them. They are flavorful, inexpensive and versatile.

This recipe is wonderful. The use of fennel gives the beans a savory flavor that is so satisfying and enjoyable. After soaking the beans overnight, the remainder of the recipe does not really take that long. You can use this same process with almost any kind of bean. I will definitely try this recipe again using a different kind of bean. I will warn you—once you have prepared dried beans this way, you will never buy a can of beans again!

This recipe is courtesy of Ina Garten and will serve 6 people who will be thankful for the time you spent making it.

Ingredients for Tuscan White Beans

1 pound dried white cannellini beans
1/4 cup good olive oil
4 cups chopped fennel; stalks, fronds, and core removed (2 large)
2 cups chopped carrots (4 carrots)
1 tbsp. minced garlic (3 cloves)
1 cup chicken stock
1 tbsp. fresh sage leaves
1 tbsp. minced rosemary leaves
2 tsp. kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1/2 cup freshly grated Pecorino Romano cheese

The night before, soak the beans in a large bowl with water to cover at least 2 inches. Cover and refrigerate overnight.

The next day, drain the beans, rinse them well, and place them in a large stockpot. Add twice as much water as you have beans, bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer uncovered for about 45 minutes, until the beans are very tender. Skim off any foam that accumulates.