Poule au Pot.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Sunday didn’t start out rainy. I woke up at 9:30, and despite feeling a bit low-energy, I grabbed my yoga bag (which I somehow had the foresight to pack the night before) and headed out the door to get my butt kicked for an intense hour and a half. By the time I left the studio, it had become overcast, and a cool, late summer rain was falling. As I walked an umbrella-less mile back to my apartment, I realized it was the perfect weather for that rare and elusive treat: light comfort food. In other words, it was time to make poule au pot! I first saw this peasant’s poached chicken and vegetable dish being prepared on one of my favorite cooking shows, Laura Calder’s French Food at Home. It’s incredibly easy and serves up all beautiful and mellow, with buttery flavors that make you think it’s more indulgent than it is. Since the chicken and veggies are poached, you not only have a very healthy dish on your hands, you’ve also got a whole bonus pot-ful of super-flavorful chicken broth leftover, to do with as you wish. And as for the chicken, I serve it in a pool of hot broth with the veggies and a little pile of quinoa on the side, but let me tell you, it is perfect for chicken salad too. Whatever you do with it, poule au pot has all the warming and homey power of comfort food, with none of the greasy richness. This is the magic of chicken in a pot–what’s not to love?

INGREDIENTS

1 whole chicken
2 bay leaves
5 whole cloves garlic, skin on
1/2 tsp dried thyme
1/2 tsp dried rosemary
1/2 tsp dried sage
1/2 tsp dried parsley
1/2 tsp dried tarragon
salt and pepper to taste
3 turnips, halved
2 parsnips, peeled and cut to about the size of the turnips
3 carrots, peeled and cut to match the parsnips
3 celery stalks, cleaned and cut in two
2 leeks, sliced longways, halved shortways, and washed (I find it’s easier to cut leeks first, then wash them after)
1 onion, quartered (Laura Calder suggests pearl onions, but I didn’t have any)

DIRECTIONS

Place the chicken in a deep pot, breast-side up. Fill the pot with water until it covers the chicken. Add the bay leaves and garlic and bring to a boil. Skim the foam off the surface of the water every few minutes.

After the foam has stopped forming, add the thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley, tarragon, and salt and pepper. Cook on a low boil for 30 minutes.

After 30 minute have passed, flip the chicken over so that the breast side is down. Turn the heat down slightly and cook another 10 minutes.

Next, add the turnips, parsnips, and carrots. Cook for 10 minutes.

Then add the celery and onion. Cook 5 minutes.

Finally, add the leeks to the pot. Cook 5 minutes.

That’s all! After a total of 60 minutes of chicken-poaching, with the veggies staggered so that they’re all just perfectly fork-tender, you’ve got an efficiently glorious dish that will make you pat yourself on the back a few times. My, you’re a good chef. Now eat some chicken.

Unemployed Shepherd’s Pie.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

A shepherd without a flock, a shepherd’s pie without any meat. This is an “unemployed shepherd’s pie” because there are no animals being shepherded into it! A little twist on a previous recipe, my vegetable pot pie, this yummy baked veggie and quinoa dish crowned with creamy mashed sweet potatoes is a meatless, gluten-free, almost guilt-free indulgence (there’s a cup of half and half in it, which adds some fat and keeps it from being vegan). A creamy, savory, and super filling dish, it’s also totally versatile, so play around with the veggies. Carrots and celery are always welcome, spinach or leeks would be a great addition, and maybe add a little bit of hot sauce right into the quinoa to provide a bit of a kick. It’s meant to be a flexible, peasant-food-y kind of meal for a chilly, hungry night. Vegetarian comfort food at its best!

INGREDIENTS

2 large sweet potatoes, thoroughly washed
1 cup quinoa
1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
1 medium onion, medium dice
1 small shallot, minced
1 tsp fresh rosemary, minced
1/4 tsp hot paprika
1/4 tsp cumin
salt and pepper to taste
olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup frozen broccoli, cut up
1 cup frozen peas
1 tbsp potato starch or corn starch
2 tbsp soy sauce
2 tbsp white wine
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup half and half, divided
1 tsp fresh parsley, chopped

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Pierce each potato a few times and place on a baking sheet. Bake until soft, about an hour. Set aside.

Add quinoa and vegetable broth to a small pan. Bring to a boil, then turn down and simmer until all the liquid is absorbed. Set aside.

Add olive oil to a pan over medium and cook onions, shallots, paprika, cumin, rosemary, salt, and pepper until the onions have softened.

Stir in the garlic and cook 1 minute. Then add broccoli and cook until starting to soften.

Add peas and stir, cook for 30 seconds, and stir in the starch. Turn down the heat to medium low and cook for one minute.

Now add the soy sauce, wine, and lemon juice. Cook for another minute.

Stir in 3/4 cup of half and half and simmer until it becomes like a thick sauce. Remove from heat.

In a large bowl, combine quinoa, vegetable mixture, and parsley.

In another bowl, mash the sweet potatoes, skins on, with the remaining 1/4 cup of half and half.

Spread quinoa mixture into a greased pan and top with the mashed sweet potatoes (mashed if you’re more patient than I was–I just kind of roughed them up a bit and spread them over). Sprinkle with additional salt and pepper if you like.

Bake 1 hour or until the top starts to get crunchy in places. Cool a bit before serving and dig in!

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash Chips.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

I always seem to buy zucchini and summer squash as a pair. I’m not sure why they always go together in my mind, and I never eat one without the other. For whatever reason, these vegetables are a couple, and I intended my recipe to be no exception to that rule. But while I was slicing up these green and yellow beauties, I wondered, why should they always go one with the other? It’s just as tasty to pair two zucchini or two summer squash—I defy their ingredients to tell the difference. In fact, I firmly believe that a vegetable can and should be with any vegetable partner they choose, regardless of what the traditional pairing might be. So make these chips with whatever you’ve got in the fridge and celebrate the right of everyone–vegetable or even human–to be with whoever they work best with!

Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash Chips | KellyintheKitchen | 2 zucchini and/or summer squash, 3 tbsp half and half, 1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese, 1 clove garlic, 1/4 cup panko bread crumbs, 1/2 tsp Lawry's seasoned salt, pepper

INGREDIENTS

2 zucchini and/or summer squash, sliced about 8th of an inch thick
3 tbsp half and half
1/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 cup panko bread crumbs
1/2 tsp Lawry’s seasoned salt
pepper

Just the Recipe link: Baked Zucchini and Summer Squash Chips

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 425 F.

Put half and half in a shallow dish. Put parmesan, garlic, bread crumbs, Lawry’s seasoned salt, and pepper in a bowl and whisk together.

Using one hand for dipping in half and half and the other for tossing in crumbs (so that neither hand gets cake-y), dip each slice of zucchini first in the half and half…

…and then into the bread crumbs, coating each side.

Place slices in a single layer on a foil-lined baking sheet.

Bake until golden brown and crispy. Serve immediately. Any ideas for a dip? They’re good on their own, but I’m sure there’s a great dip out there that I wasn’t able to think of.

And thanks for indulging my soapbox moment—even us food bloggers feel the need to take a stand every once in a while :)

Impostor “Egg” Salad.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen1 Comment

Vegans, vegetarians, and carnivores alike: I swear to you, this is really yummy. I like to eat vegan whenever I can, and for me, it often comes down to convenience. What I love about this tofu “egg” salad recipe, inspired by Healthy Happy Life, is that it’s just as easy–if not easier–than making egg salad with actual eggs. Observe: I steamed the tofu for a couple minutes, put it in the fridge to cool while I went for a quick run, and by the time I came back it was a matter of about 5 minutes before I was chowing down on a fast and easy–not to mention healthy—weeknight dinner. This definitely falls into the “I’d never haven guessed it was vegan!” vegan recipe category, so no matter who you are, there’s no excuse not to give it a try!

INGREDIENTS

12 oz extra firm tofu, sliced
1/3 cup vegenaise or mayo
1-2 stalks celery, sliced (I didn’t have any tonight, but normally I would add some celery)
3 tbsp dijon mustard
1/8 tsp cayenne pepper
1/8 tsp Lawry’s Seasoned Salt
1/2 tsp turmeric
1 1/2 tsp white wine vinegar
2 small green onions, sliced
salt and pepper to taste
chives for garnish

DIRECTIONS

The first step is optional, but I think it makes a difference in texture and is totally worth the extra time: Steam the tofu for 5-7 minutes, then place in the refrigerator and chill completely.

Now, whether you’ve steamed the tofu or not, pat it dry and cut it up until you reach your preferred egg salad-esque texture.

In a mixing bowl, combine all ingredients except the chives. Stir to combine.

Serve as a wrap or sandwich on toasted bread, or with crackers. Garnish with chives and enjoy your egg-less impostor egg salad!

Baba Ganoush.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen7 Comments

I’m no farmer and I don’t know anything about the seasonality of produce. Visiting most American grocery stores, the average shopper would have no idea when various fruits and veggies were in season, because stores sell pretty much everything, all year round. And while it can be nice to have fresh avocados in winter and apples in spring, there’s really nothing as good as in-season local produce, picked by farmers and eaten by me on the very same day! On Saturday morning at the farmers market, I saw more eggplants in more different varieties than I even knew existed, so my keen non-farmer Spidey Sense tells me it must be eggplant season in the midwest. I picked up a nice big one and made this classic Middle Eastern roasted eggplant spread. Go get your own before the season passes!

INGREDIENTS

1 large eggplant
4 cloves garlic, peeled and cut in half
1 tbsp good quality extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp tahini
2 tsp lemon juice
fresh parsley, chopped
1/8 tsp hot paprika, plus more for dusting
salt and pepper to taste

A successful morning at the farmers market.

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 375 F.

Pierce eggplant 8 times. Place on hot grill or directly on gas stove over medium high flame. Turn so that each side chars evenly.

When the skin is charred, remove from heat.

Stuff garlic cloves into the slits in the eggplant.

Roast on baking sheet for about 20 minutes, until eggplant is completely softened. Set aside to cool.

While eggplant cools, combine all other ingredients in a bowl.

When the eggplant has cooled enough to touch, cut off the stem and peel off as much of the skin as you can.

Cut into three pieces and add to a food processor along with all other ingredients.

Spoon into a bowl and dust with more paprika. I forgot to do it for the photo, but an extra drizzle of olive oil isn’t a bad idea either.

Olympic Cherry Crisp.

Published on by KellyInTheKitchen3 Comments

Happy Olympics! It’s that time again, and I might as well quit my job because all I want to do is stay home and watch all this awesome competitive action. There’s just so much emotion, history, and pride, and I’m a sucker for those emotional moments. Of course I root root root for the home team (the USA) but as I may have mentioned before, Russia has always had special place in my heart, so I cheer for Россию as well. This dessert is my way of reconciling my conflicting Olympic loyalties and satisfying my sweet tooth at the same time. Cherry desserts have long been a favorite in Russia, and summer fruit crisps are an American classic, so I combined them to make one mega-patriotic Russo-American Olympic loyalty-blurring all-inclusive fruit dessert extravaganza. Eat some, and then get your exercise by jumping up and down cheering for your team. Go world!

INGREDIENTS

1 heaping cup cherries, pitted
2 tbsp sugar, divided
1/2 tbsp potato starch or corn starch
2 tbsp water
1/3 cup whole wheat flour
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/4 cup oats
squeeze of honey
pinch of cinnamon
pinch of salt
2 tbsp butter, melted

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 400 F.

Combine cherries and 1 tbsp sugar in a saucepan and soften over medium heat for about 3-4 minutes.

Dissolve potato starch in water and stir into cherries. Cook another minute or so, until the cherries are soft and the mixture is thickened.

Remove from heat and spoon into greased ramekins.

Combine all remaining ingredients.

Sprinkle over the cherries in your ramekins…

…and bake until the tops start to brown, about 15 minutes. If you’re going for the gold medal in this dessert-off, serve these hot, topped with a scoop of ice cream.