Millet with Black Beans and Vegetables

Ingredients:
1/4 cup of millet (or quinoa)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
2 T minced fresh ginger
Kosher salt
1 c water

2 shiitake mushrooms, sliced
2-3 baby carrots, chopped
2 baby bok choy, sliced
1/2 shallot, sliced
2-3 T chopped red cabbage
Fresh ground black pepper
Garlic, minced (optional)

Splash rice vinegar
Olive oil

Supplies:
Cutting Board + Knife
Hot plate + Pot + Lid
Pan + Spatula

Directions:

In a small pot, combine millet with black beans, water, ginger and water.  Bring to boil, then reduce heat, and simmer covered until water is absorbed.  Remove from heat and let sit.

Note:  The bean-millet mix will last for two meals - one for now and one for later when you saute up a few more vegetables.  If serving a guest, double vegetable amounts.

Then place pan on hot plate and heat olive oil, adding in garlic (optional) and shallot for about 30 seconds when pan is hot.  Add carrots and red cabbage and cook for a few minutes to soften.  Then add mushrooms, continuing to stir.  Finally, add bok choy until leaves soften and just begin to wilt.  Remove vegetables from heat.

Place half of the grain-bean mix on plate.  Top with vegetables.  Sprinkle with rice vinegar.  Enjoy!

Candida Modification:  Ditch the vinegar.

Portobello Mushroom Ravioli in a Shitaki Basil Cream Sauce

Few things more enjoyable than good wine, good food and good company - except perhaps having all three together. For my first dinner party back in a full kitchen, I choose a few of my favorite ladies, a Clos Du Bois Chardonnay and Portobello Mushroom Ravioli in a Shitaki Basil Cream Sauce. Pretty amazing combination.

Ingredients:
24 oz. mushroom ravioli
2 T butter
8 oz shitaki mushrooms (sliced)
3 green onions (chopped)
2 garlic cloves
1/2 t dried oregano
1/4 t dried basil
1/4 t dried thyme
1 can diced tomatoes (drained)
2 T fresh basil
1 c whipping cream
1/2 c parmesean chesse (grated)
1/2 t salt


Directions:

Heat water in pot and bring to boil. Add ravioli to boiling water and cook per instructions.

While ravioli is cooking, melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add mushrooms, green onion, garlic and seasonings to butter. Saute until mushrooms are tender.

Stir in diced tomatoes, basil and cream. Bring to boil. Reduce heat and simmer for an additional 5 minutes. Add Parmesan cheese and salt. Remove from heat.

Drain ravioli when cooked. Add to sauce. Tossing to coat.

Served Best With: White Wine, Salad, Fresh Bread.

Rainy Day Recipe: Potato-Fennel Soup

When the weather is wet, the Spice Girl gets cooking!  After much traveling and eating on the run, I am happy to be back in the kitchen tonight.  I got my latest box of organic produce from my CSA this week and it was packed full of some hearty vegetables, including - to my surprise - a bulb of fennel.

Now, fennel is not normally a vegetable that I would pick up in the store and buy, but that's why I love my CSA box.  It pushes my creativity in the kitchen.  So with the weather outside pouring down, I decided to whip up a delicious and warm potato-fennel soup.

Ingredients:
olive oil
1/2 yellow onion, finely chopped
2 cups vegetable broth
potatoes (I used about 15 fingerling potatoes)
1 bulb fresh fennel, chopped
salt
pepper
cream

Supplies:
Hot Plate
Pot
Cutting Board & Knife
Hand Blender
Ladel

Directions:
Start by sauteing the onions in olive oil over medium heat in your cooking pot.  When onions are soft and slightly translucent, add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil.

In the meantime, chop potatoes and fennel and add to pot.  Cook for approximately 20 - 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until potatoes are soft.

When potatoes are soft remove from heat and let cool for a few minutes.  Then puree the vegetables using the hand blender until smooth.  Add salt, pepper and dash of cream to taste.

Simple, absolutely delicious, and extra servings store well for lunch.  Bon apetit!

Warm Beet Salad

A delicious and colorful winter salad.

Beets are low on calories, full of vitamins, remove toxins from the body and nourish the bloodstream.  So why aren't you eating more of them?  Well now, there is simply no excuse.





Ingredients:
1-3 Beets, depending on size and your appetite
Vinaigrette
Goat Cheese
Fresh Mint
Orange Wedges

Supplies:
Foil
Cutting Board
Knife
Toaster Oven

Directions:
Preheat toaster oven to 450 degrees.  Rinse beets and cut off tops.  Wrap in foil and cook in oven for 40 - 50 minutes, cooking until soft.  Remove from oven and let cool.

When cool enough to handle, peel skin off beets (watch out for perma-pink fingertips).  Slice beets and arrange on plate.

Peel orange and break into segments.  Add to top of beets.  Drizzle vinaigrette over the top of the beets.   Chop up fresh mint and sprinkle over the top of the salad, along with goat cheese.  Bon Apetit!


Warning:  Don't freak out if your pee turns red.  It's gonna happen.  Cuz beets are cool like dat.

Oatmeal

Oatmeal is the breakfast of champions - hearty and healthy. But it can easily be boring, so mix it up with any of the following toppings:

• Butter or Flax Seed Oil
• Brown Sugar or Maple Syrup
• Dried Cranberries (these are great for singles, because they store easily and last a long time)
• Sliced Almonds (great for adding protein, and like cranberries, I always keep some in my cupboard)
• Sliced Bananas
• Milk

Candida Modification: Skip the sugar and the milk. Try your oatmeal with butter, dried cranberries, bananas, sliced almonds and unsweetened soy milk

Apple Cider-Acorn Squash Soup

Speaking of eating in-season.  This delicious winter soup uses acorn squash and in-season honeycrisp apples.  A small acorn squash produced two perfect single servings - one for dinner and one for lunch tomorrow.  (Also great for guests!)

Like any good soup, the  recipe is a little in-exact.  Just taste and alter to your liking and squash size.

Ingredients:
1 small acorn squash - the size of a large grapefruit
2 apples
1 cup vegetable broth
1 T butter
honey
cinnamon
nutmeg
allspice
salt and pepper

Supplies:
Toaster Oven and Baking Dish
Large Pot
Juicer (or just buy the apple juice/cider instead)
Hand Blender
Spoon

Directions:
Cut the acorn squash in half.  Spoon out seeds.  Place 1/2 tablespoon of butter in each half and drizzle with honey.

Roast the acorn squash in the toaster oven at 400 degrees.  Cooking time will vary based on your oven and squash size.  But 30 - 45 minutes is a good window.  Poke squash with fork and remove when soft.  Set aside to cool.

In the meantime, chop and juice the two apples.  Mine made about 12 ounces of juice.  Place apple juice in large pot and dash with cinnamon, nutmeg and allspice.  Bring to boil and reduce to simmer.  Cook for 5 - 10 minutes.

Add 1 cup vegetable broth and cook for a few more minutes.  Remove from heat. 

Drizzle any liquid butter and honey from the center of the squash into the pot, then scoop the squash out of its skin using a spoon.  Put squash in pot with juice/broth, throwing away the skin.

Using hand blender, puree squash into soup.  Add more broth as necessary for appropriate thickness.   Taste.  Add salt and pepper as desired.

Served Best With:  Fresh Bread

Candida Modification:  Lose the honey

Sunday Morning Brunch: Almond Crusted French Toast

Only one piece of toast was dropped
during the taking of this photo

A new spin on traditional french toast - giving this breakfast favorite a little more flavor, texture and protein. 

Ingredients:
1 egg
splash half-n-half or milk
1 T vanilla yogurt (optional - or 1/4 t vanilla extract, also optional)
4 T sliced almonds
French Baguette
Butter
Powdered Sugar

Supplies:
Hot Plate + Pan
Hand Blender/Food Processor
2 shallow bowls
Whisk or fork

Directions:
Take 2T of almonds and place in food processor.  I use a hand blender with the food processor attachment.  Remove ground almonds from food processor and put in shallow bowl.  Add an additional 2T sliced (not ground) almonds.  Stir.

In a separate shallow bowl, beat together egg, milk and yogurt until smooth.

Heat pan on hot plate to medium temperature.  Add butter.  Cut baguette into slices and dip first in egg mixture, then in almonds.  Place in pan.  Cook for a couple minutes on both sides until lightly brown and egg is cooked.

Place on serving plate, sprinkle with powdered sugar.  Top with your favorite topping - maple syrup, peanut butter and jam, fresh fruit, butter and powdered sugar, etc.

Best Served With:  Coffee or orange juice

Mini Mushroom Quiche

Excuse the absence, Spicerettes and Spiceroids.  (Is it ok if I call you that?)

I'm back and in action - whisk in hand and hot pad ready.  A good friend and a good yoga class has inspired tonight's cooking frenzy.  And for your pleasure (or rather mine, because I'm the one eating it), a mini-dish for a mini-kitchen.  Tonight, the wonderful, the delicious, the bite-sized mushroom-cheese mini quiches.

Great for breakfast, great for lunch and great for dinner.  Feel free to mix up the recipe by using your favorite filling - ham, bell peppers, bacon, chives, leeks, you name it.

Ingredients:

The Post-Yoga Cooking Sessions

Quiche Pie Crust
1 1/4 cups flour (I used whole grain, but all purpose is good too)
1/4 t salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/4 cold water

Quiche Filling
3/4 cup half n half
2 eggs
1/8 t salt
Shredded Gruyere and Swiss cheese (Trader Joe's has a great pre-shredded pack)
Parmesan cheese
Sliced Crimini Mushrooms

Supplies:
6-Muffin muffin tin
Mixing bowl (2 if you got them)
Cutting board
Knife
Fork

Whisk

Coffee cup

Toaster Oven
Hot Plate + pan

Directions:
Preheat toaster oven to 350 degrees and lightly grease muffin tin (I use spray olive oil - seems like a reasonable choice).

Blend flour and salt in mixing bowl.  Cut in shortening with pastry blender (or rather a knife and fork).  Add water and continue to mix with fork.  Use hands to blend into ball.

Place dough on lightly floured cutting board.  If you have a rolling pin, now would be a good time to use it.  However, I don't, so my two freshly washed hands did a sufficient, albeit probably lumpier, job.  Try and get it thin and even across the cutting board.

Use a large cup or small bowl to cut circles into the dough.  I used my favorite wide-mouthed coffee mug.  Remove circles and line muffin tin cups with dough.  When done, mix eggs, half-n-half and salt in a bowl.  Whisk well.

Heat up the hot plate and place a lightly greased pan on the burner.  When heated, lightly saute mushrooms.  Spoon mushrooms into muffin tins.  Top with shredded cheeses.  Then pour egg mixture into muffin tins to fill.

Place quiches in toaster oven and bake.  This will vary from oven to oven, but mine took about 15 - 18 minutes to thoroughly cook the egg and lightly brown the crust.

Remove from oven.  Let cool.  Consume.  Enjoy.  Clean up.

Served Best With:  Side Salad, Bacon, Orange Juice, Coffee

Candida Modification:  Forget about it.  Just make yourself some scrambled eggs.

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

Portobello Mushrooms are another great item that you can buy in single portions. This is one of my favorite dishes - meaty, filling and vegetarian. Enjoy!

Portobello Mushroom Sandwich

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Ingredients:
1 Portobello Mushroom
1 Bell Pepper - Red or Orange are my favorite, but pick any color
Red Onion (optional)
Lettuce (optional)
Pesto (alternative: olive oil and vinegar OR garlic aioli)
Mini Baguette, Panini, or 2 slices of regular ol' bread

Supplies:
Cutting Board + Knife
Toaster Oven
Hot Plate + Pan + Spatula (optional for sautéing onions)

Directions:

Preheat Toaster Oven using Broiler setting. Once preheated, place bell pepper in oven close to broiler. Let pepper skin blacken. Now walk away and straighten up your apartment or put on the DVR or dance to some good tunes. In a toaster oven, roasting regrettably takes longer than a conventional oven - mine took about 20 minutes. Occassionally check in to rotate pepper until all sides are blackened.

Once the entire pepper is blackened, remove pepper from toaster oven. Place in plastic bag and tie closed. Place bag in fridge to cool.

In the meantime, place mushroom in oven (cap side down, gills up) to broil. While mushroom is cooking, chop onion. Turn on hot plate and heat small amount of olive oil in pan. Add onions and saute. When onions are soft, remove from pan.

Check on your mushroom. Poke with fork to see if done. Remove mushroom when soft. Set aside to cool.

Get pepper from fridge and remove from plastic bag. Peel skin off of pepper using knife or fingers. Cut the pepper open and remove seeds and stem. Cut into 1" strips.

Spread pesto or other dressing on bread. Layer grilled onions, lettuce, roasted bell pepper and mushroom.

Viola! Portobello Mushroom Sandwich.


Great Alone, But for a Larger Meal Consider Serving With: Garlic Mashed Potatoes; Salad; Chips; Potato Salad; Glass of Wine

Eggplant Parmesan

For all the talk about the birds and the bees, I still believe Mother Nature was a free spirit and a solo bird. Take eggs or peaches or avocados, for example - all perfect single portion foods. An eggplant is no exception. Here's a favorite dinner for one.

Eggplant Parmesan

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Ingredients:
1 Eggplant (preferably American or Italian)
Salt
1 Egg
Splash of Milk
1 part Breadcrumbs
1 part Flour
Olive Oil
Parmesan
Tomato Sauce (fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, salt, pepper, oregano)

Supplies:
Cutting Board + Knife
Hot Plate + Pan + Spatula
Toaster Oven + pan or pie plate or other baking dish that fits
Hand Blender (optional - for tomato sauce)

Directions:

Cut the eggplant into slices and sprinkle with salt. Cover eggplant pieces with a cutting board or plate and put a weight on top (such as a can) and let eggplant sit for about 30 minutes to drain excess water.

In the meantime, prepare tomato sauce by pureeing 2-3 Roma tomatoes (or any other type of tomato will do), 1 clove of garlic and 2 large basil leaves using your Hand Blender. Add salt, pepper and dried oregano to taste. (Skip this step if you are using a pre-made pasta sauce, which is a great quick and easy alternative - or embellish this sauce using your own ingredients such as parmesan, mushrooms, thyme, shallots, etc.).

Pour half the tomato mixture to coat the bottom of the baking pan.

After approximately 30 minutes, remove weight and plate or board from eggplant and pat dry.  Heat olive oil in pan over medium heat. Beat egg in a bowl with a splash of milk. On a plate or in a shallow pan, mix 1 part breadcrumbs with 1 part flour. Dip eggplant in egg then coat in breadcrumb mixture. Cook in pan until breadcrumbs on both sides are lightly brown.

Place eggplant in baking dish.  Once you have breaded/pan-cooked all the eggplant, pour the remaining tomato sauce over the eggplant.  Sprinkle generously with parmesan.  (You can also add other cheeses such as mozarella or asiago, as desired.)

Cook in toaster over at 400 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is lightly browned.


Served Best With:  Salad; Glass of Wine; Garlic Bread

Candida Modification:  Lose the milk and cheese